Chapter 1 – The Strength to Move On

It started with a safari trip…gone horribly wrong. The day will live in my memory for as long as I live. I was sixteen at the time. My brother…was twelve, and my parents…well, they were the normal age for parents of a preteen and a teenager.

We had gone to Africa for our annual safari. Each year, we failed to see as much as one antelope, let alone any elephants or lions, but my father insisted that we go each year until we found some animals.

The Jeep we rented for the trip was not reliable. At least that’s what the guy we rented it from said. But there were no more left, and my dad had insisted that we didn’t come all this way just to turn back. So we took it. I had noticed the car tended to sputter and whine a lot. The gas tank apparently had a small leak, but it wasn’t enough to make it a huge issue. As far as I knew…

About three hours into the Savannah, I’d asked to stop for a moment so I could relieve myself. I hopped out, but my family stayed in. I didn’t bother to take off my backpack. After years and years of camping and carrying around this much weight on my back, it didn’t feel like much.

 I went a good 30 feet away so as to ensure privacy. The Jeep was still making those sputtering sounds every few seconds. Suddenly, I heard a loud crack, and then the engine turned off. I finished and turned around to see my dad with half of his body under the hood. He was looking around to see what the problem was. He was holding a lit match so he could see through the steam and dark.

“Hey, bud!” he called to me, “Get over here! You have the only lantern in your pack!”

I sighed and trotted over to him. I looked up at the Jeep to see my mom shaking her head with a look of “I told you so” etched into her face. My brother sat in the back, sound asleep, his mouth agape. I stooped over about four feet from my dad to rummage through my backpack. It took me several moments to locate the lantern. It was buried deep in the confines of the pack. As I stood up, the following occurred.

I looked up as my dad yelped as the lit match burnt down to his fingers, and he dropped it. It landed in a wet spot near the car.

I saw in slow motion as the flame suddenly expanded out of nothingness across the wet spot. I saw a jet of it shoot up the drips of gasoline that fell from the gas tank. Then, I saw the gas tank explode in a fiery inferno that overtook the entire car. It shot through any and every crevice it could get to; through the holes in the bottom, through the bottom of the car and through the engine, and everyplace in between. All of this happened in a fraction of a second.

The flames shot out in all directions. Several flew right at me and burned at my face and clothes. I fell back and hit my head hard. I rolled over, both hands clamped around my aching face, which was pained by the burning flames. Then I heard the screams.

Quickly, but painfully, I stood up, and turned around to make sense of what was happening. I saw the bottom half of my father hanging out of the hood of the car. The top half of him had been slammed into the engine by the hood. Flames billowed out of the crevices between the hood and the car. My father lay dead in the engine of the Jeep.

 My mother and brother were in the flames of the car. I could not see them, but I could hear them. Their screams of pain, suffering, and torture cut through me like a knife. Tears sprang to my eyes, and my physical pain was instantly subdued.

I ran forward to the door of the Jeep, not caring what was going to happen next.  I pulled and struggled against the door, but it would not budge. My hands began to blister and burn at the touch of the hot metal, but I did not care. All that mattered was to get to my brother and mother. The screams in the car grew more and more frantic, yet somehow they seemed to become less and less. I was screaming too. Tears rolled down my face as I cried in anguish for my dying mother and brother. I pulled and hit at the door and the glass, but the deathtrap would not yield its victims.

And then the worst sound of all met my ears.

Silence.

The screams stopped. No more cries, no more pain, no more anything. Nothing but the sound of the crackling flames issued from the car.

And I stopped screaming. I merely stood next to the car.

My bloody and burned hands shook for a moment as I stood in complete and utter shock. It had not happened. It couldn’t! This was not happening!

Losing all control, I frantically banged and hit the car over and over again, injuring my hands more and more, screaming for my lost family, but to no avail.

As I did, another explosion rent itself from the engine of the car. The entire vehicle exploded in to pieces, and I was sent flying back through the air. The last thing I knew, there was another pain in my head as I hit the ground.

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When I came to, the first thing I felt was pain. My head throbbed like it had never done before. The back throbbed from the impact of hitting the ground, while my face stung from the blisters delivered to me by the flames. My hands were in utter agony. My ears were ringing with the silence that enveloped me.

I slowly lifted my head and wearily blinked my eyes. Nighttime had fallen. All around me were pieces of the now-gone Jeep. My backpack lay several yards away, thrown back by the pulse of the second explosion. Small trails of smoke rose from the grass that had been burned. Here and there, the glow of embers and ashes flickered in the semidarkness. The bodies of my parents and brother were nowhere to be found.

I lay my head back down and closed my eyes as the tears sprang to them again. They rolled down my face, stinging the burns. The pain of my body was nothing, compared to the pain of my loss. In an instant, I had gone from having a family to having nothing. They were gone, I was stranded in the middle of Africa, and I had no living relatives left. There were no aunts and uncles in my family, and both sets of grandparents had died several years ago.

The images of their funerals sprang to my mind. Then an image of two large caskets and one smaller one lying peacefully at the end of some alter at some funeral home.

The more these thoughts came to me, the more I wept. I sobbed into the night, with nobody and nothing to comfort me. I wanted nothing more than to hold my family again, to hold them and never let go.

Into the darkness, I screamed and sobbed until I had no energy left. I sobbed until I succumbed to the pain in my body, and I passed out.

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When I awoke, it was still dark, but only just. The sky was held faint traces of pink, signs of the coming sunrise. I sat up, and groaned as the pain of my bruises and burns ached me.

Not even wanting to look at the disaster around me, I stood up, and ignored the pain of my burns.  I hobbled over to my backpack, which had miraculously survived the inferno, save for a few minor burn holes. I hitched it onto my back, which had surprisingly suffered no damage, and turned to walk west.

I’m not sure why, but my instincts told me to go west. A voice in my head told me that was where I needed to go. Somehow, I knew that help would be there. But I was unsure of what kind of help I really needed.

With every effort, I pushed all thoughts of my family out of my head. If I let my grief cloud my judgment and integrity, I would end up dead out here. Even with all that I had lost, I had an initial instinct to survive. I would not let myself die out here in this foreign land. My pride would not allow it.

Days passed as I trudged westward. The burns began to blister and the bruise started to fade. I used whatever medication that I had packed in my bag to ease the pain and stop infection. All I had was a small tube of Neosporin and a small box of ibuprofen.

            I had a limited supply of food and water in my backpack, so I rationed it as much as I could. After doing so, I counted how much I had. If I did not get help within three weeks, I would die of starvation and infection.

            As the days turned into weeks, I slowly became weaker and weaker. The bruises were completely gone. My burns had healed now, save for one. The only problem was the gash on my arm. It did not heal, and I felt the pain every time I moved my arm. I knew it was infected, and I was out of medication. The rationing of food kept me alive, but it was not enough to satisfy the pains of hunger. My legs and arms were shaking with such a violent force that I needed to rest. I sat down on a log and looked around at my surroundings.

            There was grassland as far as the eye could see. The landscape was populated with occasional Acacia trees. Off to the south in the distance, there seemed to be a cluster of them. I could only assume that this meant water. Still, there was no sign of plantation that grew anything edible. Then to the west, there was a silhouette of an “L” shaped rock. I could only imagine how big the rock was up close. The sun then peeked over the eastern horizon, and cast an orange light over the entire landscape.

            The sight would have been beautiful, had I not been immersed in a blanket of pain and grief. My mind was fighting a mental battle with itself.

            You’re not going to survive…you’re gonna die here.

            Don’t think that!!!

            But no matter what I told myself, the thought popped back into my head. I sat on the same spot for a while, arguing with myself whether or not just to succumb to death or to try to keep going.

            And then, I came to the decision that I was not meant to live. I was supposed to die in that explosion with my family. I had cheated death, and now death was going to find me. I would die here, alone, friendless, no family, and nobody to wonder what happened to me.

            I hung my head down, and accepted my fate. But as I hung my head, I saw something moving among the tall grass in front of me. I immediately snapped back to attention. It was big, yet graceful. Its tan color clashed greatly against the green of the grass. And on the thing’s face, were two red-orange eyes staring right into mine.

            A full grown lioness was watching me intently, moving silently so as not to alert me to her presence. I stared at her for a moment, looking fixedly into her eyes. Her glare held a fierce familiarity, and it brought tears to my eyes again. I wiped them quickly, and slowly stood up. I began to back away carefully, but she remained still. Her eyes were still pouring into mine, as if she could see right through them and into my soul.

            As I backed up one foot at a time, I felt my foot dip down further than I had intended. I slipped of the log, and knocked myself out. The last thought I had was that I would be this lioness’s meal, but it would reunite me with my family.

When I awoke, I was sure I was dead. The pain in my body was gone. I kept my eyes shut, not knowing what I would see if I opened them. My backpack was off of me, for I did not feel the straps clinging to my shoulders. I was sure that I had died and moved on. Why else would my pain be gone?

I must have moved, because the second I did, something stirred to the left of me. Then, out of the darkness came a deep, calm, and comforting voice.

“Do not be afraid, young one. I mean you no harm.”

I lifted my head and opened my eyes. I was lying down in the middle of a semi-dark cave. There was a patch of light casting downward from a crevice in the ceiling. Standing in the pool of light, was a powerfully well built lion with an auburn mane and a stern face.

My eyes grew wide, and I jumped up and backed away as far as I could. It wasn’t far to the wall though. The lion was still in range to attack me.

The lion stared at me, and he smiled and chuckled. If possible, my eyes grew even wider and my jaw fell. He smiled like a human! What was going on?

Then, to my complete astonishment and fear, the lion opened his mouth.

“Calm down young one. You have sustained some injuries. It would be best not to move around the way you are now. You could damage yourself again.”

Nothing could have prepared me for this. If at all possible, my jaw fell even more. A talking lion? Was I going insane?

As these thoughts bounced back and forth through my head, I realized that what the lion had spoken of, as creepy as it was to see and hear him speak, was true. My right arm that was burned, which was scabbed and blistered, had broken open and began to seep blood. I closed my eyes and slid down the wall to sit on the floor.

I heard the padding of footsteps come closer to me, and my eyes snapped open. The lion was standing feet away from my face. Fear flooded my mind, and I shut my eyes again, waiting for him to chomp at my face.

Instead, I heard him lean forward. Then I felt a large tongue lick at my arm. I opened my eyes, and saw him cleaning the wound. Then he backed away, but only a few feet. I looked into his eyes to see if I could see his intentions. There was comfort and kindness in them. And, as I had with the lioness I saw earlier, I saw some familiarity in his eyes.

He looked at me and smiled.

“W-who are you?” I asked, shakily.

“I am King Mufasa, the ruler of these Pride Lands.” he replied.

It took me a moment to make the connection. Then I remembered what I’d learned in elementary school all those years ago;

The lion is the king of the jungle.

I had never thought to take such a statement so literally. I always believed that it was merely a metaphor to express the power and majesty of the lion.

“Where am I? How did I get here?” I asked, gaining some confidence. The kindness in those shining orbs made it difficult for me to fear him. It was a look I had only seen from one person…my father.

“You are in Pride Rock, the home of the king and his pride.” He said “My mate, Sarabi, found you out in the grasslands while she was hunting. When you collapsed, she brought you back here.”

Out of the semidarkness, padded in a lioness, the very same one I had seen before I was knocked out. She was a dark tan color, and very powerfully built, like her mate. Clearly, she was a lioness who did a lot of hunting. The one thing I instantly recognized the most was in her face. That piercing stare of hers held such a familiarity in my eyes. It was the gaze my mother had. The same look that she would penetrate me with every time I looked at her.

Sarabi walked up to King Mufasa and sat next to him, her gaze never leaving me.

Mufasa continued, “Our shaman, Rafiki, came and healed your wounds. Although he said your arm would take some time to fully heal.”

I stared at them, the shock of the situation ebbing away. I turned to Mufasa’s mate.

“Thank you for helping me.” I said to her.

She nodded and smiled. “You are welcome, strange one.”

A burning question was poised at the tip of my tongue, and it slipped out before I could stop myself.

“It’s not that I’m not grateful, but why did you help me? Why didn’t you…” I hesitated before the next part, “you know, eat me?”

Both Mufasa and Sarabi laughed. Then Sarabi spoke.

“To be honest, you intrigued me. I saw you sitting on the log, and I approached to see what you were. I’d never seen anything like you before! I’ve heard stories of humans, mostly from Mufasa, but until now, I’d never seen one. I had no intention of eating you. Or to scare you for that matter, but apparently I failed at that.” She added.

“Well,” I replied, still gazing at her intently, “we humans usually hear of lions attacking and killing other humans. I thought you were getting ready to pounce on me.”

I could not stop looking into her eyes! I saw my mother in those glittering red-orange orbs! Why it was there, I have no idea, but there she was, staring at me through the eyes of this lioness!

            Mufasa spoke, which brought me back to reality.

            “What is your name? And what is your purpose for being in my kingdom?”

            He spoke kindly, but with the tone of a king; the tone of one who expected to be answered.

            I sighed, and said, “Ayden. My name is Ayden.”

            Mufasa smiled, and then repeated “And your purpose for being here, Ayden?”

            I looked away from the both of them. “I’m just passing through. I am completely alone. Only two weeks ago, I lost my family in a tragic accident. So now I’m stranded here, with no friends, no family, and I have run out of food and water.” I felt my eyes water as I spoke of my family. I held back my tears, for I did not want to cry in front of the king.

            I looked back at the two lions. There was sadness in their eyes. Sarabi walked forward to me, and nuzzled me.

            “Ayden, I am so sorry for your loss. I know how you feel. I lost my parents recently too.” Then she looked at me again with those eyes, and it was too much for me.

            The tears rolled down my cheeks again, and I flung myself at her, wrapping my arms around her neck. Silently, I wept, and she made no movement to get me off. She merely put her paw over my shoulder and held onto me. I deeply appreciated her gesture of sympathy. The pain I felt inside was slowly ebbing away. Having somebody to cry onto, to hold onto, was a great comfort that I had been secretly wanting since the accident.

            When I finally broke the embrace, I looked at her again and smiled. She returned it, and then said, “Ayden, I need to speak to Mufasa for a moment. Will you wait here until I return? I won’t be long.”

I had a lump in my throat that stopped the words from passing my lips, so I just nodded. She returned to the Mufasa, who smiled at me sympathetically. They then left the cave together.

            I watched as the two of them left, and then I stood up. I sighed, almost happily. The grief I felt was still there, but somehow, I felt better than I had felt in the last few weeks. All the questions in my head had subdued. Nothing really mattered. These lions could talk, and that was all there was to it. What was more, these lions were friendly and had sympathy for me. They cared.

 I thought of asking if I could stay for a little while, just until my wounds healed. Then I would leave and continue west. I didn’t want to be a burden to them.

            By now, my eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the cave, and I could see the entire place clearly. It was a round cave with an opening on the opposite side of where I stood. The path rounded a corner, and out of sight. The faint light of the sun shone from around that corner. In the center of the cave was a flat rock, slightly raised up. I could only assume, whatever this room was for, that Mufasa and Sarabi belonged there, on that raised area. It was almost like a throne.

To my far left, leaning against the wall, was my backpack. I walked over to it to see if it was still in tact. Everything was accounted for. My sleeping bag was scuffed up from being dragged in the dirt, but it was still usable. My small knife was there, as well as the unopened mini-tent. The lantern was fully functional, and the bug spray still had the cap on it. The seal was unbroken. In the bottom, I found a value pack of batteries I bought for the lantern. All my clothes I packed were perfectly in tact.

I zipped up my backpack, and sat next to it, waiting for Mufasa and Sarabi to return. One thing still remained on my mind…why did they have my parent’s eyes? Mufasa had those of my father; kind, fun, but stern if he needed to be. Sarabi had my mother’s; sympathetic, loving, and happy. Why would I see them in these two? I’ve known them for five minutes, and already I felt a strong bond between us.

            Just then, they both reentered. I stood up, ready for whatever they were going to tell me. They stopped about a yard in front of me.

            Mufasa smiled at me, and asked, “Ayden, were you planning on staying with us?”

            “Yes,” I said sheepishly. I knew it sounded rude to voice my thoughts that I would just stay without permission so I added, “I wanted to stay with you and your pride, if his majesty permits it, just until I have nourished myself back to health. Then I’ll be on my way.”

            Sarabi smiled and chuckled a little bit. “Actually,” she began, “we were going to ask you if you wanted to stay with us…unless you have somewhere to go.”

            I thought for a moment before I delivered my answer. Did I really have a place to go? Where COULD I go? I had no methods of getting home, no place to stay when I got there, nobody to stay with.

“No,” I sighed, “there is nothing for me there. All my family is dead. And I don’t have any friends who would wonder where I was.”

            “So you will stay?” Mufasa asked. Was that a hint of hope in his voice?

            I hesitated for a moment. Then, I smiled and said “Yes. I’ll stay.”

            “Wonderful!” Sarabi said happily. “Follow us. We need to introduce you to the rest of the pride. We don’t want them making the mistake of hunting you by accident.”

Chapter 3 – Mufasa’s Pride

They turned around, and walked out of the cave together, and I followed. I turned the corner, and reached the mouth of the cave. It was a shorter path than I expected. The mouth of the cave was within feet of the corner. When I got outside, I realized where exactly I was.

I was standing on the “L” shaped rock, right at the place between the vertical and horizontal rocks. The upper rock extended high into the sky. To my right, there was a pathway that I could see led up to the top. The lower rock extended at a slight angle towards the eastern Pride Lands. It seemed like a place to present something to the subjects of the king.

The sun was setting behind Pride Rock now. It cast a long shadow over the lands.

Mufasa cleared his throat, and I snapped back to reality. He was standing to my left, about ten feet away. He smirked at me, eyebrows cocked, and I caught up with him and Sarabi, who I stood next to.

Mufasa then took a deep breath, and let out an incredible roar. I covered my ears at the sudden burst of sound. It lasted for only a few seconds, but it echoed across the lands for some time.

Before I could ask why he did it, my question was answered. The pride of lions that lived here was walking up to where we stood. Lioness after lioness meandered up to us and stood silently in a circle, each one inclining their heads to Mufasa as they did in a silent bow. All of them stared at me after, some with curiosity etched into their faces, others, fear, and one in particular, resentment.

A blue hornbill flew in from seemingly nowhere, and perched himself on Mufasa’s shoulder. He gave a bow to Mufasa, who nodded back. Then the hornbill glanced at me through the corner of his eye, then quickly looked back.

  Several cubs trotted up to us, playing with each other as they did. They all went and stood next to their mothers. Two in particular were getting fiercely rough as they playfully came near us; a golden cub with a small tuft of hair on his head, and a very light tan cub with sparkling blue eyes.

“Simba! Nala! Knock it off!” Mufasa called to them. Instantly, they broke apart, and ran, laughing, to the circle. The blue-eyed cub went and stood next to a lioness with a pretty face and a medium build, just three lions down from me. The golden cub went and stood next to Mufasa, and said “Sorry dad! We were just playin’ around!”

The cub looked at me and grinned the biggest grin I’ve ever seen. “Who are you?” he asked curiously.

“You’ll find out in a moment, Simba.” Mufasa told his son.

The circle was almost complete. Only one spot remained empty, and it was next to Mufasa. He looked displeased with the absence of one of his subjects.

“Late again.” He muttered in annoyance, “We’ll just have to fill him in later.”

He then looked up at the pride and smiled.

“I’ve called this meeting to make an important announcement. This human is going to be a part of our pride.”

The reactions were mixed. Some of the lionesses smiled at me, while others grimaced. The one who looked so hateful spoke up, with the same hate resounding in her voice.

“Him? Join the pride? Have you gone mad Mufasa? Aren’t you the one who always told us of the dangers of the likes of HIM? Haven’t you always told us to avoid them? Now you’re telling us he’s going to be one of us?”

“That’s enough, Zira!” Mufasa growled, and Zira backed off immediately. Her face still showed the displeasure, but she spoke no more.

Mufasa stared at her for a moment, and then turned to address the pride again.

“Now I know I have warned against going near humans, but this one is different. He has no home, no family, and no friends. We found him wounded and very close to death. I called upon Rafiki, to heal his wounds, and so far, he is recovering well. I have spoken with him, and I do not see any reason for us to fear him, nor him us.”

The lioness that the cub Nala had gone to stand by spoke up. Her voice was soothing and kind.

“What is your name?”

I stared around at the pride, and replied, “My name is Ayden.” I hesitated for a moment, slightly put off by the glares I was getting from the one called Zira. Then I said, “I have nowhere else to turn, nobody to go to, and nothing to my name. I know that you have much to fear from my kind, but I ask you humbly to please accept me as one of your own. I know this may be too much to ask for at the moment, but in time, I will prove my usefulness to the pride. You won’t be disappointed.”

Most of the faces that were fearful fell. They weren’t happy, but at least they had calmed down. Only Zira still glared.

“Well now, what have we here?” came a smooth, low voice.

I looked to the left where the voice had come from. A full grown lion was sauntering lazily up to the circle. He was a rusty brown color with a full black mane. He was not very large or muscular, I fact, he was rather thin, but he still had a powerful look to him. His eyes were a blazing green , but the most noticeable feature about them was a vertical scar on the left one.

“Scar!” cried the hornbill on Mufasa’s shoulder. “How nice of you to join us!”

Scar ignored this, as he slowly made his way to the empty space next to Mufasa, and sat down. All eyes were on him, most were staring in annoyance. Only one pair looked different. Zira’s gaze was happy, which looked eerie on her pointed face. Scar glanced at her and smiled. Then he looked in my direction. Nobody said a word.

 He stared at me with neither curiosity or fear. There was a hunger in his eyes, and it sent shivers down my spine. Something about him unsettled me.

He must have noticed, because he smiled chillingly, then looked to Mufasa, who was the most annoyed of the entire circle. Scar did not even incline his head to the king.

            “Who is this stranger? What is his purpose here?” he asked icily.

            Mufasa, still glaring, said, “Ayden here, is going to join our pride. He is to be treated as any other member here, and is not to be harmed in any way.”

            He turned his head to the rest of the pride, glancing back at Scar for a moment, and said, “Is that understood?”

            The pride roared in unison. Mufasa then dismissed them to continue with their activities. They all stood up and began to go down off of Pride Rock.

            Scar slunk over to Zira, who nuzzled him. They then turned and set off together, both of them glancing back at me before disappearing out of sight.

            When I looked back, only six remained: Mufasa, the hornbill on his shoulder, Sarabi, Simba, Nala, and the lioness who asked me my name.

            Mufasa sighed and addressed me. “You’ll have to forgive Zira and Scar. They are not the kindest of our pride, but they do make their contributions.”

             “Scar is certainly…different.” I finished with a shiver. His glare at me still stuck out in my memory.

            “He’s my brother.” Mufasa said. He glanced over at Sarabi and the other lioness.

            The one who asked my name stepped forward and introduced herself. “Hello Ayden, we haven’t been properly introduced yet. I am Sarafina, Sarabi’s best friend. This is Nala.” She indicated the tan, blue-eyed cub. “She is my daughter.”

            “And this is Simba,” Sarabi interjected, gesturing to the golden cub with the tuft on his head. “Mine and Mufasa’s son, and the future king.”

            Simba grinned at the last part. Nala looked at him smugly, and they both laughed.

            The hornbill spoke up, and I was surprised to hear a British accent. “My name is Zazu. I am the king’s majordomo.”

            I smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I am glad that I have been accepted into your pride.”

            They all smiled back. As they did, I thought of my family. Through all the tragedy, I still had found a way to make good out of it. I found me a safe place to live, where I would feel happy, despite my losses. And as I looked at each of their smiling faces, one word flashed in my mind. A word that I knew I would only associate with this place for the rest of my life.

Home.

Several days passed, and life began to settle down. I still felt the immense grief for my tragedy, but it was not as prominent as before. My family was gone, and there was nothing I could do about it. I had already paid my respects to them the day after the pride’s meeting. I had been shown the Royal Graveyard behind Pride Rock. I found three stones and placed them side by side in the graveyard. I used a small, jagged rock carve their names in the rock. I had shed so many tears already, yet I still had more for this moment. The important thing was that I was alive, and had found a place to live that I felt comfortable at. These lions were kind, cared for one another, and looked out for each other. They showed the same feelings and actions to me.

As the days passed, I was slowly accepted into the pride more and more. Every now and then, one or more lionesses would come to me and introduce themselves. We would talk for a while getting to know each other, and for the most part I liked them all. They were very receptive of me once they got to know me. By the third day, only two had not approached me; Scar and Zira.

I began to follow the lionesses into their daily hunts. Since there were so many of them, they always broke off into three groups. Every time they left to hunt, the groups would alternate different lionesses, by order of Mufasa. This was to ensure that no groups would form and get too competitive with each other over who hunted better. Mufasa had instilled many rules that seemed harsh, but were there to keep peace through the Pride Lands. From the look of things in the kingdom, his rules worked perfectly.

When the groups brought back their kills, they all set them in front of Mufasa in the round cave. I remembered from my school days that the king of the pride always ate before the rest did. The first time I saw them set the kills in front of him, Mufasa’s next action shocked me. He stepped back and allowed the rest of the pride to eat their fill before himself. I walked forward, unsure if I should or shouldn’t get some food for myself. Mufasa saw this, and told several lionesses to move aside so I could get through. I inclined my head to him in thanks, and then moved to the place that had been cleared for me.

I looked down to see what was to eat. All three kills were antelope. I’d never eaten antelope before, but I remembered the phrase my mom always told me when I refused to eat my food.

You’ll never know until you try it.

I smiled at her memory, then pulled out my knife I had retrieved from my backpack. I sliced away a slab the size of a steak and stepped back. Mufasa was watching the feast, so I quickly grabbed my backpack, and hurried out of the cave.

I walked down to a small clearing I had seen earlier that day, and set the slab of meat on a rock that looked sanitary. Then I gathered some sticks and rocks, and set up a makeshift cooking pit. I’m glad I packed some matches and lighters, I thought to myself as I pulled a small book of matches from my pack. I lit the small pile of wood, and then let the fire build.

Suddenly, a voice spoke from behind me.

“Ayden, why aren’t you eating with us?”

I jumped, and turned to see that Mufasa had followed me from the cave. I felt my heart beating a mile a minute. I had not expected to be followed.

He looked confused. “You have taken such a small portion and simply laid it aside. Are you not hungry? And why have you started a fire?”

After my heart slowed down, I told him about human’s inability to eat raw meat without getting sick. I also explained that what looked like a small portion to him, would actually fill me up quite nicely.

He watched me as I set up a three stones in a triangle around the small fire. Then I placed the steak on a flat rock and set the rock on the three stones, over the fire. He was surprised when I flipped it over moments later, to reveal it had turned a mouthwatering brown.

Mufasa understood the need for this unusual ritual. He smiled at me, and said, “You know, you are completely welcome to eat in the cave with us. We are part of the same pride, and everybody has the same rights here.”

I thanked him, and finished cooking the steak. Then, when it was done, I moved it to a cooler stone and followed Mufasa back to the cave with it.

I was glad I had not offended him. I left the cave earlier because I was unsure if they saw me mutilating their kill, they might be offended and think their food was not good enough. But now that Mufasa knew my reasoning, all was well. Eating here would not be a problem.

Several hours after sunset, the pride all went to sleep in the room I had awakened in several days before. Mufasa, Sarabi, and Simba all slept on the raised rock in the center of the room, just as I had thought. Everyone else slept around them. Each night, I set up my sleeping bag at the edge of the room, as far from Scar and Zira as possible. They had taken to ignoring me, but every time our eyes met, I felt some hostility. I hoped, in time, they would warm up to me. For now, I was fine sleeping away from them.

Every morning, I would wake up before everybody else. Usually they were all awake when the sun was fully over the horizon. I was always up before it even peeked over.

On one particular morning, I woke up earlier than usual. Generally the rays of sunlight were already peeking over the horizon, but today, the sky was only now just turning light purple. I decided to go ahead with my routine. I got up, grabbed my backpack, and left the cave. I looked out around the Pride Lands.

I had begun to appreciate the beauty and majesty of these lands. Everything was perfect in its’ own way. The trees that grew around here were all full and green. The grass was unrestricted in its growth, and waved lazily in the breeze. It was the image of perfection. Mother Nature had really outdone herself here. 

