Chapter 9: Cub Days
So close to ten chapters. Don't worry, there will be more than that. I plan to make this story a lot more chapters longer. And I made this chapter extra long, since we are currently at the first Lion King movie and going off from the plot. Let's see how it goes.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Lion King or any of its characters. I only own my OC's: Kira, Alani, Kilana, Kijivu, and Jasiri.
Thank you everyone who reads and/or reviews this story. It really means a lot to me.
Enjoy the chapter!
My little Simba takes his first steps outside the cave. His golden fur glistens in the sunshine through the tree leaves, while his amber eyes take in the world for the very first time. He puts one paw forward and then another.
Zira beside me sets Nuka and Kira by Simba. Kira tries to get to her feet as well. Simba pads over to his cousin and bops her on the nose. Kira sneezes and falls on her bum. Simba giggles and then does the same to Nuka. Nuka doesn't sneeze, but instead bops Simba's nose back, eliciting a giggle from both boys.
I chuckle as I watch my son, nephew and niece interact. I have a feeling that they're going to become the best of friends when they grow up. I hear footsteps coming up from behind me. I swivel my head to see Uru, Sarafina, and Taka, coming up with their cubs. Uru has a struggling Alani in her mouth. Sarafina has the baby male in her mouth while Taka is carrying Nala. I smile at them. Sarafina still waiting for her baby boy's first words, so she can name him. It was requested by Ni's last words to name him that and to name the girl Nala.
Sarafina smiles back and sets her son in her forelegs as she lays down beside me. Uru and Taka also set down their cubs and lay down near me, except that put Nala and Alani with Simba, Nuka and Kira, who pads over to meet their new playmates. They are soon all interacting with one another, touching the other ones noses, sniffing each other, nipping lightly at each others ears. They are so cute together. A mixture of gold, brown, red, orange and tan blobs on the sandy floor in the shade.
I turn to look at Sarafina. She smiles back at me while gently licking her son. His eyes are a sparkling, mint green, just like his mother's. Nala's eyes are more a bright green in color, just like her father, Ni. The unnamed boy's fur is a light blonde in color like Ni's, but not so dirtyish. His nose is the cutest pink nose I have ever seen, except for Simba's.
Rafiki came over to inspect the cubs after they were born. He said there was nothing wrong with them and that they were all healthy, but he said that due to the boy being born second, he may be at risk for sickness for the first year of his life. He said that it may be best for the boy to take it easy when playing with the other cubs his age and to make sure he got plenty of rest each night. So that is why he is in his mom's arms, receiving a bath.
The other cubs in the shade of the tree are giggling at a butterfly that has just flown into the resting place for the pride lionesses. It's wings are a mixture of yellows, oranges and reds, appearing like a flying wildfire. Its wings are streaked with black, making it appear like its transparent wings are made of stained glass. It softly lands on a lily growing here in the shade, daintily sipping its nectar.
The cubs all crawl to it on wobbly legs. Their paws and heads are still too large for their bodies, but that's what makes them even cuter. The butterfly flits up from its flower and gently floats on the breeze onto Alani's head. It must think that her scarlet marking on her face is another flower. Alani coos at it, before trying to bat it off her face. She misses and the butterfly heads out of the resting place, off to search for more nectar-filled flowers.
The cub then busied themselves again by pawing each other in what looked to be an early baby version of tag.
"Oh, how I wish my little baby boy could go down there and join them," Sarafina says beside me, still holding on to her baby boy.
"I know you do 'Fina. So do I, but we can't risk him getting sick and hurt so early on," Taka explains.
"We all want him to grow up big and strong, but we don't want him to be weak from the cruel and hard events of life during his baby stage," Uru explains. I marvel her wisdom. Her name means 'diamond' and, despite her growing frail body, her mind remains as sharp and bright as the rare gemstone she is named after. Her wisdom and guidance still remains to this day and we still go often to her for a piece of her knowledge to solve a dilemma.
"I know, but it is just not fair that we have to hold him back from such fun, cub hood activities. I wish he could join them and not get hurt," Sarafina moans.
"I wish too," I agree.
"Me too," Taka agrees.
"Me too," Zira adds.
"Me too," a squeaky voice calls. We all are startled from it. We twist are heads around to see the object from where the sound came from. "Me too," it sounds again. We all turn our heads toward Sarafina, who looks down at her boy in her forelegs.
"D-did he just say...," Taka begins to ask.
"Me too," the sound repeats again, coming from the cub in Sarafina's arms. "Me too," he squeaks again. Sarafina appears shocked, before the shock melts away to show joy.
"He just said his first words. My baby boy just said his first words," Sarafina cries out joyfully. We begin to gather around him as the boy keeps crying out "Me too, me too!" We all aww and coo as he keeps speaking and hitting his mom lightly with his paws in excitement. I keep a close eye on the other cubs as we gather. They appear curious to the noise as well.
"Aww. He's so adorable. Hey. Wait, wait, wait. What shall we call him? Me too," Zira asks. We all turn to Sarafina's face.
Sarafina appeared deep in thought. "Hmm, me too, me too. Me too. Mheetu. I got it! His name will be Mheetu," Sarafina explains.
"Mheetu," I muse. "It's perfect."
"Yes. It suits him perfectly," Uru agrees. We begin to aww and coo and say the little cub's name as we surround him. His smiling laugh show the tiniest while teeth, I have ever seen, poking out. His aqua eyes sparkle with happiness. His paws are hitting his mom's forelegs lightly. He is the cutest male cub, beside my son, that I have ever seen.
