The moon in the sky above was completely consumed by darkness. It had no hope to shine on the Pridelands with its brilliance, relying solely on its twinkling citizens to light the way for the animals. Even the nocturnal inhabitants would be on edge with such little sense of sight.
In her distress, Jasiri was unaware of how still the air around them stood. Now, with her mind clearing, she noticed the silence that screamed in her face, making her feel uneasy. There was not a single animal nor the melodic presence of nighttime insects. It was only her and the King of the Pridelands.
They walked side by side for quite a large amount of time in the hushed savanna, at least, it seemed so to Jasiri. Priderock slowly became nothing more than a pile of boulders in the distance.
Once his home, the den of the other lions, was set far behind him, Simba broke the chain of quietness.
"I once knew a wise animal, one I still believe to be the wisest to have ever stepped paw onto this land. He was the greatest king I have ever come to know, and love, Mufasa, my father. He told me that my duties as king would be to uphold the Circle of Life. That the balance never be disturbed inside the Pridelands."
Simba stared down at Jasiri, his inexpressive emote remaining upon him, "It is seeming, ever since you arrived, peace has been avoiding your presence. I was informed about tonight's events."
Jasiri's ears flattened against the back of her head, but she was willingly to own up to her mistake, even if she was not the wrongdoer. If she played to what she believed Simba expected from her, then maybe she could alleviate the force of the foreseeable troubles from her clan.
She stopped where she was and took a deep breath, "I lost control of myself. I attacked Zuri because I incorrectly believed I was in danger. It was wrong of me to assume the actions of someone else by their species, and I will face what consequences will follow."
Simba did not stop his amble, but he did slow down so Jasiri could catch up, "Please, keep walking with me. I told you, I prefer conversing over a stroll."
Jasiri's ears perked back up, almost believing they had heard wrong. She had braced herself to withstand a punishment of any magnitude. In her mind, she figured the best case scenario was that Simba demanded she and her clan leave the Pridelands.
With no witnesses, Simba could have done what he sought fit.
Yet, he simply asked her to continue walking. What kind of punitive measure was that? She has traveled great distances before.
Despite her confusion, she did not want to agitate the situation any further, "Alright."
Simba nodded, returning to his slow pace so that he did not overbear her much smaller strides, "It was also brought to my attention that other Pridelanders were showing you similar disrespect. As their leader, I must apologize for their negative behavior and I hope it does not sour your view of the Pridelands."
Jasiri passed her limit, for she could no longer hold her tongue from the uncertainty she had, "I'm sorry, Simba, but I do not understand what is happening. I thought I was suppose to be the one to apologize, not you."
Simba's expression changed to a bemused smile, "What would ever make you think that? If you are referring to the earlier incident, I fail to see where you lie at fault. All I know is that a Pridelander defended herself from an attack, nothing more."
Jasiri was in a moment of pause, perplexed by Simba and what he was implying.
Although Simba claimed all he knew was an act of self-defense, Jasiri suspected he was aware of the full story, and he was siding with her. She came to realize that Simba did not blame her for the scratch she gave Zuri.
The thought a change-in-heart from Simba had arose made her wear a small smile of hope, but it faded when even more questions came to Jasiri.
Once again, Jasiri stopped where she was, sitting down this time and showing she will not move until she got clarification, "Then why are you here? If it's not to banish me back to the Outlands, why are you insisting on talking?"
"Nala was right, you are a bold spirit," Simba chortled when he turned around, sitting across from Jasiri, "I've never heard of an animal who wanted to be banished to the Outlands."
"I like to laugh as much as the next hyena, Simba, but enough with the games. Why are we out here?"
"Let me answer your question with one of my own," Simba was ceasing his teasing and had enough fun puzzling Jasiri, "Do you remember when you first visited our home at Priderock?"
"I do. It was not that long ago."
Simba mused at himself, revising his question, "Yes, well, do you remember when you called me an uptight lion?"
Embarrassed when she recalled the moments she and Simba stood off against one another, Jasiri rubbed the back of her neck, "Yes, I remember that too. Sorry for yelling at you."
"Water under the bridge, by now of course," Simba mused, which slowly fell back down to a content smile, "But you said that us lions do not understand the feeling of being an outcast. It's why I wanted to talk to you, for I do know how that feels."
