Five Forever (A TLK Fanfiction) Part 1

[mistwolf]

(Thanks for reading my fanfiction! While you're at it, help me smooth out a plot wrinkle in the second part by voting in the poll above. Thanks!)

Five Forever: A Lion King FanFiction

Part 1: The Cub Years

Written By: *Mist Wolf*

Introduction

This is a story about five lions. Everyone has heard about Simba, and his epic return home just when the Pridelands needed him most. But no one has ever heard our story. And our’s is a story that didn’t end when Simba made that final roar. No. Our story went further. Much further.

There were originally seven of us. Me (Tojo), the twins Chumvi and Kula, Tama, Malka (who was actually a pride beyond the mountains, but I think he spent more time with us than his own family), and Prince Simba and his betrothed girlfriend, Princess Nala. But more often than not, especially in the days leading up to the Tragedy, Simba and Nala went on their own adventures alone, turning us seven into five. I never blamed Simba for this. I knew he and Nala were best friends, and they also had to take lessons from Zazu, being the future royal couple. I know it might be mean to say, but I sort of preferred not having them with us. When they weren’t, Zazu didn’t follow us everywhere. He could be so annoying.

And since, more often than not, there were only us five always together, we acquired the name “The Friendly Five”. I’m not sure where this name came from, but it just appeared, and soon we were known throughout the pride by this moniker.

“Hey, look! There goes the Friendly Five!” a lioness would often say as we went out to play.

“Don’t get into too much trouble today, Friendly Five!” another would call.

I think the name suited us. It was what we were. Five friends, always together. And even through some of our worst times, that’s what we remained. Life wouldn’t be easy for us, as we would find. Our friendship would over and over again be tested. Sometimes it would endure. Sometimes it seemed like it didn’t. We had to fight for each other, and ourselves. Some of us even paid the ultimate price. But in the end, against all odds, we once again stood together.

This is our story. A story about five ordinary cubs who had to learn to be extraordinary. A story about Five Forever.

[mistwolf]

Chapter 1: The Death of Simba and Mufasa

The day had started out so perfect. So…normal. It had been one of the few days in a long time that Nala had come to play with is. She had to: Simba’s uncle, Scar, had taken him on a walk, apparently to spend time with his father, King Mufasa. So Nala came with us to play, though I could tell she missed Simba. It was sweet how close the two were.

The thought never even crossed out minds that we may never see Simba again. At least, not for a long time.

One of our favorite things to do was chase hornbills on the savanna, then, when the day got too hot, and we got too tired, we’d return to Priderock to rest in a mud hole, much to the chagrin of our mothers.

There had been a heavy rain the night before, so our mud hole choices were endless. We eventually, however, picked a deep, sticky mud hole on top of a hill. Coincidentally, from the top of this hill we could see the Gorge in the distance. None of us knew Simba was down there. So no one was alarmed when Chumvi, after raising his head from a game of splash-and-run with his twin sister, Kula, said, “Look at the dust rising from the Gorge!”

We all looked up, muddy bodies dripping as we crowded around the dark brown male cub to watch the spectacle and get a better view. I suppose we all must have looked like some strange 6-headed mud monster.

“What do you think is making it?” Malka asked from beside Chumvi. The lighter cub’s fur was matted with mud, so much so that his distinctive ebony head and ear tufts were colored brown from the dirt.

I felt two, muddy paws press against my back, and I looked behind me to see Tama using me as a step-stool to look over the other’s heads.

“Tama, get your muddy paws off me!” I complained to the cinnamon-colored cub with the head tuft. I tried to tip her off, but she scrambled to stay upright, spreading mud over my back.

“You’re already muddy,” she snapped. “Stay still!”

“Hush!” Malka told us, glaring us both into silence. “Listen.”

We fell silent, turning back to the Gorge that we could see in the distance. Six muddy cubs stood huddled together, ears pricked, eyes alert, all watching and listening.

“Do you hear it?” Malka whispered hoarsely. We all did. It was a strange sound. Not really a sound you hear with your ears, but one you feel. In the ground, there was a gentle but evident rumble, sort of like when Chumvi had tried to climb up the side of a dry river, and made all the rocks fall down. It was a weird feeling. One we all knew couldn’t be good.

“Do you think it’s an avalanche?” Kula, Chumvi’s twin sister who was slightly lighter in color than he was, whispered.

“Nah, there’s too much dust,” Chumvi responded, as if he was the expert on such things.

“Maybe the whole thing is collapsing!” Tama gasped.

“Is that even possible?” Malka said incredulously.

“It could be!”

“Weren’t there wildebeests grazing up there, on the top of the ridge?” I asked, a sordid thought hitting me. “Maybe they stampeded.”

“That’s a lot of wildebeest,” Kula ogled. We all fell silent, and I glanced briefly over my shoulder. I was surprised to see that Nala had stepped back, away from us. It’s hard for a lion to look pale, but she did. I always wondered if she knew something, but was too afraid to say in case she was wrong. Or right.

We stood and watched for a while, never expecting what was truly happening, which was that out King was facing his death, and our close friend would be forced into exile.

After the dust started to clear and settle, which showed us that the Gorge was still completely intact, (giving us no reason to go down and inspect it) we turned back to our mud puddle, completely forgetting about what we had seen. The only one who still seemed to hold onto the thought was Nala, who seemed very quiet. I think she had an idea of what had happened. How, I’ll never know. Love is funny that way.

The day passed in a typical savanna way. No strange natural phenomena, no sudden darkness, nothing. Some storm clouds began to roll in towards late afternoon, but that’s only to be expected in the rainy season. What was unusual, though, was when, after we were called back to Pride Rock by our mothers, Sarabi, Simba’s mother and Queen of Pride Rock, came up to us, looking not just a bit frantic.

“Have you seen Simba?” she asked us once we arrived back. “Has he been with you?”

“No,” I answered. Behind me, I heard Nala gasp.

“Is Simba missing?” she squeaked. I could see the fear in her green eyes.

“I don’t know,” Sarabi admitted. “Scar took him out somewhere this morning. I haven’t seen him since.”

“What about Mufasa?” Sarafina, Nala’s mother, had risen and joined her best friend and Queen. “Where is Mufasa?”

“I-I thought he was out doing business….” Sarabi said. Her voice faltered. I glanced back at Nala. Her eyes were wet. She was trying to keep back tears.

Behind us, the sun was setting.

~**~

It didn’t take long to find out the horrible news. We were all huddled together, trying to assure Nala that everything was fine, when we heard the sound of running, scrambling paws and claws on rocks. We all looked up to see Scar half limping, half running towards us. But that wasn’t the most unusual thing, though. It was how he looked. Scar’s mane was almost always perfect, but now it was dusty and tangled. He was breathing hard, and his bright green eyes were bloodshot and wet from tears.

“Sarabi!” he gasped when his eyes landed on the Queen. I had never liked Scar. He scared me. The others shard by concerns, and we all took an involuntary step back.

“Thank goodness I found you!” he panted.

“Scar?” Sarabi asked, clearly alarmed. “What is it? What has happened?”

“Simba, Mufasa….” The dark lion started, but immediately broke down into sobs. The six of us looked at each other. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest, I was afraid that Scar might hear.

