A/N/Disclaimer:I'm a veteran writer but this is my first attempt at a Disney Classic.This is just an intro to all the new characters and then from there the huge story line.No characters are mine except mine.

The Pridelands...

Twilight still hung over the large grasslands in the shade of a deep navy tinged with purple sky,starlets that gave off a silverish color flickered in the safety of the occult,until the pushing of the much more viberant glow of dawn partially covered the sky itself.Along with it's emerging,a rush of strong yet coaxing wind seemed to allure the half-dazed animals of the savannah to arise up on their staggering feet,shake of last night's effects and almost in a trance,head for the familiar pointed rock that now had the sun reaching it's tip.At first it appeared deserted but soon a frail and hoary yet determined primate hobbled to the point.

An immediate,calming hush fell over the assembled crowds as two fairly young pairs of lions were in tow of the baboon.Side-by-side,two slightly swaying packages in both their mouths.The monkey turned in time to witness a young female cub of a coat similiar to her great-grandmother's and light jade eyes take a swat at her apparently shy brother,who shrugged up a shoulder to deflect her harmless batting at him.

Pride glowed in both Kovu and Kiara's eyes,as they followed him a bit closer and he was able to stand well enough just in that one spot to receive the two twins.Cradling them to him carefully,he brought them up as high as he could for all to appraise.Harmoniously,unconditionally,did the cubs's subjects raise great reverenment and pure joy for new life that was exhilarated into the heavens above.Upon all the living,a king of the past watched the festivities taking place below,though his reign hadn't been too long ago itself.

A couple months later...

Tanasu tried to at least pretend to be asleep,firmly keeping his lids down and his breathing in a certain pace to keep up the appearance.However,he could very easily perceive his younger sister of a only just a few minutes younger staring him in the eyes until he aroused.It wasn't that Ceree actually wanted him to tag along with her and the other few cubs around but he knew she couldn't leave unless he came with her.

"Come on,bonehead."Her nagged him testily,placing her big paws upon his back and bequeathed yet another uncomfortable shake on his shoulder blades."Before Mom and Dad get up,let's go right now."

The very idea of sneaking away made Tanasu's insides cripple with jitters,but excited jitters nonetheless and he allowed a museful grin to cross his golden brown muzzle."Yeah,"he replied under his breath,rising to his feet and just making Ceree's figure out in the cave's still shadowy interior."Cool idea.We better..."

But before he could go,a feeling of warning entered him and caused him to pause from leaving with his sister.Partly,because he was having second thoughts about the possible consequences and partly due to the fact that it wasn't like Ceree to want to include him in anything that came as a shock to him.Judging by the at first questioning look now she had worn now gone guilt-ridden,he knew there was a third part.

"Need I ask where you're going my young ward?"His mouth's voice whispered down softly to him from the darkness and he peered up to see her good-naturedly looming above.He sensed her lower herself down to the top of his head,her warm breaths caressing his mane tuft as she continued in a sagacious voice."Certainly you aren't planning to sneak off with you're sister without permission,were you Tanasu?"

Instantly,Ceree was at his side."No,Mama.Of course we weren't sneaking off,"she held herself higher on all fours to make for a more maturescent appearance,her voice lofty yet confident."We just wanted fresh air."

"Yes!"Tanasu picked up the forefront,nodding enthusiastically at his mother."That's exactly what we were trying to do."he wrinkled his snout."It gets so stuffy and musty in here,sometimes it's really hard to breath."

"Is that so?"Kiara eyed the two sharply but dismissed scolding them by gracefully falling to the ground and promptly reaching over to pull both of them over towards her at the same time."I suppose if I want to find out the truth,I'm going to have to do it the hard way and bathe the confession out of the two of you then."

"No,Mama,no!"The two of them wailed and protested repeatedly,their little claws scraping across the stone floor in vain to keep them from a most tortured fate but to no avail,soon both were being lapped at expertly and being held down gently yet securely by their mother's strong arms."Mama,come on!Stop!I'm clean!"

Flushed,Tanasu finally managed to pull away and shot his sister a look.She had recovered quite well and the only noticable difference was some of her darkly tannish fur flattened down.Tanasu shuddered inwardly,out of both of them,he normally turned out the worse.And it wasn't just in grooming,it was just about everything.

Suddenly,Tanasu felt another presence lingering behind his mother."You two know better then to hold back the truth or in this case lie,"he heard his father's firm voice and then caught the sheen of his ebony mane in the sun that now filitered inside as he emerged up by his wife."And you,Tanasu,shouldn't always listen to your sister's crazy ideas.Just because she might want to get herself into trouble,doesn't mean you should follow."

"But it wasn't even my idea to go in the first place,"The cub dared to venture,sounding unfairly offended.

Kovu shook his head."No,son.It may have been wrong of her,but being the oldest and the male,you should have taken into account your sister's actions and put a stop to it."he told him in a calmed but direct tone.

"Well,"Ceree inserted hesistantly at first and then blurted out."It really wasn't all his fault,Daddy.If he hadn't of wanted to go,I would have went anyway,"her eyes oddly turned hopeful."So it really was all my fault."

"It wasn't a good show of character for you either,young lady."He temporarily turned his attention to her but was flashed his narrowed emerald eyes right back onto his now shrinking son."I don't want to have to punish you to get through to you to be a good role model,"he gave his son a slight push."Now go off and play,but I don't want you to get into any more trouble.As king someday,you're going to have to learn to be noetic son."

Not bothering to try to guess what that meant,he eagerly took his father's permisson to leave and scampered after his sister.The two had a race down to the bottom,hopping over stones and then sprinting over the grass towards the meeting place they met their friends.Shadows still lengthed the dewy ground as the sun finished it's complete ascension into plaining view and Tanasu would have enjoyed keeping up the unusally close and possible tie they were having,when a light silverish figure appeared before them and he had to avert this eyes.

