Return to Pride Lands/Final Battle

Somewhere in the jungle, Shackelford and Pig were sleeping, snoring very sleepily. As they slept, something tapped Shackelford on his shoulder, saying, "hey, hey, wake up."

Shackelford mumbled as he awakened. As he opened his eyes slowly, he saw a familiar figure looking at him. Suddenly freaked out, he shrieked in surprise, resulting in Pig awakening, yelling as well.

"It's alright. Woah, woah. It's alright. It's me," said the cat, it was Duchess.

Shackelford calmed down and moaned. "Don't ever do that again. Carnivores, oi!"

"Have you guys seen O'Malley," Duchess asked.

Shackelford put his hand on his head as he looked at Duchess. "I thought he was with you."

"He was, but now I can't find him. Where is he," Duchess moaned.

"Ho, ho, ho, ho," laughed a voice. The three turned and saw Zugor in a tree, grinning. "You won't find him here. Ha ha." With a bow, Zugor added, "the king...has returned."

Duchess looked surprised, and then she grinned, knowing what Zugor meant.

"I can't believe it," said Duchess silently. Then she exclaimed happily, "he's gone back!"

"Gone back? What do you mean," Shackelford asked in confusion as he turned to speak to Zugor. Of course, the monkey suddenly disappeared. "Hey! What's going on here? Who's the monkey?"

Then, Shackelford saw Duchess's grinning face. She was happy because O'Malley had decided to put an end to Red's reign.

Then Duchess explained, "O'Malley's gone back to challenge Red."

"Who," asked Shackelford, puzzled.

"Red."

"Who has a purple cape," asked Pig, puzzled.

Duchess just paused and sighed in defeat.

"No, no, no. It's his uncle," Duchess explained, shaking her head.

"The monkey is his uncle," exclaimed Shackelford, confused.

"No! O'Malley has gone back to challenge his uncle to take his place as king," explained Duchess with a frowning face.

The two looked stunned but they eventually understood, at least tried to.

"Ohhhhhh," said Shackelford and Pig at once.

It took O'Malley almost a long time to through the unforgiving desert, but his determination to do what was right kept him going at his entire running speed.

Soon, he arrived at the lip of a cliff and saw what used to be his former home. O'Malley looked on in shock. Duchess wasn't overreacting. The Pride Lands weren't what it used to be as it seemed to be as horrible as The Elephant Graveyard. Seeing his kingdom in its state put a combined look of determination and fury on the prince's face.

"O'Malley, wait up!" O'Malley turned and saw Duchess arriving, coming up to him on the ledge. Duchess looked at her home and sighed mournfully, "it's awful, isn't it?"

"I didn't want to believe you," O'Malley said with a nod.

Duchess understood what he meant she gave him a beautiful grin.

"What made you come back," she asked.

"I eventually had some sense knocked into me. And I've had the bump to prove it. Besides, this is my kingdom. If I don't fight for it, who will?"

"I will," Duchess said with a nod.

O'Malley gave a grin to his love as he said, "it's gonna be dangerous."

"Danger," Duchess quoted O'Malley back as they were young, "ha! I laugh in the face of danger. Ha ha ha ha!"

"I see nothing funny about this," a voice from behind them said.

The two turned and saw Shackelford and a grinning Pig coming up to them.

"Shackelford, Pig, what are you doing here," asked O'Malley, surprised.

"At your service, my liege," said Pig as he bowed.

Shackelford walked up to the ledge and observed the view. He moaned, "oi...we're gonna fight your uncle; for this?"

O'Malley sighed, knowing what Shackelford was speaking about. "Yes, Shackelford; this is my home."

"Well, speak about your fixer-upper," mumbled Shackelford. He shrugged as he bowed, adding like a well-rehearsed speech. "Well, O'Malley, if it's reluctant to you, we're with you to the end," he finished dramatically.

O'Malley smiled and turned. He and his allies looked over the ledge once more. They knew they had some work to do.

