No one ever admitts that they have feelings for someone until it's too late. Some don't know of the feelings or won't listen to them.

  My name's Nala and I had a similar problem. If you please, hear my story.

  "Nala!" Simba had me pinned in a moment. "Gotcha."

  "From behind," I grumbled, shoving him off.

    "So?" Simba demanded, playfully. "It just takes courage to attack from behind."

  "Yeah, courage," I teased. "What kind of courage does it take to drink water?"

  Simba grinned and pounced on me. I let out a shrill laugh of joy and kicked him off. Simba began to circle me, growling softly.

  "You going to attack?" he growled.

    "Never make the first move," I hissed, playfully.

  "Oh yeah?" Simba lurched forward. I allowed him to get close then I took my paws and kicked his paws out from under him, sending him onto his back. I then stood over him.

  I leaned into his ear. "Never make the first move." Simba grinned and kicked me off! I rolled down a steep hill. The rolling semed to never end.

  "Nala!" Simba cried. He ran after me.

   I rolled down onto solid earth. "Simba!" Simab had started rolling. I ran to him and stood in his way, only to be knocked back down and roll down again.

  WE reached the solid ground again and I heard out mothers roar whith laughter.

 I listened in to hear what they were saying.

  "Every hil seems so big to them," chuckled Sarabi.

 "Even one like that," my mother stated.

 "They are cubs," Zazu said, fairly. Zazu said rediculus things! Yesturday, he said that Simb aand I were 'betrothed'!

 "True," our mothers agreed.

 "Let's go back," sighed Simba. "Oh, Nala!"

  "Simba," I teased.

  "I'm going to the gorge with my dad tomorrow! Uncle Scar set it up!" Simba told me, ignoring her joke.

   "Really?" I asked, heart falling slightly. I didn't trust Scar, especially not with my best friend, Simba. "Are you sure it's a good idea?"

 "Nothing wil happen to me," Simba replied. "I'll be with my dad and I'm me, aren't I?"

 "Yeah," I nodded, felling better.

  The next evening, my mother approached me, sadly.

   "Where is Simba, Momma?" I asked.

 "Honey, come with me." She led me to Pride Rock and Scar was speaking.

  "Sweetie," she said, "Simba has been killed."

 "What?" I gasped. I began to listen to Simba's uncle, to try to understand what had happened.

 It was clear. Simba and his father were in the gorge and Scar had left them, being th efilthy scum bag he was, then the herd ran.

 The went thtough the gorge and killed my best friend and his father.

 Knowing what had happened, didn't heal the wounds faster. In fact, it made me feel worse.

 I began to go through a depression. I wouldn't eat and wouldn't sleep. I began to seperate myself from the pride. I would spend most of my time at the waterhoe, ignoring other animals there.

   "Nala." My mother had found me. Had Simba been with me, I'd hide but not anymore. However, had Simba been with me I wouldn't be int he depression!

 "Simba would want you to eat," my mother urged.

 I could only shadkw my head and reply, "No."

  "Please," beggaed my, now desperate, mother. "Nala."

 "I want to be alone!" I roared. "Please, Mom." My mother could only sigh and nodd.

 "I understand." I realized sahe had set an atolope beside me. With that, my mother left.

 And I mean, she left. I had ate the food then went to find her. What I found was the pride gathered around our den. I moved through the crowd and saw her on her side.

 "Mom?" I whispered. Struck by realization, I ran to her. "MOM!"

 "She's gone, Nala." Zoffu, a lion my age who had a crush on me, strutted up to me. "You need a den?"

  "I'll do," I growled, as I lay beside my mother. "Why, Mom?"

  Years passed. I grew into a skilled young lioness and through my difficulties, I had learned something.

  Simba had always been my best friend but yet, I had managed to fall in love with him. Simba had always been there for me but my love had coem too late.

 My best friend was gone, along with his father nad my mother. I, however, would never forget the cub that taught me that the only difference between friendship and love, is what you want it to be.

 To be continued... Nala and Simba reunite and Nala faces one more trouble. The trouble of admitting her feelings!