Chapter 2
The next morning, Nala found herself lying on her back on the cave floor, as Rafiki applied a sticky green cream to her belly. Simba's nerves finally made his mate agree to let the old mandrill check her out. Judging by occasional cramps, and routine morning sickness, Nala already guessed she was indeed carrying a cub, but decided to use Rafiki's word for her mate's sake.
"You can come in now, Simba!" the shaman called to the king, who was pacing outside of the cave. He ran in at once, and rushed to Nala's side.
"Is there anything wrong with her?" Simba asked anxiously.
Rafiki chuckled, and replied, "Look for yourself." He pointed to the cream, which now had a dark shape swimming around in it.
"What is that?" Simba asked, looking more nervous by the mysterious shape.
Rafiki simply smiled, and told him, "That, in a way, is your new son."
"My…my son?" Simba gasped looking at Nala. The lioness, afraid of saying something she shouldn't, merely nodded.
Simba stared at her, and then looked at the dark blob. He then let out a happy roar, and knelt down to nuzzle his mate.
"I can't believe it!" he exclaimed. "We're having a cub! Isn't this amazing?"
"Yeah…amazing," Nala sighed, not sounding as joyful as her mate. "Listen…I want to rest for a little bit…"
"That's all right!" Simba told her, grinning from ear to ear. "I have to go and tell everyone the good news!"
He ran out of the cave, skipping as he went. Rafiki followed, but looked at Nala before he left.
"It's going to be all right, Your Highness," he assured her. "No flaky little lions to worry about." He gave the stunned lioness a wink, and left the cave.
Instead of sleeping, Nala sat awake, wondering how the old monkey always knew things others didn't. "Flaky little lions…" Her mind was going backwards, to a time maybe just a week before…
Nala finally stopped running to take a break. For the first time since her journey began, she looked behind her. Far away from her were the Shadowlands, a land of deception, evil, and lost hope.
I'm going to find help…whatever it takes, the young lioness thought. There has to be someone out there who can help us…someone who will end Scar's evil rule.
Who could help her, was the question. Nala had left the Pride Lands in lost hope that somehow, somewhere, Simba could still be alive. It was a thought she had since the day of his death, and was the only thing that kept her going.
She looked around the tall yellow grass she stood in, looking for any signs of life. At that moment, she saw something move in the grass. She crouched low to the ground, getting ready to pounce, when…
"You're still a flaky little thing, aren't you?"
Nala screamed and jumped, landing flat on the ground. She looked up and saw…a lion. It wasn't Simba, though. This one was slightly older than her. He had light brown fur, a fully-grown brown mane, and dark gray eyes.
"Ni?" Nala asked, remembering the scruffy young lion she had met as a cub. Except…
"A little less flaky than you remember, huh?" the stranger asked. "And as for you…I see you've grown."
"Yeah…you did too…" Nala said, still in disbelief. "Well…you look a lot…cleaner."
Ni laughed. "Yeah, you finally knocked some sense into me to bathe. So, would you like to come back to my place?"
Of course, not having anywhere to stay the night, Nala accepted the offer, and came to stay with Ni. She couldn't remember much from that night, except for a burdening truth-she had fallen in love with the lion.
She had left the next morning, to find food, leaving Ni the promise that she would return. Nala could recall chasing down a warthog, running into yet another lion in the process. This time, it was Simba…and her vow to Ni was broken.