A lioness slowly walked through the Pridelands, a small cub hanging from her mouth and another on her back. Her pelt was to dirty to tell her true color, though it looked like she was a dark chocolate color. Her eyes were as blue as the ocean, a bright turquoise color. Though, that was the only things that were the only bright and pretty thing on her body. Her sides were thin, to thin for a lioness her size, which was of a medium size. Her sides wore the signs of a fight, with deep cuts and wounds all over her body, most still bleeding. Her breathing was between a rasp and a pant, her sides moving with exertion.
The cub in her mouth and cub on her back was what she had come all this way for, into the Pridelands where the mother knew her cubs would be safe. Safe from her old pride, where the cubs' father and her mate had turned on her and her two daughters, trying to kill them because they weren't males. The young mother had fought her mate, who had attacked her and given her wounds that would've killed an average lion. But, the young mother had to stay alive, to protect her daughters. As soon as her mate had turned his back to her, she had gotten her cubs and ran out of her prides' territory, towards the Pridelands, where she knew Simba ruled. She had heard stories from the passing herds of animals about how Simba and his mate, Nala, were fair and kind rulers and she knew, no, hoped, that she would atleast take in her two daughters. She knew that, soon, she would join the Great Kings of the Past in the skies.
She sighed and shook her head, ridding those thoughts from her mind. She needed to get her two cubs to Priderock and beg the King and Queen to let her two daughters join the pride. She looked up over the tall grass to see a huge rock standing erect, the top touching the skies. If she didn't have one of her daughters in her mouth, her jaw would have fallen open. But, she had caught it just in time. Her steps began to slow, her paws dragging. She stopped and sank down to the ground, to tired and weak to go any further. She gently took her two cubs in her mouth, one at a time, and gently put them at her side. She curled around them, giving them the last of her warmth, before her eyes shut for the last time and she joined the Great Kings of the Past up in the skies.
The twin cubs searched for their mothers milk supply, their eyes still shut, for they were only a couple of days old. As soon as they felt the last of their mother's warmth fade away, they automatically knew that their mother was gone and started mewing, hunger driving their mews to near screams. The mews startled a herd of zebras, who turned and ran away from where the two cubs were hidden. Ten lionesses emerged from the grass where they had crouched, hunting the zebra. Though, their thoughts were away from their almost meal and settled on where the mews were coming from.
A cream lioness and a golden orange lioness led the way towards the mews, each step one of cautiousness. They knew that the cries were from cubs and also knew that cubs were protected by their mother, who would risk her life to save the ones of her cubs. The two lionesses in front stopped when they saw the still form of the lioness and bowed their heads in grief when they saw that the lioness was dead. Their heads jerked up when they heard the cries coming from the lioness.
The cream lioness quickly went to the lioness and stopped infront of the lifeless form, her blue eyes widening at the sight of the days old cubs, who were wiggling around, trying to find the milk of their mother. The cream lioness looked up and motioned her head for the rest of the lionesses to gather around. When the other lionesses saw the two cubs, gasps and murmurs of shock and wonder arose before a tan lioness with bangs covering her green eyes motioned with her head for the other lioness to be quiet. When the lionesses fell silent, the lioness turned to the cream lioness and bowed her head. "Queen Nala, would you like me to find Rafiki so he can come and check the cubs?" The cream lioness, Nala, nodded her head. "Yes, Vitani, that would be great. Please tell him to come to Priderock, where we will take the cubs to meet the rest of the pride and ask Simba what he thinks we should do." She waited until Vitani had turned and disappeared into the grass before turning to the golden orange lioness. "Kiara, will you please help me get these cubs back to Priderock?" Kiara nodded and bent her head, gently picking up one of the cubs. She waited until Nala had taken up the other cub before turning and headed toward the huge rock, with her mother beside her and the rest of the lionesses following at her heels.
The Queen slowed down as she and Kiara reached the base of the rocks that acted as stairs that led up to the cave where the pride slept and to the edge of Priderock where the pride made announcements to the animals in the Pridelands. A big golden orange lion with a deep red mane stood on the edge of Priderock, watching for the lionesses to return from their hunt. A smaller dark brown lion with a black mane stood beside him, also looking for the huntresses. The young male was the first to spot the lionesses and he told the other male so. "King Simba, the lionesses have returned but," He squinted his eyes, studying the approaching lionesses, "they haven't brought back a kill, though Queen Nala and Kiara are carrying something in their mouths." The two males shared a look, both thinking of how Kiara would play tricks on all of the pride, with Nala as her cohort.
