The Cub Years
Chapter 1: Simple Times
The pride lands. A veritable bounty of live and colour, plant life and fauna flourished in the hot sun. A huge number of animal species all living in a careful balance of prey and predator, hunter and scavenger. At the edge of the waterhole a small group of lion cubs played and chatted whilst their parents lay in the shade gossiping.
Simba crept as quietly as he could staying low to the ground his eyes glued to the blue feathered bird currently providing the lionesses with the morning report. Zazu remained oblivious as he yammered on about the movements of the antelope herd, Sarabi lay feigning interest as the Queen she felt it was her responsibility to at least pretend that she was interested when in fact the news was much the same as the previous day and the day before. Simba leapt into the air and landed with a satisfying plump; when the dust cleared Zazu was pinned under one of Simba's golden paws.
"Ooof! Oh for goodness sake Simba why must we go through this every morning, don't I get a day off?" Zazu moaned exasperated. Simba smiled widely.
"Well when it stops being fun maybe I'll stop doing it"
"You do realise that when you become king you will find the morning report extremely useful in ruling the kingdom." Zazu climbed to his feet beating the dust from his feathers.
Simba rolled his eyes.
"Simba leave Zazu and come here you've got dirt all over your coat" Sarabi pulled Simba in a sweeping motion and started trying to groom Simba's coat.
"Mom! I'm fine I'm clean enough!" Simba groaned as he attempted to escape his mother's clutches.
Simba found an opening and leapt from his mother's arms hopping over Zazu.
"You never stay clean Simba" a voice carried over to them.
Simba's best friend Chumvi swaggered over a smirk on his face. Simba grinned roguishly.
"I can't help it if everything fun gets us dirty" Simba replied.
"So what are we going to do today? Swimming, racing, tag or maybe we could go explore the Pride lands?" Simba asked excitedly. Chumvi shrugged his shoulders and looked over to the girls who were enveloped in their own conversation. Every so often one of the lionesses would look over to them and giggle amongst themselves. Simba followed Chumvi's gaze trying to work out what he was looking at.
"What are you looking at?" he asked scrunching his face up in thought.
Chumvi shook his head.
"Oh nothing just a bit distracted lately" Chumvi replied sitting down.
"By what?" Simba asked still confused. Chumvi looked at his paws staring at them as though very interested in them.
"Simba I have a secret but I don't want everyone to know about it, you have to promise you won't say anything" Simba moved closer to his friend sympathetically.
"Sure Chumvi I promise" Chumvi looked around making sure he was completely out of earshot of anyone else.
"Well it's about Kula" Chumvi replied looking down and speaking quietly.
"What about her?" Simba asked his Brown furred friend.
"I feel weird around her, I mean we've been friends for as long as I can remember and recently my mouth goes dry around her like I've not had a drink in ages, I can't think of what to say I dunno it's weird" Simba cocked his head to the side frowning.
"Are you sick?" Simba asked, Chumvi shook his head.
"Have you talked to her about it?" he offered. Again Chumvi just shook his head.
"How about asking your mom, or Rafiki he knows everything" Simba said cheerfully. Chumvi bobbed his head from side to side.
"I haven't told anyone about it apart from you, I'm not sure if I want to tell anyone about it until I know what it is" Chumvi said.
Simba nodded trying to be sympathetic with his friend but unable to work out what was wrong with him.
Across the watering hole Simba's other best friend was deep in a conversation with her friend.
Nala sighed at Kula who looked disheartened over something.
"What's wrong Kula you've not been yourself lately?" Nala asked
"It's Chumvi" she replied.
"What about him?"
"Well lately things have been weird between us but I don't know why." Nala thought this was strange the two of them had been close since they were born. As far as she knew there were no secrets between them.
"We could ask Rafiki, maybe he can figure out why?" Nala suggested.
"Maybe. I'm not so sure just yet" Kula said quietly.
Nala nodded slightly.
"Well why don't you show me what you mean by weird?" Nala suggested smiling.
"Well okaay but I'm warning you it's weird" Kula stood up and turned to walk towards the two boys.
"Well I'm fresh out of ideas, but I guess I'm about to see first-hand what you mean" Simba said idly.
Chumvi turned from playing with a stone lazily.
"What do you mean?" He asked, Simba nodded towards the two girls heading towards them.
All at once Simba noticed a change in his friend. Chumvi started patting his fur down, tensing up and seem to be avoiding looking at Kula.
"Hi Chumvi" Kula said brightly. Chumvi froze up colour rushing to his face.
"H.. Kula" He managed to stutter. There was an awkward silence in the air.
"Hey Nala" Simba said cheerfully trying to break the sudden tension.
"Hi Simba" She grinned at her friend.
Kula glanced between Simba and Nala then looked at Chumvi. Something wasn't right, Simba and Nala were acting like the normally did around each other. Chumvi was being quiet and seemed very stiff.
Simba looked at his two friends and made a decision.
"Look this is weird we are going to see Rafiki" he hissed into Chumvi's ear.
Chumvi shuffled his feet and agreed.
"I'm going to see Rafiki I'm not feeling so good" he offered meekly.
"We'll come with you Kula's not feeling right either" Nala chirped happily.
The four lions headed towards the large tree that housed the shaman Mandrill.
"Rafiki!?" Nala called
The old Madrill stuck his head through the leaves and smiled at the cubs. He clambered down and sat in front of them.
"Children what can old Rafiki do for you?" he asked kindly. He listened patiently as Nala explained what Kula had told her. Rafiki nodded and turned to Simba.
"And what about you?" Simba looked at Chumvi, who nodded.
Simba walked up to the mandrill and whispered what Chumvi had told him making sure nobody else could hear in honour of the promise he had made.
Rafiki nodded and stroked his beard.
"So when dis is happening who are you with?" Kula and Chumvi glanced at each other then glanced in opposite directions.
"Ahh ha ha! It is no'ting to worry about" Rafiki laughed.
"What is it then?" Simba asked. The mandrill looked into the air smiling.
"It's some 'ting in the air" he said mysteriously before leaping to his feet and clambering halfway up the tree. He paused and turned his head slightly to look at Nala and Simba.
"It won't be long until you two feel it" Simba and Nala looked at each other confused.
Simba decided to ask his father what Rafiki meant. That night when all the lions were settling down he laid next to Mufasa.
"Dad we took Chumvi and Kula to see Rafiki about something today and he said there's something in the air? Then he said me and Nala would feel it soon, what does he mean what's in the air? Mufasa regarded his son and thought for a second.
"Son, your friends are feeling weird because they see each other differently." He smiled at Simba's confused look.
"What does that mean?" he asked scrunching his face up.
"Chumvi is seeing Kula as a girl for the first time" he replied. Simba was lost.
"But she's always been a girl I don't understand" Mufasa smiled.
"You will do someday son" He nuzzled Simba who was no wiser and still very confused. He decided to think more on it in the morning, he settled down to sleep.
Across the den Nala was having a similar conversation with her mother.
"Nala, Chumvi and Kula are going to be weird around each other until they work out how they feel" she advised. Nala cocked her head to the side.
"What do you mean?" Sarafina grinned.
"Think about it?" Nala sat frowning trying to work it out. Then it dawned on her.
"Wait wait wait wait! Chumvi and Kula like each other as in they liike each other? She asked incredulously Sarafina chuckled.
"It certainly seems that way" Nala looked slightly ill.
"And Rafiki thinks that me and Simba will be like that!? Eww gross no way that'd be so weird!" Nala said slightly repulsed. Sarafina chuckled and settled down with her daughter to sleep.
I hope you enjoyed the start to this one, its been a long time and I intend to take it slow so bear with me.