Written by: Caldafox
Plot[]
During Mufasa's reign as The Lion King, several lion cubs were born into the pride. One of them was named Goldie.
Goldie loved to play around with her many friends and explore. She always had something to say. Her friends Simba and Nala usually laughed it off when she interrupted them in conversation, but it could get annoying.
When Scar took over, almost all of the lion cubs were sent to neighboring prides or died of starvation. Goldie, Nala, Tama and Tojo were the only ones who lived through the drought.
Goldie grew up into an adolescent as fast as always. Every so often she would wander off to try and find water, or get away from all the hyenas surrounding her home. She never found any water, but her friends got a break from her constant talking!
After Simba rightfully reclaimed the throne, Goldie's happiness didn't stick out like a sore thumb anymore. The Pride Lands flourished again, and everything was alive once more.
One fine day, Nala and Goldie were hanging out together underneath Pride Rock. They were laughing as they watched grown-up Simba and Tama tease each other.
Some plants were growing by Pride Rock, thick, beautiful shrubs. Goldie turned her head at the sound of leaves rustling. A young male lion walked out from in the shrub and began leaving in the other direction.
Goldie got up and ran after him! "Goldie, where are you going?" Nala asked, also standing up.
Goldie bounded over to the shrubs. "Hey, you!" She called to the lion.
He turned around and saw a perky lioness smiling at him. "Hey," he winked at her. "I was just heading out, so need to rally your whole pride or anything."
"You don't have to leave you know. What's your name? I bet it's something really cool!" Goldie said excitedly.
"Actually, my name is-"
"Mine's Goldie, by the way. Kind of obvious just by looking at me, right? Anyway, what was your name again?"
The lion chuckled to himself. "I was going to say, my name is Ni."
"Ni. Ni. I love it!" Goldie grinned at him, making Ni laugh.
Nala watched the two conversate from halfway under Pride Rock. Something about this male lion was familiar... where had she seen him before?
"Well, I've got to be off." Ni told the chatty younger lioness. "Ok, have fun! See you another time!" Goldie smiled.
"Yeah, maybe so." Ni laughed to himself again. He walked away, and Goldie watched him turn into a speck in the distance.
"Who was that?" Nala asked her friend, coming beside her. "He said his name was- Oh look, they're at it again! Wanna go watch Tama and Simba wrestle around again?" Goldie asked, scatterbrained as she looked over her shoulder.
"Uh, ok, sure." Nala answered, trying not to laugh. The two lionesses headed back to watch Tama show off her impressive strength again.
About a week passed. Nala and Goldie were hanging out together once more. Simba was busy with his new Kingly duties, and this was one of the rare moments Nala got a break from her new responsibilities, too.
They walked down a beaten path in the Pride Lands. "Do you like being Queen, Nala?" Goldie inquired.
"Yes, I do, Goldie. But sometimes it can be overwhel-"
"Ah, like everything I suppose- has the opportunity, I mean, to be overwhelming." Nala just rolled her eyes at the interruption.
"Hey, it's that guy again!" Goldie said, stopping.
"What 'guy'?" Nala asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Him!" Ni! He was up ahead snooping around a waterhole.
"What's he doing back here again?" Nala thought aloud. "He's trespassing, so I'm gonna chase him off."
"But what if he needs help?" Goldie asked.
"He would have come to Pride Rock. I can't have rogues causing trouble in my new Kingdom!" Nala retorted.
"Wait! I'll do it for you!" Goldie bounded up to Nala. "You shouldn't be running all that much in your condition, anyway."
"My wh-"
"See you in a few!" Goldie quickly said, passing up her friend and reaching Ni in no time.
"Hey there!" Goldie said, friendly. "It's you again. Hello." Ni smiled simply.
"So, uh, yeah, here's the buzz: My friend over there is the Queen, and she doesn't want you snooping around here unless you come to Pride Rock." Goldie blurted.
She grinned back at Nala, who was covering her face with her paw from embarrassment,
"Oh, I see. The new rulers must be stricter with the unaddressed rogue policy. I guess I'll be off." Ni started walking away slowly.
