CHAPTER ELEVEN
Simba stared down at Linka a fury boiled up inside him. Annalina was lying…she had to be.
" You lie!" he hissed, glaring up at her, " this cub is not my son."
" Oh, but I'm afraid he is. He was conceived the day we mated." Annalina purred, " and since he's your son, then that must mean-" Annalina's eyes went wide, " he's next in line as King."
" No!" Simba shouted, " I have no son. My daughter Kiara will be Queen."
" He is your son. Look at him again Simba. He looks the very image of you except he has my eyes."
Meanwhile, Linka was trembling with the news. He was the King's son? All his life he wanted to know who his father was but Annalina kept it a secret. And now he knew why…he was the King's illegitimate son!
If his ears didn't deceive him, his mother just said he was next in line to be King?
" Take him and get out," Simba snarled, " before I get a bunch of hyenas to chase you out."
" H-hyenas?" Linka squeaked. He loathed hyenas, " Please don't King Simba."
" Call him Father," Annalina reminded him, " because that's what he is."
" This cub is not my son," Simba answered. He felt angry but kept himself in check. He must stay in control and not let this lioness win.
Simba was refusing to accept he had an illegitimate son. What would Nala say? She'd leave him that's what and take Kiara with her. Then he'd be stepped down as King and exiled from the Pride Lands.
Oh Father, I have shamed you. How can you ever forgive me?
" I better go now," Kayla said as she noticed the sun going down.
" Do you have to?" Jahari looked disappointed.
" Yeah. It'll get dark soon." She stood up and stretched, " it's been a fun day Jahari. Can we meet again?"
" Sure. Same place tomorrow?" Jahari suggested.
Kayla nodded and started running through the grass, " Bye!" she called and then disappeared.
Jahari wandered away, towards home. There was a strange feeling in his stomach-it was churning and he felt dizzy. What was wrong with him? He had gotten too much sun?
" There you are. Where have you been?" Alani demanded her son.
" Playing." Jahari answered.
" Well, we saved you some dinner. From now on, I want you to join the family for dinner. We haven't seen enough of you okay?"
Jahari groaned, " yes Mom."
" And tomorrow I want you to spend some time with your grandad and grandma." She added and his eyes went wide.
" But Mom, I have plans." He protested.
" And what would those be?" she asked.
" Playing." Jahari sighed.
" Well, that can wait." Alani decided, " Tanisha and Hasani want to take you somewhere tomorrow."
" Where?" Jahari asked. He was disappointed that he couldn't see Kayla. Kayla will think he had forgotten about her tomorrow when he didn't show at their meeting spot.
" It's a special place. You'll love it." She smiled, " go and eat your dinner." She watched her son run off.
She sat down and looked at the sunset. Jahari has been acting so mysterious lately. Always going off on his own and coming back late. At least he comes home before the sunsets.
" Alani?" Zenka joined her, " Something is troubling you…is it Nadira again?"
" No. It's Jahari. Have you noticed he's been mysterious lately?"
" Mysterious?"
" You know, always going off on his own," Alani added, " he's a got a secret and I feel kinda hurt that he can't tell me about it. He used to tell me everything."
" Well, he's been acting strange since we told him the news of our baby." Zenka mused, " But you know something? I think he's found a friend and doesn't us to know about him because he's afraid we'll stop him from playing with the friend."
" A friend?" Alani frowned, " the cubs in our pride?"
" No. Someone from outside this pride. Remember, he was in the Outlands the other day. He might have met someone there."
Alani paled, " I hope not." She whispered, " It would be too awful if he met my sister."
" Do you think he had?" Zenka said, " and he and Annalina struck up a friendship?"
" Oh God." Alani moaned, " Imagine it! She'll brainwash him!" she turned and ran towards the spot where Jahari was feeding.
" Jahari, who are you playing with?" she demanded him.
" Mom. I'm eating." Jahari answered, his mouth full of meat.
" Answer me," Alani was getting impatient.
" The cubs in our pride." Jahari said after a moment's hesitation.
" You don't play with the cubs in our pride. Don't lie to me Jahari."
Jahari swallowed, his mother was getting angry. " Um-"
" I know you went to the Outlands when you were forbidden. Did you meet somebody there?"
" Yes."
" And?"
Jahari sighed and told her the whole story of meeting Linka and how Annalina saved him from drowning in the lake. But he didn't mention anything about Kayla.
" But I only play with Linka, not his mother. His mother blames me for his falling into the lake."
" And how did he fall into the lake? Is he blind or something?" Alani asked.
" Yes, he's blind." Jahari told her, " he told me he was born blind."
Alani thought about this. Annalina had a blind son. She wondered how the two of them got along in life.
" Listen, I don't want you paying with him anymore."
" Why?"
" Because I said so, that's why. The outlanders are dangerous. NEVER turn your back on them." With that, Alani left him alone to eat.
Kayla was dangerous? Jahari didn't think so. But there was something about her mother that gave him the creeps….
