THE REAL KING

Raion stretched in the midday sun.

He had nothing to worry about.

There are no predators lurking about for the lion. He can stretch and yawn and nap when he wants to. He can do what he wants because he’s at the top of the food chain.

All he has to do to maintain that position is hunt. Even an elephant is not safe if it is slow, sick or weak. Just last week the pride took out a large aging male with relative ease.

Raion once again stretched as he pleased on the warm, red rock he was sleeping on. He was surrounded by female lions and their cubs which were of course his offspring.

The two other male lions in his pride would be leaving soon to challenge another male’s pride. If they win their respective fights then they will be able to mate with the lionesses.

The defeated lion will be banished to loneliness either way. A stray picking up scraps and scavenging. His only hope of survival will be challenging another male’s pride so that he can hunt again in a pack.

Without females to pack hunt for him a lion has a hard and nomadic existence. This is why he must fight with full resistance when another male threatens his reign as king. Losing means migration…

And eventual death through starvation.

Raion was about to pass on this knowledge to the two young males who were getting ready to leave his pride. They had to fight with full ferocity because wondering the wastelands would mean certain death.

He stretched once more and rose from his midday slumber. He looked around for the two other males under his reign.

He roared but nobody came running.

Something wasn’t right.

Raion didn’t like the feeling. The two males would come running anytime he roared seeing as they were always close by. Why were they not responding to his call?

He walked from his rock to investigate. He navigated the trees until he saw exactly what was going on.

Another young lion stood in front of him now with blood dripping from his chin. Whilst licking his lips he introduced himself as “Aker.”

“I am here to take over your pride”, he then confidently proclaimed.

Raion took a breath and said nothing at first. Then he asked where the two male lions were.

“They are dead already. Easy pickings for a champion fighter like me”, said Aker.

He feared his warriors were dead after seeing the blood dripping from Aker’s chin, but hearing it from his mouth made it oh so real. He would have to conceal the emotional pain he was in for now until after the fight. If Aker had taken his trained warriors lives that easily…

Then he was in for a gruelling battle and would need his full strength.

Raion took another deep breath and prepared his body and MIND for battle. Killing his warriors would be the downfall of Aker, no matter how strong he claimed to be.

“I am ready”, said Raion.

“Then let’s get it on!”, said Aker.

The two lions roared ferociously. All living creatures within the vicinity of the impending violence cleared out as quickly as they could.

Then the fight started.

Aker charged in with his claws primed for the kill. Raion skillfully weaved out of harm’s way and pounced back.

His claws were ready for his own attack and with his first strike he was successful. He got a swipe full of Akers flesh as he struck through the right side of his face.

Then the pace really picked up as Aker was enraged now.

“How could an old lion like you strike me?!”, he said with venom in his voice.

Raion ignored the noise and remained focused. He knew he was in for a flurry of aggressive return attacks now that he had set the tone of the fight.

Aker swiped back with multiple shots and eventually jumped in to engage in a clinch type situation. He had elevation and leverage over Raion so he was in trouble.

Raion stumbled under the weight of the young beast’s body. Then he felt the searing pain of teeth entering his flesh.

The burning pain in the back of his neck was overwhelming. Aker wasn’t letting go without the kill so Raion had to move.

He mentally summoned all the strength he could muster from his damaged body and managed to remove Akers teeth by launching him in a judo type throw. Raion was wounded and slow now but he pounced whilst Aker was on the ground to capitalise while he could.

He missed as Aker rolled out of harm’s way. Both lions were displaying a fighting spirit only a lion could possess.

“I am impressed”, said Aker.

Raion had never taken so much damage in a bid for his throne. If he had not thrown Aker when he did he would probably be bleeding out by now.

“I do not understand how you survived that bite. I have usually won the fight by now”, Aker said arrogantly.

“Let me tell you something. Let me enlighten you young lion.

My name is Raion and this body, this body you see in front of you has been forged by many intense battles.

Many young lions have come to take my throne like you. Like you they have also been strong and possess greater physical attributes than me.

Mentally they haven’t got it though. They know the power of physical strength but their muscles, their cells have not adapted to mental fortitude.

Like you they exuded confidence but when the MIND hasn’t been forged in the fire of experience and exited those flames like a phoenix from the ashes, the truth is you are nothing more than an imposter. An interloper.

You will never know what it is to be king…

Until life baptises you as the real thing like me. I am the only king here!”, screamed Raion.

Aker had listened to every word. He was stunned by what he had heard and seemed frozen to the spot.

“You want to know what your big mistake was Aker? It’s that stolen confidence. That arrogance that you took without building or earning it mentally.

Yes you are strong but now I will show you what mental fortitude looks like. Now I will endure until this fight is won and my brothers are avenged”, said Raion calmly.

And with that he pounced on Aker.

Blood was everywhere now as the two lions entangled. They grappled between claw strikes and ferocious bites for around ten minutes or so.

At this point the females from Raion’s pride had come to watch the show but they knew not to intervene. They too had seen Raion take out every younger lion eventually.

Finally it was done.

Raion had won!

He sunk his teeth into the carotid artery of Aker and his body went limp and lifeless. Then he expressed the power of his victory through an almighty ROAR!

The lionesses ran over and started to lick the blood off his paws and face. Raion gracefully flopped to the ground in exhaustion. He was wounded and so had to surrender to the female attention before going to find the bodies of his two dead warriors.

One of his cubs then came over to ask a question.

“What lesson did you learn from that fight father?”, the cub said humbly.

Raion looked at him lovingly.

“You can never replace what experience teaches mentally. Physically you may grow to be the strongest lion in the land my child but do not allow the confidence of youth and strength to cloud your vision.

One day you will rule my kingdom but not until you have walked through the fire of life endurance and gained mental fortitude. Never exude confidence like Aker did until you have gained the wisdom that life teaches your body through your MIND.

I find that the best way to live is to love like a cat, but if you are attacked then fight like a lion until you have gained enough experience to call yourself a king. Then you will be the real thing and not an imposter…

An interloper…

A poser like the young lion I fought today”, said Raion.

The lion cub smiled and ran off with a skip.

Raion then looked over at Aker’s limp and lifeless body. He bowed in honourable recognition despite the damage he had caused.

Aker had forced him to go mentally deeper than he had before and once healed he would be stronger than ever. He would never be fake like Aker because life had forged him as the real thing…

THE REAL KING!

Raiden