Zazu looked at me uneasily, and rather unhelpfully continued suggesting that we return to Pride Rock, and that he was sure he could see the lionesses returning with a zebra. But I was not to be deterred. "Don't you see Zazu? I need to do this. It's been burning inside me for years. And even if I wasn't directly responsible," my throat clenched, "I was still involved, I saw it happen."
He looked at me fearfully, and nodded in solemn agreement. "I'll leave you to it," he said regally and professionally, and flew off in the direction of Pride Rock.
Slowly but surely, I set my way down the side of the gorge, carefully picking my way down the dusty rock. The setting seemed just as I remembered it all those years ago. In my head I could hear pounding hooves behind me. Running forwards, I replayed the events of that day, seeing my father save me, growling and roaring in agony. And then, from my place at the bottom of the gorge, I saw him hanging by his claws on a steep rock. Scar stood above him, and I watched, horror-stuck again, as I saw him bend closer to help and then thrust him downwards, to the spot where his life finished…
Tears flowing freely down my face, I slowly walked on through the gorge, noticing the tree stump and fallen bough I had clung on to all those years ago. A lump in my throat, I continued toward my father's final resting place. Lost in my own thoughts, I sat back on my haunches at the spot, not taking in my surroundings in the slightest. Again, in my daydream, I failed to notice Nala creeping up beside me once again.
Then she did something I could only remember her doing once before. Nuzzling against my head, she licked away my tears affectionately and rested her head on my neck. Her shallow, calm breathing soothed me, and gradually brought me back to reality. Something about her licking gave me a greater pleasure than any other thing she did. The fact that she did it so infrequently made it all the more special. Doing the only thing that made sense, I licked her back, on her left cheek. Clearly, she understood, and we remained together, in silence nuzzling together while I collected my thoughts.
My attention turned to the spot in front, where I had come to mourn. Whilst the body of my father had obviously rotted away after the years, I was given a further jolt of surprise as I realised that we had reached the only spot in the Pridelands that showed any sign of life. Where his body had once lain, blades of grass were bending in the wind, whispering between them. Nala had noticed it too. "Just like my father always said," I explained, "when we die, our bodies become the grass, and the circle of life is completed."
And so it had proved! Whilst the rest of the Pridelands was floundering, here, my fathers body had remained to fertilise the ground for good whilst his soul was in the stars. Seeing this, my heart was filled with a new-found optimism that I was indeed the one who could lead the Pride and the Pridelands onto greater things. I had belief, now I needed the pride's support and we could start going places!
"This is the most excited I've seen you since you were a cub," said Nala, nudging me in the ribs.
"Oh yeah?" I retorted, "well, if that's the case..."
I attempted to pin her, just as I had as a cub so often, but it seemed I still hadn't improved enough... As was custom, she flipped me over and pinned me, laughing. Never mind, eh? We can't have everything at all times. Still, myself and Nala walked back to Pride Rock together, I slightly happier than I had been just a few hours earlier.