Leo : The Lion King

[1st POV]

"Greetings, young cubs," I said while towering over the helpless cubs. My shadow cast darkness on them, making them back away in fear.

The younger cubs cried out and whined in small voices. The older ones stepped forward with droopy ears and tails between their legs. They were gripped by fear, but they still stood protectively over the younger ones.

The chaotic conflict that happened right before their eyes had traumatised them, I could see that much from their eyes. They likely knew what was coming next for them, and it was amusing to see how they dealt with the impending doom.

On another note, the cubs were absolutely adorable. I've said this before in the past but a baby lion was perhaps one of the cutest things in the animal kingdom. They were no different than a kitten with bigger paws and cuter fur.

They were so cute that I could not help but spoil my half-brothers back in the Pride Lands, even though they were the offspring of Scar.

But things were a little complicated now. I was the king of the pride, and nature demands that I kill these cubs so that I could sire my own and pass on my genes as quickly as possible.

As a lion, I was completely repulsed by their existence. The mere thought of feeding these little cubs and raising them with effort, even though they were not my own and were my enemies, was a disgusting idea. The ultimate beta move for a lion.

But on the other hand, I was not just a lion, was I? I still retained my humanity. It was the sole thing that made me special and what had carried me so far.

And you know what? I still had enough humanity in me not to kill children. The cubs should not be judged by their fathers.

My ever-growing ego protested at the idea. Who cares about morals when my ego was hurt, right? That was the most important thing for a lion.

But that same hurt ego quickly died down when I thought of it this way. Scar tried to kill me and he killed all the male cubs when he took over the pride. Would I really allow myself to stoop to his level and do what he did?

Hell fucking no.

And all the reasons why I should kill them did not apply to me. I was already the strongest while being young, and still had room to grow. I would rule for a long time, unlike other lions whose rule was unstable, so I didn't need to hurry to pass on my genes.

I did not fear that these cubs would grow up to be a threat. I was too big and powerful for these things to matter.

In short, I was strong enough to be gentle.

...

"You don't need to be afraid," I said, trying to sound gentle with my deep voice, "Just know that I am your king from now on and you should address me as such."

They blinked owlishly, still afraid, but cubs had this way of reading someone's intention very well. They knew immedaitley that i truly meant no harm.

"Do you understand?" I asked again.

"Y'Yes. Yes! My lord," some of the cubs replied with a stutter, and I was satisfied with that.

"Now go on, return to your mothers and tell them never to cross the king next time," I said.

The cubs slowly moved while watching me intently. Their droopy ears perked back up, their tails wagging as their nose twitched to remember the scent of their new king.

They carefully escaped under me and after that, they sprinted towards their mother as fast as they could. I chuckled seeing some of them trip on their own legs while running.

I remembered how difficult it was to coordinate my body properly when I was a cub like them. I had to train extensively to get good control of my own body.

The lionesses widened their eyes in disbelief but none of them stood up to greet their cubs. They remained in their lying position, for I was still watching them and had not given them permission to rise.

They closed their eyes and kissed the cubs with their muzzle when they reached them. Some of the older cubs walked around the lionesses and checked their mothers for injuries before slipping into their arms for a warm embrace.

The reunion was quite heartwarming. It almost made me forget my agitation at the females for daring to attack me.

The lionesses like Nydia and Eshe sent a curious gaze towards me. They didn't have enough courage to look at me for long, though, as they pulled away only after three seconds.

They looked almost ashamed of their previous action.

Well, they should be. In fact, they should be double ashamed because they did two stupid things. One was for thinking they stood even the smallest chance against me and another was assuming the worst of me.

Although in their defence, I really did not help with their assumption. I was still really shitty at this whole managing pride thing. Which was precisely why I looked past the previous attack and did not harm anyone.

I had hoped that my sheer aura and the fact that I won my crown in a fair battle would be enough to make them submit to me immediately, but I guess that wouldn't be the case. I would have to put in some more work until they submit to my rule.

Now you might be asking why I fought the females in the first place, even though I was planning to spare the cubs all along. The answer was quite simple: it was to send a message.

I wanted them to know I spared the cubs' lives. I did not want them to live in the delusion that they protected their cubs and forced me to spare them.

It was my choice to let them live. It was my decision, my kindness and mercy. It was nothing they earned or something they accomplished.

It might seem similar since they both have the same results but the two could not have been more different. One made me look weak and the other showed I had morality.

I turned around after that and looked at the three young females who had stayed with the cubs and were lowering their heads in fear.

"Go join the others," I said and they slipped past me to join the other members of the pride.

