Book 2: Chapter 5

{Flashback}

Scar had many names.

Most knew him as Scar. Most knew him as the worst tyrant ever to rule the Pridelands, wreaking havoc with every day of his reign. They remembered his cruelty and ruthless hunger for power. During his time as King, he forced the Prideland's herds into mass migrations, forcing them to flee their once beloved home. He terrorized the members of his own Pride, driving several to flee with the herds.

And, he was back from the dead with a flaming vengeance. Those who knew him as Scar knew that his vengeance would not be quenched till he watched the Pridelands burn.

Then there were also those who knew him as Askari. They knew him by the self-appointed name he had given to himself once he realized his powers as the leader of the Lion Guard. He was a strange character. Not evil, not by a far cry. But a loner, often choosing to do his patrols by himself rather than relying on his fellow members of the Guard.

Those who knew him as Askari would see the tragic rise and fall of his Lion Guard. And those who knew him as Askari also knew that the moment he lost his Guard, he also lost himself.

Some knew him as Scar, others knew him as Askari.

But to Nzuri, she would always remember him as Taka. And she would only ever remember him as the one she loved.

oOoOo

Her earliest memory of him had been when she was a small cub, just old enough to walk. She was in Priderock, taking a nap with her mother and the other young cubs when she awoke to the most pitiful cry. Through blurry eyes and fuzzy vision, she saw a cub of about her age – burnt orange fur and emerald eyes – screeching with indignation.

Her mother sighed and rolled her eyes, annoyed at having been woken up, and then went back to sleep.

From a few feet away, she saw her friend, Sarabi, who was also lying next to her mother. Sarabi was just a bit older than Nzuri, a fact that Sarabi liked to boast quite a bit. Sarabi was bossy, being the youngest of three cubs, and her temper could be fierce. This temper was one that usually only ever came out when her two older brothers were annoying her.

Now, probably due to crankiness at being woken up, Sarabi's irritation was visible.

"Could he cry any louder?" Sarabi hissed, drawing her paws over her ears.

"Shh!" Nzuri scolded, "He may hear you!"

"Who cares?"

"I do," Nzuri whispered.

And curiously, Nzuri began to rise. She wanted to make sure that the cub was okay. So she began slipping away from her mother's side and started to approach the noise of the screeching.

"Where are you going?" Sarabi called after her, the annoyance tangible in the cub's voice. "Come back and take a nap!"

Nzuri ignored her friend's words and continued. She neared where the noise was coming from, and she hid behind a rock, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping.

"It's not fair, Mother!" The cub was crying. "Why can't I be King? Why must it be Mufasa?"

His mother chided him. "Taka, you don't have to be a king to be just as special as your brother."

Oh.

Belatedly, Nzuri realized how the crying cub was. It was Prince Kutaka – who everyone called Taka for short. He was the younger brother to Mufasa, an older cub who was the future King of the Pridelands. And, from what Nzuri could gather about Taka's outburst, he was not happy about it. She began to feel guilty. Maybe she should not be eavesdropping on royalty.

As she began to back away, her back paw landed on a small, sharp rock on the ground.

She let out a cry at the sudden pain, which alerted the mother and son of her presence. Queen Uru turned her head in the direction of the noise, her expression relaxing when she saw that it was only a cub. Taka, from what Nzuri could see from the corner of her eye, looked embarrassed. His embarrassment was nothing compared to Nzuri's, she was sure, as Queen Uru began making cooing noises at her.

In a matter of moments, Nzuri's face was heating.

"Oh, you poor thing," the Queen said, grabbing her by the scruff. Despite Nzuri's indignant yelp, Queen Uru brought Nzuri close to her and began inspecting her paw. "It looks like you've splintered yourself, little one." Nzuri squirmed in the older lioness' paws, feeling sheepish. Her deep brown eyes flickered up to Nzuri's, asking for permission. "Let me help?"

Nzuri nodded and winced as the Queen carefully withdrew the splinter from her pawpad.

Her face was flaming with embarrassment when the Queen set her back down on the ground, and when she dared a glance at the prince's face, she saw the same look of embarrassment. The Queen found this utterly amusing.

She nudged her son with her paw. "Taka," she said teasingly. "What happened to your tantrum, hm? Are you shy now that a pretty girl is watching you?"

