Chapter 6 – The Bravery of the Princes

After what seemed like another eternity, we finally made our way back to Pride Rock. I quickly located my knife, put it in my pocket, and hitched on my backpack.

It was midday, and I could hardly believe that only a few moments before I had just been in a battle with six hyenas. The emotion of the moments afterward had all but made me forget about the confrontation.

As we continued, Mufasa and Sarabi told me they had decided to wait until after the hunt to announce their adoption of me. It was better that way, simply because such a big announcement should be followed up with a feast.

On the way to Pride Rock, Mufasa turned to me and asked me, "So, you killed Tahri with your bare hands?"

"Yeah." I said simply. He talked about what I'd done as if it was totally unbelievable. For me, it was actually easier that I had expected. I never knew I was so quick an agile. I knew that sounded bigheaded, but it was true.

"Have you ever hunted before?" Sarabi inquired.

"Never." I replied.

She stared at me, smiling. "You have natural hunting skills. Such speed and quick thinking are the key elements in our hunt. We could use skills like yours! Would you like to accompany me and my group on our hunt tonight?"

I was excited at the prospect of actually becoming a part of the hunt, rather than just watching it like I had done before.

"Sure!" I exclaimed enthusiastically, and she purred happily.

We finally reached Pride Rock, and Mufasa separated from us. He said he needed to take care of some things with the stampede caused by Tahri and his gang. Sarabi nodded, and nuzzled him. He embraced me, then turned and ran to the east.

Sarabi noticed my left hand, which had stopped bleeding and was scabbing up. She also noticed the rips on my shirt where Tahri had clawed me. She turned her head to the northwest and roared.

"Who are you calling?" I asked curiously.

"Rafiki." She replied as we walked around to the back of Pride Rock where the lionesses usually went to take naps. "He's our shaman and local healer. He'll be able to patch up your wrist in no time."

As we came to our destination, I noticed we were not alone. Sarafina and Nala both lay basking warmly in the sun. Sarabi went and lay on a rock across from her. I sat on her right on a rock below her. I set down my backpack and looked through it, simply out of habit.

"Hello Sarabi!" said Sarafina from across the way. "Hi Ayden!"

"Good morning, Sarafina." Said Sarabi, laying her head down on her paws.

"Hi girls." I said, looking at Nala who had just woken up.

"Hey Ayden! Ow! What happened to your arm? And your chest?" Nala said, blinking back sleepiness.

Sarabi smiled smugly. "He just got back from a battle with six hyenas, one of whom was Tahri. And he won."

Sarafina and Nala stared at me, their mouths agape in shock, just as Mufasa and Sarabi had done only a little while ago. I smiled embarrassedly.

They both simultaneously began to ask questions, but Sarabi held up her paw.

"We're making an announcement after the hunt tonight. You'll all hear the story then"

Sarafina leaned over and picked Nala up by the scruff of her neck. Then she started giving Nala a bath. I was reminded of the conversation I had with Simba earlier that morning about bathing.

As I thought of Simba, he came sprinting down towards us from a path that lead to an overhang on the back of Pride Rock. A place that, only moments earlier, Scar had went up to. The idea of Simba spending time with that fear inspiring creature made me scared for Simba.

I watched him as he sprinted down the slope to us. He looked excited, like he was ready for an adventure.

Brother…

The thought flashed through my head, and I could not help but smile.

"Hey Nala! Hey Ayden!" he called as he approached us.

"Hi Simba!" Nala and I said in unison.

He leaned towards Nala to whisper, but glanced at me to make sure I was listening. "C'mon! I just heard about this really great place!"

Nala glared at him and spoke through gritted teeth, "Simba, I'm kinda in the middle of a bath." She lifted her head so her mother could clean under her chin.

Sarabi sat up and leaned down towards Simba. "And it's time for yours." She added.

She grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and began to lick the top of his head, messing up the tuft of fur.

"MOM!" he protested, "Mom, you're messing up my mane!"

She stopped and smiled down at him. Then she let him go.

He jumped down, and irritably fixed the tuft on his head. "Ok, ok, I'm clean. Can we go now?"

Nala was still getting bathed. "So where are we going? It had better not be anyplace dumb." She told him, almost as if she was ordering him around.

"No!" said excitedly, "It's really cool!"

Sarabi laid her head on her paws, and asked composedly, "So, where is this 'really cool' place?"

