FINALLY!! i got the chapter done! lol, sorry bout the wait. School and work get in the way A LOT!! So after it's long awaited debut, here it is...CHAPTER 13!
Chapter 13 - The Restless Wanderer
When I came to my senses, it felt as if my head was spinning. My eyes remaining shut, I reached up and cupped my ears, willing my head to remain still. As I shifted, I felt something soft move underneath me. I opened my eyes.
A great amount of trees and green leaves were suspended high above me, and just visible through them was the sunset's last rays barely illuminating the lavender sky. Slowly, I sat up and looked around. I was lying in the middle of a clearing in grand and lush jungle. I had been lying on a large mound of leaves, which had shifted when I moved around.
Question after question flooded my mind. How did I get here? Where did the mound of leaves come from? Why was there a small bundle of bananas next to me?
I tensed up at this last thought. My eyes lingered on the succulent feast beside me, and my stomach growled with intense hunger. For one lingering moment, I was unsure if what I was seeing was real. Then, savagely, I lunged at the bananas and began to wolf them down one after the other. One after another after another, I ate them all, fierce hunger and instinct driving my senses. Within minutes, a large pile of banana peels littered the ground around me.
For the first time in over two years, I felt fully fed. I could already feel some of my energy returning to my body.
Recovering from my instinctive moment of primitiveness, I stood up and looked around at my surroundings. Through the canopy above me, nighttime was slowly falling as stars began to dot the skies above. Not a thing stirred or moved in the surrounding foliage. Somewhere in the distance I could hear the clear sounds of a waterfall. It brought about the realization of just how parched I was. I would need to get a drink soon.
This place was so beautiful and peaceful. To describe it in a word; paradise.
"Am I dead?" I said aloud to nobody.
"Far from it." came a soft voice from behind me.
I gasped as I jolted at the unexpected voice. Quickly turning, I saw a tan lioness padding into the clearing.
"Nala?" I asked incredulously. My heart was pounding a hole in my chest, and I took several deep breaths to recover myself. "What on earth are YOU doing here?"
She smiled briefly. "I've been here for the last couple of hours. You should calm down. You'll pass out again."
"Again?" I asked confusedly. My head had started to slowly spin again from the sudden jolt.
"Ayden," Said Nala, her eyes widening at my obliviousness. "You've been unconscious for the last three days."
My jaw fell open.
"Three days!?" I asked disbelievingly.
She nodded solemnly. "You were found unconscious in the desert. You were brought here and nurtured back to health. You were VERY close to death! You're lucky you were found when you were."
Remembrance hit me like a brick wall, and I vaguely remembered lying in the hot desert, all of my energy depleted.
"What happened to your face?" Nala asked while I stood in silent thought.
I put my hand on my face and ran two fingers over the scar that ran from over my eye to the bottom of my opposite cheek. I clenched my fist when my hand ran down the entire scar.
"Zira" I replied angrily.
Nala's expression changed from curiosity to anger. I quickly recounted the events that followed the births of Kovu and Vitani and my brave, but foolish actions afterward. Nala's mouth was open when I finished.
"So THAT is what happened…" she whispered in disbelief. "Scar told us that you attempted to kill Zira but he never said anything about the reasons why…"
I was not surprised that Scar had not revealed the minor details of my attack. The question that was burning in my mind finally passed my lips.
"How did you find me Nala?"
Her face lightened and she smiled a little bit. "I left the Pride Lands only hours after you did." She replied. "Scar was furious when he found out you had escaped. He sent hyenas on a rampage all through the lands. Sarabi decided that it was no longer safe for me to stay there. So she sent me away to find help. I left the lands quickly, and then I stumbled across your scent."
"And you found me and brought me here?" I asked.
"No" she replied, looking behind her at something through the trees I could not see. "He did."
"He?" I asked, squinting over where she was looking.
The moments prior to me falling into unconsciousness became perfectly clear now. I remembered stumbling and falling flat in the hot desert. I remembered not having any strength to go on…
And then I remembered the lion who had stopped in front of me; the one who strangely resembled…
"Mufasa?" I said aloud.
"What?" Nala said, looking back at me and frowning in confusion. "No, not Mufasa. It was…"
"No," I said quietly, cutting her off. "I saw Mufasa right before I passed out. I'm sure it was him. He walked up to me, and stopped in front of me."
