Hey there, and welcome back to The Lion King Novel. While there aren't any reviews yet, I'm happy to see that the views are going up. So I'll try and update as often as I can.
I've already uploaded three chapters in one day,, this one being one of those three chapters, so I'll take a break from that. After that, I'll upload one chapter a day.
Uploading Date: August 20, 2019
Enjoy!
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Everything The Light Touches
A brand new day was going to dawn on the Pride Lands several months later; the rains had come and gone. While young Simba grew in size until he was a healthy cub, having lost the baby fat when he was a baby, he also grew in confidence and adventure. From the time when the sun rose to when it set, he was full of energy, only finally settling down when it was time for bed.
One morning, Simba woke up earlier than the other lions. He had just come out of a dream of him and his father rescuing a family of mongooses and fighting off crocodiles together. He watched the savannah below Pride Rock, ready to get out there and explore. He looked back to see if one of the cubs had gotten up too, but they were still asleep. But Simba realized that he didn't need a playmate today; no, today was the day he would get to spend quality time with his father.
"Dad! Dad!" he yowled, running back into the cave. "Come on, you gotta get up!"
He jumped among the mass of lionesses and cubs, trying not to step on them. Even though he did pounce on another lion's back by accident, he apologized, which was returned with a sleepy grunt. Finally, Simba reached the back of the cave, where his parents slept. While Simba had grown since his ceremony, he was still tiny compared to his father Mufasa.
"Dad!" Simba chirped, trying to get Mufasa's attention. But Mufasa answered with a snore, leading Simba to whine, "Daaadd…"
Sarabi had opened an eye, to make sure that her son wasn't hurt or sick. When she saw that he was just antsy, she smiled and closed her eye again. "Your son is awake," she mumbled to Mufasa with amusement.
"Before sunrise, he is your son," Mufasa muttered back among Simba's repeating of "Dad".
In the meantime, Simba kept trying his best to wake his father up. Tugging on his ear didn't work, so he tried headbutting the area below his jaw. "You promised!" he said with a pout.
Mufasa looked into his son's eyes, half drowsy and half amused. "Okay, okay," he muttered. "I'm up."
Simba cheered and spun around in a few circles. Mufasa let out a loud yawn, which sounded a bit like a roar. Beside him, Sarabi rolled onto her paws, bending down to lick his cheek, which he returned with a gentle headbutt.
While the other lionesses and their cubs were beginning to stir, the royal family walked out of the cave. Simba darted over to his mother, rubbing against her legs, and Sarabi nuzzled him in return, nudging him along. She watched father and son leave with a smile on her muzzle.
"So what'll we do today, Dad?" Simba asked once they left Sarabi behind. "Give orders for the hunt? Chase any bad guys out?"
Mufasa didn't answer, only strolled ahead. But he was heading towards the back of Pride Rock, not away from it.
"Dad?" Simba piped up, confused. "You're going the wrong way!"
Mufasa grinned over his shoulder. "Who says I'm going the wrong way?" was all he asked before walking on. "Come. Follow me."
So Simba decided not to argue and followed his father. While he struggled to leap from ledge to ledge on the side of Pride Rock, Mufasa merely pulled himself up with ease. He was the adult, so it was easier for an adult to do it than a cub. Simba was already feeling tired from the climb, but he didn't want to give up now. Finally, they reached the top, and Simba walked over to sit by Mufasa, who sat near the edge of the top of Pride Rock, looking out towards the horizon.
Nothing happened for a few moments, and soon, it felt like hours. Simba almost wished he hadn't gotten up so early; that way, whatever Mufasa wanted to show him could come sooner.
"What're we doing up here?" Simba mewed. "There's nothing going on."
Mufasa shifted his gaze to Simba, his eyes and face serious. Then he looked back to the horizon. "Look, Simba," he rumbled. "Everything the light touches is our kingdom."
Simba followed his gaze and looked out to the savannah. The sun was now rising, huge and magnificent and golden, bathing the land with orange and yellow. Life was beginning to stir on the open plains and forests that inhabited the Pride Lands. It was a beautiful sight, a breathtaking view, and anything else that Simba wished he could describe better.
"Wow...you rule all of this?" the cub asked his father.
Mufasa nodded. "Yes. A king's time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day, Simba, the sun will set on my time here, and it will rise with you as the new king."
Simba lowered his ears at the tone of Mufasa's voice. He seemed to have a mixture of seriousness and sadness in his tone. A shiver ran through Simba's fur as he thought of his father possibly dying, and it made him sad. But the sadness was suddenly replaced by realization.
"Wait, you're saying that this will all be mine?" he asked Mufasa.
"In a way. Though it does not entirely belong to the king, or to anyone," Mufasa added. "This land will be yours to protect. As king, it is my duty to protect everything the light touches, to be the first servant to the kingdom, and it will be your duty one day to carry on in my place."
Simba nodded and turned his head at anywhere he could see. Mufasa knew that it was too much for a young cub to take in all at once, but he would learn. Lions had been known to grow up fast in the Pride Lands, more than anywhere else in Africa.
"Everything the light touches..." Simba repeated his father's words, his eyes darting to the watering hole and the mountains. Then he noticed a darker area outside the Pride Lands' borders. "What about that shadowy place?"
"That's beyond our borders, in the Outlands," Mufasa replied, his eyes on the shadowy place. "You must never go there, Simba."
"But I thought a king can do whatever he wants," Simba questioned. "You know, take some territory."
Mufasa smirked. "Oh, there's more to being a king than getting your way all the time."
Simba's face lit up, and his ears perked. "There's more?"
