If Given the Chance . . .

 

(story started 12/24/07 -)

Rating: PG for possible violence and blood. There’s nothing too graphic this time.

Disclaimer: Any official characters used (Simba, Nala, Kovu, Kiara, Mufasa, Rafiki, etc.) and events mentioned or used are based on The Lion King and its sequel, Simba’s Pride and belong to the Walt Disney Co. and such. Other official characters (Taka, Ahadi, etc.) are based on the series of official Lion King books written called “The Lion King: Six New Adventures”. The characters that are fan-made were created especially for this story by Juuchan17. Please do not use them for your own usage unless given permission by the author. The story and plot of this story is original and is the property of Juuchan17.

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Prologue: The Reunited Pride

The sun was setting on yet another perfect day in the African savanna. The navy cloth of the sky covered the dimness of the sunset and was soon dotted by several shimmering stars. The lions of Pride Rock had just returned from a relaxing day of walking the land that was ruled by the young King Simba, the only son of the great King Mufasa. The lion’s golden skin, brown mane and slightly larger shoulders easily made him stand out from the others, most especially because almost all of his pride was female.  

His beautifully cream-colored queen, Nala airily moved beside him, smiling gently. Her sapphire eyes sparkled like the bluest water and her gentle facial expressions made everyone adore her. With a nuzzle and a slight chuckle under her breath, she turned toward the giggling of her daughter behind the two of them.

“Darling,” Nala muttered happily to her mate. “Kiara’s starting to remind me of someone again. I wonder who it could be . . .” 

Simba let out a soft chuckle, knowing clearly as the blueness of his mate’s eyes that she was comparing their headstrong daughter to himself as a young lion. “Relax, Nala. She’s a young lioness now and a wise heir to the throne. I’m sure she’ll be . . .” He paused as the laughter from his daughter stopped and soft chuckles of love slipped from her lips.

Kiara, the young light-golden lioness with red eyes like her father, had just become the victim of her reddish mate’s playful advances. She looked as innocent as a young cub as the dark form loomed over her slender body. The large black-maned lion stood over her with his emerald eyes gazing up and down every inch of his mate’s perfect form. He was not as perfectly designed as she, for over his left eye, a horizontal scar permanently marked his face. Lovingly as he remained in the straddling position over the lioness’s belly-up form, he lowered his wet nose to hers for a kiss. 

“Gotcha!” The green-eyed male smiled, quickly licking her on the cheek and jumping from the sudden pindown. “You’re it, Kiara!”

The young lioness was still flushed pink in the face as she arose from her submissive position. After a few moments of allowing her pounding heart to return to its steady beat, she laughed and ran towards the gleeful male. “Not if I catch you first, Kovu!” She charged towards him, nearly frightening the older lionesses that were surrounding the royal family, and soon leaped at him, pushing him to a patch of soft grass with a thud. Now Kovu was now the victim of playful attack. 

“See?” Kiara panted as her muzzle slightly moved back and forth, away and close to Kovu’s. “Now you’re it.”

“Mmm,” Kovu rubbed his nose against Kiara’s neck, absorbing her scent in his nostrils. “Maybe . . . maybe we should rest, . . . you know?” While he spoke, slight shots of giggles slipped through. 

“Yeah,” Kiara agreed. She laid her head on his dark mane, which caused Kovu to wince slightly. “Maybe it would be good to take a break.”

“You . . .” Kovu began to whisper out in a voice that his beloved could hear. “Kiara . . .” 

“Yes?” The lioness wondered.

“You’re just . . . so beautiful,” The handsome lion completed his statement, giving her a warm smile. “I can’t believe I ended up falling for someone as wonderful as you, Kiara.” 

“Oh, Kovu,” she sighed as her head stroked against his cheek lovingly; Kovu did the same as they felt as if they were the only pair of lovers in the entire world.