Nala let out a laugh.
Irritated, I glared at her. "Hey, you said yourself, I was close to death. Maybe it was a hallucination, but I know that I saw Mufasa."
"No, you didn't." Nala said, still chuckling. "You saw Simba."
Every single thought and question in my head stopped. I went very still and stared at Nala, sure that I had heard something else.
"W-wh…" I stuttered. "Who did you say found me?"
"Simba." She replied simply.
It took me a moment to find my voice again.
"Nala," I said solemnly "Simba is dead. He died two-and-a-half years ago."
She stared at me, complete sincerity in her green eyes. "No Ayden, Simba is alive. He's been living here in this jungle ever since he disappeared."
Pure and blank shock hit me like a lightning bolt. Simba was alive? All this time we believed him to be dead, when in reality he was perfectly fine in this paradise of a jungle?
I now knew what she was looking at behind her. Simba must have been just beyond those trees.
Without any further thought for my present situation, I stood up and walked quickly through the trees. Nala called out to me, but I paid her no attention. All of my focus was diverted to seeing Simba. I had to see it with my own eyes to believe it.
Nala darted forward and blocked my path.
"Ayden!" she said sternly, "you JUST woke up after three days! You need to recover!"
"I just need a drink of water, then I'll be fine." I said impatiently, trying to get around her. "I have to see him for myself. Where is he?"
Nala sighed and stopped trying to block me.
She sighed, "He's just beyond those trees over there, by the waterfall. At least he was. He and I had an argument, and we separated for a while. I don't know where he went." Then she added almost angrily, "I won't be going with you though. I'm not going to try and talk some sense into him right now."
I pushed past her and picked up my pace. I looked back, and saw that Nala had lay down in the brush where she had been standing. A single tear escaped from her closed eyes.
I kept going forward, and soon reached the clearing with the waterfall she was referring to. I looked all around hopefully, but saw no sign of Simba. I sighed disappointedly and stooped down to the water. I cupped a handful and slurped it all down. It cooled and soothed my parched throat, and I quickly cupped another handful. Several times over I repeated this until my thirst was satisfied.
Rejuvenated, I stood up and looked around.
If Nala was telling the truth, then Simba was around here, and I had to find him. I needed to see him with my own eyes.
Instinct told me to go left, so I did. I followed the water's edge until I reached the end of the clearing. Keenly watching, I wandered through the trees for a while until they ended abruptly. At the jungle's edge was a large grassland that I could see led back into the desert where I was found.
I glanced around several times, scanning the entire grassland for a sign of golden-brown.
…but he was nowhere to be found.
Sadly, I walked out into the grasslands. I had missed my chance. Simba was around, but I had lost him. And Nala said he had left angry, so the idea that he would not return was possible.
I wandered through the grassland for quite some time. After about a quarter of an hour, I felt my strength fully returning to me. Every now and then, I would scan the perimeter to see if I could spot him, but to no avail.
After about a half an hour, I sat down in the grass and lost myself in my thoughts.
All these years, Simba was alive. But how? I had seen his footprints go over the cliff. That cliff led into a large patch of thorns. Even if he survived the fall, how on earth could a small cub have survived going through those thorns?
As I went deeper into my thoughts, the wind began to pick up around me. It blew through and rustled the grass. It looked like waves in an ocean of green. The sound of it was soothing and peaceful.
A strange phenomenon drew my attention from my thoughts. A small ways to the south, a bulky cluster of clouds began to quickly congregate into a very distinctive shape. I stood up and began to walk towards the occurrence at a very quick pace.
The clouds suddenly solidified into a very familiar shape, and my heart skipped a beat. Mufasa's dark silhouette was clearly standing in the clouds. He was staring down at some object just a little ways to the south…a golden-brown object.
My pace quickened to a run as excitement and wonder coursed through me. Mufasa and Simba were both there. It filled me with joy to see both of them. As I got closer, Mufasa's figure spoke in a deep and booming voice, and I stopped running.
"Simba…you have forgotten me." Mufasa said. It was not a question. Mufasa meant what he had said.
Though I was too far away to hear if Simba was saying anything, I could still see that he was staring up at the image of our father.
