Prologue


There is old saying. That the wises and strongest of souls are those who have seen and experienced both the greatest of joys in life and the greatest of grief in the times of sorrow and lived through them to only come out stronger in the end. But sometimes those strong wise souls don't even know how strong they can truly be, and while they hurt on the inside they put the best of smiles on for those they love the most. Remaining strong and happy for those they love rather then for themselves. Staying in an ever remaining state of life day through day…until something comes along to break that cycle.

Forcing them free.


Across the plains, and mountain ranges, the shadows of darkness slowly faded away as night faded into day. Light poured across the prospering plains of the Pride Lands, for the sun had risen for yet another day to greet the animals that started to rouse when morning's first light warmed them. As it grew higher in the sky, it cast its warm glow upon a great stone kopje that stood center in these lush green lands reaching high toward the sky.

Pride Rock.

Home to the Pride Lands only ruling pride. Its shadow stretching far across the grasslands as the sun beamed down upon it. Deep inside a den, a lone lioness pale tan in colour laid with her head resting upon her paws. Along side her laid four adolescent cubs, all resting with their heads laid out upon their mother's back having sought warmth from the cold during the night.

The only movement from the group was an occasional ear flick or paw kick that would hit one of the siblings who would kick back in their sleep.

As the morning light flooded the cave, washing over the lioness' face, dark emerald eyes opened only to squint at the source of light shining into them. Sakina raised her paw to cover her eyes to block out the offending light. It took her a moment to adjust to the light, then letting her paw drop back down to the ground she lifted her head to stare at the cave opening.

A small smile on her face.

Yet another day.

For a moment sadness washed over her looked at the spot opposite of her cubs. A sport where her mate should have been if he'd have lived. But sadly fate had thought to take him from her side just when she thought she would finally be getting him back and taking him from the lives of his cubs.

Cubs, she thought with a bigger smile. She looked upon her offspring that lay close to her. Her eyes filling with amusement at her two sons that laid with their paws close to each other and would give one another an occasional kick which would cause them both to grunt but not wake from their slumber. While her two daughters just snuggled close together while the rested as close to their mother as they possibly could. One's ears twitching while she dreamt.

Her four beautiful cubs. Two sons, two daughters. One boy favoured his Father's, Nuka's, grey fur, while one of her daughters was dark brown in colour with a grey underbelly while her last two cubs were tan in colour a tad bit darker then their own mother's.

Her angels.

If it weren't for them, she figured she'd gone insane with the loss of her beloved. But she had them to keep her going. It had been nearly two years since the war with the Outlanders that landed up with the Pride Lander pride growing in numbers as enemies became allies and fellow pride members. Two years since the death of Zira…two years since the death of her Nuka.

Over the those years the two prides, now one, had worked together to build a solid alliance. It had been rocky in the beginning, many stepping on egg shells around one another. But thing's had worked out in the end. Thing's strengthened with the mating of the Princess to the Outlander Prince and the birthing of their young cub, a son, who was a few months younger then Sakina's own litter.

Turning her heads from her cubs to peer at the cave entrance where the morning's light shined in bright. She sighed; guess it was time to get up though she wished she didn't have too. Her young ones were so much more peaceful when they were sleeping, she thought amusingly to herself.

Carefully she slipped out from beneath and away from her cubs that only groaned and mumbled curling up on the ground when their mother had gotten up. Shaking her head at the fact that they still did not stir, she took a moment to herself. Stretching out her sore aching muscles one by one by stretching first her entire body then her each of her legs.

Opening her mouth in a loud yawn, Sakina shook the leftover grogginess from her body. Then when she was sure she was fully awake, she glanced at her cubs debating on whether or not she should wake them up. They just looked so…peaceful sleep…and so…quiet. If she were Vitani, she would have probably let them continue sleeping since the lioness came to think that nap time since the cubs had been capable of walking was the best time of the day.

Sakina and the other lionesses had started jesting with the golden lioness that things with cubs got easier then you had your own. Which they all had bets going that she would one day come across someone who would give her the opportunity to become a mother rather then just an Aunt like she was now.

Something Vitani strongly disagreed on. Claiming she had enough with putting up with nieces and nephews. Why would she ever want cubs when she had that to put up with?

Sakina shook her head; there were moments she wondered if Vitani's stubbornness was hereditary. For it seemed to run in each of the three siblings, and while she hated to admit it Zira as well, and now it seemed even her own cubs were picking up on it. Although she betted to herself that it had something to do with loving to hang out with their aunt Vitani so much since the day they were born.

Her daughter, Enzi's first word had even Vitani's name. Of course it came out as "'Ani!" But they picked up on what she been trying to say for she'd been crawling toward Vitani when she had said it.

Sakina sighed and shook her head. Vitani had been rather smug for some time after that and didn't seem to let anyone forget that she been her nieces first word. Despite how much she loved to call them 'Little Demons' it was obvious that the lioness loved them. In her own…special way.

Drawing herself from her thoughts she looked toward her young ones again. Deciding it was best to wake them up. With the girls so close to coming of age, they would be soon having their first hunt. Something they been training months for. Everyday for some time it had been all that they been able to talk about. Each wanted to be as great a huntress as the rest of their beloved aunts and their mother.

Approaching her cubs, she reached out and first ran her paws over their heads. With her sons she fixed their growing manes. Still not fully grown in, but long enough on their heads and neck and patches on their chests. Both boys' manes were turning out to be black like their fathers but only one of her sons, Basi, seemed likely would have the same untidiness that Nuka's had.

Something that made her heart warm to know that both of her sons would take after their father in their own way.

