[3rd POV]
It had already been a day since Scarface left his brothers and his pride to meet the king who had returned.
Leo had been extremely active and aggressive ever since he returned. By his calculation, and taking into account when they first saw the horde of vultures returning to the skies of the Serengeti, it had not even been four days since Leo had returned.
But in that short time period, Leo was able to take down three lion prides. That feat alone rang many alarms inside Scarface. It would seem his worst expectation about the old king, which he heard from the rumours, was true.
The tailless lion, more monster than lion. The one who took over the Serengeti with his own strength, not with a coalition or help. The only beast that hunted the giant buffalo.
All those sounded like exaggerated rumours spread by those whom he defeated to justify their loss and retain their dignity. That was what Scarface thought, at first.
But taking down three lion prides in a few days also sounded just as unbelievable. But the proof was there. The broken prides came to him, and they told him what they saw.
A lion that came and killed their kings under the shroud of darkness.
Scarface asked them for more information, how the fight played out, how strong this Leo was, how their kings fared against him, and whether he truly was alone or not. The answer he got was that they didn't know.
They didn't know. Multiple lionesses across three different prides had no clue what went down. At first, he thought they were lying; he pressed them harder for real answers, but their answer remained the same.
They did not know, truly.
But how did that happen? How did so many eyes miss something so important?
The only possible answer was that there was never a fight in the first place. Leo had swiftly and effectively dismantled the kings in a way not worthy of being called a fight.
That was concerning. That was really and truly concerning for Scarface. His brothers, blinded by ego and arrogance, may not see it, but he got it.
Either Leo was extremely smart and cunning, or he was simply just that strong compared to the other lions. Either way, he posed a threat with his feats.
But Scarface was leaning more into Leo being intelligent. The way he attacked during the night, the way he did not roar and pursue a traditional challenge, and the way he sneaked up on the pride, all of it screamed dirty cunning.
Scarface was not quick to put faith in assumptions, though; he would see for himself soon. Because finally, he had reached the Southern Serengeti.
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[1st POV]
I yawned a wide yawn as my mind started feeling a bit sluggish due to waking up early to patrol and train.
The warmth of my females was extremely inviting. If I were true to my desire, I would leap into their midst and roll around in their femininity before sleeping soundly with empty balls.
But the first thing a king should be cautious of is not to be led by his desire, which was the textbook first step to downfall.
Instead, I was lying near the small pond in the kopje, looking at my reflection after curing my parched throat.
I blew upward, causing my mane to dance up due to the flow of air. My vision was clear for a moment before it became surrounded by the hair again.
I growled.
My mane had grown thick enough to become a hassle. I was always walking with my chest out and head held high, so it was not obvious normally. But let's say in a fight or when I looked down, my dark mane came down and blocked my vision.
"Should I make the humans give me a haircut?" I asked while blowing my mane up frequently. I was looking down at my own reflection.
"They would probably get the clue if I did this constantly," I said, blowing my hair up again.
But for a moment, I stopped focusing on my overgrown mane and looked at myself. It had been only four years since I was reborn as a lion, so I could get that feeling, where I looked at myself from a human perspective and freaked myself out at my own reflection.
I would be honest to say I looked absolutely terrifying. There was the natural majestic image of a lion, but more than that, it looked quite horrifying. Especially when I bared my teeth.
And those motherfuckers were still brave enough to fight against me. That was the only thing I could respect in my opponents because, honestly, I would run from me.
"Come here," Zuri said from my side. She held my head and kind of forcefully turned me to face her.
She brought out her tongue, and she let drool flow on that pink, red flesh before she licked me on my head. I closed my eyes and enjoyed her prickly, soft tongue caressing my face and scalp.
She stopped after a few minutes. I grumbled when she let go of my head because a little more and I would've fallen asleep like a baby.
"See? All better," she said.
I blinked and turned back to the pond. When I looked down, I noticed that my mane no longer came down, and I saw why in my reflection. She slicked back my mane, using her saliva as some kind of hair cream to keep it in place.
"Thank you," I said, even though I knew it was a temporary solution.
"You look good like that," Zuri said, giving me the cat eyes and the smile.
Hmm. She was looking more attractive day by day as she fattened up. Looking at it truly made you realise why anime girls had all their facial features based on cats and why women imitated felines for years, through making their eyes look catlike or models walking like cats.
But while that was good, it was also torture for me.
When!! When are you going to let me hit a woman!! I am dying of thirst here!!
Although I was surrounded by other females, I wanted her. It was like being stranded in an ocean. Water everywhere, but you truly needed freshwater.
I shook my head and looked around me, focusing on other things, anything except her.
And that was when I noticed vultures flying in the sky. Now, I was not merely searching for distractions; my entire focus was on the birds in the sky.
I stood up and walked away from the pond. I headed towards someplace more open and elevated.
"An intruder?" I said, guessing what was happening from the behaviour of the vultures. They had been following me for long enough that I could tell the situation just by their behaviour.
Not long after, a single vulture came down to me. It was Grim.
"What's going on?" I asked, growls leaking out with words.
If it were really another intruder, I am going to crash out and kill it. I was hoping for a rest for at least a full day. I was getting tired of constant battles.
"Is it another intruder?" I asked.
"Yes, but this one is different. I don't think this intruder is looking for a fight. He ignored your scented marks, and he is not roaring," Grim answered.
"And also, he is one of the four kings that ruled the Central Serengeti," he said, "But strangely enough, he came alone."
I paused, processing the news, "Are you sure his brothers are not there?"
"Yes, my Lord. After not finding them in his vicinity, I even flew back to the Central Serengeti, and they were there, maintaining their pride territory," he said.
"I see."
I thought for a moment before deciding on the next course of action.
"Where is he going? Is he just passing by or..."
"He is heading straight towards the kopje," Grim said.
"Then lead me to him," I said before I climbed down the rocky hill.
Grim took to the skies to guide me towards this intruder.
Many possible scenarios played in my mind. What could this lion want? Perhaps he had been kicked out of the pride and was now seeking revenge on them by trying to team up with me? Or perhaps he wanted to challenge me?
But Grim's observation of the intruder not wanting a fight really threw me for a loop. Now I was infinitely curious what this lion wanted.
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Don't miss the second chapter. Sorry for not updating yesterday.