I breathed in deep the morning air, and began my short journey to my spot. On my second day in the Pride Lands, Sarafina took it upon herself to show me around. I had noticed that about a mile north, there was a small stream that no animals seemed to go near. This was where I usually performed my morning routine.

I reached the stream in a short amount of time. I set down my pack, stripped down, and dived into the cold water. It took some time to get used to the temperature, but once I did, I swam around easily.

As I bathed, I looked up. The sky was streaked with orange and pink, but the sun had yet to be visible. Off in the distance, Pride Rock was standing silently, waiting for the new day to begin.

Suddenly, something rustled in the grass near me. I neared the edge of the stream where my backpack was, and pulled out my knife quickly, ready for whatever the thing was.

Suddenly, a golden flash jumped out of the grass and splashed into the water. Relieved, I set the knife on the ground and resumed swimming, looking at Simba, who had resurfaced.

“Did I scare you?” he asked, spluttering in the water as he laughed.
            “Just a little,” I admitted, smiling. “For a moment there, I thought I was gonna be attacked.”

“Ooh! The big brave Ayden was scared of a cub less than half his size!” Simba jeered.

“Startled.” I corrected, swimming a little ways from him. I had a momentary lapse of shame at being naked around another individual. Then I remembered that Simba, a lion cub who had never seen a human before, did not care in the slightest. I relaxed and swam near him.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, his head bobbing up and down as he came next to me.

“I could ask you the same thing.” I said, smirking. “You’re never up this early. And how did you know I was out here?”

“You were kinda noisy when you got that pack of yours. It woke me up, so I followed you.” He smiled, and then asked, “So what are you doing here? Why is your skin on the ground?

“My skin?” I asked, puzzled.

“You know, your skin that changes color every day.”

It took me a second to realize that he was referring to my clothes.

“Oh, you mean my clothes! Well, I can’t bathe in them.”

“Oh…” he said. I could still see he was confused. He didn’t say anything else.

“This is where I do my morning routine.” I said, breaking the silence. “I bathe here, wash my clothes I wore yesterday, and get myself ready for the day ahead.”

“You bathe in water?” he asked curiously. “You don’t lick yourself?”

An image of me licking myself clean like a cat popped into my head, and I laughed. “I’m not that flexible! And have you seen how small my tongue is?”

I jokingly stuck it out at him, still laughing.

“There’s no way I can lick myself clean!” I finished.

Simba smiled and laughed. “Why don’t you bathe it in the waterhole? It’s a lot closer than this place.”

I rolled my eyes, reminding myself he doesn’t know about human customs.

“Well, we drink from there. I don’t think you want to drink the water after I’ve washed all the dirt and sweat off of myself. And there’s nobody here in the mornings. I like the quiet time. But having you here is fun.” I added quickly so I wouldn’t offend him.

He smiled and replied, “Oh, alright. I get it.” He turned around and began swimming in circled, apparently enjoying himself.

I smiled, and submerged myself. I began ruffling my hair hard under the water. I had never realized how important shampoo was until I didn’t have it. But rubbing my scalp underwater for about a minute seemed to work just the same.

I resurfaced, spluttering, to see Simba swimming towards the bank of the stream. I did the same and got out. I used my clothes I wore yesterday to dry off, and then changed into a fresh pair from my bag. Simba was shaking the water off of himself.

I took the garments I dried off with, and used a bumpy rock to scrub them in the stream. Again, I was reminded how much I missed such a simple necessity as soap. Simba was laying on his stomach, his front paws crossed over each other, his back tucked underneath him. He was watching me intently.

“So what are they for?” he inquired.

I looked up at him, “My clothes? Well, they’re mostly to keep myself warm. You’ll notice that I’m not covered in fur like you are. So I need the clothes to keep warm.”

“So it’s like your fur?” he asked me, understanding coming to his face.

“Yeah, except I’m not born with clothes on. I have to…” I stopped for a moment, knowing that he wouldn’t understand the concept of “buying” from a store. “…get them from other places that have them.”

I finished washing my clothes, then wrung them out and stuffed them into my pack. Refreshed and ready, I set off back to Pride Rock, Simba trotting happily at my side.

He reminded me so much of my younger brother. He was so fun loving, and so full of questions. Even his face resembled my brother’s a little bit.

I thought for a moment…

Is this really coincidence that Mufasa, Sarabi, and Simba all resemble my family? What does it mean?

Unsure of the answer, I pushed the thought out.

Simba, uncomfortable with the silence, began to talk.

“Dad told me he’s gonna do something special with me today!”

            I snapped out of my head, and paid attention to what he was telling me.

            “What’s that?” I asked.

            “He’s gonna teach me how to be a good king today! He told me when the sun rises he’ll take me around and teach me!”

            I smiled. I had almost forgotten that Simba was royalty, and he would someday take the place of his father.

            “That sounds like fun!” I said.

            “Do you want me to ask if you can come with us?” he asked hopefully.

            I hesitated. It would be a cool opportunity to find out what the King really has to do. But then the thought of my father surfaced in my head. I remembered the times we had before. The times he took me to the park down the street from the neighborhood. The time we went to the movies and threw popcorn at the people in front of us. I would give anything now just to have those times back. And I knew that for Simba to become king, Mufasa would have to be gone. I couldn’t bring myself to break up a time for father and son.

            I looked at him, seriously. “Nah. I’ve got some stuff to do today. I’ll hang with you guys later.”

            His face fell a little bit. “Oh, alright. Yeah, we can hang out later!”

            I smiled again, and we continued our walk back to Pride Rock. When we got there, I told him goodbye and set off towards the waterhole. He ran up to the edge of Pride Rock and watched me, smiling. Then he turned around and ran back to the cave.

As I walked, I heard him yelling out “Dad! Dad! Come on dad, we gotta go! Wake up!”

I stopped at the waterhole to fill my canteen that was in my backpack. By now, the sun was fully risen. After filling the canteen to the brim, I stood up and looked around. Pride Rock’s majesty could not be denied as it stood with dignity in the risen sun. I could see several lionesses padding down from its slope towards me to get a morning drink. I waved, acknowledging them, and they nodded towards me.

I set off to the south. There were a lot of grassland and acacia trees in this area. Here and there were several herds of zebra and antelope grazing. I stopped for a moment, wondering if I should go around. Cautiously, I took one step forward. Some glanced up at me, and then went back to their breakfast. Smiling, I started forward, walking between each antelope and zebra. They did not even seem to care about this strange creature disturbing their meal. Apparently, the news of the human within the Pride Lands had spread fast.

As I walked through, I began to wonder if the other animals could talk too. I stopped near some zebra and waited to see if they were talking. Sure enough, I did hear some words, but they came from behind me rather than from the group I was watching.

“Hey buddy, could you move over just a little? You’re in my grazing area!”

I whirled around to see an antelope staring at me. He looked fairly young, but he was defiantly not a child. He didn’t look annoyed, but he was acting antsy, and clearly was waiting for me to move.

“Oh! Sorry!” I said, and I stepped aside so he could keep eating.

I watched him for a moment and then he spoke to me again.

“So you’re the new member of the pride, huh?”

            I smiled. At least he wasn’t ignoring me.

            “Yeah,” I replied. “I’m Ayden.”

             He looked up at me, smiling through a mouthful of grass. He swallowed and said “I’m Sambo.”

            “Nice to meet you.” I said sincerely.

            He went back to grazing, but continued talking.

            “So what brings you here? Did’ja get bored being up at Pride Rock?”

            I smirked, stifling a laugh. Boring was not the word for my situation up at Pride Rock. I was always bombarded with question after question by all the lionesses at Pride Rock. It was sort of a relief to get away from the constant barrage of questions.

“It’s never boring up there.” I told him. “Somebody’s always doing something. I just wanted to explore out here more, you know.”

            “I get ya.” Said Sambo.

            “Speaking of the lions,” I began, “Don’t you guys ever worry that you’re gonna…you know, get eaten?”

            Sambo looked up at me. “Nah. King Mufasa has a system worked out that seems fair. Usually, at least once a week, we get a few of our kind who become sick or are dying. It’s pretty common around here. Usually, we die if we get sick. So the lions hunt them and put them out of their misery. If we have none who are sick or dying, the lionesses hunt outside of the Pride Lands so we are not disturbed. Sure, it’s sad at first, but its all part of the circle of life.”

            I thought about this for a moment. It made me like Mufasa even more. He did not kill unless he needed to. He was a fair, just, and kindhearted king who cared about everybody in his kingdom, not just himself.

            Suddenly, Sambo’s head shot up, and he kept his body very still. He looked around attentively.

“Danger’s afoot!” he hissed quietly to me.

I looked around. I didn’t see anything to worry about. What I did see was that every antelope and zebra was doing the same thing that Sambo was. Every head was upright and moving from left to right, while their bodies remained motionless. Then, as one, the herd began to run to the east.

I ran with them, for fear of being trampled if I remained still. They were much faster than I was, and they easily outran me. Soon, I was nearing the back of the stampede. I glanced back as I ran, and to my horror, six gray dog-like creatures were running at the back of the stampede. Hyenas!

As I looked back at them, I felt my foot hit something hard, and I fell forward. I groaned in pain as I lifted my head up from the ground. The stampede ran past me and soon was long gone into the distance. I started to get up, but stopped as, to my right, I heard a deep voice.

“Geez, what spooked them this time?”

I looked over and saw a small brown gopher peeking his head out of his hole. He looked at me, expecting a answer. Before I could say anything, six gray objects surrounded me with such intense speed, they might have materialized out of thin air.

The gopher gasped and disappeared into his hole.

I gulped and looked back up. The hyena in front of me was grinning evilly, drool dripping down from between his putrid yellow teeth. He was about the size of a Labrador retriever. On his head was a stripe of white fur that stuck up, like a Mohawk.

“Well look who it is boys!” he declared, “It’s the new member of Mufasa’s pride!”

Slowly, I stood up, looking back to see if I could run, but I was completely surrounded. The hyenas began to circle me, licking their lips as they did. I focused on the one with the stripe on his head. He seemed to be the leader of this pack. My hand slowly went to my pocket where my knife lay.

“My! You’re one tall fella! You sure you’re in the right pride?” he snickered menacingly. “You look nothing like a lion…”

“I’m a special exception.” I growled back. After all I had gone through, I would not let myself die so easily. I put my hand in my pocket and felt the knife. I grabbed onto it, ready for whatever was going to happen.

The hyenas circling me were growling low in their throats. A female hyena who was circling behind me spoke.

“Oh, you’re special alright! Right Banzai?” she said, grinning wickedly.

“Yeah! I’ll have the ‘special’ anytime Shenzi!” replied the hyena right behind her. The hyena behind Banzai started laughing insanely at Banzai’s lame joke.

“QUIET ED!!!” the one with the stripe yelled. He was suddenly much more serious. “We’ve got a job to do. We have orders from the boss to take care of this one. Then we can take these lands for ourselves!”

I slowly took off my backpack and tightly held onto it with my left hand. My right shot out of my pocket holding the knife. I stood in a stance, ready for the imminent fight.

“You may find that a harder job than you thought.” I snarled, “This is the kingdom of King Mufasa. And it’s going to stay that way as long as I remain here.”

He stopped in front of me, crouched low to the ground, and growled. I raised the knife and made a motion with it for him to come at me.

With incredible speed, he leaped at me, mouth wide open and claws extended. Faster than I thought I could, I swung my heavy backpack at him and hit him squarely in the head. He was knocked aside, flying into the hyena to my right. The hyenas all barked and growled, then jumped at me. Again, I whirled my backpack around me, and hit each and every one of them aside. Amazed at myself, I stopped and looked as each landed on the ground hard.

I heard a growl, and quickly turned to see the leader charging at me. I dropped my backpack, and held up my knife.

He jumped and pushed me back into the ground, landing on my chest. His claws dug into my chest, and I howled in pain. I grabbed his head with my free hand before he could bite my face. He struggled and dug his claws deeper into my chest. I gritted my teeth, and blinking back tears of pain, I raised my right arm, and plunged the knife into the center of his chest.

He yelled and staggered off of me, the hilt of the knife protruding from his sternum. He leaned down, groaning, and pulled out the knife. Blood began to seep out onto his ragged gray fur. He glared at me with a mix of pain and hatred as he tossed it aside and charged at me again.

I positioned myself for his attack, but instead I was jolted from the right side. The maniacal hyena called Ed had charged me before the leader could get to me. He was laughing so hard, however, that he only grazed me. The one with the striped head missed me completely, and tripped over his own feet.

 I regained my balance, and looked to my left to see that Ed had charged into two other hyenas, knocking them down. Behind me, Banzai and Shenzi were laying on the ground, apparently too dazed to even attempt to get up again. I guessed I hit them pretty hard with my backpack.

Wow, these guys are not very light on their feet, I thought as the leader struggled and got up to run at me again. The hate in his eyes was unmistakable. He was aiming to kill, and so was I. He jumped at me, and this time, he hit his mark. His jaw closed over my left wrist, and he bit hard. I yelled in agony as I landed on my back with him on top of me. He bit harder, and I screamed as his teeth broke into my flesh. Warm blood trickled from the wound.

I reached up with my right hand, and gouged at his eyes. He released my left arm, and backed up, whimpering and rubbing at his face. I quickly jumped up and ran at him, knowing exactly what I needed to do. I leaped with such agility, I surprised myself, and landed on his back. He was pinned under my weight, but he would not stay that way. He began writhe and wiggle wildly, turning his head to snap at me. With a quick thinking that I never knew I had, my arms flashed to his head and grabbed each side. I twisted my arms hard and felt his neck snap. He went limp underneath me, and moved no more.

Behind me, I heard a loud roar, and I jumped up, ready to attack the remaining hyenas. Instead of seeing them charge at me, I saw Mufasa, teeth bared, swiping at the two hyenas that Ed had run into. His claws tore into their flesh as easily as a knife into butter. They instantly fell and moved no more, blood seeping onto the ground.

Shenzi and Banzai jumped up, afraid for their lives, and ran after Ed, who had already taken off towards the shadowy lands to the southeast.

Mufasa was still growling as he sat down, looking at me as he did.

“Are you ok, Ayden?” he asked, his face relaxing.

Panting, I nodded. I examined my wounds. There were a few punctures in my left hand that were seeping blood, and a few deep scratches in my shirt where the hyena’s claws had dug, but none of the wounds were irreversible.

I caught my breath for a moment, and then asked him, “How did you know where to find me?”

“I was with Simba and Zazu when a gopher came and relayed the information back to us. I rushed off to get the hyenas out of the Pride Lands.” He explained.

            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.

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 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.

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 northwest and roared.

“Who are you calling?” I asked curiously.

“Rafiki.” She replied as we walked around to the back of Pride Rock where the lionesses usually went to take naps. “He’s our shaman and local healer. He’ll be able to patch up your wrist in no time.”

As we came to our destination, I noticed we were not alone. Sarafina and Nala both lay basking warmly in the sun. Sarabi went and lay on a rock across from her. I sat on her right on a rock below her. I set down my backpack and looked through it, simply out of habit.

“Hello Sarabi!” said Sarafina from across the way. “Hi Ayden!”

“Good morning, Sarafina.” Said Sarabi, laying her head down on her paws.

“Hi girls.” I said, looking at Nala who had just woken up.

“Hey Ayden! Ow! What happened to your arm? And your chest?” Nala said, blinking back sleepiness.

Sarabi smiled smugly. “He just got back from a battle with six hyenas, one of whom was Tahri. And he won.”

Sarafina and Nala stared at me, their mouths agape in shock, just as Mufasa and Sarabi had done only a little while ago. I smiled embarrassedly.

They both simultaneously began to ask questions, but Sarabi held up her paw.

“We’re making an announcement after the hunt tonight. You’ll all hear the story then”

Sarafina leaned over and picked Nala up by the scruff of her neck. Then she started giving Nala a bath. I was reminded of the conversation I had with Simba earlier that morning about bathing.

As I thought of Simba, he came sprinting down towards us from a path that lead to an overhang on the back of Pride Rock. A place that, only moments earlier, Scar had went up to. The idea of Simba spending time with that fear inspiring creature made me scared for Simba.

I watched him as he sprinted down the slope to us. He looked excited, like he was ready for an adventure.

Brother…

The thought flashed through my head, and I could not help but smile.

“Hey Nala! Hey Ayden!” he called as he approached us.

“Hi Simba!” Nala and I said in unison.

He leaned towards Nala to whisper, but glanced at me to make sure I was listening. “C’mon! I just heard about this really great place!”

Nala glared at him and spoke through gritted teeth, “Simba, I’m kinda in the middle of a bath.” She lifted her head so her mother could clean under her chin.

Sarabi sat up and leaned down towards Simba. “And it’s time for yours.” She added.

She grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and began to lick the top of his head, messing up the tuft of fur.

“MOM!” he protested, “Mom, you’re messing up my mane!”

She stopped and smiled down at him. Then she let him go.

He jumped down, and irritably fixed the tuft on his head. “Ok, ok, I’m clean. Can we go now?”

Nala was still getting bathed. “So where are we going? It had better not be anyplace dumb.” She told him, almost as if she was ordering him around.

“No!” said excitedly, “It’s really cool!”

Sarabi laid her head on her paws, and asked composedly, “So, where is this ‘really cool’ place?”

I knew exactly what was going through Sarabi’s mind. Simba was hiding something. He wanted to go someplace she would definitely not approve of, and she was trying to weasel it out of him.

Simba’s face fell a little. “Oh…uh, it’s around the waterhole.”

Nala looked up annoyed. “The waterhole?!? What’s so great about the waterhole?”

It was Simba’s turn to be annoyed now. Through gritted teeth, he whispered audibly, “I’ll show you when we get there!”

Nala got the message, and simply said, “Oh.”

Simba turned to me, smiling mischievously. “You comin’, Ayden?”

I shook my head no. I raised up my left hand. “I’m waiting for Rafiki. He’s gonna patch me up, then I’m going to go hunting with Sarabi. You go on without me.”

Simba stared at my hand for a moment, then asked “Wow! What did you do to it?”

I smiled mischievously, just as he did, and said “It was mauled by Tahri the hyena when I fought with him.”

Simba’s reaction was just as everybody else’s was. His mouth fell open and he stared at me in disbelief.

“You fought Tahri the hyena? And you won?” he asked, a smile creeping up on his face.

I nodded, and added, “WHILE fending of five other hyenas, and I still managed to kill him.”

Nala interjected, still amazed at this simple fact, “Ayden, you’re so brave!”

In that single moment, Simba gave me a dirty look for such a small amount of time, I almost missed it. He turned to Nala, a smile clearly back on his face. This puzzled me, but I wasn’t going to bring it up here, in front of his…our mother.

“Well…we gonna go?” He asked her.

Nala looked up at her mother. “Uh, mom can I go with Simba?”

Sarafina smiled, and she looked up at Sarabi. I knew Sarafina had the same feeling Sarabi did. “Hmm, what do you think Sarabi?”

Sarabi cocked her head in mock thought. I was sure she would say no. “Well…”

Simba and Nala both walked up, and at the same time, grinned and said “Please?”

To my utter shock, Sarabi said, “It’s all right with me.” I looked at her doubtfully. What is she thinking? They’re gonna get in so much trouble!

Simba and Nala jumped around whooping. Then Sarabi spoke up again.

“…As long as Zazu goes with you.”

Both the cubs stopped immediately. Simba’s ears dropped instantly as he cried, “NO! Not Zazu!”

I looked up at her and smiled. She startled me for a moment, making me worried for the cub’s safety.

Sarabi smiled impishly, then leaned up and roared again, this time towards the grasslands to the east. In less than a moment’s time Zazu flew in and landed in front of Sarabi. He bowed low to her, and smiled at me.

“Yes, your highness?” he addressed Sarabi.

“Zazu, I need you to tag along with Simba and Nala right now.” She told him. “They’re going someplace ‘really cool’, and I need you to make sure they stay out of trouble while they act ‘cool’.”

Zazu grimaced at the thought of babysitting, but he would never refuse an order form the queen. He bowed low, and called for Simba and Nala to come with him. Both of  their ears were lowered in disappointment.

I looked up at Sarabi again, and she was grinning.

“You are so sly.” I said to her, laughing. “You REALLY had me going there! I thought you were going to let them go without lifting a paw!”

Sarabi laid her head on her paws again, and closed her eyes. “I’m always looking out for the safety of my son and his friends.” And she slowly drifted into sleep.

Sarafina stared at me for a moment, the look of shock still etched into her face. Then she smiled, and laid her head down as well.

I laid back and rested my head against a tree that grew next to the rock. I closed my eyes, and rested for a few moments. As I started to fall into dreamland, I heard a chant growing louder and louder.

“Asante sana, squashed banana, wewe nugu, mimi apana! Asante sana, squashed banana, wewe nugu, mimi apana!”

I opened my eyes and saw a tall, gray mandrill with an even taller walking stick hopping up the rocks to us. His face was half covered in white fur that resembled a beard. There were blue markings underneath his eyes that looked like tattoos. He had a kind face, with an unmistakable air of somebody who was not entirely sane.

Sarabi lifted her head, eyes open. She smiled and said, “Thank you for coming Rafiki.”

He stopped in front of us, bowed, then said “Ohhh, it’s no problem!”

He came over to me, and leaned forward VERY close to my face. I felt slightly uncomfortable.

“Umm…what are you doing?” I asked, backing away a little bit.

“Hmm…” was his only reply. Then he brought down his walking stick, pulled off a gourd, and cracked it open. Inside was a red juice that smelled very sweet. I made a mental note to ask where I could find one to eat.

Rafiki set it down on the ground, and disappeared over the side of the rock. He returned quickly with an arsenal of twigs, leaves, grass, and other assorted items.

Humming a quiet tune, he began to mix and mash the items together in the juice of the gourd. When he was done, he held out his hand for mine, and I extended it.

He put his fingers in the mixture, and ran them over each individual puncture wound. Initially, the medicine stung, but felt better afterwards. He repeated the same thing on my chest.

When he was done, he turned to Sarabi, who was watching the entire time, and asked in a kind voice, “Is dat all you need?”

Sarabi replied, “Almost. There is one more thing. I would like to invite you to eat with us tonight. We have an important announcement for the entire pride.”

Sarafina perked up her ears at this.

Rafiki glanced over at me, as if he already knew the purpose of the announcement. He smiled, and said, “It would be an honor.”

“We will see you tonight, old friend?” came a deep voice from behind Rafiki.

Mufasa had returned from his business with the antelopes and zebras.

“Of course my king.” Said Rafiki, grinning toothily at Mufasa.

Mufasa grinned back, and he embraced Rafiki. When they let go, Rafiki bowed, and set off to a large tree in the distance. Mufasa went and lay down next to Sarabi. He glanced at me, a smile tugging at his muzzle, and then he too laid his head down and drifted into sleep.

I laid my head back down, and easily fell into a deep sleep.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

I was standing in the grasslands again. The sun shone brightly on the beautiful lands. The sky was a deep blue. Not a breath of wind disturbed the grass or trees around me. It was eerily calm and quiet.

Then, all around me appeared hundreds of dark shapeless figures. They surrounded me, laughing menacingly as they did. I was completely encircled, with no way to escape.

Then, one of the blobs glided forward, and it shifted into the form of Tahri. I reached into my pocket for my knife, but it was nowhere to be found. Totally unarmed, I positioned myself, ready for the impending attack.

The spirit Tahri opened its mouth and spoke the words he had spoken hours before.

“We’ve got a job to do. We have orders from the boss to take care of this one. Then we can take these lands for ourselves!”

Then, all at the same instant, all of the shapeless black blobs pounced on me, and I was immersed in total darkness. The beauty of the Pride Lands disappeared and all that I could see was blackness. Then a huge, blazing green eye blinked at me, shining through the darkness…an eye with a vertical scar running down it.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

My eyes sprang open as I woke with a start. I sat up, panting heavily, sweat trickling down my face. Tahri’s words still echoed in my subconscious.

We’ve got a job to do. We have orders from the boss to take care of this one. Then we can take these lands for ourselves!

I replayed the dream over and over again in my mind, trying and failing to make sense of it.

If Tahri was the leader of the hyenas, then who was “the boss”? And why did this boss, whoever it was, want me dead? What had I done to deserve such a fate?

And that eye…I knew that eye anywhere. What was I doing dreaming of Scar? Was it simply because of my intimidation of him, or was there something more behind it? Something more sinister…

I decided that I needed to speak with Scar at some point. I needed to get to know him, see if he was really the fear instilling creature I made him out to be. If I was wrong, then that would mean the dream simply reflected my fear of him. If not…I shivered at the thought.

I looked around. The sun was still high in the sky, just past midday. 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!”

I became very annoyed. Zira’s negativity was becoming unbearable. She had not given me one chance ever since I had arrived here. I couldn’t stop myself from speaking to her.

“Maybe if you would pay attention to your surroundings once in a while, you would notice that things are not always 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 and 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 sheepishly. Something big had happened. I could tell in his face. He knew something that I didn’t and he was letting me know. I would talk to him later.

Within the next few minutes, the other two hunting parties returned, both with a kill of their own; a zebra and another wildebeest.

Mufasa and Sarabi took their stance in the center of the room, Simba ran and stood between them. and everybody formed a circle around them. I stood directly in front of them when I stood in the circle. Scar entered the cave in his usual lazy manner. Nobody seemed to ever know where he was, nor did they care. He only showed up to eat and sleep. He glimpsed me and grinned, his eyes squinted. Then he went and stood in the circle, directly to the right of Mufasa.

Mufasa cleared his throat, and addressed the circle. “Before we feast on this meal, I would first like to call our attention to Ayden.”

As one, every head turned to me and stared. Every face showed some sign of smiling, curiosity, and in the case of Scar and Zira, no interest in the slightest. Mufasa called to me.

“Ayden, step forward and join myself and my family up here on the throne.”

I stepped forward and stood between Mufasa and Simba, who looked up at me curiously. I felt every eye following my every step as I did so. Mufasa watched me with pride in his eyes, then addressed the lions around him.

“Sarabi and I have decided to adopt Ayden as our own son. Simba will still remain the future king, as he was my son before Ayden, but Ayden is now a prince of the Pride Lands. He is Simba’s brother, mine and Sarabi’s son, and your royal prince.”

All of the lionesses smiled and roared in approval. Zira did nothing, but my eyes were drawn to one face. Scar was neither joyful nor resentful. He was deep in thought, staring at me silently. I wondered what he was thinking. And I suddenly realized that I probably did not want to know.

I looked back at the pride, who, as one, bowed to me as their new prince. I stared for a moment, and then a smile cracked my lips.

Sarabi then spoke up. “For those of you who don’t know, Ayden here is the one who successfully killed the wildebeest you see to my left.”

I never had the chance to get a good look at the kills before now. The wildebeest I had killed was completely in tact, save for the wound on it’s neck and its throat that was missing. Both the zebra and wildebeest that were brought back by the other hunting parties were mangled and shredded by the claws of the lionesses who brought them back.

The lionesses looked at me, their faces all showed they were impressed with my actions.

The rest of the meal went as normal. Everybody got their fill, I sliced off a piece of the wildebeest I had killed, and took it outside the cave to cook it.

As I lit the fire, Simba came running down, a piece of meat dangling in his mouth.

“Hey bud!” I said happily as he sat next to me and put the meat down. He smiled up at me.

“Can I talk to you about something serious?” he asked me, and I could tell he was not playing. Though he smiled, his eyes showed that he was troubled.

“Yeah, what’s up?” I asked him. A feeling in my gut told me it was about why he was not with Zazu and Nala earlier that day.

“Do you think I’m brave?” he asked me.

I was not expecting this. Slightly taken aback, I replied “Of course! You are such a brave young cub! Why? What’s the matter?”

He sighed and looked down, his ears drooping. “I did something really bad today.”

I watched him intently. “Go on.” I urged.

He looked up at me, and there was sadness in his face. “I almost got Nala and Zazu killed today.”

My eyes went wide. “What?” I asked disbelievingly.

He looked away, and spoke. “Earlier, I went and talked to Uncle Scar, and he accidentally told me that the shadowy place to the southeast was an elephant graveyard. So I wanted to take you and Nala there because it sounded like such a cool place. But you couldn’t come because of the scratches you got from your battle with Tahri. Then we went off, and got rid of Zazu, and we went into the graveyard. Then we met up with three hyenas. They chased us until dad caught up with us and saved us.”

