CHAPTER 1:
"The Lion Prince"
The sun ascended, illuminating the vast African savannah. All the animals from different parts of those lands raised their heads when a hornbill flew over them, and immediately, started to follow him. From the rhinos drinking peacefully in the river, to the cheetahs watching the bird flying far away, guiding the rest of them to where all of them were supposed to be assembled that morning.
The hornbill, called Zazu and also known for being the most loyal and obliging majordomo of the famous and feared Lion King, looked down, seeing the subjects of his best friend following him slowly but surely. In his mind, he started to count all the animals for each species. The giraffes and zebras were heading the way, being the last ones running through the river, splashing around them without caring too much. Right behind them the elephants were heading with heavy steps, currying a few birds on their tusks, and a few vulturines Guinea flow were running in front of them, trying to not be trampled by their big feet. Lots of flamingos and storks were now flying along with him when he arrived at the Zubiri river passing him by as he decided to keep doing his job in making sure everybody was coming to the important event.
Zazu decided to descend a bit to take a better look, and then he saw hartebeests, topis, and gazelles leaping in unison. Bit a bit, the rhinoceros began to join the big group of animals and the hornbill also saw a few meerkats running together, curious in seeing what could've created that movement. He counted them, and then kept paying attention to the rest of animals who hadn't been added to his mental list. At the end of the crowd, he discerned the family of cheetahs. He stopped flying forwards, and started to move his head from left to right, in an attempt to see if there were more of their species. But there weren't. Making a face, Zazu got closer to them, ascending a bit more to not be seen by any of them.
Above their heads, he saw the couple that was in charge of the family of their species that decided to still live near the Pridelands. It was formed by Mkali, strict as her own name let see, she was the strongest female back at the cheetahs' lands, but also with a calmness worthy of admiration and understanding; and by Jelani, powerful in his home, serious, firm and mistrustful, he ruled along with his mate with iron paw. Between the two of them, their little daughter was advancing by strides, laughing happily. Zazu gave the hint of a smile at the sight. The little Utamu… She was completely different from her parents: she was joyful, playful and her face was always adorned with a smile, demonstrating that she was as sweet as her name indicated. With only two and a half moons, she showed to not be afraid of anything, having an insatiable hunger of adventure.
"Utamu, dear, do not got too separated from your father and I" he heard Mkali say with resolve, yet a bit of tenderness could be heard.
"But I'm so excited, mummy!" said the cub, laughing happily. "It's the first time I'm visiting the Pridelands itself!" then, she stopped abruptly, and with confusion in her features, she asked: "Mummy, why are we here?"
Mkali looked at her daughter with gentleness: "Because the Lion King had a cub last night, his first-son, the one who will inherit his father's place as a king when you're an adult, sweetheart. And, as the tradition says, the heir has to be presented in front of the entire kingdom, and all the animals have to come to show their respects" explained the cheetah.
"Yes… That little moment when we all pretend to be happy with the arrival of a new beast we will have to protect ourselves from" said Jelani with a sarcastic tone.
"Jelani, we've talked about this" said Mkali with a severe glare.
"And I've already told you what I think about all this" said the male, looking at his mate with a frown. "This is just pure… protocol. To make that king happy. He sees us and we leave. Nothing more to discuss" he said, looking forwards once again.
Mkali looked at him with a boring expression, and rolled her eyes: "You're unbearable" she muttered, annoyed.
Zazu saw the little Utamu tilting her head to one side, not understanding a thing, and he also made a face of disgust as the female cheetah: "The King is not going to like this one bit" he said to himself before take up his flight.
He just had to count a few antelopes and kudus that were left behind and were running to not be too late, and then took the liberty to go flying rapidly to the encounter of the King. In less than a minute, he saw the big and majestic rock that gave a home to the royal family formed by lions who ruled the Pridelands for generations, known as Pride Rock. If there were only one thing that would command any animal who saw more than it, that would be the King who was now ruling those lands.
At the verge of Pride Rock, the monarch stood. With a thick red mane now moving due to the wind and a yellow pelt that shone more like gold itself, the Lion King took a look at all his subjects, who were now looking up, anxious. Zazu's features were adorned with a smile when he arrived at the place and landed in front of the King, being watched the entire time. He greeted the monarch with a bow. Looking up, the hornbill saw the King staring at him serious and stoic at first, but just in one second he softened his features with a sincere and serene smile. And he nodded, greeting the bird back.
