Author's note: I've done this with some of my other stories, to hear the music in envisioned for this chapter play the song protectors of the earth when you see (XXX)

Chapter 11: King of Life

The night air was calm in the Northern Kingdom. The dark and thick stratus clouds loomed over the Crusader army with perpetual darkness.

Ono and Anga felt their nerves tighten and their hearts race as they stared at the clouds. Kion and the others gazed with horror at the landscape around them. The closer they came to their destination, the more barren and ravaged the ground seemed.

They hadn't seen a herd for miles, only bones and dead plants.

"Sheesh, I thought the outlands were bad." Janja growled.

"You said it." Imara growled as she looked around.

"We getting close. Radcliffe have scouts nearby." Jane growled.

Kion nodded before he looked at Anga, Ono, and the other birds who had come.

Ono and Anga looked fiercer than any of the others.

Without a word, they took off towards the Kingdom.

"We wait here until they return!" Kion announced.

The vast army settled in for a breather as the Guards and their leaders met with Kion.

"Let's go over the plan one more time to make sure we have it down." Jane had drawn out another map of the Kingdom in the dirt for them.

"We move to the caves and free the detained predators." Kion emphasized the cave's while the others nodded.

"You think they'll help us?" Vitani asked.

"They've been locked in caves for years watching their cubs get taken from them. We'll be lucky if they have the courage to leave the caves." Talib huffed.

Jane had a very intense look on her face. The lioness growled while Vegter nudged against her.

"Crusader army save Jane's parents and others."

"Once we do that, hopefully, it will cause confusion in Radcliffe's ranks. Then we sweep in and deal with the half of his army in the main canyon. Our main objective is to break up and scatter them."

"And Radcliffe?" Rune growled.

All eyes stared intensely on Kion.

The King showed no hesitation.

"He has to die. We find and kill him before he can bring in the rest of his slave troops."

None of the others showed any signs of doubt or second thoughts at Kion's proclamation.

"We do this fast and precise. Then we all go home." Kovu said as he breathed an anxious breath.

Vitani patted her brother's shoulder in a reassuring manner.

"Vitani, you know he possessed a Dark Roar." Vitani took a deep breath.

"Yes, I've heard as much….I still haven't mastered the roar yet."

"He's powerful, very powerful. Don't try and face him alone."

Vitani nodded while her lionesses gave her reassuring looks.

Bunga tried to psych himself up by throwing a few air punches.

Fuli and Azaad similarly stretched themselves to loosen up their muscles.

Bellezza stared forward with a mixture of dread and optimism on her face.

"Are you ok?" Beshte asked.

Bellezza slowly nodded.

"To be honest I didn't really come here to fight. I wanted more to help other animals like Jane." Beshte nodded.

"I get it, I prefer helping others to fighting them too. But sometimes it's necessary." Bellezza nodded.

"I just wish I only had to fight those horrible lieutenants of Radcliffe, they're just as responsible for this as he is." Beshte huffed angrily.

"They are, and they won't escape justice either."

Kion, Kovu, and Rune tried to not dwell on their mates and cubs. Each knew such thoughts would only distract them and put themselves in more danger.

Kion and Kovu stared out at the Kingdom before them when Baliyo came up.

"Are you guys ok?" Kion nodded.

"How's the Night Pride?"

"Afia's as excited as you'd imagine. Idan's ok but Kanda's pretty nervous."

"She should be. This is probably the most dangerous thing I've ever done….Huh, a part of me is actually kind of looking forward to only being able to do what Kiara says I can."

Kion and Baliyo had another slight chuckle upon being reminded of that little detail.

"Kion, do you think we can pull this off?" Baliyo asked nervously.

Kion nodded without hesitation.

"I wouldn't have brought us here if I didn't think so."

Baliyo looked a bit more relieved.

"Well, I'm glad you think so." Baliyo looked back at Afia who was trying to pump up Kanda.

"I want you to know when we get back. I think I'm ready."

Kion and Kovu looked at Baliyo with some confusion.

"Ready for what?"

"For Afia and I to become mates." Kion's eyes widened for a moment.

"I see. Well, that's good, I know you both make each other happy."

"You don't think Rani will be upset." Kion laughed.

"No, I don't. I think she'll be very happy for you both."

Baliyo looked up at the sky.

"I hope we have a girl cub first. I want to name her Janna."

"Rani might be upset by that."

"Why, did she call the name first?" Kion nodded slightly.

"She and I agreed on that name if we had a girl."

"Well, I guess we just better have a girl before you two do."

"Be careful, Baliyo. Kiara always vehemently reminded me that Mufasa was her first choice of name." Kovu now laughed a little.

"Sisters, am I right."

All three lions laughed together while Vitani and her lionesses listened.

"What are they saying?" Vitani asked.

"Something about fighting over cub's names?"

Vitani rolled her eyes.

"Brothers, am I right."

"…..I don't have one." Kasi said.

Kion exhaled before looking back at the Kingdom.

"I guess I'm finally doing what Kopa wanted me to."

"Maybe he was right, to an extent. I still don't agree with everything he said. But this does feel right." Baliyo confidently growled.