Nzuri felt indignant, and Taka bore a similar expression of mortification. "No, Mother," he mumbled sheepishly under his breath, shuffling with his paws.

His mother only laughed.

Nzuri had always been somewhat of a shy cub. Her mother told her that she had barely even cried when she was born. She wasn't loud or bossy like Sarabi, and she was happy being in her own company. Ordinarily, she would've sheepishly scampered away - back to the safety of her mother.

But now, she had a sudden urge to say something to the other cub.

Finally, she bested her nerves and blurted it out. "I think you're pretty special on your own, Taka," she said quickly. His embarrassment faded and a look of confusion replaced it. His mother beside him also raised a brow. "I meant… I think that I like you well enough, even if you aren't future King."

And for the first time, Nzuri saw Taka smile. She decided then and there that his smile was perhaps one of the most beautiful things she had seen.

Their joy was short-lived though, and quickly replaced with mortification, as the Queen began to make aww noises.

"Aw, look at the two of you," his mother cooed. "How adorable!"

As his mother went on about how perhaps Mufasa and Sarabi weren't the only victims of puppy love in the Pridelands, Nzuri dared a glance at Taka. She expected that she would see anger or irritation because she eavesdropped into their conversation. But when she looked at him, she noticed neither. Instead, his emerald eyes were warm and a small smile played on his muzzle.

Years later in life, when Nzuri would reflect on her relationship with the prince, she realized that moment had been the beginning of everything between them. Later in life, she would wonder if she regretted it. If she wished that she had listened to Sarabi and went back to sleep like her mother had.

But when she remembered his beautiful smile, and how happy she was to have loved him, she realized she didn't regret loving him. She never would.

oOoOo

Nzuri and Taka's relationship had grown in the same way the seasons changed. It was slow, impossible to notice the change when it was happening. But just like summer gradually faded into autumn, and you went from sweat beading in your fur to crunching on the dead leaves under your paws, Nzuri and Taka had developed a beautiful friendship.

In their friendship, Nzuri had taken on the defender role – fiercely protective over Taka.

The other cubs of Priderock had begun to make fun of Taka.

They found the young prince strange. They thought that it was weird how he was scrawny and small in comparison to his older brother, Mufasa. Mufasa, even at a young age, had shown signs of vast physical strength. And while Taka certainly had the lion's share in terms of wit, he was certainly lacking in physical stature. Everyone knew this.

The other cubs would tease him for this, saying that if the wind blew too hard, Taka would fly away.

His name had also become a point of teasing, much to Taka's dismay.

His parents had named him Kutaka. That was his true full name. It meant wanted. Queen Uru and King Ahadi had selected that name for the young prince. To show him that he was just as beloved and just as wanted as his older brother, Mufasa. But nobody ever called him his full name, not even his parents who had selected it. They called Taka, for short. Partially because it was too long and partially because the abbreviation was much catchier.

Personally, Nzuri found his nickname so endearing.

But Taka didn't share the same opinion. While everyone who knew him knew that Taka was simply an abbreviation, the cubs would sometimes tease him for it. Because Taka could be translated as trash.

Prince Trash, they'd call him.

"It's bad enough I can't be King," Taka would often complain to Nzuri, "But I also have a name that means trash?"

Nzuri would just wave his complaints away. "I like Taka," she'd say simply, and that'd usually be enough to quell his insecurities.

But despite Nzuri's soothing, nothing could stop the smile on Taka's face from falling whenever the other cubs would gang up on him.

Nzuri would be so furious at the other cubs when they'd make fun of him. Her shyness would evaporate the very moment a snide comment would leave their mouth, and she'd angrily chase them away. Sometimes this would make her an additional target of some of their teasings, but that was something she could live with. As long as it kept Taka happy.

And for the most part, Taka was happy. Especially when he was with Nzuri.

Currently, Taka and Nzuri were lying in the grassy plains right outside Priderock, basking in the warm midday sun. They had spent the afternoon playing an intense game of baobab ball, and now the two were completely spent.

From behind them, Nzuri heard the voices of Rehema and Siwatu.

"Look what we have here," said the laughing voice of Rehema.

They were the twin older brothers of Sarabi. Despite them being twins, they shared very few similarities. Where Siwatu was broad-shouldered and strong, Rehema was lean and swift. The one similarity, Nzuri noticed, was their mischievous expression that only grew as they neared.

