[1st POV]
"Stop struggling," I said while holding down the lioness who was not part of my pride.
She was one of Scar's females.
"Let go, you big, fat cat," she said while struggling but failing to get out from under my paw.
"Big talk for soone who can't even handle one of my arms," I said and applied more weight. Her mouth opened agape, and she couldn't breathe anymore. It also ant she couldn't speak anymore, so that was good.
The way we t required a bit of a backstory. Currently, I am on a rescue mission. But instead of joining the real rescue party, I went completely opposite to the region where it would take place.
I stood right before the steep cliff leading up to the Pride Lands and began roaring there. My roar was loud enough to reach the whole kingdom in the silence of the night, even though I was technically not inside.
My roar worked as a distraction that would drive the attention of hyenas and Scar alike towards instead of Zuri and Sarabi. It was also a signal for the operation to start.
But as I began roaring and announcing my presence to the whole world in warning, one lioness attacked from beneath the darkness of the bushes.
It was a lioness of Scar's pride who went outside the kingdom in search of food. Apparently, Scar told them to do that. I guess he was getting desperate if he did such things.
I continued roaring with the lioness beneath my paw. I would occasionally stop to rest my throat, during which I questioned the female beneath . I wasn't asking anything important really; my intention was not to get information out of her because I can get that from Grim.
The questions I asked were more for my personal curiosity than anything.
"Do you have eyes?" I asked.
She didn't reply; she only continued struggling. I pushed my weight on my paw, and the weight on her was enough to crush her ribs. Only then did she speak.
"What kind of question is that?! Of course I have eyes," she said while glaring at hatefully.
"I doubt that," I said, causing her to whine, "If you really have eyes, you must see right? You must see my sheer size, the length of my claws, the volu of my mane and the danger of my jaw."
She didn't answer. Now I poked out my claws and dug into her skin. A drop of blood finally made her talk again.
"Of course! Yes! I see them!" she said.
I nodded, "So my question is, what makes you think that attacking would be a good idea? Did your scrawny ass really think you were going to do sothing?" I asked and roughly slapped her ass with my other paw.
She was very lanky and small, the drought evident on her body. But I was not too rough with her because she was going to be a part of my pride soon anyway. After I kill Scar, that is.
She struggled like a cat and hissed at . But she was not able to achieve anything. I ignored her for another mont as I roared three tis in the sky.
The sa thing goes on for a long ti. It might've been an hour if not more.
I continued harassing the poor lioness. I might not look like it, but I was extrely concerned and worried about the rescue mission. It was why I was playing with the enemy in the first place, to get my mind off the situation so that I did not stress too much about things I could not control.
I have made the best plan I can; it was out of my power now. I had to put my trust in my subordinates.
Soon after, I saw Grim flying towards . I waited with bated breath and my heart stopped beating completely until I heard the news.
"The mission was a success, my Lord! Zuri and Sarabi are being led to the rest of the pride as we speak," he said, and my heart started beating again.
A huge sigh left my mouth. It felt like a mountain had been moved from my shoulder. The lioness, on the other hand, cursed out loud when she heard the news.
I turned to the lioness again, this ti with a serious face. I no longer needed her to relieve my stress and she sensed that. She did not make a sound and completely froze.
I bent down and opened my jaw. She tucked her neck so that I couldn't bite her but that didn't help.
I put her whole head between my jaw.
Her whole body trembled. I closed my jaw slightly and my teeth poked fear into her body. The sll of urine tickled my nose.
I could kill her so easily. I could kill her by accident. I knew that. She also knew that.
I pulled back after that. I stared deep into her eyes, "Return back to your pathetic king. Tell him to prepare well. Next ti he hears my roar, there will be nothing holding back."
I let her go. She slipped out quickly like a rat and ran away as fast as she could.
I turned away and headed back towards the pride. Excitent and nervousness stirred in my heart in perfect chaos. I hurried back ho, but even then, it took more than an hour to reach the pride.
It would've been past midnight when I reached the rest of my pride. The moon was nearly full and shining brightly in the sky. That, coupled with my natural night vision, ant that I could see very well in the dark.
So as I saw my pride appearing on the horizon, one figure caught my attention. She couldn't have been a mber of my pride; she was too small.
I paused.
My nose twitched as I took the scent in the air. There were new scents in the air but none were unfamiliar.
I knew that sll.
Zuri.
I ran imdiately. My heart was beating so wildly in my chest that I could barely hear anything else. And when I finally touched the lioness I love most in the world, my heart fell to the pits of my stomach.
It felt wrong to admit it but when I reunited with her, there was no joy in my heart. My love did not give butterflies in my stomach, nor did it stir my heart with happiness or joy.
Instead, my love killed my heart.
"Zuri," I called her as she collapsed onto my fra.
She was so weak, she was so thin, so small. I didn't even have the courage to hug her back, fearing my stupid strength would break her.
"My Zuri," I said, love turned into pity.
I was not proud of myself for returning; rather, I was sorry and ashad. I knew the situation would be bad but nothing could prepare for the state I found her in.
