The Lion King: Dawn Of The Nations

Episode 40: Mourn

The Lion King: Dawn Of The Nations

Episode 40: Mourn

Kion was surrounded by the unending firmament, dark, starless. The ground was flat, black and very cold, so cold that his paws could barely stand it. He was sitting down with his head lowered and his eyes closed, crying for his beloved. The tears kept running slowly across his face, falling over the black ground. Kion opened his eyes and watched his tears falling, at a very slow pace, then they started to stay floating over the ground, arranging themselves in a straight, horizontal line. The tears then multiplied and began to float upwards, making Kion to back away a couple of steps.

The tears started to get bigger, to Kion's amazement, they rapidly became floating, crystal clear ponds. Small beating hearts appeared in each pond, which started to become opaque. The ponds also began to gain color, varying from brown to gold. They didn't look like ponds anymore, they grew fur and limbs quite rapidly, as well as tails and heads, becoming a crowd of lion cubs that instantly fell to the ground. Kion got closer to them, the cubs screamed with fear while trembling and slouching, looking at him with fear and hopelessness. A loud, echoing roar of pain and death was heard afterwards, hurting Kion's ears.

"Gah!" Kion woke up, gasping while looking around him, raising an eyebrow, rapidly remembering where he was, glaring at the dark rocky walls of that cave in the Outlands.

"Ki..." Kiara yawned and looked at his brother. "Kion. What happened? You can't sleep?"

"It's not that." Kion sighed. "I actually feel guilty for finding sleep after..." He took a deep breath and exhaled with great sadness. "...after just losing her."

"She would want you to stay strong." Kiara said.

"I know." Kion shook his head. "Yet, it se..." He battled the lump in his throat. "...it seems I'm not that strong."

"You are, brother." Kiara stroked his face with hers. "This is a hard hit for you. For me as well, she was my friend." The reassuring tone of her voice got lost in the sadness it beared.

"The hardest." Kion said with a broken voice. "As when my dad..." He sobbed, leaving the phrase unfinished.

"Let it out, Kion." Kiara cried softly. "It can heal your wounds."

"Not this one. This one's permanent." Kion said.

"We went through the same when we lost...dad." Kiara stroked his neck with her forehead. "And we healed."

"Do you really think I healed?" Kion looked at her with tears on his eyes. "I always think about him." He lowered down his gaze. "As I'll always think about mother...and...my Rani."

"Oh, Kion." Kiara rested her head over his neck. "That's normal. They'll always be remembered, not only by us." She took a deep breath and looked up. "They're living in the Perpetual Ufalme."

Kion stood silent for a moment, closing his eyes and breathing slowly. He looked up and opened his eyes, picturing a blue, cloudy sky with his thoughts, right on the dark and rocky ceiling. "I know." Kion slowly lowered down his gaze. "This is our first step...mom use to tell me that." He sighed. "But it wasn't her time yet...and that scum..." Kion's voice turned angry and full of hatred.

"Brother..." Kiara said with a lump in her throat. "That anger...it's not good for you."

"How do you want me to feel?!" Kion cried out loud. "I want her back!" He sobbed strongly. "I want them all back, Kiara. My father always knew what to do, my mother was always there to hold me between her paws...my Rani...she was my world, Kiara. And they're all gone...my cubs will grow without their loving mother." Kion rested his head over his paws while crying. "How will I tell them?"

Kiara licked his face and stroked it with hers. "Any word we use won't be enough to hold their tears, Kion."

"My delicate Ari. Emba, my bold boy." Kion sobbed. "I'm so sorry." He began to imagine their teary eyes and their young, wretched groans. "Your stupid father wasn't strong enough to protect her, to keep her safe." His cry became more bitter.

"What I need you to understand, brother, is that this isn't your fault." Kiara said reassuringly. "It was her call to battle at your side."

"I know." Kion cried. "I shouldn't have let her."

"Do you think she would've liked that?" Kiara inquired.

"No." Kion replied. "But at least she would still be alive."

Kiara nuzzled his neck. "Cry, little brother. I'll be here with you, mourning by your side." She sobbed and joined Kion in a night of tears, wailing and loss.

In the morning, Dogo, Bedor and Gorger were at the defile, walking by the great amount of enemy and ally corpses, feeling the early cold air under a cloudy, gray sky. "Such a high prize we've paid for this victory." Dogo sighed.

"They are heroes of The Outlands now." Bedor said. "Their sacrifice and bravery will always be remembered."

"Baturu's forces were reduced significantly." Gorger stated. "We must plan our next strike soon."

"We will, Gorger." Dogo lowered down his head. "Let our hearts and souls mourn for the fallen. Our allies lost a valuable and endearing member of their family and we must accompany them in their pain."

"The young ones showed great strength and courage in the battlefield." Bedor commented. "The wounded breathe because of them, their sharp, incorrupt fangs ended with the lives of our enemies."

Dogo nodded. "Indeed. The least I can do for them is to celebrate a magnificent feast in their honor." He looked at Gorger. "We'll do the hunting at Kiambatisho Oasis tomorrow."

Juzare and Javara were laying on the bank of a long river that was surrounded by trees and bushes. "How did you find this place?" Juzare enjoyed the freshness of the water that moved his front legs gently, the current was tender and the wind blew softly.

"Well, I take some breaks when I go hunting." Javara replied, moving her front legs inside the water. "I ran into this beauty in one of my little adventures." She chuckled.

Juzare chuckled as well. "Little adventures? Is walking for hours, ignoring your chores called an 'adventure' now?"

"Hey..." Javara chuckled and threw some water at his face with her paw. "Your welcome for feeding that hungry belly of yours."

Juzare gasped. "Pretty! You know I can't defend myself." He laughed.

"You asked for it, silly." Javara smirked at him while raising an eyebrow.

Juzare sighed while chuckling briefly. "Yeah, maybe you're right."