A/N:
Chu10: To all of the reviewers from last chapter, thank you very much for your take and support on the story! Emerald dreamer96 has really worked quite a lot on this chapter while I was busy, so you guys have him to thank for a good portion of this chapter. Definitely enjoying the composing with him, and here's where the story starts to deviate just a little from the main storyline. Enjoy!
Emerald dreamer96: Well first of thanks to all the reviewers and also to everyone who's just read the story so far. I hope you're enjoying it and will continue to do so. This chapter contains a slight drop of change that will have some pretty huge ripples, hence the name. Chu10 as always was a pleasure to work with, some stuff came up for her but she still managed to really make this chapter work well.
The King ambled along with a relaxed air, enjoying the warm feel of the lush green savannah grass on his paws and the gentle cooling breeze ruffling his mane, working nicely with the golden sun now approaching the height of its arc for the day. He had always loved patrolling the borders and walking amongst his subjects. On a day like today, it was made all the sweeter by the birth of a beautiful healthy cub, and he truly felt blessed. He dedicated a few moments to a silent prayer of thanks to the Great Kings of the Past for entrusting him with such a perfect life and such an important duty. He only hoped he proved worthy of their favour and could be the King these noble and ancient lands deserved.
His happy reflections were interrupted by an excited shout.
"Oh look, it's King Mufasa!"
A small coalition of cheetahs stood at a distance, happily greeting their King, nodding their heads in polite gestures to Mufasa, who was on his morning rounds of patrol. Smiling warmly, Mufasa walked up to them, his loyal majordomo perched on his shoulder.
"Thank you very much for attending the presentation today," he started, and went on to greet each of the cheetahs personally by name, causing the younger cheetahs to giggle with excitement and the adults to beam with pride.
He heard a fluttering sound behind him and turned in time to see a bird landing with practiced and natural grace.
"Ah Your Majesty, I'm sure your son will grow up to be just as handsome as you!" A secretary bird spread its wings out, bowing gracefully, its crown gently bobbing.
Mufasa's smile got wider - it was his first son, and having a subject speak highly of the cub made him swell with pride. Soon, there was a small gathering of a variety of animals around them, singing their praise for the King and his new born son. Zazu laughed, and turned to speak into Mufasa's ear.
"Your Majesty, you have no shortage of fans!"
"Fans?" Mufasa's brow raised in surprise. "Not fans, Zazu, they're my wonderful subjects - but more importantly, my friends."
"But Sire, it can never hurt to have more fanfare on your side," Zazu said in a sing-song King laughed amusedly at his majordomo.
A young elephant, who had been watching the exchange, stepped up shyly to the King, his head tilted to the ground and his little trunk curled up under his jaw. His mother, who stood behind him, gently nudged him with her trunk and encouraged him to step forward.
"Your Majesty?" The little elephant mumbled softly, not meeting Mufasa's eyes.
Both Zazu and Mufasa turned to the calf curiously.
"Yes, Kubwa, child?" Mufasa asked, his voice deep, yet not the fierce sounding King that the young elephant had thought it would be. The King even remembered his name, and that coupled with the approachable aura encouraged him to lift up his head, showing a sheepish smile, the corner of his eyes arching.
"I really like the new cub, he's very cute," Kubwa said, fiddling with his feet. The praise was shyly and softly delivered, but very sincere. "May I know if he has a name yet?"
"I'd really like his name to be...Simba," Mufasa said thoughtfully, "but I may have to discuss it with Sarabi first."
"Simba is a perfectly nice name for the young prince!" Someone in the crowd chirped, and the animals voiced their agreement.
"Well said, Sire!" Zazu echoed.
The atmosphere that morning was filled with such good cheer and warmth that King Mufasa could not wait to get home after his patrol and share his happiness with his wife and his son. The name played over in his head. Simba. Simba would make a very good name for my son, he thought, my son would grow to be a brave, noble lion, just like his namesake.
Rafiki was a strange sight, standing on one leg under his tree with his staff and tail at right angles to each other away from his body. He eyes were closed adding to the serene look of his face, with a sudden sharp movement he whacked the tree besides him, although he struck with surprising force it was still remarkable that it managed to bring down so many leaves.
He casually watched them fall eyeing the patterns made by the breeze and their descent he snatched one apparently at random and put it in his mouth chewing gently. He spoke apparently to thin air.
"Hmm... a fine name indeed." He said pleasantly.
Without another word the Mandrill set of towards Pride Rock for the second time that day, he should be there for the Kings arrival, after all names held power, they helped define a creature for their entire lives. The naming of a Prince was in his view as important if not more so than his presentation.
Just as names held power and defined a creature, Prince Scar, the bitter brother of Mufasa, fit his namesake like the stripes on a zebra. His old name was long forgotten and put behind him, replaced by the name that he thought fitted him more. That morning, he had been very annoyed by his brother. Didn't he have better things to do - like taking care of that hairball of his? Scar sighed, frustrated and feeling highly annoyed and angry at the thought that he might never be King. The hairball, he thought the word with contempt, was going to outlive him and become King before he even got a chance.