It was then that I remembered that Simba, for the briefest moment, had given me a dirty look when Nala had commented on my bravery, and suddenly I understood.

“You were trying to prove that you were brave to Nala, because she saw how brave I was.” I stated simply. “You were jealous of me.”

Simba looked up at me, and the tears in his eyes shone with the light of the moon above. Silently, he nodded.

I scooped him up and held onto him.

“You’re my brother now! Don’t feel that way!” he looked at me, tears streaming down his face. “I would never do anything to hurt you. I promise you, I wasn’t trying to make you jealous. Nala just liked what I did, and thought it was cool. It does not mean she thinks any less of you or any more of me.”

He thought for a second, and smiled through his tears. “After Dad saved us, she told me that she thought I was really brave.”

I smiled back at him. “See, you have nothing to worry about.”

I hugged him again, and set him down. He wiped the tears off, and looked down at his meat. Then he saw the fire, and asked, “Can I try my meat like you make yours?”

I laughed. “Sure!” I said.

He picked up his steak and handed it to me. I placed it on the thin rock, and set it on the fire. After a few moments, it was cooked brown on the outside. I left it rare, unsure if he would like it completely cooked through.

He looked at it for a second, unsure if he really wanted to try it. Then, slowly, he lowered his head and bit into the steak. His eyes popped open wide, he smiled, and ate the entire thing in only a few savage bites.

He looked up at me and exclaimed, “I see why you eat it like that! That was good!”

I smiled, and turned to make my steak which was still sitting on the rock I set it on earlier. I cooked it quickly, and then turned to talk to Simba.

“So are you and Nala best friends?” I asked him.

“She’s my best girlfriend. You’re my best friend Ayden.” He said, correcting me.

“I know that pal,” I said, rolling my eyes and smiling. “I mean are you and Nala best friends?”

Simba didn’t seem to understand. He turned his head to the side a little bit, looking at me peculiarly. “I don’t get what you mean.”

I chuckled to myself. “You will when you’re older.”

            After about an hour talking, Simba went up to the cave and lay down with his parents. I stretched and yawned. It had been a long day, and sleep was defiantly a welcoming thought.

            I doused the fire, and walked up to the mouth of the cave. Before I could enter, Scar appeared at the mouth of the cave. He looked up at me, startled to see me there. Then he smiled and squinted his eyes.

            “Good evening, my young prince.”

            His voice was smooth, and there was no infliction in it that showed that he meant harm, but I was still uneasy being near him. He may have been Mufasa’s brother, but his face held none of the kindness or compassion that Mufasa did. It was a tragic face that looked as if it had been through much sorrow and pain.

            “Good evening, Scar.” I said uneasily.

            “What are you doing out here in the dark, and so…alone?” he asked in that smooth voice. The last word chilled me.

            “I just finished my meal.” I felt the courage rise in my chest. If I remained afraid of him, I would never properly call this place home. I needed to get to know all of the aspects of home, not just the ones I was comfortable with. “What about you Scar? Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

            He smiled, and circled me. “I have some business I need to take care of before I rest tonight.”

            “I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me, are you?” I said, my eyes never leaving his.

            “Oh, I’m not that easy to crack.” He replied, that menacing smile still on his face. This conversation was heading nowhere, so he changed the subject. “So, you killed that wildebeest today, did you?”

“Yes.” I said, relieved to see him discuss something familiar. I was still anxious around him though.

“You are a very well accomplished hunter. Your uses may be more than I expected.” He said mysteriously. “You had best get inside and sleep, young prince. You’ve had a busy day. And they’re only going to get busier.”

I knew this was true, and I yawned. Still staring at him, I went into the cave.

“Goodnight, Scar.” I said cautiously, as he turned and walked down the slope of Pride Rock.

I waited until he was far enough where he wouldn’t hear me, and then I left the cave again and walked up to the tip of Pride Rock. I noticed his dark figure was slinking down to the southeast.

Fighting the urge to follow him and see what he was up to, I wandered back into the cave, yawning as I did. I wandered over to my backpack and unstrapped the sleeping bag. I shook it open, and began to lay it down in my spot. From the center of the room, Mufasa looked up and cleared his throat.

I looked up at him, wondering what was up. With a motion of his head, he told me to set up in the space next to him. Smiling, I silently tiptoed through the crowd of sleeping lionesses through the room. Then I finally reached the center, and lay my sleeping bag next to Mufasa. He smiled down at me, then lay his head on his paws and fell into a deep sleep. Simba lay curled in a ball, close to his mother, a relaxed smile on his muzzle.

Smiling to myself, I slipped into my sleeping bag and lay my head down. After such a long and busy day, I easily drifted to sleep.

For the next couple weeks, Mufasa began taking both Simba and I around the Pride Lands to teach us the proper way to rule a kingdom. I knew that it was more than ordering people around, but I was still slightly overwhelmed by all the information. One entire day was dedicated to Mufasa filling us in on the history of the kings that preceded him. King Mohatu was the father of King Uru, who was father of King Ahadi, who fathered Mufasa and Scar. Mufasa, being the older of the two, became the next king when Ahadi ascended to the stars. That was the short version of it. The entire day was filled with intricate stories of these king’s times of rule. I found it all interesting, but after a while I began to find my mind wandering.

When he was not teaching us proper leadership qualities, Mufasa was always in a playful mood. He and Simba would roughhouse, while restraining themselves so as not to injure one another. After a few days of uncertainty, I joined in, positive that I would remain unscathed. Roughhousing with Mufasa and Simba brought back so many memories of the same occurring between my father, brother, and me. And it was moments like those that brought us closer together as a family.

Every evening, just before sunset, I would accompany one of the three hunting parties. Each hunt I participated in was always successful whether or not I played a hand in the kill. I paid close attention to each lioness’s hunting style, taking note of who was the best at what. Sarabi had her strength, which was helpful in taking down prey, but it also weighted her down slightly. Zira seemed to have trouble staying sneaky, but, to my surprise, her speed proved to be completely unmatched. Yetunde and Ayana were both the stealthiest of the entire pride. More than once, I witnessed them pouncing on the prey from places I had neither seen nor heard them creep to.

I slowly noticed my hunting prowess was getting better and better. My legs became more and more used to the constant running that the hunt called for. Soon, I had no trouble keeping up with the party as they approached their prey. I no longer needed to ride on the back of one of the lionesses. Upon closer examination, I noticed my legs had started to bulk up. My speed against a lioness’s full run had yet to be tested, and I was almost positive that I would pale in comparison to it.

My eyes had also become keener, and soon I was paying attention to things I had never noticed before. When observing my surroundings, I was more mindful of which areas of grass moved more or less in the breeze, where many bugs would be buzzing about, areas that had more or less rocks or twigs to shift about while stepping silently, and other such things that, if disturbed, would surely alert the prey to my presence. With the keenness of my eyes came the improvement of my knife throwing. My targets became more and more precise, each resulting in a quicker death of the animal. Every lioness was still impressed at how great I was at hunting. Even Zira seemed, if anything, surprised, more than impressed. Her attitude towards me, however, remained unchanged, as I had expected.

Each morning, my routine continued as usual. I was always up before the rest of the pride and would walk down to my stream to bathe and wash my clothes. I noticed that even though my clothes remained clean, they began to fade and become slightly tattered, some sporting small rips and holes. I knew they would last a good couple years, maybe more, if I kept up the constant care for them, but how much longer they would last was a mystery.

I kept up my hygiene as well, remaining very self conscious of my appearance. It was more so for my own desires rather than to stay decent in around the pride, who probably would not have cared one way or another. I grew up with sixteen years of constant bathing and showering, always worried if I smelled or looked good or bad. Old habits die hard I guess, and this one I would certainly not let die without some form of effort.

Ever since the first morning he had followed me, Simba started waking up with me and accompanying me to the stream. I enjoyed having him around. Being alone started appealing less and less to me. When I was alone, I found myself thinking of the negative in my life, and the more I did that, the worse I felt. If I was with anybody, I would always have my mind wandering everywhere. Having Simba around was like having a light in my life, always stopping the darkness.

Several days after becoming royalty, I woke up and performed my routine, ready for another day of “Kingship 101”. By the time the sun was just about to rise, Simba and I had gone to the very top of Pride Rock, the daily meeting place for me, Simba, and Mufasa. We stopped there, waiting for Mufasa to arrive.

At daybreak, he came padding up to where we sat. He smiled at us, and we returned it enthusiastically.

“Boys, I have several issues to take care of today.” He told us as the rising sun shone brightly on his face. “You both have the day to yourselves. Simba, if you are to wander the Pride Lands, I want you to be accompanied by Ayden.”
            Simba had no problem with this. “Sure dad!” he exclaimed.

“Have fun, you two!” Mufasa called as he turned to descend the slope. A small twinge of sadness ran through me as he turned. I looked down as Simba rushed forward and nuzzled onto Mufasa’s leg. I walked up and hugged him briefly.

“Stay safe guys.” He whispered.

“You too, Mufasa.” I replied.

As we let go, he looked at us one last time, then rounded the corner and left. Again, a sudden feeling of uneasiness overcame me. For some reason, seeing Mufasa go seemed to be such a sad thing. I shook the feeling off.

You’ll see him later today! Maybe you’re just thinking about your parents again. I told myself.

I turned to Simba and grinned. “So what do you wanna do today?”

He thought for a second. Then he smiled, crouched low, and pounced at me. Being so small, he barely fazed me, but as soon as he landed, he turned on the spot and ran, calling back “Tag! You’re it!”

It took a second for me to register what had just happened. As understanding settled in, I took off down the slope after the cub. The chase lasted until we reached ground level. Simba started sprinting out into the grasslands, laughing. With every ounce of speed I could muster, I sprang forward, fingers outstretched, and closed my hand around a small thin something. I landed with oomph on my stomach, stirring up a substantial amount of dust around me. I looked up, a feeling of triumph rising in me. In my clamped hand, I held tightly onto Simba’s tail.

“Tag!” I cried as I released Simba, who had fallen down when I grabbed him. Shaking his head out of the dust, he looked up, grinning mischievously. Before he could gain the upper hand, I was already on my feet and running back to Pride Rock.

The game went continued for some time until we both exhausted ourselves. Laughing to ourselves, Simba and I went to the west end of Pride Rock and lay down in the warming sun. It was such a relaxing feeling to be laying there, the sun shining down on me, heating my skin. I found myself lazily closing my eyes, ready for a nice nap.

“Now don’t tell me that you are too tired for your uncle.” Came a quiet, smooth voice.

My eyes popped open, and all feeling of relaxation drained from me as I saw Scar standing in front of me and Simba, that same unsettling grin on his face.

Simba looked up and smiled at his uncle. “Hi, Uncle Scar!” he said happily. “What’cha doin’ here?”

Scar stared at Simba, not even glancing in my direction. My gaze, on the other hand, never left Scar’s face. I remembered seeing his eye, blinking through the darkness in the dream I had those few weeks ago. This did not help my perception of him.

            “Your father sent me to get you, Simba. He says he has a surprise for you at the gorge.” He said, smiling with pleasure at his nephew.

            “Does he now?” came another voice from behind Scar. Sarabi stood there, with a look of uncertainty. Standing nearby was Sarafina, the same look etched into her kind face.

            Scar turned to her, still smiling in his way. “As a matter of fact, he does. He has only just discovered something there, and wished to share it with Simba.” His smooth voice remained unwaivered, but I was uneasy Simba going off alone with Scar.

            Sarabi stared at Scar for a moment, clearly searching his face for any sign of deceit. When she could not find any, she smiled and said, “Alright, Taka. When you see Mufasa, tell him I would like to have the two of them home before sunset.”

            Scar inclined his head to her, and turned to Simba. I stared at Sarabi for a moment. Why had she called Scar “Taka”? And did she really trust him enough to let him take Simba with him?

            Simba looked at me and said, “Do you wanna go with us, Ayden?”

            I quickly stood up and opened my mouth to say ‘yes’, but Scar cut me off before I could utter one syllable.

            “I’m sorry, but Mufasa insisted that he only show you, Simba. He wanted Ayden to stay behind with Sarabi.”

            I narrowed my eyes at him. Something was afoot. Scar clearly did not want me to go with them. But unfortunately, he had won over Sarabi, and there was no point in arguing. I looked at Simba.

            “Sorry bud, but you heard your uncle.” I told him reluctantly, not daring to glance in Scar’s direction. “But we can hang out when you guys get back.”

            Simba ran up to me and nuzzled against my leg. As he did, I was overwhelmed with the same feeling I had when Mufasa had left us earlier that day. I suddenly did not want him to leave my sight. It took every fiber in my body and mind to stop myself from following them when they disappeared over the slope. I watched their silhouettes slowly shrink off into the distance as they headed to the gorge that lay several miles to the east.

            I turned to Sarabi, and asked her, “Why did you let Simba go with him?”

            Sarabi looked surprised. “Why wouldn’t I? He’s family!”

            I looked back at where their silhouettes once were. “I don’t trust him.”

            Sarabi looked over at Sarafina, then back to me. There was a smile on her face, and it horrified me that she did not feel the way I did.

            “You did not know him as we did.” Sarafina said.

            I glanced back at Sarabi. Still incredulous to the smile across her lips, I asked, “You called him ‘Taka’. Why?”

            Sarabi sighed. “It is a long story.”

            “I have nowhere to go.” I replied seriously, and I sat down. Maybe I could obtain some understanding of Scar if I heard the story of his past.

            Sarabi settled down herself, and Sarafina followed suit. Then Sarabi began the story.

            “You know well, that Scar and Mufasa are twin brothers. You also know that Mufasa, being firstborn, instantly became the heir to the kingdom upon his birth. Scar was always resentful of this decision. Their father, Ahadi, always played favorites with them, always focusing on Mufasa, and leaving no time for Scar. But Scar’s true name is not Scar. When he was born, he was christened Taka. Taka was one of the nicest lions I had ever met. He was such a true friend, a great hunter, and was always the happiest of our group.”

            Sarafina chimed in, “When we grew up, we were all the best of friends; me, Sarabi, Mufasa, Taka, and…”she paused for a moment. “…Kito.”

            I looked up from my knees at her. “Who?” I asked.

            Sarabi answered me, for Sarafina had turned her head away. “Kito was Sarafina’s mate, and the father of Nala. He was also Taka’s best friend.”

            I furrowed my brow. “Where is Kito?” I asked, looking around, almost expecting another lion to appear.

            Sarabi lowered her head. “He has moved on. Many, many months before you came to us, when both Sarafina and I were pregnant with Simba and Nala, there was an incident. Mufasa had only recently ascended to the throne. Three rogue lions came into the Pride Lands, trying to take the throne for themselves. Mufasa, Taka, and Kito all went out to confront them. The following battle that ensued resulted in the mutilation of Taka. He was severely injured in many places, including his left eye. That is how he got his scar. When one of the rogues attempted to finish Taka while he was down, Kito took the blow for him, saving Taka’s life. After Taka and Mufasa finished off the rogues, they went to Kito, but…” her voice shuddered a little bit. “…it was too late for him. The damage had been done.”

            Sarafina shuddered for a moment, her face still turned from me.

            Sarabi continued, her voice shaking slightly.

“In Kito’s dying words, he did two things. One, he told Taka of his cub that was to be born, and asked him to give Sarafina two names for the cub, one male, and one female. The second thing he did was give Taka a new nickname. That is when Taka became Scar.”

            I had never before heard this story, not from anybody, not even from Mufasa during all of Simba’s and my lessons. I looked up at both of the lionesses. Sarabi’s eyes shone with sadness, but Sarafina was an even more heartbreaking sight. Tears streamed silently down her face, and she made no effort to stem the flow. Sarabi went and sat next to her, nuzzling her.

            Feeling even worse than I had before, I stood up and took a step towards the downward slope.

            “I’m so sorry. I really am. I know what it feels like to lose somebody close to you.”

            Sarafina looked at me. She nodded, still letting the tears flow endlessly. Sarabi smiled at me, silently letting me know that she would be alright.

            “To make a long story short, Taka has never been the same again. He took the tragedy very hard, and ever since, he’s let his anger consume him. Scar may be uneasy to be around are times, but I know that deep down, Taka is still lying inside, guiding him through his journey. Many times I have seen Taka shine through the darkness that shrouds Scar.”

            A short time later, I found myself wandering the grasslands, thinking about what I had just heard. So Scar was really Taka, a kind and caring lion whose past was shrouded by tragedy and anger. It still didn’t explain his resentful manner towards me. Or why I felt so uneasy near him. I went through tragedy and hardship, but I didn’t shun everybody I knew because of it.

            He has his own way to deal with it. My common sense was kicking in. Not everybody will handle these situations as well as you did.

            But Scar was dealing with more than just the tragedy of the death of a close friend. He was also shunned his whole childhood by his own father, simply because he was not to be king. And during one of Mufasa’s lessons, he had mentioned that Scar greatly desired to be the king. Mufasa had promised him that he would be the next one, but that was before Simba was born.

            The pieces began to fit together in my head, and I soon realized that Scar was slowly, but surely, heading down a path that it would soon be impossible to turn back on. His combination of pain, suffering, tragedy, and strong desire would surely end tragically.

            And again, I found myself overwhelmed with worry over Simba and Mufasa. Without even thinking, I started heading east to the gorge where Scar had mentioned. I didn’t care if Mufasa did not want me present at Simba’s surprise. All I knew was that I could not stand another minute knowing that they both were with Scar.

            A fear of the unknown began to build inside of me as I sped up more and more. Before long, I was sprinting to the east, passing the waterhole, trees rushing past me. Off in the distance, I saw the gorge. Something strange was happening to the air above it. As some large object moved along the bottom of it, dust was rising, creating a semitransparent cloud that hovered over the opening of the gorge.

            I picked up my speed to the fastest my legs could carry me. By now, the dust began rising a mile down the gorge. The area I was headed to was surely deserted by now. The sky was a red-orange color as the sun began its decent to the horizon. It was the color that was often associated with a death, and my fear only increased.

            I reached the edge of the gorge, and glanced back and forth to see if there was a way to get down. I spotted a large pile of rocks that were like a stairway down. As carefully and as fast as possible, I climbed down them. When I reached the bottom, I glanced left and right over and over to see if I could spot a lion anywhere. Instinct told e to go left, so I obliged. I sprinted down about a quarter of a mile, keeping my eyes peeled for anybody. My breathing became heavy as my fear reached a boiling point. As I ran, an object loomed in the distance. As I got closer, it looked like a dead tree that had cracked halfway up and fallen, creating an upside-down “V” shape. Underneath this was a large mound. I slowed down, wanting to get a good look at the object.

            A gasp escaped my mouth. My knees buckled and I fell to them as I witnessed the sight before me.

            The great and wise King Mufasa lay sprawled on his side, his eyes shut. He was dead.

            An image of a flaming Jeep sprang to my mind, and tears filled my eyes. I lay myself across his unmoving side and wept into his mane. For the second time in my life, my father had died. I was experiencing the same tragedy again.

            After what seemed to be an eternity, I looked up. A thought suddenly came to me, and my fear returned. Where was Simba?

            I jumped up and, with no desire to leave the dead king’s side, sprinted off again. I looked back longingly at Mufasa’s body, promising to myself I would return to retrieve it. Then, as fast as my legs would carry me, I followed the gorge.

            Only a minute later, it ended abruptly. Another set of rocks that resembled large stairs lay before me. I glanced downward, and something set in the dirt caught my eye. There were several sets of footprints. One set was small, with padded paws, and I instantly recognized them as Simba’s. Three others with even smaller paws went in the same direction. Instantly, I remembered how thin the paws of the hyenas were, and I gritted my teeth as tears sprang to my eyes again and anger boiled in my heart.

            The hyenas had done this. They killed Mufasa, and had chased after Simba with the same intentions. The thought of my brother in trouble snapped me back to reality, and I rushed up the rocks with ease. All I focused on was getting to Simba, finding him and holding him, never letting go.

            I followed the footprints around the top of the gorge. The landscape had changed now. I was far out of the Pride Lands. There was nothing but rocky barren wasteland around here. Off in the west, where the sun slowly set against a blood red sky, was a long and dune filled desert.

            I almost didn’t see the cliff as I ran so fast following the paw prints. I caught myself in time before I fell, but I had to regain my balance quickly.

I may have stopped myself from falling, but the sight I saw made my heart plummet into the lowest depths of my body.

            The cliff sloped down at a dangerous angle, and then dropped off in to a large patch of thorns. The paw prints ended here. Four went to this area, and only three showed any sign of heading back.

            My eyes stung with wetness as my legs began to shake. All the anger I felt at these horrid monsters built and built. I felt like I was going to explode with the anger. My heart literally hurt from the pain that hung so heavily inside it. Finally, unable to take it anymore, I hit my knees and screamed in complete anguish, tears spilling onto the ground before me.

            For the second time in my life, I had lost my father and my little brother.

For a long while, I remained at the edge of the cliff, denying to myself what I had seen. I was painfully willing myself not to believe that both Simba and Mufasa were dead. But no matter how hard or long I told myself this, no matter what I chose to believe, it did not change anything. My adoptive father and brother, whom I had grown to love as my own family, were dead now.

The sorrow that had subdued so long ago after my family’s deaths had risen again and it had, if at all possible, grown tenfold. My heart, which had never fully healed from the pain of their passing, had shattered to pieces with the loss of Mufasa and Simba.

For some time, my tears pooled in the dirt in front of me as I wept, allowing my sadness to overcome every fiber of my being. After a while, I had shed enough tears to the point that I could no longer cry. It hurt my eyes physically to cry one more.

My eyes still burning, I looked up from the ground and saw that the sun had fully set now, letting the once blood-red sky turn to a deep shade of purple. Gray clouds had moved in, beginning to block the now appearing stars from view. The moon had began its’ ascent to the sky. I found the crescent a striking metaphor to my soul. It was no longer whole. Part had disappeared with the loss of the ones I loved.

Shakily, I stood up. I glanced back down one last time at the small paw print that once belonged to Simba. I sighed, a feeling of defeat slowly building. Clearly, I was not meant to have family. I was to wander alone, friendless. I had nothing left now.

That is not true…said a quiet, hopeful voice in my mind.

“Sarabi…” I whispered.

And then I realized that she did not yet know of the events that had taken place. She had yet to find out that her mate and son were gone from this life, and had ascended to the stars with the great kings of the past.

With the speed that I always prided myself in having, I shot off back the way I came. As I reached the gorge, I ran the fastest I could let my legs carry me. I glanced at the broken body of Mufasa as I passed, and quickly tore my eyes away. I couldn’t let my sadness interfere with my mission. I HAD to get to Sarabi and tell her what happened.  In, what felt like, no time at all, I had traveled the gorge, scaled up the wall, and sprinted through the grasslands towards the silhouette of Pride Rock.

As I neared it, I noticed that the lionesses were congregating in a circle near the base of the rock. I saw some cubs sitting at their mother’s paws, staring up and around, clearly wondering what the commotion was about. As I drew closer, I noticed they were gathering around a rusty colored lion with a black mane. I stopped dead in my tracks. Scar had survived the accident. He had to know what happened. He was the one who took Simba to the gorge.

A thought crossed my mind. Maybe now, Taka would shine through all of the darkness of Scar that shrouded him. Maybe now, Taka would show up in this time of tragedy. The sadness of this misfortune MUST have affected him in some small way, and I prayed that Scar would not act in the way I had come to expect from him.

I finally neared enough to where I could hear Scar’s words. He was addressing the pride, and there was sadness on his face that was not reflected in his voice. I moved forward and stood between Ayana and Yetunde, staring up at the lion I prayed would have the heart to do the right thing.

“I bring grave news of our king. My brother and our king, Mufasa, was tragically killed today. He died in a stampede that occurred in the gorge to the east. And as heartbreaking as his death is, I am distraught to announce that our beloved prince, Simba, was also killed. He was trampled in the gorge by the stampede.”

At these words, the circle gasped. Several lionesses let out a sob of grief. Their faces unsure and sorrowful, they stared up at Scar. My eyes were drawn to the lioness with whom my thoughts rested with. Sarabi was shaking with silent sobs and her head was lowered, but otherwise she stood very still. Pity welled up inside of me, and I moved closer to her. I wrapped my arms around her neck and hugged her, my eyes stinging with my attempt at tearing up. Looking down, I saw Nala sitting between her mother’s paws, tears streaming down her sad little face. Sarafina shared the same expression as her daughter, but her face was turned to Sarabi and I.

Scar spoke up again. “Mufasa’s death is a terrible tragedy. But to lose Simba, when he had just barely begun to live, for me, it is a deep and personal loss. So it is with a heavy heart that I assume the throne.”

His tone bore no implication that what he said were his true feelings, and I fought my instinct to glare at him for his lack of sympathy. Suddenly he became very rigid and his voice, harsh.

“Yet out of the ashes of this tragedy, we shall rise to meet the dawning of a new era…” His voice carried out piercingly across the company, and the lionesses all snapped their heads up to stare at him. Even Sarabi had looked up to see what he was talking about.

Scar continued, “…in which lion and hyena come together in a great and glorious future!”

At these words, a great stir of movement occurred around Pride Rock. From countless places, hundreds of hyenas appeared, grinning evilly. They slowly moved down the slope and from around towards us. The lionesses all stood up and growled as the hyenas came closer. I released Sarabi and reached for my knife in my pocket. Anger boiled in my heart as I stared at the murderers of my brother. I wanted to kill every last one of them.

Yet as I prepared for them to attack, they all passed by and made their way into the Pride Lands, some packs chasing off after the herds in the distance. They were making themselves at home, and it sickened me to see these horrid creatures befouling the beautiful Pride Lands.

I felt a rush of air at my side, and looked around to see Sarabi running up to Scar who was making his way to the mouth of the cave. She blocked his path before he could enter, and began a heated argument with him over the admittance of those monsters into the Pride Lands.

Scar smirked and replied, “All are equal in the great circle of life, Sarabi.” He slunk past her to the cave but stopped in front of it. “Oh, and another thing, Sarabi. You have been relieved of your responsibilities as Queen of the Pride Lands. I know my brother would not want me to have you for myself.”

Sarabi’s expression turned from one of anger to shock. I too had not expected this, and I lost my focus for a moment, unsure if what I had heard had happened. I did not hear Scar’s next words, but when he finished, Zira stepped out of the cave where she had apparently been waiting. She stood next to Scar and licked him. It was then that I understood that this was Scar’s chosen mate.

They both turned back to the cave, and for a second time, Scar stopped before entering it. He turned his head to Sarabi, who still looked completely shocked.

“Oh, and one last thing Sarabi.” His eyes shone with a powerful hunger, and a sneering smile curled his lips. “Tell Sarafina to give her final goodbyes tonight, for at dawn shall be the slaying of the cubs born under my brother.”

If I had not been listening intently, I would have thought I heard Scar wrong. I felt my jaw drop and saw that Sarabi’s had done the same. When Scar and Zira disappeared into the cave, Sarabi staggered down to the base of Pride Rock, and fell. There, she wept the tears of her broken heart. I knew exactly how she felt. To lose two people so close to you was not an easy feeling to endure. And to top it off, Scar had replaced her mate as the King. Not even five minutes into his kinship, he already ruined what Mufasa and his forefathers had worked so hard to achieve.

My heart fell at the sight of Sarabi in this pitiful state, and I walked forward and kneeled down next to her.

“Sarabi,” My voice shook violently as I spoke. I searched for words to console her with, but I could not think of any. There was nothing consoling to myself, how on earth could I console her. I looked away to Sarafina, and my heart plummeted ever further. She was nuzzling onto Nala nonstop, sobbing her eyes out.

The sight was too much, and once again, my eyes began to water. I cared no more if it pained me. The sadness that was caused by the tragedy was too great for me to hold back my overflowing emotions anymore. I buried my face in my hands and wept for the loss of peace, the passing of a great king, and the loss of a young soul who I had grown so close to.

That night, Pride Rock echoed with the devastating sounds of mourning and sadness. The crescent moon rose silently into the night sky that slowly became shrouded in gray clouds. The ascension of King Scar had been fulfilled. The dream I had so many weeks ago about Tahri, and his proclamation of hyenas overtaking the Pride Lands had come true. And it was all because Scar allowed it to be.

