Hey everyone, and thanks for choosing to read my fanfic! It's still not all done yet, but I'll get there!!

This is a story of Destiny (Duh :P), Love, Freedom, Family, Friendship, Corruption, and sadly Death. But I promise, if you really love any of those categories, then this is for you :) It is set in the time of The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride, starting from Kovu and Kiara's teenage years until they become adults.

I do not own The Lion King or anything of it, I only own this story and my O/C Zale.

This is what really happened in TLK2, everyone.

Prologue

Lightning enveloped the dark sky, quickly followed by a roll of thunder. He woke up with a start, jumping at nature's fury. Quickly turning his head to get a look at the raging storm, he saw that it was no longer. As soon as it had struck, the blinding lightning had disappeared. He panted quickly, terrified from the sudden commotion and curled up tighter beneath the tree he rested under. He was scared, with no one to comfort him from the frightening noise. He began to cry, not understanding the heavy, ferocious sound that upset him.

"Daddy...help me...."

He then looked around again, but to see that his father was nowhere in sight. The only thing that surrounded him was the towering jungle trees and the fluffy bushes beside them. He cried harder, desperately wanting to see his Dad come for him and shelter him from the fear running wild in his head.

"Shh, shh....it's alright, Zale...I'm here" said a gentle, deep voice approaching him.

Zale, the cub, felt something soft carry him up from the grass and was held against something fluffy and hairy. He sniffed as he was rocked from side to side, feeling the immediate comfort and protection that he trusted the most, and settled down.

"Daddy...I'm scared..." he murmured.

"Everything's OK now...I'm with you...don't be afraid...." he whispered to his son.

A young lion, with blue eyes that sparkled in the moonlight and a flowing brown mane, cradled his cub in his forepaws. They both resembled each other in every feature except a mane. Zale possessed his bright blue eyes and his golden-tan fur. The lion then held his cub out so he could look upon him.

"Are you OK?" he asked with a comforting smile.

The lion's gentle facial expression warmed him inside. Zale nodded softly and was laid back down on the ground. But something made him jump in shock again. Beside his father's paw, on the grass, was a little yellow heap with a few markings on it. He gasped with surprise.

"Daddy, what's that?"

The lion's smile faded as he pulled over his cub beside him. As he walked across the ground toward his father, Zale noticed that the yellow thing, whatever it was, had a tail. Then he spotted two ears, then legs. What he gazed upon was some sort of creature, but he couldn't make out what species, as it laid facing away from him. The lion motioned for his cub to sit, and he did so. Zale watched him extend a paw towards the creature. His eyes widened with horror as he turned it over on its other side. It was another lion cub, another male one. His eyes were closed and had a lifeless expression on his face. But he was breathing ever so slightly; he must have been unconscious. Hideous bruises and cuts swarmed his tiny body, with fresh blood trickling from each wound ever so slightly. How this young one survived such a horrific and monstrous ordeal, Zale could not begin to imagine. An especially deep and striking mark seared from the middle of his forehead to underneath his left eye. Zale was eyeing it curiously and horrifically.

"He'll be staying with us now," said the young lion calmly.

"W-what happened to him?" Zale asked fearfully.

The lion gave a painful sigh.

"He...he was attacked....taken...from his home," he told his cub sorrowfully.

Zale could not understand why any animal or creature would want to take a young lion cub and leave him on death's doorstep. How could it be possible for someone to be so brutal and cruel? As his father told him sometimes, "Some people just can't be good". Now that Zale had thought about it, he always seemed hurt when he said that to him, which confused him even more, scared him, also.

"Will he be OK?" Zale asked again.

The lion was staring at the unconscious cub woefully, eyes half-opened.

"...Yes...he'll be fine."

Several questions now arose in Zale's head about this cub. Where did he come from? Why was he attacked? How did he survive? Where was he found? Zale could only ask one at a time, though his questions were racing through his mind.

"Where was he?"

"In the wastelands...lying on a rock," his father replied.

The wastelands were a barren, dry desert with nothing but rough sand and rugged rocks. It was certainly not a place to find yourself in, as many vultures target any morsel that wanders through the vast, empty land.

"We're going to have to take care of him now," the lion added softly.

"Doesn't he have a family...?" Zale asked worriedly.

His father remained silent for a while. Zale eagerly awaited his answer, wondering why he took so long to respond.

"No. We're all he has now," he finally replied solidly, "his parents are gone."

Gone? What does that mean, Zale thought, did they go somewhere?

"He will be safe with us and the meerkat colony. He'll be happy here."

"Won't he want to go home?" Zale asked innocently.

His father remained silent for a while, still looking sorrowful. He gave another sigh, lowering his head to his son.

"Zale...I'm going to tell you everything...."


Again, I know I haven't revealed much (or anything) so far, but trust me, it gets better! You can review on this one if you want, though