We all know Disney owns everything. Now let's get this over with.

It was a starry night at the top of priderock. Mostly everyone was asleep inside and out. It was rather chilly and it was near the twenty fifth of december, so things were beyond freezing, however that didn't stop a certain cub prince from staying awake.

Raining was falling down to the ground when the thunder stuck the ground at random moments. Even snow was hailing it's way down in the hectic lands of the animals.

"DAD! Can I see it!? Can I see it!?" A young cub with golden fur and a wide smile was jumping up and down like a maniac. Despite the horrible weather, he still had a reason to be mother was giving birth and he wanted to see the baby! It was the first time he had ever seen another cub that was younger than him, so this exciting news in his eyes.

King Ahadi narrowed his sparkling emerald eyes that flashed in the moonlight. He had been instructed by the great shamen, Rafiki, to not disturb his wife while during the birth of his next heir.

However, dealing with his over energetic son was certainly getting on his nerves. He was concerned not only about his future baby but the fact he already had one cub that was asking too many things was knocking down his patience.

"No, first off the newborn cub is not an 'it'. Second, your mother is still in labour, meaning you cannot see the baby yet until they are born."

"Do you think it's going to be a boy or a girl?"

"I would prefer a boy, but I know that luck isn't always on my side at this point. Whatever gender we get is what we will settle with." Ahadi wasn't quite sure what to do with a girl as a child, but if he did have one he could love her just like he wanted. If it was a son it would basically be raising another son again, just a younger one with a different personality.

"Can I see them? When will the baby be here?"

The older lion was walking back and forth, a glint of worry in his eyes. this birth was taking much longer than expected, he wanted to go and see how it was going but Rafiki specially told him not to come in until the process was over.

Now if only he was able to rip his ears out considering his oldest son wouldn't shut up. The king loved his son with all of his heart but did he have to be so annoying while the pregnancy was going on? He was concerned over the well being of the baby that it was starting to worry him a bit.

He sighed."They should be here soon. Just give Uru time, it takes patience and strength to give birth to a baby cub."

Ahadi was concerned, earlier during the months she was pregnant it seemed like the queen had more than one cub inside of her. The problem wasn't the multiple children, no, he just had a fear that more cubs would only complicate the pregnancy.

"Can I touch them when they are born? Are they squishy?" Mufasa had never been around another baby cub, so these questions were certainly weird.

"They'll need a bath before you think of touching them, and second of all, no they are not 'squishy'. They are made of fur and bones just like you. Remember, you were once a cub at one time, so could you please cut the questions so I can think?"

He was so close to getting a migraine at this point.

Mufasa lowered his head and nuzzled his father."Sorry dad….I just wanted to see the baby."

Ahadi rubbed his son's head with a small smile on his face."You'll see them soon, just give it time." Now all he had to do was just wait for the process to be over….whenever that is supposed to happen he isn't quite sure about.

Unfortunately for the king, the hours seemed to drag on. The monarch kept stepping back and forth, worry currently overriding his usual stoic demeanor.

Mufasa had since fallen asleep in another den while the king was left to ponder what was going on with his wife.

Soon enough the rain began to pour and it was beyond freezing outside. The king was sure it was going to snow soon enough.

His thoughts drifted back to his wife, seeing as it had been hours upon hours and yet things were still going too slow. The baby should've been here by now.

His ears perked up when he heard the voice of Rafiki, who looked young for a baboon. The shamen called his name out."Ahadi, I believe that you need to see this…."

Ahadi frowned, that isn't the voice Rafiki used when Mufasa was born. Had something gone wrong? The golden king sprinted into the cave, a foreboding feeling going down his back. He rushed onto the cave, panting as he did drops of water stained his fur, his feet running as fast as they could carry him.

He finally entered the cave, a dreadful feeling washing over him. Rafiki approached him, the baboon walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder. He squinted into the darker side of the cave, seeing his mate with tears flowing down her eyes. Her once bright emerald eyes were now leaking with water, masking the green with a soggy blue color.

"W-What happened? Uru, why are you crying?" He walked up to his mate, trying to get a response to his question.

