Author's note: Hi everyone! I am soooo sorry that I took this long to update! Life for me has taken a few interesting turns ever since I moved into my apartment. The beginning of the fall semester didn't start out so well. My grandma passed away at the end of August at the age of 91 so I had a rough time for awhile. Believe it or not she was a very good writer. I think that's where I got my writing skills from, not just from her but from my Dad's mom too. Miss you terribly Grandma! On a more pleasant note, here is chapter 3 for Trials and Tribulations. This is officially considered the halfway mark in the story. Enjoy!
Ch 3; A Trial for a Prince
Simba woke up bright and early the next morning. The sun beat down on everything surrounding him, magnifying the jungle's beauty that much more. He got up and stretched his legs and cracked his back muscles. As Simba licked his chops he glanced at his shadow noticing how much it got over the years. He had grown significantly ever since Timon and Pumbaa found him in the desert a few years ago. Simba trotted his way to the waterfall and saw Pumbaa spreading out a palm leaf on the ground with a batch of snails all nestled in the center of it.
"Morning Pops!" Simba said loudly.
Pumbaa glanced over at him, "Hey Simba!"
Simba's stomach growled at the sight of the snails, he took one in his paw and slurped the slug greedily. "Ah, my favorite!" Simba said enthusiastically as he threw the shell aside and helped himself to another.
"They're my favorite too, but I don't think I could do a snail slurping contest against you," said Pumbaa as he slurped a couple of snails.
Simba chuckled, "Don't worry Pumbaa, I ain't gonna challenge ya," he said as he licked the slime from his lips.
"Where's Timon?"
Pumbaa went over to the mangrove tree to dig up more bugs and said "He got up early to head over to Gondolin Cave, he said he wanted to check something out over there."
"Did he say what he was looking for?" asked Simba.
"Well he wanted to make a change in what we ate."
"What do you mean by that Pumbaa?" Simba asked again as he slurped another snail.
"Well the rainforest where Gondolin Cave is has some pretty good fruits where they are not only good to eat, but the juice is super sweet to drink," Pumbaa said as he swallowed another mouthful of bugs.
Simba belched and then asked "Uh what's wrong with the fruit that we have here in the jungle?"
Pumbaa sighed and then said "Simba if there is one thing that I've learned that you can't reason with him once he gets his mind set on something. When that happens you can't convince him to change his mind."
Simba swallowed another slug and said "I guess there's not much we can do about that."
Pumbaa nodded in agreement "Until he gets back, let's find something to do to pass the time," he replied as he got up to stretch his muscles.
"Hey why don't we go sliding down the waterfall? I've always wanted to do that but Timon said I had to wait till I was bigger to ride the logs," said Simba.
"Sounds like fun, let's go!" Pumbaa said enthusiastically.
The duo made their way to the top of the waterfall and found a perfect spot for them to start their water game. Simba scanned the vicinity to make sure that the stream of water was the right length and that the current of the water was going at a steady speed. Thunk! A huge tree trunk fell at Simba's feet. He looked over and saw Pumbaa standing on the other side of the stream at the base of the log.
"It will be easier if we rode on one log!" he called across the stream. Simba nodded in agreement, Pumbaa stood on one end of the log while he waited for Simba to push the log into the water. It did not take long for the current to pick up speed. Simba quickly hopped on the log before it could go any faster. Both of the animals's hearts raced with excitement as they blasted their way down the stream. A few minutes later they were quickly approaching the edge of the waterfall. As the log went over, Simba shouted "Jump!"
They both leaped off the log and plummeted their way down below. Simba quickly tucked his back legs underneath him to avoid doing a belly flop. SPLASH! Both he and Pumbaa landed in the pool of water safely. Simba first broke to the surface gasping for air while Pumbaa swam up behind him.
"That was not what I was expecting to happen," he said as paddled alongside Simba.
"I was thinking the same thing," Simba replied as they both swam to the shore. Once they pulled themselves out of the water they both shook themselves dry. Pumbaa said "Let's do something that doesn't involve us getting wet,"
"Good idea, what did you have in mind?" asked Simba.
"Let's go bowling for buzzards!"
Simba looked at him curiously "It sounds like fun but what is it?" he asked.
Pumbaa's eyes lit up "Follow me!" he said enthusiastically.
Simba followed Pumbaa outside of the jungle and before they knew it, they were standing at the edge of the desert. As they gazed across the barren land, they spotted a group of buzzards flying above an unfortunate animal. Simba couldn't tell what animal it was off in the distance but he could tell that it was in distress.
