Chapter 9: Crunchy or Slimy

"So my father had a girlfriend before he and mom were mates?" ~Kiara

Maalum and Kiara ambled across the grassy savannah, both slowed and weighed down by the large amount of zebra meat in their bellies. The heat of the day was reaching its peak and the two took shelter under a close by acacia tree. Maalum stretched out in the shade allowing his even more oversized body lie limp in the cooler grass. Letting out a deep sigh as well as a rather large belch, he spoke to the lioness lounging next to him. "The food coma is setting in."

Kiara nodded and then belched herself by accident. She folded her ears in embarrassment which only served to make Maalum laugh. She scowled at him. "That wasn't funny."

"Yes it was."

Kiara rolled her eyes. "Males."

"Well I think this 'male' could use a little nap. I can barely walk."

Kiara silently agreed and snuggled into the thick grass. Before long, both of them let the feeling of a full stomach and the gentle breeze lull them to sleep.

Kiara was roused from her midday nap by a loud squawk. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked as she glanced around. The bird squawked again and took flight, rattling the tree above them. Kiara let out a loud yawn and rolled over onto her legs. With a bit of effort she got up to her paws and stretched out her sore muscles. She glanced up at the sun and saw they'd been snoozing for over two hours based on its position. Hmm, we'd better get a move on. The day will be gone sooner than we think. She padded up to the still passed out liger. She took a brief moment to study him. You know for someone his size, he doesn't actually seem that old. He's big enough to be my dad, but I bet he's not that much older than me. And between the teasing and the over protectiveness, he could almost be my big brother.

She chuckled at the thought and began trying to wake the sleeping giant. Pushing his side soon proved to be ineffective and she didn't have the strength to play any games. When she glanced down at his snoring head she spotted his 'battle scar'. The mark the zebra had left him was already turning dark from the bruising. That ought to do the trick. Kiara thought slyly. She reached her paw forward and with a light tap from her claw, Maalum's head jerked up and his eyes were wide open.

"Ow!" Kiara had already jumped back to a safe distance when he yelled. "What the hell was that?"

He was on his haunches now and was looking around; slowly rubbing the offended area. Kiara simply played dumb and sauntered past him. "Oh good your awake," she said in a sly but cheery tone. She was trying to hold back fits of laughter at the look on Maalum's face. "Come on. We should get moving if you want to meet my dad's friends before it starts getting dark."

Maalum was still quite confused and was about to demand to know what she'd done, but the princess had already started padding away. Uhhh, how much pain am I gonna get today. He irritably followed the mischievous female.

After falling in step beside her, he took a moment to look around. He'd never seen this part of the Pride Lands before. "Uh Kiara, where are we? We've been walking for a while."

"Don't worry, we're close. The damp soil around here is where those two like to spend their time searching for 'the other white meat'." She ended her sentence while doing her best impersonation of Pumbaa.

"I take it they tried to turn you on to grubs." Maalum chucked.

Kiara struck her tongue out in an act of revulsion. "No thank you. I don't know how my dad ever stomached that stuff."

The image of Simba and Sheeva both eating grubs together as cubs popped into his head. He felt a pang of sadness which was quickly washed out of his head by Kiara's voice announcing that they'd arrived. Maalum fell out of his thoughts and observed the area. It looked just like the ground they'd been walking on. He looked further and saw a small part of the land flattened out into a marsh.

He glanced at Kiara with a raised eyebrow. "Am I supposed to be seeing something?"

Kiara just walked forward and flicked her tail indicating him to follow. The liger obeyed and they climbed a small rise. Kiara sat down at the crest and Maalum did the same. Once again he looked around, unsure of what to look for.

"Uh Kiara…"

"Shhhh…just listen."

Maalum did as she said and began rotating his ears; straining to hear what was there. After a long moment, a small voice gradually materialized in front of the two cats.

"Ack, that's my grub. Fly out a here you damn avian thief. Ohhh!" The owner of the voice shrieked in pain. A squawk from a bird identified the assailant. Kiara giggled and slowly crept forward while staying low in the grass. Maalum slowly followed. "Ughhh, Pumbaa I'm telling ya. We've gotta war to wage here. These white pests just ain't gettin the message. These are our grubs!"

A gruffer voice responded to the previous one. "Well I don't know, Timon. There are lots of places to find grubs in the Pride Lands. And besides, avians are an essential part of the environment. Without them the local flora would—"

"Yeah yeah yeah, you and your technical talk. Well it ain't helpin us get the best grubs in these Pride Lands," Timon replied indignantly. "Pumbaa you're forgetting the most important detail. We're heroes. We helped liberate this place and bring it back from the hell hole it was. We deserve a little compensation, don't you think?"

"Well technically Simba did most of the rebuilding."

