She was an aging lioness. She was getting to be old. She certainly didn't need this right now. She did not need to be lying in the middle of nowhere, shivering, wounded, on the verge of dying. Worrying about her pride and family and friends.
She was the Queen of the Pridelands, a mother and wife. She was supposed to be wise, cautious.
Why had she let it happen?
Sarabi felt another tremble shake her. She was struggling to stay awake. She was alone here, and no one would be there to help her recover.
The pride had been separated by Sefu's followers; each lion forced to battle alone. She had been forced to fight alone. But that hadn't bothered her more than the idea of her cub and mate being helpless.
She had also worried about her best friend and sister-in-law. She knew Tumaini was strong, definately stronger than most. She knew she could stand her ground against any opponent. Sarafina, however, was a totally different story.
Plus, she had seen how Sefu had cornered her. Sarafina looked so helpless, so scared...And that was when Sarabi knew she would not make it.
Sarabi stumbled as she tried to sit up. She was positive there were some fractures, but nothing she couldn't withstand.
Finally, she could sit up, and she straightened her back. Her spine cracked, and she felt the knot that had started to form disappear. She relaxed and sighed.
If only she could have been there...Then perhaps Sarafina could have survived...And Nala...
Sarabi felt a sour tear stain her cheek. If only...
"If only I had done something..." Sarabi muttered to herself. She felt guilty. Guilty because she had not done anything to help her pride-sisters. Guilty because she had let them attack. Guilty because she knew not where her family was, and so, was not able to help them survive.
Her little Simba...And Mufasa...
"If only..." The Queen repeated, "If only..."
It was like a mantra now, something she said only to herself. Something that reminded her of her faults. If only she was faster. If only she was stronger. If only she was wiser. If only, if only, if only...
The sound of a twig snapping brought Sarabi back to reality. She stood to her full height, ready to attack any and every thing. She growled into the darkness, hoping to scare away whatever was lurking in the shadows.
"Whoa, calm down there." A voice said, and Sarabi immediately recognized it. She heaved a sigh of relief.
"Tumaini."
Tumaini stepped out from the darkness of the canyon and walked up to Sarabi. As the Queen had suspected, Tumaini had only scratches and probably some bruises. She certainly did not take the hardest of the blows.
"Sarabi." Tumaini whispered back. She gave a concerned look before asking, "What happened to you?"
"What happened to everyone. I got ambushed. We got ambushed. We got betrayed. I can't-" Sarabi swallowed the lump in her throat. Tumaini lay a comforting paw on her Queen's. She knew she needed to let it out.
"I can't...I can't believe we let this happen, Mani. I..I was supposed to protect them. I was their queen. They expected me to save them...And I let them down." Sarabi was sobbing now, her shoulders shaking. Tumaini whispered soothing words to her sister-in-law until she was sure she was calm.
"Sarabi, dear, it is not your fault. You did what you could. Plus, it wasn't as if you were just sitting back and watching it all happen. Mufasa is their king. It was the two of you that had the responsibility of caring for the pride. Don't put all this on your shoulders."
Sarabi let her words sink in, and started to feel much better. But then she remembered Sarafina and Nala...
"He killed them, too, Mani."
"Who killed who?"
"Sefu. He killed Fina and poor, little Nala."
Tumaini gasped, her mind going back to that morning. What her youngest brother had blurted out about Sarafina...
"Don't worry; everything will be alright. I promise." She reassured her friend, and partly, herself also.
Sarabi scoffed, a bitter laugh bursting from her mouth,
"Promises don't bring back the dead, Tumaini."
Two best friends strolled through the jungle, enjoying each other's company. It was a day like every other. The sun was shining, the birds were singing. It was peaceful. Perfect. Hakuna Matata.
"Hey, Timon?" The biggest one, a warthog, said. The smaller one, a meerkat, continued looking forward, walking with his head held high.
"Yeah, Pumbaa?" He said.
The warthog seemed to hesitate before saying, "What's that?"
The meerkat turned to look in the direction he was pointing to. He squinted his eyes to better see the object. He nearly screamed when he realized it was the most feared animal in the savannah.
"It's a lion!" He squeaked, and ran to hide behind Pumbaa, the warthog. Pumbaa in return started to tremble in fear also.
"What do we do? What if it eats us?! I'm too young to die!" He began to panic even more and started to run around frantically. Timon face-palmed before pulling his friend behind a tree.
He whispered hoarsely, "Do you want it to see us?!"
Pumbaa shook his head vigorously. Timon let him go and turned to see if the lion was still approaching. But when he turned and got a better look at it, he realized they had panicked over nothing, for the lion was lying on the ground, motionless.
Pumbaa, after taking a closer look, came to the realization also. The two just watched for a moment, before Timon exhaled a sigh of relief and turned.
"Well, that was a waste of energy. Come on, Pumbaa, we have bugs to catch!" He sliced the air with a slender finger before heading in the opposite direction. Pumbaa, on the other hand, did not move. Timon noticed immediately and stopped walking.
"Pumbaa, what's wrong? I thought you wanted to eat? Well, I mean, when don't you, but-"
"He's hurt, Timon."
"What?"
Timon squinted again to look at the lion, and realized Pumbaa was right. Even from a distance, the deep wounds were visible. There was also a dark liquid sorrounding the small lion.
"Maybe it needs our help, Timon." Cried Pumbaa again. Timon looked at him with an expression of surprise.
"What? Pumbaa, have you lost your mind?! Let's go before he hears or sees us!"
The little prince of the Pridelands lay cold and wounded in the middle of the gorge. He was so scared also. After all, he was just a cub.
Simba felt another shiver ripple through him and his bones shook. It was still raining a bit, and the temperature was dropping.
