FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Under the darkness of a moonless sky, a looming shadow crept across the void alleyway. The shadow took little notice of the rotten food squashed under its heavy boots nor the dirty puddles that stained its long legs. It continued to walk forward and drape its arm across its unseen face as some form of liquid dripped nonstop from it. Every now and then, it sniffed the air as if the shadow were searching for prey.

Finally, the shadow stopped and leaned back against the alley wall. For a time, it rested and focused on taking deep breaths and releasing them as ghostly wisps into the freezing air as liquid continued to drop down its face. It listened to the crickets chirping in the night, the occasional car rushing past through the barren street next to him, and the slow footsteps of other animals that quickly turned into loud sprints as soon as they noticed the shadow lurking within the dark alleyway.

Finally, the shadow reached into its pocket and pulled out a phone. It stared into the empty screen, contemplating a decision.

"Fuck it," the shadow growled and turned on its phone.

The phone's light illuminated the shadow's face. The light revealed the face of a lion of dark brown fur with his black mane stuffed inside the hoodie he wore and snot dripping out his snout. The lion strained his emerald-green eyes, fighting back further tears so that his shaking hands could focus scrolling through his contacts.

Hey, can I sleep over at your place tonight?

With the message sent, the lion closed his eyes and held his phone close to his chest, hoping the person was still awake at such a late time. A violent shiver escaped him as he waited. The black, leather jacket did little to shield the lion from the freezing cold.

Yeah, sure dude. How long til you get here?

A spark of hope was lit within the lion when his phone vibrated.Yeah, sure dude. How long till you get here?

Warmth blossomed within the lion's chest. He didn't bother answering back. He rushed out the alley and ran across the street, and nearly got run over by a car. But the lion couldn't care less. He ignored the honking, the yelling, and the strange looks of the occasional passerby as he raced towards his destination, the wide smile never leaving the lion's lips.

The lion gave the front door of the apartment a few loud knocks before leaning forward to support his body with hands on his knees. His lungs burned like fire and his body sore as hell, but it was worth it. He was here.

He was home.

The lion's head perked up when the door opened. A large figure stepped into the dim light. The lion gazed at the 7-foot-tall zebra in front of him. He had a chiseled jaw, broad shouldered, built like a truck, and stood shirtless, leaving those solid pecs open to the air.

"Kovu?" the zebra asked, concern in his voice and onyx eyes. "You didn't text back so I was worried- "

Kovu didn't give him time to finish. The lion pounced on the zebra, burying his muzzle between those meaty pecs. He breathed in the zebra's musk, his body relaxing into pudding and his worries disappearing into that wonderful scent.

The zebra did speak any further. He wrapped his burly arms around the lean lion and rubbed the feline's back. Kovu growled in appreciation and nuzzled deeper into those mounds of muscle.

Much to Kovu's annoyance, the zebra pushed Kovu away so he could gaze over the lion's form. The zebra frowned at the fur drenched around his eyes and how the lion's lithe body was shivering like mad. "Shit. Did you have someone drive you here or did you walk all the way over?"

"I walked, Colt," Kovu hissed through clattering teeth.

Colten gaped in disbelief. "Seriously? Don't you realize how far your family lives away from here?"

"I was already wandering around when I texted you and realized how close by I was. I guess I'm just naturally drawn to you." Another violent shiver racked Kovu's body. "Can we head inside? It's fucking freezing."

"Yeah yeah, of course," Colten said. He ushered the shaking lion inside and closed the door. Hand in hand, the zebra led the lion through the dark halls until they reached Colten's room. "Here, let me get you out of these clothes," the zebra said. Kovu nodded in appreciation. One by one, the zebra removed the lion's clothes and threw them into the corner of the room; the leather jacket, the t-shirt, the boots, and finally his pants. Kovu's toned body was bare as the zebra who undressed him.

With careful precision as if the lion's body was made of glass, Colton picked up and carried Kovu to his bed, bridal style. Gently, Colten laid the lion onto the comforts of the bed before carefully laying down next to the shaking lion. The zebra draped the warm blanket over them and, with one beefy arm, pulled the lion closer to his body. Kovu melted in bliss, the zebra a furnace for the lion's frozen body.

While Kovu drifted deeper and deeper into sleep, the zebra had no such luck. He kept staring into the ceiling, thousands of questions running through his troubled mind as to why his boyfriend would risk running halfway through the city at the dead of night just to see him. Colten released a small yelp when the sleeping lion unconsciously buried his snout into the zebra's damp armpit, inhaling the musk as a shudder of pleasure wracked the lion's body. The zebra chuckled and stroked the lion's ears. Questions can wait. For tonight, all the zebra wanted was to smother his lion in warmth.

Within the sea of blue, cloudless sky, the sun bathed its light over the expansive land of green grass shimmering under the sunlight. There, a party was being held where animals mingled. Most of them were lionesses, some lions, and even fewer were other species of animals like elephants and crocodiles. They were all well-dressed in fancy suits, all chattering with each other with a glass of the finest wine in one hand. Servants glided seamlessly through the crowd while carrying huge trays of horderves and more glasses of wine for the guests to easily pluck from.

The huge crowd of animals centered around the hosts of this party: Simba and his wife, Nala. Animals around them congratulated the big, red-maned lion and thanking him for hosting this party in celebration for his wife's pregnancy. The mighty lion chattered and laughed along with them, his booming voice heard by everyone. The proud lion radiated a bright aura of cheerfulness that lulled everyone around into a bout of cheering laughter and ease.

And far away from that bright light sat a lone shadow. The small, 8-year-old lion cub sat alone in his table surrounded by empty chairs. Kovu, trapped in his stuffy suit, watched in envy as the children of his father's guests frolicked in the playground. Cubs swung high into the air in swings, climbed through the monkey bars, and laughed as they chased each other across the open fields in a game of tag.

Moments ago, the dark-brown cub approached the other cubs with hope and excitement gleaming in his emerald eyes. But as he approached, the laughter died down and the atmosphere grew tense. Suddenly multiple pairs of eyes were aimed at Kovu, stopping him in his tracks. The young cub saw all the fear within their eyes, their bodies' itching to flee the moment the shadow took another step. Under the heavy pressure of their gazes, Kovu struggled to breath, the silence choking him. With a resigned sigh, Kovu turned around and walked back to his seat, far away.

'Looks like the adults spread the rumors to their children too', Kovu thought bitterly. He fought back the tears from forming, his claws raking against the table and ripping the white tablecloth. 'It's not fair! Why does everyone think I do those things?'.

Deciding to find fun elsewhere, Kovu jumped off his seat and trudged off. He did not care where he was going; he just to wanted to get away from the children, the party, and most of all, his father. The young cub came across a cement sidewalk and followed it, rounding a corner till the park was nowhere left to be seen.

