Nala, Kovu, and Kiara had all gathered in a circle to begin the meeting that Nala had organized.

“Alright, Nala,” Simba began gently as soon as he arrived, “What is this all about?”

“We are just waiting for Vitani.” Nala replied. “This involves her, too.”

Vitani, Kovu’s sister, had not arrived yet. She had slept in this morning and took her time to wake up. She was very much like her brother in that they both loved to sleep and hated having to be forced to wake up when they didn’t want to.

She suddenly appeared from out of the den and started walking towards the back of Pride Rock. She was still yawning because she was very tired due to a lack of sleep the previous night. She also couldn’t help feeling that her mother was still alive, and it disturbed her. But what she was really worried about was the fact that she had betrayed her in battle. She knew what she was doing at the time of the battle when switching sides, but there was something that her mother said that made her fearful of her.

“Vitani, now!” Zira yelled at Vitani, seeing the opportunity to attack was open when Simba got distracted by his daughter’s words of wisdom.

“No, mother.” Vitani remarked, looking at Kiara after she had said that the two prides were ‘one’. She realized that Kiara had a point about the two prides being connected together, and she decided to settle the battle once and for all as she walked over to the other side with Simba’s Pride. “Kiara is right. Enough.” She said towards the Outsiders. The outsiders all looked at each other in realization and considered the decision for peace to be settled.

“If you will not fight,” Zira remarked in fury at her daughter’s betrayal, “then you will die as well.”

The other Outsiders scowled at Zira’s words and turned to the side of Simba’s Pride.

Vitani remembered those words very clearly as she only heard them the previous day. She knew that if Zira survived, she would immediately go after Vitani first, because she had always looked up to Vitani as her own daughter. Vitani felt the same for her mother as she helped her and followed her every move in every way possible. There was nothing she wouldn’t do to remain loyal to her mother over the time that she was growing up. Vitani had never let her mother down before; and in this particular situation she had made things bad by betraying her. She knew now that being loyal to her mother was wrong, but she couldn’t shake off this bad feeling about Zira’s words to her.

“Vitani?” Kiara said, noticing Vitani’s presence getting closer to her and the others. Vitani did not notice that she had gotten closer and closer to the group behind Pride Rock as she was thinking about those things; while at the same time putting on a ‘thinking’ face that seemed to attract Kiara’s attention.

“Hm? Oh, hi everyone.” Vitani replied, quickly snapping out of her thoughts as she reached the group and sat down. “Sorry about that, I slept in.”

“Were you thinking about something?” Kiara asked.

Vitani knew she was going to ask this and replied, “I just can’t help thinking about the previous days events. They got a bit too much for me. Plus I am still feeling a bit stiff after all that fighting.” Vitani didn’t want the others to know what she was thinking about. Not yet, anyway. However, she did tell the truth about her soreness. She was slightly wounded in her back from the previous day’s battle, and she couldn’t yet relieve herself of the pain.

“Okay,” Nala began, “now that everyone is here we can begin.”

“Just before you start, Nala,” Simba butted in, “I just want to remind Kovu that I will be taking you around the Pride Lands today to show you how to become a good king since I chose you and Kiara to take mine and Nala’s places on the throne when our time comes.” Simba had chosen Kovu to become king the previous day since he became his daughter’s mate. He had already told Kovu the previous day but he just needed to remind him again so that he knew for sure.

“Yes Sim...I mean: Sire.” Kovu said, remembering that apart from those who were more closely related, everyone must call the King ‘Sire’ or ‘Your Majesty’.

Simba smiled in slight amusement at his supposed future son-in-law. “It’s okay, Kovu. You can call me ‘Simba’. Remember; we are family now.”

Kovu was flattered by Simba’s gesture; beginning to feel like Simba was his own father. Kovu never knew his biological father; and there was not much more that he wanted than to open up that opportunity with Simba.

“That also reminds me;” Nala added, “Vitani, after this meeting is over, could you please take Kiara out into the savannah to fight? We know that she is not quite trained yet.” As she finished, she noticed Kiara trying to hide her face behind Kovu in embarrassment. Kiara already knew that she had failed once at hunting, and she didn’t want to show it again. “Don’t worry about it Kiara; you will do great soon. I promise.” Nala assured to her daughter.

“I will be more than happy to show her how to hunt, Nala.” Vitani said. She also wanted to add something else, just to be on the safe side. “I…I can call you Nala, right?”

“Of course you may, Vitani.” Nala replied, smiling at the same response from her brother. “Like Simba said: We are family now.” Vitani smiled back at her.

“Anyway, let us begin.” Nala resumed the start of the meeting. “Now Kiara, I know that it hurts too much to talk about it, so I will say it for you.” Kiara was still afraid of the situation that she supposed was facing them; and she did not want to mention what she saw on the ledge yesterday herself. “You all remember how Kiara attempted to save Zira on the ledge yesterday? Well Kiara says that Zira didn’t slip as everybody else thought.”

“WHAT?!” Simba, Kovu, and Vitani all yelled at once.

“She tried to save Zira as she was slipping, but Zira suddenly said, ‘No, never’ and intentionally let go of the ledge; and as she was falling she laughed all the way down and then disappeared under the currents.”

Simba, Kovu, and Vitani all just stood there, completely stunned at what they had just heard. None of them could believe what Zira would have done if what they heard was true. Kiara was looking at the soil on the ground in fear at the mention of the subject again. She was trying to choke back tears as Kovu came over and tried to comfort her. “Don’t worry about it too much.” He said to her in a calm voice. “It is all over now.” He then turned to Nala. “This is all very informative, but what is the point that you are trying to make?”

“Well, Kiara suspects that Zira survived that fall.” Nala replied.

“Now come on, how could one lion survive such a long fall down into a very deadly flowing river that flows about five times its normal speed?” Simba asked; feeling very assured of what he said.

“I agree,” Kovu remarked. “I saw her back hit the water when she fell in, and I know that when you land in the water back first it stings you so badly. Plus if she did survive when she fell in, how do we know whether she was even able to hold her breath for long enough before drowning or not? The speed of the current might have even pushed her hard into one of those rocks and killed her.”

Everyone else seemed to take this into consideration. They knew very well that the river was flowing like an avalanche; and so if someone was caught in it, it would be very hard to hold your breath long enough underwater before drowning through all the struggle if you did not have enough time through the speed of the flows to resurface and catch a breath. The river also contained a series of rocks, and so hard contact with the rocks from the speed of the currents would be enough to kill someone in no time.

“I see your point, Kovu,” Kiara said over the talking from the others, “and you are probably right; but I just have this feeling deep in my bones that she is still alive.”

“She might be.” Vitani began, remembering how fit and strong her mother was. “And just think about it: She wouldn’t have let go if she knew that she couldn’t survive those currents. I know my mother very well. She was probably the fittest out of all the Outsiders. She was very well trained, she was fast, she was a vicious fighter, and over the years she wouldn’t stop working out to build up the mass in her