"B-bye!" Goldie waved, almost losing her balance.
"By the way, what is the name of your friend the Queen?" Ni asked, looking back at Goldie.
"Nala is her name."
Ni laughed, but Goldie was unaware of the reason. "Tell her I said hello."
"Uh, okay, sure!" Goldie told him. Ni smiled at her, then picked up speed and was gone again. Once more Goldie watched him turn into a speck in the distance.
Nala walked up to her. "By the way, he said to tell you 'hello'." Goldie immediately said to her friend.
"To tell me hello? I'm not sure I even know him. What'd you say his name was again?" Nala asked, confused.
"I thought I told you already, silly!" Goldie giggled. "Boy, you must have a lot on your plate!"
Nala just sighed, joining her friend in laughing momentarily.
Goldie went out by herself to get something to eat. She really wanted fish for some reason, so she headed over to one of the ponds.
She bent down to lap up some water, and under her chin swam many delicious would-be fillet specials...
"You aren't gonna catch any by drooling at them like that." A voice across the water laughed.
Goldie sprang up, and Ni was on the other side of the pond! "Boy, you seem to get everywhere so fast!" Goldie thought aloud.
"Don't tell your friend the Queen I was here, unless she would like to catch up on things." Ni said to Goldie.
"Catch up on things? Are you guys siblings or something?" Goldie inquired, tilting her head.
"No, not at all." Ni laughed. Goldie raised an eyebrow.
"Why do you laugh at everything I say?" she asked.
"I'm not trying to be rude." Ni stated. "I guess I've never met someone who talks so much... and so honestly, too."
"That's good, isn't it?" Goldie inquired further.
"I guess the honesty part is." Ni chuckled to himself.
"HEY!"
His remark was met with a splash from Goldie's paw. "H-hey, that's cold!" Ni sputtered, bouncing away sopping wet.
Goldie laughed while she wiped her paw on the grass. "Ohhh, now I've gone and scared the fish!" She grumbled, noticing them swim away.
Ni shook off and fluffed himself out. "You want me to help you catch one?"
"I can handle it myself, thanks very much!" Goldie bragged, prowling along the riverbank.
"You're not doing it right!" Ni called to her. "You're moving around to mu-"
"If I don't move, I won't be able to keep up with them!" Goldie told him.
"Suit yourself." Ni smiled, sitting down.
Goldie's eyes followed the fish. One swam near the shore, and she took the opportunity to swipe at it.
"Darn it!" Goldie yelled. She missed, and now water was all over her face.
The same fish swam back towards where Goldie had started. Ni's eyes moved, but his muscles were completely still.
As the fish took a moment to nibble at some algae, Ni quickly swiped his paw in the water. Although he was wet again, a fish now flopped helplessly as it was impaled on his claws.
"WHOA!" Goldie exclaimed. She bounded back over to Ni. "How did you do that?" she called from the other side of the pond.
Ni slid the fish off his claws with his other paw, laying it next to him. "Come over here, and I'll show you."
Goldie got a running start, then proceeded to jump swiftly over to the other side, taking a spot next to him.
"The fish already knew you were there. You were moving around too much, and they could see your reflection on the water. I just sat here and waited for one to come to me. It wasn't aware that I was watching it, and that's how I surprised it." Ni explained carefully.
"Well, that does sound effective." Goldie confessed. "Sorry I was kind of arrogant earlier."
"That's alri-"
"Can I try catching one now the way you did?" Goldie piped up again.
By now, Ni was getting used to laughing off Goldie's interruptions.
"Go ahead." Ni told her.
Copying everything exactly the way her new friend described, Goldie stood completely still, only her eyes moving. A fish came over and repeated the same mistake his predecessor had made...
Goldie swiped her paw quickly, water spraying all over Ni. "I got it! I got one!" She squealed.
"Yes, good for you." Ni said, behind a soaked and wet mane once again.
