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~~~

The sun hadn’t yet broke over the mountain tops, and even at the summit of Pride Rock the morning was still dark. The clouds had ceased their downpour for the moment, but they still appeared dark and heavy with water—the Pridelands were in for a serious rainy season, one that they greatly deserved. While the world slept, King Simba was up early, gazing out over the plains.

The Pridelands wouldn’t be healed in a day. The rivers and lakes were overflowing from the rains, and there were sparse blades of new grass already popping up from the dust, but there were no herds to drink and eat. It was the job of the royals to track down the kingdom’s native herds, and convince the animals to return—if they could. Simba sighed, knowing that the first days of his reign would be much like the last days of Scar’s: hungry, and painful.

“You know,” said a voice from behind him, and Simba’s ears perked up, “When I was a cub, my mother told me that fire is a killer.” Nala sat down beside him. “But it’s a healer, too. Once everything dead and dying is burned away, life flourishes healthier than before.”

“That’s... creepy,” Simba teased, “Why’d she tell you that?”

“We were talking about the meanings behind our names,” said Nala, laughing, “She told me my name means ‘gift’, and her’s means ‘burning one’, I asked why her parents would call her that....”

Nala smiled, and lay her head on Simba’s shoulder. They sat in comfortable silence, watching over their gray, murky kingdom.

“Of course, I didn’t follow you up here to talk to you about names,” Nala sighed, finally, “I said last night that there were things I hadn’t told you, in the jungle—the only thing that seemed important was getting you back. I want to fill you in on what you’ve missed, before we have to go be king and queen.”

“Believe me, anything would help.”

“Where do I start?” said Nala, rubbing her eyes with a paw, “I don’t know how much you had time to notice last night, but the pride isn’t what it used to be. Most of our parents’ generation passed during the famine. Your aunts Diku and Dwala, Uncle Nywele, my father...”

Simba put his arm over Nala’s shoulder, as she continued;

“Just... any older lions who are still around got lucky. Not everyone our age made it, either—my brother Elewa, he s-starved.”

“Oh, Nala,” said Simba, nuzzling against her, “I’m so sorry.”

“That’s why I ran away,” she said, after a deep breath, “I told you I was looking for help, but I wasn’t just looking for anybody; I wanted to find Mheetu.”

“Mheetu,” Simba repeated, “What happened to him?”

“He was exiled,” Nala said, “So were Chumvi and Tojo.”

“Why?”

“Well... Scar said that they had planned a coup.” Before Simba could ask, Nala answered; “Not that I believed him. Things weren’t that bad yet when it happened, and they weren’t the type to do something like that. There would have been nobody to take the throne, anyway, it would have been so stupid—and like I said, things were still okay!”

She looked antsy, and Simba asked: “But?”

“But they must have done something,” said Nala, “When I got home from hunting that day, I found two of the hyenas dead, and Zira furious. Scar told us that they had tried to incite a coup, attacked him, and were exiled. I don’t know what really happened, but I know they were only exiled, because there was no blood. Hah, except for the hyenas’.”

“You think they’re still out there?”

“I’m sure they are, that’s why I left—I was ready to do something stupid. Scar said he sent them to the Outlands, but I’ve checked. If they ever were there, then they’ve moved on.”

“We need to send Zazu to look for them,” said Simba, “As soon as we can!”

“We’d better!” said Nala, with a grin, “I’d be pretty upset if we didn’t.”

Simba laughed, before asking; “Anything else I need to know?”

“We lost Tafakari and Zoezi, too,” she replied. Upon seeing Simba’s slightly embarrassed expression, Nala smirked and added; “It’s okay if you don’t remember everybody. Tafakari’s that boy who used to pick on you a little, and Zoezi is Tojo’s little brother. Anyway, they weren’t exiled, they ran away. A lot of us were pretty mad at them for a while, but... well, I don’t really blame them anymore.”

“Now I know why I haven’t seen any other guys around,” said Simba.

“We didn’t lose every male, though. Remember Hadithi and Mtoto? They’re still here, Tama too.”

