A/N: I can only apologise for not giving you a chapter last week. Up until now, every chapter was written at least a week in advance due to how my rewrites went. I've been having to dedicate more time to real life over the past few weeks. I actually planned on having the 'peace talks' taking place this chapter, but as you can probably see, this is another big one on it's own. Never mind, I think I've produced an adequately intriguing chapter in its own right. I hope you will go on to agree. But before we carry on with the story, I shall respond to last chapter's reviews.
Jestalnaker94000: Yeah, that was a close call for them! We will be seeing more of Uonevu over the course of this story, but rest assured, one day, he will get his comeuppance.
Joe Ree (Guest): Thank you again for your reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far!
I must have been so weary that I hadn't the energy to have a dream. It was the most pleasant sleep I enjoyed since my arrival at these lands, but I would have counted it as slightly below-average sleep quality, not least because of the hard surface on which I lay. I stretched my leg to wring out stiffness but I found myself recoiling my leg. Not because I had almost pulled a muscle, but because my foot touched a lioness' tail - it belonged to Hatima. I didn't get a chance to see how they were settling in, I made a mental note to do that as soon as an opportunity arose. I propped myself up with my elbows behind my back, looked down at Morgan, and smiled weakly as he was sleeping with his mouth hanging open. I gently folded the blanket from my side over to Morgan's side and used the rugged and cold wall to help me to my feet. It was still dark, but looking at the entrance to the cave, I saw that the sky was a gentle gradient of black and pale blue.
I looked back at the pride and saw at the end of the cave, on a raised platform, the King, his Queen and their son sleeping soundly, with the cub sleeping under the mighty paw of his father. At that moment, I would be in denial if I said I wasn't envious of Simba. He had a courageous and wise father and a supportive and resilient mother. For the last eight years, I had neither, for different respective reasons, of course. And the cub already had a life companion. I didn't know if I would end up spending the rest of my life with Abigail, but now I am robbed of that possibility. She probably now thinks I'm dead anyway.
I then put on my shoes and tiptoed toward the entrance of the cave and saw that it had recently stopped raining. The air was fresh and the wind carried the scent of rain. It was still precipitating elsewhere in the Pride Lands.
I took care when descending the slope as it was considerably slippery. I practically marched through the grass, but in the end, this did nothing to save my shoes from getting drenched. Nonetheless, I made my way to the waterhole in good time - the time it took to get there was reducing with each time I travelled there. When I arrived at the shores of the waterhole, I saw that there were already some animals there. I cupped my hands under the surface of the water and brought them to my face, cleansing my skin and waking me up even more. I then drank a couple of handfuls of water. I found that my lack of toothpaste would be no issue, as the water had the apparent ability to remove food debris from my teeth and the light pink colouration of my gums had not diminished.
The second handful of water was to extinguish the dryness in my mouth that had developed as I slept. The third handful was for the taste. The fourth handful was disturbed by someone calling my name, which caused me to almost choke on it.
"Alex?" a boy's voice called. As I stood up, I rotated my body to face the person to whom the voice belonged. It was Morgan.
"Oh, Morgan…" I exhaled. "What are you doing here so early?" I asked with a chuckle.
"Well, the same as you, to clean my teeth," Morgan replied. "But… I wanted to talk to you about something," he said at length and looked to the floor with his hands in his pockets.
"Come here," I told him gently and curled my finger. We walked to a rocky outcrop that had an indent under it that had a dry floor and sat down in it.
"What is it?" I asked. Morgan sighed.
"It's going to sound pathetic, but I'm jealous of you and Simba," he said, still not looking at me.
I waited for my urge to chuckle to dissipate. I didn't wish to humiliate or belittle him for his feelings. He wouldn't feel this way for no reason. "Why are you jealous?" I asked gently.
"It's just that… you two are united by bond and destiny, but what part am I to play in all of this?" he asked. I smiled.
"That's an awfully big question for a small person," I responded. Morgan scoffed.
"Rafiki said about how we are all pawns in someone else's game," he recalled. "Do you think that's true?" he asked, only now looking at me.
I sighed and looked out at the waterhole. "These animals all have their place in the Circle of Life, but it's not some simulation. They have fun. They can make their own choices. They can suffer consequences. You don't have to go about looking for your path, I'm not saying it will unwind before you, but you are allowed to live for the moment," I said.
Morgan was silent. All that could be heard was the increasing number of animals greeting each other and disturbing the water with their tongues or trunks.
"What am I to you, Alex?" Morgan broke the background soundtrack.
"What do you mean?" I asked. At this point, I was asking that question myself. There was a common trauma between myself and Morgan. Not just surviving a plane crash but also losing a mother.
"You and Simba are like brothers, and you and Mufasa are like a father and son, but… what is there between us? Sure, I've made new friends, including Simba, but… I-" Morgan stuttered before chuckling. "I don't know how to explain it," he admitted.
"I think I get what you mean," I assured him. "When we first came to Pride Rock, we were just two people trying to survive, but now, we've helped each other open up about our grief, and… that means something," I said. "I now truly care for you, but I don't know how to describe my sense of duty over you, it's clearly not a father-son type, more of a sibling relationship," I explained.
"I always wanted a sibling," Morgan smiled.
"And having a twin brother wasn't always as good as you'd think," I chuckled. Sometimes, I would get bored and frustrated with Lewis, and it was only when our paths in academia diverged that I learned to appreciate Lewis but we still had to be our own people. After the terror attack, I initially wanted to be with him after I was almost taken from him, but this feeling progressively reduced from when his arm healed to when our mother died because I was hiding my self-harming. I found that I didn't have to wear long-sleeve shirts because of my healing abilities, but I was still reclusive and aloof during that dark period.
"I… I never got to have a younger sibling," I said weakly as my eyes began to form a layer of liquid that threatened to fall down my cheek. I closed them to alleviate the stinging sensation and let my head drop into my hands. I opened my eyes and looked into Morgan's when he placed his hand on my forearm, and I saw sympathy and compassion. Through the historical hurt that he had known, there remained kindness.
"Your place is here, not just in the Pride Lands, but under my protection and guidance," I proclaimed. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect you from further tragedy and people who wish to hurt you," I vowed. A feeling of immense energy fuelled by a determination to protect Morgan made me feel compelled to expel it through the nearest available outlet - my voice.
I remember that day,
And so do you.
Alone in the world,
Forced to start anew,
That's all we knew to do.
And so I vow, and so I vow,
To uphold my duty to thou.
In my hand, your hand will be held,
Until the ending of the world.
Given that my voice was still recovering from half a small gig worth of singing, and despite my recent intake of water, my throat was irritated and I couldn't help but cough.
