You Better Know What You're Fighting For

Chapter Four - We Can Start And Finish Wars

Kion paced back and forth restlessly, tail whipping side to side across the ground, stirring up dust. His claws clicked against the ground, and his lips pulled back slightly over his teeth, just briefly. Not out of anger as much as impatience. His shoulders tugged him forward, his paws moving blindly over the ground as he continued to pace, throwing occasional glances out into the Pridelands. The former soldiers and slaves stood by, a few of them resting, and one of them was going around tending to whatever wounds they needed fixed. Kion honestly wished he'd been there during the battle. He knew he could fight, he'd learned from the best. And he had the Roar of the Elders. He could have done something.

"You saw Heath?"

"I did." Kito piped up, and a few of the other rebels murmured agreement. Kion growled and tossed his head to the side, looking back across the Pridelands. His parents, who sat a few feet away from the others, exchanged glances, obviously confused.

"Kion, hold on," Kila spoke up, shaking her head. "Just explain what's going on, for those who are kinda left outta the loop here?"

"I'll explain everything when the Guard gets here." Kion assured, working his claws into the ground briefly before sheathing them again. "Anyone else you recognized?"

"Just the soldiers loyal to Lucifer." Sam murmured, then frowned and perked his ears. "Atazi was there, I think."

Kion stopped pacing and turned to look at him, eyes widening slightly. "Atazi?" He'd seen the lioness with Lucifer before, and he knew she was one of his wives, one of the ones that actually cared for the evil King. Kion tried to steer clear of her most of the time. She was basically a female Lucifer, just as fearsome. While Kion wasn't scared of her, he had no doubt in any of her fighting abilities, nor did he doubt she could be the one behind this all. She certainly had motive.

"I think so."

Simba's ears folded back at the mention of his cousin, looking helplessly confused. "Kion, what's going on?" He demanded. The golden cub spared him a glance, and Simba didn't recognize who he saw in those amber eyes. They were hard and cold, calculating. He wasn't the cub Simba knew anymore. His eyes seemed to glitter with a maturity far beyond his age; It almost made Simba feel sick, for some reason. That wasn't a look a cub Kion's age should ever have.

"Like I said, I'll-" Kion's ears swiveled around and his head turned, spotting Bunga and the others before anyone else. A sigh of relief escaped the cub's lips.

"We came here as fast as we could!" Fuli zipped up to him, skidding to a stop beside the golden cub and sending dust flying up everywhere. Beshte wasn't too far behind, Ono perched on his back, and Bunga went around to Kion's other side.

"So, uh... Explanation now, huh?" Bunga looked up at Kion, his eyes wide. Kion closed his own eyes for a second before nodding, turning away.

"Okay." Kion flicked his tail for the rest of the Guard to join his family, and they reluctantly left his side, taking seats next to the Royal Family in silence. Once everyone was settled, Kion looked toward his friends - That is, his desert friends. Kito gave a reassuring smile, while Sam and Claire just nodded. So, Kion gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and faced his family.

"You guys already know I disappeared for all that time. What you don't know is why, or where. I was in the desert. I ran into two tigers one day on my way to visit Chaka. Since I couldn't fight them off then, they easily overpowered me and took me to a camp." Kion's eyes darkened slightly, causing even tough Kila to shudder, not knowing what was coming next but knowing she wouldn't like it.

"This camp was filled with many other animals. Lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, you name it, all there. Most of them, mainly lions and cheetahs, were enslaved." Kion raised his tail to keep them silent, seeing the slightly outraged expressions on his parent's faces, and horrified ones on his friends and siblings. "There were also soldiers. Mainly tigers and leopards. The soldiers fought and captured more slaves - Slaves were used sometimes as bargaining chips, traded for territory, to hunt, build, and for the soldiers... And King's own pleasures."