Sarabi was kept busy with the unexpected two cubs. They fed every few hours and slept the rest of the time. She and Klania, another first time mother, had food brought back to them to supply milk for the young cubs. It wasn't long before the cubs were walking and talking for themselves.
And the twins spent almost every minute together. You could barley tell them apart, except for the fact that Simba was bigger and Kiera was leaner. They acted as identical twins did, one got hurt the other cried, one started talking the other finished. Nala, a cub born around the same time as the twins, found in them great friends. This morning though Nala was sleeping in and the twins had something important to do.
"Kiera! Wake up!" Simba nudged his twin and she stirred. Kiera groggily shook her head.
"What now?"
"Dad's going to show us the kingdom today remember!" Simba said excitedly.
Kiera's eyes opened bright and her sleepiness disappeared. The twins leapt one after another over the other Lions to the huge male lion in the back.
"Dad! Dad!" Simba kept repeating over and over as they ran. Mufasa mumbled something to Sarabi then went back to sleeping. Simba backed up and rammed his father. Kiera shook her and yelled out, "Dad! You promised!"
Mufasa opened one sleepy eye and assured his children, "alright, alright. I'm up, I'm up." Simba and Kiera cheered and jumped outside while their father gave a huge yawn. Kiera leaped onto a high ledge just outside as Sarabi and Mufasa came outside fallowed by Simba. Simba twirled around his mothers legs before joining his father and twin out on the far of Pride Rock.
Father, son, and daughter stood gazing out across the landscape.
"Everything the light touches is our kingdom. A king's time as ruler, rises and falls like he sun. One day Simba the sun will set on my time and rise with you as the new king." Mufasa said.
"What will I be Dad?" Kiera asked.
"Well, you'll help me of course!" Simba said brightly.
Mufasa gave a smile.
Simba turned back to the landscape, "wow everything. What about that shadowy place."
"You must never go there, that's beyond our borders." Mufasa shook his great head, "come walk with me children."
For a while no one talked. As they passed a bolder the smell of rotting flesh rose to meet the twin's noses. Kiera asked, "what happens when we die?"
"Our bodies are eaten by the antelopes and such."
"But don't we eat the antelopes Dad?" Simba replied.
"Yes but when we die, our bodies become the grass and the antelopes eat the grass, and so we are all connected in the great Circle of Life." Mufasa said.
"Good morning sire!"
The twins jumped.
"Good morning Zazu," Mufasa replied calmly.
"The morning report…" Zazu said begin to recite the news of the Pridelands. Simba and Kiera looked at each other and rolled their eyes. From nearby a cricket chirped gaining the females interest.
The cricket jumped and Kiera pounced at it. The cricket jumped away just as Kiera's paws met the ground.
Mufasa turned to his daughter, "what are you doing?"
"Pouncing." Samba answered.
"Let an old pro show you how." Mufasa faced Zazu and crouched low to the ground. With his paw he gently lowered Kiera closer to the ground. "Stay low, to the ground." Simba copied his sister's movement.
Zazu stopped talking and turned around slowly. "Simba? Mufasa?" Kiera suddenly jumped at the Hornbill pinning him. She strut away proudly while Mufasa and Simba laughed.
"Important news from the underground." A mole saluted.
"Hyenas! In the Pridelands!" Zazu cried.
"Take them home." Mufasa ordered running away.
Simba growled, "we never get-"
"To go anywhere!" Kiera finished.
"Don't worry, why when your king you'll be able to chase those mangy, stupid poachers from dawn till dusk." Zazu assured.
"What dose a-"
"A hyena look like?" the twins asked.
"They look like ugly, gray dogs with hair on their necks." Zazu ranted.
Bored Kiera jumped past her brother and gave him a mischievous smile. He grinned and leaped ahead. Kiera began to run and Simba soon after.
"Children wait for me!" Zazu called. The children did not wait and they certainly did not slow.
"Race ya!" they both cried as they ran to pride rock. As they ran to Uncle Scar's den they tumbled and fell on each other.
"Hey Uncle Scar-"
"guess what?" the twins asked.
"I despise guessing games," Scar grumbled.
"Dad just showed us the whole kingdom-"
"and I'm gonna rule it all." Simba finished.
"Oh goody." Scar toppled over onto his side.
Simba and Kiera ran to him and Simba put his paws on Scar's mane. "Uncle Scar when I'm king-"
"What will you be?" Kiera asked.
"A monkey's uncle."
Simba rolled off and Kiera laughed. "You're so weird," the twins chorused.
"You have no idea." Scar smiled. "So," he said sitting up, "daddy showed you the kingdom. What about beyond the northern border?"
"Well-"
"No." Kiera said sadly.
"And he's absolutely right! An elephant graveyard is no place for the royal twins-whoops!" Scar clamped his paw over his mouth.
"An-"
"Elephant what?!" Kiera's eyes lit.
Scar gathered his niece and nephew close, "now promise me you'll never go to that dreadful place."
"We-"
"Promise." the twins lied.
"Now run along and remember it's our little secret."
The cubs ran away and they shared the same mischievous look.
