Simba's Rain

SCAR..!

Hyenas laughing…

Fire…

I don’t remember much else… I must have blacked out…

I wake to the rain beating down against my fur, already matted with blood. Trying to stand, my legs are stiff and sore… Ash and dried coals stick to my face and mane as I leave the charred platform behind…

Hugging the wall of stone as I stumbled down the carved path, I look out across the Pride Lands; fire has washed over and destroyed everything… The ground sighs smoke as the rain relieves it of pain; the remains of trees are glowing yellow and orange as their insides are burned beyond repair…

A screen of mist shadows the rocks beneath me as my paws struggle to manoeuvre across the slippery surface. I steal through the shroud, rain blurring my vision…

A slope – my family… No, my pride is at the bottom! I lope down the rocky hillside, and find Zazu, perched on a boulder, his feathers soaked. He bows as I pass, and I can’t help but watch him…

The lionesses gather around me as I spot my mother, Sarabi… The feel of her fur against my head reassures my nerves, and then I see Nala..! Her blue eyes lock mine, and her cold, wet fur, hotter than any sun, rubbing with mine…

Behind me, a rattle is muffled by the rain, and I look up… Rafiki! That old baboon, my old friend… The closest thing I’ve had to a mentor…

He’s standing at the base of Pride Rock; he motions with his stick, to the raised, rocky ledge of my old home… My new home. I climb the stones to meet him, my tail flicking water as I rise…

My paws trip, and I falter, but Rafiki is there. A smile graces my mouth as I face him, his own a mirror image. He bows, a trickle of rain sliding off his red and blue nose. You old fool, I thought, as I pulled him into a hug… I feel his hands pat the back of my mane, the caked mud disintegrating with the rain…

We pull apart, his hands on each of my shoulders, shivering… I can see the pain hidden in his eyes behind the relief. The choking tang of smoke lingers, as Rafiki whispers, “It is time…”

I turn, leaving him behind me, as I gaze upon my kingdom… Willingly, my paws find their own as they push me forwards… Below me, I feel my entire pride stare as the rain cleanses my face, my fears…my future.

I notice down below the rocks, a surge of water carries the skull of a buffalo away. Washing away the old and evil, I realize…

Hesitating, I haunch my shoulders as I watch my fur release the mud on my paws. I sigh, and look up into the clouds, the rain gentle…

The clouds part, to reveal a star-studded night sky. A crash of thunder booms in the distance, but all I can hear, is the voice of my father!

“Remember, who you are! Remember…”

The echo dies faintly, blown away on the wind. Realization hit me, like the rain splashing against my face, only harder. Finally, I can see the truth; what I need to do.

Rain falls from my whiskers and mane, smoke swirls around my shaking body, as I breathe deep…

And a tremendous roar rips from my throat! My tail twitches as it resonates back against the wet rock. My pride answers, gratefully accepting me. I can hear them all, each individually, as they mingle and harmonise with mine.

A second breath, and an even louder, more powerful growl escapes my teeth…

And I have taken claim over my rightful pride.


My place…
In the Circle of Life.