Chapter 9
Can You Feel The Love Tonight

It was early in the morning. Dornaus was fast asleep underneath a tree. This was one of the few times where he decided to sleep through instead of waking up early since he felt the need for a good rest. Simba and the others were up already but they figured they would leave the human alone and continue about their daily business. Timon was off feeding on insects while Simba was near the water's edge, honing the art of fishing he learnt from his father's bodyguard.

Pumbaa on the other hand was after a dung beetle. He had been hunting the darn thing since 7am and hadn't any luck catching the creature after chasing it from the edge of the water to the edge of the jungle. Alas, the beetle lands on a log. The warthog rears up and charges towards the log. He smashes the thing to pieces in the process of catching the beetle but fails to catch anything apart from pieces of wood.

Unbeknownst to him, he was being watched by a lioness. She was a member of the Pridelands hunting party and had wandered this far to search for a new source of protein after the lush greenery gave way to famine under Scar's brutal dictatorship. Pumbaa suddenly feels something watching him and turns towards the tall grass. To his horror, he finds himself staring face to face with the lioness.

"Uhh…" he nervously turns. "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!"

The fight or flight response within him kicks into gear and Pumbaa runs for his dear life as the lioness began her pursuit. Both of them run past Dornaus, jolting him awake as they smashed through a nearby log. Instinct told the human something was up and he springs into action, rifle raised and moving after the two. Deeper inside the jungle, Timon had also heard his friend's desperate cry for help.

He follows the sound and finds Pumbaa running towards him. The warthog attempts to escape underneath a tree root but jams himself in instead. Timon, a little surprised that his friend would be running scared, looks over. His eyes immediately widen in horror when he saw the lioness approaching Pumbaa and he jumps down, pushing on the warthog's butt in an attempt to free him.

Just as all hope seemed lost, Simba leaps from behind the root and attacks the lioness. The big cats begin to scuffle as Pumbaa and Timon breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe having an adult lion around them wasn't so bad after all. Unexpectedly and rather embarrassingly for the lion, he found himself being dominated by the lioness as she pins him under her weight. What caught his attention was the fact that the lioness used the same flip-n-pin tactic Nala used on him when he was younger.

And come to think of it, her face did resemble Nala in a way. Was this his long lost female friend?

"Nala?" he said in surprise.

The lioness releases her male counterpart and moves back. "Who are you?"

"It's me, Simba."

"Simba…"

A familiar face flashes in front of Nala's face as she took a good look at the lion. She began to smile and before they knew it, the two were rejoicing. They've missed each other dearly after years of separation, Nala especially since she believed Scar's words and thought her male counterpart was dead. Just then, Dornaus emerges from the foliage with his rifle raised.

He was a little concerned when he saw Pumbaa being chased by something and was quite surprised to see a now adult Nala with Simba. So much for being threatened by predators.

"Now if that isn't a familiar face." He smiles as he lowers his gun.

"Dornaus?" Nala responds with surprise. "You're alive too?"

"Shenzi and her pups were this close to getting me, but they still failed."

"Pups? That's an understatement! She had an army after you."

"Yeah, I know young lady. I had a choice, broken bones or canines."

"And?"

"I chose broken bones."

"You seem fine."

"Let's just say a miracle happened after I cannonballed off a fucking cliff."

"Still haven't lost your habit huh?"

"Cursing will always remain a part of my life." Dornaus glares at Simba and winks. "I shall get going. You two need some alone time."

The human gets back on his feet and disappears back through the foliage. Simba turns towards his female counterpart and is surprised to see a saddened expression on her face.

"What is it?" he asks.

"It's like you're back from the dead." She answers. "You don't know how much this will mean to everyone." The lioness turns away. "What it means to me."

"Hey… It's okay."

"I've really missed you."

"I've missed you too."

The big cats nuzzle each other lovingly as they seemingly fall for each other. From behind thick foliage, Timon watches in displeasure with Pumbaa by his side. In his mind, once the lions fall for each other, Simba would ditch him and Pumbaa and return to the Pridelands. But what could he do? He was just a Meerkat while Simba was… A lion. He could only watch helplessly as the two began their stroll through the woods.

What caught them off guard was Dornaus' sudden reappearance. In true southern fashion, he was playing a guitar, a half scale version he threw in his bag for no good reason. To rile up the romantic mood, he plays a familiar tune and one of his favorite love songs titled "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" from a short distance away as the lions start to bond with each other.

Both of them make their way down a path and walk underneath a waterfall. Nala walks over to the opposite bank and begins to quench her thirst while Simba does the same on his side. But he didn't drink too much, for the lion had much to think. He eyes his female counterpart, wondering whether or not to reveal his secret to her. She notices his gesture and raises her head to glare at him.

Simba merely smiles in response and proceeds to move behind Nala, who was clearly confused. Without warning, he swings over the water on a vine and plunges in. The lioness moves over to the water's edge in an attempt to locate her male counterpart. She sees bubbles on the surface but before she knew what was going on, he pulled her into the water as well.

She surfaces and climbs back onto the rock, gasping for air; Simba comes after her. Now having realized that the lion was most likely in love with her, she returns the favor and pushes him into the water to tease him. They chase each other across a plain within the lush jungle and have a friendly "brawl" back in the jungle. Before they knew what was going on, they tumble down a slope.

Once they reached the bottom, there was a slight twist. This time Simba was on top and Nala was being pinned by him. Both of them smile. Then, the lioness licks her male counterpart in the cheek, much to his surprise. He turns towards her and noticed the smile of affection. He smiles back and the two nuzzle each other heartwarmingly. Nearby, Timon and Pumbaa watched the scene unfold while Dornaus continued to play the song.

At the final leg of the song, the urge to sing got to the former serviceman.

Dornaus: (sings)
And can you feel the love tonight
How it's laid to rest
It's enough
To make kings and vagabonds
Believe the very best

It's enough
To make kings and vagabonds
Believe the very best

"Wow, Dornie…" Timon remarks. "I didn't know you could sing."

"I used to do it as a kid." He answers. "Besides, I've been waiting for a moment to sing that for a long time already."

"You do realize what it means for our group of friends right?"

"That's what you think, Timon. I'm sure Simba will be more than happy to let you into the Pridelands."

Dornaus' words fail to cheer up Timon, who leaves with Pumbaa. Unfortunately for the lions and fortunately for the Meerkat, the love didn't last long. Barely a few seconds after their little public display of affection and the couple was already arguing. About what? Simba returning to the pride. While Nala was in favor of this, the disgraced former prince wasn't.

He had secrets he'd wished to keep a secret and returning would mean facing his past. On top of that, he still believed what his uncle told him; that he was responsible for the death of his father. Both of them separate near a fallen log spanning a river after a heated exchange, with Simba running off into the plains and Nala returning to the forest. Timon was quite pleased when he saw the separation but Pumbaa and Dornaus felt disappointed that the love didn't last for more than just one night.

"Nala." The human said. "We need to talk."