"Word of advice…" I could barely speak above a whisper and had to cough again. "Don't sing the morning after a concert the evening before," I finished. Morgan giggled.
"That was simultaneously lovely and morbid," he reviewed.
"You're okay, kid," I smiled and palmed his cheek.
After Morgan cleaned his teeth, he and Alex returned to Pride Rock and saw that the lionesses were preparing to go about their daily routine. Some were even discussing the weather, which Alex thought was a surprisingly British aspect that he had not expected to encounter.
"It must have rained through the night," remarked Naanda, the sister of Sarabi, who was just as muscular as the Queen, but while Naanda had a more elegant facial structure, Sarabi's was more regal and quadratic. Both had medium brown pelts, but Naanda's was a shade darker.
"These clouds are depressing," Nala sighed as she walked beside her mother. Nala had inherited her mother's eyes, which were blue with a teal hue. I could see why Simba would enjoy looking into those eyes. Sarafina lowered her head to her daughter's level and whispered something into her ear, which perked her up a little bit.
"They make me feel hungry," Kula complained as she straggled behind her mother, from whom she had inherited her pelt and her brown eyes.
"You're always hungry," Nala remarked with a grin on her face.
"That's not true!" Kula retorted defensively. "I'm not hungry when I'm asleep," she said. Nala shook her head in amusement, but everyone's attention shifted to the cave at the foot of Pride Rock.
"YAAAAHOOOO!"
A golden-pelted lion cub emerged from the darkness and ran straight up to the edge of the promontory and yelled at the top of his lungs.
"MY MANE IS COMING IN!"
He promptly ran back down and practically leapt down the slope and sprinted towards the lionesses.
"Auntie Naanda, my mane is coming in!" Simba exclaimed jubilantly as he jumped onto the said lioness' back, ran along her body and jumped off from her head.
"That's- oof, wonderful to- eugh… hear Simba," Naanda's response was interrupted when the cub jumped onto and off of her respectively.
"Sarafina, my mane is coming in!" Simba shouted as he circled the amused lioness who quickly regretted trying to follow the cub who would become her son-in-law, who then ran between her legs and pounced on Nala, sending them somersaulting a few times. When they came to a stop, Simba had pinned her to the floor.
"Nala, my mane is coming in, see?" he said before he nuzzled her neck. Nala giggled but took the time to focus on the patch of fur on Simba's forehead that grew a little longer, and she smiled when she saw, through the bright golden fur, a pair of bright red hairs, one of them slightly longer than the other. Her smile of excitement, pride and amusement turned to one of mischievousness. She then shifted her weight and Simba found himself pinned against the dust and stone.
"You could have the biggest mane a lion could grow, but I'll always end up on top," Nala declared.
"Is that so?" Simba grinned before he pushed her off and they growled before they leapt at each other. A close but playful battle between the cubs ensued, mostly composed of the locking of arms as they stood on their hind legs, trying to force the other over, with the odd nip of the ear or soft bat against the cheek. Eventually, Nala pinned Simba against the floor once again.
"Yep," she answered.
Simba folded his arms in a humph but looked up when a shadow was cast over the cubs. It was Alex, with Morgan standing beside him.
Alex's POV
"Oh, Alex, I have something to show you," Simba said as he pushed Nala off of him again.
I knelt down to Simba's level. The cub put a paw on his forehead.
"Look, my mane is coming in!" he said. I ruffled the patch of fur and saw the two strands of red hair in it.
"I can see that," I chuckled. "Congratulations, I suppose," I shrugged.
"Hey, why don't you and Morgan come with us to play by the river?" the cub asked excitedly.
"Can we, Alex?" Morgan jumped on the spot. As I was observing how excited this made Morgan and Simba, I saw that Hatima and her daughter were talking with Mufasa and Sarabi as they exited the cave.
"Yeah, uh, you go ahead with Simba, I'll catch you up," I said before I walked towards the slope that led to the promontory. Just as I arrived at the foot of the slope, the King and Queen were walking down.
"Good morning, Alex," Mufasa greeted with a nod.
"Mufasa, Sarabi," I returned the gesture as they passed me. I ascended the slope, which was beginning to dry out. A ray of sunlight managed to break through the clouds and I walked through the spotlight and it felt like walking through a waterfall of radiant yet pleasant heat.
Hatima was looking out at the savannah below. I guessed that, for the first time in a long time, she was at ease. It was as if she could take the time to breathe and observe her surroundings.
"Good morning, Hatima," I said as I walked up the promontory. Hatima turned to face me and smiled.
"Indeed it is, Alex," she replied. "Even though the weather is… less than glorious, this is the best morning that my daughter and I have known for many moons," she declared with a cathartic exhale.
"And why is that?" I asked, even though I knew what she might say.
"Because this morning, my daughter and I were woken up by the sound of an excited cub celebrating his mane coming in and not a panicked lioness telling us that the Ironclaws had entered their territory," she said, before turning to face me.
"Because of you, we haven't had to look behind our backs since the high sun of yesterday," she said. "I don't think we can ever thank you enough," she added as she nuzzled my arm.
"I did what any decent human, or… lion would do in that situation," I said.
"Unfortunately, it seems that the decent folk you speak of are becoming more difficult to come by," she sighed.
"Mom, can I go and play with the other cubs?" a younger voice asked from behind. I turned my head to see that it was Safiri. She had a more confident and relaxed posture and expression than when I first met her.
"Of course, my daughter, it would do you good," Hatima acquiesced with a smile.
Safiri and I began our journey to the river where the cubs were playing. On our way, I found that she was more talkative than when I first met her. This was understandable, as she probably hadn't had the chance to build confidence around and trust in other people.
"I thought Morgan was an uncommon name for a lion," Safiri chuckled. As we left, I told her the names of the cubs and who we would probably see at the river that snaked through the kingdom like a reflective ribbon, along with the boy that had survived the plane crash with me. The river looked like it was relatively high and unsettled, and I wondered if the cubs were intending on entering the river as part of their games.
"Yeah, nah, he's a human, like me," I replied.
"In some ways, I am as lucky as I am unlucky," Safiri commented.
"How so?" I asked.
"While I haven't been able to make many friends since I left home, I doubt there are many lions who can say they have been saved by a human, let alone meet one," she responded.
"Yeah, I heard humans have a bad rep in some minds," I remarked, remembering what Scar said when I first met him. Were humans the monster figures that mothers would talk about to get their cubs to behave? I suppose humans have always been either afraid or too curious about lions. Was I the first human to know the truth about lion societies and the hierarchy of this animal kingdom? Did my ancestors really come across and fight alongside lions against the forces of evil? Was the animosity between lions and humans just thousands of years worth of misunderstanding?
