Zazu flew over the wide valley. His eyes would normally be as keen as ever to spot some trouble or mischief from the local animal. Mainly the baboon or the young hippos, splashing water at the other animals, but today, there was nothing. Everything was still and calm as a ghost. Not that it would actually matter is somewhere where going on, Zazu was to deep into thought of what he was going to say about Mufasa. But before he knew it, he had reached his destination. An old large acacia tree, that roots spread out miles from where the tree stood. It was the oldest thing in the pridelands and the next oldest animal lived there, Rafiki. Inside, Zazu found the old mandrill saying a hymn, words Zazu had trouble making out. He had come to fetch Rafiki and bring him back so he could say a few words to the pride and the pride land animals. But he did not want to disturb him, even if they were running a tad bit late. As Zazu raised a small feather, one of the mandrill eye popped open and a gaze landed right on the small bird.
"I came to get you." He said, bowing his head. Rafiki raised a finger for him to stop, he didn't believe or see the need for Zazu to bow to him. Yes, he's the old mandrill that knows all, but he is just doing his job. The real bows go to the lion of respect that brings order to the lands of Africa.
"I know, I was told to be waiting." Told, Zazu wanted to ask the baboon what he meant, but he knew whatever the mandrill said it would be far over his head. Zazu was a practical bird, things were the way they were and that was that. It was an order he liked and followed religiously. The way of life, the living order. It just made sense, he knew Rafiki could talk to spirits. And if a spirit was telling him that Zazu would be coming for him soon, then that spirit must be watching over him, and the thought of that spirit being Mufasa- if at all possible, unnerved him. "Are you ready?" his old accent of his time, heavy present. Zazu nodded. The two found themselves on their way back to the beacon, priderock.
All around priderock the animals of the pridelands had gathered to paw their respect to the widow queen. She sat along the bottom steps that ascended to the top of the might rock creation. Her cheeks were dry, along with her eyes. She had been crying recently but had to lock them away, when she was in front of her subjects. She wore a small smile, happy to see the turn out of the kingdoms animals who came to give blessing to their fallen king and his family. Each animal herd came, walking single file down a long line that seemed to stretch for miles, all coming one by one, walking up to their queen and bowed her head. To say the day would be long, was an understatement, this venue was going to have the queens' entire day. It was the early morning still. And the prideland lioness stood behind their queen on the high rocks that over some of the pridelands. Simba sat with the sarafina and the lionesses, while scar sat a few steps behind the queen.
As scar watched on, counting the seconds, minutes and even the hour that had passed by, he could only think of Sarabi. And what she- a widow to a mighty kingdom would do next. It had been three days snice Mufasa death and surely, the queen would have to have question this. She alone, with no male for protection. A son who far too young to rule, a kingdom- so that must leave the obvious. That he, the one and only brother to the late king, should rule in his brothers stead. He eyed the back of the queen, looking slowly her up and down, and then he thought…quiet possibly even- he had to ask her. He came from behind her and whispered in her ear.
"Sarabi, may I speak with you."
"Not now Scar." She chimed, slightly looking over her shoulder to give him a look to wait and hold whatever it is he had to say.
"Yes, but it's of the upmost importance-"
"I said… not now." She did not look to him. She said what she had to say, and meant it. now was not the time to talk of trivial matters with her brother in-law when she had her subject to focus now. He could wait, and he would wait. Brooding some, and keeping most of his words in.
"Fine, we'll talk later." He turned walked back up the steps to priderock. Simba watched from the distance as he saw the look on his uncle face. He wondered, what was with him?
Finally, many many hours later the last animal came, bowed its head and respect and left. Sarabi was exhausted. It was night now and the pride had already gone and hunted its food hours ago. Simba was porbably asleep with sarafina, so the mother did not feel the urge to get back up and return back home just yet. As she looked to her paws, she suddenly saw a figure loom over her, he had crazy hair sticking off of his head and a large staff which he held right behind him. She brought a smile to her face to see a good friend. "Rafiki…"
"How are you doing, dear?" she sighed.
"…Not good, not good at all." He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Death is never an easy thing."
