Chapter III
Meanwhile at Pride Rock, the entire pride was observing Kovu and Kiara's new cubs- Prince Kimba and Princess Kayla.
"Oh Kiara! They are adorable!" Timon gushed.
"You did a good job today." Nala told her daughter with pride.
"You did too, Kovu." Simba told his son-in-law. "I think you will make a great king."
"Thank you Simba, but I don't think I will make a great king." Kovu replied. "I haven't done anything great yet."
"I'm sure you will someday." Simba assured him.
This peaceful moment ended abruptly when Vitani ran into the cave, panting.
"Simba! Kovu! Hyenas!" she gasped.
"Hyenas? Where?" Simba demanded.
"In the Pride Lands!" the exhausted lioness wheezed. "Coming here!"
Kovu turned to the former king and asked, "This isn't a good thing…is it?"
Simba sighed and replied, "You have no idea," unintentionally quoting one of his evil uncle's phrases.
Within a few minutes, Shenzi, Banzai and Ed arrived at Pride Rock.
"Hello, Kovu," Shenzi greeted the new king. "And Simba." she later added.
"What are you doing here?" Kovu growled.
"We decided to show our friends the Pride Lands!" Banzai answered.
"What friends?" Simba inquired.
"Hmm… It appears that Vitani didn't tell you about the…extra hyenas." Shenzi snickered, looking over to the shaking lioness.
"Heh, heh, heh." Ed chortled.
Kovu and Simba followed Shenzi to the edge of Pride Rock. They soon almost wished they hadn't. From there, they could see thousands of hyenas scattered across the Pride Lands, catching and killing animals.
"I've heard of these…it's a hyena invasion…" Simba murmured.
"What's that?" Kovu asked him nervously.
"It's when many hyenas come together to take over kingdoms." the aging lion told him gravely. "They kill all the animals until the leader gives up his power."
"Actually, that isn't entirely what we were going for." Shenzi informed the two lions. "We'll let you have most of the power, but you have to give us something in return."
"What do you want?" Kovu asked unwillingly.
"How about the cubs?" Banzai suggested.
"My cubs!" Kovu gasped.
"Relax, we're not eating them!" Shenzi assured him. "As it turns out, cubs don't taste good at all. Too much fur; not enough meat."
"Can we add on old Gramps too?" Banzai pleaded.
"I was getting to that!" she yelled at him. She then turned back to the lions and told them, "You, Nala, and the cubs will be exiled to the Outlands," glaring at Simba. "Now take your pick- get rid of them…or you lose the kingdom.."
Kovu tried hard to think. Either way, he had to lose something…
The next morning, the whole family and many others were gathered at the Pride Lands/Outlands border. It seemed that none of the baby animals seemed to taste good, since Shenzi decided to get rid of all of them in the Pride Lands. It also looked like that Simba and Nala weren't the only grandparents going to the Outlands, meaning old animals didn't taste good either. This group also included Timon and Pumbaa.
While saying goodbye to the animals of the Pride Lands, Simba reached his family. Kovu, Vitani, and Nala were trying to comfort Kiara, who was in tears.
"I knew I would have to say goodbye to them someday, but not this soon!" the queen cried.
"It probably won't be forever." Kovu tried hopelessly to assure her.
"But what if it is?" Kiara whimpered. "What if those horrible hyenas keep them from ever coming back?"
"Don't worry Kiara. We will come back some day." Simba told his daughter.
"I feel awful, Simba," his son-in law told him. "I should have said no to Shenzi."
"What about me?" Vitani sobbed. She had been unhappy since before any of this happened. "I should have stopped them!"
"You both need to calm down." Simba ordered. "Vitani, you're not helpless. Nobody in the world could stop a hyena invasion. And Kovu, you have to remember that you're exiling us for a pretty good reason. You did split up this family, but you also save the kingdom, and maybe the hyenas will stop killing the animals. That is what most of being a king is about-protecting the citizens."
"Simba, I really can't rule without your help." Kovu moaned. "I don't know what to do!"
"Just believe in yourself, Kovu." the wise king told him. "That's all you really can do."
"Please take care of the cubs, Daddy." Kiara pleaded.
"I promise, sweetheart." her father told her, and then nuzzled her. He and Nala then let Kovu and Kiara say goodbye to their cubs.
"Now be good to Grandma and Grandpa, kids." Kovu told his babies. "They'll need your help as much as you need them."
"Be nice to your uncles Timon and Pumbaa too." Kiara added, with a mini chuckle. "Always remember that we're here for you and we still love you."
Both parents nuzzled their cubs and handed them over to Simba and Nala. They picked them up with their mouths and jumped over the stone wall…and into exile.
Yeah, that chapter may have been a little rough. But there's a good reason why it's K+ instead of just K!