"Well, I only knew humans existed since yesterday, and from what I've seen, they're not that bad," she said.
"Trust me, I'm not like most humans, on multiple counts," I said, hardly forgetting that I was perhaps the only human being who could heal a cut in a matter of minutes, or sooner if it was necessary.
"And you're not like most lions, who would either pretend we didn't exist or push us along when trouble arrived," Safiri replied. "I can see that you and Mufasa are different, you are one of the few who have respect for the Circle of Life these days," she added.
"You follow the ways of the Circle of Life as well, huh?" I asked.
"Of course, though we haven't seen it practised like this," she motioned to the surrounding environment. "We haven't seen anything like it for many moons, it's as if other prides we come across have lost the ability or will to listen to the voice of Aiehu," she lamented.
"Aiehu?" I questioned. Safiri gave me an almost affronted expression. "Forgive me, I'm a bit of a newcomer to all of this," I said.
"Aiehu is our creator, our compass, that's what my mom says," she said while rolling her eyes. "That's what we've been telling ourselves, that our faith will be rewarded, but we've only heralded trouble everywhere we go," she sighed.
I could somewhat relate to that. I guessed that before our arrival, the Pride Lands had known no major conflicts between species or other lions. On the first night, we had caused a diplomatic crisis which subsequently triggered a war, which led to Simba almost being killed. All we could do now is to at least try to restore the equilibrium or fight. This situation fell into place in front of us and to avoid dealing with it would be no solution.
We finally made it to the area beside the river where the cubs were playing, adjacent to the inner bend of a meander that looked like the sediment deposited by the current was usually exposed but the raised river level kept it hidden from view.
Morgan was sitting on one of several rocks that lay under the reach of a tree with a gnarly trunk that was fed by low branches that rose to twenty feet into the air. He was watching Simba, who appeared to be rough-housing with the other cubs. It appeared that the coming in of his first mane hairs had turned him more confident and energetic but also eager to prove his strength as a lion. I guess most lions act this way when the symbol of their might begins to grow in. Similar behaviour could be found in human teenage boys as they grew into men - even I wasn't immune to the effects of the chemical processes going on in my brain, even though I had a more interesting journey through puberty than most for several reasons.
"Simba, the fighting for the re-enactment was just for yesterday," Kula complained from the sidelines, sounding as if she had gone through intense physical exertion.
"This isn't about the re-enactment, it's about proving to all of you that I'm the best fighter," Simba declared. This was met with howls of laughter.
"You, the best fighter? You can't even beat a girl!" Chumvi laughed.
"Who says girls can't be good fighters?" Nala asked the brown cub accusingly. Her icy glare even made Simba take a step back.
"W-well… I-I mean, girls are better suited for hunting, aren't they?" Chumvi stuttered and chuckled nervously with his ears pinned to his head as he wilted under Nala's piercing glare.
"What do you need to be a good hunter? Sharp claws, strong teeth and agile movement," Tama listed with the fingers of her paw. "Those very things make a good fighter also," she added.
"How are you going to decide who is the better fighter?" Morgan asked as he stood up on top of one of the rocks and began stepping on each of them, steadying himself after stepping on each rock. "Just a free-for-all or round-robin?" he asked further.
"Round-robin?" Simba questioned. "I've never heard of that before," he admitted.
"Basically, every fighter would fight each other one at a time," Morgan explained as he stepped onto another rock.
"Okay, we'll do it that way," Simba declared. "Kula, are you playing?" Simba called for the cub who was caught stalking a hyrax which was alerted to the cub's presence when Simba called her name. Kula grunted in frustration as she saw the hyrax scurry off into a bush before exhaling.
"I don't think that's a question I need answering, Simba," was her response.
"Okay, that makes it four," Simba remarked. "So, the way you win is by either pinning your opponent or putting them in the water," the prince explained.
"But the water's really high, what if we get caught in a current?" Nala asked.
"All the more reason to not get put in the water," Simba smirked. Nala rolled her eyes. I shared her concern and wasn't comforted by his response. I then mentally prepared myself for some swimming.
The schedule was decided. Simba would fight Tama, Chumvi would fight Nala, Tama would fight Chumvi, and Simba would fight Nala, who would then fight Tama before Simba would fight Chumvi.
"No claws, no teeth, fight fair," I declared the rules before Simba began his fight with Tama. The girl was a fierce and determined fighter, but Simba was physically superior and was probably in better form. The prince was victorious, pinning Tama's head against the dirt.
"I yield," Tama groaned and Simba let her get up. When she got back on her paws, her head was hung low as she muttered several adjectives such as 'stupid' and 'pointless'.
"Simba wins over Tama," Morgan declared. His path across the stones was taken carefully but edged ever closer to the base of the tree.
"Right, next up is Chumvi and Nala," I announced.
The said cubs promptly walked into the makeshift arena, which was a patch of flat grassland between the tree and the river.
"You're about to find out just how good a girl can fight," Nala declared with confidence.
"Ha, more like how quickly I'm gonna dump you in the river," Chumvi retorted cockily.
Both contestants were aggressive and there was a lot of rolling around. They both picked up a lot of the dew on the grass, making them look like their entire bodies were covered in sweat. Neither contestant was performing significantly better than the other, but the fighting was moving quickly towards the river. Nala was wearing down Chumvi with barges and pounces that rolled them ever closer to the water. Chumvi began to grow frustrated and resorted to pushing and batting at the cream-pelted cub. The fight ended when Nala hurled and then pinned Chumvi into the water.
"Who's in the river now?" Nala asked into his ear as she breathed heavily. Chumvi spat out the water that splashed into his mouth.
"Get off me!" Chumvi growled as he shoved Nala away.
"Hey, it's just a game," Nala replied in an affronted tone.
"Okay, let's play nicely, everyone," I interjected and placed myself between the two cubs. "It's now Tama against Chumvi," I said. "Morgan, are you keeping track of this" I called. He was looking at me over his shoulder, with his hand on the trunk of the tree.
"Uh, yeah, of course, um... Simba and Nala both have one win to their name," he stated with a voice that could reach across to us.
The fight between Tama and Chumvi was brief. Chumvi's aggression, which was fuelled by his frustration and humiliation from his defeat by Nala was too much for the agility of Tama. His overwhelming tactics led to the girl being pinned to the floor once again.
"Chumvi beats Tama," Morgan said with a strained voice as he hauled himself onto the lowest branch of the tree. "He, Simba and Nala all have one win to their name," he added as he steadied himself on the branch that trembled when his foot kicked at as he swung it over the branch before sitting on it. He rolled his body so that he was clinging onto the branch with his arms and legs. He then put his feet against the trunk and reached to grab onto a branch above him.
