I.
6 months later...
"Go long!"
"Don't ya mean?" Simba jumped into the air and caught the turtle on a leap. "Go big!"
"Yes," Timon was deadpan as he stuffed another turtle in Pumbaa's snout, "Your mane's finally grown in. We got it the first seventeen times you told us!" He scurried up the low-hanging tree.
Simba grinned and shook out his small, shaggy mane. Not only had he begun growing his out red-brown locks in different places, his scrawny cub body had started to really become long and lean. He didn't quite have the muscles of a full grown lion yet but his growth was evident.
"I'll go long," the lion tried saying modestly. Timon eyed him crucially. "Okay, okay, I'll stop."
"No you won't."
"No I won't." Simba admitted with a secret smile.
Timon spit in his paws and rubbed them together.
"Uh, Timon, are you sure these aren't snapping turtles?"
"What?.!" The merekat put his paw to his ear and leaned down. "I can't hear you over the sound of Simba snapping." When the warthog let out a yelp Simba rushed over to help him.
"Here," he gingerly tried plucking the angry reptile away from the throbbing red snout.
"Simba," Timon was looking in the other direction.
"You might try helping, Timon." The lion said half-seriously, easing the beak-like mouth off.
"Who's your friend?"
Simba looked up and saw that a calm cheetah was approaching him. He could instantly tell that it was the one from before... but mostly, he could tell that she had a message to bring him. The lion pawed his way up to her, he was almost exactly her height now, and looked over his furry shoulder at his friends. They looked to each other and then to Simba, knowing what this meant.
"I think it's time we left, Pumbaa."
The warthog stole a glance at Simba in worry.
"I'll be fine," he assured his friend.
As the pair left Simba was suddenly aware just how much he wanted them there. He swallowed hard and turned back to the cat; she was already headed toward the bushes. Her aware orange eyes were the strangest thing to Simba as they were so unlike the way she should look at a lion.
They made it to a smaller clearing before she turned to speak to him.
"He made a promise with me." Her voice was as calm as her appearance. She moved around long and lean like Simba, which made him glance down at himself unsurely. "He would not eat me, but in exchange I had to do two things; show him my hunting grounds... and promise that I would watch you when I was not hunting." The cheetah stopped to face Simba; she was direct but didn't seem opposed to helping lions. "When I learned he was King Mufasa, I was floored."
Simba almost choked on a lump in his throat at his name, his title.
"As you understandably were." She stated.
He nodded.
"He asked me to watch you, he said that when the time came that I thought you were ready I should intercede." Simba didn't ask her how she had kept her scent from his nose. "He had his own plans, I assume. He's never come back... but I've heard from different herds that something is brewing not far from the Pride Lands. Something you should be apart of, Prince Simba." The cheetah's head bowed. Simba looked away. "I'm not sure what's brewing, but I think it's time."
"How do you know my father is apart of this?" He met the cat's eyes.
"I don't," She said truthfully. "But I believe you're ready and I can take you to the exact place."
Simba knew there was only one choice to be made.
"Take me."
To be continued...
A/N: Patience will be rewarded. ^^