"The cubs….they….didn't…" She couldn't finish with quietly sobbing, her paws covering her face. The once joyful queen broke down, her mate confused and concerned about what had just happened.

"They didn't what?"

Rafiki approached, sighing as he did so."They were stillborns, Ahadi. The cubs didn't make it when I got them out. I'm terribly sorry for what happened." Rafiki felt something watery appear in his eye before wiping it away. He put his hand on Ahadi's shoulder, patting him down for a source of comfort.

As Uru wept, Ahadi was in shock. Never before had he experienced the death of a child before they were even born. His face now twitched in agony, his eyes having beads of water inside. He snarled, unable to bear the pain and roared in agony. The roar was of one in pain in sorrow, it wasn't supposed to happen like this…

After letting a single tear fall, the grieving monarch almost roared.

Rafiki sighed and shook his staff."I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do now. This is nothing short of a tragedy."

"Get out…" Ahadi wanted none of it.

"Ahadi, its not my fault, the cubs just came out that way. I did all I could."

"I SAID GET OUT!" The king roared with rage, causing the young shamen to back away. The baboon knew the king was grieving but there was no reason to threaten.

His anger was burning as his heart was hurting. This had to be the worst day of his life...damn that monkey.

However, when Ahadi finally calmed down, he sat next to his wife and told her to remove her paw so he could see what would have been his future children. She begrudgingly moved her paw, revealing two cubs.

One was brown with a raven tuft at the end of the tail. A beautiful tan with tangerine fur. The baby cub looked just like Uru while having Ahadi's black fur. Uru teared up, seeing a cub that looked so much like her dead made her eyes water.

Ahadi turned the other cub, who had golden fur and a red tuft on his tail. With the exception of the dark circles over their eyes he would've been mistaken for Mufasa if Ahadi didn't know any better.

He resisted the urge to lose it, his temper was ready to flare. He had lost his next two babies and there was nothing he would do about it! His children were dead and he was helpless as king to help them.

As the two parents looked at their deceased children, the prince of the pridelands made his appearance. He was smiling because he was sure that his baby sibling was born at this point and rushed inside.

"Mom, Dad! Can I see the baby? Can I?"

Ahadi snarled, his anger getting the better of him."Just leave us alone! Can't you see that we don't want to be disturbed!?"

Mufasa lowered his ears and backed away, his father never yelled at him so fiercely before. Why was his father being so violent? His father looked more akin to a monster than the figure he looked up to before. What happened to him?"I...I just wanted to..." Ahadi's glare shut him up. He didn't dare finish the sentence.

It took a moment for him to see that his father looked like he had been crying and his mother seemed to be in the same position.

Uru put her paw on his shoulder."Ahadi, please. He is only a cub, he doesn't know."

"Forgive me for my temper,Uru. I just…. couldn't control myself. I'm sorry, Mufasa, I didn't mean to say that."

His son slowly approached before getting closer. Ahadi squinted, trying to ignore the tears in his eyes while Uru still had tears rolling down her cheeks.

The cub got closer, only to gasp upon seeing the bodies of the dead cubs.

"Are they...?"

Uru nodded while crying into her paws. Ahadi comforted her while hiding tears of his own.

Mufasa felt like he was a statue. The cub didn't know how to describe it, but the feeling of sadness gushed through him. Those two could've been his younger brother and sister had fate not been so cruel…

He looked at his mother before nuzzling his way next to the dead bodies. The family mourned for the loss, slowly falling asleep in their grief.

Mufasa felt heartbroken, his chance to become an older brother was now out the window.

When a tear escaped from his cheek, the brown lump of fur began to stir. Mufasa blinked and felt the younger cub yawn on him before mewling.

Mufasa nearly fell out of his fur, one of the cubs was alive! Not all hope was lost! He would still have a sibling!

The baby cooed at him, his emerald eyes flashing with love and adoration. Mufasa smiled, his baby brother sniffed him before letting out an adorable cough.

The baby had a little cold, and while a bit pale did look relatively healthy. He was just sleeping and must've played dead enough to be pronounced deceased.

"Dad, the baby!"

