The Lion King: Dawn Of The Nations

Episode 28: Nuances

The Lion King: Dawn Of The Nations

Episode 28: Nuances

Denji was standing before the lines of warriors that Baturu had asked him to call, under the sun of the late morning, among the bright rivers of lava, he was rather nervous as Baturu hadn't arrived and he didn't have any words to tell them. His ear twitched when hearing Baturu's unmistakable steps, so he moved away a bit with a sigh of relief.

Baturu arrived without saying a word, walking slowly while glaring at the eyes of his warriors, cheetahs, lions and rhinos were the ones he had chosen for that particular mission. He looked at Denji and nodded at him with a subtle smirk then sat down while glancing back at his warriors. "Hyenas. Filthy, lazy and pathetic, a pitiful shame that wanders in the desert with no path to follow!" Baturu exclaimed with hate and anger. "It is our chance, our chance to kill them all, to end with their misery!" Several chirrups, roars and grunts were heard. Baturu let out a chuckle. "And most importantly...this, my loyal warriors, will be a message to our enemies, they'll be afraid..." He laughed. "...more afraid than they are now! Afraid of the power of Baturu and his unmatched army! Now, go, and kill them all, kill the lost hyenas, and show the power of my kingdom!" Baturu got into his paws and let out a loud, powerful roar. The numerous warriors turned and ran with their goal clear, getting away from Baturu's sight rapidly, heading to the hyenas' last known location.

Denji approached Baturu and stood next to him. "What's next, my king?"

Baturu's eyes were lost in the horizon, having a hidden smirk on his face. "We wait, Denji." He looked at him. "We just wait."

In Ungari, Kovu, Ari, Emba and Zale were sharing a large piece of antelope as breakfast, inside the tunnel. "Dad." Zale said before munching some meat.

"Mhm?" Kovu expressed, he was rather focused in his own thoughts as well as his eating.

"Is Keru in trouble?" Zale inquired.

Kovu sighed with annoyance. "No." He replied with a straight tone. "He just needs time, that's all." Kovu looked at Zale. "And that's between him and me, okay?"

Zale lowered his head and kept eating. "Okay."

Keru was laying over his side, on the green, soft ground, feeling the freshness of the plants while looking at the dark green wall of the tunnel, spotting some tiny and colorful flowers hidden between the leaves and the stems, getting lost in their subtle beauty, as he was thinking about the argument he had with his father moments before. Keru loved him a lot, he always felt safe at his side, his voice and words reassured him every time he was troubled, Kovu accepted every game he dared him to play, he even enjoyed them despite him being a fully grown lion, at least on the outside, as Keru always thought.

Keru wasn't very sure of what he wanted to become in the future, but being king, that was something he secretly disdained, until that morning. He began to feel guilt, a strong guilt, the pain he felt in his stomach was lighter than the one in his heart. His anxiety rapidly turned into fear which then gradually became sadness, a sadness that formed a lump in his throat. The first tears traveled over his fur slowly, but then they grew in number along with the sobs, until the silent crying of the little lion echoed in the tunnel. The sobs eased the pain in his stomach a bit, his gasps gave some peace to his troubled thoughts, but the loneliness of the moment didn't fade away.

Kovu, Ari, Emba and Zale had finished eating their breakfast. The three cubs were now enjoying a calm time in the pool, just swimming in the water with slow movements while Kovu watched over them from a cliff. Ari was floating next to Emba, one of the waterfalls was falling right over them, they felt the fresh breeze of the water touching their napes while the gentle yet comforting hits of the falling drops reached their backs. "So, you think our Council will be only of three?" Emba asked, constantly moving his paws back and forth to keep floating. "When we reign."