The Longest Journey

[DGFone]

Dan bit his tongue in order to keep himself from blurting out that cheetah trouble was nothing to worry about. "Look, Mufasa... I really want you to reconsider," he said, "this mission... it means a lot. To me, to... to the whole world."

Around this time, Sarabi noticed the group and wandered over, curious. As she sat down, she heard enough to know that Mufasa was wanted for something, but also knew that the Pride Lands were not in a condition where he would leave them at. "Does it have to be Mufasa?" she asked, causing to look at her. "Or can it be someone else? Sarabi's my name, by the way."

Dan shrugged. "Well, I was asked to bring you, Mufasa, back specifically. They wanted a lion from Africa that is well known, but I guess if you don't want to go, I can find someone else... It's just that the mission... Well, I don't know how to describe it..." He looked at Mufasa and sighed. "So I guess I just have to say it. I apologize if you won't get it, but I really don't know any other way, so-"

"Mufasa... how would you like to go to the moon?"

[Regulus]

"The... what? You want to take me up there?" Mufasa asked, pointing his paw to a faint white crescent in the sky. "What for? Why?"

Simba sat in silence, hoping his father would change his mind. Though he knew little about what a trip to the moon would like, anything would be better than watching over the boring Pridelands all day, or so he thought. Finally, he decided to speak up. "I'll go!"

"Simba, I don't want you to... I need you here. You must understand," Mufasa persuaded.

"I know, I know..." Simba retorted. "I never get to go anywhere," he yelled, as he walked away from the den, clenching his teeth in anger.

[DGFone]

Dan was surprised at how underwhelmed Mufasa was at the news. "Mufasa... it's the moon! You can't simply waltz up to it! To go there, it's... it's an accomplishment in its own right. I mean, how to describe it? It's... it's the moon, Mufasa. If you go, it will mean so much, to the whole world."

When Simba walked off, Nala still sat, stunned. Eventually, she got up and quickly came over to him. "Simba, wait. I'm sure that Mufasa is just..." but she stopped, not knowing what she was going to say. She hung her head low when she realized that he was right.

Next to Mufasa, Sarabi thought about it. "Does it have to be Mufasa who is going?" she asked, "because..." she turned to Mufasa, grinning slightly, "You heard Simba. He never gets to go anywhere, right? Give him a chance to go somewhere where he won't ever be again. It'll be good for him. I remember you telling me how you yourself ran away from home when you were younger." She turned back to Dan. "How long is it going to take?"

Dan shrugged. "It's going to take a very long time. Training, followed the mission itself," he calculated it mentally in his head, "I'd give it no less than a full year. More, probably."

[Regulus]

"He's such a hypocrite," Simba yelled to Nala. "He always talks about how we should help others outside our borders, and yet... we never do. I've never left the Pridelands without getting scolded. I can't do anything. He's holding me back!" Simba stopped his pacing and sat down. He took several deep breaths before continuing his tirade.

"You know, this really could be something. None of us have ever been to the moon. What would it be like? How would we get there? We'll never know; I have to stand on a stupid rock all day."

---

"A year?" Mufasa exclaimed. "That's a long time." He paused momentarily, before shifting his attention to Sarabi. "We can't just send Simba away for so long... I need him to take my place. Besides, we don't even know this guy!"

[DGFone]

Nala tried to calm Simba down, but no matter what she tried, he continued to pace and shout. Eventually, to her great relief, he sat down and stopped shouting, although his mood didn't improve that much. "Look, Simba, I'm sure that will change soon enough." She sat down next to her friend. "We're still young after all. All he's doing is looking out after us." She grinned and leaned over closer to his ear. "I admit though: wherever you go, you make it interesting. Especially outside the Pridelands."

What Nala didn't tell him was that she didn't believe Dan about the going to the moon. While she didn't distrust the human, she simply didn't even know that it was possible to go there, having assumed all the time that it was simply something in the sky and therefore unreachable, that she found it much easier to believe that Dan wasn't being truthful. "You'll get your chance to go somewhere soon enough." She said simply, hoping that Simba would understand.

---

Sarabi knew that Mufasa was right. There was no way yet that they could trust Dan. But at the same time, now that the idea was presented to her, she wanted to give it a try. A chance for Simba to do something that they never tried before. "So, Dan. How can we trust you?" she said, "How can we know that you're being truthful?"