"I didn't know Kopa. But it sounds like his heart was in the right place. You know how far to take it, Kion." The young King slowly nodded.

"You're right. I'm glad you guys came." Several minutes later, the birds returned with almost a dozen vultures dropped unconscious before the crusaders.

"We weren't spotted." Ono said intensely.

Kion felt his heart race and the rest of his Guard surrounded him.

"This is it then." He almost panted.

"Kion, we're with you. Now, until the end." Bunga put his paw on Kion's shoulder with a reassuring look of devotion.

Fuli, Beshte, Ono, Anga, and Azaad did the same. Beskerm, Jade, Obasi, Vegter, and Talib followed suit.

Kion took a deep breath and turned to his army.

"We move out! Make ready for battle!"

The army cried back.

Kion reached the hillside overlooking the caves first. He was soon joined by the others as they gazed upon the Northern Kingdom.

Kion's expression became a mixture of horror and disgust when he saw the Northern Kingdom firsthand.

"Woah, it's even worse than I thought." Bunga almost shouted.

Ono landed beside Kion with a painful gaze.

"Awful, isn't it."

Kion patted Ono's back for a moment.

"Are you ok?"

Ono took a deep breath and nodded.

The other crusaders soon joined their King in equal horror when they saw the Northern Kingdom's lament.

"Ok, definitely worse than the outlands." Janja growled.

Jasiri looked closer and saw several cubs being dragged away towards a tree.

The hyena snarled in a terrible fury.

"If Kion doesn't order the attack soon, I might just go on my own."

Janja and the other hyenas looked slightly afraid of their leader's expression.

"How do you survive her?" One asked a very nervous Janja.

"I sometimes wonder that myself."

"Kion!" Baliyo snarled as he pointed to the center of the canyon.

The King's eyes locked onto Radcliffe. He strode through the canyon with his lieutenants close by. Kion could see several deep scars embedded into Radcliffe's face.

"I'm getting anxious Radcliffe, it's been months, how long until we take the Tree of Life?"

Radcliffe chuckled.

"I suppose I don't have the right to complain about scars on my face." Kuzimu chuckled.

"I do feel better now. However, the Tree of Life may be a bit too ambitious with so many guardians there. We should wait until our base of power is larger. We need another good kingdom to take first…..Yes, we'll take Pride Rock!"

Kion felt his heart race faster at the same time Kovu's eyes widened.

"Pride Rock, yes a rich and fertile kingdom. Plenty to eat and not nearly as defended." Kuzimu growled.

"What about your heir?" Timora asked.

Radcliffe's malevolent smile returned.

"Kiara, yes, her bloodline is just as exulted as Rani's. She's heir to the throne and will more than suit my needs."

Kion, Kovu, and Vitani's mouths dropped open.

"I hear rumors she has a cub already." Shetani laughed.

"Then it will die."

Kovu couldn't contain the fire in his stomach and bellowed out a thunderous roar.

Radcliffe's eyes shot to the hillside overlooking the canyon.

The King gazed upon Kion and his army looking down at them. Radcliffe didn't seem afraid, he merely looked surprised. He clearly did not believe Kion would be so bold. He was wrong.

Kion arched his head back with Vitani and released the roar of the elders. The combined wave of telekinetic force tore apart the barricades covering each cave and scattered the various predators guarding them.

"Attack!" Kion charged down the hill with his Guard at his back.

Baliyo followed with the Night Pride, Kovu and Vitani came after with the Lion Guard.

Before long the entire army was in a charge down the hill.

The leopard and Komodo dragon mercenaries attempted to get up but soon found themselves engulfed by the Crusaders.

As they swarmed the caves, Janja and Jasiri's hyenas broke down what was left of the barricades. Jasiri herself snarled as she pounced Chuluun into the ground.

The snow leopard tried to force Jasiri off her but the hyena was relentless, her claws and fangs pierced Chuluun's hide again and again while the leopard was unable to strike back.

At the same time, Janja and the other hyenas effectively kept any of the mercenaries from helping Chuluun.

At the same time, Makucha frantically tried to reorganize his men but it was a fruitless endeavor. The mercenaries were swamped by Kion's army and Makucha would soon be next.

Talib rammed his horns into Makucha and plowed him into the ground.

The leopard viciously lashed out with his claws and fangs but Talib had him effectively pinned down.

"Kion told me you're a fan of delicacies. Let's see if you're still hungry!" The buffalo huffed.

Ora tried to get away from the battle with two of his dragons and rounded up as many of the scattered cubs as he could.

"Come on you little rats! Radcliffe will have my skin if I don't salvage something!" The cubs were corralled by the thee dragons. But Ora soon felt the ground tremble and an intense blow on his side that picked him up off the ground.

"Twende Kiboko!" Beshte quickly used his oversized jaws to snatch up another dragon before hurling him into Ora.

Bellezza huffed with similar aggression. She used her feet to keep the last dragon's jaws back before ensnaring him in her jaws as Beshte had.

When the lizard was gone, Bellezza almost frantically looked for the cubs.

When she found them, they were trembling behind a rock.

"Ohhh, it's ok. We're not going to hurt you, we want to take you back to your parents and-"

"Bellezza!" Beshte huffed.