“What?” Sarabi was practically hysterical. She ran to him, her amber eyes wide. “Where are they? What happened? Where’s my son?”

Scar wept for a little longer, the struggled to catch his breath. Even then, I had the strange feeling all of this was fake.

“I….I was watching my dear nephew play in the Gorge, when the wildebeest herd stampeded! I knew I had to get help, so I took Simba and hid him on a tree! I was almost trampled, but I managed to find by brother. I lead him to the Gorge, but I was unable to help him because I was knocked unconscious by a wildebeest. When I awoke, I….I don’t know if I can say it.”

“Where’s my husband?” Sarabi cried. “What happened?”

“I’m sorry, Sarabi,” Scar said, his voice strained and filled with despair. “But when I awoke….Mufasa was dead.”

“What?”

At Scar’s words, we all gasped. Kula burst into tears and Tama hurried to comfort her. I heard nothing from Nala. We boys just stood together in stunned silence.

“And….Simba?” Sarabi managed, almost too afraid to ask. “What about my son?”

Scar sighed, hung his head.

“I…didn’t find him,” he said. “The tree I put him on was broken. But there was a rockslide near one of the walls and if he tried to climb out…”

“Don’t” Sarafina, who had come to comfort her friend, told Scar sharply. Sarabi buried her face in her best friend’s shoulder, and sobbed. Sarafina had made a good call. We could imagine the rest.

~**~

After the news was broken, Scar permitted Sarabi to come with him to the Gorge to see Mufasa’s body. While they were gone, we all sat in stunned silence. None of us dared look at Nala. After sitting away from us for a few minutes, she went to be with her mother. There was nothing we could do for her.

By the time Sarabi and Scar returned, night had come, and the dark rain clouds had covered the sky. It had not begun to rain yet, but the threatening clouds cast a grim pallor over the Pridelands, making Priderock loom over us like something straight from a nightmare. They also seemed to color the entire Pridelands a weird green-ish color. Not a star shone above us. It was like we were completely cut off from the Great Kings.

Besides us six cubs, Sarafina, and Sarabi, none of the other lionesses knew of what had happened. Once he and Sarabi had returned, Scar called the rest of the pride together, and we were forced to go through the heartbreak of hearing the horrible tale once more.

The lionesses huddled around a high rock, which Scar was perched on top of. Nala huddled with her mother, who stood beside Sarabi. We cubs sat together behind the other lionesses. We were our only source of comfort.

It was an awful time as Scar spoke. Me, Malka and Chumvi sat close together, each looking silently down at our paws. Tama was still desperately trying to comfort Kula, who was sobbing uncontrollably.

I found myself unable to cry. Even in a situation like this, I found that the tears refused to come. I suppose I was just in shock. My entire world had collapsed, and I was helpless to do anything about it. And with both Mufasa and Simba dead, that meant only one last lion could take the throne: Scar.

“Mufasa’s death was a terrible tragedy,” Scar said, after giving his story to the rest of the pride. The second telling of what had happened down in the Gorge was just as bad, even worse, then the first, as he seemed to drag the whole thing out. “But, to lose Simba, who had barely begun to live, it is a deep loss.”

I heard Chumvi whimper a little beside me, but I remained silent. Still no tears came. Inside, though, I felt like there was a void that threatened to swallow me up.

“So it is with a heavy heart that I assume the throne,” Scar continued. I swallowed hard. It was true. Scar would be our new king. That idea alone was unsettling, but it’s what he said next that made everyone freeze.

“Yes out of the ashes of this tragedy we shall rise,” behind him, shadows loomed, and I found myself and the others, all staring up, eyes wide with fear at what we saw. “To great the dawning of a new era, in which lion and hyena come together in our great and glorious future!”

Behind Scar, and from all around it, hyenas began to flood forth, like ants from a disturbed nest. Their laughter cut the air, and it seemed like they were mocking us. They probably were.

“No,” Sarabi said, voice like ice. By this point, Scar had mounted the King’s Rock, the rock that jutted out over the Pridelands. The rock from where Simba had been presented to the Pridelands’ animals when I was very young.

Scar froze in his ascent and turned to stare down at her.

“What?” he demanded.

“You can’t do this!” she cried. I could hear the anger in her voice. My fear changed from what the hyenas would do to us, to what Sarabi would to the hyenas and Scar- or what they would do to her.

“You have no right!” she continued.

“Sarabi!” Scar snapped. “Your husband and son are dead! By the laws of Mohatu, first king of Priderock, who is the rightful king?”

Sarabi glared back at him.

“You,” she growled.

“To deny my kingship would break the laws set up by my grandfather, and the grandfather of your husband. It would call for immediate exile! If you deny the laws, you may leave the Pridelands.”

Sarabi knew better than that. She was strong, but her chance of survival without a pride was slim. And Scar would probably send hyenas to kill her anyways,

But I knew Sarabi. She would never leave her pride when they needed her most.

Instead, she put her ears back and lowered her eyes, signs of submission. Scar saw these, but he wasn’t going to let this opportunity slide.

“Who is your king, Sarabi?” he asked again, his voice mocking.

“You,” she growled, voice barely audible.

“Who?” Scar demanded again. Sarabi’s amber eyes were filled with hate, and she raised them to his face. I could tell she was barely containing herself.

“You!” she shouted, her tone bitter. Around us, a hundred hyenas laughed. Scar smiled.

“Correct.”

~**~

I didn’t see Nala after Scar’s acceptance speech. And I was too scared to look for her. Hyenas had been in the Pridelands a long time, and I knew the danger of them. A hyena would kill a cub and never care. I knew as well that now that hyenas were legal citizens of the Pridelands, we’d be in much more danger than before. There was no more Mufasa to protect us. We were on our own.

We had to say goodbye to Malka after Scar’s speech. As much as he loved being with us, he lived in the pride to the north, beyond the Pridelands. We always said goodbye to him before he left. But tonight, it was especially hard to see him go. I could see tear stains on his cheeks from here we had been crying.

“Goodbye, Malka,” I said, and the others said their farewells, too. Kula couldn’t even speak. She just rubbed her head with his, and then returned to where her brother had taken the role to comfort her. Malka looked sad, and scared.

“You gonna tell your pride about…you know?” Chumvi asked.

“I have too,” Malka murmured. “If they don’t already know.”

“Are you going to be allowed to come back?” Tama asked, worried. Malka shrugged.

“Dunno.”

“Bye,” I said again. “In case…you don’t come back.”

He nodded solemnly. Usually, when we said goodbye, there was some exchange of inside jokes, or a brief farewell game of pounce-and-tackle. But not tonight. There was nothing else to say.

As he turned sadly to leave, a voice behind us called his name.

“Malka?”

We looked around to see Sarabi walking towards us. She looked like she’d aged a thousand years. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying. She looked tired, but her entire body screamed hope and strength. She was holding on, so we had to, too.

“Are you going home?” she asked. Malka looked surprised to see her, but nodded.

“Yes, Queen…uh…yes, Sarabi,” he said. Sarabi was no longer our Queen.

“I will take you to the border, for your safety,” she said.