Jasiri's head tilted at Simba's reveal, "You were thrown out from the Pridelands?"
"Not necessarily, I believed I was. I thought the Pridelanders hated me, and it wasn't until later did I realize it was a self loathe. I convicted myself for something I could not control," Simba stood up and motioned for Jasiri to follow again, "I'll tell you more about it, but I still prefer to stroll while I speak. It's pleasant, and I highly recommend you do the same."
Jasiri was not hesitant this time. She trusted Simba no longer desired a caper, and returned to her perambulation. With open ears, she listened to Simba as he began his story.
"It happened when I was a young cub, a bit younger than Kiara and Kion are now. I was under the impression that I was to blame for my father's death," Simba was pained when the picture of Mufasa thrown into a stampede of wildebeests, a memory he keeps locked away, rose to the surface, "I ran away from home. I ran as far as I could, ran from my past, and ran from my loved ones. I feared if I returned, I would be shunned and labeled a murderer."
Simba did not look at Jasiri, only at the ground in front of him, "Even with Timon and Pumbaa caring for me, I felt alone. Solitude is a cruel state of mind. You are isolated from the warmth of ones who care for you, chased down by the troubles of your past, and, when your past inevitably catches you, you are slowly broken down into a shell of your former self. You tend to do things you would never normally do. For me, I had lashed out at Nala, the special someone I never dreamed of harming. It wasn't a physical wound, but I had yelled at her, told her to leave me be and never return."
Jasiri empathized the struggle Simba obtained from the recollection of his memories. Simba's story reminded her of the time she snapped at Kion when she tried to evade the other Pridelanders' slander. Looking back, she realized she never apologized to Kion.
Simba glanced to Jasiri, pulling her away from the same state he was in, "I'm not going to lie and say I know how it feels to be despised by others, but I see you're falling into the same trap of loneliness. I was lucky enough to break free of my cage, but that was only because I had Nala at my side. I had someone who cared for me pull me out. As a leader, it is my job to care for the Pridelands and everyone in it, especially the ones within my own pride."
Jasiri's eyes darted to Simba at his last sentence. She was on the verge of deciding either he had gone mad, or her ears were conspiring against her. Nevertheless, her concern was put to rest from Simba's comforting smile, which she repaid with one of her own.
"Thank you, Simba. That means a lot to me."
"You are welcome, Jasiri."
Quiet fell again, but it was no longer a weighted pressure upon Jasiri. It was a peaceful silence, one that seemed to brighten the evening.
Jasiri was wondering how Kion must be feeling, believing that their embracing session was possibly that last time he would ever see her. She snickered quietly to the shock she envisioned Kion to have when she tells him about the true reason Simba asked her to follow him.
It would have to wait till the next day, however, for before long, Simba began to slow down until he eventually stopped, then addressed Jasiri once more, "I believe this is it. Well, I must admit, that was quite a relieving talk. We should have another one some time. But I'm afraid we have to part ways now that we arrived at our destination."
Jasiri had snapped out of her thoughts and became aware of the area they were in. The familiar, tall grass that covered the entrance to a large hideaway.
"But, this is my clan's den," Jasiri shot Simba a sporty grin, "You walked me home? I'm surprised you even know where it is."
"I did not want you to walk home by yourself. Not in the dark," Simba smirked back, "I can barely see beyond my own paw reach."
"Hm, guess you're not too bad of a king after all."
"What? Did you expect I would be arrogant because I'm a king? Honestly, what kind of animal would make assumption in such a way," Simba knowingly chuckled and prompted the same from Jasiri, "Only a real thick-headed one could posses such an inequity."
The two were beaming with laughter, but they remained courteous of Jasiri's clan who were fast asleep in their den.
When their jesting finally tuckered out, Jasiri let out a big yawn, "Thank you again, Simba. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Simba nodded, double backing their path and heading back to Priderock.
Jasiri had to be heedful upon entering her den, for she was overjoyed and prone to accidentally awakening one of her clan members. A carelessness that came when a brush of ease reached her frizzed mind.
It was true, not all her worries were gone. In fact, only a sliver of them had been put to rest after tonight. Only one from hundreds of inhabitants of the Pridelands.
Even so, it was the one that mattered most to Jasiri. A feat she never thought would be accomplished, something that brought security to her relations with her favorite lion.
Simba had acknowledge her as family.
(To Be Continued…)