BIG SISTER
"Push off, Uzuri." one cub yelled at her. "None of us even want to play with you."
"Well, I wasn't even coming your way." The brown cub yelled at him.
It was sun-set. The sky was a bright orange. All the cubs in Pride Rock were playing by the water-hole. All of them were male cubs; female cubs were very less in Pride Rock. And of all of them, Uzuri was the strangest. She was the only cub in the pride with brown fur, dark eyeshades, a black tail and ear-rims. She was taunted at by the other cubs, even though King Mufasa forbid it.
Uzuri had stopped by for a drink of water. Now the other cubs started throwing things at her, sending her running back to Pride Rock. She ran to her mother, Sarafina, who was lying beside the queen. Sarafina put her head up and wrapped her paw around her frightened little cub.
"What happened this time, Uzuri?" she asked softly.
"Mom, why am I so different from the other cubs?" Uzuri asked her mother.
"Well, your father was a rogue. You look like him. But you should never let what the other cubs say get to you." Sarafina said.
"Who was Dad?" Uzuri asked.
"His name was Mfalme." Sarafina sighed, remembering her mate. "I'll take you to meet him sometime."
"What is he like?" Uzuri asked.
"He was a lot like you, honey." Sarafina reassured her daughter.
"Why do the other cubs say that my father was a rogue who tried to kill King Mufasa and forced you to mate with him?" Uzuri asked.
"Your father would never do that." Sarafina replied. "He was found by a hunting patrol, half-dead. King Mufasa let him stay here for a while before he left."
"They lied to me, again." Uzuri sobbed into her mother's fur. "They always lie to me."
"Calm down, honey." Sarafina licked her daughter's head. "You should stand up for yourself."
"And how am I going to do that?" Uzuri was confused.
"You'll learn soon." Sarafina said.
Uzuri walked out of the den, pondering on what her mother said. If she was going to stand up to those bullies, how was she going to do that?
A few days later, word spread that King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi were going to have a cub. Uzuri was delighted by this news. A heir to the throne! She hoped it was a girl who would play with her. But then, she remembered that no cub would want to play with her.
A few evenings later, Sarafina took her cub to the edge of the Pridelands.
"Mom, where are we going?" Uzuri asked, bounding after her mother.
"To meet your father." Sarafina replied.
Uzuri was excited. She was finally going to meet her father. She had so many questions to ask him. She wondered if he would like her. Sarafina had reassured her telling her that he had seen her as a newborn and had told her that she was the most adorable cub he had ever seen. But Uzuri still had her doubts.
They stopped at the enterance of a large cave on the border of the Pridelands. Uzuri was trembling with excitement. How was her father, was he like the other cubs described him or how her mother described him?
"Mfalme! Come out! I have someone to see you!" Sarafina called into the cave.
A brown lion came out of the cave. He had a strong build and a black mane. He had eyepatches and a pink nose. His eyes were a tender red, like Uzuri's. He looked down at them both with a soft twinkle in his eyes.
"So, this is my big girl, Uzuri." he said. Uzuri began to like him at once.
"Uh....umm......hi Dad." she said, shyly.
Mfalme went over to them and put his head down, giving his daughter a lick. She nuzzled him, making purring sounds.
"The last time I saw you, you were so small I could fit you in my paw." he said.
"Mfalme, don't scare her like that. You'll give her ideas." Sarafina smiled as he nuzzled her.
"So, have you told her about your cub?" he asked Sarafina.
"Cub? What cub?" Uzuri asked.
"You're mother's pregnant with another cub." Mfalme said.
"I'm going to be a big sister?" she asked.
"Yes, I found out the cub's due one day after the new heir's presentation." Sarafina said.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Uzuri asked.
"We wanted you to figure it out yourself." Mfalme said.
"But.....how am I going to protect my little sibling if I can't stand up to the bullies?" Uzuri asked.
"That's why you need to overcome your fear." Sarafina said.
