The Lion Queen

Chapter 3

Boy, were we in trouble. Looking back, I didn't know what we were thinking. Mufasa told us we could play anywhere in the whole kingdom. As far as we could see was all our playground. So where did we go? The one place he told us not to go. We could have died. That hyena would have gobbled me up if Simba hadn't swiped her. He was always there when I needed him. But I shouldn't have needed him. Boy, were we dumb.

I didn't talk to Simba until the next day. Mufasa sent me home with Zazu and I could tell he was going to get an earful. I hated it when people watched me get in trouble, and there was no way I was going to do that to Simba. I laid low with Mom until the next day. Even after that, I avoided Mufasa for a week. He wasn't even mad- he was just so big. He looked at you and you just knew he saw right through you. I didn't know how Simba got away with anything. I was sure he was a cool dad, but he was still scary.

The day after the "event", I crept to Simba's den and peeked in. Mufasa and Sarabi were still sleeping, and Simba was lazing next to them.

"Psst," I whispered. "You still in trouble?" He rolled over and grinned.

"Nah, we're cool," he said. "Dad's cool."

"Then wanna come out and play?" I asked. He jumped out at me and we wrestled all the way down Pride Rock. I won, of course. I always won. Simba thought he was so cool- and usually he was- but he never beat me in wrestling. We stopped at the bottom of the rocks to gnaw on some leftover wildebeest bones.

"That was a really bad idea and let's never do it again. But... it was really cool when you smacked that hyena right in her face," I said.

"Yeah, it sort of was. Once I'm bigger, I'll do it again, but only if I have to. I kind of hope I have to at least once," Simba said. He cracked a bone and half and licked at the marrow. He said it was the best part, but I knew he just wanted to break the bones and hear the noisy crack.

"Maybe something really cool will happen, like those jackals will come back. Then we can fight them," I said. We ate some more, and I noticed something.

"Hey, how come your uncle Scar never sleeps with the rest of you?" I asked. I hardly ever saw him around at night, either. Simba scrunched his face.

"I dunno. He's weird sometimes," he said.

"He must have been really worried when he found out what happened," I said. He told us not to go to the Elephant Graveyard, but he was still the one who told us it was there in the first place. He was probably really sorry, even if it wasn't his fault.

"I didn't want to tell anyone, since I got in trouble, but he must have figured it out. He took it really well. Said we probably weren't in much danger, since hyenas are brainless slobs who can't to anything right," Simba said.

Scar is weird, I thought. I'd be worried sick if I heard Simba got into trouble. Why would he even tell us about someplace so dangerous, anyway? We're stupid cubs. It was asking for trouble. He never seemed to fit in with the other lions. Maybe if he wasn't so crabby they wouldn't avoid him.

It all seemed to blow over pretty quick. Three days later, it was like it never happened. Simba even seemed a little more mature after it all. Probably his dad rubbed off on him. I was just getting out of bed when Paka walked up to me. She was pretty nice. She let me play hunt her catches before she killed them.

"Nala! Mufasa said there are some hyenas in the area-" I folded my ears and looked down guiltily- "so I'm going to go warn your pride. Want to come? You can visit your mother," she said. That perked me right back up.

"Yeah! I'll go tell Simba," I said. Paka left too, probably to find Mom. Sarafina never came along on these things. She wanted to let my first mother have me all to herself. I found Simba at the watering hole.

"Hey Simba, I'm going to visit my mom. Try not to get lonely," I said.

"Don't worry, I already had plans anyway," Simba said with mock aloofness.

"What, you learning manners from Zazu again?" I asked.

"No, I'm going to the gorge with Uncle Scar. He says he's going to show me something really cool. It's probably something only princes can see," he said. I pulled a silly face.

"Well have fun, your majesty," I said. "See you tomorrow."