None of them had too much time to talk when the lion saw the animals below him getting separated from each other, giving way to an old baboon who advanced nodding at each of them in a sign of greeting. The King's smile became more affectionate before the vision of the monkey, the shaman of his kingdom and the great advisor and loyal friend he could count on when he found himself lost or confused. Zazu flew at the monarch's side when the baboon arrived at the same place both were. And then, the lion and the baboon hugged each other, happy to see each other.
"Congratulations, Mufasa. Good to see you so happy after living in constant angst these past three months" said the shaman with a laugh, and he gave him a light tap on his shoulder.
The King gave a deep and short laugh as a reply: "Do not mention it… The important thing is… that everything is fine now"
Mufasa advanced to the entrance of his den with rapid yet elegant steps, being followed by the hornbill and the baboon. Inside, they saw a lioness with a dark pelt broken only by the lighter fur her muzzle, paws and underbelly possessed. Her dark reddish orange eyes shone with happiness when she saw her mate getting closer to her. The royal couple greeted each other with a nuzzle, full of love. Sarabi's eyes fell on the baboon and a gentle smile appeared on her face.
"Rafiki, good you're already here" she said, making an attempt to get up.
The shaman immediately raised one hand to stop here: "Do not get up, dear, you need to rest after spending all night awake. Incredible how such a little being could cause such a shock in so many animals" he commented with a small laugh.
"He isn't the prince for anything…" said the Queen. Then, throwing a funny glare to her mate, she added: "I already can say he's just like his father"
Mufasa rolled his eyes with a wee smile: "I think he's a bit more like you" he said.
Sarabi just wrinkled her nose and shook her head in a mocking manner to the big lion, and the couple laughed, happy, nuzzling each other once again. Then, Sarabi proceed to lick the top of her new-born cub, making the little one turned around and see all the happy faces that were paying him attention. Smiling, Rafiki began to shake his crook, making the fruits that were hanging on it sound as a rattle. The little prince looked at it amused and tried to touch it, unsheathing one little claw in the action. Then, he took one of his fruits he brought with him and broke it in two, smearing then its juice on the cub's forehead. When he finished with this, he sprinkled a bit of dust upon the prince's head, making the cub sneeze. Rafiki saw the two parents smiling and nuzzling at each other once again at the adorable sight. Without further ado, he picked up the little lion cub, putting him on his right shoulder while he advanced to the verge of Pride Rock, where all the animals were waiting impatiently for this time to come.
The royal couple got up and approached the scene at the same time Rafiki raised their son in the air, showing him to the entire kingdom. And, one second after, all the animals began to make sounds of happiness and joy at the sight of their future king. Sarabi breathed in when a soft air started to blow, feeling very peaceful after three months of pure angst of what could happen when her cub would be born. Lots of ideas tormented her, like the thought that she could lose her cub in the middle of the labour, or that the cub would be sick or too weak. But now that was all in the past. Both Mufasa and her had a good health, and her mate possessed spectacular genes from his parents. Everything was going perfect.
Quickly, the trumpeting of the elephants and the screams of the monkeys filled the air, almost silencing the rest of sounds of happiness the rest of animals were making. And while Sarabi was enjoying the ceremony, Mufasa found himself looking unceasingly at all directions, a frown wrinkling his face. Zazu was the first one to notice it, and worried asked:
"Are you alright, your majesty?"
Mufasa looked at him with the corner of his eye for a moment before continuing looking everywhere: "Yes, don't you worry"
Zazu didn't believe him, and he would've kept watching the presentation if the king hadn't let a tired sigh escape his lips: "I can see that something is bothering you, your Highness…"
It was a comment spoken with shyness, maybe almost fear. Mufasa decided to show the hornbill a little smile, to calm the bird's nerves: "Nothing can escape your eagle eye, huh?" he commented in a whisper, looking at Sarabi carefully. He didn't want two animals worried over him.
Zazu felt more relaxed with that reply: "An eagle would love to have the great sense of sight I have" said the hornbill taking the liberty to land on the monarch's right shoulder.
Mufasa laughed a bit at the remark: "I agree with you on that…" he said.
"So, am I right? Something's spoiling this great moment?" asked the majordomo, concerned for his friend.
Mufasa sighed a bit. It was useless to lie to Zazu: "I'm not seeing my brother" he admitted.
Zazu rolled his eyes. Of course. Only that weird and grumpy lion could ruin this beautiful moment.
"Haven't you seen him among the animals this morning?" asked the King, with a frown of worry.
"No, I haven't, sire…" answered the hornbill with honesty. When he saw a bit of sadness in his friend's orbs, he added: "But maybe he is late"
Mufasa shook his head: "I can't believe this… For a time he can and should show a bit of respect… he does this" commented the monarch with a severe expression.
"I can look for him, if you want" proposed the majordomo.