"I know… and I understand but…Rafiki it all happened so fast." He wiped away the tears that she now let flood out on her red orbs. " that morning was so normal…we got up, he told me about his plan for the day…s-Simba was so excited…he couldn't wait to spend time with his dad…a-and I chased him around…i…it was so prefect…and now." She paused, her voice quivered softly. "w-what am I going to do with him?...what is Simba going to do without his father…" she closed her eyes to calm herself. "I…don't know what to do…" she chimed, leaning to Rafiki old words of wisdom to guide her. "What should I do…Simba too young to rule. And a queen angering her own pride…a pride with territory this big is unheard of. I can try- I will try, but what if I fail…if I can't keep my pride safe- Simba safe…I.." it was a hard thing of Sarabi to sallow, to think about. She and Mufasa had always had each other, thought think and thin, good or bad. She always had him to depend on to keep her steady. And earlier in the year, when they finally decided to start a family, after so many years of ruling, heirless. she thought she and Mufasa were unable to have a cub, because of her age. He was there for her. Supporting her and loving her, even if should couldn't give him a child. But thanks to the great kings she was. Now her best friend, soulmate and rock is out of her life, without warning…for forever. How could she never come to terms with that…she couldn't.
Rest my queen, take some time. You do not need to worry yourself with these questions now. You go to your son, and be with him…you will both need each other." Sarabi slowly nodded her head in agreement.
"Thank you, Rafiki." She chimed, before collecting herself, and leaving the mandrill to dismiss himself back home.
That night, the lioness slept along with their queen. It felt cold and alone, sleeping where she and her husband once laid together only three night ago. She left the space open for the taking, but no one dare- nor did any of the lioness what to sleep on the royal rock. Sarabi slept along the wall were her friend sarafina and her daughter Nala lay. Tucked away in between his mother arms lay a restless Simba. It had been three days snice he saw his dad, and even if Simba did not understand the concept of death. He did soon figure out, that his father would not be coming home anymore. There would be no home sleeping with dad, stories by dad, fun adventures with his dad. That he was now sure of. Slowly the orange cub squeezed out of his mother tight embrace. She crawled over to a sleeping Nala, who was safely tucked away in her mother arms. "Nala?,…psssh Nala…are you awake?" when she did not respond, he started patting her on the head. "nala…nala-"
"…w-what Simba? I was sleeping if you didn't notice…" she rubbed her dry and tried eyes. Opening them after, she could see the long face Simba wore. "What's wrong?" she whispered.
"I…I don't think my dads coming back." His heart heavy.
"oh…I'm sorry Simba." Nala too, wiggling her way out of her sleeping mother arms, came to comfort her best friend. She have him her biggest hug. When they parted she asked. "So…are you gonna be king of pride rock…like you said?"
"I…I guess so." His sadness sure turned to a wild bewilderment, he had forgotten he was the prince of the pride lands and that his father was teaching him how to be the next king. "But I don't know. My dad didn't have time to teach me everything, I don't know how to do a lot of stuff."
Ruling not supposed to be fun Nala, that what my dad said." He spoke in a 'matter of fact' tone, everyone knew this. Ruling was hard work. Nala rolled her eyes.
"Well we can make it fun, plus Sarabi still queen. So she can help you fix stuff you mess up."
"You're right!- but what…I need my own queen if I'm going to rule- not my mom." Nala looked away and shook her head at the idea.
"Eww not me! marriage is for old lions!"
"But Nala you're the only one here, plus you're my best friend, we have to get married! How else will I get a queen."
"I don't know, don't royal lions go off and find them?"
"No, everyone knows that. Royals are already betrothed as cubs, duh." The cub cocked her head, be-what?
"be…vowed?"
"I don't know, some words I heard my dad and Zazu say. It means marriage."
"Oh." Simba flashed a small smile of hope. That his best friend of forever, would yes say to being is his best friend wife. And after seeing she had no ay out if it. she painfully agreed. "ugh fine…I guess I'll marry you."
"Yes! -oops…" Nala quickly covered his mouth to not wake the sleeping adults. "haha, awesome, we're going to get married!"
"Cool…but simba, where do we get married?"
"I don't know…here at priderock." The most obvious solution right.
"Who's' going to do it?"
"…Zazu?"
"Nah, he talks too much." Nala chimed
"Rafiki?"