"Hey, what's going on," Diku asks, coming up to our spot. My sister has matured greatly, with my other sisters, over the years. Her blue eyes show determination in whatever the circumstance. He deep medium brown frame is muscular with time spent in the hunting party. Her troublemaker attitude has dissipated over the years, but she still has a teasing nature. But she means well, all in all. Her stomach, though, is swollen with the signs of pregnancy. It appears that all the lionesses these days are becoming pregnant. The same could be said for my other sister, Dwala. I'm going to be an aunt to my blood sister's cubs. I am so excited.
"Little Mheetu here just said his first words," I explain to my younger sister.
"Mheetu? His first words were Mheetu," Diku asks incredulously.
"Actually, his first words were 'me too'. He heard them from us and decided to copy them," Zira explains.
"Hmm, Mheetu. Nice name for the little guy. The girls are going to flock over his cute name when he gets bigger," Diku teases.
"Well I hope so. I want to be able to see my grand-cubs," Sarafina says.
"Oh believe me. When you get to see you grand-cubs you will feel so old. The feeling of being old when you're a parent will triple when you have grand-babies," Uru replies. We all giggle at her statement. But we still want to be able to see our grand-cubs, feeling old or not.
"You're not old, mom," Taka replies, giving his mother a lick to the cheek.
Diku chuckles, before looking straight up Sarafina. "Should I tell the rest of the pride of our new boy's name," Diku asks. She still has her getting information around personality trait in her. If the pride needs an espionage agent or a double-agent, they won't hesitate to get Diku on it.
"If you want," Sarafina replies.
"I'll do it anyway. Anything for my brother-in-law's-mate-who-isn't-his-mate's-cub," Diku replies laughingly before heading to tell the others. We all laugh at this.
"Yeah, heh, good one, hey what! Hey, wait a minute! Diku you get back here! What did you mean by that? Diku," Taka yells, before running after Diku.
"Well, he sure takes after you sis like a mate. But just so we're clear, he's still mine," Zira warns jokingly.
"Haha, yes. We're clear. But let me tell you, you couldn't have asked for a better lion than Taka," she replied.
"Unless we're talking about Mufasa," I reply.
"Taka's better," Zira shoots back.
"What about you, Uru," Sarafina asks. We turn to our mother-in-law. She simply cocks her head to one side and shuts her eyes, before replying "I refuse to show favoritism to just one of my boys."
"Spoilsport," Zira replies.
"Well she makes a good point. Either way, we both have he best mates in the entire Pridelands," I say to Zira.
True that, true that," Zira replies.
We all keep talking together, until I then feel a slight nip to my tail. "Ouch," I say out loud. I turn to see my son teething on my tail. Lunchtime for Simba. The other ladies notice this and take note of what time it is. Its high noon.
"Well time for me to get some milk in Nala and Mheetu," Sarafina says, before reaching over and plucking Nala off the ground. She giggles as she is placed in her mom's lap with her brother.
"Yeah I gotta go and get some food into my babies hungry tummies," Zira replies.
"So I guess I'll see you ladies later," Uru says.
"See ya girls," Sarafina says while taking both of her cubs into her mouth and heading into the den.
"Bye Sarafina. Bye everyone," I call, before taking Simba by the nape of his neck and taking him into the calm darkness of a nearby den to nurse.
Mufasa's POV
It is just before dawn when I awake. My son and his cousins would not stop pestering us until we woke up. I yawn and I see Taka waking up too with Nuka and Kira hoping up and down on his back to get him to awake. When he does get up, the two race off to join my son outside.
I follow my son and his cousins outside with Sarabi, Taka, and Zira close behind me. Simba goes down to greet his mom, before he heads off with me, his uncle, and his cousins. Sarabi gives him a small nudge for luck. She stays behind with her sister-in-law, Zira, as they watch us climb the stone steep to the top of Pride Rock. They both smile sweetly as the watch us begin our morning lesson.
We soon reach the tip of the top of Pride Rock. The sun is just peaking out over the horizon, illuminating the top of the rock we call home and spreading down the rock formation and out across the land.
"Look cubs. Everything the light touches is our kingdom," I explain. "A king and queen's time as ruler, rises and falls like the sun. One day cubs, the sun will set on Taka's and my time here, and will rise with you as the new rulers," I continue.
"And this will all be ours," Simba asks.
"Everything," Taka replies, sitting next to me.
"Cool," Nuka says.
"Everything the light touches. But what about that shadowy place," Simba asks, looking out to the mountainous Western border and the Elephant Graveyard. Both are very dangerous places, one has suffocating methane vents, broken bones and vats of acid, the other one has the threat of the mysterious dark lion and the jackals that killed Ni. We still do not know if they are still out there, but we will be aware of their threat to be safe.
"That is beyond our borders. You must never go there," Taka explains. The three twist their heads to stare confusedly at him.
"But I thought a king could do whatever he wants," Simba says. "And same for a queen" Kira pipes up.
"Oh, there's more to being a ruler then just getting your way all the time," I explain.
"There's more," Simba asks, incredulously, resulting with chuckles from us.
All five of us walk across the verdant, fertile Pridelands as we continue our lesson.
"Everything you see exists together, in a delicate balance. As rulers, you need to understand that balance and respect all the creatures, from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope," I explain.
