Story 1:
Spoiler: show
He's Alive?
Nuka scrambled up the branches that were holding back the water to the river. He called out to Zira.
‘This is for you, mother! Mother, are you watching?’ then said to himself in a quieter voice, ‘I’m doing it for you, and I’m doing it for me.’
Nuka chased after Simba as he tried to get away but as Simba was climbing.
‘This is my moment of glory!’ said Nuka as he grabbed Simba’s ankle. The log Nuka was standing on started to snap, which caused Nuka’s grip on Simba to lessen. Simba started to climb away, knocking down a giant log in the process. The log came crashing down, right on top of Nuka.
Simba got away, and Nuka got pinned underneath the log and a few other smaller branches. He was feeling weak and Kovu came over to help him, but then Zira pushed Kovu out of the way and lifted off the branches on top and then with amazing strength lifted off the log that was holding Nuka down.
Nuka fell forward into a heap on the ground, feeling very tired. Zira came over and started stroking his mane.
‘I was afraid I was going to lose you.’ Said Zira, ‘That Simba should pay for trying to hurt you Nuka. We will need all the help we can get, will you help me?’
‘Of course I will.’ Nuka replied. ‘Why wouldn’t I? Simba deserves to die for killing Scar, and he deserves to suffer for almost killing me.’
Zira then stopped stroking Nuka’s mane and turned around to the other lionesses that made up the Outlanders.
Zira turned and looked at Kovu.
‘Why didn’t you go after Simba?’ she yelled at Kovu.
Zira aimed a fierce strike at Kovu’s face.
‘Eeaugh!’ Kovu said as the hit connected.
Kovu turned and looked at Zira. Zira was shocked to see that Kovu has gotten a scar over his left eye, just as Scar had. Zira quickly recovers from the sight.
‘What have you done?’ said Zira menacingly at Kovu.
‘I did nothing.’ Replied Kovu.
‘Exactly!’ said Zira, ‘And in doing so you have betrayed your pride, betrayed Scar!’
‘I want nothing to do with him!’ Shouted Kovu back at Zira.
Zira and Kovu continued to yell at each other, but Nuka was still too dazed to concentrate on them any longer. After a moment he saw Kovu leave.
‘Let him go.’ Said Zira. ‘Simba has hurt me for the last time, and now he’s corrupted Kovu! Listen to me, Simba is injured and weak. Now it the time to attack! We will take his entire kingdom, by force!’
The Outlanders all snarled and roared in agreement with Zira’s words.
***
It started raining about ten minutes after the Outlanders had left for the battle. It was raining heavily, just as it was on the night of Scar’s death. They walked over hills, over plains and through muddy rivers to get to where the final battle was to take place.
When they arrived, Simba and his pride were already there, waiting for the Outlanders. They were just standing there, not making a noise, as if daring the Outlanders to attack. Daring them to attack and see what happens.
Then Timon and Pumbaa mooned the Outlanders.
‘It’s over Simba!’ said Zira. ‘I have dreamed of nothing else for years!’
‘Last chance Zira, go home.’ Replied Simba.
‘I am home!’ said Zira.
Then lighting flashed and thunder cracked.
‘Attack!’ yelled Zira.
The two prides started walking towards each other, then jogging, and then the two prides were sprinting towards each other.
The battle had begun.
Nuka went straight into the heat of the battle, taking down Pridelanders left and right. The Pridelanders thought they could win, but there numbers were faltering as Nuka went through many of them. Nuka may look weak on the outside, but when threatened he can be a fierce fighter.
Pridelanders were attacking Nuka from left and right, but Nuka had managed to take down almost every one of them. A Pridelander went to bite Nuka from behind but Nuka swirled around and took a ferocious swipe at the other lion, wounding him. While Nuka was taking on this lion, another one had approached from the left and
was about to hit Nuka when Nuka suddenly turned and bit the other lion on the leg.
Fighting like this went on for a time.
