The Lion King Chronicles: Nala's Tears {Editing}

Chapter 4

The sun peaked in the sky and I laid between my mother's paws. All of the lionesses rested in the shaded trees beside Priderock. Kula laid in between Bina's paws while Tama and Malka wrestled next to their mother, Eshe. Sarabi, Dwala, Naanda, Diku, and Zira had just recently returned from a hunt with a wildebeest. With a full belly, I felt sleepy cuddled up to Sarafina. Mheetu laid in the curve of Sarafina's belly, suckling.

"You're all dirty from exploring, Nala," Sarafina scolded me. "I think that you need a bath." I cringed. Swimming was fine, but a bath was tedious.

"Fine," I groaned and Mom began to lick my face with her coarse tongue. She cleaned between my ears, my chest, my back, and moved down to my rump.

Suddenly, from the slope leading down from Priderock came Simba. His golden pelt was covered in dirt but his amber eyes gleamed like the sun. He bounded over to me with a spring in his step.

"Hey, Nala," Simba said.

I gave him a look, "Hi, Simba." Mom continued giving me my bath, completely ignoring Simba.

He leaned over to whisper into my ear, "Come on, I just heard about this great place."

I clenched my teeth and rolled my eyes at him. Could he have chosen a worse time? "Simba! I'm kinda in the middle of a bath."

"And it's time for yours." Sarabi swooped down and picked Simba up by the scruff. Simba squirmed in his mother's grasp and I couldn't help not giggling. Sarafina move back to my ears, cleaning them really good.

"Mom! Mom!" Simba complained. "You're messing up my mane!"

"What mane?" Malka muttered under his breath. Only Tama and I heard his comment which caused us both to giggle.

Simba managed to slip from Sarabi's clutches and attempted to fix his tuft of a mane. "Okay, okay, I'm clean. Can we go now?"

I squinted at him as Sarafina continued to wash my rump. "So, where are we going? It better not be anyplace dumb."

"No, it's really cool,"Simba promised.

Sarabi gave Simba a knowing look. "So where is this 'really cool' place?"

"Oh," Simba thought for a moment. "Uh...around the water hole."

I piped up, throwing him a look. "The water hole? What's so great about the water hole?!"

Simba forced out a whisper between clenched jaws. "I'll show you when we get there."

I caught on quickly that he couldn't tell Sarabi where we were really going. "Oh," I whispered, then I slipped from Sarafina's grip and turned back to look at her. "Uh...Mom, can I go with Simba?"

Mom pretended to think and glanced over at Sarabi, "Hmm...what do you think, Sarabi?"

"Well..." Sarabi drawled.

Simba and I gave our best pleading grins. "Pleeeease?" We said together.

Sarabi nodded her head, "It's alright with me-" Simba and I started to cheer, but our victory was cut short, "-as long as Zazu goes with you."

"No!" Simba groaned, "Not Zazu!"

As if on cue, the blue hornbill appeared, flapping his wings. "Did I hear someone call me?"

~

"Step lively. The sooner we get to the water hole, the sooner we can leave." Zazu said as he flew overhead.

I walked alongside Simba, our steps in rhythm with each other. Whispering, I asked: "So where are we really going?"

Simba glanced up at Zazu and then back at me. "An elephant graveyard," He whispered.

"Wow!" I exclaimed and Simba immediately shushed me. "Right," I whispered. "So how are we going to ditch the dodo?"

Simba whispered back excitedly, "Oh, I know how we can-"

He was interrupted when Zazu swooped down. "Oh, look at you two. Little seeds of romance blossoming in the savanna. Your parents will be thrilled!" Zazu landed in front of us. "What with your being betrothed and all."

Simba furrowed his brows in confusion. "Be- what?"

"Betrothed. Intended. Affianced." Zazu elaborated with big motions.

We both still stared at him in confusion. None of these words were familiar to us. "Meaning...?" I pressed, hoping he would tell us in words that we understood.

Zazu placed his wings on his stomach and gave us a sly look. "One day, you two are going to be married!"

At the same time, Simba and I expressed our distaste. "Yuck! Eww!"

Simba stepped closer to Zazu and bent down to his level. "I can't marry her. She's my friend."

I nodded in agreement. "I'd be too weird."

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but you two turtle doves have no choice. It's a tradition-" Zazu turned his back on us and started giving one of his boring lectures while Simba mimicked him. I held back a laugh.

Simba returned Zazu's sly smile. "Well, when I'm King, that'll be the first thing to go."

Zazu poked at Simba, "Not so long as I'm around!"

Simba poked Zazu back harder. "Well, in that case, you're fired."

Zazu stuck up his beak and huffed. He poked Simba in the nose. "Nice try, but only the King can do that."

I stepped closer to Zazu and rolled my eyes at him. "Well, he's the future King."

"Yeah," Simba agreed. "So you have to do what I tell you."

Zazu crossed his wings and cast a sour look at Simba. "Not yet I don't! And with an attitude like that, I'm afraid you're shaping up to be a pretty pathetic King indeed."

"Hmph," Simba grinned, "Not the way I see it..."

There was a grand arrangement with the help of many of the savannah animals. It ended with Zazu trapped underneath a rhino's butt. And that's how we lost Zazu.