Goldie laughed, then slid the fish off her claws like Ni had. Using the other paw, she parted Ni's bangs from his face so he could see.
They both smiled at one another. "Mind if I eat with you?" Goldie asked.
"Not a problem." Ni replied. He shook off again and was dry.
For the rest of the afternoon, they chatted and munched on their fish.
In the weeks following, Goldie found herself looking for Ni. She couldn't figure out why he kept sneaking into the Pride Lands at first, but now it seemed like he mostly did so to hang out with her. Goldie's highlight of most days was her friend coming around. Nala was busy as Queen, and now as a mother to her infant son.
When she would catch a break, Nala would sometimes lay down and watch the Pride Lands stirring. More often than not she would catch a glimpse of Goldie sneaking off to hang out with Ni.
"Where have I seen him before?" Nala asked herself again. Kopa looked up at his mother from between her paws and blinked.
They would hang out by the pond and catch fish together, which Goldie was getting super good at. Goldie would chatter Ni's ears off as she told him all about her life. Ni told her all about interesting things he had witnessed and lions he'd met during his lonely life as a rogue.
One day Goldie looked at Ni... and realized she saw him as the most handsome lion she had ever met, the highlight of her life.
Ni looked at her, and realized he was falling for this little chatterbox (a nickname he sometimes called her).
Days following became more awkward between them, as neither could communicate their feelings. Goldie got sick of being awkward and short instead of funny and rambling.
"Look, mind if I tell you something?" Goldie blatantly asked her friend, as they were laying in the grass.
"Fire away."
"Whenever I'm around you, I feel like nothing else in the world matters. It's not important if I get home on time, or if I miss a hunting trip. If I can make you laugh and smile, everything else has little meaning, because you're the most important thing in the world to me."
Goldie just blinked afterwards.
Ni stared at her, his face flushed. "I- I think you summed up how I feel about you, too."
"What, really?!" Goldie exclaimed, trying not to squeal.
Ni smiled and nodded. "I really couldn't put it to words, but you just did."
Goldie grinned, blushing. Her friend leaned over and kissed her, and she leaned in.
Goldie was 1 year younger than Ni. They waited until she turned 2 years old the next month, which was closer to Ni's age of 3 years old. Then they pursued a happy, loving relationship full of traveling and freedom.
Nala called her friend's name one day when she noticed Goldie leaving in the early evening.
"Hi Queenie!" Goldie said. "And hello Kopa, you little cutie pie!"
Kopa sneezed at that. He snuggled into his mother's chest.
Nala patted her son. "Goldie, you're not coming back, are you?"
Goldie shook her head slowly. "Me and my best friend are mates now! We're gonna travel all over the place before we settle down, so I gotta get a move on."
"I hope you have a great life with him." Nala smiled. "I'll give regards to Simba, Tama and Tojo for you."
"Thanks, Nala! I'll be seeing you!" Goldie said, as she bounded off. Nala sighed at the realization that she would not see her innocent friend for a long time.
It would be years before Nala remembered the identidy of Goldie's mate - Ni had met Nala as a cub years before, during Scar's reign! He called her "flaky" and saved her from hyenas. Nala had forgotten all about him when she grew up, until she told the story to her son. He looked so familiar for that reason!
Goldie and Ni eventually settled down at the farthest border of the Pride Lands. They had one daughter in time, named Hasina. Hasina grew up very sheltered, with her parents as her only friends. They were all very close.
When she grew up, Hasina fell head over heels in love with the first male lion she met - a mean-spirited rogue named Nadim. Her parents never met him, otherwise they never would have given the relationship their permission. Hasina didn't contact her parents much after she married and had children. Goldie and Ni had to ask around if they wanted to know about their daughter.
Hasina's children were named Makeda, Haki and Asani. Her youngest were both very troublesome and annoying to the Pride Landers. Goldie was never even aware that her descendants were causing problems for her old friends Simba and Nala!
Although they missed their daughter, Goldie and Ni were very happy just being together. As they grew old they loved each other even more.
The End.