Circle of Life

[katleept]

Working Title: Circle of Life
Author: Kat Lee
Fandom: The Lion King
Character/Pairing: Simba/Nala, Timon, Pumbaa, hinted Mufasa/Sarabi, Rafiki, Kiara
Rating: PG/K+
Challenge: This is for a gameofcards land comm challenge. If you join, be sure to tell them Kat Lee of Team Hearts sent you!
Warning(s): Preggers -- Yes, that's right: I actually broke my trigger and wrote a preggers!fic. Of course, it IS cats, so . . .
Word Count: 810
Summary:
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to Disney, not the author, and are used without permission.


He prowls the cave as the wind rises on the flatlands below. There's a storm on the rise, and his hackles are raised. He doesn't like the weather, but that's not what's bothering him tonight. "Rafiki needs to hurry up," he murmurs, tail slashing through the air. He turns and stalks back in the direction from whence he just came.

Nala watches her mate, her eyes dancing with merriment. "Simba, relax, sweetheart. It's going to be fine. I'm going to be fine."

"How can you say that?" he demands, his words rising as thunder rumbles outside. "You don't know that! This is your first litter! We don't know what to expect!"

"She's doing fine," his mother interjects to which several of the other lionesses murmur in agreement.

"Sheesh! You'd think this litter thing was a big deal!" Timon exclaims. "Give me some more of that grubs!" Pumbaa watches their friends carefully as Timon grabs two more handfuls of wriggling worms and proceeds to stuff his face.

"I don't know, Timon. I think it might be one of the biggest things ever."

"Oh, come on, Pumbaa! It's just two lions liking each other and having a litter together!"

"I think bringing another life into this world is one of the most important things anybody can do."

"You're right," Sarabi rumbles gently. She's thankful her son and his mate persuaded her not to eat the warthog for she's truly come to like him over the last couple of seasons.

Timon spews the last worms before he can digest them. "Wait a minute!" he exclaims, hand raising in the air. "You mean she's going to have a . . . have a . . . "

"A baby lion," supplies Pumbaa. "Yup, yup!" He grins broadly, then frowns as Timon falls over backwards. "Timon, are you okay?"

"He's fine," Sarabi reassures the worried pig. "He just fainted."

"Oh."

"Simba's father almost did that when I had Simba."

"Why? Didn't he want to see his son being born?"

Sarabi smiles patiently, the tip of her tail thumping the rock underneath them. "Not all males understand things like you do, Pumbaa."

"Really? Timon's always saying I understand things wrong."

"Timon would be surprised how wrong he is, but we should settle down and give them some privacy." She leads the way into the back of the cave and away from the loving couple as Simba finally pauses by Nala's side.

He again glowers at the entrance to their home. "He should hurry up."

Nala's eyes dance. "You said that already."

"Well, he should."

"I'm sure he's doing everything he can, Simba."

"How are you so calm?" he asks after rubbing his head against hers for a moment.

She rolls her head and smiles at her life mate. "Hakuna Matata."

"Not in this! I can't not worry about this! This is our baby, your first litter -- "

" -- and she's doing just fine."

"It's about time, monkey," Simba growls.

"Simba!" chastises Nala.

He sighs and hangs his head. "I'm sorry. I'm just . . . "

"You're worried." Rafiki slaps the lion's massive shoulder. "All expectant fathers are, but she will be fine and so will your little one."

"Just one? How do you know?"

"Old Rafiki knows things. Now you go sit over there and wait."

Simba blows at the dark fur hanging down into his eyes, but for once, tonight, he doesn't argue with the primate. He does take one moment longer, however, to kiss Nala and rub his head against hers once more. "You always have been so brave," he compliments her, purring.

She tosses back her head and smiles at him. "I laugh in the face of danger."

He just smiles. "I know. I love you." He kisses her again.

"I love you, too."

He flounces over to the place Rafiki indicated before and lays down on the hard rock. Only Nala has a soft bed made of leaves, grass, and other things they've all worked hard together to find, but the bed is little reassurance throughout the next few hours. The wait is excruciating. The storm rolls over the land and passes. The others leave except for Rafiki, Simba, and Nala. Pumbaa even lifts the unconscious Timon onto his back with Sarabi's help.

Finally, after what seems like forever to the frustrated Lion King, Rafiki calls him. He runs to his side, looks beyond him, and stops in amazement for he's never seen anything more beautiful than his wife and their first cub. "I love you," he says again.

"I know," Nala purrs, "and I love you too." She lifts her head from bathing their daughter to lick his furry cheek.

"See?" the monkey demands. "What I tell you? Old Rafiki know things."

"You're right, old monkey," Simba tosses playfully at him but then draws him into a hug. "Thank you."

Rafiki returns his embrace. "It's all part of the Circle of Life, Your Majesty. This, old Rafiki knows, too."

The End