Tojo (C) Disney

Nalo (C) Raven of the Shadows

Monifa, Nia, Rudo (C) Me

I do not lay any claim to these characters besides my own. I apologize if any  characters appear out of character during the course of the story.

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"I can't believe you got us into this." Nalo stared below him as they were surrounded by a group of hungry crocodiles, just eyeing for a snack. He dug his claws deep into the lone tree they were hiding up on, and climbed up higher.

His fearless friend and the one responsible for getting them into this trouble, Monifa, just laughed. "Don't worry Nalo, I got an idea!"

Nalo sighed but he could not help but smile. Monifa was always the adventurous type and she had been getting him to do this kind of stuff ever since Tojo found her and brought her into their little family. He had pretty much gotten used to any sort of obstacle Monifa suggested they conquer whether it was wrestling with wild antelopes or running away from an enraged herd of water buffalo. Nalo saw the crocodile adventure coming a mile away, it was just a matter of when.

Monifa suggested they run across the backs of the crocodiles as they were gnawing away on the poor unsuspecting zebra. Nalo was against the idea, but once he saw Monifa charging across the backs of the crocodiles, yowling loudly, he had to join her, though he did not find the exact level of amusement she did. It was lucky that the tree happened to be in the middle of the lake, or otherwise Monifa and Nalo would've been crocodile chow.

"What's your idea Monifa?" asked Nalo. "Should we feed the crocs and maybe they'll go away? Or are we going to run across their backs to shore?"

"Hush, young grasshopper," said Monifa.

"I'm not a grasshop-"

"WHEEEE!" Nalo watched as Monifa leapt off of the tree, her paws extended in midair followed by her landing on the muzzle of one of the crocodiles. The others launched themselves into action, squirming over to where Monifa still stood on the one crocodile, and Nalo saw what she was doing. He took a quick gulp and threw himself off of the tree and onto the back of one of the crocodiles. Seeing him join her, Monifa quickly bolted across the backs of the crocs until she fell into the water. But by this point Nalo was the target so Monifa was able to safely cross the water onto the land.

Nalo launched himself across the roaring crocodiles, but unlike Monifa, if he fell into the water, he would easily be overtaken by them. Landing on the back of one of the crocs, Nalo sucked in all the air he could muster and lunged for the shoreline with such strength that, in fact, he almost flew over Monifa. Almost. Gravity established itself and Nalo crashed on top of Monifa. Nalo was blushing madly while Monifa was cracking up. Seeing them still in reach, the crocs began to swim over to them.

"We... we gotta go!" laughed Monifa as she rolled underneath Nalo and ran off. Nalo, still a bit embarrassed, didn't realize why Monifa was running until his attention turned back to the crocs who were now getting closer to the shoreline. He didn't waste his time catching up to Monifa.

Monifa was still laughing when Nalo caught up to her. "Wasn't that fun?" she asked him with a big smile on her face.

Nalo could argue against that point, but he had to admit that going on these kind of adventures with Monifa was fun. "Yeah... fun," he panted. "Come on Monifa, let's sit for a bit. I'm all... out of breath." To prove his point, he sat his rump down firmly on the ground.

Monifa didn't seem to want to argue with him though. She sat down next to him.

"I think next time... we should stay away from the crocs," said Nalo.

Monifa nodded. "I think so... too." She looked up at him. "But you had fun, didn't you?"

Nalo looked back at her, and could see that she was giving him the 'puppy dog eyes'. He smiled. "Yeah I had fun." He pushed her in the shoulder with his paw. "But now you're IT!" He scampered off, but when he turned around to see if she was following him, he was shocked to see her just sitting there. Her not pursuing him in a game of tag definitely let him know that something was wrong and he quickly trotted over to her.

"Are you okay Monifa?" he asked as he stood over her.

Monifa winced a bit and Nalo grew a bit worried about his friend. He leaned over to look at her face and was so close that their noses were almost touching. Monifa finally took notice of him and moved her head around so fast that they bumped heads.