“Okay,” Malka whispered sadly. Sarabi started off and Malka turned to follow her. He looked over his shoulder at us. We all knew what he was thinking: this might be the last time we’d ever see him.

“Tojo!” I heard my name called from far off. “Tama! Chumvi and Kula! Come home, it’s bedtime.”

We all looked at each other, then stood and walked towards the voice. Minutes later, we were all settled down in the night cave with all the other lionesses. The night made the cave pitch-black, and all the others around me were soon asleep. I was curled beside my mother. Tama and her mother slept nearby, and Chumvi and Kula were curled together at their own mother’s side. Nala and Sarafina were nearby, as well. Nala hadn’t come out with us to say goodbye to Malka. I didn’t blame her.

The sound of slow, soft breathing echoed all around me. And yet, I could not find sleep. I lay there, staring around the cave, with wide eyes. My heart jumped at every sound. Was that a hyena? Was that a hyena? The sound of paw-steps almost made me leap out of my fur. I huddled against my mother’s soft belly, and watched as Scar walked through the midst of the lionesses. His gaze was set forward. He didn’t even look at the sleeping bodies around him, just stared forward. Suddenly I saw his green eyes rest of the figure of Nala, sleeping beside Sarafina. But it was only a brief glance.

He made his way through the middle of the sleeping bodies then to the flat rock in the center of the cave. Slightly elevated, this rock was where Sarabi and Mufasa had once slept side-by-side. Sarabi, who had recently returned from taking Malka home, now slept beside Sarafina.

My heart felt cold as ice when Scar mounted the rock platform, circled three times, then lay down. He scanned the lionesses, and for an instant, I thought he looked at me, green eyes seeming to glow in the darkness. I shut my eyes tight and pretended to be asleep. After a few seconds, I opened them again, and looked over at our new king. But he, too, was asleep. And before I knew it, fogginess drifted into my mind, and I succumbed to darkness.

~**~

I woke up later in the night. Everyone was still asleep, and the sun was far, far from rising. But despite this, I could not fall asleep again. I was restless, and kept thinking of Mufasa and how he died.

Finally, I knew I could not get back to sleep. I was unable to cry, and I think it was doing something to me, like I had all these tears built up inside but couldn’t get them out. So, in a last desperate burst, I rose from my mother’s side. I walked through the bodies of the other lionesses, and out into the rain that was beginning to fall. I didn’t worry about getting into trouble. I didn’t worry about hyenas attacking me. I didn’t worry about anything at all.

I walked off Priderock. I walked past the water hole. I walked past the trees the monkeys slept in. I even walked past the hill we’d played on today. I didn’t stop walking till I’d reached the Gorge. And still I walked. It was like I was in a trance. A fake image played in my head of what happened to Simba and Mufasa. I knew I was making it up, but I desperately wanted to know.

Then, I found was I was unconsciously looking for. Below a splintered tree, was a body. A body being washed by the rain that fell. But I didn’t care. I walked up to it, sat down before it. I knew whose body it was immediately. It was Mufasa.

I don’t know why I wanted to do this, but I did. Maybe it was my own way of paying my respect to such a great king. Without thinking, I wedged myself between the two huge front paws and snuggled against the fluffy rust-red mane, made limp and wet by the rain. I closed my eyes as I lay beside my king. My entire world had collapsed. Everything was spinning out of control, and I had no idea how to stop it. I knew nothing would ever be the same again.

And as I lay there, a tear slid down my cheek.

[mistwolf]

((Feel free to comment, by the way. I enjoy the opinions. )

Chapter 2- Slow Fade

When I say that life in the Pridelands was like a slow fade, I mean it was very slow. I know what you’re thinking. You’re expecting me to say that when we woke up the next day, the whole world was drastically different. You’re expecting me to say that after Scar took the throne, the sun didn’t rise the next morning, and all the grass and trees were dead, all the animals were gone and darkness reigned. But that’s not was happened.

In fact, when I woke up the morning after Mufasa and Simba’s death, everything was the same. And it was the same the next day. And the next day. Sure, there was mourning for the loss of our King and Prince, and we were all extra careful around the hyenas, but other than life, life went on.

It wasn’t until about two weeks after that things changed a little.

Scar chose Zira to be his Queen, since he had never chosen a mate before. We all knew Zira, but none of us liked her. She was scary, mean, and didn’t like us cubs. She was often the subject of our games, where someone would play Zira, and we’d all try to run away from her.

But apparently she and Scar had been in a relationship for a long time. I’m still not quite sure what he saw in her, but at that point I was too young to have any insights into anyone’s love life.

The day after Scar declared publicly that Zira would be his Queen, we all had to attend their marriage ceremony on the King’s Rock. The tradition apparently was one that dated back for a long time, even before our pride had come to Pride Rock. Rafiki, our pride’s shaman, had to be called to do the ceremony, though I could tell he was displeased with it.

I don’t know where Rafiki came from, but he was always there when one of us cubs was hurt or sick (the former seemed to happen to me more than others). He helped the lionesses during pregnancy, he cub-sat when the mothers needed time off, he told us stories, he consulted the King (or, at least, he used to) and he did much more, I’m sure. But he was also a good friend of Mufasa, and like the rest of us, was devastated when the king died. He mourned with us, and he was the one that preformed the burial ceremony of Mufasa, and asked the Great Kings to guide his and Simba’s souls into the next life. Because he was such a close friend of Mufasa, he did not approve of Scar’s ascent to the throne. But as our pride shaman, he was unable to object to Scar’s orders, or he risked exile or even death. Rafiki, I knew, was a lot like Sarabi. He would not let foolish actions be the cause of disappointing his friends when they needed him the most.

So we had to sit and watch the marriage of Zira to Scar. But the simple marrying of the two lions was not the most painful part of it all. After Rafiki used his staff to signalize that the two lions were now one, the ceremony proceeded in that Scar and Zira, now king and queen, were expected to walk through the center of the rest of the pride, which was seated in a circle around the newly married couple. As they walked through the circle, the pridemembers were expected to bow, signifying that they recognized both lions as their rulers. This was where trouble started to brew, and this was the first time that I truly realized how deeply feelings in the pride had changed.

As they walked through, the expected did not happen. Scar was yet to form true alliances in the pride, but Zira had a few friends among the members. As the newly married couple passed those friends, they bowed. Zira smiled at those lionesses, but her smile quickly faded. Beyond her friends, sat all of us others, all of us opposed to Scar’s rule. And the first one who refused to bow was Sarabi. She sat, proud, tall, strong, and unmoving, and even as the King and his new mate came up to her, she refused to bow. Instead, she glared icily at them. Taking cues from her, we all sat straight as well. I sat beside my mother, and Chumvi sat on my other side with Kula and their mother. Kula had a fire in her eyes as she sat ram-rod straight and proud. Chumvi looked less certain, but sat straight as well. I was wavering badly. I felt like my legs were as wobbly as sapling trees in a storm. I was shaky all over, and what I really wanted to do was hide. I knew I opposed Scar, but I was so scared. Sarabi was courageous, and so was Sarafina who sat next to her. Nala, too, sat as straight at her mother and her Queen. I couldn’t see Tama from where I sat. I had no idea how she was reacting.

