Kala staggered out of the cave, her face stone and speechless. Her eyes were wide with horror, and her breathing was sketchy. Sarabi gasped at Kala's horrifying condition and bounded up to her. Taking up the rear, Yejide, Ayana, and Nala bounded to keep her standing. Sarabi held her head up, and looked the frozen lioness in the eyes.
"Kala, speak to me," Sarabi begged. "What happened? What did Scar say to you?"
Kala didn't say anything for a moment. Her jaw trembled slightly, and her breathing was still light and jumpy. She glanced over at Sarabi, her look of terror piercing into the old Queen's inner soul. Something had gone terribly wrong.
"What was your punishment Kala?" Yejide asked.
Kala turned her head to meet Yejide's eyes. They filled with tears and Yejide began to shiver as she saw them slide down the lioness' face.
"My babies...my babies..." Kala whimpered.
"What about your babies Kala?" Sarabi pressed on. "What is he going to do to your babies?"
Kala broke into sobs and collapsed on the ground burying her head in her paws. Ayana lied down next to the lioness and began to stroke her softly.
"Did he condemn them Kala?" Nala asked quietly.
"No..." Kala replied. "It's worse. He's taking them from me! He's taking my babies away from me! I can't be their mother!" she sobbed. "He's adopting them. He says he's going to teach them to hate me! Because I'm a liar and a crook!"
Sarabi lied down next to Kala and began to comfort her as best she could. But she just didn't know what to say.
"Kala, you should get out of here!" Yejide exclaimed. "If you leave, he can never find you! Give birth to your cubs far away from here, find a new pride and live in peace!"
Kala shook her head. "I can't escape. He won't let me. He's already assigned a hyena escort to watch me everyday! I'm always going to be watched whenever I leave Pride Rock. He'll kill me if I try to escape!"
Sarabi shook her head sadly. There was no hope for her. She was doomed, just as Sarabi had proved to be. Yet her glint of hope remained, as she prayed that Scar wouldn't notice her own pregnancy. But as the days became darker and filled with spite, Sarabi felt it best not to trust a hope. Even hope was failing her now.
As the weeks passed, Sarabi became more and more aware of her pregnancy. Her belly started to hang a little lower, and she felt like she was carrying extra weight. As she looked at Kala, she realized the lioness was farther along in her pregnancy than she was. Those cubs would be born several weeks before her own.
As Sarabi lay alone in the den one night, she caught sight of some of the stars outside. As she looked at one, she could see it glint unlike the rest. She smiled as suddenly it shot out of the sky like a bullet and she watched it whiz through the skies, leaving a shiny trail behind it. As she saw it, she could not help but think of Simba.
Flashback
Sarabi pricked up her ears from where she lay. The sun was setting, and the sky was a vivid shade of purple. As she looked in the direction where the sound had come from, she saw the bushes below the rock where she lay rustle. She heard slight whimpering, and immediately bounded off the rock when she saw the small patch of golden fur.
"Simba!" she cried as she reached him. She lied down where she was and gathered the whimpering, crying ball of fur into her paws. "What happened sweetheart?"
Simba just whimpered and shuddered as he extended his paw to his mother. Sarabi gasped to see it seeping with blood, and a large gash square in the middle.
"Chiko bit me," Simba explained. "He started making fun of me because he said I had a square head. I told him I didn't, and he started attacking me. I cuffed his shoulder, so he pinned me down and bit my paw real hard."
Sarabi sighed and began to lick her little cub. She cleaned off the blood, and checked it to make sure it had stopped bleeding. "Oh Simba," she said as she licked him. "You're just like your father."
Simba looked up. "Huh?"
Sarabi smiled. "When your father was a cub, your uncle once told him he had a big nose. Your dad didn't think it was very funny, and picked a fight with him. They started fighting pretty badly, so bad that your Grandpa Ahadi had to break them up. Your dad had a nasty cut on his shoulder, and your uncle was pretty scratched up as well."
Simba looked at the ground. "Then what happened?" he asked.
