Chapter 22 The Gift
"Breath, breath." Said a short and stocky male lion with a light brown mane and red eyes.
"Ni! I am going to kill you when this is done!" Sarafina screamed as she crunched his paw.
"I believe you, but just breath." He soothed as he felt his paw pop and crack.
"Is everything okay?" Uzuri shouted as she came into the canopy of the tree.
"DO I LOOK OKAY?!" She screamed.
"Good Rafiki needs some help." He chattered as he motioned for Uzuri to take the side opposite of the male lion. "Help him calm her down all the stress is not good for the cub."
"Hey Sara calm down."
"Calm down?! You're worse than Ni is!"
Ni spoke up, "Hi I'm Ni..." He was cut short by another contraction and the merciless crushing of his paw.
"Let me guess you're the father."
"How'd you guess." he managed, till Sarafina put the end to their little conversation.
"I told her!"
"Rafiki what do you want me to do?" Uzuri asked.
"Talk to her, Ni is a bumbling mess."
"I found Scar."
"I don't care! I just need some help through this."
"I can help." Sarabi said entering the canopy.
"Good get over here!" Sarafina shouted.
"We could hear you all the way back at Pride Rock." Sarabi joked.
"Where is Simba?!" She managed between contractions.
"He is at the base of the tree with Mufasa." Sarabi said in a calm soothing manner that made everyone in the room calm down if only a bit.
"Rafiki has too many hands Uzuri go down and help Mufasa out with Simba."
Uzuri slipped down out of the canopy, to see Mufasa laying down on a stone slab with Simba nestled in his mane napping. "Is he okay?"
"Yeah he's fine... Being born is a very tiresome thing, to be honest I am surprised that Sarabi is able to help Sarafina out."
"Yeah, she is an amazing lioness."
"Yeah, I am way too lucky for my own good." He chuckled, causing Simba to stir a bit.
The two were silent till Simba was back to sleep in his fathers mane. "How did the talk with Scar go?"
"I took it easy on him, he may get under my skin but he's family and you have to keep them close… You never know when your time with them may end."
The duo stayed at the base of the tree till Sarabi came down, with blood shot eyes and weary limbs. "Sarafina gave birth, and it is a beautiful baby girl."
Simba woke up from his slumber, and mewed at the sound of his mothers voice. "Sounds like he's hungry."
"I am going to see how the new mother is doing."
"I am coming with you I have to talk to the cubs father." Mufasa said when Sarabi pulled Simba out of his crimson mane.
When they entered the canopy, they were greeted by the cubs sapphire blue eyes. "Ni can I talk to you?" Said Mufasa as he ducked out of the canopy for a moment.
Ni quickly nuzzled his daughter, "Daddy will be right back." He leapt from the canopy and started talking to Mufasa and Sarabi.
At the base of the tree…
"Ni, you can't be here." Mufasa said in an even tone.
"Sorry your majesty, I was in the Outlands and I heard Sarafina's cries."
"That's fine she is the mother of your cub, but I am going to have to ask you leave." Ni grimaced at the thought of leaving.
"Why? Just please answer me that?" Ni said trying not to blow his top.
"We can only have so many males in the pride."
"There will only be three males with me here."
"Scar will attack you, damn fool!" Mufasa tried not to yell.
"I don't care."
"Any violence acted against any member in the pride has to be punished and I don't want to do that to you or Scar."
"Maybe we can work out a deal?" Sarabi chimed in, before there was a fight or a yelling match.
"What did you have in mind?" Ni asked.
"Rabi, what are you doing?" Mufasa asked.
"You can stay if you allow your daughter to be submitted for the Process."
"Deal."
Back in the canopy...
"What did I tell you?" Uzuri joked.
"Can it."
Uzuri giggled a bit, "Have you named her yet?"
"No, we haven't."
"What was Jelani calling her… Didn't he call her a gift?" Rafiki chimed in as he hummed some sort of show tune to himself.
"That's it she my little gift… My Nala." Sarafina cooed as she nuzzled her cub.
Sarabi, Mufasa, and Ni walked into the canopy, and Simba mewed from his father's tangled mane. "Sarafina, we have a question for you." Mufasa asked
"Yes Mufasa."
"Would you care to submit Nala for the betrothing process?" He asked calmly.
"Well um, who are the other candidates?"
"We have candidates from; the Marshlands with Kasema's cub, the orphan Kula, the Coastlands with Stelle's cub, and the Crater has submitted a cub as well."
"Isn't the pool of candidates a little crowded?"
"No, we don't know if Kasey's cub is male or female."
"Same goes for Stelle's cub." Uzuri said.
"Well I am not sure…" Nala began to squirm her way down to her mothers side.
Rafiki lifted Simba ever so gently from his fathers mane that Mufasa didn't notice and placed him on the trees floor, he began to slowly squirm his way over to where Nala was laying. "How do we know if they will even like each other?"
Simba was almost to Nala's side. "Well that's why we have several candidates."
"Ugh… Muffy?"
"Yeah, Rabi?"
"Look." Simba was laying next to Nala, and the two of them were already sleeping.
"I think they like each other!" Rafiki laughed.
"Mufasa will you please consider Nala as a candidate for the betrothal process?" Sarafina smiled kindly.
AN: So Nala was born, we got to see Ni again, and the betrothal process was explained. Please review and let me know what you liked and didn't like, and Happy Humpday!