Chapter 21: Love Story
Jayden saw Drayden a little later that day, but she didn't get a chance to talk to him. He, Koru, Jai Sr. and Kovu were off to patrol the border. Someone had reported seeing a spotted cat near the border, but they weren't positive. As Drayden left with the other males of the Pride, he had turned and smiled at Jayden. She watched him go.
"Sometimes I think we need a new Zazu." came a voice from behind her.
"Oh!" she started, and turned around. It was Dark.
"I never met the bird," he went on, "But I heard from Simba and Nala he was great with scouting the lands and reporting intruders."
"Oh, yes. That sure would be helpful."
Kivu trotted up then, "That's a great idea! We could use a new bird like Zazu."
"Maybe you could talk to Simba about it. And ask how you even find a bird who's up for the job." Jayden suggested, glad for the distraction.
"It might be hard, the only reason Zazu was so loyal to the Pridelands was because of Mufasa. He saved the bird. Or maybe it was the other way around. I can't remember the story." Kivu chuckled.
"How does a bird save a lion?" Dark asked. Jayden giggled and shrugged.
"Time for a lesson from old Gramps!" Kivu said, and trotted off toward the waterhole where Simba and Nala had strolled off to earlier in the day.
"Can I come?" Jayden asked and trotted after her cousin.
"And me?" Dark followed.
"Sure!" Kivu smiled and off the three of them went. Jayden worried about being near Dark.
I shouldn't spend time with him, if I'm really going to be Drayden's girlfriend.
But it was too late, they were already running through the long savannah grass, and soon the waterhole came into view. Simba and Nala were relaxing at the edge and perked their heads up when the three lions approached.
"Is something wrong?" Simba asked, looking worried.
"No, not at all." Kivu said. "We actually came for a story, and advice."
Simba visually relaxed. "Well I've got plenty of stories. How about the one with the giraffe and the dung beetle? Or perhaps the time I beat a whole troop of vicious monkeys back when I lived with Timon and-"
Nala patted Simba's arm, "That story might be a little too exaggerated for the kids."
"Exaggerated? Oh. Well maybe…" the lion said.
Jayden grinned and thought, The oldest couple in the Pride and you can tell they're still very much in love.
"We have a story in particular we want to hear." Kivu said, "Dark was saying we need a new majordomo like Zazu, since it would be great to have a bird to scout the lands for us."
"Oh, yes. Zazu." Simba stared at the sky and seemed to be reminiscing.
"Yes, and we wondered how Zazu got to be so loyal to the Pride lands in the first place."
"Oh, that was quite a long time ago that Zazu became friends with my father. You know, you kids should really sit down," Simba said to Dark and Jayden. They obeyed and got comfortable.
"My father was a young adult, so the story goes. Maybe your age, Dark. Maybe a little younger. His mane was still small, you see. And Zazu was a young one himself. Well my father and my mother, Sarabi had only just noticed each other and had barely begun to court each other. So one day my mother was off exploring, for she was a young curious lioness herself. She wandered far from Pride Rock and happen to fall into a deep crevice in the ground. I don't know how it got there or how she happen to fall into it, but she idd.
And she was so far away from Pride Rock that no one could hear her roars for herself. That's when a blue bird flew over and noticed my mother down in that hole. He flew off right away and knew exactly who to go to. Mufasa didn't want to believe him at first. Who would believe some bird you'd never met? But eventually he gave in, and followed the bird out to the crevice and together they got my mother out. My father was so grateful to the bird that he promised to give Zazu anything he and his family wanted, if they could give it. Zazu wished for safe passage in and around our lands, because apparently we had the bed source of bugs-I actually disagree, the place I used to live with Timon and Pumbaa had some great bugs."
"Simba…" Nala chided.
"Yes, yes, I know, anyway, so from then on, Zazu and my dad were very close and Zazu wanted to help any way he could, so he was my father's right-paw-bird. So to speak."
