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Heavy rainclouds covered the sky. The storm that the lands desperately needed was finally about to break. It seemed fitting. New life would at last be returned to the lands, just as new life had been brought into the pride just days prior. Zira had given birth once again, this time to twins. The girl was named Vitani, and the boy, whom Scar declared his heir, was named Kovu.

“Why, again, is Nuka not your heir?” Tai had asked him. “He was born first….”

“Nuka is too slow to lead.” He had put simply. “Besides… Kovu looks much more like his father…”

Tai had resented the choice. Was the king really going to reject Nuka the same way his father had rejected him? For not being “good enough” by some arbitrary standard? It made her blood boil. But she had no say in the matter, and so she would spend time with Nuka when she could, despite her aversion to children, in an effort to balance out the neglect he received from his mother and foster father. She didn't want the poor boy to end up like her. And Zira had little say in this, as she was too busy taking care of her newborns in their makeshift den in the brush. She didn’t have the time or care to worry about where Nuka was or who he was being influenced by. She finally had her wish granted: to be Scar’s queen, and mother of his heirs.

But Scar brought no love to the relationship. If you could even call it a relationship. Scar had done little besides eat and sleep since Jioni’s death. He spent most of his time in the den, ignoring his subject’s problems when they were brought to him. Zazu was his only companion, though a reluctant one. He had been caged up in the den after Scar suspected him of conspiring against him.

Tai desperately wanted this storm to break. Perhaps when the rains came and the land returned to normal, everyone else would get their heads on straight. The first few seasons after Scar took power were perfect. It had only started to go south when the rains refused to fall. The land was barren now, and even she was starting to wonder if Jioni’s pride had brought some sort of curse with them…

She sat beneath a tree, watching the sky, waiting for the first raindrop to fall. She could already see parts of the sky light up from time to time, and the sounds of distant thunder reached her ears. It was such a peaceful scene.

That peace was broken, not by thunder, but by the sound of her name being called. She turned in the direction of the voice, only to do a double take. It couldn’t be…

“Nala?” Tai said in disbelief. “You shouldn’t be here!”

“Tai, I don’t have much time to explain. Where are the other lionesses?” Nala asked, running up to her.

Tai was still shocked and confused. “Uh, they’re just over that ridge there— you shouldn’t be here! Who knows what Scar will do to you if he finds you.”

“Scar won’t have a say in the matter for long.” She replied darkly before running in the direction of the others.

“Hey!” Tai called after her. “What the hell does that mean?” She knew she wouldn’t get an answer just standing there, so she ran after her.

When she caught up to Nala, she really caught up. Everyone was caught up, after Nala explained herself:

Simba was alive. And he was here to re-claim his throne.

Tai barely had time to process it all before the others started towards Pride Rock to aid the lost prince. How is he alive? Where had he been? What did this mean for her?

She snapped out of her daze and chased after the others, loud thunder cracking through the air. As they climbed the slope up Pride Rock, Tai caught a glimpse of Spotty and Dotty hurrying away in the opposite direction with the Nuka and the other cubs in tow. Good. This is a bad time to have cubs around. She watched them go before continuing her climb and arrived just in time to witness the confrontation.

And it was quite the show. Simba, fully grown, appearing like a smaller clone of his father, had challenged Scar to step down, only for the older king to pull a very interesting trump card. Apparently, Simba blamed himself for his father’s death, so much so that he truly believed himself to be solely responsible. And Scar milked it for all it was worth, as the storm brought a bolt of lightning upon Pride Rock, setting it ablaze.

Tai hung back, unsure of how to respond to the situation. She hesitated to back up Scar. He had proven himself over the past few months to be a poor leader, and though she sympathized with him in many ways, he did not show as much care to her or anyone else. On the other paw, she felt bad for the young prince; he had seen his father die and even blamed himself. But to her, he represented a long line of kings with unfair traditions. He would surely reinstate his father’s laws, and Tai’s life would revert back to the way it was before.

What am I doing? Why did she have to choose between being ruled by one male or being ruled by the other? Why did she have to bend to someone else’s rules? Wasn’t that what she had wanted to escape from the beginning? Others telling her what to do, how to act, why the way she was wasn’t good enough? She hated living in this pride, she always had! Why hadn’t it occurred to her that she had other options?

And as she had her little revelation, Scar spilled the beans: He had killed Mufasa.

And all hell broke loose.

