Lion King - Lost Heir

Trouble

Swala

I jolt upright, Kuishi is fast asleep beside me, his eyelids flutter as I stand up, yet he does not stir.

Making my way out of the cave, I hear my name being called. Yet it isn't the voice of a hyena, and it is not followed by a chilling cackle.

Instead it is the deeper voice of another lion, male.

As I walk just out of earshot of the cave, I see Askari, the lion who saved me and my friends earlier sitting by a sparse tree.

I walk over, sitting next to him.

He smiles sadly down at me, before putting a dinner plate-sized paw over my fragile shoulders.

"Swala," I look up at him expectantly.

"I saw hyenas at the lake yesterday," he pauses momentarily before carrying on, yet I do not say a word.

"They told me that I am related to Simba by blood, my mother was his older sister. A hyena told me this."

He looks distractedly down at his paws, as if embarrassed.

"Do you believe them?"

"Rafiki told me that they spoke truth."

I look up at him, my eyes large with worry, and realisation.

"But he told me one more thing."

He sighs.

"I need your help Swala."

I gasp, "But what help am I?"

"I don't know Swala. He just told me that when you become one year of age, we confront the king."

I flinch away from his arm on my shoulder, yet I stay to listen.

"That's all I need to tell you, don't tell anyone about this, or I'll be in trouble with your father."

I nod, then run straight back to the cave.

Late morning

"Swala, wake up. You overslept again."

It's Aina, gently shaking my shoulders.

I rouse myself, standing up and shaking my head to clear it.

"Now can we go play Aina?!"

I look up, to see another cub standing at Aina's shoulder, I look her up and down, she really is pretty."

She seems to notice me staring and holds out her paw.

" I'm Nyuki."

I nod, shaking her paw.

" Princess Swala."

I have absolutely no idea why I add 'Princess', since usually I hide my royal blood, as cubs become shy when I tell them.

She comically bows and we all burst out laughing. Then Aina sets off running to the waterhole, not telling any of the adults.

Me and Nyuki catch up to her and we all trot leisurely in the direction of the waterhole, away from Pride Rock.

"Aina, aren't we gonna tell anybody?" I ask, pausing to cock my head to one side.

She smiles at me. "Where we're going is really cool, but the adults can't know, or we'll get in big trouble."

I grin at her, yet Nyuki stops, looking worried.

"But Aina," starts Nyuki. "Did you tell the other cubs at least?"

"Nuh-uh," Aina shakes her head enthusiastically.

Nyuki stares at Aina.

"I don't want to go, and if you go, I'll tell my mummy."

Aina rolls her eyes.

"Fi-ine."

Yet when Nyuki turns to head back, Aina winks at me.

A few minutes later

We wait until Nyuki's mother is giving her a nice long bath before we run off again.

We start off jogging, but as our destination nears, we speed up and start to sprint. I can already see Aina's destination : a deserted elephant grave yard.

According to Zazu, it's full of 'back-stabbing hyenas', though after our ecape last time, I don't count on being caught.

We finally feel the dry grassland soil morph into parched red dust that gets stuck between our paws and makes me wince.

Then Aina stops dead, forcing me to run right into her.

"Aina!" I shout in anger.

"Shhhhh, I hear something."

We both drop down, ready to pounce from what little cover there is from the sparse grass...