Chapter 8: Try again

The group of lions hanging out under Pride Rock stayed up a bit longer, just chatting quietly. One by one, they started to yawn and drop off to sleep.

The morning light came very early, and Torrent was the first to wake. He shook himself and stretched. Feeling his movement, Tempest woke too, and rose her head.

"You're up?" She asked groggily.

"Hi, Mom." Torrent said and nuzzled her.

"Hi, dear. I hope we weren't too loud last night."

"Last night? I didn't hear anything."

"Oh good. We stayed up pretty late and a few of us were sparring." Tempest looked around at the sleeping group. It appeared that Nundi had left in the night sometime. She knew that he liked to sleep in his special tree somewhere near Pride Rock. Ahila was curled up next to Drayden. Dayya and Malowa were almost sleeping next to each other, too. Clous, Koru, Zula and Zuna slept separately. Mani was, of course, next to her.

Tempest yawned. She wanted to go back to sleep, but Torrent had other ideas.

"Let's get up and do something." he urged.

"Well..." she could always take a nap after a while. "There is something I want to do...You can help me. Come on."

"Oooh, is it fun?" Torrent grinned.

"Er... Not exactly. Sorry, kiddo." Tempest said and Torrent visibly shrunk.

Tempest stood which woke Mani. "Hey, where you going?"

"Torrent is up. So I'm going to take him to help me clear some of the meal scraps from last night. I figured it was the least we could do after being welcomed so kindly."

"Good idea, I'll come with you." Mani stood and stretched.

"Aw man, chores!? Just like at home!" Torrent complained, following his parents to the area where the feast had been last night.

"It's a good way to show our gratitude." Mani told him.

"Come on, it's good for you. You aren't lazy are you?" Tempest asked the cub.

"No..."

"Good. Besides, none of our group did anything to catch the meal. It would be polite to help clean up."

"Kay, Mom."

They got to clearing where there were piles of unwanted bones, fur and other inedible parts of the prey animals. Tempest and Mani grabbed some of the bigger racks of ribs with their teeth and started dragging. Torrent grimaced, but knew better than to complain. He joined in. He couldn't drag things as big as what his parents were dragging, so he did the best he could with some legs, hooves and other small pieces.

The group dragged their loads out onto the Prideland's grassy field, a good distance away from Pride Rock.

"There." Mani let go of his rack of bones. "The Circle of Life can have these."

Tempest nodded. Torrent looked up and noticed some vultures circling high above. They were ready to do their part of the clean-up.

You're welcome. Torrent thought to himself.

The family went back and dragged more carcasses away from Pride Rock. By the time they got back again, more of the pride was awake. Several other lionesses began to help them.

Kivu approached them, "You shouldn't have done that, you're our guests here."

"Oh, please, Kivu!" Tempest said. "This is my second home. And we take care of our home. It was our pleasure to help keep Pride Rock clean." Mani nodded.

Torrent just frowned. He would have liked to yell, We didn't HAVE to?! but he knew better.

"Well, thank you all the same. And thank you too, Torrent." Kivu smiled at the cub.

Torrent felt embarrassed. "You're welcome." He murmured, shifting his paws. I guess it's not so bad when your deed is appreciated.

"You three take a break. The rest of us will finish this." Kivu ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Mani Joked. The three of them went back under Pride Rock where Clous, Zuna, Zula, Drayden, Dayya and Malowa were still sleeping. Koru and Ahila were gone. They must have left for home earlier.

"I'm jealous." Tempest yawned, watching her friends' sleeping forms.

"Do you want to go back to sleep?" Mani offered. "I'll take Torrent."

"Well...that is tempting."

"Can we do something fun, Dad?" Torrent asked.

"Yes, we can do whatever you want. You deserve it for helping with the chores."

"Yay!"

"Alright, deal, I'll go back to sleep. But just for a couple hours." Tempest happily lay down next to her sister.

"Sleep well." Mani whispered, then to Torrent, "Come on."

"Can we race, Dad?"

"I thought you'd never ask!"

Temepst smiled and let out a sigh of contentment as her mate and son's voices faded away.

Dayya's head rose. "Huh?" she murmured. "Time is it?"

Tempest rose her head too. "Sorry I woke you. It's still a few hours before sun-high. I was up for a little bit, but now I'm going to nap. I'm beat from last night."

"Not me!" Dayya rose and stretched.

"How!? Are you even real?" Tempest joked.

Dayya giggled. "Maybe not." Then she looked at Malowa, who was stretched out nearby. "Aw, he looks sweet."

