Well, here we go again. Sorry for the absence, but now here comes chapter 10. The baby birds are copyrighted to the authors of a comic titled "Tojo's Birds". Kilia (female) is copyrighted to TakaPL, and I have his permission to use her. Tanin (male) is the crocodile from a Lion-King book titled "The Brightest Star" but I gave him a more detailed description and a name. Now that it's over, let's begin.
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Chapter 10 – Orphaned babies
As time passed, Simba and Nala kept growing up as strong and healthy cubs. As soon as they could run, they ran around all the cave, exploring everything that they could, and it wasn't for long 'till the cave became too small for the young cubs' walkings and playing.
When they were two months old, they finally left the cave for the first time. Simba and Nala, like it was expected, grew up as the best friends, and they always played together. Sometimes, they also played with the other cubs, especially Tojo, Chumvi, and Kula.
Because Tojo and Kula kept close to Simba and Nala since they were very young, Tojo was Simba's best friend, after Nala, and Kula was Nala's best friend, after Simba. Sometimes they also played with the other cubs, like Hiari, Koza, Kianga, Tama, Tibuka, and Chafua. Nala in particular became a little bit fond of sometimes playing in the mud with Tibuka and Chafua, but normally when she did that Safura, Sarafina and Moyo ended up angry with her, so she avoided doing it.
Even being a prince, Simba had a life as normal as the life of any lion cub, because it were still missing five months for the lessons to be king to start. Normally, the lessons would start with Simba being four or six months old, but Mufasa decided to wait some more time.
In the cub's theme, one thing that quite amazed the pride was Zira's pregnancy. They kept it a secret during most of time, but, after two months of pregnancy, Zira's belly was quite big. Because Zira was a thin lioness, the pregnancy was obvious early.
No one on the pride got happy for Zira and Scar, except Uzuri, Sakia, and Mega. Uzuri because she felt almost like mother of Zira, Sakia because she was friend of both Zira and Scar, and Mega… well, he was simply happy for them.
Another pregnancy that was discovered, and that one started when Simba and Nala was around one month old, was Sarafina's second pregnancy. That one was… quite a mistake, because Sarafina and Moyo were confident that no more cubs would come for a while, but now they had come… and Sarafina and Moyo were quite ready for that.
No one of the cubs really cared too much about Zira and Scar, since they kept quite solitary habits. Or even about Sarafina, because they weren't old enough to be interested about that, except Nala was interested in having a little brother or sister. If someone of the cubs was curious about the pregnancy thing, it was Tojo. He was also quite happy for Zira and Scar, and he also had many questions, like it was usual in him. One of them, which he made to his grandfather, was "How the cubs went inside Miss Zira and Miss Sarafina?"
Mega simply answered: "You'll know when you're older."
Tojo got satisfied enough with that answer.
But one thing that Tojo was never satisfied enough was with his curiosity. One day, he was wandering in the Pride Lands alone, because Kula and Chumvi were playing with Simba and Nala, and all the other cubs were having hunting lessons.
"What is in the Outlands?" asked Tojo to himself. "I wonder if I can find out."
Both his mother and grandfather forbid him energically to go to the Outlands, but Tojo, as a curious cub, simply didn't care.
"When I've returned, I'll know one thing more about this world." thought Tojo, while going to the Outlands. "And besides, when I return, they'll think I'm a hero!"
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"Well, I still can't see what's that special in the Outlands." said Tojo, one hour later, when he was walking on the irregular ground on the Outlands, climbing to a cliff to have a better view of the place.
Journey to the Outlands had been quite easy, first only walking in the savannah, then walking on a log over a river filled with crocodiles… then walking in the barren soil of the Outlands.
In an hour of walking, Tojo barely saw any life signal, so, he decided to climb the highest cliff that he found, to have a general view over the Outlands, and then he would return home. Besides, the Outlands rather scared him. The whole place was silent, too silent, and, at the same time, it seemed as if something would jump on him when he wasn't expecting.
Tojo was almost arriving to the top of the cliff, when he heard a cubbish cry, and a female voice shouting:
"No way, Banzai. We found the dead lioness, we must share it with the clan. They also deserve to eat."
