AN: Hello, there. Here's my first (sort of) fanfiction. On this account anyway. I've written nearly sixty on another, but that's not the point. This is my first Lion King fanfiction, though. But I'd better explain how these stories are going to work, first.

First of all, there are going to be thirteen stories. These are all connected, forming some kind of 'saga', if you want to call it that. They will all have seven chapters, two chapters a day until chapter seven, and each one takes place some time after the other. Understand? Good.

So, what are these stories about? Since I can't resist, I'm going to do my best to chronicle Simba and Nala's friendship.

Good times, bad times, all that stuff. I just hope you like it.

So, whether you know me or you don't, let's get on with the first story. Enjoy!

Pride Rock.

It sounded like the most beautiful place in the world. You could ask anyone in all of the lands the best place to live out your life, and they would most likely direct you to Pride Rock.

It was happy, peaceful, safe. Free from outside distractions. Most would put this down to the impeccable ruling of the kingdom by the great King Mufasa, who had ruled over the Pride Lands for quite some time now, and was thought of as one of the best Kings who had ever lived.

And that was why a lioness and her cub had been walking for a whole day, traversing the land. They wanted to find Pride Rock. They needed somewhere to stay. Somewhere peaceful to live out the rest of their lives.

They were both exhausted. The lioness' cub was far more exhausted than her mother, though.

"Mom, how far is it?" she moaned, her paws aching. It wasn't healthy for a cub to walk around all day. She hadn't had one break.

"We'll be there soon, Nala," the lioness told her daughter.

"How soon?" she asked.

"Very soon, okay?"

"You said that an hour ago," Nala complained.

Her mother, whose name was Sarafina, looked at her cub and smiled. "And you've been asking me every hour since we left."

"I'm tired," she complained.

"I know you are. But I'm sure we'll be there very soon. And I mean it, this time. Okay?"

Nala nodded tiredly. "Okay."

They kept on walking, pretty much now desperate to find Pride Rock, even if it allowed them to rest for a few seconds.

Sarafina didn't want to stop. She had no idea what kind of monsters lurked around these uncharted territories…

And then she saw it.

Even in the middle of the night it was visible. It simply couldn't be missed.

The odd, mountain-like rock structure. You couldn't mistake it for anything else.

Sarafina nudged her daughter. "Nala! We're here!"

Nala looked up, surprised. "We are?"

"Yes. See?" She gestured to Pride Rock in the distance. "That's Pride Rock. Our new home, if I can convince the King to let us stay."

"And what if we can't convince the King?" Nala asked, curious. "Will we go back home?"

"No," Sarafina snapped, a little too quickly. She wanted all memories of her former home eradicated. She couldn't bear the thoughts of her old pride…

Nala looked down at the ground. "Will they like me?" she asked.

Sarafina looked down at her daughter. "Oh, Nala. They're bound to like you. What's not to like, hmm?"

Nala shrugged. "I don't know. I just know when someone new moves into the pride, it's never easy. It's kinda scary, actually."

"Oh, Nala. I know it's going to seem scary at first, but you'll get used to it. And I'll let you in on a little secret…" She whispered in Nala's ear. "I'm scared, too."

Nala looked surprised. "You are? But… But you're never scared of anything."

"I am scared now. But I know we'll be okay. The King can't be that scary."

"Who are you?" a deep, loud voice a few feet way from them demanded.

Nala immediately jumped behind her mother, trembling with fear. Sarafina looked up to see a large, powerful-looking lion with golden fur, a thick red mane, and reddish-brown eyes that glinted in the night.

Sarafina's eyes widened. Okay, maybe he is a little scary, she thought. The first thing that occurred to her was that King Mufasa did certainly live up to all the hype. He must have detected her and Nala's voices as soon as they were in the Pride Lands. Sarafina just hoped that Mufasa didn't think they were evil intruders, or something like that.

She decided to speak up, and answered Mufasa's question. She bowed in front of the King. "My name is Sarafina, and this is my cub, Nala. We respectively request to join your great pride."

"Why?" asked Mufasa. "Were you banished from your old pride? Are you outcasts?"

Sarafina shook her head. "No. We are not outcasts. We left out of choice."

"Why?"

"Because… Because I couldn't bear the memories," she hesitantly answered.

"Memories?" Mufasa raised an eyebrow. "What memories?"

Sarafina looked down at the ground. This really wasn't something that she wanted to talk about. But she had to, or Mufasa might not let her into the pride. And that would be disastrous…

"The memories of my mate, Muerto," she forced out, tears in her eyes. "He died, just a few days after Nala was born. Not a day went by when I wasn't overwhelmed by the sadness of losing him. I knew that I needed to move on, though. I decided that moving to a different pride would be the best option. And after asking around, I heard that Pride Rock would be the best place to stay. Me and my cub have been walking around all day to get here. So that's why I'm asking… No, that's why I'm b egging for you to let us become part of your pride."

Mufasa eyes Sarafina curiously. She seemed true to herself, and didn't seem at all dishonest. She simply seemed like someone who wanted a fresh start, a chance to move on. There was nothing sinister about her, and she even had a friendly-looking cub. Sure, she was cowering behind her mother in fear, but she still looked friendly.

Mufasa nodded, and smiled. "You may stay in the pride, provided that you hunt with all the other lionesses."

Sarafina nodded. "Certainly. Thank you, King Mufasa."

"The pleasure's all mine," he said, turning around. "Come with me. I'll show you where you'll be staying."

Mufasa gestured for Sarafina to follow, so she did. Nala nervously walked behind her mother, looking down at the ground.

Sarafina looked back at her daughter, and smiled. "See? I told you. Nothing to be scared about."

Nala smiled back, with doubt still in her mind. She had a feeling many more scary things awaited her at Pride Rock, which was now her new home.

Disclaimer, the story is not mine, but ThatPersonYouMightKnow's. I decided to bring back those stories that were deleted many years ago.