The female hippo turned just in time to see one of Ora's dragons. The lizard snapped his jaws around her thick hide. Even so, Bellezza cried out in pain with a furious expression.

"I know you're a living being like me. But that still doesn't mean you need teeth!" Bellezza threw the lizard off her and then smashed her right foot agains this mouth so hard she saw a few of his fangs fly out.

Beshte almost laughed as he slammed Ora and the third dragon away.

Elsewhere, Mama Binterong's porcupines rounded up the remaining cubs under her tree.

"That's all of them!"

"Good, keep them close. Kion's army will think twice about attacking us if-"

"Zuka Zama!" A thick cloud of familiar oder surrounded Binturong's party and mad ehe hack like she hadn't in a long time.

"No! That smell!"

Bunga laughed as he waded through the stench and beach back each porcupine.

He didn't do it alone either, Kandna and Idan fought back four feral predators also in the group.

"Come with us, we'll keep you safe." Idan purred in a compassionate voice.

The two Night Lions and Honey badger were gone by the time the cloud was gone. Two more lions emerged though.

Binturong saw Vegter stare at her intensely while Jade gave a near feral growl.

"This her?"

Jane snapped her jaws.

"It her, Mama Binturong."

Binturong's eyes widened for a moment.

"I, I remember you. You're one of mama's children."

"Jane not your daughter! Radcliffe steal Jane when Jane a cub and give her to Mama Binturong!"

Binturong growled.

"You are one of mama's children. Have you forgotten everything mama taught you? Your King commands you to fight for him."

Jana growled more intensely.

"Mama commands you! Do it now or Mama will punish you!" Binturong's claws came out.

"Jane no let Binturong hurt anyone else!" Before Vegter could stop her, Jane roared and charged at Binturong who's eyes widened in terror.

Vegter almost got frightened by what he saw.

A few Jungle, Barbary, and Night lions all came up around Vegter as they watched Jane.

The porcupines scurried off in terror as well.

"….That's quite savage." One said in a frightened tone.

"Jane is free now." The lioness panted heavily as she stood over Binturong's body.

Vegter came up beside Jane and nuzzled her.

"Is Jane ok?"

The lioness's eyes closed.

"Mama Binturong can't hurt any more cubs…Jane stop her." Vegter nudged her head with a reassuring expression. However, the Tsavo lion's eyes widened when he saw the first half of Radcliffe's army just ahead of them.

"This way! Vegter knows what to do!"

Kion and Kovu beat back the last of Makucha's mercenaries before they saw Radcliffe standing directly across from them.

Half of his army formed up behind the king while Kion's crusader force quickly did the same.

"Coming to my own land, Kion? I didn't think you could be so ruthless." Radcliffe almost looked as if he respected Kion. But the young King wasn't looking for it.

"Your reign ends now! Release your slaves and step down! It's the only way you're walking out of this alive!"

Radcliffe growled as he gazed at Kovu.

"When I'm done here, your mate and sister will both bear my cubs. After I feed your cubs to my army, and this time, that fool Kopa won't be here to protect you!" Radcliffe arched his head back while the ground began to tremble.

Shetani and Kuzimu laughed in anticipation while Timora stared close with interest.

Vitani came up beside Kion and all eyes in their army turned to them.

Vitani tried not to shake in angst but Kovu put his paw on her shoulder.

"You can do this." Her own Guard, as well as Kion's, gave Vitani reassuring looks.

(XXX) The two lions arched their heads back while the air picked up.

The three lions roared and the impact could be felt for miles.

Radcliffe's roar sent a breathtaking quake towards the crusader army. In response, the clouds above erupted in thunderous waves of power from various lion's heads.

Kion and Vitani's roars joined together in a tidal wave of power. The crusader army chanted in awe when they saw the roars collide with Radcliffe's.

The dark-king was taken back when he felt his quake get silenced and a few of his slave-soldiers get hurled away.

Kion and Vitani both gave intense smiles back at Radcliffe. Despite this, Radcliffe didn't lose his own malevolent expression. He roared again and made the ground directly under his enemies tremble.

Kion and Vitani could both feel it. Radcliffe was trying to open fissures and force rocky towards to spread up.

Or at least, he would have. Both lions unleashed their own roars once more. The power kept the earth in place. Despite how much Radcliffe poured into his roar, he couldn't overpower both of his opponents.

"Now what!?" Timora snarled.

"We hold until the rest of our troops arrive and overwhelm them."

"That's a very large army, Radcliffe. Do we even have enough troops?" Kuzimu snarled.

Radcliffe nodded.

"An excellent point. Simple then, isolate Kion from Vitani. Kill them both."

His lieutenants nodded.

Kion, on the other hand, wasn't going to wait.

"Attack!" The crusaders followed their King in a head on charge. Radcliffe and his lieutenants subtly fell back into the mass of their slave soldiers who formed a living shield.

Kion was only driven on further when he saw this.

He unleashed a shorter more controlled roar that sent the first section of slave-soldiers flying.

With their first ranks disrupted, the crusaders' charge had that much more impact.

