"Why do I get the feeling that this was a bad idea?" Simba asked Nala as the strong current of the river they were in quickly swept them downwards.
"Oh, now you say it!" Nala exclaimed. "Mister Don't-Worry-It'll-Be-Really-Fun!"
"How was I supposed to know there was a current?" Simba asked in defence. "We've never swum in this river before."
"Exactly!" replied Nala. "Why didn't we just stay by the water hole?"
"Well, you can't say it isn't exciting," Simba told her. "I mean, in a scary way."
Nala turned her head to see what awaited them at the end of the river, and once she saw what was at the end, she turned back to Simba, an unsurprised look on her face. "Uh-oh."
Simba had the same expression as she did. "Don't tell me. We're about to go over a huge waterfall."
"Yep."
"Sharp rocks at the bottom?"
"Most likely."
"Bring it on."
"Okay," said Simba as he and Nala walked away from the river they had just barely managed to escape. "Let's agree to never do that again."
"Yeah. If you didn't manage to swing from that branch sticking out of the water hole then I don't know what would have happened to us," Nala told him, feeling lucky that she hadn't been killed.
"We've had worse," Simba recalled, shivering slightly at the memories of the other day. "That chase with those hyenas the other day was really scary."
Nala shuddered. That had almost been the death of them. Why was it over the past few weeks everything seemed to want to kill the two of them? What did they do wrong?
"Don't remind me," she said. "I thought I was gonna die."
"Aw, you weren't gonna die," Simba assured her. "I wouldn't let them hurt you." He puffed his chest out, and spoke in a strong voice. "Simba – the mighty King!"
Nala giggled. He tried so hard to look tough and strong, but it just made him look all the more adorable! She liked Simba just the way he was – she wouldn't have him any other way. His personality was what made him unique. He stood out from everyone else.
"You know, Simba, you don't have to act tough to impress me," Nala informed him, playfully pushing his chest back into its original position. "I like you just the way you are."
Simba laughed bashfully, blushing behind his fur. "Aw, thanks, Nala." He looked into her eyes, and couldn't help it when he felt his insides begin to melt again. What was it about her that he loved so much?
She was smart, pretty and a whole lot of fun. That was putting it in a simple way. Simba would just love to tell her how he felt, and he had a feeling that she was going to find out sooner or later. Simba felt like he was fighting a losing battle – that is, he found himself wanting to reveal his secret to Nala more and more over the past few days.
He couldn't hold it in for much longer. Simba felt like he'd been hiding his feelings for too long now. If he refused to tell her, then what was the point? Was he just going to remain this way for the rest of his life, feeling lonely as he watched Nala grow up from the sidelines?
No. He didn't want that. Nala deserved better. He'd be everything she ever wanted. He was sure of it.
But for a relationship between them to work, Nala had to like him in the same way back. He wasn't exactly sure that she did. It felt like she was always rejecting him, telling Simba that she thought of him as just her friend.
He tried his best every day to impress her, but it never worked. Like Nala said – she liked him just the way he was.
Was that the answer? To just act natural around her? Was that what she wanted? Did that mean she liked him? Did she know how Simba felt about her?
The amount of questions that ran through Simba's head on a daily basis annoyed him greatly. There were no answers to any of these questions. Not unless he found the courage and strength to tell Nala that he had a crush on her.
But for Simba, it felt like it would never happen. There was too much fear involved, and it took all the courage out of him.
And normally he was always so brave… What was wrong with him?
"Where do you want to go next?" Nala asked him, her sea green eyes sparkling with adventure. No matter how scary things got, Simba's best friend was always ready to move on to the next journey. Another thing he adored about her.
"Well, I was thinking we could—"
"Simba, what are you doing around here?" a deep, booming voice interrupted.
Simba turned around slowly, and found himself staring up at his father, the great King Mufasa. Simba could tell by his father's tone that he wasn't too pleased to find him and Nala around here.
Simba grinned innocently. "Uh… nothing," he lied.
Mufasa glanced over at the river in the distance, which was well known for being one of the most dangerous rivers in the Pride Lands. Many a lion had been swept away by its strong current, meeting a painful demise at the bottom of the waterfall.
Mufasa frowned when he saw that they were both wet, telling him that they had obviously decided to go for a little 'swim' in the river.
"Simba, were you swimming in that river?" Mufasa asked, knowing already that Simba had been in the river. He just wanted to know if his son was going to lie to him or not.
"No," he lied again, still grinning.
"Oh, really?" Mufasa retorted, looking Simba's body over. "Then why are you wet?"
Simba looked down at his chest, saw that he was visibly soaked, and quickly shook himself dry. "No, I'm not."
"Simba, what have I told you about lying?" Mufasa asked his son sternly.
Simba's ears dropped down and he frowned, looking down at the ground. "That it's the wrong thing to do and will only
make things worse," he replied, repeating one of his father's 'life lessons'.
"This river is dangerous, Simba," Mufasa explained. "You could have been killed. You should feel very lucky to be alive."
Simba sighed, having learnt his lesson. "I'm sorry, Dad."
Mufasa smiled. "Good. Now you two try to stay out of trouble, and don't let me catch you around here again."
Mufasa walked away, proudly, like he always did. The perfect King.
Simba nodded at Nala, and they both walked away in the opposite direction. They passed a tree on their way, but didn't notice the lion who was hiding behind it.
Hago poked his head out from behind the tree, an evil smile on his face. He ignored Simba and Nala – for once – and focused his attention on Mufasa.
"Enjoy your freedom while you can, King Mufasa," Hago said in a sinister tone, "because you won't have any for a long time to come."