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~~~

The full moon was shining down on the oasis, its soft white light peeking gently through the treetops. Below the trees were Tanglemane, who was pacing frantically in a circle, Simba, who was sprawled out on a rock and scratching at his growing mane, and Timon and Pumbaa, who were watching the older lion with anxious expressions. The trio rarely got to spent time with Tanglemane or his partner, Bright-Eyes; they were a reclusive pair on the first place, and they lived so far up the mountains that it was not easy to visit. Tonight, however, Tanglemane had needed all of the support that he could get, and invited Simba and his guardians up to his territory.

“It’s taking so long....” Tanglemane said, more to himself than the others, as he paced about.

“Spirits, Tanglemane,” said Timon, hopping off of Pumbaa’s head, “Relax a little. You’d think this was your first child!”

“What do you mean think?” Tanglemane snapped, “It is my first child!”

“What? But you’re so o—ooo...” The meerkat’s voice trailed away, as he realized what he was saying. “...Ooooongea! So ongea, so social, just seems like you’d have had lots of ‘em before!”

“Yeah, well, I haven’t,” he grumbled.

An awkward silence descended; but not for long, as Tanglemane continued;

“Can you believe she didn’t want me there for the birth? Said I was ‘stressing her out’—I’m stressing her out!”

“You don’t say,” Timon mumbled.

“Are all parents this nervous when kids are born?” asked Simba.

“Yes and no,” said Pumbaa, “I think it’s different with Mrs. Mane.”

“We thought Bright-Eyes couldn’t have cubs,” Tanglemane explained, “We hadn’t planned any of this. I hope she’s alright, back there.”

He sat down for a moment, fidgeted with his paws, and got up to pace even more.

“Why hasn’t she roared yet?” he asked nobody, “One roar for ‘trouble,’ two roars for ‘all good’, that’s what we agreed, how long does it—?”

As if on cue, the lioness’s roar sounded out across the jungle. Tanglemane, Simba, Pumbaa, and Timon froze. Though it was only the span of a breath, next second felt like an eternity.

Finally, the next roar sounded, and Tanglemane bolted.

“Come on!” he shouted over his shoulder, “Come on, guys—she had a baby!”

The trio blinked in surprise. Simba shook himself, and quickly chased after Tanglemane. Timon and Pumbaa hesitated still, but after a moment the warthog took off, the meerkat on his back.

Tanglemane pushed through the thick vines and branches, until he finally found the dark, warm thicket that his mate had chosen for her birthing den. The foliage hung so low that he practically had to crawl on his belly to get through to the deepest part of the little grove, where Bright-Eyes was curled up. Back at the entrance, Timon, Pumbaa, and Simba had sat down, to wait until the grown lions either came back out, or invited them inside.

“Bright-Eyes?” murmured Tanglemane, as he sniffed his way to her side, “Are you alright? Are they?”

“I think his back leg might be lame,” she said, warmly, “And he has the most squished up, twisted little tail I’ve ever seen. But he’s as big as two bloody newborns, and already eatin’ like it—he’s gonna be just fine.”

“It’s only one?” he gasped, as he quickly cuddled in beside her, “We were thinking it’d be two cubs, by the end!”

“What did I just say?”

“Right, sorry.”

They both gazed down at the tiny cub, his muzzle wet with milk and his face still squished up and grumpy looking. He was splattered with spots, and had the same mismatched, inconsistent coat colors as both of his parents. Amongst the baby spots was a little red stripe adorning his head, passed down from his mother’s ancestors.

“Wow,” whispered Tanglemane, “Hey, if there’s only the one, which name do we choose?”

“Hmm... I think Isimangaliso is a little better than Ebusuku, for the circumstances,” she answered.

“Isimangaliso,” he repeated, smiling, “I guess it is a miracle.”

~~~

...Do you recognize any of the dialog? A lot is verbatim the opening scene of another animated movie—in the next piece I’m just gonna link the opening song, so don’t worry if you don’t

Isimangaliso’s design was a gift from , and his name indeed means ‘a miracle’ So yeah, he’s not a semicanon character, just an OC—you will not be surprised to hear that I’ve already mapped out a story for his adulthood, where he will end up in the family of some more actually semicanon characters

Also, one last thing: ‘ongea’ does mean ‘social’ in Swahili, as well as ‘speak up’, ‘talk’, and more. It’s a stretch, but Timon was in a tough spot there

Description
Previous

~~~

The full moon was shining down on the oasis, its soft white light peeking gently through the treetops. Below the trees were Tanglemane, who was pacing frantically in a circle, Simba, who was sprawled out on a rock and scratching at his growing mane, and Timon and Pumbaa, who were watching the older lion with anxious expressions. The trio rarely got to spent time with Tanglemane or his partner, Bright-Eyes; they were a reclusive pair on the first place, and they lived so far up the mountains that it was not easy to visit. Tonight, however, Tanglemane had needed all of the support that he could get, and invited Simba and his guardians up to his territory.