"But dad, don't we eat the antelope," Simba asks, with Nuka and Kira murmuring in agreement.
"Yes we do, but let me explain. When we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. And so, we are all connected in the great Circle of Life." Just then, a voice from above calls out.
"Good morning, sires," Zazu, the hornbill majordomo, says as he flies down and lands before us.
"Good morning, Zazu," we reply.
"Checking in for the morning report," he says. The three other cubs notice a grasshopper and start practicing their pouncing skills, while Taka and I listen to Zazu. After a moment, we finally notice what our cubs are doing while Zazu relays the morning report.
"What are you doing, son," I ask.
"Pouncing," he replies, missing the grasshopper and instead hitting a stone coming up from the ground.
"Let an old pro show you how it's done. Zazu, would you turn around?"
"Yes sire." He continues to talk while facing us from the back.
"Stay low to ground," I coach him. Taka, Nuka, and Kira stay back a few feet behind us, watching anxiously for what will happen next. Even zazu is beginning to get suspicious.
"What's going on" he asks, moving his head back to us.
"Pouncing lesson," I reply.
"Oh very good, pouncing," he says. Then he realizes the truth behind my statement and loses a few feathers in the process. "Pouncing! Oh no, sire, you can't be serious," he moans as I make a motion for him to turn around again. "This is so humiliating," he moans.
"Try not to make a sound," I coach.
"What are you telling him Mufasa," he asks, but only sees Taka, Kira and Nuka just sitting there, watching him. "Mufasa? Simba?"
Suddenly, Simba pounces on Zazu, knocking him off the rock and pinning him to ground. I laugh along with my brother, niece, and nephew as Simba gets off Zazu and heads toward us. I praise his efforts that I do not see Zazu talking with a gopher, until he calls me.
"Sire! Reports from the herds found sightings of jackals in the Pridelands," he says frantically. Taka and I immediately spring into action.
"Zazu, take the cubs home," I order him.
"Aww, dad. Can we come," the kids ask and plead.
"No Simba" I reply. "No you two," Taka says as we run off toward the problem, hoping our cubs will listen and stay away.
Little did I know how wrong I would be later today.
Sarabi's POV
"Haha. C'mon, Tojo! You're so slow," Simba yells. Another cub, with a deeper gold pelt and blue eyes, runs after him.
"Hey wait for me. You know I can't run as fast as you," the cub, Tojo, yells back. He stumbles for a second, before getting up and running after him.
I chuckle as watch the two boys playing with the others. Tojo is Dwala's son. He was born just a few months ago. He has a slight habit of getting hurt or tripping, yet has a very sweet, sensitive personality. He saved a nest of baby birds and is currently raising them. It's a bit weird, but Tojo has proven to be a great mother to the baby, sky-blue birds. They play with him when he is alone.
I hear more giggling as the two are joined by their cousins and the rest of the cubs. Nuka, Kira, Alani, Nala, Mheetu, Chumvi, Tama, and Kula. Chumvi is Diku's son and he has his mom's brown fur color and hazel eyes. He has a loyal personality like her, yet he is a rambunctious, playful cub. Because he is Diku's son and Tojo Dwala's son, they are both Simba's cousins.
Tama and Kula are both the daughters of two other Pridelander lionesses. Tama has red eyes and an orange-tan pelt with a hair tuft. She has a sassy personality and is currently best friends with Nala, Alani, Kira, and Kula. Kula is Kilana's daughter. She has her mom's red eyes and a tan-brown pelt. She is a sweet, well-meaning cub, who loves to eat.
The ten cubs have become the best of friends. They all go on adventures together. Although, sometimes Mheetu can't go on them, due to his frail, weak body. We have all been worried about him and take reminders to look out for the littlest cub.
The girls all greet each other with head bumps while Tojo and Simba go out to greet the other boys. The two groups then gather together and huddle up to discuss something. Then they push Simba towards me and the other mothers plus Naanda. Naanda is the only one of us that doesn't have a cub. When asked about it, she said that she rather wait for love to come to her rather than pursuing it.
Simba then trots up to me in the shade with his aunts and Sarafina, distracting me from my thoughts.
"Hi mom," he greets cheerfully.
"Hello son," I greet back.
"Mom, can I go to the Watering Hole with the others," he asks.
"Yeah, mom, can I go with Simba and the others," Nala asks Sarafina, while coming up to his side.
"Hmm, what do you think Sarabi," she asks me. Before I can answer, I am bombarded by cub cuteness.
"Please" both the cubs say, while giving me big grins. I can't resist their faces, they're just too cute.
"Its alright with me" I answer. Both the cubs cheer, before heading off to the others, though I have one more thing to remind them. "As long as Zazu goes with you" I call.
I can hear them groan with annoyance, yet such is the price of safety needed to pay. The threat of the mysterious dark lion and the jackals have not yet gone down. Though we have not yet heard reports of any of them, a few of the herds have reported a few of their members disappearing at night. Their disappearance could be linked to the dark lion and his forces, thus precautions must be brought forth.
Simba's POV
Zazu calls from above. Whenever he is assigned as our guardian, that stupid hornbill ruins the fun. And if we don't find a way to get rid of him, our plan will be ruined. We were planning to go to the rocks and boulders near the western border of the Pridelands. There are some caves placed there and we want to test who is the bravest cub that can go into the caves and come out alive. Dad said to us that we couldn't go there, but it sounds so cool and we can't pass up a chance to miss out seeing it. But with Mr. Banana Beak in the way, we can't do that without him ruining the fun.
