CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
" He's dead?" Nala repeated, " Oh Simba…"
" Linka ran away from home," Simba went on, " because he didn't want to be King. His mother and I found his body in the forest."
" How is his mother holding up?"
" Not to good. I left her alone with the body." Simba shuddered, " it wasn't a pretty sight Nala. It was all bloody and torn…one of his eyes were missing."
" You said he didn't want to be King. Is this true?"
" Linka told me himself, " Simba replied, " We ran into each other in the gorge. He told me he'd rather die than be King and he got his wish."
Nala studied her mate. Simba looked sad that his illegitimate son had died but he also looked relieved. " He would have never become the King anyway." Simba's voice was hard, " I'd see to it he didn't."
" Simba, your son is dead. The least you can do is give him a proper burial."
Simba bowed his head; " Yes I should especially since I didn't want to accept him into my life." He sighed, " And because of this, I feel kind of responsible for his death."
" His death was not your fault. How could a young lion cub cope with the shocking revelation? No young cub could. "
" I guess I should back to the forest and bury him."
" Good idea." Nala nuzzled her mate; " I didn't like the idea of you having a son with somebody else. But I realise now mating with Annalina was in the past a past you'd rather forget. I wasn't in that past, but I am in your future."
Simba nuzzled her in reply, and then bounded off towards the forest where his dead son lay.
* * *
Jahari frowned, " That's not right." He said, " If you're our grandmother, then that makes me and Kayla-"
" Cousins." Tamali supplied.
" Cousins?" Kayla repeated in shock, " You mean I had a crush on my cousin? Gross!"
Jahari looked over at Kayla, " You had a crush on me?" he asked shyly.
" Yes…but now we're cousins, the crush is gone." Kayla made a face, " I've been such a ditz."
" I kind of liked you too." Jahari confessed, " But I have to forget about it now. It's illegal right Grandma?"
Tamali smiled, she loved hearing that name: Grandma. And one of her most desired wishes had come true-to meet her grand cubs.
" You're the grandmother my mother has been looking for," Jahari told Tamali, " she's gonna be so happy to see you again."
Tamali hesitated, " I am not so sure she'd want to see me young Jahari. And neither will your mother." She added to Kayla, " Did you know your mothers are twin sisters?"
" Nope. I didn't even know my mom had a sister. She never talked about her." Kayla said in wonder.
" Now I know why Mom doesn't want me playing with Linka. Linka's my cousin too. Did the sisters have a fight or something?"
" I'll tell you the story after I've reconciled with your mother Jahari."
" You want to see her again?" Jahari asked happily.
" It's my only chance. I've been estranged from my daughters for so long." Tamali sighed.
" Well, you have to come home with me." Jahari said, " Let's go!"
" Jahari, wait!" Kayla said, " What about me? I can't go to your home."
" You can stay here and I'll come back later." Jahari suggested.
Tamali glanced down at her granddaughter, " Why are you running away from home?"
" It's a long story." Kayla muttered.
Tamali sat down on her hunches, " The reunion can wait," she told Jahari, " First I want to hear Kayla's story. Tell me, what has my wayward daughter been up to?"
" My brother Linka ran away from home because he didn't want to be King and he promised me Mother will pay more attention to me, but he was wrong. After he'd gone, she was worse than ever and blames me for his leaving. She left to find him and I decided why don't I run away? So I did." Kayla let out in one big breath.
Tamali blinked. She only caught some of it. " Slow down my dear. What do you mean your brother doesn't want to be King? What does this have to with Simba?"
" It had everything to do with Simba," Kayla replied, " My brother is King Simba's long lost son."
" What?" Tamali's eyes went wide, " Your brother is Simba's son?"
Kayla nodded, " He's older than me, so that makes him the future King. But he didn't want to be so he ran away."
Tamali pondered on this. Annalina must have mated with Simba while Simba was presumed 'dead' at the time of his father's death and after that, their son Linka was conceived.
" Mom told me the King didn't accept Linka because he was illegitimate." Kayla added.
" If his pride found out, Simba would be exiled for sure." Tamali mused, " Well, its no wonder young Linka ran away. Being a King is a huge responsibility."
" He'd never make a good King anyway, 'cause he's blind." Kayla interjected blithely.
" That's not a nice thing to say," Jahari frowned at her, " You might have not liked your brother, but I did. Wether or nor he was blind."
" Another answer to the riddle." Tamali said, " I always thought he had some kind of disability but I couldn't work out what it was."
" Mom never paid attention to me because she spent all her time with Linka." Kayla reflected, " I'm never going back home."
Tamali studied her granddaughter. Kayla was the very image of her mother and just as stubborn.
" Suit yourself. Jahari, please show me the way to your home. It's time for me to meet Alani."
" I'll be back." Jahari assured Kayla despite feeling annoyed with her. He led their grandmother out of the cave and was gone.
For the second time that day, Kayla felt alone.