It was not fair at all, he thought. Absolutely unfair that he did not even have the advantage of age to compete with the Prince. When it came to the gene pool, he was in the shallow end indeed. He stalked through the grass in the Savannah, angrily treading onto each stalk on purpose. Today, even the grass was annoying him.
Maybe he should have gone and seen the brat, after all he had eventually promised to but in the end the thought of watching those idiot creatures practically worship the hairball that had removed any chance of him taking the throne was too much to stomach. His brother even had the gall to come and lecture him about it.
What was he supposed to be happy for the one who had stolen everything he had craved by virtue of being born? He didn't hate the cub particularly after all he hadn't even seen the brat and he could hardly blame him for just being born. No it was his stupid brother once again ruining his life all the while acting so royal and proper.
"A royal pain in the behind more like." Scar thought to himself, the thought brought an image of ramming Zazu somewhere painful to mind, Scar smiled at the idea.
"Taka!" A familiar voice called out.
Scar didn't even have to look up to know who it was, only one creature still called him by that name.
"Sarafina, I believe that this will be the thousandth time I have to remind you that my name is Scar." He complained but with less fire than if his idiot brother or one of those intolerable Lionesses had called him by that hated name.
"Oh Taka, I can never call you that with a straight face, it's just such a silly name. I mean Scar? Come on. Besides I think Taka sounds much nicer, don't you agree?" Sarafina laughed as she spoke and approached him.
"Obviously not, otherwise I wouldn't have chosen it." Scar retorted shortly.
"Don't always wear a frown on that face of yours Taka, it'll just make you look older and less charming," Sarafina shot back playfully, not the least bit affected by her friend's bad mood. Just today, the son of her best friend Sarabi had been born, and she was so excited to know that her own cub was due any day now. She was glowing, both with her pregnancy and her beauty.
"Oh Sarafina, you know how I simply love it when you talk to me like that," Scar replied, his smooth voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Don't be like that," his friend walked up to him, "how's the cub? Have you seen him? Such a little bundle of joy. And to believe I'll be a mother very soon!"
The very mention of the little nuisance sent Scar into his bad mood again. "Yes. Well, forgive me for not leaping for joy. Bad back, you know." He started to turn his back on her and stalk away, but Sarafina caught up with him.
"Wait! Before you leave...you're going for the celebration feast as well right? I mean, it is your nephew after all, and it'll make Sarabi and Mufasa very happy if you did."
"My dear Sarafina, it would take a mountain to stop me from celebrating the birth of my dear nephew." He stretched lazily. "Now if you excuse me, I must be on my way - the Savannah is too crowded for a lion like me, you see."
She watched him go with a smile, she missed the old playful Taka but she enjoyed spending time with him even with his sarcastic bitterness, she was hopeful that he'd find his peace one day. Who knew, maybe being an uncle could bring out the best in him again. Just then she felt a kick.
"Ooh, someone wants to get out soon, don't worry little guy, won't be long before you're the centre of attention." She said soothingly as her tail brushed her stomach.
Meanwhile, over the heads of the Pride Landers, flew the King's majordomo.
Flight. Freedom. Zazu loved flying, quite naturally what with being a bird and all but there was something more to it than that, he loved soaring high above everybody else, the thrill of catching a thermal to carry him higher the awe inspiring beauty of the world from above the... no wait, he needed to focus, Mufasa was counting on him. Him! Zazu! The thought of such a noble King having such faith in him filled him with a different kind of joy than flying did but it was no less for it.
A once over of the Pridelands just to make sure everything was as it should be. He had been charged with the task as Mufasa wanted to return home quickly. He had stopped by Pride rock in time to see Sarafina and Sarabi having a gentle stroll and talking to each other before once more taking to the air and flying directly to the waterhole that had been some time ago he needed to get a move on, next up the grasslands overlooking the Gorge.
He flew for several minutes using thermals to rise up high without exhausting himself, he also was fortunate enough to have a strong wind blowing in the direction he was heading further easing the trip.
The Gorge was ancient and awe inspiring, and with its rugged beauty and huge timeless cliff walls it was even more impressive from above, like a gigantic scar across the face of the land itself. He flew straight down the middle with the canyon walls on either side of him; it was the grasslands on the other end that interested him. He landed on an outcrop of rock and looked around. A few wildebeest loitered, but nothing special. He saw some dark shapes moving but on closer inspection he saw it was merely a few more wildebeest from a different herd.
He rested a bit before he took flight once again, this time heading towards the main hunting grounds to check on the herds, then he flew for some time enjoying the sun on the back of his wings. As he went to the Eastern border he noticed a dust cloud coming from a formation of hills, probably a rockslide he mused. He then headed towards the Northern border just to make sure it was clear as usual.
