Chapter 7
Nala's point of view
"Oh, no…this is all my fault, I'm so sorry" I said looking at the injured lion before me
"I'm fine, this is nothing" he said covering the wound with his paw
"Let me take a look at it" I told him and shook his head
"No need to" he said backing away from me "It's just a scratch"
"that's a lot of blood for just a scratch" I said walking towards him and raising my paw to remove his from his shoulder, that dirty paw on an open wound is a recipe for infection and it was making me anxious
"That won't be necessary" he said dodging away from reach and standing behind a tree, yes, a grown lion trying to hide himself behind a tiny tree, this guy is impossible but I know how to handle impossible, I helped raise Ava and Asha
"Simba…" I began using the same warning tone I use with the girls
"I'm sorry Nala, I just don't want you to touch me" he said and I frowned "I mean, I do want you to touch me, just not my wound" he blurted and I raised an eyebrow at him "I-I mean...I don't um" he mumbled before he sighed "it just hurts, okay?"
"That's why you should let me have a look, if it's a serious wound, I'm going to have to treat it so it doesn't get infected" I told him but he still seemed unconvinced "what?" I asked
"Are you going to use the same herbs Rafiki uses? Cause those stings pretty bad" he said and I rolled my eyes
"But they prevent infection and help with the healing process" I told him "besides that way it won't leave a scar"
"Fine…" he sighed finally removing his paw and allowing me to have a closer look "is it bad?" he asked and I chuckled
"you'll live" I answered and he sighed relieved, thinking I would leave him alone "but I'm still going to disinfect it just to be sure, come on, let's find those herbs" I said gesturing for him to follow me, I heard him sighing loudly before we made our way back to the pond where I gathered everything I needed, including my mother's medicine "okay, this is going to sting a little-" I began before applying the mix of herbs to his wound
"A little? More like a lot" he scoffed and I rolled my eyes yet again
"Who would've thought a massive and apparently fearless lion like yourself would be scared by something like this" I said with a chuckle "Asha and Ava would be teasing you so bad right now"
"First of all, I'm not massive, I'm average but my mane makes me look a lot bigger" he said matter-of-factly and I laughed "second, please don't tell Asha and Ava"
"I won't if you let treat your wound once and for all" I said with a smirk and he nodded closing his eyes, bracing himself "just breathe and think about something else" I told him as I applied it
"Where did you learn to fight like that?" he asked in obvious pain
"like what?" I asked with my paw still on his shoulder
"Back there, that you were amazing! Where did you learn?" he said opening his eyes
"Well..." I chuckled and shrugged "my daddy taught me, he wanted me to be able to defend myself"
"He taught you well" he complimented and I sighed
"Yeah right" I scoffed "if it wasn't for you, those lions would've…I-I don't even want to think about it" I shuddered, I knew I was in trouble when I saw those two lions but I also knew I had to keep them away from my family, whatever they wanted to do, they could do to me as long as my family is safe but I was grateful Simba showed up when he did "You know how lions are. They think "No" means "Yes" and "Get lost" means "Take me. I'm yours." I said bitterly remembering all the other males I've met before
"Not all lions…" he said lowly and I guess he's right… he at least seems different "though I do know a guy like that" he said with a small smile
"You do?" I asked
"yeah, my cousin Tojo, one day a lioness will slap him like you slapped that guy and it be well deserved" he said and I laughed
"How come you didn't take after him?" I asked and he shrugged
"I guess we were raised differently" he told me "my parents were both very strict but his mother always gave him more freedom"
"That does shape you" I said and he nodded "my parents were stricter with me than they were with Nia and it's even worse with Asha and Ava because they're the babies of the family"
"Yeah, well those babies got pretty good at swimming today" he told me and I smiled looking at his expression, he seemed so proud and as happy to teach them as they were to learn and it was all so pure and genuine "after just one lesson"
"You must be a great teacher" I said
"Or maybe they're great students" he shrugged with a smile
"Or maybe it's both" I said mimicking his shrug and he laughed "they really like you..." I said rather seriously, the twins were usually shy and guarded around anyone outside the family especially after daddy died, but I guess they made a special connection with Simba
"And I like them" he said and I could tell he meant it "They're lovely girls"
"They'll miss you when you're gone…" I said lowly and sighed before looking into his scarlet eyes "Simba, since you got here you've done so much for us and I-"
"Well, well, well..." Niani's voice called and we both turned our heads in her direction "look at you two" she said with a smirk and I looked down at my paw and noticed it was still on Simba's shoulder, not to mention how close to each other we were sitting, I immediately removed my paw and looked away "If you wanted to spend time together you could've told us instead of having everyone worried back home" she said and I rolled my eyes
"I ran into rogues and Simba helped me run them off" I said to her
"Yeah and I got hurt, so your sister was treating my wound-" Simba tried to explain but Nia interrupted
"Don't worry she'll heal then with the power of love" she teased and I groaned
"Let's just go home" I said picking up the herbs and walking past them to head back home.
