HOME | DD

Description
If Mheetu sat in just the right place, he could see through the masses of trees and down to the Pridelands. The Theluji Mountains were a hard kingdom to trek through for a lion, but it was worth it to get a look at what sat on this side of them. Mheetu felt a mix of emotions, looking down at the barren land that used to be his home: he was horrified by the destruction that Scar and his followers had brought upon it, he was worried for his family, he was relieved that King Russom had a good enough relationship with King Sokwe that he could be here at all—most of all, he was angry that he hadn’t been able to do anything to prevent what had happened to the Pridelands.

When Mheetu and his friends had overheard Scar speaking to Zira and learned of his “missing” father’s true fate, it wasn’t surprising that they had gone into a rage. Scar hadn’t killed Reiji with his own paws, but he’d been more than happy to cover things up when his hyenas decided to take Reiji out, after he’d injured one of their clan. To Mheetu, this made Scar as good as a murderer, and to Tojo and Chumvi it exposed the king as deeply corrupt at the very least. They had attacked him impulsively, while he was surrounded by his hyenas and loyal lions; the trio were lucky that all they got was exile.

But, sitting up on the mountaintop and seeing what the Pridelands had become under Scar’s management, Mheetu wished he’d fought harder. If he’d attacked Scar with no regard to his own life, maybe he would have been able to really hurt him. Then, even if he’d been killed in retaliation, he would have died knowing that the king’s injuries would mean that he would be following. Maybe if he’d just been stronger, braver….

“Ow—jeez—agh!”

Mheetu looked over his shoulder, and his eyebrows sprung up into his mane when he saw Tojo wrapped in thorny vines, stumbling out of the trees. The lion wavered as he tried to free himself using his three good legs, before finally face-planting into the snow.

“Tojo!” Mheetu gawked, “You seriously followed me up here?”

“Obwiouswy,” replied Tojo, still face-down on the ground.

Mheetu hurried to his side and pulled him up, before quickly nipping at the vines to set the blond lion free.

“Mjinga,” he said, holding Tojo’s face in his paws, gently, “You shouldn’t be up here by yourself, you’re no good with climbing—and you know what the cold does to your leg!”

“Hey,” grinned Tojo, “I’m supposed to be the annoying mother hen in this relationship.”

Mheetu sighed, and leaned his head on Tojo’s shoulder.

“Sorry. I guess I’m feeling a little protective, right now.”

Tojo gazed out at the Pridelands below them. They could just barely see Pride Rock, a particularly big gray stone in a sea of smaller gray stones.

“That’s… pretty bad,” Tojo said.

“Yeah,” Mheetu sighed, “That’s basically what I was thinking.”

“Why did you ask King Sokwe to let you up here, anyway? Why’d you wanna see this?”

“Had to know it was true, I guess. That Mom, Nala, and Elewa are all living in… this. Starving under the paw of some corrupt murderer.”

“We’re starving a little too,” said Tojo, awkwardly, “I mean, we’re all going through the drought.”

“But the Grasslands don’t exactly look like the Pridelands, do they?” Mheetu growled, his claws flexing into the hard-packed snow, “Our home has still plants, and prey. We still have a watering hole to drink out of. And I just—I hate that I…”

Mheetu rubbed his paw over his eyes, while he looked for the right words.

“I’m so happy,” he said, finally, looking up at Tojo, “Being with you, living in the Grasslands with all our friends. I’m so comfortable, while this is happening to my family. And while the lion who murdered my dad—okay, the lion who might as well have—is still on the throne. The Pridelands have turned into a disaster era, while I get to be happy.” He turned to look at his former home, once more. “I guess I hate that I’m not suffering too, as stupid as that sounds. I would never have met the Grasslanders, or… well, I don’t think I ever would have gotten with you, if we hadn’t been exiled.”

Tojo lay his chin on the shorter lion’s head, affectionately.

“Who knows if we would have gotten close, if you hadn’t needed to rely on me while we were traveling,” Mheetu said, “If we hadn’t attacked Scar, then we wouldn’t have been exiled. If Scar hadn’t looked the other way when his hyenas killed—…if that hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t have happened. I don’t know how I can be so happy, when we’re here and we’re together because my dad got killed. I mean, is that messed up or what?”

“It really sucks,” said Tojo, bluntly.

“Yeah, you said it,” Mheetu chuckled, “Really sucks.”

“That said,” Tojo continued, “It makes me of something I learned as a cub—something I learned after I hurt my leg.”

“What’s that? And please don’t tell me it’s ‘everything happens for a reason.’”

“No, no, not that. It’s more that… sometimes good things happen because of bad things, but that doesn’t mean the bad thing wasn’t, uh, bad.”

“You have a way with words, hon.”

“It’s hard to explain! Look; when something bad happens—like my leg getting broken—it is bad, it does suck. And then something good comes of it—like me meeting the birds—and it is good, and you’re happy about it. Right?”