"Your dad learned a very valuable lesson," Sarabi said.
"What lesson?" Simba asked, curious to know what it was.
Suddenly, the two turned to see Mufasa make his way out of the bushes. He had a warm smile on his face, and his beautiful auburn mane glowed under the light of the moon and swayed slightly in the gentle breeze. He bent down and licked Simba on the head, before lying down next to his mate.
"I learned that the reason other people say those things is because they want you to get mad," Mufasa finished. "The better lion is the one who stops the fight before it starts. In other words, don't let what someone says get you down. If you don't think you have a big head, or a big nose, that's all that matters."
Simba smiled up at his parents. "Well, I don't think I have a square head," he said proudly.
Mufasa and Sarabi laughed at their little son, and Sarabi kissed his head.
"I don't think you have a square head either," Sarabi said warmly. "It's just perfect. Don't ever let anybody hurt you. Perfection is rare. But I think you are absolutely perfect. Not one flaw."
Mufasa cleared his throat suddenly.
"What about my nose?" Mufasa asked jokingly.
"What?" Sarabi asked, pretending not to know what he meant. "You mean this nose?"
She lifted her head and licked his nose gently.
Surprised, but ultimately flattered, Mufasa smiled and licked Sarabi's head. He then lowered himself again and nuzzled Simba. Then, the little family curled themselves up together.
"Can we sleep out here tonight dad?" Simba asked hopefully.
Mufasa smiled. "Under the stars? Sure we can, but it makes no difference to me. Every night I'm surrounded by the two most beautiful stars."
Sarabi smiled and licked his cheek before resting her head against his mane. Simba curled up in his mother's paws and rested his own head against her chest, falling into a deep sleep. The little family nestled together, safe and warm under a starry sky, knowing in their heart, that nothing in the world could shake their bond and everlasting love.
End of Flashback
Sarabi's tears fell quietly to the cave floor as the memories began to blanket over her. Every day she missed them. Every hour, every minute, every second. How she wished she hadn't let Simba go that day! How she wished she said no when Scar asked to take Simba out! She just curled into a ball and wept, wept for Mufasa, wept for Simba, and wept for her unknown future, and the future of a cub belonging to the one she hated most.
"Kala, speak to me," Sarabi begged. "What happened? What did Scar say to you?"
Kala didn't say anything for a moment. Her jaw trembled slightly, and her breathing was still light and jumpy. She glanced over at Sarabi, her look of terror piercing into the old Queen's inner soul. Something had gone terribly wrong.
"What was your punishment Kala?" Yejide asked.
Kala turned her head to meet Yejide's eyes. They filled with tears and Yejide began to shiver as she saw them slide down the lioness' face.
"My babies...my babies..." Kala whimpered.
"What about your babies Kala?" Sarabi pressed on. "What is he going to do to your babies?"
Kala broke into sobs and collapsed on the ground burying her head in her paws. Ayana lied down next to the lioness and began to stroke her softly.
"Did he condemn them Kala?" Nala asked quietly.
"No..." Kala replied. "It's worse. He's taking them from me! He's taking my babies away from me! I can't be their mother!" she sobbed. "He's adopting them. He says he's going to teach them to hate me! Because I'm a liar and a crook!"
Sarabi lied down next to Kala and began to comfort her as best she could. But she just didn't know what to say.
"Kala, you should get out of here!" Yejide exclaimed. "If you leave, he can never find you! Give birth to your cubs far away from here, find a new pride and live in peace!"
Kala shook her head. "I can't escape. He won't let me. He's already assigned a hyena escort to watch me everyday! I'm always going to be watched whenever I leave Pride Rock. He'll kill me if I try to escape!"
Sarabi shook her head sadly. There was no hope for her. She was doomed, just as Sarabi had proved to be. Yet her glint of hope remained, as she prayed that Scar wouldn't notice her own pregnancy. But as the days became darker and filled with spite, Sarabi felt it best not to trust a hope. Even hope was failing her now.