"This must be where the commoners live..." Kovu mused, gazing at the suburban houses, each one looking the same as the last. "Maybe I'll find some fun here?".

The longer Kovu walked, the more he felt out of place, more so than at the party. Here, Kovu was a small lion cub in an expensive party suit, walking pass animals in stained shirts and sweaty tank tops. Some animals even wore nothing but boxers as they stood out doing chores in their lawn! Kovu was so mesmerized by the strangeness of his surroundings that he did not notice the small, plump figure walking towards him. "Hey!" Kovu yelped as the two figures collided, both knocked down to their butts. "Watch where you're going!" Kovu growled at his assailant.

"I-I'm sorry!" whimpered the figure. It was a chubby zebra colt, around Kovu's age by the looks of it. He wore a pair of black shirts and t-shirt with the picture of a pink blob smiling right at him. The zebra's onyx eyes were practically begging for mercy behind those nerdy glasses of his. "I-I wasn't paying attention to where I was going because I was looking over..." The zebra let out a sudden frightened gasp. "My cards!"

Kovu raised an eyebrow. "Cards?"

The zebra threw himself to the ground, his hands scrambling to collect all the brown cards littered around them. One card lied next to Kovu's foot, and the lion picked it up. The card was the picture of a gray-skinned elf in sleek, black armor, staring back into Kovu with confident eyes. 'The ultimate wizard in terms of attack and defense', read the card description.

The zebra had finished picking up all his fallen cards and looked over every one of them, wiping away any spot of dirt and muck he came across. "C'mon c'mon, where is it?" the young colt said, biting his lips. His hands worked faster when his card searched looped over to the same card twice, then thrice, and then on the fourth time a deep pit of dread sunk into the zebra's stomach. He scanned the area once more to search for his missing card, struggling to see past the growing tears. The zebra felt ready to burst into tears until a black-clawed paw held the missing card in front of him.

"Hey, do you run a Dark Magician deck?" Kovu asked.

The zebra's gaze trailed up the arm that held his card to meet the curious gaze of the lion. He adjusted his glasses into place before speaking. "Y-Yeah... I mean, I know Dark Magician focused decks aren't meta, but I really wanted to make one since the Shonen promo rarity of Dark Magician looked really cool so..." the zebra's words scampered on.

"Wanna duel?" Kovu then asked, grinning.

There was a spark of excitement in the zebra's eyes. "You know how to play?"

"Yeah! Well, not exactly. I never dueled anyone before, but I learned how to play from watching the anime..." Kovu's voice trailed off, avoiding the zebra's gaze and scratching the back his head nervously, which the zebra found his submissiveness strange for a species as proud as lions.

"I hope you haven't learned playing with Duelist Kingdom rules," the zebra colt joked, bringing the lion's smile back as he chuckled alongside the herbivore.

"Do you mind waiting here? I left my deck at a party nearby, so I just gotta pick it up and I'll be back real quick, ok?"

The zebra nodded, his wide grin matching the lion's.

"Be right back!"

With the thrill of a potential friend the lion dashed back the way he came, never slowing down the slightest. When the crowd of the partying animals came into view, Kovu stopped and closed his eyes, calming his breathing into steady breaths. He focused to replace his smile with an emotionless frown. If the adults saw the shadow grinning, no doubt they'd think he was up to something sinister. And just like a shadow, the young cub slithered through the crevices between animals. He went mostly unnoticed, and the animals that did notice gave him a cautious glare before walking in the other direction. He kept on walking, enduring glare after glare until he reached his mother, a lioness with creamy-brown fur and brilliant blue sapphire eyes. She was surrounded by a couple other lionesses all gossiping together.

"Mother?" Kovu said, placing a paw on his mother's arm.

Nala flinched at his touch. She quickly withdrew her arm away and narrowed her eyes at her attacker, but softened when she realized it was only her son. She showed her son a happy smile.

The other lionesses glaring at Kovu made no such effort.

"Where is Zazu?" Kovu asked.

"He is attending to your father," his mother told him in a voice made of silk in Kovu's ear.

Kovu responded in a polite nod. "Thank you, mother."

Nala and the lionesses returned to their gossiping, and Kovu left without another word, trying to steady his breathing. Conversations with his mother always felt strained, like Kovu had to carefully balance his words and posture over a thin tightrope, lest he risk falling into the bottomless pit where his mother's hatred of him lay hidden below.

The lion cub now searched for his father, which wasn't difficult. All he had to was follow the source of that booming voice and where the crowd of animals was the greatest.

Animals were practically swarming around the regal lion, each one competing for the rare opportunity to speak with the very King himself. Simba, being the kind lion he is, made sure every adoring animal got that chance. And with so many animals around him, there were virtually no gaps for the lion cub to slip through.

Not like Kovu wanted to speak with his father anyway. It was the last thing he wanted.

Luckily, there was no need for Kovu to talk to his father. The bird was quite short compared to the rest of the animals of the part, standing only a head taller than Kovu himself. Zazu, the family's servant, stood not far off with his wings held behind his back, dressed in the finest black suit and tie. With the right color of paint, many might mistake Zazu for a statue.

"Zazu," the young lion called.

Zazu paused his statued surveillance of his King and turned his head towards the young cub. "Master Kovu?" Unlike most animals the lion cub knew, Zazu never showed any animosity towards Kovu. He always spoke in a strait-laced, monotone voice. Either the hornbill was born an emotionless statue, or he was just really good at hiding his disgust of the young lion.

Kovu will probably never know.

"Would you accompany me to the car?" Kovu asked. "There is something I left there."

Zazu nodded. "Of course, Master Kovu."

The bird led the cub to the park's parking lot where a sleek, black limo was parked. With a jingle of keys, Zazu unlocked the vehicle and Kovu practically dove inside.

"Where is it?" Kovu hissed repeatedly as he searched frantically for his deck of cards. Kovu let out a triumphant "ah ha!" as he proudly held up his cards.

Forgetting proper ethics, the lion cub shouted his thanks to the hornbill as he dashed out the car. Either the heat was finally getting to him, but Kovu thought he saw the corners of the hornbill's beak rise upwards, though the cub quickly shook the thought out of his head. He ran through the exact same path that had led him to the zebra. His heart thumped excitedly in his chest and his bright smile returned to its rightful place.

"Fuckin worthless herbivore," an enraged voice reached Kovu's ears.

Kovu's smile and heart dropped when he saw that same zebra colt, bruised and on the ground, surrounded by two other lion cubs. They were taller and older than Kovu, and by the way they're dressed, were from the same party Kovu had left. It seems Kovu wasn't the only one who had the idea to leave the party.

As the zebra laid sobbing on the ground, one of the lion cubs, white-furred, was looking over the zebra's cards. "These card's ain't worth shit!" he growled.