Ahadi groaned before snarling."What!? What about my dead children? I do not need to have it rubbed in my face!" Still not the best time to being it up to grieving parents.

His mother's gentle yet tired voice rung in."Mufasa, your father and I need some time to adjust. Could you explain so we can rest?"

Childbirth was exhausting and Uru was already lightheaded from the crying and the effort from delivering the baby.

"Look! One of them is alive!"

Ahadi literally jumped to his feet, and Uru did the same. Uru looked up to see the boy mewling at Mufasa.

"This better not be a joke, Mufasa or I swear... I'm going to…" Ahadi doesn't finish as a weak and small smile appeared on his face. In Mufasa's paws rested the newborn cub, mewling as his brother gave him a loving lick.

Uru quickly approached and took the cub our of Mufasa's paws. She had tears in her eyes has she licked the baby down, cleaning the baby off.

"I can't believe it! It's a miracle!" Uru was still devastated over the loss of the other child, but she now has another outlet to show her love and affection to.

"A surviving child is better than none." The king smiled at his son before giving him a quick nuzzle of affection."Thank you, Mufasa. Now I have another son to call my own."

Mufasa smirked as he walked towards Uru and the newborn."It's alright, Dad. I can't wait to play with him! Now I can finally play with the baby! I'm so going to wrestle and tussle and-"

Ahadi sidestepped him."Not so fast! He's too young to play with you. The cub is just a newborn, he can't even walk yet."

That was true, he was only a baby, he would only blink and look cute at this point.

"Aw...if I can't play with him, what do you suppose I do with him?"

He rolled his eyes."Wait until he is old enough for these activities. He is only a cub." It could be foolish to play with someone who can't even walk yet.

He pouted with his cheeks puffed out."How long will that take?"

The king simply shrugged his shoulders at this abundance of annoying questions."Many months. He needs time to grow and get stronger after all."

Mufasa grumbled." Why do I have to wait? I'm going to be king one day, I shouldn't have to wait!"

Why did he have to wait that long!? He was the future king! He should be able to get what he wants!

He lowered his head to his son's level."Being king isn't about getting your way all the time. It's about putting the kingdom on your shoulders and making the best decision that you can make."

"Yeah right…"

Ahadi rolled his eyes, Mufasa could learn some day. He was only a cub, he wouldn't understand the burden of the kingdom at that age. Children in general don't understand the bigger picture.

He remembered his predecessor, King Mohatu, telling him the smart thing while he was training. He was only a rogue back then,but it still works today.

Rolling off his son's comment, he headed towards Uru, who had since cleaned the cub.

"Uru, what do we name him?" Being the only surviving twin, this baby needed a name. It isn't like he was going to notice that his sister was dead.

"Hm...Ahadi, what do you suppose we name him?" They had been so caught up in the death of one of their children that they forgot the name they had originally planned for months before the birth of their children.

Ahadi seemed to be in thought, but Mufasa was already jumping around like a manic while raising his paw.

"Ooh! How about we name him after grandpa?" He did seem to have brownish-orangish fur after all.

Ahadi and Uru blinked before shaking their heads. The queen knew that it was out of respect that Mufasa wanted to her father's name, but it just didn't feel quite right.

"That is a sweet idea, but I'm going to have to decline on that Mufasa. Maybe another name could be advisable."

"How about the name...um...Kopa?"

The king shook his head."No." It wasn't a bad name, but it didn't feel right. Maybe another lion could have that name later on.

Mufasa paused before giving it another thought."How about we name him after you? Maybe something like...Ahadi junior?" He was honestly running out of good names at this point.

Both lions cringed, Ahadi wincing at the mere thought."No. We need another name. I haven't thought about this, there are over a thousands things that I'm thinking of during my royal duty as king. The last thing I need is another me." Having two Ahadi's would only make things a bit weird.

Uru sighed."Maybe we should name him something original….like….er...Takata?"

Mufasa paused before wrinkling his nose."Mom, that's offensive! You shouldn't name a baby that!" His young ears must've misheard the name as 'Takata' meaning in some languages to mean 'want' or worse, 'filth'.