The vision continued, "You have forgotten who you are and so forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become." Suddenly, he became stern, and though I did not fully understand what he meant, the power and emotion of the statement hit my heart. My eyes filled with tears as I looked upon my father's face.
Mufasa finished, "You must take your place in the circle of life."
A voice that I had never heard before yelled out, "How can I go back? I'm not who I used to be."
Simba's last statement was filled with pleading and guilt. This puzzled me, and I would definitely question him on it when I got the chance.
The clouds around him were swirling and he was gaining color. He began to look more and more like Mufasa until finally, it appeared as if he was merely standing in the clouds before us. Again, he spoke in a booming and powerful voice.
"Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true king."
The clouds began to recede and Mufasa's face began to lose color. It was shrinking back into the clouds.
"Remember…remember…remember…"
Suddenly, Simba's figure darted from his place and he was running as fast as he could to try and catch up with the clouds.
His voice rang out as he ran and there was true sadness in it. "No! Please! Don't leave me! Father!"
Suddenly I felt my feet pounding against the ground as I too was running for both Simba and Mufasa. Seeing my father again was such a wonderful feeling, and yet seeing him go was like losing him again. That sinking feeling I had whenever tragedy struck was returning, and I did not want to see him go. I had to try and get to him before he left.
But it was too late. The clouds had completely disappeared into nothingness. I stopped running and looked up. I stared longingly into the now cloudless sky, wishing that Mufasa would appear again. I needed his guidance now more than ever. With his kingdom in such ruin and my failure to retake it, I wanted some sort of direction of where to go now.
Questions bounced back and forth in my mind as I wondered exactly what had happened. Why had Mufasa come to remind Simba to remember who he was?
Simba…
Realization of my current situation hit me, and I tore my gaze from the sky and looked at the one who I was seeking. Simba's lone figure stood silently, staring up into the sky. I could not see his face, but I knew in my heart that he too was longingly wishing that Mufasa would return. I took a step forward to go to him.
Suddenly, a loud and unexpected voice rang out from just out of my vision, and I jolted. I would have recognized that voice anywhere.
"What was dat?!"
My eyes grew wide as Rafiki, the pride's shaman, came into view and stood next to Simba. Simba looked at him and simply listened. I stared at Rafiki, who was making gestures with his walking stick. However, I could not hear what either of them was saying.
Absolute confusion was washing over me. Where on earth did Rafiki come from? Had he followed me and Nala? These and more questions rebounded in my head, and like an idiot, I simply stood there waiting for the answers to present themselves.
As if the situation was not baffling enough, Rafiki then did something that made my confusion climb to a new level. He whacked Simba over the head with his walking stick. A loud "Ow!" echoed out, as Simba recoiled in pain, rubbing the spot where Rafiki had hit him. I began to move closer, unsure of what to make of the situation. As I did, I could only just make out what they were saying.
"Geez!" he cried, "What was that for?"
Rafiki smiled, and that insane look that I knew all to well glued to his face. "It doesn't matter! It's in dee past!" He laughed maniacally.
Simba was still rubbing his head painfully. "Yeah, but it still hurts."
I got close enough to where if I spoke a word, I would be heard, but I did not. I crouched down until I was hidden by the grass.
For a brief moment, I stared at it. I had not seen green grass for years, and seeing it now was almost a blessing.
My attention snapped back up as Rafiki said solemnly, "Oh yes, dee past can hurt. But the way I can see it, you can either run from it….or learn from it."
His words were wise and true and I was reminded again why Mufasa trusted Rafiki so much. Now I knew that it did not matter how Rafiki had found Simba. In that instant, I understood what the situation consisted of.
Simba felt guilty for some reason or another and that guilt was strong enough that it prevented him from returning to his home. Rafiki had come to, literally, knock some sense into Simba. He had come to reveal to Simba that even though the past is painful, we must move forward and fulfill our duties in life.
I laid my questions to rest and stared at Rafiki. With speed that even I marveled at, Rafiki swung his stick at Simba again. But Simba had apparently taken the lesson to heart, for he ducked in time to avoid being hit a second time.
Rafiki let out a laugh and exclaimed, "You see? So now what are you going to do?"
Smugly, Simba said, "First, I'm going to take your stick."
