the pride, doesn’t that mean that the subjects here have to respect me as any other lion?”

Mufasa walked over to me and sat down. “Yes, as long as you are part of the pride, it is forbidden for any animal, but a lion, to lay a paw on you, but this is a different situation. Hyenas are not allowed here.” He told me. “They are scavengers, and disrupt the peaceful cycle we have worked so hard to achieve. They were banished to the Elephant Graveyard to the southeast generations ago by King Mohatu.”

I looked down at the three slain hyenas. Mufasa looked down to , and his attention was drawn to the one who had the white stripe on his head that I had killed.

“Tahri?” he said, his voice sounding utterly shocked.

My heart dropped into my stomach. Did I just kill somebody important?

Mufasa turned to me with his eyes stunned. “Did you kill Tahri?”

I gulped, and then nodded. His mouth fell open as he stared at me, blank shock etched into every inch of his face.

Suddenly, Sarabi ran onto the scene, fear filling her eyes.

“Mufasa! Ayden! What happened? Are you alright? Oh my GOD!” she had spotted Tahri’s limp body. “Is that Tahri?” She was just as incredulous as Mufasa.

Mufasa nodded at her, and her jaw fell open too.

“Who is he?” I asked fearfully. I had done something really big, but I was unsure if what I did was a good or bad thing.

“He is the leader of the hyenas! Well, was.” Mufasa corrected himself. “For ages he has attacked and poisoned the Pride Lands with his presence! He has led countless attacks on my kingdom! He is infamous for his speed and alertness! No lioness has ever been able to even get a swipe at him! You managed to kill him? With your bare hands?”

Mufasa was almost hysterical in his disbelief. Sarabi’s mouth still hung agape.

“Yeah, I did.” I said taken aback. I told them what happened, how the hyenas started a stampede, how they had circled me, how they said they were going to kill me, and how they were going to take the Pride Lands once they did.

When I told them what I had said about the Pride Lands were Mufasa’s and they would stay that way so long as I was here, Mufasa’s face broke into the biggest smile I had ever seen on him. Sarabi did the same.

My gaze was draw to their eyes. They shone with a pride that I had seen in my parent’s eyes. I felt such a connection to Mufasa at that moment, the same connection that I felt with my father. And Sarabi had the gaze my mother had. Somehow, I knew they felt the same connection I did. They were proud of me. They were proud of what I had done, of who my allegiance was to, of me as a person. Mufasa reminded me of my father in that moment more than any other time, and Sarabi, my mother.

Mufasa lifted his paw, reached over, and pulled me into an embrace. I was slightly surprised, but I let him do it. Then Sarabi came over and nuzzled me from behind, purring happily. In a way, I was hoping for them to react like this. It was such a warm feeling. I felt I was holding onto my parents again.

Wishful thinking…a voice told I was confused. “If they live here, then why did they attack me? If I’m part of the pride, doesn’t that mean that the subjects here have to respect me as any other lion?”

Mufasa walked over to me and sat down. “Yes, as long as you are part of the pride, it is forbidden for any animal, but a lion, to lay a paw on you, but this is a different situation. Hyenas are not allowed here.” He told me. “They are scavengers, and disrupt the peaceful cycle we have worked so hard to achieve. They were banished to the Elephant Graveyard to the southeast generations ago by King Mohatu.”

I looked down at the three slain hyenas. Mufasa looked down to , and his attention was drawn to the one who had the white stripe on his head that I had killed.

“Tahri?” he said, his voice sounding utterly shocked.

My heart dropped into my stomach. Did I just kill somebody important?

Mufasa turned to me with his eyes stunned. “Did you kill Tahri?”

I gulped, and then nodded. His mouth fell open as he stared at me, blank shock etched into every inch of his face.

Suddenly, Sarabi ran onto the scene, fear filling her eyes.

“Mufasa! Ayden! What happened? Are you alright? Oh my GOD!” she had spotted Tahri’s limp body. “Is that Tahri?” She was just as incredulous as Mufasa.

Mufasa nodded at her, and her jaw fell open too.

“Who is he?” I asked fearfully. I had done something really big, but I was unsure if what I did was a good or bad thing.

