Chapter 5: A Date to Remember
Part 2: A Midday Swim
“Simba, cut it out!” Nala closed her eyes as a wave of water suddenly crashed against her face. Spluttering indignantly, the girl roughly shook her head, sending liquid beads flying from her soft, cream-colored fur. The tiny drops arced gracefully through the hot afternoon air, glistening brilliantly in the bright sunlight before finally landing with a small ripple in the pool of water that surrounded the cub. “Hey! I wasn’t ready!”
“Come on, Nala!” Simba teased. “You’re never going to win a splash war if that’s the best you’ve got!”
“Oh, yeah?! Watch this!” Nala abruptly dove into the murky water, completely disappearing from sight with barely a splash. Simba’s eyes grew wide as he frantically scanned the surface for any sign of his friend, but he was too late. With a playful growl, Nala suddenly erupted from the murky depths and leapt at Simba, roughly pulling him down with her beneath the water. The young lioness latched her legs around Simba’s body and held him submerged for several seconds before finally allowing him to paddle back to the surface. Nala quickly emerged alongside the prince and wrapped her paws around the young lion’s back, gently holding him afloat against her side.
“Hey!” Simba coughed as he gasped for air. “What was that for?!”
“That’s for splashing me when I wasn’t ready,” Nala teasingly sneered. “So, do I win?”
“Yeah, yeah,” the golden-brown cub grumbled. “But I’ll get you next time!”
“We’ll see about that!” Nala happily let her cheek rest against Simba’s chest as the two drifted quietly into the shallow part of the waterhole. After a moment, the girl slowly raised her head and peered up at her best friend. The young lion was gazing back at her with half-closed eyes and a soft grin spread across his face. Nala chuckled quietly to herself as she returned the smile. “I love that look.”
“What look?”
“You know.” Nala leaned forward and gently licked Simba’s wet cheek before blissfully nuzzling her face under his chin. “Don’t ever change.”
“I’ll do my best,” Simba laughed softly. This was the happiest the prince had felt in a long time. Playing and laughing again with Nala had taken his mind off of his nightly terrors and provided a much-needed sense of normalcy. If only the fun could last forever.
The two cubs bobbed lazily in the cool water as a strong breeze created ripples across the pond’s surface. The hot African sun was shining brilliantly against the midday sky; its bright rays only interrupted by the passage of a few small, white clouds drifting lazily overhead. The intense sunlight cast a yellow hue over the hot savannah, and a roaming cloud of dust dirtied the air. It had been several weeks since the last rainstorm, and much of the vegetation across the Pridelands had perished from the ongoing drought. Many of the grazing animals had been forced to move on to other parts of the region in their search for food, and this meant that the two lion cubs were left with the entire waterhole to themselves. Only the soft slosh of water lapping against the shore interrupted the peaceful afternoon.
“Nala! Simba!” Sarafina eventually called from the shoreline. “Come on you two. It’s time to head back.”
“But mooom,” Nala protested. “We’re having so much fun! Can’t we stay just a little longer?”
“Sorry, dear,” Sarafina shook her head. “Queen Sarabi needs me to help with the hunt this afternoon. You two will have to play back in the den while I’m gone.”
Nala dove under the water one last time, letting the cool liquid soak into her fur before slowly following Simba back towards the muddy shore. Water poured off their young bodies as the cubs begrudgingly stepped back onto land. “This stinks!” Nala huffed in frustration. “I’ve been stuck in the den all week!”
“I know, I know,” Sarafina sighed, desperately wanting to avoid an argument with her daughter. “But with all the herds moving on, it’s been getting harder for us to find food. Queen Sarabi needs all of us on the hunt so you two can have something to eat tonight. And I can’t just leave you out here by yourselves.”
“Um, Ms. Sarafina?” Simba hesitantly stepped forward and put on his most persuasive smile for Nala’s mother. “Could we at least play down in the grass around Pride Rock? You know, just to get out of the den for a while? I promise to watch out for Nala and make sure she doesn’t do anything to hurt her leg.”
Nala nodded enthusiastically at Simba’s plan. “Yeah, we’ll be careful! Come on, you used to let us play by ourselves all the time. Pleeeaaassseee?!”
“Well…” Sarafina thought to herself for a moment before hesitantly nodding her head in approval. “Okay, I guess you don’t have to stay in the den the whole time. But don’t wander too far off. Oh, and I want you both back inside by the time we get back from the hunt. Understood?”
“Yes ma’am!”
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3 years, 5 months ago
09 Jan 2021 20:32 CET
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