I felt like such a coward. I was shaking and felt sick. I was certain that Scar would choose me out of everyone else to punish. My fears were unfounded. After all, why would he choose a cub to punish when he could go straight for Sarabi? But it didn’t matter: I was so scared.

Scar didn’t realize something was wrong until he passed Sarabi. He passed her, and then stopped, looked around to see that more than half of his pride was sitting straight up, glaring at him coldly. I felt like I wanted to get sick. His green eyes, sparkling with anger, slowly scanned all those who refused to bow, refused to recognize him as their king and Zira as their queen. Zira, too, stared in shock at those around her.

“I think there’s been a mistake here,” Scar finally said, coldly. Zira’s red-brown eyes flashed when they landed on Sarabi. The ex-queen still sat tall and still, her amber eyes meeting Zira’s with no fear.

“Sarabi,” Scar turned to his sister-in-law. “I’m not sure if you understand this, but when Zira and I walk past, you are to bow. You see, this is how you show that Zira and I are the king and queen.”

“Then I cannot bow,” Sarabi’s voice was clear and cold. “I do not see my king standing before me.”

There was a general gasp from the pride. Even us, who stood against Scar, where shocked at Sarabi’s words. She was putting herself in terrible danger.

Scar’s ears pressed against his skill.

“I will give you one more chance, Sarabi,” he said. “We’ll try this again. If you don’t bow when Zira and I walk past, I will not be held responsible for the consequences that come to you.”

The lionesses remained silent as Scar lead Zira out of the circle. Once out, they turned and came back through. Once again, the friends of Zira happily bowed before their queen. But once again, when the couple reached Sarabi, she did not bow. And that meant the rest of us didn’t, either. I felt myself shaking again. Scar snarled at Sarabi.

“Bow!” he bellowed. “I am your king!”

Sarabi’s eyes were hard and determined, but at last she spoke.

“I will bow,” she said slowly. “Only because I fear for the others who follow my example. But you, Scar, will never be my king.”

The two enemies glared at each other for a long moment, then Scar hissed, “I will speak to you later.”

“Very well,” Sarabi answered, and very deliberately, bowed. Around her, all the other lionesses bowed as well. Angered, Scar and Zira continued on to the precipice of the King’s Rock. There they were supposed to roar and have the pride answer them, but to our surprise, they did not continue with this tradition. I guess they didn’t want to test the pride anymore. I was relieved when they remained there, and Scar flicked his tail in our direction. It was a dismissal. We all stood and left.

That was the first time I realized just how much I’d been shaken by everything that had happened to us.

But it was also the first time I realized just how much I needed to grow up.

[mistwolf]

(Humongous chapter, sorry! And the "Dead River" that's mentioned in this chapter is the river that empties into the deep gorge in the end of TLK II)

Chapter 3- A Different World

The night after the marriage of Zira to Scar, the lionesses were forced out of our night cave. Scar told us that the place we once spent our nights in peaceful slumber was now completely off-limits at any time. It was a hard change for us, because it symbolized more than just Scar taking over our cave. It symbolized a whole new era, and it foreshadowed this new monarchy. Even though Mufasa and Sarabi were our rulers, they had still slept in the same cave with the rest of us. It was their way of showing that they cared about us, by spending the most precious moments of relaxation with us. They were our royal couple. But they were our friends, and they were willing to sacrifice what could have been privacy and peace if they had declared the cave solely their’s, for friendship and support of the pride. I was told that King Ahadi and Queen Uru (Mufasa and Scar’s parents) and King Mohatu and Queen Ibena (Mufasa’s grandparents), had done the same. Scar would be the first to ever do this to us. The transition was hard on us all.

We weren’t homeless, though. The Priderock’s unique structure provided many various caves, and there was one particular cave not far down from the new King’s Cave that was big enough to shelter all of us.

Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing that Scar moved us out. Sarafina was pregnant again, and though we had had no worries about the fast approaching delivery date when Mufasa was king, it was a much different story with Scar as ruler. We were all worried what might happen when the new cub was born.

But for now, we faced trying to settle into this new way of life. After the first shock of what had gone down at Scar ad Zira’ marriage, things seemed to calm down a little. Scar left us alone, and really, I didn’t see him outside the cave a lot. If he did come out, he must have left early in the morning and come back late at night. Because other than once in a while when he stood on the King’s Rock overlooking the savanna, I never saw him. I also didn’t see the hyenas much. Well, that’s not entirely true. I didn’t see them around Pride Rock. And because neither I, nor any of my friends, had seen our greatest enemies, we slipped into a sort of complacency. After all, if we hadn’t seen the ones we were supposed to be careful of, there was nothing to be afraid of. This faulty logic led to our first encounter with this new danger that had entered the Pridelands.

~**~

The lionesses were ready to go hunting, which usually meant a free day for us. A day free of adults and responsibilities. Or at least, that’s how it usually was.

“So, what do you want to do?” I casually asked Chumvi. We all (well, expect Malka, whom we hadn’t seen since the Tragedy) were sitting in a circle in the back of the cave. Even Nala was with us. She’d avoided us since Simba’s death, spending most days at her mother’s side. Today was the first time that she’d accepted our offer to play. I think she may have finally started to come back from her best friend’s death. Or she knew that she needed to stay strong for her future baby sibling (who she was certain was a girl), and her mother.

Either way, I was happy to have her back. I always liked Nala, even though often she hadn’t played with us.

“Maybe we can go down and chase hornbills again,” Chumvi suggested.

“Or go swimming in the water hole!” Tama put in, happily. We were all excited to get out from under the watchful eyes of the adults.

“We could search for food!” Kula spouted with such a burst of excitement that we all turned and looked at her. Tama next to me stifled a laugh. We all knew about Kula’s love of food.

She seemed to pick on our mocking of her idea, and her ears fell back in disappointment.

“Well, I thought it was a good idea,” she muttered indignantly. “I’m hungry.”

“I think we should go to the water hole,” Chumvi put in after Kula’s outburst. “I saw a flock of flamingoes there the other day. I bet they’d be good for chasing.”

“Oooh,” we all chorused. Flamingoes didn’t come along very often, but when they did, they made for good games. Usually running from them though. For some reason, the giant pink birds didn’t take well to being chased by a bunch of hyperactive cubs.

Suddenly, I remembered something. Nala hadn’t said a word this entire time, and I wanted to make sure she was okay with all this. I didn’t want to make her feel left out, or propose something that she wasn’t ready to do yet.

“Nala?” I asked, looking over to where she sat quietly. She looked like she had been paying attention, but she just hadn’t spoken. I wondered why. “What about you? What do you want to do?”

“Oh, yeah,” Chumvi said, as if just realizing for the first time that Nala was there. Tama and Kula turned to her, too. “What do you want to do, Nala?”

To my surprise, a smile appeared on her face. I hadn’t seen Nala smile like that for a while. She really was almost back to her old self.

“It sounds fun to me,” she said, green eyes twinkling. We all smiled encouragingly at her, and then Chumvi said, “Well, come on! Last one to the waterhole’s a rotten zebra carcass!”