As the fighting broke out, Tai at first struggled to see what was going on. There were far more hyenas than lions, and the latter were overwhelmed. She contemplated doing nothing and just watching the carnage.

But then she heard Ed’s whines, and spotted him being tossed away by Nala.

And Tai wouldn’t stand for that. She summoned every ounce of resentment she had towards the pride and launched herself at the young lioness.

Nala spun around to fight back, only to realize who she was fighting. “Wha— Tai! Are you siding with that murderer?!”

Tai circled her. “I’m siding with my friends!” She swiped her paw at Nala’s face. The other lioness fought back with swipes of her own, one landing squarely on Tai’s snout.

“Your “friends” have ruined this land!” Nala spat. “How could you side with them and not your own family?”

“They are my family!” Tai roared, hurdling herself at her opponent. The two lionesses locked themselves into a wrestling match, clawing and biting at anything they could. Both were desperate to defend their loved ones. Tai knocked Nala away with a heavy swipe, landing back on all fours. Nala took the opportunity to leap onto her back, to which Tai responded by rolling her off. Once on the ground, they continued rolling, each trying to pin the other.

At some point, the two broke away, panting in exhaustion. “This isn’t going to stop, Nala!” Tai exclaimed. “You think replacing one king with another will magically fix everything? This pride has more problems than just its governance. There will always be conflict.”

Tai braced herself for the next attack, but instead her adversary backed away, looking around at the now near-empty battlefield. Simba was nowhere to be seen, and hyenas were fleeing the scene rapidly, escaping the lions and the fire. She started to observe her surroundings as well. She felt relief that most of the clan was now out of harm’s way.

Nala gave her one last glare. “We’ll see.” She replied, before turning and fleeing the scene herself. Tai decided to follow suit, racing down the slope and away from the blaze.

Once safe, Nala turned and faced Tai again, ready for another round. Tai braced herself, gladly willing to continue the brawl. But it wasn’t just them anymore. The other lionesses were their too, and they were all turned against her.

As she contemplated her next move, it finally happened. The storm broke, and the rains fell. And everyone stopped and just stood, basking in the shower, and watched as the water dowsed the fire, putting it out in mere minutes.

The silence was broken by a low whoop. They all turned to see Shenzi, standing a safe distance away. “Scar is dead.” She said matter-of-factly. “You win. We’ll be going…” She turned and scurried off towards the north, towards their old territory.

Tai couldn’t bear to see them go. She had no one else in the world. And the pride wouldn’t forgive her for seemingly siding with a false king. How convenient that the rains had decided to fall now. This would only reinforce the superstitions about hyenas. Nothing would ever change.

“And what do you have to say for yourself, Tai?” Sarabi said accusingly, confirming her suspicions. “You’ve proven yourself a traitor.”

Tai turned to the others, who were all still poised to fight. “I say,” Tai began. “You can take your monarchy and shove it!” She spat. “I’m done.”

She spun around and stomped off after Shenzi. The last she saw of her pride was their shocked and disgusted faces. Good riddance.

As she caught up to the clan, she could see that Banzai and Ed were also unharmed. “Shenzi!” She called.

Shenzi turned to look at her. “What are you doing out here, Tai?”

“I’m coming with you.”

Shenzi looked shocked. “I don’t know… my clan have had enough lion troubles for one lifetime…”

“You know I’m not like Scar. I won’t try to give you orders.” She explained. “I just can’t stay here. There’s never been anything for me here.”

Before Shenzi could make a rebuttal, Ed trotted up to Tai and sloppily licked her cheek, making her fur stand up. Then he turned to his companions with a pitiful pout.

Shenzi chuckled. “We can’t argue with Ed.” She said, looking at Banzai, who nodded his agreement. “But I can’t insure you’re going to like it in the graveyard.” She warned “There’s a reason we wanted to leave.”

“I know what I’m signing up for.” Tai admitted.

Shenzi nodded, and they headed north together.

In the distance, a roar could be heard, the kind that lion’s used to mark territory. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted movement in the plains. A single lioness was running in the direction of the roaring. Zira.

Now there was a conflict that Tai was glad to not witness. More drama caused by the pride’s politics. She did feel bad for Nuka, though. And who knows what would happen to the other cubs…

That’s not my responsibility. It never was.

She had to put it all behind her.
_____

At last, the big fight! The thing I wanted to write about since the beginning!
This is the final chapter. I never intended to write a long story. But there will be an epilogue.