‘Simba…’ said Zira, jumping down from where she was coaching the Outlanders fight, ‘you’re mine!’
Zira approached Simba with her two backup lionesses. The lionesses parted, making way for Simba and Zira to fight one-on-one.
They circled each other for a moment, but just as they were about to attack, Kovu and Kiara leapt into the middle of Simba and Zira.
‘Kiara?’ said Simba.
‘Kovu!’ says Zira, ‘Move.’
‘Stand aside.’ Said Simba to Kiara.
‘Daddy this has to stop.’ Said Kiara.
Nuka couldn’t care less about what everyone was saying; he just wanted to see Simba die.
After a while, Nuka saw Vitani go over to where Simba was standing.
‘…you will die as well.’ said Zira.
Then some of Zira’s other lionesses went over to Simba. Zira started to panic as her whole pride left her.
‘Wh-wha… Where are you going? Get back here!’ said Zira.
‘Let it go Zira. It’s time to put this past behind us.’ Said Simba.
‘I’ll never let it go!’ said Zira, now standing with no one except Nuka. ‘This is for you, Scar! Come Nuka!’
Zira and Nuka both leapt at Simba at the same time, but Kiara and Kovu caught them in mid-flight and they all rolled down into the gorge.
‘Kiara! Kovu!’ Simba yelled out.
Simba leapt down into the gorge, trying desperately to reach Kiara and Kovu, but they had already fallen down too far for Simba to reach them.
They had both managed to hold onto a ledge, slowing their descent so they could land on a smaller one. Zira and Nuka clung to some rocks some distance below.
Kovu tried to grab his brother, he almost reached Nuka but Kovu’s arm was not long enough. Nuka was slipping. ‘Help me!’ yelled Nuka to Kovu.
‘I’m sorry,’ replied Kovu, ‘My arm’s not long enough, try to reach for me at the same time.’
Nuka reached up for Kovu as Kovu reached down. Kovu almost had a hold on Nuka when Nuka slipped, and fell into the fast flowing river. At almost the exact same moment, Zira fell after Kiara failed to save her.
As Nuka fell, he was looking forward to finally meeting his father and his last thoughts were that he had lived a dirty, hungry unclean life, but a good life none the less. He was feeling content with the time he had had as his vision faded into nothingness.
Story 2:
Spoiler: show
Prosopopoeia
"Mother? What is so important about today?" A gazelle queried as he leapt past his mother.
"A very pertinent one," his mother replied warmly." She and her calf walked amongst the gathering variety of herds. Elephants trumpeted to sound the morning alarm, zebras snorted in excitement and the monkeys swung from vine to tree branch. They were all making the same trek, and all had the very same goal in mind.
"Is this going to be another one of the King's boring speeches? You know I hate those." The young buck moaned.
"Hush now. You mustn't be so brash especially on a day like this. It is important to continue the tradition," she smiled.
"Okay, fine but what's so great about this one?" He pleaded with wide eyes. She turned to him gently. So young and so naive and yet so pure. It was no done out of spite. He just did not realize that he was but a grain of sand or a silver of grass in the grand blanket of The Circle of Life.
"Today, my son, we are bearing witness to a miracle."
"A what?" The calf looked puzzled.
"We are bearing witness to something special. It is said that the King will welcome a daughter. A princess." She nuzzled and nudged him along.
'Well, what's so great about that? Girls don't get to be in fights like boys. They don't have to worry about protecting territories. Isn't that the King's job?"
"Such a sport. You are correct my son but you must not underestimate the lioness. She may be agile and she may not have the strength of a King but she can be as cunning as a lumbering elephant and as visible as the wind. Besides, wouldn't you wish to be in the Queen's better graces if you don't want to be in her jaws?"
"Hey!!"
“She has her beautiful moder’s eyes,” Rafiki cooed as he applied an herbal ointment on Nala’s forehead. She barely flinched when the baboon touched her forehead to smear a weird gooey substance on her face. “And your cunning,” he bowed.