"Ouch!" cried Nalo as he sprawled onto his backside, rubbing his head.

"Sorry!" cried Monifa as she too fell onto her backside.

Ignoring the throbbing pain in his head, Nalo got up and went to check on Monifa who was rubbing her head. "Are you okay?" he asked with great concern for his friend. "Is something wrong?"

Finished now with rubbing her head, Monifa looked up at him and Nalo instantly saw a quick flash of attitude in her. She gave him her usual cheeky smile, jumped onto her paws, and poked his shoulder. "You're IT!" she laughed as she sprang off.

Nalo frowned a bit, but nevertheless he chased after his friend.

****

The next morning, Nalo found Monifa sitting by a tree out on the plains. Grinning to himself, he crawled over to her and when he was within pouncing distance, he lunged up and tackled her to the ground.

Nalo was laughing as he sprawled onto the ground. However, he was the only one. "Nalo!" cried Monifa as she regained her footing. Nalo stopped laughing when he saw how serious she was looking, which was totally out of character for her. "Why'd you do that?" she asked him.

Rolling onto his paws, Nalo said, "I... it was a joke Monifa. You know when you do that to me sometimes." He gave a weak chuckle but Monifa wasn't amused. He frowned. "Monifa what's wrong? You're not acting like yourself. Did I say something?"

Monifa shook her head. "No..."

"Then what's-?"

"Oh, there you two are." A large male stepped out into the open, his eyes wide but kind. It was Tojo, the lion who took both cubs in and raised them as if they were his own. "I was looking for you two. I was thinking about a hunt. What do you guys think?" He looked back and forth between the two and immediately realized something was wrong. "Are you two alright?"

Nalo hung his head while Monifa turned to Tojo and brushed past him. Tojo turned his head and watched as she left. Immediately he turned his attention to Nalo. "What's wrong with her Nalo?"

Though he truly wanted to offer a good answer, all Nalo could really do was shrug. "I don't know. She's sad about something."

"Hmm, well I think a big gazelle or zebra would be good enough to bring her back into high spirits-"

"But-"

"Nalo, she wants to be left alone," said Tojo wisely. "I think that would be best to do so." Sidling up to the younger lion, he smiled. "Come now, let's go and get some food!"

"Okay then..."

Nalo found his eyes look around for Monifa, but at last he pulled away to go hunt with Tojo. For Nalo it felt a bit lonesome without having Monifa's quirky remarks abound. But it was easier to get food this time without Monifa. In no time, Nalo and Tojo both downed an adolescent zebra.

Standing victoriously over the zebra, Tojo smiled, his bloodstained fangs glistening in the sun. Nalo stared at the zebra and licked his chops. It felt nice to drain a lot of his energy in a hunt. He turned his head to Tojo who smiled back at him.

"Feel better?" asked Tojo.

Nalo nodded. "A bit yeah. But I wish Monifa was with us."

"You know what it could be? Homesickness."

"She's... homesick?"

Tojo shrugged. "Possible reason for being sad."

Nalo considered the thought. Homesick... He felt sort of stupid for not seeing that sooner. Though he did wish that Monifa confronted him about her being homesick.

Tojo saw Nalo look down, and nudged him with his paw. "Hey come on Nalo, let's see you smile," he said in an attempt to cheer him up. "You can always talk to Monifa about it. You two are awfully close..."

Nalo blushed. "W-What're you saying..?"

Though inwardly he smiled, Tojo played off a confused and innocent expression. "What am I saying? I'm just saying that you two are very close friends."

Nalo smiled a bit. "Okay then."

"There, don't you feel better now? C'mon let's take this meat back."

Both lions grabbed a hold of the zebra and dragged it back into Tojo's territory, where they soon found Monifa waiting for them. She had a look of disappointment on her face when she saw that they already got their kill, but nevertheless was excited to have something to eat. Nalo wanted to talk to her immediately, but when he saw her rush for a taste of the meat, he knew he'd have to wait.

When he looked at Tojo, Nalo saw the older lion wink back at him. You gotta talk to her, Tojo was basically telling him.