The melee became a maelstrom of ferocity. Both sides pushed forward like two massive elephants trying to overpower the other. Obasi, Talib, Beshte, and Bellezza were at the front with many other of the crusaders' large animals. However, the single minded fanaticism of Radcliffe's slave-soldiers drove them farther than any normal animal would have gone.

Kion and Vitani pushed in hard to try and reach Radcliffe but only found feral predators.

Despite their initial success, the sheer ferocity of slave-soldiers allowed them to push into the crusader ranks. Once inside, they managed to break apart their cohesion as individual fights broke out.

The King's Guard remained close to Kion with Jade and Beskerm backing them up.

However, the interweaving slaves managed to drive a wedge between Kion's Guard and Vitani's.

Vitani ruled a hyena back with her jaws when Tazama nudged her.

"Vitani!" The lioness aw they had been cut off from Kion's Guard and growled.

"Come on, we can't get separated!"

Radcliffe smelled blood in the water like a shark.

"Now." The King moved in with his lieutenants. The four sifted through their own forces as easily as they could water.

Jade and Beskerm tenaciously fought back against the feral-slaves but soon found themselves forced from Kion's own Guard.

Kovu became similarly separated by the swarm of slaves. Unaware he was being watched by Kuzimu.

"One King not to be." The wolf growled.

Shetani similarly zeroed in on Kion. Despite their best efforts, the King's Guard couldn't keep back all the beasts from Kion and he furiously fought them off at his front.

Shetani lowered himself into a pouncing stance. His eyes held a horrible excitement to them.

Shebaha, Kasi, Imara, and Tazama fought with everything they had. Vitani tried more than once to use the roar but the swarm of predators didn't give her enough room.

"Ahhh!" Vitani's head shot to Kasi and Imara.

Timora slammed one of the lioness's away with her mighty paws and hurled the other with her jaws.

Radcliffe did the same to Shebaha and Tazama before turning his attention to Vitani.

The lioness attempted to charge Radcliffe but he struck her like a freight train and picked Vitani up off the ground.

Even with such a blow, Vitani didn't lose her ferocity. Her rage boiled over and erupted onto Radcliffe. The lioness let out feral but well-guided paw blows and bites. Even so, Radcliffe countered them expertly.

His satisfied expression only frustrated Vitani even more so.

Vitani howled in pain from Radcliffe's bites and claw strikes. With a second heavy-blow, Vitani found herself on the ground.

Radcliffe didn't wait and opened his jaws to-

"Grauuuu!" The King looked up for a moment and gazed in shock at Vegter who had now reappeared.

The crusaders watched with renewed optimism as they saw Vegter with Jane the missing lions emerge around and behind the mass formation of slave-soldiers.

They crashed into them like mounted knights and caused their already disrupted formation to lose all cohesion.

"Ohh yeah! This is it! Come on!" Bunga rushed forward with Rune close behind.

The bolstered morale allowed the crusaders to push the slaves further and further back.

Timora, Kuzimu, and Shetani found their shield of slave-soldiers retreat like low tide.

Before Kuzimu could fully react, he was set upon by none other than Kovu. The lion slammed Kuzimu onto his side and nearly bit down on his throat. The wolf forced himself up but was soon locked in a fight for survival against Kovu.

"You think you can threaten my mate and cub!"

Kuzimu laughed.

"We can do whatever we want. Our threats are nothing short of promises."

Kuzimu soon regretted his words. Kovu's paw struck the burned portion of his head so hard that a crack emerged in the revealed bone.

Kuzimu felt his head grow dizzy and backed up.

Kovu didn't relent either.

He pushed the wolf back with more claw strikes and bites. All the while Kuzimu howled at the feral predators to help him. But each was kept back by none other than Jasiri and her hyenas.

"Sorry but that's not fair." Jasiri laughed as she and Janja beat back two feral hyenas that tried to flank Kovu.

Kuzimu howled again when he felt Kovu bite his side.

The wolf bit Kovu three times in response but Kovu wouldn't let go. With a final snarl, Kovu slammed Kuzimu into the ground and kept him there.

Janja watched with a frightened gaze but Jasiri laughed.

"You uh, find that amusing." Jasiri nodded.

"Let that be a reminder if you ever think about being a bad boy again." Her terrifying eyes made Janja gulp with his tail between his legs.

"Yes, dear."

Radcliffe turned back to Vitani. He opened his jaws again and-

"Grauuu!" Kion rammed himself into Radcliffe's side and forced him off Vitani.

The two Kings began their clash and Vitani tried to regain her senses.

Timora saw this and lowered herself to intercept Kion.

"I don't think so!" Baliyo slammed into the ligress with all his might. Even with his, she only stumbled backward a little.

Timora turned back to Baliyo who's intense growl almost amused her.

"Try not the squirm."

"Ha, that's impossible." Timora turned her head just in time to see Afia's paw slam into her face.

The ligress snarled in frustration before the two Night Lions came at her together.

Despite her immense strength, Timora couldn't keep up with Baliyo and Afia's near perfect teamwork. While one countered her blows, the other struck back. They were relentless and cohesive.

Timora's eyes turned fiery red as she attempted to leap forward into them both.

Baliyo and Afia roared together. With their combined pounce, they slammed Timora onto her back.

Without mercy, they swiftly bit the ligress's neck and felt her thrashing stop.