We all laughed and jumped up to run out of the cave, when suddenly our path was blocked. Chumvi came to such a quick stop that I struggled not to run into his back. We all looked up to see Sarabi standing purposefully in front of us, standing between us and our way out. The other lionesses stood near the mouth of the cave, waiting for their leader.

“And where do you think you’re going?” she asked. Her voice wasn’t teasing, though. She looked down at us very seriously. Chumvi looked over his shoulder at us, as we fanned out around him. Then he turned and looked up, dark green eyes ever-hopeful.

“To…the waterhole?” he asked. Sarabi shook her head.

“No,” she said firmly. “You’re staying here. All of you. While we’re gone, I don’t want you going outside without us nearby. Is that understood?”

We all visibly wilted. I sighed. So much for our free day.

“Yes, Sarabi,” we all said sadly. We had no choice.

“Good,” she said. “We’ll be back by High Sun to bring you lunch.”

High Sun was our version of “noon”. It was when the sun was highest in the sky, hence the name.

We watched sadly as Sarabi turned back to her hunting party, and they all walked outside into the morning. We watched them until they were gone, then Tama spoke.

“I’m sorry, Nala,” she said sadly. “Looks like we won’t be having fun today.”

“It’s okay,” Nala replied softly.

“I wonder why they don’t want us going out?” Kula mused. I glanced over to see Chumvi standing, a smile spreading across his face. And I didn’t like the look of that smile.

“It’s because of the hyenas,” he said in a creepy voice.”

“But…I haven’t seen the hyenas anywhere,” Kula said, uncertainly. “I even heard Mom say they might have left the Pridelands.”

“Of course you haven’t seen them!” Chumvi laughed. “And they’re not gone. But it’s cause they hide behind rocks.” As he narrated, he slunk behind a large boulder that sat near the wall of the cave. “And they wait for a cub to come out, and then they jump out at you!”

He leaped out from behind the rock to where Kula and Tama stood. Kula squealed and hid behind Tama. Tama frowned, red-brown eyes disapproving.

“Chumvi, don’t,” she said. But Chumvi was on a roll.

“Hyenas are everywhere,” he continued. “They’re behind every rock, everywhere.”

“Then how come we never see them?” I demanded. “If they’re everywhere.”

“Cause they’re magic!” Chumvi said. I laughed.

“Yeah, right,” I mocked. Chumvi walked over and shoved his face up against mine.

“Are you so sure?” he challenged. “When was the last time you saw a hyena?”

“Well, not since…” I glanced sideways at Nala, but decided not to bring up the Tragedy. “Not for several weeks.”

“Exactly,” Chumvi said. “That’s 'cause they don’t want to be seen. Hyenas have special dark magic that let’s ‘em turn into shadows! They love shadows! That’s why they hide behind rocks! To wait for their favorite food.”

He stalked around us, apparently pretending to be a hyena. Kula watched her brother’s every move, slowly backing away when he came too close. Tama, too, looked uncertain.

“And do you know what their favorite food is?” he asked, crouching in front of Nala. She shook her head and backed away from him. He leaped away from the light tawny cub, then at his sister.

“Little lion cubs!” he exclaimed. Kula leaped back, startled.

“Not true, not true!” I put in, shaking my head furiously. I couldn’t stand letting him scare the girls like this. Chumvi looked over at me again, and smiled.

“You bet it is!” he said, circling the girls before coming back to the boulder he’d used as a prop earlier. This time he leaped onto the top and leered down at us.

“I heard this story once,” he said, voice turning even spookier than before. Tama and Kula hugged each other, and Nala huddled near the other wall. I watched everything with concern from the side. I didn’t like where these stories were going. Besides, behind us, storm clouds were rolling in, ready for our typical summer downpour. The air in the cave was turning creepy.

“Stop it, Chumvi,” Nala snapped suddenly. “You’re creeping us out!”

“What’s wrong, Nala?” Chumvi teased. “Too chicken to hear the story?”

“No,” Nala said defensively. “It’s just…you’re scaring Tama and Kula!”

“Nala’s a chicken!” Chumvi sang mockingly from his high perch. “Buck-buck-buck!”

“Stop it!” she said again, ears back. Chumvi laughed.

“I heard this story,” he continued, dropping the chicken act. Despite ourselves, we all fell silent, hanging on his words. “About this cub. He want out one night with his mother, and-“

“Did he have a name?” Kula put in innocently. Chumvi looked at her as if she was a bug.

“Does it matter?” he asked.

“I just wanted to know,” Kula pouted. Chumvi rolled his eyes.

“No, he didn’t,” he said, obviously wanting to get on with the story.

“He didn’t have a name?” Kula asked. “Why didn’t his mom name him?” Chumvi was seething.

“His name was…was….Joe!” Chumvi spat. Kula looked unconvinced.

“That’s a dumb name for a lion.”

“Just go on with the story!” Tama said impatiently.

“I just wanted to know his name…” Kula muttered. Chumvi rolled his eyes and continued.

“Anyways,” he said. “He-“

“Call him Kovu,” Tama suddenly put in. Chumvi looked at her like she had two heads.

“Kovu? What type of a name is that?”

“I like the name Kovu,” Tama said defensively. “And it’ll make Kula happy.”

Chumvi sighed.

“Okay, okay. Kovu it is. Anyone else have something to say?”

We all looked at each other, but shook our heads.

“Okay then,” Chumvi said, exasperated. “Anyways, Kovu went out one night with his mother. But it was foggy, and he got lost. He wondered around for a while, searching and calling for his mother. And then, he heard shuffling in the grass behind him, and laughing. He started running, but he wasn’t fast enough. Hyenas ran out of the grass at him, and chased him all the way to these two huge rocks called the Twin Rocks. He thought he’d jump onto the rocks, and then fight them off from up there. But when he started climbing, it happened!”

We all shuddered, waiting for the conclusion.

“A hyena was already up there! The thing leaped off the rock!” Chumvi leaped at Kula, who screamed and ran to hide behind Nala.

“And then he pounced on Kovu!” Chumvi leaped on Tama, who screamed like Kula and struggled under his weight. My heart was pounding in my chest.

“And they said you could hear his scream all over the Pridelands. His mother heard and came to find him, but she was too late. Kovu was gone, and so were the hyenas.”

“What happened to him?” Kula asked, shakily. Chumvi eyed her creepily.

“No one ever found him,” he said softly. “Not even his bones. And the hyenas just disappeared.”

I swallowed hard. The story seemed too real. I knew that hyenas were dangerous, but I didn’t really want to believe that they’d actually eat us.

“To this day, they say that sometimes, you can still see the ghost of a cub wandering around the Twin Rocks, searching for his body….and his mother.”

“That’s silly,” I said, uncertainly. “There’s no such things as ghosts. And Scar wouldn’t let the hyenas do that to us.”

Chumvi shrugged.

“It’s not always about Scar,” he said. “That’s the hyena nature. They’re too stupid to know any better. They’re not like us lions.”

“Still,” I said. “I don’t think-“

“Hyena!” the shriek made us all jumped. Kula was almost sobbing, crouched down to the floor. Her eyes were so wide, I thought they’d pop out of her head. We all followed her panicked gaze over to see what she was freaking out about.