"And why they have to get results out of our effort?" asked the male voice back.
The cubbish cry continued.
"Oh, shut up!" shouted Banzai.
Tojo went to the edge of the cliff, and looked down. And he saw something that scared him.
At the base of the cliff, some twenty meters below him, was a dead lioness, with grey fur, and a female cub of the same colour that seemed a little younger than Nala was at the lioness's side (probably the lioness was the cub's mother), and three hyenas, two males and a female, were around them. The lioness seemed half covered in stones and dust. And, even as not too experienced, Tojo could guess what happened.
The lioness should have tried to climb to the top of the cliff, and somewhere during the way she placed her paw on some crack or on some less solid part of the cliff, and she slipped and fell. The cliff was high enough for a fall to cause instant death. Now, the cub was orphaned, but it seemed that wouldn't be for much longer, because the hyenas would surely kill her. Unless Tojo thought of a plan. The hyenas hadn't yet seen him or smelled him, so he had the surprise element on his side. He only hoped that the cub would think fast.
"Let's do this." thought Tojo. "It's all or nothing."
So, Tojo, carefully hiding, went to the hyenas and the cub. Meanwhile, the cub was still crying.
"Oh, shut up!" said Shenzi.
She and Ed were trying to convince Banzai to share the meat of the lioness with the other members of the clan, but Banzai, always hungry, wasn't agreeing. And the cries of the cub were only making hyenas more nervous.
"Shut up, or I'll eat you!" shouted Shenzi.
"Hey, that's not fair." said Banzai, mad at Shenzi. "I smelled her first, I will eat her!"
Ed laughed insanely.
"No way, Ed!" said Banzai. "You didn't smell the cub first. I did!"
"NO!" said Shenzi. "I did!"
Ed laughed again.
"Ed is right!" shouted a cubbish voice. "He smelled her first!"
The hyenas looked to where the voice came, and even the cub temporarially stopped crying to look at the voice. Then, Tojo, who had been hiding, ran out of his hideout, and, colliding with the cub to call her to the reality, shouted: "RUN!"
For some reason, the cub returned to reality, and started running after Tojo. Meanwhile, Ed was laughing, this time from satisfaction.
"You didn't sniff the cub first!" said Banzai. "I did!"
"Oh, shut up!" said Shenzi. "They will escape! Get them!"
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Tojo and the cub were running with all their speed to the river, completely terrified. Tojo didn't have a plan to escape the hyenas, he just hoped that, when they got to the river, the crocodiles would get distracted trying to get the hyenas to notice them.
"Keep running!" shouted Tojo to the cub. "Don't stop!"
They were reaching the river, but they were also getting tired. They wouldn't have enough energy to cross the river swimming, and, even if they did, the crocodiles would surely catch them.
Besides, Tojo found out that, in the hurry of the crazy run, he didn't care about running on the direction of the natural bridge between both banks of the river. The only thing left was to… wait for a miracle.
And the miracle in fact came. For some unknown reason, they were running, not exactly to the tree trunk, but quite close to it. They would have only to make a small turn around. Tojo was being the guide, since the cub knew nothing about the way.
But, suddenly, Tojo slipped, and went rolling to the riverbank. The cub stopped her run to follow him. Tojo was lying on the ground, unable to get up.
"Get up!" said the cub, in panic, touching him hardly. "Get up!"
However, Tojo only shouted from pain. His right back paw was sprained. He wouldn't be able to run… and the hyenas were coming close…
The hyenas were running to them with a triumphant look… already opening their mouths, in antecipation to eat the cubs…
"I'm lost!" thought the cub, terrified.
But she tried to be brave, and went into a defensive position. She tried to roar, to scare the hyenas, but to no avail.
"Just that?" asked Shenzi. "Can't you do anything better?"
The cub roared again, but then something strange happened. The water behind them exploded, and, all of a sudden, a huge crocodile came out, with his huge jaws completely open. The hyenas shouted, terrified, and then ran away, tripping many times along the way, partly from scare, but also from the cracks on the ground.
