The Circle begins
Disclaimer: All characters mentioned here belong to Disney unless otherwise stated – I do not claim to own any canon or sub-canon characters in this story.
"Are you sure you want me to go?" asked King Simba, deeply concerned by his mate's wishes "You know it could be any day now…". Queen Nala smiled warmly at him, placing her pale paw on his golden one. "Simba, you needn't worry about me…about us" she purred, nuzzling her head into his shoulder "You have to keep checking the borders; if the hyenas are going to attack, it will be around about now!".
The lion frowned, but he knew she was right. He couldn't leave the lionesses to patrol the land without help. "Alright, but Timon and Pumbaa will be right outside the den if you need them, and I'll ask mother to stay in here with you." sighed the over protective King, licking the female's ears. He hated to be away from her at the best of times, but with her expecting their first cub any day now, Simba was particularly on edge. Nala gave him an affectionate lick on the cheek before resting her head on her paws and closing her bright blue eyes, a gesture which made him smile and leave the den as quietly as possible.
As he padded out onto the ledge, he wandered past Sarabi, who was in the process of grooming herself when her son interrupted. "Hello" she smiled weakly, leaning forwards to give the lion a gentle nudge. The former Queen was old – grey fur was beginning to appear above her nose and inside her ears, and her body was not as muscular as it has once been. Her voice was still silky and smooth, though, and she was forever optimistic. "When will my grandchild arrive?" asked Sarabi, tilting her head to one side. "Hey mom" replied Simba, who moved to sit beside her. "Soon, hopefully. Nala wants me to go and check the borders…would you mind…?" he started, but before he could finish, his mother was already nodding. She had always treated her daughter-in-law as her own, and would be more than happy to spend some time watching over her. "Of course" she grinned, pulling herself up and making her way towards where the beige lioness was sleeping.
The golden King smiled happily as Sarabi walked away, glad that she was still here to guide him. Striding to the end of the catwalk, Simba looked proudly at his Kingdom, which would soon receive a new heir. A few animals squinted up at Pride Rock to see what was going on, but they soon returned to their business when they realised that it wasn't anything important. The Pridelands were mostly empty, actually, because night was falling, and most of Simba's loyal subjects were in their dens.
Blinking a few times, the lion scanned the scenery for any signs of unusual activity, but saw none. The land was bathed in the red and orange light from the sunset, and all was quiet. For a moment he considered returning to his mate, but he knew she wouldn't appreciate him not doing his job properly. Nala had warned him, a few days after finding out that she was pregnant, that he shouldn't abandon his duties as King – according to her, that was even more dangerous than leaving her unguarded throughout the entire gestation period.
Huffing, he decided to go for a wander. Hopefully he would bump into Timon and Pumbaa along the way so that he could tell them to go and guard the den! When he reached the bottom of Pride Rock, he shook his red poofy mane and stretched his long body, ready for a lengthy walk.
By the time nightfall had fully arrived, Simba had managed to reach the borders of the Pridelands and do a full-circle around Pride Rock. Grunting, he looked up as he heard the frantic flapping of wings. "Sire" called Zazu, the King's trusty Major-domo. "Sire, its Nala! She's, she's-" he panted, crash-landing in front of the golden lion, a cloud of dust in his wake. "Ready" he choked, collapsing in an exhausted heap. Simba's heart skipped a beat – the cub was on its way? Picking up the tired bird by the scruff of his neck, the King bolted back home, his thoughts rushing through his panicked mind. He leapt up the rocks and sprinted towards the entrance of the den, where he was met by an open palm and a frown from Rafiki.
"And where have you been?" asked a familiar voice behind him. Timon was perched smugly on Pumbaa's back, arms folded. "We've been waiting here for ages!". Simba placed Zazu gently on the floor in front of the Mandrill and shot his meerkat friend a warning look. "Rafiki…how is she? Is the cub…?" he asked, out of breath from the long run. "De Queen is fine. De cub is nat here yet, you'll have to wait a bit longah!" he grinned, placing a hand on the lion's shoulder. "Your muddah is in dere wid her. Rest assured, my friend". The King tried to look over the monkey's shoulder, but could see nothing. Instead, he began to pace, his bangs covering his worried eyes. The occasional whimper could be heard from inside the den, but nothing more.
After hours of pacing, worrying and grunting, Simba finally looked up as he heard Nala give an agonising roar, which was followed by the hollering of a new-born cub. His pupils shrank to the size of dots as he leapt into the den and skidded to a halt in front of his mate. Sarabi left the cave to give the two some privacy, a grin on her face as she did so. A small bundle of fur wriggled helplessly in the Queen's arms, squirming as its mother tried to lick it clean. "Stay still" she whispered happily, nudging the baby and looking up at her partner, waiting for his first reaction.