"Why are we bothering with this again?" the other cub, orange furred, asked.

"Cops caught me in the middle of a deal last month. Parents bailed me out, but they canceled my allowance for a year. I thought this grass eater's cards might be worth something, but a lot of these aren't worth more than a dollar. Might be enough to buy me some cigs though."

"W-Wait, please... Those cards..." the zebra colt whimpered. With a trembling hand, he reached for his cards held beyond his reach.

A fist collided with the zebra's muzzle, blood splattering the cement. "Who said you can speak?" the white cub growled. The young colt made no more attempts to move. All he could do was sob uselessly into the red pavement.

Kovu's paws balled into fists, his black claws nearly puncturing his own paw pads and drawing blood. He knew had to stop them, but even if this were a one-on-one fight, the other lion cubs were bigger and stronger than Kovu. He'd end up a bloody corpse if he engaged them in combat.

A dark glint appeared in Kovu's eyes.

Looks like he'll have to go with THAT method.

The orange cub elbowed the white cub for his attention. "Hey, isn't that..."

"Hmmm?" The white cub looked up from the cards and his gaze followed the direction of his friend's finger.

Dark clouds usurped the sun. Shadows enveloped the land. The sudden drop in temperature caused a cold shiver down both lions' spines.

"Having fun, you two?" drawled out the dark lion's voice, dripping with malice.

Both felines flinched at the voice. They turned their attention to the shadow slithering through darkness towards them. They desperately wanted to run, but the shadow's venomous gaze paralyzed them to the spot.

"Y-You're..." one of the cubs croaked out.

"You're playing with my prey," the shadow finished for him, the glare he gave them telling the two that they have greatly displeased the dark lion.

"Prey?" the zebra choked out.

The whimpering cubs stepped aside to allow the shadow to crouch to the zebra's eye level. "Yes, PREY," he growled, letting out a sadistic grin to show off his unnaturally sharp fangs to his paralyzed audience.

"And do you two remember what I do to my prey? I'm sure your parents said a lot about me," the dark lion asked, his predatory, emerald gaze never leaving the zebra's.

"You like to eat them alive," one of the cubs answered in a pathetic whimper. "You avoid eating parts fatal so you could listen to them scream as you lap up their blood..."

"And sometimes you hunt them," the other cub whimpered. "You like to give them hope that they'll survive."

"Yes, very good!" the shadow congratulated them in mock pride. "When I hunt, I enjoy ripping off chunks of my prey before letting them run off again. I start off with the fingers, then a bit of their shoulders, and then both their arms. It's actually quite hilarious seeing how prey runs on two legs with both of their arms as bloody stumps," the dark lion finished with a chuckle.

"Yeah, really funny," the two cubs forcing themselves to laugh weakly with the shadow.

"Then, of course, when I've grown bored of hunting, I kill them outright and eat until they're nothing left but bones. It's rude to be wasteful, after all."

The zebra was forced drink all the knowledge in. His onyx eyes were bulging out in fear. "Please! Don't eat me! I-I'll do whatever you want, just don't- "

The dark lion's hand shot out and clamped around the zebra's muzzle, silencing him. "Today, I'm in the mood for a quick hunt. Would you two like to join?"

"N-N-No thanks! We appreciate the offer, we really do! B-But we don't eat sentient animals..."

A dark chuckle left the shadow. "Oh, you seem to be confused. You won't be predators in this hunt. Both of you are... MY PREY!"

At that moment, Kovu made the motion of pouncing on the two lions, sharp teeth out and dark claws lashing. They both screamed in terror and ran away. The white cub had forgotten his grip on the zebra's cards and they all flew high into the sky. The cards fluttered around Kovu as he watched the two disappear from view.

"Bullies," Kovu spat at them. He bent down and picked up the fallen cards around him, careful not to puncture them with his claws. The clouds had finally parted, the warm sunlight making it easier for Kovu to locate the cards. He then crouched in front of the quivering zebra and held out the neatly assorted deck of cards. "Here."

The zebra flinched at his paw. "No! Stay away from me!"

But Kovu did not move. Did not show any emotion in his cold stare in his emerald eyes. He waited patiently as the zebra colt's hesitant hand slowly approached and clasped firmly around the deck. The zebra quickly pulled away, his cards clutched tightly to his chest.

Kovu said nothing more. He got up, turned his back on the zebra, and walked away. There were no tears this time. No sadness crushing his heart. No curse under his breath. No enraged thoughts going through his head. He just felt...

Empty.

"Wait!" a voice suddenly called out to him. Kovu paused and turned around. The zebra colt had found the courage to stand. The fur around his eyes were drenched by the tears he had wiped away. He held up his deck of cards. "Still wanna duel?" he said with a meek smile.

The lion's heart was bursting with emotion as he quickly nodded his head and bounded over to the zebra.

"What's your name?" the zebra asked.

"Kovu," the lion said, outstretching his paw for a handshake. "What's yours?"

The young zebra beamed him the same smile. "Colten."

Stray beams of light cut through the shutters and pelted Kovu's eyelids. He let out a deep yawn, fangs glinting under the golden light, before his lips settled into the same smile he had in his recent dream. Slowly he opened his eyes, blinking away the hazy fogging clouding his vision, and was graced with the perfect view of his sleeping zebra. He was bathed under the golden streams of light, his barrel chest rising and falling in perfect rhythm with his steady breathing, a small grin across his muzzle.

The zebra looked so peaceful... so calm ... so unaware... so...

Defenseless.

Kovu's emerald eyes narrowed into feral slits. He opened his maw, his sharp fangs glaring dangerously under the light.

Years of evolution had allowed animals to discard their primal instincts, allowing both carnivores and herbivores to walk alongside one other like civilized animals. But seeing the zebra in such a state had unearthed the buried instincts, directing Kovu to move his fangs just above the sleeping zebra's jugular. The lion decided to first test the waters. His fangs pressed against the herbivore's throat hard enough where any more pressure would cause his fangs to break through skin and draw blood. The carnivore felt the zebra stir but did not wake. If the zebra didn't wake up to that, then there's no way he'll wake up in time for what the lion had in store. His eyes scanned the area of the zebra's neck until zeroing in at the spot just below his Adam's apple where a clump of unruly fur rested. His fangs hovered above the spot, creeping ever so slowly to that vulnerable neck before...

Before the lion gave it one long lick.

