Lion King (the Cub Days)

Listening In on Mothers

The day after the lion had come Simba and Nala were wrestling, pretending they were invading on the pridelands.

"I am here to eat all of the prey," bellowed Nala as she stalked forward.

Simba puffed out his chest in pride. "I'm the king of this land and I forbid you to come any close or you will feel my claws into your pelt," he snarled like Mufasa.

Nala's eyes gleamed. "Well you can't tell me what to do." She surged forward and knocked him sideways.

He shook his head before rising to his paws. He tumbled forward and pushed his paws against her flank and turned her over. She growled and rose to her paws. She thrust a paw toward Simba's jaw but he ducked and collided his head against her chest. She rolled backwards until she collided with a rock behind where Sarabi and Saraifina were speaking.

"Are you sure that he was her father," asked Sarabi in a hushed tone.

Sarafina licked a paw before drawing it over her ear. "Of course. I saw him with my own eyes. How could I forget a lion that looked like that?"

Nala's blood turned cold. She sat back and didn't move when Simba stalked forward. He let out a growl but she swiveled around and hushed him.

"What's wrong," asked Simba timidly.

Nala narrowed her eyes. "I don't know. They're talking about what happened yesterday. About that lion."

Simba bristled his fur which made him look like a wet cheetah. "If I was king I would have defended our pirdelands!"

"Shhhh," Nala scolded as she lashed her tail against his muzzle. "I need to listen to this."

"He was after Nala," Sarabi pressed as her ears flicked. "I mean he obviously knows that she is his daughter."

"Yes. He wants her but I don't know why," Sarafina sighed as she lashed her tail against the rock and Nala drew back a bit.

"Perhaps he wants to ruin you," Sarabi pointed out as she sunk her claws into the ground in anger. "He knows that's what you care about and he wants to make your life miserable."

"That's not far," grumbled Simba as his lip curled. "You belong with your mother."

"Father," echoed Nala. "I have a father."

She took a step forward into the light of both mothers. "Nala," hissed Simba as he surged forward and sunk his teeth into her tail. She kept walked and they both tumbled in front of their mothers' paws. "Hi mom," Simba mumbled sheepishly.

Sarabi let out a murmur but it was Nala who spoke first. "That was my father," she croaked.

Sarafina looked like she had just been trampled by an elephant. "Nala, he was your father but-"

"Why didn't you tell me," cried Nala as her eyes filled with tears. "Why didn't you tell me about my father and that he'd come here to find me."

"I didn't know," Sarafina argued. "He left and I didn't think he was coming back."

"You lied to me," Nala wailed. "You said he didn't care about me!" She turned and skirted forward with her tail tucked between her legs in betrayal.

"Nala," screeched Sarafina as she pulled herself forward. "Nala, come back!"

"Leave me alone!" Nala tucked under an overgrown of weeds. She lowered down and thrust a paw over her head and cried silently.