Nalo nodded, but decided that he and Monifa would get something in their stomachs before doing anything else. The three of them dug into the zebra, each enjoying the delicious flavor it brought to them. Though they did not eat all of it, they ate a good portion of it, and when it was done, they left the carcass out for the vultures. Tojo wandered off for a nap and Nalo decided this was his chance.

"Hey Monifa, I wanna talk to you," he said.

"Okay. Here, let's sit underneath this tree." Monifa placed her rump firmly on the ground and didn't look like she was going to move anywhere else.

 Nalo chuckled a bit. He walked over to her and sat next to her. "Monifa... are you okay?" he asked immediately, not wanting to dawdle on the issue. He wanted Monifa to feel better.

"Yeah I'm fine," she said, flashing him a smile though Nalo immediately saw how fake it was. Monifa saw the look in his eyes that told her that he knew she was faking being okay, and she decided not to 'beat around the bush' anymore. "Nalo, I've been thinking of my home lately..."

"Your home? Are you homesick?"

"I guess I am. I mean I miss Mom and everyone. They were my family after all. I mean sure it's been a while since I last saw them but lately I've been kinda thinking about them, and how much I miss them." Monifa gave out a weak chuckle. "I used to bully all the other cubs. But I had friends. They were even related to me, all of them!"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Nalo I don't even know..." Monifa sighed.

Upset at the fact that his friend was sad, Nalo moved closer and leaned his head against her in an attempt to comfort her. "Hey, it'll be ok. Come on, how about we go on an adventure? That'll cheer you up."

Sad though she was, Monifa, true to her nature, could not pass up the opportunity for an adventure. "Thanks Nalo." She licked his muzzle and then bounced away from him. Nalo was blushing hard, but when he saw Monifa trying to lead him into a chase, he quickly shook himself awake and pursued her.

Hearing their laughter from where he laid, Tojo opened up one eye and smiled.

****

Monifa's mood seemed to have improved over the course of the following days. She was back to her old self, often trying to convince Nalo to do more dangerous stunts, which he was hesitant to do but nonetheless did. It made Nalo's heart sore now that his friend was doing better.

The three of them went out hunting again, with Tojo practically pleading that Monifa behave and try to not get herself killed. Monifa half-heartedly promised him so.

Now three, their efforts combined made them easily able to take down a young antelope without much trouble at all. However, the trouble did come after they downed the antelope. The scent of kill filled the air and it attracted a lion and lioness pair.

Tojo, seeing them and not about to have their kill taken away, marched up to the pair and roared loudly at them in an attempt to make them cower. The lion, a young adolescent lion whose mane had not quite grown out yet, quivered in Tojo's presence but the lioness was ever so calm and confident. She boldly stared Tojo in the eye while unsheathing her claws.

"You're not welcomed here," he growled. "Get out. Now."

"Who says? You?" growled the lioness.

Nalo and Monifa stood on either side of Tojo. Nalo, though never fierce, growled alongside his adoptive father, also not wanting to let their kill go. However, Monifa just stared at the pair with an inquisitive face.

It was the lion, however, who remembered her. "Monifa?" he asked in disbelief.

The lioness faced her male companion and then looked at Monifa, where her stony gaze softened up. She smiled. "It is you!"

Monifa, confused, took a step back, her head cocked to one side. "Who are you..? And how do you know my name?" she asked.

Tojo and Nalo, both just as shocked as Monifa, stopped growling and instead watched the three interact.

The female walked up to Monifa. "It's me, Nia! Your cousin. Don't you remember?"

"Monifa, we thought you were dead," said the male lion. "Remember me? I'm Rudo."

Monifa looked back and forth between the two. Her expression was still one of confusion but eventually it began to dissolve into one of realization. Her mouth grew wide and she let out a loud yowl of happiness before hugging the pair. "I can't believe you guys are here! What happened? How'd you get out? Why'd you get out?" Monifa bombarded them with questions, but Tojo interrupted them before they could answer.