Dan didn't know what to say. "You can't." He finally admitted. "Not yet. I can let you talk to my superiors, and they might be able to convince you." What he was really doing right now was eavesdropping carefully on Simba's tantrum. Sure, Dan was sent to get Mufasa, but it wasn't required. And from what he was hearing, Simba sounded a much better candidate than Mufasa. While Mufasa was more on the unsure side, Simba sounded ambitious, eager, and even had a hint of arrogance about him. All of these, Dan liked, and knew that anyone who would make it through the training would need all of these traits.

"If you are concerned about not being in contact with Simba, it will be very easy to arrange that you see him almost every day," he said, turning his attention back to Sarabi and Mufasa. By now, he decided that if one of these lions would go, it won't be Mufasa. "But remember: this is the only chance any one of you will get ever. You have no idea how strongly I advise that one of you come with me. It's the moon, Mufasa. I think I can safely say that you've never dreamed of ever walking on it. Are you really going to deny this opportunity?"

[Regulus]

Although Simba didn't exactly trust the human either, the sheer thought of even a failed trip to the moon was enough to convince himself to go. Even if it wouldn't be possible, he thought he should at least try.

"But when? Why not now?" Simba asked his friend. "How much longer will it be? We can't stay here forever... not like Mufasa wants us to believe." Most of his friends had already left to live their own life. All but one, and it wasn't difficult for him to guess why.

---

Though Mufasa hadn't changed his mind, he knew he would need to discuss the matter with Simba at the very least. "I'll think about it," he said, attempting to get the human to leave.

[DGFone]

Nala couldn't answer her fired's questions. "I don't know, Simba. But Mufasa's... he's you father. He cares for you. All it will take is a bit of time, and..." she stopped, realizing that she looped right back to where they were before. "Try to talk to him at least," she suggested, "you might convince him to change his mind."

---

"We'll think about it," Sarabi said, correcting Mufasa. "We'll send Zazu, the bird, to find you when we will make up our minds."

Dan nodded, sensing that he was no longer quite welcome. "Alright. I'll be around the area then." He got up and walked away, letting the family of lions think for themselves. He personally hoped that Mufasa would relent and allow one of them to go with him, so that he won't have to go searching for yet someone else. With the schedule as tight as it was, the sooner he could find someone and start training, the better.

[Regulus]

"I think we need to have a meeting, as soon as the hunting party returns. We can discuss who will be going, if anyone," Mufasa suggested. Though he did not want to risk losing Simba, he felt it necessary to explain the situation to the others, at the very least. "I'll talk to Simba," he added.

---

"I hope you're right," Simba replied, finally calm enough to speak with a normal tone. Not before long, he could faintly hear his father calling him. "I guess I better go," Simba said, walking slowly back to the den. "...or, wait. I have an idea. What would your mother think? Would she let you go? Perhaps, if your mother lets you go, my father might change his mind. We could both go. Wouldn't that be great?"

[DGFone]

Sarabi nodded. "I'll go see if they came back yet, and maybe help them out if they are not," she said, "and you go talk to our son." She said this rather sternly, to show Mufasa that he would be having a choice in this matter, King or not. "You really upset Simba you know, try to reason with him, but no finales until after I come back with the others."

With that, she got up and quickly dashed down in search of the rest of the pride. Even if it would all come down to nothing, this was something they needed to know about.

---

Nala was stunned. "Me?" she repeated, "why me? I mean, the human asked for Mufasa, the king, and you're his son." She nodded back at where they left the others behind. "But I'm just me. I'm a nobody..." But as she said this, her mind was going over what Simba said.

If Simba would go, she won't see him for over a year, which was something she just realized she won't be able to handle. But if she came with him... As Nala thought about it more and more, she slowly started to grin. "You know what? What if I go with you? I think that will be the best! Well, if I will be able to go with you, that is..."

[Regulus]

"Well, I think you'd be able to come," Simba replied, trying to remember what exactly it was Dan had told him. "Either way, he wants someone to go. If my dad won't let me, then why not you?"

Behind the two, Mufasa began to apologize. "Simba, I'm sorry... I..." he continued, not knowing what exactly to say. "I mean, it's not that I don't want you to go anywhere, or do anything... it's not about that at all. I need you here. We need you here."

"I know, but..."

"How can you take your place in the circle of life if you're on the moon?" Mufasa added.

Simba sighed in disbelief. His father really didn't understand. "It's the moon. If I can go there, it will be the greatest thing I'll ever do. Greater than anything you, or any of us, have ever done. Maybe that is my place," he persuaded.

"Maybe you're right," Mufasa admitted, evoking a smile from his son. "But still, I don't trust Dan."