Chapter 11, Coming Home

Jay could hardly muster a single word to say. Could hardly believe what he was seeing. The mother of whom he had thought he had lost long ago. Standing there across the watering hole, looking back at him. Despite his surprised gaze, tears seeping from his eyes, she looked back at him with a simple smile.

As if seeing her little boy for the first time in so long, having now grown into a young man. What would bring pride for any mother to see.

"M-Mom?" Jay asked, curiously.

It was then that he saw his mother come walk out over the water. Hardly even noticing that she was walking over the water's surface. Jay took a step forward over the banks of the water hole. Reaching out his hand to her in the hopes that she too would reach back to him.

To be able to touch her once again and to feel hers in return. To be able to feel her hand cup the side of his face once more. Something that he had long to feel again. Which was why he felt a sense of relief when he saw her reaching out to him as well.

All in the hopes that it was all indeed real.

"Jay?"

The sound of Sarabi's voice had all but brought Jay back to reality. Glancing back, he saw his adopted mother standing behind him. Seemingly worryingly at her adopted son. Having seen him leave the cave so suddenly.

"Jay, what are you doing out here?" Sarabi asked, coming up to him.

Jay looked back at the watering hole. Only to find that she was gone. Cocking his head from side to side, but there was no sign of her. Jay suddenly felt his heart drop. He frowned, narrowing his eyes. Although he knew deep down that it was too good to be true. He had probably just imagined the whole thing.

"Jay?" Sarabi asked.

Jay sighed. He turned back to his mother, shaking his head.

"Uh.. Nothing. Just needed a drink." Jay insisted to her.

Sarabi raised an eye brow to her adopted son. She could often tell when something was wrong with her son. And she could always tell when he was hiding it. Especially after today after having to have made his first kill. Leaning forward, she gave Jay a long rough lick of his hair, causing him to groan.

"Hey..." Jay said, glancing to his mother.

"You know better then lying to me, Jay. Tell me what troubles you." Sarabi said to him.

Jay sighed, bowing his head. He did indeed know better then to lie to his mother.

"I just... I feel like I've let everyone down, today." Jay insisted to her.

Sarabi squinted her eyes in disbelief.

"How could you think that, Jay? You have made a great kill today." Sarabi asked, shaking her head to them.

"But it wasn't for the pride." Jay insisted.

"Jay?" Sarabi said.

Jay came up and sat down over the banks of the watering hole. He then leaned form, placing his arms over his knee.

"When I was facing Nyati, I kept thinking back at what happened. What he wouldn't have done to you." Jay insisted to her.

"I was so angry. I just wanted..."

Jay then paused. He the sighed, glancing to the side.

"Father was right, I didn't make that Kill for the Pride. I made it because I wanted to get back at him." Jay insisted to his mother.

"I know I'm not supposed to kill for revenge. But I did. I let you and the pride down. I'm sorry."

Sarabi came up Next to day, where she sat down next to her son. She then shook her head to him.

"There's nothing to forgive, my son. You saved the Pride." Sarabi proclaimed to her son.

"If it hadn't been for you, there would be no telling what would happen. A true king is a protector of his pride."

Jay narrowed his eyes.

"But, father said that..." Jay said.

"Your father was just as reckless when he was your age. His emotions had often gotten the better of him." Sarabi insisted to him.

"He had made more mistakes then you might believe. Wisdom cannot be granted, Jay. It must be earned."

Jay narrowed his eyes, turning forward to gaze out over the watering hole. Those were the same words he remembered his mother saying to him once before.

"She had said that to me once." Jay said, glancing to the side.

Hearing her adopted son say her, Sarabi knew he spoke of his real mother. The mother who had been taken from him at such a young age. There were times that Jay had often spoken of her. Though they were quite few in time. Jay had rarely spoken of his previous life. Before he came to be her and Mufasa's son.

"Your talking about your Mother?" Sarabi asked.

Jay nodded his head to his adopted mother.

"How much do you remember about your past?" Sarabi asked.

Jay narrowed his eyes as his thoughts turned to his past. It had been years since he last thought of his life before. Aside of his mother, there was not much he could remember from before. He could hardly remember where he had come from. Nor the people he may have once known.

Jay shook his head.

" Other then my mother, I don't remember much. Just a few bits and pieces." Jay insisted to his mother.

"But it probably doesn't matter anyway. I belong here with the pride. Besides, there's nothing for me back there."

Jay gaze then shifted to over the lagoon as his mother's question still lingering in his mind. He wondered about his past life and if the people he might have known all those years ago. Were they still looking for him? Or have they forgotten him as he had them?


Tabia Keita basked at the wildlife teeming within the far reaching Serengeti. It was just how she had remembered it from when she was little. After so many years away from home, it was it nothing had changed at all. From the passenger side of the jeep, she snapped several shots of the plains as they drove down the main road. Her and her college, Zahara heading to join her mother's research team in Khumba reserve.

Turning forward, Tabia glanced up as she peered down the main roar. It had been so many years since she had left to attend collage in the states. Having now graduated with a degree in zoology, she would now be able to join her mother in studying Africa's wildlife. Just as she had always dream when she was little.

