But upon pride rock one lion was still awake, it was Simba.

His beautiful mane waved slowly in the cool evening breeze.

Lowering his head Simba looked down at the remains of his kingdom, he sighed and flopped down, burying his head in his paws and said angrily to himself “I should had come back earlier, now everything is destroyed”

He didn’t detect that Sarabi was coming out of the sleeping den. Realising what mood her son was in, she slowly walked over to Simba. “Simba” said Sarabi softly. Simba turned to face his mother.

Sarabi nuzzled Simba “I know how you feel, dear. All of us feel with you, but we shall rebuild this land to its former glory no matter the cost”

Simba tried to make a little smile and nuzzled his mother back, purring.

“It’s getting late Simba, you should really get some sleep, this has been a long day”

“I’m coming soon, mother”, Simba replied. They wished each other goodnight and Sarabi went towards the sleeping cave.

Simba looked down at his land once more, he didn’t see a single animal down there. A single tear got out of his eyes and ran down his face.

THUD! Simba turned around only to find Sarabi lying still on the ground “Mother”, Simba yelled “Mother, you ok?”

Simba nudged his mother, Sarabi smiled “It’s okay Simba, I just stumbled over some rocks”.

“Be more careful next time”, Simba said. “Good night then mother”

“Good night Simba”

Simba sat down thinking. He knew that his mother did not stumble over some rocks, because there weren’t any small rocks on the top of pride rock, only the large rock which make out the pride rock.

Sarabi was getting old, and Simba knew it. He hoped that his mother would live long enough to see Simba and Nala’s cub.

Nala was in the second week of pregnancy.

Simba padded into the cave to get some sleep as well. All the lionesses were there, Nala too, sleeping on one corner.

She went outside and what a day! The sun was on the sky and sending it’s beams down on everything below, including Nala’s fur who were shining like golden fleece in the bright sun. Nala smiled and looked up, “Looks like this can be a nice day” She went out at the tip of pride rock and looked down, only to see death and destruction. No animals were present down there and all vegetation were washed away. Nala sighed and flopped down.

“Good morning, honey”, a familiar voice said from behind. It was Simba. Nala smiled and walked over to Simba and greeted him. They both rub their heads against each other.

“And how is our cub doing today”, said Simba, glancing at Nala’s stomach. Nala smiled warmly and said “Just fine I hope”

“Oh boy, I need breakfast”, Simba said.

Nala nodded “Me too, I’ll go see if I can find something among the ruins”

Nala descended down from Pride Rock and walked towards the savannah…or at least what was left of it.

The young lion was thirsty so he decided to pay the waterhole a visit.

As Simba approached the waterhole he could see from a distance that the waterhole was dried out, only a mix of mud and water was left. Simba didn’t want to drink that!

Meanwhile back at Pride Rock the rest of the lionesses were slowly waking up from a good night sleep. Sarafina was still asleep though, because she was so awfully tired. Sarafina was badly injured at the battle of Pride Rock. So she needed all the rest she could get to heal her wounds.

It was awfully hot out in the savannah, Nala could feel the intense heat, under her paws too. She panted Aiheu help me”. The ground almost burned her.

Nala started to drag the dead gazelle towards Pride Rock, which could be seen to the east.

Back at pride-rock the lionesses and Rafiki were having a meeting to discuss the current situation of their kingdom.

“My friends”, Rafiki spoke “I can still see light in the end of the tunnel for us, since I am a shaman, I can sometimes detect whenever rain comes or not…and I sense that rain will soon come here”

The lionesses smiled and nodded because they knew that Rafiki were almost having right all the time.

Sarabi whispered to Sarafina “I really hope he’s right, because we are going to need water, and very soon!”

An hour later the meeting was finished and Nala was home from her hunt. Simba was home too, lying asleep in the shadow of an Acacia tree. Nala dragged the dead gazelle towards Simba.

“Come on honey, dinnertime”, said Nala and licked Simba’s nuzzle.

Simba slowly got up and stretched out, “What you got?, a gazelle?, that’s my girl” Simba nuzzled Nala, she purred softly.

Meanwhile in the sky a bird was heading towards Pride Rock, it was Zazu with the latest news. Zazu detected Simba and Nala below, by the tree.

“Good morning your majesties”, greeted Zazu Simba and Nala as soon as he got down on the ground beside them. “Good day”, said Simba.

“Want the hear the latest news?, or shall I wait till you have finished eating?”. “No, go on”, answered Simba.

“Well…there is two major news, a good one and a bad one, what will it be?”