He quickly leaned over and wrenched the walking stick from Rafiki's grip and tossed it in my direction. I shifted over to avoid being hit by it. It landed two feet to my left, and I looked up suddenly as Rafiki ran to it crying out. I saw his eyes dart towards me, and a small smile curled his lips.
He whirled around and cried, "Hey! Where are you going?"
I peeked my head over the grass, and I saw Simba off in the distance, running to the east…towards the desert.
"I'm going back!" he cried out.
A shock ran through my body, and I was instantly on my feet and sprinting after Simba. Behind me, I heard Rafiki whooping and cheering happily.
I sped up as Simba began to run at full speed, shooting forward into the distance. His figure began to shrink as he ran further and further away from me.
"Simba!" I cried in desperation. "SIMBA!!"
To my complete joy, he slowed down and looked around. I stopped running to catch my breath. I leaned on my knees for a moment and breathed hard, praying that he had seen me. I looked up at him, and saw he had turned around and stopped. I smiled at him as I stood back up.
He took one hesitant step forward and stopped. I saw his mouth form my name in a silent whisper.
Then he broke into a full run straight at me, a smile breaking out over his face. The smile was wiped off of mine, however, as the full-grown lion was bounding at me at full speed. I stepped back a little bit as he neared closer and closer, and braced myself for the impact. He slowed down a little bit and collided into me. We tumbled and somersaulted for a moment until I landed on my back.
Breathing hard, I started to roll over, but was stopped abruptly as I was pinned to the ground. Simba had placed his paws on my chest and was nuzzling me and purring happily.
"AYDEN!" he exclaimed, "You're alive! I'm so happy you're here! I thought you might not make it!"
"Simba!" I yelled as a great pressure became apparent on my ribs, "I won't be for long! You're gonna crush me!"
"OH!" he said abruptly, and he quickly got off of me. The happiness that showed on his face radiated like a bright beacon in the darkness, and as I stood up, I could not help but smile back. Simba was alive, and he was with me now.
I stared at him for a moment, just to get a good look at my long-lost brother. Though it was only just over two years since he had disappeared, Simba had grown quickly. Already, his auburn mane covered his entire neck and extended into his upper chest. Several locks fell lazily into his face around his eyes. He was very muscular, though he was nowhere near as large as his father. And yet he resembled Mufasa greatly. All in all, he was a very handsome and healthy looking young lion.
Without another thought, I stepped forward and embraced Simba.
"I've missed you, my brother." I whispered.
"And I, you." He replied as he put his paw over my shoulder and embraced me as well.
Holding onto him in my arms, actually touching him, seemed to wash away any shadow of doubt in my mind. I knew this was no hallucination or mirage. Simba was here. All of the sorrow and pain that was bottled inside of me was subdued as I tightly gripped onto his mane.
After what seemed to be an eternity of joy, we finally broke apart and stared at each other.
"Where have you been?" I asked.
Simba stared at me for a moment. In his ruby eyes was a hint of shame.
"I've been living in the jungle over there for the last two-and-a-half years." He replied. "I ran away after…" he trailed off.
"After the stampede?" I finished for him.
He nodded. "Did Scar tell you about it?"
"Yes." I said. "Simba, how did you survive? I saw your paw prints go over that cliff. There can't be any way that you survived that fall into that patch of thorns."
He looked up at me. "You didn't see the ledge halfway down?"
I furrowed my brow and shook my head.
"There was a slope…" he said slowly, thinking back to that day. " I tumbled down it and onto another ledge. But I kept rolling and I fell into the thorns."
He looked back up at me. "I guess the ledge slowed my fall. And I was so small back then; I could easily navigate my way out of the thorns into the desert."
I looked at him for a moment, processing what he was telling me. Then I smiled and said, "I'm glad. You're alive, and that's all that matters."
He smiled, and then said, "Well, this is certainly a different turn of events. If you don't mind, I have a couple questions."
It amazed me that this full grown lion, who resembled his father so much, was still the curious cub that I knew so long ago. And yet…
There was a powerful commanding in his voice that reflected his undeniable kingship. He had matured so much in such a short amount of time, as I had.
"Absolutely!" I replied happily.
"Nala told me of about what happened after I left. She didn't tell me a lot though. All I know is that Scar and Zira allowed the hyenas into the lands, and now there is no food or water. Could you fill me in on what happened?"
