Disclaimer- Obviously I do not own The Lion King, or any of the movie's characters. However, Etari, Tenabi and Soma are my own characters so please ask before using them.
Ch. 1- In the soft dark of night
We are measured against the greats of the past
By their achievements—not their falls
And every one that surpasses the last
Gives us a longer road to walk
"He's a perfect little cub Tenabi, you should be proud of yourself.."
"Are you sure?" the young lioness asked anxiously, "He's so small…"
"He's a cub dear" laughed the other gently as she rubbed her head against her young companions anxious face before continuing. "He'll grow big soon enough, trust me."
"It's just the other cubs are all weeks older than him and so much bigger," Tenabi voiced nervously.
"With a feisty little nature like that I think he'll hold his own just fine," came the reply as the newborn cub swatted at his mothers' nose fiercely.
"Maybe," replied the new mother, a smile brightening her face. As she smiled lovingly at her new son, the older lioness, feeling her job done, turned and began padding back to her bed.
The words, "Thank you Sarafina," interrupted her quiet departure, and the creamy colored lioness glanced back over her shoulder. Tenabis' green eyes spoke her gratitude far better than the simple words, and the newborn cub curled between her front paws was well worth all of Sarafina's lost sleep.
"It was no trouble Tenabi." She answered truthfully. "Have you chosen a name for him yet?"
"No, not yet." Tenabi's eyes flickered back to her yawning cub and were so lost staring at him that she never saw Sarafina leave. Tenabi's eyes devoured the beautiful sight of her new cub, from his dusty cream pelt to his black tipped tail.
"You're beautiful little one," she whispered, nuzzling him gently. "My little boy." The words tasted sweet on her tongue and the first time mother could not take her eyes off the cub as he drifted into dreamland.
"My little boy," Tenabi repeated as an idea whispered across her mind. "My little Etari," she whispered into the cubs' ear as she settled down in the soft darkness of the night. "Etari…"