"So these are old friends of yours Monifa?" he asked. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nia glare at him. He brushed her off and continued, "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

So caught up in her excitement to see her old friends, Monifa had momentarily forgotten about Tojo and Nalo. She struggled to calm herself down, and once she did, she said, "This is Tojo and my best friend Nalo!"

Nia cringed a bit when she called Nalo her best friend, but Rudo was indifferent and was polite to both lions, thanking them for taking care of Monifa. Nalo immediately decided he liked Rudo far more than Nia, who seemed somewhat hostile towards them.

Tojo smiled. "Well, now that we've made each other's acquaintances, why not share stories over a piece of meat?"

"Well if only you're willing to share," said Rudo. Nia murmured a snide remark, to which he nudged her. "We don't want to intrude if we're not allowed."

Tojo, loving Rudo's absolute politeness, waved off Rudo's comment. "Nonsense. Any friend of Monifa is a friend of ours." To Nalo he said, "Right Nalo?"

Nalo nodded.

Monifa smiled. She pranced around with a little hop in her step. Tojo laughed. "Okay, how about a paw here?"

"I'll help," offered Rudo. He grabbed one side of the antelope with his teeth. Tojo grabbed the other side, and the two lions began dragging it along behind the others.

Walking alongside Monifa and listening to her chat with Nia made Nalo a bit worried. Nia kept on relaying stories of their old home to Monifa and how everyone missed her. Monifa seemed overjoyed and excited by the news. It couldn't help but worry Nalo because he didn't want to lose his friend. He didn't want her to go back home.

They dragged the kill underneath one of the shady spots underneath a big tree, where each of them greedily tore apart the antelope. But Tojo's, Monifa's, and Nalo's appetite could not equal Nia's and Rudo's. They cleaned the antelope to the bone and even then it seemed they weren't satisfied.

Tojo yawned and laid on his side while Nalo and Monifa sat next to each other. "So," said Tojo. "Where are you two from?"

Nia cleaned her paws and seemed entirely uninterested in sharing the topic, so instead Rudo spoke up. "We're from a lion reserve far north. They have a bunch of lions there, but I don't know why. But Monifa is our cousin, and Nia is my half-sister, so pretty much everyone is related to everyone in some sense of the word.

"When Monifa went missing, we were all sad." Rudo sighed. "We used to have a lot of fun, playing games, and other stuff. But when Monifa went missing, it seemed like all the fun was sucked out along with her. Nia and I never forgot about her, and when we were old enough, we escaped to find her."

"You escaped... to find me?" asked Monifa disbelievingly.

Nia raised her head. "Hey, family is always and forever." For some reason, she looked at Nalo. "Right Monifa?"

"Yup!" said Monifa. She leaned into Nalo. "And these guys are my family too."

Nia felt a growl rise in her throat, but she held her tongue from saying anything.

Rudo smiled. "Do you own all of this?" he asked Tojo.

"Yup," said Tojo. "It's a long story. It all started..."

While the two lions engaged themselves in a riveting story, Nalo, Monifa, and Nia talked. Well, only Monifa and Nia talked while Nalo intently listened in on their conversation. For some reason, Nia made him feel uncomfortable. There was something about her that just didn't fit with him, though he couldn't put his paw on what it was. However he kept quiet. Monifa was enjoying herself so he decided he would keep quiet for her sake.

"So you've been living here all this time?" asked Nia. Though he wasn't initially too interested in their conversation, this suddenly perked Nalo and he discreetly listened to them.

Monifa nodded. "Yeah. It's beautiful isn't it?"

"I suppose." Nia was clearly uninterested. "Though I don't see why you stuck around living here. I mean it's just..." Her voice trailed off momentarily. "It's bland."

This made Nalo sore. This was his home since he was a cub. This seem to have hit a sore spot on Monifa too, for she said, "It's not the beauty of the home that counts, but those who live in it."

"Uh huh." To Nalo, it seemed that Nia had more to say, but because he was with them, she didn't want to go any further.

"I agree with Monifa," said Nalo suddenly. "It is pretty, but it's those around you that make it beautiful."