“That’s—wait, Tama?”

“Like I said,” Nala smiled, “A lot’s changed.”

“Wow...” said Simba, “I wonder if he still hates me.”

“Probably not.”

Simba chuckled, before his face fell and he said; "Nala, I'm so sorry about what happened to Elewa, and to Kula, and everyone else....”

“That’s the last thing I wanted to tell you: what Zira said last night about Kula, it really was true,” said Nala, “She got pregnant not long after Zira did, from a rogue who we sort of knew. Scar and Zira had lost a lot of litters, and I guess they were afraid their next wouldn’t make it either. I don’t know what they promised her, but they made a deal with Kula: if their next litter didn’t make it, they would take her cub and raise it as their heir.”

“But their litter did make it,” said Simba, “And they had Nuka, too.”

“They didn’t find them... satisfactory.”

Simba shook his head, and Nala put her paw over his.

“When we find Mheetu and the others... what are we going to do about Kovu?” Nala asked, “I know that none of us could have cared for him, we did the only thing we could do. But Chumvi’s his family.”

“If Kula gave up her cub of her own free will, I don’t think there’s anything we can do,” said Simba, “He could try to talk to Zira about it, but if Kula really let her adopt Kovu, then Chumvi wouldn’t have any rights to him. I don’t like it, but... Kovu is one of the Outsiders, the same as Zira’s other cubs.”

The two sat in silence, watching as far-off rains began to fall again, powerful enough to be visible all the way from Pride Rock.

“Hey, I have a question,” said Simba.

“What is it?”

“If Tama, Hadithi, and Mtoto are still living in the Pridelands, why haven’t I seen them?”

“I don’t know,” Nala admitted, “I haven’t seen them since before the battle last night—they had to have been there, they would never have run.”

“That’s—hey!”

Simba stood up, and Nala followed. Barely illuminated by the fading stars, they could see the forms of three young lions approaching Pride Rock.

“Speak of the Zimwi,” Simba grinned.