Tempest followed her gaze. "I guess..."

"Too bad I'm gonna wake him up now for our training." Dayya went over to the peach lion and thumped him in the belly with her paw. "Wake up!"

"OOF!" Malowa rolled to his feet. "Whey what was that for!?"

"It's time for our training!"

"But I'm tired."

"Stow it and wake up."

"What is this, boot camp?" Malowa rubbed his eyes.

"You wanna learn how to spar, don't ya?"

"Well, yes. Alright, let's go." Malowa stood, then followed Dayya. Dayya looked pleased with herself and led him away. Tempest shook her head, then put it back down on her paws. She let the sounds of the other sleeping lions lull her to sleep.

Mani and Torrent raced to the waterhole. The cub beat his dad easily.

"Phew, you've gotten fast." Mani puffed when he caught up to Torrent.

"You've gotten slow!" Torrent bounced on his paws. "We should change your name to 'Moo-ni'!"

"Now that's going to far! Come here!" Mani grabbed Torrent around his middle and pulled him close while the big cub let out a mock roar and giggle. "I'm a hyena and you're a tasty snack!" Mani said and nibbled Torrent's belly.

"Nooo!" Torrent erupted with laughter, "Stop it, Dad!" Torrent smacked his dad on the head.

Mani pulled back and let him go. "OH You got me!" Mani yowled and collapsed to the ground with his eyes closed.

Torrent laughed and bounded over to tackle his dad. "You're faking!" He said when Mani didn't respond.

Mani opened one yellow eye. "How could you tell?"

Torrent rolled his eyes.

"Ahem."

Suddenly, Mani and Torrent were aware of some antelope standing near them, trying to enjoy the waterhole. The lions had nearly rolled into their hooves.

"Oops." Mani said, "Sorry." The lion stood and directed Torrent to follow. The antelope ignored them and went back to drinking.

"Let's take a break too." Mani suggested and started lapping water. He was out of breath. It was true, as he aged, Mani was becoming a little out of shape. He needed more exercise. He could probably get Kivu and the gang to go on a daily race with him. Exercise is easier with good company.

As he drank, Mani noticed more herd animals drinking from the edge of the waterhole some distance away. As always, the Pridelands were full of life. As long as the herd animals weren't overhunted, there would always be plenty to eat.

Mani reflected that sometimes food was hard to find back at home. Sometimes they'd have to travel far on a hunting party just to find one small herd. Good thing their Pride had some efficient hunters like Vitani, Tempest and Dayya.

"It's kind of nice here." Torrent commented, already finished with his drink.

"Yes, it is peaceful, isn't it? My friends and I used to come here when we were teenagers just to hang out."

"Your friends? Who?"

"Kivu and Jai. Ciara. My sister, Tali. And your mom, too."

"Oh yeah." Torrent looked down at his paws.

"We had such good times together. Somedays, we wouldn't do much at all. We would just lay here and talk or sleep. We just always enjoyed each other's company. We joked a lot or play fought. If those days could have lasted forever, that would have been just fine." Mani glanced at his son and noticed he had his head pointed at his paws and wasn't speaking. He back-pedaled. "But of course I am so happy to have had you. I wouldn't change our time together for anything." Mani amended.

"I know what you meant, Dad."

Mani tilted his head to the side. He did? So his mind is on something else?

"Is something bothering you, Torr?"

"Um...well...I just...I wish I had friends."

Mani's heart broke. Tempest had told him briefly about how their son hadn't been getting along with the other cubs so far. Mani already felt bad Torrent didn't have any cubs his age back home. The young cub needed peers. Having friends should be a big part of every young lion's life.

"I know meeting your cousins didn't go as well as you would have liked..." Mani ventured slowly. Torrent didn't say anything. He just blinked his blue eyes.

"But it doesn't mean they can't be your friends in the end."

"They didn't seem to like me." Torrent huffed.

"Was there something you said or did that could have possibly led them to not like you right away?" Mani asked patiently. Torrent didn't answer. "Did you remember your manners? 'Nice to meet you' and all that?"

"Er...Maybe I forgot."

"Okay, and what else?"

"And I was just joking around with them. They got all offended like little kids." Torrent slapped the water with a paw.

"Torrent. Your cousins are almost the same age as you. Do you need me to tell you their ages again?" Mani asked with a firm voice.

Torrent didn't say anything, so Mani continued, "You are exactly one year and one month old. Ora is eight months old. Kendi and Reon are both about six months."