Simba put a paw in his mouth thinking. “Hmmm, let us take the good news first” Zazu explained that more and more animals were entering the pridelands in the west, Simba smiled and said, “It looks like the grass is blossoming again”

“Want to hear the bad news?, Zazu said. Simba nodded. “There are still many hyenas left in the Pride Lands. I saw an entire pack of them today”

“Oh damned, I will deal with them soon” Nala growled softly when she heard the word hyena, the hyenas badly injured her mother during the battle of Priderock.

Zazu left for a little nap and Simba and Nala finished eating and walked up to the other lionesses to hear the latest news from the meeting with Rafiki.

Sarabi walked towards them. “At last, there you are, Rafiki has great news!” “Really”, answered Simba “What is it?”

“Rafiki senses that rain will soon come to the Pride Lands.”

“Sounds good, because we are going to need it soon”, Simba replied.

The tree lions decided to get some sleep and they were so tired that they slept all until the next morning.

Simba slowly woke up by the feeling of rain dropping from the sky.

“Great, it is coming!” Simba thought for himself.

He stretched out and looked at Nala, who was still sleeping. He smiled and thinked “My god, she is gorgeous” Simba couldn’t resist, he slowly dragged himself towards Nala and licked her on both chins.

Nala seemed to purr and a little smile appeared on her lips. “She must be dreaming” Simba thought. Just as he turned away to let her sleep, he heard a familiar voice behind him “Where you going, my dear?”

It was Nala, Simba looked back and saw that she had a much wider smile on her mouth now, she slowly opened her eyes and stared seductively at him. “Umm, nowhere” Simba stuttered and he looked at Nala’s eyes, her eyes were like two deep pools of water. He could look forever into them. Nala licked Simba on the muzzle and said, “Want to play the game we did the first time we met as adults?»

“Ye---yes”, stuttered Simba. “Why not” Nala smiled and licked Simba again…

Back in his large tree, Rafiki was communicating with the spirit of Mufasa. Mufasa spoke of dangerous times to come, specially connected with the hyenas. Mufasa spoke “Rafiki, you must investigate the appearance of hyenas in the PrideLands, the group seems to grow larger every day”

“I will see to it, those hyenas are as good as dead already”, answered Rafiki. Mufasa smiled and faded out “Bye for now, my friend and remember I will look after all of you”

“Bye, my liege”, replied Rafiki.

Far north in the pride-lands a large group of hyenas was discussing. The name Nala was spoken several times. “Damned take that lioness”, said one hyena. “I want her dead”, said another one. All the hyeneas growled in return.

Back at pride-rock the day was soon over. The sun bathed the savannah in a shimmering red light.

Sarafina groaned in pain, one of her bruises had taken an infection. Nala was lying of in a distance, noticing her mother who had pain, Nala walking to her and lied down beside her and started to lick her wounds. Sarafina nuzzled her.

Later that night Simba was having a nightmare, his dream was filled with pain and sorrow, and a strange voice kept saying “Be warned, be warned, be warned” Simba woke up in cold sweat. Looking around him he could see all the lionesses where there, except for one lioness Nala, she was disappeared.

Simba ran outside and began to search for her, but she was gone. He couldn’t even smell her.

Simba ran back to the cave, knowing that Nala would not go anywhere without telling the Simba or at least some of the pride members. But now she was gone. “Nala is gone”, Simba yelled out.

The lionesses looked up at Simba, some of them even half-asleep.

“No, it can’t be”, said Sarafina, sobbing. “I am afraid it is true”, replied Simba.

“There is something that I haven’t told you”, said Sarafina. Simba looked at her waiting for her story “Back at the battle of pride-rock some hyenas surrounded me, quite many actually, 7-8 of them, all of them biting and clawing me. Nala attacked them, killed most of them and driving the rest of them away. After the onslaught I retired to rest in our sleeping cave, as I made my way up to the cave I spied on some hyenas discussing, about Nala, I heard the word kill several times, I was so afraid!, but I couldn’t return to the battle to tell Nala, because I could nearly walk, and if I was attacked again I would surely perish! Then I walked in the sleeping cave and I just fell asleep, forgetting all about Nala and the hyenas”

Sarafina sobbed and hulked “It is my fault, it is my fault, how stupid I was!!” Sarabi walked over to her, and lied a paw over her shoulder smiling “It’s okey, I’ll understand you and everyone else here do as well, We’ll find her” Sarafina smiled through her tears which had soaked her face. “I’ll touch your mane” Simba purred “I feel it”

Simba walked up to an large rock and spoke “Ladies, I suggest we split up in several groups so that the searching can go faster, I and mother take the north, Sarafina and Akrasa take the east, Mitani and Vakaria take the south and Meeka and Tsula take the west”

The lionesses nodded in reply.

Meanwhile far away…

“Please don’t hurt me, I am with a cub!” it was Nala in a corner with 15 hyenas around her, snarling. They had wounded her severely, she had many bruises on her neck and back, and a small steam of blood emerged from her mouth. “Silence!” said one hyena slashing her over the muzzle. Nala cried out in pain.