Kovu's grin grew wide as the zebra nickered at the feeling of that rough, warm tongue caress his course fur. And the lion didn't stop there. He gave the same spot one... two... three... four more licks and then pulled back to admire his work. A deep growl rumbled in approval. The ruffled patch of unkempt fur was now smoothed out, pristine and perfect, everything his instincts demanded. He continued his tender care of the zebra's neck fur, smoothing any patch of fur out of place until none stood out. Satisfied with his work, the lion moved down to the zebra's thick chest. The lion continued to work on straightening any defiant strand he deemed insulting to the zebra's perfect form. When his tongue swept across one of the zebra's pert nipple, a low whinny of pleasure escaped Colten's lips. Kovu froze midlick, his eyes gazing up at the zebra.

To Kovu's relief, Colten was still sound asleep, but noticed his breathing a bit more strained. With eyes still glued to the zebra's face, Kovu gave another tentative lick across that perky, pink bud of sensitive flesh.

The zebra let out a deep, guttural moan. His arm jerked tighter around Kovu and the blanket shifted as the zebra's tree trunk legs squirmed beneath it.

A devilish grin spread across the lion's dark lips.

Without mercy, Kovu greedily lapped at the zebra's expose nipple as his free paw worked to twist and pull that other bud of flesh. Every lap of that warm, rough tongue... every prick of those sharp claws overloaded the zebra's senses and broke him down into a moaning mess, each moan growing deeper and deeper to a point it became the sound of boulders tumbling down a mountain.

Kovu smirked as he eyed the zebra's growing bulge. It started off as a small bump beneath the blanket where the zebra's crotch would be, then grew to a small hill, then finally reached full mast as a towering spire of the zebra's proud maleness. Kovu noticed the wet spot leaking at the tip and immediately stopped his work. As amusing as getting Colten to orgasm from playing with his nips, Kovu knew the zebra would be furious if he were to stain the sheets. It's been a few weeks since they last relieved one another, so all the pent-up seed in Colten's overstuffed sack were no joke.

The lion rested his head back to Colten shoulder, content to nap for a few extra hours, but then a peculiar scent reached Kovu's nose. It smelled of salt, of musk, of man. Kovu closed his eyes, lulled into bliss by that hypnotizing aroma, and before he knew it, found himself stuffing his muzzle into Colten's armpit. It was fresh with heady, manly musk, and he inhaled all of it into his lungs. That scent was like a drug, melting his mind into a lust filled pool of musk-addicted bliss

But it wasn't enough.

He needed to taste it as well.

He stuck his tongue out, lapping up as much sweat as he can, savoring the testosterone-flavored sweat.

"Kitty, I think you missed a spot."

A firm hand suddenly grasped the back of Kovu's head. The now very awake zebra rolled to his side and lifted his free arm, exposing another hairy armpit ripe with so much sweat and musk that sent Kovu's nostrils flaring. The zebra plunged the lion's snout into his rank pit. With that iron grip on his head, Kovu had little chance of escaping, not that he wanted to of course. Kovu nuzzled into that damp pit as far as he could, drenching his fur in zebra sweat and filling his lungs to the point of bursting with that masculine scent of man. The lion's mind teetered closer into falling into unconsciousness, but the lion couldn't care less. Let him fall into that abyss. This is where he belonged, worshipping the musky pit of the prey that his feral ancestors have hunted for centuries. And the split second before could Kovu blank out, the zebra forced the lion out from his pit.

"Fuck, that's hot," Colten said, admiring the piece of art he's created. The proud lion was left panting with his tongue out like a dog and his hazy eyes dazed from the zebra's mind-breaking odor.

"That all you got?" Kovu sneered with a defiant smirk.

Colten prepared a retort of his own, but a loud grumbling from the zebra's stomach beat him to it. "We'll continue this after I go make breakfast, Kitty," the zebra said, giving his lion a quick peck on the cheek before raising himself off the bed.

"Nooooooooo," Kovu whined, his grip on the zebra's large hand the only thing anchoring him to the bed. "Don't go please...". Kovu stared at him with the best puppy dog eyes he could muster, his black pupils dilating into dark, pleading orbs of cuteness combined with the saddest frown begging for mercy. Only the most sinister and evil of demons can resist this look.

"No."

Kovu's puppy dog eyes was dismantled in an instant, replaced by a look a predator would give its prey. "You know, it's treason to disobey your prince."

Colten perked an eyebrow. "Oh, and what's the punishment for treason?"

"A night of being bound and chained in my sex dungeon of course!"

The zebra chuckled. "I think I'll take my chances. And besides..." Colten leaned down and whispered huskily into Kovu's ear. "I think we both know who will be bound and chained up in that little sex dungeon of yours." The zebra's blunt teeth clamped not-so-gently on Kovu's ear. The lion shivered in pleasure and his hold on the zebra's hand weakened. Colten used that opportunity to free himself and dash off into the kitchen.

"Traitor!" Kovu yelled his final cry before slumping back into Colten's warm bed. His eyes wandered around his boyfriend's room. This was a small, compact room surrounded by baby-blue walls. The bed the lion laid on was tucked away in one corner of the room. At the foot of the bed was a widescreen TV sitting on top of a drawer. To his left was the opposite corner were two wooden shelves. One shelf held all his college notebooks and textbooks all neatly ordered by subject. The second shelf was more of a museum to Colten's hobbies. On one row were boxes covered in pictures of fearsome monsters where all the cards the zebra collected over the years rested inside. A lot of shelf's rows were filled with comic books and manga correctly ordered by issue number. Despite the already impressive collection, Kovu knew Colten had a lot more of those books stored somewhere. Every month or two, Kovu would find the comics and/or manga replaced by a new series that the zebra currently has his interests on.

Another row was completely devoted to action figures and amiibos. Jedi and clone troopers fighting D&D monsters, Marvel and DC heroes squaring each other off, and amiibos of Smash bros. fighters surrounding a towering figure of a long blue-haired anime girl, Hatsune Miku, as if they were on a concert and cheering her on.

Kovu's eyes fell to a baseball mitt that has seen better days, holding a baseball brown and weathered by time. Next to it was a small portrait of a teenage Kovu and Colten smiling at the camera with the crowd of a baseball stadium behind them. At the time the picture was taken, Kovu had grown a few inches since he met Colten and had his black mullet of a mane flowing out his red baseball cap. At the same time, Colten had nearly tripled the same height that Kovu gained, going from a pudgy zebra colt to a towering zebra adolescent who held a freshly caught baseball in his hand. Kovu remembered trying to mend his broken ego by trying to reason it was only natural that Colten had reached his growth spurt first since he was three years older than Kovu himself, and zebras were usually bigger than lions. But even after Kovu hit his growth spurt, the gap between their sizes had grown to a canyon when the zebra started bulking up in muscle. Nowadays, the lion can barely reach the zebra's chest.