I gasped, and Chumvi backed up a few steps. Sure enough, a shadow loomed at the mouth of the cave. The dark clouds cast a shadow over the figure, hiding it from view. I backed up, and instinctively both Chumvi and I stood defensively in front of the females. We all watched with bated breath as the shadow walked forward. We had no idea what to do if it was a hyena.

Closer, closer…

The shadows parted to reveal the figure’s true form. We all gasped. It was…

“Malka?” I squeaked. The tawny cub with the ever-recognizable ebony head and ear tufts walked happily into the cave. When he say our expressions, he looked slightly taken aback.

“What’s happening?” he asked, confused. “Is something wrong?”

We all relaxed, and even laughed a little. We hadn’t seen Malka in a while, and it was funny that we had mistaken him for a hyena.

“Nothing’s wrong!” I laughed as we all ran to hug and greet him. “Chumvi was telling us scary stories about hyenas, and we thought you were one!”

Malka laughed.

“A hyena?” he asked, smiling wildly. “I think I’d make a great hyena!”

He crouched and growled at Kula, who laughed and batted him with a paw.

“Your parents let you come back?” Chumvi asked. Malka stopped his pursuit of Kula and shrugged.

“Kinda. I snuck away,” he confessed.

“What?” I gasped. “Malka, what will your parents think!”

“They won’t think anything,” he retorted. “I’ll be back before they know I’m gone!”

Despite his jaunty tone, there was a slight glitter of sadness in his brown eyes. I didn’t understand it, and it was gone so fast I thought I hadn’t seen it at all.

Then his happy expression turned to one of mild confusion.

“What are you guys doing in here, though?” he asked. “I saw the lionesses hunting. I thought sure you guys would be out playing.”

Kula and Tama drooped.

“Sarabi said to stay here,” the darker of the two lionesses said. Tama nodded beside her.

“Really?” Malka sighed, disappointed.

“Yeah,” I confirmed. “She said it was too dangerous.”

We all looked sadly at each other, the plans for our happy day evaporating like water on a hot summer day.

Suddenly, Chumvi said, “She did?”

We all looked over at him, as if he was crazy.

“Of course she did!” Kula exclaimed. “Didn’t you hear her?”

Chumvi smirked. I stared at him, not sure what he was doing. Chumvi had to be deaf not to hear Sarabi. And after all, he was at the front when she said the order….

“I didn’t hear anything,” he said. I studied him, not quite sure what he was getting at. He still held that smirk, and our eyes finally met.

And I realized what he was doing. I smiled.

“Neither did I,” I said finally. Chumvi was determined not to let anything ruin today. And I was with him all the way. Chumvi looked over at the others and raised an eyebrow.

“What about you girls?” he asked. “Did you hear Sarabi say we couldn’t go anywhere?”

The girls looked at each other. I could tell they were unsure. To my surprise, Nala was the first one to catch on. She met my gaze, just like I had with Chumvi. And she, too, realize what was going on. She smiled slyly.

“I’m with you,” she said, standing. Tama and Kula looked at each other, but eventually, Tama, too, nodded.

“I think it’ll be okay,” she said with a shrug. We were all unanimous. Well, almost….

“Wait!” Kula burst out. We all looked at her. There was fear in her red-brown eyes. “We shouldn’t! We can’t! Sarabi said-“

Chumvi stepped forward and glared down at his sister.

“Sarabi will never know,” he said. “Unless you tell her.” As he said the word “you”, he jabbed a paw at her, poking her in the chest. Kula shifted, ears falling back.

“But…what if they find out?” she asked nervously

“They won’t,” he answered. “‘Cause we’ll be back before they come back at High Sun! And we’ll stay away from the hunting party. They’ll never know we were gone!”

Kula swallowed and looked between all of us. We stared back at her, waiting for her reply. If Kula didn’t go, we couldn’t risk leaving her here. She might tell on us.

“I still don’t think it’s a good idea,” she said, looking ashamedly down. “I’m just worried-“

“What’s there to be worried about?” Malka walked over and put a paw around her shoulder. “You’ll be with us! You’ll be perfectly fine! And Chumvi’s right. No one will ever know.”

Kula swallowed and I could tell the pressure was getting to her.

“Well…” she said slowly. We all leaned in anxiously. Finally, she sighed.

“Okay.”

We all cheered. Kula was in. She gave us a weak smile.

“You’ll be happy you chose us,” Chumvi said. “Over sitting in a cave all day. This’ll be much better!”

“Only if we hurry up,” Tama put in. She looked up at the sky. “It looks like it’s going to rain.”

“Let’s go then,” Malka leaped to his feet, bubbling with excitement.

“Where are we going?” I asked. “The water hole?”

“Nah,” Chumvi said. “Let’s go to the Twin Rocks and look for the cub!”

“Kovu,” Tama put in. Chumvi rolled his eyes.

“What?” Malka asked, confused. “What cub? Who’s Kovu?”

“Kovu is the name Tama gave to the cub from Chumvi’s story who was killed by hyenas,” I explained to Malka.

“He was killed near the Twin Rocks!” Chumvi added. “At least, that’s what they say. They’ve never found his remains!”

“No, Chumvi!” Kula begged her brother. “Let’s not!”

“Kula,” the dark brown lion said. “You said you’d come with us, and that means you have to go anywhere with us.”

“Kula’s right,” I said. “We don’t even know where the Twins Rocks are.” I’d heard of them, but I’d never seen them.

“Aren’t they by the river?” Malka asked. “I see them when I come here sometimes.”

“But that’s so far!” I complained. Like Kula, I didn’t want to go there. I was trying to make up every excuse I could. “We’ll never get there by High Sun!”

Chumvi considered for a minute. I could see the wheels turning inside his head. Unfortunately. He wasn’t buying any of my excuses.

“Okay,” he finally said. “We’ll make a deal. We’ll start going to the Twin Rocks, and if we don’t find it soon, we’ll turn back and go to the water hole.”

“Fine,” I said. I knew that was the best we were going to get from Chumvi. He was stubborn as a mule.

Malka nodded, too, and the girls shrugged. Well, except Kula. She looked scared to death, but there was nothing she could do.

“Well, come on!” Chumvi cried and ran off. I smiled, despite myself, and we all ran after him, down Pride Rock and to the savanna below.

~**~

It seemed like two hours later we were still wandering through the endless expanse of the Pridelands.

“I’m sure it’s this way!” Chumvi said, for about the hundredth time, and then, for what seemed like the thousandth time, changed direction. We were all exhausted, and had no idea where we were.

“Chumvi,” I whined. “We don’t even know where we are! We’ll never find it! Let’s go back to Priderock!”

I looked over my shoulder to see Tama, Nala, and Kula all dragging behind. Even Malka looked tired.

“No, no,” Chumvi insisted, refusing to look back at our exhausted party. “It’s right up here, I’m sure of it!”

“Give it up, Chumvi,” Kula said. “Let’s go back to Priderock! I’m sure Sarabi and our mothers are back by now!”

Chumvi stopped, and I saw his head droop. The sky above us may be dark, but it was still hot. Even Chumvi was starting to get tired.

“Well,” he said after a moment. “Maybe we should-“

“Wait!” Malka suddenly interrupted. “Listen!”