" He's dead?" Nala repeated, " Oh Simba…"
" Linka ran away from home," Simba went on, " because he didn't want to be King. His mother and I found his body in the forest."
" How is his mother holding up?"
" Not to good. I left her alone with the body." Simba shuddered, " it wasn't a pretty sight Nala. It was all bloody and torn…one of his eyes were missing."
" You said he didn't want to be King. Is this true?"
" Linka told me himself, " Simba replied, " We ran into each other in the gorge. He told me he'd rather die than be King and he got his wish."
Nala studied her mate. Simba looked sad that his illegitimate son had died but he also looked relieved. " He would have never become the King anyway." Simba's voice was hard, " I'd see to it he didn't."
" Simba, your son is dead. The least you can do is give him a proper burial."
Simba bowed his head; " Yes I should especially since I didn't want to accept him into my life." He sighed, " And because of this, I feel kind of responsible for his death."
" His death was not your fault. How could a young lion cub cope with the shocking revelation? No young cub could. "
" I guess I should back to the forest and bury him."
" Good idea." Nala nuzzled her mate; " I didn't like the idea of you having a son with somebody else. But I realise now mating with Annalina was in the past a past you'd rather forget. I wasn't in that past, but I am in your future."
Simba nuzzled her in reply, and then bounded off towards the forest where his dead son lay.
* * *
Jahari frowned, " That's not right." He said, " If you're our grandmother, then that makes me and Kayla-"
" Cousins." Tamali supplied.
" Cousins?" Kayla repeated in shock, " You mean I had a crush on my cousin? Gross!"
Jahari looked over at Kayla, " You had a crush on me?" he asked shyly.
" Yes…but now we're cousins, the crush is gone." Kayla made a face, " I've been such a ditz."
" I kind of liked you too." Jahari confessed, " But I have to forget about it now. It's illegal right Grandma?"
Tamali smiled, she loved hearing that name: Grandma. And one of her most desired wishes had come true-to meet her grand cubs.
" You're the grandmother my mother has been looking for," Jahari told Tamali, " she's gonna be so happy to see you again."
Tamali hesitated, " I am not so sure she'd want to see me young Jahari. And neither will your mother." She added to Kayla, " Did you know your mothers are twin sisters?"
" Nope. I didn't even know my mom had a sister. She never talked about her." Kayla said in wonder.
" Now I know why Mom doesn't want me playing with Linka. Linka's my cousin too. Did the sisters have a fight or something?"
" I'll tell you the story after I've reconciled with your mother Jahari."
" You want to see her again?" Jahari asked happily.
" It's my only chance. I've been estranged from my daughters for so long." Tamali sighed.
" Well, you have to come home with me." Jahari said, " Let's go!"
" Jahari, wait!" Kayla said, " What about me? I can't go to your home."
" You can stay here and I'll come back later." Jahari suggested.
Tamali glanced down at her granddaughter, " Why are you running away from home?"
" It's a long story." Kayla muttered.
Tamali sat down on her hunches, " The reunion can wait," she told Jahari, " First I want to hear Kayla's story. Tell me, what has my wayward daughter been up to?"
" My brother Linka ran away from home because he didn't want to be King and he promised me Mother will pay more attention to me, but he was wrong. After he'd gone, she was worse than ever and blames me for his leaving. She left to find him and I decided why don't I run away? So I did." Kayla let out in one big breath.
Tamali blinked. She only caught some of it. " Slow down my dear. What do you mean your brother doesn't want to be King? What does this have to with Simba?"
" It had everything to do with Simba," Kayla replied, " My brother is King Simba's long lost son."
" What?" Tamali's eyes went wide, " Your brother is Simba's son?"
Kayla nodded, " He's older than me, so that makes him the future King. But he didn't want to be so he ran away."
Tamali pondered on this. Annalina must have mated with Simba while Simba was presumed 'dead' at the time of his father's death and after that, their son Linka was conceived.
" Mom told me the King didn't accept Linka because he was illegitimate." Kayla added.
" If his pride found out, Simba would be exiled for sure." Tamali mused, " Well, its no wonder young Linka ran away. Being a King is a huge responsibility."
" He'd never make a good King anyway, 'cause he's blind." Kayla interjected blithely.
" That's not a nice thing to say," Jahari frowned at her, " You might have not liked your brother, but I did. Wether or nor he was blind."
" Another answer to the riddle." Tamali said, " I always thought he had some kind of disability but I couldn't work out what it was."
" Mom never paid attention to me because she spent all her time with Linka." Kayla reflected, " I'm never going back home."
Tamali studied her granddaughter. Kayla was the very image of her mother and just as stubborn.
" Suit yourself. Jahari, please show me the way to your home. It's time for me to meet Alani."
" I'll be back." Jahari assured Kayla despite feeling annoyed with her. He led their grandmother out of the cave and was gone.
For the second time that day, Kayla felt alone.