Simba stared at the body at his feet. His heart raced, his ears rang, and his small frame trembled. What had he done? The cub could feel the blood staining his paws, it chilled him. "C-C'mon! You can't be dead!" The scene played in his head over and over. He and Nala wrestling around, as they always did. Simba pinning her, so excited to finally have dominated her.
He remembered lightly clamping his jaws around her throat and letting out a playful growl. She was squealing, giggling, and then she let out a strange noise, a gurgling of sorts. She fell silent and limp, blood oozing from marks in her neck. Tears stung the cubs eyes, "Please, Nala, I'm so sorry. It was an accident, I swear…." He pressed his nose into her soft, cold fur. "Nala, please… I love you, don't go…." His ears pricked at the sound of voices.
"Perhaps they're at the watering hole?"
"I hope so… It's time to eat!"
Simba's eyes stretched wide, panic filling him. What would he say? What would he do? He licked his dead friends cheek, then quickly and quietly snuck into the long grass behind her. He backed up and crouched, waiting quietly. He could hear the lionesses, who he believe to be Ajaki and Liu the youngest of the huntresses, approach.
"Oh my! Liu, come quickly!" The lioness ran to her Pride-mate, starring in horror at the dead cub. "Nala! Ajaki, what has happened? Where is the young prince?"
"I-I don't know…. Here, help me carry her. We must take her to the King and Queen and get a search party." Liu hesitated, "Why don't we just look ourselves?" Ajaki lifted the cubs head and shoulders onto her back. "Because, who knows what did this and how many there are. I want to get her body out of here so it's not eaten, and leave so we're not."
Liu nudged Nala's body up fully onto Ajaki's back. "Alright, let's go." As the two raced off, Liu ahead of her friend and calling for the Pride, Simba stood with a tear in his eye and raced the opposite. As he ran away, he whispered his goodbyes, his sorrys, and his I love yous.
The rogue Prince ran until dark, stopping at the entrance to the forest. He could barely see in the moonlight, it unnerved him. He scurried up a tree and backed into the trunk. He gripped a branch tightly in his bloodied claws. Simba starred off in the direction he believed Pride Rock rested, his mind whirling. How would he survive? He couldn't hunt, he couldn't defend himself against much.
Should he return to his home and explain what happened? Surely that would be best. But what about Sarafina? She would want revenge on the Prince killing her daughter! And his mother, would she be able to forgive him? Would anyone trust him? Would they still love him? Tears brimmed the cub's eyes.
Of course not, he was murderer. What if he took his own life? If he could murder his best friend, then surely he could do the same to himself. After all, it would be the most honorable decision, wouldn't it? Simba closed his eyes. He couldn't do such a thing to himself… He didn't even mean to do it to Nala! Sweet, innocent Nala…
Simba gave a shudder and a whimper. He was a bad lion, killing himself was a much more honorable fate than he deserved. He would force himself to live on. He would deal with the horrible thoughts and the immense struggle for life. He would endure, what he believed to be, his fair fate.
I hope you enjoyed! The next chapter will focus mostly on what happened with the rest of the Pride.