The Lion King Novel

Circle of Life

It was moments before dawn arrived on the Pride Lands, somewhere on the African savannah. Not a bird chirped, and not a bush rustled. The only sounds were crickets chirping and the wind whistling in the air and grass.

And as the sun was starting to rise, turning the sky into a deep reddish color, a lion's roar echoed across the land.

One by one, animals began to stir, hearing the lion's roar. A rhino lifted its head from marking its territory, as did several topi antelope that were grazing. Meerkats stood up straight on their hind legs, lined up together, whether it was adult or baby. A lone cheetah leaped up onto a rock, its tail swishing left to right. Indeed, they had all heard the roar, and they were going to answer the call.

The first to leave were storks by the river, whether it be marabou or shoebill. They flapped their wings and took off, soaring by the roaring Victoria Falls and the wetlands with flamingos. As the birds flew on until they came to the great mountain called Kilimanjaro, they looked below them. Under their shadows was a great herd of elephants plodding along, their matriarch leading them, and antelope were leaping through the grass, silent as shadows.

A mother giraffe stopped at the top of the hill, her baby following her. They spotted the herds moving together before running down the hill to join them. In that herd, social animals like zebras and elephants plodded together, a flock of guinea fowl having to avoid being trampled. Their final obstacle was a stream, which the zebras ran through effortlessly, while birds roosted on the elephants' tusks and backs, enjoying the ride.

Soon enough, when the sky started to turn blue, the animals had made it to their destination: Pride Rock, a majestic mass of rock in the middle of the savannah. For years, Pride Rock had been the symbol of the Pride Lands, a gathering place and amphitheater. It gave them a cool place during the dry season and shelter from floods in the wet season. Most importantly, it was home to their lion king and queen: Mufasa and Sarabi, two lions who had ruled this land for a long time. This gathering was the result of the many traditions passed down from generation to generation of the Pride Lands' lions.

On the edge of Pride Rock sat Mufasa, watching the animals gather at where he and the lions called home. He was an impressive muscular male with golden fur and a deep reddish mane. A blue-and-white hornbill came flying down from the sky and landed before Mufasa. This was Zazu, the king's majordomo and one of his top advisors. Zazu spread his wings and bowed low before the mighty lion, looking up at him with a smile. In a few seconds, Mufasa's serious face faded into a warm smile.

Below, the animals parted and bowed as a newcomer arrived. An old mandrill, carrying a staff with fruits on the end, made his way through the crowd and towards Pride Rock. This was Rafiki, the wise old shaman of the Pride Lands, who helped heal the Pride Lands' animals and read signs from the spirits. Mufasa walked forward and smiled down at his old friend, waiting until Rafiki made it to where he sat. It was when the mandrill arrived before the two greeted each other with a warm hug.

"You've made it, Rafiki," Mufasa said with warmth in his voice. "My friend."

"I am glad to have made it, Your Majesty," said Rafiki, smiling as well. "It is time. Now where are the young'un?"

Mufasa walked away and headed towards the entrance to their cave. The other lionesses in the pride watched as Mufasa nuzzled his queen, Sarabi. She smiled back at him before bending down to gently lick two tiny cub's head. They were  born not too long ago, just a week old there was really not much of difference between age. There names were Simba, his baby blue eyes peering at the newcomer and Kio with his red eyes focusing at Rafiki.

Rafiki reached the happy family and bowed to them before focusing on the cubs. He brought the staff gently down to the cubs and rattled it, so that the dangling fruit caught their attention. With a mewl, Simba and Kio reached up to bat at it with their tiny paws.

Then came an important part of the presentation. Rafiki took a gourd from the staff and split it open, the juices dripping down onto the rock. He dipped a finger into it and then gently smeared some of the juice onto Simba's forehead. As he did this, he prayed, "O great kings of the past, look down upon this cub. He has a grand future ahead of him, guided by your warm words and embrace. Bless him as you will, and may he follow in your pawsteps."

He took another and did the exact same thing with Kio but this time the prayer was different. "O great kings of the past, look down upon this cub. Give him the strength to protect those in need, make him a brave and wise warrior under your care. Bless him as you will, and may he follow in your pawsteps."

And to polish it off, he took a handful of sand and sprinkled it onto their foreheads, making Simba and Kio sneeze. Mufasa and Sarabi shared chuckles at this.

Rafiki bent down to gently pick Simba up, cradling him in his arms. As he walked towards the edge of Pride Rock, Mufasa and Sarabi followed him Kio being carried by Sarabi in her mouth, silent as the shadows beneath them. The sun disappeared behind some clouds, as if waiting for the right moment to shine on the scene at play.

Finally, once he reached the edge, he lifted Simba up into the air until all could see him. The animals, from elephants to monkeys to zebras, all shouted and roared and screeched their welcomes to the cub. Then, at last, the sunlight burst through the clouds, shining down on Simba. One by one, the animals started to bow to their future king. As for the cubs named, they were unaware of what was going on.

This was the circle of life, the way of the wild. In times of ease and hardship, the animals depended on each other and the order of life to go on. And though Simba didn't know it yet, he would complete the circle as the one true king.

...

Once the ceremony was over, several animals approached to give their congrats to the king and queen. But one animal didn't show up, one not missed much by the creatures of the Pride Lands. And that was Scar, Mufasa's younger brother.

Mufasa didn't let his disappointment show, but he couldn't help feeling it. He had no idea why Scar started hating him, but he had hoped that his brother would put aside his jealous feelings for family, just one day. Sadly, Scar didn't seem to care, acting as bitter and resentful as before. Their parents, King Ahadi and Queen Uru, had chosen Mufasa as king since he was firstborn, and that somehow made him a villain in Scar's eyes. Scar had not started life this way, but he had indeed become a bitter creature, stirring discontent among the younger lions and scoffing at the more conservative lions.

"Zazu," Mufasa called to the bird greeting the animals. "Come here, if you'd please."

The hornbill flew over and landed on Mufasa's shoulder. "Yes, Sire?" he asked with a grin. But when he saw his king's frown, he frowned as well and sniffed in contempt. "Ah...he didn't come to the ceremony? Why am I not surprised?"

"No, he had not come," replied Mufasa. "I was hoping he would set aside his grudge, but he hadn't. If you'd like to tell him that I'm on my way..."

"Already on it," interrupted Zazu. He flapped his wings and took off towards the lower part of Pride Rock.

Mufasa watched him go before turning back to his family. He wanted to spend more time with them, telling Sarabi how proud he was of her and how much he loved her, and fussing over baby Simba. Then after that, he would go and confront Scar, lion to lion.