The Lion King: Dawn Of The Nations

Episode 42: Satiation

The Lion King: Dawn Of The Nations

Episode 42: Satiation

"I'm proud of you, son." Azaad looked at Faeze with a warm look.

"Oh, really?" Faeze looked back at him. "Why?"

"You've proven to be a born leader." Azaad responded. "Your friends follow you and trust in your command.

"Uhm, yeah, well it's not like we do a lot of great stuff as you adults do." Faeze said. "I just ask them to do what I think is best for Karu-Karu."

"And that's exactly what a good leader does, seeking the wellbeing of his equals." Azaad replied. Tombe approached them along with his son, while Saisa and Laye went another way with their respective cubs.

"My king. Are we going to discuss the news that Ozel brought from The Outlands?" Tombe inquired. "If they're true, that means we must strike as soon as possible, to prevent Baturu from gathering new forces."

"Leave the strategy to our captains, Tombe. Fuli will inform you when we make a decision on the matter." Azaad responded with a straight tone.

They took a path that led to the place where they had gathered the breakfast. Other male cheetahs were expecting them under the shadow of the tall trees. "King Azaad." One of them greeted with courtesy.

"Good morning, Raje." Azaad said. "Thanks for awaiting us, these kids can be quite passionate with their little club."

"It's not a club, it's a tribe." Tizei said.

"Tizei..." Tombe looked at his son with a scolding glare.

"Oh, sorry my king." Tizei lowered down his gaze.

Azaad chuckled. "It's alright, buddy." He gestured at the dead meerkats that laid over grass. "Come on, you must be starving, kids."

"Oh you bet!" Faeze ran towards the meerkats. Raje and the other cheetahs started to eat.

"Wait, Faeze!" Tizei rushed and got next to his friend, starting to eat from the meerkat he had picked.

Tombe and Azaad approached their friends and started to eat as well. "Just hunted..." Tombe said with his mouth full. "...how I like it."

"These ones are particularly tender. That's nice." Raje said.

"We always bring the best stuff, boys." Yarim boasted.

Tombe chuckled. "Like if meerkats weren't all the same." His comment made the rest to laugh, even the two cubs

"How's your mate, Yarim? I heard your cub's birth is near." Azaad inquired after munching a bit of meerkat.

"Oh, she is doing fine, quite moody sometimes but nothing I can't handle." Yarim replied.

Azaad and the rest laughed. "They always get like that when expecting." He chuckled once again, looking away with remembrance. "I had to be extremely careful with my Fuli."

Tombe chuckled. "I know, right? It was the same with Anira, she got like crazy even with the slightest of things, one day I woke up a little later and she threw a blow at me!"

"Woah, for real?!" Raje inquired while chuckling with amazement.

"Yeah! She apologized a few hours later but, mwenzio, I was scared as heck!" Tombe explained between chuckles.

"And you, Nadeer?" Raje asked the youngest of the adult cheetahs among them.

"Me? Uhm, well..." Nadeer got interrupted.

"He is practically a cub, Raje, give him some time." Tombe chuckled. "I mean Erina and him got together barely two months ago."

"The things that await you, youngling." Azaad said while taking another bite.

"Hey, dad." Faeze said.

Azaad looked at him. "Yes?"

"How did you know mom was, well, the right one?" Faeze inquired.

"Oh, that's a good one, boy." Yarim said.

Azaad sighed. "Well, son. It all starts with friendship, things just become more and more...wonderful, as time passes." He looked down with a smirk on his face. "You discover all of the good things she has, and you do all you can to show her the good things you can offer. Then you both know you were born to be together." Azaad looked at his son once again. "And that's it."

"Oh." Faeze expressed, raising his eyebrow. "That sounds...cool."

Tombe chuckled. "Don't worry, kid. You'll understand it all when you grow up."

Tizei glared at his father. "And you dad?"

"Hmm." Tombe thought for a moment. "At first it was her eyes, oh her beautiful eyes, it's a blessing to see them every morning, son." He sighed. "Her laugh, her little nose...the spots over her fur."

"Her spots?" Tizei inquired with an eyebrow raised, making some of the cheetahs chuckle.

"It's hard to explain, son, I just love every single thing about her. I loved it all since the beginning and..." Tombe sighed blissfully. "That love increases every day."

"Come on, it's not even midday and we're already getting emotional here?" Raje's comment made Yarim and Nadeer to laugh.

"We're complicated fellows, Raje, don't blame us." Azaad chuckled and kept eating, as well as the others.

After a couple of minutes, they finished having their meerkat based breakfast. "I think I had..." Tizei burped. "...too much." He dropped himself onto the ground.

"Tizei!" Tombe scolded.

"Relax, Tombe." Raje was laying down as well as the rest. "I don't think he's the only..." He burped as well, loudly then yawned and rested his head over the grass. "...one."

"That was a loud one, Raje." Azaad said. "Maybe that should be our official intruder alert." He laughed with his own comment, the rest laughed as well.

Faeze looked at them, laughing and joking, just as he did with his friends. He looked at Tizei and patted his shoulder. "Hey, I thought adults only talked about boring stuff, but they're fun!"

"Mhm." Tizei was getting very sleepy. "Too funny." He babbled.

Faeze yawned and got himself more comfortable over the fresh grass, under the shadow of the tall trees, closing his eyes slowly, with his thoughts starting to wander, turning into an endless jungle seen from above, with the sunset behind and a flock of birds flying towards it.

Hundreds of days behind my head,

Awesome and terrible as well,

I'd never change a single one,

My herd looks after me.

With their wisdom and expertise,

There is nothing I can't learn,

Neat tricks and long known lessons,

My herd looks after me.

Fun is also welcome here,

Dumb antics among old claws,

Long naps inside the jungle,

My herd looks after me.

When I grow up I'll be like them,

Yet I'll still be just like me,

I have no worries to attend,

My herd looks after me.

Faeze slowly started to open his eyes, yawning and looking around, finding out everyone but his father had left. Azaad was still napping, Faeze got onto his feet and stretched, gasping and walking towards him. He studied his face, serious, yet serene in that particular moment. He smiled and got himself under his paw, resting his head over his neck. "I love you, daddy."

Azaad opened his eye a little, smiling warmly at his son, who had begun to fall asleep again. "I love you too." He nuzzled his head gently. "My son."