"I…I" Nala's speech faltered, she was weak and confused, and worried, if
this lion was her mate then she surely must remember him! She buried her
face in her paws as she tried to think.
Ketu sat over her, he lifted a paw and traced it down the curve of her spine. "Take your time my Zuri" he said, he wanted to be absolutely sure she remembered nothing, nothing of *him.*
Nala barely heard his words as she struggled with images whose full details evaded her. Besides them there was blackness, horrid blackness only broken by memories of a chase, a golden on her flank, the swish of grass as she ran, the thought of a loyal mate who out of reach…She caught that last thought and held it, she couldn't remember his face, but that voice so strong and comforting, the one who even now sat beside her.
"I…there was a chase…I was running…then" She faltered again "That is all I can remember!"
He could tell from her evident distress that she was telling the truth, and besides, why would she lie?
"Please tell me what happened" she demanded, then he saw her eyes clear and she managed to lie upright. "Did you tell me my name?" she asked, for in her dizziness she had heard him speaking to her but hadn't been able to make any of it out.
Ketu grinned inwardly, this was better then he had hoped!
"It does not matter, I am just glad you are well" he said, and looked directly into her eyes for the first time, feeling he could drown in them without resistance. "Once again" he paused "Your name is…Zuri, and I am your mate Ketu. And you were right when you say you were being chased…" he looked away from her as he sighed "I am sorry" he said "But it is so good to have you back with me, I thought that I had lost you forever!"
Nala, feeling better by the minute was startled "Lose me? Never!" she said with conviction that came from the feelings she remembered she had had towards her mate. "Why would you think that?"
"Because an evil king from the Pridelands (he studied her carefully, no recognition) kidnapped you and some of our other lionesses in an ambush two days ago. The size of our Pride, compared to his is such that to get you back would have been a formidable challenge, but I had not counted on your own resourcefulness and courage" he said, looking at her in open admiration before continuing "Somehow you escaped the evil clutches of King Simba and were just running clear of the border with him in pursuit when I spotted you, luckily I and the others had kept a close watch on the Pridelands. He saw he was outnumbered, and I saw him off without incident" Ketu lied.
Nala was now fully convinced that this King Simba was the one who had been chasing her, the story fitted perfectly, except she had no memory of a second lion chasing off the pursuer, but she dismissed it, putting it down to her faulty memory.
"Simba" she said, testing the name, not knowing the sound. For a second there was something in her mind…but it had gone again and instead she looked to Ketu, her rock in this scary new world into which she had awoken yet one with which she was apparently very familiar. She trusted that it would all come back to her, and she trusted in her mate who sat beside her, protecting her.
"Will this…this King Simba return?" she asked, after thanking him for saving her.
"There is a good chance he may, Zuri" replied Ketu. "But news spreads like wildfire, and he may use word of your memory loss to try and convince you that you once belonged to him, and were Queen of his Pride." He looked directly into her eyes and allowed an edge of panic to creep into his voice "Please don't let him convince you, he wants you for himself and will stop at nothing to achieve that. What ever stories he tells you, remember it is I who you love!"
Nala rose and placed her paw on his "I will do as you ask, of course I will, this Simba sounds horrible and I hope he never comes near this place."
Simba had not moved more then two feet away from Niata since she had been brought into a cave, still unconscious. That with the undeniable knowledge that something had happened to Nala made him torn in two directions, should he go tearing off into the savannah to find her or stay her and find out what had really happened. For lack of information, he was forced to do the former. Turning around from staring at the wall he was pleased to see the young lioness coming round. He leapt forward but felt someone block his way. Sarabi glared at him, but with understanding in her eyes "That is not the way" she said "She has only just come round, let me speak to her." Simba nodded and remained at a distance.
Sarabi gently approached Niata.
All those in the cave watched as the lionesses murmured to each other in low voices, one hurried, the other more soothing and soft. In the end Sarabi moved away, letting her friends take care of Niata, wordlessly Simba followed her outside.
They started to walk up the path that had been a favourite of Mufasa's, it was there that mother related to son everything that Niata had remembered.
Simba was horrified as he stood poised right on the edge of the rock, facing the direction that Nala and her party had taken that very morning. Panic gripped at him along with a terrible sense of inaction,yet all the while Nala could be injured or even killed.
"No!" he roared and leapt off the rock, clinging briefly to the cliff face on the other side before launching himself back onto yet another ledge. Each second was another in which Nala's fate remained unknown, yet he had lost another loved one in the past throw hasty action and blind panic. H ewould not this time, a lot more was needed to be known.