I knew exactly what was going through Sarabi's mind. Simba was hiding something. He wanted to go someplace she would definitely not approve of, and she was trying to weasel it out of him.

Simba's face fell a little. "Oh…uh, it's around the waterhole."

Nala looked up annoyed. "The waterhole?! What's so great about the waterhole?"

It was Simba's turn to be annoyed now. Through gritted teeth, he whispered audibly, "I'll show you when we get there!"

Nala got the message, and simply said, "Oh."

Simba turned to me, smiling mischievously. "You comin', Ayden?"

I shook my head no. I raised up my left hand. "I'm waiting for Rafiki. He's gonna patch me up, then I'm going to go hunting with Sarabi. You go on without me."

Simba stared at my hand for a moment, then asked "Wow! What did you do to it?"

I smiled mischievously, just as he did, and said "It was mauled by Tahri the hyena when I fought with him."

Simba's reaction was just as everybody else's was. His mouth fell open and he stared at me in disbelief.

"You fought Tahri the hyena? And you won?" he asked, a smile creeping up on his face.

I nodded, and added, "WHILE fending of five other hyenas, and I still managed to kill him."

Nala interjected, still amazed at this simple fact, "Ayden, you're so brave!"

In that single moment, Simba gave me a dirty look for such a small amount of time, I almost missed it. He turned to Nala, a smile clearly back on his face. This puzzled me, but I wasn't going to bring it up here, in front of his…our mother.

"Well…we gonna go?" He asked her.

Nala looked up at her mother. "Uh, mom can I go with Simba?"

Sarafina smiled, and she looked up at Sarabi. I knew Sarafina had the same feeling Sarabi did. "Hmm, what do you think Sarabi?"

Sarabi cocked her head in mock thought. I was sure she would say no. "Well…"

Simba and Nala both walked up, and at the same time, grinned and said "Please?"

To my utter shock, Sarabi said, "It's all right with me." I looked at her doubtfully. What is she thinking? They're gonna get in so much trouble!

Simba and Nala jumped around whooping. Then Sarabi spoke up again.

"…As long as Zazu goes with you."

Both the cubs stopped immediately. Simba's ears dropped instantly as he cried, "NO! Not Zazu!"

I looked up at her and smiled. She startled me for a moment, making me worried for the cub's safety.

Sarabi smiled impishly, then leaned up and roared again, this time towards the grasslands to the east. In less than a moment's time Zazu flew in and landed in front of Sarabi. He bowed low to her, and smiled at me.

"Yes, your highness?" he addressed Sarabi.

"Zazu, I need you to tag along with Simba and Nala right now." She told him. "They're going someplace 'really cool', and I need you to make sure they stay out of trouble while they act 'cool'."

Zazu grimaced at the thought of babysitting, but he would never refuse an order form the queen. He bowed low, and called for Simba and Nala to come with him. Both of their ears were lowered in disappointment.

I looked up at Sarabi again, and she was grinning.

"You are so sly." I said to her, laughing. "You REALLY had me going there! I thought you were going to let them go without lifting a paw!"

Sarabi laid her head on her paws again, and closed her eyes. "I'm always looking out for the safety of my son and his friends." And she slowly drifted into sleep.

Sarafina stared at me for a moment, the look of shock still etched into her face. Then she smiled, and laid her head down as well.

I laid back and rested my head against a tree that grew next to the rock. I closed my eyes, and rested for a few moments. As I started to fall into dreamland, I heard a chant growing louder and louder.

"Asante sana, squashed banana, wewe nugu, mimi apana! Asante sana, squashed banana, wewe nugu, mimi apana!"

I opened my eyes and saw a tall, gray mandrill with an even taller walking stick hopping up the rocks to us. His face was half covered in white fur that resembled a beard. There were blue markings underneath his eyes that looked like tattoos. He had a kind face, with an unmistakable air of somebody who was not entirely sane.

Sarabi lifted her head, eyes open. She smiled and said, "Thank you for coming Rafiki."

He stopped in front of us, bowed, then said "Ohhh, it's no problem!"

He came over to me, and leaned forward VERY close to my face. I felt slightly uncomfortable.

"Umm…what are you doing?" I asked, backing away a little bit.

"Hmm…" was his only reply. Then he brought down his walking stick, pulled off a gourd, and cracked it open. Inside was a red juice that smelled very sweet. I made a mental note to ask where I could find one to eat.