Baliyo panted heavily while Afia almost laughed.

"I shouldn't be so happy. We just killed an animal…A very, very bad animal, together." Afia purred as she nuzzled Baliyo's face.

Baliyo mirrored her passionate excitement and became overwhelmed by impulse.

"I know this isn't the best time but I was thinking. I love you and want to become mates."

Afia's face turned red before her laughter became almost too intense.

"This is the perfect time to ask me! Now we have even more reason to win!" Afia licked the side of Baliyo's face before they returned to the fight.

Shetani hadn't even noticed Timora's death as he locked in on Kion.

"Grrrrr. I've never killed a King before-"

"Vile snake!" Vitani almost ripped off a chuck of Shetani's body when she collided with him and buried her fangs deep into his hide.

The tiger groaned in agony and tried to fight Vitani off, eventually forcing her back in front of him.

Despite the pain, Shetani began to laugh.

"We meet again, I'm surprised Kion let you march in his army. I'm surprised you weren't banished from Pride Rock!"

Vitani's eyes erupted hotted than any volcano.

Vitani opened her mouth and unleashed a short roar before Shetani could come to strike back. The tiger collided with a large rock and became disoriented.

As Vitani charged forward, her Guard reformed around her.

Shetani snarled as four feral lionesses came behind him.

"Stay away from the leader, she's mine!"

The two groups clashed like an ocean wave against a large rock. Vitani and Shetani exchanged vicious blows. Both felt their bodies cry out in pain and lament. Even so, neither held back or showed signs of weariness.

Shetani got his fangs into Vitani's back and began to clamp down hard. Vitani cried out in agony as Shetani shook her and tried to break her spine. Even in such pain, Vitani forced herself to focus and snapped her jaws around Shetani's head.

The tiger yelped with burning pain and finally let her go. With her body free, Vitani pounced the tiger onto his back and gave him one final precise bite.

Kion and Radcliffe's fight had taken them up to the plateau overlooking the Kingdom. Neither had gained a significant advantage until Radcliffe struck Kion's shoulder and lifted him back a foot or two.

Radcliffe gazed down at the other side to see his remaining slaves nearing the main battle.

"Just die already!" Radcliffe arched his head back and brought a terrible ground tremble with it.

Kion's eyes opened with pure dedication while Radcliffe's held pure malice.

The two King's brought their roars forth and nearly made the entire Kingdom shake. Kion's power from the sky met Radcliffe's earth-power. Despite what he expected, Radcliffe found Kion's roar stronger than he remembered. The Dark-King poured more and more strength into his roar but Kion's continued to push back.

Radcliffe felt his frustration turn to angst as Kion's roar pushed his own back further and further.

It was at that moment, Radcliffe looked up at the clouds and saw something he hadn't seen before. Among the Kings of old, another lion's head appeared with them. One who hadn't been there when he invaded the Tree of Life.

In the clouds, roaring with the Kings of old was the face of Kopa.

Kion's roar finally broke through Radcliffe's and struck him like a herd of wildebeest.

Radcliffe violently tumbled down the hillside until he crashed into the canyon below.

Radcliffe moaned as he tried to get up. When the King shook his head, he saw Kion had now joined him.

Radcliffe snapped his jaws in a feral manner.

"Kill him! Kill him now!" The slave-soldiers fell silent.

"I said kill him!" Radcliffe looked back at the slaves but instead of the mindless ferocity in their eyes, he saw the same trembling fear that they had given when they were first indoctrinated as cubs. All of them had seen Kion defeat Radcliffe's roar.

"Kill him! I'm your King! Your master! All of you are my slaves! My property!"

"You don't own them!" Kion roared back so loud he nearly breathed fire.

"Animals aren't things to possess or use! You took everything that made them more them animals! I'm going to take it back! You're done hurting others, you're done corrupting the Circle of Life!"

Radcliffe's feral expression returned to Kion.

"Your father couldn't kill the lion who murdered his father. You won't kill me."

Kion lowered his head.

"I'm not my father."

With a final roar, the two lions clashed again. The slave-soldiers backed up in fright, each trembled as they watched.

Radcliffe's earlier expertise had devolved into blind fury. Kion now brought down his passionate strength mixed with his mastered fighting style. Each of Radcliffe's blows was countered and his body became marred with bite marks, claw marks, and bruises.

Finally, Kion struck Radcliffe's face where Kopa had and the King almost looked as if he had suffered a seizure.

His body flailed around and his paws came upon his face.

Kion lowered his body while easing his breath.

With a thunderous roar, Kion pounced forward and slammed Radcliffe onto his back.

The young King raised his jaws from Radcliffe's neck. He panted slowly and looked down on Radcliffe's body.

"Kion! Unbungalievable!" Bunga jumped into the King and wrapped his arms around him.

"You did it! You got him!" Before long the rest of Kion's Guard enveloped him in a warm embrace. Ono and Anga hadn't even stopped to see Radcliffe's body.

Beskerm, Jade, Talib, Obasi, Vegter, and Jade were close behind. Jane herself stared intensely at Radcliffe's body, almost with a surreal look.

Anga and Ono emerged from Kion's embrace and spat on the lion's body.

