The Mysterious Force

[mistwolf]

"Nala!" Kayani saw the older female, and the young lioness sighed with releif she made her way towards her and Tojo.
"I was looking for you two. Thank goodness you're all right."
Tojo looked down at the cub. She seemed...older than when he last saw her. She seemed taller, and she talked older as well. Even her eyes seemed older.
But he wasn't able to think about her anymore. He looked up to watch Sarabi embrace Simba. He had never seen the lioness so happy.
"Who is Sarabi hugging?" Kayani asked as she watched Sarabi and Simba.
"That's her son," Tojo said. "Simba. The King."
Kayani blinked. The king?

[Scar]

Simba still hadn't been able to close his mouth, he stared at the lioness before him with wide eyes. He just wanted to run at her and tackle her like he had done so many times as a cub; but her uncertainty stuck to him him, and he did nothing more than to shuffle left and right, wanting to run at her and tackle her, but holding back.

Then she finally came at him, and wrapped her forelegs around him in a much needed hug. Simba purred and brushed his red mane against his mother's throat lovingly. Oh, how had he missed her!

What Sarabi said next, however, confused him.

"But why would he do that...?" He, dead? Wait, he thought he knew exactly why he did that: he wanted to protect him, of course, his uncle didn't want any of the Pride to know what a terrible thing he had done... such a despicable lion was he! He didn't even deserve Sarabi's affection.

Upon remembering the affair of Mufasa's murder, Simba retreated from his mother, stumbled, and fell sitting.

"Wow. Nala and Tojo have been saying all kinds of crazy things about uncle Scar. They say he's gone mad, and he's got and army of hyenas, and... that you were dead." He said, then looking up at her like waiting for Sarabi to tell him that Nala and Tojo were wrong.

Of course, everyone knew lions did not get along with hyenas, and Sarabi was living proof of that she was not dead! These two had only gotten affected by the desert sun, naturally, and Sarabi was about to clear all this up.

[gem]

Nala rushed over to the cub, "Kayani! I'm so glad your alright, thank you for staying with Sarabi. You were very brave." It made her heart ache to see that the young cub had aged since the last time
she saw her. Ony one thing aged a young one that fast, tradegy.

The lioness watched as Simba and Sarabi embraced as well. Her eyes stung with tears as a million thoughts ran through her head, all of them about Simba. She had missed him so much...so very much and he had thrown everything back into her face. Her emotions made her growl angrily, "Simba doesn't deserve to be King!"

[/size]

[- lauren]

Simba's reaction made Sarabi so happy, but all too soon he had left her embrace and was looking confused. He asked why Scar had said that, and then spoke of Tojo and Nala. "You spoke to Nala...?" Sarabi briefly acknowledged that this meant Tojo and Nala must still be together and okay. Maybe Kayani had found them... Shaking her head, she brought herself back to Simba's statements. He seemed unable to comprehend why Tojo and Nala would say such things about Scar. Poor Simba...he has no idea... "I understand why they would assume I was dead...I'm not on Scar's good side. But...they're right. Things aren't good. There isn't any food, and the hyenas make up Scar's hierarchy now."

Sarabi stopped and looked down, hoping Simba wouldn't be angry with her. He had looked up to Scar as a cub, and he had no reason not to now. She turned her head to look back where she'd seen Tojo and saw that Nala and Kayani were with him. She smiled briefly, happy that they were all safe, and looked back at Simba. She was still having a hard time believing this wasn't a dream. "Simba...how did you survive on your own?"

[Scar]

When she mentioned Nala, Simba nodded energetically, and having heard her voice earlier, he turned around trying to find her. His eyes found her besides Kayani, looking all sour. His gaze immediately shifted into a cold glare upon seeing her, but then Sarabi spoke again and her words forced Simba to shake it it off.

What? The Pridelanders got their food replaced by hyenas??

Simba's ears fell flat against his head when he heard Sarabi's confirmation.