I awoke the next morning to a horrible sound. My eyes sprang open as a great, high pitched yipping emitted from the cave. I stood up, and stared around. I had fallen asleep in the same spot I had wept last night. Apparently, I had passed out whilst I wept.

I ran up to the cave as the sound grew louder. Fear flooded me as I remembered Scar’s final words from the night before, and my thoughts instantly fell on Nala. When I entered the cave and turned the corner, an awful scene met my eyes.

Scar was standing in the center of the cave where Mufasa and Sarabi used to sleep. Lying around him, carelessly tossed aside, were the bodies of the cubs of the pride, their blood pooling around them.

I staggered backwards out of the cave and leaned against the wall for fear of losing my balance. The horridness of this act was beyond my imagination. Never had I even once considered that Scar could do something so evil as to kill an innocent child, yet here it was in clear sight. Scar was now at the point for which I feared. He had traveled too far down the path of pain and anger, and was now far beyond the point of no return.

My breath grew quick as I tried to regain it. My eyes felt like they were about to tear up again, but the pain of doing so kept them at bay. Still leaning against the wall, I glanced up to see what was happening around me. Around the mouth of the cave lay several lionesses, weeping for the deaths of their children. Sarabi, who was standing near them, slowly padded her way to me. She had already seen the barbaric sight in the cave, for its horror was reflected in her eyes. As I gazed into them, I saw my mother reflected them again. There was still somebody left in the world that cared for me. And I cared for her in the same way.

Scar had appeared around the corner and was careless licking the blood off of his paws. He was so calm; you would have thought he did this every day. Sarabi’s ears lowered at the sight of him.

“You monster…” she hissed angrily.

Scar furrowed his brow. He started to circle both Sarabi and I. “You should know better than to talk to your king that way. You know, Sarabi, that I am bound by the law as much as any lion in the pride would be,” he said, his voice rising, still stalking menacingly around us. “You, as a former Queen, should understand how it cannot be avoided.”

I glared at him as he rounded my left side. Finding my voice, I spoke up angrily. “During my teachings, Mufasa told me that the law to do away with the young of a previous king was banned by King Mohatu. He decreed that it was too barbaric of a law.”

Scar scowled at me, and he snarled as he answered, “And it is a just law that I, as king, have restored. The threat of mutiny is too great with young ones born under my brother. As a king, my line should be fresh. Cubs born into this pride should know only me as king.”

Both Sarabi and I opened our mouths simultaneously to speak, but we were cut off by a soft, sad voice next to us.

“Please, both of you, don’t push the matter further.”

It was a lioness named Kala. She was lying on her stomach, and she had looked up at us, her eyes swimming with tears.

She spoke again. “Perhaps the law is unjust, but let my son be at peace now, as the deed has been done.”

Both of us closed our mouths, and stared at Scar. Hate for this lion was building inside of me, a hate that I had never felt for any creature. It consumed and burned every fiber of my being, and suddenly I felt the urge to attack Scar. In my pocket, I felt the lump of the knife resting against my leg.

I sighed and looked down. I could not attempt such a dangerous attack. The odds were against me.

Yetunde, who was sitting next to Kala, looked up.

“Ayden, did you say that Mufasa trained you in the ways of the king?”

Scar, who was absentmindedly examining his paws for traces of blood, suddenly looked up, clearly wanting to know where she was going with this.

“Yes,” I replied slowly. I began to understand what she was getting at.

“And you were adopted by Mufasa during his kingship. So that makes you…”

“...the next in line?” finished Scar. He looked over at me, a smile spread across his face. His eyes narrowed. “Well boy, unfortunately for you, I have ascended the throne. Whether or not you were next in line, I got there first.”

All of the lionesses looked up. Their eyes were fixated on me and Scar. I felt uneasy. Was this true? Did my adoption make ME next in line for the kingship?

“If you wish to take the throne,” he whispered, a growl present in his voice, “the law states that you have to force me from it, by way of battle.”

My stomach bottomed out. There was no way that I could take on a full grown lion. I may have despised Scar immensely, and the thought of killing him and taking over was overwhelming appealing, but I knew the odds were too much against me. I glanced around at the lionesses, who all had a hopeful look on their faces. They expected me to do battle with Scar, and they expected me to win.

Scar lowered himself to the ground and began to circle me. “It is your move, young prince.”

 I looked down at Sarabi, dread filling me. Her eyes shone with fear and concern. My mother was, again, watching over me through the kind lioness. I closed my eyes, wishing I could see her face one more time, and to my complete surprise, there it was.

Through the blackness in my mind, I saw her face as clearly as if she was standing right in front of me. Her beautiful black hair was flowing gracefully around her face without a single breath of wind to move it. Her kind smile warmed my aching heart, but the fear of my present situation kept me from losing myself in the bliss that tugged at me from the sight of my mother. I was unsure if my mind was playing tricks on me, but all the same, simply seeing her face again was beyond wonderful.

“Mom…” I whispered, praying I was not imagining this.

“Ayden,” she said softly. Her voice felt soothing to my pained soul. “There is much that you have yet to learn. You are not yet ready to take on such a great responsibility. There are other ways to deal with these situations. Search your mind, and the answers will present themselves to you when the time is right.”

Her face faded, and my eyes sprang open. There she was again, but now, staring back at me through Sarabi. I looked back up at Scar, a new feeling of hope growing in my grief-laden heart.

I sighed, and calmly said, “I am not ready to try to assume the throne, Scar. You are the king.”

Scar stopped circling, and straightened up in front of me. His smile remained unmoved.

A spark of bravery flashed through me, and I spoke one last time. “But I assure you Scar; the time will come when you shall step down. Your reign over the Pride Lands will not last, so long as I remain here.”

His smile faltered for a moment, but it was instantly back. He replied calmly, “We shall see, young Ayden.”

He turned his head to glance around at the pride, and his eyes fell on Sarafina and Nala.

“Oh yes! Dear Nala!” he exclaimed happily as he turned and walked towards them. Both of their faces filled with fear, and Sarafina shielded Nala with her paws. The hate I felt for Scar overcame me, and I felt my hand shoot into my pocket and grab the knife. I unswitched it, and held it up. I would not let the fates of the cubs in the cave be the same fate for Nala.

I was ready to run at Scar and slash away at his skin. I wanted to spill his blood, to protect Nala from this monster, but something in my mind told me to stay put. It was my mother’s voice again. She was telling me to wait, to remain here, that what was to happen was meant to be.

With all of my effort, I stayed still. I did not lower my knife, but I did not make a move to attack Scar. I simply watched helplessly as Scar approached Sarafina, who was sobbing uncontrollably. She was shielding Nala in her paws, who was also crying fearfully.

“Please Scar, have mercy! She’s done no harm!” Sarafina cried out in anguish.

Scar’s smirk stayed unmoving on his face. “I cannot break my own law my dear,” He replied. “It is an ancient law set down by our ancestors. And it must be carried out.”

Sarafina was screaming through her tears. “Please, Scar, PLEASE!!!”

Viciously, Scar struck her across the face, and she was knocked aside, exposing Nala. Sarafina shook violently as she sobbed into the ground where she landed.

My knife remained in my hand, which was shaking incredibly. Why was I simply standing here, allowing this to happen? One toss to the neck: that’s all it would take to bring Scar down. I could end his reign right now.

My determination broke through the force that held me back. I could not allow it anymore. With the skills I received from my many hunting trips, my eyes searched for a spot on Scar’s neck to throw my knife at. I found one, and as Scar raised his paw, claws unsheathed, to deliver the killing blow to Nala, I in turn, raised my hand, poised to let my knife fly. Every lioness, except for Sarafina and Nala, turned their eyes towards me, and some of their mouths fell open. Their faces filled with a sudden mixture of fear and encouragement, silently telling me to do the deed.

But Scar stopped suddenly. His eyes were fixed on Nala, who was shaking with absolute fear. His smile faded completely, and his eyes went unfocused. My hand still poised, I stared at the tyrant. What was he doing?

Unexpectedly, he lowered his paw to his face, and I quickly lowered my hand before he could see me. He ran his paw over his left eye, over his scar, and was deep in thought.

And I suddenly understood. He had remembered the incident when he received his scar…the day his best friend Kito, the father of Nala, had sacrificed himself to save his best friend’s life.

This was not Scar. This was Taka. In that instant, I knew he held no intention to harm Nala. I knew that Taka would do the noble thing.

 He stared down at her, a fierce sadness reflected in those green orbs. He sighed and placed his paw on the ground. Nala had stopped shaking, and was staring at Scar. Her eyes were fearful still, but her face showed curiosity.

“Do you know about your father?” he asked her calmly. The voice was his own, but there was something different about it. Something in his voice seemed almost kind. It held a feeling that resembled…compassion. Taka was, indeed, shining through the dark shroud of Scar now. I pocketed my knife, knowing that, for now, there was nothing to fear. My feelings were not shared with some of the other lionesses though. Some of their faces fell, looking dejected and even betrayed.

I looked back at Taka whose gaze was fixated on Nala. Quietly, she replied back to him, “Just his name…Kito.” She glanced back at her mother, who nodded silently.

Taka nodded too, and spoke again. “He loved you very much. He wanted me to tell you that.”

Nala stared up at him, a weak smile flashing across her face.

“He saved my life Nala. It was indeed noble of him, for he gave his to save mine. I am still indebted to him.” Taka paused momentarily. Then he spoke again. “Because of his valor and sacrifice, your life shall be spared.”

A collective sigh of relief swept over the group of lionesses. The tension had lifted completely. Sarafina smiled with relief, as tears of joy trickled down her muzzle. Sarabi went to help her stand. When she managed to get to her feet, Sarafina rushed forward to Nala, and hugged her, sobbing happily.

I looked back at Taka, and I saw the compassion in his eyes was gone. He was Scar again. His gaze met mine, and he grimaced at me. He turned away and sauntered back into the cave. Zira was standing at the opening, waiting for her mate. When Scar entered, she turned her head to me. Her face was full of malice and hatred as she stared. I returned the look, and turned back to sit with Sarabi, Sarafina, and Nala.

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That evening, a ceremony was held in the Royal Graveyard for Mufasa and Simba. The body of Mufasa remained unmoved, as he had requested years ago when he attained his kingship. Simba’s body was nowhere to be found.

            During one of our lessons, Mufasa had told me that while it was a somewhat barbaric practice, we eat the antelope. Then he told me when lions die, their bodies became the grass. In turn, the antelope consume the grass. He called it the circle of life. Mufasa did not want this cycle to be disrupted, so upon his coronation as king, he had declared that wherever the king shall fall, there he shall remain so the circle of life could take its course.

The ceremony was short and mournful. All of the pride came to pay their final respects to their fallen king and prince. Only Scar and Zira were not present. Anger coursed through me when I saw this. Scar was so great a king he did not require to pay respects to his brother, the king who had preceded him?

 In the graveyard, a large rock was placed near those of my family, and an etching of Mufasa’s symbol was set into the stone. Next to that, a smaller stone was placed and etched with Simba’s symbol of a lion cub with a line drawn over his head.

            The ceremony began with the lionesses humming a mournful hymn that I had never heard before. Rafiki then delivered the sermon in memory of Mufasa and Simba. I paid attention to it intently, listening to the story of their lives and how they lived them to their fullest.

            At the end of the ceremony, the lionesses all, one by one, walked up to the graves, and kneeled to them, paying their final respects to Mufasa and Simba. I was the final one to do so. I walked to the graves, and stared down at them. Memories of both of my fathers and brothers flooded my mind, and I let them. Silently, I kneeled down on one knee, and lowered my head in a respectful bow.

At the end of the ceremony, the lionesses all, one by one, walked up to the graves, and kneeled to them, paying their final respects to Mufasa and Simba. I was the final one to do so. I walked to the graves, and stared down at them. Memories of both of my fathers and brothers flooded my mind, and I let them. Silently, I kneeled down on one knee, and lowered my head in a respectful bow.

After the ceremony, I found myself wandering northward to my stream. As I did, I felt more alone than I had ever felt in my life. I had only traveled this way by myself one other time. That had been the first day I went to the stream. Every morning afterward, Simba had always accompanied me. It felt strange going alone, like I had forgotten something important, and needed to go back and get it. But I knew I could not retrieve Simba from where he had gone.

I looked around at the Pride Lands. Their beauty had somehow diminished. The trees and grass were still green, and grew enthusiastically, but somehow, they seemed darker. I looked up, and saw that gray clouds were covering parts of the sky, and had completely covered the sun.

I finally reached my stream, and released a sigh of relieved, for the hyenas had yet to reach this far into the Pride Lands. Already, they had covered the entire southern and eastern lands, and were progressing westward. More and more hyenas came from the Elephant Graveyard with every passing minute. I knew it was only a matter of time before they reached the northern area.

I removed my shoes and socks and dangled my feet over the bank into the water’s edge. I stared into the rippling water, and memories swam in and out of focus in my subconscious. I saw Simba swimming up and down the stream. I remembered him asking me questions about the customs of humans. I remembered all the times that Mufasa, Simba, and I would roughhouse. And then, the memory of Mufasa’s broken body swam into focus, before being replaced with another image of a steep cliff that led into a large patch of thorns.

Something clicked in my mind, and I snapped my focus away from the rippling water. Simba had fallen from this cliff to his death. His footprints were clearly heading over the edge of that cliff. Yet Scar had told us that Simba had been trampled to death.

Slowly, my mind began to work the situation. Realization slowly came to my mind. Scar had told us something completely different than what had really happened.

One thing became very clear to me; the pride did not know what really happened that day in the gorge. Scar had lied. Why was unclear, but Scar was definitely hiding something. As my mind worked faster and faster, trying to unravel the mystery of it, an eerily possible idea presented itself to me. Was it at all possible, that Scar had played a hand in the deaths of Simba and Mufasa?

My mind was racing now. It made sense. Scar deliberately took Simba to the gorge, and refused to have me accompany them. Why? He did not want the chance of another person witnessing the event, and possibly surviving. He knew I did not trust him, and he knew it would be harder to remove me from the picture. Eliminating two family members who, to an extent, trusted him was easier. I knew that Scar had held a role in the accident that occurred in the gorge. I was unsure of what that role was and of the job it consisted, but Scar definitely played a hand. Now I was sure that what had occurred was no accident.

Scar certainly had motive enough to commit such acts. All his life, he was in the mindset that after Mufasa stepped down, that he could take over. That was, of course, until Simba came along and pushed Scar aside as next in line. It all made sense. Scar needed to eliminate the obstacles in his way in order to attain what he had desired for so long.

But I had no proof to base my theory on other than my claims that Scar had lied. Surely by now, the paw prints I had seen had been blown away or covered up, so there was no way to show that Simba had fallen to his death.

And another matter was nagging at me. What would happen if I revealed this to the lionesses? Word of me telling rumors of Scar’s deceit would surely reach him, and then what? If my theory was anywhere close to the actual happenings, and Scar DID have something to hide, he would surely kill me to silence me. He was more than capable of it, as shown by his barbarity and cruelty this morning when he murdered all the cubs.

The excitement of my discovery had faded away, and I knew that I could not reveal my idea to anybody, no matter how probable it seemed. If what I found had been true, then I would surely be silenced, one way or another. And if I started to tell the pride what I thought was true, and it turned out to be false...

I shuddered at the thought of what Scar would do to me. Death would be too easy of a punishment for crimes against a king's credibility, no matter how credible he was.

It was decided for me. I had to keep my mouth shut, at least until I found something more concrete to base my theory on. I decided that I would eventually go back to the gorge when I could to see if I could find such evidence.

As I thought this, my mother's words echoed in my head.

The answers will present themselves to you when the time is right. The night is always darkest before the dawn.

I looked back down to the water, unsure of what was to come next. If this was the beginning of the 'night' my mother was referring to, then I had much to fear of the night to come.

So much had changed in such a short amount of time. Only yesterday the Pride Lands were completely unspoiled, and were ruled with a fair paw. Now, not even twenty-four hours later, they were beginning to be rent apart by vicious, selfish monsters.

From a distance behind me, I heard the devilish laughter of a pack of hyenas. I glanced around to see a large group of them heading towards me. Part of me wanted to go and attack them, to defend my small piece of privacy, but I knew it would be pointless. Whatever amount I could kill, they would only be replaced by the hundreds of others that now resided in the Pride lands

I sighed, knowing my place of solitude was no longer mine. I stood up and took one last look at the stream, its water flowing gently to the north. Then I set off back to Pride Rock, avoiding the hyenas that were heading in my direction.

The months that followed Mufasa’s death and Scar’s coronation were the hardest and most exhausting of my life, both physically and mentally. Scar’s reign over the kingdom was a far cry from Mufasa’s rule. Scar seemed more focused on having the title of “king” rather than dealing with the responsibilities that came with the job. Each day, he lazily lay in the cave, where now, no member of the pride except for him and Zira, were allowed to enter unless to bring him news. Together, they both barked orders to the pride that held no significance or reasoning other than to simply give orders.

Sarabi was allowed to remain the head of the hunting parties, as Scar deemed her the most capable of the lionesses, and the lionesses stayed loyal to her. Due to the hyena’s inhabitance of the Pride Lands, the herds all left far beyond the kingdom for fear of losing their lives. Sarabi decided that in order to get food from further away, we would need to break up the bigger groups into smaller ones. She appointed me as one of the hunting leaders of a newly created fourth hunting party. Some of the lionesses did not seem particularly happy about this.

Ever since I had attempted and failed to kill Scar on that fateful day, several lionesses had lost faith in me. Sarabi told me that they had hoped I would save them from the horrors to come from Scar’s rule, and they lost hope when I did not act as they expected. Two of the lionesses, Yejide and Chika, refused to even speak to me. They felt betrayed that I had so mercifully decided to spare Scar’s life. When I explained that, given the circumstances, killing him would have been wrong, they scoffed and turned their backs on me. Sarabi told me to simply ignore their reactions, but for me, it was a challenge. During my hunts with one or both of them, Yejide and Chika would criticize my hunting style, or would make snide remarks about how I might be too merciful to the prey. Every time they did this, their voices carried loud enough to scare away the prey we were hunting. After the first annoying week of this, I asked Sarabi if Yejide and Chika could be rotated through just hers and the other hunting parties. Sarabi obliged, understanding my reasoning.

The Pride Lands were suffering from Scar’s reign as well. With the combination of his lack of care for them and the release of hundreds of sadistic hyenas into the lands, they began to dramatically diminish. The grasslands were wilting and turned brown in many large patches. The trees began to lose their leaves, and the branches became dry from lack of water. The waterhole and my stream had both started to dry out. I was sure that these were signs of an imminent drought. That was the very last thing that we needed.

The sky was no longer visible, as it was constantly covered by a layer of gray clouds. This cast the Pride Lands in a regular shadow. Not once, since my arrival at the Pride Lands, had the skies released any rain. Despite the gray color of the clouds, they did not yield so much as one drop. Occasionally, the clouds would pass, but this was actually a worse situation. The sun would beat down relentlessly on everybody, and it ate away at whatever energy the pride had on those days.

The hyena’s excessive hunting brought a new smell into the lands. Countless animal carcasses and bones littered the lands wherever you gazed. The new smell of rotting flesh and bone was a horrid aroma, and it made it truly difficult to breathe for a while without having a sensation of vomit rising in my throat.

I had given up on going to the stream for my morning routine. Even if the hyenas had not taken it for themselves, I would not have returned because of its constant reduction. Each day, I felt filthier and filthier as my skin became coated with thin layers of dirt and sweat. My clothes became dirtier and more ripped, but thankfully they remained intact. I changed them each day to ensure that they would remain as clean and as whole as they possibly could. Due to my filthy state, I sorely regretted the decision, but knew I had no other choice. I would not dare contaminate what drinking water we had left by bathing and washing my clothes in it.

            Several weeks before Scar ascended to the throne, I found a day planner in my backpack. Apparently, my dad had placed it in there when he packed it. It had every day of our would-be vacation planned out. I had absentmindedly been keeping track of the days ever since my arrival, but now I was more than glad that I had held onto it. I made marks with dirt and mud in the days that had passed, and counted down to some days that held no particular significance now. My birthday came to pass within seven months of Scar’s coronation. I turned seventeen years old then. Before the tragedy that led to Scar’s kingship, I had pictured that day to be a day of joy and happiness, surrounded by my family and pride. The day went unnoticed by all, except for Sarabi, Sarafina, and Nala. It was a pitifully small celebration, but I was thankful. At least I still had the three of them in these times of hardship.

            About eight months into Scar’s rule, on a particularly hot and dry day, I found myself sitting under a dead Acacia tree, sitting in as much shade as possible. Trying to ignore my weakness and pains of hunger I distracted myself by thinking of any and everything I could. I picked the planner out of my backpack and flipped through it. When I did, I was surprised to see that I had lived here in the Pride Lands for the last ten months. And it saddened me that the majority of them were in a time of peril and tragedy. I had only known Simba and Mufasa for two months, yet I felt like I knew them for my entire life, which in a sense, I had. I would never forget that my father and brother had watched over me through the two of them.

            I put the planner away, feeling worse than I had before. I looked up and stared at the cloudless, gray sky. The events of the past week swam in front of my eyes.

Only a week ago, Zira had announced to the pride that she had been pregnant for some time with Scar’s heir. When Scar heard this, he walked with a new strut in his step. He bore the same unsettling smile that was always set on his face, but now it seemed smugger.

Yesterday, Zira and Sarabi had got into a rather heated argument, and it resulted in a vicious battle between them. Sarabi sustained several major injuries, but Zira was almost twice as bad. Scar was furious that Sarabi dared to lay a paw on her “queen”, and he ordered that Sarabi receive no medical treatment from Rafiki. Sarabi was still in a great state of pain and injury, and I refused to sit idly by and wait to see if she would survive through the night. So late last night, I snuck to Rafiki’s tree, careful not to wake any sleeping hyenas, and requested his help.

Rafiki was in a right state. Usually, he came across as a complete lunatic, always wearing a goofy smile, always chanting random phrases in a language only he understood. But Rafiki had taken the tragedy of the death of his friend, Mufasa, very hard. Since the day he found out, Rafiki acted completely…normal. And it was strange to see him act normal. Occasionally, he would show signs of being alright, but it was still so close to the time of Mufasa’s departure, that he had was not ready to let go of Mufasa’s memory.

He followed me to Sarabi in the dead of night, and while she slept, he applied some of his healing medicine to her wounds. She sighed peacefully in her sleep as he did. I thanked him graciously.

He had replied to me, “If dere is anyting you need, I am your servant, my king.”

His words made me do a double take. “Excuse me?”

He looked at me. A smile tugged his lips for a moment, but then it was gone. “I said you are my king. You were next in line, and no matta what Scar say or do, you are dee true king. You are still Mufasa’s boy, and so you are my king.”

Then he left without another word. In that single moment, I felt a tremendous amount of respect for Rafiki. I now saw why Mufasa had trusted him so much. He was a true and wise friend.

I looked out across the Pride Lands as I reflected on these events. The lands looked absolutely pitiful compared to their once former beauty.

Rafiki’s tree stood in the distance, grand and strangely silhouetted against the barren and dry lands. Sarabi and Sarafina were padding from it. Some of Sarabi’s wounds had opened again, so they had snuck to Rafiki’s tree to clean them. Now they were heading back towards Pride Rock. I stood up, and left the comfort of my shade, stepping into the sweltering heat.

Approaching the lionesses, I heard them discussing the fight that occurred yesterday between Sarabi and Zira.

“I’m surprised that Zira even survived!” said Sarafina, disdain in her voice. “You mauled her so bad, I though she would die!”

Sarabi glanced at her. There was a hint of a smile on her face, but in an instant, it was gone. “I’m actually glad that Zira survived. Scar would have killed me if she had died, and I was in no state to defend myself.”

I approached them and waved. They glanced up at me, and smiled as I came nearer.

“Good morning, Ayden.” said Sarafina happily.

“Hi Ayden!” came a voice from between Sarabi and Sarafina. I looked down, and was surprised to see Nala. I had to strain to see her because her fur blended so well with the dead grass. I could only just make out her shining green eyes through all the tan.

She stepped out of the grass into full view. She had defiantly grown very much. She was no longer the cub I had known when I first arrived, but she was still relatively small, only about half of the size of her mother. Already, she had some powerful muscles that were growing on her legs. I could tell that she would have no trouble getting up to speed during a hunt, whenever she started her training.

“Hey,” I replied to her. I looked up at Sarabi, and asked, “How are you feeling?”

“A little sore,” she said, “but otherwise I feel fine.”

I smiled happily. “I’m glad. You had me worried there for a while. I…”

But my words were cut off as a loud scream emanated from behind us. I turned my head, and as another scream resonated, I knew it came from Pride Rock.

Sarabi, Sarafina, Nala, and I sprinted back to the rock as fast as our legs would carry us. Weakness began to overcome me from lack of food, and I slowed down . Sarabi also slowed down and disappeared behind me. The next thing I knew, she ran between my legs, and I was riding on her back. I smiled gratefully at her as she glanced back at me.

We finally reached Pride Rock and skidded to a halt in front of the cave where the screams were issuing from. As we did, Kala ran around the corner of the cave, and stopped in front of us.

“Thank the gods I found you!” she cried.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, sliding off of Sarabi’s back.

“Zira is giving birth to her cub!” she replied quickly.

Sarafina gasped. “What? She’s way too early! She’s not due for several weeks!”

Kala lowered her voice, and she sounded concerned. “Perhaps last night’s squabble brought along the contractions…”

I looked at Sarabi. Her eyes were closed in a painful prayer. I knew that she was hoping beyond hope that the cub would survive the premature birth. I was praying the same thing. I had no idea what Scar would do if his heir died because of Sarabi’s intervention. And I did not wish to find out.

Sarabi ran into the cave, but I remained behind. I was sure that the last thing Zira wanted was the two people she hated the most to be present at her day of birth, and it was bad enough that one of them could have potentially killed her cub.

For several hours, Sarafina and I sat outside of the cave, listening to the sounds of Zira’s cries and screams. Some of the pride came and sat with us. The feeling among all of us was tension. We all knew what the birth of Scar’s heir would do to the Pride Lands. It would be the kiss of death. There would be no way to return them to their natural state if Scar’s legacy lived on past his generation.

With this thought came another, more unsettling thought. I knew that the only way to end Scar’s reign and save the Pride Lands would be to overthrow him, and the only one who could rightfully do that would be me. I knew the day would come when I would have to face Scar. I could not let his legacy live on. It needed to end, and it needed to end soon.

The loudest roar of all issued from the cave, a moment of silence, and then only the sounds of heavy breathing could be heard. Quiet voices could be heard from the cave, but as hard as I tried, I could not make out what they were saying. After a few moments of this, I stood up and took a step towards the cave. But as I did, Sarabi backed out of it, her face fearful.

I watched as she stopped momentarily, and then she looked up at me. The terror in her face alarmed me and made me dread what had happened and was going to happen. She stared into my eyes for a moment, then turned and ran down the slope off into the Pride Lands.

I watched her figure disappear around the corner of Pride rock, then turned back to the cave. The tension for what we were going to see was rising. Apprehensively, edged into the cave and slipped around the corner, the pride following close behind me.

Zira lay in the center of the cave, with Scar hovering over her. Their faces bore much grief, and their gaze was fixated on a small something cuddled in Zira’s paws. An unusually small brown cub lay unmoving there. He was dead, apparently a stillborn.

A mix of relief and pity overcame me. Relief came at the fact that Scar’s legacy would not yet be fulfilled, and yet pity for this poor cub, who had not even had a chance at life. Scar looked up at the pride as we entered. His eyes shone with a fury and sadness I had never witnessed. Enraged at our intrusion on such a personal moment, he stared around at all of us. His eyes lay rested on me for only the briefest of moments, and a chill ran down my spine. Then he reared back and roared with an absolutely incredible and intense force. If I had not seen it with my own eyes and heard with my own ears, I would never have believed that Scar could make such a powerful sound. We all jumped at this sudden reaction, and sprinted out.

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The next few days passed, and not one lion dared to mention the incident. The day following the death of Scar’s and Zira’s cub, who they named Taalib, a ceremony was held in the graveyard. Zira gave the eulogy, prophesizing the would-be rule of King Taalib. I felt my eyes wanting to roll as she delivered the eulogy, but with Scar watching, I did not dare express my feelings. I noticed, however, that whenever I glanced at him, he was staring fixedly on Sarabi. There was a malicious hunger and hatred in his eyes as he did, and I saw that Sarabi did everything she could to avoid meeting his eyes with her own.

