Chapter 1: White Fire
Peace was something that Simba never took for granted, and today was like no other. The Pridelands had had an extended period of peace, almost a full year by the King's count. Things had been well for him and his family, his pride. As the brisk morning air combed through his mane, he ascended to the edge of Pride Rock to survey the land before him. He was young still and would rule these lands for many years. Nevertheless, thoughts of his daughter came to him from time to time. She and her mate, Kovu, would rule one day. They would make good rulers, there was no doubt about that. No, what bothered Simba was the prospect of danger. While he had personally dealt with his fair share in the past, his prince and princess had not. What's more, it was only a matter of time before they would come to expect a cub of their own, a cub that would be very vulnerable and require immense protection. Sometimes he ignored these thoughts. They were trivial, after all, the sheer size of Simba's pride was protection enough. He pushed the musings from his mind and descended from Pride Rock. He was the first to arise this morning, at the crack of dawn. His thirst was in need of quenching. The walk to the watering hole was nice. It gave him time to reflect on all that his home had been through. Fields of ash still scarred the landscape where a great fire had threatened to drive him and his family from their home. Though there had been signs of plant life not a year ago, there was none now. It would be a long time before the landscape was back to normal. As he neared the watering hole, he spotted Timon and Pumbaa, his good friends. They were as important to him as any lion in his pride. He would protect them with his life would the need arise. From their raised voices, it sounded like they were arguing. Simba halted at the edge of the pond.
"Ah, Simba! Perfect timing," Timon enthused. "We need you to settle something. What's your personal taste in bugs?"
"Bugs?" Simba asked, confused.
"Bugs, yeah. I keep telling Pumbaa that crunchy is the best."
"And I keep telling you that slimy is!" This would be an interesting conversation to say the least. Simba took a drink as his friends argued over their largely unpopular cuisine.
"Guys, you know I haven't eaten that stuff in years, right?"
"So, what? Doesn't mean you've lost your expertise, does it?" Timon asked, provoking a laugh from the lion.
"I think I'll leave this one to you," he told them. With that, he left for home, the passionate cries of 'Crunchy!' and 'Slimy!' still reaching his ears. As he returned to Pride Rock, he noticed that the rest had arisen. Nala stood proudly where her mate had done so minutes earlier. Simba climbed to meet her, nuzzling her affectionately.
"How's our home doing?" Nala asked, referring to the fields of ash more than anything else. She, in particular, had hoped the dead plants and trees would begin to grow back as soon as spring came around.
"As good as ever," Simba replied. Kiara approached from behind them, then. Simba's daughter had always been curious and she embraced her father this morning more out of inquisitiveness than anything else. She always wormed her way into conversations she had not initially been included in.
"Morning, daddy. Everything okay?"
"Fine, dear. How about you? Do you have any plans today?"
"I was actually going to walk to the edge of the Pridelands later," she told him. Were this earlier than a year ago, Simba would have never let his daughter stray so close to the Outlands. Now, however, there were no actual dangers that could threaten her. She was free to do as she wished.
"You know, you don't have to ask me, Kiara."
"Well, it wasn't that long ago I did have to ask," she replied cheekily.
"Funny." Zazu flew towards them then, flying gracefully to land at Simba's feet. Nala and Kiara left them to their business.
"Good morning, sire!" the hornbill exclaimed enthusiastically. He was in a rather good mood today.
"Here for the morning report?"
"As always, sire, as always. Nothing seems out of place, as usual. There's been no activity from the Outlands save for a small pack of hyenas that seem to be scavenging around the termite mounds. They don't appear to pose any danger or have any interest in entering the Pride Lands. Secondly, Rafiki tells me he wishes to see you as soon as possible. He has something he wants to discuss with you."
"Thank you, Zazu." As Simba prepared to leave, the hornbill continued speaking, much to the King's chagrin. The morning report was rather boring these days. Once Zazu was finished, Simba left Pride Rock to see his old friend Rafiki. The baboon was very wise, and a very good friend of the family. If he had something he wanted to discuss with Simba, it was either important or worth hearing. The baboon's home was not far and Rafiki dropped down from the enormous tree as soon as he saw his friend arrive.
"Simba! It's good to see you, my king!" He embraced his friend with a hug before trotting off in the opposite direction. "Come! I have something to show you." Eagerly, he led Simba to cave, the entrance of which was covered by overgrown vines and plant life. Rafiki peeled aside the foliage as he and Simba entered. Once inside, Simba noticed what it was his friend wanted to show him. The walls of the cave were covered in paintings and murals, all done by Rafiki, no doubt.
"Rafiki, this is amazing! Did you do this?"
"No one better, my king! It is a gift."
"A gift? What do you mean?"
"For the beautiful cub Kovu and Kiara will no doubt have one day. The walls of this cave tell the story of the Pridelands, the history of our home and everything it has been through. The good…and the bad." An image of a certain black-maned lion with a scar across his face caught Simba's eye. "I believe learning of what our home has seen will teach the youngling, help them grow into a strong, brave leader for the Pridelands!"
"It's a nice idea but is it…necessary?" Simba asked.
"Hah! Of course it is, where have you been, Simba?! Why do you think I included the image of your uncle? The hyenas?" Simba understood now. The image was not to show the future king or queen what their home had seen, it was to show them what they could become if they strayed too far from their path, as others had done in the past. The baboon placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I know it must pain you to look upon these walls, but this will be good. The future ruler of our home will want to know what his ancestors have done, what he must not do. We will help them grow…when it is time." Simba smiled then. It would be a good way of telling his grandson or daughter about the war that the land had seen in the past. Maybe it would give them perspective, make them think before their actions. It was a nice idea.
"Sire?! Sire, where are you?" Zazu's panicked voice was audible from inside the cave.
"In here, Zazu." The hornbill flew into the cave then and landed between Simba and Rafiki. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"There's an intruder, Sire. An unknown lion has entered the Pridelands!"
