The Suffering Family

Written by: Caldafox
== Story ==
Sarabi had a younger sister. Her name was Esther. When the family of her mate, Xerxes, all passed away, Esther and Xerxes were welcomed into Sarabi's pride to live and raise their new cubs.
Simba was very jealous of his baby cousins in the beginning, but soon warmed up to them. They were named Mtoto and Dumaka. The three rambunctious cubs were soon happily playing all over Pride Rock, while their parents talked.
"Ok, you guys win. You can stop chasing me now," Simba said one day, coming to a halt. 
His cousins nearly crashed into him, laughing excitedly.
"That was a really fun game of chase!" Mtoto said. "Yes, I think I'm getting better at keeping up." Dumaka added.
"We should see what our parents are up to," Simba offered. "Good idea, Simba. They love when we interrupt their conversations." Mtoto said sarcastically. His brother laughed as a frown formed on Simba's face.
Nevertheless, the three bounded over to Sarabi and Esther and Mufasa and Xerxes.
"Hi mom!" Mtoto and Dumaka said, running up to Esther. "Hello dears," she said. "We were just finishing up. You can come back in a few minutes."
"See Simba, what I'd tell you?" Mtoto smirked, as Sarabi groomed her son's ears. "Why are you guys always right?" Simba whined.
They ran off, playfully leaping at each other as they left. Their parents all laughed.
Days of carefree, joyful family interactions suddenly ended with the announcement of Mufasa and Simba's deaths in one tragic day.
His cousins cried against their mother's legs, as she, Xerxes and Sarabi wept for their beloved relatives.
Mufasa's brother Scar assumed leadership of the pride, and his first decision as king was to let hyenas roam the Pride Lands! Misery crept in Pride Rock quickly.
Every step he took, Dumaka was afraid a hyena would lunge out at him - which usually happened as he walked past. Then they would laugh at his curled up, horrified form, before Esther found her traumatized cub.
"Mom, when will this end?" Mtoto asked Esther one day, as his family ate a hyena's leftovers.
"I'm not sure, son. Maybe Scar will see the wrong in this soon." Esther replied.
Xerxes rubbed his face against his mate's, and she rubbed back.
One day, Scar was overlooking his subjects. Zira walked beside him, trying not to gaze in admiration at him.
He looked at Mtoto and Dumaka wrestling while their father watched. Xerxes met eye contact with Scar and cracked a half-hearted smile.
Scar frowned at them, an idea coming to his mind.
"What are you thinking, Scar?" Zira asked, rubbing against him. "You know I always want in on your plans."
"You'll find out in a moment," Scar answered. He climbed onto a large rock and called, "Xerxes and sons, step forward."
They looked at each other, then moved towards Scar.
Returning from a failed hunt, Esther gasped when she saw the scene unfolding.
"I hereby declare that you are no longer welcome in the pride," Scar announced.
Gasps arose from all the lions this time. Esther leaped over to her family. "What good will come of this?" she asked Scar, trying to hide her panic.
"There is no need for this many male lions in the pride," Scar said to her. "You can settle somewhere outside the border, but you're no longer welcome here."
"I guess this is farewell, Esther..." Sarabi said, coming up to her sister.
"Don't be stupid, Sarabi." Zira piped up, coming up to growl at her sister-in-law. "Scar said there's no need for male lions. He never said anything about Esther leaving."
Sarabi and Esther gasped again, the older sister putting her ears back in aggression. 
"You can't separate me from my family!" Esther cried. "Yes, he can." Zira smirked.
"Mom?" Dumaka asked, confused by his father's side.
Esther pleadingly looked over at them. "Don't do this, Scar!"
"My declaration stands. You serve well on the hunting parties, and I'll see to it that you're not going anywhere." Scar told her.
Esther walked over to her mate. He'll see to it...? she thought. What could that mean?
Xerxes met her gaze with pity in his eyes. "Esther... I don't want to leave you." he said, tearing up.
