Kinau slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times before yawning widely. He licked his lips lazily and attempted to get up, not realizing that Navayu wasn't there. He looked at the spot she'd previously slept in, and gasped when he didn't see her. He did a mad dash for the entrance of the cave, whipping out of it and around the corner to stand on top of it. He surveyed the surrounding land, eyes narrowed, until seeing two faint outlines in a faraway lake. He leapt off of the roof to the den and sprinted there, chest heaving as he leapt through the undergrowth. His heart raced, adrenaline pumping through him. It could be Jedkin, and he could've found Navayu sleeping with him. If that was the case there'd be hell to pay, which was for certain…

"Navayu!" Kinau leapt through the bushes with a heave. He'd bared his teeth, and was in attack-ready position. He soon relaxed, seeing Damitra with her instead of Jedkin. Both froze and looked at him, their fur sagging as the water weighed it down. Navayu then giggled and leapt on Damitra, both going under and surfacing with laughter. Kinau just smiled and shook his head.

"Get in here you big lug!" Damitra called cockily. Kinau glared at her with a smile.

"Yeah! Get over here!" Navayu joined. "Let's go!" He laughed and charged into the water, going under before surfacing next to Navayu. He smirked as he pushed her under, leaping for Damitra. The three wrestled for quite some time before exiting the water and lying out on a large rock. Kinau rested between the pair, all three of them lying on their backs contentedly. He and Navayu kept glancing at each other, although they pretended to be asleep. Damitra was fast asleep when Kinau snuck off into the brush, followed by Navayu with a few soft giggles. The two trotted beside each other in unison, traveling back towards the den.

"Have you been to Pride Rock?" Kinau asked, smiling. He was thinking about maybe taking her up there, sort of like a date. He remembered Damitra and him talking about it the night before, when both Navayu and Nibanu were asleep.

"You've got it bad," Damitra said tauntingly, smiling. Her and Kinau were both sitting together at the end of the cave, just below the overhang of the mouth. The young king had woken up during a rather tough time in the gale outside, and Damitra had as well. With the wind whistling past the opening to the den and the rain beating down, both found it impossible to sleep. Kinau smiled at her and shook his head.

"I do not!" he insisted, glaring playfully at her. Damitra rolled her eyes.

"PLEASE! I've seen the way you two look at each other, how your eyes seem to glitter when one of you mentions the other's name, and let's not forget your little nuzzling fit the other day!" Kinau smirked.

"That doesn't mean anything…" he said, placing his head on his paws. Damitra cocked a brow and grinned cockily.

"Really now? Kinau, do you even know what love feels like?" He looked at her as his smile disappeared.

"No, Danni, I don't…" He looked at her somberly and then rested his head on his paws again. Her smile lost its cocky luster and shifted to a kinder, more mild one.

"With a brother like Jedkin, I'm not so surprised…" she mumbled before placing her paw on his. He looked up into her eyes as she explained it to him. "Do you remember your mother, Kinau?" He nodded a 'yes', and she smiled. "Do you remember the feeling she gave you when she held you close and coddled you? Or when she let you cuddle with her on those rainy nights?" The mention of these memories brought a smile to appear on Kinau's muzzle as he smiled and nodded again. "That feeling is what love is," she said. "Do you feel like this when Navayu's around?" He shook his head 'no', and she gave him a cocky look. "Do you HONESTLY think I'm going to believe that?!" He laughed.

"It's not entirely the same as what I felt for mother, but yes." he said, picking his head up and smiling. She smiled back at him. "So the warm, safe feeling I get when I'm with her is love?" Damitra nodded with a smile. "Well what can I do, Danni? Jedkin's already 'claimed' her, and I think he really likes her." Damitra shook her head.

"If he 'claimed' her that states that he views her as property, and just lusts for her. But you, Kinau, you love her! That's totally different, and totally right! No matter what your brother says, don't let him control your emotions. If you truly love her, you'll tell her or at least hint at it until she's ready." Kinau smiled. He'd always felt that way about Damitra, but it was different in the same manner as his love for his mother. They were close to being siblings. It was so soothing to talk to her, and she always knew just what to say. He was glad she was so close to him.

"What should I do, Danni?" he asked, flicking his tail once. Damitra glanced over at Pride Rock, then smiled and looked back at him.

"Take her there," she said. "And tell her. She'll enjoy it, sort of like a date." He nodded and they both retreated back into the cave, snuggling down in their spots once more.

