The Sun Sinks || The Lion King

Embers and raindrops

Vitani boredly stared at the sun through narrowed eyes, her vision swimming with black spots. Her head hurt. 

The air was dry, her throat was parched, her fur was dirty and itchy, her eyes were burning, and she was hungry. So. Fucking. Hungry. The last time she had eaten was yesterday morning. It was a mouse, barely even had any meat on it. Smaller than her fucking toe. 

Mother was too busy with Kovu to care, and said 'she trusted Vitani enough to get her own food' 

Hah. 

What a joke. 

And of course, like always, Nuka was off who knows where, probably complaining about termites who seemed to bite him in the ass more than the rest of them. 

At least it was entertaining, she thought with a slight huff and a quirk at the corners of her lips, before looking away from the sun and squeezing her eyes shut until her vision healed back to normal. The sun made black dots dance across her sight in a hypnotising dance. It was one of the only things she could do to pass the time. Guessing how long she could stare the sun before it caused permanent damage was more fun than most things you could do in this hellscape. 

Today was shaping up to be a shitty day. Maybe mother would send one of the lionesses into the Backlands for some food. Though she rarely approved with anyone straying too far. While her paranoia constantly kept her vigilant of anybody who planned to flee— Or in her words, "abandon the cause" — she currently had no choice. 

Their pride was growing restless, and even Kovu who was the most well fed out of all of them had some ribs that were starting to poke through his muddy brown fur. If only they could all live in the Pridelands. Everything would be nicer if they did. She could remember fleeting memories of when she was younger, how good everything felt. How the suns warmth didn't suffocate them. 

How the air didn't dry up their throats. 

That paradise had been lost. 

With there currently being no king, Vitani would have just invaded the place herself if she was in charge of the Outlanders. But, unlike before where the Pridelander lionesses bent to the will of Scar because there was no one else of royal blood, now the prince and princess existed. And Zira knew that if she tried anything, they'd fight back this time. 

It wasn't worth it. 

Entitled fucking Pridelanders. 

Vitani let her shoulders sag for a moment. She hated her life. Was it even her  life at this point? She couldn't make one decision for herself. There was no will to a puppet of hatred. 

|―𐀀―| 

Kiara huffed, trying to catch her breath. Her muscles burned with exhaustion, but waves of satisfaction were coursing through her body. Another cub, Hatari, was splayed out on the ground, Kiara having caught him just moments prior.