"Simba..." Mufasa broke off with an amused laugh. Then he let his face become serious as he said, "Yes, there is more. While others search for what they can take, a true king searches for what he can give."
It sounded a bit too complicated for Simba. He wanted to know more about how being a king meant being in charge of the place. But he wanted to learn more from his father. So when Mufasa began climbing down from Pride Rock, Simba did his best to match his stride and amble.
While they walked, Mufasa pointed out the various places in the Pride Lands. He introduced Simba to the grove where the elephants rested in the shade, a small oasis where smaller animals could live, and everything else. Other animals were up already and moving about. Birds were flocking in the air, and two young male rhinos were practicing their fighting, their horns clashing. For the predators, he saw wild dogs feeding their pups from a zebra carcass, regurgitating the meat so that the pups had something softer to eat.
As a herd of antelope raced by, Simba wanted to join in their run, try to even catch one. But Mufasa shook his head; there would be time for that later.
"Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance," he told his son as they walked on. "As king, you need to understand that balance. To understand that balance, you must respect all the creatures, from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope."
"But Dad, don't we eat the antelope?" Simba asked.
"Yes, Simba, but let me explain. When we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. And so, we are all connected in the great Circle of Life."
Suddenly, a voice chirped above them, "Good morning, Sire!" Father and son looked up as Zazu flew in from above and landed before them on a rock. His bright red beak seemed to be the only thing in the Pride Lands that was brighter than the sun.
"Good morning, Zazu," Mufasa greeted.
"Checking in for the morning report," Zazu said with a quick bow.
"Fire away," Mufasa replied.
"Well, the buzz from the bees is that the flamingos are taking a stand," Zazu reported. Mufasa nodded for him to go on, and he did. "The leopards are in a bit of a spot, and the baboons are going ape over this. The giraffes were caught necking, but of course, they are acting like they're above it all. Pua and his crocodiles are snapping up fresh offers by the banks..."
While Zazu talked and Mufasa listened, Simba was getting a little bored with hearing all of the morning report. Just then, he noticed a cricket hopping around. He waited while Mufasa and Zazu were talking and then started following the cricket. He pounced after it, but it was always out of reach.
"What are you doing?" Mufasa asked curiously.
Simba stopped pouncing when he realized that he hadn't caught the cricket. "Pouncing."
Mufasa had a big grin on his face. "Some fun, eh? Let an old pro show you how it's done."
Meanwhile, Zazu was continuing his morning report. "The tick birds are pecking on the elephants. I told the elephants to forget it, but they can't. The cheetahs are hard up from failing to steal the baboons' dinner. But as I always say, cheetahs never prosper." He paused to laugh at his joke before continuing.
"Stay low to the ground," Mufasa whispered to Simba, his voice so low that Zazu couldn't hear. Simba nodded and repeated it to himself a few times, leading Mufasa to scold gently, "Not a sound."
"What's going on?" Zazu asked, taking a short break from his report.
"Just giving Simba a pouncing lesson," replied Mufasa. "Turn around, please."
"Oh, right. Pouncing." Then Zazu squawked with shock, "Pouncing?! Oh Sire, you can't be serious!"
All Mufasa did was smirk and signal for Zazu to turn around. Zazu groaned but did as he was told, muttering, "This is so humiliating..."
In the meantime, Mufasa was still instructing Simba on how to hunt. "Check the wind," he murmured. "Stay in the shadows, and take it slow. And wait for the perfect moment to pounce."
"What are you telling him now?" Zazu demanded.
But when he looked around, no one answered or was in sight. No one except the sounds of other birds singing.
"Mufasa?" peeped Zazu, cringing. "...Simba?"
And just like that, Simba came out of nowhere, catching Zazu off guard. He pounced until he slammed Zazu to the ground. Mufasa laughed, and Simba left his "catch", trotting back to his father with his head and tail high.
Zazu got up, grumbling and dusting off his feathers. He was just about to fly over and remind the lions that he was their advisor, not their plaything, when a mole rat popped out of the ground. He whispered something to Zazu, leading to the majordomo to fly up and check the area.
In the meantime, Mufasa was still praising Simba on his pouncing skills. He was just going to instruct him some more on new hunting techniques when Zazu suddenly flew down to them. "Sire!" he shrieked. "Hyenas, in the Pride Lands! They're on the hunt!"
Immediately, Mufasa was on alert. He was no longer laughing, his face having become deadly serious. "Is Sarabi with the lionesses? Can you see them?"
"Yes, they're trying to drive those brutes out," Zazu reported.
"Good. Zazu, take Simba home," Mufasa commanded. "I have to help defend our borders."
With that, he began to run off. The hyenas had broken their agreement of not intruding into the Pride Lands. They had their own land, while those living in the Pride Lands had theirs. Borders were needed for this purpose, his father had once told him. Now he would need to drive them out yet again.
"Aw, Dad, can I come?" Simba begged. "I can help!"
"No, Simba," Mufasa told him sternly. "This isn't something for young ones to get involved with. You stay with the other cubs, where it's safe."
And with that, he ran off. Simba tried one more time to go after him, but Zazu flew down and landed in his path. In the meantime, Mufasa was now nothing more than a speck slowly disappearing.
"I never get to go anywhere," Simba grumbled aloud as he marched back to Pride Rock.
"Oh, young master, you will. One day, you'll be king," Zazu reminded him. "And then you can chase those slobbering mangy stupid poachers from dawn till dusk! Now come, let's get you home."
Simba grumbled, but he followed Zazu while the hornbill took to the air. He had wanted to spend the entire day with Mufasa, helping him out. But instead, he had to spend the rest of the day with the other cubs. Life wasn't fair at times.
To be continued...