Simba's point of view
That night I lay awake on my cave, sleep just wasn't coming to me tonight, my injured shoulder happened to be on the side I usually sleep on, I sighed and stood up to drink some water but stopped when I heard voices outside, it sounded like Nala and Sarafina and they were arguing
"We might have to consider leaving this place" Sarafina sighed
"What? No, we're not leaving" Nala said
"We have to, Nala" her mother told her "This place is not the safe haven it once was"
"Mamma you're overreacting" her daughter said "it just two rogues and we got rid of them, they won't be bothering us anymore"
"You were just lucky Simba was there to help you" Sarafina said "if he wasn't you would've been in serious trouble, I'm serious about this Nala, leaving might be our only option"
"This is the home daddy chose for us, we're not leaving" Nala told her
"You're as stubborn as he is! He refused to leave this place and you saw what happened to him" Sarafina said raising her voice and the two remained silent before Sarafina spoke once again, now in a more gentle tone "sweetheart I just don't want anything to happen to you or your sisters…"
"I know mamma…" Nala said barely above a whisper "and I don't want anything to happen to you or them either"
"Thank you for understanding, dear" Sarafina said before yawning "why don't we get some sleep? It's been a long day"
"Yeah… I'll be there in a minute; I just want to get some water" Nala told her mother, I hesitated for a moment but eventually decided to follow after her, I found her sitting by the stream facing away from me
"Nala?" I called and she whipped away her tears before facing me
"Hey, Simba…" she said pretending to be okay "is your shoulder feeling better?"
"Yes, those herbs really worked their magic" I said giving her a small smile but she only nodded
"Why aren't you asleep?" she asked
"I-I um... I couldn't sleep and I overheard you and your mother talking so wanted to check on you" I confessed, and later realized that this might be a huge mistake because I'm practically admitting I was spying on her, but at the moment I didn't care, I was worried and I wanted to be there for her
"My father was killed by rogues a couple of months ago... he was the one that protected us and our home" she said looking at the water "without him here we're an easy target for rogues looking to take over our territory" she explained now looking up at me, I saw despair in her eyes and I completely understood now why she reacted the way she did when we first met, every male lion beside her father she has come across, has posed a threat to her family and she's just doing her best to protect them
"I promised my daddy I would take care of my mother and watch out for my sisters but I don't know what we're going to do or how long I can keep my family safe with so many rogues around" she spoke with a trembling voice "I've failed him, I can't protect them, I can't even protect myself" she said looking down at the ground
"But that's exactly what you did today" I said softly "you protected yourself and your family"
"With your help" she remained me
"Needing a little help doesn't mean you've failed" I told her and she sighed
"I won't have your help forever" she said looking down at her paws
"But you have it now" I said and she sighed
"And if it's alright with you and your family, I'll stay here for a while at least until you figure something out"
"But, what about your trip? You said you wanted to see what was out there and I'm sure there are far more interesting things out there than us..." she told me and I placed my paw under her chin to get her to look at me
"I got here following a star, there's a reason it lead me here" I told her very seriously "and I believe you and your family are it, I'm staying Nala it's meant to be" she was quiet for a moment before she wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug, I enjoyed every second of it until I was released from her hold
"Thank you" she smiled sweetly with the moon reflected on her perfect orbs, I don't just like this lioness anymore, I care for her deeply. This wasn't about me getting my perfect mate anymore because even if she doesn't return my feelings, what I feel for her is not conditioned by that, I just know that I'll do anything to help her and her family, anything.