Far away from the vast tropical grassland, stood the majestic Pride Rock; home to all lions in the Pridelands. The very domains that Simba ruled with dignity and righteousness, just like his father did years ago. A legacy that would be passed down to his first-born child when time came.
"Ha! I'm going to beat you, Kion!" taunted Kopa with a cocky attitude.
"Not if I can help it!" replied his brother defiantly.
"Hahahha!" laughed the two.
The sight, accompanied by the playful voices of his children, was something very special for the king since it filled him with so much nostalgia from his youth days with Nala and the other lion cubs from the pack. To play and enjoy the childhood to the fullest as if there was no tomorrow, at least his three sons would be able to experience it without a problem of some sort.
"Haha! Once first, always the first!" gloated the sandy furred lion cub.
"Only because you started first, you cheater" pointed out Kion, cheerfully, as he lightly pushed Kopa with his front paws.
"Well, this is a surprise" said Simba, faking to be surprised by the cubs' presence.
"Hi, dad!" greeted him his two sons, excitedly, in response after abruptly ending their misbehavior.
"Dad, can I listen to Kopa's teachings too? Pleeease!" begged a curious Kion with pleading eyes. It seemed that some old habits haven't been forgotten after all this long.
"Hehe, well…you came all the way here, so it would be rude from me to say no" he answered, won over by his son's personification of him when he was his age.
"Awesome!" he cheered with a wide grin as both he and Kopa followed their father to the edge of the Pride Rock. From there, they were warmly welcomed with the marvelous and bright sight of the Pridelands in all its splendor.
"Have a look at it, sons. Everything that the light touches, is our kingdom" began explaining Simba, using the same words that his father used with him.
"Hevi kabisa" gasped the two amazed cubs flabbergasted. After being denied for so long due to their young age, just having the opportunity to see how large the Pridelands (their home) really was, was extraordinary enough to leave them dumbfounded.
"From the Water Hole to the Kilio Valley, these lands are host to many important creatures. From the small crawling ants, to the leaping antelope, and the large elephants".
"Even ants?!" asked Kion genuinely surprised by this revelation.
"Yes, my son" he smiled.
"So, I'd get to rule all of them?" inquired a naïve Kopa, arching an eyebrow in doubt. Not that it sounded bad, but ruling the ants seemed a little silly.
"Slow down, Kopa" stated his father a little tense by his son's words. "Being a king isn't just about telling everyone your demands. You also have to learn to listen and respect them. But most importantly, to be kind to all living beings in here, for we're all part of the great Circle of Life" he insisted, making a clear emphasis on the last part.
Later that noon, when the sun was at its highest point in the sky and most of the animals were at the Water Hole drinking water, Kiara, alongside her faithful friends Tiifu and Zuri, chose to relax on some rocks by the lakeside.
"I heard you went hunting today with your mom today, how did it go?" asked Zuri, voicing her own interest for her friend's prowess.
"It was really amazing! I learned a lot of cool hunting techniques" she confessed to her friends very proud.
"Really?!" exclaimed Tiifu impressed with her ears already perked up.
"You should show them to us" insisted the first lioness cub, keen by the idea of learning through Kiara's newly acquired experience, though from a watcher's perspective rather than actual participation.
"Yeah, that's a great idea!" stated the second one already excited by that idea.
While they were so absorbed, fawning over the princess's skills, the three failed to notice a fourth female lion cub hiding in the bushes, ready to strike Tiifu and Zuri since they were the closest to her hideout. Slowly and steadily, the cub moved towards them just like her mother taught her and…
"Groooargh!" she lunged, scaring the two flatterers.
"Vitani!" cried Tiifu and Zuri displeased.
"That was really uncalled for!" stated Zuri, scolding a victorious tomboy Vitani that passed them by nonchalantly.
"And you should be always aware of what's around you instead of babbling around too much" she replied smugly before taking a sip of the Water Hole.
"Like we need to. Here in the Pridelands there are no other predators to be afraid of" she retorted back.
"She's right!" nodded Tiifu, showing complete support to her friend's statement. Though time would give reason to the dusty fulvous cub.
"Hurry, grandpa! Hurry, hurry!" cried an eager creamy brown jackal pup that was followed by an elder jackal of the same color.
"Slow down, Dogo. The Water Hole isn't going anywhere" answered the old canine, feeling the tiredness in his four legs.
"Good day, Mr. Wandile!" greeted him Kiara cheerfully.
"Oh, good day to you too, princess Kiara. It's so nice to see you" he replied back to her warmly while his grandson was indulging himself with a nice and well-fresh water treatment.
"Dogo…Dogo, my child, mind your manners for a minute. We're in the presence of the princess of the Pridelands" said Wandile, lecturing his grandson with a lesson in manners.