The lion's smile grew bittersweet as his eyes traced over the other zebra who hugged and smiled behind the two. He had a bit of a flabby gut protruding through his shirt and a silver ring piercing on his grin that glinted from the camera's flash. It was Colten's uncle, Herd. He was the one who got them the tickets for the baseball game in the first place. Fond memories stirred within Kovu's mind. He remembered how Uncle Herd would always make sure Colten had enough money to order pizza whenever Kovu visited for sleepovers, how he'd buy the latest and most popular consoles and video games for Colten and Kovu on Christmas, how he'd always be happy to drive the two children to the mall to for the card tournaments, and how he'd always crack at least one terrible Dad joke whenever Kovu was around.

To Kovu, Uncle Herd was a better father to the lion than Simba ever was to him.

That's why it was such a hard blow when Uncle Herd died of lung cancer a few years ago. Kovu remembered how strong Colten was during the funeral ceremony. Even when he gave his speech to the gathering of mourning family, there was not a single drop of tears or cracking in his voice as he regaled everyone the happy memories of Uncle Herd. Every condolences Colten received he responded with a smile and joked how Uncle Herd would be making fun of how serious everyone was taking this. It was only after everything was said and done with the two friends back in Colten's apartment did the zebra finally break down, on his knees and sobbing into Kovu's chest. The unshed tears, the unspoken sadness, all of it was hidden away behind a fragile barrier that Colten fought every second to keep intact. But alone with his most trusted friend did he finally allow the dam to burst and unleash its torrent to the only person he knew could endure it: Kovu. For the rest of that night, Kovu comforted the zebra with the tightest hug he could muster as he sobbed his own silent tears together with Colten.

Kovu made a commitment that day. At the start of his teen years, he turned to smoking to help cope with the issues of living with his family, but the impact of Uncle Herd's death steeled Kovu's resolve to quit. It was a difficult path, the temptations grew stronger every day, but the thought of Colten going through another loved one's death without the lion at his side was more than enough to give Kovu the strength to push through.

The lion rolled onto his back and closed his eyes, his smile brightening as the memories after Uncle Herd's death took happier tones.

The two started dating a few days later. Kovu guessed they both just realized how short and sudden life can be and decided to experience it to the fullest side-by-side. The lion chuckled silently to himself, finding it amusing how little the way they spent time with each other changed. They still hung out like normal, talked like normal, played cards like normal, and played video games like normal. But doing all of that while in a relationship together? It was a feeling the lion at first had trouble describing. It wasn't happiness, he was sure about that. It would be an insult to compare it to something as simple as that.

That feeling... it was like there was a great fire burning in his chest. But it wasn't searing hot. It was warm and protective. All the fear, the anger, and the sadness that's been building up inside him from living in this constrained life with his family; all of that was burned into ash and replaced with the warmth of that fire. And whenever he was with the zebra, that fire intensified into an inferno that engulfed him with that one feeling he's been neglected for his whole life.

Love.

The sizzling sound of oil perked up Kovu's ears, and the savory scent of bacon wafted into Colten's room and caused a fountain of drool to flow out Kovu's maw.

If someone were to open Colten's fridge, they might find it strange that an herbivore would keep so much meat in stock. Even more love for the zebra blossomed within Kovu at the thought of Colten willing to sacrifice money and space in his fridge for enough meat to keep the lion well-fed for an entire week.

"What I'd give to stay that long..." Kovu grumbled with a sour stare at the ceiling.

"Kitty, breakfast is ready!"

"Coming!"

The hungry lion launched himself from bed and ran to the kitchen. There the zebra, dressed in nothing but boxers and a pink apron, was setting down plates of food between two empty chairs. One was a plate of boring, green salad, and the other a steaming pile of bacon, eggs, and toast.

"Thanks for breakfast, Colt!" Kovu said in a grateful tone, giving a quick wash of his hands before settling himself into his seat.

"Anything for you, Kitten," Colten smirked and took his seat on the other side of the table. The two began to eat, any further words hindered by the food in their mouths. Colten took the time to enjoy his meal, savoring the sweetness of the raisins, the saltiness of the nuts, and that oh-so satisfying crunch of crisp vegetables. Kovu, on the other paw, ate like the ferocious predator he is; he was practically shoveling the food into his mouth with the audacity of chewing with his mouth open, giving the amused zebra a good view of rows of sharp teeth.

"Remember to breathe," Colten warned.

"Yes, MOM," Kovu said, rolling his eyes. They continued to eat, silence lasting for five minutes before...

"Oh shit!"

"Huh?" piqued Kovu, looking up from his plate with muzzle fur covered in crumbs and egg yolk dripping down his chin. Colten was staring wide-eyed towards his phone.

"Capcom released a trailer for a new Monster Hunter game!" the zebra exclaimed.

"No way! Really?"

"Yeah! Here, dude!"

The zebra rushed over to the lion's side like a toddler wanting to show off something for his mom. Colten was giddy with excitement. One arm was wrapped around Kovu's shoulder and the other outstretched on the table in front of the two, Colten trying to steady his shaking fingers to press the play on his phone. The two animals watched in silence, mesmerized by hunters using strings of light to swing through the air like Spider-Man, hunters pulling off stylish combos with oversized weapons, and the giant, fearsome monsters letting out defiant roars before engaging hunters in epic battles.

"Look, you can ride the dogs too!"

Colten emphasized his point by point a meaty finger at a group of hunters riding on top of their trusted canines and racing across the grassy fields.

When the trailer ended, Colten stared at Kovu with onyx eyes bulging out with hype. "Yo, I am DEFINITELY preordering this game today. You?"

Kovu nodded. "Yeah, man! Monster Hunter is at its most fun playing with friends."

"Aight, sweet." Colten glanced at Kovu's plate. The lion only had a few bites of food left and the zebra himself already finished his meal. "Wanna Smash?"

A wide grin spread across Kovu's lips. The lion can recognize that seductive glint from anywhere. "You know it."

"I'll go and set things up. Should be done by the time you finish your food."

Colten retreated to the bedroom, leaving Kovu to finish breakfast. The lion opened his maw wide and placed the edge of his plate on his bottom lip. He tipped his head back and shoveled the scraps down mouth. He carried his empty plate to the sink, washed his paws, and rushed over to Colten's bedroom. The moment he entered a small, blurry mass was hurtling towards Kovu's face with enough force behind it to shatter his skull. On instinct, the lion's swift paw caught the object inches before it could collide into his face.

"You're gonna have to try a lot harder than that," Kovu smiled smugly at the shirtless zebra. Colten was sitting at the foot of his bed in front of the TV, a gaming controller in his hands.

"Damn cat reflexes," Colten chuckled.

Kovu eyed the controller in his hand suspiciously. "Wait a minute, isn't this the controller where the left stick keeps drifting?"

"Nah, dude. Sold that piece of junk on eBay and bought myself a new one."

"Bullshit."

"C'mon, Kitty. Do you really think I need to give myself an advantage to kick your ass in Smash bros?"

