The Lion King - The Bonds of Trust

Chapter 18: Arguments & Confessions

Throughout the evening, Shani and Tamur walked through the jungle as the African woman told her love of her time spent in the Savannah.

Coming across a mango tree, Tamur asked, "So you were chased through the Savannah by a group of three hyenas?"

Shani explained while picking two mangos for herself and Tamur, handing one to the African man,

"Yeah. Boy! That was a real close one! But thankfully, Mufasa came just in time and sent the three of them running. And once he saved me, he took me in, and I became a member of his pride. It was because of him that I was able to regain my purpose and finally feel what it's like to be part of a family again. It was up until that point... That I forgot what it meant to be apart of a family. God! It was all so nice."

With the Mango in his hand, Tamur looked to Shani with a sorrowful look and said,

"Nala told me about what happened to Mufasa. I can't even begin to imagine what that had to have been like. I'm really sorry you and Simba had to go through that, Shani."

Shani replied sadly, "So am I."

The African woman started looking up to the sky as she began to have conflicting thoughts of her own. Noticing the troubled look on her face, Tamur asked with concern,

"Is everything alright?"

Shani answered, "I can't stop thinking about what Nala told Simba and I earlier. I-I feel like something bad is going on with the Pridelands, and we might not even be aware of it."

Tamur replied, "Well Nala did say that her pride was beginning to run out of sources for food and water."

Concerned, Shani asked, "What do you mean?"

Tamur explained, "She told me because Scar and the hyenas began taking over the Pridelands, the whole pride started losing their source of food and water, and a few of the pride members were beginning to starve."

Horrified at such news, Shani said in realization, "Oh my God! No wonder Nala ran away from the Pridelands. She needed help! They needed help! I have to tell, Simba! We need to go back to the Pridelands!"

As she began to run off, Tamur exclaimed, "Shani, wait! You can't go back there! It's too dangerous!"

Shani replied, "Tamur, I have no choice! They need our help!"

Tamur said, "You do have a choice, Shani. Look, Nala's got Simba and he seems strong enough to help them."

Shani asked with a raised brow, "And you're saying that I'm not strong enough?"

Tamur responded while shaking his head, "No! No! That's not what I said. All I'm saying is that you don't have to go back there, and that you can home with me."

Shani asked, "Home? And what home would that be? Because as far as I'm concerned, the only home I have now is the Pridelands."

Tamur answered, "I-I was thinking that once I found you... That we could go back to Bolah's village."

Taken aback, Shani replied, "My aunt Bolah's village? Tamur, you know I'm not going back over there. Have you forgotten how badly she's treated me? Do you seriously expect me to go back to her?!"

Tamur said, "Shani, you don't have to worry about her anymore!"

Shani fired back, "And why not?!"

Tamur exclaimed, "Because she's dead!"

With her amethyst eyes widening in shock, the African woman asked, "What?"

Tamur answered, "Bolah is dead. She died a few months ago."

Although trying to take in the sudden news, Shani asked, "What happened to her?"

Tamur vividly explained,

"Once you left, Bolah became a lot worse. She would rarely go outside and she would scream and throw mangos at anyone that walked by her house. Then one day while I was outside picking more mangos, she started shouting at a little girl that walked by her house. When I saw her grab the child, I raced over at took the little girl out of Bolah's grasp. As soon as I did that, Bolah started grabbing me by the shirt and kept shouting 'Purple eyes! Purple eyes!.' But suddenly, she just looked at me with wide eyes, clutched her chest, and collapsed to the ground. Everyone else that came by us assumed that she had a heart attack. She was dead on the spot."

Unsure of how to feel, Shani tried to collect her thoughts together as Tamur continued to say while taking the African woman's hands,

"Listen, If Bolah was still alive, I would never tell you to come back to the village. But she's not. Shani, you don't have to worry about that monster anymore. This is our chance! This could be our chance to start a new life together."

Shani responded while pulling her hands away from Tamur, "In Bolah's village? Tamur, you know I'd love to spend the rest of my life with you. But whether Bolah's in the picture or not, we can never go back there. And I already have a purpose, and that's in the Pridelands."

Tamur argued, "You had a purpose. Shani, that was years ago. Besides, Nala already told me about Scar and the hyenas, and especially after hearing about your encounter with them, I can clearly tell that they're bad news. I don't want you going around them."

Shani argued, "You can't tell me what to do! Regardless if I live there or not, I will always consider the Pridelands as my home. And the lions that I know back there, lions that I have grown to love and cherish as family will die if Simba and I don't do something!"

Tamur shouted, "Shani! It's dangerous!"