"I hope you and Scar keep each other company." Ono said on the verge of tears.

Anga wrapped her wings around Ono and pulled him closer.

"Ahhhh! Ahhhh!" Jane and Vegter looked out at the slaves. Their fright had devolved into a complete breakdown. They frantically looked around and cried out like cubs. But that respect, they were still cubs. Cubs trapped in adult bodies.

Kion and the others became overwhelmed by their horrific wails.

"Oh boy, uhhh, now what do we do?" Fuli nervously asked.

Jane rushed out to the slaves with Vegter close behind.

"Please listen to Jane! Jane's friends are here to help us! They help Jane remember who she is! They help you too!"

"Adisa!"

"Gail!'

"Daan!"

Across the Kingdom, Kion's crusaders witnessed the predators they had freed emerge from the caves with frantic expressions.

Each in a dead-sprint towards the mass of confused slaves.

"Jacinta!"

Kion and the others bore witness to the wave of emotions as the freed predators found their children.

Many of them were older but upon reaching their children, the former salves broke down as if they had just been born. The ground became so flooded with tears it almost appeared to have been raining.

Vitani and Kovu found each other before nuzzling.

"You're safe."

"You too." Vitani purred.

Kasi could be heard sobbing nearby.

"Ohh come on Kasi, lighten up" Imara growled.

"It's not them, it's them." The lioness nearly choked as she pointed to the reunited slaves with their parents.

Rune, Mungo, and Advik all looked over the sight with feelings of righteousness. They had fulfilled their crusader vows.

Even Jasiri became overcome by emotion and licked across a flustered Janja's face.

Baliyo and Afia became locked in a warm nuzzle until Afia noticed something out of the corner of her eye.

Nearby, Kanda licked Idan across his face with a bashful expression on her own.

"Well, what do we have here?" Afia chuckled as her companions yelped in embarrassment.

"Uhhh." They both stuttered as Afia broke out in laughter.

Bellezza had joined the King's Guard and followed Kasi's example.

Beshte saw her tearing up at the sight of the reunited families.

"Are you ok?"

She sniffed.

"It's, it's so wonderful." Bellezza nudged her head against Beshte's for support.

Kion felt Bunga elbow him before the honey-badger pointed to Fuli as she nuzzled Azaad warmly.

"I've never seen her show that kind of affection in front of others." Bunga laughed.

"First time for everything I guess." Kion chuckled.

Jade, Beskerm, Talib, and Obasi soon looked up at the sky with Kion.

"We did it, Kopa. We won." Kopa's companions were on the verge of tears again.

As the minutes passed, the crusader leaders met near Radcliffe's old throne.

Jane and Vegter approached with looks of pure grief on their faces.

"Jane….Your parents." Kion started.

Jane's eyes filled with tears while she shook her head.

"Jane was too late. Jane's parents pass a year ago." Vegter brought his head in to support Jane.

"Jane, we're so sorry." Kion came forward with Kovu and Vitani but Jane shook her head.

"No, Jane's friends save her home. They free Jane's people. Jane is happy."

Rune took a deep breath.

"There's still the matter of what to do now. This land needs a ruler, someone to heal it." All eyes turned to Kion. He felt his heart race and began to breathe deeply.

This is what Kopa had wanted. For him and Rani to rule over as much as they could and bring life to it all. But in the end, it wasn't Kion's vision.

The King shook his head.

"No, this isn't my land to rule. But there is someone else, someone who's strong, dedicated, and understands what makes a good ruler. Someone who spent years around a Kingmaker. Someone who's wise and just."

Kion smiled before he touched Vegter's shoulder.

The others gave a series of confused expression with a gasp or two mixed in.

"What? Vegter? No, King Kion is mistaken, Vegter isn't a King."

"Yes, you are. Kopa taught you as much as he taught me. You've seen how a good King rules and are strong enough to protect these animals. Plus, you won't have to do it alone. You'll have someone who knows this land." Kion turned to Jane.

"Jane, Jane as queen?"

"Kion, this, could actually work." Fuli smiled before she came over.

"I think you're capable of more than you realize, big guy."

Jade, Beskerm, Talib, and Obasi were unsure at first but eventually surrounded their companion.

"Kion's right. This is the right choice." Talib huffed with a smile.

Vegter trembled in angst but was soon embraced by his friends.

"You'll have us with you. Always."

Vegter looked back at Jane and then the others. Each gave him a look of confidence and nodded.

Vegter looked up at the sky and narrowed his eyes.

"Vegter will do it, Vegter will rule wisely and justly! Vegter will do this for Kopa and Dakarai!"

"Hail King Vegter and Queen Jane!" Advik roared.

The other leaders soon roared as well. Kion and Vitani glanced at each other for a moment and nodded.

"Vegter, come here for a second." The two guided him to the ledge where he overlooked the animals below.

"These are your subjects now." Vegter took a deep breath and nodded.

"Earning their respect won't be easy. But maybe we can help." Kion and Vitani each placed a paw on Vegter's shoulder.

Vegter felt a strange sensation inside him and looked back on his left shoulder to see a symbol had appeared.