"So then, it's true? He's gone insane?" he asked in shock. "Wow..."

Simba got up but sat down again, curling his tail around him, and just trying to calm down. What a crazy day had this been!

Then his mother asked how had he survived all this time, and Simba felt relieved because of the subject change.

"No! A few friends have taken care of me." Simba explained.

"Pumbaa, the warthog you were chasing earlier..." Simba smiled sheepishly. "And there is also Timon! I can call them here... if you promise that you won't eat them?"

[- lauren]

Sarabi felt embarrassed when Simba explained that they pig she'd been hunting was his friend. What a great way to reunite with one's son; eating his friend! Sarabi shook her head in disbelief. Then he said he could call them if she wouldn't eat them. She allowed a shy smile and nodded. "I promise." She could kick herself. If Simba hadn't been around, she could have killed his only friends. It was a good thing he showed up.

Sarabi looked at Nala, having noticed before that Simba had made a face when he looked at her. She wondered what was going on between them. It must have been a rather emotional meeting when they'd run into each other earlier. She couldn't imagine what must be going on in Nala's mind right now.

Then Sarabi thought about what Simba had said about his new friends...so, then he was hanging out with warthogs? ...what did he eat? And how many did he know? The idea of her son being raised by a bunch of wild pigs made Sarabi a little worried.

[Scar]

Grinning broadly at his mother's promise, Simba turned around and called his friends.

"Hey Timon! Pumbaa! Come here! It's all cool, nobody wants to eat you anymore!"

It wasn't a particularly reassuring thing to say, but none the less, the faithful warthog put in the reverse, freeing himself from the new arch he had gotten stuck under, before obeying. He walked shakily besides Simba and looked up at Sarabi in awe.

"This is my mother, Pumbaa. Pumbaa. Sarabi." Simba introduced them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, madame!" Pumbaa said, bowing politely before the great lioness.

Simba looked back to see if Timon was coming.

But there was one thing left to be cleared out, and not another second could be spared before it was solved.

"But mom, what are we going to do about the Pridelands?" Simba asked gravely.

"Mom! Tell me I don't have to go back!" The lost Prince pleaded, fear in his eyes of that his apparently insane uncle would kill him in sight.

[Rox]

"Hey what's going on here?" the meerkat mused as he stared at all these new lions. Climbing out from his hiding space he walked over towards Simba, a little confused and feeling somewhat ignored he stood next to Simba's massive paw and shouted, "HEY! WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" hoping somebody would clarify the issue.

[mistwolf]

Tojo watched with a hint of dissaporoval as Simba's so-called "friends" showed up. A warthog and a meerkat. How quaint. So this is what he'd been doing in the jungle all this time....
Kayani, appearently, also felt the same. She seemed to take an instant dislike to both creatures, especially the meerkat.
"Sheesh," she muttered as the meerkat shouted at Simba, "Rude much? And to a king, too."
"Kayani," Tojo tried to shush her, but it was too late. She had already said it aloud. Tojo really hadn't wanted her to say that Simba was king. After all, he had no right. But now that she'd said it.....no, Simba was not king. At least, he was not his king.

[- lauren]

Sarabi watched as the animal came forward, the one called Pumbaa. She nodded, unsure if she should apologize or just pretend it didn't happen. "Pleasure...to meet you." she said after a little hesitation. When the meerkat arrived, Sarabi could hardly believe the sight the three of them made. A meerkat, a warthog and a lion? Timon was obviously feeling ignored, as he began to shout as soon as he got there. Sarabi stifled a chuckle and then opened her mouth to speak again, using her best 'queen' voice. "I must thank you two for taking care of my son all this time. I can't imagine selfless you must be to raise the prince." But he wasn't just prince now, was he? Simba was the rightful king.