Not far from where Nala was, Sarafina and Akrasa were approaching. Sarafina sniffed on the ground “Hmmm, I think I can sense my daughters smell, she got to be around here somewhere”

The two lionesses descended down a little slope from a small hill, and there in a corner of the canyon they could see several hyenas surrounding something. “It must be there” Akrasa said. “We’ll go get the others” “Yes”, replied Sarafina growling softly and stared with outrage at the hyenas.

Later that day the pride came together for battle, Simba was there too, furious  that it was the hyenas that had taken Nala captive.

“I’ll kill those damned bastards!” roared Simba “If it’s the last thing I ever gonna do!”

Nala wished she had some water, she was completely “dried out”, but the hyenas were watching her all the time. And she was too weak to run away from them. “Simba, help me!» she roared out in pain. The echo moved through the valley. The hyenas snarled at her and one of them spitted at her, “Shut up, bitch!”

But someone was watching the hyenas with narrowed eyes. Suddenly like a lightning bolt from clear sky, Simba and the rest of the lionesses charged towards hyenas. Simba slashed several hyenas to death making his way to Nala. Simba nuzzled Nala and said, “No one messes with my mate again!” Nala smiled and licked Simba on the muzzle “I knew you come for me, my brave lion”

Simba turned to face some hyenas that were watching them. “Now” he growled. “Which one of you hit Nala first?” The hyenas started to back off, Simba approached them and attacked them, cutting them in pieces. A hyena was running with Sarabi in pursuit, Sarabi slowed down, gasping for breath “Hey, Nala, you ok?” Nala smiled back at Sarabi and said, “I’ll manage” An hour later the hyenas were defeated, they were no match for the combined strength of the lionesses.

The pride walked home. When they reached pride rock Nala explained to the rest of pride what happened to her.

“Last night I couldn’t sleep so I decided to take on a stroll, I went to the waterhole and saw that it was filled with fresh water. I lied down there to drink and suddenly many hyenas came out from the bushes around the waterhole and attacked me. I tried to fight back, but no avail, they were far to many for me. They must have knocked me unconscious, because when I woke up I was at the hyena’s hideout. They must have dragged me all the way from the waterhole, that resembles all the wounds on my belly”

One morning by the waterhole Simba and Nala were discussing the situation in the pride lands that had begun to improve, Nala felt something that hurt in her underbelly. She said “Simba, I think the cub is coming now, go get some help” “At once” replied Simba and ran towards Pride Rock. Meeka and Mitani arrived on the scene helping Nala with her cub. Simba sitting of in a distance watching them, the thoughts swirled in his mind “Will I be a good father, will it be a lion or a lioness”

After some time Meeka shouted at Simba “Hey, Simba come and look…”

Simba got up and walked to the lionesses. He looked down at Nala and saw a little cub lying in her paws, Nala was busy licking the cub clean. Simba eyes filled up with tears of joy as he nuzzled and licked the cub and Nala. “I love you Nala” Nala smiled and licked Simba. “And I love you too little one” “What shall we name her?” Simba put a paw in his mouth thinking…

After a while. “Hmmm, what about Kiara?” “Sounds great?” replied Nala. Suddenly Kiara turned her head around and smiled at Simba. “Did you see that?”, said Simba, he felt warms tears of joy emerging from his eyes. “She smiled at me!” Nala smiled warmly.

“Welcome to world, little Kiara”, Simba said and nudged the cub.

Suddenly a voice called from behind him “Simba”, it was Akrasa, she had a grave expression on her face. Simba turned away and saw Akrasa’s expression. “Something wrong?” said Simba.

“Your mother, Simba” Simba’s eyes opened wider “What about her?”

“Simba…your mother didn’t woke up this morning”

Simba roared “Noooooo!!!”. He flopped down, burying his head in his paws crying. Nala, still weak from the birth took little Kiara in her mouth and walked to Simba nudging him and tried to cheer him up. Little Kiara didn’t understand what happened but she licked Simba on the muzzle. Simba smiled at her, but his eyes were full of tears.

Later that day Rafiki and the rest of the pride were talking. “A terrible tragedy has happened today, to lose Sarabi, one of our greatest queens ever and a magnificent leader is a deep sorrow to all of us”

Rafiki looked up at the sky “Hope you sit by Mufasa’s side now, my friend, a tear escaped from his eye. Rafiki looked at the pride and spoke “But yet out of this tragedy we have a great joy today, our heir to the throne was born today, Kiara”

By Geir Kirksæther AKA Liontaur

Simbanor@lionking.org

"I'm the Lion King, I can do anything"

"Our place is with our pride"  -  Kiara  -

simbanor@lionking.org