"Morgan, whatever it is that you're doing, just be careful about it," I asked of him. Morgan nodded and erected a thumb in affirmation.
"Okay, next up is Simba and Nala," I announced.
"Go on, Nala," Tama chanted.
"Simba, don't go easy on your girl, eh?" Chumvi laughed. Simba shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"Whatever, let's do this," he dismissed as he pumped himself up by crouching and jumping on the spot.
"Nervous, Simba?" Nala chuckled as she observed Simba's behaviour.
"Me? Nervous? Never! You're just playing mind games because you can't deal with the form I'm in," the golden cub claimed.
"I'm... dealing just fine," Nala shook her head in amusement at her best friend's movements.
I was enjoying the banter between the cubs, but my attention was earned by Safiri.
"Alex?" she asked. "Can I talk to you... in private?" she whispered. I chanced a brief glance at Morgan, who was now standing on a higher branch and then at the cubs. Simba and Nala were rolling around in the grass, trying to pin each other to the floor. I looked back at Safiri and nodded. We walked along the river bank for about a hundred metres before we stopped and talked.
"It's probably not my place to talk about this, but... I've seen where Ironclaws begin, and I've seen what Ironclaws feed on in cubs, the feelings of superiority, the arrogance, the exceptionalism, the aggression," she said. "They're groomers, Alex, in more ways than what you've seen,"
"And you think Chumvi is vulnerable to them?" I asked. Safiri nodded regretfully.
"One day, he will leave this pride to start his own, but going by what I've seen, it will take no effort for an Ironclaw to offer everything he wants only to turn him into a tool of hatred and cruelty," Safiri sighed.
"Okay, well... I'll see what can be done about his conduct if it crosses the line," I replied, not knowing how much sway I had over lobbying for action over the cubs' behaviour. Safiri was about to respond but the sound of the cubs shouting and cheering interrupted her. We saw that Simba and Nala were very close to the edge of the river and even though most of the cubs were chanting Nala's name, Simba still fought on with determination.
Safiri and I spectated the culmination of the fight as we walked back toward the cubs. In the end, Simba repeated the move from the re-enactment that defeated Chumvi and pinned a discombobulated Nala against the bank of the river.
"Oh, my God..." Simba gasped. "I finally pinned Nala!" he exclaimed.
"Only cause I let you," Nala retorted as she pushed the prince off her.
"Congratulations, Simba, maybe you aren't a lame fighter after all," Chumvi proclaimed. Simba glared at the chocolate brown cub with a patch of longer, scruffy fur that hung over his forehead.
"What do you mean by that, Chumvi?" Simba asked accusingly. "Who has said such a thing?" he pressed.
"So easy to get under your skin, isn't it?" Chumvi chuckled.
"Okay, boys, leave the fighting until it's your turn," I diffused the situation by positioning myself between the cubs once again.
"Morgan, remind us of the scores and who is up next," I called across to the boy, who was now holding onto a branch above him with both arms.
"Oh, uh, Simba has two wins to his name and is currently winning," Morgan declared with a strained voice. This was met with voices of support from Safiri, Kula and even Nala. I tried to remain neutral but I too wanted Simba to emerge victorious, even though this whole competition was unserious and inconsequential.
"The next fight is between Nala and Tama," Morgan announced and Nala sighed in exasperation at not getting a moment's rest.
"Thanks, Morgan, and please be careful," I requested as he swung his body to face the other way.
"Good luck, Nala, you're gonna need it," Simba chuckled.
"No thanks to you," Nala shot back as she prepared to face Tama, who had not yet won a match herself.
Tama knew that Nala was weary from the first of her two consecutive battles. This was not the first time that the schedule went against Nala's favour, but last time, she was able to fight intelligently to defeat Chumvi, so Tama decided to take inspiration from Nala and focus on pinning her opponent.
Nala began the fight by pouncing at Tama, who ducked just before Nala's paws collided with Tama's shoulders. Tama then jumped up into Nala, who was upended and landed on her back.
The girls then engaged in a fiercely contested scrum-like lock and they rolled around for what seemed like minutes.
"Yield!" Tama grunted as a paw was pressed against her face. "You don't have the energy to keep this up let alone defeat me, so yield," she said.
Nala was stubborn but fading.
"You have fought with honour, Nala, but don't forsake your dignity," Simba said in his Mohatu voice.
"Ugh, fine," she growled. "I yield," she sighed as she let Tama win her first and last battle.
"Morgan, how is it standing now?" I asked. It appeared that I caught him in the middle of reaching a small, spherical object that was resting on a moderately sized branch. The one he was standing on looked like it could just about support his weight without bowing.
"Oh, uh, everyone has a win to their name, but Simba is winning at the moment, and if he wins against Chumvi, he wins the whole competition, but if Chumvi wins, he and Simba will be level on two wins, so... I dunno, another match to decide the overall winner?" Morgan ended his statement with the subject.
"It's not really a competition, just some educational fun, no need for deciders," Simba claimed.
"What's the matter, Simba? Scared you might lose to me twice?" Chumvi teased.
"I am of Mohatu's blood, it's not in my nature to lose," Simba arrogantly declared.
"Okay, slightly pretentious," I muttered. "Anyway, I shall remind you to play safe and play fair," I reminded the cubs.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, safe and fair, got it," Simba replied unconvincingly.
Simba and Chumvi then circled each other. Prowling in an orbit for almost a minute. One cub goading the other into moving first and luring them into a vulnerable position that might be exploited.
Chumvi broke the deadlock first and pounced at the Prince, who responded by quickly tackling the chocolate brown cub before he could complete his move. The cubs rolled down the gentle gradient towards the river. Chumvi was on the floor with Simba's right paw pressed against his cheek and his left paw on his chest. Chumvi tried pawing at Simba's face but it did nothing to weaken the golden cub's grip. He then thrust his hind leg on Simba's hind leg, which caused Simba to growl in pain as his entire being collapsed onto Chumvi, who pushed Simba off his body.
Simba rolled onto the sandy bank of the river and sprung up on his legs when they all made contact with the saturated ground. Chumvi prowled from side to side, using the fast-flowing river behind Simba to his advantage.
The cubs growled as they leapt at each other. Their arms were engaged in a lock around each other's shoulders and they rolled around on the sand. When he was on top, Simba tried to manipulate the direction of the rolling towards the water, but Chumvi pinned Simba's tail to the floor with his hind leg, which caused Simba to yelp in pain. He then hurriedly pushed the brown cub off him.
"That was so unfair," Simba complained.