"So I am the oldest! I should be the most respected!" Torrent shouted, finally looking at his dad.

"Well, Afia is the oldest actually. She's a year and a half. She will be considered an adolescent soon and will probably have her huntress test in some months. Come on, is age really a big deal? I'm older than your mother, do you think that matters to us?"

Torrent looked away again. "Well, no..."

"Then you shouldn't let the age of your cousins stop you from being friends with them. You're still a kid too."

Torrent was silent again with narrowed eyes.

Mani sighed, "Look, I won't force you to try to spend time with your cousins. I would like you to try again, though. Maybe you just got off on the wrong paw. I want you to be happy, son. And one of the biggest things that made me happy when I used to live here were my friends. I want you to have that experience too. You deserve it."

Mani was quiet for a while to let that sink in for Torrent. He knew the cub was stubborn and a bit arrogant. It would be up to him to try to make friends again. Or he could just pout and coop himself up away from everyone during the time they were staying at the Pridelands.

Torrent finally said, "Okay, Dad. I'll try."

"Good." Mani leaned down and nuzzled the tall cub. Despite being grumpy moments before, Torrent purred and leaned into his father.

Suddenly, the two heard a voice, "Hurry up, slowpoke!"

Mani and Torrent turned their heads. Dayya was approaching the water's edge with Malowa behind her. The antelope that had been grazing peacefully gave them the side-eye and moved away.

"Hang...on!" Malowa puffed as he trailed behind Dayya.

Dayya approached Mani and Torrent. "Hey, boys." She greeted, looking spry.

"Hey yourself. What are you doing?" Mani asked.

"Training Malowa! What's it look like?"

Finally, the cream lion arrived beside her. He was sweaty and out of breath.

"Training!? All you've done so far is make me sharpen my claws, stretch and run. This isn't training!" Malowa exclaimed, then moved his brown mane out of his eyes with a toss of his head.

"This is just the warm up." Dayya said.

Malowa groaned. "Well I'm warm." He shook off some sweat.

"This is giving me some Vitani training flash backs." Mani commented.

"I'm using that as my inspiration." Dayya grinned. Malowa moved to the water's edge to drink.

"Well, you're doing a great job..." Mani said, then ducked to whispered in Torrent's ear, "Don't tell her about me being 'Moo-ni' or she'll make me join the training."

Torrent giggled.

"What?" Dayya asked.

"Oh nothing, I was telling Torrent we better be going. Come along, son. Have fun you two!" Mani moved away and his cub followed with a smile.

"Thanks!" Dayya said.

"Yeah, thanks." Malowa echoed, a little less enthusiastically.

Once they were far enough away, Mani said, "I do plan on exercising more, for the record."

Torrent smirked. "Okay, Moo-ni."

"I'm serious! I'm gonna go ask Kivu and Jai if they want to start racing with me everyday while we are here. I miss exercising with them. I just didn't want to go with your aunt Dayya because...she has a different kind of energy."

"Yeah, she never gets tired, does she?"

"Right!" Mani then yawned at the mention of the word 'tired'. "I'm really pooped right now. We had a long trip yesterday, then we stayed up too late last night."

"I'm not tired." Torrent said.

"You have a lot of energy. Like Dayya."

"Maybe I should have joined her training!"

Mani chuckled. "That surely would have tired you out. It really isn't as fun as it seems."

After a while, the two made it back to Pride Rock. Finally, all lions who had been sleeping in the shade had left, including Tempest.

Just looking at the underside of Pride Rock made Mani yawn loudly. "Come on, let's nap." Mani suggested.

"But I'm not tired! Can't I go explore, Dad?"

"I don't think-"

"Please? I didn't get to look around much yet. I'm old enough to be on my own for a little while!"

"Well..." Mani said. Torrent wasn't just a cub anymore.

"I'll stay around Pride Rock. And if I see the other cubs, I'll be nice to them. Please?"

"You promise you'll stay around Pride Rock? I really mean it. Just around the rock. The plains are dangerous on your own."

"Yes, I promise!"

Suddenly, a white hornbill fluttered down from Pride Rock. "I couldn't help overhearing." Kudzu said. "I could follow the cub to make sure he stays nearby."

"Hi, Kudzu. You'd really do that?"

"Of course, lion."

"Aw man, I don't need a bird to babysit me!" Torrent whined.

"I assure you, there will be no sitting on you of any kind." Kudzu said, preening his feathers. "You won't even notice me."