"I-it's ok really! I…" tried to stop him Kiara, but it was already too late.
"Glug-glug. S-sorry, grandpa! G-good day, princess Kiara! How are you today?" he tried to greet her properly after he quenched his thirst. But his appearance left a lot to be desired since his muzzle was still dripping water.
"Hehe, I'm fine Dogo, thanks. But you don't need to call me 'princess'. We're friends afterall" she reminded him.
"I-I know, but my grandpa…" stuttered Dogo nervously.
"Yes…I understand, is like being with Tiifu and Zuri sometimes. Speaking of that, thanks for showing up" she whispered to him pleased.
"Hehe, no problem!"
"Kiara, Dogo!" called them from afar the cheerful voice of Kion, who was being followed by his eager brother.
"Kopa, Kion!" replied the jackal pup with a wide smile, showing his excitement of seeing the troublesome duo.
"We hadn't seen you for days, where were you?" asked Kopa slightly curious.
"I was visiting some of my relatives in the South with my mom and dad. We just arrived yesterday evening" he answered.
"There you are!" stated Tiifu indignant. "How dare you leave Kiara all alone like that?"
"It wasn't like that, I already told you" insisted Kiara, hoping that her friend would cut her brothers some slack.
"Give me a break, Tiifu. I was listening to my royal duties from my dad" explained them Kopa annoyed. Sometimes his sister's friends could be a pain in the butt.
"Oh yeah? And what's Kion's excuse?" asked Zuri, still disbelieving their valid reasons.
"Why is it my fault now?" declared Kion surprised, but also astonished.
"Look at you, discussing like an old married couple" said Vitani deviously, teasing the young cubs.
"Are not!" cried the four lions, disgusted by the mere thought of it while Kiara and Dogo chuckled at their expenses.
"The Water Hole!" shouted another voice of a young boy.
"It's Mtoto!" cried Dogo a little scared the moment he saw the jovial young elephant running towards them; more specifically, to the water close to the group.
"Hurry! To high grounds!" stated Kopa hastily, instructing his friends so that they could find a safe spot in order to not get wet.
"Hahaha!" laughed Mtoto entertained after taking his afternoon bath, splashing everything near the lakeside. Then, with the help of his trusty trunk, he began to shower his body, including those parts the sun couldn't reach.
"Oh! Hey guys! What you doing up there?" he asked, oblivious to the fact that the cubs and pup weren't that eager to take a bath as him.
"Just taking the sun, Mtoto, that's all" lied Kion sheepishly, who then earned the approval of the others.
"Speak for yourself" stated an annoyed voice close to them. To their surprise, Desta-a male cheetah cub-who was also friend of the group, decided to rest by the Water Hole like the others. Unfortunately, his timing couldn't have been any worse than it was now.
"Oh…sorry, Desta" apologized Mtoto regretful while the young spotted feline shuddered his body to dry himself up.
"Don't mention it" he replied before combing his perfect mohawk with his paw. Then, he focused his eyes on the group and decided to boast a little bit of the feats he just recently learned.
"Anyhow, can you guys guess who had his very first hunting lesson today?"
"Geez, I don't know" said Kopa with a teasing tone while the other lion cubs chuckled playfully. "Fuli?"
"Well, I don't want to brag about…har-har, very funny. I was talking about myself" answered Desta, correcting the lion cub's smartass remark.
"My sister is already an experienced huntress and so are my brothers, I was lucky mom and dad let me tag along with them".
"Wooow!" gasped some of the youngsters genuinely amazed by the young cheetah's statement.
"You're lucky Desta, just as Kopa, Kiara and Kion are" commented Dogo with interest.
"Since I'm the older of my siblings, I can't go hunting with them. But my mom usually takes me when dad has to take care of my little brothers".
"I'm an only child, so I don't get to learn a lot from the other young elephants of the herd" confessed Mtoto with dropped ears, yet quickly regained his composure when asking Vitani about her relationship with her older brother Nuka.
"What about you, Vitani? Do you also do cool stuff with your brother?"
"Ha! He's asking if we do something interesting with Nuka" joked Kopa while elbowing the lioness cub playfully, who in response pushed him lightheartedly.
"I heard him already, you prankster" she told him good-humoredly.
"Tell us, Vitani!" said Kiara eagerly.
"Yeah, tell us!" insisted Kion with the same interest as his sister.
"Well, if you really want to know, the one who teaches me everything is my mom. She's the lead huntress of the lionesses, and very skilled too. I bet that right now she's somewhere in the grasslands, hunting for the next supper" she told them while looking at the horizon, imagining how awesome her mother was in action.
Merry Christmas in advance :D my beloved readers :)