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.

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 cub, but there were happier matters to think about now: the pride was now one again, and Kovu was allowed to stay within the pride. Together at last, the King gave Rafiki the order to give the princess and her beloved the blessing of their union to one other and the four lions roared to their subjects, announcing the union of the two prides as one.

“Yeah,” Simba murmured to his queen. “You’re right. She will be fine.” His voice wasn’t too convincing as usual. 

Nala softly chuckled as she pushed him to the ground, surprising him by her sudden show of force. “Just like I told you when she was a cub. She may be just like you, but she’s still her own lion. Trust her, and she’ll make you proud once she’s Queen.”

“You think so?” Simba was still a slight bit unsure. “She’s still too playful, too naïve. I don’t think she’s ready—” 

“Simba, listen to yourself,” Nala growled softly; she meant to be furious but the Queen tried to contain her calm composure. “You may have been a little older when you accepted the throne, but days ago, she showed true courage and wisdom when she stood up to you, understood your words to her when she was a cub and saved your life from Zira’s attack. Look at her now,” She turned their attention to the love-struck lions, gently grooming each other with their tongues and muzzles. “She’s no longer a baby anymore, Simba; Kiara’s a grown lioness now, and you’ve got to let her made her own decisions. She and Kovu have grown rather close recently . . . actually, I haven’t seen the two of them apart from each other since you put Kovu into exile.”

“I know about that, but what if she wants a cub of her own, Nala?” Simba sighed before speaking. “By the way they’re acting, Kiara could be with cub before she’s ready. It would be hard for the child though, especially since there’s probably no chance that he or she would ever reach the crown in their lifetime.” 

“Well, maybe we should let them make that decision on their own,” the Queen airily replied as she separated from her mate’s side and walked closer to the other lionesses.

“Maybe I should . . .” Simba muttered aloud to himself as he sat down and looked above him. The stars glinted and twinkled like diamonds, dodging the gray clouds that tried to cover them. He had remembered the words of his father as he looked up: 

“Look at the stars -The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars . . . So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you . . . and so will I . . .”

Where are you, Father?Simba wanted to whine and cry out to the stars. You can see me, right? You can see the problems that I face, and right now, I feel so lost and alone . . . What should I do with Kiara, with Kovu, with myself? 

The stars remained silent, only twinkling and shining brightly in the twilight evening sky.

“Again, silent as stars.” Simba sighed. “I only want what’s best for the pride and the Pridelands, Father. I know I’m trying hard to follow the path that’s destined for me, but . . . I’m still worried about Kiara’s path and what may happen if she has a cub. The child may never see the throne within its lifetime . . .” He sighed again. “But I guess Nala’s right – I should just let Kiara choose her own future. She chose Kovu after all, and if they want a cub, I should allow them to do it. Besides, she’ll have to look to the stars one day for me when I leave the throne to her and Kovu . . .” A shooting star streaked through the sky, disappearing a few seconds later. He gasped at the sight, for he had never seen one before. Thinking it was a sign from Mufasa, Simba smiled. “I think so too, Father. I’ll trust her choice with him. Thanks.” He stood up and left the scene, allowing Kiara and Kovu some privacy to show their love for each other. 

Meanwhile, the two young lions were still on the soft tall grass. Kiara sighed as she rested her head on Kovu’s mane-covered chest, listening to the sound of him breathing. Kovu was tantalized by his lover’s scent on him, but his gaze was at the stars.

“Kovu,” Kiara moaned out lightly. She was slightly asleep, but something inside her made her want to wake up. “Kovu, are you asleep?” 

“No,” he replied. “I’m just looking at the stars.” Kovu let out a happy breath. “You know, the stars look more clearly than when you first showed me.” He gasped and pointed a paw above him. “Look there, I can see a heart! It’s sparkling . . . and so beautiful!”

“Hmm?” Kiara rolled off of him and belly-up on the grass to see what he had found. “Oh, I see it too! It is a heart . . . Ooh, look beside it! It’s a lion family . . . See the baby cub?” She gasped with joy as she realized what it was. 

“Yeah, I see,” Kovu’s voice was soft but slightly sad. Just seeing an image of a cub with both of its parents reminded him of what he never had: a loving mother and a father to be proud of him. I don’t even know who my father is, he thought. Zira . . . was she even my mother? I mean, she raised me for as long as I can possibly remember, but she wasn’t as nurturing and caring as Kiara or her mother have been to me. Oh, it’s just so many bad memories just to think about it . . .