The symbol was a lion's head on a mountain. Beskerm, Jade, Talib, and Obasi soon saw the same symbol on their own shoulders.

Vegter breathed heavily with wide eyes. Vitani and Kion both nodded to him. The Tsavo lion arched his head back and felt the wind pick up.

When Vegter thrust his head forward he let loose the roar of the elders. Kopa and the Kings of old roared with Vegter as his newfound might carried across his new Kingdom.

When the freed-slaves and captives saw this they quickly fell to the ground and bowed before their new King.

Kion and Vitani watched with proud expressions.

"So, does this mean my Guard is welcome in the Tree of Life again?"

Kion slowly glanced back at her.

"Under supervision." Vitani laughed.

"I'll take it."

Kopa looked out at the savanna from a small hilltop. The cub was kept between his mother's legs as she listened to the ramblings of a wildebeest and kudu.

With the two were Nala, Simba, Binga, Cadoc, Cael, Kiara, Mufasa, and George.

Kopa couldn't understand what the two herd leaders were talking about. But his mother diligently listened.

Kopa looked over at his cousin who had a bored look.

Kopa felt similarly. He also, however, felt a bit sad. His father still hadn't returned and he longed to see him again. He wasn't the only one either, at Night, Rani held Kopa closer than usual and almost didn't seem to sleep from a look of angst and fright.

His aunt Kiara and grandparents all mired this demeanor.

"Alright, you both have good points. Which means we have to make a compromise. George, can the island sustain them for a month or so?" The old tortoise nodded.

"That's it then. Jac, for the next month your herd can graze on the island until Icarus's herd's mating season is over."

The kudu huffed.

"I suppose that could work."

"Good, is there anything else pressing?" Both herd leaders could see the deep frustration that plagued their queen since Kion and the crusaders left.

"No, we're all good your majesty." Both bowed before quickly retreating to their herds.

Rani took a deep breath and lowered her head.

"I hope you were paying attention, Kopa. That's what a lot of it comes down to, compromises."

Simba gave a slight chuckle while nodding.

"Indeed."

"Alright, what's next on the list?" Rani asked Cadoc.

The eagle racked his brain while the adults all focused on him.

Seeing an opportunity, Kopa and Mufasa quickly freed themselves and ran at each other.

Kiara and Rani almost immediately realized their cubs weren't under them anymore but saw they were just to the side in a playful wrestling match.

"Ahh, that was it. The penguins of the eastern tundra and the tundra region wondered if we could help oversee the creation of a new slide."

"Another one?" Cael growled.

"They do love their slides."

Kopa and Mufasa let out playful growls as they tried to pin one another to the ground.

Despite being a little older, Mufasa soon found himself pinned down by Kopa. Much to the prince's satisfaction.

However, Kopa soon saw something else in the distant. He looked closer and nearly yelped.

"What is it?" Mufasa asked before Kopa pointed north.

Mufasa looked over and instantly gave the same look.

"The penguins can wait we have more important-" Rani started until she saw Kopa run off with Mufasa.

"Kopa!"

"Mufasa!" Kiara and Rani quickly raced after their cubs while the others followed close behind.

"Kopa! Naughty cub, stop right no-" Rani and Kiara stopped in their tracks with almost pale expressions.

At the Kingdom's northern entrance, both saw Kopa and Mufasa run to their fathers.

When Kion and Kovu saw them, they both sprinted ahead.

"Papa!" Kion brought his head down to passionately lick and nuzzle Kopa while Kovu did the same with Mufasa.

The two fathers felt tears grow in their eyes while their mates did the same.

Without a word, Kiara and Rani bum rushed the two lions and pounced them into the ground.

Kion looked up at Rani's heartfelt gaze before she came down to nuzzle him.

"Bunga!" Binga saw her mate emerge from the pass and was quickly lifted up in his arms.

Cael raced to Advik as he entered the Kingdom and quickly embraced his older brother.

"So glad you wondered if I was ok too." Baliyo laughed as he and Afia came up beside Rani.

The queen didn't lose her enthusiastic expression and she nudged heads with Baliyo.

Kion wasn't given much of a respite as his parents soon took over for Rani.

Surak, Nirmala, and their cubs soon came to greet the returning crusaders. But these small groups were soon joined by most of the kingdom.

Family members rushed to reunite with loving embraces.

Rune sprinted to Mary and his cubs. The white lion warmly nuzzled each before he noticed something else. Rune's eyes widened when he saw a fourth cub between Mary's legs. One younger than his other children. A lioness cub with fur as white as his own.

Beshte, Bellezza, Anga, Ono, Azaad, and Fuli soon emerged from the pass and looked out at the mass reunion.

Fuli and Azaad took some amusement watching Rani give Vitani a gracious look.

"Do you guys think things will really change for the better?" Ono nervously asked.

Fuli took a deep breath.

"I do….It will be strange though, Vegter and the others being gone and all." Her head lowered with a slightly depressed expression.

Beshte, Anga, and Ono soon mirrored her.

"I am going to miss them. Especially Obasi." Beshte said.

"He always knew what to say." Azaad chuckled before Fuli smacked his shoulder.

"Even if we have won, so many of our friends died before we could. Dakarai, Ullu, Kopa." Ono almost teared up again until Anga wrapped her wing around him.