“She will be treated as any ruler before her time. With respect and dignity.” The princess’s father, King Mufasa declared boldly.
“Dis is most certainly a sign from de Great Kings of de past.” The old ape agreed.
“As long as she is healthy that is what matters to me,” her mother Queen Sarafina said before planting a loving kiss on her new daughter, her greatest treasure.
“Rafiki, a word please.” Mufasa nodded and hinted that he and the mystical baboon should have a private word together. Truth be told, Mufasa was especially proud that he and Sarafina had managed to create a beautiful and healthy daughter. But there were some things that were of great concern to the King who was able to put on a strong and bold façade in public. In private however, he could be especially sensitive, especially when it came to unusual circumstances such as these.
“Treat her de way you would if she were a son. Nurture her, treasure her, guide her. She needs de guidance of her m’uder and fader.”
“You do know I share the same sentiments as you do, Rafiki.” The King replied calmly.
“Den, dere should not be any problems. Your course will be as smooth as de waters on a summer’s dey. You see dat tree over der?” Rafiki pointed with his staff. It was his home, the magic tree. “It needed both de soil and de rains to make it a home and not jus’ a dwelling.”
The King took the wise baboon’s words to heart. He was the one he counted on when it came to matters outside of his immediate control. Rafiki was his spiritual guide. By default, his daughter would inherit the pride by virtue of birth but that did not mean that she would rest on her laurels. Other prides chose the first born male as successor and in his case the throne would have gone to Simba but he was borne to Sarabi, a lovely lioness with sharp hunting skills. However, she was now his bethrothed and as such, his rank was below that of Nala. Nonetheless he was already fond of him and knew that one day he would be a fine ruler in his own right but before that should happen, he would have to demonstrate his strengths to earn Nala’s approval.
“Sarafina is a skilled fighter. Sarabi is a well trained huntress. She will reap the benefits of being surrounded by talents,” The King said assuredly. “She will grow up to be a fine Queen.”
The procession of animals gathered at the bottom of Pride Rock. A colorful assembly of horns, hooves, spots and stripes erupted to great approval when Rafiki walked towards the edge and presented them with their future ruler. Unlike her father, she had the color of very pale sand. She stood out in between the dark and grey of Rafiki’s paws. She shone like a beacon. She may not have had the sun gold looks of her father but she shone like a star in the early morning sky.
Nala had grown from a chubby cub to a playful one. She demonstrated her strengths in chasing butterflies. Her most defining quality however was in pinning her best friend.
“That’s not fair! Why do you always do that?” Simba protested after she pinned him for what seemed to be the thousandth time that day.
“That’s what you get for falling asleep during pouncing lessons!” She said while sticking out her tongue.
“Still! You blindsided me!” He leapt at her but with lightning speed she leapt out of his way. Thanks to her mother’s insistence on watching her go on hunts, Nala had benefited from being ten steps ahead from Simba’s thought processes.
“Don’t’ hate the player, hate the game,” she smiled.
“One day. One day, just watch.” He winked at her mischievously.
“Okay, let’s make this fun. The day that happens, I will eat crocodile dung and we know that will NEVER happen.”
“Oh, I will make sure that does. This I have to see.” Simba smiled in a determined fashion.
“What’s going on?” A familiar voice spoke up from above them.
“Oh, hey Zazu,” Simba said in a disgruntled voice.
“Hello Zazu,” Nala said with poise. Her mother stressed the importance of delicate manners and respect even towards those you did not exactly see in a favorable eye. It would prove to be a fruitful venture.
“Ah, such a beautiful sight. Young love blossoming on the savanna.” The bird sighed.
“What?” Nala giggled.
“Yuck!” Simba grimaced.
“Oh, don’t tell you me two have not figured it out.” The King’s majordomo said with a smug look on his face.
“Tell us what, Zazu?” Nala prodded on.
