Chapter 7
The months passed slowly since Jamine's trip to find Simba's pride, and since he had returned with nothing of what his Queen had asked of him. The rainy season had finally come to the Jungle, flooding the rivers and small surrounding groves, driving many of the animals to seek higher ground.
Lightning flashed above the treetops, rain pouring down from the clouds, soaking the plant life and every animal that could not find good enough shelter. The Rasheda pride, found themselves up to their legs in water from the over flowing river, the young cubs of the pride riding on their elders backs to avoid drowning.
Nine and ten month old Zuri and Simba clung to Zakia's and old lioness' back, both lionesses were struggling through the high waters. Mansa had long since given the order to move the pride to the higher caves in the cliff side when he took notice of how quickly the lagoon was overflowing from the amount of rainfall.
At the head of the pride was Mansa and Leta, Jaali clinging to his mothers back as the Queen climbed the rocks slowly. The rain making it near impossible to climb fast, and with her son on her back, Leta was not taking any chances in slipping.
"Mama, why is the water getting so high?" Zuri asked, since she was born she had yet to experience the rainy season that hit the Jungle. Sure it rained before. But the young cubs never have seen such rainfall and over flooding in their young lives before. Simba, who now donned a tuft of red mane atop his head, wrapped his paws tightly around the old lioness' neck to secure him self.
Zakia turned her head just enough to look at her daughter, "The rain has over flooded the river my darling. It'll soon pass do not fret my cub!" She licked her daughter's cheek. She looked ahead to her King and Queen; both were leading the pride, and were making slow progress as the rain began to get heavier.
The old lioness tried to keep her head up, her eyes squinted to see through the heavy rainfall, "Simba can you see up ahead? My eyes aren't what they use to be."
Simba raised his head from where he had it lowered, he himself could see very little through the rain. But he could see the rest of the lionesses begin to climb the cliff side at Mansa's orders, the royal family had reached the up most caves leaving it now for the rest of the pride to do the same. "They're beginning to climb!" he called over the hollering winds that were strong enough to throw off the old lionesses back. His eyes traveled to Zakia and Zuri, the two were far from them, and the older lionesses were going to be the first to make the climb now then followed by the others. Behind the elderly lionesses the young ones were nudging them with their heads to make sure they didn't slip and fall into the water or break anything.
Zakia was around the last of the pride to start climbing the cliff side, Zuri holding onto her mother with her paws as tight as she could. Zakia would look over her shoulder occasionally to see if her daughter was alright than continue making the climb once more, reaching up with a paw, her hind paws suddenly lost their grip on the slippery rocks below and she felt herself fall. Reaching up as fast as she could she grip onto the rocks above her, Zuri though had lost the grip she had on her mother slipped down her back with a small cry of fright as she fell only to grab a hold of her mothers tail in her mouth and dangled there.
Simba had just got to the top of the cliffs to the caves, jumping off the old lionesses back he turned to help her up into the cave by tugging on one of her paws when the cry had alerted the pride. Rushing to the mouth of the cave, he stared down at Zakia and Zuri who were dangling, Zuri's weight was holding her mother down from allowing the older lioness to climb back up. The exiled prince looked up when he saw Mansa jumped down from the cave and bounded down the rocks to get to the dangling two. Beside him were Leta and Jaali, the Queen was watching with wide worried eyes at her sister and niece. "Hold on!" she called down to them.
Mansa stopped on the rocks above Zakia and grabbed the back of her neck in his mouth and began to pull but the wind was making it harder for Zuri to hang onto her mother much longer. Losing her grip the cub fell crashing into the water below, "Zuri!?" Zakia shouted and was about to jump down when Mansa grabbed a hold of her. The King was about to go down and grab the cub when a golden blur past them both, disappearing quickly down the slippery rocks.
Jumping onto a large boulder that was yet fully submerged in the water, Simba reached out to Zuri who was padding at the water. "Grab my paw!"
Splitting water out of her mouth, the she-cub struggled to keep her head above the water as she swam; she reached out toward Simba's outstretched paw but made the mistake as her head was under water again.