"And I can't imagine life without you!" Esther cried, holding back tears herself.
"Mom, what's going on?" Mtoto asked.
Xerxes and Esther looked at their sons, then each other. 
"We'll... just have to manage without mom." Xerxes told the cubs.
"We're really leaving?" Mtoto cried. "But we can't! We're a family!" Dumaka added.
"I know son... but I want you to be safe." Esther turned back to look at Scar, who had not a slight wrinkle of pity on his face.
"I'll visit. Please listen to your father." She knelt to nuzzle her sons, who cried onto her saddened face.
She raised her head to look at Xerxes, who could no longer hold in his tears.
"I love you..." they both said in unison, as they embraced one last time.
Xerxes, Mtoto and Dumaka sadly made their way past Pride Rock and onto the nearest border.
Esther watched them leave, streams of hopelessness flooding down her face.
Sarabi came up beside her and rubbed against her lightly.
First Mufasa and Simba... now my brother-in-law and nephews? Sarabi thought. When will this sorrow end?
Minutes felt like hours, days felt like weeks for Esther after that. She stood at the edge of Pride Rock until her family became specks on the horizon.
Finally, she sighed one last time and padded down to join the rest of the pride.
Three lionesses came up to her. "You OK, Esther?" The oldest one asked.
"I guess so," Esther replied. "But thanks, Tish."
"Do you want to join us on our hunting trip tomorrow?" Sofi asked. "You could lead if Sarabi wants to stay here."
"I don't want to think about tomorrow right now," Esther held back waterworks again. "Please excuse me."
With that, she hurried off into a cave for some alone time. "I hope I wasn't doing anything wrong," Sofi mumbled.
"Of course not," Adea told her. "She just needs some space. Understandable considering the situation."
Esther barely managed to make it through the week. All she could think of was her family somehow not making it without her... were they alright or not?
One day, when she thought Scar's back was turned, she snuck past the lionesses eating their recent kill, and bounded off.
Scar turned his head quickly, noticing movement from the corner of his eye. Zira was next to him.
"My father... His name was Shaka, you know. A great, strong, conniving lion like yourself..." she smiled as she narrated on.
"I will return," he said suddenly, getting up and running off in the direction Esther set off for.
"Oh, well, I'll be waiting!" Zira called, with a smug smile.
Esther hurried past some dried up bushes, her eyes darting at every which way. Scar followed behind her, barely keeping up.
He decided to cut her off at the next turn, jumping off a rock. Esther screamed when he landed in front of her.
"What are you doing here?!" he demanded to know.
"I need to see my family! Please, Scar, I'll do anything!" Esther begged.
"I know you. When you say you're going to see them, you intend to stay with them!" Scar yelled at her.
"You sound just like that Zira!" Esther spat. "Don't bring her into this! I can't afford to lose a huntress with this drought." Scar finished.
"Just let me see them!" Esther cried again. "You're coming back to Pride Rock or you'll never see the light of another day!" Scar glared at her with a killer stare on his face, piercing her compassion and concern for her family within.
A few minutes later, the two walked back to Pride Rock. The lionesses were relieved to see Esther again, and alive.
"Excellent work, Scar!" Zira said, bounding up to her king. He just frowned, then gave Esther a cold look before going into a cave. Zira followed.
Tish, Adea and Sofi walked up to Esther, who was rather disheartened.
"Is it just me, or does Zira agree with Scar a little too much?" Sofi wondered out loud.
Tish shook her head at the thought of Zira. She turned to Esther. "I think it's best if you try not to think about them..."
"How can I?" Esther asked. "They're my life!"
Her friends looked at the ground, lost from words. Adea walked to Esther and nuzzled her cheek, met with wet streams.
Meanwhile, Xerxes had been really struggling, His sons were always hungry, as growing cubs, and Xerxes was not a good hunter. Lionesses had always brought food back to the pride, and he'd had little to no practice. How would he feed himself and Mtoto and Dumaka?
