Chapter #26Get Going, Simba! by: TheCoop   Remembering that he had just called her disgusting, Nala saw this as her chance to get rid of Simba in a completely nonlethal way (which was good, because she knew she wouldn't be able to sanction her friend's death). So she shook her head vehemently, which cased her whole body to wobble.
"No," she said quietly. "I mean, if it was my father, it wouldn't be a big deal, but your dad was the best king the Pridelands ever had." She didn't believe anything of the sort, of course, but she needed to sell this to Simba. "You need to get out of here before anyone realizes what happens. Can you imagine what everyone will say when they find out that you killed Mufasa? You'll be shunned. It's better to strike out on your own now and save yourself all that pain."
"Do you really think so?" Simba asked, obviously about to cry.
"Yeah." Simba nodded despondently and started making his way out of the den. "But Simba? Be careful out there, okay? Just because you have to leave the pride doesn't mean you should do anything stupid." He nodded again, but didn't give her any other acknowledgment.
As Nala watched his small form recede in the distance, she felt a pang of guilt. She had just told her best friend to leave everything he'd ever known, all so she could eat a little more. But, she rationalized, it wasn't as though she could go chase him down and stop him, and he was probably too far away to hear if she yelled. Besides, had her advice really been so bad? If the pride had been willing to try and starve her just because she ate a little more than most lions, what would they do to the cub who killed their king? No, she hadn't just sent him off for selfish reasons.
Despite her intellectual conviction that she hadn't done anything wrong, Nala was still grappling with her guilty conscious when Scar returned. She was relieved to see the lion, and even more relieved to see that Scar had brought another four trampled wildebeest with him. Hopefully, a good stuffing would put her back in her right mind. But when the food was put in front of her, she hesitated.
"What's wrong, Nala?" Scar asked, sounding concerned.
"Simba came by here," she said glumly.
"Oh, and?"
"He said he killed Mufasa!" she blurted. "And he was going to wait for you, but you weren't coming back for a long time, so he asked me what I thought he should do, and I said he should run away!"
"That's quite a bit to take in," Scar said, blinking, "but I think you made a good choice, Nala. The other lions would hate him forever if they knew what happened. Better to let them think he died with his father, and let him live a shame-free life elsewhere." Scar's words relieved Nala immensely. He was a smart lion; if he thought she did the right thing, then she had nothing to worry about. She bent her head to begin eating, but then raised it again. She had one more niggling suspicion that she wanted to put to rest.
"Scar?"
"Yes, my dear?"
"You didn't..." Nala paused, trying to think of the least crazy-sounding way to put it. "You didn't send Simba here on purpose to see what I'd tell him, did you?"
Scar was shocked, but he managed to keep his composure. He hadn't expected his little glutton to be so sharp!  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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