"Oh, tha' fo unfair," Chumvi laughed as he mimicked the prince.
"You'll pay for that!" Simba vowed before he leapt at Chumvi, who swiftly swiped at Simba, causing the cub's momentum to be undermined and he landed awkwardly in the water with a splash. Chumvi then put his front paws on Simba's shoulder, looking down triumphantly at the defeated cub, who bore an expression of shock and denial.
The cubs were stunned by the manner in which Simba was defeated. He was brought down swiftly in a cynical move. They had never seen anything like that from Chumvi before.
I was about to check if Simba was okay and admonish Chumvi for his dirty fighting, but Safiri nudged me to earn my attention.
"I think someone should watch Morgan so he doesn't fall," she said, motioning to the tree. When I looked at the said tree, Morgan was reaching for something, a green, spherical object that looked like some sort of fruit.
I briskly made my way to the foot of the tree.
"Morgan, you've climbed too high, you need to come down before you fall and hurt yourself," I ordered him.
He looked down at me and he looked as if he was in the middle of a dilemma.
"But I need to get that baobab for Simba so we can-" he began to explain but I cut him off.
"I don't care what Simba wants you to do if it puts you in danger," I told him. "Now get down," I said with more severity.
"But I can just reach it," he claimed as he went back to reaching for the baobab. To its full extent, his fingers were still several inches away from the baobab.
"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you!" I raised my voice. Morgan shook his head and growled before he bellowed,
"STOP TRYING TO REPLACE MY MUM!"
I was taken aback. Was this climax set up from our earlier conversation about our bond? Was he simultaneously jealous of my brotherly love for Simba but also worried about the space in his heart that was filled by his parents being filled by my sense of duty over him?
"W-where is this even coming from? Look, just come down before you-" I said before Morgan audibly gasped and pointed where the cubs were.
"Alex, they're really fighting!" he said with fear in his voice. When I turned to see what had caught his attention, my breath was stolen when I saw Simba and Chumvi scrambling in the mud and rolling in the mud, clawing and biting at each other.
"Oh, for crying out loud..." I exhaled before I ran back to the makeshift arena.
"Hey, knock it off, you two!" I said with a raised voice. The non-combatant cubs looked at me with worried expressions, but the other cubs were still fighting.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!"
No POV
"No..." Simba shook his head. "No, that's not fair, you broke the rules," he protested.
"I could beat you either by pinning you or forcing you into the river, and I did both, so my win was doubly legit," Chumvi replied.
"But you fought without honour," Simba shot back.
"Clearly, your precious honour held you back," Chumvi claimed.
"I demand a rematch!" Simba declared after spending a few moments pondering his response to what he saw as an attack on not only his own values but a principle by which his father ruled.
Chumvi exhaled. "So much for 'no need for deciders'," he recalled Simba's words.
"What kind of Prince would I be if I did not stand up for my people's values," Simba asked rhetorically.
"Your being a Prince doesn't stop you from being a loser," Chumvi retorted with malice. The cubs gasped at this statement.
"Chumvi, you're crossing a line right now," Nala said with a warning tone.
"I don't care about stupid lines, and why would you want to be with this loser?" Chumvi asked. "A girl like you deserves a winner, a proud lion, not a loser who cannot defend their pride," he said.
"Chumvi, I'm giving you one last chance to apologise and I'll forget what you said," Simba offered with a tone of restrained anger.
"Unlike you, I don't apologise for who I am, and I'll tell you something else," Chumvi said before stepping towards Simba so their noses were inches apart.
"If your father saw your pathetic performance today, he would be ashamed to call you his son," Chumvi said coldly and unblinkingly.
A shadow of anger passed across Simba's face as he clenched his jaws and accelerated and deepened his breathing in an effort to release the pressure of the rage that was building within.
But what did it for him was the cocky grin that Chumvi pulled before he turned away.
"YOU BASTARD!" Simba screamed as tears welled up in his eyes and charged at the brown cub before he barged him to the floor and they engaged an a more violent lock, this time with claws threatening to cut and teeth threatening to pierce. Of course, as cubs, their claws and teeth were not yet developed enough to cause damage, but to the cubs who were helplessly watching the brawling pair, it was deeply upsetting to see two friends fighting like this.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Alex bellowed, his voice practically cutting between the two cubs as they receded from each other.
"He attacked me as I turned my back," Chumvi said.
"You started it, talking shit about my Dad!" Simba argued. It looked as if the skirmish was about to be exacerbated by the visceral words and the hostile conduct between the cubs, so Alex promptly reached down and grabbed both cubs by their scruff. Their paws were flying around as they tried to land a blow on the other, so Alex shook them in his grasp to snap them out of it and get their attention.
"Hey, that's enough!" Alex yelled. Their squabbling ceased immediately as they looked at him, almost as if they had now realised that he was holding both of them with one hand each.
"Now... both of you are going to tell me what happened and then you're going to apologise..."
"Alex!" Simba exclaimed, pointing in the direction of the tree from which Alex intervened in the fight. Alex turned to look at what Simba had seen, and it made his heart drop almost as fast as he put the cubs to the floor.
What was also as fast was the dismissal of the moment where he simply refused to acknowledge that what he was seeing was actually happening.
Morgan was plummeting to the floor, along with a pair of branches that were thinner than his legs.
Morgan's harrowing scream of utter terror cut through the air and into his heart like a dagger. All that Alex could think to do was to sprint towards the tree. The thought of just accepting the inevitable, failing to stop him from coming to harm was not entertained. He wished that he could just slow time down, or fly through the air. Maybe he could if he succumbed to his state of unbridled power fuelled by rage, but this happened so quickly that he couldn't focus enough to channel the energy that would course around his body in that event.
But the next thing he noticed was where Morgan's trajectory was headed - the patch of small sharp rocks protruding from the grass. If Morgan landed there, it would hurt. It might even fatally wound him. And upon noticing this, something weird happened to Alex. It wasn't that he could move at a speed faster than the normal flow of time, nor that time was moulded around him. But what he did know was that within the blink of an eye, he was stretching his arms out to catch Morgan.
But he found that he miscalculated the speed at which he was falling. The hope of saving Morgan from pain was now undermined by doubt. Alex then dived the last few feet and twisted his body to act as a barrier between Morgan and the ground. Alex collided with Morgan and embraced him as they both rolled under the tree's branches.
"Stars above, that was amazing!" Kula exclaimed. She had finally caught the hyrax, but having witnessed not only Alex's courage but also his speed, she could only stare at the two humans lying on the floor, allowing the hyrax to escape.