Several days after the funeral, we decided that it was time for another hunt. Many of the lionesses were too weak and hot to hunt, so only one hunting party was sent out.

Sarabi and I were the only two hunting leaders to go. Sarafina felt well enough to accompany us, but she left Nala at home with Lesedi, a lioness whom she trusted. Nala was still too young and weak to hunt. But the three of us knew the time was upon them that she would have her first hunt.

Ayana, Zalika, Johari, and Sanjo were the final lionesses to complete the hunting party. All of these lionesses were still on good terms with me, so it started out as a pleasant hunt, despite the heat and hunger pains.

It felt good to get away from Scar and Zira. Putting more and more distance between us made me fear the two of them less and less. They could not touch me out here. I could not be harmed or fearful of something that was not near me.

For hours, we wandered well out of the border of the Pride Lands, searching and searching for a single animal. Fate was on our side, for when the sun was halfway between midday and sunset, we came across a lone and helpless wildebeest.

Excitement flooded me as I silently approached the creature, slightly ahead of the party. I surprised myself at how silent I stayed, considering I was my body was shaking from lack of nutrition. I quietly grabbed my knife from my pocket and unswitched it, revealing the dirty, jagged blade. I stared at my prey, seeing not a helpless creature, but a meal fit for a king.

The thought echoed in my mind for a moment…king? I instantly flashed back to when Rafiki had called me “my king.” I stared around at the lionesses who still trusted me and placed hope in me. They followed me willingly during this hunt. A burning question came to my mind…would they follow me so willingly on other occasions? Would they rebel against Scar with me, and help restore the Pride Lands to their rightful state?

I shook out the thoughts. I wasn’t ready for that yet. I was too weak now to try taking the throne. I needed to at least be well-fed before I could even attempt to take on Scar. I stared back at my prey, poising my arm to send the knife flying. I examined the wildebeest again. He was very thin and appeared weak. He had not been alerted to our presence, nor did he have any inkling at what was about to happen to him.

As keen as they ever were, my eyes easily found the jugular on the creature. I took aim, and raised my hand. My body was shaking from both weakness and excitement, and it cost me dearly. As my hand fell and my knife flew, my knees buckled from the combined feelings of weakness and excitement. The knife hit the wildebeest in the back of its neck with a dull thunk, way off of the initial mark.

The wildebeest bucked and thrashed around in pain as it took off at to the west. As one, the hunting party rushed forward at the creature. I stayed rooted to the spot, a feeling of failure building in my heart. I had failed the hunt. It was the first time that my knife had missed its mark. Not once had I ever missed a mark, yet now, I had done so. And in doing so, I let the prey get away.

I looked up at the cloud of dust that was rising about fifty feet away. In and out of the dust cloud moved the pride. Roars and growls were coming from the cloud. Then the movement stopped, and the dust began to settle. The wildebeest lay dead in the middle of the circle the lionesses created. This sight eased my feelings, but they were by no means gone. At least we had food now.

Failure…

The word reverberated in my mind. I told myself that I was not a failure, but had merely experienced a moment of weakness…of distraction. The thought of overthrowing Scar and becoming king had distracted me at the least opportune time of all. At a time when my focus needed to be here and now. My mind flashed back to the day Scar had killed all of the pride’s cubs, to the moment when I did not kill him when I had the chance. I had failed then too, just as I had failed here. I knew I was not ready to face Scar yet, and I told myself this over and over again.

Failure…

I fell to my knees and groaned. I buried my face in my hands, screwing up my thoughts, trying not to think of the hardships. But it was an impossible task. For the last eight months I had been waiting for the right time to take on Scar. But the thought that I would get better, stronger, and wiser in the months to come made me wait. And look where I was now. I knew nothing more than I did eight months ago. I was defiantly not stronger; in fact, I was getting weaker and weaker from barely scrounging enough food and water to survive. Therefore, it was relevant to say that, because of my weakness, I was by no means better than Scar.

I felt something brush my side and looked up to see Sarafina standing there. Her kind face was smiling at me.

“Ayden, why do you act this way?” she asked curiously. “You act as if we failed! We have killed our prey, and have food to eat now! This is a victory!”

I looked over to see Sarabi and Sanjo carrying the dead wildebeest on their backs. I saw my knife protruding from the back of its neck. I stood up, still shaking, and pulled out the knife. Blood oozed from the wound, and it wet my blade. I sighed and wiped it on a dry patch of fur on the creature. I switched it back and stuffed it in my pocket.

I looked over at Sarafina and smiled. How could I stay upset at myself when she was so happy? Her smile was always something that I liked. There was just something so natural about it. It fit her happy face exceptionally well, and it was undoubtedly contagious.

She and Sarabi were so close, you would have thought they were sisters, and I loved her like an aunt. For the last few months, I had stayed in our small group that consisted of only Sarabi, Sarafina, Nala, and I. We all became very close, and acted as a family. I trusted every one of them with my life.

We walked back to the Pride Lands. Off in the distance loomed the dark silhouette of Pride Rock. Its’ majesty and wonder had diminished incredibly with the coming of the drought. Very little water remained in the waterhole and stream. I permitted myself to have only one handful of water per day. It sustained me, but it did not satisfy me.

            When we were about a mile from Pride Rock, we saw a small group of hyenas rush forward to us, licking their lips, their greedy little eyes fixated on the kill on Sarabi’s and Sanjo’s backs. My hand flashed down and disappeared in my pocket. Not now. They would not take this kill. Not today.

            Faster than I knew they could run, the hyenas flew past me before I could react and flung themselves on the kill. The pride did not even have time to react either. Within seconds, the hyenas had the carcass stripped of flesh, muscle, and tendon. Laughing maliciously, they mock thanked us and turned to leave.

            Pure rage and hatred boiled in my blood. All the work we put into getting this food, all the pain I put myself through at my failure, and now it was all to waste. We would go hungry for even longer now.

 Fury pulsing through my veins, my hand flew out of my pocket, my knife gripped tightly and unswitched. I ran at the nearest hyena, an unbearable desire for vengeance pumping through every fiber of my being. I raised the knife and, with all of my strength, brought it swinging down straight into the top of the hyena’s head. I felt the knife penetrate through his skull with a dull crack. Not satisfied, I twisted the knife viciously, making his head twist slightly with a loud crunch. He made a very strange, brief, yet satisfying groaning sound, and then he slumped to the ground. Blood oozed from the grisly wound and pooled on the ground where he lay unmoving. My knife, still gripped in my hand, dripped with the fiend’s blood.

            All of this happened in a mere moment.

The pack of hyenas all turned their heads at the sounds of this attack. They took a moment to realize what had happened, and that was all the time I needed. Quickly as possible, I flung myself to the next closest hyena and in another flash of silver, slit his throat. The blood gushed from the wound, and he gasped and choked while trying to breath. His body fell to the ground, as he shuddered and gasped. Then his body relaxed and stayed perfectly still.

            The pack reacted instantly. They growled and barked as they rushed towards me. I stood up and threw my knife at one who jumped at me. It thudded in his left cheek, and he fell to the ground whimpering. I looked down, then back up as many roars echoed from around me. The pride had followed my example, and were now mercilessly clawing and mauling every hyena within range.

            The wounded hyena stood up and faced me, the hilt of my knife protruding from his face. The left half was completely drenched in red, while the right bore a look of the utmost pain and hatred. As he ran at me, a tan paw came crashing down on his head, claws unsheathed. He was pinned to the ground, but he made no effort to get up. The blow to the head had killed him instantly.

I looked up to see who saved me, and saw Sarafina, teeth bared, and pure malice in her eyes. Without a look at me, she turned and faced yet another hyena. I leaned down, tore the knife from the dead monster’s face, and proceeded to help my pride.

Within minutes, every last hyena lay dead around us. Not one had a peaceful or painless death. We had seen to that.

Teeth bared, and catching my breath, I looked up at Pride Rock. When I got back, I certainly would have some choice word for Scar. He was the reason for all of this. He was the reason for our pain, our starvation, the reason we had to hunt far outside the Pride Lands, and for the hyenas being here.

As I thought of the hyenas, I saw them. Hundreds of them were standing there behind us. They had seen the merciless battle, and had witnessed the death of every hyena that was within our range. Rage was etched into every one of their faces, and as one, the began to rush towards our small group.

My heart plummeted into my stomach, and I heard Sarabi yell “GO!!!”

Without thinking, I turned and dashed towards Pride Rock. It was the one place that Scar had forbidden the hyenas to go. I looked back in horror as I heard roars of pain. Several of the lionesses had disappeared in the sea of gray that was pursuing us. I couldn’t make out their faces, but I knew they would not survive.

My breathing grew heavy as I started to run out of energy and breath. I started slowing down, and hated myself for it. I was too close now, far too close, to allow myself to die like this.

Suddenly, I felt something large rush between my legs and sweep me off my feet. Sarabi was carrying me on her back straight to Pride Rock. I felt immense gratitude towards Sarabi, but before I could even say “thank you”, Sarabi roared in pain, and her pace slowed. I looked back and saw a hyena had latched onto her hindquarters with his claws. Enraged, I raised my knife and fiercely slashed the area between the hyena’s chest and armpit. It completely sliced through a tendon that connected his leg to his shoulder, and the hyena howled in extreme agony. Instantly, he released Sarabi and collapsed to the ground, whimpering and shuddering as he screamed into the ground, unable to stand.

Smiling to myself vengefully, I turned back and saw that Pride Rock was mere feet away from us. Sarabi rushed as fast as her legs would carry her and ran up to the entrance of the cave. She slumped to the ground and panted. I fell off of her as she did, and landed on my back. I gasped and panted for air as I lay there, thankful that Scar had forbidden these monsters from ascending any further. I looked up as I saw Ayana fling herself up from the slope and land next to me, panting uncontrollably. I looked around to see who else had made it.

It was only the three of us. The rest of the hunting party was missing. Sanjo, Zalika, Johari, and Sarafina had not returned. They had been the lionesses I saw disappear in the sea of hyenas that had chased us.

This took a moment to register in my mind. Sarafina...no, not her!

I lay my head down, tears welling up in my eyes. Of all of the lionesses who died, Sarafina’s death affected me most. She had been like an aunt to me, a very close aunt who I loved to hang out with. She had helped me with the hyenas back there. And now, I could not even tell her thank you for it. I couldn't thank her for her constant kindness towards me, or her encouragement.

And then my thoughts rested on Nala, and the tears spilled from my eyes. The thought of another young one losing their family pierced my heart with an icy dagger. I knew exactly how that felt, and I pitied Nala for what she was about to go through.

One thing became clear in my mind, and it was too much for me to bear.

Sarafina's death, along with the deaths of Sanjo, Zalika, and Johari were all my fault. This was the price I paid, the price Nala had to pay, for my foolish, cruel, and malicious reaction. Because of my selfish desire for vengeance, Nala was now without a mother.

This was the price of my vengeance.

Chapter 11 – Losing Hope

A full year passed, and time had finally begun to heal not only my soul, but Nala’s as well. Initially, she was completely brokenhearted at the loss of her mother, but after a while, she began to move on. Nala was a strong young lioness, and she did not let tragedy get her down easily. Sarabi took Nala in as her own daughter. I felt that Sarabi did this for two reasons. First, and foremost, she loved Nala dearly as her own, and she felt it was her duty, as she was Sarabi’s best friend. Second, I had a feeling that Sarabi saw a small bit of Simba in Nala, and she was sorely reminded of him.

Throughout the year, Sarabi and I would take Nala out on our hunts. These hunts would last over long periods where we would venture further out of the Pride Lands then we had ever done. Now the hunting parties were no more. We had lost so many of the pride from starvation, heat strokes, and even suicide. Sarabi and I would hunt together, bringing back whatever kill we could find to what remained of the pride.

Nala was a natural huntress. She had grown so much, that I found it hard to believe she was smaller than me when I first met her over a year ago. Her first week of hunting was very shaky and unpracticed, but after she got the hang of it, she was very stealthy and quick.

As it turned out, Scar was the one who caused the incident that threw the lionesses and me into a vengeance driven frenzy. Scar was still furious at the loss of his son and heir, and he desired a way to make Sarabi pay for it. He had set the hyenas on us, knowing that we would kill them when they took our kill. Then he set the larger and vengeful group on us as punishment for Sarabi. Scar had intended for Sarabi to die, but saw that her pain and suffering at the loss of her best friend and members of the pride was an even greater punishment.

When Sarabi relayed this information back to me, I was filled with that ever familiar hatred for Scar. The idea of overthrowing Scar myself made its way uncomfortably back into my mind.

Zira became pregnant with Scar’s cub again. Three and a half months after Sarafina’s death, she gave birth to another male. The process had been long and difficult, and it cost Zira and Scar dearly. The cub, dubbed Nuka, was very weak and sickly looking. He was very thin and looked as if he would not survive. Scar was severely disappointed at this cub, and denied him the title of his heir and son. Scar decided he and Zira would simply try again.

But Rafiki, who had helped Zira give birth to Nuka, told Scar some distressing news. Apparently, because of the damage Sarabi had done during their fight those many months ago, Zira was now unable to deliver a healthy cub.

Needless to say, Scar was most displeased at this news, and he forbade Sarabi from eating anything for the next two kills. She and I both knew that while this was a temporary punishment, the cause for it was something to be glad about. Scar could now never have an heir to the throne, which meant that whenever he stepped down or, (the thought crossed my mind) died, then I would step up and take the place of king. With this thought in mind, I decided that I may not need to try and overthrow him, but simply wait for him to succumb to the starvation that he, as did the rest of the pride, felt.

At the same time, we had survived for over a year, scrounging whatever food we could get. So perhaps Scar would last longer than I expected him to. So the prospect of having to take him on was still there.

            On a cloudy and shadowed day, Sarabi, Nala, and I were wandering around the Pride Lands, searching for field mice to eat. They were the only source of food that remained in the Pride Lands. We finally found enough to satisfy the immediate stomach pains, and sat down to eat.

I had now run entirely out of matches and my lighter ran out of fluid. Cooking now became a more difficult process. I needed to find dry grass and branches to light, which was no problem in this time of drought. Once the necessary tools were gathered, I struck a rock against another rock to try and light a spark. After a few minutes of this, it worked, but the job was not over yet. I needed to tend to the fire to ensure that it would blaze, and not burn out within a few minutes.

Eventually, I had my small mice cooked, and was savoring them slowly in my mouth. The intense hunger pains were not those that one feels at mere lack of food. I was suffering from malnutrition, and I was sure that within the next few months, I needed to find something to really sustain me. If I did not, I would surely die, and I had no intention of dying. I had come too far, suffered too much, to simply let death take me.

…and yet.

Dying seemed such a wonderful prospect. It would surely end the suffering that I was going through. All the pain, the hunger, the hurt, the sorrow; it would all end if I should succumb to death’s embrace.

I forced those thoughts out of my head, not wanting to even accept it. I WOULD not die here.

Sarabi and Nala were both reminiscing about Sarafina, but I was only vaguely paying attention. My thoughts were swimming through my memories. Simba’s face came into view, and I suddenly realized that for the longest time, I had not even thought of him. I had not thought of what he would be if he were alive today. I hadn’t even thought of what he would have looked like. I tried to picture him in my mind’s eye. He would be as big as Nala. He would have a mane; that was for sure, though how far along it would have grown, I had no clue. I pictured that it would extend to the end of his neck, and end there. The final image of him that I could conjure up with my mind was very close to that of what I pictured Mufasa to have looked like in his younger days, though I figured he would be less muscular than Mufasa. My image of Simba had a nice flowing rust colored mane, was well built, had a kind and rounded face, ruby eyes, and a smile that could make even the most sneering frown in the world break. At this, I could not help but smile.

I looked over at Sarabi. There was something different about her. She bore the same hopeful air about her, but its glow seemed to have diminished greatly; more so than it usually had anyways. Ever since the Pride Lands had been ravaged, her hopeful air was always less than what it used to be, but today it seemed even less than that. I knew instantly that something was wrong with Sarabi. But I would not push the matter. If she did not feel the desire to tell me, then I would not pry. Her secrets were her own, and I respected that.

Behind us, I heard something approaching. I turned to see Kala padding to us happily, accompanied by another; a male. My hand instinctively twitched towards my pocket, but I made no move. This lion was clearly with Kala, and therefore showed no sign of harm.

A very muscular young lion, he was a dark rusty color with a tan underbelly. An even darker chocolate colored mane flowed messily down from his head to his lower chest. A few locks dangled into his face and over his strikingly kind and blue eyes. His smile reflected the kindness that shone in them.

Sarabi looked curious, yet wary. “Kala…what’s going on?”

Kala smiled and said, “Guys, this is Sekou.” She indicated him with a turn of her head in his direction. “He is my mate.”

It took a moment for the full effect of this statement to settle in. When I finally realized what she meant, I found my voice. “Your…mate?”

Kala nodded excitedly. “Yes! I’ve been seeing him for several months now! He lives on the outskirts of the Pride Lands!”

I glanced at Sekou, my worry settling slightly. Kala had trusted him enough to befriend him, so I figured I would give him the same chance. His smile was warm and comforting. It reminded me of Mufasa’s smile.

“I met Kala while she was out on the border,” Sekou said. “She needed someone to talk to, so I let her confide within me. We started seeing each other on a normal basis, until now.”

Kala nuzzled him affectionately, and then turned to us again. “I have more news for you.”

“What news?” Nala inquired, clearly as curious as either of us at what else Kala could be hiding.

“I found out the other day…” She paused for a moment. “…that I am pregnant with our cubs.”

“Congratulations Kala! I’m so happy for you!” said Nala as she went forward and nuzzled her.

The joy I felt from Kala’s statement was a wonderful feeling. I had not felt any kind of joy for months, and the feeling was purely soothing to everything. My hunger pains, my anger, and hatred were all temporarily extinguished at the thought of the new cubs that would be brought into our pride.

…and then what would happen?

Scar’s terrible actions from over a year ago drifted into view from my memory, and a chill ran down my spine. Images of cubs, lying dead and broken in their own blood, and suddenly my own ran cold. When Scar found out about the birth of cubs that were not his own, he would certainly kill them.

Sarabi voiced this before I had the chance to.

Kala was undeterred when Sarabi mentioned the possible death of her cubs. “I understand Sarabi. After I found out about my pregnancy, Sekou and I had a long talk. I asked him to help us. I told him that our pride was in dire need of some help and new leadership.”

My insides tensed at this idea. Kala wanted Sekou to overthrow Scar and claim the throne for himself. Suddenly, I found myself hoping beyond everything else that Sekou would be up to the challenge. I did not have any desire in the slightest to rule the Pride Lands, and I would gladly hand the opportunity to somebody else should the occasion present itself. I was not ready for the responsibility of such a position.

“I agreed to stand up to your King and try to help you out,” Sekou said, and the tension inside of me released. Joy overcame me again as the weight of the burden I had felt to overthrow Scar was slowly lifted off of my shoulders.

Sarabi’s voice trembled as she spoke. ““You mean you will challenge Scar for leadership?”

I saw her eyes flash in my direction, and I knew what she was thinking. Whether I desired it or not, I was still the next in line for the kingship, and the responsibility still fell on me. In order to rightfully become the King, Sekou would have to overthrow me as well.

“Sarabi,” I said, and I glanced at Sekou as I did. “I am not ready for any responsibility of the King. If Sekou succeeds in overthrowing Scar, I will more than willingly relinquish my position to him.”

Sarabi’s expression was mixed, and I was unsure of which she felt more. Her face was compassionate and understanding, but at the same time it fell. She had clearly hoped that, as her adoptive son, I would be willing to take up the position that was rightfully mine.

Sekou broke the silence and said, “Then it is your desire that I take the kingship in your stead?”

I nodded at him, and saw with my peripheral vision that Sarabi did so as well.

“Are you sure that you are up to it?” Sarabi asked Sekou.

Sekou nodded and grinned. “Let’s go.”

We turned and made our way to Pride Rock. Hope and joy enveloped me as we journeyed towards it. Already, I was planning on what would happen when Scar would be overthrown. I would relay all of Mufasa’s teachings to Sekou and be one of his advisors, alongside Zazu. Though not the position of the King, I would still have some influence over what happened here. I was much more pleased being in a position where I did not need to answer to the kingdom should one of my choices go wrong. Yet I knew that we would finally return the Pride Lands to their rightful state, and live in peace once again.

A twinge of doubt surfaced in my mind. It was all such a great idea and I was excited to see it put to action, but something still bugged me about it. It all seemed too good to be true.

Suddenly, from the tall, dead grass beside us emerged Scar. A wide and evil grin was etched into his face, his jet black mane swaying lazily in the breeze. His claws were unsheathed, and he was ready for the impending fight. Sekou turned to the tyrant and unsheathed his own claws.

“You must be Scar, the king of these lands,” Sekou said boldly, his voice not wavering. “I am Sekou, son of Banga, and I’ve come here to challenge you. You are a tyrant of a ruler. Your reign on these lands has brought nothing but pain and death. It is time that your subjects were delivered from your cruelty.”

Scar merely grinned at Sekou’s claim. He hissed, “I know who you are, I am not deaf my boy. I have been listening to your interesting conversation.”

His eyes briefly flashed over and met mine. I breathed in heavily, and my chest swelled with the same hatred for Scar that I had felt so strongly since his coronation.

“And you think you can beat me?” Scar finished, his eyes flicking away from me and back to Sekou.

Sekou grinned back and fiercely replied, “I know I can.”

Scar moved forward, and I thought he was about to attack, but that was far from the truth. Scar merely stepped aside as, from behind him, a large group of at least twenty hyenas appeared through the grass.

My heart plummeted as they did, and I saw all of the lioness’s faces fill with fear. Sekou’s face fell for a moment, but it quickly regained confidence. The hyenas laughed menacingly. I knew it would have been too good to be true.

Scar sneered, “You should reconsider your boldness my friend.”

Then he turned his head to his minions, and stated without so much as a hint of care, “Kill him.”

My stomach bottomed out. I watched in horror as my last hope for peace in the Pride Lands was engulfed in a mound of teeth, claws, and fur. Sekou was overwhelmed by the group of hyenas that rushed onto him. They began to tear and claw at his body, and Sekou screamed in pain and terror as they began to eat him alive.

Kala was in a right state. She screamed Sekou’s name over and over, trying to get to her mate. But Nala and Sarabi were holding her back to ensure that she would not be hurt as well.

Rage and anger burned inside me like the fiery jeep that had taken my family so long ago. These monsters had ravaged the lands for so long, and now they had eliminated the only real hope for the restoration of the land. Fury boiled inside of me as I reached for the knife in my pocket.

I unswitched the knife and held it in front of me, screaming a battle cry as I rushed forward to the fray. I knew what awaited in that mound of violence. Sekou was there, and I was going to save him. But something else was there too…

Death would be waiting for me in the battle. I was welcoming it gratefully. As my anger and hate overcame me, I quickened my pace. Only one thought penetrated my mind.

KILL THEM ALL!!!

Unexpectedly, I was hit violently from my right side, and suddenly found myself pinned to the ground. My knife flew out of my hand as I landed hard on my back. Something heavy was holding me down, completely immobilizing me. I looked up to see not a hyena on top of me, but Sarabi. She had left Nala to restrain the sobbing and hysterical Kala by herself so she could stop me from advancing into the pile of teeth and fangs.

“NO!” she cried, “You’ll be killed too!”

“I…DON’T…CARE!” I screamed furiously, putting emphasis on every syllable. I was struggling with all of my strength to get her off of me. “THEY TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME! THEY RUINED OUR LIVES! I HAVE TO KILL THEM! THEY…HAVE…TO…DIE!”

In spite of my uncontrolled rage, I suddenly became fearful. Sarabi had roared from on top of me, and bared her teeth in my face, growling as tears welled up in her eyes.

“I will NOT lose my only family, Ayden. I WILL NOT go through that pain again.” She growled threateningly. “Even I if I have to hold you here for eternity, I will NOT lose you too.”

I stared at her, utterly terrified. I had never seen Sarabi act this way towards me before, and I never wanted to see it again. I stopped struggling, closed my eyes and lay my head in the dirt.

In the background, Sekou’s screaming had stopped. The sounds of the hyenas laughing, growling, and of flesh tearing were incredibly prominent. Kala’s screaming sobs could only just be heard over the fray. The sudden burst of joy I had felt had died with Sekou. Once again, the burden that had been lifted fell heavily on my shoulders, and it pained me incredibly.

Scar’s voice roared over all of the noise. “SHENZI! BANZAI! ED!”

My eyes snapped open as I heard him call the hyena’s names. I recognized them immediately from my first encounter with the cowardly monsters. My head shot up, but I had restricted movement because Sarabi was still pinning me.

The three hyenas, blood dripping from their muzzles, stood attentively in front of Scar. They grinned evilly as they stared at him. The rage I felt at Scar and his minions only increased as, for the first time since the day they tried to kill me, I recognized the three hyenas.

If Sarabi had not been pinning me down, I would have leapt to my feet and killed all three of them. I attempted to get up again, yelling and struggling, but Sarabi, teeth still bared, would not get off of me. Giving in, I went limp and laid my head down again. Tears of anger and loss fell down my cheeks. I had placed all of my hope in the now mutilated and gone Sekou. I had been SO close to avoiding facing Scar, and when it was just within my reach, it was quickly snatched away from me.

I was so overcome with grief, anger, and hatred that the events that followed seemed a quick and random blur to me. It seemed only a moment later when Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed were escorting us back to Pride Rock, and only another moment later we were waiting outside of the entrance of the cave where Kala had just entered. Scar was to pass judgment on her for her actions against him.

What remained of our pride sat unmoving around the entrance of the cave. I was shaking, waiting uneasily for Kala to return. My fear for what was happening in the confines of the cave was overwhelming. I cared only for Kala’s safety. As long as she would not be hurt, then everything would be fine.

Are you kidding yourself? IF he lets her live, she will not go unpunished! He’ll kill her cubs when they are born!

            I knew this to be true. Scar would not allow them to live. What better way to punish a mother than to take her own children away from her?

Scar’s tyranny and horror had driven the Pride Lands and his pride to the brink of death. We were starving, weak, fearful, and losing our will to survive. He was pushing us to the point of death, and I could not sit by and wait anymore while he did.

I sighed, defeated. I knew what I had to do, and it needed to be done the very next chance that I got. I had to kill Scar and overthrow him. If he did not die, and in turn fought me, I would surely be killed. But at least, if that was the case, I would be with my brothers, fathers, and mother.

Kala emerged from the mouth of the cave, struggling to stay on her feet. Sarabi and Nala rushed to her side to support her. They walked her out of the cave, and then let her collapse on the ground. Her face was more fearful than any I had ever seen in my life, and it was streaked with lines of tears. Her breathing was staggered, and she was shaking more than I was.

“Kala…” Sarabi said urgently, “Kala, speak to me. What happened? What did Scar say to you?”

Kala remained silent. Yejide spoke up. “What was your punishment Kala?”

Kala looked up at us. Through her staggered breathing, I made out four words.

“My babies…my babies…”

In my stomach, I felt a sinking feeling slowly overcome my entire body.

“He has condemned them.” I said flatly. It was more of a statement than a question.

“No.” she said suddenly, looking up at me. “It’s worse. He’s taking them from me! He’s taking my babies away from me! I can’t be their mother! He’s adopting them. He says he’s going to teach them to hate me, because I’m a liar and a crook!”

She broke down and sobbed uncontrollably.

This had been the very last thing I had expected. Before now, I did not believe that Scar’s cruelty could have grown any more, but this act was unspeakably cruel. To remove a newborn child from its mothers’ care, and to teach it to HATE the one who birthed it?

My conclusions that I had to kill Scar were only reassured at these thoughts. I could not, and WOULD not allow Scar and Zira to raise these cubs. They needed their real mother, not Zira. They needed to stay away from Scar and never hear that monster’s name.

Yejide, terror reflecting in her eyes, told Kala, “You need to get out of here! If you leave, he can never find you! Give birth to your cubs far away from here, find a new pride and live in peace!”

Kala sobbed more, and it was difficult to make out what she was saying.

“I can’t escape. He won’t let me.” She said through her tears. “He’s already assigned a hyena escort to watch me everyday! I’m always going to be watched whenever I leave Pride Rock. He’ll kill me if I try to escape!”