However, with my incredible plan, we should be able to ditch the dodo in no time.
We all scatter. Zazu hurriedly flies towards the trees where Tama and Tojo are with some giraffes. He sets down on the ground to look for them when they stick their heads out from an acacia tree and make faces at Zazu. He spots them before going after them, now next to the rocks where Chumvi, Kula, Nuka, and Alani are hiding. He stops midair when he hears giggling and comes over to investigate. The four then pop up from a boulder and say "boo!" He screams in terror before gaining a determined look as he charges after the six running cubs. They join up with Nala, Mheetu, Kira, and I and we lead them to the edge of the Watering Hole where some herbivores are drinking.
We dunk under the elephants and the antelope's legs as Zazu follows us. Several of the animals look as we dunk under or move past them. Zazu is still on our trail. The rhino is the only animal left that we have to pass. We dunk in between his legs as he is sipping water. Then, by an unbelievable stroke of luck, the rhino sits down just as Zazu flies by. Now trapped under the sitting rhino, we all laugh and head away from them both until we come into a clearing.
"Alright! It worked," I exclaim.
"We lost him," Nala says, as we stop to catch our breath.
"I am a genius," I say.
"Hey genius. It was my idea," Nala says.
"Yeah, but I pulled it off," I proudly say.
"With me," Nala replies.
"And us" the other cubs say.
"Oh yeah," I ask, before I pounce at Nala, only to find myself upside down, pinned by her. she giggles, looking down at me and a few of the other cubs join in.
"Hey, let me up," I say, and she releases me. As soon as she looks away though, I pounce at her again, causing us to fall down a small decline. When we reach the bottom, I am again pinned under her. The other cubs slide down the hill to where we are. A sudden geyser erupting distracts us. We look past it and the steam coming up from it to see some boulders in the distance. We climb a small hill to get a better look.
"This is it. We made it" Chumvi says to everyone. We all look from the hill onto the rocky landscape.
"Whoa," everyone whispers. The rocks and boulders are scattered across the border. Several cliffs shadow the land, and with the fog rolling in and the late afternoon sun behind the cliffs, it sure looks spooky.
"It's really creepy," Nala says. "Very scary" Tama adds.
"Yeah. Isn't it great," I ask them.
"We could get in big trouble," Alani says. "Major trouble" Kira agrees. "Definitely," Tojo adds.
We then spot a cave nearby. Stalactites drip water droplets from the rock ceiling and with the stalagmites growing from the floor, it looks like a large fanged mouth. In other words, super scary and perfect for figuring out who's the bravest cub of them all.
"Wonder if any super-scary creatures are in there," Kula says.
"There's only one way to know. C'mon lets go check it out," I say as I start to head toward the cave, yet suddenly a figure appears in front of me.
"Stop! The only checking out you will do will be to check out of here," Zazu says, now appearing in front of us and shooing us away from the cave. We all start moaning exasperatedly.
"Now none of that! We're way beyond the boundary of the Pridelands," he says, searching around.
"Heh, little Banana Beak is scared," I tease.
"It's Mr. Banana Beak to you, fuzzy," he says, poking my nose with a feather. "And right now we are all in very real danger!"
"Danger, ha! I walk on the wild side. I laugh in the face of danger," I say, walking to the edge of the cave. I start laughing until other laughter that isn't mine joins me.
A sort of barking laughter and other calls sound from inside the cave. I rush back beside my friends and Zazu. Figures appear from the darkness of the cave. Two figures to be exact. Jackals. We all gasp in fear. We have learned from our parents and the other pride members about jackals. They are very big, much bigger than hyenas and much more aggressive. The also have large teeth, which they use to kill and eat anything they come across, including us. Two of them, both males, exit out of the cave, their golden eyes fixing on us.
"Well, well, well, Jasiri. What do we have here," one of them asks the other.
"I don't know Kijivu. But it looks to me like we have a group of trespassers," the other replies.
"And quite by accident, let me assure you. A simple navigational error. My, my, my, look at the sun, it's time to go," Zazu says while shaking. As he tried to turn us around and move away, one of the jackals placed a paw on his tail feathers, forcing him to halt.
"Whoa, whoa, wait, wait, wait. What's the hurry? We'd love you to stick around for dinner," the one known as Kijivu says.
"Yeah. We could have whatever's lion around," Jasiri says, before laughing at his own joke.
"Wait, wait, wait. I got one. I got one. Make mine a cub sandwich. Whatcha think," Kijivu says before laughing as well. As they are distracted, we take this time to escape before they notice us.
We all run blindly pass the rocks, boulders, and geysers, hoping to get away from the jackals. Zazu flies ahead, trying to find us away out of here. He soon disappears from our sight. We run quite a way, before we stop. Mheetu is panting really heavily, due to his frail body working overtime.
"Did we lose them," Nala asks, panting.
"I think so. Where's Zazu," I ask back.
We hear a scream from behind and go back some paces, only to see Zazu shot into the air with a burst of steam as the geyser erupted. The two jackals laughed as they watch his misfortune.
"Hey," I call to them, and they immediately stopped laughing. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" They stare for a moment at me before grinning.
"Like you," Kijivu suggests. I instantly see my mistake.
