Authors note: This story is based off a series I made using lion king bases on Deviantart. It is still on going, so please don't demand chapters be available every day. I'll work on as much as I can. Also to note, the lions in this story, like other stories I have made, age as fast as humans do.

Welcome to the Jungle Pride

Chapter 2: All I Remember is My Name is Simba

As Simba had opened his eyes, he had expected his body to be laying on the course ground he had collapsed on earlier, with the bright circle baring down on him and making everything hot. But as his senses of touch, smell and sight began to return, he came to see that he was surrounded by both grey and green colors, and his line of sight let him see he was also in a shaded area. And the ground he was laying on wasn't course. It was soft comfortable. "Hello there, sleepy head," came a voice from above.

Simba looked up to see a giant lioness with dark brown fur, a yellowish-beige underbelly, and ocean blue eyes staring down at him. The sight of her had made his heart leap and caused him to breath fast in fright. "There's no need to be afraid dear, we're not gonna harm you," the giant lioness said.

"W-We?" Simba inquired.

He shifted his head to see that there were two other lionesses near him. One as giant as the one hold him with her forelegs, the other a bit bigger than him, but nowhere near the size of the other two. "Hello there little one," The other Giant Lioness started, "I am Queen Kalima, this is my niece, Princess Mara."

"Hi" Stated Mara the cub.

"And one holding you is my sister, Princess Rhea," Kalima finished.

Simba slowed his breathing, realizing he wasn't in any danger. "You're very lucky cub dear. Had you stayed out there much longer, the buzzards would have had their way with you," Rhea stated.

"W-Where am I?" Simba asked.

"You're safe. In the Junglelands dear," Rhea answered.

"The Junglelands?" Simba asked, bewildered, not having a clue what the place was.

"Yes, The Junglelands. The home of our pride, the Jungle Pride. Now, I know you just woke up dear, but I must ask, what is your name dear?" Rhea inquired.

"My Name is Simba," Simba answered.

"Simba. That's a cute name for you dear. And where are you from?" Rhea continued.

Simba thought long and hard, but he couldn't remember. He had no idea where he was from. His mind was drawing a blank on so much. The only thing he was certain of, was that his name was Simba. "I….. I don't know?"

"Okay, well, can you tell us who your parents are?" Rhea tried with another question.

"I don't know that either, Princess Rhea," Simba answered.

Rhea was at a loss. She looked at Kalima a moment, then at Simba. The cub had suffered memory loss. Severely….. but she was not sure how severe. "Mara, can I have you watch little Simba for me for a moment?" Rhea requested.

"Sure mom," Mara replied.

As Mara sat down with Simba to keep him company and tell him a little more about the Jungle Pride, Rhea walked over to Kalima and said, "Sister. His memory. To not know who his own family is, I'm worried. Do you think you can use some of your medicines to help his memory?"

"I had a feeling you might ask this, so I did bring such medicines with me. However, I have a strong feeling it may not work. For how long he may have been out there, the mind loss may be permanent. And if he was out there for that long, that's reason enough to assume that either he was abandoned by his parents or they have gone to visit the Great Kings and Queens of the Past," Kalima stated.

Rhea looked back at Simba worried. But then, Layla came up and had a turn to say, "Rhea, I know it's hard to think about, but take this as a sign. If what the Queen breaths true about the little cub's memory loss, it may be for the best. With the condition you found him in, it may be better that whatever may have traumatized him before his memory loss, no longer will haunt his memories. And after learning the cub's name, I went around to the pride sisters to ask if any of them were familiar with a cub whose name was Simba. All of them told me that none of them were familiar with that name, even from relatives in our closest neighboring prides."

Rhea looked with a little spark of hope, "So you're saying…."

"Yes sister, if it is found that we cannot regain his memories of what happened before his time in the desert, then you have the right to take him in as your cub," Kalima stated.

Rhea smiled and nuzzled her sister in thanks for once again giving her blessing to adopt the cub should the regaining of his memories be unsuccessful. Soon the three lionesses came over to Mara and Simba, Layla introduced herself to help the cub feel at ease. Then, Queen Kalima told Simba she was gonna give him some medicine, explaining she was the Pride's healer and wanted to help him with both his strength and memory. She first gave him some medicine that would help with Rhea's milk giving him his strength back. Then she gave the tiny cub another medicine to see if it would help him remember anything before the desert, they waited for some time, and Simba thought long and hard once he was certain the medicines were doing their job. But the only thing he could draw his memory back to was right before he fell due to his heat exhaustion and seeing Rhea and Mara before passing out. He did remember hearing some strange faint laughter of some sort of animal, but beyond that, he couldn't recall the animal that made it, nor where those animals would be found.

Simba told this to the four lionesses and it was just as Kalima had informed Rhea before. Nothing to help them determine where Simba came from. The mention of strange laughter wasn't anything for them to go on. Many animals, including striped hyenas in the jungle, made those strange laughing sounds. With this fact concluded, Rhea walked up to little Simba and said, "Simba, I know that this may sound strange, but I can't simply let you wander around the jungle at your age, and especially with the condition you are in, you wouldn't last the night alone. So, what I am saying is, if you will let me, I would like to take you in as my cub and be your mother. Would you be okay with that?"

Simba was a bit at a loss for words. "Y-You mean… become a prince?" Simba wondered.

"Indeed. My sister can make the announcement official tomorrow. We just need to send our majordomo, Lola the eagle to let the other Jungle dwellers know that you will be presented," Rhea stated.

Simba looked at Mara, who was smiling gleefully, and then back at Rhea who seemed to be hoping he'd say yes to the adoption. He nodded his head that he would like to become her son. She then nuzzled him, and laid back down put her forelegs around him again. "Well, we best give you another bath. We need you looking presentable tomorrow," Rhea teased.

Simba flinched for a moment as Rhea's head approached him, but after feeling her soft tongue on his fur, he relaxed. The bath felt nice. A major upgrade from feeling hot under the scorching bright circle. Rhea smiled that he didn't struggle, like her daughter sometimes did when she was impatient about playing. Then again, it may be due to his weakened state that he was so cooperative. She'd have to wait and see if he became as rambunctious as his new sister.

Kalima smiled and stated, "Well, I'll let the pride know of the presentation to come, and then track down Lola, she should be returning from her noon hunt soon. Welcome to the family, Tiny Prince Simba."

Simba blushed and hid his face in Rhea's fur at the mention of being called "Tiny Prince" by the Queen. It felt right to be called prince, but Simba wasn't sure why. As Rhea continued to clean him, Simba started to dose off again. Rhea expected this to happen. The medicine to help regain his strength could only do so much for him. Mara nuzzle her now little brother as he ventured back into dreamland, finding her baby brother's sleeping form adorable.

End of chapter 2. With this one, I made it where Simba, rather than lying to the pride that takes him in, suffers memory loss. I feel if fits better with the story and makes it feel a bit more innocent. I'd rather have Simba going on fun adventures with the Jungle Pride without the memory of his father's death lingering over his mind. Let me know what you think of the chapter. Please do not inquire about my other stories. Constructive criticism is always welcome. But please do not demand the story go a certain way. If you want to suggest something to take into consideration, that is fine, but please don't bluntly state something like "Simba should be adopted by the Queen of the Pride. Not her sister." Again, would love to hear all your thoughts on this chapter.