Chapter Twenty-One: Roar Beneath Mist

The mist was thinner today, a rare gift of warm sunlight filtering through the trees, weaving golden beams across the frost-dusted forest floor. The songs of distant birds threaded between the branches, delicate and calm—until they were cut short by a sudden, urgent cry.

“Run! Run, little ones!” The voice tore through the air—raw, frantic, unmistakable.                                       Vitani froze mid-step, her ears snapping forward. "That's Mara." From the underbrush to their right, the leopardess burst into view, her spotted form streaked with sweat and fear. Her three cubs trailed behind her, tripping and scrambling on trembling legs. Their tiny bodies radiated pure panic. But it was what came behind them that turned the forest cold. A pack of wild dogs surged from the shadows—but these were not ordinary dogs. Their eyes burned with a twisted crimson light. Black, root-like tendrils coiled through their fur, binding their limbs and curling like smoke from their mouths. Mist clung to them, thick and corrupted. “Corrupted…” Vitani’s voice was a breath. “They’re corrupted.” “Stay close!” Simba commanded, his tone steely. “Stay behind me!” Mara passed them in a blur, her cubs whimpering as they stumbled past. “Don’t look back!” she cried. The wild dogs lunged—snarls twisted into something horrid. Everything held still—then the forest burst wide open. What followed had the forest tear apart. A roar punched through the air—so loud it bent branches, shook dust loose from bark. A beetle lift off a leaf like a gunshot. Every sound stretched sharp, like glass under pressure.                                                  Jitu.                                                              He came from the left like a storm made flesh. His massive form collided with the lead dog mid-air, slamming it into the earth. His icy blue eyes blazed with a fire, never seen before. His roar hadn’t ended—reverberating through the woods, pressing back the mist. He moved like a ghost of war—one paw crushed a twisted dog into the soil, another sent a second hurling into a tree, then burst into dark mist on impact. A dog broke from the pack, leaping at Mara and her cubs. Jitu’s roar grew sharper. He struck with terrifying force, smashing the beast aside with a swipe that cracked the ground. Another dog dove for the cubs—but Jitu threw himself into its path, his broad back shielding them. His body struck it mid-pounce, and the creature burst apart in a flurry of black mist.For a moment, no one moved. Even Simba stood still, eyes wide in disbelief. The forest was chaos—but Jitu was a force beyond it.Vitani broke the silence. “Guard—move!” The Lion Guard erupted into action. Simba and Kovu followed, roars echoing behind them. Nala and Kiara flanked the group, their claws gleaming in the sunlight.

But by the time they reached the clearing… it was already over. Jitu stood alone, ringed by twisted, twitching bodies. Black mist hissed from the shattered remains of the corrupted dogs. Beneath his paw, the last one writhed. Jitu’s icy gaze was merciless. Slowly, he pressed down. The creature shrieked, then crumbled into black dust, the mist dissolving around him. Mara stood nearby, her body trembling, cubs pressed tight against her legs.“You…” she whispered, tears spilling freely. “You saved us.” Jitu didn’t respond. His eyes swept the forest, searching for more danger. Simba stepped forward, voice thick with awe. “Thank you.” The frost-touched lion turned. His gaze met Simba’s—steady, unreadable. Then… a nod. Just once.Kiara’s voice was softer. “You knew... didn’t you?” Still no words. But his silence was answer enough. Rafiki’s voice floated in behind them, grave and low. “The shadow spreads. But he follows it. Hunts it. Fights it.” Vitani’s eyes flicked to the broken earth. “It’s like last time. Same corruption. But worse.” Simba nodded. “It’s spreading faster than we thought.” Mara’s voice broke through. “Why?” she whispered, staring at Jitu. “Why do you protect us? We've done nothing to ask for it?” Jitu didn’t move. Then—slowly—he lowered his head, his broad nose brushing one of the trembling cubs. The tiny leopard blinked, and the fear in its eyes seemed to melt in the calm, powerful presence before it. Simba’s tone was steady. “Whatever this is… that’s chasing you… let us help.” Jitu’s eyes shifted again, locking onto Simba’s. Long. Quiet. Then, without a word, he turned. His frost-touched mane shimmered as he padded back into the woods, vanishing into the mist like a fading dream.“No!” Vitani growled. “Not this time!”                  “Vitani, wait!” Kovu called—but she and her Guard were already charging after him. Simba watched them vanish into the swirling haze. His expression tightened, jaw set. “He’s fighting,” he said. “That's for sure.” Rafiki leaned heavily on his staff, his gaze never leaving the fog. “Something that knows his name.” Nala turned to Mara. “Where did they come from?” Mara shook her head, breath still ragged. “Out of the dark side of the forest… like they were born from the trees themselves. No warning. Just mist… and eyes…” Kiara stepped closer to her mother, eyes wide. “He was waiting.” Simba looked to the treeline, where the mist curled like smoke. “Then we go after him.” Nala nodded. “Not just to follow. To stand with him.” Together, the Pride Lands prepared—not as watchers……but as warriors.