STARRY NIGHT VIGIL

Author: Ebony

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: The Lion King and all the characters belong to the Disney company. No profit is made out of this and it was written for entertainment purposes only.

Summary: Short vignette about Nala's thoughts one night slightly before leaving the Pride Lands to search for help.

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Stars.

Millions of them, twinkling brightly on the dark sky.

A lone lioness, still wide awake while the rest of the pride slept, once again wondered at the vast field of the sparkling gems sprinkled across the dark blue sky. They were very calming, and watching them eased the young lioness's mind. Nights were her sanctuary from the tiring demands of the present king of Pride lands, and allowed her some time for herself and her thoughts.

A king, indeed. The lioness snorted. What kind of king let's his pride suffer like this? There was no food; all the herds had left. There was no water; the long dry spell plagued these lands, and there seemed to be no signs of rain. No matter how hard she and the others tried, they could find no pray of anykind. But the king dismissed this, and demanded for the the lionesses to try harder. They were sure to be doomed at this rate.

A cool breeze swept across the African savannah, ruffling the vigilant lioness's fur ever so slightly. Gazing again forlornly up at the brightly twinkling stars on the night sky, Nala of Pride Rock let out a quiet sigh.

When had everything gone so wrong?

It seemed like only yesterday when everything had been alright, the Pride Lands were flourishing as always, Mufasa was still the wise king they all loved, and Nala had spent her days playing with the kings mischevious cub without worries...

Nala's heart ached at the thought. Simba.

But Simba was dead, as was king Mufasa. She closed her eyes and sighed again. Now, the Pride Lands were nothing but barren ground and dried grass. Nothing flourished, and all the animals had left. Except them, and the hyenas.

Nala felt disgusted as she glanced at Pride Rock's way. Once, it had been a place where she had felt welcomed and at home. Safe. But now, it was cold and void of anything remotely welcoming, just like the current ruler residing it. Scar, Mufasa's brother.

Scar had always somehow frightened Nala, even as a cub. Granted, she never saw him often, for he was always hiding in his own cave. But something about the skinny lion made Nala's skin crawl. He always seemed so angry and sullen. Green eyes narrowed, big scar crossing over his left eye, black mane moving slightly in time with the slinky steps. And the claws. Black claws, and he seemed to keep them out all the time. All those things were enough to convince young Nala that Simba's uncle was not a nice lion, even though Simba seemed to like him.

Turning her head back towards the starry sky, Nala's thoughts drifted back to the day when it all changed. The worst day of her life. The day when both Mufasa and Simba, father and son, had perished in a wildebeest stampede. Scar had sat on a stone in front of the Pride Rock and announced their deaths to the crushed pride. For Sarabi, Mufasa's queen and Simba's mother, the news had been something unbearable. To lose both her son and her mate... Nala couldn't even begin to understand what the older lioness must have been going through.

As if that weren't enough, first thing as a king Scar had given the hyenas a permission to come to the Pride Lands. They were, in Scars words, equals with the lions. Nala remembered how scared she had been of the hyenas, after almost getting killed at the Elephant's graveyard with Simba.

Their gleaming, yellow eyes and high pitched, mocking laughter. As a cub, Nala had truly been afraid of the hyenas. Now, as a fully grown lioness, she was just disgusted.

Nala shook her head. No, it hadn't been yesterday. It had been almost three years ago.

She had changed herself as well. From a cuddly little cub, she had turned into a scrawny adolescent who seemed to be all legs. Slowly, she had started to feel comfortable in her own body and developed into the lean, fullgrown lioness she was now.

Her musings were interrupted when a sleeping lioness beside her stirred slightly, then settled again. Nala gazed at the lioness, her fur the same color as hers. It was her mother, Sarafina. A fond smile found her way on Nala's face. Her mother, Sarabi, and the other lionesses had been so strong during these years.

They had teached Nala everything she now knew. They had beared Scar's commands and demands even if it pained them to see the things he was doing to their beloved land. They had continued to go hunting like Scar demanded them to, even when there was nothing to hunt. They gave their everything, and received nothing back.

The wind blew lightly again, and Nala closed her eyes, sniffing the smells it brought. What was that one, particular scent? It seemed so familiar... it had to be somthing from her past, why could she remember... Opening her eyes, Nala felt slightly disappointed. The scent was gone, only lingering wisp remained until the breeze blew it away as well. For one moment, Nala thought she had smelled... Simba?

Don't be ridiculous, Nala, she scolded herself. As much as it pained her to admit it, Simba was dead. Her best friend and betrothed was gone, forever. Nala lowered her head between her paws, again gazing at the bright stars.

A small smile graced Nala's features as she recalled all their games as a cub. Poor Zazu always had to look after them, and more than enough times they got him into trouble. As well as themselves. Their favouritegame was to try and get Mufasa to laugh by making faces, or try to catch the brown hair at the end of his tail.

But as Nala thought about it now, the wise lion king knew their tricks well enough not to fall for them. Mufasa obviously always knew what the two cubs were up to, and pulled his tail out of their reach just at the last moment. Now, you two, you'll have to be quicker than that, Mufasa always scolded them gently with his deep voice, and chuckled at their sullen looks. Nala smiled sadly. She really missed Mufasa, they all did.

She found herself again thinking about Simba. If he were still alive, what would he be like? He'd be fullgrown now, just like herself. He'd have a mane, but would it be reddish brown like Mufasa's was? Maybe. His eyes would still be the same red and yellow. Smiling slightly to herself, Nala found her eyes slipping shut. All in all, Simba surely would have been a very handsome lion. Nala's last thought before succumbing to the sleep was a wish he were still alive, and would return to the Pride Lands so she could see him again.

Little did Nala know that somewhere over the desert, in the jungle, a lone lion with reddish brown mane looked at the stars shining above his head and thought exactly the same kind of things.

THE END