Kovu's POV
"Hey Simba wait up!" I call. We were racing to the watering hole and he was beating me,...- dramatically.
"Well come get some!" he called back. I raced forward and before the edge of the tall grass I pounced and knocked Simba in the , I fell in too. But we got out laughing anyway.
"Dude that was awesome!" he said shaking off on shore.
"Haha I know right..." I faded out to where I didn't finish my sentence. Something caught my eye; smoke was rising in the horizon. In the outlands. And the tops of the grass were moving like someone was running through them. I went to go see what it was, and Simba followed.
"Whats wrong-Oh gosh! Hey whats that? Lets go check it out..." he said timidly. And we started walking toward the moving grass.
Vitani's POV
I wake up to the smell of smoke burning up my nose. I bolt up and run. I run as fast as my legs carry me. I feel my bangs bouncing up and down as I run. A burning tree falls in my path and I make a quick turn. I skid to a stop and turn again to dodge another tree. I am crossing the log-bridge to cross the pridelands as I feel it shaking under my weight. I look behind me and the fire is burning the edge of the tree. I bolt strait forward and don't look back. I am in a field of tall grass. Now I am at top speed and heading toward Pride Rock. My lungs are burning and my sides are stinging. I see grass in front of me a little ways moving so somebody saw me coming and are coming to see whats up. I try to skid to a stop but I can't and slide head-first into another cub. I fall to the ground, and then everything goes black.
I am being carried when I wake up. The two cubs I saw were walking in front of this lion who was carrying me. It was a lioness considering how gently they were carrying me. I lift up my head to try to get a better look at the cubs.
"Please put your head down dear, I can't see." said a quite pleasant voice. So I obeyed. "What is your name dear?" she continued.
Vitani ma'am." I said as best I could considering she held me in her mouth by my stomach.
"Oh no need for the ma'am. Just call me Sarabi." said the lioness.
"Okaayyy..." I said mentally saving the name. We are outside the mouth of the den now. She puts me down.
"Stay here. I am going to go get Mufasa." she says.
"Ok." I say as she walks in.
"So who are you?!" asked a girl cub.
"Depends. Who are you?" I say giving her a smart elicky look.
"I asked you first!" she said.
"Awww do we always get what we want first?" I said talking in a baby voice pouting my bottom lip.
"No! I asked you first! Now answer the question!"
"Geez Nala! Chill! It's not like she's gonna take your boyfriend!" said the cub I ran into before I blacked out.
"She might!" she exclaimed.
"Nala huh? Ok I'm Vitani." I say.
"Ugh! Kovu!" she said exasperated.
"Whaaat?" he asked. But she just stomped off.
"Okaayyy? Is she always like this?" I asked.
"Noooo not usually. She's usually with Simba. That's her boyfriend by the way." he said watching her go.
"Oookkkkaaay? And sorry I ran into you. It's hard to see in the tall grass, so I didn't see you." I apologized.
"It's fine. It is hard to see in there. That's why Simba and I were in there. We like to explore in there." he said looking at me.
"Cool. So umm... I don't really know your name. Kovu? Is that it?" I asked. His eyes were gorgeous. I couldn't stop looking into them, getting mezmerized.
"Heh yea that's me!" he said. "I didn't quite get yours. Victoria? Viola? I don't know!" he added.
"Haha! Vitani!" I corrected laughing.
"Oh. Yea. Heh I knew that! I was just trying to see if you remembered. You know after you hit your head. On mine. And stuff." he said trying to look cool.
"Haha yeeeaaaa. Ooookaayy." I said sarcastically, while laughing.
"What? You think I'm lyin'?" he said cocking his head in a smart jokingly way.
"Haha. I never said that." I said rolling my eyes then laughing.
"Okay you two Mufasa wants to speak with Vitani. Come this way dear." said Sarabi pointing with her paw. Kovu and I looked at each other with a nervous glance, and I walked in the den.
"Ah, Vitani. Sit please." he gestured toward a spot in front of him. He was HUGE! Man now I know what a mouse feels like!
"You wanted to see me sir?" I said in a clear voice trying not to let it quiver.
"Yes. I am very interested in your story. Please tell me." he said laying down, but keeping his head up he watched me as I talked.
"Well sir. I woke up this morning and I was surrounded by smoke. I ran. I ran to, well, anywhere to escape the flames. The last option was to cross the bridge to the Pridelands. Even then I ran. And I ran into your cubs Kovu and Simba. Literally. I went head first into Kovu. Heh, sorry. -" he chuckled to himself when I said that- "-I passed out after that from hyperventilation and I woke up in Miss Sarabi's mouth when she was carrying me here." I concluded.
"Ok. I am sorry your home burned, but I am sure you know the consequences for entering the Pridelands?" he eyed me curiously.
I sighed, "Yes sir." I looked down expecting the worst.
"But I will not sentence you to death. It is not in my nature. Especially in this circumstance. You can stay with the pride or go back to your old home. Your choice." he said sitting up on his haunches.
"If I may sir, I would like to stay. I have no family. So I want to find another. One I can actually be happy with."
"Very well. You may stay. But cause any problems and you will be back in the outlands, you hear me?" he looked at me with one eyebrow raised in a quizzical fashion.
