confusedly. My head had started to slowly spin again from the sudden jolt.

“Ayden,” Said Nala, her eyes widening at my obliviousness. “You’ve been unconscious for the last three days.”

My jaw fell open.

rought here and nurtured back to health. You were VERY close to death! You’re lucky you were found when you were.”

Remembrance hit me like a brick wall, and I vaguely remembered lying in the hot desert, all of my energy depleted.

“What happened to your face?” Nala asked while I stood in silent thought.

I put my hand on my face and ran two fingers over the scar that ran from over my eye to the bottom of my opposite cheek. I clenched my fist when my hand ran down the entire scar.

“Zira” I replied angrily.

Nala’s expression changed from curiosity to anger. I quickly recounted the events that followed the births of Kovu and Vitani and my brave, but foolish actions afterward. Nala’s mouth was open when I finished.

“So THAT is what happened…” she whispered in disbelief. “Scar told us that you attempted to kill Zira but he never said anything about the reasons why…”

I was not surprised that Scar had not revealed the minor details of my attack. The question that was burning in my mind finally passed my lips.

“How did you find me Nala?”

Her face lightened and she smiled a little bit. “I left the Pride Lands only hours after you did.” She replied. “Scar was furious when he found out you had escaped. He sent hyenas on a rampage all through the lands. Sarabi decided that it was no longer safe for me to stay there. So she sent me away to find help. I left the lands quickly, and then I stumbled across your scent.”

“And you found me and brought me here?” I asked.

“No” she replied, looking behind her at something through the trees I could not see. “He did.”

“He?” I asked, squinting over where she was looking.

The moments prior to me falling into unconsciousness became perfectly clear now. I remembered stumbling and falling flat in the hot desert. I remembered not having any strength to go on…

And then I remembered the lion who had stopped in front of me; the one who strangely resembled…

“Mufasa?” I said aloud.

“What?” Nala said, looking back at me and frowning in confusion. “No, not Mufasa. It was…”

“No,” I said quietly, cutting her off. “I saw Mufasa right before I passed out. I’m sure it was him. He walked up to me, and stopped in front of me.”

Nala let out a laugh.

Irritated, I glared at her. “Hey, you said yourself, I was close to death. Maybe it was a hallucination, but I know that I saw Mufasa.”

“No, you didn’t.” Nala said, still chuckling. “You saw Simba.”

Every single thought and question in my head stopped. I went very still and stared at Nala, sure that I had heard something else.

“W-wh…” I stuttered. “Who did you say found me?”

“Simba.” She replied simply.

It took me a moment to find my voice again.

“Nala,” I said solemnly “Simba is dead. He died two-and-a-half years ago.”

She stared at me, complete sincerity in her green eyes. “No Ayden, Simba is alive. He’s been living here in this jungle ever since he disappeared.”

Pure and blank shock hit me like a lightning bolt. Simba was alive? All this time we believed him to be dead, when in reality he was perfectly fine in this paradise of a jungle?

I now knew what she was looking at behind her. Simba must have been just beyond those trees.

Without any further thought for my present situation, I stood up and walked quickly through the trees. Nala called out to me, but I paid her no attention. All of my focus was diverted to seeing Simba. I had to see it with my own eyes to believe it.

Nala darted forward and blocked my path.

“Ayden!” she said sternly, “you JUST woke up after three days! You need to recover!”

“I just need a drink of water, then I’ll be fine.” I said impatiently, trying to get around her. “I have to see him for myself. Where is he?”

Nala sighed and stopped trying to block me.

She sighed, “He’s just beyond those trees over there, by the waterfall. At least he was. He and I had an argument, and we separated for a while. I don’t know where he went.” Then she added almost angrily, “I won’t be going with you though. I’m not going to try and talk some sense into him right now.”

I pushed past her and picked up my pace. I looked back, and saw that Nala had lay down in the brush where she had been standing. A single tear escaped from her closed eyes.

I kept going forward, and soon reached the clearing with the waterfall she was referring to. I looked all around hopefully, but saw no sign of Simba. I sighed disappointedly and stooped down to the water. I cupped a handful and slurped it all down. It cooled and soothed my parched throat, and I quickly cupped another handful. Several times over I repeated this until my thirst was satisfied.