Morgan was the first of the humans to rise from the floor, shaking his head and dusting himself off. He was about to ask if Alex was okay but he saw that Alex's pained expression, composed of tightly shut eyes and gritted teeth, answered his question.
"Alex, that was incredible!" Tama exclaimed as she led the cubs who ran to the tree, having been frozen by the shock of seeing Morgan falling from the tree.
"You were so fast," Simba commented in amazement.
"And so courageous," Nala praised.
Alex could only put a hand over his eyes. Such was the stabbing pain that pulsed from his right side, the urge to cry could not be dismissed.
"Urgh, I think I've bust my rib, and if it weren't for you... stupid boys fighting, this wouldn't have happened," Alex growled, trying to move his body, knowing that the longer he remained still, the more it would hurt and it would hurt for longer. He seethed in pain when his torso moved. He turned to face the cubs he was angry at but found that he regretted his words upon seeing their guilty expressions aimed at the floor.
"Oh, ignore me, my words come from pain," Alex sighed as let his head fall to the ground, conserving his will and energy for an attempt to overcome the pain.
"Morgan, can you hold my hand for a moment?" he requested the boy.
"Oh, boy, I think I know where this is going," he muttered before he grasped the grown-up's hand with both of his hands. Even the exhale of breath in preparing to fight through the pain tormented him.
"Pull!" Alex signalled before he tensed his abdominal muscles and hauled himself to a sitting position. He roared in pain as the angle of his body at his pelvis reduced. The pain of that motion superseded the pain of breathing, so his heavy breathing was not impacted as much.
Morgan shook his hand in pain after it was used as a pain compensator by an adult's hand.
"Now I know how you felt after I had my arm fixed," he discreetly commented.
"No, you're right..." Simba spoke up.
"Sorry?" Alex exhaled.
"It is our fault... my fault," Simba and Morgan exchanged a knowing look of shared guilt.
"Simba asked me if I could climb the tree to get the baobab," Morgan revealed. Alex looked between the cub and the boy with incredulity and disappointment. He went to sigh but was punished by his rib.
"And neither of you spent a moment to think if a stupid fruit was worth Morgan's life, or my rib?" he asked. Simba looked to the floor again with his ears pinned to his head. It wasn't a sight that Alex enjoyed seeing.
"We... we just w-wanted to play baobab ball," Simba stuttered, his voice subverted by guilt.
Chumvi snickered. "Aw, is the Prince about to cry?" he said in a mocking voice.
"Shut it, Chumvi, this is hardly the time," Nala responded firmly.
"I will speak to your parents about this, and yours, Chumvi," Alex said, pointing at the brown cub, who responded by rolling his eyes, saying 'whatever' and a profane word that no one would hear under his breath.
"Safiri, would you mind escorting the cubs back to Pride Rock?" Alex asked as he winced in finally standing up.
"Of course," Safiri nodded before commanding the remaining cubs to follow her. As Simba walked beside Nala, he looked behind him at Morgan and Alex, before sighing as he looked forwards again. He shook himself off, water spraying around him and he ran up to Nala again.
Alex's POV
"Oh, this couldn't have happened at a worse time," I growled in frustration. Later today, I was expected to attend the sham peace talks and possibly fight the jackals. At this moment, it hurt to breathe let alone walk, which I began to do intermittently in the direction of Rafiki's tree. I could only manage stints of an average of fifty metres, setting targets where I would take a break to recover, they began with trees and eventually became distinctive blades of grass.
"Why is this the worst time for you to break your rib?" Morgan asked. I looked around to see if there were any roaming fauna that may overhear the information I would convey to Morgan. I motioned him to stand beside me.
"I'm supposed to attend sham peace negotiations with the jackals that we think are going to turn into a battle," I spoke quietly into his ears.
"Ah, yeah, that's not at all convenient," Morgan remarked.
"Yeah," I raised my eyebrows quickly and cocked my head. That was an understatement. I gritted my teeth in pain as I took a step towards the next landmark, a tree stump with a mossy crown.
"I need to get to Rafiki so he can sort out my pain," I said. I didn't know if the absence of pain would make me a more proficient fighter, or if the pain receptors were an incentive to get me to avoid exacerbating the damage.
"Why don't you get him to fix it?" Morgan asked. I stood still and looked down at him.
"Like he fixed my arm," he added. I shook my head.
"No, it will heal in a couple of hours," I said, partly to render it a futile idea in Morgan's mind, but the truth was that there was no precedent that backed up my statement. I had broken bones before, but they took no quicker than days to heal.
"But... I just feel so bad that you hurt yourself saving me from my foolishness," Morgan replied.
"Well, let every time you see me seethe in pain be a reminder of that," I said. In hindsight, it was pretty harsh of me. I told myself that it was the pain talking, but when I noticed that Morgan had stopped walking, I turned and saw an expression of immense guilt aimed at the grassy floor that was carpeted in shade other than the peppering of sunlight.
I clenched my eyes when I sighed.
"If it will make you feel better, I'll get it fixed," I said.
"Rekibisha!"
A dull thud echoed throughout Rafiki's tree, accompanied by a flash of sparks emanating from the tip of his staff.
"UUUURGH!" my growl of anguish filled the otherwise calm air with chaos.
"Thank you again for your medical services, Mr Rafiki," Morgan said politely as if he knew that was the exact opposite of my thoughts at that moment.
"Yeah, top-notch," I remarked sarcastically.
"Hey, at least you can breathe properly and, uh, go about your day," Morgan replied.
"Yeah," I sighed in reluctant agreement. "Yes, thank you, Rafiki," I nodded. "I'm sorry if our arrival has made you unusually busy," I said.
"Ah, do not underestimate the curiosity of a cub, Alex," he said. "It has the power to cause chaos and damage but also herald truth and discovery," he added.
"Yeah... well, we have to go back to Pride Rock now, see you later," I said hurriedly, wanting to speak with Sarabi and Chumvi's parents.
"
No POV
"Oh, boy, sounds like the talking has begun," Morgan commented as he began climbing the slope to the promontory. The air was sullied by an argument between two cubs, which was suddenly ended by an authoritative voice ordering their silence. They discovered that it was Sarabi who was being pestered by the cubs.
"One at a time, Chumvi first," Sarabi sighed, rubbing her forehead with her paw.
"So, Simba and I finished our fight, well, it wasn't a fight but he turned it into a real fight!" Chumvi protested.
"Oh, so convenient how you leave out the part where you said that Dad would be ashamed of me for losing to you," Simba laughed.
Sarabi's mouth opened at that. How could a child come up with such a spiteful comment? She knew that envy, the need to one-up one's peers was augmented at a young age, but she had never heard something like that, but considering she was admonishing a cub, she spoke to Chumvi gently.
