Chapter 6: Road to Recovery

Part 1: Fixing what is broken

A/N: Okay, so as you may have noticed, "Road to Recovery" is being split into two parts. The reason behind this is because 1: Recovering from depression is a long and difficult process, hence the title. And 2: Because I want to go into detail about how Connor builds his relationship back up with the pride. With all that being said, let's get this show on the road.

So, you're probably wondering what happened after my breakdown and "adoption" by Mufasa and Sarabi. Well let me set the scene for you:

It's a sunny afternoon; birds were soaring through the sky, herds were grazing in the Pridelands, and the pride was currently lounging about, enjoying the warmth the day provided. Speaking of which, I was around the back of Pride Rock spending time with Neema, one of the many lionesses I've grown close to since I came here. I should probably also mention that it's almost been three months since I became Mufasa and Sarabi's son, and Neema's belly had grown...a lot since we had our first conversation, and even then she still had a month left before her cubs would arrive.

Anyway, as I was saying, I was currently resting with Neema, who offered to keep me company, and was using her large, round middle as a pillow while we caught a few z's. That was, until I felt something nudge the back of my head, like a light, passing flow of motion, causing me to sit upright quickly and turn towards the large orb of fur in surprise.

"Was...was that what I thought it was?" I asked, to which my lioness friend giggled as she lifted her head to smile at me.

"Well, there's only one way to find out. Go ahead Connor." She giggled as I slowly lowered my head down, gently pressing my ear against her belly, waiting for the nudge to return.

At first, all I could hear was Neema's steady heartbeat along with the air she would inhale and exhale, feeling myself rise and fall with her body as she did so. Then, after two long minutes...I felt it; that same form of motion that initially caught my attention, and it brought a smile to my face.

"Oh wow." I say with a giggle as I rub the spot where I felt the movement, inciting a purr from Neema in the process. "Man, I can not wait to meet you guys."

"You and me both." She chuckled as she slowly picked herself up and licked at her growing middle before pausing. "Connor, be honest with me." I looked at Neema with confusion as she looked right back, a sign of doubt in her features. "Do you think I'll be a good mother?"

I paused as she asked me that question. I learned that she was the youngest of the lionesses, at the age of 3 going on four, who came to the pridelands. I also learned that she originally lived with the pride by the eastern shore, until a couple of rogues killed the previous king and rose to power. She was forced to bear the cubs of one of the rogues, but managed to escape their rule and make her way back here. It was easy to understand her troubled mind; the fact that she would be a parent so young, and to cubs she never intended to have in the first place was a heavy burden to bear.

After a moment however, I smiled warmly at my friend before scooting towards her head and wrapping my arms around her neck in a tight hug. "Of course you will Neema. I have no doubt in my mind you will be a wonderful mother." At the sound of my words, she purred once more and nuzzled her head against my neck in gratitude. After all the times she's helped me and given me her company, the least I could do is help repay that kindness with my own. After all, to me she was like a big sister; a big, sweet and funny sister, just like all of the other lionesses in the pride.

"Thanks Connor...Uhm, do you think you could do something else for me" Neema asked, making me give her my attention as we broke apart. "Do you think you could give me a scratch behind the ears? It's getting pretty hard to reach back there." She chuckled lightly at the request.

"I don't know Nee." I cross my arms as I smirk at her, using the nickname I gave her a while back. "What's in it for me?"

"Oh, a share of my food and my delightful company?" She gives me an innocent smile at her offer. A few months ago, I would have succumbed to a gesture like that easily, but since I knew Neema better now, I was able to develop a bit of an immunity to her "look".

"Oho, you're gonna have to do a little better than that Nee." I keep my smirk as I goad her on, curious to see what else she was willing to put on the table.

"Hmmm…" She looks up at the sky as she thought, her ear flicking about as she did. After another few minutes, her eyes widened as an idea no doubt came to her mind. "Okay hot shot, how about this: Since my cubs will be here soon, I will give you the honor of naming one of them. How does that sound?" She asked me, though she bore more of a happy grin than a sneaky smirk when she did...kinda like she had this planned.

With a widening of my eyes and a chuckle from my lips, I shake my head and uncross my arms in acceptance. "Very well, you have twisted my good leg." I then hold my hand out to her. "You got yourself a deal. And to sweeten it, I'll even throw in an occasional belly rub." With that, she happily put her paw in my hand and we shook on it; a gesture I was able to introduce to the pride as weeks rolled on.

With the deal made, Neema laid back down allowing me to lay against her frame, reach over with my arm and start scratching behind her ears, resulting in a happy and content moan from the lioness in question. "Ooooh yeah. That's the spot, right there. By the way, I heard the hunting party is going after wildebeest this evening." She spoke, starting up idle conversation once more.

