Chapter Five Simba Brings Us back to Pride Rock

Timon and the meerkat colony come with me to the oasis. It takes some convincing but after repelling an attack by the hyenas, we gather the inhabitants of the colony and we journey across the that we rest by the border of the desert then we wait at night to journey across the desert. When dawn comes, we reach the oasis. Some of the meerkats want to dig tunnels but most are willing to live above ground. Several of the pups play at the waterfalls. Uncle Max decides to have a meditation and yoga class. Some of us go to hunt for grubs. Timon's Ma is elected as the head matriarch of the colony. She organizes us into hunting parties. I am also given a job. With Timon on my back, I patrol the oasis to look out for predators. Occasionally a leopard will come through here and the meerkats scurry into hiding places and emergency tunnels they have made. I would like to help take care of the pups, but the meerkat parents are too paranoid to let me near them. Timon's Ma is trying to set up Timon with some of the female meerkats and he is dating, but none of them are as adventurous as he is. In fact he is getting tired of Ma interfering in his try to make peace with our new life in the oasis, but we feel something is missing.

One night we are about to go to bed when Ma and Uncle Max come up to and Uncle Max start the conversation.

"So, what is up with you two?" Uncle Max says. "You are moping around like you lost your best friend. You two have every reason to be happy, here."

"Yes, " Ma continued. "Timmy, you have the respect of the colony. You are dating girls. Both of you have a great job patrolling the oasis. You do not have to worry about predators. Why are you so sad all the time?"

"I don't know, Ma, " Timon replies. I merely shrug my head.

"You know, I always wondered why Ma and I found the two of you in a major battle between carnivores. Would it have anything to do with the lion that ascended the rock?" Uncle Max asked.

"Yeah, " Ma agreed. " I saw the two of you crying when he went up there and roared. How important is he to you? It is obvious you have some feelings for him. What is exactly your relationship?"

So both Timon and I explain about how we found and raised Simba. Both Uncle Max and Ma are fascinated by our story. They really feel bad when they find out how Scar murdered Simba's father. Uncle Max even said that the Kings of the Pridelands were a legend. Uncle Max mentioned that he knew Simba's grandfather King Ahadi. "If his grandson is anything like him, he will be a fair and just king. King Ahadi let my sister live in the Pridelands when she was expelled from our meerkat colony for having illegitmate pups."

"Look, " Ma said. "It is obvious that he is your kid and you are worried about him. Why don't you see how he is doing? You two miss him just like I missed you when you went away Timmy. And since you two raised him, he is going to need someone to lean on that knows him very well. I think he has it really tough being a new ruler and all. He is going to need you two to get his mind off of his worries."

"Ma, we just got here. I feel that the colony needs us. Besides, Simba has his Mom and his advisers to help him with his royal duties. And he has his mate Nala. I am quite sure he doesn't need us. We would only be in the way not to mention the lionesses might want to make appetizers of us." Timon made a very persuasive argument to stay with the colony. I decide to stay with him because I have no where else to go.

"Suit yourself, Timon," Ma said. "But I think you two would be happier with Simba than you would be staying here. You can always live here if you want to, but I want you both to go where you are happy. So think about it."

Uncle Max gave us a knowing look and said he was taking a vacation for three days.

When Timon and I go on patrol four days later, we see a lion in the distance. It is not just any lion. The lion is gold with a familiar red mane. As we get closer, he even looks more familiar. It is our kid Simba. And what's more when we run closer, we see Uncle Max sitting on top of his red mane. Rafiki the mandril is also with them, one of his hands holding his stick. Uncle Max climbs down from Simba's mane to greet us.

"Simba! Simba!" Timon and I both yell. We run straight for our son. Simba bends down and hugs us with his forepaws.

"I really missed you guys, " he tells us. "Why did you go without saying goodbye? My mother talked to you and said everything was fine, but you both just left."

"We thought you did not need us any more," I tell Simba. "you had everything you needed with your Mom and Nala and the rest of the pride plus the bird."

"And we wanted to leave before the lionesses made us part of their dinner menu," Timon added. "We wanted to make sure you were okay before we left and you seemed fine. We also felt like we were intruding when we saw you were back with your family of lions."

"I will always need you guys," Simba replied. "You were there for me when I needed you the most and you two are like my family. Please come back with me to the Pridelands. I will have the elephants build you a den near Pride Rock. I will tell the Pride that you are not on the menu. You can be my Hakuna Matata advisers. You will suggest things to me to keep me from worrying. Also Nala is pregnant and I might need you two to help me raise my cubs. I like having you guys around."

I bow to Simba and kiss his forepaw. "At your service my liege. What ever you want your majesty."

Simba laughs. "I am not used to the royal titles and as my Hakuna Matata advisers you do not have to be so formal. Timon and Pumbaa just call me Simba."

Timon smiles. "Pumbaa and I will be happy to be your Hakuna Matata advisers. And as your advisers, we think you need a little vacation. We will go home with you to Pride Rock but you need some rest and relaxation. So spend a couple of days here with us. Besides, Ma wants to meet you, Simba. She considers you her grandson."

Simba agrees to the much needed vacation. Ma is thrilled to meet her feline grandson. Simba even takes her for a ride on his mane. Getting Simba to meet the colony took some doing. Rafiki and Uncle Max found Ma and announced that Simba had come to see us. When we brought him to the colony most of the older meerkats tried to hide, but Ma and Uncle Max and the younger generation talked to Simba.

Ma is thrilled to hear that Simba has a mate and is expecting cubs. She wants to come after the cubs are born and Simba says that she is welcome to visit us anytime. Ma is quite proud of Simba. It is not everyday that your grandson is a lion king. We also asked Uncle Max why he took his vacation in the Pridelands.

"I was tired of seeing you two mope around and I wondered if Simba missed you. I went to see Rafiki and told him how you both felt and you know what he told me. He said that Simba missed his two friends terribly and wanted them to come back to the Pridelands but he thought it was asking too much of you to live with a bunch of carnivores. I told Rafiki that Simba could come back with us and ask you to live with him and find out for himself. So Rafiki brought me to see the new king and I told him about how you guys were feeling and he decided he could take a few days off to make the trip."

Thank goodness Uncle Max decided to do this. I am grateful to him for bringing back our boy to us. Simba swims in the pool with the meerkats. We go to all of our old favorite places. All too soon we go back to the Pridelands with Rafiki and Simba.

Things are great. The elephants have built us a new den near Pride Rock. It has a tree and a water feature. There are three beds inside of the den and they are all big. Timon and I are very happy. Once a week Simba does some fun activity with us to get his mind off of his kingly duties. We get to know the other lionesses in the pride. We talk to Sarabi and Nala. But there is one group of lionesses we have to watch. Zira the former mate of Scar and her lionesses might be a problem. She has given birth to cubs and so has Nala. Both lionesses are so busy with their cubs that for a while we do not have to worry about anything, but our boy still keeps his eye on Zira.