The African woman replied with disappointment written all over her face, Beginning to walk away,

"You don't think I know that? Tamur, Scar is the very same lion that went and killed my parents along with Simba's father. Don't try to remind me of the risks. Believe me, I know the danger is real. But if Simba and I don't go back and set things right, then everyone and everything in it will die. Everything is at stake here, Tamur. And I'm just ashamed that you can't see that."

Tamur cried out in an attempt to stop her, "Shani! Wait!"

Shani looked back at the African man and said, "I will go back to the Pridelands, with or without you. So once you've decided to be supportive, you let me know."

And with that, Shani walked away from Tamur, leaving the African man alone with his thoughts.

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Meanwhile, Simba and Nala were walking through another part of the jungle alone together, getting a beautiful view of the waterfall nearby. As the two lions walked across a giant tree trunk, Simba asked while admiring the view,

"Isn't this a great place?"

Nala asked as she admired the beauty of the jungle, "It is beautiful. But I don't understand something. You and Shani have been alive all this time. Why didn't any of you come back to Pride Rock?"

Simba answered as he jumped onto a hammock of hanging vines, "Well, we just needed to... get out on our own. Live our own lives. And we did. And it's great!"

Nala said to him glumly, "We've really needed you at home."

The lion replied with a scoff, "No one needs me."

Nala argued, "Yes, we do! Your the king."

Simba replied, "Nala, we've been through this. I'm not the king. Scar is."

Nala said in a serious tone, "Simba, he let the hyenas take over the Pridelands."

Shocked by the sudden revelation, Simba asked, "What?"

Nala explained the dire situation, "Everything's destroyed! There's no food, no water. Simba, if you and Shani don't do something soon, everyone will starve."

Getting off of the vine-like hammock, Simba said sadly, "We can't go back."

Nala asked rather loudly, "Why?"

Simba replied while trying to walk away from the lioness, "You wouldn't understand."

Nala asked, "What wouldn't I understand?"

Simba hastily said, "No, no, no. It doesn't matter. Hakuna Matata."

Confused, Nala asked with a raised brow, "What?"

Simba explained, "Hakuna Matata. It's something Shani and I learned out here. Look, sometimes bad things happen..."

Nala interrupted, "Simba!"

But Simba continued his explanation as he began to walk on the tree trunk in irritation, "... And there's nothing you can do about it. So why worry?"

Nala answered as she began to trot after him, "Because it's your responsibility!"

Stopping in his tracks, Simba asked, "Well, what about you? YOU left."

Nala explained through desperation, "I left to find help! And I found YOU. Don't you understand? You and Shani are our only hope."

Thinking for a moment, Simba replied stubbornly, "Sorry."

Nala said in disappointment, "What's happened to you? You're not the Simba I remember."

Simba asked sarcastically, "You're right. I'm not. Now are you satisfied?"

Nala replied angrily, "No, just disappointed."

Simba said in irritation as he began to walk away, "You know, you're starting to sound like my father."

Nala retorted, "Good. At least one of us does."

Striking a nerve with the lion, Simba finally had enough and angrily snapped,

"Listen, you think you could just show up and tell me how to live my life?! You don't even know what I've been through!"

Nala replied in frustration, "I would if you would just tell me!"

Simba snapped as he walked away, "Forget it!"

Nala shouted back, "Fine!" Leaving the lioness alone with her anger.

Suddenly however, she saw Shani running up to her along the giant tree trunk as the African woman asked,

"Nala! Nala! Have you seen, Simba anywhere?"

Gesturing towards the path past the vines, Nala answered with disdain,

"You just missed him. His royal stubbornness decided to step away over there."

Shani said as she placed a hand onto the lioness' shoulder, "Listen, Tamur already told me about what's going on in the Pridelands. I promise, I'll talk to Simba, and make sure he steps up and agrees to go back to the Pridelands... Even if it means I have to kick his butt all the way there."

With a small sigh of relief, Nala replied, "Well, I sure hope you have better luck with him than I did."

Shani nodded in response and with that, took off in hopes that she could convince Simba to return to the Pridelands with her.

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In the meantime, Simba was out in the open, pacing back in forth in a field of tall grass. Coming from a bush of vines, Shani caught notice of the sight and quickly came up to him as the lion said with his emotions arising,

"She's wrong! They're both wrong! We can't go back."

Coming close to the lion, Shani began to say, "Simba..."

But Simba ignored her and continued to say, "What would it prove, anyway? You can't change the past."

Concerned for the lion, Shani asked once more, "Simba?"

Remembering what his father said long ago and feeling nothing but anger and remorse for the past, Simba looked up towards the starry night sky and shouted,

"You said you'd always be there for me! But you're not. And it's because of me!"

Shani said in sadness, "What? Simba, no..."

But Simba continued to say in sadness, bowing his head down as he struggled to hold back tears,

"It's my fault... It's my fault!"