"Sweet. I think I finally got down which parts are the easiest to chew for me too. Ugh, so much chewing." I shudder at the last part, leading us both to chuckle.

I should probably shed some light on what transpired over the past three months. The major event being me finally eating again, and gaining a sister in the process.

Three Months Ago…

As the pride made their way back to the den, with me being supported by Mufasa and Sarabi, now my new Father and Mother, a loud gurgle could easily be heard, causing the lion's ears to perk up and put their attention on me, since the sound was coming from my stomach, leaving me to chuckle nervously in response.

"I think...I think I'm finally ready to eat again." I speak weakly, but with honesty. I guess leaving a state of grief can make you pretty hungry, and boy was I.

"Well, luckily for you, we saved you some warthog in case you were ready or not." Sarafina says to me with a smile as we finally reach the entrance to the den. As we make our way in, I see the piece of meat Neema offered me by the edge of the entrance and slowly pick it up. It felt tough, yet squishy at the same time; it was an odd sensation to say the least. Once inside, Sarabi and Mufasa set me down by the raised platform while the others were getting comfortable. Some were slowly falling asleep, while a select few stayed up to keep an eye on me.

After a long moment of silence, I frown at the meat in my hands and sigh in defeat. "I… I can't eat it...Not like this anyway…" I set the meat next to me then rest my arms on my knees.

"What do you mean Connor? Are you sick? Is something wrong with the meat?" Neema looked up at me with those same worried eyes she had when I lashed out at her and the pride. Luckily, I was quick to snuff out her concerns.

No, no, it's nothing like that. It's just...humans are incapable of eating meat raw; we could get very sick if we were to ingest it. The only way to prevent that...is to cook it…" I gulped as I mentioned the whole "cooking" part. I'm pretty certain the only experiences these lions had with fires were bad ones, but at this point, it's the only option I have.

"I'm sorry, what do ya mean by cooking?" Another lioness inquires; this one had sandy brown fur, dark green eyes and much like Neema, was expecting a cub of her own.

"Meaning, I need to use fire on it." As I expected, I heard a fair amount of gasps at the sound of the word "fire".

"Are you sure Connor?" Mufasa asked me, voicing the concern of the pride. "Fire is a very powerful force that can cause great damage to the land."

"Well, that's the thing Mufasa: I know how to control it and keep it contained." I reassured the king, using his name. It would be a while before I was comfortable enough to call him dad.

Taking a minute to look at his pride, then back at me, Mufasa closes his eyes, takes a deep breath and gives his answer: "I trust Connor. I have faith that he will not do anything to put our home in danger. After all, it's his home now as well."

I smile up at my adopted father, happy with his decision as he returns the gesture back down at me.

"In that case, just tell us what ya need and we'll do what we can to get it for you." The sandy brown lioness proclaims as the other lionesses nod in agreement.

"Thank you..uh.." I blank on the lionesses name, realizing she never gave it to me.

"Oh! Right! Where are my manners? Hehehe...My name is Amani, and I'm at your service Connor." She proceeds to bow to me playfully, getting me to chuckle, which felt really good.

"Alright then Amani, if this is going to work, I'm going to need some dry grass, some twigs, and about...11 rocks; 10 small rocks the size of my fist, and 1 flat rock." I do a mental checklist of the supplies I would need, making sure I didn't miss anything.

"You got it kiddo." Amani replies with a wink before turning to the pride. "Alright ladies, just like a hunt, it'll be that much easier if we split into groups. Neema, you and I will grab some dry grass." Neema nods as she stands and makes her way over to Amani.

"In that case, Kasi and I will grab the twigs. Easy enough." Sarafina spoke as another lioness, no doubt Kasi, with a peach colored pelt and orange eyes joined her.

"Then all that leaves is the stones." Sarabi speaks up this time. "Jani, Maji, Nyasi and I will gather them up. You know your roles ladies, now let's get moving." With the final word given, the lionesses exit the cave to gather the supplies I would need, Sarabi being the last to exit before looking back at me. "We'll be right back Connor, I promise." She gives me a smile, which I return in kind, before taking her leave.

After twenty minutes of patiently waiting, and resting on Mufasa to relieve some pressure from my leg, the lionesses finally came back in, each one carrying the items I needed to build a fire. With the materials before me, I made my way over to them and got started on building my campfire, while the pride watched on curiously.

"You know everyone...you really didn't have to do this…" I say as I put the small stones in a circle formation, filling the interior with the dry grass. Before I can say more however, Amani makes her over to me, a smirk etched into her features.

"Oh come on now kiddo, no need to get down in the dumps on us again." She says as she lays down next to me, placing a paw on my good leg. "Besides, if we didn't want to help ya out, we wouldn't have offered in the first place. So there's nothing to worry about." Her smirk turns into an honest smile, making me give her one in return.