Description
Previous

~~~

The sun hadn’t yet broke over the mountain tops, and even at the summit of Pride Rock the morning was still dark. The clouds had ceased their downpour for the moment, but they still appeared dark and heavy with water—the Pridelands were in for a serious rainy season, one that they greatly deserved. While the world slept, King Simba was up early, gazing out over the plains.

The Pridelands wouldn’t be healed in a day. The rivers and lakes were overflowing from the rains, and there were sparse blades of new grass already popping up from the dust, but there were no herds to drink and eat. It was the job of the royals to track down the kingdom’s native herds, and convince the animals to return—if they could. Simba sighed, knowing that the first days of his reign would be much like the last days of Scar’s: hungry, and painful.

“You know,” said a voice from behind him, and Simba’s ears perked up, “When I was a cub, my mother told me that fire is a killer.” Nala sat down beside him. “But it’s a healer, too. Once everything dead and dying is burned away, life flourishes healthier than before.”

“That’s... creepy,” Simba teased, “Why’d she tell you that?”

“We were talking about the meanings behind our names,” said Nala, laughing, “She told me my name means ‘gift’, and her’s means ‘burning one’, I asked why her parents would call her that....”

Nala smiled, and lay her head on Simba’s shoulder. They sat in comfortable silence, watching over their gray, murky kingdom.

“Of course, I didn’t follow you up here to talk to you about names,” Nala sighed, finally, “I said last night that there were things I hadn’t told you, in the jungle—the only thing that seemed important was getting you back. I want to fill you in on what you’ve missed, before we have to go be king and queen.”

“Believe me, anything would help.”

“Where do I start?” said Nala, rubbing her eyes with a paw, “I don’t know how much you had time to notice last night, but the pride isn’t what it used to be. Most of our parents’ generation passed during the famine. Your aunts Diku and Dwala, Uncle Nywele, my father...”

Simba put his arm over Nala’s shoulder, as she continued;

“Just... any older lions who are still around got lucky. Not everyone our age made it, either—my brother Elewa, he s-starved.”

“Oh, Nala,” said Simba, nuzzling against her, “I’m so sorry.”

“That’s why I ran away,” she said, after a deep breath, “I told you I was looking for help, but I wasn’t just looking for anybody; I wanted to find Mheetu.”

“Mheetu,” Simba repeated, “What happened to him?”

“He was exiled,” Nala said, “So were Chumvi and Tojo.”

“Why?”

“Well... Scar said that they had planned a coup.” Before Simba could ask, Nala answered; “Not that I believed him. Things weren’t that bad yet when it happened, and they weren’t the type to do something like that. There would have been nobody to take the throne, anyway, it would have been so stupid—and like I said, things were still okay!”

She looked antsy, and Simba asked: “But?”

“But they must have done something,” said Nala, “When I got home from hunting that day, I found two of the hyenas dead, and Zira furious. Scar told us that they had tried to incite a coup, attacked him, and were exiled. I don’t know what really happened, but I know they were only exiled, because there was no blood. Hah, except for the hyenas’.”

“You think they’re still out there?”

“I’m sure they are, that’s why I left—I was ready to do something stupid. Scar said he sent them to the Outlands, but I’ve checked. If they ever were there, then they’ve moved on.”

“We need to send Zazu to look for them,” said Simba, “As soon as we can!”

“We’d better!” said Nala, with a grin, “I’d be pretty upset if we didn’t.”

Simba laughed, before asking; “Anything else I need to know?”

“We lost Tafakari and Zoezi, too,” she replied. Upon seeing Simba’s slightly embarrassed expression, Nala smirked and added; “It’s okay if you don’t remember everybody. Tafakari’s that boy who used to pick on you a little, and Zoezi is Tojo’s little brother. Anyway, they weren’t exiled, they ran away. A lot of us were pretty mad at them for a while, but... well, I don’t really blame them anymore.”

“Now I know why I haven’t seen any other guys around,” said Simba.

“We didn’t lose every male, though. Remember Hadithi and Mtoto? They’re still here, Tama too.”

“That’s—wait, Tama?”

“Like I said,” Nala smiled, “A lot’s changed.”

“Wow...” said Simba, “I wonder if he still hates me.”

“Probably not.”

Simba chuckled, before his face fell and he said; "Nala, I'm so sorry about what happened to Elewa, and to Kula, and everyone else....”

“That’s the last thing I wanted to tell you: what Zira said last night about Kula, it really was true,” said Nala, “She got pregnant not long after Zira did, from a rogue who we sort of knew. Scar and Zira had lost a lot of litters, and I guess they were afraid their next wouldn’t make it either. I don’t know what they promised her, but they made a deal with Kula: if their next litter didn’t make it, they would take her cub and raise it as their heir.”

“But their litter did make it,” said Simba, “And they had Nuka, too.”

“They didn’t find them... satisfactory.”

Simba shook his head, and Nala put her paw over his.

“When we find Mheetu and the others... what are we going to do about Kovu?” Nala asked, “I know that none of us could have cared for him, we did the only thing we could do. But Chumvi’s his family.”

“If Kula gave up her cub of her own free will, I don’t think there’s anything we can do,” said Simba, “He could try to talk to Zira about it, but if Kula really let her adopt Kovu, then Chumvi wouldn’t have any rights to him. I don’t like it, but... Kovu is one of the Outsiders, the same as Zira’s other cubs.”

The two sat in silence, watching as far-off rains began to fall again, powerful enough to be visible all the way from Pride Rock.

“Hey, I have a question,” said Simba.

“What is it?”

“If Tama, Hadithi, and Mtoto are still living in the Pridelands, why haven’t I seen them?”

“I don’t know,” Nala admitted, “I haven’t seen them since before the battle last night—they had to have been there, they would never have run.”

“That’s—hey!”

Simba stood up, and Nala followed. Barely illuminated by the fading stars, they could see the forms of three young lions approaching Pride Rock.

“Speak of the Zimwi,” Simba grinned.