Heartbroken to see Simba blame himself for his father's death, Shani said as she bent down to the lion's level, cupping her hands around his face,

"Simba... Simba, you look at me right now. What happened to your father was not your fault. You were only a cub. A mere child... You didn't know that this was going to happen."

Simba replied while turning away from the African woman,

"That's easy for you to say. You weren't even there when it happened. I caused the stampede, Shani. Because I decided to let out that stupid roar, I started the wildebeest's stampede and my father got hit in the crossfire! It's all my fault!"

Shani argued, "You're wrong, Simba! That is not what happened!"

Simba asked, "And how do you know? Tell me, Shani! How can you possibly know what happened to my father?!"

Shani snapped, "Because I saw it happen, Simba!"

Simba asked with a raised brow, "Oh, really? Really? You saw it happen? Well then tell me, Shani? If I didn't cause my father's death, then who did? Tell me, old wise one, who's the one responsible for my father's death!"

Unable to hold in the truth any longer, Shani finally shouted, "IT WAS SCAR!!!"

Taken aback, Simba asked in shock, "What?"

Taking a moment to compose herself, Shani admitted, "Scar did it... I saw him throw Mufasa off of the cliff."

Trying to take in the shocking news, Simba said trying to deny the truth, "What? No... No, t-that can't be the truth."

Shani replied, "But it is."

Knowing that she couldn't hide the truth any longer, Shani began to explain,

"Simba, your uncle isn't the lion you think he is. He may have been able to fool you and your father, but I can see right through him. I foresaw his actions towards you and Mufasa, and I did everything I could to try to stop it from happening. But I was too late... I never wanted you to go through what I have. After all, your father wasn't the only one he's done this to."

Concerned, Simba asked, "What are you saying?"

Shani asked, "Do you remember the story I told you? When my parents and our village were destroyed by a rogue lion?"

Simba replied, "Yeah?"

Shani sadly explained, "The lion that went and killed my parents... That was, Scar."

Taken aback by the second revelation of his uncle, Simba shook his head and said in denial,

"No, no... You gotta have the wrong lion. My uncle wouldn't do this."

Shani tried to say, "Simba, I know this is hard for you to believe. But that scar he has over his eye, he got that from when my father was trying to protect our family and people from his wrath. Scar admitted to this himself when I first visited him with your father."

But the lion interrupted and said while continually shaking his head, "No... No, you're wrong! I know my uncle and I admit, he may have been a little weird at times. But he never would have gone this far and killed someone. He loved me and he loved my father!"

Shani argued, "You really think he loved you?! Simba, open your eyes. Scar never loved you! He despised your father, and he sure as Hell never gave a damn about your kingdom! And if he truly cared about the Pridelands, then why would Nala and Tamur come and tell us that it was destroyed? The Pridelands are dying, and everyone in it will be lost forever if we continue to let Scar drive it into the ground!"

With his anger and denial rising, Simba said as he tried to walk away,

"I don't have to listen to this. I loved my uncle, and nothing you say or do will ever change that!"

Refusing to let him leave, the African woman replied as she blocked Simba's path,

"He doesn't love you!"

Disgusted, Simba said trying to dismiss her, "You're crazy!"

Shani continued raving, "Scar is nothing but a lowlife-"

Simba warned, "Stop it!"

But Shani angrily continued, "cowardly, heartless, murdering son of a-"

Unable to contain his anger any longer, Simba finally snapped as he used his paw to knock Shani to the ground,

"SHUT UP!!!"

As he looked down at his human friend lying on the ground, Simba gasped in horror as he saw blood beginning to form on the African woman's arm. Seeing the horror in his friend's eyes, Simba immediately regretted his actions and tried to say,

"Shani... Shani, I-I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to hurt you."

Angry that her longtime friend refused to believe the truth and had hurt her, Shani said as she got up from the ground, clutching her wounded arm as she began to walk away,

"You know what? Forget it. If you don't want to face the truth... Fine."

But Shani stopped herself, and said as she looked back to Simba, "But let me ask you this, Simba. Was Scar the one that protected you from those hyenas when they chased us out of the Savannah? Or how about when they tried to kill us at the Elephant Graveyard? Or how about when we were stranded out in the desert? Or better yet, how about when you were being presented to the entire Savannah for the first time? Did he care to stand by you then?"

Unable to answer the African woman's question, Shani finally said in a saddened tone,

"Yeah. That's what I thought... You know, I always thought you would be the great king of Pride Rock... Not the great king of quitters."

And with that, Shani walked away from Simba as the lion called out to her,

"Shani! Shani, wait!"

But it was no use, the African woman left him alone in the tall, grassy field. Leaving him alone with his guilt and ultimate regret.

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Hey guys! Here's another update for this story! Looks like we're about to get a visit from certain members from the past so stay tuned! ;)