Chapter one - The new cubs

It was a wondrous day in the pridelands as all the animals from the African plains of the Savannah began to head towards the tall rock where the lions lived, as the new princess and prince was born that morning and it was time for the big ceremony. At the rock, a young male lion was waiting outside the den for Rafiki, the mandrill who would begin the presentation of the new cubs, to arrive. As she finally got there, Kovu led her into a large den where Kiara was licking her new cubs. The king looked down at the two fluff balls. One was a small female with light-hazel eyes and Kiara's creamy-tonne of fur, only a little darker. The second, a boy which looked the most like his father with a black mane and tail along with Kovu's green-eyes and brown fur.

"What shall we name the girl?" Kovu asked, nuzzling his daughter.

"I think we should call her...Alisa," Kiara finished, admiring the cubs brown eyes and creamy fur.

"Nice name," Kovu smiled. "I think that the boy should be named Titan."

"Okay then," Kiara thought for a while. "But who shall take over and rule when our time has passed?"

"Um," Kovu said, thinking for a moment. "Maybe we could decide that later when they are older?"

"We can't do that Kovu," the queen said sadly. "The cub that is chosen has to have the sand sprinkled on them before we hold them up."

"Oh um," the king began. "You choose with Vitani and Kopa. I'm not good at choices."

As Kovu walked out of the den entrance, Vitani and Kopa came running up to Kiara. "Aw," Vitani began. "I remember when Aria was like that a week ago. She's started walking now."

With that said, a week-year-old cub came crawling into the den and looked down from Kiara's paw at the new cubs. She eyed them as Kopa came up to her. "Aria, go and join Timon and Pumbaa, there's no time to play now," Kopa said firmly, picking up his cub by the nape and beginning to make his way out of the den to where all the other lioness of the pride were sitting.

"I'm not really sure Kiara," Vitani hesitated. "Maybe it should be...Alisa or Titian."

Kiara rolled her eyes. "Nice try, but we still haven't chosen one."

Just then, Simba came into the cave to where the lionesses were still sitting, choosing a cub. "They are lovely Kiara," he said with a smile. "Have you decided who should rule yet? I personally think that it should be Alisa because she reminds me of you Kiara."

"But Titan reminds me of Kovu...let's just think of who would make a great ruler," the queen thought, looking down at the two once more.

As soon as the queen had make up her mind, she came outside with a male cub in her mouth and Kovu looked at her. "Is Titan going to be future king?" He asked, joining his mate.

"No," Kiara looked over to where Rafiki was holding up a cub with red stuff on it's forehead as the bowing crowd cheered and yelled. "Alisa is."

As soon as the future queen was bought down to her mother, Rafiki held up the second cub to present and soon the time went on and all the lioness were going to bed along with Kiara and Kovu who were the last ones in with their cubs. As they both walked in, Vitani was sleeping with Aria, next to her mate, Kopa. Kiara looked at the princess. "You will make a wonderful queen, I am sure of it," she said, settling down next to Kovu in the center of the lionesses. Then licking her two cubs once more, she closed her eyes and soon drifted off.

Weeks after the new cubs were born, both were now four months old and very exited to explore the brilliant new world that they had never been to on their own before. At the crack of dawn, a female cub ran out of the den and made her way up to the top of pride rock where she could see the whole of the pridelands and beyond. The outlands always fascinated her.

"This looks amazing," she cried from the very top of the rock, centimeters away from the edge. "I've never seen this place so...big. Usually I only see a little from the bottom and now I'm finally at the top."

"Alisa!" A voice shouted from the foot of pride rock. She looked down and saw her mother looking up at her. She looked really small from where she was standing. "What are you doing up there?"

As Alisa was future queen, everyone made a fuss of her and she had permission to go up to the top of pride rock, unlike the other cubs her age who were only aloud at the bottom. Sometimes it got annoying, especially when she had to always learn about being a queen while her father had finished his kingly duties and before he started them in the morning.

"I'm ready," she cried, yelling at the top of her voice. "Where is Dad?"

"Not today I'm afraid. He wondered if you'd like to help him with a crisis at the watering hole so you'd realize what sort of things you have to deal with when you are queen," Kiara called up to her daughter.

"Oh great," she thought.

As the princess got to the bottom of the steps of pride rock, Kiara gave Alisa a bath and soon she went over to help her father when she only wanted to explore while she had the chance. Sometimes it wasn't always a good thing to be a future queen as you could hardly ever play, just had to learn about boring stuff and responsibilities.

"Hey Dad," she began, eyeing the watering hole. "When can I go and play?"

"After I've taught you a few things," Kovu began, explaining every little detail of being a queen while the minutes seemed to go on for hours until finally the princess was free to go. She quickly ran off before her father could find anything else to go on about. Suddenly a paw stopped her in her path. She looked up. It was Kiara.

"Oh Alisa. You can't wonder off until I explain some things and until you have another bath because you're filthy," Kiara said, carrying her daughter over to a clean pool of water that had been filled up by the rain and began to bathe her.

"Ugh," Alisa thought. "I hate being a princess. Aria and Titan are probably having fun playing without me..."

At pride rock, Aria was being lectured about going out of the pridelands by Kopa as well as Titan being told what to not do by the king. Unlike Alisa, the two cubs had a little talk until they were aloud to go. What they didn't realize was that Pumbaa and Timon were not following far behind, along with Zazu in the air just to make sure.

As soon as the two cubs began to fight and wrestle, they bumped into a lioness. Titan looked up quickly and recognized her at once then laughed.

"Having fun learning how to be queen?" The prince joked and Aria began teasing her as well.

"I'm sure it's loads of fun," the other princess joined in. "Don't let it get you down."

"Ha," Titan continued to laugh as Alisa pounced on her brother, pinning him down. Her best friend stopped laughing.

"You two are just jealous that I was the chosen one and you were not. I'm the smartest and the future queen and-" She began as Titan cut her off her sentence.

"A girl and the youngest which means that I should have taken your place instead," he pinned her back and soon all cubs began to roll down a hill as they hit an awful hot and dry land which burnt their paws as they began to walk through the horrible place.

"Ew," Aria screeched. "This is disgusting."

Titan coughed and looked parched as he hung his head down, tongue sticking out. "I...hate this place! Let's get out of here..."

"No time for that," a voice snarled. Suddenly a large shadow transformed into a horrible crocodile with it's teeth showing from it's mouth as it snapped and chased the three cubs.

"Aaa," Alisa cried as the creature caught her and began to kill.

"This is going to be great," it laughed, snapping it's teeth together as Titan began to run accept Aria. She stopped and watched her best friend as the creature grasped her in it's mouth. She had to think of something...and fast!

To be continued...