"Thank you, Jamili," Mufasa said to his friend, bowing slightly.
"I assure you, she will not be any trouble."
"It is no problem. Really. Ahali and I have always wanted a daughter."
"Come on, Dad! Can't you run any faster than that!" Kifani taunted, prancing happily across the plains in the morning sun. She slowed to a stop and looked back at her father, Jamili, and her mother, Ahali, following close behind. The sun glistened on her soft black coat, and the wind blew gently at the small tuft of hair on top of her head. She sighed and shook her head, beginning to make her way back to her parents. What was the use of becoming old if it just made you slow and boring?
"Would you two PLEASE hurry up! I want to get to the Heart before winter shows up again." She frowned. The king and queen of the Makaa Pride always seemed to know when it was best to just ignore their rambunctious cub, and they seemed to have decided that now was one of those times.
"The Heart isn't going anywhere," her father said calmly, once she'd slowed a bit. "It's finally Spring, so why don't you just enjoy the fresh air?"
Kifani looked up and realized that she was lagging behind and ran to catch up. "But how can you enjoy anything if you're not running in it?"
Ahali chuckled. "Then run in it if that's what you wish."
"But I can't run because you walk too slow and if I lose sight of you then you get mad at me, so the whole ordeal's pretty pointless!" She trotted beside the two adults, looking at the ground. She really wanted to get to the Heart because she could play with her friend, Asikari of the Moto Pride, whom she hadn't seen since the end of summer. Plus, the Heart was a beautiful place in the Spring, and she always loved it. It was the place where the two prides came together for two seasons of the year and as much as Kifani hated all of the grown-ups always swooning at her and telling her how much she's grown and how much of a lovely young lioness she's become, she still loved the whole experience.
Up ahead, the sound of laughter and talking could be heard. Kifani's ears shot up and she ran up a small hill and looked out from on top of it. There, was a gorgeous rock formation shaped like a large X with a cave in the bottom, and another rock behind it that could easily be climbed and take you to the top of the X.
"The Heart!" Kifani cried happily. "Can I go? Please, please, please, please, please!"
"Wait a moment, Dear. You mustn't," Ahali began, but the princess had already bounded up ahead and it was clear she was not planning on stopping.
"Oh, let her go," Jamili said, smiling. "You know how bored she's been all winter. Maybe now she won't be so temperamental."
"You think?"
"Probably not."
Kifani smiled menacingly. "And the great hunter stalks her prey," she whispered to no one in particular. Peeking through two rocks, placed perfectly for her strategy, she spotted her friend. She grinned, prepared herself, and pounced, landing perfectly on top of him. "Happy Spring, 'Kari!" she said, smiling down at him.
"Uh...hey, Kifani," he replied, a little shocked.
"Humph. Some great warrior you are," she taunted.
"I am a good warrior!" he said, regaining his usual determination and pushing himself off of the ground. "I just didn't hear you, that's all."
"Yeah, you didn't hear me...and that means you're a bad guardian for you Pride, while I on the other hand could easily fend off any intruders." She sat down, smiling proudly with her nose in the air.
"You?! Haha! That's a laugh! You couldn't even fend off a mosquito!"
"You have got to be kidding," she said, glaring at him. "I can not only fend off mosquitoes, but I can fend off anything and anyone...unlike you."
"Are you saying I can't beat you?" he said, growling a little.
"Oh, something like that," she replied, admiring her claws.
"We'll see about that!" He pounced on her, and that began their annual greeting fight. This usually lasted for around fifteen minutes, so the adult lions just let them be.
"It is no problem. Really. Ahali and I have always wanted a daughter."
"Come on, Dad! Can't you run any faster than that!" Kifani taunted, prancing happily across the plains in the morning sun. She slowed to a stop and looked back at her father, Jamili, and her mother, Ahali, following close behind. The sun glistened on her soft black coat, and the wind blew gently at the small tuft of hair on top of her head. She sighed and shook her head, beginning to make her way back to her parents. What was the use of becoming old if it just made you slow and boring?
"Would you two PLEASE hurry up! I want to get to the Heart before winter shows up again." She frowned. The king and queen of the Makaa Pride always seemed to know when it was best to just ignore their rambunctious cub, and they seemed to have decided that now was one of those times.
"The Heart isn't going anywhere," her father said calmly, once she'd slowed a bit. "It's finally Spring, so why don't you just enjoy the fresh air?"
Kifani looked up and realized that she was lagging behind and ran to catch up. "But how can you enjoy anything if you're not running in it?"
Ahali chuckled. "Then run in it if that's what you wish."
"But I can't run because you walk too slow and if I lose sight of you then you get mad at me, so the whole ordeal's pretty pointless!" She trotted beside the two adults, looking at the ground. She really wanted to get to the Heart because she could play with her friend, Asikari of the Moto Pride, whom she hadn't seen since the end of summer. Plus, the Heart was a beautiful place in the Spring, and she always loved it. It was the place where the two prides came together for two seasons of the year and as much as Kifani hated all of the grown-ups always swooning at her and telling her how much she's grown and how much of a lovely young lioness she's become, she still loved the whole experience.
Up ahead, the sound of laughter and talking could be heard. Kifani's ears shot up and she ran up a small hill and looked out from on top of it. There, was a gorgeous rock formation shaped like a large X with a cave in the bottom, and another rock behind it that could easily be climbed and take you to the top of the X.
"The Heart!" Kifani cried happily. "Can I go? Please, please, please, please, please!"
"Wait a moment, Dear. You mustn't," Ahali began, but the princess had already bounded up ahead and it was clear she was not planning on stopping.
"Oh, let her go," Jamili said, smiling. "You know how bored she's been all winter. Maybe now she won't be so temperamental."
"You think?"
"Probably not."
Kifani smiled menacingly. "And the great hunter stalks her prey," she whispered to no one in particular. Peeking through two rocks, placed perfectly for her strategy, she spotted her friend. She grinned, prepared herself, and pounced, landing perfectly on top of him. "Happy Spring, 'Kari!" she said, smiling down at him.
"Uh...hey, Kifani," he replied, a little shocked.
"Humph. Some great warrior you are," she taunted.
"I am a good warrior!" he said, regaining his usual determination and pushing himself off of the ground. "I just didn't hear you, that's all."
"Yeah, you didn't hear me...and that means you're a bad guardian for you Pride, while I on the other hand could easily fend off any intruders." She sat down, smiling proudly with her nose in the air.
"You?! Haha! That's a laugh! You couldn't even fend off a mosquito!"
"You have got to be kidding," she said, glaring at him. "I can not only fend off mosquitoes, but I can fend off anything and anyone...unlike you."
"Are you saying I can't beat you?" he said, growling a little.
"Oh, something like that," she replied, admiring her claws.
"We'll see about that!" He pounced on her, and that began their annual greeting fight. This usually lasted for around fifteen minutes, so the adult lions just let them be.