"I ca back for you. Sorry I made you wait for so long," I said, my most sincere apology.
Why didn't I co back earlier? I should've brought her with when she asked. I should've never left the kingdom. I shouldn't have left her under Scar.
Everything I had done so far had logical reasons behind it but in my emotional state, I hated myself for all the decisions I made.
Because all those led here. Zuri, the most important person in my life, was barely hanging on to life, just as she barely hung on to .
"Why did you co back?" she asked , her voice small and parched.
For you. I ca back for you. Everything has been because of you. Even my hatred towards Scar, even my desire to take back the Pride Lands, although it was a wasteland, all of it was because of you.
Indeed, she was the queen of my life.
And I told her that.
"I ca back because I love you," I said.
Who would've thought a wild animal like would be capable of love? But I did, I love her so dearly it hurts.
After I said that, she finally went limp. I caught her before she fell and gently laid her on the ground. Worry imdiately filled my heart, thinking she had died of hunger and exhaustion. But luckily, the soft rhythm of her breath washed all those away.
I looked at her while she slept. I really looked at her with everything I have. The contrast between us was like heaven and earth. While I had thrived and grown to an unimaginable degree, she had thinned and beco frail.
Looking at her current fra, I could barely recall what she looked like when I last saw her.
I couldn't hold back my emotions so I released them in the form of sound. I roared loudly towards the sky. It was an earth-shattering roar but there was no heat, no intensity. It sounded like a mourning cry more than anything.
And after that ca rage.
It was much more intense than the anger I felt when crocodiles killed my cub. It was the sa anger I felt when I saw Scar trying to assault her in the den.
I never forgot my hatred since then but it seed my anger had been forgotten. But that rage was reawakened at the sight of her fragile body.
I didn't roar anymore, I didn't make a sound.
When I looked back down, the mbers of my pride flinched back. They had never seen so angry before.
I gave one last nudge at Zuri and bid her goodnight. I walked deeper into the pride and also saw my mother there. The sight was similar to Zuri. My mother, a proud lioness when I last saw her, was now aged beyond just two years.
She was sleeping peacefully, her body desperately needing rest. When I got closer, I saw wounds on her body. I knew imdiately they were not wounds from a hyena but from a fellow lion.
Hundreds of battles had taught to recognise the work of a lion. And those marks were made by a lion, Scar.
The sight only fueled my rage.
"Take good care of them," I said and walked away from the pride with an even step.
No one said anything, no one questioned as I left. They gave a nod and began arranging themselves around Zuri and Sarabi. They were put at the centre of the pride, being more protected than even cubs.
"Scar's pride mbers are around here, kill them if they co close," I told Zael, who simply bobbed his head with cautious eyes.
And I left the pride in the middle of the night.
...
...
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[3rd POV]
Zuri had the most peaceful and relaxing sleep she had had in years. How could she not, when his warmth was literally the last thing she felt, and his scent the last conscious breath she took.
But the sleep was shorter than she would've liked.
She fell asleep after midnight but woke up early in the morning. Her body needed at least one whole day of sleep, but the commotion around her stirred her predator instinct. She couldn't sleep through all that.
When she opened her eyes, the sun's rays were on her face. She squinted her eyes and slowly pushed off the ground.
She looked around, strangely not finding anyone around her. The other lionesses were not there, nor was Nala or Sarabi.
Her eyes searched for him, but he was nowhere to be found. The only thing she saw was the giant tree under which she lay and the empty plain around her.
But there was noise and commotion, so there must be a source.
She rubbed her eyes with her paws and finally opened her eyes fully. That was when she realized that everyone in the pride was a few ters away.
They were all standing and facing one direction. She only saw their backs, but she knew they were looking at sothing.
It was not hard to find Sarabi among the 30 or so lions. She was the smallest and skinniest among them.
So Zuri made her way towards her with easy steps.
..
"What's going on?" she asked when she ca behind Sarabi. Nala was standing right beside her as well, Zuri noticed.
But no one answered her question.
And yet her question was answered all the sa when she looked forward.
!!!!
She froze, breath halted, heart halted.
When she reunited with him the night before, it was dark and she could barely see him. The only thing she knew was that he had grown much bigger.
But now, under the bright morning sun, she could witness him in all that he had beco.
And what a lion he beca.
He ca towards the pride at a pace most would consider slow, but considering the state he was in, it was impressive that he moved at all.
He strode with the dignity everyone expected from a king. His whole body was covered in blood, but the eyes and the dark mane never lost their colour to the red.
His jaw held the neck of an animal the lions did not know was prey until this mont. The animal must've been twice, no, easily triple his size. And yet it was the carcass that he was dragging behind him.
Indeed. Her first impression of Leo after so long was of him dragging a dead giraffe towards the pride.
Their gaze t and she did not need to be told to know...
That this al was all for her.
..
..
..
[IMAGE]
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Author : That will be all for the week!! Thanks for the support and putting this book no 1 constantly. Truly grateful to those who give powerstones.
Like always, Saunday will be break for so no chapter. But on Monday and start of the week, I will put powerstones goals again this ti with no inflation.
Again thanks for reading!!
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