[Author's Note]
Um...welcome back? I must sound like a broken record by now, but apologies for the delay in getting these stories restarted. It must have been weird for you guys to see the new cover art and then receive no update for months afterward. Let's just say things have been rough, and the biggest reason I suddenly dropped off the map was my grandmother's passing last month. I'm not looking for attention or pity, but you deserve an explanation and I needed some time to process my emotions. Now it's become one of the things that's driven me back into writing, strangely enough.

Anyway, I'll save the depressing stuff for the fictional characters. Thank you to everyone who voted on how frequently you'd like to see Kopa's Legacy up and firing on all cylinders again (version 2.1, as I call it), and it looks like we'll be doing it by the chapter as per the poll results. Now that The Lion Guard is wrapped up, I hope this means Disney won't throw any more canonical wrenches in my works. So to quote Into the Spider-Verse, let's start at the beginning one last time.

I should have known I'd leave alone, just goes to show
That the blood you bleed is just the blood you owe
That I'd fallen for a lie, you were never on my side
Fool me once, fool me twice, are you death or paradise?
—Billie Eilish, "No Time To Die"

Siri felt the enormous shadow of Mount Tempest fall upon her as the hot, brittle dirt cooled beneath her paws. Even without looking up, she knew they were almost there. Parting the yellowing grass, she waited as the rest of the hunting party stepped through the opening; the lionesses' pawsteps were heavy, trudging with the effort of carrying an antelope carcass between the three of them. Once they passed, Siri let the tall grass fall back into place and made her way around the others.

Fika, one of the two lionesses hoisting the carcass from behind, peered up at Mount Tempest's not-too-distant form. "See, we made it back before nightfall."

"Finally," said Bidi, the lioness at her shoulder. She slowed as the sun-baked dirt became soft and moist with each step they took. "That was the farthest we've ever gone for a hunt."

Fika rolled her eyes. "You always say that," she reminded her, even as she relaxed visibly as well.

"We were a long way from the ridge," argued Bidi. "The herds are getting scarcer by the day."

"Not scarcer. They're just edging out of the..." Fika trailed off. "I was about to say 'kingdom', but when was the last time somebody called it that?"

"Keep it moving," grunted Hamu, the hunting party's leader. She maintained her pace, clearly eager to put down the carcass half-sprawled across her back. "The sooner we reach the plateau, the sooner we rest."

Siri guided them out onto a patch of rocks where the grassland thinned. As the others emerged from the field, she slid in between Hamu and the others to prop up the carcass by the middle.

Hamu sighed with relief as some of the weight was lifted off her, and she gave Siri a grateful smile. "I don't suppose you'll be joining us for dinner?" she asked.

Siri managed a half-shrug from beneath the antelope's abdomen. "Someone needs to bring Malka his share. And he could use the company."

Hamu's smile disappeared, though not entirely. "I disagree on both counts," she muttered, "but it's your choice."

"Would it kill him to eat outside like a normal person?" complained Bidi. "Hey Siri, tell Malka he needs to bring his mopey corpse out of Mount Tempest. He could use the exercise."

Siri tried to suppress a grin as they waded back into the grass. "I'll pass it along. 'No, I don't have your dinner, Malka. Why, you ask? Because Bidi wants you to know that—'" She fell silent when Hamu suddenly raised one paw, signalling the hunting party to halt.

Bidi groaned. "Why are we stopping, the plateau's righ—"

"Shhh." Hamu scanned the skies attentively. There was a tension in her shoulders that Siri knew had nothing to do with the carcass on her back. "Do you hear that?"

The others looked around, listening closely. "Silence?" asked Fika, mystified.

Hamu beckoned for everyone to put the antelope down. "Exactly," she replied in a hushed tone. "No birds chirping, and the bugs aren't chattering either."

"Maybe they're leaving, like the herds," Bidi suggested. Siri's nose twitched as she caught the faintest whiff of pine needles. She tried to hone in on the scent, unable to discern where it came from.

"No," said Hamu firmly. "There were plenty of birds singing at dusk yesterday. The bugs too—they always come before sundown."

A shiver ran down Siri's spine at Hamu's words. The last traces of daylight were slowly slipping into the evening sky, and it was then that she could hear heavy, unfamiliar pawsteps on the plateau above them. "Hide!" she hissed.

The other lionesses scattered into the grass. Siri swiftly pressed herself against the base of the plateau, hoping that the small jutting cliff would be sufficient to conceal her from view. A moment later, a large brown-grey lion appeared on the ledge, sniffing the air suspiciously as he scrutinized the grassland. Siri held her breath, knowing that he need only look down to see her.

The lion's gaze honed in on the dead antelope, baring his teeth before hurrying off. Siri clamped both front paws over her mouth to muffle the sound of her gasping breaths—but it wasn't the need for air that set her pulse racing.