Licking her paw and tempting to put so orderliness to her son's mane but as always failing. Sakina started nudging all four of them to get them to wake. "Alright you four, time to get up sleepy heads. It's a new day."

Blinking her brown eyes open tiredly, Enzi turned her head sluggishly to peer at her mother for a moment with a disgruntled look at being awakened from her 'beauty sleep'. Rolling onto her back she stretched out her legs above her. "But Mama, do we have too?" Yawning, the young lioness forced herself to roll back over and push herself up tiredly onto her paws.

Her eyes drooping while she tried to force herself to stay awake swaying on the spot a little as sleepiness tried to take over. Maybe if she just closed her eyes a bit her mother wouldn't notice and she could just nap sitting up.

Giving a little chuckle, Sakina approached her daughter. Sitting beside her, she began grooming Enzi who started to purr half awake and half asleep. They may be half way to being grown ups but Sakina wasn't about to let her cubs run around all dirty like. Her son's would run around half covered in mud if she didn't make them take baths. "Yes dear, can't be sleeping the entire day away now can we?"

Rubbing his eyes from where he still laid on the cave floor, Basi mumbled. "I wish we could." Groaning knowing there was no way his mother was going to let them go back to sleep, he moved to get up but let out a startled cry when he felt his mother grab him and pull him in next for a morning grooming. "Oh come on! Mom! Stop it!" Basi squirmed in a desperate attempt to pull away from her.

But it was no use, Sakina kept a good grip on her son. Having learned when he was younger how much her son despises bath time she had to learn to keep a strong grip on Basi. And now that he was older and could fight more against her, she held to hold on even stronger.

The only good thing was Basi did not wish to hurt his mother so never struggled too much that would make him go as far as hurting her.

But did that mean he liked it?

Nope.

In fact…"Mom!" He hollered ignoring his brother and sister's snickers as they all now up and awake sat back watching his dilemma. None willing to help him. To them, this was their morning entertainment that had become routine but didn't mean it wasn't any less funny as the morning before.

"Mom! Come on already I'm not a little cub anymore." Basi argued grumbling in relief when she finally let him go with one last lick on his head that messed up his mane more then it already was. Reaching up to rub it down the best he could then sigh when it once again stuck up all over the place.

He cast a glare at his siblings who laughed only to quiet when their mother gave them a stern look.

Licking her sons cheek Sakina gave him a warm smile. "It doesn't matter how old you get my son. You will always be my little cub." She purred while she watched her son roll his eyes. She shook her head, ah; there it was…his family's famous stubbornness. Although some would say they inherited it from her as well. She did not deny or agree to that theory.

Stepping around her cubs, she made her way to the back of the cave where she had stored some leftovers that the hunting party had brought back the previous day. Picking them up, she set them aside for her cubs to take which they were happy too while Sakina simply sat back and enjoyed her own morning meal.

But like always hers was always the smallest portion. Tending to give a lot more to her young ones when there wasn't always enough for all of them. They were still young and growing and needed it. While she was older and while still having some years left in her was capable of not needing as much food as they could.

After living through Scar's reign, Sakina had become accustomed to living off so very little food.

Even when the herds returned when Simba first became King all those years ago, Sakina still did not eat as much as many would think. Of course she ate more then she did as a cub growing up in the empty shadow lands. But never as much as she always made sure her cubs ate once they were weaned off milk and started on solid meats.

When she finished hers and made sure her cubs had eaten, she allowed them to head on out. "Be careful." She called after her sons as they hurried on out. Since they reached a year old they been accompanying both Simba and Kovu out into the Pride Lands to survey the borders and of course learn their important life lessons that only males could teach young lions or so that's what Simba claimed.

"Don't worry mom." Adimu smiled, grooming her dark brown fur. Her grey underbelly stood talk against the rest of her fur. But it didn't make her any less beautiful in her mother's eyes.

Both her daughters were beautiful.

"Yeah, the boys will be safe with Uncle Simba and Uncle Kovu." Enzi nodded her head agreeing with her sister. Both thought their mother worried about them far too much and wanted her to relax more then she did when it came to worrying about their safety.

"It's not them I'm worried about being safe." Sakina half lied. "It's your Uncle's who I worry about and the boys giving them trouble." She smiled as both girls laughed before giving their mother a nuzzle and a lick on her cheek each before they took headed on out of the den they used at the side of Pride Rock.

Watching them go, Sakina sat there in silence and sighed as sadness washed over her. For her cubs sake she always putted on a smile.

Though a lot had changed in the last two years…all good for the pride and her young ones. One thing never changed…and that was her broken heart. Every day she wished Nuka was there, even though he had visited and told her that he would always be watching over them and could see them everyday as they grew.

It didn't mean, she could not wish that he was there and that the cubs had their father. Oh, of course her boys had father figures. Simba and Kovu were great Father figures for her boys. They taught them well. But there were times she wished Nuka was the one teaching them like it should have been.

Bringing herself from her thoughts. She shook her head.

As Simba would tell her, there was no real point in living in the past.

But though that may be true. It didn't stop the pain that was still inside her every time she looked upon her cubs.

Pushing the thoughts to the back of her head, Sakina got to her paws and headed on out of the den to head to join the rest of the pride and greet the day with a best smile she could muster on her face.


This story will be written along my other story. Which takes me a bit longer to write due to the amount of longer chapters so I can stretch time across it.

Hope you enjoyed.

Wow seven years in the making for this. And I wouldn't have written it if Tron didn't wish for me too. So those who want this story you have him to thank for this sequel and little crossover with his characters he's lending me. As he pointed out this happened to be one of my lighter stories where my others have darker themes. But I enjoy writing dark themes so be prepared for some.