They watched their father chase after an antelope, dust and failure kicked in his face.
"I think we should learn how to hunt ourselves," Mtoto said.
"Us? We're only young cubs! We're not even teenagers yet." Dumaka said hopelessly.
Mtoto groaned. "I suppose we couldn't catch anything big anyhow..."
Despite that, while their father was away the two taught themselves how to hunt mice and birds. Only food for themselves, but still. At least their father could go after smaller herbivores now.
Xerxes was surprised to see the two eating when he returned. "Who gave you those rodents?" he asked.
"We did, Dad!" Dumaka announced. "It was Mtoto's idea. Now we can hunt for ourselves!"
Xerxes looked at his son, who tried to smile from beneath his tears. "It was... a really great idea, son. But soon you won't be able to manage with just small prey."
Mtoto sighed. His father embraced him with his paw. "But I am... really proud of you."
The cousins of Simba did manage on their small prey though their cubhood and early teen-hood. Anything to help their father... even if it meant going to sleep hungry or not eating some days. Xerxes cried to himself anytime he saw his sons and their skinny forms... 
"I'm not going to allow you to eat mice anymore. Or birds. Or anything small for that matter!" Xerxes snapped one day.
"But you need to eat, Dad!" Dumaka said. "We can make it!"
"You aren't eating enough for your ages, and I won't have any more of that!" Xerxes yelled.
"But Dad, we really don't mind..." a shaking Mtoto lied.
"Yes you do!" Xerxes finished.
His sons looked at him in unbelief of his sudden mood swing. Gentle and soft spoken had turned to forceful and demanding...
Xerxes wept right in front of his sons. They ran up to him and shared a sad, heartfelt group hug.
Years passed. Esther had morphed from a sweet and friendly lioness to a cold and grim huntress. The drought was taking it's toll on her, her friends, her family, her life...
One day, Esther called her friends together for an unexpected meeting.
"Are we going hunting now, Esther?" Adea asked. "We didn't catch anything yesterday."
"No. We're going hunting for justice today. I've had enough of the toil this drought has caused on my family, our families!" Esther announced.
"I know how you feel," Sofi said. "We had to watch our sister and nephew get banished when Scar's reign just started!"
"And I miss her and Tojo every day..." Tish muttered to herself.
"No more missing and yearning for nothing. Today we're taking action!" Esther declared. 
Her friends cheered, but Sarabi looked concerned.
Another lioness walked in on them. She gasped when she saw Esther was the leader of the group.
Quickly, shrewdly, she snuck to Scar's cave unnoticed by anyone.
Him and Zira were hanging out in there. The lioness walked past several hyenas. They'd become populous in nearly every corner of Pride Rock.
Zira was laughing when the lioness walked in. "I have important news!" She announced.
"What's the fuss now?" Scar groaned. "I saw the lionesses assembled, and they were all cheering! I think that Esther is planning a revolt!" Bianca told him.
"Are you sure?" Zira asked. "Yes, I'm sure! They've never been this happy in years." Bianca answered.
"Thank you, Bianca." Zira told her sister. She nodded and ran out.
"I'll deal with her, Scar." His most loyal follower announced with a sly smile. She ran out, following her sister.
Zira slinked to the corner of Pride Rock where Esther and her comrades had assembled. She caught Sarabi's sister off guard.
"What are you up to, Esther?" Zira asked her. Esther looked straight at her and said, "Absolutely nothing that concerns a lioness like you."
"Is that so?" Zira prodded. "Then why have I and Scar received a report that you are planning to riot?"
Esther gasped, ending it with a growl. "Where did you hear that?"
Bianca snuck past them and gave Esther a sly smile, disappearing into the darkness from the shade of Pride Rock.
Esther growled. "You really think you stand a chance against all these hyenas?" Zira told her. "You don't! I wouldn't mess with Scar if I were you. Even if there weren't any hyenas around, you would never have a chance against the alliance him and I have."
