Chapter 4: The Opposite Side (Simba's back story)

Hello, all reviewers… It's been over a year since I've updated. This chapter may be very crappy, but I need to get back on track with some of my older, unfinished stories.

Disclaimer- Disney Inc. owns Simba, Tanabi, and other Lion King characters mentioned in this chapter. Barafu means Ice in Swahili. (I own Barafu, Ajani, Kylie, and Kyle)

Simba sat down on the savannah sand, swishing his tail.

"Well, my story, Kylie, starts when I was a little, innocent cub…." Simba started.

Tanabi and Kyle wrestled and laughed, play-fighting, while Kylie sat and listened.

~FLASHBACK~ (Simba just woke up to ask his father about the Great Circle of Life...)

"Hey dad! Oops, sorry!" Simba energetically whispered, stumbling over lionesses in their sleep.

"Dad, wake up! Dad…." Simba pouted, chewing on his father's ear.

"Eh, son…" Sarabi started.

"I'm up, I'm up." Mufasa said, yawning loudly.

The sound of life burst from the savannah as Simba and Mufasa advanced higher up Pride Rock, until at last they were up at the summit.

"So you know, son, everything that we rule is where light touches the earth." Mufasa explained.

"Whoa…. What about that shadowy place?" Simba asked.

"That's beyond our power; you must never go there, Simba." Mufasa stated, and that was that.

Simba, disappointed, ran up to his favorite Uncle Scar, with his pup, Kylie.

"Hey Uncle Scar, Hey Kylie! Guess what?" Simba asked, energetically.

"I despise guessing games." Scar grumbled.

"Well, I want to know what Simba has to say." Kylie said, frowning.

"My dad showed me the whole Pridelands, and I'm going to rule it all!" Simba exclaimed, laughing.

"Oh, he did, didn't he?" Scar asked, snickering. "Did your father show you the dark side?"

"Dad I don't think…." Kylie started, but Scar put a paw over her mouth.

"Well, no. He said I couldn't go there." Simba sighed.

"And he's absolutely right, far too dangerous. Only the bravest lions go there." Scar emphasized seriously.

"Well, I'm brave." Simba puffed out his chest, speaking up.

"No, no, no Simba. Be a good lad and skedaddle." Scar stated, motioning his paw towards the exit of the cave.

"Oh, ok." Simba said, and walked back outside.

Kylie ran up to him just before he got to the watering hole.

"Hey, Simba!" Kylie exclaimed. "My dad's right, it's too dangerous! Those hyenas will rip you apart!"

"Y'know, you're starting to sound like my father." Simba frowned, turning away.

"Simba, I only want to do what is best for you. If it means stopping you, I'll do it." Kylie said, standing in front of Simba.

"Pffft…. You can't stop me, you're a girl!" Simba exclaimed, smiling mischievously.

"We'll see about that." Kylie growled and tackled Simba, rolling over in the process.

When the dust cleared, Kylie was on top of Simba triumphantly, while Simba tried to wriggle out of her grasp.

"See? Even a girl has some power." Kylie smiled, bent over the struggling Simba, and licked him on the cheek.

Simba stopped struggling, awestruck, and blushed, nervously.

"See you later." Kylie winked, and walked back towards Pride Rock.

After Simba reached the waterhole, Nala was taking her bath.

Sarabi asked Simba, "Well, how was your day, sweetheart?"

Simba blushed, and laughed slightly. "Huh, well, it was interesting….."

~A few days later~ (Simba and Scar are talking in the gorge)

"Uncle Scar, can you tell me my surprise?" Simba begged, as they walked across the dry, dusty gorge.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be much of a surprise." Scar said, solemnly.

"If you tell me, I'll still act surprised." Simba stated, swishing his tail on the rock in the oasis.

"Hah, you're such a naughty boy…" Scar laughed.

"Please?" Simba asked.

"No, no. I have to go get the surprise, Simba." Scar replied, walking away.

"I'll come with you!" Simba yelled, but Scar stopped him with his paw.

"No, just stay on this rock." Scar motioned, and then bent down to Simba's level.

"You might want to work on that little roar of yours too; it's a little bit on the squeaky side." Scar whispered, and then walked off.

"Little roar, Pfftt…" Simba spat, and turned his back. Then he saw a jungle-green chameleon crawling on the cracked earth, moving past Simba.

He was about to scare it off, but Kylie appeared behind a pillar-shaped rock and called to him.

"Hey Simba, I want to talk to you!" Kylie whispered, motioning her paw over to where she was hiding.

"No, my Uncle Scar said he had a surprise for me, and I'm going to find out!" Simba turned, staring at the cliff face.