Sarabi was a few feet away from her brothers, giving them an annoyed glance. By now, Sarabi was no longer the baby of the family. Her parents had just introduced their youngest (and hopefully last, according to Sarabi) son - a rambunctious little cub named Fara.

"Hey, knock it off, dummies," said Sarabi bossily, flicking Siwatu with her tail. "Let's go." Her brothers paid her no mind, giggling at the jokes they were developing in their minds. They didn't seem to want to listen to their younger sister. Their attitudes seemed to change, however, when she continued. "I'm going to tell Mom on you guys!"

And just like that, a young Sarabi had employed the greatest threat you could make to a cub.

The two frowned before beginning to turn away. Nzuri gave a grateful smile to Sarabi.

"Oh, fine," said Rehema. "We'll go."

Siwatu, as he was turning, gave a glance back at Nzuri and Taka. Laughing, he said, "Nzuri, does your mom know that you're dating trash?"

This comment earned him a solid swat from Sarabi, whose paw had connected square in his jaw. Nzuri glanced at Taka, whose ashamed face was turned down. Nzuri began to rise, about to take the defense of her friend as she had done countless times in the past. This time, however, she was not the only one who'd rise to Taka's defense.

"How dare you?"

The voice belonged to an angry Mufasa, who was passing by the area when he heard the exchange.

The twins suddenly looked nervous.

Most of the cubs were smart enough to tease Taka when Mufasa wasn't around. Everybody knew better than to make him upset. But this time, they slipped up and made fun of Taka within earshot of his older brother. And despite the fact that Mufasa was also a cub, he was fiercely intimidating. Nzuri was surprised with how his face had contorted with anger.

He bared his teeth and growled out, "Don't you ever make fun of my little brother again, you hear me?"

And nobody wanted to cross Mufasa, so the twins nodded very eagerly.

"Sorry, Mufasa," said Rehema, smacking his twin.

"Yes, sorry," said Siwatu, "It was just a joke."

Mufasa grunted before giving them a curt nod. "It better not happen again."

Nzuri had expected Taka to be grateful for his brother's intervention. But instead, she watched as Taka's face grew pinched and his anger redirected from the twins to his brother. Instead of being appreciative of his elder brother, Taka swatted at his Mufasa. Nzuri knew that the swat couldn't have hurt the older cub, but Mufasa's face looked stung nevertheless.

"Leave me alone!" he had cried.

Mufasa's face bore pure confusion and hurt. "What…?" His voice trailed off as he turned away from his brother's bullies to look at Taka. "I was just trying to help."

Taka had been outraged. "Well, maybe I don't need your help!"

And with that, Taka had turned tail and ran away, leaving everyone else very confused. Mufasa's mouth opened and closed a few times, unsure of how to respond to his younger brother's outburst.

Sarabi, in typical Sarabi fashion, snorted. "You boys are all so dumb!" She harrumped, rolling her eyes.

Mufasa, after a moment, glanced over at Nzuri. "Can you make sure he's alright?" Mufasa asked. "I would…" he trailed off, making a face, "but I don't think he wants to see me right now."

Nzuri nodded. "Of course."

And so Nzuri left the group in search of her friend.

. . .

Later, she found Taka near Priderock, hiding away in a secluded spot.

Quietly, she approached him. "Taka? Are you alright?"

He didn't answer her, instead curling even more on himself. "I hate him, Nzuri."

Nzuri felt herself bristle. "That's mean to say," she said, chiding him. "He was only trying to help."

Taka snorted. "He has everything, and I have nothing. I can't even stand up for myself! He has to come in and do that for me too!" He was turned away from her, but Nzuri suspected there were tears brimming into those emerald eyes of his. "I have no power. I have nothing."

She came close to him without a word and lay next to him, tucking herself near to his chest. This seemed to calm him, but not that much. "You don't have to have what Mufasa has to be powerful," she said quietly. "You have a lot on your own that makes you amazing."

"And what exactly do I have that he doesn't?"

"You have the most genius brain I've ever seen," she said genuinely. Taka was intelligent. Nobody could take that from him. "You're wise." This appeased him, but only slightly, so she continued. "You have such lovely green eyes." It was true. Nzuri had been mesmerized by his green eyes the first time she saw him, and she still was - even now. "And such a kind smile."

The smile came out then, the one Nzuri had always loved seeing.

"You really mean all that?"