I felt my heart drop a little bit. What he was asking of me was difficult for me to talk about. I had faced so many horrors and been wounded and scared both physically and mentally so many times.
"I'm gonna have to sit down for this." I sighed. I sat in the grass, tucking my legs under each other. Simba lay down and stared at me intently.
For the next couple of hours, I recounted almost everything that had happened within the last two-and-a-half years. I told him of Scar allowing the hyenas in, of Sarabi's and Zira's scuffle that resulted in Talib's death, and of the death of Sarafina. I told him of the horrors that occurred when Sekou arrived and of the punishment Scar had decided on for Kala.
Simba did not speak until I got to the birth of Kovu and Vitani and how I was knocked unconscious by Zira.
"So that's where that gash on your face came from." He said bitterly. I nodded, running a finger down the scar. An image of Scar came to my mind, and it angered me that he and I were now alike in some way.
Ignoring my thoughts, I continued the recounting of Scar's reign. When I started telling of Kala's death and my actions that followed, Simba's mouth hung open. I felt absolute shame at my failure, and I did nothing to hide it.
I completely left out Sarabi's pregnancy. Sarabi had been so unwilling to reveal it, and the only reason I knew about it was because I had gotten angry at her. If Simba was to find out about his mother's pregnancy, it would be from her, not me.
When I finished telling him, he sighed. "It's no wonder my father came to remind me of who I am."
"Yeah, about that…" I said. "What was that about? 'You have forgotten who you are, and so forgotten me'. What did he mean by that?"
Simba stared for a moment, and then said, "I've been living in this jungle for so long, away from all responsibility. I've lived a carefree life. 'Hakuna Matata'. It means 'no worries'. I learned it from Timon and Pumbaa. A meerkat and a warthog who found me when I was a cub." He added when I frowned at their names.
"So…" I said slowly, "You didn't return because you wanted to avoid all responsibility?"
He hung his head. "Partly."
I stared at him for a moment. "Simba that CANNOT be the only reason you didn't come back."
"Listen," he said, slightly raising his voice. "Nala tried to get me to tell her too. I would rather not talk about it. I have my reasons for not returning. When the time comes, you'll know. For now, let's just be glad that we're here together."
I sighed and nodded.
I looked up at Simba and said, "I may have failed to take the kingdom, but now we have you. You are the final hope for the Pride Lands, Simba."
He smiled at me and said, "I know. I was returning when you called my name."
I smiled back. I stood up and so did he.
"Do you want to come with me?" he asked.
I hesitated. Returning would mean that Scar would kill me. But we were going back to overthrow him. We were going to take our home back.
Smiling, I slowly sank to one knee and bowed to Simba. "I will fight by your side to the death, my king."
Simba walked to me and pushed me back to my feet with his head.
"My brother," he said, shaking his head. "As far as I'm concerned, you are just as much of a king as I am. You bow to no one. I will not let my father's mistake become mine."
I smiled at him as my pride swelled up inside of me like a balloon.
"Besides," he added. "I'm not the king yet. We still have to take the throne."
He turned so that we were standing side by side. Together, we faced the east. The stars above us shone brightly as they dotted the nighttime sky.
"Are you ready?" he asked, looking up at me.
I narrowed my eyes and smiled. "Let's go."
I climbed on his back, and he shot off like a bullet. I leaned low over his neck and grabbed onto his mane. Together, we rode swiftly into the desert.
As we rode on, a fear of impending failure began to build inside of me, but I stamped it out. Fear would not help the situation. We were going to do something that would benefit the Pride Lands for years to come. That was nothing to fear.
Together, we quickly rode through the desert. Simba did not stop for any reason, and his pace never slowed. His determination was mine. We were going to retake what was rightfully ours.
We were going home.
Alrighty, so for those of you who are confused by the chapter title..."Restless Wanderer" is Simba's name for himself in the song "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" from "The Lion King" on Broadway. i figured since the chapter mainly focused on Simba, i'd name it after him. lol.
The next chapter will be the climax of the book! So it may take some time to get up! be patient, and unfortunately i will not be answering any emails about it's content. not this time. lol, you're gonna have to wait and see!
and there will be ONE more chapter after the big battle scene! so don't think the next one is the last one!
hope you enjoyed this one! PLEASE REVIEW!