Simba stood horror-struck as her head disappeared below the water, his eyes wide, as a vision of a stampede of Wildebeests flashed through his mind and the death of his father and he felt that his friends death would be his fault too if he didn't save her, turning his head which way and that he looked to see a sign of her when a paw reached out of the water, followed by a nose breathing for air.
Backing up a bit, Simba took a running start and dove into the water, padding over to where he saw Zuri clutching onto a rock to keep her head above the water. "Simba!" she called out when she noticed him swimming over to her, "I'm stuck!"
Reaching her while fighting the current of the water, Simba grasped onto the rock, poking his head under the water he grabbed hold of Zuri's leg in her mouth and kept tugging to get it lose of the brush she had got it stuck in. Growling he bit at the leaves and twigs snatching them getting her loose. Climbing onto the rock, he grabbed the back of her neck to keep her from going under the water again; there was only enough room for him to stand on the rock.
"We need to try and swim!" Simba mumbled as best as he could hold onto Zuri, "Grab onto my tail, I'll lead!" Letting go of Zuri he jumped back into the water. The brown cub quickly grabbed his tail in her mouth and paddling their paws through the water they began to fight the current as best they could together. When they got close to the cliffside, Mansa jumped down into the water and grabbed them both and dragged them up onto the rocks then carried them both to the top caves.
"Zuri! Simba!" Zakia hurried over once Mansa placed the cubs down, both were coughing up water. The lioness rubbed her head against both cubs checking to see if they were alright, "Oh Simba, thank you!" She licked the male cub on the head. Simba just grinned and sat up, shaking his head to get the water out of his ears, however he jumped when someone licked his cheek and he turned to find Zuri smiling at him.
"You saved me Simba, thank you!" the she-cub rubbed her head against his with a purr, Simba could feel the skin beneath his fur heat up. But he held his head high, "N...o…No problem!" he squeaked before clearing his throat. Closing his eyes he tried to rid himself of the vision that kept replaying in his mind, Zuri didn't fall because of him, but he didn't know why he felt that if he didn't save her it would be his fault if she died.
Shaking his body, Simba got rid of the excess water clinging to his fur and padded over to where Zakia lay with Zuri now curled up against her mother's stomach. The young prince laid down beside Zuri who laid her head on his back, he shivered when he felt Zakia laid her head across both cubs to give them warmth and her paw wrap around them both. As the pride rested from the long climb, Simba however remained awake, just taking in the heat that Zakia's furred body gave him. Curling up closer to Zakia and Zuri, the exiled prince closed his eyes to try and force sleep upon him.
Small rays of sun poked its rays through the blacken storm clouds, the rain had lasted the remaindered of five days but soon it had lessened, the rising waters slowed and soon stopped but it would be days before it would reside enough to be safe enough for the pride leave the upper caves.
"Moooooooom! I'm hungry!" the whine of a hungry cub echoed through the cave, Jaali, Simba and Zuri sat huddled together in the back of the cave. The rains and rising water had made it impossible for the pride to go out and hunt, and on the fifth day in the caves many were beginning to starve with no food minus the occasional mice that scurried through the caves.
Leta and Zakia looked up from where they had been resting, the two lionesses had tried their best to ignore the cub's whines, for they too were starving but making the best of the mice that they occasionally caught but the mice they managed to catch would often go to the cubs only eating when the cubs were resting.
"Jaali please try and be quiet, the waters will reside soon enough and when they do there will be plenty of foods to hunt and eat but you have to be patient!" Leta lectured giving her son a stern look.
Jaali's ears pressed against his head, slumping his body he grumbled and turned his back on his mother and toward his two friends. All three cubs' stomachs were rumbling, they hadn't caught any mice that morning and with an entire pride around it was impossible to always find mice that could be shared. And hunger was enough for other lions to turn greedy and keep the mice they caught to themselves, even with hungry cubs among them; the pride was use to losing cubs among tough times.
Lying down, Simba groaned when his stomach rumbled again. "Oaf!" he breathed out when Zuri flopped herself down across his back and stared off at the other lions in the cave. "Zuri you're too heavy!" he groaned.
Zuri turned her attention to him and shot him a glare, "I'm not that heavy!"