“Mmm, yes. Clearly you two have not familiarized yourself with the“B” word.” The King’s advisor said with a haughty face.
“The ‘be' what?” Simba queried.
“Intended! Affianced! Betrothed!” The bird declared. Simba and Nala looked like they had just smelled a warthog breaking wind.
“That’s disgusting!”
“That is nasty!” Nala declared.
“Well I am afraid that that is part of tradition Young Mistress and Lad.” Zazu bowed.
“Well, my mom said that when I was born, that meant that certain traditions were changing,” she winked at Simba.
“True, that is very true. However, this is one tradition that is especially pertinent. Your arrival, darling Nala was a blessing, a gift if you will, perhaps moreso than if young lad here had been born to King Mufasa and Queen Sarafina!”
“Hey!” Simba tried to swat Zazu but the bird flew out of his grasp.
“All fun in games, young sir!” The bird declared. “I should also take the time to tell you two that your mothers asked of me to remind you that it is time for your baths!”
“All right!” Nala smiled.
“Oh man! I just worked on this mane!” Simba huffed.
Nala particularly enjoyed her baths. It was relaxing, soothing and it was a time when her mother would serenade her with stories from the Great Kings of the Past.
“And then your grandfather Ahadi had your father and your Uncle Scar,” she said gently.
“Wow, I have some big paw prints to fill,” Nala said dimly.
“Being a Queen is no easy task.” Sarafina replied as she gently washed behind Nala’s ears.
“But mom, if the whole line was the Great KINGS, what does that make me?” Nala asked pointedly. She knew that she was a little different, perhaps unique in certain regards. She did not exactly have a guide on how to be a Queen when her ancestors in the sky were all boys.
“You have your father’s strength. Your father is very much loved by the whole kingdom. You will do just fine.” Sarafina said reassuredly. She had a talent for uncomplicating the most complex of issues. Still, that was not enough for Nala. She had to know more.
“But still, I can’t exactly protect a Kingdom from hyenas. I mean, I can try but I know that that is dad’s job mostly.”
“Nala, being Queen is more than just strength. It’s about cunning. It’s about grace. It is about holding your own during trying times. You have to be the example.” Sarafina said gently.
“I don’t understand. I know I have to be a good hunter, I know I have to look to the stars to find my answers, I know I have to be brave but what is that without a mane?” Nala smiled. Sarafina gently nuzzled her.
“Let me put it like this. Your dad and your uncle may protect the pride but WE are the CORE. We do the hunting because we are faster. Your father, your uncle and someday Simba eat first because this is our way of thanking them but without us, they are vulnerable.”
Nala began to understand that being Queen did not necessarily mean doing the exact same thing that her father did. That also did not mean getting her way all the time. That did not mean that she had any less influence. Part and parcel of being a ruler were the number of difficult decisions one had to make.
It was early evening when Nala wandered towards the dark enclave that her uncle favored. Although everyone warned her that they should respect Scar’s privacy she nonetheless ignored their advice and went to visit Uncle Scar. For some reason she could never figure out he liked to be by himself. He was hardly ever around family functions and he always ate alone. Come to think of it, she doesn’t quite remember ever seeing him eat. That must be why he was so thin. Still, she knew that he always had cool stories and some advice that she would not really hear from the pride. Nala just brushed it off and she respected her uncle’s wishes about keeping their conversations as private as possible. He once told her about the elephant graveyard. She was impressed but even she knew that she could not venture out there by herself. MAYBE if Simba had DARED her, then MAYBE just MAYBE she would take the risk.
“Uncle Scar?” Nala said nervously upon the resting figure. He was hidden by the shadows. Nala wondered if he was allergic to the sun. Maybe that is why he was always in a bad mood. She knew how much that would annoy her but she knew better than to ask him such personal questions.