“Right.”

“You can be happy about that good thing, without being happy about the bad thing that lead to it. I’m still suffering because of my leg; I’ve never enjoyed the fact that I can’t hunt, or that the ache wakes me up on cold nights. At the same time, I still love those birds like family, and I’m glad that Simba introduced them to me, which wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been stuck at home.”

“You wouldn’t trade your relationship with them for your leg to work again. I don’t know, Tojo, I think that’s only comforting on a certain scale.”

“Hey,” Tojo said, looking at Mheetu much more seriously than the lion expected, “I didn’t say anything about trading. I would love to have four normal, functioning legs.”

“So, what? You would trade?”

“That’s the thing: it doesn’t matter. Because I can’t trade my relationship with them for my leg. Unless one of the Great Spirits flies down here and asks me to, then it’s just not gonna happen. And I didn't make the choice for my leg to get broken in the first place, it just did. So whether I would go back and change things isn’t something I need to dwell on. What happened is what happened, and it wasn't my fault—just like your father's death isn't your fault, so there isn't anything you could have done differently.”

He stood up and stepped in front of Mheetu, blocking the Pridelands from view.

“I can love those birds, and still hate the trouble my leg gives me,” said Tojo, emphatically, “Same as we can love each other, and still hate what Scar let happen to your dad.”

Mheetu breathed deeply, his bright orange eyes drifting from Tojo to the frozen ground beneath their paws.

“Well, jeez,” he replied, finally, “Y’know, I take back that sarcasm—you kinda do have a way with words.”

“Thanks,” said Tojo, with a relieved smile, “I was winging that.”

“‘Winging’ your bird story, very nice,” said Mheetu, standing up and shaking the powdery snowfall out of his mane, “C’mon, mjinga, we should be going home, it’s gone from super late to super early—maybe I can keep your clumsy butt from falling into another tangle of vines.”

The pair began the rather uncomfortable descent down the mountains, through the snow and the tall trees.