"Uh huh..." Now Nalo sensed annoyance within Nia's voice. Yup, she did not like him at all.

Tojo and Rudo then began to include everyone into their conversations. Rudo was just finishing up telling Tojo about his encounter with a lion.

"Fighting can be so brutal can't it?" Tojo yawned. "Well you two must've had a long journey."

"It was long, wasn't it Nia?" asked Rudo, who was surprised to see his companion staring darkly at Monifa and Nalo. He nudged her. "Nia?"

"Wha..? Oh yes, it was a horrible journey." She turned back to Monifa and smiled. "But it was worth it."

Monifa smiled. "Still, I can't believe you guys came so far just for me. I love you guys."

Nalo flinched a bit but tried to make it not so obvious.

"You don't mind if we stay here awhile?" asked Rudo.

Tojo shook his head. "Not at all!"

"Thank you so much."

"Well I'm going to lay down and soak in the sun. Why don't you guys have fun?" asked Tojo as he rolled onto his side.

Nia bounced to her paws immediately. "Oh yes! We should play like the old days. Come on Monifa!"

Rudo scrambled to his paws and Monifa ran to go join them when she remembered Nalo. She turned to him and smiled. "Do you want to play with us?"

Nia made her frown so obvious to Nalo. And he wasn't looking forward to interacting anymore with Nia. He shook his head and flashed Monifa a smile. "No it's okay, go have fun!"

She smiled. "Don't miss me too much!" she exclaimed and then she bounded off with her friends.

Nalo watched them go but felt his smile fade. He sighed and laid his head down on his paws. Tojo opened one eye. "Are you okay Nalo?"

The younger lion nodded. "Yeah."

"You didn't want to go play with them?"

"Nah. They're her friends and they haven't seen each other in a long time. I wouldn't want to intrude."

Tojo shrugged and fell back asleep. Nalo sighed and closed his eyes.

Though Nalo was a bit sad that he and Monifa couldn't spend time alone like they used to, he was hopeful that he'd get a chance. However, Nia and Rudo stuck to Monifa like glue and she didn't seem to mind it. In fact, Monifa was so happy to be with them that she had forgotten about poor Nalo who, though he did not want to intrude on their fun, at least wanted to be ask to be included. But it seemed that Monifa's attention was only pointed towards Nia and Rudo, and Nalo was upset at being replaced by these two newcomers.

Steadily he was becoming to feel hostile towards them. It was because of them that Monifa wasn't with him as much now.

It was all their fault.

It was their fault.

****

Nia, Rudo, and Monifa sat together, one of many during the time they were together. They were laughing, joking, and overall just enjoying themselves. It had been far too long since they were able to do this.

"So you guys, what do you think?" asked Monifa. "Do you wanna stay here?"

Rudo and Nia stopped laughing. "Well I-" began Rudo before he was cut off by Nia.

"It's a nice place," said Nia. "But I wouldn't want to stay here."

Monifa cocked her head to the side. "Why not?"

"It's not our home. It's someone's territory." Nia stood up and began to pace.

"That doesn't mean we can't live here," said Rudo. "You heard Tojo, we're welcomed here."

Nia ignored him. "If we were to establish our own pride... Oh, wouldn't that be wonderful? Monifa, it'd be like the old days. You, me, and Rudo against the world!" Nia trotted up to Monifa. "Think about it! We would have no rules! It'd be like how things used to be."

Monifa hesitated. "I... I like it here Nia. And Nalo and Tojo-"

"They're nothing important," growled Nia. "They just felt bad for you, that's why they took you in. You owe them nothing."

"Nia, what's the matter with you?" growled Rudo. "If Monifa wants to stay, then she can stay-"

"Yeah, but I'm not," growled Nia. "This isn't home. This is us just sitting around here. It's not home. Come on Monifa, what do you say? We can leave tonight!"

"Nia, I- I don't want to go." Monifa sat up.