Kylie suddenly turned her ear and heard clicking of hooves. At first they seemed distant, but then they became close and clopping loudly, signaling a stampede.

"Simba, Run!" Kylie shouted.

Simba took off like a rocket, and right behind him were millions of wildebeest, startled by an unknown cause.

Simba ran, dodging wildebeest speeding by him, and grabbed onto a limp tree branch which was being thrown around by the oncoming wildebeest.

"Dad, HELP ME!" Simba screamed, looking around for his large golden-furred dad to come and rescue him.

"S.O.S., please, SOMEONE HELP ME!" Simba yelled, almost losing his grip on the branch.

"It's not healthy for me to feel this…" Simba started to yell, but was cut off by Mufasa jumping into the sea of wildebeest and rescuing him before the branch snapped into splinters.

Mufasa ran through the crowd, dropping Simba a few times, but eventually put him up on a ledge, only to be thrown back into the wildebeests.

"Dad!" Simba yelled frantically.

Mufasa hurled himself up onto the cliff face and started ascending. Simba, wanting to help, climbed up a less-steep pathway with pointy rocks.

As Simba reached the top, his father started to fall off the cliff face and screamed.

"NO!" Simba yelled, his voice echoing off the gorge walls.

Simba rushed to his father's aid, only to find him dead.

"SOMEBODY!" Simba screamed, directing his voice in both ways of the gorge.

"ANYBODY!" Simba yelled in anguish, only to hear his own echo.

"Help….." Simba trailed, crying.

By this point, Simba had given up calling for help, and wrapped himself in his father's arms.

He suddenly heard a voice which made him jerk his head.

"I'm sorry for your loss, I mean….. OUR loss." Scar pathetically frowned, looking over at Simba. "No one means for this to happen… But, unfortunately, the king is dead."

"What do I do?" Simba sniffled, begging for mercy.

"Run, far away Simba! And never return…." Scar told Simba.

Simba then took off running, and never looked back.

"Get him." Scar snickered.

The hyenas chased Simba until they got stuck in the massive thorn pit. Simba ran for miles in what the Pridelanders call the "Wastelands" because of the barren ground and leafless trees. Simba finally fainted on the cracked earth due to dehydration and possible sun stroke. Then, he started to dream…. In his dream, Kylie and he were wrestling in the Pridelands, happy, like they should be. But, just then, an inseparable force split them up, which caused the cubs to spiral into nothingness. Simba screamed for Kylie and his parents, for anybody who could hear him. But alas, no one heard his cry.

"Hey kid! Wake up!" Simba heard in his mind, but couldn't see or feel anything.

Then a wave of water spilled onto him, making Simba instantly get up, coughing up water. He had been dragged to a small oasis, and next to him was a pool of clear water.

"Are you okay?" The voice said.

Simba turned to look at his rescuer. The lion was a young teen, with orange fur, turquoise eyes, a large tuft of sandy-brown mane with a small line of it down his neck, a gaunt build, and a sandy tail tuft. He looked nervously into Simba's eyes.

"I'm fine." Simba sighed, and looked away at the horizon of cracked earth.

"Kid, you almost died!" The lion emphasized. "Shouldn't I get you back to your parents; the sun isn't merciful to its victims at this time of day."

"I don't have a family anymore." Simba replied, ultimately depressed.

"Oh." The lion changed his tone of voice. "I'm sorry… you know, I don't have much of a family either. Just my older brother, Barafu."

Simba turned around and glanced at the lion.

"You don't either?" Simba asked him.

"Yea, my mother died when I was very small, and my father was killed in battle by the ravenous Akiam of the River tribes."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I lost my dad, and it's my entire fault." Simba sniffled, looking like he was going to cry.

"Please! Don't cry!" The lion started, bringing Simba into a comforting hug.

Simba stopped sniffling, and looked up at the lion, wondering if he would take care of him.

"In the meantime, I will raise you with my brother. He may seem mean, but inside he has a big heart." He smiled, giving Simba kind words. "Now come on, hopefully my brother has dinner by now."

At the word 'Dinner', Simba raced in front of the lion but stopped short and turned towards him.

"I didn't catch your name, can you tell me it?" Simba asked.

"My name is Ajani." He replied.

After the backstory, the plot will get back on track on Tanabi and Kyle's life story. Another thing, Timon and Pumbaa will not appear in this story, and it will be mentioned in the next chapter why Simba is a rogue. Read, rate, and review! Also, take my poll on profile page on what could be a separate prequel to this story. (The song Simba was singing was S.O.S. by Rihanna)

-PrinceTanabi (Jonathan)