The Lion King: Dawn Of The Nations

Episode 16: Interval

 The Lion King: Dawn Of The Nations

Episode 16: Interval

At midnight, Kion, Kovu and Kiara were reunited at the cave's inside, the cubs were asleep as well as Rani as she was still recovering. "They can't stay here, the Pride Lands are not safe anymore for our children to live, Kovu." Kion said.

Kovu nodded. "I agree." He looked at his mate, who was sitting next to him.

Kiara replied with a nod, letting out a brief sigh. "Things have just gotten worse, and we don't know if they'll get any better." She looked both at Kion and Kovu. "It's the right thing to do, at least for now."

Kion lowered his head while giving some thought to the discussion. "Where will we take them?" He looked at Kovu, waiting for an answer.

"Ungari." Kovu responded with almost no previous reflection. "It is safe there, hidden, away from danger."

Kion thought about Kovu's proposal, then he nodded, maintaining his gaze on his eyes. "Someone must go with them."

"I'll do it, Kion." Kovu said.

"And I'm going with you." Kiara got closer to him, resting her head on his side, looking into his eyes.

Kovu sighed. "No, Kiara. The kingdom needs you." He looked over his back, glaring at Rani. "Rani is still hurt, and we need a queen to fight for the Pride Lands." He looked at her with a smirk of confidence, she lowered her gaze and nodded hesitantly.

"Kovu." Kion got into his paws and approached him, speaking with a broken voice. "Please...take care of my children."

Kovu nodded with a glare of commitment. "As if they were my own, Kion."

Later, Kion was laying outside of the cave over the edge of the Pride Rock, looking at the star filled sky, thoughtful and broken. "Dad?" His ear twitched when hearing his daughter's voice, he looked back and saw Ari walking towards him.

"Hey." Kion made up a subtle smile, Ari then laid down next to him, resting against his front leg. "You should be sleeping, Ari." He licked her head.

Ari yawned. "You too, daddy."

Kion let out a brief chuckle. "You're right." He sighed and took a broken, deep breath, a tear traveled down over the fur of his face.

Ari got closer to him. "Dad, are you okay?"

Kion delayed quite a bit to reply. "No." He said with a broken voice. Kion let out a sob, having been unable to hold it anymore. "Just..." He exhaled. "Go back to sleep, Ari." He couldn't hide the knot in his throat.

"Dad...if you want to cry..." Ari dragged herself towards her father's neck, getting under it. "...you can." She said with a reassuring voice. "It's okay." Kion was battling hard with himself, wanting to avoid the tears and the sadness he was feeling. "You can cry, daddy." Ari insisted.

Kion sobbed more deeply, his gaze was on the ground, the past's remnants mixing with his present, the Pride Land's present and the one of all the lands that surrounded it, the darkness that now covered Mufasa's Kingdom, as well as the darkness that was wrapping his feelings. He suddenly let out a loud, broken cry, followed by continuous sobs, then he kept crying with intense agony and sorrow, tears flowed like rivers over his face, in his cry there was mourn, guilt, nostalgia and several other feelings that only brought him to a deeper suffering. Ari also sobbed when feeling her father's sadness, also with tears forming on the corner of her eyes, then she also started to cry, sharing the pain and the sorrow of her father. The crying of the two lions lasted long, getting lost in the night's darkness and the dim light of the stars.

Next day's morning, Kovu and the cubs were about to leave, but Emba and Ari still wanted to say goodbye to their mother. Ari walked towards her and placed her forehead on hers. "I hope we come back soon, mom." She mumbled. "Take care of daddy." She licked her forehead and walked away from her.

Emba stroked Rani, resting his head against hers for a moment. "I'll miss you, mom." He said then walked towards his uncle and the other cubs.

Kiara sat down before her cubs, lowering her head a bit to look directly at them. "Don't cause your dad too much trouble, okay?" She suddenly pushed them gently with her head, bringing them to the ground, playfully tickling them with her snout, making them to chuckle along with her. Kiara finally stopped, Keru and Zale sat down again, glaring at her between chuckles. She stroked them with her lower jaw then licked their foreheads. "Don't worry, my children. This is your home, and we'll make sure you return soon." She looked at her brother briefly, Kion nodded with certainty.

Kiara gave them a last smirk then she approached her mate and rested her head on his, licking his face, then he did the same. "Be careful, Kiara." Kovu told her with worried eyes. "When I come back, I want to see my mate again..." He stroked her, rubbing his head against hers. "...to keep living as we once did." He looked into her eyes with a hopeful smile.

Kiara smirked at him. "You have nothing to fear, Kovu. I'll be waiting for you, every day."

Kovu let out a brief chuckle. "Every, single one?" Kiara just licked his face playfully.

"Mom..." Zale approached his mother and laid his head over her front leg. "...I don't want to go. I want to stay."

"Me too." Keru said with a broken voice, mimicking his brother's action.

"And I understand it." Kiara licked their heads before stroking them. "But it's necessary." She looked into her sons' eyes, gesturing at Kovu. Keru and Zale walked towards their father with their heads lowered.

Kovu turned his gaze from his children to Kion's. "It's time to go." He gestured at Kion.

Ari approached her father along with Emba, looking into his eyes. Kion smiled at them and stroked them with his lower jaw. "Your mother and I will miss you greatly, but I'm sure this separation won't last long." He looked into Ari's eyes and crouched a bit, licking her forehead. "My daughter..." He smiled proudly. "...don't forget that strength of yours. I'm sure they'll need it." He briefly glared at Kovu and his cubs as well as Emba. Ari just nodded, lowering her glare. "Hey, look at me..." She glanced into his eyes, with a tear forming in the corners of hers. "Be strong." Kion said with a more straight tone. "Ari." Kion looked at her, she nodded hesitantly. "That's my girl." He stroked her again then got closer to Emba and gave him a smirk. "Son."

"Dad...I can stay if you want." Emba's eyes were also teary. "I can fight, I'm big enough already."

Kion chuckled. "I do want you to stay, my son. But I would never forgive myself if that feeling gets you in danger." He rested his forehead against Emba's. "Take care of your sister, you are a team." Kion said, Emba looked at Ari then back at his father, nodding with some doubt. He chuckled and turned, taking a few steps towards the entrance, looking at the sun of the early morning. "Kovu." His voice echoed in the cave.

Kovu walked towards Kion then sat down next to him. "Yes, Kion?"

Kion also sat down over the rocky ground. "I insist." His voice was broken. "Take care of them..." He gasped a bit to fight the knot in his throat. "...see them grow..." His voice had just gotten more broken. "T..." He let out another gasp, rather frustrated, crying silently.

"And I insist too." Kovu got closer to him. "I'll take care of them, as if they were my own cubs."

Kion slowly looked at him, with tears traveling over the fur of his face. Kovu briefly got his head against his. "Thanks, Kovu."

Kovu got into his paws and walked away from Kion, facing the cave's entrance. He looked over his back at the four cubs. "It's time."

Zale, Keru, Emba and Ari approached Kovu, getting at his sides, then he just began to walk towards the exit. The five lions then started to go down the path between the cave and the grassed land. Kion observed them from the tip of the Pride Rock, standing with a nostalgic glare, seeing how they were leaving, getting lost in the horizon.