We all paused, and my ears strained as I tried to figure out what Malka had head that made him so excited.

And then I heard it.

Water.

“The river!” Chumvi gasped. “I can’t believe it! We made it!”

Quickly, finding renewed strength, we all burst through the tall grass, rushing towards the sound of the river that promised water. But once we broke through, we found ourselves standing on the bank of a rushing, seething, churning river. Not what we had imagined, and not safe to drink from. This river was not like the slow, lazy river that supplied the water for the water hole near the Priderock. This was a rushing, swirling, white-water river, that eventually emptied into a deep gorge (different from the gorge Mufasa and Simba had died in). Because of how deadly and fast the current was, it was called Dead River. No one usually came here. It was easier and safer to get a drink from the slow running water hole back home.

We stepped forward and marveled at the sheer amount of water that roared past us. But none of us got too close. This was no quiet stream. This was a full-blown gushing river.

“We should go back,” Kula said, after we’d marveled at the river for a minute. Tama nodded, looking at the sky.

“Yeah, the sun’s getting high.”

“No, no, wait!” Chumvi said. He was looking off at something in the distance. “See? There they are! The Twin Rocks!”

We all looked down the river, and sure enough there were to huge, pointed rocks standing before us. We had found the Twin Rocks.

“Let’s go see them!” Malka said excitedly, coming up beside Chumvi. The two nodded at each other and raced off towards where the giant, ragged points rose from the savanna grass. I sighed and turned back to the girls.

“We should stick together,” I said. They nodded and started forward. Except for Kula. She looked off to the side, where the thick grass started. Her ears were pricked, and her face was intent.

“Kula?” I asked. “Is something wrong?”

She didn’t answer me, as if she hadn’t heard me. She just kept staring.

“Kula?” I asked again. Still no reply.

Then suddenly, she snapped out of it

“Huh?” she said. “Oh, I thought I heard something.”

I hadn’t heard anything, so I shrugged.

“I’m sure it’s just the wind,” I assured her. “Come on.”

She looked uncertain, but followed me anyways. We joined the others near the rocks

I had to admit, they were pretty cool. Chumvi and Malka were climbing them, of course, chasing each other around as they leaped from one to another.

“Maybe we can find that cub's bones!” Chumvi suddenly exclaimed.

“Eww, no!” Tama squealed. “That’s gross!”

“Aww, c’mon,” Chumvi laughed. “It’ll be cool!”

“Let’s go back,” Nala put it. “It’s getting late.”

“Just a second, Nala," Malka promised. “We’ll be going-“

“Did you hear that?” Kula said suddenly. We all stopped talking to look at her. She was staring in
the same way she had earlier. Looking, listening…

“What?” Nala asked. “What did you hear?”

“It….it sounded like paw-steps…” she said softly.

“Don’t be silly,” Chumvi said. “It was nothing.”

“We should go…” Tama said. I nodded, starting to pick up on something….wrong.

“Let’s stay for a little while more!” Chumvi pleaded, still climbing the rocks. But even Malka had stopped, and climbed down to stand next to us.

Suddenly, Kula leaped and tackled her brother, knocking him off the pointed boulder. They slid a few feet away, and a brown form launched itself from the bushes, landing on exact place where Chumvi had been clinging seconds before. A hyena hung from the stone structure, looking for the cub it had targeted that was no longer there. Tama screamed, and we all burst into a run. Kula and Chumvi ran after us, like their tails were on fire. We all ran like that. I glanced briefly back, and wished I hadn’t. Behind us, three more hyenas joined their friend on the rock. They ran after us, drooling after their cub-prey.

We pounded across the savanna, but the hyenas were right behind us. Something in the distance loomed, and, despite the situation, I was relieved.

In the Pridelands, there were many rock formations, like the Twin Rocks. This certain one that loomed before us now we all knew: the Pyramid Rock. And rocks meant shelter.

“Head for the rocks!” Chumvi cried. He didn’t have to tell us twice.

We burst into a field of boulders, rock piles, and, of course, the towering Pyramid rock. But this was no time to admire the scenery. Instinctively, we split up, and I ran as fast as I could, setting my sights on a smaller pile of rocks. Luck would have it, a small crevice between two larger boulders was just big enough for me to hide in. I slipped in, heart in my throat, panting for breath. I prayed that the hyena wouldn’t find me.

Then I heard the scream. It sounded like Nala’s. I poked my heard out from my hiding place, and glanced frantically around. My breath caught in my chest as I saw Nala staring down two of the hyenas. She had hidden in a rocky cave similar to mine, but the hyenas had dug it out. There was one or two rocks left for her to push herself under, but it wouldn’t take the hyenas long to get rid of those, too.

“Nala!” I cried. I was in danger, but I couldn’t let her be killed. Thinking fast, I sprang from my hole and leaped onto the rocks that had once sheltered me. I was lucky- these rocks were set in a line that led directly to where Nala was pinned.

I ran as fast as I could across the rocky highway, Nala in my sights. My heart pounded in my chest, and I had the energy to reach her in time. Once over her head, I set my paw against a rock and pushed as hard as I could. The rock tumbled from overhead and knocked a hyena down. Startled, the other scrambled away, giving me enough time to save Nala.

“Nala!” I cried, reaching a paw down. She immediately saw me. The hyena was starting to come to, and its friend that had run back a few feet was now returning, deciding cub snack was higher on the list than being afraid of falling rocks.

“Jump!” I yelled. She looked back at the hyenas, and then leaped forward. I managed to grab her paw and haul her up.

“Go up!” I told her, indicating to climb higher up the rocks. We ran together, trying not to fall back down, even as our paws slipped on the stones. We finally reached the top, but we were far, far from safe.

Because Chumvi was wrong. Hyenas weren’t stupid. In fact, these two were very smart. They realized that this was just a pile of rocks. A pile of rocks that could be destroyed. We watched in horror as the two hyenas started to paw rocks out from the pile. Every time a rock fell, the whole pile shifted violently. Nala and I clung onto the top rocks for dear life, but I knew something had to give at some point.

And it did. The hyenas found the sweet-spot, and I felt my heart fly into my throat as the entire structure collapsed. Nala screamed, and I think I did as well, as we tumbled from the sky with the other rocks. We hit the ground hard, and some of the rocks fell over us, giving us some form of protection. But it didn’t last long. The hyenas were on us instantly, pulling rocks apart, until the dim light from above illuminated our faces. A hyena leered at us.

“Here kitty, kitty,” it laughed. There may have been only two of them (I wasn’t sure where the other two were), but for two cubs, it was an impossible match. They two nasty creatures slunk towards us, ready to fling off the last rock in their way. Drool dripped from their lips. I stood protectively over Nala: I would die fighting for my friend. But in my heart, I knew we were both dead. There was nothing we could do.

And suddenly, two tawny rockets streaked through the air and the hyenas went down. At first, I was stunned, and I guess Nala was, too. We weren’t quite sure what had happened. Then, slowly, we carefully emerged from our rock cage, to see a war going on all around us. Lionesses attacked our pursuers, tackling them and pushing them back. And at the head of all of them was Sarabi.

