Leo : The Lion King

Chapter 234 234: Aftermath

[1st POV]

Don't tell anyone.

But I'm trembling.

Maybe it was because I was more afraid than I showed, or maybe it was my body fatigue after the adrenaline.

But I was trembling quite a bit.

Although it might look like a complete beat down, where I wouldn't lose even if we fought again, that was just a front.

Deep down, I knew how close this was.

Ten lion kings. Had the hyenas not welcomed them first, had they strategized a bit, or if they had made a few smarter choices, they would've had me.

But my display showed anything but that. Because the truth is, you gotta act strong the more vulnerable you are.

I was strong, I knew that. There was no lion in this world I wouldn't beat one on one, or maybe two on one.

But I was not comparable to ten lions. If I was, that would mean supernatural exist.

Everything had their limits, even I, the king.

So after the battle was over and I chased everyone away, I stumbled on my weak front legs.

"Damn it," I cursed out loud. My arm had healed, but not to the point where it was healthy like my other limbs. I think the fight had brought back the injury.

I turned and looked back to the battlefield I left behind. Seven lions lay dead, finished off by the hyenas that were gathering more and more. The vultures had littered the sand instead of the sky, enjoying their meal while it was warm.

But the sight did nothing but breed a sense of doom in my heart.

A ten lion coalition.

The mere fact that it was possible was scary. It made me realise the extent of my influence. Such a coalition was only possible due to their shared hatred towards me.

Ten lions came today.

Maybe twenty will come tomorrow.

Twenty lions would be enough to kill me no matter if they strategized or not. That was the length of my arrogance. Even with all my pride, I knew I had little hopes against such numbers.

Sure, coalition between lions had been common since I appeared. I knew that. These days, I literally make coalition a necessity for survival because the hyenas under me would just bully a solitary male.

It was a way I reduced my workload. I only fought those too powerful for the hyenas to kill. Mostly they were three coalition or above.

And now a ten lion coalition.

The thought made me grit my teeth.

Lesson learned.

...

I rested for an hour before heading back to my pride.

I released tiny chains of roars to declare my victory. It was almost like a rant, a type of trash talk where I ridiculed all those that challenged me.

"Father!!"

The cubs were the first to greet me. The pride had not even appeared in the horizon yet but here they were. It seemed like they were more worried than my females.

"My children," I said, fixing my lazy posture to appear stronger and firmer than I was.

Asafa, Kion, Shaka and Aslan. They were my first legacies. The four male cubs among the first generation.

"You did it my lord!! You beat them all!!" Aslan said excitedly, "You are stronger than ten lions!!"

I chuckled.

"When the vultures told us about the situation, we were worried," Shaka said, coming up to my paws and curling as he rubbed himself on my towering limb.

"Our mothers said not to worry. I guess they were right," he said.

I felt Asafa's needle like claw pierce my back. When I turned, I saw him trying to climb on top of me. I folded my hindlegs, lowering myself so that he could climb.

Seeing that, the other cubs didn't want to be left out. They all climbed on top of my tired body. Perhaps my mask worked too well, they had no idea how tired or injured I was.

But I smiled all the same, grunting a bit when one of them clawed on my open wounds.

My frame was wide enough for all four cubs to fit. Aslan and Asafa hung on my neck, coming out from the roof of my mane and sticking their tiny heads out above me.

Normally they weren't so playful and actually respected me, sometimes a little too much to my liking. But the euphoria of seeing me win had made them forget most manners.

I didn't scold them, rather, I let my kids ride on my back as I continued to make my way to the pride slowly, trying not to limp.

"Father?" Asafa asked, his entire torso on top of my head.

"Hmm?"

"How come you are so strong?"

"Because I hate being weak," I said simply, "No creature is more pitiful than those who lack strength in this world,"

"Did you always know you could beat ten lions?" Aslan asked next. I felt them pushing each other on top of my head. They were not so little anymore so both of them barely fit on top of my head.

"Was that why you set out immediately?"

I laughed at their silly questions.

"I did not set out to beat up ten lions my child," I said fondly, "I set out to protect my pride. To protect you,"

"Protect us?"

"Do you know what a new king does to the cubs of the old king?" I asked.

Their silence told me that they knew.

The new king kills the cubs of the old.

"I didn't know I could win, I just knew I couldn't lose," I said, "Not when all of you are behind me,"

My answers seemed to stimulate their mind greatly. I noticed that I was acting way more dignified or wise. It could be seen in my way of talking, in my way of behavior. Some would say I was acting.

But it was just what fathers do when they had a son. They tried to set the best example, tried to be their hero. At one point you stop faking because you become what your children idolized.

If they viewed me as a great king that could kill ten lions, then I will become that.

Perhaps that was the so called dad strength.

"Do you think we will be as strong as you?" Asafa asked with a hopeful tone.

The easy answer was no.

But what kind of father would kill the hope of his son?

"You will be stronger," I said instead, "The word strength itself has many meaning my child. Had the ten lions today come one at a time, there would be cause of celebration because they would be too weak,"

"But together they were strong, strong enough to make me bleed," I said.

"You have each other," I said, "Your brothers, Kion, Aslan, Shaka. Together, I have no doubt you will be stronger than I. You will accomplish more than I ever did,"

The cubs cheered among themselves.

I too had a smile on my face when I imagined them growing up to be like the Four Musketeers but even better because they will have my genes and knowledge.

"Father?" Kion asked from my back.

"What is it Kion?"

"Do you have a brother too?"

The question made me pause. For a moment, my mind travelled back in time.

I was a fat cub laying on top of a tree. I could vividly see a smaller cub trying his hardest to climb the same tree so he could sit beside me.

He fell so many times, until his butt made a dent on the sand.

But the small cub wouldn't stop trying to climb up to my side.

Simba.

...

"I do," I said after a long pause.

"Where is he?!" the cubs asked excitedly.

"I-I..." I was at a loss for words, "I don't know,"

Before the cubs could ask another question, we reached the pride.

"Kion!!" the mother yelled, aghast, "Don't bother the king!!"

The females came to greet me. The mothers of the cubs came first and quickly scolded the children off my back.

Nala and Zuri came and rubbed their head fondly on my chin, each seeking but not competing for my affection.

I took my place at the centre of the pride and the females closed on me. They nursed my wounds and I felt myself almost melting from their soft warmth and feminine smell.

A reminder of why lions were constantly at war with each other.

But even as my body rested, and even as my body experienced the pleasure of mounting any body I wanted, my mind never left the battlefield.

Simba.

I had a brother didn't I.

Why didn't I care more?

It should be around time when he returned to the Pridelands. I wondered what his reaction was when home was no longer there.

Home was with me.

And the super coalition.

Grim told me that they crossed the river, that they came from the Maasai Mara.

What exactly was going on the land beyond the river?

I needed to find out.

"Grim," I called out after I rested well.

"My Lord?" Grim answered immediately. He was always among the pride, always by my side. At this point, even the other lioness had seen him as an important member of the pride. Sitting at a higher hierarchy than most of them.

"Send some scouts to the Maasai Mara. I want to know the origin of those lions and what is up beyond the river,"

"As you wish,"

For now, I lay down to rest.

..

..

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Author : I'll do double chapter tomorrow