The thin male lion turned his shaggy black mane. Intense yellowish eyes with a green tinge turned towards her. To a complete stranger they were angry, maybe even ‘evil’ looking but Nala knew to be careful. She knew that a well mannered cub always initiated a greeting and she knew her uncle enough that he wouldn’t be annoyed by the surprise visit.
Maybe. Hopefully.
“So it’s you,” Scar acknowledged her.
“Is this a bad time?” She asked nervously, hoping he wouldn’t yell at her or force her to leave. She had something to ask him and she did not want to leave until she got an answer.
“That depends,” Scar said with a snarl. Nala could tell that he was in a bad mood for some reason and she hated seeing others angry. She knew she had to be quick. She loved her uncle but she did not like it when he was in a rotten mood.
“Well, um, I just wanted to ask you something” Nala said tensely, trying to maintain distance and decorum. She did not know exactly what he did all day long or with whom but she assumed that whatever it was, it was beneficial to the pride.
“Isn’t this something that your mother or daddykins can you help with?” Scar said bitterly. He was in mood for idle chat. He had enough with the hyenas whom had the attention span of a gnat and were about as deep as a dried up pond.
“Well um, I came to you since you give interesting advice, I thought maybe you could help.”
His eyes snapped open.
Little brat.
He was looking forward to an evening’s rest but her curiosity couple with her carefully worded compliment, Scar could not help but turn over and give his full attention to her. She was his only niece and her only threat to him was that she was to be Simba’s intended betrothed. She herself was no direct threat to him. In addition to her being dependent on him for knowledge that would otherwise be provided to her by her neither her mother or father, Scar felt that he owed the little princess a little bit of his time. Better still, if she would get to his good graces then she would be dependent on him in other matters when the time was right.
“Tell me, darling. What troubles you?” Scar said in a mock curious fashion.
“Well um, nothing really. It’s more like a question and I don’t think everyone is telling me the truth.”
Scar’s eyes narrowed. He was about her age when he became disenchanted with rules and convention and explored other venues that were natural to him.
“Like, my dad said that we are all part of the circle of life. But if that is true, then where do the hyenas fit?” She gazed up at him, looking as if she were pleading for an answer and it was only he could provide it. Scar cleared his throat.
“Where did you hear such a thing, dearest?”
“Well um, my mom once told me how hyenas will steal their kills and how dad and you protect us. I thought the circle of life meant that everyone got along and that certain sacrifices had to be made. That is why the zebras don’t get sad when we eat them. Is that true?”
She looked up at him with bright blue eyes. Scar smiled down at her. She was so well groomed and well versed in what they spoon fed her. She was sheltered. He pulled her in close.
“You are such a bright one and already you can see beyond these superstitions that they try to feed you,” Scar said in a voice that suggested concern.
“Super what?” She questioned him. What was up with everyone today and these big words?
“Fairy tales. Lies. Fables to keep you cubs in line.” Scar stated sharply.
“But why would they lie? How can a lie be good?” Nala protested. Now she was very confused.
“I did not say that these lies were ‘bad’, Nala,” Scar warned her.
“But still. What does it mean? Does this mean that it is okay to steal?” The young cub’s mind was racing faster than a cheetah. Scar looked down at her smugly. Her crisis of faith, she was vulnerable. He broke down her foundations and she was floundering. Best of all, she was at his mercy.
“Nala. Those stories are just examples. They are supposed to teach us lessons. If your daddy and I did not hear them when we were cubs then we would not be here. These stories that you are told can or cannot be true. That does not mean that they cannot be useless. Did you ever hear of the tale of the lioness and the ostrich eggs?”
Nala nodded. It was a story her mom had told her. It was about a lioness who did not have babies and stole an ostrich’s chicks. Eventually, the ostrich got her babies back.
“And what was the moral of the story?” Scar countered.
“Don’t take something that doesn’t belong to you,” she stated simply.
“There’s a good girl,” Scar smiled devilishly. He patted her head with his paw.