We resume being chased by the jackals in the foggy, rock-filled territory. We avoid erupting geysers erupts and keep running blindly until we charge into another figure. We all scream until we both realize we're both lions. We see it's another lion place makes it hard to describe how he looks, but he stares at us with confused and frightened eyes.
"Y-you're lions too," he asks.
"Y-yeah. We're all are. But what are you doing here-,"
I am cut off as two growls emanate from the background and we look back to see they have nearly caught up with us. We resume running for our lives again, this time with mystery cub joining us. We keep running until we reach a large pile of boulders leading up into cliff walls. We hurriedly scamper up the boulders and I halt at the top and look down to make sure the rest run ahead. I am about to follow them when I hear my name being called out. I turn around to see Nala and the mystery cub sliding down the pile of rocks, just as the jackals are closing in. I bound down to them just as one of the jackals is about to bite at them. Unsheathing my claws, I take a swipe at the jackal's cheek, momentarily stunning him and allowing my friend and the other cub to escape.
We head into the cliffs, soon joining the others. The tall, dark cliff loom menacingly overhead, as if they would fall down and swallow us. We know that there may be an exit that we can escape through. But to our horror, large boulders block the exit. We're trapped! We all try climbing our way out, clawing and digging into the stone to make are way up. But the floor breaks beneath us and all of us fall back down.
We look back to see the two are now behind us. One of them has the scratches on his cheek done by me. "Here kitty, kitty, kitty" he growls menacingly.
I stand before my friends, trying to defend them like my dad. I roar at them, trying to scare them off, though they laugh at my pitiful attempt. To our despair, more jackals appear next to them. We are now cornered by at least a dozen jackals, and all of them are laughing at my pathetic attempt for roaring.
"Haha, ha. That was it? Come on, little cub. Do it again. I dare you," he teases.
I need to defend my friends, so I roar again. A deep, loud roar sounds, filling the entire room. My eyes widen in shock. Was that me? The jackals appear stunned, before a blur knocks them down.
Dad, uncle Taka, and the hyenas they brought managed to scare off most of the jackals except for two, Kijivu and Jasiri. The two are now pinned under dad's and unclle Taka's paws with hyenas snarling around them. They are both pleading for mercy.
"Silence," both dad and Taka roar at them, before glaring at them.
"We're really sorry," they say.
"If you ever come near our cubs again," Dad starts.
"Oh, these are you're cubs? Did you know that," one asks the other.
"No me, no I didn't know. Did you know," he replies.
"No, of course not. No."
"Oh" they both mutter.
Dad and Taka both roar one more time.
"Heh, toodles" Jasiri says, before running off with Kijivu, screaming in fear. I walk up to dad and look up at him.
"Dad," I tentatively ask.
"You deliberately disobeyed me," he says, baring his teeth.
"Dad, I'm sorry," I apologize.
"Let's go home," he says, leading the way. Taka moves over to Nuka, Kira, Nala, and Mheetu. His expression is an angry one too. The hyenas move behind the rest of the cubs, just in case the jackals decide to attack again. Nala and the mystery cub move closer to me as we walk.
"I thought you were very brave," Nala replies.
"Yeah. You saved my life. Thank you," the boy adds.
"You're welcome" I reply back, slightly empathetic.
Unbeknownst to us, a shadow figure in the shape of a lion looms in the shadows of the cliffs above, before disappearing into the dark.
It is twilight when we get back. The sky is darkening from the sun going down, changing slowly from a pink in purple sky to a deep blue one laced with stars. Dad, uncle Taka and the hyenas who helped rescue us lead the from while Zazu flies overhead. Then dad and uncle Taka stop and say 'goodnight' and 'thanks' to the hyenas before they call Zazu forward. We can hear them from afar. Nuka, Kira, and I duck down into the grasses, hoping that it will swallow us up and we can avoid punishment.
Zazu swoops down over to us. He looks at the other cubs first. "Come cubs. I'll take you home." He then turns to me. "Simba," he says, while putting his wings on my shoulders, "good luck." Uncle Taka takes away Nuka and Kira to deal with the separately while the rest of the cubs are taken home.
"Simba," my dad calls. I cringe at the volume of his voice. I start walking towards him. As I head to him, my front paw sinks into an indentation in the ground. I look to see my father's paw print. My own paw barely makes up the palm of it. I realize that I am nowhere near yet of what my father is. I feel discouraged as I head over into my father's sight. He shuts his eyes and puts his head down, before looking at me.
"Simba, I am very disappointed in you," he says.
"I know," I reply.
"You could have been killed. You deliberately disobeyed me. And what's worse, you put the rest of the cubs in danger," he scolds.
Tears start to well up in my eyes. "I was trying to be brave like you," I say, my voice breaking at the end.
"I'm only brave when I have to be," he explains. "Simba, being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble." The sun has completely gone down and a star-filled night has covered the sky.
"But you're not scared of anything." His eyes fall down to the ground.
"I was today," he admits.
"You were," I asked, incredulously.
"Yes. I thought I might lose you," he says, swinging his head closer to me.
"Oh, I guess even kings get scared to, huh?"
"Mm hmm."
"But you know what," I whisper.
"What," he whispers back.
"I think those jackals were even scared-er," I reply. He then begins to chuckle.
"Cause no one messes with your dad. C'mere you," he says, pulling me closer and head rubbing me. I struggle to get out of the headlock and start leaping at him. I get him down and we begin to play. He tries to run away but I catch him and knock him down. I start pulling his ear before I let go and crawl on his head as we lay down in the grass.
