[1st POV]
(1 month later)
"My cubs are simply the cutest!!" I said, absolutely swooning at the nine little cubs in front of me.
The clues of me being a doting father were there. But it was much worse than expected.
I had always found cubs cute, going as far as sparing my rival's cub and spoiling Scar's cub when they were born. I was fond of them, these innocent little creatures, no different from kittens.
And now that these cubs were made from my blood and flesh, the emotion I felt towards them was unthinkable.
I think I might just murder the ecosystem if they asked me.
The cubs were one month old now. They were able to see, run and even play. Albeit they were still extremely uncoordinated and would tumble constantly. But I feel like those only added to their charm.
Zuri had three cubs in total, she was the only one who bore me three cubs while the rest bore me two each. Her cubs also consisted of two males and one female, although there was a few confusion in the beginning. It was hard to know the gender of the cubs when they were infants.
Nala had two cubs, male and female.
Amara had two cubs, male and female.
Tala also had two cubs, but both of them turned out to be female.
After they could open their eyes and move around, they began showing their individuality. It was only then that me and the mothers began naming the cubs.
With Zuri, we named our cubs Asafa, Shaka and Amila.
With Nala, we named our cubs Aslan and Kiara.
With Amara, we named our cubs Kion for the male and Zola for the female.
With Tala, we named our cubs Shuri and Zulu.
In total, I named five of my cubs. All the male cubs and one female cub I had with Tala.
The cubs stayed in front of me, carefully studying my mannerism and body language. They could not even speak properly yet so they shouldn't even know how heartstruck I was by their existence alone.
But even when they were barely able to run, they were already showing respect and obedience towards me. This was just a nature they copied from their mother and the first thing they learned.
Father was king, respect the king. Always.
They didn't have to be taught. They simply learned it from their surrounding that all saw me as king.
Although that was a good thing, I'd honestly prefer they only see me as a father first and learn to respect me later. But maybe that was just the human part of me talking.
I leaned my head down for them. It was a rare action I took only for them. You wouldn't see me bowing like this to anyone else.
The little cubs knew what to do with that action. They ran up to me and one by one, they clung on my thick mane. They were still so small compared to me. I could probably gobble them all up in one bite.
After everyone climbed on my mane, I lifted my head. But not too much as to not hurt them in case they fall. And then I began moving gently.
They released tiny screams, whines and giggles as we played the game of who could hang on the longest.
After a minute, and after increasing my actions, they fell one by one. Until in the end, only Asafa and Aslan were left.
A few seconds later, Asafa dropped from my mane and that made Aslan the winner.
"We have the winner! Baby Aslan wins this match!" I said and lowered my head so that the small cub could climb down safely.
The moment he touched the ground, he was tackled to the ground by Asafa who was a competitive spirit. And then their other siblings joined in and swarmed him too.
In the end, they made a cluster of cubs and play fought with their non-existent teeth. I sat down and simply watched them play with a smile. I could watch them all day. No, I could watch them forever.
Unlike the other lions who avoided cubs at all cost, my favourite activity now was to babysit my new cubs. I would often abandon hunting and training just to be with them.
But never patrolling though. My protective instinct actually made me patrol more and more aggressive towards any rogues and things I considered a threat.
After I played with the cubs and then watched them play among themselves, I decided that it was time to stop. Young cubs like them still needed lots of sleep and milk. That was how I grew as strong as I did when I was still a cub.
So after an hour, I released a small growl towards them. The small cubs that could still not understand words understood fear. They fled from me and quickly found comfort and safety in their respective mothers.
I hated to do that but it was the only way I could command them at the moment.
I watched them scatter one by one and go to their mothers who put them under their belly so that they could drink their milk and sleep.
A few minutes after they left, a huge block of stone bumped into my side.
No, not a block of stone.
They were my other cubs.
"Ohh, were you jealous of your siblings?" I asked while knocking the baby rhino with my shoulder.
But the little beast was so heavy and sturdy it barely felt my push. And then another baby rhino came to the opposite side, seeking affection too.
I gave them plenty. I used my paws to scratch them all over their body without using my claws. They were like living tanks with the nature of dogs to be honest.
Jumbo and Mambo had grown to ridiculous proportions in just one month. Their speed of growth was something that shadowed even mine. In just one month, they gained a good 50 kilograms of mass. At least that's what the humans who monitored them regularly said.