"You're all talk," Esther challenged the lioness. "He's never done anything good for the pride, and I doubt he would want to make himself look more like a fool."
Adea, Sofi and Tish gasped when they saw Zira growl at her. "Speak another word against Scar, and you'll never see another day!" The obsessed lioness roared. 
Esther's mind flashed to the last time she saw her mate and sons. Such a fading memory... would this movement be worth it to never see her family again until they'd join her in the afterlife?
The confidence and belief in herself that had grown from bitterness and despair all died in one moment of time. Esther hung her head, like her old self would have done.
Her friends watched her confidence deflate from the sidelines, sympathy filling their eyes.
Zira smiled, her work here done. She exited the scene, Bianca appearing beside her.
Esther ran to the top of Pride Rock, where her young nephew had been presented so many years ago. She cried once again for her beloved family that she feared had not survived this drought.
Tish came behind her and stood beside the lioness. "Esther, you don't need to feel bad for this. One day we'll get our justice." she told her friend.
Esther bawled into the fur of Tish's chest, who placed her head on Esther's in an embrace.
~ ~ ~
Months later, Xerxes was laying on the hard ground of his "territory". He watched his adult sons, sporting full manes, yet lacking muscles, tackle each other.
"Mtoto, Dumaka, please be careful. I don't want you to get hurt or break any bones." Xerxes told them.
"Can't we have a little fun, Dad?" Mtoto asked him. Dumaka nudged him, adding a look that said, "Don't push it".
Xerxes sighed, hopelessness written on his face. His sons rushed to his side just as the tears slipped from his eyes as many days littered in their childhood.
~~~
Another day came. Esther struggled to pull herself up from her sleeping position. She'd really slept in late, or fallen asleep again when originally waking up - she couldn't even tell. Her eyes were crusted with exhaustion.
There was a lot of commotion going on outside the cave. Esther snuck out to join the other lionesses whose backs she saw from where she was standing. They were much fewer in number now, since Adea and Sofi had succumbed to starvation.
"What's going on?" Esther asked them.
"You aren't gonna believe this, but Simba has returned!" Kula's mother told her.
"WHAT?" Esther whisper-shrieked. She turned her head to the right, and sure enough, there was a grown up male lion who resembled what her nephew could have looked like as an adult... who was her nephew as an adult!
"Well we don't," Nala declared, in response to Scar's previous comment. "Simba's the rightful king."
Esther's heartbeats ran a marathon. How could Simba be alive? Surely he had passed... but then again, Nala had gone looking for help weeks ago, and then this lion comes back with her? She had to believe it!
The Battle of Pride Rock erupted soon after. Esther was reunited with her nephew, Kula who'd been banished, and Nala who'd recently departed all in one day! But she was forced to push aside her inner relief and joy as she finally, finally stood her ground against Scar and his hyenas.
And she was right - Zira was all talk. She didn't even fight in the Battle for Pride Rock! But that was because she now had three children to attend to. Esther lashed out on the hyenas like they were Zira's words of discouragement glaring back at her.
In the end they were successful. Scar was killed by his hyenas, and they left the Pride Lands for good. 
As Simba headed for the top of Pride Rock, Esther passed and smiled at him. A quick smile that reflected her joy to see him alive.
Tish watched with her friend Sarafina and Sarabi. She was the only one of her three sisters who had survived. Her aged, weary eyes looked on with hope. This would be the last big event she would witness before her death.
The pride roared with agreement and unity. "We made it, Esther!" Sarabi told her sister. "We're alive, and so is my son!"
"Yes, we are." Esther said. She nuzzled her sister, nestling into her fur.
The next day, the sun began peaking out of a gray sky. "Would you look at that?" Dumaka gazed upwards.
"The sun's coming out, Dad!" Mtoto told his father. "Maybe something's changed at Pride Rock?"