Simba sighed with a slight smile on his face as he watched the serene sight. It had only been about a few days since his pride and joy was old enough to hunt by herself. Being the parent of a young version of himself as a cub was not easy, and since he was afraid of Kiara ending up making drastic mistakes, he tried to keep watch on her. Naturally as a curious cub, the little princess wandered past the border of the Pridelands into the Outlands, a forbidden area of the savanna that was now the territory of the Outlanders, a pride of lionesses that supported and worshipped Scar when he was the ruler of the Pridelands. Kiara accidentally bumped into Kovu while exploring and together, they became fast friends despite their differences in prides. However, their parents found them together and took them away, separating them as they grew into maturing lions. While Kiara grew and prepared for her first hunt, Zira, Kovu’s mother, only taught and trained for her son to hate Simba, eventually leading to the young lion giving a deadly blow to the King. Zira believed that Kovu’s destiny was to become King by following in Scar’s paws, even though the young lion wasn’t even related to the King’s uncle. 

On the day of Kiara’s first hunting excursion, Zira’s other children, Nuka and Vitani, used a fire to distract and trap the young lioness while she tracked her prey. The smoky atmosphere weakened the princess to the point of collapsing and passing out, but Kovu rescued her just before the flames engulfed the land nearby. Once her mother and father arrived on the scene, Kiara was shocked to know that her childhood friend had saved her life; Simba, however, was not convinced that Scar’s heir would ever do something so gracious. Despite Kovu’s request to join Simba’s pride, the young king was unsure for what to do, but he allowed him to stay on Pride Rock as a visitor until he was sure that the rogue lion’s intentions were pure. Much to Kiara’s delight, she was able to spend time with him just like on the day they first met . . . and much to the surprise of both of them, the young lions had fallen in love with each other.

Simba, having a feeling that perhaps the young lion had changed for the better, took Kovu out through the now-charred land where Kiara’s life was saved, telling him the real story on how Scar’s actions were destroying the Pridelands instead of making it better. However, neither lion realized that Zira and her pride had them surrounded until it was too late, ready to weaken and take down the monarch. Kovu fled the scene, only to return afterwards to see his brother, Nuka, dead due to a fallen piece of wood that was damming the gorging waterway, and a scratch to his face by his mother, causing him to don a scar on his face, just like the lion whose paws he was raised to follow. He roared as he ran away, no longer wanting anything to do with Zira and her plot; he knew there was someplace else where his roguish heart belonged – at Pride Rock with his beloved Kiara. 

Unfortunately, Simba did not welcome Kovu back warmly – after the ambush, the young king now believed that Kovu hadn’t changed at all, still destined to overthrow him after nearly trusting him. Kiara tried to make her father believe Kovu’s words, but to no avail; Simba was furious and ordered him into exile, banishing him from the Pridelands. Kiara wanted to follow, but the other lionesses blocked her way, making her watch the other animals chase him further and further away from Pride Rock. Upset by her father’s order, she hurt him with a stinging comment after he mentioned about Kovu’s path to follow Scar and his own to following his father’s: “You will never be Mufasa!”

Weeping and angry, the young lioness found a secret path out of Pride Rock and ran away into the Pridelands to search for her friend. It was during that time that she realized how much she really loved him . . . and that he was meant to be with her; surprisingly, Kovu knew that too, and the two lovers were reunited once more, looking into a waterhole at their reflections – their faces were together . . . they were one! Knowing that they could end the feud between their prides, Kovu and Kiara returned to the Pridelands as a storm began to brew, fueling the flames of war with the Outlanders and Simba’s band of lionesses. The raging battle had begun on the tops of the canyon plateau atop Antelope Gorge as claws and jaws met in furious flails of ferocity, until all were halted by the one-on-one battle between the two pride leaders: The King versus the Outcast. However, that battle was interrupted by the blocking leaps of their children, Kiara and Kovu. All they wished was for the fighting to end, especially now that the two of them realized that they were only fighting against themselves – both Pridelanders and Outlanders were the same! Starting with Vitani, the other Outlander lionesses switched sides after hearing Kiara’s words of wisdom, but Zira would never allow herself to betray Scar, the one she loved. She lunged for Simba, but Kiara took the hit, causing the two of them to roll down the canyon cliff; strangely enough, the wooden dam that took the life of Nuka began to crack and break, flooding the gorge with the rushing river below the lionesses. Kiara wished not to fight but to save Zira’s life with a gracious paw, but the lioness refused, falling from the cliff’s edge and allowing the river to swallow her whole.  

In the sadness of losing one life, Kiara comforted Kovu since Zira had raised him since he was a

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