"No. Do not work while the presentation is taking place. You can go when it's over" said Mufasa, now tightening his chin, visible upset. "In fact, I think I'll go with you as well. I have some things to sort out with him"
"As you wish, sire" said Zazu with a frown of worry, and he looked at the presentation again.
When the conversation between the King and his loyal majordomo was over, Rafiki put Simba down, holding him in his arms, and gave him back to his parents. When the little one was once again in his mother's arms, he yawned, and curled up against the lioness chest. Sarabi didn't lose time in start licking his head again. Mufasa smiled at the sight, and Zazu was happy to see the joy coming back in his friend's irises.
"What will be his name?" asked Rafiki, taking his crook from the ground and staring at the monarch.
"Simba" answered Mufasa rapidly.
Both Rafiki and Zazu saw a bit of sadness mix up with fury when the name get out of the lion's lips, but as soon as it appeared, faded away, so they decided to not paying too much attention to it. Instead of that, the old baboon nodded his head, and, after another hug of farewell, he left the Rock. And, as the baboon's form disappeared from his sight, Mufasa's smile also faded away.
"Come, Zazu" he said, prepared to descend Pride Rock.
The hornbill nodded, obedient as he always was, but also a bit of fear was born inside his little chest at the sight of the King's bother. He knew Mufasa wasn't a violent lion – maybe he had a bit of anger issues sometimes, but he couldn't care less – but he also was aware of how things changed when his brother was in the middle of one of his angers. Mufasa could get annoyed at the littlest of things after a fight with his brother, and Zazu doubted he would have enough energies to think twice before talking so he couldn't suffer the King's unstable mood. He had lost them all those past three months…
"Mufasa, darling, are you leaving?" asked Sarabi with a bit of surprise in her voice.
The King stopped abruptly at the sound of his mate's voice. And Zazu sighed relieved. If someone could calm Mufasa down, that would be Sarabi.
"Yes, I… I have to…"
Before the King could have a chance to explain himself, a female voice was heard behind his backs. Turning around, Mufasa saw a lion with a fur lighter than his own and a mane also thinner, possessor of the same colour as his pelt but darker and with its tips black due to his advanced age, something that also his tired and reddish orange eyes let see. By his side, a lioness of same age was standing, with a pelt which shared the same colour as the Queen's. Her orange eyes were shining with joy when she saw the royal lioness accompanied by a little ball of yellow fur.
"Oh, let me see my little grandson" said the lioness, jogging to the Queen's side.
Sarabi's smile grew bigger: "Mum, Dad, you came" she said, nuzzling her mother with affection.
"Of course we did, honey" said the male with a laugh. "We couldn't have missed our grandson's presentation for anything else in the whole world. Now, let me see him, let me see him" he said with a excitement proper of a child.
"Oh, look at him, Leo… He just has his mother's eyes!" said the lioness with tenderness.
"His mother's eyes that she inherited from me. So, he has my eyes, in the end" said the male, putting on airs. "Oh, look. He also has the exact same nose Mawa had when she was born" he commented with a bit of melancholy in his eyes.
"Where is she, by the way?" asked Sarabi, raising a bit her head.
"She got married last month and left the pride" answered her mother. After a sad sigh, she added: "I still can't believe she's not living with us anymore"
"Hey, she'll be alright, Mchumba. Remember she chose a very good lion. He helped her every time she started daydreaming" said Leo with a small laugh.
Sarabi imitated him: "Yes, Mawa was just like that. Uzuri couldn't come either?" she asked then pinning her ears.
"You know Uzuri left a year after you decided to live here, honey…" answered the old lioness. "She visits us sometimes, but we haven't known from her in the last months" she said, also showing a bit of sorrow.
"Oh, come on, Mum, don't show me that face… I'm sure she's alright" Sarabi reassured her, nuzzling her.
"Our daughter is right. We should be glad Uzuri chose such a nice lion who takes care of her the way he does. With all the lions she always had interested in her, it's a miracle she made a right choice" said Leo, nodding at the end, proud of his daughter.
"Uzuri always was very popular among lions" commented Mchumba with melancholy in her voice. "But even if they had found wonderful mates, I can't stop feeling the emptiness a mother's heart feels in these situations" she explained shaking her head a bit sad.
"Well, we still have Akili" said Leo.
Sarabi raised her ears at the mention of that name: "Oh… Is she still living with you?" she asked carefully.
"Yes" both lions said.
"And she couldn't come?" asked the Queen, her expression more serious as the seconds passed by.
"Oh, Heavens…" muttered Zazu, passing one wing on his face. "Now, everything is messed up!"