The lionesses, including our mothers, corralled the hyenas together. Four hyenas were not dumb enough to fight an entire hunting party of lionesses. Finally, all four hyenas had been pressed together, and the hunting party formed a ring around the slobbering creatures.

“Sarabi!” barked one hyena. “You can’t do this to us! We’re citizens!”

“Hah!” Sarabi snarled. “Those are our cubs!”

“You’ll be hearing from King Scar about this,” another snarled.

“We’ll see whose side he takes,” Sarabi’s voice was calm and cool, even in the face of four hyenas. “Now go before we eat you for lunch!”

The hyenas and lionesses stared at each other for a while, but finally the hyenas turned. The lionesses parted, allowing the four to run off into the savanna grass.

The danger gone, we could come out of our hiding places. I was relieved to see four other cubs emerge from the rocks around me. Four others, plus me and Nala. Six cubs. All of us were alive. At least, until Sarabi got through with us.

Sarabi didn’t need to call us. We all walked forward to stand together in front of the hunting party. Sarabi stared down at us, ever the queen. Her amber eyes burned with anger and disappointment. I saw my own mother, plus Tama, Nala, and Chumvi and Kula’s mothers standing behind their leader, looking the same. We all slumped. I wished I could melt into the ground.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Sarabi demanded her voice as sharp as the hyenas’ teeth. It bounced off the rocks around us. “Didn’t I specifically tell you to stay in the cave? I told you it was too dangerous to go out on your own! You’re lucky we were so close and heard you screaming! You all could have been killed!”

We looked at each other shamefully, ears drooping.

Sarabi shook her head.

“Let’s go home,” she said firmly. “We’ll discuss this there.”

Her eyes scanned us, and then landed on Malka. Her gaze hardened, and he knew he’d been caught. He looked away sadly, trying not to make eye contact.

“Malka!” Sarabi snapped. The cub drooped even more. “Do your parents know you’re here in the Pridelands?”

“Uh…” he said, clearly unsure of how to respond.

“Malka,” Sarabi repeated. “Do you parents know where you are?”

“No, ma’am,” Malka finally whispered, barely audible. Sarabi turned to the lionesses of her party, which included our mothers.

“Take the cubs home,” she turned back to Malka.

“I will walk you back to your pride, Malka,” she said severely. “Where you can explain to your parents what you were doing in the Pridelands.”

“Yes, Sarabi,” he said sadly, and stood to follow her. He paused for a brief moment, and looked over his shoulder. There were tears in his big, brown eyes.

“Bye, guys,” he said sadly.

“Bye, Malka,” we all whispered back, then watched as Sarabi lead him away.

~**~

It was a long walk back to Pride Rock. Partly because we really were that far from home, but mostly because of the stony silence of the adults, and the ashamed silence of the cubs. We were too afraid and they were too angry to speak. So we all stayed silent. I don’t think I could have spoken anyway, around the lump that had formed in my throat.

It had also started to rain. The dark clouds covered the sky, blocking the sun. A light rain drizzled down on us. So, by the time we got back to the imposing structure of Priderock, we were not only just ashamed and embarrassed, but we were also wet. That just added to our misery.

The lionesses briefly paused outside our cave and looked towards Scar and Zira’s cave further up. But no one was outside, and the cave seemed almost lifeless. Deciding there was no danger, the lionesses led us inside. The cubless members of the party settled down on one side of the cave, and groomed themselves and each other. But we cubs were now left with our mothers. Mothers who were not happy. We six huddled together. Doomsday was coming to us.

“Tojo,” my own mother called me sharply over, and I left the safety of my friends, who were each being called to their own parent. I walked slowly to join my mom, who sat before me, tall, graceful, and angry as fire. My mother was a lighter color as I was, and she was gorgeous and graceful. And right at that moment, I felt like a mess.

“Mom…” I started, but it was hard to speak. Tears choked my throat and blurred my eyes. “I’m sorry…I was just…”

“Tojo,” my mother repeated. “I’m very disappointed.”

I looked down at my paws, unable to speak.

“But it’s not you defiance,” she continued. “As much as your sheer selfishness that surprises me.”

I looked up, startled. Selfishness? I hadn’t thought of any of this as being selfish…

“You and your friends put yourselves in a lot of danger today.”

“I know…” I sighed. My mother lay down, and held me between her paws. Here she was eye to eye with me. I looked away. I hated to see the pain in her eyes.

“We wanted to protect you from the hyenas,” she said. “That is why Sarabi told you to stay here. Leaving wasn’t just a foolish decision. It was a selfish one.

“We’ve lost some good friends recently, Tojo. But Sarabi was hit the hardest. After all, Simba was her son, and King Mufasa was her husband. She’s been through a lot of pain lately.

“We talked last night, when you cubs were asleep. All the mothers did, and we discussed if we should leave a cubsitter for you. But Sarabi said no. She said you were trustworthy, and wouldn’t run off. She was the one who kept us from leaving you a cubsitter. And look what you did! You betrayed our trust! Think what it would have done to Sarabi if you had been killed! She would have had to carry the guilt of knowing that if she’d left a cubsitter, you’d still be alive! She would have had that on her shoulders for the rest of her life!”

I swallowed. I’d never thought of it like that.

“I…I didn’t think…”

“Tojo,” my mother’s voice became softer. “This is a new world now. A world where Mufasa can’t protect you. Scar is king now, and nothing will ever be the sane. We’re all in danger, and things will only get worse. You have to realize that and be prepared.”

“I do,” I said softly. My mother nodded.

“Good.”

~**~

Sarabi came back later from taking Malka home. She didn’t pull us cubs together to scold us. I suppose she figured out parents had done that already.

When she walked through the cave, she looked drawn and tired, and immediately I knew that what my mother had said was true. What we had done was selfish and inconsiderate towards her. If we had been killed, she would be baring the burden the rest of her life.

That’s when I realized that from now on, whatever decision I made would never affect just me. It would affect everyone in the pride.

~**~

We did nothing else that day; mostly sat I silence. We cubs were too scared to speak, and the adults were too tired to listen. I just stayed at my mother’s side, silent.

It wasn’t until sundown that I got up and walked away to be alone. My mother was already asleep, so I slipped out of the cave to sit outside. Even from here, lower than the King’s Rock, I could almost see the entire Pridelands. It was a gorgeous view, painted purple and dark blue by the setting sun.

I heard paw-steps behind me, and looked over my shoulder to see Nala walking out of the cave and coming toward me. She looked like how I felt: tired, sad, and confused.

She sat next to me and looked out at the sunset.

After a minute, she said, “Thanks for saving me.”

I half-smiled. “No problem,” I said. She looked over at me, but her face was grave.

“Things won’t even be the same, will they?” she asked. I shook my head.

“No.”

“I guess we’ll all just have to stick together.”

I nodded again, and we both turned back to the sunset. My mother was right. This was a very different world then the one I was born into. I had a feeling this was only the beginning.

Suddenly, Nala did something I didn’t expect. She leaned her head on my shoulder, while still staring out at the Pridelands before us. I let her. She needed someone to lean on. She needed a friend’s shoulder after she’d lost Simba. She was just looking for a friend to be stable for her.

But I was sure glad she chose me.