Author's Note: So, now for chapter two!
Disclaimer: I do not own Lion King or Kimba the White Lion. It's called FANfiction for a reason!
Chapter 2
"It's so big!" Nala murmured.
"And steamy," Simba added. "But it's going to be better than the Elephant Graveyard, I can tell you that!"
"Let's go in before anyone finds out we're gone," Nala suggested.
"Yeah," Simba agreed. "Come on!"
Unlike the Elephant Graveyard, the jungle was beautiful. The trees were so lush and green, and nocturnal birds were chirping everywhere they looked. Best of all, the place seemed so friendly, even at night.
"I'm getting tired," Nala suddenly murmured with a yawn.
"Me too," Simba commented. "But let's not go back to Pride Rock. I want to be a resilient lion! In fact, I am one!"
"And very brave," Nala added. "And reckless!"
"Who are you calling reckless?" Simba challenged with a playful grin. "But I do want to go to sleep. Let's sleep inside this hollow, empty tree."
Nala nodded. "Yeah."
With that, the two of them crawled inside a hollow tree to rest. There was a bit of squirming around at first, especially when Nala sat on top of Simba. Finally, they fell asleep. When they woke up, they saw the place was even more amazing in the daylight.
"Wow," Simba murmured. "Why didn't we come here before?"
"We should go back," Nala urged.
"Not yet," Simba replied. "I want to explore."
Nala nodded. "All right. But I'm hungry!"
"Now that you mention it, I am, too," Simba replied.
"I bet you can't catch that butterfly over there!" Nala teased
.
"Oh, I certainly could!" Simba yowled playfully. "But why bother? It's just a stupid butterfly." He suddenly crouched down. "Reckon I can catch that mole over there?"
"No," Nala replied. "Unless Mufasa saw enough potential in you that he actually taught you something about hunting!"
"Oh, you just wait," Simba muttered. "The king has to be the best hunter in the savannah. I'm the future king, so I have to be the second-best hunter in the savannah!"
Nala rolled her eyes playfully. "Well, let's see what kind of a hunter you make!"
Simba slowly crept up on the mole. After he was not very far from it, he pounced, but before he landed, something collided with him. Hissing with rage, the whatever-it-was gave him a couple of well-aimed blows before getting off him and shaking itself off. Simba didn't quite know what it was, until it faced him.
It was a lion. A white lion. Only a cub, though. "Did I hurt you?" he asked, concern showing in his blue eyes.
"No," Simba replied, crossed. "But you ruined my hunt!"
"I'm sorry," the white cub apologized, but his voice remained firm. "But the thing is, in this jungle, all the animals are friends. We don't hunt each other, instead, we protect each other from threats from outside."
"Am I just a 'threat from outside'?" Simba demanded indignantly.
The white cub shook his head. "Sorry if you thought that. We try to make as many friends as possible. By threats, I mean poachers, natural disasters, and animals who want to take over the jungle."
"Oh." Simba still wasn't convinced. "What do you eat, if you don't hunt?"
"I'm a vegetarian," the white cub replied.
"What?" Simba's fur fluffed up disbelievingly. "No way!"
"It's true," the white cub mewed. Then, he changed the subject by asking Simba, "What's your name?"
"I'm Simba, and that's my friend Nala," Simba replied.
"I'm Kimba," the white cub introduced himself. "Nice to meet you both!"
"Hey! Our names rhyme!" Simba exclaimed joyfully.
Kimba smiled. He may have been assertive, but Simba could see his cub spirit still in his eyes.
"Hey, Kimba!" Nala chimed in. "Do you know of a brave lion named Caesar?"
"He's my father," replied Kimba.
"My father is Mufasa, only the king of the entire Pridelands," Simba boasted. "But I'd love to meet your father!"
"Me too!" Nala agreed.
"That's nice," Kimba mewed, but he now had a far-off, distant look.
"What's wrong?" Simba asked, worried.
Kimba shifted his paws. "Well, the thing is…well, you see…er…"
"Spit it out!" Nala urged.
Kimba sighed. "Well, my father liked to come into the settlements of the native humans and set free their pigs and cows. The natives eventually got mad at him, even though he had good intentions. They and the game warden brought a couple of American hunters to kill him. But that didn't work, because Caesar was smarter and braver than the hunters. But they were cunning, too. They set a trap for him, using my mother, Snowene, as bait."
"That's horrible!" exclaimed Nala. Simba nodded in agreement.
Kimba nodded. "Father went to rescue Mother, not even dwelling on the danger that could be facing him. He made it past all the steel traps, but then one of the hunters shot him. He made it to Mother's cage, and told her that he found out a great name for their son, who happens to be yours truly. Then, they exchanged one last nuzzle. Then, he died." Kimba paused to allow a few tears to fall. Then, he continued.
"Mother was pregnant with me at the time. But the hunters weren't planning on letting us go. They took the cage with them, with the intention to sell us to a zoo. Then, Mother gave birth to me on the ship. The rats there were kind, though they had to watch out for the humans' cats. Mother told me all about Father, how brave, strong, and kind he was. Then, she told me that I had to leave the ship and swim back to the jungle. It was hard to say good-bye, since she was too big to fit through the bars of the cage. I left the ship. It was a big ocean. I didn't know if I would make it, especially when a storm hit that sank the ship and killed Mother. The fish, the storks, and the butterflies helped me make it back to the jungle. Mother spoke to me, in the stars."
"Like the Great Kings of the Past?" Simba asked, his eyes wide.
Kimba nodded. "Though, it's the Great Animals of the Past for us," he corrected. "Anyone can appear in the stars, as long as they were good and kind. But…yeah. That's pretty much what happened."
"I'm sorry that happened," Simba murmured. "So, are you king?"
"That's right," Kimba replied. "On a change of subject, do you guys want me to show you the jungle?"
"Yes!" Simba replied happily, jumping up. Nala just grinned widely.
"Then let's go," Kimba told them, and they padded deeper into the jungle.
Author's Note: Poor Kimba. The chapters get longer; by the way, this one and Chapter 3 are probably the shortest you're going to get.
Kimba Episodes Referenced:
"Go, White Lion!"
Reviews are appreciated!