"Dad," I ask.
"Hmm?"
"We're pals, right?" I ask.
"Heh, heh. Right," he says.
"And we'll always be together, right," I continue. Dad then lifts his head up so both of us are looking up.
"Simba, let me tell you something that my father told me. Look at the stars. The Great Kings of the Past look down at us, from those stars."
"Really?"
"Yes. So whenever you feel alone, just remember, that those kings will always be there to guide you. And so will I."
Mufasa's POV
After a while after laying down under the stars, I hear Simba's quiet breathing on top of my head. To my amusement, he is fast asleep. Well we have been out here since sunset. I think he's learned his lesson and is ready to go home and go to bed. He did have a long day. As carefully as I can, I move up and walk towards home with Simba sleeping in my mane. I notice Taka with his cubs sleeping on his back. They're heading home too. We fall into step and walk home together. One the way, we go into conversation.
"I nearly lost him to day brother. He didn't listen to me when I said that the western border was off limits. I feel like such a horrible father."
"Yes, and it was really quite foolish of my own cubs and the others to follow him into danger. But thank the kings, we got their just in time." He then leans closer to me. "And I don't think anyone sees you as a horrible father to Simba. He's always talking and bragging about you to everyone."
"Really," I ask, fascinated by this revelation.
"Yes really. Why sometimes he come over to me and talks so much about you and what he's learned from you that I feel as my head will explode." We both chuckle at this.
"He really does," I wonder out loud.
"Yes, he really loves you. So if he can go on and on about how great you are, then you must be a wonderful father to him. And a great husband and king as well," Taka praises. I put one of my paws on his shoulders.
"Thank you brother," I reply. He gives me a smile as we head back to Pride Rock.
The pride is waiting for us when we get back. Thankfully, none of the cubs were injured during their adventure, although Mheetu is still a bit winded from the running he did today. The kids on our backs start to stir and jump off as we reach our destination.
All ten cubs are present. Simba, Kira, Nuka, Tojo, Chumvi, Alani, Kula, Tama, Mheetu, Nala, and... another one. A boy cub. The last cub has pink-tan fur that is darkened by the night, a black hair tuft, black tufts on the tips of his ears, and amber red eyes. He is not one of our own pride members.
I walk over to him with Simba. "Excuse me young lion, but might I ask who are you and what are you doing here," I ask him. He looks up at me with a frightened expression. His whole body shivers in fear.
"M-Malka sir. My name is Malka," he replies shakily. He is so frightened, yet who am I to purposely scare a cub?
"It is a pleasure to meet you Malka. Do not fear, we will not hurt you young one. Could you please tell me why you are here and where are your parents," I ask again.
He visibly calms down now. He takes a deep, shaky breath before speaking. "M-my pride was attacked by jackals in our pride. My mom and I got separated from them and the jackals were after us. We ran for a long time until we got here. Mom set me down nearby the scary place and told me to wait here as she got some food for us to eat. As I was waiting, two jackals popped out and started chasing me into the scary place. I lost them and I felt so alone and I started to cry. Then I got knocked down by some of those cubs and we screamed. When we calmed down the jackals chasing me earlier appeared again. We ran up a rocky hill and me and she," he said while pointing to Nala, "started slipping down the rocks. He came down and saved us from being eaten." He pointed to Simba now.
"We then got stuck in the cliffs with the hyenas cornering us. The same cub that saved my life then came in front of us and roared and tried to scare the jackals off. There were now like fifteen of them. He started roaring at them to scare them off. They started laughing at him, but he didn't back down. Then you and him and some hyenas came and scared the jackals off." A few tears have begun to form in his eyes as he recalled the horrible memory.
I am very proud of my son now. Though he disobeyed me and went where he should not, he saved both Nala's and Malka's lives. He took care of others need, before his own, even though it was a very risky move he pulled off. He has really picked up my lessons and teachings and that I couldn't be more proud of him.
I notice Simba has gone up to Malka and is hugging him. Malka returns the action as he cries into Simba's shoulder. What a kind, sweet, sensitive son I have. The other cubs follow his example. Nala and Tama wrap their forelegs from behind Malka, thus hugging his back. Alani, Kula, Kira, and Mheetu make up the middle layer of cubs hugging Malka. Nuka, Chumvi, and Tojo hug the already full layer of hugging cubs. The lionesses and the cub's mothers coo and aww at the adorable scene unfolding before them. The eleven cubs hold on to each other to treasure a feeling of safety and kindness. A hug is when someone wraps you in a blanket of arms, filled with love, kindness, and safety. This is what they try to place in Malka. The cubs tears, sniffs, and light sobs disappears within a minute of the hugging.
The poor cub. He lost his mother and was all alone. He was chased by jackals into the dark, shadowy territory of the Western border near the Elephant Graveyard. He was nearly attacked if my son hadn't intervened and saved him life. I will allow the cub to stay until we find his mother and his pride. Hopefully his mother is nearby, looking for him. After a few minutes of embrace, the cubs let go of each other. Malka wipes away the tears and smiles at them.
"Thank you," he whispers.
"You're welcome," the cubs reply as they introduce themselves to each other. Malka greets them all with a happy smile. They all may even become very good friends. I hear Simba telling Malka how he is glad to see he is safe. Malka thanks him again for saving his life from the jackals. Nala also thanks Simba for rescuing him.