"Oh, well, see… She… She told us she would take care of the pride in our absence" said Mchumba, with a nervous giggle at the end.
"Hum…" said Sarabi, narrowing her eyes.
"She's the oldest, honey, and the only one of you four who hasn't found a mate yet. So, that means she will be in charge of the pride when your father and I… Well…" said the lioness a bit uneasy.
"When we retire" said Leo with a smile. "And what a wonderful time that would be… Spending my time in doing nothing more than sleep and sunbathe"
"You already do that…" said Mchumba with a boring expression.
Sarabi laughed at that and looked at her mate. An uncomfortable expression was shown in his face. At first, she thought it was because of the mention of her sister, but seeing further, she could see there was something more. The King felt his mate's glare on him, and when both pair of eyes were glued to each other, the golden lion gave a wee smile. One that would show her he was feeling fine, but Sarabi, knowing him as she did, didn't believe him.
"Mufasa, dear, congratulations" said Mchumba now getting closer to her son-in-law. "He's such a beautiful boy" she added, taking a bow.
"Yes, I was starting to think I wouldn't live enough for see at least one grandcub" said Leo with a laugh. Mchumba looked at him with a frown, and hit him with one paw. "Ow, my ribs!" he complained under his breath.
Mufasa bowed his head in sign of respect in front of his in-laws: "Leo, Mchumba… It's good to see you came" he commented with a forced smile.
"Again, it was a pleasure" said Mchumba, smiling at him with sweetness. However, when she looked at him more carefully, she added: "Is everything alright, Mufasa?"
"Yes, yes… Just…" the King looked behind his backs. Nobody was there. He sighed: "I just… remembered I had an important thing to do" he made up.
"Well, try to remember that nothing is more important than a child" said Leo all of a sudden. "You had a male cub. He will need a masculine presence. Without a masculine presence in the cubhood of a male, the little one would become a effeminate" he turned around to go back to see his grandson.
"Don't listen to his advices, Mufasa" said Mchumba in a whisper.
"Oh, this mane of mine is a total disaster!" they heard him say in exasperation. Looking at Leo, they saw him fighting with one lock that fell upon one of his eyes. "Is it perfect now? Is my mane perfect now? I need a puddle. A puddle I said. Something where I can see my reflection!" he complained aloud.
Simba began to complain in his mother's arms, crying a bit: "Dad, you just woke up the cub!" said Sarabi with a frown.
"To the hell with the cub, my mane is a mess!" said Leo angry.
"See what I told you?" asked Mchumba, bored.
Mufasa laughed a bit: "Be patient with him, Mchumba" he said, before turning around and descend his home.
The lion looked up, seeing Zazu was nowhere to be found. He thought maybe the hornbill went to look for his brother. A frown adorned his features.
"Maybe he's just late… Truly late… Or maybe I didn't see him with so many animals… I didn't see Mchumba and Leo" he started to say to himself, in an attempt to find an explanation of why his brother would have missed the ceremony.
Mufasa let out a sigh of pure exhaustion. His brother and him once were the best of friends, and now they were like strangers. They barely talk. The King sometimes tried, others he just saw it was useless and decided to let it go, to focus on his own problems. Those last three months, he hadn't seen his brother, to be honest he hadn't remembered him with all the problems he had during the pregnancy of his mate. Sarabi became more anxious and worried over things he hadn't thought about, and that made him to be in a state of pure nervousness.
Last night, while his mate was giving birth to their cub, Mufasa and his brother spent time together again. It didn't last too much, just a little chat in which the other lion gave his brother the name his son would carry the rest of his life. He knew it was a tradition that the King was the one to chose the name – more than a tradition, it was part of the law – not even the Queen or any other subject could name the heir, no matter how closed they were to the King. Mufasa made sure he obey the laws of his family, always, but that time he decided to do an exception. Besides, he liked the name. And he knew his brother had inherited the ability to chose names their mother had possessed in life.
"Your majesty"
Mufasa raised his head, finding a brawny lion in front of him. With a yellow pelt and dark brown mane, he stood there, looking at the King with his black eyes, inspecting him up and down. At his side there was a slim lioness with grey eyes, more kind in appearance than her mate. In contrast of the two lions' pelts, she had a light brown pelt that from time to time, reminded the King of his mother. And that made Mufasa felt calmer.
"Kali, Fedha" he said, and the mentioned ones bowed their heads in respect.
"We'd like to congratulate you for the birth of your son, your Highness" said the lioness with a sweet and fragile voice.
"You're very kind" said the King, showing her a tender smile.
