Chapter 10: Born to rule?
Kitoko could feel their stares. She could feel their eyes on her. After Simba had finished telling the pride about how they were related. All eyes had shifted to Kitoko. Mistrust rode on the wind as it whirled around the young lioness. Whispers broke out. The lioness's eyes shifted to Kitoko and then to the lioness they were whispering to. A paw would point toward Kitoko and then rest on the rocky floor. Even Kovu, who had seemingly made up with Kitoko now looked skeptical. Nala sat staring blankly. Her mind churned. A memory came flooding back to her...
Flashback Sarabi sighed and rubbed her head under Nala's chin. She then tried again, "Who was it?" Nala turned and then looked back at Sarabi. Her voice wouldn't work, so she took a paw instead and pretended to pull it over Sarabi's eye. Sarabi sighed. "He did it to me to," she said, knowing that it was ok to tell the lioness now. Nala took a sharp intake of breath and then rubbed Sarabi under the chin. End of flashback
Suddenly it all made sense to her. The reason Sarabi couldn't stay in the pride lands when Simba had returned. Everything fit together perfectly. Nala looked up and around at the lionesses. She growled. "Silence!" she roared. The whispers stopped abruptly. Nala walked over and sat beside Kitoko. "Stop being so foolhardy. Kitoko has never met Scar, she was raised by Sarabi, and do you dare say that Sarabi would have raised Kitoko to be as ruthless and murderous as Scar?" The lionesses exchanged glances and then shook their heads. "I didn't think so. We all have seen her hunt; we all have made friends with her. And now we come to find out of her parentage and all the trust and respect we have for her just disappears?" Nala shook her head. "We are pride landers, so we'd best start acting that way." With that, Nala turned and smiled at Kitoko, then walked off.
Simba nodded. "You will treat Kitoko with the same respect you show each other. She is a member of our pride now and deserves to be treated as such, understood?" Simba said, staring hard at Kovu and the once was outlanders. The pride nodded.
"Good, you are free to go." Simba concluded. He then turned. "We need to talk," he said, gesturing toward Kitoko. Kitoko nodded and then followed him. He led her past the watering hole and then began to walk steadily toward Rafiki's tree.
He said nothing. Kitoko cleared her throat. "Um, what did you want to talk to me about?" she said. Simba sighed. "Your markings," he said. "Oh," Kitoko sighed. He must have heard her, she thought. "So, we're going to Rafiki's tree then to?" Kitoko asked.
"To find out what he means by your paw print says you were meant to rule." Kitoko nodded. She hung her head. "If it makes any difference, I don't want to rule," she near whispered. Simba shook his head, his mane swinging back and forth. "We'll talk to Rafiki." He said.
They needn't have walked far before the old baboon found them. Just as Kitoko passed a small bush, Rafiki popped out of it and grabbed hold of her tail. "And where are you going?" He said. Kitoko jumped and then whirled around. Simba stopped and then frowned.
"Rafiki, we need to talk, all of us." Rafiki nodded. "I know," he said. Simba sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes yes, but this is important!" he said. Rafiki shrugged. "What is it?" he said, making himself a seat on the cool grass next to the bush. "Her markings." Simba replied with a nod of his head toward Kitoko. "Ah," Rafiki smiled.
"Yes, very peculiar markings, don't you tink?" Rafiki traced a finger over one of Kitoko's wristbands. "Rafiki, what does the paw print mean?" Simba growled, he was beginning to get impatient. Rafiki sighed. "Ah, so I see you have found out, otherwise you would not be here, you tell me." Simba sat down and took a deep breath.
"I overheard Kitoko telling her friend that it meant she was born to rule. She is not the rightful heir though. Her blood may be royal, but she was born to the King and to the ex-queen. How can she be born to rule?" Simba asked. Rafiki sighed.
He looked over to Kitoko. "Have a seat child," he said. Kitoko sat, carefully gathering her hindquarters beneath her. A feeling this would be long made her move into a lying position. She slid her front feet down and then rested her chin on them. "The paw print is a symbol that says she has been marked by the great King's themselves. She has been chosen as next in line. Her destiny is to rule the Pride lands." Rafiki said finally.
Simba shook his head once more. "Kiara and Kovu are ruling just fine, there is no reason for her to take their place. And besides, she needs a mate in order to rule," Rafiki shook his head and sighed. "It is complicated, I know, and no the time is not right yet, the Kings will reveal when it is time for Kitoko and her mate to rule." He looked at Simba. Then his gaze shifted to Kitoko and his eyes softened. "And if I am not mistaken, you have already found a mate have you not?" Kitoko gulped, had she? "I'm not sure," she replied.
Rafiki smiled. Simba growled again. "What do you mean the King's will reveal the time when she's to rule? Kiara and Kovu's son or daughter will take their place and so on and so forth. No one is going to step down Rafiki. Perhaps I just don't understand, but I'm pretty sure royal blood should be put first." Rafiki sighed. "You will just have to wait and see, the King's will reveal the time when Kitoko is to rule. Just wait and you shall see. That is all I can tell you." Rafiki then got up and walked off. "Wait and see?" Simba called after him. "But I want an explanation!"
"Simba," Rafiki turned. "Live by your mate's words, you are a pride Lander, start acting like one," Simba sat transfixed, frozen to the spot. Kitoko sighed. Maybe it had been a mistake to come to the pride lands. Maybe her mother was right in not returning...