Meanwhile, both Tojo and the cub were soaked. The cub turned to the crocodile, who was almost completely inside the water, but the part that he had outside was big enough for the cub to understand the size of the reptile. That crocodile should be some seven meters long, and shoud weigh more than a ton. It would swallow both cubs without a problem.
The cub turned to run away, but then she remembered the male cub who had saved her. She couldn't leave him to die.
Then, she turned around, and ran to the crocodile, biting his snout.
"Ouch!" said the crocodile. "Beware! I'm not as thick skinned in the snout."
"Get out!" said the cub. "Don't eat him!"
At that moment, Tojo finally got up, even with his sprained paw. The cub supported him. Tojo looked to the crocodile.
"Hello, Tanin." said Tojo, happy by seeing the crocodile.
"You know him?" asked the female cub, so surprised that she almost allowed Tojo to fall on the ground.
"Yes." said Tojo. "I sometimes talk with him. He is a friend of my pride since the reign of King Mohatu, the grandfather of the actual king, Mufasa… by the way, what's your name?"
"Kilia…" answered the cub, and then she started crying again.
Tojo hugged her, and said, trying to calm her down: "I'm sorry for your mother. I can't bring her back, but I can take you to my pride."
"And… will they… accept me?" asked Kilia between sobs.
"I don't know." replied Tojo.
In fact, he wasn't sure that the pride would accept Kilia. But she had nothing to lose. And, after hearing her story, maybe they would accept her.
"Now… how will we cross?" asked Tojo. "I can't walk on the trunk only with three paws."
"I will take you on my back." said Tanin. "Do you think you can climb?"
Tojo tried to climb to the back of the crocodile, who lied down to ease the cub's task, but Tojo just couldn't climb only with three paws. Until he tried to climb by the crocodile's head. It was a sensitive area, and Tanin felt disturbed when Tojo grabbed his nose with his lion claws, but when Tojo got to his back, he felt relieved. Kilia jumped to Tanin's back easily, and then the crocodile crossed the river with the two cubs.
When he got to the other side, Tojo rolled down the reptile's back, and, with Kilia's support, began limping to Pride Rock.
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"I wonder what happened to Tojo?" asked Jani aloud, walking in circles around the cave, extremely worried.
"Calm down, Jani." said Mega, trying to confort his daughter. "I'm sure Tojo is alright."
"And I can see him." said Scar, in a casual voice, while he passed by with Zira. "He's coming here… he seems to be limping, and supported by some strange cub."
Jani looked around, and saw that Scar was right. Her son was limping to Pride Rock, supported by an unknown female cub. The lioness immediately ran to her son, and started licking him all over, but she stopped when she heard Tojo's cry of pain.
"What happened, son?" asked Jani, noticing the sprained leg of her son, and trying to lick his leg.
But then Kilia said:
"You shouldn't mess up an injury. My mom always told that could only make it worse."
"Who are you to tell me how to take care of my son?" growled Jani to the cub.
Kilia, who was already quite scared and nervous of meeting a strange pride, and if they would accept her, got even more scared, and even more tears came out of her green eyes.
Jani, on the next moment, felt sorry for having growled to a strange cub, and hugged her, speaking calmly, trying to make her stop her cry. Kilia stopped, and then Jani said:
"Now, we will return to Pride Rock. Then, you will tell me what exactly happened."
So, Jani picked Tojo by the scruff, Kilia went walking at Jani's side, and then they walked to Pride Rock. Simba, Nala, Kula, and Chumvi were also returning from their playing. They saw Tojo being carried by Jani, with Kilia at the lioness's side, and went to them.
"Hi, Tojo." said Simba.
"Hello, Simba…" whispered Tojo.
"What happened to you?" asked Nala.
"Who are you?" asked Kula to Kilia, in a slightly aggressive voice.
Kula didn't like the way how the unknown cub was looking at Tojo… at her Tojo! She was looking at him with admire, almost like she had fallen in love with him. Not as long as Kula would have a word to say! She wouldn't leave someone to stand between her and Tojo.