“Hey, Kovu,” Kiara turned her head towards her mate. “What do you think about starting a family of our own?” 

“Huh?” Kovu was so focused on his thoughts that he was having that he was nearly oblivious to Kiara’s question. “A family?”

“Yeah, you know, like us having a cub to take care of and all,” the golden lioness explained. “We’ll be King and Queen one day, and if anything happens to us, we’ll have to have a cub . . . an heir to follow after us.” 

“I guess, but now?” Kovu hesitated as he asked. “We’re lucky to have time together like this right now; why should we tie ourselves down with a cub? Besides,” he added. “I might not be a good father for our cub, especially after everything that I’ve been taught.”

“You’ll be a great father, Kovu – I’m sure of it,” Kiara cheered him up with a purr. “You know what Zira taught you, but now you know it’s the wrong things to do. My father showed you the errors of her ways and how to make things better for yourself.” She nuzzled him gently, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “I’m sure you’ll be as great of a father as my father is.” 

“You think so?” Kovu’s eyes widened. “You really trust me to do that?”

“With all my heart,” Kiara lovingly stood above him than laid on his stomach, sighing as her head stroked back and forth against the black mane of her lover. She let out a light moan. “Of course I know you will do what’s right.” 

Surprised by the new sensation that the two of them were feeling beneath the starlight, Kovu flipped Kiara onto her back once more; this time, she was overpowered by the young lion . . . and by the love that they felt for one another.

“Oh!” Kiara’s surprise of her mate’s actions made her gasp. Her face was flushed pink as she felt her heartbeat race and her breathing quicken. “Kovu! What are you –” 

“Shh,” Kovu hushed her with a kiss to the lips. “ I’m doing what’s right, Kiara . . . now, watch the master . . . and enjoy.” Closing his eyes, he murmured into her ear. “I’m going to make you the happiest lioness in the Pridelands, I promise.”

“Oh, Kovu,” A thin stream of tears fell from Kiara’s face as she felt her body loosen up and felt the truest emotions of love emanate from him. “I love you so much.” She returned the kiss with a lick to the cheek.  

Kovu gasped at the touch of her tongue to his skin, much to the delight of the lioness. He gazed at her once more, but something about Kiara was different – she was more mature, more elegant, . . . more in love with him than ever. He smiled softly back at her as they began to move onto the next level from which they would never be able to return.

----------------------- 

About a mile or so from where the lovey-dovey youngsters eloped, an old yet wise mandrill was inside his large baobab tree home. There were gourds and paintings everywhere, each told a different story of the circle of life and the lives that they lived. This baboon was more focused on a certain set of pictures – first, a smudged drawing of a male lion with a brown mane.

“Oh, Mufasa,” he began to speak aloud. He was talking to the spirits, but if anyone else were watching, they would have thought he was crazy to be talking to himself. “Look at what your son has become. Ah, young Simba . . . lost as a young prince, only to be found to take his rightful place as King. Now, he has a child all his own.”  

The next drawing he turned to was underneath Simba’s drawing. It was of two lions this time. The one on his left was a clearly a lioness, decorated with the ceremonial marking on her forehead, showing that she was of royal birth, and with a streak of blue paint above her form. The second lion was on his right, facing the lioness with no royal markings and a dark mane. This lion was clearly a male and was painted darker than any of the others.

“Kiara, the crown princess . . .” the mandrill sighed with joy as he looked at the two pictures from left to right. “ and Kovu, the rogue destined once be Taka– no, Scar’s heir,” He nearly mentioned the late dark lion by his birth name, but remembered that only he and Scar’s own father, the late King Ahadi, only ever called him by that name. Ever since the young Scar received that marking over his left eye, he gave up that name, knowing clearly that he would never be King unless he used force.  

A rush of wind blew against his back, as if the great kings did not wish to hear something. “Oh, my apologies, Mufasa. Rafiki is sorry for that.” He bowed, hoping the late king would forgive him for mentioning his brother’s birth name aloud. A softer breath was the reply. “Ah, yes. That is better.” Rafiki returned to his audible thoughts on the paintings. “Now, these two have united your brother’s pride and your own as one again, and in doing so, Kovu and Kiara are together, as you wished it so. Things are looking better now, eh.” The baboon nodded as he stroked his white-furred chin like a beard.

