Meanwhile, back at Pride Rock, Simba lay awake in his den. His mate, Nala, slept peacefully next to him. He had woken up a while ago to get a drink of water, only to find that Kion had not yet returned to the den. He hadn't been able to go back to sleep since. Something about not knowing his son's whereabouts made him uneasy. Simba cared very deeply for his family, and often worried for their safety. He felt Nala shift in her sleep next to him.
"Nala?" He said in a whispered tone.
She rolled over to face him, opening her eyes.
"Can't sleep?" She asked, calmly.
Simba shook his head. Nala stretched out her legs and slowly stood up.
"Let's go outside, shall we?" She said, making her way towards the den's entrance. "I need some fresh air"
Simba rose to his feet and followed her, his head hung low. They walked to the peak of Pride Rock and sat down together, overlooking their kingdom.
"It's beautiful out tonight." Nala said, looking up at the stars.
Simba sighed. Nala looked at him, lovingly.
"What's on your mind tonight?" She asked.
Simba looked at her, frowning.
"I'm worried about Kion". He said, sounding troubled. "He hasn't come home yet.''
Nala smiled at him.
"He took quite a long nap today." she said, giggling "I wouldn't be surprised if he simply wasn't tired anymore".
Simba already knew of his son's earlier nap. When he had gone to check on him that afternoon, he had found him fast asleep in the Lion Guard Lair.
"Sometimes I wonder if being in the Lion Guard is too big a responsibility for him" He stated.
Nala looked concerned.
"What do you mean?" She asked, puzzled. Simba stood up and began to walk back towards the den. Nala followed.
"Protecting the Pridelands is a big job for a cub his age". He said, worriedly "I can't imagine the stress he's under".
Nala nodded in agreement.
"I see your point," she said as the two of them re-entered the den "That's why we're here, to support him, to love him."
Simba sat down on the den's cold floor.
"I know, but we aren't around nearly enough". He said, feeling guilty. "He's growing up so fast, and I'm missing it".
Nala sat down beside her mate, comforting him with a gentle nuzzle.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Simba." she said, caringly "That won't fix anything".
Simba heaved a heavy sigh.
"Then what am I supposed to do?" He said looking at her with saddened eyes.
"Hmm," she said, thoughtfully "Maybe you could make it a priority to spend more time with him?"
Simba blinked rapidly, then looked down at the ground.
"I wouldn't know where to start." He said, discouraged.
Nala smiled at him.
"You can start right now." she said motioning to the entrance of the den "He's probably out wandering the Pridelands. Go find him, bond with him".
Simba nodded and headed out of the den.
"Well, alright". He said looking back at Nala "I guess it's worth a try".
Quietly and slowly, Simba left Pride Rock, careful not to wake any of the other lions. Once he had travelled a good distance, he picked up his speed a bit and began to search for his son. He knew it could take awhile to find him. The Pridelands were no small place, and frankly, he had no idea where to look first. He tried searching a few of Kion's usual hangout places, but to no avail. He decided to head to Hakuna Matata Falls. He knew that place to be particularly beautiful at night and figured maybe his son had gone there to relax for a while.
After what felt like an endless walk, Simba reached Hakuna Matata falls. Sadly, he found the place empty. Not wanting the trip to be a total waste, he decided to say hello to his friends Timon and Pumbaa. Normally, he wouldn't go around waking up the animals of the Pridelands just to say hello, but Timon and Pumbaa had raised him. They were more like family, and somehow Simba felt that gave him the right to drop by at any time. Thankfully, he didn't need to wake his friends, as he quickly found them, awake, eating some bugs behind a large bush. He looked at them, smiling and rolling his eyes.
"Hey guys" he said approaching them.
Timon and Pumba looked up at him, clearly embarrassed.
"Oh hello, Simba!" Timon said with a grub half-hanging out of his mouth "Uhh- I mean, Your Majesty".
"What brings you by at this hour?" asked Pumbaa. "Did ya want some bugs?"
Simba shook his head.
"Uhh- No thanks" He said looking at the slimy grubs squirming about on the ground. "I was just in the area looking for my son and thought I'd say hello".
Timon smiled and tightly hugged Simba's leg.
"Oh how wonderful!" He said excitedly "You know you're always welcome to visit us!"
"Kion was just here a little while ago!" added Pumbaa.
Simba's ears perked up.
"He was?" Simba asked curiously. "You saw him?"
Pumbaa swallowed a mouthful of grubs.
"Well…" He said slowly, "We didn't exactly see him, but we heard him".
Simba smiled.
"Really? Are you sure it was him?" He said excitedly.
"Oh yeah, it was definitely him." said Pumbaa before swallowing another mouthful of grubs "And it sounded like he was having a good time. He was moan-".
"Shh!" Timon said, covering Pumbaa's mouth. "I don't think he needs to know the details.''
Simba looked at them, confused, but didn't think any more of their strange behavior. Timon and Pumbaa were always acting strange.
"Great!" Simba said confidently, "Can you tell me where he went?"
Timon shook his head.
"Sorry…" He said, shrugging "No clue".
Simba sighed.
"That's alright guys, thanks anyway." he said appreciatively "Maybe I can track him by scent?".
Timon and Pumbaa looked sad.
"Does this mean you have to leave?" asked Timon.
Simba hugged his friends.
"Yeah, sorry guys. I really gotta find Kion" He said, caringly. "I promise I'll come visit again soon".
Timon held up a handful of bugs.
"Wanna take some grubs to go?" He asked, smiling.
Simba tried hard not to act too grossed out.
"Nope, I'm all set, thanks." he said politely.
"Well then, more for me!" said Timon as he shoved the entire handful of grubs into his mouth.
Simba began to walk away from his friends.
"See you guys!" He said to them "Thanks for your help".
"You're welcome!" They replied in unison.
Simba walked back into the clearing and began sniffing around the falls attempting to track his son's scent. He noticed something by the edge of the pond. Tracks, lion tracks. Timon and Pumbaa were right. Kion had definitely been here. However, Simba noticed something else, another set of smaller tracks beside Kion's. Upon closer examination, he realized they were Cheetah tracks. Perhaps Fuli's?
"What would Kion and Fuli be doing out here at this hour?" He thought to himself. He decided not to spend time thinking about it. Now that he had Kion's scent, he could track him and figure out where he went. Hopefully, this night wouldn't be a total waste.
To be continued...