“Wait. I think I get it. Like, these stories that may or may not be true, they are supposed to teach us lessons and how to behave.” Nala said thoughtfully. Scar nodded.
“But that does not mean that lying is good. Sometimes, pretend is okay when you are using an example.” Nala said with a smile, feeling as if she had cleared the smoke in her head.
“Close, but no cigar,” Scar said while looking at his claws.
“But that still doesn’t answer my original question. If hyenas are bad like my mom and dad say, then why are they around? Simba’s mom says that you always go in the direction where they live.” Nala blurted out. Scar’s jungle green eyes snapped open. His deepest secret was just getting scratched on the surface.
“Someone must protect the borders,” Scar stated simply. He had to throw her off his scent. "Your father despises them." Scar was meticulous with his lies. He had to carefully angle his words for he did not wish for the wrong type of information would go back to that brute.
“I bet you do. I bet you tell them to knock it off. That’s why they haven’t been around anymore, yeah?” Nala looked at her uncle excitedly. Sure he may not have been as muscular as her father nor did he have the strength of a buffalo bull but her uncle Scar was cool in other ways. He was able to TALK to hyenas and convince them to stay away. Maybe he did fight but even she knew that he was smart enough to keep them away. She could not help but admire that. She knew better than to say out loud that he was not a good hunter but he was good at other things.
“You are making me blush,” Scar said sheepishly.
“That is so cool!” She said with excitement in her voice. “I bet they are so scared of you! Whenever they see you they cower, just like they should!”
Oh she was fluffing him up all right.
“You have no idea,” Scar purred. “Tell you what. It’s late. Tomorrow we shall go to the gorge. But remember. It’s our little secret,” Scar prodded her away. She ran back to the den and back to her mother. The pride was about to settle in for sleep when she returned.
“Nala where were you?” Sarafina asked worriedly.
“I was with Uncle Scar,” she said in a happy tone.
“I hope you didn’t disturb him. You know how he likes his space.”
“It’s okay, mom. He wasn’t mad or anything.” She said with a yawn.
“Well that is good! It’s to see that he gets along with someone. I guess even the darkest shadows have some light.” The Queen said with contentment.
“You have no idea, mom. No idea,” Nala said as she drifted off to sleep.
Story 3:
Spoiler: show
A painful Lesson
Simba walked back home to Pride Rock with Kiara dangling from his mouth. How could his own daughter have been so crazy as to go all the way to the Outlands, especially after he forbade her to? Nearing the large monolith, he set his daughter on the ground and turned to Nala.
“I'll be right up, I just need to talk to Kiara,” he told her, ignoring the look his wife gave him. It clearly told him that if Kiara came back with anything wrong, then he'll have to deal with Nala too. With a sigh, Simba watched his wife leave to the den before turning his attention back to his daughter. “Kiara, what were you thinking? I told you to stay on the path-”
“I know, daddy! But I wanted to go someplace else. I wanted to explore! And Zazu told me that when you were a cub, you did that all the time too!”
Simba's eyes widened. He never thought that Zazu of all would be the one to tell Kiara of his own adventures with Nala, all at the expense of their parent's patience and sanity. “Well, I was different! I mean, what I did was dangerous, and I'm not going to allow you to do what I did. Can you imagine what I put my parents through? What I put your mother through when I took her with me? If you want, you can ask mom to tell you what it was like whenever I would go wherever I wasn't supposed to.” It looked like Kiara was getting bored with his lecture, and was starting to lose interest. “I just want you to be safe. If I lose you, I don't know what to do. I... just don't do out there again. Do it for me.”
Kiara looked up at her father. “Alright, daddy, I promise.”
Simba smiled and nuzzled her. “Alright, let's go up to Nala. She must be worried sick.”
---
Simba lay next to the watering hole, feeling depressed. He heard the grass move behind him and prepared to face Nala, who no doubt came down here for another scolding. He was surprised instead to see Timon and Pumbaa walking towards him.