"We were starting to worry" commented the lion with his tone of baritone voice. "As it passed so much time since you ascend the throne…"
Mufasa pressed his lips at that. It was true. He was aware of that kind of thoughts in some of his subjects. It was common that, after the prince was crowned as king, this would have a heir. But in his case it was very different. It had to pass a few years until he and Sarabi decided to have a cub. He didn't have to give any explanations, he never felt comfortable with that, but he didn't want problems with Kali.
"I…" he began to say, taking one step closer.
"But, of course, I can't blame you" interrupted the lion. "It had to be very difficult to take care of a kingdom when you are not given enough lessons"
The King went backwards after hearing that. He tried very hard to not show his discomfort, and also how much his heart hurt with that comment. But, unfortunately for him, he wasn't good at concealing his emotions.
"Such a terrible tragedy…" kept saying Kali, now shaking his head.
"Yes, it was. But those things sometimes happen. There was nothing any of us could do" said Mufasa, stoic as always.
"Indeed" said the lion. Then, a small smile appeared on his face. "It was nice to see you after a long time, Mufasa"
"Same, Kali" said the King, forcing a smile for the second time that day.
The three lions bowed their heads in sign of farewell, and when the couple turned around, Mufasa let himself exhale slowly, in an attempt to calm himself down. It was useless, though, as Kali stopped and turned his head all of a sudden.
"Oh, and Mufasa… Say hello to that brother of yours on my behalf… I haven't seen him in the whole presentation. But of course that may be because I didn't look very well, and with all the animals that were there… I doubt the brother of the King had missed his nephew's presentation" he said, with a sarcasm so well masked in fake concern that it was pretty difficult to notice it, but Mufasa did. He could even saw the wee smile that lion had on his face.
And without waiting for a reply, he kept walking. Mufasa tensed up at that and buried his claws in the dirt, trying to contain himself. He saw Fedha getting closer to him, a bit more shy than before.
"Congratulations again, your Highness" she said, before went running to her mate side.
Mufasa watched both of them go, with his blood boiling inside his veins. He began to walk once again when both lions were far away from him, with heavy steps and gritting his teeth. He couldn't think in anything that could calm him down. He didn't have reasons to, anyway. This day, what was supposed to be the most special and happy for a King became a bitter experience. And he was going to let the guilty of all that know. Better be prepared with a good excuse, Scar.
So, finally here it is... I saw lots of you were waiting for this to be better than the original, and I will try to do it that way.
Undergrowth: The Jungle Book wasn't a part of my childhood, actually. I just watched the second one a few times because they passed it in the TV, so I didn't care too much a Shere Khan as a child. He scared the hell outta me when I was little, I have to admit it... XD! About the fight... I don't know who will win in real life... As both are Disney characters, and good guys always win in Disney, I think it would be Mufasa... But on my mind, I don't know why, something tells me Shere Khan would win. I mean... He's such a bad guy, for sure he has a few tricks and wouldn't play fair, but he couldn't care less, while Mufasa would be fair in the battle, and that would be a mistake on his part with that tiger...
FeatherSunfire: Aw, thank you a lot!
Kingacar4: Thank you! Who do you think he was? =3
All Hail King Scar: Already thought about that, don't worry ^^ Thanks for your support!
Fluffy Dream: Thank you for taking your time to reading it!
Underbush: Yeah, that was something that always called my attention. I never thought Scar was weak, just that he liked the mental battles more, but he surely knows how to defend himself. I doubt he would win Mufasa, but he had Simba knocked down LOL
Ass Face 21: Thanks for the support! If I tell you, where will the suspense be? But I'm interesting in hearing theories if you have any =)
Handy-Dandy: I adore fics that talked about Mufasa and Scar relationship. That's why I started to write this, and I'm glad you liked it that much. Hope this remake is at the height of it... The Jungle Book wasn't part of my childhood. I watched the first one the other day, and I must admit it was good (I didn't like the ending, though XD). I must say even as an adult Shere Khan scared me, hells! He's so scary! I can see why they inspired in him to make Scar! They have some similarities! And I loved Bagheera! (Funny thing: I thought he was the bad guy when I saw the cover of the film when I was little LOL). I doubt I ever make a fanfic of the film, but now it has a special place in my heart, that for sure. If it makes you feel better, I was basing the villain in this story in Shere Khan, because I love his diplomacy =)
My Ass: I hope it is. I'll try my best! Thank you!
BobCat Bob: Well, after watching the Jungle Book I must admit I fell in love with Bagheera, such a sweetheart! I looked for information to see if panthers live in Africa, and I saw they do! And I already have a place for it in this story, so there will be one =) And thanks for that wonderful information!
Sursum corda!