"Wha? Where are you going!" Zira questioned angrily. "Get back here!" She demanded.
"Let it go, Zira." Simba calmly ordered. "It's time to put the past, behind us."
"I'll NEVER let it go!" Zira roared.
The quiet, small, calm river that lied below the cliff the angry lions stood on sat just in front of a huge dam, which had began to crack. The sound echoed for miles, but the only one who seemed to notice it was Simba, he looked away from Zira. The evil lioness saw her chance.
"This is for you, Scar!" She whispered just before lunging at Simba. But her plans to kill the king were foiled as his daughter, Kiara; who had been standing in front of him; jumped and attacked Zira, the rolled unknowingly off the side of the cliff.
"Kiara!" Simba gasped and ran to the edge of the cliff, looking for his daughter, the other lions, including Kovu, who was in love with Kiara, followed and just as Simba did, Kovu helplessly call the lioness' name. Simba jumped, hanging on to the cliff, and tried to find a way to Kiara.
Kiara and Zira hit a rock sticking out of the cliff and split apart. The rolled down a steep part of the cliff. Kiara was able to stop herself from falling off, and sat the rock that poked out of the cliffs steep side. Zira, on the other hand, stopped herself to late.
She was hanging only by her front paws, she looked down and saw the river, hundred of feet below her, she closed her eyes in fear. Kiara did the same.
"Hold on, Kiara!" Nala called to her daughter, helplessly. She looked down, but her head shot up as the dam cracked and the water came out rapidly.
Nala gasped in fear as she remembered her mate Simba, who had jumped down after Kiara, "Where's Simba?!" She looked down and saw him jumping back to a large rock on the cliff. "Simba the river!" She warned him. He looked, and hurried his paise.
Zira slipped farther and farther down the edge. She looked down, and saw the rising flood. Kiara reached out, and tried to help her up. "Zira, give me your paw." Kiara said. Zira refused and lashed out at her, but doing so made her slip even more.
"Zira come on!" Kiara pleaded. Zira didn't respond and was at the very end off the edge. "I'll help you." Kiara cried. Zira looked down and tried to climb back up, but lost her grip. Kiara gasped as the lioness fell into the river. Zira's scream echoed in her mind. The last thing Kiara saw of her was her paw, reaching out of the water, it was hit by a log and sent back under.
Shortly after, the water stopped flowing and the rapids calmed down, Kiara looked over the top of the river, for any sign of life. But the river sat quietly, no movement. Kovu, Zira's son, sighed, he couldn't help but feel a little grief over the loss of his mother, even if she was willing to kill him, she WAS his mother after all.
Kiara sighed, she felt bad that se wasn't able to save Zira. She looked up, and saw Simba walking down to her. "Kiara.." he smiled. "Daddy...I tried.." Kiara sighed.
The climbed back to the top of the cliff. Nala sighed with relief and hugged her daughter. "Wow, that was really brave!!" Pumbaa, their wort-hog friend, shouted in excitement. "Yeeee Haaa!" Screeched his meercat friend, Timon. Kiara walked over to Kovu. They sighed and nuzzled eachother.
Simba never liked Kovu, but it was that moment that he saw how much Kovu really did care for his daughter. "Kovu.." Simba said, Kovu walked over to him, trying not to show any fear. "I was wrong.. You belong here.." Simba smiled. Kovu couldn't believe what he was hearing! He smiled, only trying not to explode with happiness.
"Lets go home.." Simba said, he turned to look at the rest of the Outlanders, "All of us.."
Once everyone was back at Pride Rock, Rafiki, the a spiritual friend of the pride, officially made Kiara and Kovu mates. They nuzzled eachother happily. Simba smiled as Nala nuzzled him aswell.
"I love moments like this.." Pumbaa said, tears filling in is eyes as he looked down at Timon.
"Yeah.." Timon responded.
"Love. Not like. LOVE!!" They cried in a dumb way and busted into tears. Zazu, the bird who was Simba's 'adviser' had to shield himself with his wins from the tears.
Simba and Nala walked through the circle of other lions, who bowed in respect as their leader walked before them. Kiara and Kovu followed behind them. They stood at the top of Pride Rock, they roared to the animals below. The other lions joined them. Simba felt the presence of his fathers spirit, Well done...my son Simba smiled to himself.
That night, the pridelanders celebrated their new, and larger pride. Well, not everyone.
Kovu and Kiara sat at the very top of Pride Rock, and stared out into the distance. "This is all ours, Kovu." Kiara smiled to her mate. "I know, I can't believe it.." Kovu replied. Kiara pressed herself against his main. He smiled to himself.