“Hey kiddo, what's up?” The duo were as cheerful as ever.
Simba looked down. Just had another argument with Nala,” he admitted, “now she's really mad at me, so I came here to hide from here.” He felt Timon's hand on his shoulder, but this time it didn't offer much help.
Ever eager to help his friends, Pumbaa tried himself to cheer the lion up. “What you argue about? Anything we can help with?”
Simba snorted. “No, there isn't. Kiara left the Pride Lands again, and I was mad... I uh, kinda lost my temper, and uh, well, now Nala's just furious. I don't even know if she'll let me into the den now...” He groaned and buried his head under his paws. “What am I going to do?”
Timon walked over to the lion's front, and with great effort, removed one of the paws, uncovering Simba's face. “Now now, Simba, you should know better than that. Don't go running from your problems, you said, learn from them. Go to Nala and Kiara, and talk to them. Go and apologize to them, and things will be suddenly a lot better.”
Simba looked at the meerkat before lifting his head up off the ground. “Thanks, Timon. I think I'll do that.” His confidence faltered immediately. “But what am I going to do with Kiara? How can I keep her from wandering off again?”
Again, it was Pumbaa who came to the rescue. “Buddy, I think we can help you with this one!”
Simba grunted. “How? You're great and all, but you aren't the best at keeping an eye out on her, and Zazu isn't good enough either. I can't use one of the lionesses either.”
Timon shook his head. “No, we're not going to baby-sit your daughter. No, what Pumbaa – I- mean is that back in the jungle, where my family is at and all, last time I've been there, we've met a most peculiar character.”
Simba wasn't following. “What about it? What does it have to do with Kiara? She-”
Timon cut him off roughly. “Listen, kid, you need to know where your daughter is, and I know of a way to allow you to do that. You go and make amends with your family, and Pumbaa and I will take care of that problem. Deal?”
Simba thought for a moment. He didn't trust yet this idea, not knowing just about anything about it, but what choice did he have? “Deal.”
---
What Timon and Pumbaa brought back from the jungle was most peculiar indeed. Simba eyed the blocky things with curiosity. “Guys, what is this?” He had Kiara next to him, and she was intrigued by the objects just as much as he was.
Timon set them down next to the lions. “This is called a GPS,” he replied, “tells you where it is whenever you want. And what's more, if you take this receiver here, it can sound an alarm if the sensor reaches a certain predefined target range.” He looked up at Simba, who was looking at him with a confused expression. “It will tell you if Kiara will go too far away,” Timon added hastily.
“Ohh...”
After much discussion, and even a bit of arguing, Kiara finally agreed to allow the collar to be put on her. Even Nala was convinced after much talk that it was for the best. Compared to having someone watch her all the time, she felt like wearing something that at least blended in with her fur was a good enough alternative.
With the collar on and working, or at least, according to Timon, Kiara wandered off.
Simba leaned back and let out a satisfied sigh. “Kiara patrol problems, solved!” he announced proudly.
Timon pointed a finger at him. “What did I tell ya, kid? I know how to solve these problems!” He patted his stomach. “Well I'm starved. Who's up for some good grub?” As always, Pumbaa is ready. And for once, after returning to the Pride Lands, Simba felt like celebrating. “You know guys, I think I'll join you. Come on, let's go!”
United again, the trio walked down Pride Rock, looking for a day of relaxing and enjoying a good meal of bugs.
And not having to worry about Kiara.
---
Simba grunted in discomfort as Rafiki prodded and examined him. “Come on, Rafiki, it's only a slight pain,” he complained, “It'll get better. I only came to you so that Nala'll be happy.”
Rafiki muttered some things under his breath. “Ding's looking okay, don't ya dink? So how's it goin' with de wife an kid?”
Simba let out a content sigh. “Oh, it's great. Nala is happy, I'm happy. Don't have to worry about Kiara after Timon and Pumbaa brought back that GPS thing. I think even Kiara is starting to get used to it. Everything's great! Well, except for the pain...”