"That's nice story." Jayden said.
"Yes, but how did they get Sarabi out of the hole?" Dark asked.
Simba opened his mouth like he had an answer, but then looked confused. "I can't remember… you know, it might not have been my mom that was in the hole at all, I think it might have been my dad."
Dark and Jayden exchanged glances.
"That's okay, grandpa," Kivu said, "We get the idea of the story. Zazu wasn't just any bird, he had a reason to be loyal to the Pride lands."
"That's right." Nala said.
"How are we to find another one willing to work for us?" Kivu asked.
"Well you could fall in a hole…" Simba joked.
Jayden giggled. "And you'd wait down there til a bird came!" She said.
"Yeah right." Kivu huffed.
"Just keep your eyes open for a young bird that's not afraid. One that's always looking about and attentive." Nala suggested. "And I think you'll just have to ask."
"That might be hard." Kivu said. "But we'll try it. I've never really paid attention to the birds before. Well, not we have a plan, thanks!" he stood.
"You're very welcome." Simba said. "Now if you'll excuse me…" he yawned greatly. "I'm going to take my nap now before we head home for the evening."
"Of course. Goodbye!" Kivu said. Jayden and Dark also gave their goodbyes and thank yous and the three of them left.
"My grandparents are something, aren't they?" Kivu said.
"They're great." Jayden said. She admired how they were still together and happy after all these years.
Simba and Nala were looking a bit older now. Simba's mane was less shiny and a little messier, and Nala looked rather skinny. Both were still healthy though, and that's what mattered.
They got back to Pride Rock and evening was settling in. She didn't know if the patrol of lion had returned yet, but nobody appeared alarmed, so she assumed there had been no bad news yet. The spotted cat that had been seen could have very well been a cheetah, not the leopard that had been causing problems.
Jayden saw her family laying in their usual spot under Pride Rock and trotted over to them. She wondered where Dark would be going off to now, but she didn't turn around to look. They went their separate ways. She trotted over to Tempest's side. Tempest pulled her head up as she approached. Mani was standing behind her. Resting nearby was Tome, Vitani, Dayya and Larne.
"How are you?" Jayden asked Tempest.
"Good. I'm feeling much better."
"Her wound's looking better." Mani added.
"Yep! How is your neck?" Tempest asked, "Let me see."
Jayden stretched it out and showed them.
"It's looking okay." Tempest said. "I'm sure the leopard looks worse."
"I bet he does!" Jayden laughed. "Is there any word on what's going on out there?" Jayden gestured toward the border in the direction the lions left earlier.
"I haven't heard anything about it, and they haven't come back yet. I'm sure everything is fine though. Nothing half the males in our Pride can't handle." Tempest said.
"Yeah, no kidding." Jayden settled with her family for a while and talked. She noticed Dayya was uncharacteristically quiet, and remained so for the rest of the evening.
It wasn't long before Jayden saw Simba and Nala come back from the waterhole, and just when it was getting pretty dark, Koru, Kovu, Drayden and Jai Sr. returned as well. None of them saw the leopard or could pick up his scent. They had searched around the border and passed it for a while just to be sure. Jayden was about to stand and catch up with Drayden, but he looked so tired. She let him go. He walked up the stone steps and into the den where she assumed he was going to drop off to sleep as soon as he lay down.
Well I can tell him in the morning… Jayden thought, but was becoming unsure of her decision. She was beginning to feel nervous about it. She tried not to think about it right then.
Tempest was yawning a bit, and she put her head down to sleep. Mani put his head protectively on her back. Jayden decided to go in the den to sit with Zula if she hasn't already gone to sleep herself. She was about to climb the stone steps when she stopped and her head turned right. She gazed toward the place where she had been meeting Dark at night. She knew she shouldn't go that way, but the pull was too strong. Her feet carried her there anyway. As she suspected, Dark was there, laying on his stomach.
