had to admit, she had a beautiful smile when she used it.

"Come on," said Ahadi. "Let's go back."

"Okay." Walking alongside Ahadi, Uru returned to Pride Rock. The other lionesses were skeptical when they saw her, but when Ahadi declared what had happened, they warmly accepted her back. Uru went on apologizing to each and every one of them, taking full responsibility for her actions and admitting that she was wrong and too harsh in her judgments.

Life steadily went back to normal after that. Keeping to his word, Ahadi patrolled for the month while Uru relaxed with the others, sometimes even taking them out hunting. The drought was troublesome, but a shocking discovery happened by the end of the month. Dark clouds began rolling into the area. From where he was patrolling, Ahadi raised his head, and he could sense the moisture in the air. Not long after, it began to pour tremendously. The other lionesses came running from the rock, and began playing in the rain. Ahadi joined them, engaging them in fun games. When he saw that Uru was not with them, however, he broke away to go find her.

He saw Uru sitting at the entrance of the den. He went up to her, smiling wide and dripping something awful. "Hey," he greeted as he took a spot next to her.

"It's finally raining," she said warmly. "I can't believe it... the drought's finally over."

"Yeah, and we made it!"

"We did." Then Uru frowned. "But..."

"What's-? Oh..." Ahadi remembered too. He gave Uru his word that, when the drought season was over, he would leave the pride.

"You don't have to leave," said Uru, her voice taking on a different tone. It was softer and more... Ahadi couldn't put his paw on it, but it sounded more... beautiful to him.

"I... don't?" he asked, a bit surprised that Uru would suggest that.

Uru turned her head to him and smiled. Ahadi stared lovingly at her smile. She's so beautiful... "No, you don't have to leave," she said.

"But you didn't want me here."

"Yeah, well... I've kinda grown attached to you."

Ahadi was speechless by this. Smiling at this, Uru took advantage of this by giving him a tender nuzzle. Still frozen with shock, Ahadi did not react to this. It was only when Uru pulled away, circled him a few times, and then trotted inside the den that Ahadi reacted. He got up and followed her inside the den.

No one seemed to notice their absence.

****

Long before the celebrated births of Queen Uru's and King Ahadi's cubs, two unexpected births came. Two lionesses, the same two lionesses who had been sneaky and went off during the mating season, had given birth, each to an individual cub who bared the similarity of her half-sister. One was darker-colored than the other, and she was the oldest. Her name was Sarabi, and her half-sister Sarafina.

Uru had been disappointed to find that two of her lionesses had in fact snuck off and kept this secret from her all this time. However, she could not bear to issue punishment to them. Mohatu, disappointed though he would've been, would've accepted the cubs, regardless of who their father was. Wanting to follow her father's path, Uru accepted the cubs into the pride warmly.

The next birth was one from Uru who bore two cubs into the world. She had given birth away from the pride, doing just what every other lioness would do. Her cubs were beautiful. They were both males. For six weeks, Uru kept them away from the pride, in fear that it would be too soon to introduce them to the others. Once her two cubs were big enough and able to walk on their own, Uru led them back to the pride.

Introducing the cubs to the lionesses was essential first. Uru had no need to worry about them, for the lionesses quickly accepted the two male cubs into their clan. Then it came to introducing them to Ahadi, and for this Uru was slightly concerned about. However, just like what had happened with the lionesses, Uru found that she didn't have anything to worry about. Ahadi warmly accepted his cubs, and his cubs seemed to recognize Ahadi was their father figure and so they quickly introduced themselves to him.

"Oh Uru, they're beautiful," said Ahadi proudly as he nuzzled his queen.

"I haven't named them yet," she said. "I was hoping that we'd name them together..."

"Which one is the oldest?"

Uru nudged her paw at the tawny yellow male. He meowed, and bravely began trying to start a battle with his mother's paw. The younger male, the darker brown colored one, meowed quietly, not having his older brother's courageous behavior.

"Mufasa," declared Ahadi almost immediately. "It means king, and I can definitely see a king in him."

Uru smiled and rolled her tongue over her young cub, now declared Mufasa. Ahadi turned his attention to the younger brother. "How about... Ahadi Jr?" he said jokingly.

Uru rolled her eyes playfully. "No way. How about..." Uru carefully thought all the names she could in her head. "Taka?"

Ahadi smiled. "So beautiful Uru." He nuzzled her. "Just like you."