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Description
Life went on in the Pridelands. A horrible, terrifying life, but one all the same. Scar continued his tyrannical rule, and soon the river which had quenched the land for seasons was gone. Nala and Sarafina had both submitted to the Dark One, and it was, upon the second and first year of Nala and Mheetu that the first real horribleness of his father hit home to the orange cub. He had stumbled onto the border of his family, and seeing what he knew to be his mother and sister, watched for a short while. They were not fully in sight, hidden under roots and grass, but he saw their faces twist in pain over and over, and after some time, both came out with newly born cubs in their mouths, and it was clear what they had been doing.

Nala wearily collapsed on the ground, murmuring over and over "A daughter. A daughter. Kula." Finally breaking from her chanting, she glanced at her mother's new child and cried. "A son. You have borne him yet another son. Shall I hide away this one as well?" Sarafina's breaths were faint and she whispered, "No, darling. Chumvi is a punishment. Mheetu is gone, gone. I shall pass from this world without setting sights on my beautiful boy again, and so Chumvi is salt, for in betraying your father --twice-- I have made our family values rubbish."

Then, Sarafina stretched out and was quiet. "Mom? Mom? MOMMA!!" She grabbed her mother and lifted the older female up onto her own back, staggering and groaning. Mheetu looked at her and gritted his teeth. To enter would be to be killed... then he looked at his struggling half-sister and rushed out. He kissed his mother and as she opened her eyes, he lifted her bum and placed it on Nala. He brushed his mother's pelt, showed himself fully to his mother, then hopped over the barrier and was gone. Nala lifted her head with a jerk- she had been bending down to grab the new children and had not seen him.

She bit her lip and licked her mother in comfort. Turning and putting all her strength into her paws, she ran and ran to Rafiki's tree. Unknowingly, Mheetu raced beside her, keeping pace and forcing himself to keep going, to run. Skidding to a halt and --oops-- splashing into a pond, he sputtered and rushed out, watching with a keen eye as Rafiki looked at his mother. When the old baboon shook his head slowly and backed away, Mheetu turned and ran.

Running, running. Where to? Where was he? WHO was he? All at once... SLAM his body entangled with his 'brother', and Malka coughed and regained breath, looking over to his foster brother and grabbed his with his claws. "Mheetu! What... what's wrong? What has happened? Is it Mom? Dad? Kaka? WHAT HAS HAPPENED?" The tears poured down Mheetu's face, and he bit his lip, blubbering unheard words. Finally, he closed his eyes and started to scream, words blasting out of his mouth at a volume he'd never reached before.

"She... my mom... Sarafina... dead. Dead! Scar killed her! She died bearing his son, Chumvi...my brother. And my sister... she gave the bastard a daughter called Kula... what do I even call the cub? Half-Sister? Niece? Neicter? I was there when the cubs were delivered. Momma...."

He began to wail, and Malka held his brother and rocked him gently. "It's gonna be okay, Mheetu. It'll be alright. It'll--" "STOP! IT WON'T! What Scar has done is unright, it's unfair, and I won't just stand by and let him kill my family. He will pay for his ways, for my mother's death. This is, perhaps, the most fixable thing on earth-- kill him, and his followers, and that is that." Mheetu's eyes gleamed with anger and hurt and grief. "And you are going to help me."

"I refuse. I will not take a life. Not now, not ever." And as he walked away, Mheetu split the older lion to the core with his words.

"WHAT ABOUT OUR PACT? Malka... I thought we were brothers. I thought you said we would always stand beside each other, to die for one another. I meant my vows. Didn't you? If you did, you'd turn around and help me train and fight. I guess you didn't... but that's okay. I always kinda figured it was just words." Tears streamed down both faces, and Mheetu whispered "I didn't need a brother anyway." Then, he turned and walked away.

Dictionary-
Kaka- brother.

Description
Life went on in the Pridelands. A horrible, terrifying life, but one all the same. Scar continued his tyrannical rule, and soon the river which had quenched the land for seasons was gone. Nala and Sarafina had both submitted to the Dark One, and it was, upon the second and first year of Nala and Mheetu that the first real horribleness of his father hit home to the orange cub. He had stumbled onto the border of his family, and seeing what he knew to be his mother and sister, watched for a short while. They were not fully in sight, hidden under roots and grass, but he saw their faces twist in pain over and over, and after some time, both came out with newly born cubs in their mouths, and it was clear what they had been doing.

Nala wearily collapsed on the ground, murmuring over and over "A daughter. A daughter. Kula." Finally breaking from her chanting, she glanced at her mother's new child and cried. "A son. You have borne him yet another son. Shall I hide away this one as well?" Sarafina's breaths were faint and she whispered, "No, darling. Chumvi is a punishment. Mheetu is gone, gone. I shall pass from this world without setting sights on my beautiful boy again, and so Chumvi is salt, for in betraying your father --twice-- I have made our family values rubbish."

Then, Sarafina stretched out and was quiet. "Mom? Mom? MOMMA!!" She grabbed her mother and lifted the older female up onto her own back, staggering and groaning. Mheetu looked at her and gritted his teeth. To enter would be to be killed... then he looked at his struggling half-sister and rushed out. He kissed his mother and as she opened her eyes, he lifted her bum and placed it on Nala. He brushed his mother's pelt, showed himself fully to his mother, then hopped over the barrier and was gone. Nala lifted her head with a jerk- she had been bending down to grab the new children and had not seen him.

She bit her lip and licked her mother in comfort. Turning and putting all her strength into her paws, she ran and ran to Rafiki's tree. Unknowingly, Mheetu raced beside her, keeping pace and forcing himself to keep going, to run. Skidding to a halt and --oops-- splashing into a pond, he sputtered and rushed out, watching with a keen eye as Rafiki looked at his mother. When the old baboon shook his head slowly and backed away, Mheetu turned and ran.

Running, running. Where to? Where was he? WHO was he? All at once... SLAM his body entangled with his 'brother', and Malka coughed and regained breath, looking over to his foster brother and grabbed his with his claws. "Mheetu! What... what's wrong? What has happened? Is it Mom? Dad? Kaka? WHAT HAS HAPPENED?" The tears poured down Mheetu's face, and he bit his lip, blubbering unheard words. Finally, he closed his eyes and started to scream, words blasting out of his mouth at a volume he'd never reached before.

"She... my mom... Sarafina... dead. Dead! Scar killed her! She died bearing his son, Chumvi...my brother. And my sister... she gave the bastard a daughter called Kula... what do I even call the cub? Half-Sister? Niece? Neicter? I was there when the cubs were delivered. Momma...."

He began to wail, and Malka held his brother and rocked him gently. "It's gonna be okay, Mheetu. It'll be alright. It'll--" "STOP! IT WON'T! What Scar has done is unright, it's unfair, and I won't just stand by and let him kill my family. He will pay for his ways, for my mother's death. This is, perhaps, the most fixable thing on earth-- kill him, and his followers, and that is that." Mheetu's eyes gleamed with anger and hurt and grief. "And you are going to help me."

"I refuse. I will not take a life. Not now, not ever." And as he walked away, Mheetu split the older lion to the core with his words.

"WHAT ABOUT OUR PACT? Malka... I thought we were brothers. I thought you said we would always stand beside each other, to die for one another. I meant my vows. Didn't you? If you did, you'd turn around and help me train and fight. I guess you didn't... but that's okay. I always kinda figured it was just words." Tears streamed down both faces, and Mheetu whispered "I didn't need a brother anyway." Then, he turned and walked away.

Dictionary-
Kaka- brother.