“And, um…” Mheetu added, with a smile, “Thanks.”

~~~

('Mjinga' means fool ) Because the last one was so light and fluffy, how about one that’s deeply angsty! Sorry that I only ended up doing four ships specifically for pride month—it's not that I don’t want to draw more of my LGBTQ+ ships/characters, it’s just that inspiration doesn’t like to strike when you want it (seriously, I wrote this story in at the beginning of June, and didn't have the drive to do the picture until literally yesterday). Other relationships will be explored in due time, we’ll just have to always proud, lol

Description
If Mheetu sat in just the right place, he could see through the masses of trees and down to the Pridelands. The Theluji Mountains were a hard kingdom to trek through for a lion, but it was worth it to get a look at what sat on this side of them. Mheetu felt a mix of emotions, looking down at the barren land that used to be his home: he was horrified by the destruction that Scar and his followers had brought upon it, he was worried for his family, he was relieved that King Russom had a good enough relationship with King Sokwe that he could be here at all—most of all, he was angry that he hadn’t been able to do anything to prevent what had happened to the Pridelands.

When Mheetu and his friends had overheard Scar speaking to Zira and learned of his “missing” father’s true fate, it wasn’t surprising that they had gone into a rage. Scar hadn’t killed Reiji with his own paws, but he’d been more than happy to cover things up when his hyenas decided to take Reiji out, after he’d injured one of their clan. To Mheetu, this made Scar as good as a murderer, and to Tojo and Chumvi it exposed the king as deeply corrupt at the very least. They had attacked him impulsively, while he was surrounded by his hyenas and loyal lions; the trio were lucky that all they got was exile.

But, sitting up on the mountaintop and seeing what the Pridelands had become under Scar’s management, Mheetu wished he’d fought harder. If he’d attacked Scar with no regard to his own life, maybe he would have been able to really hurt him. Then, even if he’d been killed in retaliation, he would have died knowing that the king’s injuries would mean that he would be following. Maybe if he’d just been stronger, braver….

“Ow—jeez—agh!”

Mheetu looked over his shoulder, and his eyebrows sprung up into his mane when he saw Tojo wrapped in thorny vines, stumbling out of the trees. The lion wavered as he tried to free himself using his three good legs, before finally face-planting into the snow.

“Tojo!” Mheetu gawked, “You seriously followed me up here?”

“Obwiouswy,” replied Tojo, still face-down on the ground.

Mheetu hurried to his side and pulled him up, before quickly nipping at the vines to set the blond lion free.

“Mjinga,” he said, holding Tojo’s face in his paws, gently, “You shouldn’t be up here by yourself, you’re no good with climbing—and you know what the cold does to your leg!”

“Hey,” grinned Tojo, “I’m supposed to be the annoying mother hen in this relationship.”

Mheetu sighed, and leaned his head on Tojo’s shoulder.

“Sorry. I guess I’m feeling a little protective, right now.”

Tojo gazed out at the Pridelands below them. They could just barely see Pride Rock, a particularly big gray stone in a sea of smaller gray stones.

“That’s… pretty bad,” Tojo said.

“Yeah,” Mheetu sighed, “That’s basically what I was thinking.”

“Why did you ask King Sokwe to let you up here, anyway? Why’d you wanna see this?”

“Had to know it was true, I guess. That Mom, Nala, and Elewa are all living in… this. Starving under the paw of some corrupt murderer.”

“We’re starving a little too,” said Tojo, awkwardly, “I mean, we’re all going through the drought.”

“But the Grasslands don’t exactly look like the Pridelands, do they?” Mheetu growled, his claws flexing into the hard-packed snow, “Our home has still plants, and prey. We still have a watering hole to drink out of. And I just—I hate that I…”

Mheetu rubbed his paw over his eyes, while he looked for the right words.

“I’m so happy,” he said, finally, looking up at Tojo, “Being with you, living in the Grasslands with all our friends. I’m so comfortable, while this is happening to my family. And while the lion who murdered my dad—okay, the lion who might as well have—is still on the throne. The Pridelands have turned into a disaster era, while I get to be happy.” He turned to look at his former home, once more. “I guess I hate that I’m not suffering too, as stupid as that sounds. I would never have met the Grasslanders, or… well, I don’t think I ever would have gotten with you, if we hadn’t been exiled.”

Tojo lay his chin on the shorter lion’s head, affectionately.

“Who knows if we would have gotten close, if you hadn’t needed to rely on me while we were traveling,” Mheetu said, “If we hadn’t attacked Scar, then we wouldn’t have been exiled. If Scar hadn’t looked the other way when his hyenas killed—…if that hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t have happened. I don’t know how I can be so happy, when we’re here and we’re together because my dad got killed. I mean, is that messed up or what?”

“It really sucks,” said Tojo, bluntly.

“Yeah, you said it,” Mheetu chuckled, “Really sucks.”

“That said,” Tojo continued, “It makes me of something I learned as a cub—something I learned after I hurt my leg.”

“What’s that? And please don’t tell me it’s ‘everything happens for a reason.’”

“No, no, not that. It’s more that… sometimes good things happen because of bad things, but that doesn’t mean the bad thing wasn’t, uh, bad.”

“You have a way with words, hon.”

“It’s hard to explain! Look; when something bad happens—like my leg getting broken—it is bad, it does suck. And then something good comes of it—like me meeting the birds—and it is good, and you’re happy about it. Right?”

“Right.”

“You can be happy about that good thing, without being happy about the bad thing that lead to it. I’m still suffering because of my leg; I’ve never enjoyed the fact that I can’t hunt, or that the ache wakes me up on cold nights. At the same time, I still love those birds like family, and I’m glad that Simba introduced them to me, which wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been stuck at home.”

“You wouldn’t trade your relationship with them for your leg to work again. I don’t know, Tojo, I think that’s only comforting on a certain scale.”

“Hey,” Tojo said, looking at Mheetu much more seriously than the lion expected, “I didn’t say anything about trading. I would love to have four normal, functioning legs.”

“So, what? You would trade?”

“That’s the thing: it doesn’t matter. Because I can’t trade my relationship with them for my leg. Unless one of the Great Spirits flies down here and asks me to, then it’s just not gonna happen. And I didn't make the choice for my leg to get broken in the first place, it just did. So whether I would go back and change things isn’t something I need to dwell on. What happened is what happened, and it wasn't my fault—just like your father's death isn't your fault, so there isn't anything you could have done differently.”

He stood up and stepped in front of Mheetu, blocking the Pridelands from view.

“I can love those birds, and still hate the trouble my leg gives me,” said Tojo, emphatically, “Same as we can love each other, and still hate what Scar let happen to your dad.”

Mheetu breathed deeply, his bright orange eyes drifting from Tojo to the frozen ground beneath their paws.

“Well, jeez,” he replied, finally, “Y’know, I take back that sarcasm—you kinda do have a way with words.”

“Thanks,” said Tojo, with a relieved smile, “I was winging that.”

“‘Winging’ your bird story, very nice,” said Mheetu, standing up and shaking the powdery snowfall out of his mane, “C’mon, mjinga, we should be going home, it’s gone from super late to super early—maybe I can keep your clumsy butt from falling into another tangle of vines.”

The pair began the rather uncomfortable descent down the mountains, through the snow and the tall trees.

“And, um…” Mheetu added, with a smile, “Thanks.”

~~~

('Mjinga' means fool ) Because the last one was so light and fluffy, how about one that’s deeply angsty! Sorry that I only ended up doing four ships specifically for pride month—it's not that I don’t want to draw more of my LGBTQ+ ships/characters, it’s just that inspiration doesn’t like to strike when you want it (seriously, I wrote this story in at the beginning of June, and didn't have the drive to do the picture until literally yesterday). Other relationships will be explored in due time, we’ll just have to always proud, lol