Kilia turned around, and, looking at Kula, replied calmly: "Didn't you care more about your friend? He is hurt, and you worry more about me?"
"This is no time for discussions." said Simba. "Tojo is hurt. And you… what's your name, by the way?"
"Kilia." replied Kilia.
"Nice to meet you." said Simba. "I'm Simba, prince of the Pride Lands."
"I'm Nala."
"I'm Chumvi."
"I'm Kula."
But, from all of them, Kula spoke in a quite aggressive voice. It seemed that things wouldn't be easy for Kilia.
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In the end, Kilia ended being accepted in the pride. The pride had a meeting, where Tojo told them that he went to the Outlands, where he had found Kilia and her dead mother, and how he rescued her from the hyenas, and how Tanin rescued him and Kilia. Mufasa decided that he would accept Kilia into the pride, and the female cub ended being adopted by Uzuri, just like Sakia and Zira.
Fani and Asmini tried to ask to Uzuri why she never wanted to have any cub, instead of adopting various cubs, but she replied that it was her secret. No one could understand, but they allowed Uzuri to adopt Kilia, if the cub agreed. Kilia agreed, because Uzuri seemed really nice to her.
Tojo wasn't punished by going to the Outlands. Jani had decided that his sprained leg would be enough punishment, because he wouldn't be able to move.
Ironically enough, on the day after Tojo having saved Kilia, Mufasa decided to give all the cubs from the pride a small lesson about the Great Spirit. He told the cubs that the Great Spirit ruled the lion's, and everybody's, lives with wisdom, even when someone doubted him. When Mufasa said that, Tojo lifted his front right paw.
"Yes, Tojo?" asked Mufasa.
"If the Great Spirit rules over our lives with wisdom, I would say that he doesn't rule me very well! I hurt myself all the time!"
"Maybe someday the Great Spirit will reward you for that."
-"I would prefer if I didn't hurt myself all the time." said Tojo.
"Well, the lesson is finished." said Mufasa. "You can all go. Tojo, are you sure that you don't need me to take you home?"
"I can come back by myself." said Tojo. "But thank you, anyway."
Tojo went limping to the usual rest place of the pride, being supported by Simba. Ironically enough, Tojo was now being helped how to walk by the one that he had helped to learn how to walk.
Tojo complained a lot: "Now that I have sprained my leg, Rafiki said that I need to rest! Rest! That is for old people!"
"I promise to come visit." said Simba trying to cheer up Tojo, when they were coming close to the place where the pride normally rested. He left Tojo under a tree, who said:
"Goodbye, Simba. Go and have fun, while I'm bored around here."
"No you don't." said one voice.
Simba and Tojo looked around, and saw Kilia coming close.
"I will stay with you." said Kilia. "It's only because of me that you are like that."
And so, Kilia made some company to Tojo, who was slightly happier.
Simba started to leave, but, before leaving said goodbye to Tojo, and said something more:
"Who knows, maybe the Great Spirit has some reason for you to stay home."
Tojo had his doubts, but he didn't say anything. And so, Simba left for his walk.
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So, Simba went for a walk in the mountain, while thinking about Tojo. It should be really bad, having to stay absolutely immobile for undetermined time. It was really bad luck. He wouldn't be able to do anything there. Simba just hoped that Kilia would give him good company… but maybe she shouldn't do it. She had never seen Kula jealous. Kula and Tojo tried to keep it a secret, but Simba and Nala found out that Tojo had a crush on Kula, and Kula had also one on Tojo. And if Kilia stayed around Tojo much more time, Kula could be jealous. No one in the pride had ever seen Kula jealous, but things wouldn't be easy surely.
"I just hope that Kilia hasn't fallen in love with Tojo." thought Simba, while climbing the mountain.
When Simba was almost arriving to the top, he saw a strange thing. But it was too far for him to see what it was.
"I wonder what that is." said Simba. "I think that I'll go up there to see."
So, Simba went up to the mountain, climbing to the top, and, when he came closer, he saw what seemed to be branches. Lots of branches, who seemed to be put in a quite careful way. But there were no trees up there.
