The Lion King Chronicles: Vitani's Vengeance

Chapter 12

Kovu's claws glinted in the sunlight as he lunged for me with a snarl. I rolled out of the way, barely escaping his claws. We faced each other and began circling in an attempt to find each other's weak points. We've been practicing since dawn under Issa's careful watch. Kovu was stronger than me, there was no denying that, but I was much quicker. I darted towards him and landed a blow on his chest before jumping back.

"Good, Vitani!" Issa growled. "Get her, Kovu!"

With an angry snarl, Kovu charged me and managed to knock me over. He pinned me beneath his sharp claws and left me no room to escape. I struggled in his grip, trying to wriggle free, but it was no use. Then an idea came to mind.

I let myself go limp in Kovu's grip, feigning defeat. My heartbeat slowed as I mentally prepared for my next move. Kovu would never see this coming. Issa began to approach to offer her critiques so, naturally, Kovu loosened his grip. In that moment, I surged upward and knocked Kovu off of me. Since he was already off-balance, it was that much easier for me to pin him. His green eyes widened in surprise and confusion. It was over before he even knew what happened.

"Never assume you've won until your enemy is dead," I whispered in his ear, saying Mother's favorite line.

"Well done, both of you." Issa seemed incredibly impressed which left me feeling quite accomplished. "Vitani you can let him up now."

I jumped away from Kovu so that he could stand up. He threw a dirty glare at me, but I didn't care. I won and he lost. It seemed my dear brother wasn't good at admitting defeat. My eyes returned to Issa who began to critique our every move. Kovu and I listened carefully for what we did well and what we needed to improve. This was essential to becoming lethal soldiers.

Issa's demeanor suddenly changed. She lowered her head in a bow towards someone behind Kovu and me. When I glanced over my shoulder, I realized Zira was walking over. Ever since that morning when she attacked me out of anger, I didn't feel the same around her. I was always avoiding her as best I could but sometimes our paths crossed inevitably. She scared me more than I'd care to admit.

Zira came to a halt behind Kovu and I. She stared down at us with inquisitive eyes before looking back at Issa. "How are they coming along?" Zira directed the question at Issa.

Issa stood taller and cleared her throat. "They both have the natural instincts to become great soldiers. Kovu's strength for his age is impressive while Vitani exhibits quick-wit and stealth. Sometimes Kovu becomes distracted and Vitani is able to use that to defeat him."

Zira nodded with approval towards Kovu and me. We both stood a little straighter, a little taller. Mother's approval meant everything to us and could make all the difference. Our training could be the difference between death and victory in battle. As Zira reminded us every day: war ran through our veins.

"Well done, Issa. They're coming along quite nicely." She circled Kovu and me with scrutiny. Her muscles rippled underneath her scarred tan pelt. Zira walked away from us towards Issa who sat in silence. "Why don't you give them the rest of the day off? We've got battle training of our own to accomplish."

Issa nodded in reply. "You heard her, cubs."

Kovu and I glanced at each other suspiciously. Were they actually serious? These last few days it's been non-stop battle training from dawn to dusk. Even Nuka, Dotty, and Spotty were beginning to participate. Zira's promise to transform the Outlanders into a war hungry fighting force hadn't gone unfulfilled. It seemed highly unlikely that she would give us the day off.

"Well, go on," Zira snapped. "You'll make up for it tomorrow." She turned her back on us then motioned for Issa to follow her. They disappeared inside the cave without looking back and Kovu and me. Confused, I frowned and sat on my rump.

"What do we do now, Vitani?" Kovu wondered out loud.

An idea came to mind, a perfectly crazy idea. Not far from here was King's Lake, and I'm sure I could easily find it again. On this hot day, a dip in the cool waters would feel so refreshing. I'd be willing to bet that Kovu and I could walk there and back before sunset. We could finally explore something other than this desolate landscape.

"Let's go swimming at King's Lake," I answered him. My blue eyes widened with excitement at the thought of finally exploring.

"But what if the hyenas find us? Or Simba?" Kovu asked, cowering at the mere thought.

I rolled my eyes at him in annoyance. Couldn't Kovu manage to think for himself? Didn't the idea of adventure excite him even a tiny bit? I couldn't imagine being so dependent on the opinions of others. If he was going to be King, then Kovu needed to find some bravery. Maybe this was my purpose.

"Come on." I laughed, bouncing with excitement. "It'll be fun! No one telling us what to do... Having the freedom to choose our path..."

Kovu's eyes narrowed pensively as he considered my words. "Okay, I guess it couldn't hurt..."

"That's the spirit!" I dashed off away from the termite mounds. Kovu scrabbled to his paws quickly to catch up with me. I slowed a little for him to match my pace, then we picked up speed to put as much distance between us and the termite mounds as possible.

Our paws kicked up a cloud of dust behind us. Overhead, the sun shone without a single cloud to obstruct it's rays. I couldn't wait to dive into the cooling waters of King's Lake. It would feel heavenly on our aching muscles.

Up ahead, a giant log lay in our path. Excited, I picked up my pace and launched myself as much as I could. My momentum only carried me halfway up the fallen log, so I dug my claws in and climbed the rest of the way. Kovu followed close behind me. For a moment, we sat up there to admire our handiwork. It made me happy to see Kovu loosen up. He was finally starting to have fun.

"Let's keep going!" Kovu leaped from the log without warning. He landed heavily in the dirt then started running. I easily caught up with him, after all I was faster than him.

The wind in our pelts made us feel like we were flying. I lengthened my stride to pull ahead of Kovu. My paws instinctively found the worn path the lionesses walked every day to King's Lake. We wove through the grass, leaped over boulders, and most importantly-we laughed. I couldn't remember the last time that I laughed or felt so liberated.

Finally, through the grass I glimpsed King's Lake. The sunlight glinted off of its surface to make it appear like a pool of light. Kovu and I slowed our pace to a trot. I surveyed the area quickly to see that we were alone here. It was safe.

"I'll race you!" Kovu growled playfully.

"You'll loose!" I retorted with a grin.

At the same time, we took off for the shore and kicked up sand behind us. When my paws touched the water, I dived in with Kovu close behind me. Almost immediately, my muscles felt relief from the cool water. Kovu splashed me so I returned the favor. We were tussling and laughing so much that I actually forgot our worries and the war. Kovu and I were living in the moment, playing like young cubs should.

But this kind of play couldn't last forever.