Darkness descends

Rafiki was padding through the Pridelands, following the route to the Valley Of Peace. Earlier in the day, he was walking through the savanna, wanting to get misfortune off his mind, when he suddenly stumbled upon Tama and Nala, who were talking together in a friendly mood. He decided to make a surprise entry. He loved to joke with younger lions, and everyone found his humor pleasant.

He had also gained word of Malka, the highlander lion with ear tufts. Nala pointed out that he had grown a messy, dual colored mane and retained his tufts, and that he was pretty clumsy living as a rogue. The Valley seemed like an ideal place to sit down and relax and relieve yourself from the claustrophobic stresses of a baobab tree.

He jumped onto a tree branch and snatched a walnut. it was the only fruit that grew around the valley and, luckily, it wasn't rotten. He looked out in the horizon, his thoughts wandering across the dark sky. The old feeling that he had felt was still tormenting him and not letting him calm down. But at this point, it had given up a little, leaving the baboon at peace. He thought to himself: "No wonder this place is called the Valley Of Peace. Finally, relaxed!"

But soon, a tawny feline figure broke his peace. It was Sarafina. What could have she possibly be doing out here, by herself? he continued to look at her in confusion. Sarafina stood out among most lionesses with her grace and beauty, which hasn't faded away, despite her age. She had passed her tawny fur and green eyes to her daughter, Nala, but Nala seemed more dominant and opinionated, while Sarafina was rather retracted and asked others of their opinions.

But, he could see desperation in her eyes. Something was tormenting her, and Rafiki could tell that she had lost something, or someone, probably Mheetu, or another cub. If it was Scar's cub, the tyrant king would be outraged and harm the lioness. He decided to jump off and talk to her.

Scar had already told her that she couldn’t return if she didn’t have Mheetu with her, now this worried her so, and being a lone made her a little more unease, for she was a mature lioness, looking for her son, and probably at the time to be easily looked at by rogue male, maybe like the one who attacked her son, or the one who attacked Heshima. She just hoped that she didn’t run into either or any rogue males, but maybe she would, after all, Scar rarely traveled out this far, except maybe his hyenas, she wondered why he didn’t send his hyenas to look for Mheetu and not her. But she knew that he was angry with her, and probably wouldn’t care what happened to her.

Indeed something was tormenting her, her son had ran off, while she was trying to comfort him, and now Scar had sent her off to find him. She wasn’t sure what would become of her now, but she hoped her son would be found safe and sound, and hopefully she wouldn’t have her own run in with a rogue male.

She called out Mheetu's name every so often as she walked, hoping to spot his pale color somewhere out here.

She soon stopped though as it seemed Rafiki decided to almost land infront of her. She hadn't seen that old baboon in a long time, so she was a bit startled by his presence infront of her. "Rafiki?" She says his name, she was a bit confused to see him out here and not near the tree, maybe he had over heard her and Scar that day at the tree of life, or maybe he was out here relaxing and just spotted her. Although she hoped that maybe he knew where Mheetu was, but she had no clue what he was doing out here.

The old monkey approached the tawny lioness: "Good evening, Sarafina." He was still very confused to see her out here, be herself and without the hunting party. He looked into he eyes: "What are you doing out here?" He could easily tell that something wasn't right, and that she wouldn't be out here for no reason.

Then, a vulture flew overhead, signaling some misfortune to Rafiki. He now asked her: "What happened to you?" He was ready to help her and to be her right hand whenever at this point.

She saw that the monkey was looking at her, a bit confused like. The lioness just sighed before she answered. "I'm looking for Mheetu, he ran off when I tried to comfort him." She says to him. She wasn't sure how she should relay the events to the monkey. "I came back to the Rock thinking he would return, but he hasn't." She looked to the ground then back to Rafiki. "Scar told me I can't come back unless Mheetu is with me." She almost whispers to him. She wasn't sure how the monkey would take it.

She looks up to Rafiki. "Scar and I fight a lot now, and before he yelled at me to find him, we had another talk at the tree of life, and I let his old name slip." She says to him. "Rafiki will the pridelands ever be at peace, like when you know who was alive?" She asks him. She didn't say the previous king's name, she got into trouble last time she spoke the name of the previous king.