A slight rustling breeze caused the highest, hanging gourds to shake and shimmy, creating a chime-like melody. One of the gourds, a brownish-orange one in a ovular shape, began to fall. Noticing this, Rafiki screeched, leaping behind him to catch it before it crashed; thankfully, the limber and quick mandrill snatched the gourd in the air and let out a sigh of relief. 

“Mufasa! You must be careful with these!” He scolded the sky with a pointed finger of anger. “These are my marking gourds for marking any new cubs born—” Rafiki’s fuming raid stopped once he realized what the great king was telling him. “Ah! A cub? Oh, Mufasa, a new cub for your son! Oh, this is a happy – huh?”

The wind had interrupted him, sending a flood of floating seeds and flax into the tree and crashing at the picture of the lioness. 

“What?” Rafiki made his way back to the wall where the paintings were. “Kiara . . . Sheis to bear a cub?” A pause, soon followed by a laugh. “Ha! Last time, I follow you, but this time I know you are crazy, Mufasa! She’s too young to handle a cub of her own! She has yet to learn about being Queen! You really are too high in the clouds for your own good!”

Once more, a rough wind swept through him, napping up his thick white chest hair. Clearly, Mufasa knew what he was seeing and the mandrill knew he had to accept the impossible message that the great king sent him. 

“All right, all right!” Rafiki shouted in defeat. “You seem to be serious about this idea, but what are you trying to tell me about this cub?” He shook his head lightly as he looked upwards once more. “You know, it seems unlikely that her cub will ever see the throne, but if this is what you what for your pride, so be it.”

Satisfied by the shamanic baboon’s words, the breeze scooped up the remaining flax and seeds and shot it straight out of the roof of the tree. Rafiki sighed and returned his gaze to the pictures of the light lioness and the dark lion. 

“I feel it, Mufasa,” a small smile appeared on the mandrill’s goofy face. He looked upward again. “There! Are you happy now?” Another sigh caused the smile to shorten with worry. “I just hope you know what you’re doing this time.” His voice was quieter, as if he felt a shudder. He lowered himself into a seated position and covered his eyes to try and get rid of the fear within him.

As if commanded, the breeze reappeared, covering over the drawing of Simba and brushing against it. The picture began to disappear, thanks to the brush of the seeds and flax, but before Rafiki could notice the damage himself, the wind left, allowing the fates to have their way and for nature to take its course. 

-----------------------

It was a couple of moments before dawn. The sky was no longer dark navy-blue, but a lighter shade. The horizon began to glow orange, signaling the ending of the sleeping time and the birth of a brand-new day. Heavy panting and tiny paw-steps could be heard approaching the sleeping cavern of Pride Rock. The golden lioness and her reddish-brown lion slowly walked onto the rock, trying their hardest not to giggle and wake someone. To quiet each other, their noses touched for a kiss and a shared smile. 

“Now, we really are one,” Kovu murmured to his mate into her soft ear.

“Yeah,” Kiara replied, nuzzling him sweetly with her muzzle under his chin. “I’ve never felt so wonderful, . . . and I feel like you kept your word. You did make me the happiest lioness in the world.” 

“You know, making you happy has made me exhausted, Kiara,” Kovu joked. “Why couldn’t you ask for a bouquet of flowers instead?”

“Yeah, I guess I could have asked for that,” Kiara repeated once more, tittering at her mate’s sense of sarcasm, but he was right - the two of them didn’t sleep a wink that night, for they had other activities on their mind. “You mean so much to me, and I wanted you to give me your heart and soul . . . and you did.” She felt a small laugh hit her once more. “Now, we’ll never be able to sleep safely again, huh?” 

Kovu chuckled lightly. “I suppose not, but I enjoyed it. Did you?”

“Of course,” Kiara purred. “Now, come on. Let’s welcome the sun with our presence then hope that Father wasn’t waiting for us all night. Okay?” 

The dark lion only nodded with a loving grin as the two star-crossed lovers watched the sunrise from the tip of Pride Rock without regrets of the consummating act to make their union official. With the sun in their sights and the warmth that each of them felt inside for the other, they knew their lives were truly complete . . . and that nothing would change them ever again.

(Prologue – completed 1/4/08)