Rafiki set it down on the ground, and disappeared over the side of the rock. He returned quickly with an arsenal of twigs, leaves, grass, and other assorted items.

Humming a quiet tune, he began to mix and mash the items together in the juice of the gourd. When he was done, he held out his hand for mine, and I extended it.

He put his fingers in the mixture, and ran them over each individual puncture wound. Initially, the medicine stung, but felt better afterwards. He repeated the same thing on my chest.

When he was done, he turned to Sarabi, who was watching the entire time, and asked in a kind voice, "Is dat all you need?"

Sarabi replied, "Almost. There is one more thing. I would like to invite you to eat with us tonight. We have an important announcement for the entire pride."

Sarafina perked up her ears at this.

Rafiki glanced over at me, as if he already knew the purpose of the announcement. He smiled, and said, "It would be an honor."

"We will see you tonight, old friend?" came a deep voice from behind Rafiki.

Mufasa had returned from his business with the antelopes and zebras.

"Of course my king." Said Rafiki, grinning toothily at Mufasa.

Mufasa grinned back, and he embraced Rafiki. When they let go, Rafiki bowed, and set off to a large tree in the distance. Mufasa went and lay down next to Sarabi. He glanced at me, a smile tugging at his muzzle, then he too laid his head down and drifted into sleep.

I laid my head back down, and easily fell into a deep sleep.

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I was standing in the grasslands again. The sun shone brightly on the beautiful lands. The sky was a deep blue. Not a breath of wind disturbed the grass or trees around me. It was eerily calm and quiet.

Then, all around me appeared hundreds of dark shapeless figures. They surrounded me, laughing menacingly as they did. I was completely encircled, with no way to escape.

Then, one of the blobs glided forward, and it shifted into the form of Tahri. I reached into my pocket for my knife, but it was nowhere to be found. Totally unarmed, I positioned myself, ready for the impending attack.

The spirit Tahri opened its mouth and spoke the words he had spoken hours before.

"We've got a job to do. We have orders from the boss to take care of this one. Then we can take these lands for ourselves!"

Then, all at the same instant, all of the shapeless black blobs pounced on me, and I was immersed in total darkness. The beauty of the Pride Lands disappeared and all that I could see was blackness. Then a huge, blazing green eye blinked at me, shining through the darkness…an eye with a vertical scar running down it.

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My eyes sprang open as I woke with a start. I sat up, panting heavily, sweat trickling down my face. Tahri's words still echoed in my subconscious.

We've got a job to do. We have orders from the boss to take care of this one. Then we can take these lands for ourselves!

I replayed the dream over and over again in my mind, trying and failing to make sense of it.

If Tahri was the leader of the hyenas, then who was "the boss"? And why did this boss, whoever it was, want me dead? What had I done to deserve such a fate?

And that eye…I knew that eye anywhere. What was I doing dreaming of Scar? Was it simply because of my intimidation of him, or was there something more behind it? Something more sinister…

I decided that I needed to speak with Scar at some point. I needed to get to know him, see if he was really the fear instilling creature I made him out to be. If I was wrong, then that would mean the dream simply reflected my fear of him. If not…I shivered at the thought.

I looked around. The sun was still high in the sky, just past midday. I stood up and stretched. Sarabi and Sarafina stirred, and stretched lazily as they awoke. Sarabi looked up to the sun, and said, "It's about time for us to begin our hunt."

She stood up and looked at me. I nodded to show I was ready. She hopped down from her rock, and began to go around to the front of Pride Rock. Sarafina and I followed her. I began to feel the excitement of the coming afternoon. I had never hunted before, and it was something I defiantly looked forward to, especially since I discovered my agility.

We reached the mouth of the cave that entered Pride Rock, and Sarabi, for the third time today, roared out to the lands. Instantly, the lionesses all converged and formed a circle. I noticed Zira was staring at me, displeasure of my presence imprinted in her eyes. I looked away from her, and looked around at all the lionesses.

Sarabi began to speak to the company. "I have spoken with Mufasa, who has told me that the herds in the Pride Lands do not have any sick or dying among them. So we'll need to hunt just beyond the border."

This seemed pretty normal to the company, because some of them smiled, while others faces remained the same.

A lioness about halfway around the circle, called Yetunde, spoke to me.

"Will you be accompanying us again, Ayden?" She beamed at me, waiting for me to answer. Sarabi spoke up.

"Actually," she said, addressing the entire circle, "Ayden has recently demonstrated several skills that would be very useful to us. Ayden is going to hunt with us today."