"Hey,Ceree."Rashow greeted the cub with a wide grin and briefly gave Tanasu a sideways glance."Loser."

"Rashow..."Ceree hissed at him incredulously."We agreed,him losing the coconut was just an accident."

"No,he's just an accident,"Tanasu felt the cub's glassy blue eyes bore into him."What's makes you think were going to let a freak like you play,anyways?"his tone grew more condenscending."Well?Aren't you going to face me,Loser freak?Or has the rest of your face already caved in and you can't even hear or see anymore."

It was true,since birth he had a deformity on the lower portion of his left eye,it sunk somewhat inward though aside from that he was perfectly normal and healthy.Tanasu use to turn away from being called names,then he began to stand up more when his sister started defending him alot but now he was determined to try alone.

"What if I got another one,"He spoke up all of a sudden suggestingly,raising his downcast eyes to meet the unfriendly ones of Rashow."A better one,then we could all use it to finish where we left off on our game."

At first it seemed as if the cub had made a mistake by the still narrowing of Rashow's eyes but the beaming of encouragement that Ceree sent him seemed to make him began to consider reluctantly.The final decision was made when another two more cubs padded up to either side of Rashow and awaited right along with them.

Finally,a little smirk flitted across his muzzle."Fine,Tanastupid.You want to be friends with us?Then you have to go to where the highest trees are and get the roundest coconut you can find."his smirk widened."Can you?"

Tanasu turned to his sister,who gave him a disapproving look."You shouldn't have to prove yourself like that just to hang around with us,"she continued reasoningly to Rashow."Let's give him one more chance,Rashow."

"No."He told her with the utmost patience."Loser wants to be one of us,he's gotta prove himself one of us."

"I thought it would be okay at first but the tallest trees are too far away,we got caught trying to sneak out and I really don't want us to get into anymore trouble."her voice held a slight pleading note."I want to go play now."

"And as leader of this club,I say your bumbling brother has to get another coconut!"Rashow rebuked her.

Frightened because of the icy way Rashow glared at his sister,he announced suddenly."I'll do it!"

But he felt driven to prevent a feud but even more so to fit in with the rest of them,he was convinced himself that there was nothing wrong with him but he just never seemed to please anyone,always took the blame it seemed like.However,this was a chance to prove himself and he was willing to take any chance,any time.

"Tanasu..."Ceree began to argue,a hint of hurt in her words.

But one nearly trimphant smile across Rashow's face sent a wave of anger rippling through the cub,crinkling his muzzle and swishing his tail from side-to-side,he gave a small nod and headed off wordlessly towards his new destination;his resolution made firmer by the bursts of laugther he heard in his wake,initiated by Rashow.

Further along the pridelands...

Atop a large boulder,a large male tiger slept soundly even as the morning sun flooded his roost with lighted swaths carrying the signal to awaken,which he lazily kept at bay.But the gentle yet relentless tugging at one of his ear lobes began to slowly coax the feline to gaze down fondly upon his offspring,who smiled expectantly.

Myron chuckled deeply and crossed his huge paws while he straightened himself up."Whatever happened to sleeping in?I allowed to stay up well past your normal sleeping hour the night before.Again you wish to go?"

Swerving her ears back,the young tigeress cub tilted her head and looked at him cutely from the top of her large dark azure eyes."Please,Papa.,"she pouted slightly."I always do what I'm told and I'm very well rested."

"Enough to stay out of mischief?"He challenged semi-playfully down at his kissing up daugther.

"Always,"Imani replied with a giggle and hopped onto her father's back to keep him from actually kissing her.

The two rolled around over the flat rock for a few minutes,Myron was quick but the cub adeptly avoided his attempts to catch her as she climbed and plodded all over him.Finally when she had stood right on top of her father's head,he pretended to nod back off to sleep.Disheartened,Imani glanced down into his two shut lids.

In a flash,they were open and he surpised her with a single,deep-voiced word he boomed at her."Boo!"

"Yikes!"

She tried to escape but her father pinned her down docilely with one paw and used the other to poke just slightly at her underarm,causing Imani to squeal out with laugther,the familiar tingling sensation going through her body.At long last,she was able to shove his paw off but not before leaping onto his now retreating arm.

"What's this?The catch of the day?"He stated with feigned surprise,his eyes comically becoming enlargened.

Myron brought his daugther closer to him and nuzzled his pink nose against the side of her face,in which she returned the sign of affection by pushing hers up against his muzzle,releasing a contented humming of purr before Imani felt herself being moved away from him and then felt the soft earth make contact with her paws.

"Just becareful,"he warned her,his voice and eyes marked by firmness."I don't want you wandering too far."

Imani nodded understandingly."Got it,Papa.Becareful,don't wander off too far and go hunting by myself."

She hadn't gotten much distance away when she heard him call out loudly."What was that last one,Imani?"

"Don't wander off too far."Was her smug reply over her shoulder and then she headed out,undaunted.

Myron watched on gravely,recalling past events that had lead up to the demise of his wife before Imani could even remember but he trusted her.Even long after she had ran off to play and roam,he knew that she kept her word and that she would without a doubt keep come home.Suddenly tired again,the tiger resumed his sleep.

To Be Continued...

Last A/N:Just to be clear,the pronunciation of these new characters are as follows:Ceree (Sa-ear-ra-e),for Tanasu it's (Ta-nah-sue),Rashow it's (Raw-sha-ow) and Imani (A-man-e) which means 'Faith'.The story will pick up with the two cubs meeting and then the real plot going in motion.Thanks for reading thus far.

LP