The Lion King: Dawn Of The Nations

Episode 12: Repose

 The Lion King: Dawn Of The Nations

Episode 12: Repose

Nuku and the four lions walked over the sandy, dry ground, under the cover of the star filled sky. Keru was trembling by the coldness of the night just as the rest. "T...te..tell me you got...c...caves there."

"Of course." Nuku responded with a chuckle. "We have caves, fires...all we need to stay warm."

Ari sighed by the cold, her breath exited as vapor that then vanished. "C...could you j...just wait til' we arrive, g...guys?" She trembled almost as repeatedly as Keru. "Your w...words are just getting m...me col...colder."

"We are almost there." Nuku turned and smirked at her, then he glanced back to the front.

After a few more minutes of travel, the lions and the caracal arrived at the entrance to Nandari, the beginning of the defile that naturally emulated a tall door, they entered and Emba, Ari, Zale and Keru looked with cautiousness at their sides, studying the several types of cactus that grew from the sandy walls. They began to spot the first caves with their gaze, holes over the walls' surface, some of them ground level and others a bit higher, with their respective paths, finding only empty ones at first but then the caracals began to appear in their caves, looking at their guests with subtle yet welcoming eyes, the ambient got gradually warmer as the first sets of fires began to appear on the cubs' way, along with more caracals that just walked by them, alone or with their families, they were smaller than lions, but no too much.

"So...what you think?" Nuku asked, turning to look at them briefly.

"It's pretty." Ari expressed, smiling at Nuku.

"It's warm." Keru said with reassurance.

"How many of you live here, Nuku?" Emba asked.

"Well...all of us." Nuku responded, glaring at his equals, on the sides, at the caves, the ones who laid before the fires. "After half of us were exiled, we found this place." He explained. "My uncle convinced the rest to leave the Pride Lands and come here."

"No offense, but, why would you like to leave the Pride Lands?" Zale asked.

Nuku sighed. "Here we discovered peace. No clans, no wars. Just...well..." He gestured frontwards. "This."

Emba approached Nuku, getting right next to him. "And you don't mind...uhm...well, being ex..."

"Exiled?" Nuku chuckled. "It may be the best thing that happened to us."

Emba raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I've just told you." Nuku concluded. They reached the dead end of the defile, where more caves surrounded them in the wide, flat area they had arrived at, where several families of caracals enjoyed their dinner. "And here we are." Nuku led them to the spot where his family was eating, they approached the four caracals that were busy enjoying the meat of the kudu they shared, the little lions sat down behind Nuku, who approached his family a bit more and sat before the meal, looking at his parents and siblings. "Mom, dad. Vari, Makei." He gestured backwards at the four lions. "These are my new friends, Ari, Keru...uhm...Emba and Zale." He then gestured at his family. "Friends, my family."

Nuku's father finished munching the bite of Kudu he was having and raised his gaze at the four cubs, who took a couple of steps towards them. He looked at them for a moment then smiled. "You must be hungry." The lions looked into each other's eyes then glanced at the kudu and finally at the adult caracal, nodding at the same time. "Go ahead, then." After giving them a welcoming grin, Nuku's father kept eating, the four cubs shared more uncertain looks. He looked at them once again and chuckled friendlily. "Come on, there's plenty." He spoke with his mouth full.

Nuku looked at them then approached the kudu and started to eat. Emba was the first to accept the invitation, which made Keru and Zale to do the same, Ari was the last one. Emba, just as the rest, munched the kudu's meat with satisfaction. "I'd never tried kudu before...it's delicious!"

"There aren't many of them where we live." Keru opined, also enjoying the dinner he was having.

"Pride Landers?" Nuku's mother asked.

"Mhm." Emba just expressed confirmation.

"And where did you meet them?" Nuku's mother asked his son, rather upset. "Not at the border, I hope." She looked at Nuku.

"Well..." Nuku looked away. "I was just...uhm...exploring a bit."

The mother sighed. "What have we told you about going there on your own, son?"

Nuku lowered his head. "That I shouldn't."

Nuku's father chuckled comprehensively. "He is just a kid, Naibi." He received a look of warning from his mate then he looked back at his son and kept eating. "But your mother is right, Nuku. That's no place for a cub, at least not now with all those hyenas."

Zale swallowed the bit of meat he was having. "I thought they only lived at the Outlands."

"And you're not mistaken, youngling." The adult caracal replied. "They only want to cause trouble..." He shook his head. "...big trouble."

"Nuku told us about his friends." Ari added. "That must've been horrible."

Nuku's father nodded, having adopted a straight face. "It was." He nodded subtly. "It was horrible."

"We should force them out." Nuku said. "They have nothing to do here, dad."

"The best way to survive is to remain retracted as your uncle has told us." His father responded.

"I don't want to survive, I don't want to be afraid...I can't play, I...I can't sleep." Nuku's voice started to break, Naibi then walked towards him and got her lower jaw over his head, stroking him.

"Son, we are here with you." Naibi reassured. "Nothing is going to happen to you or your sisters while we are here." She said. "But no more exploring, okay?" She stopped stroking him and looked into his eyes. "Just for a while, son."

Nuku got thoughtful for a moment then lowered his gaze and nodded with resignation. "Yes, mom."

After getting their bellies full with kudu, Nuku and his sisters were leading the four lions to their cave, walking up on the path that led to it, which was of those that were located in the middle of the mountain's wall. "So...who's in charge here?" Emba asked just for curiosity.

"Nekeri." Makei responded.

"He is our uncle, actually." Vari added.

"And, have you told him about what happened?" Zale asked.

"Of course I told him, but..." Nuku sighed rather frustrated. "He just told me to overcome it, and that was it." They finally arrived at their cave, far smaller than the Pride Rock's, but big enough for a family of caracals, it was very warm and the ground was flat and sandy just as the walls. Vari and Makei didn't hesitate to go to sleep right away, laying on the ground and starting to rest after tired yawns. Nuku walked towards them and laid among them, closing his eyes and getting himself comfortable, then opening one and seeing the four lions staring at them with doubt. He closed his eye again and let out a sigh. "You should rest." He yawned briefly.

Keru walked towards the corner at the bottom of the cave, laying there and resting his head over his front legs, the warmth of the place triggered his sleep rather rapidly. Zale then walked towards him and laid next to him. Lastly, Emba and Ari approached their cousins and also laid down among them. The peace and warmth of Nandari led them rapidly to a quick, untroubled rest.