"Yeah...you're right Amani…" I rest a hand on her paw. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it kid. In fact, you can return the favor by getting that fire of yours started and putting some food in your belly," she pokes my stomach with her paw for emphasis, making me chuckle. "Where it belongs."

After a few more minutes of preparation, the twigs and grass were ready for burning. Reaching over to my backpack, I sifted through one of the smaller pockets to find what I was looking for: a handheld lighter. After a few clicks, a small flame springs to life from the device, causing the lionesses to gaze at it in awe.

"Alright, you might want to stand back." Heeding my words, the lionesses scoot back, except for Amani who wanted a front row seat for what I was about to do. Positioning the lighter by the dry grass, the spark quickly spread towards the grass and twigs, erupting into a medium sized flame. The pride ooed and ahhed at the sight; this wasn't like the destruction they normally saw. This was something more unique, if not beautiful as the flames danced in place. I smiled at their reactions while I took the time to place my meat on the flat rock that was brought in and set it over the fire, watching the meat cook and sizzle in the process.

After another five minutes of waiting, I pull the rock away, revealing that the warthog meat, which was once dark red in color, was now a tasty shade of brown. Dark meat, my favorite over white meat any day. Giving the chunk a quick blow to help cool it off, I pick it up slowly, open my mouth, and…

CHOMP!

I take my first bite, chew slowly, then swallow. The pride leans in to see my reaction, and much to their relief, and my satisfaction, I grinned, happy with my meal.

"Delicious! It tastes just like pork." I say as I take another bite of the meat...at least until some of the lionesses crawl towards me, asking to try some of it.

"Hey hey HEY!" Amani shouted at the lionesses, placing herself in front of me protectively. "That's enough outta ya. Connor here NEEDS to eat like this, so it's only fair that we let him enjoy his meal in peace, alright?" The lionesses nod in shame before going back to their original spots to turn in.

"Thanks again Amani." I say to her once again. Seeing her protect me like that, mess around with me and make me laugh, it was almost as though she was like a big sister to me. Given that I was the oldest son my family, I didn't know what it was like to have an older sibling, but now that I have the likes of Neema and Amani in my life, I do know what it's like, and it's a wonderful feeling.

"Don't sweat it Connor." She looks at me and winks again. "You can count on me to have your back."

Upon finishing my meal, letting out a bit of a burp in the process, I put out the fire and get ready to turn in. Scooting over to my sleeping bag leaning against a far wall of the den, I start to unroll it before I feel something nudge my back. I turn around to see Amani staring at me with an unamused stare before shaking her head.

"Amani?" I ask with both caution and worry.

"There is no way I am letting ya sleep by yourself tonight." With a firmness in her words she stalks over and grabs my sleeping bag in her mouth. "C'mon, you're resting with me tonight." Although her voice was muffled, I could tell what she was saying as we both headed towards her resting spot. Dropping the sleeping bag out of her mouth, she slowly laid down next to it while I made myself comfortable.

"Amani...it's not that I'm not grateful or anything...but why are you so willing to protect and watch over me?" I ask her as I lay down in it, seeing her frown as she looks away.

"If I had to be honest, it's because you remind me of a little brother that I had back when I lived in the Northern Plains Pride. Unfortunately...he was killed by hyenas who trespassed into the territory. Funny thing is, he was also a prince...so when he died and my father finally passed away, the land...well…" She closes her eyes as a tear falls down her muzzle. Sarafina wasn't lying when she said the lionesses knew what it was like to lose something precious, but to see Amani like this, so vulnerable and heartbroken, reminded me of my own grief, and I did NOT want her to hurt like I was. So, I slowly lifted myself up and hugged Amani tightly.

"For what it's worth Amani, I'd be more than happy to be your brother." At this, I heard Amani giggle before licking the side of my head.

"Y'know, I always wanted a second chance at being a big sister again…" Amani smiled as she gave me one last nuzzle before we both laid down for the night.

"Good night...Sis." I say tiredly before sleep started to claim me, just barely seeing Amani rest her head on me comfortingly.

"Good night kiddo."

Present

"I sure hope you don't plan on hogging him for the whole day Neema."

Recognizing the voice, I slowly sit up to see Amani making her way over to us, her own large belly swaying with every step she took.

"Hey Amani. How's the belly?" I smirk as I pop the question, knowing full well what her answer would be. While coincidentally many of the lionesses were due to give birth a month from now, some were getting impatient and tired of carrying the weight around, much like my new big sister.

"Ugh large, round and heavy." She looks back at it with a frown. "Honestly, I cannot wait for this little creeper to get out. Everything is becoming such a pain now, even walking." Once she reaches us, she plops right down in front of me. "Anyway, how's your leg doing?" She asks as she gives it a quick sniff.

