[3rd POV]
(Central Africa)
Central Africa, like the Congo, was so different from the Serengeti and the Maasai Mara that it didn't even seem like they were on the same continent.
It was not a wide, golden ocean and open plain like the savannah. Instead, it was more like a living vertical city. Green piled on green until the sky was a distant idea. Where the Serengeti and Maasai Mara throw their horizons like an open hand, this place folds in on itself.
Tall trees knit together into a roof so thick the forest floor receives only flickers of light even in broad daylight. It was more like the Amazon instead of the stereotypical dry Africa. And that was not a wild comparison; the Congo Basin was indeed only second to the Amazon in scale.
Life was also much more in this region. The jungle was never really quiet.
And on this specific afternoon, it was even more unquiet.
ROAR!!!
A roar, but not quite a lion's. The sound was not extremely loud or exploded outward to reach as far as possible. The roar was tighter, more coiled. Like lightning instead of thunder. It was not a terrifying sound, not meant to ward off intruders or announce presence but the last sound a life would hear before death.
The colour orange blurred amid the green forest. It stood out to the human eye in a cursed manner. But for its prey which could not see all colours, the orange bled with green, making the beast completely invisible.
A tiger.
And right after the tiger, the colour yellow blurred too. The colour appeared only briefly but one could tell immediately what animal it was. Perhaps it was the most popular beast known to man. The king of beasts.
A lion.
..
The two giant cats ran through the forest with speed unwarranted by their sheer mass. They were big cats that moved like leopards or jaguars.
Both creatures were the apex of all animals, especially the tiger. But strangely enough, the tiger was not chasing a prey through the forest. Instead, the role was reversed, it was the tiger that was being chased.
But that was not the most unusual part. Their existence in this part of Africa was a question in itself. A lion should live in the open savannah, its characteristics, hunting style and build were not suited at all to live in a forest.
The tiger on the other hand was an entire continent away from home. The forest was exactly what it was built for, it was a tiger's natural habitat with all the right climate and prey. But tigers shouldn't be found here.
The two big cats had their own reasons as to why they were here. The tiger was a product of human intervention in nature. An animal illegally brought to the Congo in hopes that it could permanently live there since the habitat was perfect. The tiger was a descendant of those first tigers brought here.
On the other hand, the lion was a runaway prince. A lion who ran away after the brutal death of his father. He had been living in this part of Africa for two years now and he wouldn't return to his natural home until he was ready.
The two predators continued their run. But it became clear to both of them that neither could continue forever. A fight needed to happen, and it was going to happen soon.
The tiger traversed through the forest with ease. His body was like liquid as it bent through the obstacles. The lion too was awfully agile and flexible for his species, but he was not as agile as the tiger. He often had to bulldoze through the branches instead of ducking every time.
That was another interesting thing to note. The lion was bigger than the tiger when it was supposed to be the opposite.
The tiger looked back, his eyes showing hints of fear but most of all frustration. The lion on the other hand was filled with unbridled rage and determination.
"You really wanna do this? You want to fight!!" the tiger asked while running.
Neither was scared of each other, but where tigers were solitary predators that rarely fought, lions were made for it. Lions battled with each other all their lives, to the point that the greatest cause of death for lions was another lion.
So while it was natural for the lion to fight, it was not so much for the tiger.
"You're asking me that? You invaded my territory and preyed on those under my protection," the lion said with a deep growl.
That didn't make sense to the tiger. After all, they were not as possessive nor that territorial. A tiger could not understand the sheer ego and pride each lion had.
"So be it!!" the tiger roared.
But the lion was silent.
The tiger, in a show of great agility, landed sideways on the trunk of a tree before exploding back at the lion that chased after him.
And then all hell broke loose.
Branches snapped, roots tore, and flocks of hornbills shrieked into the sky. The ground that was filled with broken twigs and leaves so they quaked under their weight. The sound of each action was much louder than it would be on an open plain.
The soft soil perfect for vegetation growth was tilled by long claws that dug for purchase and foothold. The clash was messy, there was no order. It was more like a storm given form, orange and gold, muscle and fury, claws and mane.
The tiger was more suited for the forest. He weaved through the trees and seemingly vanished into the forest at times. The fight did not happen in one place. They were constantly moving through the green forest, an attempt by the tiger to control the pace of the battle.
But the lion had advantages of his own and that was he himself. Lions were literally built for fighting. Every lion was the son of the strongest warrior, whose father was again the son of the strongest warrior. Since only the strongest passed down their genes, the lions could be said to be literally bred for war.
The tiger, no matter how fast he was, no matter how hard he struck, was not prepared at all to face the sheer violence a lion brought with him.
The mane was a major advantage as that protected the lion's vitals. The lion also had fat and muscles where necessary. Where the tiger's body was designed to kill prey efficiently, a lion was designed to fight other big cats.