"They're never truly going to be gone, Ono. All of them live on through us, we live for them." Ono wiped a tear away as he gazed back up at Anga and nodded.

Epilogue:

The sun had nearly reached midday over the Tree of Life and an intense struggle had broken out before it.

Two parties tugged a vine back and forth over a drawn in the grass.

One one end were two lion cubs, a honey badger cub, an eagle chick, and a cheetah cub.

The other hand was pulled by two more lion cubs, an egret chick, and a hippo calf.

The first two lion cubs were male and female. The female had golden-brown fur and brown eyes. The male cub had black, brown, and tan fur with darker brown eyes and a hint of dark-brown mane fur on his head. The eagle chick was white and the honey-badger pinkish with a white back. The cheetah cub seemed typical for his species with green eyes.

The lioness cub across from them had the same fur pattern as the male cub with darkish-blue eyes. The cub behind her had the same fur pattern but with lighter-blue eyes.

The egret chick had purple feathers while the hippo-calf had blueish eyes.

Despite how hard the first side tried, they couldn't hold their ground against the might of the second half and were soon pulled onto their stomachs.

"We win again!" The lead cub cried out proudly.

"Grrr! That's no fair Janna! Your side always wins because you have Ike!" The golden cub growled as she pointed her snout to the hippo.

"We should switch up teams." The night cub similarly growled.

"I don't think so, Anada, Sahashi. I think my little cousins are just tired of losing."

"Little, we're three weeks older than you!" Anada growled.

"You don't act like it." Janna chuckled before Anada pounced her into the ground.

The other young animals formed around Sahashi as they watched the two lioness cubs wrestle.

"They're at it again." the second cub laughed.

"Janna always starts it, she just won't quit talking." Sahashi growled.

"I heard my mom and dad say she's too much like her mother. They would know since they're in the Night Pride with her."

"Come on Anada! Avenge our defeat!" The cheetah cub growled with an excited look.

"You two don't have to fight, we could just play another game." Ike tried to separate the two but was stopped by the honey badger.

"Are you crazy! Watching them wrestle is way more fun than any game!" Ike sighed as he saw his friend's over excited expression on her face.

"If you say so, Rae."

Watching over the young animals was none other than Makini. The mandril painted new murals on the rocky walls while glancing over at them with a warm smile.

Not far away, four more lion cubs also took notice of what was happening. These cubs were older than the others. Each had nearly reached adolescence. Among them were Vadik, Vala, Kopa, and a white lioness Kopa's age.

"Look at them, brings back memories doesn't it." Vadik laughed while Kopa smiled.

"Your brother and sister are so cute." The white lioness said.

"Try spending the night with them, Lyra. Sahashi crawls over my head while Anada bites my tail. I thought cubs were supposed to do that to their parents." Kopa almost groaned while his friends chuckled.

"It just means they love their big brother." Lyra purred as she nudged her head against Kopa's face.

"Well, my mom and dad certainly get a kick out of it."

"Prince Kopa!" The four cubs heard an all too familiar squawk and looked up to see Cadoc flying towards them.

"There you are, my prince. Your father is looking for you." KOpa took a deep breath and nodded.

"I guess it's that time a day. I'll see you guys later."

"See you, have fun protecting the Kingdom." Vala said before Kopa raced off.

The two night-lions saw Lyra gaze at Kopa with a bashful face and smiled in amusement.

"There goes our future King." Vadik said.

"Yeah."

"I guess that leaves us to entertain the future queen." Vala purred.

"Yeah, wait, what!?" Lyra nearly yelped as her friends broke out in laughter.

Kopa raced across the Kingdom. He passed the desert region, the river lands, and the savanna. Along the way, he noticed his mother in the river lands with Cael, George, Binga, and Mary.

When Rani saw her son, she gave him a warm look as he nodded back to her.

Eventually, Kopa reached the savanna's western edge. There he reached the top of a large hill where several animals waited.

An adult honey-badger, two adult cheetahs, a violet eagle, a white egret, and an adult hippo. All of them stood around an adult lion with golden-brown fur, a thick red mane, and scar of this left eye.

All of them bore the Tree of Life's symbol on their shoulder.

Kopa slowed his pace as he came up beside the adult lion.

Each of the other animals smiled warmly as Kopa approached. But none could do so quite like the King who looked down at his son when he finally reached his side.

They both gazed out at the horizon, the Kingdom around them stretched as far as the eye could see. Their Kingdom, the Kingdom of the Tree of Life. Kopa stood beside his father, its king. The King of Life.

Author's note

Thus the story comes to an end, I hope you guys liked it, I had a blast writing it and I loved the feedback and character suggestions

I'm afraid this will likely be my last Liong King story unless a fourth season of the show is made. I feel like I've done it well enough here and gotten everything I wanted put out.

As for my future works, I'll be sticking to short-stories 10-12 chapters long, I just don't have it in me to write super long stories anymore.

For my next work I'll be getting back to my roots with a Pokemon Amourshipping story, though in a much different style than I've done before, grittier and more realistic(though not too much)

So until next time,

Please review, comment, suggest or ask(VIA PM)