Chapter Two: Leaving the Pride Lands
After making this realization, Simba made another discovery.
I'll have to say goodbye to everybody, he decided. I sure wish they'd been with me the past few days. Nala's been forced to keep watch on Mheetu all this time, and the others have all been doing those nature walks with Mom and Zazu. This is making me wish I'd joined them. If Nala had gone with them, I would have.
He smiled momentarily while thinking of his best friend, but he then shook his head and regained his seriousness. He then began walking towards the edge of the Pride Lands.
Mufasa sat at the very top of Pride Rock, surveying his massive kingdom. A certain colorful baboon stood beside him, holding his gourd-adorned staff.
"Rafiki," Mufasa asked, "I'm a bit worried about Simba. Ever since he came back from your place, he hasn't been the same. Every time I see him now, he seems very depressed. What I can't figure out is, is this purely because of what Vitani did, or is something else going on?"
Rafiki held a hand to his chin, stroking his long white beard. After shaking his head, he responded, "Rafiki cannot answer dis question at dis time. Rafiki knows not what is going on in de young prince's head. Perhaps de only solution is to talk to him."
Mufasa sighed heavily. "I know. But I haven't been able to speak to him lately. He barely even says hello to me anymore, which I know is unusual."
"Well," Rafiki advised, "it is best to not disturb him during dis troubled time. Perhaps you ought to have Nala reach out to him. He'd be more willing to talk to her, I bet."
"You're right," Mufasa smiled. "I'll go and find her."
He started to descend, but he turned back to Rafiki and smiled, "Thank you."
"You are very welcome, Your Majesty."
By this time, Simba had reached the border of the Pride Lands. He stood on the very last patch of grass, and he stood there, staring at the endless golden desert that lay ahead.
"Simba! Where are you going?" a familiar voice shouted. Simba turned around, and it brightened his heart to see Nala running towards him.
"Simba! Your dad sent me to find you! He says you've been running around depressed all the time, and now you're here, at the edge of the Pride Lands! What's going on?"
"Nala, I'm running away," he explained. "All the other cubs have been teasing me this whole past week about what Vitani did to me."
"They're teasing you because of Vitani?" Nala shouted incredulously. "I'd like to punch every last one of them…including Vitani."
"We already took care of her, at least for now," Simba pointed out. "Now we have to deal with all of them. Nala, I scratched another cub in the face."
"Did he attack you first?"
"Well, he said mean things to me, and that made me attack him."
Nala sighed. She didn't know what to think.
"Simba, please don't leave," she begged him, practically on the verge of tears. "I don't want you to leave. Your parents don't want you to leave. And what about our friends?"
"Nala, I've made my decision," Simba sighed. "Maybe I'll come back, someday."
He then placed a paw on the hot sand, and crossed a few feet into the desert before he stopped. He then turned around and faced his best friend. "Goodbye Nala. I'll miss you."
He then sped off into the desert, kicking up dust and blocking Nala's view of him.
"Simba! Simba!" Nala called out in vain. Her cries went unanswered as her best friend vanished from sight. She then curled into a ball and cried herself to sleep in the mid-morning sun.
Oh my! Those were some rather depressing chapters, huh? Don't worry, the whole story won't be this way. This was necessary in order to set up the vastly more entertaining main plot. Well, I will see you guys tomorrow, and we finally get to meet our long-awaited antagonist!