"That sounds great. It's a good plan anyway, cause honestly, I think your mother would rather you had a guardian of some kind. Thank you, Kudzu."

The bird just nodded and flew to the top of Pride Rock again. Mani trusted Kudzu to come to him right away if Torrent strayed.

"You don't trust me, Dad?"

"Not really." Mani joked.

Torrent stuck his tongue out at his dad but was still happy he would get to explore. He already knew where he wanted to go. He took off happily and trotted to Pride Rock's steps. A couple old looking lionesses were resting on the large rocky area by the steps. They ignored Torrent, so he hopped on up. He dashed out across Pride Rock's horizontal peak to stand where he was told the King stands to scan his land. Even though this is where Kudzu had landed just moments before, Torrent noticed the bird had been true to his word and was now unseen.

Torrent looked out over the Pridelands. They were huge!

"This is so high up." Torrent murmured to himself. He looked down and felt dizzy. "Woah..." He backed up and shook his head. "You couldn't get me to do that again in a million years!" He said to himself, then ran back down toward the den. Next, Torrent wanted to see inside Pride Rock's cave. Even as a baby, Torrent had never been in there.

The tan cub went inside. There was an instant coolness immediately upon stepping into the shaded den. Some light came in through a few cracks in the rocks above, but for the most part, the place was dark. It took a moment for Torrent's eyes to adjust to the change in light. It looked like the cave was empty. Torrent stepped further inside. All around the ground were nests of grass and leaves with indentions in the middle to show where the lions slept. Some of the beds had a familiar scent. One he passed smelled like Kivu. Another was like his aunt Jayden.

Torrent suddenly heard voices.

"It reminded me so much of her. I miss her." a female voice said sadly.

"I know." A male one replied gently. "I do too."

Torrent moved toward the voices and saw a really old orange lion with a graying red mane, and an old peach lioness relaxing in the back of the den. They hadn't noticed him yet.

"Just try to think of her and my mother relaxing together up there with the Kings. My father is watching over them."

Torrent moved closer. He wasn't sure he'd met these old lions before. "Hello." He said once they saw him.

"Hello, young one." The lion grinned. Torrent could see the wrinkles around the lion's kind red eyes.

The cub remembered his manners, "I'm Torrent. It's nice to meet you."

The old lions smiled. "I'm Nala, and this is Simba." the lioness said, blinking her blue-green eyes.

"Oh!" Torrent exclaimed, his eyes widening. He had, of course, heard the stories of Old Simba and Nala. These two were even older than his grandma! "I know you guys!" Then he remembered he was speaking to very special and honored royalty. "Er... I'm sorry for interrupting you."

"That's alright, young Torrent, we don't mind." Simba said. "And we know you, too."

"Yes, we're sorry we haven't met sooner." Nala added.

"That's okay, I know you're ol-" Torrent stopped himself. "...Busy." He hurried to change the subject. "Who were you talking about before? Someone that lives with the Kings now?"

"Yes, both our mothers live with the Kings."

"Your moms died?" Torrent asked.

"Yes."

"Were you sad?" Torrent tried to imagine what it would be like if his mother died. All he knew is he would cry forever if that happened.

"Yes, we were sad. But we use the teachings of the Kings and the Circle of Life to comfort us." Simba said, and Nala nodded.

"Both of them played their part in the Circle of Life. Even the ending part, just as we will all do one day." Nala said.

Torrent lowered his head in thought. Yes, we all complete the Circle of Life Someday.

"But we still miss those that are no longer with us." Simba said.

"I know I would miss my mom if she joined the Kings. But I think I know what your moms would say..." Torrent said suddenly. Wise words seemed to come to him from somewhere. "They'd say it's okay to be sad sometimes, but they are happy up there where they can watch over you and see your family grow. I heard about all the great things you both did to save the Pride Lands. Your moms would be proud."

Simba and Nala looked surprised that such words would come from a young lion.

"Thank you, Torrent." Simba said regally.

"You are a gift." Nala smiled gently.

Torrent just smiled back.

"Would you like to hear a story?" Simba offered. "Come on over here and I'll tell you about how my old friends, Timon and Pumbaa saved me when I was young."

"Okay!" Torrent bounded over to the raised stone platform the royals were laying on. He settled near Simba's belly and offered his full attention.

"Well, you may have heard how Scar made his hyenas chase me away from the Pride Lands." he started.

"You were all alone?" Torrent asked.

"Yes, for a long while, until I was so tired, I couldn't even stand anymore. That's when a warthog named Pumbaa and a meercat named Timon appeared..."