Glancing down at her camera bag, she looked at the photo of her and her mother.

"Hey, Mom." She said.

Tabia took a deep breath before exhaling, slowly. Trying to calm her nerves.

"I'm so nervous right now." She said, smiling.

Zahara glanced to her, smirking.

"What's there to be nervous about?" She asked.

"We're going home, aren't we?"

"Yes, but we haven't been back since we were since we were fifteen." Tabia insisted to her.

"Who knows what's changed since then. Not to mention, it will be the first time working with my mother out in the field. I just don't want to mess this up."

Zahara glanced to her, smiling.

"Relax, you'll do great." Zahara reassured her.

"Stop stressing yourself out. Besides, once you give your mother the good news, she'll be so eager to work with you in the field."

Tabia sighed.

"Your right. There's nothing to worry about." she said.

Zahara nodded her head.

"That's my girl." She said in encouragement.

"You'll see. It'll be fine once we get to the reserve."

Tabia smirked before cocking her head to glance out the passenger side window.

"It's still hard to believe we're going home." Tabia insisted.

"I know what you mean. I never thought I would be back either." She said.

"I wonder if how much the villages changed since we were there."

Tabia smiled, shrugging.

"Who knows. But it will be nice to be home again." Tabia insisted to her.

"Oh yea. My dad is going to flip when I tell him." Zahara said.

"I can hardly wait tell my family that we're official zoologists."

Tabia smiled at her friend. Like her she had been looking forward to getting back to her family with the good news. Having been friends since they were little, growing up in the same village, both her and Zahara looked to follow in the foot steps of her mother. The two had both attending collage together in the states and looked to get their degrees in zoology together.

"Same here. I'm looking forward to telling my mother the good news." Tabia insisted to her.

"It will be nice to see her and the family again."

Tabia shifted her glanced back down at the photo of her and her mother. In the years she had been away, there were times she had come to miss her and the family. Though they had kept in touch by emailing each other and there was the occasion visits, Tabia couldn't help but miss home. And now, after so may years, she would finally return to the home she had longed to be.

"Hey, look!" Zahara suddenly said.

Glancing up, Tabia saw the old sign for Khumba Reserve. She gasped, feeling quite nostalgic at seeing the old sign.

"Welcome home." she said as they passed under the sign and entered the reserve.


Dr, Efia was sitting in her office, going over her notes she had taken from the other day. She had been mentoring the local elephant herd for the past few days now. The herd itself had been doing better in recent years then in the past. With the lack of poaching sightings, many of the animals at reserve had been prospering. The herd itself having grown with the joining of some additional members.

Looking over a page with a photo of the herd leader clipped to the top, a smile formed over her face. The calf who had lost his mother to poachers was now a fully grown bull, leading the herd like his father before him. Thanks to their efforts with the anti poaching unit, they were able to ensure the safety of the herd.

Taking off her glasses which she placed over her desk, she gave an impressed moan.

"Bomani, you are a fine looking bull. Your mother would be so proud." She said.

It was right at that moment that her attention shifted to the framed photo of her daughter over her desk. She turned in her chair as she took the frame photo into her hand.

"Speaking of being proud, today's the day." she said to herself.

"Tabia is finally coming home and she has a surprise for us."

Efia sighed, smiling.

"I can still hardly believe it. She's grown so much." Efia said.

"She said she wants to come with on one of our research trips."

Efia then turned to the right side of her desk. It was there that a photo of a strange rock cliff stood.

"Do I have the perfect place to go." she said.

There was a sudden knock over Efia's office door. Glancing up, she saw Jamari standing outside her office.

"Dr. Keita?" Jamari asked.

"Jamari." Efia greeted back to him.

"What are you still doing here? Shouldn't we be heading home for when Tabia and Zahara get back?" He asked, curiously.

Efia glanced down at her watch. Only to then gasped when she saw it was already five O'clock. It was normally the time when she would head home for dinner with her family. She must had gotten caught up in her research that she had lost track of time. Though this could hardly be the first time something like this had happened. In the past, she had certainly gotten caught up in her work far too often.

"Oh my, I mustn't been paying much attention. I was looking over some of my notes." She insisted to them.

"And I still have to go over the preparations for our research trip. I need to..."

Jamari smiled, shaking his head, chuckling.

"Same old, Efia. Always caught up in her work." Jamari said, teasingly.

Efia smiled, glancing up at her college.

"Very funny, Jamari. But you know how important tomorrow is." Efia insisted to him.

"We're about to venture deeper into a region. And our daughters will be joining us. This will be be her first research trip with us."

Jamari nodded his head to her.

"Yes, Yes, I know, Efia. And I'm just as excited as you are." Jamari insisted to her.

"But I've already taken care of all the preparations. So you can go home. Your daughter is probably already be home by now."

Efia smiled at her college.

"Thank you, Kamani." she said,

"I can always count on you."

Kamani nodded his head back to her.

"Of course, Dr. Keita." He said before turning and walking out into the hallway.