Taka's voice was apprehensive as if he didn't trust her words. She felt sad at this. "Of course, I do," she said, and she hoped that her words sounded as genuine as she meant them to be. "And," she continued in a sly voice, "You have me."

He grinned. "That's true. I do have you."

"You always will."

"Always?" He quirked a brow. "Aren't you worried they'll say you're dating trash?"

She snickered. "If you're trash, I can't imagine what the rest of them would be."

And with that, she raised her head and pressed her lips against his in a quick, innocent kiss. After that, she blushed wildly and hid her face from him, to which he teased her.

The day had been significant. It marked the last time anybody ever made fun of the prince. This was due partially because Mufasa had scared them into never bothering Taka again. And also partially because everyone was growing up and away from their immaturity. It also marked the first time Nzuri had kissed him. She admitted to him that she was his. That she'd always be his.

She hoped that would be enough to quell the insecurities and jealousy that Taka harbored against his brother. She hoped that she would be enough for him. Enough for him to put aside his selfish ambitions.

And in the end, she was not enough.

oOoOo

They were happy for several months, for nearly a year, before the cracks began to show in their relationship.

Taka grew more withdrawn from the Pride. He began spending more time to himself, not interacting with the other lions of his age, and only returning when it was time to eat. He would begin to separate Nzuri from her friends, insisting that he wanted to spend time with her alone. But when they would spend time together, Nzuri had a feeling he didn't want to spend time with her - but rather just time away from the Pride.

This feeling was proven true when Taka began separating himself from her too.

Queen Uru would grow concerned with Taka's absence and immediately come to ask Nzuri where he was. And Nzuri couldn't help but feel hurt every time she would have to shrug, because the lion she loved didn't care enough to tell her where he was going. He became less kind and more abrasive.

Whenever Sarabi's older brothers had come to him apologizing for their teasing, he had been downright rude.

"We're sorry about the stuff that happened when we were younger," said Siwatu, a genuine look on his face.

Rehema had been by his side, nodding. "Yeah, I'm sorry too. We were just stupid kids and really didn't think that it was wrong."

"You too, Nzuri," Siwatu continued, glancing at her. "We honestly just thought it was harmless. But obviously, no we've gotten older and realized how mouse-brained we were."

Nzuri had smiled and told them that she'd forgiven them. For the past year or so, they hadn't bothered Taka or Nzuri, and now they were coming with a genuine apology. Of course, she would forgive them. Besides, they were right. They were all getting older, and a big part of becoming more mature is learning how to let small things go. So she did.

Taka, however, did not. He only rolled his eyes at the brothers. "Whatever," he muttered before walking away.

Where he had gone, he would never tell her.

And as time went on, other cracks began to show as well.

Tensions between the royal brothers increased, with their desperate parents trying to quell the conflict. Mufasa could be stubborn and Taka was immensely jealous of the gifts that his older brother received. King Ahadi didn't seem too bothered by his son's fighting, saying that it was just normal sibling rivalry. Queen Uru was not convinced.

She had tried talking to both boys, but neither seemed inclined to listen. Mufasa was upset that his brother hated him for no apparent reason, and Taka emphasized that he didn't hate Mufasa but rather what Mufasa had.

That was something Taka had often tried explaining to Nzuri, but she wasn't having it.

"Why does it matter?" She finally snapped one day, angry after hearing another one of his rants. "Who cares? Mufasa's the next king! So what?"

Taka's eyes had widened. "So what? So he'll have everything that I've ever wanted, and I get nothing! All because I was born after him!"

Nzuri had been annoyed. "Okay, Mufasa gets more tension that he has to deal with. Lucky him!"

"He gets to be important!"

"You're also important!" Nzuri had yelled. It was one of the first times she had yelled at him like that, the anger laced in her words. "You're important to me."

Taka's eyes widened. But they didn't give in. "I want to be important to everyone. Not just to you," he said.

Nzuri could practically hear the unspoken words that should've come next. Being important to you is not enough. But he didn't have the courage to speak those words. He gave her a hard look, and with that, he walked away - leaving a heartbroken Nzuri in his wake. That was the day she realized that she wouldn't ever be enough for him.

And that was something she would have to live with.

Later that day, she walked back to Priderock with her tail in between her legs and her eyes red-rimmed from crying. After her fight with Taka, she had been aimlessly wandering the Pridelands, completely dejected. It hurt knowing that the lion you put above everything else couldn't do the same for you. Taka loved her, she knew that much. But he loved power more.