The two males turned and made their way down from the rock ledge, jumping down from the last rock to land in front of Nala and Kiara. Simba stepped closer to his mate to greet her when he saw the thing in his mate's mouth move, then began to mew. He jumped back a step, his amber eyes widening. The young male behind him took a step closer and sniffed the cub before looking at Kiara, an eyebrow raised. Kiara's eyes softened with sadness as she dipped her head down to look at the ground below her, silently telling the two males that the cubs' mother was dead. The two males nodded their heads and looked down at the ground for a moment before Simba said in a quiet tone. "Well, that changes things. We will find a lioness who is willing to adopt them and treat them as her own."
Nala and Kiara showed relief as they bowed their heads to Simba before slowly and carefully going up the rocks to the cave, where the rest of the huntresses and lionesses had gone. When the two lionesses walked inside, they were soon surrounded by lionesses all talking at once. "Everyone, hush up! Let them speak!" A voice rang out, causing all of the lionesses to fall silent and part to emit an older lioness whose pelt was a dark cream and her blue eyes were full of softness and gentleness as she walked to Nala and Kiara. She stopped in front of Kiara, who dipped her head to the old queen before gently setting the tiny cub down on the ground at her feet. The blind lion cub struggled to a sitting position, squeaking every time she fell down. The older lioness smiled and lowered her head down to sniff the cub, murmuring in a soothing tone as she gently checked the cub. The cub quieted and stopped struggling, listening to the older lioness.
The lioness slowly stood back up and looked at Kiara, an expression of curiosity and puzzlement on her face. "Kiara, where did you find these cubs? Where is the mother and their pride?" Nala gently set her cub down beside her twin before looking at the older lioness. "Sarabi, we found these cubs about a few paces away from the lake. They were in between their mother's forelegs, trying to gather the last of their mother's warmth. The mother, sadly, has gone to join the Great Kings of the Past up in the stars." All of the lionesses bowed their heads at this news, each silently mourning the lioness whom none of them knew. They all looked at the cubs when they began to mew again and Nala remembered what Simba said. She straightened and looked around at the twenty other lionesses, examining each one as she waited for them to cast their attention on her.
Once they were all watching her, she spoke, "Girls, King Simba has said that these two cubs are now one of us." The lionesses all began to murmur amongst themselves, which made Nala wait again until the murmuring ceased. "He also asked if one of you would be willing to adopt these two cubs and treat them as their own." She looked around at the lionesses, wondering if any would volunteer. She knew that five of the lionesses, Jiershia, Niagria, Miaria, Sieatria, and Triesta, each had a cub of their own and that five other lionesses, Kiara, Ophelia, Briesta, Liania, and Kateara, were pregnant. She also knew that she, Sarabi, Pierta, Sarafina, and Danielia were all to old to take care of cubs, especially twins. Which left Vitani, Zataria, Jakara, Citarie, and Gitani as the only young, eligible lionesses who could take care of the cubs. Nala knew that Jakara had to much of a temper and not enough patience to take care of two young, helpless cubs. She studied Citarie and Gitani, who also didn't qualify since they both were to young, naïve, and not ready to be mothers.
Vitani, who was the sister of Kovu, Kiara's mate, and the daughter of Zira and was an outlander before the uniting of the Pridelanders and Outlanders and Zataria, who also was an outlander and the best friend of Vitani, though no one could remember where she came from before she joined the Outlanders as a cub. Nala weighed the two lionesses in her mind. Vitani was patient, kind, thoughtful, and caring, was a great huntress, and loved cubs. She also had an attitude and temper, which Nala knew Vitani controlled very well. Zataria also was kind, thoughtful, caring, and compassionate, but she wasn't that great of a huntress and kept to herself, not really talking or socializing with any of the other pride members except for Vitani, Kiara, and Sarabi.
Nala nodded to herself and leaned over towards Kiara to whisper in her ear. Kiara grew thoughtful, thinking over what Nala had whispered before nodding and turning her attention back to the other lionesses. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted when Vitani came into the cave, with Rafiki by her side. She nodded to the baboon and Vitani before moving away from the cubs to make room for Rafiki.
Rafiki knelt down and gently picked up each cub, murmuring to them as he checked over them. Once done, he stood and turned to Nala and Kiara. "May I speak with you privately for a moment, outside the cave?" The two lionesses nodded and turned to follow Rafiki out of the cave when Nala stopped and motioned for Vitani to join them. The young lioness's eyes widened for second before she nodded and followed Nala out of the cave.