looked up at her pitifully. Her smile was kind, even though tears streamed silently down her muzzle.

            “Do not worry about it Ayden. I am not sure of what I will do when the cub comes. But I will guarantee you that it will never know who its father is.”

            I sighed deeply, and stemmed my tears. eir, and he wanted to punish me even more.”

            Every single bit of hate that I had for that creature was merely a drop of water in the raging river of loathing that now overcame me. I was shaking with anger at him and pity for Sarabi. Once again, Scar had mercilessly pushed the limits of what I would had believed possible of him. My head began to swim. My knees gave way and I fell forward into the ground.

            “THAT BASTARD!” I screamed into the dirt where my face was planted. “That malicious, selfish, no-good, demonic worm of a BASTARD!”

            I shot up and wrenched my knife from my pocket. I turned to the tree that provided us what little shade we had, and started embedding the blade in the tree repeatedly. Over and over, I jammed the knife deep into the tree, imaging every place that I hit was Scar’s face. I imagined the knife digging into his evil smile and I imagined his screams of absolute pain. He was going to pay for his crimes. He had violated my mother and forced her to bear a burden that she did not deserve.

            At one point, my knife stuck in the tree and remained there. As I viciously tried to wrench it out, I was suddenly pinned to the tree. Sarabi had her front paws on my back an was holding me still against the trunk.

            “Ayden!” she shouted through her tears, “There is nothing that can be done! I’m already bearing the cub! You cannot let your emotions cloud your mind! Remember what you are to do!”

She was right. I could not let my sudden wave of emotions divert me from my duty.

            I stood up. I looked at her and sighed. “I understand Sarabi. You would not survive in exile while you were pregnant.”

            She nodded silently.  Then I uttered the words that I had procrastinated saying for far too long.

            “It is time. Let’s go.”

            But before we could even take one step forward, we heard a painful cry. Simultaneously, we both looked up to see a lone lioness struggling to run from Pride Rock. She was already halfway between the rock and where Sarabi and I were. Together, Sarabi and I ran forward to the lioness to see what the situation was.

As we moved closer, I realize that it was Kala.

            “Kala!” Sarabi cried. “Kala! What’s the matter?”

            “I’m contracting!” she cried as she winced and lost her balance.

            Sarabi gasped and ran to Kala’s side, supporting her. I followed suit, and together, we rushed her far from Pride Rock.

            About a mile away, Sarabi told me to hold Kala up while she went to find a hidden place for us to go. Only a minute later, she came back and led us to a large, hollowed out tree trunk. Sarabi and Kala squeezed in, but there was no room for me. Sarabi looked back at me and told me to keep watch outside of the log.

            For the next hour or so, I sat outside of the log. The sun was starting to set, and it cast an pink glow over the wasteland. As night fell, Kala’s groans and cries of pain echoed from the log and out into the lands. My worst fear was that they would be loud enough to reach Pride Rock; to reach Scar.

            I tried to keep my eyes and ears peeled for any sound, but my attention kept getting drawn back to Kala. Sarabi would whisper words of encouragement to Kala occasionally, and I was glad that at least she had somebody with her.

            Finally, after a long and drawn out process, Kala birthed a cub. It was a female. She had tan fur with dark spots, and her eyes were shut. She had a tuft of fur on her head, just as Simba had, except they extended down into her eyes, the way that bangs would.

            Sarabied at her and sighed. “I understand Sarabi. You would not survive in exile while you were pregnant.”

            She nodded silently.  Then I uttered the words that I had procrastinated saying for far too long.

            “It is time. Let’s go.”

            But before we could even take one step forward, we heard a painful cry. Simultaneously, we both looked up to see a lone lioness struggling to run from Pride Rock. She was already halfway between the rock and where Sarabi and I were. Together, Sarabi and I ran forward to the lioness to see what the situation was.

As we moved closer, I realize that it was Kala.

            “Kala!” Sarabi cried. “Kala! What’s the matter?”

            “I’m contracting!” she cried as she winced and lost her balance.

            Sarabi gasped and ran to Kala’s side, supporting her. I followed suit, and together, we rushed her far from Pride Rock.

            About a mile away, Sarabi told me to hold Kala up while she went to find a hidden place for us to go. Only a minute later, she came back and led us to a large, hollowed out tree trunk. Sarabi and Kala squeezed in, but there was no room for me. Sarabi looked back at me and told me to keep watch outside of the log.

            For the next hour or so, I sat outside of the log. The sun was starting to set, and it cast an pink glow over the wasteland. As night fell, Kala’s groans and cries of pain echoed from the log and out into the lands. My worst fear was that they would be loud enough to reach Pride Rock; to reach Scar.

            I tried to keep my eyes and ears peeled for any sound, but my attention kept getting drawn back to Kala. Sarabi would whisper words of encouragement to Kala occasionally, and I was glad that at least she had somebody with her.

gave the cub to Kala, who smiled with pure love for her child. She licked the cub’s head, but suddenly tensed up again and cried out. She had a second cub coming.

            After a few minutes, she finally released the tension, and Sarabi brought out a healthy male cub. His resemblance to his father was uncanny. He had the exact same pelt, a dark rusty color with a tan underbelly. On his head rested a small tuft of fur, the same chocolaty color that Sekou’s mane had been.

            Kala was overjoyed at the birth of her two cubs. Tears streaked her face as she kissed and nuzzled her two babies. A small balloon of happiness grew inside of me, and a smile tugged at my lips.

Sarabi nuzzled Kala and smiled at her. “You did a wonderful job,” she said. “And your cubs are absolutely beautiful.

 

Kala looked up at her and sighed deeply. “Sekou would have been so proud to see his cubs,” she said as she looked back down at them. “He had so wanted to be a father.”

 

            Sarabi smiled and bent her head low to them. “He is a father Kala,” Sarabi said. “He’s watching you, and he is proud.”

 

            The knowledge that this wonderful family would be broken as soon as Scar and Zira found out was painful. I pushed that aside for now. This was a happy moment, and Kala would need it for when the time came.

 

“What are you going to name them?” I asked, smiling.

 

Kala looked at her cubs for a while, and then spoke up. “I think I’ll name her…” she motioned to the female, “…Vitani. It was my grandmother’s name. She looks so much like her, save for those little bangs!”

 

“It’s a beautiful name.” Sarabi chimed in.

 

“And the male?” I asked curiously.

 

“Sekou’s father’s name was Kovu. So that will be his name. I’m sure Sekou would have wanted that.”

 

Vitani and Kovu; two new lives that were brought into a world of torment and hate. I whispered a prayer that beyond everything that was placed in their futures, that these two would grow up to be better lions than the one who would inevitably take them.

 

Kala looked at Sarabi for a moment, examining her body. Then she smiled and said, “Perhaps you had better think of names

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