Only once it got dark did Nzuri decide it was time to head home.

As she reached Priderock, she could see Sarabi and Sarafina lounging on the rocks - basking in the evening sun.

"Nzuri, are you alright?" Sarafina asked, raising a brow.

Sarafina was younger than both Sarabi and Nzuri, but her eyes seemed to bear a much greater wisdom than the lionesses of her age. She wouldn't partake in their favorite hobbies like baobab ball or tag - she considered herself above it all. Whilst Sarabi and Nzuri would giggle over the royal brothers, Sarafina would roll her eyes at them.

Now, Sarafina's eyes held nothing but concern as she glanced at her friend.

Sarabi too glanced up at the mention of Nzuri. "Oh, wow," she blurted out. "You look awful." That earned her a swat from Sarafina.

Nzuri, in a mixture of laughter and sobs, sat down near them. Blubbering, she managed to tell her friends what had happened between her and Taka. How she knew that his love for her wouldn't ever be greater than his resentment towards Mufasa. Sarabi was never the greatest fan of Taka, and Sarafina was never the greatest fan of boys in general, so neither friend was particularly considerate towards Taka.

"He's nothing but bad news, Nzuri," warned Sarabi. "Bad news."

"But I love him," blubbered Nzuri, crying into her friend's shoulder. "I love him so much."

Sarabi continued to console her, hugging her and whispering comforting things into her ear. Besides them, Sarafina grew agitated.

"Nzuri, you're one of the smartest lionesses I know. Why are you wasting your time crying over a stupid guy?" Nzuri began to babble out a response, probably something along the lines of how much she cared about him when Sarafina lifted a paw. "I already know you love him. But good grief, girl, don't you love yourself more?"

Nzuri nodded because she knew that was the right thing to do. But in her heart, she wasn't sure. She didn't know who she was without Taka. And how could you love someone you didn't know?

. . .

In the following days, Taka tried speaking to Nzuri - but her friends chased him away. And deep down, she knew that they were doing the right thing. But it didn't make it any harder.

"You need to figure out how to love yourself," Sarafina had said strictly, giving her an admonishing look.

And Nzuri agreed.

First, she would need to figure out who she was without Taka. The interests and hobbies that she had without him being there to influence her. It was hard at first, she wouldn't lie. But slowly, just as slowly as she had fallen in love with Taka, she began to fall in love with herself too.

She discovered that she was an amazing swimmer. Because Taka never enjoyed the water - Nzuri hadn't ever had the chance to learn how to swim. But Sarafina and Sarabi dragged her out to Big Springs and taught her how to swim. She didn't like it at first, making the same excuses that Taka would whenever someone tried dragging him to the water.

"Oh, why would I willingly dirty myself? I have much better things to be doing!"

Sarabi had giggled snarkily. "Oh, like what? Moping around Priderock?"

And, realizing that her friend was right, she stepped into Big Springs. And that afternoon, they taught her how to float.

Over the next few days, floating turned into paddling. And then paddling turned into swimming. By the end of it, Nzuri was a stronger swimmer than both of her friends.

One afternoon, they were swimming together - just as they had done many times before.

Nzuri had gone under the water, giggling under the water as she watched her friend's paws limply paddle. It had been several hours, and she knew that her friends were growing tired, but Nzuri wasn't spent yet. So after promising that this would be her last swim of the day, she dove underneath the water and began swimming to the other side of Big Springs.

Just as she resurfaced on the other side, she bumped her head roughly into something.

She sputtered as she resurfaced, trying to refill her lungs with air and relieve herself from her new headache. She looked up, half-expecting to see a hippo or crocodile that she disturbed. She was already forming apologies, ready to profusely apologize to whoever she bumped into. However, Nzuri looked up only to be met with the surprised emerald eyes of Taka.

"Nzuri?" Taka's voice was surprised. "What're you doing here? You can swim?"

Nzuri didn't know what to say at first. It was the first time they had spoken since their fight, and she wasn't prepared for it. She forced her voice to be calm as she spoke. "I can now," she replied.

A look of hurt flashed across his face. "I missed you," he said, his voice soft. "I've been trying to speak to you, but your guards over there," he gestured to Sarabi and Sarafina, who were still on the other side of Big Springs, "haven't let me."