"This is how Timon and I found you Simba," Pumbaa said happily.
"Really?" Simba asked curiously.
"So what do we do?"
Pumbaa came to his side and said "Just run Simba."
"Run until you've scared the feathers off of them."
Simba arched his back and very methodically brushed his paws back and forth. Then he took off running full throttle at the group of buzzards. It wasn't long before they scattered leaving a trail of feathers behind them.
"Get out of here!" Pumbaa shouted as he kicked a buzzard with his hooves.
"Beat it feather butt!" Simba shouted as he scratched a buzzard.
As they scattered a voice broke the excitement. "Thank you for saving me,"
Simba and Pumbaa turned around to come face to face with a younger looking warthog. Pumbaa's eyes widened, "Cousin Wilma?"
"Pumbaa?" the female warthog gasped in surprise.
"You know each other?" asked Simba.
Pumbaa turned to Simba "Sure do! Wilma is my mom's niece."
Wilma's eyes were still wide with shock "What are you doing out here Pumbaa?" she asked.
Pumbaa's eyes narrowed "I live in that jungle Wilma," he replied motioning his head back towards his lush filled home. "I have been living there for a few years,"
"I hope you haven't been fumigating the locals like you did with our family," said Wilma.
"Hey! I didn't do that on purpose you know," Pumbaa said angrily.
"It's something I can't control."
"Whatever," Wilma snapped at him.
"What were you doing out here anyways?" asked Simba.
Wilma looked at him "I have been trying to find different things for my family to eat, but I haven't had the best of luck," she replied.
"And I just barely managed to escape out of Gondolin Cave. That poor meerkat ain't gonna last with those pythons."
That immediately snapped Simba back to reality. "Wait a minute, meerkat?"
"Yes….A meerkat! You know those fuzballs that are known for digging tunnels?" Wilma said in a slow voice as if Simba was stupid.
"Lady I know what a meerkat is! What did this one look like?" Simba asked hastily.
"Okay okay! Sheesh! This one seemed scrawny and he had a high tone in his voice that really annoys just about everybody," Wilma said a bit surprised by Simba's reaction.
"That's Timon!" Pumbaa cried out anxiously.
"We have to go out there to find him," said Simba in a scared but strong tone.
"Okay if you think I'm going back out there you are out of your mind," Wilma said hastily as she turned in the opposite direction. Simba got ahead of her and blocked her path. Wilma stood back now nervous but watched Simba curiously as his pained look bore straight into her heart. "Please, if you're not going with us then at least tell us how to get to Gondolin Cave. This meerkat is a good friend of mine, he and your cousin are the reason I am alive. If they hadn't found me a few years ago, I would be dead. So I am begging you, help us." Simba said in a pleading voice.
Wilma stared at Simba hungry with curiosity. "You are probably the strangest lion I have ever met," she said casually.
She glanced back at Pumbaa who had the same sad look in his eyes. Wilma sighed "Fine but this is going to mean a long journey for the both of you."
"We'll survive," said Simba.
"Gondolin Cave is north of here, but it's east of the elephant graveyard. Once you are east of the graveyard, you will encounter another tropical jungle only the thing that you need to be aware about is the lack of visibility due to the amount of trees in there. It's incredibly thick with vegetation, from there just keep plodding through and you can't miss the cave."
Simba remembered where the elephant graveyard was and shuddered as old memories came flooding back to him. He shook them off and said "Let's go Pumbaa,"
Pumbaa did not dare object and came up beside him as they strolled passed Wilma.
"Pumbaa?"
He and Simba turned around to face her, "For whatever it's worth, be careful," she replied softly.
Pumbaa lightly smiled "You to Wilma, tell my mom I'm sorry for everything and I miss her," he said sincerely.
"I will," Wilma said as she trotted in the opposite direction.
As the duo continued their journey across the desert, a million thoughts were racing through Simba's mind. How would he be able to face the dangers of the jungle? Things were now different, right now a friend's life was at stake. There was no turning back. Just like Wilma had said, the jungle that was laid out in front of them was much thicker than their home jungle. The only thing that this jungle was lacking was luscious, bright colors and the smell of home.
