The Lion King Chronicles: Nala's Tears {Editing}

Chapter 20

In the following moons, the rains never came. Each day the sun beat down on the Pridelands as vigorous as the last. The grass browned and became brittle, the trees lost their dried up leaves. Now the only source of water was the waterhole.

Scar refused to admit that there was a problem. Each day, he ordered Sarabi to send out more hunting patrols to the very edges of the Pridelands. But each day, there was nothing to hunt. The herds had moved on, leaving the Pride in starvation.

Before it got really bad, I spent the vast majority of my days training. Whether it was with Sarabi, Sarafina, or by myself, I dedicated my time to learning to fight. Malka's betrayal and revelation left me angry and determined to become stronger.

There were no more excuses for me to remain naive. Reality had clawed my heart out and left me to pick up the pieces. Malka was not my friend. Scar wanted me as his mistress. I didn't have much time.

Whenever I trained with Sarabi, Tama, and Kula, I won the majority of the fights. Sarabi praised me for my cunning and quick reflexes. On restless nights, I often slipped away from Priderock to train the night away. Each session I grew stronger, faster, and quicker in thought.

Over these moons, my body matured. I was taller now with a smooth cream-colored coat. My muscles were stronger, rippling underneath my coat. I wasn't full-grown yet, but I was almost there.

Every day, I avoided Malka and Scar to the best of my ability. Malka made more of an effort to talk to me, but I always ignored him. What he's done was unforgivable. Some nights in the cave, I could feel Scar watching me like a piece of meat. He's waiting for me to be old enough, and I'm running out of time.

Malka has changed. He's taller than me and broader. His mane started to come in and was black like the night. Scar's training hardened him, made him more cold and distant. I don't recognize him anymore.

I narrowed my eyes and took in the barren landscape before me that were the Pridelands. How could everything have gotten so bad so quickly? The lionesses speculated that the Great Kings were angry with Scar, but I didn't understand why. He wasn't a good King, but he's never outright caused suffering.

"Nala?" Kula padded forward to stand at my side. Her red-brown fur gleamed in the sunlight, matching the bark of the tree trunks.

I glanced at my friend with sad eyes. Tama soon joined us at the crest of the hill. The three of us shared a look.

"It's so empty..." Tama murmured, saying what we were all afraid to admit.

"There has to be something out there," I growled angrily, but I already knew the truth. The Pridelands were an empty, desolate landscape. If only Scar would allow us to travel beyond the borders in search of food.

"Let's head back," Kula suggested quietly.

I was the first one to turn my back on the Pridelands. Why stare at it in hopes of prey appearing? There was nothing here, we had to broaden our search. Tama and Kula fell into step at my flanks.

I never told them about Scar's plans for me. I'm not sure I wanted to admit it out loud. The truth hurt enough. More than anything, I wanted to tell them, to have their comfort. But I couldn't obsess over the future.

When Priderock came into view, I had to fight the urge to run. But I knew I could never outrun my problems. I had too much to lose. Tama led the way up the slope to the top of Priderock. They disappeared inside since the sun was beginning to set. Another unsuccessful day.

For a moment, I stood frozen at the mouth of the cave that yawned before me. I glanced over my shoulder at the desolate landscape. It perplexed me how Scar could not see that this was a problem. He couldn't let go of his pride and admit that he was wrong. If he didn't let us expand beyond the borders, the entire Pride would die, including his precious son.

"Nala?" Mheetu emerged from the cave, a look of confusion on his face. For a lion his age, he was small and scrawny. He had a half-grown mane, pale brown like our father's. The resemblance that Mheetu shared with Jahi was startling.

"Yes, Mheetu?" I asked my brother gently. Although he had been trained by Scar like Malka, my brother remained loving towards me and Mom.

"Why don't you come inside?" His green eyes were gentle. He knew how beat up I got when we returned from a hunt without success. "It's getting cold."

I hadn't even realized that I was shivering. Mheetu came to my side and nosed my fur. He walked alongside me into the cave, and I let the darkness envelope me in its embrace.