NALA
When we finally reached the small clearing, where the river started to reach the forest end, I collapsed my body slowly on the ground. that 'right over there' was an hour away, and it took everything within me to walk the last 2 miles. because no matter how many times I reminded him, Simba just couldn't slow down. So I had to work twice as hard to keep up with him.
I get what his problem is, but he's letting it run him wild. I mean I could have sown I heard him talking to himself, having a whole conversation I guess in his head. I do'nt know, maybe he's just trying to keep himself focused. I closed my eyes, and try to let relaxation settle in my body. Kings know when's the next chance we'll rest. and with us only stopping for 15 mins, I needed all the time to recover as I could.
I heard a soft wrestling motion of someone settling down across from me. I opened my eyes to see Simba look at me. "Sorry, I thought this place was a lot closer," he mentioned, I could see his see go to my shoulder and then refocus themselves on something else.
"It's fine plus we covered more ground anyway."
"How's your shoulder?"
"Good." which wasn't exactly a lie. I didn't have as much discomfort as before when I frist got my injury. Back when I could barely move my shoulder the day leading up to your rescue. It still hurt, it still swole up, but it was back located in the right place. So I could bear with the tension of a stressed muscle or spells of numbness. but I still knew I coudlnt push myself too hard.
The last thing I need is to lose my shoulder altogether. "I just noticed you limping earlier for the last few miles."
"Well, I had to keep up with you so." maybe guilting him would make him sloe the hell down. it's not a race to get there, trust me I want to be there more than anything to save my family. and get Vitani out of there, but I know rushing there with no plan is a suicide mission on our part. "But it's fine, really. If it weren't I'd tell you." He gave me a look, with the roll of his eyes.
What was that supposed to mean? "no, you wouldn't" he stated resting his head on his paws. I opened my mouth to protest this ridiculous statement but then... after a second of thinking, I knew he was right. I wouldn't tell him. I didn't want to be seen as a liability even if I was. He already doesn't want me here and thinks he can accomplish this insane mission alone.
I don't need to give him a reason to leave me. "Fair point." for a good while we said nothing. both being distracted by the stillness the surrounded us. but on the inside, I know our mind both raced like crazy. It was hard to truly feel rested when your brain was in hyperspeed. All I could think of is...what the hell could Nuka be by sending my mother ad the other to the valley pride?
I wondered how many of them accompanied her...was it all of my pride or just some... I know they had to be trailed by hyenas. And if so, how many of them went on Nuka's order to follow them. I know he wouldn't leave himself outnumbered at any given time. Even if he used Vitani as leverage to ger the rest of the pride to do what he wanted...there was going to be more of them, I just know it.
He had to have left the majority of them back at pride rock for a reason. them suddenly storming in droves would catch in lion pride off guard. While I was stuck in my thought, thinking of something in my own head. I glanced over to look at Simba. he had a disturbed look on his face. at least disturbed is the only words I could come up with. He was deep in his own thoughts too, his forehead furrowed with lines of contemplation. "hey" I voiced getting his attention.
"Hm?" his red orbs rose to look up at me.
"What are you thinking about?" I asked, maybe if I got in his head I could help him.
"Hmp, what am I not thinking about right now." he was trying to make slight of his situation that I could clearly see was stressing him out. " we seem to be at every advantage right now, and im just trying to think of a way to not feel so...hopeless."
"Don't worry we'll think of something." trying to be optimistic.
" We have to... you have any ideas. You were close with him, you had to pick up on something." I would never use the close every to describe what toxic shit storm he forced me to have with him. Simba even thinking we could be close, rubbed me the wrong way.
"Close wouldn't be a word you should use at all."
"You were around him, were you not."
"i guess..."
"And initimdate?" I said nothing to the comment " my point is, He'd have to say something to you in that moment...confide in you about something."
"Nuka never confided in me about anything."
'I don't believe that he'd have to if you both were fu-" I shot him a look, he better not dare finish that last sentence. he held his tongue, but I could also see he was holding back something else in his eyes. Was he mad at me? disgusted? it was like the revelation of my private life yesterday didn't' only hurt me. i needed to break from this topic, we could figure out a way of defeating Nuka without discussing that part...
"You said he knows you're coming?" how he came to this conclusion makes sense...and he seemed very adamant that he already knows about us coming. Still, it had only been a full da. you're telling me that hyena made it back to Nuka at that time? that meant he would have to travel into the night and into the next morning to cut the time.
"Right."
"Maybe we can use that to our advantage," I suggested.
"Yes, but even if we did that we still don't have the numbers."
"... I know." I paused " Where could we find them "What if we did the numbers?"
"What do you mean?" and then it came to me, what if we used what Nuka was planning against him? What I was thinking wasn't perfect, but doable... and if done right we'd have the numbers, plus more on our side. there's no doubt in my mind that both prides will turn on him once they see they have the advantage.
"The valley pride!" I stated, "what if we used them to help us?"
"Why would they do that? They have no reason." fine be the devil's advocate...we need that in this situation, after all, I had to see if my plan could be possible.
"Not yet, we know Nuka is planning to attack them. We could use that to our advantage. we could tell them that information and they could be on our side!"
"And if they don't believe us then what. they could simply think we're just out to cause them trouble. Then it could be our lives lost? and not only that, you do realize we would have to double back Nala just to reach them, right."...yes I did realize that.
"I know it sounds crazy but, what other choice do we have? Look if you tell them who you are they might help us. not to mention the pride will immediately back you-"
"No it won't, me telling then anything won't make a damn difference." What how could it not! it's not like he's some nobody...wandering rouge male. He's an actual king...he has the bloodline.
"yes it does, you're the king if you just-"
"I'm not the king, im, not any king Nala." he words blew my spirits. Why was he knocking this idea before he even took the time to think about it! "So it wouldn't work."
"But Simba you are, you ARE the king! you get that right? Once you take down Nuka we will follow you..."
"No I'm not, and we aren't going to argue about this."
"Tell me what's the problem in what I said."
"Because it's not true! and you know it, look I'm trying my best to NOT live my life as a fraud anymore. That already cost me enough. I'm doing this to help Vitani and avenge my mother, that's all. there's no king Simba after this, got it." I said nothing, I held my tongue, whatever I said was not going to work. and... I had to accept that. Even if the acceptance hurt. "Your Mother and a few lioness are there on their way tothe valley pride, right."
"yes, what about that?"
"If we doubled back, we might be able to intervine them- if not, at least we would have caught up with them when they return to the moutain pride. With us, plus the numbers of the lionesses traveling together. We can easliy kill any remaining hyeans that followed them, I can't imagine Nuka send more than 3 or 4."
"Well we don't know what Nuka will do..." i still tasted saltness in the back of my throat from his rejection of my idea. Was him being king really that bad...
"Odds are he'd only send that number to watch them. Once we have them on our side, we'd be killing two birds with one stone. We'd have the numbers we need going there, and then we're preventing anything Nuka had planned. Avoiding any conflict, It's a more realistic plan Nala."
"...whatever you say Simba." alright, we had been resting there long enough I think, we better get moving back in the direction we came, if were even going to have a slim chance of his plan working. "I'm ready to go when you are."
+RyanSquad, hmmm idk I just had the strangest feeling you just might comment about that lol