Zira lost her composure. "Are you going insane, Sarabi?" she yelled. "He is not even a lion! He won't be able to keep up with us!"

I became very annoyed. Zira's negativity was becoming unbearable. She had not given me one chance ever since I had arrived here. I couldn't stop myself from speaking to her.

"Maybe if you would pay attention to your surroundings once in a while, you would notice that things are not always what they seem." I replied to her coolly. It was the first time I hade ever spoken to her. It felt good to respond back to her pessimism.

Zira glared at me, and spoke in an icy voice. "And you are not all that you seem, are you? Because TO ME you seem like a very…"

Sarabi broke in. "Enough, both of you. If we are to hunt together, we need to keep a healthy and friendly relationship."

Zira glowered at us both, but remained silent.

Sarabi continued. "Hunting leaders, we have to reorganize our hunting parties now. I have already chosen my members."

As she said this, several lionesses stepped forward: Ayana, Yetunde, Sarafina, Yejide, and Zira.

Sarabi continued, "I have also decided to place Ayden in our group. The rest of you decide how to organize. Let's go."

We set off to the west, and I noticed Zira's displeasure at my accompaniment. When she saw me looking at her, she looked away.

It was about an hour walk to the edge of the border. But it was certainly not boring in any sense of the word. I was bombarded with the usual questions about human life outside of the Pride Lands. I answered each one as truthfully and clearly as possible. For the most part, they understood me, but every once and a while, I would mention something that I had not explained, and I had to backtrack.

Once we finally passed the border, it was easily visible that we were no longer in the Pride Lands. The grass and trees here were halfway dead. This was clearly a land that had no leadership or guidance to help it grow.

Sarabi told me to get on her back, and I obliged. I knew my footsteps were too easily heard by our prey. I pulled my knife out of my pocket and held it at the ready. Zira glanced over at me on Sarabi's back, and shook her head.

Sarabi moved swiftly through the long grass, as if I was not even weighting her down. Her fur blended into the grass impeccably. She was the perfect huntress. All around her, the lionesses did the same, though none were as graceful as Sarabi. Except for one. I noticed that Zira was almost as flawless as her. I was blatantly surprised. I expected, judging from her constant complaining, she was not very good, but I was far from the truth.

Suddenly Sarabi stopped, and I lurched forward, coming very close to rustling the grass around me. I glanced behind, and saw that the lionesses had all done the same thing. I looked around to see where the prey was. Then I saw it, directly ahead of us.

A large wildebeest was grazing, alone, on the dead grass in a clearing. It looked big enough to feed a group twice our size.

As quietly as possible, I slid off of Sarabi's back, and crouched low to the ground. The lionesses began to spread out, ready to pounce at any moment's notice.

Slowly, I moved forward, watching every step I took to ensure absolute silence. I moved close enough where I was out of sight, but within a good range of the wildebeest. I looked over at Sarabi, who nodded, clearly wanting to see what my next move would be. I smiled, and looked back. Squinting my eyes, I carefully took aim, knowing that if I missed this shot, it would cost us our meal.

I found my mark, and with the speed of any of the lionesses around me, hurled my knife at the creature.

The knife struck the wildebeest square in the neck, exactly where I was hoping for it to hit. The creature instantly began to buck and writhe around as it turned its head back to the place I had hit it, trying to bite at the place where it felt pain. All its movement caused the knife to slip out, but the damage had been done. A great amount of blood poured from the wound. I had hit it square in the jugular.

The creature took off to the north, and we followed it easily. It slowly lost momentum as the blood drained from the gaping hole in its neck. And then, as I had expected, the creature collapsed in a heap. Zira rushed forward and savagely tore out the creature's neck. Its labored breathing stopped suddenly, and it ceased moving.

With the strength of thunder, the lionesses, except Zira, roared in joy at my first successful hunt. I took no notice of her reaction, too immersed in my pride. I beamed at each and every one of them as their congratulations all ran into one another.

The journey back with the kill seemed impossibly short. Yetunde and Sarafina both carried the kill on their backs. In no time, we were back at Pride Rock. The sun had set, and the sky was slowly and the sky was turning a pretty shade of lavender, slowly ebbing away the daytime.

When we got back to Pride Rock, we entered the cave and dropped the kill in the center. Sitting in the back of the cave were Zazu and Nala. They both were speaking of a matter of importance, but when we came within earshot, they both shut up, and remained that way. Something had happened. It looked strange seeing only the two of them. Then it hit me; where was Simba?