She nodded. "I asked them not to, Taka." He looked wounded, something that nearly broke Nzuri's heart all over again. But she forced herself to be strong. "I deserve someone who'll put me first. Someone who'll think that having me makes them special enough. Someone who can love me more than they hate their brother."

"I don't hate Mufasa," said Taka quickly, an answer Nzuri heard countless times.

She didn't have the energy to argue with him. "We both know that's not true," Nzuri said, and this time, Taka didn't bother arguing that fact. "I love you, Taka. I think I always will. But someone needs to put me first, and if that person can't be you, it'll have to be me."

Taka didn't have anything to say in return. His only response was an entirely heartbroken look that Nzuri had to look away from. She couldn't bear to look at him when he was so wounded. She secretly hoped that he would just leave. And that she wouldn't have to look at his pitiful expression anymore. Because she wasn't sure that she'd stay strong to her conviction if he kept looking at her like that.

Taka seemed to get the message and began turning to leave. Before leaving, he turned to look at her once again. "I respect your decision," he said. "But know that I'll always be here if you need me."

Nzuri nodded and watched as he turned to leave, having no idea how soon she would have to take him up on that offer.

. . .

She was at the watering hole the first time it happened.

Her head began to ache in an unusual way. Almost as if something stored away deep within her brain was trying to bubble up to the surface of her skull, trying desperately to break free. The headache had lasted nearly the entire morning, progressively getting worse with time. And she wasn't sure what could be the reason for it.

Her mother had advised her to get some word, waving away her daughter's concerns as nothing but a symptom of the intense heat.

So Nzuri listened.

As she approached the watering hole, she found that she wasn't alone. Taka was already there, at the water's edge, lapping at the water. He too was looking for a drink in the middle of the dry season. She sucked in a breath. It had been a few weeks since they last spoke, and Taka had made it a point to avoid her and give her the space that she needed.

Trying not to make it awkward, she approached the watering hole a few feet away from where he was, her headache growing only more painful.

"Relax," he said quietly, breaking the silence. "I'll leave you alone."

She nodded vaguely and began to lap at the water. She couldn't drink too much before her head had reached the worst of the pain. It literally felt like it was mere seconds away from bursting. So she stood up and staggered out, trying to find her footing. From the other side of the watering hole, Nzuri could see Taka giving her a perplexed look.

"Nzuri? Are you alright?" He asked, and that was the last thing she remembered before falling into a world of black.

When she reopened her eyes, she was terrified to discover that she wasn't at the watering hole.

What made it even worse was the fact that Nzuri was somewhere she definitely wasn't supposed to be. A place that the older lions of the Pride would make sure to warn the cubs against. Nobody really knew what exactly happened there, but everyone knew it was bad and definitely not a place for Nzuri to be. She let out a cry.

She was in the Elephant Graveyard, surrounded by mountains of bones. She was horrified, suddenly feeling very small.

"Taka?" Nzuri called, looking around.

To her horror, Taka's voice didn't answer her. She was here completely alone.

As she began trying to search for a way out of this place and back to the Pridelands, she began to hear this pitiful cry from somewhere to her left. It was a sound she had heard quite a bit in Priderock: the cry of a cub. She knew that she shouldn't follow the noise, that she should try to find safety, but she couldn't just ignore a cub crying out for help.

So Nzuri quickly turned on her heel and began following the sound. As she neared, the crying grew weaker, as if the cub had no energy left to even cry. This only made Nzuri double her efforts and run even faster in the direction of the noise.

"Hello?" She called, "Where are you?"

A louder cry and a call for help sounded, and she ran towards the noise. She rounded a corner of bones and was shocked at what she found.

There was a young lion cub, scared and skinny, hiding amongst a pile of bones. The little cub was pressed against the pile, trying to hide from the vultures that were circling nearby. Nzuri let out a sigh of relief when she found him, and the cub glanced up but didn't look at her. It was almost as if he was looking past her. Confused, Nzuri bent down to inspect the cub.

"Don't worry, little one," she whispered, "You're safe now."

And when she bent to pick him up by his scruff, her head began to hurt again very sharply. Letting out a cry, she closed her eyes tightly.

And when she reopened her eyes, she was no longer at the Elephant's Graveyard, and the cub was mysteriously gone.

