We Are The Same. We Are Together

Chapter 11

The moon in the sky above was completely consumed by darkness. It had no hope to shine on the Pridelands with its brilliance, relying solely on its twinkling citizens to light the way for the animals. Even the nocturnal inhabitants would be on edge with such little sense of sight.

In her distress, Jasiri was unaware of how still the air around them stood. Now, with her mind clearing, she noticed the silence that screamed in her face, making her feel uneasy. There was not a single animal nor the melodic presence of nighttime insects. It was only her and the King of the Pridelands.

They walked side by side for quite a large amount of time in the hushed savanna, at least, it seemed so to Jasiri. Priderock slowly became nothing more than a pile of boulders in the distance.

Once his home, the den of the other lions, was set far behind him, Simba broke the chain of quietness.

"I once knew a wise animal, one I still believe to be the wisest to have ever stepped paw onto this land. He was the greatest king I have ever come to know, and love, Mufasa, my father. He told me that my duties as king would be to uphold the Circle of Life. That the balance never be disturbed inside the Pridelands."

Simba stared down at Jasiri, his inexpressive emote remaining upon him, "It is seeming, ever since you arrived, peace has been avoiding your presence. I was informed about tonight's events."

Jasiri's ears flattened against the back of her head, but she was willingly to own up to her mistake, even if she was not the wrongdoer. If she played to what she believed Simba expected from her, then maybe she could alleviate the force of the foreseeable troubles from her clan.

She stopped where she was and took a deep breath, "I lost control of myself. I attacked Zuri because I incorrectly believed I was in danger. It was wrong of me to assume the actions of someone else by their species, and I will face what consequences will follow."

Simba did not stop his amble, but he did slow down so Jasiri could catch up, "Please, keep walking with me. I told you, I prefer conversing over a stroll."

Jasiri's ears perked back up, almost believing they had heard wrong. She had braced herself to withstand a punishment of any magnitude. In her mind, she figured the best case scenario was that Simba demanded she and her clan leave the Pridelands.

With no witnesses, Simba could have done what he sought fit.

Yet, he simply asked her to continue walking. What kind of punitive measure was that? She has traveled great distances before.

Despite her confusion, she did not want to agitate the situation any further, "Alright."

Simba nodded, returning to his slow pace so that he did not overbear her much smaller strides, "It was also brought to my attention that other Pridelanders were showing you similar disrespect. As their leader, I must apologize for their negative behavior and I hope it does not sour your view of the Pridelands."

Jasiri passed her limit, for she could no longer hold her tongue from the uncertainty she had, "I'm sorry, Simba, but I do not understand what is happening. I thought I was suppose to be the one to apologize, not you."

Simba's expression changed to a bemused smile, "What would ever make you think that? If you are referring to the earlier incident, I fail to see where you lie at fault. All I know is that a Pridelander defended herself from an attack, nothing more."

Jasiri was in a moment of pause, perplexed by Simba and what he was implying.

Although Simba claimed all he knew was an act of self-defense, Jasiri suspected he was aware of the full story, and he was siding with her. She came to realize that Simba did not blame her for the scratch she gave Zuri.