Simba glanced around to make sure that nobody else was following them. Once he scanned the vicinity, Simba and Pumbaa proceeded their way through the jungle. The trees looked massive in size, and their old withered appearance gave the impression that the jungle had been there for quite some time. What posed an even greater threat to the duo was the jumble of the tree roots that looked large enough to ensnare anything that got too close to them. Fortunately for Pumbaa he was able to cut through some of them with his tusks.
"Simba how much further is it?" he whined.
Simba didn't respond right away, for a split second he thought he heard some twigs snapping in front of him.
"Simba?" Pumbaa asked impatiently.
"Shhh!" Simba hissed back.
Something was watching them behind the bushes. Simba growled softly and crouched down in a postion ready to pounce. His father taught him this many times before, unfortunately Zazu took many beatings when it came to the pouncing lessons. Simba got so low to the ground that his belly barely touched the dirt. He arched his back a little and waited patiently for the next sign of possible movement. Then, for a brief moment a breeze came through and it was strong enough to stir up some leaves. Simba instantly shot forward faster than the eye could follow and pounced on the animal that was following them. The animals rolled in the dirt and Simba came face to face with a female cheetah. He managed to pin her down underneath him.
"Who are you?!" he raged at her.
The cheetah struggled underneath him, "Please! I mean you know harm!" she choked out.
"No harm huh? You know that doesn't convince me everything's fine when someone is following us."
"I can help you! You're looking for a meerkat!" the cheetah cried out underneath Simba.
"Simba I believe her, let her up!" Pumbaa said loudly.
Simba looked at Pumbaa long and hard knowing that this was a huge risk that they were taking. But he swallowed nervously and got off of the cheetah.
"Ok explain yourself, how do you know where we're going?" asked Simba.
"I was out here hunting when I heard this loud commotion. I stopped at what I was doing and followed the racket to Gondolin Cave just in time to see the pythons drag a meerkrat into the cave. He was shouting "Simba and Pumbaa are gonna find me!" over and over again," said the cheetah.
"Do you know how to get there?" Simba asked desperately.
"Yes I do, I've been there many times in the past trying to find ways to kill them."
"Why?" asked Pumbaa.
"Because they killed my cubs over their fruit that they were trying to obtain for themselves," the cheetah replied sadly but her voice was filled with anger.
"Okay I keep hearing this 'fruit' that the majority of the animals keep bringing up. What's so special about it? Why can't they just hunt in the Pridelands?" asked Simba.
"Hunting has become quite difficult since the Pridelands have been destroyed."
Everything seemed to freeze when she said that. "What did you say?" Simba asked hoarsely.
The cheetah looked at him strangely "You don't know?" she asked.
"What do you mean the Pridelands have been destroyed?" Simba persisted.
The cheetah looked at him confused "You really don't have a clue do you?" she asked in a shocked voice.
Simba couldn't take it any longer "Lady answer the question! Tell me what's going on! What do you mean the Pridelands have been destroyed?!" he cried out in frustration.
The female cheetah jumped back in alarm "Ok I'm sorry boy. It's just ever since Mufasa died, King Scar sent his army of hyenas throughout the Pridelands destroying everything in its path. There is no food or water, the hunting parties are being overworked just to find food for themselves. That is why some of us are going the extra mile just to find anything plentiful for our clans," she said still surprised at Simba.
Hatred mounted through Simba like a blazing inferno. His home was on the verge of dying, and it was all due to Scar's lust for power. As tears flooded his eyes Pumbaa came to his side, "What's wrong Simba?" he asked in a concerned voice.
Simba looked at him with a pained look, "I think it's time I told you something I should've told you a long time ago," he said painfully.
For the next few minutes Simba told Pumbaa and the cheetah everything that happened leading up to his escape.
Pumbaa's eyes widened "You mean you're a prince?" he asked.
Simba nodded, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you Pumbaa. I was scared that my troubles would affect you and Timon. You didn't need to be caught in the middle of this. Now I am afraid Scar's destruction of the Pridelands has cost me my kingdom."
Pumbaa was still shocked "Gee Simba, this is a lot for me to take. I'm not sure how Timon's gonna react to this once we rescue him," he replied.
Simba nodded in agreement, "However this does not change anything between us," Pumbaa said confidently.
"I may not have sharp claws or teeth that can tear into meat, but I'm not going to abandon you Simba. You're my friend and friends stick together till the end,"
The young prince beamed with pride at his companion. "I will follow you sire," said the cheetah.