This time the flight was harder and he had to stop several times to rest and he had to take a slightly North-Westerly course to avoid flying against the wind and exhausting himself even so his wing muscles were starting to ache, his job involved a lot of movement, as Majordomo he had to always be ready for an errand or to fly to a distant corner of the Kingdom to catch up on the latest gossip but he was still pushing himself today, perhaps he could slow himself down and just enjoy the flight but he couldn't let the King down by slacking on the job.
He was so caught up in his internal musings that he almost didn't notice that he had eventually reached the Northern Border, all clear...for now. He briefly toyed with the idea of doing a few over flights of the Graveyard but he decided against the risk. He didn't want to land there and besides, he despised flying over such a wretched place, filled with the scent of death. There weren't even any decent thermals so it was difficult to fly over, until he would suddenly find a geyser throwing him slightly off course and buffeting him with scorching hot air. No, he decided, a quick scan from the Pride Lands side of the border would do.
He noticed a few hyenas emerging from the graveyard. He considered flying straight to Mufasa but then thought of a more elegant solution, he circled several times in front of them but maintained a safe distance, just letting them know that they were being observed. To his great satisfaction he saw them turn back probably not in the mood for a battle with the Lionesses. Zazu felt a surge of pride, he had personally deterred an invasion of his King's lands! He would need to tell Mufasa about this, he would have to do it gently, he didn't want to seem boastful or a suck up. No he just wanted Mufasa's approval; he would mention it in his report down playing it but leaving room for praise, he set off once more wishing to see out the rest of his duty quickly.
Mufasa and his entourage of well-wishers approached Pride rock, he felt obliged to warn them that the hunting party would be out later so they should probably scatter. They took it good naturedly enough; sometimes Mufasa pondered how the animals could have such respect for the Lions that killed so many of them. Mufasa enforced strict rules on what could be hunted and where it could be, and the Lionesses always made sure not to waste any meat. But still, killing another creature caused issues for Mufasa, his greatest fear was that he would one day cease to value life in all its glory. He knew that some Lionesses only thought of the other creatures as walking meals an attitude that he would need to stomp out of his new heir.
His new heir! He was a father, it still gave him a slight tingle whenever he thought of it, he found himself growing impatient to be home and see his family again even after a mere few hours.
He spotted a familiar Lioness walking towards Pride Rock, he called out and started approaching her. Sarafina looked up and even at this distance he knew she was smiling at him. He soon caught up with her, and she bowed gracefully before assuming a more casual but still respectful stance.
"Hello Fina my dear, what brings you out here by yourself?" Mufasa asked pleasantly.
"On a fine day like today, I just felt the need to wander, you know me." Sarafina replied.
"You always did love to explore as a cub." Mufasa recalled fondly, remembering several resulting adventures.
"I did, didn't I? Well if I didn't I wouldn't have found Ni so that's one cubbish habit that paid off." Sarafina replied in the same tone.
"Speaking of Ni, will I ever meet him?" Mufasa asked.
"Someday, he was a true rogue but he said he'd visit next time the wind blows him this way. He offered to come back with me but I knew that he'd hate every second, he just isn't the settling down type." Sarafina said, a touch of sadness entering her voice.
Mufasa felt slightly awkward so sought to change the subject to a happier one.
"I trust you will be attending the feast?" He asked.
"Of course! I won't be the only one."
"What do you mean?" Mufasa asked puzzled.
"I met Scar earlier, he said that he wouldn't miss the feast for anything, I think he just needed some time to get used to the idea of being an uncle."
Mufasa smiled, that was great news he'd have to thank his brother later, maybe he would even talk things out a bit. After all, they shouldn't be fighting so much, right?
"That's a relief." Mufasa said.
"Yes, well I'll be going to finish my stroll, Sarabi was with me earlier but Simba needed a feeding so she took him back to the den, go see your son again."
Mufasa needed no further instruction; he bid her goodbye and set off at once.
Sarabi sat in the warmth of the den, nursing her newborn cub. It was so tiny, so fragile, and it slept in her paws. Her every instinct was to be a protector and a mother to this new spark of life in this world. She couldn't wait for Mufasa, even if he was out for only a few hours, just so they could spend time together with this new bundle of joy. Licking the cub on the forehead, she looked down at his face and drank in every feature of his eyes and his snout. He takes after Mufasa's lovely golden pelt, she thought, a pelt fit for a King, and his strong jaw. It was definitely a handsome cub, and she was very proud to call it hers and Mufasa's son.
"Sarabi," came the voice of the lion in her thoughts from the den entrance. His silhouette stood as a strong shadow in contrast to the light that filtered softly in. The King, her mate, back from his busy morning.
"Shh, my love, it's sleeping," she whispered, smiling at Mufasa, who came forward to give his mate a warm nuzzle.
He laid down close beside Sarabi, looking to his new heir. The tingling feeling that he couldn't quite describe came to him once more, and he looked at the features of his son. He takes after his mother, he thought. He has her eyes and her beautiful nose, a handsome lion he will be. And he was proud to call it his and Sarabi's son.