“It’s taking so long....” Tanglemane said, more to himself than the others, as he paced about.

“Spirits, Tanglemane,” said Timon, hopping off of Pumbaa’s head, “Relax a little. You’d think this was your first child!”

“What do you mean think?” Tanglemane snapped, “It is my first child!”

“What? But you’re so o—ooo...” The meerkat’s voice trailed away, as he realized what he was saying. “...Ooooongea! So ongea, so social, just seems like you’d have had lots of ‘em before!”

“Yeah, well, I haven’t,” he grumbled.

An awkward silence descended; but not for long, as Tanglemane continued;

“Can you believe she didn’t want me there for the birth? Said I was ‘stressing her out’—I’m stressing her out!”

“You don’t say,” Timon mumbled.

“Are all parents this nervous when kids are born?” asked Simba.

“Yes and no,” said Pumbaa, “I think it’s different with Mrs. Mane.”

“We thought Bright-Eyes couldn’t have cubs,” Tanglemane explained, “We hadn’t planned any of this. I hope she’s alright, back there.”

He sat down for a moment, fidgeted with his paws, and got up to pace even more.

“Why hasn’t she roared yet?” he asked nobody, “One roar for ‘trouble,’ two roars for ‘all good’, that’s what we agreed, how long does it—?”

As if on cue, the lioness’s roar sounded out across the jungle. Tanglemane, Simba, Pumbaa, and Timon froze. Though it was only the span of a breath, next second felt like an eternity.

Finally, the next roar sounded, and Tanglemane bolted.

“Come on!” he shouted over his shoulder, “Come on, guys—she had a baby!”

The trio blinked in surprise. Simba shook himself, and quickly chased after Tanglemane. Timon and Pumbaa hesitated still, but after a moment the warthog took off, the meerkat on his back.

Tanglemane pushed through the thick vines and branches, until he finally found the dark, warm thicket that his mate had chosen for her birthing den. The foliage hung so low that he practically had to crawl on his belly to get through to the deepest part of the little grove, where Bright-Eyes was curled up. Back at the entrance, Timon, Pumbaa, and Simba had sat down, to wait until the grown lions either came back out, or invited them inside.

“Bright-Eyes?” murmured Tanglemane, as he sniffed his way to her side, “Are you alright? Are they?”

“I think his back leg might be lame,” she said, warmly, “And he has the most squished up, twisted little tail I’ve ever seen. But he’s as big as two bloody newborns, and already eatin’ like it—he’s gonna be just fine.”

“It’s only one?” he gasped, as he quickly cuddled in beside her, “We were thinking it’d be two cubs, by the end!”

“What did I just say?”

“Right, sorry.”

They both gazed down at the tiny cub, his muzzle wet with milk and his face still squished up and grumpy looking. He was splattered with spots, and had the same mismatched, inconsistent coat colors as both of his parents. Amongst the baby spots was a little red stripe adorning his head, passed down from his mother’s ancestors.

“Wow,” whispered Tanglemane, “Hey, if there’s only the one, which name do we choose?”

“Hmm... I think Isimangaliso is a little better than Ebusuku, for the circumstances,” she answered.

“Isimangaliso,” he repeated, smiling, “I guess it is a miracle.”

~~~

...Do you recognize any of the dialog? A lot is verbatim the opening scene of another animated movie—in the next piece I’m just gonna link the opening song, so don’t worry if you don’t

Isimangaliso’s design was a gift from , and his name indeed means ‘a miracle’ So yeah, he’s not a semicanon character, just an OC—you will not be surprised to hear that I’ve already mapped out a story for his adulthood, where he will end up in the family of some more actually semicanon characters

Also, one last thing: ‘ongea’ does mean ‘social’ in Swahili, as well as ‘speak up’, ‘talk’, and more. It’s a stretch, but Timon was in a tough spot there