The Lion King Sarabi's Story

Chapter Four

A few weeks later Sarabi woke up, she was finally six months old! And today all the family were going to Pride Rock for a celebration! "Dad?"

"Yes Sarabi?"

"Do you think Mufasa will have a mane yet?"

"Maybe a little one!" Sarabi laughed and leapt over each one of her sisters, accidentally deliberately catching her back legs on each one so as to wake them up. To wake Tata she rubbed her nose on her little stomach and Tata opened her eyes and laughed, she squirmed out of Sarabi's grasp and giggled. She was now quite big, smaller than she should be but no longer the tiny cub born a few months before. Tata was a bold cub and clearly enjoyed having fun, she would never change what she stood for and would defend a friend even if it killed her...

As they jumped over the grasses in the Pridelands, Abla and Chimalsi smiled down at their cubs, they loved them dearly. Sarabi, was clearly going to be a good huntress, wife, leader and mother. She was growing into a strong cub with pronounced muscles in her legs and paws, her wisdom could solve the trivial problems of cubhood that she and the other cubs encountered. However, as well as these qualities, she loved many and was particularly affectionate towards Mufasa, this loyalty was likely to lead to one thing.

Shahida was never going to be particularly good at hunting, she was elusive and her muscles were elegant rather than practical, she had her own beauty about her. She was never a normal cub, her wisdom was like Sarabi's however Shahida was not a leader, her parents wondered if she would spend her life roaming Africa alone.

Sharika and Shuruku were showing signs of being respectable hunters, not the best but adequate. The twins showed mother-like qualities and would probably make up the nursery of the pride. They were kind and loyal to loved ones, they would be good members to whatever pride they joined.

Sala worried her parents, she enjoyed being rebellious and being with Taka, he had worked out now through intense concentration what his mother had been talking about, he liked the look of it. This action looked exciting and he had told Sala all about it, she was excited too. The only problem was that only adults went there, cubs were never allowed, why? Sala did not have a bright future ahead of her, she held none of the nobility her sisters did.

When the family finally reached Pride Rock, Mufasa ran straight out, a little reddy-brown tuft sprouting from his forehead. "Sarabi! Sarabi! Look!!!"

"Oh Mufasa! It's wonderful!!!" They nuzzled each other and Abla looked at Chimalsi, she was surprised, Chimalsi simply looked on and smiled. His daughter had a great future ahead of her, he was sure of that. Then Taka plodded out of the cave towards Sala, "Taka? Where's your's?"

"Sala... I... I haven't got one yet..." He replied, deflated. Sharika and Shuruku giggled behind their paws, "Shut up you two! I'm gonna marry him!" Sala screamed.

"What?" The twins gasped in unison.

"Well...I am..." Sala replied, Shahida rolled her eyes at her siblings, Tata was sat between her paws, asleep. Taka slunk towards her and, getting closer to Tata, peered down between Shahida's paws. "What the hell is that?"

"This is our little sister, Tata."

"Oh..." Tata opened her eyes, Taka smiled down at her and vowed to protect this cub, Tata simply furrowed her forehead, frowning at him. She was obviously not impressed.

The celebrations went on as usual, the seven cubs were allowed out on their own ten miles today, further than any of them had ever gone before. They played for hours as their parents began to plan out how they would care for them from now on, they would be teenagers soon and this could bring immense trouble, the main worries were Taka and Sala. They could do anything at all and Uru admitted to Abla and Chimalsi that Taka and Sala knew what they should not already know. Abla was not particularly worried, she believed that in life, you received what your actions brought you. Despite his wife's complete dismissal of this fact, Chimalsi was worried; he wanted no harm to come to his daughters and he knew that they would take the pain. Just as Abla had felt the pain of their joined actions. He knew Sala had potential to ruin herself...