"You're not the one being laid on!" Pushing himself up onto his paws, Simba pushed her off his back. The she-cub rolled and crashed into the wall, jumping to her paws she glared toward the two male cubs that were laughing until they noticed the look she was shooting them, but both were grinning from ear to ear. Huffing, Zuri stomped her paws on the ground and marched over to her mother and aunt and curled herself up against her mother's side.
"What's her problem?" Jaali raised an eyebrow.
The exiled Prince shrugged his shoulders and shook his head to get the red tuft of mane out of his eyes, "Who knows, it's a lioness thing I guess." Stretching his body he heard some of his joints pop. "Ow!" Simba hollered when he felt a stone be chucked against his head. Rubbing his head he glared toward Zuri, who poked her head up over her mother and stuck her tongue at him then ducked it back down behind her mother.
Jaali's shoulder's shook with laughter, shaking his head he grinned "Boy Simba, you sure have a way with the females."
Growling, Simba shoved him with his paw, "Better then you I might say!" he scuffed.
Jaali just grinned like a baboon and rolled onto his paws, "You like her!"
Snapping his head back toward his friend's direction, Simba stared at him in shock, "Wh…what? I do not! She's just my friend!"
"Suuuuure!" Jaali laughed, jumping to his paws he started too chant. "Simba and Zuri sitting in a cave, N. U. Z. Z. L. I. N. G! First comes love, then comes mating then comes Simba…"
"Knock it off!" Simba growled pouncing at Jaali tackling him to the ground before he could utter another word. The lionesses in the cave raised their heads at the new source of the noise and looked toward the two wrestling cubs, Zuri herself watched them with a raised eyebrows. "Boys are so weird mama!"
Zakia chuckled and licked the top of her daughters head, "And you keep thinking that until you're old enough to mate!" she stated making her daughter look at her with a smile, "Okay mama!" Zuri giggled laying her head back down, resting them on her mothers paws as the others continued to watch the two young males brawl.
It wasn't long till Leta soon had enough of the two and the noise they were causing. She stood and padded over to the two and broke them apart with her paws. "Now that's enough you two! Quiet down before Mansa wakes up!" The Queen turned her head toward her sleeping mate, Mansa had been up the entire night before to watch the water to see if it would reside any time soon.
"He started it!" Jaali pointed it paw toward Simba who growled at him.
"No you did!"
"No. It was you. You pounced at me!"
"You were making fun of me!"
"I don't think saying you like my cousin is making fun of you!"
Leta's eyes flickered back between the two, sighing and with a shake of her head she lifted her paw and bopped them both on the heads. "Ow!" rubbing their heads with their paws they looked up toward the Queen, "What was that for?" demanded the two cubs.
"To get you two to be quiet and stop bickering like a mated pair!" Leta scolded the two however she couldn't help but resist laughing when the two cubs looked at one another sharing a look of disgust.
"Ewwwwwwwwwwww!"
Zuri who had heard what her aunt had told the two boys and snickered making the two look toward her, she smiled toward them both. "She's right you know!" she commented her body shook with silent laughter as they glared at her.
"Now its time for your bath young lion." Nudging her son with her head, she led him back to where she had been previously resting and had him laid in front of him and began bathing him.
"Mooooooom! Come on, you bathed me this morning!" Jaali clawed at the ground, fighting his way out of his moms hold but Leta kept a good hold on her son as she bathed him with her tongue.
Simba snickered and made his way over to Zakia and laid himself down beside Zuri who smiled at him, "Why were you two fighting in the first place?" she asked.
Feeling his skin heat up, grunted and he shook his head, "No reason…" he muttered turning his head away from Zuri.
The brownish cub tilted her head to the side and chuckled, "Aw it must have been something real embarrassing then!"
"You…you could say that…" Simba scuffed, laying his head down on his paws.
Smiling, Zuri sprawled herself over Simba's back and licked his cheek, "Don't let him get to you!" She yawned laying her head down on his as she closed her eyes to drift off to sleep again, hoping this time not to be disturbed.
Simba looked up and toward Jaali when he heard the Rasheda Prince making kissy faces toward his friend and cousin. Growling low, he glared at Jaali who just gave him a wide grin and laughed a little and the prince crawled onto his mother's back where he sprawled himself out to catch some sleep.