"That wasn't a very nice thing to say, was it, Chumvi?" Sarabi said.
"And I would expect a future King to conduct himself with more dignity," Sarabi turned to her son.
"I'm sorry, Mom," Simba sighed with his head hung low.
"It is not me who you should be apologising to," Sarabi smiled.
Simba looked up at her and her eyes guided his gaze to Chumvi. He then looked at the cub beside him and away again as he scrunched his face.
"Sorry," he muttered.
"What was that?" Sarabi asked.
"I'm sorry, Chumvi... for fighting you," Simba said more emphatically and this time looking at Chumvi.
Chumvi looked between Sarabi and her son and he sighed.
"I'm sorry for the mean things I said," Chumvi smiled before yanking Simba into an embrace.
"I never apologize for who I am," he whispered into Simba's ear. When he let Simba go, he put on his smile again.
"Thank you, boys, it's going to be a very... trying day for the King today, and the last thing we need is for petty cub arguments to trouble him," Sarabi explained.
Simba's expression was troubled. Not only because of how his apology was insincerely reciprocated, but also because he wondered what his mother meant by that.
"See you later, Simba," Chumvi grinned before he made his way to where his mother was sunbathing with the other lionesses.
Simba's eyes lingered on the cub as he ventured beyond his line of sight and then his ear twitched as he heard the footsteps of a biped. He turned and saw Alex.
"Alex!" he exclaimed as he bounded towards the human before nuzzling his shins and standing in his hind legs to rub against his knees. This enabled Alex to bend down and stroke his forehead.
"How's my favourite lion cub?" Alex asked as he ruffled Simba's tuft of fur.
"He's okay," Simba giggled. "How is your rib?" the cub asked with concern in his voice. "Did you heal it that quickly?" he asked further.
"Rafiki fixed it for me," Alex answered.
"Oh, of course he did," Simba chuckled.
Alex then looked at Simba with a blank expression before turning to face Morgan.
"Morgan, why don't you go and play with Simba?" Alex suggested.
"Oh, okay," Morgan said unenthusiastically, knowing that it was time for the adults to talk about adult stuff. He wondered when he would be considered old enough to understand the 'adult' stuff - some might say that he had been through stuff that even adults shouldn't have to go through.
"Simba, apparently I have to play with you now," Morgan said nonchalantly while approaching the cub.
"Oh, I know what we can do," Simba exclaimed with excitement. "Follow me," he added quickly as he headed for the slope.
"Not so fast," Sarabi said, causing Simba to stop in a fixed position - his front left paw raised and a grimace on his face.
"Aw, man," Simba complained. "What now?" he asked as he turned to face his mother.
"Remember what we agreed on when you last got in a fight?" Sarabi asked.
"What?!" Simba gasped in an affronted reaction.
"What did we agree?" Sarabi asked again.
Simba sighed and looked to the floor. "That I'd be grounded for the rest of the day," he said with a low voice.
"That's right, and you're lucky that this happened before the sun was at its highest otherwise it would have been for the whole of the following day as well," Sarabi replied. "And besides, your father would rather you stay here this afternoon considering what is about to happen," the Queen added.
"What is about to happen?" Simba asked.
Sarabi sighed and nuzzled her son. "Your father will tell you when he returns," she responded. "Now, off you go," she nudged him in the direction of the cave. Simba chuckled as he reluctantly padded off into the cave, with Morgan following behind him.
"That was well handled," Alex commented.
Sarabi smiled. "I am not only the mother of the future King, I am also the mother of the kingdom and I must treat every Pridelander as if they were my own child, whether that's showing them compassion or telling them off," she chuckled. "One day, you will be a guardian of this family and this kingdom, and you must reach a compromise between the loyalty to your heart and the loyalty to your duty," she added.
Alex pondered her words of wisdom with diligence. He knew them to be right, but they didn't quite pertain to his situation.
"But what about loyalties to two different parts of one's heart?" he asked.
Sarabi cocked her head. "What is your dilemma?" she asked.
"Well, I allowed Morgan to get himself into a situation where he could have died, and you could argue that I enabled the fight between Chumvi and Simba," Alex explained.
"Long story short, the reason they fought was that I adhered to one loyalty, and Morgan fell because I had to adhere to another and stop the cubs fighting, and what do I get for stopping both from culminating in disaster? A broken rib!" he added in muted exasperation.
"Alex, you know better than most that fate doesn't always reward the dutiful and virtuous, but it does find a way of rewarding those who never give up," Sarabi said. "Have you ever given up?" she asked.
"I almost did... and it was most selfish of me," Alex said vaguely.
Hatima was informed by her daughter about Chumvi's behaviour and attitude and so decided to speak with his mother, who was sunbathing on the small kopje near Pride Rock where the other lionesses would usually do the same. She asked Sarafina where Chumvi's mother was.
"Oh, Njia? You'll find her on the other side of the kopje," Sarafina replied. The two conversing lionesses were currently on the less rocky side of the kopje that faced Pride Rock. Hatima conveyed her gratitude to Sarafina, who then began shouting for her daughter and telling her that she needed to have a bath.
Hatima followed Sarafina's direction and found a lioness with light orange fur and brown eyes cleaning her own son, who had brown fur and a patch of longer, scruffier fur on his forehead.
"Njia, right?" Hatima asked.
The said lioness paused her bathing and turned to look at Hatima.
"That's my name," Njia chuckled. "How can I help you? A-are you settling in well?" she asked.
"Yes, I never thought that I'd be so relieved that the worst thing I have to worry about is a fight between cubs," Hatima said.
"Right..." Njia nodded, her welcoming smile fading away.
"And there is one way you can help me... um, if we could speak in private?" Hatima said.
"Oh, sure... uh, Chumvi, would you be a star and wait for me by the foot of the kopje?" Njia asked as she stood up to nuzzle her son.
"Oh, okay, Mom," Chumvi acquiesced and ran down a slope that led to the bottom of the kopje.
"What is it that you wanted to talk about?" Njia asked as she sat back down.
"It's about Chumvi's behaviour that my daughter observed," Hatima replied.
"Oh, if this is about that fight, it's just boys being boys and it's been dealt with by the Queen, so as far as I'm concerned, that's the end of the matter," Njia responded assertively.
"The Queen has disciplined her son, but have you disciplined yours?" Hatima asked.
"Excuse me?" Njia scoffed.
"If you do not put his attitude in check before he grows up, it will be exploited by the very lions we were evading," Hatima warned. Njia stood up again.
"I do not need you to tell me how to raise my cub, and I do not need you to tell me what the Ironclaws are capable of," Njia said forcefully.