"No, he scars me."
"…I bet my uncle Scar wouldn't mind. After all I am in favorite nephew!"
"ha-ha right."
"okay, get some rest we have a busy day tomorrow."
"I know getting ready, we grew up so fast haha."
"Night Nala."
"Night simba-"
"Oh wait!"
"That's okay, I'll help you. It'll be fun."
"huh?" he stepped forwards and looked in her in her blue eyes. "what are you doing? Do I have something on my face?!" becoming scared.
"No, I forgot to kiss you." The little cub almost lost her dinner.
"Ewwwww!"
"Nala!"
"Ewwwww ewww ewww- no boys have germs!" she whispered.
"Well how else am I suppose to show you how I care for you?"
"I don't know…" Simba thought for a second. What could be the best way to show Nala he was serious about getting married and that he liked her. Then it came to him.
"I know! A paw shake!"
"That's prefect! Only the cool cubs have paw shakes!"
"yea and we're the coolest!"
"…and the only cubs here, haha" so after minutes of practicing, timing it out and ending thing on a cool trick. Simba and Nala had finally come up with their marriage paw shake that would should their love and affection for each other from now on, until the end of their days. And finished with their masterpiece, they could sleep satisfied. "this paw shake rocks, I can't wait to get married tomorrow and show everyone."
"me too, you think my mom will cry."
"Probably, moms do that when they're happy. My mama did that when I started talking, she told me, and now she tells me I never stop talking, haha." Simba thought of his Simba, seeing his mother happy was all he wanted In the world now. And hopefully tomorrow, Sarabi would become happy again. the cubs went back, tucking themselves into their mothers' love and warmth. "hey Simba?" asked Nala, peeking her head above her mother paw.
"yea?" he asked back.
"I think you're going to make a great king, the best."
"You think so?"
"Yea." Simba watched as Nala slowly began to fall into the world of sleep and dreams, he too was soon following her. And at this night, he would dream about being the best king he could ever be. To make his father proud.
The crackling of bones, echoed off the walls. The last of the wildebeest had been eating by the pack of hyenas. And now, the empty stomach hyenas were looking to scar again. the brown lion was there, again, among his many minions. He had left right after his failed attempted to talk with Sarabi. Thinking of what do to next, he kicked the small piece of bones around him. " I have to give her time." He spoke.
"Time? How much time?" Banzai, "My stomach getting cranky again!" complained the spotted hyena as he rubbed his big belly.
"Enough time, one never wants to seem too eager, too greedy."
"But we have too eager, and we are too greedy!" Banzai again.
"Yea, we're hyenas, its' what we do! Being eager and greedy haha!" Ed nodding to Shenzi joke.
"And what has that gotten you?" questioned Scar. The trio said nothing, because they could think of nothing. The pack lived in the elephant grave yard- the pack as always lived in the elephant grave yard. There was a time when they did roam the lands freely, but a few too many hyenas starting out thing out of hand, hashing, chasing and killing the herd animals. It had only been recent that Mufasa has casted the hyenas out of the pridelands. Only a few days before Simba birth in fact. Mufasa had made it his plan to rid the lands of the dogs, to keep it safe for Simba and the other animals. Also he did it for Scar, Mufasa did not like how Scar would talk and hang out with the trouble causing hyenas. Preferring them over his pride at times and even siding with them, when they had done wrong to the other animals. It was a big storm that was waiting to happen, so Mufasa took action and handle the issue at once. He and the lionesses outcasted the hyenas overnight, chasing them to the outlands of the elephant graveyard. No more, would they pester the pridelands. Needless to say that all were not in favor of the new ordeal. And since then the hyenas had been plotting to get the power in numbers to retake the pridelands. Not that they haven't already tried, but it's pretty obvious that the hyenas aren't the brightest of animals in the pridelands, this is where Scar came in. He knew he could never take his brother in single combat, nor would the pride allow him to challenge the current king. He knew he had to advise a way to get Mufasa out of the picture, and make it seem like he had nothing to do with it. the hyenas would handle that job easily. And now with Mufasa gone, and the pride weakened With grief. He can finally move in as the new king, with his new many followers to support him. " Like I said, I'll give her time. We will get what we want, soon.