"Yes," Navayu answered, snapping Kinau out of his frame of mind. "I have, actually. My experience wasn't that pleasant, though…" Kinau nodded.

"Oh," he said, looking at the ground. Navayu stopped.

"But I'd love to go again!" she said, smiling. Kinau nodded and smiled back as they passed the cave. Both laughed softly as they looked in and spotted Nibanu, sleeping with all the lionesses peacefully. They were all cuddled up together, one even lying over him. Navayu chuckled. "He always wants the attention of the females…" she joked. Both laughed and continued down the path that Jedkin had lead Nibanu down. They chatted and giggled as they went, both smiling sheepishly and glancing at each other. They finally arrived, both climbing carefully up the steeper side and hoisting themselves up on the flat rock. Navayu gasped, looking around at the place. It was very pretty this early time in the day, the first rays of the sun pooling on the rock's surface and glittering. Navayu rushed into the cave where she explored a bit, Kinau smiling and following. Navayu came back out and trotted over to the edge of the rock, looking down over the clearing and out at the horizon. "Wow…" she whispered, sitting on her haunches and viewing all the sights. Kinau just grinned, looking at how the sun glittered off her fur and made her look like gold. She turned and looked at him, smiling. "What?" He shook his head.

"Nothing. I just thought you looked beautiful with the light shadowing you like that." Navayu smiled sheepishly.

"Oh," she said, looking down embarrassedly. If she was human, her cheeks would've been bright red. Kinau came and sat by her, curling his tail to his side and sighing. "Beautiful, isn't it?" she asked, smiling. He looked at her.

"Yeah," he said, looking deep into her eyes. "Beautiful…" Navayu blinked a few times, her smile slowly disappearing as she got lost deeper in his gaze. Soon, the two found their noses pressed together affectionately, both in a dream-like state. They stayed together, noses glued with a force that seemed unbreakable for what seemed like hours. But the faint whistle of the wind and the distant trumpeting of an elephant reminded both that time still existed.

Kinau gasped, ripping his nose away from her and looking at her surprised.

"OH!" Navayu laughed softly and looked at the ground for a few moments. She looked up at Kinau when his voice flooded her mind.

"Navayu, there's something I need to tell you." She looked up at him, hopeful of what he was going to say. "Navayu I think….I think…." He paused and sighed before looking straight at her. "I think I love you."

Navayu was awestruck. Half of her was trying not to scream out in joy, the other half preventing her from leaping on him in the same manner. Both sides eventually gave in, though, and she squealed as she leapt on him. The two went rolling, both giggling. They stopped rolling near the mouth of the cave, Kinau ending up pinned under her. They laughed until Navayu licked him on the cheek, and he froze momentarily. But he soon smiled and returned the favor, both nuzzling affectionately. She then got off of him, and both sat next to each other at the tip of Pride Rock. They cuddled close, Navayu resting her head on his chest. He closed his eyes and sighed happily, Navayu doing the same.

"I've been dying to tell you the same, Kinau," she whispered faintly, Kinau smiling in relief. "But I was just so afraid because I thought you'd reject me for my feelings…" Kinau smiled at her.

"Now why would I do that?" he asked, smiling. Navayu sighed.

"It's all Misha's fault…" she mumbled, trying not to let Kinau hear.

"Who's Misha?" he asked, looking down at her. She shook her head, changing the topic as quick as she could.

"Never mind her," she said. "Let's just look at this view!" Kinau shrugged and snuggled closer, both watching the sun climb higher and higher into the sky.

Way far off in the distance, Damitra smiled as she gazed at them. Although they were simple, tiny dots, she could tell they were cuddling. She'd heard them sneak off, but had simply ignored it. She sighed and smiled, running to catch up with the lionesses as they left the cave to hunt. Nibanu was in the lead, all of them forming a sort of train. Damitra glanced at them once, smiled, and then continued on her way. But, off in the distance, a pair of wandering eyes had been widened in anger. These were the wandering eyes Jedkin.

Without a word, Jedkin ran in a full sprint towards Pride Rock. His heart pounded against his ribcage in rage, and he was trying his best not to roar in anguish. How could his brother deceive him like that?! He gritted his teeth together and kept on running, reaching the monument within minutes. He leapt up on the flat surface, ready to fight, but only to discover both of them gone. He growled under his breath once and stepped to the edge, spotting them in the distance. He tried his best not to throw his head back and roar in uncontained rage, but instead bolted in another direction. He was running for the acclaimed Elephant Graveyard, the place where the hyenas dwelled. There was no question now. They would work for him…work for him or die.