Simba has a minion!

Remember Who You Are the Aphelion

Remember who you are...

He had the ideal life. No worries and no responsibilities. All the grubs a guy could eat. Two best friends who had more jokes than a zebra herd has stripes.

So why was he unhappy?

It usually came on at night. Timon and Pumbaa would be making enough noise to start a wildebeest stampede.

...thundering hooves in a narrow gorge, his claws desperately scrabbling at the slender branch that wouldn't hold his weight for much longer...

He gave his head a shake to clear it of the stink of dust and terror. He'd put it all behind him. There was no point in dwelling on it. His belly was full and the only notable scent in the jungle paradise of the Green Lands was the cool, clear water beckoning from the nearby oasis.

He uncurled his body and went to have a drink. He'd lost the fuzzy cuteness of a cub in past weeks. The sun and moon would circle the world a number of times before his full mane would grow in and he would finally have the roar of a true adult lion.

He could hear Pumbaa muttering "grubs, grubs, grubs" under his breath. The sound made him smile. He'd learned so much in such a short time. How many young lions got to go vine swinging or blow into the base of termite mounds to send the inhabitants flying like so many bits of plant fluff? Life under the watchful eye of his parents certainly hadn't allowed him to play hippo tag or go bowling for buzzards. Such silly antics might have made his mother laugh but his father...

He growled under his breath. The sound came out a soft moan, a mingling of deep grief and longing.

He closed his eyes and lapped until his belly was full. He didn't like to see the stars, not even as a reflection. Sometimes he could almost swear he saw the outline of a lion there, with two burning golden eyes that could see right through him.

"You said you'd always be there for me, father? Where are you now? Why did you leave me?"

A rumble of thunder sounded in the far distance. He should be afraid. He'd seen what that kind of raw power could do to the trees on the open Savannah. He felt only gratitude for the clouds that were looming above, blotting out the offending view. He opened his eyes as the first few drops of rain spattered his face.

He gasped at the opening in the clouds. A patch of sapphire dotted with brilliant points of light pinned him in place, more beautiful than anything he'd seen in such a long time.

He could feel the coarse hairs of his father's ear on his tongue and smell the strong, beloved musk that was both kingly and somehow soothing.

The thunder sounded again, closer this time.

Remember...

It sounded like a voice, almost. He must've eaten one of those shiny green beetles that makes one imagine things.

His friends hadn't so much as twitched in his absence. He glanced up once more, stunned by the sudden, unobstructed view of the vast night sky. Billions of stars cast their light in a soothing glow that almost made him forget his own name for a moment. It was a spectacular sight of such raw beauty that even a heart heavy with grief was uplifted.

There were no golden lights this time, only the stars.

The time was not yet come.

credits:

profile + coding + pride rock silhouette by piers.
sky background from here.
story by Pureflower.
profile, story and characters inspired by Disney's The Lion King.