The Lion Guard

I Still Believe

Chapter I

Life in the wilderness away from the Pride Lands were difficult for Kiongozi and Fuli. There wasn't much to hunt as food. Fuli was the one who stood for the hunting, since she was the most agile and The Fastest to catch the prey.

She had caught up on to two antelopes there were standing and eating. She crept up on them and got ready to sprint but her exhausted legs failed her. The antelopes quickly saw her and ran away. Fuli sighed and had to return empty handed to a starving lion.

"Got anything?" Kion asked. He was laying in the dirt looking all weakened.

"No," she replied sadly. "There is nothing to eat or hunt in this forsaken desolated place."

Kion gave her a sad smile, meaning that it was not her fault.

"If this is going to work, Kion I need your help as well," she said. "I can't do this on my own all the time."

"I though you loved to hunt alone?" he teased.

Fuli gave him a disappointing look. "You do know that you also need to help, if we are going to live together," she pointed out.

"I know, Fuli. It's just I miss home, even Zuri and Tiifu," he said without thinking of how Fuli would interpretant his answer.

"I be going and look if I can get anything for dinner," she said.

"Be my guest," kion replied as he watched the king cheetah walk away.

Fuli walked out on the open savanna, and had no intention on hunting anything. She just walked in the wilderness with her head bend down in grief.

How could she had been so blind and foolish. Of course, Kion wanted an offspring and she could not grant him that wish. If he wanted a cub he had to seek out another mate. Fuli shed a tear and pitied herself for being so blind.

Evening felt over the vast savanna. Fuli had manage to catch two rabbits for dinner. Kion was thrilled that his love had managed to catch something. He swallowed he's meal and then laid beside Fuli to sleep. She laid herself beside Kion and tugged herself close against his body to feel his love.

After a while Fuli woke up and watched the sleeping lion. She though at what Kion had said earlier and watched by with grief. Kion did also wake up and gazed into the emerald eyes that belonged to his love. He gave her a lick on the snout and nuzzled himself against her, indicating that everything would be all right.

Next morning Fuli was out hunting. She tried very hard to forget about yesterday but the words were still in her mind. She didn't notice where she was going, until she heard a cry. Her ears immediately got attracted by the sound and she sniffed the ground trying to get the scent of the animal in distress.

She had her body bend down in case she would be spotted by any unwanted predators. The noise became louder and Fuli came to a desolated place, but it wasn't completely desolated. Out on the field a little cheetah cup sat curled together and cried.

Fuli eyes turned big, and she began to walk carefully towards the cub. She was on guard for any attacks or if the cub mother suddenly should return. She laid herself down beside the crying cup and stroked a paw across its grey mane.

"What's wrong sweetie? Are you all alone?" she tried to say it in a motherly tone. She could not believe that she just used the word sweetie. What was she? its mother or something?

The cheetah cub stopped crying and looked into Fuli's face.

"I don't know where my mummy is!" the cub cried. It was a girl.

"Did she just leave you all by yourself?" Fuli asked out of curiosity. The cub was much younger than she was when she had to stand on her own paws.

"She said I was strong enough to handle myself!" she whimpered. "I can't do this. I haven't learned to hunt."

Fuli face got filled with pity and anger. How could any mother leave their cub out in the wilderness all alone? Suddenly the cub got up and walked into Fuli's chest and nuzzled herself into her. Fuli eyes turned big in confusion. How could a cub that she didn't knew get attached to her so quickly? Fuli looked down curiously at the cub that had curled itself into a fur ball into her fathom. Fuli gazed concerned out over the field. If the cub mum did not return and fed her milk she would die, unless…

Fuli looked down on the cub, and then she gazed concerned out over the field again. Then determined but nervous, she gave the cub a lick on the head and across the grey mane. She was official in the mode of transferring her scent over to the cub. The little cheetah cub immediately began to purr by the gentle licks. She looked up at Fuli with a sad smile.