Nia's lower lip quivered. "But-"

"I'm gonna agree with Monifa here," said Rudo as he too sat up. "Nia, what you're talking about is crazy. Don't try and force her to change her mind."

"Well then what about you Rudo? What would you choose?"

Rudo sighed and thought about it for a moment. "I would like to start my own pride. Maybe find someone worth spending my life with."

"See Monifa? Rudo wouldn't spend his entire life here!" Nia had her face now shoved in front of Monifa's. "And you shouldn't either. What future do you hold here?"

"I-"

"Nothing! You're better off coming with us!"

Monifa began to back away. Nia trotted closer to her, but Monifa turned and fled. Rudo sidled up next to Nia and glared at her. "What's wrong with you?"

"He must go," growled Nia who was now hardly addressing Rudo's question. "She's confused because of him. If he goes, then she has no reason to stay."

"Nia, what're you-?"

"Leave me alone Rudo." And she turned her back to him and walked away. Rudo sat down, looking back and forth from the directions both lionesses went and felt very confused.

****

Nalo took a deep sigh. He was sitting in his usual area when he and Monifa wanted to go star-searching. It was one of their favorite things to do, but now that she was more interested in her friends than him, he had to do it alone. And it just wasn't the same without Monifa there alongside him. Nalo turned his head to the vacant spot next to him, and felt his heart break a little. How he missed his friend.

Coming up from behind him was Nia, a snide and dark look on her face. She grinned when she saw Nalo sitting alone in the grass. This was the perfect opportunity to strike. "You know she doesn't like you right?" the lioness said as she approached the sulking male.

He didn't raise his head up at her. He knew who it was that was talking to him, and though he knew she was a liar, what she said... He couldn't help but find himself believing it. "She... doesn't?"

The female shook her head as she sat next to him. "Look there's other fish in the sea. Monifa just likes you as a friend that's all..."

Just a friend. Those words pierced Nalo's heart like a horn from a buffalo. "Just a... friend..?" he said aloud.

Unknown to him, Nia was smiling triumphantly. However, she tried to be sympathetic. "I'm sorry it had to be like that. I don't understand what Monifa doesn't see in you. Well, I guess it all depends on preference."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Monifa asked me to. She couldn't do it face-to-face. I didn't want to do it, but she insisted I tell you this."

"Oh..."

"She also wanted me to tell you," continued Nia, "that she intends to leave with us in the morning. You see, Rudo and I decided that we were going to start our own pride, and Monifa wanted to join us. You know, we're her only family left."

"I know."

"So that's all she wanted me to tell you." Nia stood up and placed her back on Nalo's back. "I'm sorry it had to end like this."

"Me too." Nalo turned his head away from her. Nia smiled as she trotted away.

Success.

A while later, Nalo had not moved from his spot. He just couldn't. What Nia just made him freeze up. How could Monifa want that? He thought she was happy living here with him and Tojo. Did she really want something better?

Why didn't she tell him?

"Hi Nalo!" greeted Monifa as she trotted up to him. However, she stopped short when she saw him cringe a bit. "Nalo... what's wrong?" She sat down next to him and tried to look at his face, but he kept on moving it farther away from her.

"Go away," he said shortly underneath his breath.

Monifa cocked her head to the side. This was not the Nalo she knew. "Nalo, what's-?"

"You don't need to stay here!" he roared loudly at her. "You don't like me, so why don't you go? You obviously like them but you don't like me!"

Monifa's lower lip quivered. She was overwhelmed. Why was Nalo acting like this? "Nalo I-"

"Why don't you like me?" he growled at her. "Forget it, you probably felt bad for me. That's why you stuck around. You felt bad 'cause I didn't have any friends to play with."

"Nalo that's not-"

"Just go with Nia and Rudo! We don't need you here anymore! I... I hat..." Nalo stopped. Though at that moment hatred was all he was feeling, for some reason Nalo could not bring himself to saying it.

However Monifa clearly understood that she was now unwanted by her friend. "I HATE YOU!" she screamed at him before running off.

Nalo flinched and then felt very bad about his behavior towards her. Now he felt conflicted and decided to sit alone and try and sort everything out.

