I stood up and stretched. Sarabi and Sarafina stirred, and stretched lazily as they awoke. Sarabi looked up to the sun, and said, “It’s about time for us to begin our hunt.”

She stood up and looked at me. I nodded to show I was ready. She hopped down from her rock, and began to go around to the front of Pride Rock. Sarafina and I followed her. I began to feel the excitement of the coming afternoon. I had never hunted before, and it was something I defiantly looked forward to, especially since I discovered my agility.

We reached the mouth of the cave that entered Pride Rock, and Sarabi, for the third time today, roared out to the lands. Instantly, the lionesses all converged and formed a circle. I noticed Zira was staring at me, displeasure of my presence imprinted in her eyes. I looked away from her, and looked around at all the lionesses.

Sarabi began to speak to the company. “I have spoken with Mufasa, who has told me that the herds in the Pride Lands do not have any sick or dying among them. So we’ll need to hunt just beyond the border.”

This seemed pretty normal to the company, because some of them smiled, while others faces remained the same.

A lioness about halfway around the circle, called Yetunde, spoke to me.

“Will you be accompanying us again, Ayden?” She beamed at me, waiting for me to answer. Sarabi spoke up.

“Actually,” she said, addressing the entire circle, “Ayden has recently demonstrated several skills that would be very useful to us. Ayden is going to hunt with us today.”

Zira lost her composure. “Are you going insane, Sarabi?” she yelled. “He is not even a lion! He won’t be able to keep up with us!”

ys what they seem.” I replied to her coolly. It was the first time I hade ever spoken to her. It felt good to respond back to her pessimism.

Zira glared at me, and spoke in an icy voice. “And you are not all that you seem, are you? Because TO ME you seem like a very…”

Sarabi broke in. “Enough, both of you. If we are to hunt together, we need to keep a healthy and friendly relationship.”

Zira glowered at us both, but remained silent.

Sarabi continued. “Hunting leaders, we have to reorganize our hunting parties now. I have already chosen my members.”

As she said this, several lionesses stepped forward: Ayana, Yetunde, Sarafina, Yejide, and Zira.

Sarabi continued, “I have also decided to place Ayden in our group. The rest of you decide how to organize. Let’s go.”

We set off to the west, and I noticed Zira’s displeasure at my accompaniment. When she saw me looking at her, she looked away.

 It was about an hour walk to the edge of the border. But it was certainly not boring in any sense of the word. I was bombarded with the usual questions about human life outside of the Pride Lands. I answered each one as truthfully and clearly as possible. For the most part, they understood me, but every once and a while, I would mention something that I had not explained, and I had to backtrack.

Once we finally passed the border, it was easily visible that we were no longer in the Pride Lands. The grass and trees here were halfway dead. This was clearly a land that had no leadership or guidance to help it grow.

Sarabi told me to get on her back, and I obliged. I knew my footsteps were too easily heard by our prey. I pulled my knife out of my pocket and held it at the ready. Zira glanced over at me on Sarabi’s back, and shook her head.

Sarabi moved swiftly through the long grass, as if I was not even weighting her down. Her fur blended into the grass impeccably. She was the perfect huntress. All around her, the lionesses did the same, though none were as graceful as Sarabi. Except for one. I noticed that Zira was almost as flawless as her. I was blatantly surprised. I expected, judging from her constant complaining, she was not very good, but I was far from the truth.

Suddenly Sarabi stopped, and I lurched forward, coming very close to rustling the grass around me. I glanced behind, and saw that the lionesses had all done the same thing. I looked around to see where the prey was. Then I saw it, directly ahead of us.

A large wildebeest was grazing, alone, on the dead grass in a clearing. It looked big enough to feed a group twice our size.

As quietly as possible, I slid off of Sarabi’s back and crouched low to the ground. The lionesses began to spread out, ready to pounce at any moment’s notice.

Slowly, I moved forward, watching every step I took to ensure absolute silence. I moved close enough where I was out of sight, but within a good range of the wildebeest. I looked over at Sarabi, who nodded, clearly wanting to see what my next move would be. I smiled, and looked back. Squinting my eyes, I carefully took aim, knowing that if I missed this shot, it would cost us our meal.

I found my mark, and with the speed of any of the lionesses around me, hurled my knife at the creature.