"I wonder who put that here." said Simba, coming close.
When Simba finally came close, he saw that there was a bird nest.
"It's a bird nest." said Simba. "And has six eggs in it."
In fact the bird nest had six eggs. And, at that moment, under Simba's surprised eyes, the eggs began to hatch. And some time later, there are six bird babies. And they were big. Simba couldn't guess their specie, but that didn't really care at the moment. They were looking at Simba with their beaks open.
"Easy." said Simba, a little bit scared. "You're pretty big bird babies."
The birds had their beaks open at Simba, and Simba thought that it was because they were hungry.
"Are you hungry?" asked Simba, without knowing what to do. "What kind of food do you eat?"
"Ah, the little ones have hatched! Funny you were here, Simba." said one voice.
Simba looked around, and, after some short searching, saw Zazu flying in his direction. However, he didn't get what Zazu meant with his last sentence.
"What do you mean, Zazu?" asked Simba.
"Well…" said Zazu. "I've kept an eye on that nest for a few days. The bird mother is gone. But now they don't need her."
"Nonsence!" said Simba angrily. Zazu was saying that defenceless newborn babies didn't need their mother?
"Of course they need her!" kept Simba.
"You don't get it…" said Zazu, beginning to get somewhat fun.
"Get to the point, Zazu." said Simba, confused.
"You are their mother!" said Zazu. "You are the first creature they saw! That makes you their mother."
"ME?" asked Simba, completely amazed.
He could barely believe that he would have the responsibility of taking care of six big bird babies, at such a young age. What he could do? He simply couldn't take care of them.
"That's how it is!" said Zazu. "They'll follow you and do whatever you do now."
"You're kidding, Zazu!" said Simba, becoming more and more scared at the second. "Tell me that is a joke!"
"No way." said Zazu, chuckling. "You have very cute kids! And they are hungry! Wait here! I'll get some food."
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While he was waiting for Zazu, Simba was thinking about the disgrace that fell in his paws. He, a young cub, only with three months, already had the responsibility of taking care of six baby birds. And they were quite big. Simba didn't want to think how the birds would be when they were adult.
"No one could be in a worst situation." thought Simba.
But, at that moment, he thought about Tojo, who had his leg sprained, and could barely walk. At least Simba was fully healthy, and didn't have to be under trees resting, without being able to play.
Simba came back to reality when he saw Zazu arriving… with lots of worms! He saw Zazu carrying some worms in his beak, and much more in his claws.
"Oh, no, please, not that!" said Simba, terrified.
"Here are some nice worms for the babies!" said Zazu, after dropping his worms. "You have to feed them by holding the worms with your mouth, and put them in their beaks, like the real mother would."
"Forget it!" said Simba. "I will not put worms in my mouth."
"Do you refuse, Simba?" asked Zazu. "Look how cute and hungry the birds are."
Simba looked to the birds. It was hard to admit, but they looked so cute… and so hungry at the same time… if Simba didn't put the worms in their mouths, they would die… but the worms were disgusting… but, if he would be king, shouldn't he care about the safety of his subjects? The birds were, in a way, his subjects. Simba would have to feed them.
And so, Simba grabbed one of the worms in his mouth, and tried to give it to one of the birds, but the bird, instead of eating the worm, beaked Simba's nose.
"Ouch!" said Simba, but without dropping the worm.
"Stop complaining." said Zazu. "The kids are happy, and that should make you happy."
This made Simba to put another worm in his mouth, to feed the bird. He would need quite some worms to feed all the birds.
After some time, many patience, and some beaks in the nose, Simba managed to fill the stomachs of the small birds.
"The worst part is that tomorrow they'll need more." thought Simba.
But he asked to Zazu:
"May I go home now?"
"Yes." said Zazu.
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On Pride Rock, Mufasa and Sarabi were both getting worried with Simba. Normally, he never arrived that late.
"I only hope he hasn't followed Tojo's example, and went to the Outlands." said Sarabi.
"No, I don't think he went…" said Mufasa, but without much conviction.