"Kiara, why don't we celebrate? Y-know, just the two of us!" Kovu asked. "You don't think they'd be worried, do you you?" Kiara responded. Kovu raised his brow.
"Y'know, not knowing where we are?"
"Nah, I think they'd understand." Kovu smiled.
Kiara chuckled to herself. They walked to the back of te cave, and snuck out the hole that Kiara had made just a day before. Kiara looked over her shoulder to see if anyone was watching, she couldn't see anyone, so they kept walking.
"I know just the place!" Kiara cheered as they walked into the night. The moon was now high in the sky, and everything was quiet.
Kiara led Kovu very far into the Prielands, before finding some bushes. "You took me all this way, for bushes?" Kovu asked. "No, look behind them." Kiara said, pulling back the small plants.
Kovu's jaw dropped. He saw a huge waterfall that led to a large pond. Just next to that was a clearing wear hundred of butterflies sat quietly, and the beautiful forest around it seemed to go on forever.
Kiara nudged Kovu and trotted into the clearing next to the pond, she began to drink for it. Kovu grinned and crouched behind her. Noticing his absence, she turned and saw him pouncing on her, knocking them both into the water.
Kiara rose to the surface, gasping for air. Kovu poked his eye's out of the water. Kiara smirked, she blinked for a second, but was blasted in the face by Kovu spitting water into her face. "KOVU!" She yelled, but playfully. He came up and looked at her, and she splashed him.
Kiara walked out and shook herself off. Kovu followed and shook the water on her, she pushed him back in the water, and ran to hide. He climbed out, and again shook himself. He found her quickly and she jumped on him, and licked his cheek.
He smiled and nuzzled her. She returned the favor and lied down next to him. Kovu playfully bit the back of Kiara's neck, she turned and pushed him away teasingly. The wind blew and they snuggled together tightly the rest of the night.
---
Kiara opened her eye's slowly, at first, she didn't know where she was, but soon remembered the night before, and smiled. She crawled out of Kovu's tight grip, and stretched. She walked over to the water and drank, her mouth was very dry. She was able to groom herself before Kovu woke up.
"Hey there, sleepy head." Kiara teased. Kovu smirked at her and walked over. He noticed how clean she was and then looked down at his dirty paws. He looked at her one more time before pouncing into the water. Kiara stared at the water, waiting for him to come out.
Kovu jumped out of the water, and dried himself within a few minuets. Kiara nuzzled him and they lied down, watching the calm, quiet water. Just as Kovu was about to say something, Kiara stopped him. "I think we need to get back, before my parents get worried."
"It's still early, if we hurry we might make it back before they wake up." Kovu said and the ran as fast as they could back towards Pride Rock.
They reached Pride Rock just before the sun hit the inside of the cave. They climbed up and tip-toed into the cave, and pretended to be asleep.
Nala slowly began to open her eyes. She got up and stretched, then yawned. She remembered Kovu and Kiara weren't there when she fell asleep, so she started to look around the cave for them. She smiled when she saw them soundly sleeping by the cave's entrance.
She slowly walked past them and walked to the edge of Pride Rock. She looked out to the kingdom that now belonged to her daughter and her mate. She was very proud of her daughter, she'd brought two different kingdoms together as one, and because of that, they now had a stronger pride.
Nala could hear someone walking towards her. She turned and saw Kiara walking to her. "Good morning, Kiara." She greeted. Kiara nodded and nuzzled her mother, but quickly stopped, not wanting for her mother to catch the scent of Kovu all over her.
Kiara slowly stept of few feet from her mother. She was nervous about what her mother might ask her, even though Kovu was her mate, and it would happen eventually. But, as it turned out, Nala just ignored the smell; just guessing they'd nuzzled eachother recently, and the thought never came to her mind.
"Why were you out so late last night?"
Kiara kept looking out into the distance, not wanting to look at her mother. "Just...Showing Kovu all the...sights." Kiara said, knowing that she technically wasn't lieing, she did show Kovu the waterfall.
Mother and daughter continued their conversations happily and waited for the rest for the rest of the pride to wake up. It wasn't long before everyone awake, and it was time for Simba and Nala to announce it was time for the hunt, which everyone was happy to hear.
They set out and it wasn't long before they'd killed a large zebra, the pride feasted for hours before finishing their meal. They all began to head back to Pride Rock to rest off their food, but on the way back Kiara felt a little sick, and slowed down.