A burning inferno flared within Kovu's eyes. "Oh, you are so on!" he growled, brandishing the controller like a weapon. He took his seat next to the overconfident zebra. He focused his gaze on the TV screen where a large selection famous video game characters were waiting for their chance to battle.

"Does Kitty want items on? Considering the score between us, I think- "

"Aww, how adorable. Does da wittle zebra foal need an excuse when he loses?"

"Your funeral," the zebra growled. The stare Colten gave Kovu was one a predator would give cornered prey.

With their characters chosen, the fierce battle between the zebra and lion began. Swords met fists, vicious combos exchanged with the other, and the two animals bent further forward towards the TV the longer the match progressed, burning their eyes to the screen. Both animals were pushing themselves to the limit for their very pride was on the line; however, only one may emerge victorious in this duel to the death.

"And I win again!" Colten cheered, pumping his fist in the air.

"Another game!" Kovu growled, his controller near shattering under the intense pressure of his grip.

Colten did not say anything more, the triumphant grin he wore doing all the boasting for him. He started the next match and the two returned their focus to the battle ahead. Kovu gave it his all, but in the end, the zebra proved himself the better fighter once again.

"Dude, were you even trying that time?"

"Rematch!" Kovu roared.

Another game, and another lost match where this time Kovu failed to take even a single life off the zebra.

"Losing steam already?"

"You're only winning because your character's broken as hell!"

"Fine, I'll go with a low-tier fighter then."

To prove his confidence, Colten changed his fighter to a red and black-striped tiger whose appearance was centered around a macho wrestler complete with a flaming wrestling belt. The tiger was the slowest character in the game; one need only to knock the tiger offstage and watch as the helpless feline vainly tries to avoid falling into the endless abyss with its garbage recovery. Against such a terribly designed fighter, it seemed like an easy victory for the lion. So it was only natural Kovu was humiliated once again when the zebra effortlessly decimated the lion.

This process of losing and rematches continued on for the next hour, each battle chipping away at Kovu's spirit. By the 20th match, the lion was now a shadow of his former self, cowering before the zebra looming over him, a wicked smile on his face. "Ready for another round?" Colten growled demonically, drunk on power.

Kovu had lost the strength to speak so he could only nod weakly.

As he the zebra prepared the next match, Kovu's mind was set on overdrive in deciphering a way to defeat the zebra. He couldn't let the day end without achieving a single victory! The zebra will never let him hear the end of it. The only way for Kovu to win was to throw the zebra off guard, but the zebra and lion have fought each since they were children, so Colten knew all of Kovu's tricks. But Kovu couldn't despair now. There had to be a way to throw Colten off his game! He just had to think.

A sinister plan formed within Kovu's mind, and the seeds of evil were spread across his grin.

The next match began as usual. To Colten, it seemed Kovu had managed to pull himself together and put up a decent fight. At the battle's end, both fighters were down to their last lives. Colten's fighter was damaged enough where one strong attack was enough to knock him out of bounds and cost him the match; however, Kovu was in an even more precarious situation since the lion's fighter was so badly damaged nearly any attack will be more than enough to cost him yet another game.

And the lion foolishly chose to charge up a smash attack. Colten couldn't believe it. The drawback of using a smash attack in this game is that, while very powerful, it leaves the user unable to move and be vulnerable for a counterattack, so all Colten had to do was position his fighter in front of Kovu's and hold up his shield. The moment Colten successfully blocks the attack is the moment he makes an attack of his own, giving him yet another victory to shove all over Kovu's face.

Colten smirked as he waited patiently for Kovu's vain attack. With such a hard-fought battle, the zebra figured it would have a more climatic end. Oh well. Beggars can't be-

"Ah!" the zebra yelped as felt something tickle under his armpit. It was only for a brief moment, but that sudden electric jolt of tickling had caused him to let go of the shield button, prompting Kovu to unleash the full force of a fully charged smash attack on the defenseless fighter.

Kovu bit his bottom lip, sucking in the urge to laugh. He could see the zebra in his peripheral vision, staring at Kovu like the lion had just committed murder.

I might as well have, considering how I badly I wrecked Colt in that match, Kovu's mind snickered, risking a breach of laughter in front of the suspicious zebra.

"Lucky shot," Colten huffed, his hot breath tickling Kovu's whiskers.

"Yeah, got really lucky there, huh?" Kovu quickly agreed.

"Yeah, real lucky," were Colten's parting words before preparing the next game.

Colten was letting loose a flurry of attacks on Kovu, and the lion could do nothing but hold his shield against the onslaught. The defense wouldn't last long. Each strike against that bubble of a shield caused it to shrink smaller and smaller, and it wouldn't be long before that bubble popped and leave Kovu defenseless.

"The hell!?" the zebra cursed, swatting the air around his ear. It felt like some sort of fuzzy caterpillar was trying to crawl into his ear!

The brief seconds Colten let go of his controller had left his fighter immobile, granting Kovu the chance to grab and throw Colten's fighter off stage. By the time the zebra regained his grip on the controller, it was already too late; he was far too deep to recover back up stage and could only watch helplessly as his fighter plummeted into the deep abyss.

"You okay, dude?" Kovu asked, staring up at Colten with eyes sparkling with innocence.

Colten glared daggers back at Kovu. "What are you doing?" the zebra growled.

"Winning, obviously" Kovu responded back with a roll of his eyes.

"Winning by cheating, you mean."

"Me, cheating?" Kovu gasped with mock hurt, paw on his chest. "Why I would never!"

"I know that look in your eyes, Kitty. You're doing something."

"Damn, Colt. All this salt is gonna go great with my victory fries," Kovu snickered.

That was like throwing gasoline into that blaze of anger in the zebra's glare, and Kovu could feel himself perspire from its intense heat.

"You little..." Colten began, but stopped himself with a deep breath. "Fine, next match."

As Kovu chose his fighter, Colten remained motionless as he was deep in thought. He was trying to decipher exactly how the lion was messing with him. Colten had made sure to keep Kovu's hands in his peripheral vision last game, and that only added to his confusion when the lion's hands never left his controller. The only conceivable way the lion could be messing with him was if he grew a third arm. Unless...

That bastard... Colten thought, realization hitting him square in the face.

"You gonna start the next game or what?" Kovu asked, breaking the zebra from his thoughts.

"Yeah yeah, sure hold on."

Kovu grew wary of how cold and calculating Colten's eyes became. Instincts were screaming at the lion to run, but Kovu merely shrugged them off.

The next match began with both contenders on equal footing. Normally, Colten's fighter would already be pressuring Kovu's near the edge of the stage, but the zebra was only using the bare minimum of focus to stand his ground, and the rest he used on waiting patiently for the perfect moment to strike.