"What's your name little one?" Fuli asked.

"My name is Tasha," she replied.

"I know this is a bit too quick, Tasha, but would you like me to take your mothers place because she doesn't seem to come back?" Fuli asked concerned.

"Y-you really want to be my mum?" she asked.

"Hey kid, you don't seem to have any other cheetahs there seems to want you," said Fuli in her tomboy tone.

"I wouldlove to. Do you have any other cubs?" she asked.

Fuli took her jaw around the cub and swung her on top of her back.

"No. I can't have cups with the mate I have," she replied.

"You stay together with a cheetah? You should find another one, if you want cubs. Cheetahs can have many different mates," Tasha cockily asked.

"My mate is not one I want to leave. I want to be with him. Now he also have to take the rola as a father," Fuli said.

"I believe he must be an excellent cheetah, then," Tasha said happily.

Fuli laughed and began to walk away.

"He is not exactly a cheetah," she pridefully said.

Kion awaited Fuli's homecoming patiently. Fuli had always been best at hunting in the morning than later on the day. Kion was getting a bit worried. Fuli said yesterday that he also should help getting food. How was he supposed to do that? He would make a fool of himself if he tried to hunt with her.

Fuli came out of the tall grass with a satisfied smile across her face. Kion was sure that she had finally caught a prey.

"You got anything today?" he teased.

"Not quite," she teased back. "I have a surprise for you."

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

Fuli turned her body sideways, so that the little cheetah cub got revealed to Kion. She had a nervous smile on her face. Kion face went utterly pale. Fuli had brought a cub home.

Fuli face looked concerned. She had just given Kion a cub. It was what he had wanted in a long time, but why did he then look so worried.

"what's wrong, Kion," Fuli asked nervously.

"You want us to eat a cub?" asked Kion shocked.

Fuli gave him a confused look and sat her bum in the ground making Tasha tumble down her back. How could Kion say something like that? She had found a cub that they could raise together.

"I thought You wanted a cub, Kion?" Fuli asked embarrassed and heart broken.

"What have given you that crazy idea?" Kion replied very confused.

"You said yesterday that you missed Zuri and Tiifu, so I thought that you wanted a lioness that could give you want you wanted. A cub," Fuli sheepishly confessed.

Kion sighed very deeply. Now it all made sense to him. Fuli thought that he wanted cubs and he knew that if he mated with her it wouldn't give her the opportunity to get pregnant.

"ooohh, Fuli. You misunderstood me. I miss everyone at home. Even them I don't like that much. It was not a prayer to indicate that I wanted a cub. I know that we can't have but at least we could try but I didn't want to presser you if you weren't ready, yet" said Kion.

"I have given you plenty of signals that I want to mate with you Kion," she whimpered. "ohh, Kiongozi, what are we going to do?"

Kion moved closer to her and stroked his paw against her cheek and down her back. Fuli immediately broke into tears and snuggled her body into Kion warm chest. Kion stroked his paw up into Fuli's back mane. She began to purr by the gentle strokes.

"Now that's a sound I haven't heard you make in a long time," Kion teased.

Fuli looked up into Kion's eyes. Tears were still trickling down her cheeks.

"I haven't had much to be happy about in a long time," she sobbed.

"We got each other, sweetie," Kion said and nuzzled his head into Fuli's face.

Tasha watched the happy couple and faced that she would never be a part of this family. No one wants an orphan. The perfect couple didn't want a burden, so Tasha began to walk away.

"Now where do you think you're going young lady?" Kion asked.

Kion pulled his jaw around her body and sat her in Fuli's fathom. Kion gave her a loving lick, indicating that he too, had accepted the little cub into their small pride.

"So, what can I call you, little one?" asked Kion.

"Tasha," she whimpered.

Fuli gave Tasha a lick and snuggled her close into her fathom.

"Well, welcome to our family, Tasha," said Kion while he looked pridefully at his new family.