Cautiously, Hamu emerged from the grass and motioned for Siri to follow her. The two of them made their way along the base of the plateau, trying not to alert the other lions lurking outside their home. Siri could hear their movements now, and was just barely able to make out their snatches of conversation.

"That wasn't one of ours," Hamu whispered, once the sound of activity faded from the plateau. "You smelled it on him too, right?"

Siri nodded. "Pine needles."

"Whoever's up there is trying to conceal their scent...and there are a lot of them." Hamu grimaced. "We need to get inside. It's not safe out here."

"It's not safe in there either," Siri responded heavily. "That lion...I've seen him before."

If Hamu had any doubts about this, she did not show it. She raised her snout to the evening sky, looking as if something was bothering her. "Can you still smell blood?"

Siri frowned, trying to pinpoint the metallic scent in the air. "Yeah. That's weird, we left the carcass all the way back..." She trailed off as the horrifying realization struck her. "It's not antelope blood, it's—"

"Lion." Hamu's pawsteps became brisk and urgent. "We need to find Fika and Bidi now."

Up ahead, the plateau ended where the short cliffs opened into a gentle incline, connecting the grassland to the ridge upon which Mount Tempest sat. When Siri peeked around the slope, the first thing she noticed was that the main entrance was covered to the brim in stones. Two lions from her pride were digging away at the obstruction, closely watched by four others she did not recognize. She felt a stiff nudge, and noticed Hamu staring off to one side. Siri followed the other lioness' gaze, and choked back a cry when she saw them.

Seven bodies were laid out on the plateau, all of them unmistakably belonging to their pride. Not far from the bodies, three trembling cubs were guarded by another group of lions.

The sound of pawsteps prompted Siri to pull back from sight. The two of them waited until the patrol passed by before Hamu spoke. "Who are they, Siri?" she hissed.

"Duara Vunja," murmured Siri numbly. "I haven't seen them since I left Mafia Island. There are more of them than I remember."

"There won't be when I'm through with them," growled Hamu, her expression livid. "I'm getting my daughter away from those murderers."

Siri stepped in front of the other lioness. "Hamu, wait. They're well-trained, and they're disciplined. You saw the entrance, we can't get into Mount Tempest that way." Seeing that Hamu was not deterred, she pressed, "I'm with you, alright? But we need Fika and Bidi if we're going to free the others."

Before she could explain, the sound of a scuffle arose from the other side of the slope. Siri shoved Hamu, sending her tumbling into the tall grass. And not a moment too soon; Fika was dragged out of the grassland by the large brown-grey lion, followed by a struggling Bidi who was held fast by an angular grey lioness. They stopped when they saw Siri, who hadn't moved from where she stood. She recognized them easily now that she was staring them down, no mistake about it.

The burly male, Jeraha, narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Siri responded. Her voice held steady in spite of her racing heartbeat. "Where is she?"

"You're one of them now, aren't you?" scoffed Kivuli, the dark grey lioness.

Siri stepped forward, planting her paws to keep them from trembling. "Where. Is. She?"

A dark brown blur appeared in the corner of her vision, and before she could react she was slammed bodily into the dirt. "I'm right here, deserter," growled a familiar voice in her ear.

"I'm no deserter," Siri shot back. "I was a good friend to you, Janga, like you were to me. I chose this because you chose to become someone I could no longer stand by." She fought to wrest herself free, but Janga had her pinned against the ground.

"Call it whatever you want," the other lioness said disdainfully. "I wouldn't have believed you'd be here if I wasn't seeing it for myself."

Five lions descended from the plateau to move into position around them; Siri recognized some of them—and she could see the blood on their claws. Janga relinquished her grip and gestured to Jeraha and Kivuli; Siri stood, unable to do anything except watch as Fika and Bidi were escorted away.

"Why here, Siri?" asked Janga, although her tone betrayed no emotion. "You know how they got this mountain."

"Their ancestors, not them," Siri corrected. "I thought you of all people would know the difference."

Janga bristled. "I've taken it upon myself to change the course of history. These lions are complicit in theirs."

"There's another side to the story, there always is." Siri's gaze turned to the bodies of her pride members. "That's why you killed them?"

"I killed them because I've seen this before—I lived it. And I'm not about to let another king bring his lands to ruin."

"And this makes you any better than Scar? You've crossed a line, all of you have." Siri glanced about, trying to find the slightest hint of misgiving among the others. "Where's Mheetu? How did he agree to..."

For the first time, a glimmer of anger entered Janga's expression. Siri did not miss it.

"Wha—something happened between you two," she surmised. She scrutinized Janga, trying to discern why she wasn't speaking. "He refused to be part of this, didn't he?"

"It's not always about you," Janga snapped unflinchingly, "We both learned that a long time ago. It would have been better if you'd chosen somewhere else—anywhere else. You know too much."