****

"You're leaving Monifa?" inquired Tojo the next day.

Monifa nodded. "I decided I will go with them." On both sides of her stood Rudo and Nia, both proud and strong. Compared to her companions, however, Monifa was weak and miserable.

Tojo knew something was wrong but he didn't question it. He took a step forward and nuzzled Monifa. "Well I hope that you all have a safe journey ahead. And good luck." He took a step back from them and then realized someone was missing. "Has anyone seen Nalo?"

Nia grinned evilly but made it as discreet as possible. Monifa flinched at his name and kept her head down low. Tojo frowned. Something must've happened between her and Nalo, otherwise he would've showed up to see his friend leaving.

"Come on, let's get going," said Nia as she led the three of them away.

Monifa lagged behind the three of them and took one last look over her shoulder. Tojo let out a loud roar to send her off. Monifa smiled weakly and ran to catch up with her friends. Once he saw the trio become little black dots, Tojo went to find Nalo. He eventually did find the young lion asleep in the same spot he was last night.

"Nalo wake up!" said Tojo with urgency as he shook the young lion's shoulders. "Monifa has already left."

Nalo awoke but not with the sudden urgency to try and catch her. No, instead he woke up groggily and unhappy. Tojo frowned. "Did you and Monifa have a fight?"

Nalo turned his head. "Yeah..."

"I don't understand Nalo-"

"Nia said that Monifa didn't like me."

"Nia said that?"

"Yeah..."

Tojo analyzed the situation in his head. "I think... that we need to go find Monifa."

Nalo turned his head to Tojo. "Why?"

"No time to explain. Let's go."

"No I don't want to..."

"What?"

"I said I don't want to go," growled Nalo firmly. He faced Tojo and the older lion saw that Nalo stood much taller than him.

However Tojo wasn't about to give up on Nalo yet. "Why not Nalo? You love her."

Nalo's growl slackened. "I... I do not-"

"Yes you do. I can tell. You are in love with Monifa."

Nalo blushed. "I-"

"Your argument has completely fallen apart because you are blushing now," said Tojo bluntly. "But come on! You don't want her to go with them do you? I knew something was up with Nia when I first saw her..."

"Tojo..."

The older lion pushed himself up against Nalo. "Come on!"

Nalo was reluctant. Monifa would be happier with them...

"Nalo, I'm asking you to come along for Monifa's sake," said Tojo.

"She doesn't like me Tojo!" roared Nalo. "Why should I go after her if she doesn't like me?"

"Nalo... I think Nia lied to you," admitted Tojo.

"W-What?" All the anger Nalo felt boiling within him disappeared.

"Nia lied to you, for whatever reason she wanted to. She must've wanted you to break off your friendship with Monifa so that she'd have a reason to leave." Tojo thought over his words and nodded. "Yes, that must be it. 'Cause if not, then Monifa would have never left, which Nia's intention was to have her leave. Nalo, don't you see? That must be it!"

As Nalo listened to his words, he felt more and more guilty with each word. He should've seen right through Nia. He knew she was bad news, yet he believed her. And now Monifa hated him. "Ugh..." he sighed, and his head fell.

Tojo nudged him again. "Don't worry about it, we'll figure everything out later. C'mon Nalo, let's go after them."

"I... I'm such an idiot..." However Nalo rose. "I'm not gonna let Nia get away with this."

"There you go! Follow me!" The older lion ran forward and Nalo followed him. Nalo couldn't believe how blind he was. He should've known that something was not right about Nia. He should've known not to believe her. Now he could only hope Monifa would find it in her heart to forgive him.

Both lions ran as fast as their hearts would allow them and soon enough they caught up to the trio. They were nearing a crossing bordering a waterfall. Hearing them, Nia stopped, turned around, and swore loudly. Tojo and Nalo stopped running and trotted up to them.

"Nalo?" asked Monifa, as if she couldn't believe her friend was here.

"Monifa..." Nalo took a step forward towards her. "I'm so sorry..."

