Chapter Thirty-Six: Quiet Blessings

Misty Forest – Moonlit Nights.          The misty forest glowed beneath silver moonlight, the trees breathing in rhythm with the night wind. Jitu sat beneath his twisted tree, still as stone, a mountain of quiet strength draped in a frost-touched mane. His icy blue eyes were half-lidded, watching the moonlight filter through the leaves. Kiara appeared from the shadows, her golden fur luminous in the night. She approached carefully, nerves rippling beneath her bright eyes. “Jitu?” she whispered, halting just a few paces from him. “Can… can I talk to you?” Jitu turned his gaze to her—calm, unreadable. Listening. “I don’t know how to say this,” she said, swallowing. “But I wanted you to be the first to know.” She hesitated, then smiled softly. “I’m... pregnant,” Kiara whispered. “Kovu and I—we’re having a baby.” Jitu didn’t blink. Didn’t react. “I thought so,” he said simply.Kiara blinked, stunned. “Wait… you knew?” He didn’t explain. Just watched her quietly, a mountain unmoved. Her surprise dissolved into a breathless laugh. “Of course you did. You always do.” 

She came again days later, chattering softly beside him in the quiet clearing. She spoke of dreams—of a cub strong like Kovu, kind like Nala, wise like Simba. “And maybe… just a little mysterious like you,” she teased.Jitu said nothing. But his gaze never left her. Soft, steady. Present. 

Another day, she returned with a tiny bundle of wildflowers tucked into her jaw. “I don’t know if you like flowers,” she said as she laid them down before him. “But… everyone deserves a little color.” Jitu looked at the gift, then back to her. His face remained expressionless, but the chill in his presence seemed just a little warmer. When she next returned, her joy was uncontainable. “I told Kovu!” she beamed. “He almost fainted. But he’s happy.” She sat beside Jitu, pressing close to his quiet frame. “You watched over this place. And, I don’t know… you kind of take care of me, too.” Still, Jitu said nothing. But his silence felt different now—more like understanding than detachment. As her belly grew, so did her doubts. “I don’t know if I’m ready,” she whispered one evening, curled beside him. “What if I mess it all up?” Jitu didn’t reply. But his steady gaze never wavered, and she drew comfort from his silence more than she could from any words. Eventually, Kiara stood in the clearing beneath a soft silver sky, her joy undimmed. “Mom and Dad are thrilled. They keep fussing—it’s a little embarrassing.” She giggled, then leaned against Jitu’s side. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For letting me share this.” Jitu’s gaze remained fixed on the horizon, unmoving. Yet something in him… shifted. She turned to leave, but then she felt it—a cool breeze brushing her fur, soft and deliberate. She glanced back. Jitu had lifted a massive paw. Mist swirled around it, his breath chilling the air. Slowly, he lowered the paw to her rounded belly, frost trailing in delicate lines. Kiara gasped softly. A rune—faint, silvery, and glowing—bloomed across her fur. An intricate, spiraling pattern shimmered over her stomach, cold but comforting. Protective. “What is…?” she whispered, eyes wide. Jitu didn’t answer. He simply lowered his paw and returned to his place beneath the tree, silent once more. Kiara stared down at the rune, heart pounding. It pulsed gently, like a quiet heartbeat made of light. “…Thank you,” she whispered, voice trembling with gratitude.Jitu didn’t move. But his calm presence was no longer distant. It was warm. Watching. Watching over.

Pride Rock – Sunrise.                          The rising sun painted the savanna in gold and pink. A gentle breeze rustled the grass. Kiara raced up the rocky slope, eyes wide with wonder. “Mom! Dad! Rafiki!” Simba and Nala turned. Rafiki appeared moments later, leaning on his staff with a curious smile.Kiara stopped before them, breathless. “I was with Jitu last night… and he did something. He touched my belly with his paw, and now there’s this… this glowing mark. It doesn’t hurt—it feels safe. Cold, but… warm too. Like… protection.” Rafiki’s wise eyes sparkled. “Oh-ho-ho… the frost mark.”                                                  “The what?” Simba asked. Rafiki chuckled. “An ancient blessing from the North. It’s a rite once performed by elders—healers. Rare, sacred. A rune for protection… for strength and life. For the mother and the child.” Nala’s eyes welled with quiet tears. “He blessed your cub…”Kiara nodded slowly. “He didn’t say anything. Just… did it.” Rafiki leaned on his staff. “He does not need words, child. His actions are his voice.” Simba stepped forward, pride swelling in his chest from this sudden revelation. “I don’t know how to thank him,” Kiara whispered. Rafiki smiled. “Sometimes… feeling safe is thanks enough.” Kiara looked out over the savanna, the breeze brushing her mane. Jitu had said nothing. But she’d never felt more seen.