Speaking of which, at the start, the humans tried to take them away from me. But they knew better after I warned them a few times. Now they came every two days or so to check on the rhinos.
The humans and the baby rhinos had grown close too. Mostly due to the humans providing milk and nutrients which I could not provide for them in their development.
At just 6 or 7 months old, they were nearing my weight. Although their dimensions were not comparable to mine, they were compact and extremely bulky.
Seeing them like this saddened me about the dead rhino I saw a month ago. The poachers who killed the male white rhino. What a majestic beast that would be while alive. And what a great fight I could have if I decided to do so.
I played with the baby rhinos for half an hour before I headed towards my pride. Social interaction was vital for a lion's pride so I had to be included in it.
But the so called social interaction mostly ends with me on top of three or four females.
After that, the sun was starting to head down and it was time to go on a patrol.
The Serengeti was in full bloom at this time of the year. The wet season was starting to peak, meaning there was plenty of green and water wherever you go.
I wandered through my usual patrol routes, releasing occasional roars that marked my presence to any outsiders.
I moved through the tall grass at an unhurried pace, for I truly owned this land. My huge weight made my paws sink into the damp earth. The ground was soft from the recent rains, cool beneath my pads.
This land was healthy.
Herds grazed freely in the distance. Zebras lifted their heads when they heard my approach, their ears twitching. But they did not flee immediately. Wildebeests snorted and shuffled, uncertain whether to panic or continue feeding. They knew me. They knew my scent, my routes, my rhythm.
They knew their king. And they knew I was not hunting them.
I walked past an acacia tree where I had fought a coalition not too long ago. The smell of blood was still there, and the bark still bore faint scars from claws and teeth.
I climbed a low rise and stopped there, overlooking a wide stretch of plains. From this height, I could see almost everything. There were watering holes glittering in the distance, patches of darker grass where the soil was richer, herds moving like slow rivers across the land.
Prey were everywhere in the Central Serengeti. The pride without any other competition could choose any meal.
I took in the clean air, basked in the setting sun.
This was my kingdom.
I released a low rumble from my chest, not a full roar of aggression, but more like a declaration of presence. The sound rolled outward, deep and steady, carried by the wet-season air.
Back where I left my pride, the lionesses answered my call.
I smiled.
It was peaceful.
For the first time ever since I was reborn as a lion, I allowed myself to relax fully and deeply. Maybe half a year of peace had softened me, or maybe it was the cubs.
Or maybe it was neither. Maybe it was because there was nothing chasing me and nothing I was chasing either.
I've killed Scar, built my own kingdom, reclaimed the Serengeti and now I was a father.
My thoughts drifted back to the cubs. I couldn't help it. I thought more about the male cubs. I was a bit biased because they were the ones who would carry my legacy.
I thought about Aslan, who clung stubbornly to my mane, Asafa, who had a competitive glare even as a newborn, Shaka, who was always quiet with watchfulness and then Kion, who was always so shy.
They were my future.
Conquest had never truly called to me. I had taken land because I had to. I had fought for survival and peace because their price was violence. But ruling everything? Expanding endlessly? That was never my nature.
I could if I wanted to, but I wouldn't.
I think I would be content with keeping the peace and simply watching my cubs and my pride grow.
I continued my patrol for a few more minutes. Then I stopped to drink from a shallow stream. After I had quenched my thirst, I looked at my reflection in the clear water.
The lion staring back at me was massive and a little scarred. He was heavy with muscle, mane dark and full. A king and a monster in every sense of the word.
Too big to fail, some might say.
Too strong to fall again.
It was hard to believe that it was me.
Perhaps this was the end of my climb, the end of my story. I was strong enough to sustain and enjoy peace. There was nothing waiting for me in the future, nothing more I needed to accomplish, nor threats I needed to kill.
My cubs would grow up, and I would grow old.
And the rest would be history.
It was a hard but memorable journey.
I think this was it.
My happily ever after.
...
...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author : Alright, guys, the final stage of the story is going to start. I feel so bad for Leo now that I wrote him like this but it must happen.
I really wanted to end the story here and like this, but there is still unfinished business. Scarface, Simba and other foreshadowing are still there waiting for their tie their knot.
Hope yall continue to stick with me for a bit and see this story to the end.