The knife struck the wildebeest square in the neck, exactly where I was hoping for it to hit. The creature instantly began to buck an you? Because TO ME you seem like a very…”

Sarabi broke in. “Enough, both of you. If we are to hunt together, we need to keep a healthy and friendly relationship.”

Zira glowered at us both, but remained silent.

Sarabi continued. “Hunting leaders, we have to reorganize our hunting parties now. I have already chosen my members.”

As she said this, several lionesses stepped forward: Ayana, Yetunde, Sarafina, Yejide, and Zira.

Sarabi continued, “I have also decided to place Ayden in our group. The rest of you decide how to organize. Let’s go.”

We set off to the west, and I noticed Zira’s displeasure at my accompaniment. When she saw me looking at her, she looked away.

 It was about an hour walk to the edge of the border. But it was certainly not boring in any sense of the word. I was bombarded with the usual questions about human life outside of the Pride Lands. I answered each one as truthfully and clearly as possible. For the most part, they understood me, but every once and a while, I would mention something that I had not explained, and I had to backtrack.

Once we finally passed the border, it was easily visible that we were no longer in the Pride Lands. The grass and trees here were halfway dead. This was clearly a land that had no leadership or guidance to help it grow.

Sarabi told me to get on her back, and I obliged. I knew my footsteps were too easily heard by our prey. I pulled my knife out of my pocket and held it at the ready. Zira glanced over at me on Sarabi’s back, and shook her head.

Sarabi moved swiftly through the long grass, as if I was not even weighting her down. Her fur blended into the grass impeccably. She was the perfect huntress. All around her, the lionesses did the same, though none were as graceful as Sarabi. Except for one. I noticed that Zira was almost as flawless as her. I was blatantly surprised. I expected, judging from her constant complaining, she was not very good, but I was far from the truth.

Suddenly Sarabi stopped, and I lurched forward, coming very close to rustling the grass around me. I glanced behind, and saw that the lionesses had all done the same thing. I looked around to see where the prey was. Then I saw it, directly ahead of us.

A large wildebeest was grazing, alone, on the dead grass in a clearing. It looked big enough to feed a group twice our size.

As quietly as possible, I slid off of Sarabi’s back and crouched low to the ground. The lionesses began to spread out, ready to pounce at any moment’s notice.

Slowly, I moved forward, watching every step I took to ensure absolute silence. I moved close enough where I was out of sight, but within a good range of the wildebeest. I looked over at Sarabi, who nodded, clearly wanting to see what my next move would be. I smiled, and looked back. Squinting my eyes, I carefully took aim, knowing that if I missed this shot, it would cost us our meal.

d writhe around as it turned its head back to the place I had hit it, trying to bite at the place where it felt pain. All its movement caused the knife to slip out, but the damage had been done. A great amount of blood poured from the wound. I had hit it square in the jugular.

The creature took off to the north, and we followed it easily. It slowly lost momentum as the blood drained from the gaping hole in its neck. And then, as I had expected, the creature collapsed in a heap. Zira rushed forward and savagely tore out the creature’s neck. Its labored breathing stopped suddenly, and it ceased moving.

With the strength of thunder, the lionesses, except Zira, roared in joy at my first successful hunt. I took no notice of her reaction, too immersed in my pride. I beamed at each and every one of them as their congratulations all ran into one another.

The journey back with the kill seemed impossibly short. Yetunde and Sarafina both carried the kill on their backs. In no time, we were back at Pride Rock. The sun had set, and the sky was slowly and the sky was turning a pretty shade of lavender, slowly ebbing away the daytime.

When we got back to Pride Rock, we entered the cave and dropped the kill in the center.  Sitting in the back of the cave were Zazu and Nala. They both were speaking of a matter of importance, but when we came within earshot, they both shut up, and remained that way. Something had happened. It looked strange seeing only the two of them. Then it hit me; where was Simba?

Sarabi noticed this too, and was the first to voice this concern.

“Zazu, Nala, where is Simba?” she asked, a twinge of fear in her voice.

“I’m here mom.” called a scratchy voice. Sarabi whirled around to see Simba and Mufasa walking into the cave. A wave of relief washed over her face. She went over to them, and nuzzled them both. Simba purred, and looked up at me. He smiled

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