"Hey." he said, seeming surprised. "I wasn't expecting you."
"Oh, how come?"
"Never mind. So I guess our spotted friend hadn't been seen after all. Kovu and the others came back with nothing to report."
"Yeah, I guess not." she said and sat a couple yards away from him. She felt annoyed. Maybe at herself, maybe at him. It's not like he made her come here. They never even discussed why they met here every night for the past few nights, they just did.
She wondered if he ever met with Ahila at night. As far as she knew, Ahila slept in the cave with most everyone else.
Well that's what I think I know… she thought, and could feel the fury rising in her. That Ahila… She sucks. And Dayya's right, she's not pretty. The whole ordeal sucks, I wish we never had to come here…
"Is everything okay?" Dark said, bringing her out of her thoughts.
"Oh, uh yeah, fine." she tried to cover herself by repositioning herself, then licking some of the fur that stood up on her shoulder. She was starting to feel the business of the day fall heavy on her. She had done a ton today. She had walked part of the border with Drayden and Zula, joined the hunt, sparred with Dayya, and went out to the waterhole. She did get a chance to rest in the middle of the day, but still, that was a lot to do for someone recovering from a wound.
Not that it's really that bad of a wound… Before she could get down on herself for being lazy, she realized the emotional upsets she had today also weighed on her energy, like Drayden asking her out, seeing Dark turn Dayya down because of Ahila, telling Zula about Drayden and then thinking about telling Drayden yes, and then this business of losing Dark… It was all exhausting. She plopped down in front of Dark in a laying position like him.
Dark studied her expression. "You look deep in thought."
"I was just thinking about Tempest and her cub. As usual, heh." she tried to lighten up. He only looked at her, and she wondered if he knew she was lying.
Neither of them said anything for a while. They just listened to the crickets chirp. Dark seemed distracted in some way, like her. Or exhausted like her. She thought about asking, but she was afraid of the answer. She pretended to hear Dark's cheery voice saying, "Oh, I hung out with Ahila this evening. I told her all about the story Simba told us. And together we found a new bird for the Pridelands!"
She pushed those ridiculous thoughts away. Stupid. she called herself.
"Jayden?" Dark said. She looked up. She hadn't realized she'd been staring at her paws. She was about to answer, "yes?" but stopped when she saw Dark's expression. His eyes were wide, he didn't have a smile, but not a frown either. It was a strange look; it reminded her of how he used to look at her when they were cubs on the few occasions they were alone together. They would just look in each other's eyes and they knew that look meant love.
He broke the silence, "We're friends… right?" The gentle and perfect way he said it made Jayden know he didn't mean friends. He meant more. And then he slowly touched his paw to hers in the softest way, and she knew without a doubt what he meant. She could barely believe it, but had no idea what to say.
She just stared at him, shocked, wide eyed. He leaned in closer and she could smell his rain scent. Dark closed his eyes and licked her cheek.
Inside, she exploded. And outside too, she leaped to her feet, knocking Dark's head with her's in the process.
"Ow!" he yelped.
"Oh my God." she blurted, staring at him.
"You made me bite my tongue!" he said with narrowed eyebrows.
"Oh my God." she said again. Then, "Sorry. But.. What? I mean…" Her mind was going crazy. Dark kissed…. Likes…? "I mean, No. You shouldn't have done that, why would you do that?" she blurted.
He stood quickly, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have, I know… I just couldn't…" he looked embarrassed. He reminded her of when he was just a small cub and was embarrassed and shy about everything.
Jayden was still frazzled, and more things blurted out, "Yeah, you shouldn't have. You can just cheat on Ahila like that. You can't be kissing other girls."
Dark paused then said, "Ahila?"
"Your girlfriend." Jayden supplied.
Dark looked like he wanted to laugh. "She's not my girlfriend."
"Yes she is."
"I think I would know."