I hear Sarafina giggle and I see her blush as Nala gives Simba a small lick to Simba's cheek as reward for saving her. A few of the cubs in the background look in either disgust or lovey-dovey cuteness at the sight. I chuckle at their reactions.
It is getting late so it is time for all cubs and lions to go to bed. Before we head up Pride Rock, I have an announcement to make."Friends, family members, members of Pride Rock. I have an important announcement to make," I say. The other pride members look at me. "Since Malka has nowhere else to go, he will be staying with us until his mother and/or his pride are found. Please treat him as you would a fellow member of the pride and make him feel welcome," I announce.
Taka's POV
Mufasa announces that he is making Malka a temporary pride member. The cubs then glomp Malka as they welcome him into the pride. The lioness laugh at the kindness shown for the newcomer. The cubs are enthusiastic in having a new friend to play with. They let him up and start playing with each other before the cubs mothers call for bedtime. They follow after their mothers into the cave. Malka sits down outside, sad that he does not have his mother here. I feel pity for he cub and walk over to him.
"Malka," I ask. He turn around, shocked at the presence of another lion.
"Y-yeah. Who are you," he asks.
"My name is Taka. I am Mufasa's brother and king as well with him," I explain. "I was wondering if you would like to sleep with my cubs and wife tonight. It makes no sense to sleep out here in the cold evening air. Why don't you follow me into the den."
He instantly perks up and follows me up the stairs and into the den. I point out Zira, Nuka and Kira in the cave and he says "thank you" before coming over to them. Such a nice, well-mannered cub.
Sarafina then walks up to me with Nala and Mheetu in-between her forelegs. She motions me to the entrance of the cave. I get a feeling that something wrong. We head outside onto the rocky platform making up Pride Rock. The night veils the land in darkness, the only light being shown is the light of the stars and the light of the half-moon.
"What's going on," I ask her, while sitting down beside her. She gives me a sad look as she sits down across from me. Nala and Mheetu get out from under her legs and sit in-between us.
"Mom. Dad. What's going on," Nala asks. I then know why we are here. Ever since I took the role as Sarafina's caretaker to her and father-figure to the cubs, Nala and Mheetu have called me 'dad' or 'father' ever since. Sarafina said that she would tell the cubs who their real dad was when they were older, but let it go unexplained because they were so young and innocent. But after today, after the jackal attack, it may be best to tell them the truth about their real father, Ni.
"Nala. Mheetu. There's something your mother and I have been wanting to tell you for awhile," I start. I was not looking forward for this conversation. Nor was I prepared for it.
They look up at me with confusion swimming in their eyes. "What is it? Is something wrong," they both ask me.
I bend down to their level. "Cubs, you know that I take care of you and your mother. That I look out for you all and for Zira, Nuka, and Kira. I want what's best for you and I think it's best you know the truth," I explain, taking a deep breath before what I say next.
"The truth about your real father."
"What? What do you mean? You're our real father," they protest, both at once. I lift up my paw to silence them. I then lay down and let them crawl into my arms as I explain to them the story I am about to tell.
"No, you two. I'm not your real father. Let me tell you the tale of your real dad. A long time ago, before you were born, there was a young adult lion named Ni. Ni was a rogue lion, wandering across the lands by himself, because he was exiled from his pride. He wandered for many days across foreign lands, hunting and fending for himself, until he reached the Pridelands. He came through the western border, the same place that you were there today. He was immediately smitten by a lioness he saw on the grasslands here. And that lioness was your mother," I explain, taking a glance at Sarafina as I speak. She gave a small smile as she remembered the day she met Ni.
"She had come to the rocky terrain there to weep for the loss of her mother, your grandmother. Now Ni didn't like that your mother was crying, not one bit. So he came over to her and asked her if she was alright. Your mother was shocked to hear another male lion aside from Mufasa or I, but when she realized that Ni was only trying to see if she was alright, she calmed down. Ni then comforted her and so feelings began to bloom between them. Sarafina agreed not to tell either Mufasa or me about his existence in the Pridelands. She began seeing him on regularly visits. And those feelings during those visits soon blossomed into love. And from that love, you two were created," I explained.
The two little ones look up at me with awe. As if I am no ordinary king, but instead a deity of knowledge and storytelling. I almost laugh out loud at the thought of it.
"One day, when Mufasa and I were patrolling the borders, we came across Ni. We inquired who he was and right before he was about to answer, your mother appeared. She came over to us and to Ni. She introduced us to each other and explained why he was here. She also explained that she was pregnant with you at the time. Noticing on how happy Ni had made her and how happy she was to know that you were on the way, Mufasa and I agreed to make Ni one of us. An official member of the pride. We took him back with us to Pride Rock and welcomed him into the pride with open arms. He proved to be a loyal member over the months we had him. But unfortunately, it was not to last.
"One fateful night, Ni and I were walking home from a walk near the western border, where we had found Ni months ago. He and I were deep in discussion. We were very good friends at the time, almost like brothers. Suddenly, a mysterious dark lion appeared over a ridge above us. With him were at least a dozen jackals." The cubs gasp in fear of this revelation.
"You mean like the ones we encountered today," Mheetu asks. I nod.
"Exactly like the ones you encountered today. They might very well be part of the dark lion's army," I say to them.
The two cubs gasp and whimper in fear at this revelation. Nala covers her mouth in shock, while Mheetu covers his head with his arms. I wait until they calm down to continue.