Simba turned to face her, as she prostrated herself before the heir of Pride Rock she said "I will keep your whereabouts a secret if you wish,"
"I would appreciate that, but can you help us rescue our friend?" asked Simba.
"Yes your majesty," the cheetah replied.
"What is your name?" Simba asked her.
"My name is Kagiso,"
"Lead the way Kagiso, you're the only one who knows your way around this jungle," Simba said respectfully.
"Yes sir," Kagiso said formally as she walked past the duo.
Simba and Pumbaa followed her closely while making sure that no one else was following them. A few more minutes went by and they finally made it to Gondolin Cave. All at once Kagiso suddenly stopped in her tracks, Simba immediately tensed up "What is it Kagiso?" he whispered.
"Sire I must warn you that there are three pythons in this cave. They are very cunning when they attack, so do not take them for granted," Kagiso whispered back to him.
As they traveled deeper into the darkened pit, the visibility became less and less with every passing second. The only thing that prevented the animals from colliding into anything was the fireflies that floated aimlessly into their path. Even though the microscopic orbs provided very little light for the animals, they floated in a direction to where Kagiso could easily lead the duo. A few minutes later, they turned a corner and came across an open area. Simba frantically looked around around and saw Timon in a bone like cage all curled up in a ball. The trio came to the imprisoned animal, "Hey Timon!" Simba whispered hastily.
Timon groaned softly, once he saw his companions his eyes doubled in size. "What took you guys so long?" he grumbled as he stood up.
"We were looking for you pal," Pumbaa whispered.
"Timon what happened?" Simba asked hurriedly.
"I thought it would be a good idea to try something different to eat. So I took it upon myself to see what other fruits was there available for us. But things got out of hand once I came here," Timon said as he managed to slide between the structure of his bone like prison.
"Yeah we figured that one out," Simba said sarcastically.
"You know now is not the time for a lecture," Timon snapped at him.
"Guys come on!" Pumbaa whispered sternly.
As the quartet turned around to leave, a stone came out of nowhere just barely missing Kagiso. Simba crouched down in attack mode with his teeth bared. An instant memory of the last conversation he had with his father came flooding back to him.
(Flashback)
"I'm only brave when I have to be," Mufasa told his son sternly.
Simba held his head in shame, all he wanted to do was to do something great to make his father proud of him. But instead his foolish behavior almost cost him and Nala's life. It killed Mufasa to see his only son like this, it scared him and Sarabi when Zazu told him where his son was. But now that he was safe, Mufasa needed to come up with the best way to discipline his son so that this incident wouldn't be repeated.
"Simba, being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble," Mufasa replied as he to fought the urge not to lose it.
(Present)
This time Simba didn't go looking for trouble, it found him. A low hiss broke the silence, "Well, well, looks like we have company brothers," said a voice.
Simba scanned his surroundings, then from the shadows a long body slithered out towards them. The first python was followed by two more close to his side. Both of their bodies were incredibly solid, Simba judged by their build that they ate pretty good sized prey on a daily basis.
"I must say my brothers this is quite the bonus," said the first python.
"What do you think Oni?"
Oni the second python slithered past his brother, "I don't know Tapiwa what do you think Nawvlee?"
Nawvlee stretched forward and said "It seems our fury friend thought he could escape us with some help of his own."
Simba growled softly and said "My friend means you no harm, he was foolish to come out here. Please let us pass and you will not see us again."
Timon swallowed nervously as he hid behind Simba "Yeah I'm sorry I tried to take some of your food pal. Just wanted to make changes in our meals. No hard feelings?" he asked timidly as he held out his paw.
Tapiwa hissed angrily at Timon and lunged for him. Kagiso immediately threw herself in between them and clawed at Tapiwa's face. He recoiled a little then straightened himself so he towered over the livid cheetah.
"Ah I remember you, the cheetah who couldn't keep her fuzballs in line," he said in an angry voice.
"We were hungry! Where else were we supposed to go now that the Pridelands have been destroyed?!" Kagiso shouted at him.
"So sorry but we look out for our own,"
"Besides they wouldn't listen when we told them to return the food that they stole. Do you think that there would be any food left in this jungle if we were sharing with others? Especially ones who were too weak to fight for their clans?" Oni asked disgustedly.
"Your cubs were so easy to kill. We made a nice meal out of them later," Nawvlee drawled.
Rage and hatred jolted through Kagiso "You'll pay for what you did to my cubs!" she seethed.
She was about to attack when Simba said "No Kagiso!"