At these words, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed came from the cave, and stood around Kala, laughing menacingly.

At the sight of the three hyenas I despised the most, I wanted to rush at them and snap every one of their necks, just as I had done to their leader, Tahri. The desire was so strong that I felt lightheaded from all of my emotions. I felt like a balloon that had been filled with so much air that it was ready to burst. My anger and hate were ready to spurt from me at the slightest touch.

Before I let my emotions cloud my judgment, I did something that I hated myself for doing.

I ran.

Down to ground level, I dashed out into the wastelands of the Pride Lands. Tears streamed down my face as I put as much distance between myself and Pride Rock. I was overcome with such a weight of my burden, of my sadness, of my anger, and of my hatred, that my lightheadedness doubled. I began to lose speed, and then my knees gave out. I collapsed to the ground in a heap. Pride Rock was now far behind me, and yet I could not escape the horrors that its leader had inflicted upon us.

All hope was now gone. Only one thing remained that could bring good back to my home. I had to carry out the deed that was required of me, regardless of my survival, I had to kill Scar.

My head was spinning incredibly from the combination of my emotions. I looked up and the world was whirling around me. I felt my eyes roll up into my head, and I lost all consciousness.

Several weeks passed since the death of Sekou. Though time was passing, my hatred and fear only grew. I had bottled up my anger, pain, and hatred for so long, that when the incident occurred, it drove me into a temporary state of madness. The week that followed, Sarabi stayed at my side. I refused to eat or talk and I barely slept a wink. I was constantly exhausted and overwhelmed with emotion.

            After a week of this, I finally came to myself again, and life began to settle down, if you could call it that. Stress was a common feeling I had nowadays. Coming to terms with the task that was laid before me, I started taking the necessary precautions to make sure that it would succeed without a hitch. I went back to the site where the bones of Sekou lay scattered. I searched through the dirt and weeds until I found my knife.

Once I had the tool I would need, I began observing Scar’s and Zira’s daily routine as much as I could. That was another thing that I needed to complete with the task. I needed to eradicate Zira as well. She may not be the queen once I took over, but Zira was no kitten. She was a fierce and angry lioness that I was sure would kill me if given the chance.

            The day that I was to perform the task was upon me swiftly. That morning, the sun rose and spilled its heating light onto the desolate wasteland. Today, I only needed final preparations and observations. Then I would finally carry it out.

            I awoke easily. Usually, it took me a few minutes upon waking to fully awake, but this particular morning I felt none of that. It was as if somebody had just switched an “on” switch inside of me.

            I stood up and stared at the looming structure that was Pride Rock. It would be mine by tonight, though I did not want it.

            The first half of the day consisted of nothing but stalking quietly wherever Scar was. I hated the sight of him, but I needed that hate to fuel my desire to take what I did not desire.

            In the mornings, he would rise long after the rest of the pride would. He would be accompanied by Zira and, walking silently and sadly behind them was the quickly growing cub, Nuka.

            Generally the day would consist of Scar complaining and barking random orders to the pride. In the moments where he had nothing to say or do, Nuka would attempt to get his attention or nuzzle him. Scar would viciously swipe at Nuka whenever he came close. Scar was still shunning Nuka, refusing to even call him his son. Nuka was still a weak cub, as he had been since birth, but I could see that he had a strong heart, despite the dislike from both parents. I made a note to myself that, with Sarabi’s help, I would raise Nuka once his parents were gone.

I began to notice that Nuka had gone through an incredible growth spurt. Though he was still thin and weak, and was only just over six months old, he was already larger than Simba had been when I first met him. He was a rather long thing, built very much like his father. His legs were the length of my arms, and his body seemed elongated as if he had been stretched to a breaking point. Long as he was though, he was still only half my size.

After I was finished observing, finding nothing new in the process, I went to sit with Sarabi. I needed her to comfort me in this stressful time. She knew of my plans, and did not speak to anybody of them but myself.

My plan was to do as I had done on my first hunt so long ago. I would throw my knife in the one spot that I knew would be a surefire way to kill: the jugular vein. However, planning something that was almost sure to kill one was not an easy thing to go through. I was very weak from lack of proper nutrition, had barely any water, lack of sleep, and no hope or confidence. I lost all of that a long time ago. All of these would surely affect my reflexes.

            I found Sarabi lying under the shade of a large, dead tree some ways away from Pride Rock. I walked over and lay next to her. I put my arm around her neck and lay my head underneath hers.

            “Well…” I said flatly. “There is nothing left to it but to do it.”

            She turned her head down and licked mine. I closed my eyes and a tear escaped from one.

            “I’m scared Sarabi.” I whispered. “I’ve never been this scared in my life before. If I fail, he’s gonna kill me. I don’t know what I’ll do if that happens. Part of me wants to die, but the other part of me is willing myself to live.”

            Sarabi turned my body so I could look at her. My mother’s eyes shone with love and compassion. I took great comfort in the fact that, through all of my suffering and pain, she remained with me. Even in this hellish existence, in these damned lands, I was blessed.

            She smiled and said to me, “Ayden, though you have much to fear, know this. I am always with you. No matter where you go, what you do, or who you are with, I will always be with you to comfort you. Do not be scared my son.”

            Her words were very comforting and they brought tears down my face, but I still worried.

            “If I fail,” I said, my voice shaking “Then I will fail not only myself, but my pride. I will fail you, Sarabi. And if I fail and by some miracle I survive, I will have to leave. I will have to go to ensure that I stay alive.”

Under my breath, I muttered to myself, “That’s IF I still want to stay alive.”

            Sarabi’s face stiffened, but remained comforting. Kindly, she replied, “Then you will go. Who knows Ayden? There may be something better for you beyond this place. If you do not succeed in overthrowing Scar, then leave. Go before he has the chance to react. Don’t think about it, don’t hesitate, just leave. Do not give up on living simply because of us. We may be your pride, but I would rather see you live and leave than die for us when there is so much more for you to live for.”

            I stared at her for a moment and sighed, the tears slowly stopping. “Would you come with me?”

            I was expecting her to say yes. Why wouldn’t she? To my complete shock, her face fell, and she lowered her head. A lump grew in my throat.

            “Why not Sarabi?” I asked, my voice suddenly rising. A feeling of rejection grew in my heart.

            She looked back up and said, “I am not the lioness I once was. I am too weak.”

            “Bullshit!” I said, anger mounting from my rejection. “Only just last week you could carry me on your back when I had no strength! You have plenty of strength!”

            She looked away, clearly taken aback by my sudden outburst. Her eyes were filled with a shame the likes of which I had never seen. I realized that something was troubling her immensely.

“You’re hiding something from me.” It was not a question. My lips uttered the words without my mind’s consent. There was blame in my voice, and I was surprised at myself. How could I be talking to her like this?

            Sarabi’s face looked back to mine. Her eyes were full of fear and sorrow. I stunted my anger. She was tormented by some unknown force, and getting angry at her would only make her feel worse

            “Sarabi...” I whispered, putting concern into my voice. “Tell me, please? I won’t judge you, you know that.”

            She sighed, and a small sob escaped her. “Ayden…I’ afraid of what you’ll say.”

            I moved closer to her and put my hand on her shoulder. “Sarabi, there is nothing you could say that would ever change what I think of you.”

Her eyes welled up and she blinked sorrowfully at me. Almost inaudibly, she whispered, “I’m pregnant.”

            Blank shock hit me like I had been thrust headfirst into ice cold water. I became aware that my mouth fell open. Utter disbelief clouded my mind. She had said something else, I had just misheard her. I closed my jaw and found my voice.

            “Y-you’re…what?” I stammered.

            “Pregnant.” She repeated quietly, a tear streaking down her face.

            I had heard correctly. Of everything that I had possibly conceived, of every single idea that I thought could have tormented Sarabi in this way, this was the very last thing that had crossed my mind. Sarabi was PREGNANT? She was carrying a cub? Not just any cub, but another brother.

One question passed over my lips before I could stop myself.

            “Who is the father?” I asked, fearing the answer.

            Pure terror became visible in Sarabi’s face, and then the tears flowed from her eyes. She buried her face in her paws and she began to shake with silent fits of weeping.

            “I couldn’t stop him.” She whispered through her sobs. “He wanted an heir, 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!”

            I relaxed my muscles, but my mind was still racing with thought after thought. I placed my head against the tree and wept. She released me, and I fell to the ground in a pile.

            “How could he?” I asked through my tears. “How could he even do something so cruel? How can somebody be so evil? He’s like your brother!”

            Sarabi’s face came very close to mine. “Ayden…”

            I 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. 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.

            Sarabi 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 for your cub.”

Again, I felt as if I had been doused in ice water. Sarabi quickly sat down, but it was too late. The bulge in her belly was undoubtedly noticeable, and yet I had never noticed it before. Clearly, she was doing a good job of hiding her pregnancy.

Behind me, I heard a snap. I turned quickly. Scar was slinking past me, not even glancing in my direction, into the log. I stood up to lunge at him but another snap to my left drew my attention. The last thing I saw before losing consciousness was Zira’s paw, claws extended, swinging at my face.

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I awoke to an unbelievably painful throbbing in my face. Though I did not move to touch the painful area, I could feel the damage. Zira had clawed me hard, but she had only hit me with one of her claws. A long gash ran from over my right eyebrow, between my eyes, and to the bottom of my left cheek. It was a thin gash, but it was deep. I knew it would leave a scar.

Scar…

I sat up and opened my eyes. It was close to dawn. I had been unconscious for quite some time. I looked around, but saw nothing. Sarabi and Kala were nowhere to be found. I looked inside of the log, but there was nothing.

An unsettling feeling developed in me. I stood up and looked around for any sign of a lioness. Then, as I scanned the surrounding area, I saw a large mound lying in the dead grass.

Slowly, I approached the heap, scared for what I was about to see. It was early in the morning. Darkness was still around, for the sun had yet to rise, but the mound drew my attention as if it were shining with a glowing light. I reached the mass, and slowly circled it to see if I could make out what it was.

Kala, her eyes closed, lay motionless on the ground. All over her body were gashes where she had been clawed and bitten multiple times. Dried blood was clumped in her fur and the dirt around body was soaked with it.

All breath in my body was taken away as if I had been hit in the stomach. But it did not occur to me to allow sadness to overcome me now. Tears would not help the situation. Kala was gone, and Scar and Zira had mercilessly killed her.

I gritted my teeth and reached into my pocket. I closed my eyes as my hand gripped the handle of the knife. I withdrew it, unswitched it, and held it at my side. My entire body was shaking with anger.

I was tensing up. I clenched my fists, and ground my teeth to the point where it hurt. Then, with every ounce of strength that Mufasa had, I roared in fury. It was more of a scream of pain and hatred, but as far as I was concerned, I had roared as Mufasa used to.

Then I was sprinting with the speed that, under normal circumstances, I would not have possessed. Pride Rock was my destination. NOW was the time to carry out the task. My anger and determination sped me on. I no longer cared if I was tired or weak. My mind was focused on only one thing; Scar and Zira had to die, and it had to happen now. They had to pay for their actions, and I was going to make them do it. I was going to kill them now. No more waiting. No more putting it off. It had to be done now, or not at all.

As I ran, the sun began to rise. It cast a red light across the land, signifying that blood had been spilt the night before.

The Pride Lands were calm and silent. Not a breath of wind disturbed the grasslands. All that could be seen moving was a lone, figure, sprinting quickly, silhouetted against the scarlet sunrise.

I reached the base of Pride Rock and slowed to a stop. Silently, I snuck up the slope and to the entrance of the cave. I could hear Scar’s and Zira’s voices echoing quietly as I edged my way in. I moved against the wall until I came to the point where the path curved right, into the next chamber. The hatred was boiling over inside of me, but even through all of my loathing, I felt uncomfortably tense. This was the moment I had been building up to. It was the defining moment of my soon-to-be kingship.

I slowly peeked my head around the corner just enough so I could see where Scar and Zira were.

Zira lay against the wall on the left side of the cave, nuzzling onto Kovu who lay in her paws. Vitani crawled over and attempted to lay with her brother, but Zira’s face became very stern, and she pushed her away. She then went back to nuzzling and cooing at Kovu.

From the right side of the cave, just beyond my vision, Scar’s voice resonated.

“You are in charge of taking care of both cubs,” He said flatly. “Why did you push away the other?”

Zira stared at Vitani for a moment, and then she looked up at Scar. “Shouldn’t our focus be on Kovu, your heir and the future king?”

Scar snarled. “You sound just like my parents! Fawn over the next King and neglect the other! In my kingdom, my children will be treated with EQUAL respect! I don’t want Vitani treated with any less love and attention than Kovu would receive!”

            I found his statement to be entirely hypocritical, and my eyes were drawn to the brown cub sitting quietly in the furthest point of the cave. Nuka was Scar’s own legitimate son, and yet Scar had shunned Nuka just as Ahadi had done so to him.

I shook my head in disgust and stared back at Zira and Scar. Focusing on the task at hand was my main priority. I scanned for the spot on Scar’s neck. For a moment, I felt like I was back in time to the day when Scar had killed all of the cubs. I was in exactly the same position. His life was in my hands, and I was about to do away with it. I silently raised my knife.

Suddenly a roar erupted from outside of the cave, and I quickly moved back around the corner, out of sight and into the shadows. Swearing under my breath, I looked up to see who had disturbed me at the least opportune moment. Sarabi sprinted into the cave and around the corner, apparently not seeing me.

The following conversation was heated and created an even greater air of tension through the cave. I paid only minor attention to it. I was more focused on calming myself. I needed to keep a cool head, or else risk an already high chance of failure.

Sarabi’s angry outbursts drew my attention away, and I lost my focus.

“You murderer…” she hissed icily. “You filthy, blood spilling murderer!”

Unsure of what was happening, I crept from the shadows and chanced a glance around the corner.

Scar was encircling Sarabi, a malicious glee glinting in his eyes, while Zira and Nuka watched intently.

“Murderer eh? Oh Sarabi, I couldn’t have done it without your help! Johari, Zalika, Sanjo, and Sarafina are dead because you rebelled against me. They are dead because you killed Taalib. Kala is dead because you inspired her to escape and fight back!” His voice began to rise and it became angrier. “The many lionesses of this pride are dead because you gave them a renewed hope that ‘big bad Scar’ could be defeated. YOU INSPIRED REBELLION!”

Sarabi roared in response, and then whispered through gritted teeth, “I inspired hope. I encouraged the lionesses of this pride that you discouraged. I saved who you condemned! The lionesses of this pride died fighting for what they believed in! And what I continue to believe in!”

Scar stopped in front of her, and I drew back a little bit into the shadows. He couldn’t know of my presence.

In a snake-like tone, he hissed, “And what would that be?”

I could not see Sarabi’s face, but her voice reflected the smug smile that I was sure was stretched across her face. “That evil, no matter what form it’s in, can be defeated with a little hope and determination.”

Scar’s face became furious, and he rose on his hind paws, raised his front paws with his claws extended. He was about to attack Sarabi, to kill her. I could see it in his eyes. He had more than enough of her attitude towards him, his rule, his queen, and his kingdom. He was going to kill Sarabi.

Sarabi roared intensely and lowered herself in response. The hair on her back stood up, and she was growling as I had never heard her before.

Before I could act on my first impulse, a small, yet loud voice broke through the roars.

“NO!!!”

From the corner where he sat, Nuka swiftly darted between Scar and Sarabi, stopping both of them where they stood. Sarabi stopped growling and Scar fell to his paws again. Nuka gazed up at Scar.

“Please father, no more fighting!” he begged pleadingly, “It only makes things worse and Sarabi is gonna have a cub-”

“SILENCE FILTH!” roared Scar, and he raised his paw, claws unfurled, to strike Nuka.

“ENOUGH!” I screamed as I flung myself from around the corner. All attention diverted from Nuka to me as every head turned to see me appear out of nowhere. Without even looking where I was throwing, I felt my arm fling around in a circle and the knife left my hand. It flew in a direction, not at Scar, but at Zira. I saw in slow motion as Scar’s face turned from anger to terror as the knife soared towards his mate. It was heading straight for her face. Quickly, she turned her head to avoid it, but she was not quick enough for my strong arm. The knife pierced her right ear, and stuck into a crevice in the cavern wall.

Zira roared in pain as her ear began to drip blood onto the wall. The knife had fixed in her ear and was holding her against the wall. She struggled for a moment, roaring in anguish, and then pulled herself free. The knife still remained in the wall, a large piece of bloody flesh embedded in the knife.

Scar roared in absolute rage, and he charged at me. Without any thought for my safety, I ran into the cave, completely exposing myself to the ruthless and bloodthirsty tyrant.

With reserve energy that I had been holding onto, I turned and skidded swiftly to the left where Zira was. Scar’s open mouth missed my head by inches. He slid out of sight into the pathway that led out of the cave. I heard him slam into the wall with a crunch, and I smiled inside.

“Ayden!” cried Sarabi, and I whirled around in time to see Zira, the right side of her face coated with fresh blood, lunging at me to bite at me. I rolled to the right as she too, missed her mark and skidded into the wall. I wrenched my knife from the crevice, the chunk of Zira’s mangled ear still dangling from its blade. I slipped it off, and turned to see where my opponents were.

“Sarabi!” I called as I examined the room, “Do nothing! This is my task and mine alone.”

Grabbing Nuka by the scruff of his neck, Sarabi ran out of the cave with a worried glance at me. She passed Scar, who was stirring. I looked around and spotted Zira.

 She was unconscious from her impact with the wall. I heard a loud roar, and looked to see that Scar had gotten to his feet. He was roaring, not at me, but to the entrance of the cave. Then he turned towards me and sprinted, hatred etched into his face.

Instinctively, I flung my knife at him, and landed a blow in his lower chest. He staggered, and fell to the ground several feet to the left of me. Growling in pain, he stood up, claws unsheathed.

In that moment, I knew that I had failed. I was now without a weapon, and had nowhere to go. Scar was still alive, and he was readying himself to kill me.

I backed against the wall as Scar got to his feet and stalked to me, his body low to the ground. My knife still protruded from his chest, which was heaving heavily. A small trickle of blood was oozing slowly down from his black mane.

“For too long I allowed you to live because you were the most capable of hunters.” He breathed intensely. “Now I see the error of my ways.”

He smiled evilly, his blazing green eyes narrow slits. His face was inches from mine. I glanced down briefly, and saw he had extended his claws.

“I am going to enjoy this.” He raised his paw high over his head.

I closed my eyes, welcoming death. In that instant, I pictured all of the people I had let down; Sarabi, Nala, my parents, Mufasa, Simba… Now the Pride Lands last hope would be gone forever. Death stood in front of me, its arms outstretched, ready to grasp me.

But it never came.

Instead, I heard a loud grunt and something heavy collide with another large object. Then together, they fell to the ground with a thud. I opened my eyes, and saw that Sarabi had pinned Scar to the ground. She had come back to rescue me. Scar had hit his head against a rock, for his eyes were closed. He was unconscious.

“Sarabi…” I whispered, shaking slightly. “Thank you.”

“Ayden, do you know what’s happened?” she said urgently. “Scar has called the hyenas! He roared for them to come while you were dealing with Zira!”

            The elation that I felt for being alive disappeared instantly. An image of a group of hyenas overtaking Sekou came to my mind, and then the image of Sekou was replaced with that of myself.

            “Ayden, you have to go!”

            “But…” I looked down at Scar. He was right there, just waiting for me to pull the knife from his chest and finish the job. I longed to slit his throat and spill his blood here. It could end with that one simple act.

            “AYDEN! It is too late!” Sarabi cried, “It will make no difference now! Even if you kill him, you are dead if you remain here! The hyenas will not leave and they will not serve you as King. Leave now, before it is too late!”

            I hesitated for a moment. I did not want to leave Sarabi in this situation, but her face was stern and she would not budge in her decision. I rushed at her, flung my arms around her neck and put my face close to her ear.

            “I will return Sarabi. I’m going to find help.” I promised, “I will not abandon my pride. I WILL return.”

            She put her paw around me briefly, grasping tightly onto me. Then she released and cried, “Now go!”

            I reached down, wrenched the knife from Scar’s chest, and turned to the entrance of the cavern. In an instant, I was already out of the cave and sprinting down to ground level. Across the distance to the east, I heard the barks and growls of the hyenas. They were heading for Pride Rock. I had to get away from there before they could reach me.

            I sprinted to the southwest, not caring if I was exhausted. All that mattered was to get out of the Pride Lands.

            As I left my home far behind, one thought ran through my mind.

You failed.

            I could not escape the reality of this. Every time before now, my failure always had some silver lining in it. Something good could be made from it, but now there was nothing good to come. The Pride Lands would stay in their state of bleakness. Scar’s reign would live forever now. Kovu would be raised to be as cruel of a king as his adoptive father, if not more so. And I was to exile myself from these lands that I had once called home.

            I kept running, willing myself to keep up my pace. I couldn’t risk stopping, for then the hyenas could find me and do with me what they wished.

I am unsure of how long or far I ran, but all that I know is that when I finally collapsed from exhaustion, Pride Rock was not even visible on the horizon.

            When I fell, my legs felt as if they were on fire. Running for so long had driven them to the point that they were being stabbed by a thousand knives of pain over and over again.

            Breathing heavily, I grabbed onto the ground I lay in, trying to ignore my aches. It was cold and very grainy. I lifted my head as far as my exhausted body would allow, and I saw that I was lying in the middle of a barren desert. I was grasping onto a large handful of sand. The sun had set and the sky was now a deep purple. Stars sparkled in the heavens as if somebody had tossed an entire bottle of glitter into the sky.

            Beautiful as the scene was, my grief and suffering could not be overcome. Exhaustion and sorrow were slowly overtaking me, and I slowly slipped into a depression. There was nothing for me to live for now.

            NO! You must go on! You promised Sarabi! You cannot abandon them to a fate worse than death! YOU MUST GET UP!

            My head spinning, I slowly pushed myself onto my knees. They sank into the dirt as my weight shifted. Then, gradually and painfully, I got to my feet.

            Not knowing what my determination was being fueled by, I stepped forward. Step by step, I moved little by little through the desert. I ignored the intense flames of pain that forked my legs with each step.

            That night was the longest night that I had ever gone through in my entire life.

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When the morning came, I lay collapsed in the dirt again. I had pushed myself beyond the limit. I had absolutely no determination left. There was nothing fueling my urge to go on. My body was totally exhausted of all energy, and I was suffering such pain the likes of which I had never felt before.

            I lay there pitifully with my face in the dirt, letting the sun cast its burning rays onto my skin. Even my mind was going slower than it usually did. One thought echoed vaguely through my mind. I was not meant to live. I had failed in my mission to save the Pride Lands, and now I was to be punished for it. I would die slowly out here from heat exhaustion, starvation, and exhaustion.

            I had been so close to death many times before now, but this time felt different. I would not die nobly here. I would not die trying to save somebody or trying to do what was right. I had fled after failing, and now I was to die like a coward.

            A tear escaped my eye as I thought of this.

            Coward…

            I sobbed exhaustedly, feeling faint as my head spun around and around.

            I became aware that something was moving in front of me. The sand was shifting as something large moved across it towards me. I weakly lifted my head and opened my eyes. The sun shone brightly and blinded me temporarily. My mouth fell open at what I saw.

            An adult golden lion, with a flowing auburn mane and ruby eyes was padding towards me. The sun shone brightly around him, but I could recognize that lion anywhere. My mouth quivered for a moment at the sight. Exhaustion and confusion combined into one and I grew even fainter.

“Mufasa?” I whispered weakly. The lion stopped several feet in front of me and stared. Then my head fell forward into the dirt, and I knew no more.

Chapter 13 – The Restless Wanderer

When I came to my senses, it felt as if my head was spinning. My eyes remaining shut, I reached up and cupped my ears, willing my head to remain still. As I shifted, I felt something soft move underneath me. I opened my eyes.

A great amount of trees and green leaves were suspended high above me, and just visible through them was the sunset’s last rays barely illuminating the lavender sky. Slowly, I sat up and looked around. I was lying in the middle of a clearing in grand and lush jungle. I had been lying on a large mound of leaves, which had shifted when I moved around.

Question after question flooded my mind. How did I get here? Where did the mound of leaves come from? Why was there a small bundle of bananas next to me?

I tensed up at this last thought. My eyes lingered on the succulent feast beside me, and my stomach growled with intense hunger. For one lingering moment, I was unsure if what I was seeing was real. Then, savagely, I lunged at the bananas and began to wolf them down one after the other. One after another after another, I ate them all, fierce hunger and instinct driving my senses. Within minutes, a large pile of banana peels littered the ground around me.

For the first time in over two years, I felt fully fed. I could already feel some of my energy returning to my body. 

Recovering from my instinctive moment of primitiveness, I stood up and looked around at my surroundings. Through the canopy above me, nighttime was slowly falling as stars began to dot the skies above. Not a thing stirred or moved in the surrounding foliage. Somewhere in the distance I could hear the clear sounds of a waterfall. It brought about the realization of just how parched I was. I would need to get a drink soon.

This place was so beautiful and peaceful. To describe it in a word; paradise.

“Am I dead?” I said aloud to nobody.

“Far from it.” came a soft voice from behind me.

I gasped as I jolted at the unexpected voice. Quickly turning, I saw a tan lioness padding into the clearing.

“Nala?” I asked incredulously. My heart was pounding a hole in my chest, and I took several deep breaths to recover myself. “What on earth are YOU doing here?”

She smiled briefly. “I’ve been here for the last couple of hours. You should calm down. You’ll pass out again.”

“Again?” I asked 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.

“Three days!?” I asked disbelievingly.

She nodded solemnly. “You were found unconscious in the desert. You were brought 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 until 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 father’s face.

Mufasa finished, “You must take your place in the circle of life.”

A voice that I had never heard before yelled out, “How can I go back? I’m not who I used to be.”

Simba’s last statement was filled with pleading and guilt. This puzzled me, and I would definitely question him on it when I got the chance.

The clouds around him were swirling and he was gaining color. He began to look more and more like Mufasa until finally, it appeared as if he was merely standing in the clouds before us. Again, he spoke in a booming and powerful voice.

“Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true king.”

The clouds began to recede and Mufasa’s face began to lose color. It was shrinking back into the clouds.

“Remember…remember…remember…”

 Suddenly, Simba’s figure darted from his place and he was running as fast as he could to try and catch up with the clouds.

His voice rang out as he ran and there was true sadness in it. “No! Please! Don’t leave me! Father!”

Suddenly I felt my feet pounding against the ground as I too was running for both Simba and Mufasa. Seeing my father again was such a wonderful feeling, and yet seeing him go was like losing him again. That sinking feeling I had whenever tragedy struck was returning, and I did not want to see him go. I had to try and get to him before he left.

But it was too late. The clouds had completely disappeared into nothingness. I stopped running and looked up. I stared longingly into the now cloudless sky, wishing that Mufasa would appear again. I needed his guidance now more than ever. With his kingdom in such ruin and my failure to retake it, I wanted some sort of direction of where to go now.

Questions bounced back and forth in my mind as I wondered exactly what had happened. Why had Mufasa come to remind Simba to remember who he was?

Simba…

Realization of my current situation hit me, and I tore my gaze from the sky and looked at the one who I was seeking. Simba’s lone figure stood silently, staring up into the sky. I could not see his face, but I knew in my heart that he too was longingly wishing that Mufasa would return. I took a step forward to go to him.

Suddenly, a loud and unexpected voice rang out from just out of my vision, and I jolted. I would have recognized that voice anywhere.

“What was dat?!”

My eyes grew wide as Rafiki, the pride’s shaman, came into view and stood next to Simba. Simba looked at him and simply listened. I stared at Rafiki, who was making gestures with his walking stick. However, I could not hear what either of them was saying.

Absolute confusion was washing over me. Where on earth did Rafiki come from? Had he followed me and Nala? These and more questions rebounded in my head, and like an idiot, I simply stood there waiting for the answers to present themselves.

As if the situation was not baffling enough, Rafiki then did something that made my confusion climb to a new level. He whacked Simba over the head with his walking stick. A loud “Ow!” echoed out, as Simba recoiled in pain, rubbing the spot where Rafiki had hit him. I began to move closer, unsure of what to make of the situation. As I did, I could only just make out what they were saying.