Monifa tried to get closer to Nalo, but Nia cut her off. The three of them began a stand-off. Nia versus Tojo and Nalo. Rudo and Monifa had moved onto the sidelines in case something was going to happen. They looked on anxiously.

"She's coming back with us!" roared Nia. "She's our cousin! She's blood! She belongs with us!"

"You can't decide someone's fate, even if they're related," growled Tojo. "What you're doing, Nia, is selfish and wrong! And to try and split two good friends for your own purposes... How wrong can you be?"

"I am not wrong!" She turned her head to Rudo. "Rudo! Tell them that they're wrong!"

Rudo hesitated. Tojo spoke up for him. "Nia's wrong. She did want to split Monifa and Nalo up so that Monifa no longer has a reason to stay."

Monifa gasped and turned to Nia.. "Nia... why?"

"I knew it!" said Rudo. "That's what she was talking about! She wanted things to go back to the way they were. That's what she told me."

Nia turned her head, and had her eyes pinned on Rudo. She lunged at him, hungry for blood. "TRAITOR!"

A flash of light fur appeared in front of Rudo and absorbed Nia's attack. Nalo growled loudly as Nia sunk her teeth into his fur, causing him to bleed. "Nalo!" cried Monifa who now also joined in the fray. She bat Nia away with her paw, and Nia, whose intention was to relive the days with her brother and cousin, was blinded by rage. She could not see Monifa in front of her, and so she attacked her as she would attack the others.

The lionesses fought viciously between each other, but Monifa, who was never much of a fighter, was at a sore disadvantage. Monifa was knocked to the ground by one of Nia's painful smack to the face, and as Nia was about to deliver the final blow, Rudo intervened, knocking Nia aside with such a hard force that, in fact, both of them flew off the cliff they were on. Tojo raced towards the edge while Nalo checked on Monifa. Tojo saw the two lions plummet into the waterfall's basin below. The current was wild, and if the two did survive their fall, Tojo suspected that they might not survive their journey downstream.

"Are you okay?" asked Nalo as he licked Monifa's face.

Monifa coughed. "Y-Yeah," she said visibly shaken and wounded. "I-I'm okay."

"I'm so sorry Monifa. I didn't..."

"Nalo... I don't hate you. If I had known about Nia's plan..."

Tojo trotted up to them with a solemn look on his face and interrupted them. "They're gone. They both fell into the river."

Tears began to swell in Monifa's eyes and she buried her face into Nalo's mane. Nalo was taken aback at first, but then began to comfort her, as if they had done this many times before. Tojo sighed. "I can try and check up and downstream, but it'd probably be a hopeless cause."

Downstream, meanwhile, a drenched lion crawled onto one of the rocks along the river. He coughed and hacked, his lungs filled with the water. His eyes flew to the river but he could not find her, and so only assumed the worst. Instead of lingering on that, he struggled to try and stand up but his legs were badly beaten by the river. So he just lay sprawled on the rocks, hoping and praying that someone would happen to find him.

****

Tojo went to find Rudo and Nia, but when he came back from his excursions, he had no results. As a result, Monifa was miserable. Nalo kept close to her, and offered her emotional support while she dealt with the loss of her friends. He tried cheering her up, making her laugh, and offered soft yet wise words to her. Tojo could see the change in their relationship and that made him secretly smile.

Over the course of the days since the incident, Monifa seemed to be getting brighter and more back towards her old self, which delighted Nalo tremendously.

One night both lion and lioness lay sprawled in the grass and gazed into the starry night, their usual routine. Every now and again, Nalo kept on shooting glances at Monifa to see if she was okay. And it just made him happy to see her having fun and feeling better about the loss.

"The stars are beautiful tonight," said Nalo. He looked over to his right and saw Monifa staring back at him.

She giggled. "Yeah they are." She turned her head back to look at the sky.

"But they're not as beautiful as you..." It was a low whisper, but Monifa was not mistaken when she heard it. She looked over at Nalo who smiled at her.

And Monifa smiled back.