As the weeks passed, Sarabi became more and more aware of her pregnancy. Her belly started to hang a little lower, and she felt like she was carrying extra weight. As she looked at Kala, she realized the lioness was farther along in her pregnancy than she was. Those cubs would be born several weeks before her own.
As Sarabi lay alone in the den one night, she caught sight of some of the stars outside. As she looked at one, she could see it glint unlike the rest. She smiled as suddenly it shot out of the sky like a bullet and she watched it whiz through the skies, leaving a shiny trail behind it. As she saw it, she could not help but think of Simba.
Flashback
Sarabi pricked up her ears from where she lay. The sun was setting, and the sky was a vivid shade of purple. As she looked in the direction where the sound had come from, she saw the bushes below the rock where she lay rustle. She heard slight whimpering, and immediately bounded off the rock when she saw the small patch of golden fur.
"Simba!" she cried as she reached him. She lied down where she was and gathered the whimpering, crying ball of fur into her paws. "What happened sweetheart?"
Simba just whimpered and shuddered as he extended his paw to his mother. Sarabi gasped to see it seeping with blood, and a large gash square in the middle.
"Chiko bit me," Simba explained. "He started making fun of me because he said I had a square head. I told him I didn't, and he started attacking me. I cuffed his shoulder, so he pinned me down and bit my paw real hard."
Sarabi sighed and began to lick her little cub. She cleaned off the blood, and checked it to make sure it had stopped bleeding. "Oh Simba," she said as she licked him. "You're just like your father."
Simba looked up. "Huh?"
Sarabi smiled. "When your father was a cub, your uncle once told him he had a big nose. Your dad didn't think it was very funny, and picked a fight with him. They started fighting pretty badly, so bad that your Grandpa Ahadi had to break them up. Your dad had a nasty cut on his shoulder, and your uncle was pretty scratched up as well."
Simba looked at the ground. "Then what happened?" he asked.
"Your dad learned a very valuable lesson," Sarabi said.
"What lesson?" Simba asked, curious to know what it was.
Suddenly, the two turned to see Mufasa make his way out of the bushes. He had a warm smile on his face, and his beautiful auburn mane glowed under the light of the moon and swayed slightly in the gentle breeze. He bent down and licked Simba on the head, before lying down next to his mate.
"I learned that the reason other people say those things is because they want you to get mad," Mufasa finished. "The better lion is the one who stops the fight before it starts. In other words, don't let what someone says get you down. If you don't think you have a big head, or a big nose, that's all that matters."
Simba smiled up at his parents. "Well, I don't think I have a square head," he said proudly.
Mufasa and Sarabi laughed at their little son, and Sarabi kissed his head.
"I don't think you have a square head either," Sarabi said warmly. "It's just perfect. Don't ever let anybody hurt you. Perfection is rare. But I think you are absolutely perfect. Not one flaw."
Mufasa cleared his throat suddenly.
"What about my nose?" Mufasa asked jokingly.
"What?" Sarabi asked, pretending not to know what he meant. "You mean this nose?"
She lifted her head and licked his nose gently.
Surprised, but ultimately flattered, Mufasa smiled and licked Sarabi's head. He then lowered himself again and nuzzled Simba. Then, the little family curled themselves up together.
"Can we sleep out here tonight dad?" Simba asked hopefully.
Mufasa smiled. "Under the stars? Sure we can, but it makes no difference to me. Every night I'm surrounded by the two most beautiful stars."
Sarabi smiled and licked his cheek before resting her head against his mane. Simba curled up in his mother's paws and rested his own head against her chest, falling into a deep sleep. The little family nestled together, safe and warm under a starry sky, knowing in their heart, that nothing in the world could shake their bond and everlasting love.
End of Flashback
Sarabi's tears fell quietly to the cave floor as the memories began to blanket over her. Every day she missed them. Every hour, every minute, every second. How she wished she hadn't let Simba go that day! How she wished she said no when Scar asked to take Simba out! She just curled into a ball and wept, wept for Mufasa, wept for Simba, and wept for her unknown future, and the future of a cub belonging to the one she hated most.