Speedpaint

First Chapter
Epilogue

Description

Heavy rainclouds covered the sky. The storm that the lands desperately needed was finally about to break. It seemed fitting. New life would at last be returned to the lands, just as new life had been brought into the pride just days prior. Zira had given birth once again, this time to twins. The girl was named Vitani, and the boy, whom Scar declared his heir, was named Kovu.

“Why, again, is Nuka not your heir?” Tai had asked him. “He was born first….”

“Nuka is too slow to lead.” He had put simply. “Besides… Kovu looks much more like his father…”

Tai had resented the choice. Was the king really going to reject Nuka the same way his father had rejected him? For not being “good enough” by some arbitrary standard? It made her blood boil. But she had no say in the matter, and so she would spend time with Nuka when she could, despite her aversion to children, in an effort to balance out the neglect he received from his mother and foster father. She didn't want the poor boy to end up like her. And Zira had little say in this, as she was too busy taking care of her newborns in their makeshift den in the brush. She didn’t have the time or care to worry about where Nuka was or who he was being influenced by. She finally had her wish granted: to be Scar’s queen, and mother of his heirs.

But Scar brought no love to the relationship. If you could even call it a relationship. Scar had done little besides eat and sleep since Jioni’s death. He spent most of his time in the den, ignoring his subject’s problems when they were brought to him. Zazu was his only companion, though a reluctant one. He had been caged up in the den after Scar suspected him of conspiring against him.

Tai desperately wanted this storm to break. Perhaps when the rains came and the land returned to normal, everyone else would get their heads on straight. The first few seasons after Scar took power were perfect. It had only started to go south when the rains refused to fall. The land was barren now, and even she was starting to wonder if Jioni’s pride had brought some sort of curse with them…

She sat beneath a tree, watching the sky, waiting for the first raindrop to fall. She could already see parts of the sky light up from time to time, and the sounds of distant thunder reached her ears. It was such a peaceful scene.

That peace was broken, not by thunder, but by the sound of her name being called. She turned in the direction of the voice, only to do a double take. It couldn’t be…

“Nala?” Tai said in disbelief. “You shouldn’t be here!”

“Tai, I don’t have much time to explain. Where are the other lionesses?” Nala asked, running up to her.

Tai was still shocked and confused. “Uh, they’re just over that ridge there— you shouldn’t be here! Who knows what Scar will do to you if he finds you.”

“Scar won’t have a say in the matter for long.” She replied darkly before running in the direction of the others.

“Hey!” Tai called after her. “What the hell does that mean?” She knew she wouldn’t get an answer just standing there, so she ran after her.

When she caught up to Nala, she really caught up. Everyone was caught up, after Nala explained herself:

Simba was alive. And he was here to re-claim his throne.

Tai barely had time to process it all before the others started towards Pride Rock to aid the lost prince. How is he alive? Where had he been? What did this mean for her?

She snapped out of her daze and chased after the others, loud thunder cracking through the air. As they climbed the slope up Pride Rock, Tai caught a glimpse of Spotty and Dotty hurrying away in the opposite direction with the Nuka and the other cubs in tow. Good. This is a bad time to have cubs around. She watched them go before continuing her climb and arrived just in time to witness the confrontation.

And it was quite the show. Simba, fully grown, appearing like a smaller clone of his father, had challenged Scar to step down, only for the older king to pull a very interesting trump card. Apparently, Simba blamed himself for his father’s death, so much so that he truly believed himself to be solely responsible. And Scar milked it for all it was worth, as the storm brought a bolt of lightning upon Pride Rock, setting it ablaze.

Tai hung back, unsure of how to respond to the situation. She hesitated to back up Scar. He had proven himself over the past few months to be a poor leader, and though she sympathized with him in many ways, he did not show as much care to her or anyone else. On the other paw, she felt bad for the young prince; he had seen his father die and even blamed himself. But to her, he represented a long line of kings with unfair traditions. He would surely reinstate his father’s laws, and Tai’s life would revert back to the way it was before.

What am I doing? Why did she have to choose between being ruled by one male or being ruled by the other? Why did she have to bend to someone else’s rules? Wasn’t that what she had wanted to escape from the beginning? Others telling her what to do, how to act, why the way she was wasn’t good enough? She hated living in this pride, she always had! Why hadn’t it occurred to her that she had other options?

And as she had her little revelation, Scar spilled the beans: He had killed Mufasa.

And all hell broke loose.