The fight was excruciatingly long. The violence unleashed brought unrest to every life in the forest. When the apex fought, prey stayed silent.
But as the battle dragged on, the even battle turned into the lion's favor.
Until eventually...
RO-GAAK
The lion clamped down on the neck of the tiger. There was no mane, or extra loose skin to protect from the bite. The only loose skin for the tiger was for twisting and flexibility, not to fend off a full bite.
The chokehold was lethal.
The lion released a deep growl and with a heave of power, he began ragdolling the tiger like a freshly caught prey.
He dragged the tiger through the jungle. The different force and the tight clamp quickly choked the tiger and broke the neck.
But the lion did not stop until they came out of the forest and into a small clearing.
He threw the corpse of the tiger on the ground. The limp corpse bounced once and became an unmoving doll. An apex predator was reduced to nothing, to become prey of the smallest ants.
The lion spit out blood, loose skin and orange fur.
And only after his enemy died did the lion roar towards the sky. Where the tiger screamed and roared constantly as a way of intimidation, the lion roared after victory. This again showed the different values held by different beasts.
The roar was that of victory. It was the sound of declaration.
Behold, the king of the jungle.
"Simba,"
A voice called and the lion stopped roaring to turn towards the voice.
"Keep it down will you, you are scaring the neighbours," a meerkat sitting on top of a warthog said.
"Oops, sorry Timon, I couldn't help myself," Simba said with a smile and then he chuckled.
It was truly baffling how one's influence could change everything. The Simba that stood proud over a dead tiger was nothing like his movie counterpart.
That Simba was traumatized, scared of his responsibilities and was running away from his duty. But this Simba was different because of Leo's influence. The older brother figure did much to change him when the time came.
Even when Timon and Pumbaa found him, he was not an empty cub which they could fill with their ideologies of Hakuna Matata. No, he was a cub already filled by the lion he spent most time with, his rival, that was Leo.
Even now, he was not running away from his responsibilities, he was not hiding. Instead, he was training and getting stronger for the day he returned to the Pridelands and avenged his father.
"You are supposed to protect your kingdom, not scare every subject away," Timon continued.
"I know, I know," Simba said, still all smiles.
Timon jumped down from Pumbaa and observed the dead tiger. He poked at the tiger a few times to make sure it was dead before he crossed his arms.
"I don't know what's so special about killing a tiger anyway. You've did that like five times already," Timon said.
"Well, they are strong. And it always feels good to beat a strong enemy," Simba answered.
"Really? But you are the strongest no? How can you feel good about beating someone weaker?" Pumbaa asked.
Simba laughed, "No Pumba, I am not the strongest."
"If you are not the strongest then who?" Pumbaa asked.
"My brother," Simba answered simply, "If he is still alive and well, I'm sure he is still stronger than me."
"Okay, here we go again about the imaginary brother," Timon said sarcastically.
"He is not imaginary, Leo is real," Simba said.
"Of course he is!! Is he real just like this Mumasa person, Mala and your home the Pridelands?" Timon asked.
"Yes," Simba said and shook his head, "You will know when I bring you back home."
"Unless I ride you all the way, I won't travel that far," Timon said and tried to climb up Simba but he was unable to.
Another change from the movie was Simba's build and size. The fact that he was Leo's brother showed in his size. In the movies, Simba lived off of insects but here, he continued to eat meat so the change was drastic too.
He was as big as the white king Baraka. But unlike Baraka, his frame was muscle, not heavy fat. The jungle which was not his natural habitat worked extremely well to build his body constantly. It was like someone training in a stronger gravity.
Traversing through the forest alone was hard work. And Simba was solitary and usually followed Pumbaa and Timon who were both nomadic and rarely stayed in one place.
Simba also idolized his father and his brother. So their words echoed to him still even when he was alone. He adopted the trainings he would often see Leo do because in Leo's words, that was what made him strong and why he always beat Simba.
Before, Simba never trained even when Leo invited him because it was painful and he did not have the same need for strength. But after his father's death, Simba had all the right elements to become strong.
This Simba had grown to his fullest potential.
But while the three friends were chatting, Simba suddenly had a grave feeling in his heart. His instinct screamed and the wind that blew was especially chilly.
Simba turned to look at the sky instantly, his body tensed.
Timon and Pumbaa froze too, thinking another enemy had appeared.
"Uhh..Simba, what's wrong?"
Simba did not answer. His ears flicked and he looked around, just as confused as them.
"I don't know. I just had a feeling that something was coming for me," he said before he relaxed, "But I don't sense anything. Maybe I'm still on edge from the fight."
"Come on dude, don't scare us like that," Pumbaa whined.
That broke the tension again. But Simba's smile following after was a bit strained.
There was something amiss, he did not know it yet.
But he would know soon enough.
Something was coming for every king.
..
..
[IMAGE]
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Author: No enemy brothers becoming enemies and killing each other if that's what you are fearing.