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Description

This is the first chapter of my Simba's Pride sequel, Mercy. It was written over a year ago, so the writing is probably more rushed and not as good as my other works. Don't worry, after the first handful of chapters, it gets better. Hope you guys will like it!

I meant to put more wounds and blood on Simba and Kongwehofu, but I got tired of drawing and my hand is killing me. Pride Rock was going to be visible in the background, but I couldn't get it to look right. The front of Simba's mane is graying on account of his age.

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Chapter 1: The Death of a King

"Look, on the horizon," Kongwehofu said, his blonde mane blowing in the wind.

"It's another pride's territory," Hisani replied, seeing the huntresses in the distance, "Perhaps we'd better go."

"Nonsense. We'll need a whole pride if we want to ensure the safety of our unborn cubs. Let's approach. I want to challenge their king," replied her mate.

"Kongwe..." Hisani started.

"Don't worry. I'm the strongest lion there is, remember? You said so yourself," he said, confidently trotting forward towards the lionesses in the distance. Hisani couldn't argue with him. She hadn't seen a lion stronger than he, but then, she hadn't seen many lions battle or hunt. She followed him hesitantly, hoping the king of this pride was old and weak. As they drew close, she could see that the lionesses had caught a couple of gazelles and were dragging them away. Kongwe had stopped, so she stopped behind him.

"What is it?" she asked, looking around in the grass in front of him in case there was something there. Perhaps a thorn, or a snake or something had made him stop. But she didn't see anything right off besides dirt and insects.

"They're taking those kills back to their king and den mother. If we follow them at a distance, it'll be a lot easier to challenge their king," he explained, watching the lionesses for another minute. Hisani was nervous and worried, but she didn't say anything to her mate. She didn't want to get into an argument with him. So it was that, a moment later when he took off, slowly stalking the huntresses, she tagged along, her paws making no sound as she slunk through the grass.

Ahead of them was a huge rock formation. The lionesses were climbing it slowly, carefully pulling their kills up. On the rock stood not one, but two male lions, a lioness, and two young cubs. Hisani hesitated as one of the lionesses noticed she and her mate. Slowly the other lionesses and the two males cast their gazes on Kongwe and Hisani, and she didn't like the way they were looking at them.

"Kongwe, perhaps we should turn back..." she mumbled.

"No. Let's approach them."

With that, he strode confidently forward. Afraid, Hisani slunk after him, not wanting to lose him. Her mate stopped at the bottom of the rock. She stopped behind him, sinking to the ground. The two males atop the rock looked down at them. One was a golden color, the other was much darker and had a scar over his left eye. The golden one looked unwelcoming, while the darker one looked mostly curious.

"Kongwe..."

"Who are you, rogues? What do you want from us?" demanded the lighter male. He must be the king. He looked strong.

"I'm here to challenge your king," Kongwehofu announced confidently.

"Kongwe, please reconsider... Let's leave while we've got the chance..." Hisani begged.

"You should listen to her," said the golden male atop the rock, "I'm very forgiving unless you give me a reason not to be."

"I'll not back down. My mate and I need a pride," said Kongwe. Hisani hung her head.

"Then so be it," said the golden male, jumping down from his perch.

The king and Kongwe began to circle each other, growling lowly and searching for an opening. Hisani quickly moved out of the way as the other lion's pride all climbed down from the rock so as to better be able to see the battle. Frightened, Hisani ducked to the ground as Kongwehofu landed the first blow, swiping the king's face. The king snarled and threw his front legs around Kongwe's neck, biting down on her mate's throat. Hisani flinched. Kongwehofu sliced at the other lion, forcing him to let go. Then he tackled the other male, tearing at him with fierce blows.

There was blood dripping from both of them. The king roared loudly and smacked Kongwe hard across the face, sending blood spurting through the air. Then he lunged, snapping at Kongwe. Her mate dodged, just barely, and shut his jaws on the king's back. For a while, they kept at it, striking each other, both landing devastating attacks, until the king fell to the ground, apparently crippled. As he tried to rise, Kongwehofu leaned over his battered opponent and ripped his throat out. The king collapsed back to the ground, the life leaving his eyes.

"No..." gasped one of the lionesses, "Father! No!"
The other lionesses just looked stunned.

"Simba!" shouted the other male, anger contorting his face. He charged at the weakened and beaten Kongwehofu, snarling. Hisani watched in horror as the other male tackled her beaten mate. She had known this was a bad idea. There was no way that Kongwe could defeat another lion in his current state. Filled with fear, she watched as the rough, dark colored male viciously murdered her beloved, sustaining little damage as he struck him down. He was fast and unmerciful, delivering blow after blow, even after Hisani was sure that her mate was dead. She felt tears rolling down her face, but she didn't pay them any mind. She just stared at the place where her mate had fallen, his body covered in blood, and the darker male standing above his limp form, breathing heavily.

