[1st POV]
(2 months later)
I was just some dude on his way to finish high school before I found myself in this precarious situation. There was nothing extraordinary about me except that I got good grades, was taller than most, and was rejected thrice by the same girl.
Becuase of that, I struggled at first to understand why I, out of all people was dealt with this fate. Perhaps the reincarnation part was a good thing as it gave me a second chance, but the part where I became a flippin' lion? That part was not cool.
Wait, I'm not in school anymore so I can curse. Let's do that again.
But the part where I became a fucking lion? That part was not fucking cool.
It could be worse though, at least I was born an animal known as the King of the Jungle. Imagine I was born as a worm instead.
That was my mentality after two months had passed. Sometimes good and bad were just a different perspective away. There is always a silver lining to a situation.
Not for worms though. What the fuck is good about being a worm?
During these months, I had gotten a general idea of the situation I found myself in. I was reborn as a lion, the twin brother of the famous lion Simba. And yes, I was reborn in our childhood movie 'The Lion King,'
Except this was no longer Disney or a simple cartoon. It was very real and followed real-life logic. The similarity between the movie and this world ends with the story.
For instance, I was the twin brother of Simba. And unlike what the kid's movie would have you believe, lionesses do not give birth to only one cub at a time. It could range from two to six cubs in one pregnancy.
Imagine they only gave birth to one cub at a time, they would be extinct as a species already since only one cub out of eight survived in nature.
There were also things not shown in the movie, like the situation I found myself in at the moment.
"Grrrrrrr!!!," I all but growled as mean as I could towards Mufasa while he was attempting to mount my mother. I wouldn't give a second glance at them mating if not for the fact that I was feeding on her milk.
I dug my sharp little claws at his limb closest to me but that did nothing to his tough hide. So I had to let go of the nipple in my mouth and use my growing teeth to clamp down on his leg.
"Hmmmm?" he raised an eyebrow and lifted his paw. I was lifted up from the ground as well since I did not let go of my bite.
"Grrrrrr!!" I growled once more when we locked eyes.
If he wanted some pussy, he could get them later. Not while I was feeding, they always ended up crushing me with their body not to mention it was disgusting.
Feeding time was sacred.
"Just let him go, you know he doesn't like you doing it while he is feeding," Sarabi said. She bit my nape and my body froze on instinct and I released the bite I had on my father.
She then proceeded to drop me gently beside her once more.
"Sarabi, I am king," Mufasa scoffed.
"I know you are, my king. But how about you go to some other lioness for now? I will be all yours after I feed little Leo,": Sarabi said and nudged him with her nose.
"Fine," Mufasa said while replying to her affection. "You are the queen,"
And off he went, leaving me to feed in peace. He did not even have to look for females as two lionesses immediately came to him, flicking their tails around his neck in all but invitation.
A King had options, must be nice. Or not, I was not awfully interested in female lions. That could change though when I became older.
I was not under the delusion that my human mind and memory would be able to suppress the instincts of my body. I was a lion now, and I've accepted that, including everything that came along with being a lion.
The pride consisted of nine lionesses and seven young cubs including me. All of us were under the rule of Mufasa and Mufasa alone. His brother Scar was an outsider, he was not a part of our pride.
That meant all the lionesses and even the cubs belonged to Mufasa. That was how a lion pride works. If you really thought about it - and I've done a lot of thinking - Nala and Simba were half-siblings.
Ew. That was my first reaction too before my childhood was ruined.
"Are you happy now? You are probably the only cub to deny a King," Sarabi cooed while I continued feeding.
I just closed my eyes, content.
Feeding time was sacred. It was a way for me to get stronger and bigger. And with the future that awaited me, I knew I had to be big and strong, fast.
Since I was already a lion, you better believe I was going to be the biggest and strongest lion that ever lived.
So even though I was no longer hungry, I continued sucking greedily at the milk. I had no intention of leaving some for Simba, he could get his share from the other lionesses.
...
"Okay, that is quite enough. If you drank more you might explode," Sarabi said and shoved me away from her stomach.
She was telling the truth, I nearly vomited as she pushed me away. I felt heavy and bloated. It might be uncomfortable but the feeling left a sense of satisfaction in me.
I walked to a safe corner inside the den and began napping immediately.
