DISCLAIMER – I do not own The Lion King or any of its characters. They belong to Disney. But all the characters not appearing in the movies by Disney belong to me, like Nivio (Loner), Kinja, Roho and others who will appear later in this story, like Kuoni, Nakemi, Enia, Jamili and Chuki. In case any of the latter names are already taken, please inform me.

AUTHOR'S NOTE – Hi there! BeeKay84 is back at FFN! Those who read my story The Lion King 3: Don't Defy Destiny probably still know me. Since TLK3D was finished, I've been concentrating more on fanart, as I wanted to illustrate my characters from that story. I was always planning on this story at the same time, but it took me long to get enough ideas, let alone to write it. My free time (away from University) is still pretty scarce, but I hope it'll be enough to write and upload the chapters of this story in not too long intervals.
To those who expected a sequel to my TLK3D: Sorry, I haven't thought enough about that yet. But this is a prequel, so to say. I've been intensly thinking about Loner and his hard life before he met Lina & Takita. There had been many traumatizing events in his cubhood which he partly didn't quite remember and some he never talked about (before he became Lina's mate and the future King of the Pridelands). So, this is the story for all those of you who loved this character in my first fanfic. Hope you enjoy. ;)

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NIVIO: THE CUBHOOD OF LONER

Chapter One: New Lives

The sun had already disappeared behind the mountains far away from the jungle. It always got dark pretty fast here, as the jungle was surrounded by many high mountains and covered by numerous large trees and plants. This place looked so beautiful at sunset, so romantic. But at night, it somehow lost its beauty and got depressing and cold. On the very top of one of the many large rock formations, with small streams of water falling down into the lake underneath, there lay a sand-colored lioness on her right side. It was one and the same rock formation where, many years ago, Simba and Nala, King and Queen of the Pridelands, had discovered their feelings towards each other for the first time.

Kinja, the lioness lying there, sighed at the thought of the King and Queen and the Pridelands. After all those years that had passed, she still wondered if it had been a mistake to leave. She still remembered that time, as if it had been only the day before.

-xX Flashback Xx-

It was about half a year after the downfall of Zira and the reconciliation between the two Prides. War turned into peace, two Prides turned into one, enemies turned into friends. But could the Pridelands turn into their new home? Sure, they had everything they needed: A warm place to sleep, more than enough water and food. But something was missing. Kinja felt an emptiness deep inside, and she knew why. But she wasn't able to say it aloud. She knew what she was missing, but she couldn't find an explanation for why it was missing.

One day, she lay at the waterhole in the warm noon sun. As she watched some cubs of the Pride play with each other, her mate Roho approached her and asked: "Kinja, dear, what's wrong with you?"

Kinja lifted her head to look into her wonderful mate Roho's emerald green eyes. She sighed and put her head down on her paws again. "Nothing," she replied. "Why should there be anything wrong with me?"

"Well, it looks like there is. You're sad about something. What is it, darling?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

Roho sighed and bent down to nuzzle her. "I know something's troubling you. You have to talk to me, Kinja. It won't get better if you don't tell me. You know, I'm gonna try anything to make it better."

Kinja still didn't answer. Roho nudged her and suggested: "Let's go somewhere where we can talk in private, okay?"

Finally, Kinja got up on her paws and followed him to the small cave underneath Pride Rock. They just sat there in silence for a while. Roho looked at her, expecting her to speak first. Kinja looked away on the ground with a sad expression in her face. And as some tears started welling up in her water blue eyes, she started: "Roho, I don't know why, but I don't really think I belong here. I just don't feel well. I thought, after half a year at the latest, everything would be fine, but it isn't."

Roho didn't really understand: "Well, it might still be a little unaccustomed, but I think we've got everything we need: Food, water, a place to sleep, good friends, a good leader. Maybe you just still need a little more time."

Kinja finally sobbed: "Roho, I want to have cubs. I just don't know why I'm not pregnant yet. But I can't be happy in this place without having a little family. Sure, we're together, and I love you, but I want to have cubs."

Roho nodded. "If that's what you want, I'll do anything to make you happy. Maybe it's best if we really spent some time alone, some place else."