"They killed my children sire!"
All three of the pythons looked at one another, "Sire?" Oni asked.
"Remember what you promised me Kagiso. Killing them won't bring your children back," Simba said sternly but passionately.
Kagiso would've taken great pleasure in tearing the monsters that killed her cubs and wouldn't think twice about it. But now the only heir to Pride Rock made her remember that it was important that she keep the promise that she made if Pride Rock had any chance of being restored. That meant that Kagiso had to put her thoughts of vengeance aside. "I will do what you have asked your highness," she said strongly.
As Kagiso came back to Simba's side, she whispered "You better have a plan,"
Simba nodded then Tapiwa asked "Are you some Prince boy or has she lost her marbles?"
His brothers laughed as Simba found his courage and glared at him with such an intensity that Timon or Pumbaa had ever seen before. "No, she is telling the truth," Simba said calmly.
Tapiwa tilted his head curiously "You do resemble-" he started to say.
"King Mufasa?" Simba finished.
All of them nodded "I am Prince Simba, King Mufasa was my father,"
The python's eyes doubled in shock, Oni stammered "That can't be, we heard that the Prince perished with his father,"
"Is that what my uncle has been telling everyone?" Simba asked angrily.
Simba's heart raced as he took a moment to find the words to make his stand. "Now you see that King Scar was lying when he said I perished with my father. I am here to tell you now that nothing is going to bring me down. As long as I live and breathe, the Pridelands will have a better chance of surviving. Now seeing as how there are four of us against you. I'd say you're done for. But I'm offering you a choice, either you give us a portion of your fruit from this jungle and you'll never see us again. Or, if you want to do this the hard way, then you better be ready for the consequences later." Simba stated boldly.
Both of the animals were shocked by this lion's stance, but they were concerned that it wasn't enough to allow them to walk out of there alive. While the pythons were thinking this over, Simba cautiously backed away from them. He came next to Pumbaa because he had one plan in mind without causing any harm. Tapiwa's massive body slithered around the Prince and his companions.
"Boy you've got nerve! I like that!" Tapiwa said as he slithered back in front of the animals.
"But you're a fool if you think we're going to let you out of here," said Oni as he came next to his brother.
"We will let you make the first move though," said Tapiwa as he arched his body back to strike.
Simba swallowed nervously knowing that he had seconds to make his move, "I am sorry it's come to this," he said as he came near Pumbaa.
Timon who was standing on Pumbaa's back said in a low voice "If you have a plan Simba, now would be a good time to say something,"
Kagiso watched Simba intently as he said three simple words "Hold your breath,"
Timon looked at him confused "Hold my-" he started. Then, it dawned on him!
A look of horror appeared in his eyes and he quickly turned to Kagiso, "Lady do what he says!"
"Why do we-?" Kagiso started to ask.
"Just do it!" Timon said in a panicky voice, for he was the only one that knew what Simba was about to do. Pumbaa didn't have a chance to act when Simba said "Hey Pumbaa, spider!"
Pumbaa spun around quickly frantically looking for the 'spider', now Simba could act on his plan. He quickly tackled Pumbaa while the pythons looked on in confusion. "Simba, what the-?" Pumbaa asked in a terrified voice.
"Timon now!" Simba yelled.
Timon scrambled forward to them while holding his breath. He jumped on Pumbaa's back and pulled on his tail hard. Simba instantly held his breath as he watched the pungent fumes leave Pumbaa's rear end. The pythons sniffed the air and immediately recoiled in horror.
"Holy buzzards! What is that horrible smell?!" Tapiwa shrieked.
His brothers couldn't even answer him because they were too busy coughing. The smell of Pumbaa's gas got to be so overwhelming that all three of the pythons collapsed on the ground unconscious. Simba's eyes widened with amazement and horror as Timon coughed out "Run!"
The animals wasted no time and they bolted for the exit. Once they made it out of the cave the animals exhaled and started gasping for air.
"That was your plan?" Kagiso gasped out.
Simba nodded as she said "Nice job sire,"
The Prince smiled weakly and then said "Let's get out of here before they regain consciousness,"
"I was thinking the same thing," Timon wheezed as he climbed onto Pumbaa's back.