Simba had turned his attention to more important matters now, and Sarabi took a moment to think about how to answer his first question. But before she could speak, Simba was begging not to go back. She felt her heart breaking for her son, and tears threatened to form in her eyes, though she kept a calm expression. "Simba..." she started, thoughtful. "No one can make you go back, Simba. But...you are the rightful king now. If you go back, you can fix what Scar's done." Never mind come back home with his mother. But if Simba didn't go back, where did that leave Sarabi? And Tojo and Nala and Kayani? What of Serafina? Oh, Serafina...where could her dear friend be?

[Rox]

"King?" Timon scoffed. "Lady...have you got YOUR lions crossed. Simba a King? HAH! That was ridiculous! I mean, he didn't even look like a king...
Feeling rather bored with all this talk Timon tapped Simba on the paw. "Wanna ditch these guys and go get some lunch?"

[mistwolf]

((ooc: Gonna have a little fun with Kayani and Timon *evil laugh*))

bic:
At the meerkat's mention of "lunch", Kayani's stomach growled. She looked evilly at the little meerkat, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
"I see my lunch," she said, crouching down and stalking towards the meerkat, blue green eyes narrowed and evil-ish.

[gem]

Nala's ears lowered and then they pinned flat as Nala stared furiously at Simba and Sarabi. She saw how it was! Simba wouldn't believe her but he would believe his mother! Sarabi just told him the exact same thing that she had. Her eyes narrowed as she started to growl dangerously. The lioness was just about to storm up there and confront Simba when Kayani distracted her.

Taking out her anger on the cub because she knew she couldn't take it out on Simba, she yelled, "Kayani! What do you think you are doing!?" But she hadn't said it loud enough for Timon to hear but she knew Kayani would and it made her feel slightly guilty.

Instead of saying sorry she turned to Tojo, "And you, how can you just stand there?! How can you not see that Simba has to go back? This has nothing to do with you or me or Simba, this has to happen for the Pride! I can't understand why neither of you will listen to me!!" Nala's voice was preactically a roar when she finished and she felt no less angry. What was wrong with her?

[/size]

[mistwolf]

Kayani raised her head, startled, and looked back at Nala. What was up with her? She looked close to tears. She eyed Timon, but left him. For now.
Tojo, too, looked at Nala. But he seemed more annoyed than surprised. He, too, had been harboring anger towards the situation, and his ears flattened at her words.
"What do you expect me to do, Nala?" he demanded, voice angered. "And how can I listen to you, when you haven't even said anything? I can't read your thoughts! Simba can do what he wishes. But he's been living out here in a jungle for the greater portion of his life! He's not some magic potion that will cure everything! We've been able to get this far without him! Why do we suddenly need him for the last bit? I think it'd be better if he stayed here. He's obviously not who he used to be, and he's certianly not any prince I've ever known. Unless his warthog and meerkat friend are secret royalty that've been teaching him how to rule a kingdom!"

[Scar]

Simba's ears fell flat against his head as he saw his mother fighting tears. No... why... he hadn't meant to hurt her!

"I-I mean, not right now!" Simba corrected. He didn't want to come back, but he didn't want his mother to think he didn't love her anymore and that he didn't want to return to her. Of course he did! But he did not intend to return to the Pridelands ever again, nor take this "rightful place as King" everyone was talking about. He couldn't... he wasn't worthy.

However, the part about being able to "fix what Scar broke" left him thinking. Could he really do it?

"Maybe you remember what Zazu said. "Never seen a King with so little hair"." Simba continued, running a paw through his immature adolescent mane to get his point across. "It'll be a while until I can challenge Scar, that's what I meant."

Now it sounded like he was going to do it. But in reality, the youth only wanted to give this matter some time, wanting everyone to realize that it was a lost case so that they would all stay in the jungle and live happily ever after. One could dream, huh?

But what Sarabi had said really left him thinking. Clearly he was going to be a no good King, but by what he had heard Scar really blew it. Flooding the Pridelands with hyenas... would you look at that... at least he had to make a better King than his uncle did, no?

Suddenly, Simba noticed Kayani about to eat his meerkat friend. He stepped between them swiftly.

"Hey!! You can't eat him!"