Simba stared down at Linka a fury boiled up inside him. Annalina was lying…she had to be.
" You lie!" he hissed, glaring up at her, " this cub is not my son."
" Oh, but I'm afraid he is. He was conceived the day we mated." Annalina purred, " and since he's your son, then that must mean-" Annalina's eyes went wide, " he's next in line as King."
" No!" Simba shouted, " I have no son. My daughter Kiara will be Queen."
" He is your son. Look at him again Simba. He looks the very image of you except he has my eyes."
Meanwhile, Linka was trembling with the news. He was the King's son? All his life he wanted to know who his father was but Annalina kept it a secret. And now he knew why…he was the King's illegitimate son!
If his ears didn't deceive him, his mother just said he was next in line to be King?
" Take him and get out," Simba snarled, " before I get a bunch of hyenas to chase you out."
" H-hyenas?" Linka squeaked. He loathed hyenas, " Please don't King Simba."
" Call him Father," Annalina reminded him, " because that's what he is."
" This cub is not my son," Simba answered. He felt angry but kept himself in check. He must stay in control and not let this lioness win.
Simba was refusing to accept he had an illegitimate son. What would Nala say? She'd leave him that's what and take Kiara with her. Then he'd be stepped down as King and exiled from the Pride Lands.
Oh Father, I have shamed you. How can you ever forgive me?
" I better go now," Kayla said as she noticed the sun going down.
" Do you have to?" Jahari looked disappointed.
" Yeah. It'll get dark soon." She stood up and stretched, " it's been a fun day Jahari. Can we meet again?"
" Sure. Same place tomorrow?" Jahari suggested.
Kayla nodded and started running through the grass, " Bye!" she called and then disappeared.
Jahari wandered away, towards home. There was a strange feeling in his stomach-it was churning and he felt dizzy. What was wrong with him? He had gotten too much sun?
" There you are. Where have you been?" Alani demanded her son.
" Playing." Jahari answered.
" Well, we saved you some dinner. From now on, I want you to join the family for dinner. We haven't seen enough of you okay?"
Jahari groaned, " yes Mom."
" And tomorrow I want you to spend some time with your grandad and grandma." She added and his eyes went wide.
" But Mom, I have plans." He protested.
" And what would those be?" she asked.
" Playing." Jahari sighed.
" Well, that can wait." Alani decided, " Tanisha and Hasani want to take you somewhere tomorrow."
" Where?" Jahari asked. He was disappointed that he couldn't see Kayla. Kayla will think he had forgotten about her tomorrow when he didn't show at their meeting spot.
" It's a special place. You'll love it." She smiled, " go and eat your dinner." She watched her son run off.
She sat down and looked at the sunset. Jahari has been acting so mysterious lately. Always going off on his own and coming back late. At least he comes home before the sunsets.
" Alani?" Zenka joined her, " Something is troubling you…is it Nadira again?"
" No. It's Jahari. Have you noticed he's been mysterious lately?"
" Mysterious?"
" You know, always going off on his own," Alani added, " he's a got a secret and I feel kinda hurt that he can't tell me about it. He used to tell me everything."
" Well, he's been acting strange since we told him the news of our baby." Zenka mused, " But you know something? I think he's found a friend and doesn't us to know about him because he's afraid we'll stop him from playing with the friend."
" A friend?" Alani frowned, " the cubs in our pride?"
" No. Someone from outside this pride. Remember, he was in the Outlands the other day. He might have met someone there."
Alani paled, " I hope not." She whispered, " It would be too awful if he met my sister."
" Do you think he had?" Zenka said, " and he and Annalina struck up a friendship?"
" Oh God." Alani moaned, " Imagine it! She'll brainwash him!" she turned and ran towards the spot where Jahari was feeding.
" Jahari, who are you playing with?" she demanded him.
" Mom. I'm eating." Jahari answered, his mouth full of meat.
" Answer me," Alani was getting impatient.
" The cubs in our pride." Jahari said after a moment's hesitation.
" You don't play with the cubs in our pride. Don't lie to me Jahari."
Jahari swallowed, his mother was getting angry. " Um-"
" I know you went to the Outlands when you were forbidden. Did you meet somebody there?"
" Yes."
" And?"
Jahari sighed and told her the whole story of meeting Linka and how Annalina saved him from drowning in the lake. But he didn't mention anything about Kayla.
" But I only play with Linka, not his mother. His mother blames me for his falling into the lake."
" And how did he fall into the lake? Is he blind or something?" Alani asked.
" Yes, he's blind." Jahari told her, " he told me he was born blind."
Alani thought about this. Annalina had a blind son. She wondered how the two of them got along in life.
" Listen, I don't want you paying with him anymore."
" Why?"
" Because I said so, that's why. The outlanders are dangerous. NEVER turn your back on them." With that, Alani left him alone to eat.
Kayla was dangerous? Jahari didn't think so. But there was something about her mother that gave him the creeps….