"Alright, everyone!" Nala announced, as her and the rest of the hunting party returned to Pride Rock, dragging their fresh catch with them. "That was a good hunt today. You all did well, so enjoy. We'll reconvene tomorrow." The lionesses all said their goodbyes, taking their share of the food with them, with Nala dragging hers up towards her cave. As she walked into the cave, she noticed that Kiara, Kion and Fuli were all talking in the cave, smiling happily. 'Something that I haven't seen a lot of from her today,' the mother pondered.
The lioness cub looked over when she heard her mother dragging her catch into the cave, and smiled. "Hey, mom!" She greeted, alerting the other two to her presence.
"Hey, mom!" Kion also greeted, while Fuli simply smiled and waved as the two lion cubs approached Nala, the queen dropping the food to nuzzle her children.
"How was the hunt?" Kiara asked.
"It was good, dear. What about you? How was your day?"
"It's been okay."
"Is dad gonna be here soon?" Kion asked.
"He should be back soon, Kion. He went to visit Ma Tembo and her herd."
Kion nodded, understandingly. While he walked back to Fuli, Kiara looked down at her paws, looking a little nervous. "Uh, mom?" She asked, her voice gentle. "Could we… talk for a moment?"
She smiled down at her daughter, thankful that she was finally opening up to her. "Kiara, you know that you can always speak to me. I'm always here for you if you need me to be."
Kiara looked up, smiling. "Thanks, mom."
"We'll give you some space," Fuli told them, gesturing for Kion to follow her. As she walked out of the cave, she looked at Kiara and gave her a nod and a smile, before she and Kion exited the cave, leaving the queen and her daughter alone.
"So, Kiara," Nala spoke first, stretching her hind legs, "what is it that you want to talk about?"
"Well… uh…" Kiara's ears folded against her head, as she brushed her paw against the ground. 'How do I tell my mother I was worried that she didn't love me?!' she thought to herself, the question wearing down her resolve.
Nala looked on and noticed the hesitation in her daughter's eyes, bringing a frown to her face. "Kiara?" The cub looked at Nala. "If there is something that is troubling you, please… talk to me." Kiara knew what she was trying to do, but still found herself unable to form the right words. "Kiara…" this time, the lioness' voice was softer, just above a whisper. "I'm worried about you. You haven't seemed… like yourself today." She let out a gentle laugh, but didn't smile as her gaze shifted to her paws. "Perhaps it's just me being overprotective, and maybe I'm worrying over nothing… but as a mother, I can't help but worry about you. You are a huge part of my life, a piece of my heart, even. I love you so much, Kiara, and it-" She stopped herself when she looked up and saw the cub looking down, tears dripping from her eyes as she quietly sobbed. Nala's motherly instincts kicked in instantly, as she pulled her daughter in for a hug, allowing the distraught cub to cry into her chest. "Kiara, what's wrong?"
"I… I-I'm sorry," Kiara cried. "I… I didn't mean to worry you." She pulled out of the hug, looking down in guilt. "I'm an idiot."
It hurt Nala to hear her daughter even think that, let alone say it. "Kiara, you are not an idiot!"
"Yes I am!" Nala recoiled, shocked by the harsh tone. Kiara looked up, her eyes angry, but not at her mother- rather, at herself. "When you were down at the Watering Hole, I saw you and Fuli hugging each other, not knowing that she had… saved you..." She had to pause to stop herself from choking on her words, while her tears showed no sign of slowing, "from the hyenas. The way you hugged her, and the way you… held her while she was… sleeping…" She looked away in shame. "I thought that you… that you were… trying to… replace me." She heard her mother gasp, and couldn't bring herself to see the devastatingly hurt expression on her face. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't be thinking like that, but… the only animals who I've seen you treat like that are me, Kion and dad. I just thought that… that you would rather-"
"Kiara, stop." Kiara finally looked back at her mother, who was on the verge of tears herself. Despite the sad expression, Kiara could still see warmth in her eyes. "Kiara… I am sorry if I made you think that I would want to replace you with Fuli. I had not originally planned to be looking after her today, but when Kion asked if I could watch over her today,
I was happy to do so. Make no mistake, Fuli is a good friend of Kion's, not to mention part of the Lion Guard, which makes her like family… but I could never replace you with her."
"But… you just said yourself… she's like family."
"Yes, LIKE family. She is a close friend of our family, and I will always be thankful of that, but I could never care for her more than you." She then began to smile as memories surfaced in her mind. "You know… the day you were born was possibly the greatest, happiest day of my life. I still remember when you first opened your eyes. You were this cute little ball of fluff, and as I held you in my paws, they opened. Two beautiful, brown eyes that looked around in wonder, until you looked at me. That moment when our eyes met, I knew that I would love you for as long as I breath. My heart swelled, because thanks to you, there was another piece to it." The tears were finally breaking free, but she refused to stop them. "When I heard you 'mew' for the first time, I cried as I nuzzled you. And for every day since, I have counted my blessings, and thanked the kings above… that you were my daughter. I will continue to do so until the day I die, because you will always be my daughter- not Fuli, not Tiifu or Zuri, but you- and I will always love you."
Kiara couldn't hold back any more, and rushed back into her mother's embrace. "I'm sorry, mom. I… I love you too, mama."