Siri stiffened as Janga unsheathed her claws, and she did the same without hesitation. The other lions closed in around them, leaving her nowhere to run. "So this is how it ends for us?" she asked quietly.

"It didn't have to. But like you said, you came here of your own choice."

"That's right," Siri said coldly. "And I'd do it again if I'd known you were capable of this."

The two lionesses shifted into offensive stances. Siri drew steady breaths, trying to shut out the scent of blood lingering in her nostrils. She braced herself on her hind legs, waiting for Janga to make the first move. I can't beat her, not one-on-one. Even if I came out on top somehow, the other lions have me outnumbered.

It didn't matter. The Mtera Pride had been good to Siri. If she was about to die, then she would die as one of them.

The ground suddenly shook as the sound of stone crashing against stone was heard from Mount Tempest. The other lions turned toward the clamor, and for the briefest moment Janga instinctively glanced away as well. Siri leapt forward in an instant, claws outstretched and pointing at the other lioness' throat; Janga's eyes caught the movement, and she stepped back. One of her paws caught against Siri's, sending them both crashing into one of the other lions. They tumbled to the ground in a heap.

"Janga! They're escaping!"

Siri registered the voice as Kupinga, an old friend of hers, but did not falter as she untangled herself from the enemy lions. The rest moved to intercept her as she made a break for it, but Janga scrambled to her paws and shouted, "No, I've got her! Go secure the captives!"

As Siri bolted into the grassland, she could hear Janga close behind and frantically pondered if her best chance would be to stand and fight once they were far enough from the others. I'm done for if I run myself ragged. And I'm nearly spent after the hunt—

Siri stumbled to a halt as she nearly tripped over the dead antelope, which was barely visible where it laid in the grass. Thinking quickly, she turned and positioned herself in front of the antlers, hoping Janga was too focused on her to smell the carcass.

There was no time for doubts. Janga burst through the grass a heartbeat later and leaped straight at her. Siri dove nimbly to one side, hearing a muffled whump followed by a pained roar from her pursuer. As she backpedalled away, she saw Janga entangled in the carcass' antlers, clasping a long gash over her right eye as blood streamed between her front paws.

Siri pushed herself up and dashed away, knowing she had only moments before the enemy lions would be upon them. As the sound of Janga's thrashing faded into the distance, she wondered if Hamu caused the commotion that had inadvertently given Siri her chance to escape. Did she free the others? How many of them got away?

With a sinking heart, Siri realized that some of the Mtera Pride could still be inside Mount Tempest. Janga's got us outnumbered by a wide margin, whether we're all together or not. Their home had been turned into a prison, while the fortunate ones were likely in the mountain range, scattered and on the run. And like them, all she could do for now was survive.

•••

Janga stood, blinking droplets of blood out of her vision. Her paws came away with streaks of crimson, and she peered up to see Jeraha and Kivuli staring at her.

Both of them were at a loss for words. But their expressions said everything, and she didn't need to see her own reflection to know why. "The captives?" Janga asked sharply, finally managing to wrestle herself free from the antlers.

"Lost the adults and one of the cubs," reported Kivuli, "but we have the other two along with the lioness who tried to free them. The rest escaped into the mountains."

Janga thought about this, noting that the grey lioness had wisely refrained from mentioning what they were all thinking. "I don't need them, she's our way in," she decided. "I'll persuade her. You track down Malka and put him out of his misery. Jeraha, you're going after Siri. Bring a team with you and kill her."

Jeraha huffed, though not out of disapproval. "Finally burning the log bridge, then?"

"She burned it when she joined this sorry excuse of a..." Janga made a noise of disgust. "...kingdom. Make sure she doesn't get to the Serengeti. I can't have Simba finding out we're here."

Jeraha and Kivuli hurried off without question, leaving Janga to nurse the bleeding cut over her eye. She made her way back toward the plateau, staring up at Mount Tempest. Its colossal form loomed over her, a silhouette in the fading light. Scar brought his kingdom to ruin through his selfishness and neglect. I will not let that happen here, and certainly never again in the Pride Lands. Janga lowered her paw from her eye, letting the blood run freely down the side of her face. There will be a lot more blood spilled before this is over. I can't change that—not so long as these prides allow themselves to be ruled by the old ways.

Have you learned nothing from your past, Simba? Because I have...and I will gladly bleed these kingdoms dry if it means they'll never rise again.

Now you'll never see me cry,
There's just no time to die
I let it burn, you're no longer my concern,
Faces from my past return, another lesson yet to learn.

[Author's Note]
Whoa. This song popped online right as I finished the prologue, it's like the stars aligned or something. I didn't write around these lyrics, I swear. Thanks Billie, this is exactly what I was looking for (even if you did it for Bond and not for me).