Then he turned, looking at the lioness whose father had been king.

"I'm so sorry, Kiara. I should have stepped in sooner, I should have helped him..." he said, trailing off. She just approached the king's body, two other lionesses close behind her.

"Simba, come on, get up... I can't lose you again..." said one of them. The other one, apparently the oldest of the three looked sadly down at him.

"I never thought I'd have to outlive my son twice..." she said, a tear rolling down her cheek. Hisani didn't know what they meant, not that she was paying them much mind anyway. She slunk over to the body of her beloved as the dark male joined the lionesses at the dead king's side. It was a sight she'd never forget. She closed her eyes and looked down away from him. How could this be? She was alone now. How could she survive on her own? How could she take care of her cubs alone? She couldn't imagine surviving without Kongwe.

"What should we do about her?" she heard the male asking. She knew he was talking about her, and she turned to look at him. His face was now as unwelcoming as the king's had been when she and her mate had first arrived. She suddenly knew that it was over for her. She and her unborn cubs would die this day.

"Please... I told him not to challenge your king..." she started. "Please have mercy."

"Why should I?" asked the scarred male, glaring down at Hisani where she lay flat against the ground.

"Please... for my unborn cubs... If you must kill me, please at least spare them. Wait until they're born, please..." she begged, desperate to save her children.

"Kovu... I think you should spare her. She had nothing to do with this. She asked him to back down when they first got here," said the one he'd called Kiara. He looked thoughtful for a moment and then he spoke again.

"As the new king of this pride, I'll spare you for now. You're welcome to stay with our pride, considering that you're soon to be a mother, but if you cause even the smallest problem, you're gone," he said.

Hisani couldn't believe it. They had spared her life. She looked once more at the body of her mate and then nodded.

"I understand. You are truly great, for being so merciful," she said, tears still flowing from her eyes. She was full of unsurpassed grief, but she was grateful that her cubs would be safe. She knew it was Kongwehofu's own fault that he was dead, and as such, she couldn't bring herself to hate the lion who had killed him. She could only be glad that he had shown mercy on her, the mate of the king-killer.

Description

This is the first chapter of my Simba's Pride sequel, Mercy. It was written over a year ago, so the writing is probably more rushed and not as good as my other works. Don't worry, after the first handful of chapters, it gets better. Hope you guys will like it!

I meant to put more wounds and blood on Simba and Kongwehofu, but I got tired of drawing and my hand is killing me. Pride Rock was going to be visible in the background, but I couldn't get it to look right. The front of Simba's mane is graying on account of his age.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 1: The Death of a King

"Look, on the horizon," Kongwehofu said, his blonde mane blowing in the wind.

"It's another pride's territory," Hisani replied, seeing the huntresses in the distance, "Perhaps we'd better go."

"Nonsense. We'll need a whole pride if we want to ensure the safety of our unborn cubs. Let's approach. I want to challenge their king," replied her mate.

"Kongwe..." Hisani started.

"Don't worry. I'm the strongest lion there is, remember? You said so yourself," he said, confidently trotting forward towards the lionesses in the distance. Hisani couldn't argue with him. She hadn't seen a lion stronger than he, but then, she hadn't seen many lions battle or hunt. She followed him hesitantly, hoping the king of this pride was old and weak. As they drew close, she could see that the lionesses had caught a couple of gazelles and were dragging them away. Kongwe had stopped, so she stopped behind him.

"What is it?" she asked, looking around in the grass in front of him in case there was something there. Perhaps a thorn, or a snake or something had made him stop. But she didn't see anything right off besides dirt and insects.

"They're taking those kills back to their king and den mother. If we follow them at a distance, it'll be a lot easier to challenge their king," he explained, watching the lionesses for another minute. Hisani was nervous and worried, but she didn't say anything to her mate. She didn't want to get into an argument with him. So it was that, a moment later when he took off, slowly stalking the huntresses, she tagged along, her paws making no sound as she slunk through the grass.

Ahead of them was a huge rock formation. The lionesses were climbing it slowly, carefully pulling their kills up. On the rock stood not one, but two male lions, a lioness, and two young cubs. Hisani hesitated as one of the lionesses noticed she and her mate. Slowly the other lionesses and the two males cast their gazes on Kongwe and Hisani, and she didn't like the way they were looking at them.

"Kongwe, perhaps we should turn back..." she mumbled.

"No. Let's approach them."