Kinja sniffed. Then she smiled a little bit and said: "Then we only need to ask our King for permission to leave."

Suddenly came a voice behind them: "Why do you want to leave?" It was their good friend Kovu, Prince of the Pridelands, just returning from the water hole.

Kinja turned around to a confused Kovu and said: "Well, Kovu, I… I'm sorry, but you know. We… we just don't really know if we belong here."

Kovu replied: "That's sad. I'd really miss you. And I don't really understand, I thought everyone feels at home here by now."

Kinja didn't know what to tell him, so Roho answered for her: "We would just like to spend some time… alone. You know?"

Kovu smiled and said: "Oh, I see. I felt the same way right before the war. All I wanted was to be together with Kiara. But running away wouldn't have been the right way."

"We're not running away," Kinja quickly explained. "I mean, maybe we'll return some day. I wouldn't want to leave my best friends, you and Vitani, forever."

"Well, that'd be fine. But still, I'd miss you." Kovu paused for a little while and then turned around, saying: "Come on, let's ask Simba right away. I'll put in a good word for you with him. But I'm sure he'll allow it. After all, he's not Zira, is he?"

-xX End of Flashback Xx-

A long time had passed since then. Kinja and Roho had been at many different places in the past few years. They had spent quite some time alone and with other prides, even with other species, like a few months ago, when they stayed with a clan of cheetahs. But they never had found the right place to be. Now in the jungle, Kinja still didn't feel entirely happy. But soon she would. She lifted her head up from the ground and smiled as she watched the movements of her large belly. Here in the jungle, she finally got pregnant. And now her cub was due any day. She could feel every little movement of the cub inside her. And with every movement, she felt a little bit happier.

At that moment, her mate Roho came back to her. Ever since they found out about her pregnancy, he did the hunting in her stead. He was not a very good hunter, but he still was able to feed both of them. After he put his prey down on the ground, he smiled: "Hey darling, how are you doing?"

Kinja warmly smiled back and said: "I'm fine, my love. Just a little tired is all."

"But you're fine, that's the most important thing." He pointed at the prey and asked: "Don't you want to eat something?"

Kinja shook her head and replied: "No, thank you, darling. I'm too tired to eat. And I'm not hungry. Just eat as much as you want."

"Aren't you supposed to eat for two?" Roho laughed.

Kinja chuckled a bit, then they nuzzled each other lovingly, and Kinja gently licked his check. She looked at her belly again and sighed contently: "I can't wait for our cub to be born."

"Neither can I," Roho smiled. "After all, don't you think that our new lives are turning out wonderful?"

Kinja's smile disappeared as she looked out into the darkness around them. She still thought that this place had a kind of depressing appearance at night. During the day, the jungle always looked so bright and full of life. She loved how the sun fell through the large branches and shone on the water. But at night, even the water seemed to be standing still.

Roho finally noticed her glance and asked again: "Don't you think, darling?"

Kinja quickly turned her head to look at him again and said: "Yes, I… I do. I like how our lives are turning out. But… to be honest, Roho, I don't know if I really like this place."

Roho looked a little worried now: "Why not?"

"I don't know," Kinja replied. "It's just…" She shook her head and tried to smile again: "It's nothing of importance. Like you said, our new lives are turning out great. I mean, there's one good reason for me to like this place…" And with that she joyously looked at her stomach.

Roho nuzzled her and said: "I'm sure this new life is going to be just as wonderful…"

-xXOXx-

The next morning, Kinja awoke with a heavy pain in her belly. First, she thought she had a bad dream. She was still so drowsy that she didn't realize what was going on. But when the pain didn't stop, she clenched her teeth and tried to get up. Then she gasped. Of course, the cub was coming! She roared in pain when another contraction came.

Roho was startled by this. He got up on his shaky paws, his eyes flew open and he looked all about him. "Kinja?" Just now he noticed his mate was still lying next to him, wincing in pain. "Kinja, what happened?"

Kinja breathed heavily and uttered: "The cub…"

"The cub? It's coming? Oh dear, what am I supposed to do? I don't know what to do!" he nearly panicked.