And he was alone. All alone.
Simba silently sobbed. They had left him there, all alone, mistaking him for being dead. Good thing the sound of the rain blocked his raspy breathing. If they had found out he was indeed not dead...
He winced as another pang of pain emitted from his head. He had been struck several times, his body getting weaker and weaker.
Simba began to cry all over again. He missed his mother, his father. His best friend Nala...Oh no, Nala...
He had seen how Sefu had attacked Sarafina, and mercilessly pounced on Nala. But he could not see anymore due to his father pulling him away. But that was also when his father, the King, was attacked. And his aunt Tumaini; was she alright?
What about Uncle Scar? Where was he? Was he alright? Did he know they were hurt?
"Mum, Dad..." Simba cried, burying in face in the dirt and mud. He cried and cried until he heard voices shouting at one another. He began to panic, thinking it was Sefu or one of his followers, but when he slowly lifted his head, he realized it was not another lion. It was in fact a warthog and a meerkat that were yelling at each other. They seemed to be getting closer also. Simba pretended to be asleep.
"But Timoonnn! We have to help him! Look! It's just a poor little lion cub! I wonder what's bothering him..."
"The plague, Pumbaa. The kid has the plague." Timon said sarcastically.
"All the more reason for us to help him!"
Timon brought a small hand to his face, dragging in down in frustration, "Pumbaa, this is a lion. He could eat us!"
"We'll raise him! We'll teach him to be a vegetarian! Come on, Timon, pleeeasse!" Pumbaa begged, walking up to the lion cub and giving Timon puppy-dog eyes.
Timon heaved a sigh before reluctantly accepting, "Fine, but if he wants to eat meat one day, you'll be the first to go."
"Deal!" Pumbaa began to pick the lion upcwhen suddenly, it stirred. Surprised, he dropped it, and the cub groaned.
"Oh sorry!" Pumbaa apologized while Timon hid behind him. The cub only shook his head, turning to look at them.
Timon waited for him to strike and gobble them up in one bite, but he was surprised when the cub only had a sad look in his eyes.
"Hey, kid, why so blue?" He asked.
"Uh, Timon, I think he's more of a golden brown color." Pumbaa corrected.
"No, Pumbaa, I mean why does he look so sad." His friend clarified.
"Ohhh."
"So why, kid?" Timon asked the lion again.
"My name's not kid." The cub spat in a rather raspy voice.
"Then what is it?"
"Simba."
"Well, Simba, why are you looking so sad? And why are you all alone?"
"I got seperated from my pride." Simba confessed, exhaling a quivering breath, "And I don't know where they are."
"Aww, you poor little thing." Pumbaa sympathized. Simba only turned away from them, tears threatening to burst from his tired eyes. Timon's stern expression softened, and he sighed, understanding.
"I'm sorry, ki-Simba. We didn't know. But...Where's your dad? And your mom?"
"They're gone too. And my best friend, she..." He let a sob escape him, the lump in his throat growing.
"Well," Timon began, "We'll help you find your family."
Both Pumbaa and Simba's faces lit up, "Really?" They both asked.
"Really. Can't have a lonely lion cub roaming around the savannah, now can we we?"
Simba smiled for the first time that day and he felt his heartache cease for a bit. he tried to stand up, but failed. Thankfully, the warthog-Pumbaa?-helped him up and offered to carry him.
Timon told him he would first have to heal before they set out. Simba relectantly agreed, letting them take him to their home.
Simba began to fall asleep, his mind wondering how high the possibility of finding his pride was.
Maybe he wouldn't be too late...
There was a pale-colored lioness that belonged to the pride of King Mufasa of the Pirdelands. She was a beauty to some, a rare sight to one lion in particular. And for a time, the two shared mutual feelings for one another.
She, however, wed another, thinking she could overcome her silly feelings.
She was wrong.
Oh so terribly wrong.
True, they were fine together for some time, even had a cub. And she loved her cub dearly. But...She never did get over her feelings for her best friend. If anything, they intinsified. And would consume her alive if she did nothing to put out the fire-she knew.
And now, lying on the cold, hard earth in the middle of a gorge, she realized her mistake. She realized she had trusted a monster. After being cautious her entire life, she fell for the lie of a malicious lion.
How stupid, she thought sourly. She had thrown away the best years of her life sleeping besides a beast, thinking she could learn to love him when, in reality, she knew she would never get over the first love of her life.
Sour tears stained her cheeks, regretful sobs emitting from her lips. Her eyelids closed shut, exhaustion over taking them. Come to think of it, her whole body ached and throbbed. Her newly recieved wounds burned and she gritted her teeth, hoping to feel less of the pain.
But it was no use now, her body was too numb to feel anything anyways. Her eyes opened to see the blood from her gashes seeped through and along the cracks in the earth, and she was intrigued by it.
The pools of dark red seemed to grow and she lost herself for a moment or two. Her eyes closed once more, and memories of happy times flashed through her mind.
Memories of her newborn Nala smiling up at her. Memories of her pride-sisters cheering her on during their hunts. Memories of the peaceful days in the Pridelands, when she was young and adventurous.
Memories of green eyes and a pelt the color of red-clay...
The lioness' breath slipped from her as she fell into unconciousness.
Author's Note: Wow, it's been awhile. Well, here it is. Perhaps it's not so good, but I tried. I hope it's good, BlackCat. And if you don't know who the lioness at the end is, it's Sarafina. At last, right? You guys were pretty angry at me for "killing her off", but did you really think I would do that and have Scar suffer? I will let you in on a little secret, though. Someone will most definately die in this story. Who, I will not say and you'll have to find out. Till next time!