New chapter! I am proud of these works.
Note: These chapters help develop plot. A good deal of the books I read have chapters just like this and they are roughly 400 to 500 pages long. Try to find the famous quote I put into the chapter. Anyway, ENJOY! :)
Chapter 3: On Patrol
Patrol. The routine checkup on territory. The thing that helps keep firm control over a certain area. Perhaps the one thing that makes lions different from just about every other animal in the wide open African savannah is the fact that they patrol their land, similar in perspective to the hyenas and jackals that also live out in the open plains. This is, perhaps, what also made them superior to other predators, the leopards, the crocodiles, and the cheetahs.
Simba looked out across the grasslands. Same old grass and trees, no sign of intruders, nothing 'unusual.' Again. He had done this before so many other time that this was not unusual to him, although it was still as boring as hell. Unlike others before him he didn't have any prior experience to patrols, organizations, law, and order, which made his first days as king a bit of a challenge for him. He quickly caught up to the order of events, however, and soon enough everything flowed smoothly.
Running away from home at a young age had its advantages, but it also had its disadvantages. On the upside he lived in a safe and carefree world, away from pain and suffering, but on the downside he wasn't taught how to rule a kingdom. He wasn't taught the laws of the land clearly and, therefore, didn't gain any experience in kingship. He had learned from his mother and the other lionesses of the pride instead almost as soon as he returned home.
He turned as movement caught the corner of his eye. There he is, Simba thought, knowing it was that time again.
The movement was from a bird, a hornbill, to be exact, that was making its way over to him, gliding more than flying. The hornbill had blue feathers, an orange beak, and was roughly the size of a human bowling ball. "Good morning, sire," it spoke in a cheery higher-than-normal pitched British accent.
"Good morning, Zazu," Simba replied. "How are you today?"
Zazu landed on boulder right in front of him, bowing as he did. "I am doing splendid, thank you sire. Would you like to hear the morning report, my liege?" Zazu asked.
"Yes. Go ahead Zazu." Although it was early, there was good reason to give the 'morning report' in the morning.
And so the bird began his report. It was important for the King to be kept up-to-date with the daily events. However, due to natural boredom of these reports, Simba's mind drifted off to his memories with Zazu. As a cub, Simba found Zazu more of an annoyance than helpful. When he wasn't being constantly watched over or scolded by the hornbill he and Nala would often 'play with him', either tricking him or just plain pounce on or bat at him. It was fun and all, until that one day when Simba and Nala almost got themselves killed while exploring the Elephant Graveyard. That's when they really found out why Zazu was so important to the Pridelands. Not only was Zazu important for keeping updates on the daily activities in the Pridelands, but also made sure to inform the king and the rest of the pride of hostilities, dangers, and alerts. It was perhaps this job that was the most important out of all the majordomo's other duties. And it just so happened to have saved the cubs' lives, for without Zazu going for help Mufasa would never have reached them in time or even known about their peril until it was too late.
And that brought him concern, concern for his own family. Although he didn't have any children yet, Simba would eventually have to conceive at least one cub. "It will prove to be your greatest hardship, but your greatest joy, if not your second greatest joy, in your whole life." Simba remember those exact words that his mother told him. When he heard this, he imagined 'greatest joy' was meeting his mate, Nala. Without Nala, he might have never gone back home or endured the hardships of being a king.
Simba focused again, but instead noticed that Zazu wasn't talking. He was just standing there, staring at him with a concerned look on his face. "Are you all right sire?"
Confused, he responded, "Yeah, I'm fine, Zazu."
"Are you sure, Simba?"
"Yes." He paused. "Sorry, Zazu, I've just been thinking."
"About what, sire?"
"Everything."
"Everything, sire?"
"Well, not 'everything', but a lot." Zazu didn't respond. "I'm thinking about the good days, when I was younger, when everything was at peace."
"Ah," Zazu sighed, "Those were the good days. Not necessarily for me, but for all of us."
The young lion smiled. "Hm. Those were good times, although I don't remember you being the one having a good time."
Zazu chuckled at the thought. "I got used to it. After all, where would you be without me?"
Simba chuckled back. "Well, I guess I would be dead and you wouldn't be here, now would you?"
"No, sir, I guess I wouldn't be." He paused. "How is Nala, sire? I heard something happened last night."
"She's fine. She had a nightmare, that's all."
"A nightmare, huh? I heard she woke up the whole pride."
"She did, but she's fine now." Now that Zazu mentioned it, however, Simba was a bit worried about last night's events. Nala screaming for Simba wasn't, so to speak, normal. And this wasn't the first time he had seen something like that before. As a matter of fact he had experienced a similar series of events when he was with Timon and Pumbaa in the jungle a few times.
He hoped that this was just a coincidence.
Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked at Zazu. "Well, I better keep going with the patrol. I promised Nala I would be done soon and I'm keeping that promise."
And it was true. Unless absolutely necessary, he would never break a promise. His father, Mufasa, told him something very important when he was a cub. Not only was it important but it was for his own sake. He remembered the talk, about how someday he would have to find a girl and marry her. He said, "No matter what happens, for your own sake, remember this, 'Don't make a girl a promise if you know you can't keep it.' If you want to keep your relationship, remember this. Breaking a promise will result in hurting your relationship with the girl you love. Your relationship will be based on how you treat it. It may not matter now but in the future it will." This was perhaps one of the most important things he learned from his father.
"Well, I guess I'll be leaving now, sire. Would you like me to give my report to the queen?"
"Yes, Zazu. And you might as well give it to the rest of the pride."
"Will do, sire."
"See ya, Zazu."
"See you later, sire." And with that done, Zazu left. He flew up and away, heading towards Pride Rock off in the distance.
Simba looked back toward the bird before continuing his march. He thought more to himself about Nala.
Everything will be alright. Besides, what's the likelihood that it will happen again, he tried reassuring himself. But the question still remained. What was the likelihood that it would happen again and was it really just a coincidence?
Is it really just a coincidence or is there a bigger picture, a bigger mystery? Did you find the quote? If you did, do you know where it comes from? Read & review. I appreciate the responses.