She waits for his answer, though she wasn't sure what the wise monkey would say to her. Though she didn't see the vulture over head, but maybe she would find her son alive without trouble come her way.

Rafiki could understand that Sarafina was bothered by something, and it was Mheetu running away. He immediately started to wonder what is the cause of this, and he knew that Sarafina was a good and loving mother. But, he didn't realize how could she let that scoundrel mate with her. He didn't dislike Mheetu, but he greatly disliked Scar.

Then, he looked over at Sarafina, and embraced her: "There, there, Sarafina. I'm sure your son is fine." he was trying to comfort her. Then, he looked at her: What happened to him?"He immediately felt compassion for Sarafina. He didn't want to tell her of Nala's location, because he didn't want to upset her. She was already very stressed and he didn't want to be cocky in an impolite way.

Something went through his head then, and he asked her: "Did Scar send you here?" He had known that Scar was very spoiled and wanted absolute humility of his pride, but nothing is absolute.

She didn't really understand how she let Scar mate with her, though it was a day of weakness and he changed back to the Taka that she knew once, and now he wasn't the same lion she once knew. She was mad at Scar, ever since that argument in the Valley of peace, and then the encounter before she left the Pridelands to come here.

She let him embrace her, she was a bit put off guard, but the lioness did need a friend, and Rafiki was here for her it seemed. The comfort of the monkey was welcoming, after all, the others were still upset by her as they thought she was the one who sent Nala's father or a rogue male after her son and harm him. But she didn't, she had nothing to do with her son getting injured like he had done. "He was attacked by someone, I guess either Nala's father or someone else, I'm not sure." She explains to him. "Then I guess a few days later, I found him and tried to comfort him, he didn't like that, and so he ran, and I tried to follow, but gave up and headed home." She looks to Rafiki once she was done speaking.

She gives a light nod when he asked her of Scar sending her out here. "Yes he did, and he told me I can not return unless I have Mheetu with me." She missed Sarabi, she missed the pridelandsers, but she hoped that she could return, but would Scar even welcome her back? But what if her son didn't want to return? She would have to find a new home.

Rafiki glared at the tawny lioness, and then gave a reply: 'Why don't you ask someone to help you" He thought that at least some company would make her feel a lot better and more comfortable. It was easier to deal with trouble when you had someone by your side to reassure you that everything will be fine. But still, something would bother you, keeping you awake and forcing you to think that it's all in vain.

He was relieved to see Sarafina feel better while talking to him, she was very upset about this. When she told him that Scar would only have her back with Mheetu, he sighed in grief and pity. Scar must have been tormenting her seriously after the commotion with Mheetu. He then wondered about the cub, what if he was out there, starving or even worse, attacked by another rogue?

He looked at Sarafina and sighed: "Sarafina, this is where I leave you. I wish you most luck." He wished he could come along with her, btu, he had work to attend to back at the Tree Of Life. He then started walking back to his baobab home, thinking.

She was going to ask someone to help her, but it seemed like Scar wanted only her to get gone looking for Mheetu. She just only shook her head. She would've asked someone, but they all seemed to not like her after what happened to her son when he first went missing. For most thought it was set up by her, so they choose not to help her this time to look for him, after all, they all probably thought that she ran him off when he ran when she met up with her son a few days after the whole thing.

She didn't want to go on the mission a lone, but it only seemed to be that Scar was punishing her for leaving Mheetu at Pride rock for others to look after while she went hunting and to clear her head. She could only wish that the cub she once knew in Scar, that Taka was somewhere in him, but calling Scar by his given name only seemed to make matters worse instead of better between the two of them.

Oh the mother didn't want to imagine what her little boy was up to, or had gone through, all the mother could only hope for now was that Mheetu hadn't died or got himself hurt. She could only hope that she probably could come back with an alive Mheetu at her side.

She sighs and lightly smiles at Rafiki, some how he gave her hope, maybe her son was alive, although she hoped that she wouldn't run into a rogue or another king while she looked for her son, though there were the possibilities of what could happen to her, or what could or did happen to her son Mheetu. "Rafiki, watch over Nala for me." She says to the baboon, but maybe her daughter could handle herself, with the aid of Sarabi and the others. The lioness than began her trip once again, to find her son.