Kinja hissed through her pain: "You should've thought about that earlier…"

Roho tried to calm down and soothed her: "Okay, darling, it's okay. Just try to breathe slower. That's what I learned from the cheetahs. You have to breathe slowly."

Kinja tried to do so. After quite a few minutes, the contractions weren't so bad any more. Kinja gulped and nodded: "Okay… I guess I can do this…"

It still took several hours until the contractions started again. The sun fell in through the trees, climbing higher, leaving a beautiful shine on the water beneath them. Kinja was ready to give birth. She pushed and breathed and pushed and breathed… Roho just held her paw and watched in awe, almost unable to move. Kinja clenched her teeth and pushed once again. Finally, the tiny cub slid out of her. She was totally exhausted, but she intuitively proceeded. And soon, she held her new born cub in her paws and licked it clean. Only by now, Roho was able to move again. He beamed at both of them.

When Kinja had finished cleaning her cub, she looked at it closely. Then she smiled and looked up at Roho: "You know what? It's a boy."

Roho's eyes filled with tears of joy as he whispered: "Our son. Welcome, little one." He nuzzled Kinja and gently licked the cub's tiny head.

"He's wonderful!" Kinja said. "He looks almost like you." The fur of the small cub had a tan color, a little brighter than Roho's. Unlike Roho, his muzzle and belly were sand-colored. Until now, the cub had held his right front paw above the left one. But now he yawned and moved his tiny paws up in the air.

"Aww, just look at that," Kinja noticed. Now they saw that just the tip of the cub's left front paw was sand-colored, too.

"That's very special, I think," Roho said.

After yawning, the little cub blinked at Kinja and smiled. Kinja smiled back at her son. "And look at his eyes," she told her mate. "It's like a mixture of our eye colors." The cub's eyes had a lighter green color than Roho's eyes, and with light blue spots in them.

Roho nuzzled his mate and purred: "He's so adorable. How are we gonna call him?"

Kinja thought for a little while. "How about Nivio? My mother Nanivia's nickname was Nivi, I like the sound of it."

Roho nodded. "Nivio. That's a beautiful name."

Kinja sighed, she was both happy and exhausted. So was her son who napped in her paws with a smile on his cute little face. As Roho lay down beside her, Kinja looked at the jungle around her. In the noon sun, it all looked so peaceful and romantic again. But something troubled her again. Normally, she got this strange feeling about this place only at night. She didn't know why she felt it right now. To forget about it, she looked at her sleeping son in her paws and listened to his purring. But while listening, she also heard something else. And when she looked down, over the edge of the rock they were lying on, she knew what it was that troubled her.

"Roho," she started. "I don't really think this place is safe enough for our little Nivio. We're too high above the ground, and with all that water around…"

Roho nodded and soothed her: "I understand what you mean. We will look for another place to stay as soon as you've regained your strength, is that okay?"

Kinja agreed. But she wanted to make sure not to endanger her cub's safety right away. So, Roho helped her turn around, facing away from the edge of the rock. Kinja and Roho lay there, side by side, holding their son close. Only minutes later, the little family was asleep, in the middle of the quiet jungle and in the middle of a beautiful day.

End of Chapter One

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AUTHOR'S NOTE – And thus begins the life of Nivio. I hope you liked this first chapter, though it was mostly about Kinja and Roho. The reason why it took me so long to start writing this story was that I really had no idea how to begin. I hope I found the right way to start. Those of you who read my story TLK3D probably know what's going to happen in the next chapter. There, you're gonna find out how it happened. And then, chapter three and all the chapters following are going to answer all the unanswered questions about Nivio's life before he met Lina and Takita. I don't know when I'll be able to get the next chapter done, but I hope it won't take too much time. Just be patient. Now, please leave a review and tell me what you think about this chapter. ;)

And by the way: I'm going to upload another little story right away, but don't be overjoyed, that story won't have anything to do with The Lion King. But of course, you can take a look at it, if you want. ;) It'll be about Disney's The Weekenders. As I said, the second chapter of this story's gonna take a little longer to be uploaded. So, be patient and see you then. ;)