Sarabi noticed this too, and was the first to voice this concern.

"Zazu, Nala, where is Simba?" she asked, a twinge of fear in her voice.

"I'm here mom." called a scratchy voice. Sarabi whirled around to see Simba and Mufasa walking into the cave. A wave of relief washed over her face. She went over to them, and nuzzled them both. Simba purred, and looked up at me. He smiled sheepishly. Something big had happened. I could tell in his face. He knew something that I didn't and he was letting me know. I would talk to him later.

Within the next few minutes, the other two hunting parties returned, both with a kill of their own; a zebra and another wildebeest.

Mufasa and Sarabi took their stance in the center of the room, Simba ran and stood between them. and everybody formed a circle around them. I stood directly in front of them when I stood in the circle. Scar entered the cave in his usual lazy manner. Nobody seemed to ever know where he was, nor did they care. He only showed up to eat and sleep. He glimpsed me and grinned, his eyes squinted. Then he went and stood in the circle, directly to the right of Mufasa.

Mufasa cleared his throat, and addressed the circle. "Before we feast on this meal, I would first like to call our attention to Ayden."

As one, every head turned to me and stared. Every face showed some sign of smiling, curiosity, and in the case of Scar and Zira, no interest in the slightest. Mufasa called to me.

"Ayden, step forward and join myself and my family up here on the throne."

I stepped forward and stood between Mufasa and Simba, who looked up at me curiously. I felt every eye following my every step as I did so. Mufasa watched me with pride in his eyes, then addressed the lions around him.

"Sarabi and I have decided to adopt Ayden as our own son. Simba will still remain the future king, as he was my son before Ayden, but Ayden is now a prince of the Pride Lands. He is Simba's brother, mine and Sarabi's son, and your royal prince."

All of the lionesses smiled and roared in approval. Zira did nothing, but my eyes were drawn to one face. Scar was neither joyful nor resentful. He was deep in thought, staring at me silently. I wondered what he was thinking. And I suddenly realized that I probably did not want to know.

I looked back at the pride, who, as one, bowed to me as their new prince. I stared for a moment, and then a smile cracked my lips.

Sarabi then spoke up. "For those of you who don't know, Ayden here is the one who successfully killed the wildebeest you see to my left."

I never had the chance to get a good look at the kills before now. The wildebeest I had killed was completely in tact, save for the wound on it's neck and its throat that was missing. Both the zebra and wildebeest that were brought back by the other hunting parties were mangled and shredded by the claws of the lionesses who brought them back.

The lionesses looked at me, their faces all showed they were impressed with my actions.

The rest of the meal went as normal. Everybody got their fill, I sliced off a piece of the wildebeest I had killed, and took it outside the cave to cook it.

As I lit the fire, Simba came running down, a piece of meat dangling in his mouth.

"Hey bud!" I said happily as he sat next to me and put the meat down. He smiled up at me.

"Can I talk to you about something serious?" he asked me, and I could tell he was not playing. Though he smiled, his eyes showed that he was troubled.

"Yeah, what's up?" I asked him. A feeling in my gut told me it was about why he was not with Zazu and Nala earlier that day.

"Do you think I'm brave?" he asked me.

I was not expecting this. Slightly taken aback, I replied "Of course! You are such a brave young cub! Why? What's the matter?"

He sighed and looked down, his ears drooping. "I did something really bad today."

I watched him intently. "Go on." I urged.

He looked up at me, and there was sadness in his face. "I almost got Nala and Zazu killed today."

My eyes went wide. "What?" I asked disbelievingly.

He looked away, and spoke. "Earlier, I went and talked to Uncle Scar, and he accidentally told me that the shadowy place to the southeast was an elephant graveyard. So I wanted to take you and Nala there because it sounded like such a cool place. But you couldn't come because of the scratches you got from your battle with Tahri. Then we went off, and got rid of Zazu, and we went into the graveyard. Then we met up with three hyenas. They chased us until dad caught up with us and saved us."

It was then that I remembered that Simba, for the briefest moment, had given me a dirty look when Nala had commented on my bravery, and suddenly I understood.

"You were trying to prove that you were brave to Nala, because she saw how brave I was." I stated simply. "You were jealous of me."

Simba looked up at me, and the tears in his eyes shone with the light of the moon above. Silently, he nodded.