Ketu sat over her, he lifted a paw and traced it down the curve of her spine. "Take your time my Zuri" he said, he wanted to be absolutely sure she remembered nothing, nothing of *him.*
Nala barely heard his words as she struggled with images whose full details evaded her. Besides them there was blackness, horrid blackness only broken by memories of a chase, a golden on her flank, the swish of grass as she ran, the thought of a loyal mate who out of reach…She caught that last thought and held it, she couldn't remember his face, but that voice so strong and comforting, the one who even now sat beside her.
"I…there was a chase…I was running…then" She faltered again "That is all I can remember!"
He could tell from her evident distress that she was telling the truth, and besides, why would she lie?
"Please tell me what happened" she demanded, then he saw her eyes clear and she managed to lie upright. "Did you tell me my name?" she asked, for in her dizziness she had heard him speaking to her but hadn't been able to make any of it out.
Ketu grinned inwardly, this was better then he had hoped!
"It does not matter, I am just glad you are well" he said, and looked directly into her eyes for the first time, feeling he could drown in them without resistance. "Once again" he paused "Your name is…Zuri, and I am your mate Ketu. And you were right when you say you were being chased…" he looked away from her as he sighed "I am sorry" he said "But it is so good to have you back with me, I thought that I had lost you forever!"
Nala, feeling better by the minute was startled "Lose me? Never!" she said with conviction that came from the feelings she remembered she had had towards her mate. "Why would you think that?"
"Because an evil king from the Pridelands (he studied her carefully, no recognition) kidnapped you and some of our other lionesses in an ambush two days ago. The size of our Pride, compared to his is such that to get you back would have been a formidable challenge, but I had not counted on your own resourcefulness and courage" he said, looking at her in open admiration before continuing "Somehow you escaped the evil clutches of King Simba and were just running clear of the border with him in pursuit when I spotted you, luckily I and the others had kept a close watch on the Pridelands. He saw he was outnumbered, and I saw him off without incident" Ketu lied.
Nala was now fully convinced that this King Simba was the one who had been chasing her, the story fitted perfectly, except she had no memory of a second lion chasing off the pursuer, but she dismissed it, putting it down to her faulty memory.
"Simba" she said, testing the name, not knowing the sound. For a second there was something in her mind…but it had gone again and instead she looked to Ketu, her rock in this scary new world into which she had awoken yet one with which she was apparently very familiar. She trusted that it would all come back to her, and she trusted in her mate who sat beside her, protecting her.
"Will this…this King Simba return?" she asked, after thanking him for saving her.
"There is a good chance he may, Zuri" replied Ketu. "But news spreads like wildfire, and he may use word of your memory loss to try and convince you that you once belonged to him, and were Queen of his Pride." He looked directly into her eyes and allowed an edge of panic to creep into his voice "Please don't let him convince you, he wants you for himself and will stop at nothing to achieve that. What ever stories he tells you, remember it is I who you love!"
Nala rose and placed her paw on his "I will do as you ask, of course I will, this Simba sounds horrible and I hope he never comes near this place."
Simba had not moved more then two feet away from Niata since she had been brought into a cave, still unconscious. That with the undeniable knowledge that something had happened to Nala made him torn in two directions, should he go tearing off into the savannah to find her or stay her and find out what had really happened. For lack of information, he was forced to do the former. Turning around from staring at the wall he was pleased to see the young lioness coming round. He leapt forward but felt someone block his way. Sarabi glared at him, but with understanding in her eyes "That is not the way" she said "She has only just come round, let me speak to her." Simba nodded and remained at a distance.
Sarabi gently approached Niata.
All those in the cave watched as the lionesses murmured to each other in low voices, one hurried, the other more soothing and soft. In the end Sarabi moved away, letting her friends take care of Niata, wordlessly Simba followed her outside.
They started to walk up the path that had been a favourite of Mufasa's, it was there that mother related to son everything that Niata had remembered.
Simba was horrified as he stood poised right on the edge of the rock, facing the direction that Nala and her party had taken that very morning. Panic gripped at him along with a terrible sense of inaction,yet all the while Nala could be injured or even killed.
"No!" he roared and leapt off the rock, clinging briefly to the cliff face on the other side before launching himself back onto yet another ledge. Each second was another in which Nala's fate remained unknown, yet he had lost another loved one in the past throw hasty action and blind panic. H ewould not this time, a lot more was needed to be known.