Uzuri gulped. She didn't know what to do. She stared blankly at her father and mother. Mfalme gave a kind sigh and made a sign. He began to walk towards the border, where the sun was setting and cast an range glow in the sky. She followed him.
"You know what is true now don't you?" Mfalme asked. Uzuri nodded.
"Well, stand up for it. It doesn't mean you have to fight to kill with those cubs, just do whatever you need to prove yourself to them. You may be different, but deep inside, you're all the same."
He looked up to the stars appearing in the sky. Uzuri looked up. She felt very warm and happy with her father behind her. When he lay down, she scrambled up his stomach and pulled his bangs. He put his huge paw on her and she rolled over, letting him tickle her. So, father and daughter had a marvelous time together. Uzuri was really sad when Sarafina called her to go back. She already loved her father more than anything.
Two days later, Uzuri walked into the den to find Sarafina holding a little cream cub in her paws. Uzuri had been to see the new prince Simba. She ran up to her mother and looked at the cub.
"He's so...so...small!" she exclaimed.
"She, honey. Its a she." Sarafina said lightly.
"I Have A Baby Sister!!" Uzuri said happily.
"Yes, Uzuri." Sarafina said.
"Does she have a name yet?" Uzuri asked excited.
"No, I was thinking you'd pick out a name for her." Sarafina said.
Uzuri thought for a while.
"Nala." she finally said. "It suits her. It means 'gift'."
"You really pick a fine name, Uzuri." Sarafina smiled.
That evening, they took Nala to see Mfalme. Uzuri was excited, partly because of her sister, and partly beacuse of seeing her dad again. Mfalme also seemed to like the name Uzuri picked out.
It wasn't long before Nala was able to run and play. Uzuri was distracted from the other cub's taunts by playing with Nala. She resembled her mother. Uzuri liked that in her little sister. Soon, Nala and Simba became best friends and Uzuri went along with the two cubs.
Every evening, Nala and Uzuri went to Mfalme's cave and trained with their father. It became a daily routine for the two sisters. Mfalme commented saying that they both were getting stronger each day. Nala and Uzuri had been around the road to the cave so many times they memorised the route and began going alone. Simba's king training was the best time to do a little training of their own.
Soon, Sarafina gave the sisters the news that she was pregnant with another cub. Uzuri had never seen Nala more happy in her whole life. She reminded her of herself when Nala was going to be born. Mfalme was happy too at the news.
A few days before the birth of the cub, the other cubs went over to Nala, Uzuri and Simba. Uzuri scrowled at them as she didn't trust them.
"Hey, Uzuri." one of the cubs said. "We were wondering if you'd like to play with us."
"Why should I play with you guys? All you do is taunt me and do everything you can to hurt me." Uzuri said.
"Well, we've seen you with your sister, and you're really good at being a big sister. So we thought...."
"You thought I would just come and play with you? After all you've done to me?"
"We're sorry. We never thought about your feelings when we taunted you."
"So you think I'm just going to accept your apology and play with you? And what happened to my father?"
"We didn't know him."
"Well, I do. I've met him and you lied to me."
"Come on. What's a little squabbling between friends."
"Friends? Since when? Today?"
"No, we've been observing you."
"Observing, was it, when you lied to me about my father? Observing, was it, when you sent me home crying? Observing, was it, when you threw things at me and hurt me?"
"We didn't know how sensitive you were."
"Well, you can just stay away from me and my friends." Uzuri was firm.
The other cubs moved away. Uzuri was flaming. She had never been so angry in her life. Before, she would have gone to the water-hole and cried her eyes out, but now, she threatened the other cubs.
Well, I think Dad's training worked. she thought, silently thanking her father.
Now, she wasn't scared of the bullies and when they tried to get her to play with them, she growled at them. When Mheetu was born, she was confident.
None of the other cubs ever picked on her again. Her father's training and patience had finally paid off.
***