She was back at the watering hole, lying on the grass. And when she looked up, instead of looking at a mountain of bones, she found the terrified face of Taka staring back at her. Nzuri instantly shot up like a spring, sputtering nonsense about the graveyard and the cub, to which Taka's expression grew even more confused.

"What are you talking about?" Taka finally demanded, his emerald eyes widened. "Are you okay?"

Nzuri was crying at this point, feeling so overwhelmed. "I don't know!" She cried. "I woke up in the Elephant's Graveyard, and then there was this little lost cub, and then I woke up here again! I need to go, I need to-" Wobbling, she began to stand and prepared herself to head to the graveyard, very determined to rescue the cub. Taka nudged her, forcing her to sit back on the ground. "What're you doing?"

"What am I doing?" repeated Taka incredulously, his eyes widening. "What are you doing? You're not obviously not feeling well! You need to sit down, now."

"Please, Taka, I can't just leave him there," she begged, tears welling up in her eyes.

"So you want to go into the Elephant's Graveyard?" He was shaking his head. "No, absolutely not. You need to see the Royal Mjuzi."

And with that, he began pushing her to her paws. "No! We need to go help him!"

Taka sighed deeply through his nose. "Fine," he said, finally relenting. "You need to see Sauda first, and then we can go rescue your cub."

And so Nzuri nodded and followed Taka to Sauda's tree.

. . .

Sauda's reaction was something that surprised Nzuri.

She had expected the Royal Mjuzi to wave her off, saying that it was just a hallucination induced by the heat. She knew that was what Taka was hoping for too. But Nzuri was surprised when Sauda's face grew concerned, and she asked Nzuri to repeat her vision in greater detail. Taka had been rolling her eyes near her, clearly over this situation.

"Sauda, please tell her this is ridiculous," Taka said, looking at the Royal Mjuzi. He grew a little bit anxious whenever the old mandrill didn't say anything. "Sauda..? You're going to tell her right?"

Sauda let out a deep sigh. "I don't know, young prince," she murmured. "I don't think we should ignore something like this. I've never heard of such visions occurring, but I don't want to ignore the great spirits of the past if they're trying to speak to us."

Taka's mouth dropped. "Great spirits of the past?" He echoed, incredulous. "You're going to let Nzuri go to the Elephant's Graveyard because of the great spirits of the past?"

"Oh, I'll go with her, of course," Sauda said, to everyone's surprise.

"Let's go then," said Nzuri, quickly making her way to get out of the tree. She didn't want to waste a single second of time, not when she saw how ill the little cub had seemed. Taka blocked her exit, giving everyone dumbfounded looks.

"Okay, so let me get this straight," he said, his eyes widening. "One lioness and an old mandrill are going into the Elephant Graveyard - one of the most dangerous places in the Pridelands - completely by themselves out of superstition?" When Nzuri nodded, giving him her bravest face, Taka's shoulders slumped in exasperation. "Fine, go then."

And so Nzuri and Sauda began to leave. Nzuri was surprised when Taka began following them. She turned to him, cocking a brow questioningly. "Where are you going?" she asked.

Taka made a face, grimacing. "You think I'm just going to let you go alone?" he asked in disbelief. "You've already forgotten what kind of a lion I am?"

And she could hear the pain in his voice, something that made Nzuri gnaw at the inside of her cheek. Sauda gave them a curious glance but didn't say anything. Nzuri didn't say anything else, keeping quiet. She needed to focus on the cub she had seen in her vision. She needed to focus on saving the tiny, scrawny cub who was shaking in fear.

And so, the unlikely trio made their way to the Elephant's Graveyard.

. . .

"I told you that this was a waste of time! There's nothing here in this wretched place. Nothing but stupid bones!"

Taka's complaints were floating through the air as the trio were exploring the area.

They had been in the Elephant's Graveyard for nearly an hour, searching through the place in search of the mysterious cub that she had seen. The place was practically a maze, with mountains upon mountains of bones everywhere. There were paths strewn about, and path was a generous word to describe it. The paths were only really places where the bone piles were shallow enough to walk.

And what made it worse was that it was completely silent. Unlike in her vision, and how she was able to use the cub's crying to find him, there were no noises apart from those that the three made.

"I'm telling you, I know what I saw!" Nzuri argued.

Taka rolled his eyes, ducking his head to check in another pile. "You've really lost it."

Nzuri felt hurt. "Why can't you believe me?"