Going to the Outlands was exactly the sort of thing that Simba would do, specially after seeing that another cub already had gone, and had returned almost like a hero. But Simba could be less lucky than Tojo in that part.
However, Mufasa and Sarabi didn't need to get more worried, because they saw Simba coming to them. He seemed tired. Mufasa and Sarabi went up to him.
"What happened son?" asked Mufasa
"Are you alright?" asked Sarabi.
"I'm alright." said Simba, rubbing against his mother's front paw, and then hugging his father. "But I must speak with you father."
"Why?" asked Mufasa, confused.
"Can we go to the top of Pride Rock?" asked Simba.
"Yes, we can." said Mufasa.
"I'll tell you what happened later, mom." said Simba.
"Alright." said Sarabi.
So, Mufasa and Simba climbed to the top of Pride Rock, and then they sat down.
"What happened exactly, son?" asked Mufasa, after they were comfortably installed.
"Well, you see dad, I found a bird nest in the mountain. When I watched it, the six eggs that were in the bird nest hatched, and now there are six eagle-like bird chicks. And I want to ask you something about the Great Spirit. Will the Great Spirit take care of them?"
"No, Simba." said Mufasa. "The Great Spirit chose you to take care of them."
Simba got disappointed, but he would take it. If the Great Spirit chose him to take care of the birds, he would do it.
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So, Simba ended taking care of the baby birds. Because of that, he had little time to play with any other of the lion cubs. Most of the cubs, Nala particularly, didn't enjoy the idea too much, but they understood that Simba had to take care of the birds. But Simba didn't like the idea. However, he was ready to do it.
As for Tojo… things weren't exactly going easy to him. Kula was always jealous that Kilia was around Tojo, and never missed a chance of being around him, to keep the newly welcomed cub under her sight.
One day, around a week after Simba having found the baby birds, Scar and Zira were passing by the tree were Tojo was lying down, resting. Both Kula and Kilia were with him, and things weren't being easy. While Kula and Kilia tried to make some friendly talk with Tojo, they ended up in an unfriendly talking with eachother.
"Tojo is mine!" said Kula. "Get out!"
"Yours?" asked Kilia. "How can you say that? He's not your boyfriend."
"If he's not my boyfriend, surely he isn't yours!" shouted Kula.
Tojo tried to walk away, but with his sprained leg, he couldn't get up without help.
Scar watched Tojo between Kula and Kilia, and said: "That's enough. No one of them seems to be real Tojo's friend. They are disturbing his rest."
Scar walked to the three cubs, and cleared his throat. The cubs stopped discussing. The three of them looked to Scar. Scar quite scared them. He didn't seem mean, but he had a quite scary look.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I was passing by and I heard you." said Scar. "And no one of you two, Kula and Kilia, seems to be real Tojo's friend. If you were, you would discuss far from him. Tojo doesn't have to hear this. He is feeling bad enough."
Kula and Kilia, a little bit ashamed, went away. Tojo seemed a little bit sad by seeing them going away, but then he turned to Scar, and said: "Thank you, Mr. Scar."
"You're welcome." said Scar.
Then, Scar went away with Zira.
"Why did you protect him?" asked Zira to Scar while they were walking.
"The kid already has enough trouble with his sprained leg." said Scar. "I just hope it doesn't leave a scar, and that he can walk again."
"Speaking about a scar…" said Zira. "How did you get yours?"
Scar got a little bit angry. Zira was asking about his scar again. And she was awakening a painful memory. But then, Scar thought that it was the right time for him to make another question to Zira. He would tell Zira this thing about his traumatic past with the scar, if Zira told him about her life in her real pride.
"I will tell you how I got the scar." said Scar. "If you tell me what happened for you to leave your pride."
"I always hoped that you loved me without looking to my past…" replied Zira, with a bit tensed voice. "But if you must know to trust me…"
"No!" interrupted her Scar. "You took me very wrong. I don't care of what happened there. I'm just curious to know you better. That's all. I won't force you to tell me. If you don't wish to, don't say."
"Uh… alright." said Zira, bowing her head. "One day, I would have to tell it, I can't keep it just to me."
"OK." said Scar. "I tell first."
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