Rejuvenated, I stood up and looked around.

If Nala was telling the truth, then Simba was around here, and I had to find him. I needed to see him with my own eyes.

Instinct told me to go left, so I did. I followed the water’s edge until I reached the end of the clearing. Keenly watching, I wandered through the trees for a while unALIGN: justify">“W-wh…” I stuttered. “Who did you say found me?”

“Simba.” She replied simply.

It took me a moment to find my voice again.

“Nala,” I said solemnly “Simba is dead. He died two-and-a-half years ago.”

She stared at me, complete sincerity in her green eyes. “No Ayden, Simba is alive. He’s been living here in this jungle ever since he disappeared.”

Pure and blank shock hit me like a lightning bolt. Simba was alive? All this time we believed him to be dead, when in reality he was perfectly fine in this paradise of a jungle?

I now knew what she was looking at behind her. Simba must have been just beyond those trees.

Without any further thought for my present situation, I stood up and walked quickly through the trees. Nala called out to me, but I paid her no attention. All of my focus was diverted to seeing Simba. I had to see it with my own eyes to believe it.

Nala darted forward and blocked my path.

“Ayden!” she said sternly, “you JUST woke up after three days! You need to recover!”

“I just need a drink of water, then I’ll be fine.” I said impatiently, trying to get around her. “I have to see him for myself. Where is he?”

Nala sighed and stopped trying to block me.

She sighed, “He’s just beyond those trees over there, by the waterfall. At least he was. He and I had an argument, and we separated for a while. I don’t know where he went.” Then she added almost angrily, “I won’t be going with you though. I’m not going to try and talk some sense into him right now.”

I pushed past her and picked up my pace. I looked back, and saw that Nala had lay down in the brush where she had been standing. A single tear escaped from her closed eyes.

I kept going forward, and soon reached the clearing with the waterfall she was referring to. I looked all around hopefully, but saw no sign of Simba. I sighed disappointedly and stooped down to the water. I cupped a handful and slurped it all down. It cooled and soothed my parched throat, and I quickly cupped another handful. Several times over I repeated this until my thirst was satisfied.

Rejuvenated, I stood up and looked around.

til they ended abruptly. At the jungle’s edge was a large grassland that I could see led back into the desert where I was found.

I glanced around several times, scanning the entire grassland for a sign of golden-brown.

…but he was nowhere to be found.

Sadly, I walked out into the grasslands. I had missed my chance. Simba was around, but I had lost him. And Nala said he had left angry, so the idea that he would not return was possible.

I wandered through the grassland for quite some time. After about a quarter of an hour, I felt my strength fully returning to me. Every now and then, I would scan the perimeter to see if I could spot him, but to no avail.

After about a half an hour, I sat down in the grass and lost myself in my thoughts.

All these years, Simba was alive. But how? I had seen his footprints go over the cliff. That cliff led into a large patch of thorns. Even if he survived the fall, how on earth could a small cub have survived going through those thorns?

As I went deeper into my thoughts, the wind began to pick up around me. It blew through and rustled the grass. It looked like waves in an ocean of green. The sound of it was soothing and peaceful.

A strange phenomenon drew my attention from my thoughts. A small ways to the south, a bulky cluster of clouds began to quickly congregate into a very distinctive shape. I stood up and began to walk towards the occurrence at a very quick pace.

The clouds suddenly solidified into a very familiar shape, and my heart skipped a beat. Mufasa’s dark silhouette was clearly standing in the clouds. He was staring down at some object just a little ways to the south…a golden-brown object.

My pace quickened to a run as excitement and wonder coursed through me. Mufasa and Simba were both there. It filled me with joy to see both of them. As I got closer, Mufasa’s figure spoke in a deep and booming voice, and I stopped running.

“Simba…you have forgotten me.” Mufasa said. It was not a question. Mufasa meant what he had said.

Though I was too far away to hear if Simba was saying anything, I could still see that he was staring up at the image of our father.

The vision continued, “You have forgotten who you are and so forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become.” Suddenly, he became stern, and though I did not fully understand what he meant, the power and emotion of the statement hit my heart. My eyes filled with tears as I looked upon my

Previous Page

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43

Next page