Paws that I felt could take me anywhere, carried me across the burning sand of the savannah; dry grass brushed my side and tickled my belly. My claws flicked stones to the side and my paws brushed over dead twigs. Flies buzzed in my ears and crickets hopped past my nose, birds sang above me and mice scurried past my whiskers that were hanging low to the ground, occasionally brushing the grains of sand.

I had walked past Rafiki's tree and I wasn't paying much attention to where I was going until my paw didn't touch solid ground again, it hung in the air and I jerked back to my senses when I realised where I was; the craggy rock and barren soil, the heat that hammered down on me and the herd of wildebeest on the other side all told me that I was back at the scene of the crime.

It seemed almost ironic that I had nearly died from the sudden drop after I had ended another's life here. I hadn't realised it, but this was the place where both Nuka and Zira had died. I started to back away, slowly at first, and then it escalated into a frantic scrambling of limbs. I whipped round and scrambled back across the savannah, I was heading to the left of Pride Rock, towards whatever lay beyond the Pridelands.

As I passed my cave, I heard a shout of "Dad, Dad, where are you?" I stopped; it was Vitani; I looked into the mouth of my little home and saw Vitani standing in the middle of the quaint little place, eyes shut, tears running down her cheeks "It was all an act, he left me, just when I needed him the most" She said.

Her words pulled at my heart strings and I placed my paw on the ledge that would lead me into my home, the click of my claws on the rock caused her to open her eyes and look up "DAD!" She yelled, her voice echoing off the rock walls, she launched herself at me and pressed her paws into my chest, knocking me over and pinning me on the floor.

"I never left, you know, I only went for a walk" I said.

"I thought you'd left me…And I was never going to see you again"

"I know, but I'll never leave you, not until I can't fight my passing anymore"

"Don't, please, I don't want to think about that yet" Vitani nuzzled her head into my mane just under my right cheek.

I put one paw on her shoulder blades and the other on her back and hugged her into me. My heart was heavy as I remembered this was how I and Zira had cuddled; Vitani was exactly in the same position as my mate had been all those years ago.

I had gotten used to the grief; the uncomfortable heavy sensation in the bottom of my heart and my stomach, the petrifying nightmares that left me jerking awake in a cold sweat, the knowledge that I would never see her face again, the heart-breaking memories that assaulted my brain and the blackness whenever I closed my eyes.

I hated all of it, but I lived with it; what was the point of living, when I had fought so hard for it, and all I was going to do was mope and remember old times? The only way to look was forward, to press forward, to think about the future and to stop living in the past, the past that could never be regained.

I pushed Vitani off and rolled onto my front, then pushed up onto my paws. I turned around and looked into Vitani's eyes "Come on" I said and walked in the direction of Rafiki's tree "I want you to meet a friend of mine" Vitani followed at my side, she didn't speak; she just walked in silence.

I stopped at the rocks that led up to Rafiki's tree. I put one forepaw on the first rock and climbed up, I turned my head over my shoulder to look at my daughter, I indicated with my head for her to start climbing. She followed me up the rocks.

I entered the bowl and looked over at Shavu; he was awake, his head was held up and staring out of the gap in the tree where you could see the land stretching out towards the never-ending horizon. I walked over to him and nudged the back of his head, his silky soft mane brushing my muzzle. The lion swung his head around and grinned at me "Hey Scar" He said.

"Hi, I brought Vitani over" I said, looking over at my daughter.

"Well, hello" He said, beaming "I'm Shavu"

"I'm Vitani" She said, a little shyly.

I backed away and sat down, Vitani padded closer and sat down in front of my friend, and they spoke for a while, getting the small talk out of the way and starting a larger conversation.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked over to see my healer, my friend, Rafiki. I smiled at him "How have you been keeping?" I asked.

"Fine, but the real question is: How have you been keeping?" He said.

I looked away "I'm ok…I've gotten used to the grief at least" I sighed "But…It isn't…Happy, if you know what I mean" I added.

Rafiki nodded "I understand; grief is a funny thing, it never leaves you alone until you are able to push through it and think about other things" He said, nodding.

I said nothing, looking away from him and cast my eyes to the floor. Rafiki put his hand on the bony shoulder blades that jutted up and rubbed his hand up and down them. It couldn't have been comfortable for him, my bones weren't exactly soft.

Rafiki ran his hand down to the middle of my back, the area where I always enjoyed a scratch. A smile spread up my jaw and my back instinctively straightened up in pleasure. My teeth gritted and my claws flexed, then the pleasure stopped, Rafiki had taken his hand off my back and had placed it in his lap, I stretched my forelegs out, gently sliding down onto my belly, crossing my right paw over the middle of my left leg.

The monkey did nothing, he only sat where he had been before, I looked round at him and saw him meditating, his legs crossed and his arms held up and his eyes were closed, his finger and thumb touching. I shook my head and looked over at Vitani, she was laughing heartily and Shavu was looking very pleased with himself.

"What's so funny?" I asked; I was getting a little paranoid.

"I was just telling your daughter about how you leapt into the waterhole in the Roguelands" Shavu said, beaming.

"Well, isn't that nice?" I said sarcastically "You're telling my daughter of the fun that I never knew I was able to have and degrading yourself at the same time: You have, of course, told her that you leapt in after me?"

Shavu's face flushed and his mouth moved, trying to form words "W-Well…" He trailed off.

Vitani was almost choking on her own laughter, her head was thrown back and her body was juddering with the force of laughing and trying to breath at the same time. I smirked triumphantly "Speechless are you, Shavu?" I said.

The cream lion sucked in his lips and glared at me "Cheers for that" He said.

"Come on, Vitani, let's go home before you die laughing" I said, standing up. Vitani stood up too, still laughing and I started to walk to the entrance "See you Rafiki, Shavu" I said over my shoulder.

As we walked, my mind wandered over how my life had turned around: I had started out life as a cold, unloved son and matured into a ruthless, sarcastic, murderous brother. I had almost been killed by my own hyena henchmen, but I had survived and gotten my battle scars, fighting for this life had been one of the best things I had ever done. I had turned from a murderer to a soldier, from an unloved son to king of my daughter's heart.

Overall, I had found my inner Pridelander.