And his patience was rewarded. The moment Colten felt something brush under his chin, his hand shot out and grabbed that something. He looked down at his catch, glaring at the snake-like tail of the lion wriggling uselessly against his iron grip. Colten turned his attention to lion, his cold eyes dissecting Kovu's guilty face.

"I can explain," Kovu said in a meek voice. He inhaled a deep breath, preparing for a long speech; however, it was only a front. In actuality, he was trying to buy himself enough time to prepare himself to bolt out the room.

But Colten did not give Kovu the chance. Without warning, the zebra tackled the lion to the bed. The animals struggled and wrestled against each other with the lion growling and threatening the other with bared fangs, but ultimately the zebra's overwhelming strength proved too much. The fight ended with Colten's back against the bed and holding the struggling lion to his torso, Kovu desperately pulling at the black and white striped arm wrapped around his throat, but it was like trying to bend steel.

"Say it," Colten demanded in a low, demanding tone inches from Kovu's ear.

"Say what?" Kovu said in voice pretending he had no idea what the zebra meant.

"Say those matches didn't count. Say that the only way you can ever beat me is by being a dirty little sneak."

"Kiss. My. Royal HHNGH!"

Colten had cut him off with brief tightening on his throat, temporarily cutting off oxygen. "Wrong answer." Without a shred of mercy, Colten's thick fingers wiggled wildly against the side of Kovu's ribs, throwing the lion into an uncontrollable tantrum of roaring laughter. His limbs kicked and flailed uselessly in the air as the zebra tickled his ribs without pause. By the time Colten finally gave him a moment to breathe, Kovu was completely drained, his weak body limp against the zebra's torso.

"Apologize and this stops," Colten said. The lion said nothing, but flinched when he felt Colten's large hand press against his side once again.

"I'm... I'm sorry," Kovu whimpered pathetically.

"Sorry for?"

"Sorry that your salty ass got so sore after getting WRECKED by me!"

Mercy was already emptied out into a dark pit within the zebra, but now? The emptiness collapsed into a raging black hole that demanded it be fed with the tortured screams of the captive lion.

And Colten was happy to oblige.

He wrapped both arms across Kovu, making sure the feline's arms were pinned under them, and then swept a leg over the lion's own legs, effectively locking all of Kovu's limbs into place. And when the lion felt those two large hands hook onto his sides, the realization of the hell to come gave him another burst of fear-induced adrenaline to struggle uselessly against his restraints. "Wait, Colt please! You can't! I'll die!"

"I missed the part where that's my problem," were the zebra's final words. His meaty digits dug relentlessly into Kovu's sides, rubbing them with such intense pressure he risked breaking the lion's ribs. Colten tossed those worries aside. Kovu knew exactly what he was getting into when he incurred the wrath of the beast.

And with two hands doubling the hellish tickling brought Kovu to the edge of insanity. His body instinctively tried to flail to fight off the attack, but it quickly dawned upon the lion that the zebra had trapped them under his hold. All the energy that would've gone into moving his body was redirected to increase the volume of his screaming laugher, his pitch rising higher and higher that Colten's neighbors probably thought the zebra was murdering someone behind their walls.

"HAHAHA-PLEASE-HAHEHEHEHAHA-IM-HEHAHA-IM-HEHA-IMSORR-HAHAHHAHA!"

Colten growled. If the lion could still form semi-coherent sentences, then this level of tickling wasn't ENOUGH. He increased the speed of his hands, reducing the lion to sound more like a pig squealing in laughter.

Kovu did not know how long he had been trapped in his boyfriend's hold laughing his soul away. It could have been a minute. Maybe 5? 10? An hour? All the lion knew was that in end, he was left drooling on the zebra's broad chest, tongue flopped out and eyes dazed. His breathing was hoarse and haggard as he refilled his oxygen-deprived lungs.

Kovu mewled in appreciation as he felt Colten's hand scratch behind his ear. Kovu closed his eyes, enjoying the zebra's tender care of his lion. He felt Colten's strong hands massage his neck and smooth out the stress that yielded under his strength. He then felt the zebra trail a single finger to his chin. And with just a few scratches, the zebra had the lion purring like a small kitten.

"Do you want to talk about last night?" Colten suddenly asked. He felt Kovu's body tense under the question. His paws clenched tightly to Colten's fur, black claws unintentionally pricking into the zebra. He bit his bottom lip, fighting the urge to show any form of pain that would stress the lion further.

"No, I really don't want to talk about it," Kovu finally said, breaking the tense silence.

"Ok, I understand." Colten rubbed the tips of the lion's ears between his thick fingers, and Kovu nuzzled into the zebra's chest in appreciation.

"But for you, I will anyway," Kovu continued. He took in a deep breath. "I stumbled on my parents arguing about me again."

"What'd they say?" Colten knew he'd regret asking that, but he needed to know to help him.

"Simba was asking my mom why she didn't at least try to get an abortion when she was stuck with me. He said it would've saved both of them a lot of trouble to get my sister to inherit the royal throne. My mom got pretty tilted at that, saying if he wasn't such a coward that day then none of this, specifically me, would be here."

Colten said nothing, gently stroking Kovu's back as he felt the lion weep into his chest. "I know everyone there either is afraid of me, hates me, or both. And I've accepted that. I've gotten pretty much numb to all the looks and rumors around me. But... that talk about aborting me... what if she really went through with it? If I died as some fetus thrown in the garbage, would everything be better? Would my family be happier now that they wouldn't have to constantly live in fear of me? Would it have better to have died than suffer through- "

"No," Colten said in a thunderous voice. He held Kovu tighter to his body, as if any lessening of his grip the lion would fade from existence. "FUCK THAT."

No further words were said. Kovu cried into Colten's chest, drenching the white fur with his tears. When the well dried up, Kovu pulled back and looked up to gaze directly to Colten's caring eyes. "Thank you, and I'm sorry for being such a burden. I know it's stupid to let a simple talk like that get to me, but it led me to some dark thoughts that it made hard for me to even breath under the same roof with them. I just needed to get away."

Colten grabbed Kovu's black mane on the back of his head and bumped their forehead together. "YOU will never be burden to me. And you getting hurt is never stupid. Not to me. Understand?" he finished with a firm voice, but still caring within his onyx eyes.

Kovu nodded, his smile returning. Colten let go and the lion returned to resting against the zebra, his head rising and falling in rhythm with the broad chest that expanded and contracted with the zebra's calm breathing. Relaxing silence befell the two animals. Colten strong hands massaged Kovu's head in all the right spots and the lion purred under the zebra's touch.

"What did your mom mean by that day?" Colten asked and breaking the silence, his curiosity grown too much to ignore.

