The day after Nala's departure was drearier than usual. I missed her attitude and leadership that always made me feel safer. But I knew that she would be back. It wasn't in Nala's nature to abandon her pride. But I did not know when she would be back. I could only hope that it would be soon.

Meanwhile, I wasn't fairing any better. The headaches and dizziness were growing more and more constant. There were times I couldn't even stand. At least the rest of the pride were doing better than I was.

It happened to be that that specific morning I was feeling less weak than usual. But, unfortunately, mother was out hunting with the rest of the pride and Nuka was with Zira.

She had gotten pregnant again, but some rumours had been going around the pride that she had been spotted by one of our lionesses with an unfamiliar lion. Many of us wondered who the cub's real father was. Not that I cared much.

Feeling bored, I decided to take a walk. I didn't have a specific location in mind, so I just let my legs take me wherever they wanted to go.

I ended up at the gorge in which my father and brother had died. I made my way down the path, which was every bit as eerie as last time.

Inevitably, I passed the mound situated underneath the broken tree. I stopped and closed my eyes for a few moments. Then I continued down the gorge.

I wasn't entirely sure what I was expecting to find. A mound for my brother? They couldn't find his body. Maybe I was hoping to find him. It didn't seem fair that he shouldn't have a grave.

I reached a rock wall at the end. The walls surrounding me were tall and towering, unclimbable. The only way forward, was the huge pile of rocks. I don't know why, but I had decided to climb it.

Slowly and carefully, so as not to tire my weakened body, I reached the top. There was a path on the flat land I had reached. I went down it, curious as to where I would end up.

I received my answer when I reached a cliff. The way down it was not that steep, but there was a thick forest of deadly thorns at the bottom.

I stood there staring down, unsure of what I should do now, when I heard a voice from behind me.

"What are you doing here?"

I turned around to see a female hyena glaring at me. I knew who she was. She was Shenzi, matriarch of her clan.

"What are you doing here?" I shot back.

"That ain't your concern," scoffed Shenzi. "But you should be careful. You wouldn't want Scar under the impression that you are running off."

I just stood there, looking down my nose at her, imitating the way mother looks at the scums.

"So you're Shani, aren't you." Shenzi stepped closer. I didn't confirm nor deny her claim.

We stared down each other.

"From what I remember, you were found abandoned," she continued. "Yeah, right."

My heart skipped a beat. She couldn't possibly mean...?

"What are you talking about?" I said, as calmly as I could.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Spat Shenzi. "You look too much like your parents not to be biologically related."

I didn't reply.

"Ha! So that just confirms it!" She cried, triumphantly. She moved her head right in front of mine. "Don't think Scar hasn't noticed. He's guessed it for a while now. Possibly the only reason he hasn't confronted Sarabi yet is because you're already dying. He doesn't want to upset the lionesses unnecessarily."

"If you tell Scar about what could or couldn't be, I will tell him that you told me that he killed my father and brother," I said, calmly.

Shenzi backed up in shock. "How did you find out?" She demanded.

"So my suspicions were correct!" I gasped. "I knew it!"

"How did you guess?" Whimpered Shenzi, evidently frightened as to what Scar would do.

"Well," I replied. "It's kind of suspicious that my father and brother, both in the way of Scar getting the throne, should die on the same day in the same place with no other witnesses other than Scar and Zazu, who had been knocked out. Not to mention, my mother warned me about his unpredictable nature. But she would never have thought he would commit regicide. She knew him when he was a cub, but I saw him through the eyes of someone who's only seen the worst of him."

Shenzi stared at me, unable to say a word.

"But actually," I continued, my voice low and threatening. "He didn't kill my brother. It was you, wasn't it?"

"I-I..." Shenzi stammered, backing up.

The world around me turned into bright and fiery red colour. Before I knew what had happened, I had pounced on Shenzi, snarling. My hunger panes temporarily leaving.

"Wait!" She cried. "I didn't kill him! I promise I didn't! H-he g-got away!"

I stopped snarling, confused.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"S-Scar did order us to k-kill h-him," she stammered out. "W-we ch-chased him here. He slipped d-down th-the s-slope a-and into the th-thorns."

"So you're saying he's alive?!" I gasped.

"Th-there's a ch-chance," she gulped. "But he escaped through the desert. I doubt a little cub could have survived that."

I suddenly felt a dizziness come over me. My outburst had taken too much of my energy in a short amount of time. Shenzi, sensing this weakness, threw me off her and got to her feet, growling.

I stood up, my legs wobbly and my vision blurry.

"I should probably just kill you since you're dying anyway," Shenzi smirked. "Can't have you letting it slip that I didn't kill your bro. Scar would have my hide!"