"Much better, I'm happy to say." I rub it for emphasis, being mindful of the branches and vines keeping it in place. "Although, I'm really hoping I'll be able to use it again. I mean, I love lounging around as much as the next lion...er, no offense."

"None taken." My sisters respond with a smirk as I give my explanation.

"It's just...I don't want to seem like I'm not contributing to the pride…" I frown as I slouch against Neema. "I don't want to be a burden." Both Neema and Amani look at me with concern.

"Oh Connor, of course you're not a burden." Neema nuzzles me as she tries to cheer me up, with little avail.

That's when Amani grins mischievously, having an idea. "I think someone needs to give us a smile." She then leans her head forward, rubbing her nose into my stomach, immediately getting a reaction from me.

"Noho, Amani, no. You know how ticklish I am there." I try my best to stifle a giggle, only for Amani to press her nose into my stomach once more, making me squirm.

"C'mon, gimme a smile kiddo." She continues the motion, slowly standing up in the process.

"NO! Amani, STOP!" I continue to squirm, trying to defend myself from the tickle torture I was enduring.

"You know how this goes Connor: You want me to stop, you need to smile for me." She smirked as she now had me on the ground, writhing as I tried not to laugh. Luckily for her, it paid off as I finally burst out laughing, a hysterical grin on my face.

"ALRIGHT YOU WIN! I'M SMILING I'M SMILING!" I laugh as I give up, eventually laying down on the hard stone as Amani rests her head on my chest.

"Feel better now?" She smiled down at me, satisfied with her work as I reached up and scratched behind her ears, hearing her purr.

"Much better… Thanks Neema, Amani… I don't think I could've asked for better sisters." I smile happily as I speak, soon feeling Neema licking my head tenderly.

"That's what big sisters are for Connor." She says as she nuzzles my forehead.

"So what about your mother then?"

I lift my head up to see none other than my mom, Sarabi, smiling down at me, happy to see me in such a good mood, with Sarafina flanking her left side. As I said before, many of the lionesses were due to have their cubs next month, so it was no surprise that my mom and Sarafina, who I pretty much consider an aunt now, were in a similar condition as my sisters.

"Hey Mom, hey Aunt Fina. What's up?" I ask as I slowly sit up, Neema giving me some extra support. It was only one month ago that I started calling Mufasa and Sarabi mom and dad. I felt that since they were so comfortable with me being part of their family, it would only be natural that I be comfortable enough to use familial titles with them. And I tell ya, Mufasa and Sarabi couldn't have been happier to hear me call them by said titles.

"Sarafina and I were about to head out to see how our cubs are doing, and I figured you'd want to tag along to see if you're ready to use your leg again." Sarabi stated as she gestured to my leg with her eyes.

Although I was curious as to where we were going, the mention of me being able to use my leg again was reason enough for me to tag along.

"A chance for me to walk on my own two feet again? No way am I passing that up." I say as I eagerly get up and hobble my way over to my mom and aunt.

"Heh, no surprise there. Alright Connor," Sarafina slowly lowers herself to the ground. "Hop on."

I did a double take as to what Sarafina was insinuating. "Uh…hop on?"

"That's what I said. We're going to be walking quite the fair distance and we don't want to risk putting more strain on your leg, so I figured I'd carry you there."

My aunt was asking me...to ride on her back… "Are...are you sure I won't be too heavy for you?" I asked her, to which she smirked up at me.

"Connor honey, if I can handle carrying this belly, I can just as easily carry you. Now hop on, we don't want to be late."

With a bit of hesitation, I slowly swung my left leg over Sarafina until I was carefully situated on her back, to which she then stood back up, seeing my legs dangle just above the ground.

"Comfortable" She asked as she looked back at me.

"I should be the one asking you that." I say with a nervous chuckle, to which she giggled herself.

"Just try not to kick me. I get enough of that from the cub." We all share a laugh at her statement.

"Well, if we're all set, let's get going." Sarabi announced as we slowly made our way off of pride rock...with me riding on a lion. I guess I can officially cross that off my bucket list.

"So mom, where exactly ARE we going?" I ask her as she turns around, giving me an almost cryptic smile.

"Let's just say we're going to be meeting an old friend."

A/N 2: Finally! After so many unintended put offs, I finally finished chapter 6. So now we see how Connor interacts with his new family, especially with his new big sisters. Now, in part two, we will see what happens when he meets a familiar face, explores the land with his dad, and ultimately, learns how to walk again. Now that I have free time in my RL schedule, I'm hoping for two things at this point. 1. To put Chapter 7 up in less than a week. And 2. To eventually see some fanart of my story. (LOL, not holding my breath for that one. Still, my DeviantArt name is crimsonmeister, juuuust in case.) Until then, remember to read, review and I will hear from y'all soon...I hope.