“Geez!” he cried, “What was that for?”

Rafiki smiled, and that insane look that I knew all to well glued to his face. “It doesn’t matter! It’s in dee past!” He laughed maniacally.

Simba was still rubbing his head painfully. “Yeah, but it still hurts.”

I got close enough to where if I spoke a word, I would be heard, but I did not. I crouched down until I was hidden by the grass.

For a brief moment, I stared at it. I had not seen green grass for years, and seeing it now was almost a blessing.

My attention snapped back up as Rafiki said solemnly, “Oh yes, dee past can hurt. But the way I can see it, you can either run from it….or learn from it.”

His words were wise and true and I was reminded again why Mufasa trusted Rafiki so much. Now I knew that it did not matter how Rafiki had found Simba. In that instant, I understood what the situation consisted of.

Simba felt guilty for some reason or another and that guilt was strong enough that it prevented him from returning to his home. Rafiki had come to, literally, knock some sense into Simba. He had come to reveal to Simba that even though the past is painful, we must move forward and fulfill our duties in life.

I laid my questions to rest and stared at Rafiki. With speed that even I marveled at, Rafiki swung his stick at Simba again. But Simba had apparently taken the lesson to heart, for he ducked in time to avoid being hit a second time.

Rafiki let out a laugh and exclaimed, “You see? So now what are you going to do?”

Smugly, Simba said, “First, I’m going to take your stick.”

He quickly leaned over and wrenched the walking stick from Rafiki’s grip and tossed it in my direction. I shifted over to avoid being hit by it. It landed two feet to my left, and I looked up suddenly as Rafiki ran to it crying out. I saw his eyes dart towards me, and a small smile curled his lips.

He whirled around and cried, “Hey! Where are you going?”

I peeked my head over the grass, and I saw Simba off in the distance, running to the east…towards the desert.

“I’m going back!” he cried out.

A shock ran through my body, and I was instantly on my feet and sprinting after Simba. Behind me, I heard Rafiki whooping and cheering happily.

I sped up as Simba began to run at full speed, shooting forward into the distance. His figure began to shrink as he ran further and further away from me.

“Simba!” I cried in desperation. “SIMBA!!!”

To my complete joy, he slowed down and looked around. I stopped running to catch my breath. I leaned on my knees for a moment and breathed hard, praying that he had seen me. I looked up at him, and saw he had turned around and stopped. I smiled at him as I stood back up.

He took one hesitant step forward and stopped. I saw his mouth form my name in a silent whisper.

Then he broke into a full run straight at me, a smile breaking out over his face. The smile was wiped off of mine, however, as the full-grown lion was bounding at me at full speed. I stepped back a little bit as he neared closer and closer, and braced myself for the impact. He slowed down a little bit and collided into me. We tumbled and somersaulted for a moment until I landed on my back.

Breathing hard, I started to roll over, but was stopped abruptly as I was pinned to the ground. Simba had placed his paws on my chest and was nuzzling me and purring happily.

“AYDEN!” he exclaimed, “You’re alive! I’m so happy you’re here! I thought you might not make it!”

“Simba!” I yelled as a great pressure became apparent on my ribs, “I won’t be for long! You’re gonna crush me!”

“OH!” he said abruptly, and he quickly got off of me. The happiness that showed on his face radiated like a bright beacon in the darkness, and as I stood up, I could not help but smile back. Simba was alive, and he was with me now.

I stared at him for a moment, just to get a good look at my long-lost brother. Though it was only just over two years since he had disappeared, Simba had grown quickly. Already, his auburn mane covered his entire neck and extended into his upper chest. Several locks fell lazily into his face around his eyes. He was very muscular, though he was nowhere near as large as his father. And yet he resembled Mufasa greatly. All in all, he was a very handsome and healthy looking young lion.

Without another thought, I stepped forward and embraced Simba.

“I’ve missed you, my brother.” I whispered.

“And I, you.” He replied as he put his paw over my shoulder and embraced me as well.

Holding onto him in my arms, actually touching him, seemed to wash away any shadow of doubt in my mind. I knew this was no hallucination or mirage. Simba was here. All of the sorrow and pain that was bottled inside of me was subdued as I tightly gripped onto his mane.

After what seemed to be an eternity of joy, we finally broke apart and stared at each other.

“Where have you been?” I asked.

Simba stared at me for a moment. In his ruby eyes was a hint of shame.

“I’ve been living in the jungle over there for the last two-and-a-half years.” He replied. “I ran away after…” he trailed off.

“After the stampede?” I finished for him.

He nodded. “Did Scar tell you about it?”

“Yes.” I said. “Simba, how did you survive? I saw your paw prints go over that cliff. There can’t be any way that you survived that fall into that patch of thorns.”

He looked up at me. “You didn’t see the ledge halfway down?”

I furrowed my brow and shook my head.

“There was a slope…” he said slowly, thinking back to that day. “ I tumbled down it and onto another ledge. But I kept rolling and I fell into the thorns.”

He looked back up at me. “I guess the ledge slowed my fall. And I was so small back then; I could easily navigate my way out of the thorns into the desert.”

I looked at him for a moment, processing what he was telling me. Then I smiled and said, “I’m glad. You’re alive, and that’s all that matters.”

He smiled, and then said, “Well, this is certainly a different turn of events. If you don’t mind, I have a couple questions.”

It amazed me that this full grown lion, who resembled his father so much, was still the curious cub that I knew so long ago. And yet…

There was a powerful commanding in his voice that reflected his undeniable kingship. He had matured so much in such a short amount of time, as I had.

“Absolutely!” I replied happily.

“Nala told me of about what happened after I left. She didn’t tell me a lot though. All I know is that Scar and Zira allowed the hyenas into the lands, and now there is no food or water. Could you fill me in on what happened?”

I felt my heart drop a little bit. What he was asking of me was difficult for me to talk about. I had faced so many horrors and been wounded and scared both physically and mentally so many times.

“I’m gonna have to sit down for this.” I sighed. I sat in the grass, tucking my legs under each other. Simba lay down and stared at me intently.

For the next couple of hours, I recounted almost everything that had happened within the last two-and-a-half years. I told him of Scar allowing the hyenas in, of Sarabi’s and Zira’s scuffle that resulted in Talib’s death, and of the death of Sarafina. I told him of the horrors that occurred when Sekou arrived and of the punishment Scar had decided on for Kala.

Simba did not speak until I got to the birth of Kovu and Vitani and how I was knocked unconscious by Zira.

“So that’s where that gash on your face came from.” He said bitterly. I nodded, running a finger down the scar. An image of Scar came to my mind, and it angered me that he and I were now alike in some way.

Ignoring my thoughts, I continued the recounting of Scar’s reign. When I started telling of Kala’s death and my actions that followed, Simba’s mouth hung open. I felt absolute shame at my failure, and I did nothing to hide it.

I completely left out Sarabi’s pregnancy. Sarabi had been so unwilling to reveal it, and the only reason I knew about it was because I had gotten angry at her. If Simba was to find out about his mother’s pregnancy, it would be from her, not me.

When I finished telling him, he sighed. “It’s no wonder my father came to remind me of who I am.”

“Yeah, about that…” I said. “What was that about? ‘You have forgotten who you are, and so forgotten me’. What did he mean by that?”

Simba stared for a moment, and then said, “I’ve been living in this jungle for so long, away from all responsibility. I’ve lived a carefree life. ‘Hakuna Matata’. It means ‘no worries’. I learned it from Timon and Pumbaa. A meerkat and a warthog who found me when I was a cub.” He added when I frowned at their names.

“So…” I said slowly, “You didn’t return because you wanted to avoid all responsibility?”

He hung his head. “Partly.”

I stared at him for a moment. “Simba that CANNOT be the only reason you didn’t come back.”

“Listen,” he said, slightly raising his voice. “Nala tried to get me to tell her too. I would rather not talk about it. I have my reasons for not returning. When the time comes, you’ll know. For now, let’s just be glad that we’re here together.”

I sighed and nodded.

I looked up at Simba and said, “I may have failed to take the kingdom, but now we have you. You are the final hope for the Pride Lands, Simba.”

He smiled at me and said, “I know. I was returning when you called my name.”

I smiled back. I stood up and so did he.

“Do you want to come with me?” he asked.

I hesitated. Returning would mean that Scar would kill me. But we were going back to overthrow him. We were going to take our home back.

Smiling, I slowly sank to one knee and bowed to Simba. “I will fight by your side to the death, my king.”

Simba walked to me and pushed me back to my feet with his head.

“My brother,” he said, shaking his head. “As far as I’m concerned, you are just as much of a king as I am. You bow to no one. I will not let my father’s mistake become mine.”

I smiled at him as my pride swelled up inside of me like a balloon.

“Besides,” he added. “I’m not the king yet. We still have to take the throne.”

He turned so that we were standing side by side. Together, we faced the east. The stars above us shone brightly as they dotted the nighttime sky.

“Are you ready?” he asked, looking up at me.

I narrowed my eyes and smiled. “Let’s go.”

I climbed on his back, and he took off. Together, we rode swiftly into the desert.

As we rode on, a fear of impending failure began to build inside of me, but I stamped it out. Fear would not help the situation. We were going to do something that would benefit the Pride Lands for years to come. That was nothing to fear.

Together, we rode through the desert. Simba did not stop for any reason, and his pace never slowed. His determination was mine. We were going to retake back what was rightfully ours.

We were going home.

The journey back to the Pride Lands went by rather quickly. We did not stop for any reason. Though his breathing grew heavy after a few hours, Simba did not slow his pace at all. If anything, he actually picked up his speed. It amazed me that such a small cub had grown into this powerful young lion.

All day we traversed across the sweltering desert. All a while, the gray sky of the Pride Lands had swam into sight in the distance ahead of us. Part of me knew that Simba, determined and ready as he was, needed to see his devastated home with his own eyes before understanding the full magnitude of the situation. 

A few hours into the journey, I began to lose myself in my thoughts. A twinge of worry would occasionally become present in my consciousness. However, I was constantly reminding myself of why we were doing this. That reason, and that reason alone, was keeping my fear at bay. Yet, something even more worrisome became present and far more demanding in my mind.

What if Simba ended up like Sekou? Scar was certainly more than capable of repeating his previous acts, and he would certainly not willingly give up his kingship. I had finally got my brother back, and Scar was sure to attempt to kill him upon his return. And if Simba failed, then I would be alone and defenseless…

Sarabi would still be on your side…

As this thought entered my mind, another worry overtook my first one.

Had Sarabi given birth to her cub yet? If so, where was it now? Would she have been successful in hiding it, or would Scar have taken it already?

These and more questions troubled me for some time, and all worries of our impending task were temporarily pushed from my mind.

Simba, sensing my worry (though I knew he didn’t know about what) started talking to break the silence. It was soothing to have something to fill the silence. He told me of his life in the jungle. Apparently, the meerkat and warthog, Timon and Pumbaa, had found Simba only a day or two after the stampede, barely alive in this desert. They saved him and kept him with them. He grew up with a “worry free” lifestyle. He was raised by Timon and Pumbaa on a diet of bugs, though Simba admitted that as he got older, he occasionally ventured out of the jungle to do some hunting.

Only yesterday, Nala had come to the jungle looking for food and help. She and Simba rekindled their friendship, but soon afterwards had an argument. Nala wanted him to return to the Pride Lands and take his place as king, but Simba said that he could not. He still would not tell me the reasons why, and I did not want to push the issue. He told me about the vision he saw of our father, and I told him that was where I came in.

By the time Simba had finished his story, we had reached the border of the Pride Lands. He slowed to a stop and sat down to catch his breath. I slid off of his back and straightened myself up as I stared around.

Not much had changed, but then again I was only gone for just over three days. The ground was as dry as ever, and bones littered it occasionally. Dead weeds and grass occasionally poked through it. Above, gray clouds hovered and yet they did not yield the rain that was so clearly stored in them. Even with their cover, the lands were still sweltering hot.

I looked over at Simba who had regained his breath. He was on his feet again and was staring around. His eyes were filled with horror at what had become of our home and his mouth hung agape in a silent gasp. An overwhelming pity for him grew inside of my heart. He began to walk forward, slowly turning his head to take in the entire view. Silently, I walked by his side.

We reached a ledge that overlooked a grand portion of the Pride Lands and stopped at the edge of it. Below us was a ravine that used to be the river that flowed between my stream and the waterhole and beyond. Now, a dry and barren riverbed was the only remnants that water ever used to flow here. To the southwest loomed the dark shape that was Pride Rock.

I glanced at Simba, whose face was slowly turning back and forth staring at this wasteland he once called home. His mouth was still hanging open. Then his eyes rested on Pride Rock.

His brow contracted and an angry look became etched into his face. I looked away, a sort of satisfaction becoming present inside of me. Now he understood the full magnitude of the situation.

Now he was more than ready to take on Scar.

A voice rang out behind us that slightly startled me.

“Simba! Ayden! Wait up!”

I looked around, and saw Nala running towards us. Both Simba and I stared at her, surprised that she had shown up out of nowhere.

She stopped in between us and looked up at Simba.

“It’s awful isn’t it?” she said solemnly.

Simba looked back out to the shadow land.

“I didn’t want to believe you.” He sighed.

“What made you come back?” Nala asked, glancing over at me. I could see the question in her eyes. I shook my head, signifying that Simba’s return was not my doing.

Simba smiled and looked back at Nala. “I finally got some sense knocked into me, and I’ve got the bump to prove it.”

I smiled at this. He was still the same fun cub I knew, just older. Again, Simba’s face went stern.

“Besides, this is my kingdom…” he glanced at me briefly. “…Our kingdom.”

I grinned as Nala stared at me for a moment.

“What?” she asked, confused.

Simba smiled at her. “As far as I am concerned, Ayden is just as much of a king as I am. We are brothers, and we will share equal power and responsibility. My father and Scar hated each other the older they got, all because one carried more power than the other. I won’t make that same mistake. So Ayden will be king as well.”

Nala looked back at me, and smiled. “A very wise and responsible decision indeed. Your father would have been proud,” She said.

Simba looked back out to Pride Rock, a small smile curling his mouth. “Like I said, this is our kingdom. If we don’t fight for it, who will?”

Nala moved closer to Simba and said almost in a whisper, “I will.”

He looked back at Nala. Happily, yet warningly, he said to her, “It’s gonna be dangerous…”

Nala perked up her ears and smiled. “Danger? Ha! I laugh in the face of danger!” she said, mock-laughing. Clearly, I was missing something. I made a point to ask them what was up.

From behind us came a voice I did not recognize.

“I see nothing funny about this!”

I swung around, my hand diving into my pocket for my knife. I brought it out, unswitched, and looked around for our visitor. A reddish-brown warthog and a small meerkat were standing several feet away. The meerkat had his hands on his hips, a smug look on his face.

Simba looked down at them. “Timon! Pumbaa! What are you doing here?”

I put my knife away. Apparently, these were Simba’s friends he had spoken of. They were nothing to fear.

The warthog, called Pumbaa, moved forward and sank into a low bow. He spoke in a scratchy, yet deep voice. “At your service, my liege.”

Timon the meerkat stared up at me with a mixture of fear and curiosity.

“Ya know, you look a lot bigger when you’re not unconscious.”

I laughed and kneeled down to his level.

“I’ll be nicer to you than most of my kind would though.” I told him. “I’m no threat to you. I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Ayden, brother of Simba and soon-to-be second king of the Pride Lands.”

Timon’s eyes grew wide, as did Pumbaa’s, who was now staring at me.

“Another king?” Timon said incredulously. “Oy! I’ll never understand politics!”

I chuckled and stared at both of them. The warthog stared at me for a moment, and then quickly bowed to me as he had to Simba.

It felt really weird to have somebody I had only just met bow to me…In fact, it felt weird to be bowed to at all. I wanted to tell him to stop, but I figured I would have to get used to this kind of behavior. When he righted himself, the warthog spoke up. “I’m Pumbaa, and this here is Timon.”

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you both.” I said sincerely. I looked back at Simba and Nala who were both smiling.

A warm feeling overcame me, and I could not resist smiling. I was finally home with Simba, my brother, and Nala, who was like a sister. And we had two friends here with us. It was hard to remember the severity of our situation when such a happy moment was upon us.

Timon walked and stopped next to Simba, observing the devastation.

“Ugh…” he sighed, “We’re gonna fight your uncle? For this?” There was definite disapproval in his voice.

Simba sighed, “Yes Timon. This is our home.”

More to himself, Timon said, “Boy…talk about your fixer-upper.” Then he spoke up to Simba and me. “Well Simba, Ayden, if it’s important to you guys, we’re with you to the end.” He placed his hand on his stomach, outstretched the other behind him, and bowed to both of us.

Again, it felt very awkward to be bowed to, but I smiled at him in gratitude.

The five of us stood still for a moment, staring out at Pride Rock. The clouds overhead were slowly moving as a wind picked up and blew them to the northwest.

This was it. After over two years of suffering, torment, sorrow, and pain, it was coming down to this. We were where we needed to be, and our dangerous task was laid in front of us, waiting to be carried out.

Quickly and silently, we made our way to Pride Rock. Oddly enough, there were no hyenas wandering the landscape. Even as I began to wonder where they had disappeared to, the answer presented itself.

We reached a large base of rocks that were situated just to the north of Pride Rock. As we climbed them, the base around Pride Rock came into view. Every few feet, hyenas lazily lay resting. We ducked behind a broken log to avoid being seen. We all peeked over the log at the grotesque monsters.

“Hyenas…” groaned Timon, fear apparent on his face. “I hate hyenas. So what’s the plan for getting past those guys?”

Without missing a beat, Simba looked at Timon and whispered, “Live bait.”

Timon smiled. “Good idea.” Then his smile faded and he became stern as he realized what Simba was getting at. “Hey!”

Simba stared at Timon, the utmost seriousness on his face. “Come on Timon! You guys have to create a diversion!”

Timon rolled his eyes and loudly burst out, “What do you want me to do? Dress in drag and do the hula?”

I leapt forward and clasped his head in my hand to silence him. The nearby hyenas had glanced over at his outburst, and we all ducked down to avoid being seen.

“Quiet!” I hissed at him through gritted teeth. His eyes met mine, and I felt him relax in my grasp. I released his head. He caught his breath for a moment, and then stared up at me, his hands on his hips.

“Timon, you need to do whatever will get them out of our way!” I whispered urgently. “Simba told me that you’re smart! You can do this! The whole plan depends on it!”

A small smile tugged at Timon’s lips at the compliment. He sighed, “All right then. Oy…come on Pumbaa. I’ve got an idea.”

He turned around and headed back into the Pride Lands. Pumbaa, with one last glance at us, turned and followed his friend. I watched as they disappeared around the corner of a large rock.

Simba, Nala, and I watched the hyenas for a few moments. They were all lying around so lazily, making our once majestic home look atrocious. Anger boiled inside of me. I grasped the knife in my pocket, longing to kill each and every one of them. But I knew if I did, then I would end up like Sekou.

Something moved behind me, and I turned and saw a sight I would never forget. Timon had somehow fashioned a very authentic looking hula outfit, complete with grass skirt, leis, and a flower in his hair. Pumbaa was holding what appeared to be an apple in his mouth. Upon closer inspection, I saw it was actually a very round and rusty colored stone.

Simba chuckled a little bit. “I didn’t think you’d take that particular idea of yours seriously.”

Timon rolled his eyes. “Hey, the kid said to do whatever it takes. This should work. Just get ready to go for it when we do this.”

I sighed, fighting not to laugh. Together, Simba, Nala, and I moved behind the log to the end of it, ready to move when the hyenas were distracted. Timon and Pumbaa silently moved into the open. Pumbaa lay on his stomach, placed the stone in his mouth like an apple, and closed his eyes. Timon sighed, rolled his eyes, and then turned around, his back facing the hyenas.

For a moment, I thought that fear had got the better of them, for neither one moved. Then, at the sound of drums, Timon quickly spun around, yelling at the top of his lungs, “LUAU!”

Every one of the sleeping hyenas woke up, and the relaxing ones gave a start. Turning their heads in Timon and Pumbaa’s direction, they watched bewilderedly as Timon began to hula and sing a tropical tune. Slowly, the hyenas stood up and began to walk in Timon and Pumbaa’s direction, their tongues hanging out, drool dripping disgustingly from them.

Timon continued to sing, but his face became more and more fearful as the hyenas drew closer. Next to me, I noticed movement and I turned to see Simba and Nala were slowly creeping out into the open while the hyenas were distracted by Timon’s song. I moved forward and stayed next to Nala.

Staring at Timon the entire time, we kept sneaking forward. If I was not worried that the hyenas would spot us at any second, I would have paid more attention to Timon’s song. The situation would have been hilarious, if not for those bloodthirsty and vicious monsters.

Only five more steps…three more…one more…

We reached the safe point behind a large rock, and I signaled to Timon. He ended the song, and not a moment too soon. Both he and Pumbaa bolted out of sight before the hyenas could take one bite out of them. But like bullets, they too ran after Timon and Pumbaa, and soon disappeared out of sight.

I stared around. From here, we could easily make our way up to Pride Rock and find Scar. They hyenas that lay around the base of Pride Rock were too far away to notice us moving around.

“Nala,” Simba whispered, “You find my mother and rally the lionesses.”

Nala nodded at him and glanced at me. As if he read her mind, Simba also looked at me, and said, “Ayden and I will look for Scar.”

Inside, I was smiling when he said this. Simba truly wanted me to be a king alongside him. Why else would he want me to face Scar with him? If he really wanted the throne to himself, the law stated that he would have to take it by himself. But having me at his side when he was attempting to defeat Scar would make me just as eligible for the kingship.

Nala nodded again, and stalked off towards a small pack of tan in the distance. I recognized it as what remained of our majestic pride.

I got on Simba’s back and leaned close to his body so we would not stick out. Quickly, he slunk near the base of Pride Rock, careful to avoid being seen by any lurking hyenas.

“Scar would be up in the den.” I whispered in his ear. “He rarely ever leaves it.”

I saw his head nod slightly as he pressed onward. Slowly, Simba climbed a mound of rocks. When we reached the peak, we were only yards away from the pathway that lead up to the summit of Pride Rock and down to the den. As Simba took a step forward, a loud and harsh voice rang out from below us.

“SARABI!!!”

Scar’s unmistakable voice echoed across the Pride Lands. It surprised me how close he was. Simba stopped moving and slunk low to the ground. We peered over the edge of the mound we were on. Scar’s back was only about ten feet below us. Simba ducked down, for the relaxing hyenas grew attentive at Scar’s voice, and they looked up at him. I saw Simba unsheathe his claws and I slipped off of his back, taking out my knife. Simba got into position to pounce on top of Scar. Suddenly he grew tense and his eyes, wide, as another voice became present.

“Yes Scar?” it said, very monotone and unkind.

I glanced over the peek and saw Sarabi stand attentive and stern in front of Scar. Simba sheathed his claws again. He would not dare attack Scar when he was so close to his mother.

I looked up into his face, and I saw a mixture of joy and pity in those ruby eyes. It had been long over two years since he had looked upon his mother. A tear streaked down from one. I reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder, in an attempt to comfort him.

Scar’s harsh voice brought me back to attention.

“Where is your hunting party? They’re not doing their jobs!”

Still in her monotone and borderline disrespectful voice, Sarabi replied, “Scar, there is no food. The herds have moved on.”

“No,” said Scar stubbornly. “You’re just not looking hard enough!”

“It’s over. There is nothing left.” Sarabi said, annunciating each word to place emphasis on this obvious fact. She lost a bit of her composure as she continued. “We have only one choice. We must leave Pride Rock.”

“We’re not going anywhere!” Scar growled, shaking his head at Sarabi.

Raising her voice, Sarabi cried, “Then you have sentenced us to death!”

He moved close to her face and said in the same tone, “Then so be it.”

Exasperation in her voice, Sarabi whispered, “You can’t do that!”

Scar stuck his nose in the air and said in arrogance, “I am the king! I can do whatever I want.”

Absolutely mortified, Sarabi whispered, “If you were half the king Mufasa was, you…”

But she never had the chance to say what Scar was. He had flung around and struck her hard against the face, screaming “I am TEN TIMES the king Mufasa was!”

Sarabi fell to her side at the blow, and slid across the ground. At the same time that I shot up, Simba stood up next to and growled ferociously, staring down at Scar.

Scar looked up at us and his face suddenly drained of color. His eyes became fearful, and he backed away against the wall next to the den.

“Mufasa…Ayden…no, you’re both dead!” he whispered.

Far from it…I thought. I assumed this meant that the hyenas had lied to Scar about my escape, and simply told him that I had been killed.  Either that or he thought I had died of thirst in the desert.

Simba rushed down to his mother and stopped in front of her. I strode down the slope and stood next to him. He nudged at Sarabi, who lay with her eyes closed. For a moment, I feared the worst.

Then she stirred and opened her eyes. Dazed, she stared up at Simba.

“Mufasa?” she whispered.

For a moment, I flashed back to when Simba had found me. I too had thought he was Mufasa. They looked so similar in their pelt and mane color.

Simba shook his head slowly. “No, it’s me.”

“Simba?” A small smile came to Sarabi’s face at the recognition of the cub she had given birth to. Then her eyes moved over and met mine. “Ayden? You’re both alive? How can that be?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Simba whispered. He moved lower to her and nuzzled her lovingly. “We’re home.”

I smiled down at Sarabi, and then looked over at Scar. The fear on his face was slowly being replaced with realization.

“Simba?” he said confusedly. “Simba! And Ayden too! What a surprise to see you both…alive?”

The last word was directed up at the three hyenas; Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed, who stood on a ledge above Scar. Simultaneously, they gulped and backed out of sight.

And suddenly, the mystery finally began to make some sense. The scene began to play like a movie in my head.

The day that the stampede occurred, when Simba had run away, Scar had sent the hyenas after Simba. The chase lasted until they reached the cliff that led down into the thicket of thorns. Simba had fallen down and miraculously had sustained no injuries. Then the hyenas, not willing to risk injury to themselves or death, had left Simba to die. They returned to Scar, and lied to him, telling him that Simba had been killed.

Now only one part of the mystery remained; why had Simba run away?

Simba’s growl brought me out of my own mind and back to our current situation.

“Give us one good reason why we shouldn’t rip you apart.” He said to Scar, approaching him slowly. I took out my knife and walked next to Simba, stalking Scar.

He had stepped forward when he realized who we were, but again, Scar was backing up as we approached him.

“Now Simba….Ayden…” He said almost pleadingly. “You must understand. The pressures of ruling a kingdom-”

“-Are no longer yours.” I finished Scar’s sentence before he could.

“Step down, Scar.” Simba commanded.

“Oh! Well….uh…yes…I, uh, would, actually.” Scar twittered, “However there is one problem. You see them?”

He gestured upward, and Simba’s and my gazes were drawn up to the ledges that lined the summit of Pride Rock. Several groups of hyenas were situated upon them, staring evilly down at us.

“They think I’m king.” Scar said, gesturing to himself.

“Well we don’t.” A voice came from behind us. Scar inclined his head to look over us, and Simba and I flung around to see Nala and the entire pride appearing over the side of the incline. Ayana was helping Sarabi get to her feet. I noticed that Yetunde was not present, and I felt my heart fall a little bit, for I had liked Yetunde very much.

“Simba and Ayden are the rightful kings.” Nala finished.

Simba turned back to Scar and said sternly, “The choice is yours, Scar. Either step down or fight.”

Just so Scar would get the picture, I raised my knife. He now knew that he would be facing both Simba and myself.

Every moment that I had ever been close to killing Scar or facing him, I was always afraid. And I was always alone. But not this time. This time, I had Simba with me. With him at my side, I did not know fear. Scar would not remain the king. Whether or not we needed to force him from the throne, Scar would not remain king.

“Oh, must this all end in violence?” said Scar silkily, sliding across the wall and past Simba. I raised my knife slightly higher, poised to fling it at any moment.

“I would hate to be responsible for the death of a family member, wouldn’t you agree Simba?” Scar asked, his voice growing sly.

“That’s not going to work Scar.” Simba said quickly. “I’ve put it behind me.”

“Oh yes, but what about your faithful subjects?” Scar responded quickly, “Have they put it behind them?”

I stared over at Simba and opened my mouth to ask him, but Nala beat me to it.

“Simba, what is he talking about?”