The four snuck around the Pride Lands and arrived at the edge of it. Looking from behind a rock, they saw stray dogs guarding the entrance and sleeping lazily.

Shackelford moaned as he said, "stray dogs. I hate stray dogs!" Then he whispered, "well, what's your plan for getting past these guys?"

"Live bait," O'Malley replied.

"Good idea," Shackelford stopped as he looked at O'Malley and realized what he was thinking, "hey, you!"

"C'mon, Shackelford--you guys have to create a diversion," explained O'Malley.

"What do you want me to do? Dress in drag and do the hula," yelled Shackelford upset.

Suddenly, the stray dogs heard some drumbeats playing and turned. Surprisingly, there was Shackelford dressed like a hula girl. Pig was set up like a suckling pig, apple and all.

Shackelford sang as he did the hula.

Shackelford: ***Luau! If you're hungered for a hunk of fat and juicy meat, eat my buddy Pig here because he is a treat. C'mon down and dine on this tasty swine, all you have to do is get in line.***

Drooling hungrily, all the stray dogs, some with forks, knives and licking mouths, came over, planning on eating not just Pig, but Shackelford as well. Pig sang along as he put the apple at his front.

Shackelford: ***Are you aching?***

Pig: ***Yup, yup, yup.***

Shackelford: ***For some bacon?***

Pig: ***Yup, yup, yup.***

Pig was winking. He was signaling for O'Malley and Duchess, who were amused at what they were doing, to walk behind the stray dogs sneaking into the entrance to enter inside the alley as the stray dogs surrounded Pig and Shackelford.

Shackelford: ***He's a big guy.***

Pig: ***Yup, yup.***

Shackelford: ***You can be a big pig, as well. Oi!***

By now, the stray dogs had surrounded the two. Their distraction had worked, Shackelford and Pig shrieked as they ran off with the hungered stray dogs in hot pursuit.

As O'Malley and Duchess got by Red's henchmen, they arrived at the bottom of Pride Rock.

O'Malley whispered to Duchess, "Duchess, you find my mother and rally the cats." Looking determined, he added, "I'll look for Red."

Duchess nodded as she left to do so. O'Malley began to make his road up the cryptic rock. He looked around for Red. He didn't have to search for longer...

"***KITTY SOFTPAWS!!***" shrieked Red from where he was at on a throne. This yell was so loud that it echoed across Pride Rock. O'Malley softly gasped and stopped to watch this in shock.

His mother, Kitty, not afraid, ascended the step of Pride Rock to where Red was. The remaining stray dogs who didn't chase Shackelford and Pig growled as they snapped at her heels from a few meters back, trying to bark at her. Kitty frowned disdainfully at them as she ascended while thunder clapped. She arrived and stood next to her late husband's brother while O'Malley, in hiding, watched in concern.

"Yes, Red," asked Kitty with a frown.

"Where is your hunting feast? They're not doing their job," said Red frustratedly. He began to circle around her menacingly.

Kitty just stood and said calmly, "Red, there's no food. The herds have moved on."

"No! You're just not looking hard enough," snapped Red as he turned around frustratedly.

"It's over. There's nothing left," exclaimed Kitty upset. She sighed as she added, "we have only one choice. We must leave Pride Rock."

"We're not going anywhere," snapped Red as he turned back frustratedly.

"Then you have sentenced us to death!"

"Then so be it," remarked Red as he began to leave.

"You can't do that!"

"I am the king; I can do whatever I want!"

"If you were half the king Puss in Boots was, you would nev..."

Hearing his brother's name had enraged Red, as he turned around and hit Kitty hard with his paws, knocking her unconscious to the ground.

"I am ten times the king Puss in Boots was," Red roared furiously at the top of his lungs as he did so.

Suddenly, Red heard a fiercely loud and enraged roar, which made him look up in shock.

Red gasped in shock and fear as he saw a familiar figure behind a cliff face.

There, on the ledge...was O'Malley, with a really enraged face.