Why doesn't anyone understand? Simba complained as he marched away from Pride Rock, not even bothering to glance back at his former home. No one cares ab out me! I do everything for them. Everything! And this is how they repay me. They just throw it all b ack in my face. His head hanging low, Simba stared down at the ground miserably. But it's all over now. I won't have to suffer any more.

Simba took a deep breath, and held his head up high. That was the last straw. Nala didn't want to help him. She just wanted to get him into trouble! How could she be so cruel to him? He'd done so much for her: he became her friend; did everything she asked him to; and had saved her life more times than he cared to remember. And this was how she repaid him? By trying to make out that he was insane? That his nightmares were just all in his head? What an idiot!

No one understands, Simba thought, frowning. They all think I'm fine. If I told anyone else ab out this, then they'd just think I was lying. But I'm not. There's something coming. In the darkness. And if dark, evil forces start attacking the kingdom, then they'd b etter not come crying to me, because I won't help them. They don't deserve it. No one deserves it.

Simba strode past the water hole, wondering what his next move would be. "I've got to get out of here," he said to himself. "All they want is for me to grow up and become the King. Well, they can forget it. Someone else can take over the kingdom. I've already protected it more times than the Great Kings of the Past combined!"

Simba sighed. "So where do I go from here?" he asked himself, traipsing through a field with tall, thin grass that lightly swayed left and right in the morning breeze. "There's gotta be somewhere I can go." He thought for a moment, and then, he smiled. "The jungle!" he exclaimed, as a grin slowly formed on his face. "If Tojo and Tama can live there, then I can live there, too! I can start my own kingdom – away from all those traitors who betrayed me! They'll regret using me for the rest of their lives! Except for Nala, of course. I should have seen it right from the start. The only person she cares about is herself!"

"No way!" Nala stated, pacing back and forth inside the den. "He's not getting away with this!" she told herself. "I'm not gonna let him get to me like that! He needs help, and he's getting help!"

Nala was trying her best to ignore the burning pain that Simba had inflicted upon her with his hurtful words. She decided to focus on the most important thing right now: getting Simba the help he deserved.

Even though he had seriously hurt her feelings, Nala still loved him. He didn't mean it. She knew he couldn't last a day without her. It wouldn't be long before he came stumbling back into the den with his tail between his legs. That was a certainty. It was bound to happen…

Or was it? A sudden thought struck Nala. "But what if he did mean it?" she wondered aloud, looking towards the den opening. "What if he's run away from the Pride Lands, and never wants to come back?" She nibbled on one of her claws, a worried look on her face. "I can't let that happen. My whole life would be over. Where else I am gonna find someone who loves me?"

"Talking to yourself again, honey?" said Sarafina, staring up at her cub. "You do that a lot when you're stressed – or worried about something. Let me guess – you've fallen out with Simba?"

"Oh, I'm afraid it's a bit more serious than that, Mom," Nala replied. "But I'm sorry if I woke you up. I can't help it. I just do this kind of thing automatically. Pretty dumb, huh?"

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Nala," Sarafina said. "Now why don't you tell me about your troubles? I can already tell it's serious – you look like your heart's been ripped out and eaten right in front of you."

"What a perfect way of describing it," Nala mumbled, a sad frown on her face. "Simba said that I'm not his Princess any more. I was just trying to help him with a big problem he has, and then he just started accusing me of trying to make out that he was crazy. But I wasn't at all! I was only trying to help him."

"I see," said Sarafina, narrowing her eyes in thought. "Well… Have you thought about following him?"

Nala shot her mother a surprised look. "Huh?" she exclaimed. "You… You want me to follow him? How is that supposed to help with our failed relationship? If I go after him then he might…" She looked down at the ground, a shy look on her face. "He might hurt me even more."

"Don't worry about it, Nala," Sarafina told her. "I argued with your father when we were cubs. He used to jump up and down in anger, before running away from me as fast as he could. But he was always quick to come back and say he was sorry. And then before you knew it we were friends again."

"So what's this got to do with following him?" Nala asked, narrowing her eyes. "From what you're saying, it sounds like Simba's going to come right back here."

"Exactly!" Sarafina exclaimed. "So, catch him by surprise! Go after him! Make him agree to your demands! You're his future Queen! He has to do what you say!"

"Uh… I don't know how they used to do things when you were a cub, Mom, but I'm not exactly the 'controlling' type. Maybe I should just follow him and have a peaceful conversation." Nala smiled, warming to her idea. "Yeah. That sounds like it'll work. I'll just try not to get Simba all worked up."

"I still think my idea was pretty good," said Sarafina. "But whatever. You do what you want to. I still prefer the 'controlling' approach, though. It reminds me of your father. He never stopped asking me to marry him," she lied. Actually, it was the other way around…

"It's settled, then," Nala decided. "I'm going to go after Simba, and we're going to figure this out – together. Thanks, Mom."

"Mother knows best, dear," Sarafina said, before letting out a yawn and closing her eyes. "Mother also needs a nap, too. Don't forget to come back later and tell me all about it, though."

"Sure thing, Mom," Nala said, walking out of the den. "See you later!"

That's my girl… Sarafina thought as she drifted off to sleep.