Work Text:
"Hey Ono, do you think loyalty to others is born, earned, or given?"
What an interesting question. I need to think about it. My name is Ono, meaning wide field. I was named this because it is where I was saved as an egg from a baby Janja and crew. I've been told this story by all of my friends, but I don’t remember the events at all. They all know the story because they are the ones who saved me. Would I have been friends with them if the circumstances had changed? The story continues, that after I hatched I was taken to Pride Rock, where they presented me to King Simba, who decided what to do with me:
Kion: Dad!! Dad!!
King Simba: What is it son?
Kion: We saved this egg from the Hyena, well he’s not an egg any more…what do we do with him?
Bunga: I’m sure my Uncles can take him in!! Wow! I would have a brother, that would be Un-bunga-liable!!!
King Simba: (slight laughter) thank you for the offer Bunga, but I think Timon and Pumbaa have their hands full with you (turning) Zazu? Zazu: yes Sire
King Simba: you won't have any trouble taking in this young bird right, you were a pretty good babysitter if my memory serves correct
Zazu: (sputtering) why I… I (maintains composure) of course Sire
King Simba: good then it’s settled
And so with the king's decree, Zazu took me in. Despite what you might think, he’s a surprisingly good guardian. Zazu taught me a lot about the Pridelands and about the lands surrounding ours. I absorbed everything, hungry for knowledge. Every night Zazu came back to the nest, and he would tell me more and more things, random facts, how all the animal factions function under Simba, and stories of the past. Eventually when I learned to fly, Zazu convinced the other egrets to let me take part in their flock during the time that he went to perform his royal duties, so I could learn from my own kind. I started hanging around the flock during the day, fascinated by the culture and the newness of it all. I made some acquaintances but no real friends. I would always come back to the nest to learn whatever Zazu wanted to teach me. Although it wasn't a normal family dynamic, I was grateful that I had someone like him to teach, care for, and guide me. I believe that Zazu did in fact love me like I was his own. The actions that proved this were reserved to late nights in the nest, when the temperature would drop. On one of these late nights, Zazu asked me why I stayed with him when I could have decided to stay with the flock. I simply told him that I couldn't imagine myself anywhere else. Zazu’s words stick in my mind even to this day.
“I do hope you will decide to stay for the future.”
Zazu gave me a nod but his eyes were sad, twinkling with the knowledge of something that I didn't recognize at the time. We never again talked about this late night conversation. Looking back on it, I am grateful we didn't speak of it. That was my life for almost a year, hanging with the flock in the daytime but always returning to the nest, our home.