"Yes sir!" I said happily, and bounded out of the den.
"Kovu, Simba, and Nala were all waiting outside the den.
""Ssoooo? What did he say?" asked Simba anctiously.
"He said I can stay!" I said excitedly jumping up and down.
"Yaaaaayyy" said Nala sarcastically.
"Nala! Cheer up! Just think of all the girly stuuf you can talk about-!"
"Umm no. No stupid girly crap for me. I'd rather fight playfight whatever you guys call it with the boys." for some reason the boys started laughing, while on the other side Nala was glaring at them.
"Hahaha ok then! We got ourselves a fiesty one boys!" said another that had just come up behind Nala.
"Oh hey Kopa!" said Kovu. Kopa and Simba did a little fist bump thing then he and Kovu did it. He walked over and handed out hhis paw.
"I'm Kopa. What's your name?"
"Vitani." I said not taking his paw. He put his paw back down and sat down by Kovu.
"Well okay then!" he said. I just smirked.
"Haha! Good luck tryin' to charm this one!" said Simba laughing.
"Hah hah yeaaa." he said looking down.
"Ok. So you say you can fight. Come at me little kitty." said Kovu smirking.
"Okay. On three. One...two... THREE!" I pounced and slapped him to the ground. I spun around donkey-kicked him back down when he tried to get up. I turned around and he was on his feet again and pounced on me. He pinned me to the ground and was growling in my face, slightly smirking. Then I smirked and he looked confused, then I kick him off and over behind me.
I quickly got up and turned around and pounced my front paws pushing his shoulders back slamming him to the ground with a loud thuuump!
"One thing to know about me; Don't, call me Kitty!" I snarled in his face. They all did their rounds of 'Ooooo's' and 'Ooouuuch!'s. Even Nala flinched a little when I kicked him and slammed him into the ground.
He snarled in my face. Our noses were ,like, an inch apart now.
"Kiss her Kovu!" cheered Kopa, who was now on his feet. We looked at him, then back at each other.
"Heh." breathed Kovu. I wrinkled my nose and stepped on his face and got off him.
"Come on Vitani! Kiss 'im!" Kopa just wont let it go. Simba and Nala were watching intently.
"No." I said flatly. And I turned around and walked down the rock steps. Kopa caught up and was trotting alongside me. Man! Will this guy forget it?!
"Go. Away." I warned.
"Coommee oooonnnn! Just a little peck on the lips?" he pleaded.
"My answer is no. And if you like your nose on your face I suggest you shut up about it." I threatened.
"Vitani." he stopped in front of me and faced me. "If not him then who? If not now when?" he asked.
"Okay umm no one and never." I stated. I went around him toward the watering hole.
"Ugh! You are so stubborn!" he complained.
"Thats another thing you'll learn about me!" I called over my shoulder.
"Vitani!" called a girl's voice. I was at the watering hole now and I was getting a drink when Nala padded up.
"You don't like me remember?" I said irritably.
"Whatever! Anyway why didn't you kiss him?!" she looked at me like I was crazy.
"Because I barely know him and He could be a complete wacko!" I exclaimed.
"Haha well he's not! He would be my second choice but Simba is just perfect!" she said.
"Ok. Aaannnndd?" I say sitting on my haunches.
"HE LIKES YOU! He doesn't like just anybody you know! A ton of girls have flirted with him and he's rejected all of them! And he's the one flirting with YOU!" she said facing me.
"Well maybe I don't like him in that way!" I shot at her.
"Are you kidding me?! I saw the way you looked at him! You like him!" she stated.
"So what if I do or don't?!" I asked getting agrivated to where this conversation was going.
"Oooo so you dooo like him?" she scooted closer and listened intently to what I was going to say next.
"Fine! So what?!" I was getting REALLY tired of this conversation REALLY fast.
"Ooooooo! Okay I will go to him. I'll ask him how much he likes you on a scale of one to ten. Then, I'll come back and tell you!" she planned aloud.
"Fine but I am sleeping out here by the watering hole tonight." I said.
"Umm no your not! Come sleep with us tonight. We'll get it all figured out tomorrow." she said and she walked off.
"Umm, Vitani?" said a voice coming from the grass behind me a little while later.
"Hmm?" I grunted looking up. I had forgotten to go to Nala's den tonight, so it was already dark. I had fallen asleep.
"Oh. Sorry. Did I wake you up?" said Kovu sitting down beside me.
"No. Not really." I got up and stretched and sat down.
"Oh. Ok. Can I ask you something?" he asked looking at me.
"Ummm o-kaayyy?" I said.
"I really like you. But I just don't want you to not like me. You haven't really gotten to know me yet, or the lands. So I thought maybe I could show you around tomorrow? And, you know, get to know each other a little more. What do you say?" he asks. I think about his offer for a while.
"Okay. But don't you dare call me kitty again." I say. He chuckles a little.
"Okay I won't! It's kinda cold out tonight. You wanna sleep with me tonight?" he asks.
"I'm fine here." I answer. I curl up and my front leg was pressed against his front paws. I looked up at him and he was smiling. He curled up and put his arm around me, making me scoot closer to him. My back was pressed up against his stomach. It felt awkward at first but I soon got used to his warmth and went to sleep.