I scooped him up and held onto him.

"You're my brother now! Don't feel that way!" he looked at me, tears streaming down his face. "I would never do anything to hurt you. I promise you, I wasn't trying to make you jealous. Nala just liked what I did, and thought it was cool. It does not mean she thinks any less of you or any more of me."

He thought for a second, and smiled through his tears. "After Dad saved us, she told me that she thought I was really brave."

I smiled back at him. "See, you have nothing to worry about."

I hugged him again, and set him down. He wiped the tears off, and looked down at his meat. Then he saw the fire, and asked, "Can I try my meat like you make yours?"

I laughed. "Sure!" I said.

He picked up his steak and handed it to me. I placed it on the thin rock, and set it on the fire. After a few moments, it was cooked brown on the outside. I left it rare, unsure if he would like it completely cooked through.

He looked at it for a second, unsure if he really wanted to try it. Then, slowly, he lowered his head and bit into the steak. His eyes popped open wide, he smiled, and ate the entire thing in only a few savage bites.

He looked up at me and exclaimed, "I see why you eat it like that! That was good!"

I smiled, and turned to make my steak which was still sitting on the rock I set it on earlier. I cooked it quickly, and then turned to talk to Simba.

"So are you and Nala best friends?" I asked him.

"She's my best girlfriend. You're my best friend Ayden." He said, correcting me.

"I know that pal," I said, rolling my eyes and smiling. "I mean are you and Nala best friends?"

Simba didn't seem to understand. He turned his head to the side a little bit, looking at me peculiarly. "I don't get what you mean."

I chuckled to myself. "You will when you're older."

After about an hour talking, Simba went up to the cave and lay down with his parents. I stretched and yawned. It had been a long day, and sleep was defiantly a welcoming thought.

I doused the fire, and walked up to the mouth of the cave. Before I could enter, Scar appeared at the mouth of the cave. He looked up at me, startled to see me there. Then he smiled and squinted his eyes.

"Good evening, my young prince."

His voice was smooth, and there was no infliction in it that showed that he meant harm, but I was still uneasy being near him. He may have been Mufasa's brother, but his face held none of the kindness or compassion that Mufasa did. It was a tragic face that looked as if it had been through much sorrow and pain.

"Good evening, Scar." I said uneasily.

"What are you doing out here in the dark, and so…alone?" he asked in that smooth voice. The last word chilled me.

"I just finished my meal." I felt the courage rise in my chest. If I remained afraid of him, I would never properly call this place home. I needed to get to know all of the aspects of home, not just the ones I was comfortable with. "What about you Scar? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

He smiled, and circled me. "I have some business I need to take care of before I rest tonight."

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me, are you?" I said, my eyes never leaving his.

"Oh, I'm not that easy to crack." He replied, that menacing smile still on his face. This conversation was heading nowhere, so he changed the subject. "So, you killed that wildebeest today, did you?"

"Yes." I said, relieved to see him discuss something familiar. I was still anxious around him though.

"You are a very well accomplished hunter. Your uses may be more than I expected." He said mysteriously. "You had best get inside and sleep, young prince. You've had a busy day. And they're only going to get busier."

I knew this was true, and I yawned. Still staring at him, I went into the cave.

"Goodnight, Scar." I said cautiously, as he turned and walked down the slope of Pride Rock.

I waited until he was far enough where he wouldn't hear me, and then I left the cave again and walked up to the tip of Pride Rock. I noticed his dark figure was slinking down to the southeast.

Fighting the urge to follow him and see what he was up to, I wandered back into the cave, yawning as I did. I wandered over to my backpack and unstrapped the sleeping bag. I shook it open, and began to lay it down in my spot. From the center of the room, Mufasa looked up and cleared his throat.

I looked up at him, wondering what was up. With a motion of his head, he told me to set up in the space next to him. Smiling, I silently tiptoed through the crowd of sleeping lionesses through the room. Then I finally reached the center, and lay my sleeping bag next to Mufasa. He smiled down at me, then lay his head on his paws and fell into a deep sleep. Simba lay curled in a ball, close to his mother, a relaxed smile on his muzzle.

Smiling to myself, I slipped into my sleeping bag and lay my head down. After such a long and busy day, I easily drifted to sleep.

Whoo! that was a long one! I actually had a lot of trouble ending this one! But i'm pleased with the way it turned out! If you've read this far, thanks a lot! i really appreciate it!