[3rd POV]
It was done.
The battle was over.
For a conflict that took years to make, it all ended in just one decisive battle. There were no enemies left alive, and all mistakes were erased to give room for a new slate that Leo could build upon in his new world.
After dealing a finishing blow to Scarface, Leo released a roar of victory. Then he staggered away from the battlefield. He did not heed anyone and just walked towards the humans who were observing the entire event unfold.
The relationship between Leo and the humans had come far. They had an unspoken agreement. They were always allowed to stay close to the pride. In a way, they were part of Leo's pride.
But in return, they had a job to do for the privilege of walking among them.
Leo collapsed before reaching the vehicle. His heavy weight fell with a thud. The dry sand scraped his wounds, feeling like someone was rubbing salt into open flesh.
Humans got out of the car to tend to the king.
This was the most injured that Leo had ever been. Had the humans not helped him, his survival was uncertain. Although no wounds were fatal in the sense that they wouldn't kill him instantly, the sheer loss of blood alone was life-threatening.
And even if he survived, without advanced medical care, he would never be the same again.
The lions, and even the other animals present, watched without doing anything. They had already been told about what could happen in the aftermath of the battle, so they didn't interfere.
Mambo and Jambo, the two rhinos on the other hand, came towards their father. They had spent much time with the humans and were carefully monitored and nurtured by them since calfhood, so they were friendly with the humans.
Although there was a language barrier, they knew they were going to help their father.
More vehicles quickly showed up, and they had an operation on Leo right then and there since he was too large to move.
Leo's torn muscles were stitched together first, then his hide was pulled back to where it belonged and stitched closed. Huge bags of IVs were pumped directly into his blood vessels to make up for the loss of blood.
Then his wounds were carefully cleaned. Antibiotics were injected to prevent infection and painkillers were given as well.
Since this was the middle of the savannah, there was little that the humans could do. But even those things mentioned before, such as stitching up wounds and cleaning them, took a long time. The whole crew of doctors spent the entire night working on the lion.
The next morning, they were done. By that point, the whole pride had actually moved to the place where Leo was operated on. The doctors were completely surrounded by cubs and lions as they worked on the king.
After they were done, they nervously left the area.
Leo woke up after two days of sleep. But even then, he did not move an inch. He quickly closed his eyes again, grateful to be alive, and spent his days only recovering.
Meanwhile, the pride never shifted. They stayed exactly where the king was. The battlefield was completely cleared a few days after the battle. The hyenas and the vultures had eaten all the carcasses.
It was during this moment that the Alliance finally proved their necessity. King Zael acted as the leader while Leo was out of commission. Simba, Zafar and his sons were responsible for dealing with any threats they found while the king could not protect the kingdom.
It was clear that other lions knew what had happened. Because in the weeks after the battle, many challengers came and even tried to claim some of the kingdom for their own. But it was Simba who protected the land in place of his brother while he was unable to.
In one of those battles that followed, Zafar died, finally fulfilling his wish to die in a worthy battle.
The pride continued to function as a normal pride. They hunted their own food, and every time they had success, they took the best parts of the meat and presented it before Leo. The king would occasionally wake up to eat his meal.
One month after the battle, Leo was visibly healed. But even then, he never really moved much. His waking moments were also limited as he was burdened by constant exhaustion.
Time passed, and the dry season continued to pass.
And in no time, three months were gone just like that.
It was the wet season again. And it was during this time that the king finally recovered to full health.
...
...
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[1st POV]
I stared at my reflection in the lake.
I was ugly as hell.
I looked like a Frankenstein lion. My whole body was covered in lines of scars. They were only recently healed so they lacked fur, making them stand out. My dark mane circled and framed a perfectly ugly face. Half of my face was completely unrecognizable while the other half was filled with scars too.
Maybe I should jump into the water and drown myself at this point.
Hopefully, my scars healed much better than they were now after some time passed. If not, I was going to be known as a hideous beast.
"Oh my god, is that me!!" I said to myself in a disgusted tone.
"It's not as bad as it looks," Simba answered from my side.
You could see the rest of the pride in the distance, resting and playing with the water on the shore. This side of the shore was where the males were. Obviously I didn't want the other males to get too comfortable with my females, hence the separation whenever we hung out.
Zael and his pride had already departed from us. Zael left as soon as I recovered, saying that he needed to establish his kingdom immediately. Like I promised, I had given him the entire southern region of the Serengeti, including the land he ruled over previously. There was no doubt that his old land had a few guests over already, so I could understand his hurry.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I don't know. You look good, in an awesome and scary sort of way," Simba said.
I took another good look at myself in the reflection.
Then I turned back to Simba with a concerned look.
"You're blind, Simba."
"I agree with him on that one," one lion spoke up with a nod. He was lying down on my opposite side.
"Yes, you don't look hideous," another lion staying further to the side said.
Kovar and Azvan, sons of Zafar. I didn't know if this was because I passed out for so long, but they had a mature scent to them now. They had been incredibly useful to me since they fought away all challengers while I was asleep.
It wouldn't be a lie to say that the amount of challengers that came for me while I was injured neared a hundred. Perhaps after so many battles, they had grown.
"And what are you two still doing here? I told you before, I'm already fit enough to deal with any challengers that come," I said to them.
"It was father's words to guard you for at least four months," Kovar said.
Azvan spoke next.
"And besides, since you are still going to be the king even after we have our own kingdoms, it's best to curry favour while you are still weak."
"And whose words are more important? Your father's or mine?"
"Well, if you order us to leave, we will," Kovar said, his head bowing slightly.
I huffed and said with a small smile, "Your presence is not unwelcome, I suppose."
Since they were going to be kings of their own regions soon, spending time with me could be a sort of lesson on how to rule on their own as well.
I had given the western and southern Serengeti to both brothers respectively. Since they did a great favour for me in the aftermath of the battle, they needed rewards. It was the plan from the start anyway. And they were very dedicated to their duty. Their father died in a battle for me too.
On the other hand, I had not given any land to Simba. I think he had no desire to rule on his own. He would be content enough to remain in my pride, even if he didn't have cubs of his own.
But I wouldn't have that obviously.
So currently, the central and northern Serengeti were under my direct rule. They were the best lands in the whole of the Serengeti.
"What are you going to do after you fully recover?" Simba asked after a moment of silence.
I smiled.
"After I gain back my edge, obviously I would address the source of all my troubles."
"I'll say hi to the Maasai Mara."
..
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