I trusted the bulk.
..
..
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1 month later)
Here's another thing they wouldn't show you in the movies.
"BaAaaaaHhhHh~" the antelope released strangled screams of agony while two lionesses dragged him towards the open ground where we stood waiting.
The sound of his scream came with the wet sound of blood filling his voice box as one of the lionesses had her jaws clamped on his neck.
When they reached us, contrary to my expectation they did not start eating him. Instead, they just left him there to struggle in vain on the ground.
The cubs, including me titled our heads at the dying animal. Today was to be the first time we had real meat so we did not know how any of this worked.
But we watched and we observed.
Mufasa came in front and the other lionesses took a step back to give him space. He leapt at the antelope with a beastly roar that made me flinch.
He landed the finishing blow. His giant maw clamped down on the neck and where the lionesses could only strangle, his bite broke the neck in an instant.
My ears twitched, no, the bone was completely crushed under his teeth. The antelope died in an instant.
Mufasa proceeded to flick his head and the entire head of the antelope came right off. Red blood so red they looked black, spilled out like a fountain from a major artery. The sight was gore no one could prepare me for.
And then Mufasa started tearing the antelope apart and began eating him alone. No one moved, even my mother. We just stayed and watched as the King ate his share.
Mufasa tore open the stomach and began feasting on the soft tissues, the heart, the lungs, the livers and all the nutritious bits. He devoted them all.
Sarabi was the first to take a step closer to the food but she got a low growl from Mufasa. She froze and waited a bit. Her ears were droopy and she slowly made her way towards the food.
But when she got to the meat, her behaviour changed and she became like a beast too. They began devouring the meat while the rest of us watched and that was when it hit me.
In a lion pride, eating was more than just that, eating. It was also a stage to display power and rank.
The king ate first, followed by his queen. And just like I expected, the two lionesses who caught the prey went next.
Four lions ate the food, and then the number slowly increased. The hierarchy of pride decides when the lions get to eat. It was brutal but there was a weird sense of order behind such brutality.
Not just when, but the way they ate show rank and dominance. The King ate the best parts, the organs and the meaty parts. The healthy hunters and queens ate the legs and the muscle-rich meat.
Sometimes, Sarabi would shove the other lionesses to get more. There was also a lot of growling and even a few of them fought for more share. The process was wild and chaotic.
Going by the same logic, it meant that we the cubs were the last to eat.
We all sat there, watching as all the adults had their share of the antelope. I took the chance to learn about the dominance of each member of the pride.
After an hour or so, the adults left the food one by one. They've had their fill and only then did we move towards the food.
The smell of blood and raw meat hit my nose but they smelled wonderful. I salivated immediately. After I became a lion, what was considered smelly and unpleasant completely changed. A human nose was fundamentally different from that of a lion.
I saw a piece of meat covered in sand. I hesitated, but only for a few seconds before I ate it.
And then something happened. Instincts I did not even know I had started screaming deep inside me.
More. I need more.
Driven by pure instincts and newfound hunger, I started to eat the leftovers of the antelope. And that was where it began as well, the hierarchy between us seven cubs.
We fought for the food, just like the adults had. It was a p[rimal feeling, almost out of my control.
The results of my bulk immediately showed. I was bigger, stronger and healthier than the other cubs. I dominated them and got the most amount of meat from whatever was left.
It was an enlightening experience, one that made me closer to being a lion and further from being a human.
The life of a lion was harsher and more brutal than what the kid's movie could ever prepare me for. The pride was a family but even within the family, I learned there was no fairness.
Nature was merciless, it was survival of the fittest.
That didn't scare me though, that didn't demotivate me. Instead, the opposite happened to me.
I've seen it today, I wanted to be like my father. I wanted to be like Mufasa, strong, powerful and dominant.
I bit at the young cub that was eating a rib with quite a few meats on it. He tried to fight back on instinct but the pain of my bite quickly discouraged him. He released a whimper, something like a puppy nose and moved away from his share.
I took his food with not an once of guilt. I was done accepting my new reality as a lion. Now it was time to give purpose to this life of mine.
It felt natural for me to want this like it was imprinted on my instincts. Perhaps it was my destiny all along.
I wanted to be a Lion King.
..
..
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------