rock. "Please, her mother and sister are dead, and her father will kill her next." Petal panted. "Please, good lioness, I'm begging you, look after little Vitani for me." The lioness nodded, watching Vitani slowly wake up. "I promise." She said. Petal nodded in a thanks and Vitani watched her aunt race off, past the stupid hyenas, back to fight her father. "I will look after you, I promise." The lioness purred, nuzzling Vitani. "Who are you?" She whimpered, unsure of this stranger.

"Darling, I am Zira, your new mother."

Over the next months Vitani forgot about that day and grew up thinking that Zira was her mother. She was especially attatched to Nuka, her brother, while she was growing up, but she didn't know why. Still, she stuck with her family and moved on in her new pride, the Pridelands.

Then she met him.

She met Prince Kopa, King Simba's son, and began to grow fond of him. Sure, his little sister was cute, but Kopa was.... special. She played with him every day and soon began to fall for him as she eagerly awaited the arrival of her new baby brother. Soon Kovu was born, and Vitani was delighted to see him.

Then it happened.

Vitani watched in horror as Zira attacked Kopa the day after Kovu's birth. The small family was then exiled to the outlands with a few of Scar's followers for the murder of Kopa. She cried to her mother that it was wrong but Zira told her about Simba and what he had done.

That was when her first memory came back to her.

It was the one where she watched Niva and her mother murdered by Derrick right in front of her eyes. When she asked her mother, Zira told her about Petal.

As the months went by, she remembered a lot more things and understood why Nuka and Kovu were precious to her. I promise, she thought to herself. I will protect my brothers like I couldn't protect Joseph and Niva.

Huh. Vitani though. So much for protecting them. A tear fell from her face and onto Nuka's body again. Now she knew what that strange crack in her chest was. It was what was left of her heart shatter into a million more tiny pieces. It should have been her heart breaking, but how could it break when it wasn't even whole in the first place? That was why it felt strange.

 In the distance she heard Zira calling her. "I-I'll be with you in a moment, mother." Vitani called back, tears causing her throat to wobble, yet she turned to face her mother and faked a smile. She had learnt to do that very well. She had needed a fake smile so long it was almost impossible to tell her fake to her real. Really, only Niva could have done that. She heard Zira's simple "Suit yourself" as she raced of, leaving her daughter alone.

All was silent. Not a bird dared to chirp to break the thick quietness. The only noise that could be heard was the quiet gasping noise of Vitani's sobs over her fallen brother. No one knows anything about who I really am. Vitani thought as her drops of emotion continued to soak Nuka's fur like a small raincloud over him. With a final sniff she looked up in the sky, her eyes still containing tears that had yet to fall. I miss you Kopa, Mother, Joseph, Aunt Petal. She thought. But most of all, she missed.... Niva, look after Nuka for me please. Vitani thought for the last time before dashing off to find her mother as the last of her own raindrops fell from her beautiful blue orbs. Her worst reminder of her father.

Almost as if answering her thoughts, a small gust of wind, one that smelt similar to the sweet, gently heather scent her mother carried, blew towards Nuka and asccended upwards. You could almost hear the whisper in the wind, one that said, "I miss you too, Vitani."