Jayden opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. She's not…? "But you turned Dayya down because of Ahila, I was there watching when Dayya talked to you, I saw the whole thing."
"I did turn her down because of someone else… but it's not Ahila." he said very seriously and plainly with heavy meaning in his eyes.
It hit Jayden who he meant. "There's no way…" she muttered, more to herself. Had he loved her all along?
"But I know I shouldn't…" Dark said, looking down.
"We can't be together." Jayden blurted, thinking of Dayya.
"I know. Because you're dating Drayden. You're in love. I just thought, maybe you still liked me… sometimes you seemed like it... I was wrong, I'm sorry." He shook his head sadly.
"Hand on." she said, "I'm not dating Drayden." he looked at her.
"He's been around you a lot lately. And the way he licked your wounds…I just thought you two had something going on."
So he saw that… she thought, blushing furiously. Then blurted, "No way!" Although I was just about to tell Drayden yes today…
"So you two aren't a couple?" Dark looked at her closely.
"No, we're friends and Pridemates, that's all."
"Oh. Wow. I thought…" he shook his head.
"And you and… Ahila… aren't…?"
"No."
"But you seem so chummy. At the spar you and her were all giggly. Then disappeared together. And it's happened more than once since then." she sounded jealous and petty.
"Ahila sometimes gets down because she lost her mother. They were very close. I just help her cope since you know, I lost my mother too. Most of the time the words that help her the most are the ones you used to tell me when we were cubs."
Jayden swallowed. Things were coming together. Dark moved closer to her, and smiled.
"What? What're you doing?" She stammered.
"This is good news."
"What?"
"You're not spoken for." he said simply. "And I think you love me."
Her eyes widened.
His smile got bigger, "I knew it!" He tried to put his arm around her back to pull her close, but she pushed him away with her front paw.
"We can't do this."
He looked hurt. "Why?" he said softly, quietly.
"Dayya loves you."
"Oh, not this again." he rolled his eyes.
"She does. For real, I've never seen her like that, so jealous. She thinks you're with Ahila, sh ehas no idea about you and me, she'd-"
"So there is a you-and-me?" Dark interrupted, grinning. Jayden waved a paw as if to wave the thought away, and continued,
"She'd be heart broken if she found out her own sister betrayed her and took the lion she loved."
"But what about me? And you?" he asked.
She shook her head. He moved closer and put a paw under her chin to make her look him in the eye. "Do you love me?" he asked bluntly.
His blue-gray eyes were so beautiful. "Yes." she said quietly, her heart still beating fast.
"Then we belong together."
She paused for a moment. There was silence for a while. Then she said softly, almost in a whisper, "I thought you forgot about me."
"What are you talking about?"
She looked down, "When I left the Pride lands, even before I left, you barely said goodbye to me. I thought you might promise to still love me while I was away. Or ask that I still love you. Or put up a fight that I was leaving, or something! But you didn't say anything."
"Jayden-
"So I thought that meant you didn't care…" she said, still not looking at him.
"Your parents were making you leave, there was nothing I could say or do that would change that. Of course I wanted you to stay. Watching you go that day, knowing I wouldn't see you for a long time, maybe forever, that hurt more than anything. More than watching my biological mother die, and finding out that evil Black lion was my father."
Jayden looked at him then with wide eyes. She knew it was a big deal for him to say that. I had no idea… she thought.
He went on, "I didn't know what to say or do back then, you were just leaving. I knew I could never stop loving you. I thought about you everyday while you were gone, and I never tried to forget you."
Jayden felt guilty, I tried to forget you…
He again tried to put his paw around her back, and this time she let him pull her into a hug. It felt so good to be against him. She nuzzled his mane that smelled so good and of course was as soft as she suspected.
She let herself feel an ounce of happiness as he licked her forehead and ear. The ounce of happiness ended quickly. There was still the other reason why they couldn't be together, the one that would make their short love story would end the exact way it did two years ago.