The defeated females finally had the courage to rise from the ground. The ones that decided to submit from the start also came to join them and they all stayed together in one place.

And finally....

I turned to the final task at hand. The four sub-adult males were hiding and lying low among the grasses. They were hoping I would ignore them but their presence was impossible to miss.

I growled deeply and then made my way towards them. I was not running but I quickened my pace as I approached them.

My heartbeat doubled in rate, and my body began heating up, ready for battle. The countless fights I had with other lions engraved a memory on my body. I could switch into battle mode in seconds without having to taste the start of a battle.

But the closer I got to the four males, the more I realised that they were absolutely of no threat to me. They remained in their place, but not because they were going to stand their ground.

It was because they were too afraid to even move away.

They lowered their front body and crawled backwards as I got close to them. Finally, they rolled over and showed their belly when I reached them.

The softest, most zesty and gay growls left their throat as they showed their most vulnerable parts to me. It was the ultimate display of submission.

I walked around them a few times, trying to see if they had some fight in them or if one of them was blood-lusted. But I found nothing, I only saw fear and panic on their faces.

It was honestly disappointing. I was already throwing hands with Scar and fighting a clan of one hundred hyenas when I was their age. But I guess it was not fair to compare other lions to me.

Still, I was expecting a little pride, or a little resistance.

No, they had none. They submit completely and utterly.

I could kill them now before they turned into possible threats but that would just be shameful on my part. It would be like killing a weak, pregnant lady when they were so harmless and showing their vulnerable part.

To sum it up, they were not worth killing.

"Leave," I commanded them, "Leave the Serengeti and never show yourself again. The moment I see you again, I will consider you a challenger and kill you on the spot,"

The lions rolled back to their paws and ran away from me as quickly as possible. I watched them disappear in the treelines and then I looked up at Grim, who was flying in the sky.

I did not have to give the order; my loyal bird knew what to do. He followed behind the four males immediately to check whether they truly left the kingdom or if they stayed behind and were planning their revenge.

I released a sigh after that and finally collapsed among the grass.

"It's been a long day," I said to myself, hidden in the tall grass. A lot of things have happened today and that weighs heavily not only on my body but on my mind and spirit.

I lay there for a while, perhaps around half an hour. My brief rest ended when Grim returned and landed beside me.

"They are heading straight towards the Maasai Mara without stopping. I don't think they are planning anything. They truly fear you," Grim said.

I hummed in acknowledgement. And then finally, I stood back up again. My body felt heavier than when I first lay down to rest. I felt more sluggish and tired after giving my body time to rest.

"I need to eat," I said and then walked back towards the place where I fought the Mbali brothers.

This was because the buffalo carcass still remained there.

"Oh, I nearly forgot," I said and turned towards the Siringet Pride. I was not alone anymore, I had a pride to lead.

*ROAR!!*

I roared towards them. It was not a warning or a declaration of rule. The roar was a command that told them to follow me.

The pride, now 28 members in total, followed behind me. They did not come too close but they still followed right behind me. I saw some of the females limping, perhaps due to my mauling or the buffalo hunt. They really needed food as well since I have starved them for a week now.

Nearly another half an hour later, we finally reached the shore of the lake where the battle once took place. But this time, the corpses of the kings were nowhere to be seen.

They had been torn apart by the vultures and by other scavengers and taken away to different places, in different pieces, by different animals. Their scent and blood still lingered but only faintly.

I stared towards the buffalo carcass that the pride had taken down. It was in perfect condition, many vultures were sitting around it and some even perched on top but none had taken a single piece.

In fact, the vultures were actually chasing away the foxes and jackals that tried to take nibbles at the buffalo.

I smiled, very pleased at their action.

I walked to the buffalo and began eating after settling near its stomach. I opened up the insides and feasted on the cool organs.

The pride watched me from afar. They were starving but no one tried to come and eat the meal with me.

So in the end, I had to invite them.

"Come, there is plenty for everyone," I said and one by one they came.

The lionesses that submitted to me in the beginning were the first ones to come. The ones that attacked me were the last and even when they came, they ate timidly.

But I couldn't care less about any of that. In fact, I could not even care enough to eat anymore.

A wave of nostalgia hit me and buried all other feelings in my heart.

I remembered when I was a cub, the way Mufasa and his pride would eat during feeding time. I remembered how much I admired my father and how I wanted to be a king one day.

I could almost taste my resolve and ambition from back then.

Now that moment was here.

Strange. So very strange,

I had grown.

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[Throwback IMAGES]

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Author : And with that, we wrap up this arc perfectly in one week. Thanks for the overwhelming support everyone.

You guys have made it a pleasure to write for you.