“So what's de GeePeeSee ding?”
Simba frowned. “I don't really know. Timon takes care of it, and I trust him. Basically, what he said is that it always tells us where this thing called the sensor always tells the receiver box where it is. And the sensor is on a collar we put on Kiara, so therefore, we know where she is all the time. I tell you, Zazu really enjoys that part... So yeah, we know where Kiara is, and I no longer watch her every move. I – OWW!”
Rafiki hit him very hard over the head with his trusty staff. “You crazy?” the monkey cried loudly. “Dis is not how to watch your family! Bad Simba! Bad King!” He again swatted the king over the head, who tried to dodge the blow over the head.
“What do you mean? We all like it! Even Kiara is warming up to it!” He had no idea why Rafiki was making such a big deal out of this.
The mandrill hit him again. ”Shame! To take de freedom from de daughter of de king? Shame on you!”
Simba hid his head from Rafiki's blows. “Then what am I to do?” he pleaded.
“Remove de contraption! Dis is not de way to watch over your family! You will take de thing off, and treat Kiara as your daughter, and not de object of amusement!” He glared so hard at Simba, that the lion shrank back from intimidation.
At that moment, Zazu appeared through the tree branches. “Simba! Simba! The receiver! It went off! Kiara's at the south border!”
Simba sprang up in surprise. “What? Take me to her! Right now!”
With Zazu in the lead, he followed his majordomo, running as fast as he could. Why did Kiara have to wander off again?
Except that when he arrived, Kiara was furiously trying to take the collar off, with no less than half the hunting party next to her. Non of them were trying to stop her.
Simba stopped in surprise. “Kiara? How-”
Nala turned towards him, clearly furious. “Simba, you have to take this thing off!”
“...Why?..”
“Because! We were about to hunt down your next meal, and we were allowing Kiara the practice of chasing the prey down, when all of the sudden, that... thing... it just went wild! Scared every reasonable piece of prey out of the Pride Lands!”
Simba frowned. “But I didn't hear it...”
“That's because it went off no less than ten times! Just as we're about to get into position, and the screaming starts.”
Kiara turned towards her father. “Daddy, I didn't even leave the Pride Lands! That's when you said it will only go off!”
Next to her, the other lionesses nodded in agreement.
“Kiara was always with us today,” Nala said, “she didn't place one paw even near the border.”
“But Zazu said she was in the southern-”
“The best hunting grounds perhaps? Who are you going to trust? A bird, or your own wife? And you better say me.”
Simba didn't dare to say that right now, he trusted Zazu more. Not getting a reply, Nala smirked and motioned at Kiara. “So if you want to eat again, take that thing off. I don't know how you got me to go along with placing that thing on her in the first place. She's your own daughter!”
Simba sighed in defeat, not ready for a repeat of Rafiki's painful lesson. “Alright, I'll take it off...” he mumbled.
Just then, the mandrill arrived, as though on cue. “Told you so.”
Simba glared at him. “What part of 'I'll take it off' did you miss?” His eyes widened when the lionesses all growled at him. “Okay! Okay! Kiara, come here... Time to... Looks like I got outvoted on this one. You're loosing that GPS.”
Kiara just about bounded over to him in happiness.
These are your three stories for this month's writing contest!
Enjoy reading them, and when your done, vote on the one that you like the most! Standard voting rules apply: Don't vote for yourself, don't ask others to vote for your story, and don't vote for a story that you simply know was written by a friend. Read and judge each story equally, and vote on them based on how you felt while reading them, and not how you feel towards the author, if you will know who wrote it.
It started out as a joke, but some members might take it seriously, so: this contest is not rigged. I don't have control over who votes for what story, so even though I hope to win this and every round, in the end, it is up to me writing a story good enough to win versus me altering the votes so that I get a 'victory'. Don't worry, I don't do that.
But most importantly:
Good luck and have fun!