"Now why would you think that, son?" Xerxes said, getting up from his laying down position.
"Well, since Scar assumed the throne the sky has been dark and dreary. Maybe the pride overpowered him?" Mtoto said hopefully.
"We could try and find out," Dumaka suggested. "I think I remember the way."
"I do too, Dumaka. But Scar... if he finds us he'll kill us for sure." Xerxes sighed.
"Better to die attempting a change in life then dying without ever doing anything in life," Mtoto blurted. 
His father and brother looked at him. "I think... you're right, Mtoto." Xerxes said.
A smile spread across the Simba look-alike's face.
The three left their little territory for the first time in years. Dumaka looked back. The dead shrubs, broken tree trunk and tumbleweeds had almost become like a home.
They made it to Pride Rock after nearly an hour, from being weaker then they'd figured and constantly stopping to listen for danger.
Lionesses were walking around, without a hyena to be seen.
"What happened here?" Mtoto shouted out loud, amazed.
"Cuz, is that you?" A voice said.
A male lion walked out from a group. Something about him was familiar...
"Simba!" Dumaka hollered. He ran up to his cousin. Mtoto breathed heavily in place before gaining the strength to join his younger brother.
"You're alive! How can this be?" Mtoto asked. "I'll tell you later. More importantly, how did you survive?" Simba asked back. "I heard from Aunt Esther that you were banished..."
"Yeah, we were..." Dumaka answered absently. "Did you say 'Esther'...?" Mtoto prodded.
Simba nodded. They heard a familiar sounding voice tell the new king, "I knew you'd make me proud someday, Simba..."
Behind him, a weary looking lioness approached them slowly.
"Mom?" Dumaka said, his voice shaking. Esther looked up at her sons in unbelief... they were all grown up, and alive...
"You're alive!" she cried, bursting into tears. Her sons wrapped their front arms around her and shared an emotional embrace, tears running down their faces as well.
"I missed you so much... I could hardly keep myself away from you... I did it so you'd be safe!" Esther said between sobs.
"We know Mom... we missed you so much too..." Mtoto and Dumaka said, choked up.
"What's going on?" Xerxes asked, padding up to the group.
Everyone hushed when Esther met eye contact with her sweetheart, making both their jaws drop.
Mtoto and Dumaka backed up by their cousin on the right, while Sarabi and Nala went to the left, leaving Xerxes and Esther alone.
Esther walked up to her mate slowly. She couldn't recognize the straggly mane, the scrawny figure... but she would always recognize those eyes, the loving eyes that she had spent the best years of her life with, the loving eyes that looked at her with passion every time they were together, the eyes who first adored her cubs, the eyes that had cried so many tears longing for her...
Xerxes looked at the deprived, exhausted looking lioness he had spent so many nights worrying for... she was the most beautiful thing that he had ever laid eyes on since the drought had taken away the beauty of the land...
For a moment they were lost in time. They both cried out as they ran up to one another. Esther thrust herself onto his dry and crusted mane and cried another sigh of relief, opening the floodgates to more tears. Xerxes began sobbing and he wrapped his tail around her frail body, tears running down his face once again as he wept.
Their friends and family around them wept silently as they watched the long-lost pair lovingly reunite. They stared right at each other, struggling to stop crying as they realized they were finally together... and would always be together from now on.
"Esther... I missed you every day..." Xerxes said, almost inaudible.
"Xerxes... how did I go on without you..." Esther cried.
"I'm so proud of you..." Xerxes said. "You're the strongest lioness I ever met..."
"I love you..." Esther wept.
"And I love you..." Xerxes told her. 
"Esther..."
"Xerxes..."
The sun shone brightly around them, lighting up the whole surrounding area for the first time in so long. The family smiled at the sunlight, then at each other.
Waking up for Esther never felt so real.
THE END.
Category:Fanfiction
Category:Caldafox's Fanfics
Category:Caldafox