“He is the leader of the hyenas! Well, was.” Mufasa corrected himself. “For ages he has attacked and poisoned the Pride Lands with his presence! He has led countless attacks on my kingdom! He is infamous for his speed and alertness! No lioness has ever been able to even get a swipe at him! You managed to kill him? With your bare hands?”

Mufasa was almost hysterical in his disbelief. Sarabi’s mouth still hung agape.

“Yeah, I did.” I said taken aback. I told them what happened, how the hyenas started a stampede, how they had circled me, how they said they were going to kill me, and how they were going to take the Pride Lands once they did.

When I told them what I had said about the Pride Lands were Mufasa’s and they would stay that way so long as I was here, Mufasa’s face broke into the biggest smile I had ever seen on him. Sarabi did the same.

My gaze was draw to their eyes. They shone with a pride that I had seen in my parent’s eyes. I felt such a connection to Mufasa at that moment, the same connection that I felt with my father. And Sarabi had the gaze my mother had. Somehow, I knew they felt the same connection I did. They were proud of me. They were proud of what I had done, of who my allegiance was to, of me as a person. Mufasa reminded me of my father in that moment more than any other time, and Sarabi, my mother.

me.

When Mufasa let go, he looked at me in such a blissful way.

“When Sarabi and I left you on the first day you came here,” he told me, “we knew there was some sort of connection between us. Sarabi told me when she first saw you, before you passed out, that she looked into your eyes. Something inside her told her that she knew you. She knew you belonged here the moment she gazed upon you. When she told me this, I thought she was losing her mind. But then I saw you, lying there in the cave where she had put you. And I knew exactly what she was talking about. I felt such a connection to you that I knew you needed to stay with us.”

Hearing Mufasa confess these inner feelings he and Sarabi shared was like nothing I had ever felt. These last few weeks, I kept telling myself that I was only imagining that my parents were looking out of Mufasa and Sarabi’s eyes. Now I knew that I was right. They were watching over me through these two. They were not reincarnated, but simply keeping watch over their son who still lived. They had come from high above to remain with me in these two kindhearted souls. And somehow, I also knew that my brother was watching me through Simba, that the connection I felt with him was not wishful thinking. This was real. I was with my family.

I was smiling the biggest smile I had ever allowed my lips to extend. My eyes were welling up at the thought that I was with my parents. I wiped them away, and moved forward to Mufasa and Sarabi. Tears were falling down their muzzles as well. And then, the three of us held onto each other in an embrace that lasted for an eternity.

Sarabi said, as we held onto each other, “We love you, son.”

Then we broke apart. I looked at them both with such a love in my heart. Mufasa and Sarabi were my adoptive parents. I was now their adopted son.

“I feel like Tarzan.” I said, laughing.

“I think I’ve heard of him…” Mufasa said, also laughing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 6 – The Bravery of the Princes

 

 

After what seemed like another eternity, we finally made our way back to Pride Rock. I quickly located my knife, put it in my pocket, and hitched on my backpack.

It was midday, and I could hardly believe that only a few moments before I had just been in a battle with six hyenas. The emotion of the moments afterward had all but made me forget about the confrontation.

As we continued, Mufasa and Sarabi told me they had decided to wait until after the hunt to announce their adoption of me. It was better that way, simply because such a big announcement should be followed up with a feast.

On the way to Pride Rock, Mufasa turned to me and asked me, “So, you killed Tahri with your bare hands?”

“Yeah.” I said simply. He talked about what I’d done as if it was totally unbelievable. For me, it was actually easier that I had expected. I never knew I was so quick an agile. I knew that sounded bigheaded, but it was true.

“Have you ever hunted before?” Sarabi inquired.

“Never.” I replied.

She stared at me, smiling. “You have natural hunting skills. Such speed and quick thinking are the key elements in our hunt. We could use skills like yours! Would you like to accompany me and my group on our hunt tonight?”

I was excited at the prospect of actually becoming a part of the hunt, rather than just watching it like I had done before.

“Sure!” I exclaimed enthusiastically, and she purred happily.

We finally reached Pride Rock, and Mufasa separated from us. He said he needed to take care of some things with the stampede caused by Tahri and his gang. Sarabi nodded, and nuzzled him. He embraced me, then turned and ran to the east.

Sarabi noticed my left hand, which had stopped bleeding and was scabbing up. She also noticed the rips on my shirt where Tahri had clawed me. She turned her head to the

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