"Oh, I believe you saw what you say you did. There's no doubt in my mind that you think this is real," he said, his tone a bit biting. "But how can I believe that this vision you saw is real? That the spirits of the past are speaking through you?"

"Because I think it's real? And you should at least give what I believe in some respect?"

Taka looked at her, and for once she didn't find comfort in looking at his emerald eyes. Instead, his eyes were sharp and cold, anger and hurt taking away their warmth. "And why should I?"

Nzuri faltered, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to figure out a response. "Well, you used to before." She didn't need to explain when before was. They both already knew.

Taka scoffed. "Lots of things are different than they were before."

Nzuri had nearly replied, Yeah, and who's fault is that? Who decided to push me away? Me or you? when she was interrupted by a sudden loud noise of surprise from Sauda. In their spat, Taka and Nzuri hadn't realized that the Royal Mjuzi had wandered away from them - because when they looked around, she was nowhere in sight.

"Sauda?" Nzuri called, her eyes widening in alarm. Taka's face also grew concerned as he began to look around for the old mandrill.

After several moments, Sauda called out to them. "Nzuri! Taka!" Her voice was frantic and bore concern. "Come here! Now!"

They exchanged a glance before running in the direction of the noise, automatically assuming the worst. There was a reason nobody was allowed in this part of the Pridelands. There were dangerous beings here, slithering around and hiding among the bones. This place beckoned vultures and hyenas alike, the latter being a sworn enemy of any lion.

Taka was in the lead, his longer limbs carrying his further than Nzuri's could.

Nzuri watched as he rounded a corner and let out a gasp of surprise, his emerald eyes widening at what he saw on the other side.

She was panting at this point, struggling to keep up. Finally, she rounded the same corner, nearly bumping into Taka in the process. "What? What's going on?" She asked breathlessly, lifting her head to look. And when she looked up, she was sure that her expression mirrored Taka's surprise. Because Sauda standing in the exact same spot that Nzuri's vision had brought her to.

And furthermore, in Sauda's arms was a tiny, skinny cub.

"This is not possible..." Taka was murmuring, his wide eyes darting back and forth between Nzuri and the cub.

Nzuri inched forward towards Sauda, completely ignoring Taka's disbelief. "Oh, you sweet thing," she whispered, trying to soothe the shivering cub. She pressed soft kisses all over the little cub's head, a strong maternal feeling welling up inside of her at the sight of him. She had been the one to rescue this little cub, and there was now a fierce protectiveness surging through her. "Will he be alright, Sauda?"

Sauda too was breathless, her face lit in disbelief. She turned the cub over in her hands, inspecting him. "He's skinny and weak. And scared like anything," she said, narrowing her eyes in concentration. "But I don't see anything too serious yet. I'll need to take him back to my tree to nurse him to health." Sauda then brought both of her arms together around the cub in a comforting hug. "Poor thing," she said sadly. "Who knows what this little one has been through."

Nzuri nodded. Beside her, Taka was still shaking his head in disbelief. "How did he even get here?" He asked, clearly ignoring the larger question of, How in the world did you know he was here, Nzuri?

Nobody answered his question, because nobody really knew the answer. This cub wasn't a Pridelander, that was for sure. He must've run away from another Pride and no longer had the strength to continue. Either that or he must've been abandoned here. She wasn't sure which one was worse. Regardless, she knew for certain that this poor cub had seen far too much suffering in his young lifetime.

She bent her head towards the cub once more, pressing her nose to his little nose. "Don't worry, little one," she whispered. "You're okay now."

It was then the little cub opened his eyes for the first time. He had large, round eyes - something that reminded her almost of an owl. He peered up at her curiously, his gaze so intense for someone so little. There were fat tears welling up in those round eyes, most likely the result of him being absolutely terrified. The look nearly broke Nzuri's heart.

"Oh, it's alright," said Nzuri soothingly. "I won't let anyone hurt you again."

And when Nzuri spoke that promise into the barren land, she vowed to keep it for the rest of her life. As long as she could help it, this little cub would be safe.

A/N: Happy Thanksgiving for anyone who's reading this! I hope you liked this chapter, and interested in hearing your thoughts on Nzuri/Taka. Also, I'm going to take a few weeks break from posting - I'm working on the next chapter, but I'm lacking a bit of inspiration so it's going pretty slowly. As always, feedback is always welcome and PM is always open.