"My daughter almost had her innocence taken by one of them, how can you say you know the cruelty of Ironclaws as I do?" Hatima asked with a frown on her face signifying her disbelief.
"Because... Chumvi's father was an Ironclaw," Njia sighed. "And he must never know this," she added.
Unbeknownst to both lionesses, Chumvi had overheard that he was the subject of the conversation between his mother and the newcomer and he decided to stay behind a rock that obscured the lioness' view of the path down the kopje. He heard everything they said up until the moment he heard his mother say that his father was an Ironclaw, who he believed was a band of legendary rogues who brought peace and security to the lands beyond the kingdoms. He ran back down the kopje, wanting to tell his friends about the revelation.
"And it is because of the Ironclaws that he will never meet his father," Njia sniffed.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Njia," Hatima gasped.
Njia shook her head. "You weren't to know," she replied.
"I'm sorry if we got off on the wrong foot," Hatima said.
"It's fine... I appreciate that you're looking out for my son... and that there is someone in this place who actually understands why I have to protect him," Njia said.
"In the name of those who we love, we should both nurture Chumvi into someone who will never fall to the Ironclaws," Hatima declared. Njia nodded firmly.
"I spy with my eye," Morgan began. "Something beginning with... S," he finished.
Alex sighed and tapped the floor with his feet. He was sitting on a lump of rock that spilt from the wall of the cave. "Uh... Sarabi?" he asked, motioning towards the lioness that was laying by the entrance to the cave.
"Nope," Morgan dismissed. He was sitting on the platform where the Royal Family and his straightened arms were behind him, propping him up on the platform.
"Simba?" Alex exhaled.
"Mm-mm," Morgan shook his head. He then pushed against the platform so he could sit forward due to his arms becoming uncomfortable.
"Stalactite?" Alex offered another answer.
"I don't even know what that is!" Morgan protested with his arms straightened in front of him.
"Really? Don't you learn about caves in your school year?" Alex asked with a cocked brow.
"Not yet, clearly," Morgan replied.
"Is it 'stone'?" Simba interjected.
"Oh, yes! It is!" Morgan exclaimed.
Instead of celebrating or otherwise reacting with a form of pride, Simba sighed as he rolled onto his back and it arched as stretched his arms so much, they trembled.
"I'm bored," the cub complained.
"Oh, I've got an idea - we can play a game where one of us tries to catch someone as they run from one side of the cave," Morgan suggested.
Simba exhaled through his flapping lips. "Maybe later... I think I'm just going to have a nap," he said.
"Oh, okay," Morgan replied, trying to conceal his dejection as he watched Simba trudge towards his mother, who he nuzzled before sitting between her paws and resting his head on her right paw as he lay down.
"Are you okay?" Alex asked.
"Huh? Oh, yeah... I'm fine," Morgan replied unconvincingly.
"Really? Because your face is saying otherwise," Alex remarked. In response, Morgan looked up at him with glossy eyes and upturned brows. This tugged at Alex's heartstrings massively.
"Is this about... earlier?" Alex asked.
Morgan was silent for a few moments, looking away from Alex and indistinctly at the stones on the floor.
"I'm sorry... for shouting at you, and I'm sorry for climbing the tree and everything that happened because of it," Morgan said with a heavy voice.
Alex scooted his body onto the platform and settled next to Morgan.
"I know..." Alex said as he put an arm on Morgan's right shoulder. "I wouldn't like it if I thought someone was trying to take the place in my heart that was filled by my mother," he said. "But that's not going to happen, not to you, not to me," he added while rubbing Morgan's shoulder. Morgan looked up to Alex and saw no reason in his eyes to doubt his words.
"Really?" he proceeded.
"Remember what I told you?" Alex asked. "Your mother will always have a place in your heart and no one can take that place," he affirmed.
Morgan could think of no appropriate response other than to rest his head on Alex's chest. They remained in that position until a large lion blocked a large portion of the light that flooded into the cave. It was Mufasa.
Bathed in sunlight, Sarabi looked up at Mufasa and conveyed a smile of relief to see her mate and immense fondness for him. Almost as if she was appreciating his features - his majestic facial structure, his kind and wise eyes, his smile that spread across his muzzle, his broad shoulders and long body, even his large nose.
Mufasa returned the loving gaze and nuzzled his Queen. Sarabi then gently nudged her son.
"Simba, your father is here," she said softly. The cub looked around with weary, blinking eyes before they fell on his father and they instantly opened to their fullest extent.
"Dad, you're back!" Simba exclaimed, jumping from between Sarabi's paws and nuzzling his father.
"Dad, Mom says you're doing something important today," Simba said.
"Yes, Simba, it is very important... and potentially very dangerous," Mufasa replied.
"In what way?" Simba asked. Sarabi and Mufasa looked at each other before the King sighed.
"All I'm saying is that... no matter what happens today, just know that I am proud of you... and that I am glad and lucky to have a kind, noble and handsome son like you," Mufasa proclaimed.
Even though his eyes were still weary, the tears could not be stopped from flowing down Simba's cheeks. It was almost as if his father knew exactly what he needed to hear at that moment.
Simba hugged Mufasa's leg, he was clinging onto it as if he wanted to never let go.
"And I'm... I'm glad and lucky that you're my father... and not just because you're a King, but because you are wise and caring an-and... badass," Simba said between sniffles and finished with a chuckle.
Mufasa scoffed at the final comment but decided against telling him off for it.
At the back of the cave, Alex was observing the touching family moment and pulled out of the embrace with Morgan.
"It's time for me to go," Alex announced.
"Okay," Morgan responded. Alex ruffled his hair, causing Morgan to laugh as he waved his arms trying to get Alex to stop the irritating motion.
"It's gonna be alright, I'll be back before you know it," Alex reassured him as he stood up, but was trying to reassure himself more than anything.
"Don't get hurt," Morgan pleaded. Alex smiled and kneeled at Morgan's height.
"I'm going to be okay and you're going to be okay," Alex declared. Morgan looked into his eyes and saw in them that the words he said were special to him and that to have them spoken to him was a great honour. He immediately wrapped his arms around Alex's shoulder, who reciprocated the gesture.
"Alex," Mufasa called, interrupting their own moment. Beside him were Naanda, Diku, Dwala and Sarafina. "It is time," he said.
A/N:
# It is time, to take the lead on my own #
# It is time, for something bigger than I've ever known #
Sorry, couldn't help it XD. Anyway, Alex, Mufasa and the lionesses are headed for their destiny - but what will they face when they get there? We'll find out in the next chapter! You know what to do - review constructively and add this story to your favourite/following lists and I'll see you (hopefully) next week. Thank you for reading.