Nala and Simba walked after Mufasa and Panaka in silence, and both of them had their heads lowered.
Both jumped and looked up as Mufasa finally spoke, breaking the long silence that had came upon them. "Captain!"
Panaka walked in front of Mufasa, put his fist in his chest, and bowed. "Yes sire?" he asked.
Mufasa looked at him. "Take Nala home. I have to teach my son a lesson." He said in a low, and really angered voice. Turning her head to look at her best-friend, Nala blinked twice as she watched Simba crouch down in the tall grasses, his eyes widened. It was quite apparent that he was trying to hide himself—he could even be ashamed, as far as she knew.
Panaka walked back and picked up Nala in his arms. "Come Nala. Simba," He placed his hand on Simba's shoulder. "good luck." Then he walked off with Nala in his arms. Simba watched them leave.
Mufasa looked at the sky, his long hair from his mane blowing in the wind. With a loud, and rather terrifying growl, Mufasa called his son's name, and his voice echoed across the fields full of tall grasses and shrubs. "SIMBA!" He yelled.
Simba flinched and stepped forward, his eyes downcast and his head lowered in shame. Suddenly, he felt something drop below him and he almost slipped. When he managed to keep himself from falling into the hole in the ground, he looked down. He had stepped into his father's paw print. He frowned, putting his own paw back down on the ground, and walked up to Mufasa slowly. He sat down next to him, refusing to look at his father's eyes.
Mufasa turns to Simba, and he didn't look happy. In fact, it was painfully obvious that he was angry about what had just taken place earlier this evening. He closed his eyes and sighed, then he said, "Simba, I'm very disappointed in you."
Simba sighed, also closing his eyes. "I know."
"You could have been killed," Mufasa continued, "You deliberately disobeyed me. And what's worse, you put Nala in danger!"
Simba swallowed hard and opened his eyes to look up at his father, "I was just trying to be brave like you…" he sniffled.
"I'm only brave when I have to be." Mufasa looked down at his son seriously, "Simba, being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble." the king said, surprisingly in a gentle voice. Simba looked up at him and locked gazes with his eyes.
"But you're not scared of anything." Simba retorted. The fact that his father wasn't afraid of anything was one of the reasons why the cub looked up to his father so much.
"I was today" Mufasa said, adverting his eyes for a breath moment.
Simba blinked in disbelief. "You were?"
"Yes.." Mufasa bent down to where he was at eye level with his son. "I thought I was going to lose you" Mufasa said, and it was true. When he heard that his son was running around in the elephant graveyard and was being chased by hyena's, he feared that his son was going to get seriously hurt, or worse. It pained him when he thought about that.
"Oh.." Simba said quietly, relaxing some. "I guess even kings get scared, huh?" Simba couldn't believe that his father was afraid. He had thought that he wasn't afraid of anything, especially sense he was all grown and stuff; there was also the fact that he was the King. Kings weren't afraid of anything.
Mufasa nodded and replied with. "Mmm hmm."
Simba smiled, then, cupping his mouth with his right paw, he whispered. "But you know what?" He said, grinning widely. Mufasa blinked and looked at him in wonder.
"What?" Mufasa asked.
"I think those hyenas were even scareder." Simba said, leaning so far over that he almost collapsed onto his father.
Mufasa laughed. "'That's 'cause nobody messes with your dad. Come here, you!" Mufasa said playfully, then grabbed Simba around the waist with his heavy paws and caught him in a head-lock, giving his son a noogie.
Simba yelped, trying to get away from Mufasa, but his father was apparently stronger than him and he couldn't get away. He laughed, wrestling with his father as his dad ruffled his hair and missed up his 'mane'.
"Oh! Oh no, ahh!" Rashadi finally managed to slip out of his father's grasp and chased after
Mufasa. Mufasa and Simba chased after each other in the tall grasses, and when Simba finally caught up with him, he jumped onto his back, and Mufasa fell over with his son sitting on his back. They wrestled some more and, when Mufasa turned right-side up again, Simba held onto Mufasa's head.
"Dad?" Simba asked..
"Hmm?" Mufasa looked up at his son, who was still sitting on his head.
"We're pals right?" He asked.
"Right" Mufasa laughed.
"And we'll always be together right?" Rashadi asked.
Mufasa's face grew stern and he sat up a little, with Simba hanging onto his shoulder. When Simba finally found a spot to grab a hold of, he made himself comfortable as his father looked up at the night sky. "Simba... let me tell you something that my father told me. Look at the stars. The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars."
"Really?" Simba asked, amazed.
"Yes…" Mufasa continued, but he didn't tear his gaze away from the stars. "so whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you… and so will I."
Just then, they heard foot steps in the grass. Simba turned to see Qui Gon Jin approaching them. Mufasa looked over to the Jedi, wondering why he is here. "Sorry to disturb you Mufasa," said Qui Gon. "But I heard what had happened today and I just wanted to see if you two were alright."
Mufasa shook his head as he and Simba stood up. "Nothing is wrong. We are all right, now. But it seems we will need to be more cautious, with the hyenas getting so brazen."
Mufasa walked away, and Qui Gon sat next to Simba. He then looked up at the sky. "Looking at the stars, young one?" he asked.
"Mmm hmm," was Simba's only reply.
Qui Gon smiled. "The Force does wonderful things."
Simba glanced up at the stars again, looking curious. "Qui Gon, what is The Force?"
Qui Gon sighed as he began to explain. "The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together. Your father is right, when we die our bodies become the grass, but our spirits become one with the living force."
Simba flicked his tail and continued staring upwards as Mufasa listened from nearby. "So... how does the Force give you power? What kind of stuff does it let you do?"
"It allows us do many things. Some use it for good, others for evil." Qui Gon noticed that Simba was looking a bit sleepy. "Come, I believe it is time for you to rest." He then picked up the fatigued cub in his arms.
Simba yawned and closed his eyes. Mufasa trailed next to them as they headed back to Pride Rock.
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The endless buildings of Coruscant made a twinkling background to Darth Sidious's hologram, but Darth Maul knew better than to be distracted by them. He kept his report brief and accurate, the way Darth Sidious liked them.
"The Pride Lands are sparsely populated," Darth Maul finished. "If th trace was correct, I will find them quickly, Master."
"First you will dispose of King Mufasa's son," Sidious instructed him. "Then you will stay in the Pride Lands before such a time comes when you will have no difficulty taking the King back to Naboo to sign the treaty."
Darth Maul felt a thrill of anticipation. "At last, we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last, we will have revenge."
"You have been well trained, my young apprentice," Darth Sidious told him. "They will be no match for you." His expression was hidden by his hooded cloak, but his satisfaction was evident in his tone of voice. "It is too late for them to stop us now," he said, half to himself. "Everything is going as planned. The Republic will soon be in my control."