Uru blankly stared at him while giving Ahadi a look. He had a similar expression on his face when they both asked,"What?"

He snorted at them with annoyance in clear in his tone."You literally named him garbage! What kind of name is that? No brother of mine can be named like that!"

Ahadi and Uru quickly jumped over for damage control with Uru kindly explaining what she meant."No no, Mufasa. That isn't what we mean at all. The name 'Takata; means pure. He is pure in my eyes seeing as he is the only cub who managed to survive. As I desired for another cub and I got one...at the expense of another, but I still have a son that I will cherish."

"Oh! That's what you guy's mean. I get it! You always wanted another cub. That sounds better than what I came up with!"

The queen sighed."Indeed it does, and it appears that our little one seems to adore his new name as well."

"However, I believe that we should shorten it for our convenience." As he said this, the baby mewled at the name and laughed. While he couldn't talk, it was clear he was pleased with the name his parents had given him.

"Aw….how about shortening it down to Taka?" At the call of his name, 'Taka' purred and sprawled out with his arms extended. An overly sweet smile rested on his face upon hearing his new name, satisfied with this choice.

"Well son, I believe that this will do. Taka it is." Ahadi and Uru smiled warmly at each other, the latter still holding tears in her eyes from the loss of the other child.

But Ahadi had buried his bitterness and sadness with feelings of joy, seeing that his son was born.

Mufasa was overjoyed, seeing he could finally get to have a younger brother. The baby lion sniffled and sneezed, but was otherwise happy with his new found name.

Ahadi sighed."I should go apologize to Rafiki for my emotional outburst in the morning. I'll get Zazu to call him for the ceremony and then present our son to the pride later."

The ceremony was tomorrow and Taka had been born of the chaotic night of december.

The younger lion lashed his tail."Why aren't we presenting him now?"

They usually presented the cub right after they born and cleaned. To not do so was rather unusual, especially on Christmas day.

As Mufasa said this, the rain poured down even harder while the thunder cracked loudly in the background. The weather would only make Taka sick. They already lost one child, they didn't need to lose another.

Ahadi raised an eyebrow."Does that answer your question?"

"Yeah, I guess so….So can I hold him?"

Uru smiled before shaking her head."Not yet, he's still young. I'll let you hold him later."

Right now it would be in Taka's best interest to stay with his mother to nurse and to make sure he is warm.

While Uru let Taka nurse, Mufasa scooched over to him with a smile on his face. The baby lion cub yawned before sniffling again.

Mufasa smirked before making a funny face, twisting his eyes in other directions and sticking his tongue out. His brother instead backed away with fear with a tear in his eye, scared by the creature that no longer resembled his older brother.

Seeing his mistake, Mufasa reverted his face back to normal and Taka reverted back to his happy state. The baby managed to wiggle his way towards the golden cub and licked his cheek in an affectionate manner.

Despite not being able to play with his younger brother like he wanted, this felt so much better than tackling another lion like he did with Sarabi or Sarafina. This felt like true bonding between siblings.

The newborn giggled before putting himself closer to Mufasa and laid beside him. Soon enough, Taka fell asleep next to his brother and began to quietly snore. Soon enough, despite trying to fight his fatigue, the older cub slowly shut his eyes after while protectively putting his paw over his brother.

"Goodnight, Taka." This was the best gift on christmas ever. A baby brother was all that he wanted and now he finally had him at his side.

There was a squeaky whine, most likely an attempt to talk on Taka's part, but he was far too young to even know how to speak properly. Mufasa chuckled before falling asleep. Ahadi and Uru watched this with all knowing smiles before allowing themselves to rest beside each other.

With tears in their eyes, they gave each other looks of sadness and joy while staring at their children. They may have lost one cub, but they still had two princes in the lions closed their eyes and completely peace draped itself over the lands.

Peace finally came, but the future was littered with surprises after all. Anyone sane knew that peace never lasted.

Hit that review button and show some support, see ya all next time. I'll see you soon, but please be decent in the section and no trolls. I won't hesitate showing action if trolls appear.~EmeraldOverlord