With that, he strode confidently forward. Afraid, Hisani slunk after him, not wanting to lose him. Her mate stopped at the bottom of the rock. She stopped behind him, sinking to the ground. The two males atop the rock looked down at them. One was a golden color, the other was much darker and had a scar over his left eye. The golden one looked unwelcoming, while the darker one looked mostly curious.

"Kongwe..."

"Who are you, rogues? What do you want from us?" demanded the lighter male. He must be the king. He looked strong.

"I'm here to challenge your king," Kongwehofu announced confidently.

"Kongwe, please reconsider... Let's leave while we've got the chance..." Hisani begged.

"You should listen to her," said the golden male atop the rock, "I'm very forgiving unless you give me a reason not to be."

"I'll not back down. My mate and I need a pride," said Kongwe. Hisani hung her head.

"Then so be it," said the golden male, jumping down from his perch.

The king and Kongwe began to circle each other, growling lowly and searching for an opening. Hisani quickly moved out of the way as the other lion's pride all climbed down from the rock so as to better be able to see the battle. Frightened, Hisani ducked to the ground as Kongwehofu landed the first blow, swiping the king's face. The king snarled and threw his front legs around Kongwe's neck, biting down on her mate's throat. Hisani flinched. Kongwehofu sliced at the other lion, forcing him to let go. Then he tackled the other male, tearing at him with fierce blows.

There was blood dripping from both of them. The king roared loudly and smacked Kongwe hard across the face, sending blood spurting through the air. Then he lunged, snapping at Kongwe. Her mate dodged, just barely, and shut his jaws on the king's back. For a while, they kept at it, striking each other, both landing devastating attacks, until the king fell to the ground, apparently crippled. As he tried to rise, Kongwehofu leaned over his battered opponent and ripped his throat out. The king collapsed back to the ground, the life leaving his eyes.

"No..." gasped one of the lionesses, "Father! No!"
The other lionesses just looked stunned.

"Simba!" shouted the other male, anger contorting his face. He charged at the weakened and beaten Kongwehofu, snarling. Hisani watched in horror as the other male tackled her beaten mate. She had known this was a bad idea. There was no way that Kongwe could defeat another lion in his current state. Filled with fear, she watched as the rough, dark colored male viciously murdered her beloved, sustaining little damage as he struck him down. He was fast and unmerciful, delivering blow after blow, even after Hisani was sure that her mate was dead. She felt tears rolling down her face, but she didn't pay them any mind. She just stared at the place where her mate had fallen, his body covered in blood, and the darker male standing above his limp form, breathing heavily.

Then he turned, looking at the lioness whose father had been king.

"I'm so sorry, Kiara. I should have stepped in sooner, I should have helped him..." he said, trailing off. She just approached the king's body, two other lionesses close behind her.

"Simba, come on, get up... I can't lose you again..." said one of them. The other one, apparently the oldest of the three looked sadly down at him.

"I never thought I'd have to outlive my son twice..." she said, a tear rolling down her cheek. Hisani didn't know what they meant, not that she was paying them much mind anyway. She slunk over to the body of her beloved as the dark male joined the lionesses at the dead king's side. It was a sight she'd never forget. She closed her eyes and looked down away from him. How could this be? She was alone now. How could she survive on her own? How could she take care of her cubs alone? She couldn't imagine surviving without Kongwe.

"What should we do about her?" she heard the male asking. She knew he was talking about her, and she turned to look at him. His face was now as unwelcoming as the king's had been when she and her mate had first arrived. She suddenly knew that it was over for her. She and her unborn cubs would die this day.

"Please... I told him not to challenge your king..." she started. "Please have mercy."

"Why should I?" asked the scarred male, glaring down at Hisani where she lay flat against the ground.

"Please... for my unborn cubs... If you must kill me, please at least spare them. Wait until they're born, please..." she begged, desperate to save her children.

"Kovu... I think you should spare her. She had nothing to do with this. She asked him to back down when they first got here," said the one he'd called Kiara. He looked thoughtful for a moment and then he spoke again.

"As the new king of this pride, I'll spare you for now. You're welcome to stay with our pride, considering that you're soon to be a mother, but if you cause even the smallest problem, you're gone," he said.

Hisani couldn't believe it. They had spared her life. She looked once more at the body of her mate and then nodded.

"I understand. You are truly great, for being so merciful," she said, tears still flowing from her eyes. She was full of unsurpassed grief, but she was grateful that her cubs would be safe. She knew it was Kongwehofu's own fault that he was dead, and as such, she couldn't bring herself to hate the lion who had killed him. She could only be glad that he had shown mercy on her, the mate of the king-killer.