20 Chapter 20. Stars

They all cried and came to where Asafa was and sat beside him. And they stayed like that for a few hours.

"I think it's time for us to return." Timon said. They had cried and grieved, but they couldn't just keep staying here eternally. So he spoke out.

Asafa had fallen asleep around his brother's tail.

"You guys go ahead, I'll stay with Asafa until he wakes up." Pumba said.

"I don't wanna leave either." Hamu said. He hadn't known them for long, but it wasn't the quantity of time, but the quality of time that mattered.

Imani and Timon went down the mountain, but it took no longer than an hour before they returned, not empty handed of course.

"We brought food, HEY YOU WAKE UP" *BAM* Timon shouted and kicked Asafa so he would wake up. They hadn't eaten since the day before, and Timon wouldn't allow them to starve themselves.

"I'm not hungry." Asafa mumbled before trying to fall asleep again.

Timon furiously kicked him again, but to Asafa, it was like a light slap from a one year old.

"Imani worked hard to get you this food!" Timon said as he handed Asafa a big piece of meat.

Asafa looked at Timon slightly surprised. Timon had never before supported him eating a carnivorous diet, but now he's handing over the meat himself.

Looking over to Imani, she seems fatigued as well so Asafa felt obligated to eat what they had brought.

There was food for everyone, and all of them started eating.

When they were done eating in silence, they had all regained a bit of energy.

Timon worried that they would keep staying here all blue, as Asafa seemed totally uninterested in standing up. But to his surprise, after everyone ate their fill, Asafa was the first to stand.

"I think it's time to return." Asafa said as he started walking.

He said his goodbyes, and he couldn't keept staying here, making his other family members worry. He finally noticed how saddened they were about Simba, and worried sick they were about him when he ate.

So he decided to be strong for them.

Everyone looked at eachother before they also stood up and followed him.

Every now and then, Asafa would stop and look back, before finding his resolve again and keep walking.

As they silently walked back, they were all in their own line of thought.

For Asafa, he was so deeply pondering that he almost forgot that he wasn alone.

The question 'how could Simba die?' kept repeating in his mind, but in the end he came to a startling realisation.

'In the end, what is canon doesn't even matter anymore...' Asafa halted. As he looked around at those behind him, he came to another conclusion.

'Those around me are real persons, I can't control how and when they die. I can't protect them from things that are above my capabilities no matter how much knowledge I gain from my former life.' Asafa thought slinelt as he looked at his crew that all seemed to be in deep thought as well.

As he came to accept his knew understanding of life and death he was about to continue walking but that's when another thought striked him like thunder.

'Then my father's death.. can it still be partially blamed on me...? If I can't control things that are beyond my capabilities, then his death.... Is solely to blame on my uncle...'

The others stopped because they noticed that Asafa suddenly seemed to get very serious, as if he's about to hunt prey.

Then the atmosphere changed back to the normal and Asafa continued walking.

Life continued for the crew of 5, although it took a few weeks before their spirits completely lifted and everything returned back to how it used to be, well, almost.

Without Simba, they were one less person, and ever since that accident, Asafa didn't laugh as much and he seemed more mature.

Although he did still play around, laugh, play. But they all noticed that he seemed to... They couldn't put their fingers on it. It seemed like he was maybe waiting for something. He seemed ready for something.

The big Forrest they lived in, was east/south of the pride lands. And further east from the Forrest was the volcano in which the accident had occured.

Further east of that volcano, very far from it, was a lone walking.

This lion only had 30 percent of his trial left, a big burn mark all over the left side of his face and upper body.

This lion kept walking east, not knowing who he is, where he is going and to what purpose.

All he rememberes is that he woke up because of an intense burning, in an area filled with lava.

His whole body was in pain and when he woke up he couldn't remember anything. All he knew what that he is a lion.

Seing the situation he was in, he did his best to survive and when he came down from the mountain, he chose a direction and kept walking hoping to regain his memories and find his home.

10 months since the last accident. One lovely night the five layed together, star gazing.

The ringing of bugs could be heard in the grass, together with the calming wind, things felt very peaceful.

The five layed on their back with the sky filled with stars as their cover.

"Timon...?" Pumba asked, looking at the stars.

"Yeah?"

"Ever wondered what those sparky dots are?"

"Pumba, I don't wonder, I know." Timon said with a calm certainty.

"Oh, what are they?" He asked.

"They are fireflies. Fireflies that got stuck in that big bluish black thing." He said with Depp wisdom beyond his years.

"Oh, jee. I always thought that they were balls of gas burning billions of miles away."

"Pumba, for you everything is gas."

"I for one, think that they are evil ghosts that are stuck up there, and can only be seen in the night." Hamu said

"Ghosts?" Pumba questioned.

"Yes, those evil spirits that want to bring harm to us. Every now and then, they succeed in escaping their prison, and then they cause natural disasters for us." Hamu said.

"Oh."

"That's why, sometimes you see one of the falling down from the sky, that means that the ghost escaped and will cause chaos in the coming days." Hamu said. He was sure of this as he had heard this from his parent before they got killed.

"You might be right, but from what I've heard, they are the dots of all past panthers that have ever lived." Imani said, looking up with nostalgia.

"Oh, then what about you Asafa?"

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

My message to you today is... The following:

Du är så ful och besvärlig.

Jag talar bara sanningen och är ärlig.

Passa dig, annars tar jag dig, kanske till skogen?

Inte för att plocka bären, men nita näsan genom skallen?

Nej! Våld är ont, inte skulle jag göra dig något ont.

Istället föreslår jag, kärlekens sätt.

Va nöjd med vad livet har gett.

Klaga inte på det du inte har. Det är inte varför du producerades av din mor och far.

Var nöjd med det du har, så ditt motiv, blir ren och klar.

Ta av dig det onda du bär, så du kan bli blottad och bar.

🥰🥰🥰

This a love poem from me to you.