She ended up at the very back of the pride, next to her new sister-in-law, Vitani, who noticed how sick Kiara looked. "Are you feeling ok, Kiara?" She asked, in a hushed voice, not wanting to alert the others. Kiara just nodded and tried to walk faster.
A few weeks past and Kiara seemed to be fine. But she was very thirsty and was always by the small lake that was just in front of Pride Rock. She didn't understand why, but it would soon be clear.
One early morning, Kiara; being the only one awake; sat on the edge of Pride Rock, she felt very thirsty all of a sudden, so she walked down to get a drink. She reached the lake and began to lap up the water. Once she quenched her thirst, she turned to leave.
But as she did so, she felt very sick again and a sharp pain came from her belly. She gasped in pain and fell to the ground. She cound't stand, it hurt to much to move, she gasped again as the pain seemed to get worse.
Nala woke to the sound of someone crying. She looked around, not seeing anything. She walked out of the cave and looked around, she then saw Kiara, and ran to her.
Kiara looked up to see her mother running to her. "Kiara! What happened?!" Nala asked, franticly. "I-Idon't know! I just felt sick and then my stomach started hurting really bad!" She cried. Nala looked at Kiara's stomach, she rested her paw on it, that made Kiara yell in pain.
Nala closed her eyes, smiled and chuckled to herself. "What is...so..funny?" Kiara asked, between the shots of pain that seemed to come and go. Nala nuzzled Kiara's face and smiled.
"Kiara, your expecting cubs."
Kiara's eye's widened. "Y-...You mean...I'm, I'm pregnant?"
Nala nodded and Kiara rested her head on her paws and smiled. "I'm..Pregnant!" She whispered to herself. She thought about that night with Kovu by the waterfall and then shot her head up. "Kovu! Mom, should I,,, tell... him?"
"Oh yes! Yes! Of course!" Nala cheered.
Nala helped Kiara up and they walked back to the cave. Most of the pride was still asleep, but Kovu, Simba and a few others were awake. Nala walked back up Pride Rock, but Kiara stayed behind and called Kovu down to her. He trotted down and stood in front of her, with a puzzled look he asked if everything was ok, she smiled and nodded.
"What are they doing?" Simba asked Nala, wondering why Kiara wanted to talk to Kovu, alone.
"Just wait...You'll see in just a few seconds." Nala explained.
Kovu was very puzzled as to why Kiara seemed so happy, yet she looked at if she'd been crying. "Are you...feeling ok, Kiara?" He asked again. She nodded again.
She leaned in closer to him, and whispered in his ear. "I'm pregnant."
Kovu's jaws dropped. "Y-You kidding!!" He smiled, getting into a playful pose; front paws and face close to the ground, and rump in the air. She smiled "Nope! I really am!" She giggled. Kovu jumped with joy and rapped his arms around Kiara's neck.
Meanwhile, Simba stared at them, confused. What was Kovu so happy about?
Nala looked up at Simba, she didn't get why he didn't know what was going on. That was the same thing he did when she told him she was having cubs.
"Simba... Ki-Kiara is...pregnant."
Simba closed his eyes. He was happy yet sad. His little Kiara was growing up, he couldn't believe it. But he smiled and looked down at Kiara, she looked at him, he nodded and walked back in the cave. Kiara nuzzled Kovu again and smiled widely.
The next few weeks went by very fast, Kiara was very close to having her cubs. Her sister-in-law, Vitani, was also expecting, but it was very hard for her. She didn't even know who the father was. Kiara was always their to comfort her.
Then it happened.
Kiara and Vitani were out on a walk. They did this quite often, but they'd never wondered this far before. It was just starting to get dark, and they'd started to leave.
"Where do you think your going, Kiara?"
The two lionesses turned, only to find a very large, dark colored, dirty, and beat up male lion. He dirt all over his body, and had scars all over his face, but the worst one was over his eye, he had three scars over his eye and they'd turned it blood red.
"Who are you?" Kiara asked.
"Don't you recognize me?"
She stared at the strange male. Then it hit her. It was one of the male lions that had tried to take over the pride when she was very young. He'd fought Simba, and used a move that was so bad, it was 'forbidden' to kill him. It didn't work, but it did hurt him. But Kiara (being about a year old, but in present time now about three (teen for a lion)) attacked him and gave him those scars. He was banished and promised to get revenge on her.
He began to circle the two females. Vitani growled at him. He growled back, much louder, and lunged at them.