Every lioness was staring at Simba, curiosity etched into their faces. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zira appear at the mouth of the den. She stared for a moment at Simba, bewilderment crossing her face. Then she stared back at Scar who began to speak again.

“Ah, so you haven’t told them your little secret.” He said, almost gleefully. “Well Simba, now is your chance to tell them. Tell them who is responsible for Mufasa’s death.”

A knot became apparent in my stomach as I stared at Simba. Scar could not possibly mean what I thought he meant. Surely it was just another one of Scar’s lies.

Simba’s eyes met mine. I saw nothing but guilt and sorrow in those ruby orbs.

My heart plummeted to a depth that it had never gone before. It could not be true! It just couldn’t!

Don’t jump to conclusions! He has yet to say a name!

Little comfort came from this thought, but I placed every ounce of hope in it. I prayed that Simba would say anything, any name, but the one that I expected.

Simba straightened himself, looked at his pride, took a step forward, and said boldly, only two words.

“I am.”

Chapter 15 – The Battle for Pride Rock

            Pure and blank shock coursed through my body as if I had just been struck by a bolt of lightning. I stared at Simba, mentally pleading that he had not said what he had. When this gave no comfort, I looked around at the lionesses to see if any chance that I had heard wrong could be seen in their faces. Every one of the lionesses who stared at Simba bore a look of both fear and shock.

            Sarabi and Nala both gaped at Simba, both with looks as if they had been hit over the head and were dazed. Sarabi stepped forward to her son.

“It’s not true!” She begged him, “Tell me it’s not true.”

Simba stared into her tearing eyes for a moment, and he closed his and lowered his head.

“It’s true.” He whispered.

It was as if the ground had fallen out beneath me, and I was falling into an endless abyss. All this time, Simba, my brother, the son of Mufasa, had been the cause of his death.

A loud clap of thunder roared and a lightning flashed in the sky as Scar’s harsh voice rang out. “You see? He admits it! Murderer!”

Simba jerked back up at Scar’s declaration. He began to circle both Simba and I, a look of hatred on his face.

“No!” Simba cried out, “It was an accident!”

Scar scoffed, “If it weren’t for you Mufasa would still be alive! It’s your fault he’s dead! Do you deny it?”

“No,” Simba said quietly.

“Then you’re guilty!” Scar growled.

Simba’s voice grew desperate as he spoke again. “No! I’m not a murderer!”

Scar stopped in front of Simba and stared over at me.

“I’ll deal with you later, you traitorous filth!” he shouted, and he swiped at me, claws out.

Three of his claws slashed at my shirt and sliced into my chest. The force of his swipe sent me flying to the left and into the wall. My back slammed into the wall, and I fell to the ground in a slump. I yelled out as the combined pain of my chest and my back came in full force.

“Ayden!” Simba cried out. Blinking back tears of pain, I opened my eyes and saw Scar, followed by a large group of hyenas, stalking Simba. He was backing up along Pride Rock as Scar and his cronies came closer and closer. They were forcing Simba to the edge where he would fall to his death.

“Oh Simba,” Scar said solemnly, “You’re in trouble again. But this time, Daddy isn’t here to save you. And now everyone knows why!”

On Scar’s last word, Simba’s back foot slipped over the edge of the rock, and he fell out of sight. Simultaneously, a bolt of lightning struck the ground just below Pride Rock.

An oh-so familiar reddish-orange light began to emanate from the area. The image of an exploding jeep sprang to my mind.

“Simba!” Nala screamed.

Shaking my head to rid myself of the memories, I painfully sat up. Groaning, I grabbed onto the wall and pulled myself into a standing position. I looked out to the spot where Simba had fallen, despair growing in me. Scar sat on the edge, staring down. His mouth was moving. Confused, I followed his gaze, and a flash of hope shot through my despair. Simba was clinging onto the edge with his claws, still alive.

But the hope was gone in an instant. Scar flung himself downward and latched onto Simba’s paws with his own claws. He was going to force Simba to let go.

Courage and anger swelled inside of me like a balloon and, ignoring my pain, I let go of the wall and began to walk forward, pulling out my knife. Raising my arm, I found a spot on the back of Scar’s neck.

“No!”

Nala ran forward and blocked my path. “If you kill Scar, he’ll let go of Simba!”

Grinding my teeth furiously, I lowered the knife. Utterly powerless, we watched as Scar leaned down to Simba’s ear. Apparently, he was whispering something to him.

What occurred next happened in only a couple of seconds.

Simba’s face changed from fear to confusion as Scar whispered. Then absolute rage filled every inch of his face. He struggled for a second, and then incredibly, he flung himself back up and forward, landing on top of Scar, pinning him to the ground.

“MURDERER!” he screamed, teeth bared at his uncle.

Every one of the lionesses’ mouths fell open, including Zira’s, who was still standing in the entryway of the den.

“No, Simba! Please!” Scar begged as Simba growled.

“Tell them the truth!” Simba commanded, a slight roar escaping him.

“Truth? But truth is in the eye of the beholder….”

But Scar could not finish the sentence. Simba had placed a paw on Scar’s throat and was pressing down hard. Scar began to make choking sounds, and through them, two words were audible.

“All right!”

Simba lightened the pressure, but still kept his paw on Scar’s throat. The pack of hyenas that stood between the pride and the two lions began to growl.

Scar’s mouth moved but he talked so quietly that nobody but Simba could hear. The only sound was the crackling of the flames that were quickly spreading around Pride Rock.

“So they can hear you.” Simba growled threateningly.

Scar’s face fell for a moment, and then it grew stern. At the top of his lungs, Scar screamed, “I KILLED MUFASA!”

At these words, the hyenas burst forward from their pack and engulfed both Simba and Scar. Simba was knocked back as the wave of hyenas overcame him, and Scar rolled out from underneath the fray. For a moment, I saw, not Simba underneath the hyenas, but Sekou.

Without thinking, I was running forward, not at Scar, but to the mountain of hyenas. Pulling out my knife, I reached them and began slashing at any and every bit of skin, fur, and muscle I could reach. Then, from behind me, the entire pride came forward as one, clawing and biting every hyena off of Simba. Within seconds, Simba was unearthed from the mound, with only a few minor cuts. I rushed forward and helped him get to his feet. The second he was, he began to swipe and bite viciously at every hyena.

A sharp pain suddenly pressured my left shoulder as a hyena launched at me and bit down. I fell to my knees screaming as the hyena bit into my skin even harder. I gripped my knife in my right hand and swung upward towards the hyena’s face. The blade embedded itself in one of his eyes, and the pressure on my shoulder was released instantly. I turned to see him backing up, whining and rubbing his face with a paw. Blindly, he kept moving about through the fray, until he reached the edge of Pride Rock. His back foot slipped, just as Simba’s had, but the hyena was not so lucky. He slipped off and fell down into the fires below.

I turned my head at the sound of a battle cry. I raised my knife to toss it at the source, but soon saw that it was not a hyena, but Timon and Pumbaa. Pumbaa was charging through the hyenas, sending a good amount of them flying off of Pride Rock and over the edge into the flames. I smiled, feeling relieved that they had survived their encounter with the hyenas previously.

I crouched and rolled to the left as two hyenas came running at me from the front. They missed me by inches and tripped when they realized they had missed their mark. I landed and turned to the hyenas. Without aiming, I flung my knife at the one to the right.

THUNK.

The knife landed in the hyena’s stomach. Before either of them had time to react, I was already sprinting forward to them. I leaped and landed on the back of the hyena I had thrown my knife at and I wrenched it from his stomach. He let out a growl of pain as I did so. The other hyena looked up at me and launched forward to bite. His teeth broke into my right side and I screamed as he dug into my flesh. I sliced forward with the knife and hacked the hyena’s face. A large gash appeared from the top of his head to his muzzle. He released my side and backed up quickly. While he recoiled and whined, I turned the knife on the struggling hyena below me. As fast as my hands could go, I flung my arm below his neck and brought the knife cleanly across his throat. The hyena gasped and spluttered as the blood spilled from his neck. My deed being done, I turned, again, to the hyena whom I had hit in the face. He was attempting to run at me, but he stumbled and fell again.

I hesitated, a feeling of pity in me for the creature that was so clearly in pain. But the feeling was gone instantly as the hyena leapt up again and charged at me. I dodged him and turned to watch as his tripped over his feet again and tumbled over the side of Pride Rock.

By now, all of Pride Rock was glowing with a luminescent and haunting orange light. The flames were quickly spreading across the dried out land. As the battle continued, thunder would crash overhead and occasionally, lightning would flash across the sky.

I suddenly felt a moment of fatigue, and I realized that I needed a moment to recover. Glancing around, I saw the entrance to the den. I slid in, knowing I had only seconds to see what the damage was.

I slumped against the wall and removed my shirt to examine my wounds. My shoulder seeped blood, but the damage was not bad. The three marks on my chest where Scar had slashed at me were not severe. My side, however, was an entirely different story. The hyena had taken out a good chunk of skin and blood ran freely from the open wound.

I ripped my shirt into two pieces. One was one long strip and the other was a smaller piece. I painfully pressed the smaller piece over the wound, and tied the long piece around my stomach, creating a makeshift bandage. All the while, my side screamed in anguish.

When I finished, I leaned against the wall again. Blinking back tears and gasping for breath, I closed my eyes to regain my composure. Thoughts seeped into my consciousness, and I lost myself to them.

Scar’s words rang in my head.

I killed Mufasa.

So…Simba was not the cause of Mufasa’s death. I remembered back to the day that Scar had taken Simba for the ‘surprise’ that Mufasa had for him. It all made sense now. Simba had been placed in a situation where he would be in mortal danger. Scar had caused the stampede. He would go and get Mufasa to come and save Simba. Both Simba and Mufasa were intended to die in the stampede. Mufasa did, indeed, die. But Simba had survived. So Scar had set the hyenas on Simba to finish the job, but yet again, Scar’s plans did not succeed.

“Ayden?”

The sudden voice startled me, and I jumped slightly.

I looked down and saw Nuka staring up at me.

“Ayden, what’s going on?” He asked, staring curiously. “Mother said you were dead! What’s that noise outside?”

“Nuka!” I hissed quietly, “You need to get to Kovu and Vitani and hide! It’s not safe for any of you to be in the open right now!”

“They’re with mother.” Nuka said quietly. “I just woke up and she was gone. I’m pretty sure she took Kovu and Vitani with her.”

I gritted my teeth as a sudden hate for Zira rose in me. She had taken two cubs that were not even her own, and she so willingly abandoned her true son.

A sudden screaming came from the entrance of the cave. I scooped up Nuka in my arms and held my hand over his mouth. He struggled for a moment until I shushed him. We looked at the entrance of the cave as Timon came sprinting in, followed closely by Shenzi and Banzai. They turned the corner, not even seeing Nuka or I. From around the corner came another voice; one with a British accent.

“Let me out! Let me out!” Zazu screamed.

“Let me in! Let me in!” Timon screamed back.

I started to edged forward as quietly as possible to try and look around the corner.

 “Please don’t eat me,” Timon begged piteously.

As I moved away from the wall to peek around the corner, Pumbaa came rushing in. He missed hitting Nuka and me by inches. He turned the corner, but stopped. I saw the tuft of his tail swinging back and forth right where the corner turned.

“Drop ‘em!” He called out.

Banzai’s confused voice came next. “Hey! Who’s the pig?”

I moved close enough, still clutching Nuka in my arms, so we could see around the corner. Timon and Zazu were standing in a cage of ribs against the opposite wall. Banzai and Shenzi were standing near it, but were both staring at Pumbaa.

“Are you talking to me?” Pumbaa whispered viciously.

“Uh-oh, they called him a pig.” Timon whispered fearfully to Shenzi.

“Are you talking to me?” Pumbaa said, raising his voice.

“Shouldn’t have done that…” Timon said warningly.

“Are you talking to ME?” shouted Pumbaa.

“Now they’re in for it!” Said Timon, rolling his eyes.

“They call me ‘Mr. Pig’!” Pumbaa screamed. Then with a battle cry, he charged forward to the hyenas. He met them with a loud CRASH and the two hyenas went flying through the air. I backed against the wall again as Shenzi and Banzai came running around the corner, followed closely by Timon, Pumbaa, and Zazu. I looked around and saw Timon and Pumbaa chasing off after the hyenas.

“Nuka,” I said, setting him down. “Go and hide in the den around the corner. It’s not safe for you here. I’ll come back for you when it is safe.”

He nodded and rubbed against my leg. Then he turned and ran around the corner, and out of sight.

I headed for the entrance of the den and burst out into the orange glow. The battle was still continuing, but the pride was gaining the upper hand. Hyenas were breaking off of the original group and sprinting down the slope and away from Pride Rock. We were winning!

I looked around for Simba. I needed to find him so we could go after Scar. Suddenly a hyena broke off of the group and sprinted at me. I raised my knife, ready to take him on. Then a golden paw came crashing down on the hyena’s head. I looked over and saw Simba, teeth bared, staring down at the dead hyena. He looked over me for a second.

“Ayden,” he panted, “are you alright? You look hurt pretty bad.”

“I could say the same about you.” I said, looking at his many cuts and bruises. One in particular on his right flank was seeping blood.

“I’m not worried about my injuries right now.” I told him. “We have to find Scar.”

Simba nodded and glanced around. I looked up at the ledges that lined the summit of Pride Rock. There was a strange object moving slowly there. The light of the flames was not bright enough to light the small crevice. I pointed upward, and Simba looked too. A bolt of lightning flashed, and the object was revealed to be Scar slinking up to the top of Pride Rock.

“Get on my back!” Simba growled.

Without a word, I jumped on. Simba roared intensely and together, we sprinted up around the path that would lead us to the top. We caught sight of Scar as he ran up the path. We followed him until we came close to the top. Scar jumped a small ledge, only seconds before a large wall of flame shot up from the crevice. Simba stopped in front of it hesitantly.  He backed up a few feet, and then sprinted and leapt through the flames. He landed on the plateau where Scar stood. There was nowhere for him to go but over the ledge that led down to the ground. Scar was trapped.

I slid off of Simba’s back and gripped my knife tightly at my side. Together, we stalked forward to Scar whose face was becoming very fearful.

“Murderer…” Simba whispered.

I gritted my teeth and growled, “For too long you have ravaged these lands. For too long you’ve tormented and tried to destroy every single creature who lived here. It ends now.”

Scar sunk low to the ground, plea in his voice as he spoke. “Simba, Ayden please! Please have mercy, I beg you!”

“You don’t deserve to live.” Simba said, moving closer and closer.

“But Simba…I…am…family!” Scar said, breathing deep between each word.

“As was Mufasa.” I said viciously. Scar’s face fell even more at my words.

“It’s the hyenas who are the real enemy!” Scar said suddenly, as if he had just remembered something. “It was their fault! It was their idea!”

I glanced back and saw Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed standing just behind the wall of flames we had jumped through. At Scar’s words, they growled and backed away.

“Why should we believe you?” Simba said stopping inches away from Scar’s face. “Everything you ever told me was a lie.”

“Everything you ever said to me was hateful or spiteful.” I added.

Scar’s eyes reflected true fear, and it gave me great satisfaction to see how far the mighty had fallen.

“What are you going to do?” he whispered. “You wouldn’t kill your own uncle…”

These last words were pleading, but yet he said them as if he was convinced that Simba or I would not kill. Part of me longed to tell him that we were going to kill him…

But something inside of me said that killing him would not be the right thing to do.

Damn the right thing to do! Think of all he’s done these last few years! He deserves to die!

Ayden…

My mother’s voice was speaking to me. In that one word, my mother was telling me the right thing to do. Great comfort and warmth came from her voice. A wave of emotion swept over me, but I shook it off. Now was not the time to get emotional.

“No.” I whispered aloud.

“No Scar.” Said Simba in agreement. “We are not like you.”

Scar sighed in relief. “Oh thank you boys, thank you! You are both truly noble! I’ll make it up to you, I promise!”

Neither Simba nor I were convinced by this.

“And how can I prove myself to you?” Scar asked, getting to his feet. “Tell me, anything.”

Simba hesitated for a moment, searching for the right words. Then, after a moment of thought, he said in a silent growl, “Run. Run away Scar, and never return.”

Scar’s face grew fearful again. I was unsure of why these words had such a profound impact on Scar, but clearly they were something that he was not expecting.

“Yes…” he said slowly. He sunk down to the ground again and moved forward around Simba and I. “Of course.”

He was behind us now, and both Simba and I turned to watch him go.

“As you wish…”

He stopped in front of a pile of embers. He placed his paw next to the pile.

“YOUR MAJESTIES!”

He swiped his paw through the embers and sent them flying in Simba’s and my direction. The hot embers hit my bare chest and burned into my skin. Beside me, Simba yelled in pain as they flew into his face. He turned to rub them out of his eyes.

Suddenly, Scar launched himself forward and pinned Simba to the ground. Recovering from his low and dirty attack, I turned to the two fighting lions. The fight was intense, like no fight between two lions that I had ever witnessed. They were up on their back paws biting and clawing at each other’s necks and bodies. Then they were down again, pinning one or the other, still biting at their necks. And again, they were up on their back paws. I rushed forward to Scar, whose back was to me, raising my knife. I leapt up and flung one arm out. I wrapped it around Scar’s neck and clung onto him. My right arm flew down and plunged the knife into Scar’s right shoulder. Scar fell to his paws and twisted wildly, trying to get me off any way he could. Simba backed off, not daring to attack, for fear of hurting me in the process.

“YOU FILTH!” Scar screamed. “GET OFF OF ME!”

One…two…three times I removed the knife and plunged it back into Scar’s body. Each plunge was followed by a roar of pain from Scar, and a feeling satisfaction in me. For years I had waited to cause Scar as much pain as he caused everybody else. Again and again, I plunged the knife deeper and deeper into Scar’s flesh. He flailed and roared in agony, but to no avail. He could not reach me with his teeth or claws. His back was coated in red.

In desperation, Scar jumped on his hind legs and fell backward. As I raised the knife for another blow, Scar’s large body fell on top of me. Every part of my body hit the ground with a loud THUD, except for my head. A sudden and very sharp pain became apparent in my right shoulder.

Scar rolled off of me and I yelled in agony. Blinking back tears, I slowly raised my head. I looked down at my chest and saw that half of the blade of my knife was sticking out of my right shoulder, just below my collarbone. I could not even move my right arm without causing pain to my shoulder.

Scar reared up above me to deliver a killing blow, but he was knocked aside as Simba lunged at him. I turned my head to see them, and suddenly realized why it had not hit the ground when Scar had fallen backward. My head was dangling over the edge of the plateau. I rolled over so that I was away from the edge.

I tried to stand, but the pain in my shoulder was causing me so much misery that I could not focus enough to do so. I sat up and grabbed the hilt of the knife. I waited a moment, preparing for the pain I knew I would feel when I pulled it out.

Staring up at the two fighting lions so I wouldn’t have to see myself do it, I wrenched the knife from my shoulder. It was a very strange feeling, as much as it was painful. Panting and blinking out tears, I looked up as Scar swiped at Simba’s face and knocked him to the ground. Simba lay on his back, dazed and confused for a moment. Scar backed up a good distance, sunk low to the ground, and then sprinted at Simba. He leapt into the air, claws unsheathed and mouth wide open, teeth exposed.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Scar was flying in midair towards Simba who was slowly realizing what was happening. Quickly, I switched my knife to my left hand, for using my right would cause absolute agony. Shakily, I raised it, aiming for Scar. This was my very last chance.

The knife flew from my hand and I smiled, for I knew it would fly true.

I watched in slow motion as the knife twirled in midair as it shot straight for Scar. It struck his side where his stomach was and stayed there. Scar recoiled in midair, throwing him off balance. Simba reached up with his hind feet and pushed against Scar.

Simba’s push did the trick. It sent Scar flying back up, over Simba. Scar flew for a moment, and then he disappeared over the edge.

Without using my right arm, I crawled over to Simba, who had gotten up and was staring over the ledge down at Scar. I clutched onto Simba’s mane with my left hand and stood up. Looking down, I saw that Scar had miraculously survived the fall. He was standing in a clearing where the fire had not been able to reach.

Then out of the flames came three dark shapes. Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed, Scar’s faithful servants, were staring down at Scar with the utmost hate in their eyes. Scar spoke.

“Oh, my friends!”

Shenzi looked over at the other two hyenas. “Friends?” she chuckled. “I thought he said we were the enemy!”

Banzai nodded in agreement. “Yeah! That’s what I heard.”

Together, they looked over at Ed and said simultaneously, “Ed?”

Ed stood silent for a moment. Then a creepy smile broke over his face, and he started laughing that maniacal laugh of his. The hyenas began to approach Scar, licking their lips as they did. Then, out of the flames, what remained of the hyenas began to appear. All of them were heading to Scar, and they too were laughing and licking their lips.

“No!” Scar pleaded with his once-faithful servants. “L-l-let me explain! No, you don’t understand!”

The hyenas were closing in on him. There was nowhere for Scar to run to. Overhead, the thunder roared out across the evening sky.

“No! I didn’t mean…no! NO!”

Simba looked away. My eyes were glued to the one who had caused me so much pain and suffering. I wanted to see this.

The hyenas pounced on Scar, who was now screaming as he was eaten alive. They tore at his skin and ripped it away with savagery I had yet seen.

Slowly, I backed away. He was gone. That was enough for me to see.

What now?

The answer to this thought became present in my mind.

It was over.

All of the pain, all of the suffering, the torment, the death, the destruction, the tyranny…it was ALL over.

Something small and cold fell on my face. I looked upward as another one fell. Then another, and another.

After two and a half long years, the sky was finally releasing the rain that it was harboring. My breathing became staggered and tears came to my eyes. I fell to my knees and held out my left arm, letting the rain fall soothingly on me.

It was as if each droplet of water was washing away all of the pain and suffering of the past years. It was cleaning the slate for me. It was a chance at my old life before the tyranny began; the life that was so far gone, and yet was now so close in front of me.

The fires around Pride Rock were being doused by the downpour. The orange light was being extinguished and steam and smoke rose from the places that had been burned.

Simba padded over to me, dripping wet, and he nudged me in the back. I looked up at him, lost for words.

What does one say when over two years of suffering and pain ended? What does one say to the one that helped end it all?

There were only two words that came to mind, and to me, they were not nearly enough to express my feeling towards Simba.

“Thank you.”

Simba smiled. “No.  Thank you, Ayden.”

He helped me get to my feet, and then he swiftly slid between my legs so that I was, once again, seated on his back. With my right hand, I grasped Simba’s mane, and with my left, I grasped my right shoulder. Together, we silently traveled down the summit of Pride Rock.

“Oh, Simba! Wait a second!” I said, suddenly remembering.

Simba stopped, and I got off his back and wandered into the den. I rounded the corner and stared around through the dark.

“Nuka?” I called out.

From a small crevice at the back of the cave, the small and thin cub came wandering out, staring up at me. I smiled at him.

“It’s safe for you to come out now. The fighting is over.”

He looked up at me and smiled a little. I scooped him up in my left arm and carried him out. Simba waited at the entrance of the cave, staring curiously at the cub in my arms.

“Simba, this is Nuka.” I said. “Nuka, did your parents or Sarabi ever tell you of Simba?”

Nuka nodded, staring up at Simba bewilderedly. “I was told that you both were dead!”

“Ayden…” said Simba hesitantly. “Whose cub is this?”

I stopped for a second. “Simba, he is much better than his parents. He has a kind heart.”

“Ayden, whose cub is this?” Simba repeated.

I sighed. “This is the son of Scar and Zira. But they have shunned him for obvious reasons. They do not consider him to be worthy of the title of their son.”

Simba grimaced momentarily, but he smiled down at Nuka when I told him this.

“It is nice to meet you Nuka.”

Nuka nodded. I put him down on the ground, and he ran down the slope. Simba and I watched him until he disappeared, then Simba looked over at me.

“I promise you Simba,” I said assuredly, “He is no threat. Scar and Zira hate him, and he has bore that burden well. He has a very kind heart.”

Simba nodded somewhat reassured. I got back on his back and we continued back down the slope.

At the base sat what remained of our pride. Nala and Sarabi were standing at the front, waiting for Simba and I. As we walked down to them, Zazu landed on a rock next to us and bowed low.

“Your Majesties.” He said respectfully.

Somehow, it didn’t feel so weird to be bowed to now. I realized that the reason I felt so weird about it before was because I had not earned the kingship yet. Now that I had done so, the feeling was not so strong.

The pride walked over and surrounded both Simba and I. I slid off of his back, feeling much stronger than I had before. I stared around at the pride, all of whom were smiling at both Simba and I.

All except for one.

Zira stood in the back without approaching us. Kovu and Vitani were sitting underneath her being sheltered from the rain. Nuka stood a distance away from her, but still near enough. He smiled up at me. I returned it.

All thoughts of Zira were pushed from my mind as Sarabi and Nala came up to Simba and I. I hugged Nala and whispered “Thank you.”

She smiled at me and turned to Simba. They nuzzled each other lovingly and I smiled. I remembered back when Simba was a cub. I remembered his confused little face when I had asked him if he and Nala were best friends. I told him that he would understand someday. I could see clearly now that today was that day.

Sarabi walked up to me. I stared into her eyes for a moment, and saw my mother again. I sighed deeply and threw my arms around her.

“I’m so proud of you my son.” She said happily.

“Thank you, mom.” I said, tears falling down my face. “I couldn’t have held through without you.”

The embrace seemed to last for an eternity. Again, I saw the chance for my new life laid before me. It was ready for me. But there was one last thing for me to do; For both Simba and I.

A rattling sound became apparent, and Simba and I both looked up the slope. Rafiki stood there shaking his stick. The gourds on the end of the stick were making the rattling sound. His stick was pointing to the edge of Pride Rock.

Together, Simba and I walked up to Rafiki. We stopped in front of him, and he stared at us for a moment. Then he arched his back and bowed to us. Simba reached over with his paw and pulled Rafiki into a hug. They released and Rafiki put a hand on each of our shoulders.

“It is time.”

Simba smiled at Rafiki. Then he looked at me and motioned to me with his head. I understood what he meant. I put my leg over his back and sat down. Together, we slowly walked up towards the edge of Pride Rock.

Every eye on every face was fixated on both Simba and I. Together, the lion who was just over three years old and the 19 ½ year-old human, both of whom were very young candidates for the kingship, slowly made their way to the edge.

My mind filled with many questions and thoughts that had no beginning or end.

Where’s my knife?

What will be our first act as kings?

What will we do about Zira?

What exactly had happened to the rest of the pride who was not here now, but had been here when I left?

What happened to Sarabi’s and Scar’s cub?

Now was not the time to worry about all of these troubling thoughts. I would deal with them later.

We stopped at the edge and stared up into the sky. The rain poured in sheets now, and it was absolutely refreshing. Silently, Simba and I stared up into the clouds.

Then, two of the clouds parted, revealing the deep blue sky dotted with the light of the hundreds of stars. It was a sight that I had not seen in a very long time. It was truly beautiful and peaceful.

Mufasa’s voice solemnly rang out. He spoke only one word, but that one word will live in my memory for all time.

“Remember…”

Simba and I looked at each other for a moment. We slowly smiled at the same time. Then we turned and stared out at the Pride Lands, knowing what the final deed was in order to take our first step into our new lives. Simultaneously, we took a deep breath, and roared.

The sound that came from me was neither a yell nor a scream. It was a true roar. It felt as if I was not entirely human, but was somehow part lion. I felt that I was, for I had lived with them for so long, and I had adopted so many of their customs. Whatever the reason for it, all I know is this; I roared.

The roar signified one absolute fact.

Simba and I were now both Kings of the Pride Lands.

Our separate journeys had taken us both through so many hardships, but our paths had crossed each other again. We both had now taken our rightful place in the Circle of Life.

Together, our combined roars echoed across the Pride Lands. The lionesses below us roared in response, as a sign of respect and acceptance. They willingly accepted their new leaders and looked forward to their new lives as well.

All except for Zira.

As Simba and I continued roaring, more thoughts soared through my head. And though there were many troubling issues that needed dealing with, though there would be other things that would challenge us, and though we still had a long way to go and a lot more to learn, there was one thing that I was absolutely certain of.

Things were better now, and they were going to get even better from here.

I was home, I was with my family and friends, and through all of the hardships and trials, I still had my pride; the pride of man.