Chapter Text
The sun shone above the grassy valley of the Pride Lands as King Simba walked into his mother Sarabi’s cave to wake her up. It had been two days since Simba had accepted the Outsiders as part of his pride, having learnt from his daughter, Kiara, that they were one. Like Simba’s pride, the Outsiders were lions with thoughts and feelings, and on that same day, Kiara and her mate, Kovu, were chosen as the next rulers of Pride Rock.
In recent times, the pride had needed to take special care of Sarabi. She was now very old- her vision and hearing were poor, and she needed help moving around. Sarabi couldn’t even fight in the battle between Simba’s pride and the Outsiders, because she was too weak to fight. Fortunately, Vitani and Simba were assisting her, doing everything they could to make her comfortable.
When Simba walked into Sarabi’s cave, he saw that Vitani had just brought the former queen breakfast- part of a gazelle carcass. After Sarabi thanked Vitani, she ate the meat, although slowly.
“Good morning, Mother,” Simba said gently, being sure not to startle his elderly mother.
“Simba,” Sarabi softly replied, giving her son a weak smile. “You came.”
“Well, of course I did,” said Simba. “After you finish your food, I’ll help you up. We’re going on a walk today.”
“Walks are nice,” Sarabi responded with a chuckle before continuing to eat. After she finished eating, Simba helped her stand up, and took her to the savannah for a morning stroll.
“I remember what my father had always taught me,” Simba explained as he and Sarabi walked along the grass. “Everything is connected in the great Circle of Life.”
Sarabi nodded in agreement. “When I die, I will become the grass, and help the animals survive,” she said.
“That’s true for all of us,” Simba answered, “but please don’t talk like that. It scares me.”
Sarabi then looked out to the gorge where her mate, Mufasa, was murdered many years ago. “Can we visit Mufasa?” she asked.
“Sure,” Simba said, overcome with trauma. He knew that Mufasa’s corpse had since decomposed, and in its place was a patch of grass. However, lions liked to assume that Mufasa was still there, because it was his resting place.
As Simba and his mother walked to the gorge, traumatic memories returned to Simba. Mufasa’s death haunted him, even to this day. However, Simba was brave enough to take Sarabi to the site of her mate’s death to comfort her in her final moments.
Sarabi saw the bright green grass that grew where Mufasa’s body once laid. “I miss you, Mufasa,” she whispered, resting on the grass and taking a deep, calm breath.
Simba sighed and placed a paw on the patch of grass. “I miss you too, Dad,” he said before he signaled to Sarabi that it was time to go.
After leaving the gorge, Sarabi raved about Simba’s accomplishments. “We fought Scar. We got our home back,” she said.
“That’s right,” Simba gently answered.
“And we couldn’t have done it without you,” continued Sarabi. “You saved the Pride Lands. And you just did it again- you forgave the Outsiders.”
Simba grinned, then said, “But I didn’t do all that alone. You contributed as well.”
“You see?” Sarabi asked. “It’s good to take your mother’s advice, is it not?”
Simba laughed and said, “I guess it is.”
Sarabi and Simba laughed together, and once the laughter died down, Simba was reminded of something. He knew that it would soon be time for Sarabi to complete her journey in the Circle of Life, so he wanted to take this moment to thank her for all that she did.
“Mother, before it comes time for you to pass, I’d like to tell you that you served as a great queen,” said Simba. “Up until Father’s death, you raised me to be a good son. You stayed strong during Scar’s rule. And you got to watch Kiara grow up. You are so much more than you think. Never forget that.”
Sarabi nuzzled her son. “Thank you, Simba,” she said. “I am so proud to have you as my son.”
“And I couldn’t have a better mother than you,” Simba said as he nuzzled his mother back. “Now let’s go back.”
Sarabi and Simba began walking back to Pride Rock when suddenly, Sarabi screamed in pain and fell to the ground. She had had a heart attack!
Simba gasped and rushed to his mother’s aid. “Mom!” he exclaimed. “What happened?”
“Simba…” Sarabi muttered weakly, “... my chest hurts.”
Seeing how critical Sarabi’s condition was, Simba immediately got her medical attention. He scooped Sarabi onto his back and got her to Rafiki as quickly as he could.
Rafiki saw Simba and Sarabi come to his cave, and could tell that this was an emergency. When Simba and Sarabi got to the cave, the former gently lowered his mother onto the ground so she could receive treatment.
“Rafiki, the former queen needs your help!” Simba told Rafiki, tears streaming down his face.
“I will do all that I can,” Rafiki assured Simba, putting a hand on his shoulder before inspecting Sarabi.
To respect their privacy, Simba left the cave. He was expecting the worst.
That night, Simba and his pride were eating the zebra Kiara and Vitani had killed. Yet, all Simba could think about was his mother. How severe was her heart attack? Was she going to survive?
Just then, Rafiki came over with a sad look on his face. Right away, Simba knew that the news about Sarabi wasn’t good.
“Simba,” Rafiki said sadly, “I did everything I could to save your mother, but I’m afraid that her time has come to complete her journey in the Circle of Life. She is simply too old and weak to get through what befell her this morning. I’m sorry.”
Simba’s world stopped. He knew that this would happen, but not so soon. Not right now.
“After you finish your meal, can you come to my cave to say your final goodbyes?” Rafiki asked.
“Yes, Rafiki,” Simba said, nodding his head and putting on a brave face.
After Rafiki left, Simba raced to his mate, Nala, and cried on her shoulder. “I can’t believe it,” he sobbed. “Mom’s going to die.”
Nala nuzzled Simba to comfort him. “Don’t worry, Simba,” she said. “We’ll all be here to support you.”
“We better finish our food quickly,” Simba told his pride after composing himself. “Sarabi needs us- all of us.”
The pride quickly finished the zebra and walked to Rafiki’s cave together. Even Timon, Pumbaa, and Zazu came along. After all, it was important that Sarabi had all her loved ones with her so she could die as peacefully as possible.