He grabbed Kiara, knocking her to the ground, Vitani grabbed him by his ear and tried to pull him off, only to get slapped by his huge claws. "Go get help!!" Kiara pleaded, kicking the male off her. Vitani nodded and ran back to Pride Rock as fast as she could.
Kiara growled at this strange male. He lept at her again, but this time, he hit her stomach. She screamed in pain and fell the the ground. He grabbed her by the back of the neck and through her about three feet away. He walked over to her, she was out cold.
Thinking she was dead, he dragged her for miles, until growing tired and leaving her to die in an old, and very small cave.
--
Vitani had told the others about the male lion. Simba, Kovu, Nala and many others went searching for her, only to find a puddle of blood. They searched for her for hours, deep into the night, and into the next day, until they went home to rest and come out again.
--
Kiara woke from the pain in her stomach. It had to be time, she looked around, she was alone. Her heart pounded, but they cubs were coming.
Just a few hours later, she had three cubs by her side, but, something was wrong, two of them weren't moving. She desperately tried to wake them by nudging and licking them, but it was hopeless. She carried them a few feet away and buried them, and then tended to her only living cub.
The other lions had to stop their search, Vitani had gone into labor and had two cubs by her side. But, one wasn't her own cub, she found shortly before giving birth, and just told everyone her was hers. Shortly after both cubs very born, Kovu, Simba, and Nala lead the other lions to search for Kiara.
--
It had been three days sense Kiara went missing, their was no trace of her. They'd tried and tried to find her but failed each time. Some of the lionesses gave up and began to stay with Vitani when the others went looking for her. Kovu was more scared than anyone. He was scared for his mate, and her cubs. What would he do if lost them both?
Another two more days went by, most of the others gave up, but Kovu, Simba, and Nala still thought she'd be alive. Kovu went out on his own one night. He though of a few places they didn't check. He started by the river, but couldn't find her their, he tried many other places, but she was no where to be found.
He fell to the ground and sobbed heavily, and cried her name over and over.
Kiara's ear twitched. She heard a voice, she listened, she couldn't believe it. It was Kovu! He wasn't far either. She picked her head up, but that scared her cub, and it cried loudly.
Kovu heard a small cry, he didn't know what it was, he'd only heard it when Vitani had her cubs. He walked towards the sound and soon heard a voice, it took him a minuet, but it then hit him, the voice, it was Kiara's.
"KIARA!! KIARAAA!!!" Kovu called and ran into a small cave, finding Kiara and rapped his arms around her and nuzzled her over and over.
Kovu gasped as he saw the tiny cub next to her. "It's a girl." She whispered, but sounded sad. "Whats wrong?" He asked, tears rolled down Kiara's face. "Th-Their were three!" She cried. Kovu was shocked, but tried his best to comfort her. "At least we still have one."
That seemed to lift her spirit.
. Kovu put his face next to the cubs', she rested her nose next to his. "What should we name our little princess?" Kiara asked.
"Talulla...It means princess." Kovu smiled gently licked his daughter. The two mates rested peacefully next to their daughter, Talulla.
The next moring, Kovu helped Kiara back to the pride, while everyone was still asleep. Kiara lied down to let her cub nurse more. Kovu sat be her until one of the members woke up, Nala. She very slowly and sady got up, with her head down, she walked towards the caves' mouth, she soon looked up and saw Kiara.
"Kiara!" She cried and ran to her daughter. She looked down and saw the tiny, six day old cub. She smiled and nuzzled her daughter then Kovu. "Her name is Talulla." Kiara smiled as the other members of the pride began to wake up and run over to them.
The traditional ceremony was held for the princess three weeks later, once the animals all heard of her birth. Rafiki was proud to hold the cub. He walked to the edge of Pride Rock, with Kovu and Kiara behind him, and held the young pricness, Talulla, high above his head. The wind blew through Pride Rock, and again, Simba felt his father watching him.
The young cub smiled as the wind blew through her fur. Rafiki chuckled to himself, remembering Kiara when she was that age. He pulled her back, and handed her over to her parents. They took her in the cave and let her rest next to her cousin, Obi, Vitani's adopted son. The two cubs rested quietly.
Abeni, a young cub the pride adopted, walked over. "What was that for?" She asked, looking at Kiara. "That was for her, Abeni, its to show everyone that she will be the new queen one day." She explained.
And with that, Kiara looked back at her daughter. The though of Talulla being a queen made her smile, but for now, she was the princess. Princess Talulla, my... Little...Princess.. little princess.