As the fighting broke out, Tai at first struggled to see what was going on. There were far more hyenas than lions, and the latter were overwhelmed. She contemplated doing nothing and just watching the carnage.

But then she heard Ed’s whines, and spotted him being tossed away by Nala.

And Tai wouldn’t stand for that. She summoned every ounce of resentment she had towards the pride and launched herself at the young lioness.

Nala spun around to fight back, only to realize who she was fighting. “Wha— Tai! Are you siding with that murderer?!”

Tai circled her. “I’m siding with my friends!” She swiped her paw at Nala’s face. The other lioness fought back with swipes of her own, one landing squarely on Tai’s snout.

“Your “friends” have ruined this land!” Nala spat. “How could you side with them and not your own family?”

“They are my family!” Tai roared, hurdling herself at her opponent. The two lionesses locked themselves into a wrestling match, clawing and biting at anything they could. Both were desperate to defend their loved ones. Tai knocked Nala away with a heavy swipe, landing back on all fours. Nala took the opportunity to leap onto her back, to which Tai responded by rolling her off. Once on the ground, they continued rolling, each trying to pin the other.

At some point, the two broke away, panting in exhaustion. “This isn’t going to stop, Nala!” Tai exclaimed. “You think replacing one king with another will magically fix everything? This pride has more problems than just its governance. There will always be conflict.”

Tai braced herself for the next attack, but instead her adversary backed away, looking around at the now near-empty battlefield. Simba was nowhere to be seen, and hyenas were fleeing the scene rapidly, escaping the lions and the fire. She started to observe her surroundings as well. She felt relief that most of the clan was now out of harm’s way.

Nala gave her one last glare. “We’ll see.” She replied, before turning and fleeing the scene herself. Tai decided to follow suit, racing down the slope and away from the blaze.

Once safe, Nala turned and faced Tai again, ready for another round. Tai braced herself, gladly willing to continue the brawl. But it wasn’t just them anymore. The other lionesses were their too, and they were all turned against her.

As she contemplated her next move, it finally happened. The storm broke, and the rains fell. And everyone stopped and just stood, basking in the shower, and watched as the water dowsed the fire, putting it out in mere minutes.

The silence was broken by a low whoop. They all turned to see Shenzi, standing a safe distance away. “Scar is dead.” She said matter-of-factly. “You win. We’ll be going…” She turned and scurried off towards the north, towards their old territory.

Tai couldn’t bear to see them go. She had no one else in the world. And the pride wouldn’t forgive her for seemingly siding with a false king. How convenient that the rains had decided to fall now. This would only reinforce the superstitions about hyenas. Nothing would ever change.

“And what do you have to say for yourself, Tai?” Sarabi said accusingly, confirming her suspicions. “You’ve proven yourself a traitor.”

Tai turned to the others, who were all still poised to fight. “I say,” Tai began. “You can take your monarchy and shove it!” She spat. “I’m done.”

She spun around and stomped off after Shenzi. The last she saw of her pride was their shocked and disgusted faces. Good riddance.

As she caught up to the clan, she could see that Banzai and Ed were also unharmed. “Shenzi!” She called.

Shenzi turned to look at her. “What are you doing out here, Tai?”

“I’m coming with you.”

Shenzi looked shocked. “I don’t know… my clan have had enough lion troubles for one lifetime…”

“You know I’m not like Scar. I won’t try to give you orders.” She explained. “I just can’t stay here. There’s never been anything for me here.”

Before Shenzi could make a rebuttal, Ed trotted up to Tai and sloppily licked her cheek, making her fur stand up. Then he turned to his companions with a pitiful pout.

Shenzi chuckled. “We can’t argue with Ed.” She said, looking at Banzai, who nodded his agreement. “But I can’t insure you’re going to like it in the graveyard.” She warned “There’s a reason we wanted to leave.”

“I know what I’m signing up for.” Tai admitted.

Shenzi nodded, and they headed north together.

In the distance, a roar could be heard, the kind that lion’s used to mark territory. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted movement in the plains. A single lioness was running in the direction of the roaring. Zira.

Now there was a conflict that Tai was glad to not witness. More drama caused by the pride’s politics. She did feel bad for Nuka, though. And who knows what would happen to the other cubs…

That’s not my responsibility. It never was.

She had to put it all behind her.
_____

At last, the big fight! The thing I wanted to write about since the beginning!
This is the final chapter. I never intended to write a long story. But there will be an epilogue.

Speedpaint

First Chapter
Epilogue