Nala smiled as she hugged her daughter, feeling her warmth against her own, a couple of tears dropping onto her back. "I know, sweetheart. It's all okay."
Outside of the cave, Fuli was smiling, having listened in long enough to hear the last part of the conversation. 'There you go, Kiara,' she thought, before turning around and walking towards Kion.
"Well?" He asked. "Do you know what they're talking about?"
Even though she definitely did, he didn't know she did, so she shook her head. "No, but by the sounds of it, they should be about done."
"Oh, okay." Hearing footsteps, they turned and saw Simba heading their way, so Kion smiled. "Hey, dad!"
"Hello, Kion," he responded to Kion with a matching smile, then looked at Fuli. "And hello to you too, Fuli."
"Hello, your majesty," she greeted.
"What are you kids doing out here?"
"We're just waiting for mom and Kiara to finish talking."
Simba's eyebrow raised at the explanation his son gave him. "Really? Do you know what they are talking about?" Kion shook his head. "I see."
"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," Fuli suggested. "I think they're probably finished."
Simba was a little skeptical about what the cheetah said, but didn't think further about it. "Alright." He walked past the two cubs, who followed the king towards the cave. Upon entering, he saw the two females, smiling at each other. "Everything alright in here?"
Nala and Kiara turned and saw the king standing there, looking mildly concerned. "Hey, dad!" His daughter greeted as she approached him, nuzzling him when he leaned down.
"Hello, sweetheart." He then looked over at his wife. "Everything okay?"
"Everything's fine, dear," Nala told him. "We were just having a mother-and-daughter moment."
"I see." He looked at the meat Nala had caught with the hunting party, lying in the middle of the floor. "I see the hunt went well."
"Yes, it did. Now that you're here, we can eat." She looked over at the cheetah. "And yes, you will be joining us."
Fuli, although surprised at how it was less of a request and more of a statement, nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Nala."
"Of course. Now, what are we waiting for?"
The night was young in the Pride Lands, the sun having finally set. The previously colourful area was now covered in darkness, lit only by the many stars in the sky, watching over all the animals as they drifted to sleep. Sat at the peak of Pride Rock, Kiara was looking up at the beautiful night sky, trying to make out the constellations laid out by the great kings of the past, lost in her own world.
"Kiara?" She heard someone ask, bringing her back to reality. She turned and was able to see Fuli coming her way, though her gaze was also towards the stars. "I didn't expect you to be out here."
"Hey, Fuli," she greeted, turning to look at the stars. "I like to come out here to look at the stars, it… helps me to sleep."
Fuli sat next to the lioness cub, smiling. "Me too."
They sat there in silence, neither looking at the other, feeling the cool breeze through their furs, until Kiara finally broke the silence. "Why?" Fuli looked at her, confused as she noticed the conflicted expression on her face. "Why did you try and help me earlier? I was being a moody, spoilt, ignorant… I was a complete idiot, and I was incredibly rude to you. You had every right to hate me for even thinking that, let alone say it to your face, but you didn't. You told me the truth, even though I wasn't willing to hear it, and you were honest with me. I don't understand."
Fuli laughed gently, prodding Kiara lightly with her paw. "First of all, I'm glad you said it to my face rather than behind my back. And I told you the truth, because you're not an idiot. Sure, you misunderstood the situation, but you listened when it mattered, and you made things right. I just wanted to give you a push in the right direction. Besides, I couldn't hate you- I know I've probably said it before, but you're like a sister to me." She looked back to the stars. "Your family are lucky to have you. You're not perfect, no one is… but you can see that. That's what allows us to grow, knowing what our mistakes are and figuring out how to fix them."
"When did you get so wise?"
She chuckled. "I wouldn't go that far, but I guess Kongwe has rubbed off on me."
Kiara couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Fuli. I really needed that."
"You're welcome. You know, I'm lucky to know you guys."
"I'm… I'm lucky to know you too." Her lips parted as a gentle yawn escaped her. "I think I'm going to get some sleep. Are you coming in?"
Fuli nodded. "I'll join you guys soon. I think I'm gonna stay out here a bit longer."
"Okay. Good night."
With that, the lioness cub walked away, leaving the cheetah to stare at the sky alone. Her thoughts turned to the day she had had: finding out she was ill; failing to hunt in the morning; her initial reservations towards being watched over by Nala; their conversation at the Watering Hole; the hyena ambush; the harsher conversation with Kiara; sharing a meal with the Royal Family; and the talk she just had with Kiara.
'Even though I didn't enjoy missing out on patrol,' she thought to herself, 'I'm thankful that Nala watched over me today. Sure, I was embarrassed at first, but she really looked after me. If I had gone on patrol, I wouldn't have been able to perform to my best, which could have put others at risk. Hopefully, tomorrow, I'll be back to a hundred percent, and will be able to perform my duties to the best of my ability.' She smiled as another realisation came to her mind. 'Plus, this allowed me to appreciate what I have. They may not be my real family,' she looked towards the cave entrance, 'but they're the closest thing I have to one, both the Royal Family and the rest of the Guard.' She returned her gaze to the stars above. She wasn't how long it was, but it wasn't long before someone else joined her out there.
"Fuli?"