"The dark lion threatened to kill Ni and me too if I didn't stand down. But I refused to leave Ni's side. So the dark lion ordered his jackals to attack us. We were outnumbered and the fight was really fierce," I explains.
Mheetu raises his paw and asks, "is that why you have your scar on your left eye?"
"No Mheetu. The story on how I got my scar is a different story for another time. Now please, do not interrupt me again. What I'm telling you is very important." He covers his paws over his mouth, silently telling me to continue.
"As I was saying, the fight was really fierce. Eventually, the dark lion leaped down and attacked Ni, before leaving him to die. Your mother was alerted from Mufasa and Zazu that Ni was in trouble. She ran all the way to the western border where we were. But by the time she got there, Ni was already dying. I tried to bandage his wounds, but they were too great and there were too many of them. He was barely conscious when Sarafina came to him. With his last few breaths, he asked me to take care of your mother and of you when you were born. He told your mother the names he gave to you. He told to call you Nala," I say while pointing at Nala, "and to call you the first words that came out of your mouth." I say, then pointing at Mheetu.
"With his last breath, he told your mom he loved her and that he would always be with her, not physically, but in a spiritual guiding sense. We all mourned for his death. We buried him in the Field of Kings, for he may have not been of royal blood, but he had the spirit of one. We held a funeral there and planted flowers at his grave. I will show you it tomorrow. So you now know the truth behind your father. He was a great lion that we all miss," I finish.
The cubs have tears pooling in their eyes as I finish the story behind their true father. Nala's lip is trembling as she says her next statement. "So, you're not our real dad and our real dad was attacked by a dark lion and the same jackals we were chased by today," she asks. Her expression is so sad and sorrowful I think my heart is going to break.
"Yes Nala. You and Mheetu are not my true children, but I have always loved you ever since you were born. I promised Ni I would take care of you and your mother until you were full adults. Though we are not related by blood like I am with Nuka and Kira, I love you like I love my children," I say.
The cubs suddenly then then throw themselves at me and start crying. "We love you too. Thank you so much for being there for us, dad." They continue shedding tears for awhile before becoming silent. I realize that they have fallen asleep on my chest. Sarafina chuckles and laughs as she takes both of their limp bodies from me.
"Now that wasn't so hard, was it," she asks as she starts heading back into the den.
"Yeah, well you try explaining to the cubs when puberty comes around," I tease back. I hear her gentle laugh as she heads toward the area where she usually sleeps.
I turn up to the sky. The stars sparkle like pure, white gems, set in a blue velvet backdrop. I look at the stars of the Great Kings and Queens of the past. I see dad's star, and my grandfather, Mohatu's, star and his father's star. I name each of my great-grandparent's star as they appear to me. But I am not just looking for any of my family lineage stars. I'm looking for Ni's star. The one that tells me that he happy in heaven with the other deceased lions of the past. I just can't seem to find it. A tear leaks out of my scared eye and flows down my cheek, reflecting the light of the stars in the sky. I turn my head up and shut my eyes as I send a prayer to my ancestors.
"Oh Great Kings and Queens of the past, please, show Ni the way to the sky. Let his soul join you as a star, beautiful, brilliant and mended. Let him know that I will keep my promise to him and watch over his mate and cubs. Please, let him know," I beg, tears starting to fall down my face as I drop my head down.
All is silent. No rustle of the trees, no birds squawking, not even the rustle of the lions behind me changing sleep position. It is completely quiet. I think I hate the silence. Its too empty. Silence and loneliness are two wings of the same pair. Then a gentle, yet brisk breeze blows around me, carrying leaves, seed pods, milkweed fluff, and even a few flower petals. I have no idea why, but I feel comforted by it, like the wind is giving me a hug. I then hear a voice, but it is so tiny that think that I'm the only one who can hear it. It whispers into my ear
"Thank you, brother."
The wind then dissipates suddenly. All the miscellaneous natural objects it was carrying to fall down around me, making a complete circle. I feel at peace. My heart no longer feels heavy, like a burden has been lifted off of me. I feel whole again.
I turn my head up to the sky. The faint silhouette of a lion is around a new star, blinking into view. It grows brighter and brighter until it practically illuminates the entire Pride Rock. This is Ni's star! The only other star in history to ever grow so bright is Mohatu's star when it first appeared on the winter day when he died.
I smile and tears of joy spill down my face as I gaze at Ni's bright new star. "Your welcome, brother," I whisper back.
And done! My longest chapter ever completed. I was originally planning to make this way shorter, with the cubs being born and Mheetu's naming, but I got an inspiration overload and I just had to write more. So we are currently set during the movie. I tweaked some of the scenes of the original movie to fit this story. So Nala and Mheetu now know the truth about their real dad and Taka feels whole and at peace again.
So we introduce the other cubs and the jackals into this chapter. I wanted to make three jackals chase the cubs, but I have been making too many OC's lately and I need to back down. So we have the two, Kijivu and Jasiri. And we get to know Malka's story in this chapter to. I tried to base it around how he were introduced to him in the Lion King comic he was featured in.
Anyways I made this full length chapter for you guys and I'm proud to say that this is the longest chapter I have ever written. I hope you enjoy all my hard work paying off. It's tough, yet I came up and wrote this chapter in less than three days!
Aside from that, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review. I worked hard on it for you. Sincerely v.t.7
