yourself. A few more sessions and then you will be aceing it in no time."

"Looking forward to it." The princess remarked.

"So where did you get to this morning, sis?" Kovu asked as he got back to his feet.

"I felt that I needed to go and get some exercise, so I went and took a stroll out north in the grasslands. I was also thinking about doing some hunting because I know that the pride will need a fresh supply of food soon, but I am still a little bit tired after the training session, so I decided to give it a miss."

"Do you think that you will have some energy left for later on in the day?" Kovu inquired. "The three of us can go hunting together, and that way we will be able to gang up on the prey and the three-on-one advantage will ensure we will get our catch."

"That sounds like a plan." Vitani responded. "And if I rest for a little while, my energy should be regained before heading out for it. So I believe I will be alright to go this afternoon, yes."

"Then let's do it." Kiara said with a little excitement. She was feeling a little optimistic now that her hunting skills had improved with all the training that she had done.

"We will." Kovu remarked, seemingly sensing his mate's eager tone. "It will be interesting to see how far you have come with your training, my love. This is where it will be put to the test."

"I will be up for it, Kovu. I can assure you that they are not going to get away from me this time."

"With how well you trained yesterday, I do not see them escaping so easily." Vitani chimed in. "You will do just fine. Just remember: Control your breathing, do not grunt when you leap, and attack the throat or snout when going for the kill."

"Got it. Thank you." Kiara replied.

Vitani smiled at Kiara, also feeling positive about her capability.

"By the way, Kovu," Vitani then said to her brother, changing the subject. "where has that wisecracking meerkat and kind-hearted warthog disappeared to? We didn't see them at the den when Kiara and I came back last night or when I woke up this morning."

"Yeah, do you know where they have gone?" Kiara also asked, likewise curious as to why her former babysitters and childhood friends had suddenly gone missing.

Kovu sighed sadly after Vitani had brought this up. He knew that Kiara would certainly be saddened when the news would be broken to her because he knew about her kinship history with her father's 'outcast partners' when it was mentioned to him by Simba the previous day. His sister never got to know them properly. However, in that short time, she had noticed their amusing personalities and had taken a liking to them as a result. Because of this, Kovu felt reluctant to  tell them what had happened to the duo, but because the two lionesses really wanted to know, he knew that he had to.

"Kovu?" Kiara asked her mate, noticing her mate's melancholy sigh. "Is something the matter?"

"Timon and Pumbaa left the Pride Lands yesterday." Kovu replied with a low mellow voice; his sadness being heard. "They have gone for a little vacation."

Kiara's eyes widened in disbelief when she heard this. She could not imagine why they would suddenly leave at short notice. To her knowledge, they loved their lifestyle in the Pride Lands and never showed much disapproval of it in all the time they had been here. If they loved it so much, why would they leave so fast and unexpectedly? Where would they go? 

Vitani also stared in surprise at what she had just heard. This was not something that she expected.
"Where have they gone?" Kiara asked Kovu, urging to know.

"As your dad and I were about to walk through the Pride Lands to continue my leadership education, Timon and Pumbaa stopped us short and told us that as much as they loved living here, they were missing their original home, what Simba described to me as, a Tropical Paradise near the east coast of this continent. Therefore they wanted to go back and relive some fond memories."

The mention of that home brought Kiara's memory back to the stories that her father had been telling her over time about his life in exile. He said that he, Timon and Pumbaa had been living in this tropical jungle in the east from when he was a cub to a young lion, and the two had made it their home a little time before they found Simba and took him in. For that reason, Kiara seemed to understand why they would want to go. They were probably a little homesick. 

"I see." She then said. "Daddy told me everything about his life in exile with them. He mentioned that they had become outcasts when they were both excluded from their own clans and other surrounding animals. Through their travels to find new homes, they found each other and expressed their feelings, and at that point they saw a bit of themselves in each other. That, along with being outcasts, gave them a reason to stick together and find their true belonging in the world. Shortly afterwards, they found the tropical jungle and made it their home. From that point on, they had never been happier; and when father joined their 'club', they enjoyed their lifestyle even more. They called this their Hakuna Matata, or 'No Worries' lifestyle."

"What did your daddy give them that helped their Hakuna Matata?" Vitani inquired.

*

"Well, generally speaking, I suppose I helped to 'spice up' their recreation." Simba was saying to Nala back at Pride Rock. "From all the grub eating contests, vine swinging, lying on 'vine hammocks', bathing, riding the rapids of the rivers, and stargazing; you name it; we had it all. And when I came into the fold, the rapid rides became faster; I won all the contests; grubs got easier to find and became more plentiful; vine swinging and occasional bungee jumping from them became more extreme; and I provided protection for them in case predators would attempt to prey on them. It didn't exactly work out that way when you showed up, though." He smiled in amusement as he said this as he remembered when Nala attempted to eat Pumbaa and Simba defended him and Timon, only to get pinned by Nala's clever counter-attack technique.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Nala laughed. "No, my defence ability was still too good for you to handle at the time, eh?"

"No kidding." Simba replied, still amused by it. He then got back on point. "Anyway, you could say that although Timon mentioned that he invented Hakuna Matata, I kind of perfected it. It was a bit of a cocky assumption that I made at the time, but Timon and Pumbaa agreed with it after everything that I had done for them. If it was indeed true, I would say that it was my return favour for them taking me in and raising me as their own son. I learned from a young age that it is wise not to take anything for granted. There is always a catch for what others do for you."

"I understand that very well." Nala responded, showing her noble side, which had always been one of her strengths. "I have to say that it was very noble and also brave for them to take you under their wing. You would think that most others would have thought it wiser to leave you due to the fact that you were a potential predator of their species."

"You are not wrong there. It seemed that Timon was reluctant to want to take me in because of that fact, but Pumbaa was very reassuring as he had faith that I would be on their side. Timon then agreed with that and decided to oblige. For what they did for me from that point on, there was no way in the world that I would ever turn against them. I personally believe that although your prey is meant for eating, if you are willing to get to know and spend time with them, there is so much more about the quality of life they can give to you in both advice and practicality; not just what they offer for your health in terms of essential intake. It is important to know your supposed 'enemy' before you prevail against them. What my father told me when I was a cub about respecting all creatures regardless if they are your prey or not really did count for something."

"That is true. You did learn well."

"Well, father gave me the advice and then Timon and Pumbaa gave me the experience in a way, so the three of them were a big influence on my understanding and appreciation of The Circle Of Life."

*

"But he was also a big influence on their Hakuna Matata." Kiara was telling the other two back out in the open savannah. "Over the time they spent together, daddy wasn't just another 'outcast partner' to them; but also a son and a brother. They took him in and raised him as their own son and in return, he provided them with a sense of brotherhood; which was just the thing that they needed since their own kind had turned away from them just because of the things that they had done and who they were. The point is that they had a chance to prove to everyone how they were capable of rising above themselves and being better than at first impression if they really tried. Safe to say that they succeeded through good parenthood and brotherhood for someone in need, and my father recognized this and saw that they really were, indeed, very unique in personality. That is probably what helped him to improve the Hakuna Matata lifestyle: He spiced it up in return for their care and hospitality."

"If only their own clans could see who they have become now." Kovu put in. "I bet that if they saw them again, they would be respected