End of chapter 10
Kitoko could feel their stares. She could feel their eyes on her. After Simba had finished telling the pride about how they were related. All eyes had shifted to Kitoko. Mistrust rode on the wind as it whirled around the young lioness. Whispers broke out. The lioness's eyes shifted to Kitoko and then to the lioness they were whispering to. A paw would point toward Kitoko and then rest on the rocky floor. Even Kovu, who had seemingly made up with Kitoko now looked skeptical. Nala sat staring blankly. Her mind churned. A memory came flooding back to her...
Flashback Sarabi sighed and rubbed her head under Nala's chin. She then tried again, "Who was it?" Nala turned and then looked back at Sarabi. Her voice wouldn't work, so she took a paw instead and pretended to pull it over Sarabi's eye. Sarabi sighed. "He did it to me to," she said, knowing that it was ok to tell the lioness now. Nala took a sharp intake of breath and then rubbed Sarabi under the chin. End of flashback
Suddenly it all made sense to her. The reason Sarabi couldn't stay in the pride lands when Simba had returned. Everything fit together perfectly. Nala looked up and around at the lionesses. She growled. "Silence!" she roared. The whispers stopped abruptly. Nala walked over and sat beside Kitoko. "Stop being so foolhardy. Kitoko has never met Scar, she was raised by Sarabi, and do you dare say that Sarabi would have raised Kitoko to be as ruthless and murderous as Scar?" The lionesses exchanged glances and then shook their heads. "I didn't think so. We all have seen her hunt; we all have made friends with her. And now we come to find out of her parentage and all the trust and respect we have for her just disappears?" Nala shook her head. "We are pride landers, so we'd best start acting that way." With that, Nala turned and smiled at Kitoko, then walked off.
Simba nodded. "You will treat Kitoko with the same respect you show each other. She is a member of our pride now and deserves to be treated as such, understood?" Simba said, staring hard at Kovu and the once was outlanders. The pride nodded.
"Good, you are free to go." Simba concluded. He then turned. "We need to talk," he said, gesturing toward Kitoko. Kitoko nodded and then followed him. He led her past the watering hole and then began to walk steadily toward Rafiki's tree.
He said nothing. Kitoko cleared her throat. "Um, what did you want to talk to me about?" she said. Simba sighed. "Your markings," he said. "Oh," Kitoko sighed. He must have heard her, she thought. "So, we're going to Rafiki's tree then to?" Kitoko asked.
"To find out what he means by your paw print says you were meant to rule." Kitoko nodded. She hung her head. "If it makes any difference, I don't want to rule," she near whispered. Simba shook his head, his mane swinging back and forth. "We'll talk to Rafiki." He said.
They needn't have walked far before the old baboon found them. Just as Kitoko passed a small bush, Rafiki popped out of it and grabbed hold of her tail. "And where are you going?" He said. Kitoko jumped and then whirled around. Simba stopped and then frowned.
"Rafiki, we need to talk, all of us." Rafiki nodded. "I know," he said. Simba sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes yes, but this is important!" he said. Rafiki shrugged. "What is it?" he said, making himself a seat on the cool grass next to the bush. "Her markings." Simba replied with a nod of his head toward Kitoko. "Ah," Rafiki smiled.
"Yes, very peculiar markings, don't you tink?" Rafiki traced a finger over one of Kitoko's wristbands. "Rafiki, what does the paw print mean?" Simba growled, he was beginning to get impatient. Rafiki sighed. "Ah, so I see you have found out, otherwise you would not be here, you tell me." Simba sat down and took a deep breath.
"I overheard Kitoko telling her friend that it meant she was born to rule. She is not the rightful heir though. Her blood may be royal, but she was born to the King and to the ex-queen. How can she be born to rule?" Simba asked. Rafiki sighed.
He looked over to Kitoko. "Have a seat child," he said. Kitoko sat, carefully gathering her hindquarters beneath her. A feeling this would be long made her move into a lying position. She slid her front feet down and then rested her chin on them. "The paw print is a symbol that says she has been marked by the great King's themselves. She has been chosen as next in line. Her destiny is to rule the Pride lands." Rafiki said finally.
Simba shook his head once more. "Kiara and Kovu are ruling just fine, there is no reason for her to take their place. And besides, she needs a mate in order to rule," Rafiki shook his head and sighed. "It is complicated, I know, and no the time is not right yet, the Kings will reveal when it is time for Kitoko and her mate to rule." He looked at Simba. Then his gaze shifted to Kitoko and his eyes softened. "And if I am not mistaken, you have already found a mate have you not?" Kitoko gulped, had she? "I'm not sure," she replied.
Rafiki smiled. Simba growled again. "What do you mean the King's will reveal the time when she's to rule? Kiara and Kovu's son or daughter will take their place and so on and so forth. No one is going to step down Rafiki. Perhaps I just don't understand, but I'm pretty sure royal blood should be put first." Rafiki sighed. "You will just have to wait and see, the King's will reveal the time when Kitoko is to rule. Just wait and you shall see. That is all I can tell you." Rafiki then got up and walked off. "Wait and see?" Simba called after him. "But I want an explanation!"
"Simba," Rafiki turned. "Live by your mate's words, you are a pride Lander, start acting like one," Simba sat transfixed, frozen to the spot. Kitoko sighed. Maybe it had been a mistake to come to the pride lands. Maybe her mother was right in not returning...
End of chapter 10