"If you kill me, my mother will have yours," I stated. "She's already lost one cub, thanks to you, and I don't think she would be very happy to lose another."

Shenzi snarled. She realised that I was right.

"All right," she snapped. "But breath one word about this to Scar, and I will tell him what I know about you!"

With that, she skulked off.

Slowly, I returned to Priderock, still feeling dizzy and nauseous. But I couldn't help thinking about what I had just found out. And also the other thing Shenzi had said.

You're going to die anyway.

The next morning, I couldn't get off the floor of the cave. My head was pounding relentlessly and my stomach clenched with hunger. I felt as though my body was on fire. I tried calling for mother, but I couldn't utter a word.

When mother woke up, she gasped.

"Shani!" She cried. "Are you okay?"

I could only groan in reply. Mother felt my forehead. "You're burning up!" She exclaimed.

Mother immediately ran out of the cave. A few minutes later, she came back with what looked like a cross between a mandrill and a baboon holding some kind of stick. Something told me that he wasn't for eating.

The mandrill/baboon examined me. I supposed he was some kind of doctor or vet or something. The whole pride that lived in our cave had gathered around as close as space allowed. I barely acknowledged them.

Eventually, the doctor stopped his examination and led mother outside to talk to her. When she came back in (Dr Monkey had gone home) she looked worried.

She called everyone out for the hunt, telling me that I should rest. Sleeping was not difficult for me and I gladly fell into the darkness.

When I woke up a few hours later, mother had returned from the hunt with a few rats.

After croaking a "thank you" I gobbled them up and fell asleep again.

I woke up a few hours later. My headache had cleared a little. I raised my head slightly and noticed that the cave was empty.

The pride must have gone on another hunt, I thought.

I became aware of a light tugging on my ear. I looked around and saw Nuka there.

"Nuka?" I croaked.

"Hi," he said. "I wanted to play with you. How come you were sleeping? Do you want to play now?"

"I'm sorry, Kid," I grunted, trying to smile at him. "I'm not feeling the best at the moment."

Nuka looked crestfallen.

"I need to rest now," I explained, gently. "But, after I get better I will play with you, okay?"

"Okay," he replied and bounded out of the cave.

I put my head back down and fell asleep.

The sun had already set by the time I had woken up again. Although I felt slightly better, my head was still pounding.

As I lay there, with my eyes closed, I became aware of muffled sobbing not far from me. I forced my eyes open to see who it was.

When my vision had cleared, I noticed that the cave was empty. The pride must have continued hunting.

Except for two lionesses sitting next to me. I tilted my head and saw mother burying her head into one of the oldest lionesses in the pride. I recognised her as Nadra. She had her paws wrapped around mother who, to my surprise, was crying silently.

I had never seen mother cry. She had always been strong for her pride. I placed my head down on the floor and closed my eyes so that they shouldn't notice that I was awake.

I could hear Nadra consoling mother as best as she could.

"It's okay, Sarabi," she said. "She'll be alright. She's strong."

"I-I j-just can't lose her t-too," wept mother. "I-I've already l-lost M-Mufasa and S-Simba, I c-can't lose her. It's t-too much for me to handle."

Nadra sighed. Indeed Sarabi was going through a very hard time. But the pride needed their queen to be strong. Otherwise we would collapse in a brink of despair.

Although I felt like falling into depression too, I had hope in my heart. Hope that Nala would find help. Hope that, even if she wasn't in time to save me, she would save the rest of the pride.

I believed she could do it. It may seem impossible, but I knew Nala would never give up. Never would she abandon her pride.

And, after the conversation with Shenzi, hope that somehow, somehow my brother had survived. And that he would come home and save our land.

And that is what was important now. Hope.

The next day, I felt a bit better. My head had stopped pounding, but the dizziness was still there. But I at least had the strength to lay upright.

The hope that had been there last night remained with me. The day started like any other, but the afternoon was the turning point in my life.

We were eating down a couple of snakes that the pride had caught (at this point we had refused to feed the hyenas) when Scar's loud and irking voice came roaring from outside the den.

"SARABI!"

Mother groaned and left the cave. I finished my portion and lay down to rest, hoping Scar wouldn't be too aggressive with mother. I already knew what he had called her for. We had made a strike refusing to feed the hyenas since we could barely feed ourselves.

I was soon fast asleep.

I woke up an hour later to the smell of smoke.

Priderock was on fire!

Okay, people. Some stuff had been going on! And yay! Simba's back, although Shani doesn't know this.

So, I'm sorry that I hadn't updated in a while, I had a few stuff going on.

But anyway, I hope you enjoyed that!

Until next time;)