All of them raced out of the jungle without looking back. As nightfall fell across the land, Simba felt a sense of triumph as he ran alongside his friends. But the same time a sense of dread and failure came over him. The Pridelands was on the verge of dying due to Scar's destructive power, and here he was still having a good life with his friends. He was now scared about what his next move was going to be. Simba sighed with relief once he saw his jungle in sight. As they came to the entrance, Timon's voice broke the silence. "Ok now that we're still alive, would somebody please tell me why Simba never told us that he's royalty?" he asked impatiently.
This was the moment that Simba was dreading, "Timon I didn't think that something like this would come up where I needed to tell you," he said painfully.
"I was in a lot of trouble leading up to when you found me. My uncle was looking to kill me, all I was trying to do was to escape. Nothing else mattered to me, then when you and Pumbaa found me that's when everything changed. You saved me from dying out there in the desert. You gave me a chance to keep going guys, and for that I will be forever grateful to you. But now my home is dying because of that monster that killed my dad, and I'm scared about what my next move is going to be."
The anger in Timon seemed to die down, he had never dealt with anything like this before in his life. He dealt with many things in his travels with Pumbaa, but ever since they found Simba their lives have never been the same. Timon found himself growing attached to Simba in a semi parental sort of way. But he viewed Simba as a friend that perfected Hakuna Matata in so many ways. Timon sighed and said "Simba I'm not gonna deny that this is still a shock for me, but this doesn't change our friendship."
Simba sighed with relief as Timon continued "As I told Pumbaa a long time ago kid, friends stick together to the end,"
A smile slowly spread across Simba's face and he said "You two are all I have left guys. I don't want this same scenario to repeat itself again."
"It won't Simba, I promise," Timon said reassuringly.
Pumbaa's eyes got watery "Awwww you guys!" he said happily.
They glanced over at him and Simba laughed as big tears started dripping out of Pumbaa's eyes. "Get over hear ya big lug!" he cried out as he came up beside the warthog as he pulled him into a hug with his paw.
"Make room for the little guy!" Timon cried out as wriggled his way underneath Simba's paw.
After a few seconds they all separated, Simba turned to Kagiso "Thank you for what you've done for us," he said appreciatively.
"It was my pleasure sire," Kagiso said proudly.
"Without you we would've never found Timon," Pumbaa said happily.
Kagiso smiled and then Simba asked "What are you going to do now?"
"I think my clan will be wondering about my whereabouts. It's best that I return to them,"
"Why don't you take some food with you Kagiso? You are more than welcome to look around the jungle if you like," Simba offered.
Kagiso's eyes shone with immense gratitude "Oh sire, thank you!"
Simba felt good on the inside, the least he could do was offer something to her after what she had done to help rescue Timon. As they made it back to their familiar waterfall, Simba found Kagiso eating a fish at the water's edge. Timon and Pumbaa started to protest, "Let it go guys, she's hungry," Simba said softly.
As Kagiso finished eating Simba came to her side "Do you know if my mother is still alive?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes, Queen Sarabi is still living. She is the only one who has reached out to those in need, regardless of that monster's reign."
Simba knew who she was referring to when she said 'monster'. "Shall I tell her of your whereabouts sire?" Kagiso asked in a worried tone.
"No, do not breathe a word to anyone that I'm still alive. If Scar finds out that I survived, who knows what will happen to Pride Rock. I can't risk that," Simba said in a strong voice.
Kagiso nodded in complete understanding, "Kagiso you are more than welcome to hunt here whenever you need to. But you must swear not to tell anyone of my whereabouts and the last thing I ask is that you make sure that no harm will come upon my mother or my friends," he replied in a careful manner.
"Upon my honor your majesty," said Kagiso as she bowed before Simba.
"Until then goodbye and good luck my friend,"
"Likewise," Simba replied to her.
Then Kagiso took another fish from the water and she raced out of the jungle without looking back. By the time she left, Pumbaa and Timon had already gone to the mangrove tree to get some sleep. As Simba found a spot near the water's edge he gazed at the moonlit sky wondering if his father would be proud of him for what he did today. Deep down Simba knew that he couldn't do everything exactly like his father did, but he hoped that he could have the same wisdom to rule the Pridelands. As Simba pushed his thoughts aside, he extended his front legs and fell sound asleep.
Holy smokes! Writing this chapter was a bit frustrating! I know that I've been real slow in updating this but things have been pretty crazy for me right now. I have decided that it would be best to go at my own pace instead of giving myself a deadline to finish a chapter that I write. But this is a story that I intend to complete. Once again thank you for your patience, and I will let you know on when I'm going to upload the next chapter.
Take care guys!