"Two horny teenagers going at it that day with one of them afraid to pull out? How the hell am I suppose to know?" Kovu huffed in irritation. He took another deep breath, calming himself. "Well, I think that day my mom was referring to must have been during when Scar was ruling the city. He must've done some pretty terrible shit because he's like fucking Voldemort around the mansion. Everybody's so paranoid that they think just saying his name will be enough to bring him back from the dead and murder everyone. He died right around when I was born so I don't know much about him. I did try to know more though, but every portrait, every text even mentioning his name was gone. Not even a Wikipedia article about him on the internet was there. He pulled away from the zebra's chest to stare directly into Colten's eyes. "Hey, you're 26 and three years my senior. Do you remember anything when Scar was King?"

Colten shook his head. "Not much. The best I can recall is that my parents made sure I stayed indoors, warning that something terrible will happen to me if I left the house. And I even remember one time my dad came back from work bloodied and beaten."

"Figures," Kovu sighed.

"You mentioned that a lot of your parents' resentment towards you is because of what you'll be inheriting. If so much of the tension in your family is because you're next in line for kingship, why couldn't your father just say Kiara will the one to inherit it?"

Kovu sighed into Colten's chest. "It's because of Scar. After he died from 'mysterious causes', my family found out he had a will stating that when I am of age and take a mate, I'll become the next ruler of the city."

"But your father's the King. Can't he just pretend that will doesn't exist? Or at least say it's void?"

"Maybe, if my family was just a pride full of commoners. No offense," Kovu quickly added.

"None taken," the zebra chuckled.

"The will was written under the family name. So if Simba were to turn his back on it, not only would it be illegal, it would also cause the family name to lose recognition, something Simba would rather die than let happen."

The air grew tense under uncomfortable silence. "You know, it's funny how hard it was for me to believe you were the Prince in the first place," Colten remarked, breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?" Kovu asked, furrowing his brow. "I was so obviously the lion next in line to rule over all you commoners."

"Oh yeah? Well, it was hard to tell through the dusty clothes you bought from the nearest thrift store when we were kids. Not to mention you always had hardly enough to cash to buy a candy bar in the convenience store."

Kovu responded with a slight chuckle. "To be fair, my parents only ever spent money on me was whenever they had to show me off to their rich friends at parties. And when that's done, they tucked me inside the mansion from public eyes. They even threated to cut off my food for a month if I decided to start babbling that I was the next in line to be King!"

"Which is why I didn't realize who you were when we first met. But there were a bunch of conspiracy theories on the internet about you. Remember what they said?"

"You bet I do," Kovu laughed. "The elusive and mysterious son of King Simba and Queen Nala who have kept him isolated from public view. None know what he or it looks like. Some even question its existence. But there is a majority of agreement that if the son does indeed exist, it is a grotesquely monstrous lion kept in deepest dungeons of Pride Mansion. The kind King could not find it in his heart to murder his own kin, so the son is routinely fed with the flesh of herbivores, both sentient and non-sentient. It is even hypothesized the son enjoys the meat of his own species as a delicacy." Kovu recited each word perfectly from memory.

"Pretty much opposite to how things worked when your sister was born," the zebra pointed out.

"True..." Kovu's voice muffled into Colten's fur. Unlike Kovu's birth where his parents tried to keep his existence a secret from the world, Kiara's existence was revealed with bang. The day she was born, there were whole parties and parades all across the city that lasted for an entire week. It didn't matter whether you were rich or poor; everyone in the entire city had a good time. There wasn't one television channel where Kiara's cute, adorable baby face wasn't plastered on the screen.

"Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" Colten asked.

"That depends on the question now, does it? Go ahead."

"Are you satisfied in being in a relationship with me?"

Kovu's breath hitched in his throat. What kind of question was that? Did Kovu do something wrong? Did he somehow upset Colten? He began to hyperventilate, the beating of his heart hammering in his head. He couldn't lose Colten. He couldn't lose the only source of fire that kept the darkness away. If he lost him...

Colten sensed the unease growing within Kovu, so he quickly added, "I mean, are you all right with not being able to ascend the throne?"

The darkness retreated, but confusion remained in Kovu's eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I did the research. The King and Queen has always been a lion and a lioness. Not once was there a lion and a tigress, or a lion and a cheetah, and not even a lion and a mountain lion. "

"Hey, that speciest. Just because we sound the same doesn't mean we are the same."

"What I'm trying to say is that the King and Queen has and will always be a lion and a lioness. You said you can take the throne when you reach a certain age and take a mate, right?"

Kovu nodded.

"You've already reached that age and now all you need to do is to find a mate. Except, well... I'm a guy and an herbivore, not even remotely related to any species of felines. If you choose me as a mate, then you will never be able to become King. And you knew that when you decided to be in relationship with me, didn't you?"

Kovu did no say anything, nor did he make any movement. Colten pressed on. "Are you really ok with sacrificing your chance to take the throne?"

"Who said I'm sacrificing anything?" Kovu growled in irritation, and Colten feared he overstepped his bounds. His fear were assuaged when Kovu gave him a playful smirk. "You know how I always get my way. Don't worry, not only will you have a King for a husband, you get to become a King yourself!"

Colten laughed and kissed the tip of Kovu's pink nose. "As tempting as that sounds, who you are right here and now is more than enough for me."

The lion laughed as well, but his tone took on sadder notes as he added, "And besides, I don't think I can give up the throne so easily."

Colten raised in eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"The promise of the throne... it's been my lifeline since I was kid."

"Lifeline?"

"If it weren't for Scar's will, Simba and my mom would have kicked me out as soon as I took my first step."

Colten gaped, horrified. "No, they wouldn't! Your parents can't be that cruel, can they?"

Kovu sighed and nodded his head. "You'd be surprised. I've heard from the older animals that Scar was kicked out of the family when my grandfather, Mufasa, was King. No money, no family to rely on when he slept in the streets. The only way he survived was living in the Outlands, which, when you think about it, the exact opposite should have happened when you live in the shittiest part of the city where you're likely to either get mugged, raped, murdered, or all of the above. It was only when grandfather died that Scar was able to come back and take his brother's throne." Kovu sighed and rolled onto his back, giving Colten better access to twirl his fingers around the lion's dark mane on his chest. "I've grown too reliant on the promise of the being King that I'm not ready to give it up... not yet, anyways.",

"Well, it doesn't matter to me if you're the King or not. If your asshole parents ever ditched you like that, know that you're always welcome to live with me."

Kovu didn't say anything. And he didn't need. Colten knew exactly what the lion wanted to say when he buried himself closer to the zebra. When Kovu pulled away, he looked up to Colten with a confident smirk. "Wanna go again?" Colten asked, holding a controller for Kovu to see. "But no cheating this time! Because if you do..."

"Yeah yeah, I get it," Kovu said with a roll of his eyes. "Just be careful you don't choke on your own salt when I beat you."