The Lion King: Dawn Of The Nations

Episode 24: Indulgence

 The Lion King: Dawn Of The Nations

Episode 24: Indulgence

Kion and Rani were walking together nearby Pride Rock, mealtime had ended so there were sleeping families all around them, the sun of the afternoon was at its peak. The two mates shared a peaceful silence for several steps over the quiet grass and the small pebbles, until Kion let out a somewhat problematic thought. "How much days like this can we expect?" He made Rani to look at him. "Calm times are often the presage of troubled ones, aren't they?"

"Or maybe the other way around." Rani opined. "The sun rises after the storm, always." Rani stroked his neck with her forehead, getting closer to him.

Kion chuckled very subtly. "But it will rain again, no matter what. That's what I always fear, Rani. And that's what always happens, and it will. Baturu is still out there, planning, wanting everything his sight can offer."

"Yes." Rani said. "But he isn't here right now." She spoke with a reassuring tone. "Now we can enjoy."

Kion thought she had left the phrase incomplete. "Enjoy what?"

Rani looked at the blue sky, filled with enormous white clouds. "Enjoy."

"For how long?" Kion inquired.

"The most we can." Rani responded. "We don't know what will happen tomorrow." She looked at his mate. "Or tonight."

"I do, we will have dinner then sleep." Kion said quite jokingly.

Rani chuckled. "Maybe." She kept her gaze on his. "Only maybe, but you know what's real? What's true now?"

Kion raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Rani breathed in, smelling the freshness of the air that caressed the savanna while glaring around, looking at the sleeping lions, the couples sharing the cover of the trees with their cubs laying over their backs and sides. "This won't be tomorrow, when Baturu's legions arrive." She said. "But it is today, Kion." Rani suddenly stopped walking and laid down, hesitantly followed by Kion. A deep silence happened between them, the strongest noise they heard was the wind passing by their ears. Kion knew what Rani was talking about but had never learned how to put it into practice, the future was always in his head, sometimes the shadows of the past were also with him, but the light of the present was something difficult for him to see clearly. Baturu was still in his mind, also assumptions of how his children would look like when they reach adulthood, how would he feel, how would they feel, more importantly, who would they be. "Still?" Rani suddenly asked, having already rested her head between her paws.

Kion gasped a bit, looking down at her. "What?"

Rani laughed silently. "Don't worry." She said, yawning peacefully. "It's still daytime."

Kion saw her statement a bit too obvious but immediately knew she was talking about something else. He looked around him and saw a pair of families sleeping next to a pile of zebra and antelope remains. Kion glared at her, noticing the gentle way her breathing moved the grass before her face. He started to lower his head until it reached the ground. The clouds moved slowly by the far winds, the sun illuminated their contour, the uneasy thoughts began to blur, his eyelids were getting heavier, he lowered down his head constantly, resisting to an upcoming nap. Before he could finally give up to his acquired tiredness, his ear twitched when hearing fast steps from afar. He gasped and stood up immediately. "Rani, get up."

Rani did as Kion said, having also heard the steps, the curved end of the horizon ahead prevented them to see who was coming, Kion backed away a couple of steps, while Rani just maintained a surveillant glare. Several canine figures started to show up. "Wait..." She narrowed her eyes. "...are those..?"