"Pumbaa, what did I say about getting technical? Besides, I say we put in our dues playing parents to that rambunctious cub. I nearly lost my head, literally. Now if you're done living in the past, we need to find another way to scatter these feathered freaks." Maalum heard another yell that sounded like a battle cry. A few of the birds took flight, only to land a few feet away. Another shriek of pain was heard followed by a plop. "Ughhh, I will never surrender." Timon's voice sounded muffled and it was obvious he wasn't going to try again.

Kiara tried to muffle her laughter while Maalum just listened closely, not really comprehending what was going on. Kiara inched over to him and brought her muzzle to his ear. "Maybe we should give them a little help?"

"What? How are we supposed to do that?"

"What do you think? They're trying to scatter the birds aren't they? I think we could lend a paw." Maalum still had a puzzled expression. Kiara just sighed. "Do I have to spell this out for you? Maalum just give a good roar."

Maalum pursed his eyebrows in confusion. "Roar? How will that help?"

"To scare the birds off genius."

"Why don't you roar?" Maalum asked, not wanting to be a part of this strange game. "You obviously have a pretty loud one. You scared the crap out of those zebras."

Kiara just grinned again with that mischievous look in her eye again. "My point exactly. I already roared today. So now it's your turn."

"What? How's that supposed to work? It's not like your 'roar box' is broken after roaring once."

"Oh stop being such a baby. Now let's hear that roar."

"Ugh, Kiara I—"

"Roar already, would you?" she demanded, not letting him finish his excuse.

"But—"

"Roar."

"Ughhh. Fine." Maalum growled in frustration. In a flash, he rose up from the grass, took in a lung full of air, and with all his might let lose a thunderous roar. Kiara immediately clamped her paws over her ears. The grass in front of them shuddered from the over pressure. And every bird in sight took flight in every direction.

Once he closed his mouth, Maalum glanced back down at Kiara who had just taken her paws off her ears. "Well, was that up to your 'oh so high standards'?"

Kiara stared at him blankly than her face slowly lit up. "That. Was. Awesome! Your roar is louder than my dad's."

She pranced forward into the clearing where they had heard Timon and Pumbaa. Maalum was left glowering that she had completely missed his sarcasm. With a deep sigh, he followed. When he stepped out, he found Kiara staring over two prone forms; a warthog and a meerkat. Both had apparently fainted.

"Man, when I said roar, I didn't mean break the sound barrier."

"Well I didn't want you thinking I had a baby roar," he said in a mocking tone.

She stuck her tongue out at him and then focused on the incapacitated pair. With a gentle nudge to both of them, they started to come round. The red warthog stirred first, blurting out, "Uh, wasn't me."

"Ughhh, I swear when I find the mook with the balls to go around busting everyone's ears, I'll kick his—" Timon's eyes came into focus and what he saw made him wish he hadn't woken.

Maalum stared down at him with amusement. "You were saying?"

"AHHHHHHHH!" The meerkat shrieked in sheer terror which in turn made Pumbaa scream even though he'd yet to open his eyes. Timon attempted to make a run for it, but a certain lioness's paw caught his tail in the nick of time. He was forcibly dragged back to his previous position leaving long streaks in the mud; indicating his futile attempts to escape. Pumbaa had already rolled over and, in a blind panic, bolted forward into the thick grass. Timon continued to pull away until Kiara lifted him off the ground.

"You never take me alive you damn dirty carnivores!" Timon seethed these words while swinging his fists and glaring at Maalum. He'd yet to take note that the liger still had all four paws on the ground.

"Why Timon, how could you say such a thing?" Kiara stated in a falsely hurt voice.

"Kiara?" Timon's head snapped forward and he stopped fighting. He just hung from his tail in her paws spewing out questions. "What in the name of those royal dead guys are you doing? Or a better question would be, who the hell is that guy?!"

"Relax Timon, he's with me. He's not going to hurt you or Pumbaa. Right Maalum?"

Maalum just chuckled at the hysterical scene. "Of course not."

"Then why did you two roar at us? You scared me half to death," Timon ranted while flailing his arms for emphasis.

Kiara just chuckled at his manic demeanor while lowering him back to the ground. "Timon, relax. This is Maalum. He's new to the pride and my dad just wanted him to meet everyone. You two were next on the list."

"Huh, a new guy you say?" Timon examined Maalum again. "Is he anything like the last 'new guy' that you showed around? Because we all remember how that turned out. We almost got trampled by rhinos."

"Timon, that was your idea. Kovu just went along with it."

"Well, it's not my fault that he went along with a dumb idea."

Kiara just rolled her eyes at his lame response. Timon can always find his way out of blame can't he.

"Anyway," Timon continued, eager to change the subject, "so this is your new boyfriend? What, did you get tired of Kovu already?"

"Timon!" Kiara cut him off with a peeved look on her face.

Maalum went red under his fur and he looked away. He wasn't sure why he felt a sense of embarrassment; he knew that they were siblings so the insinuation meant nothing. However, he couldn't stop himself from turning his head away.

"What? You two did take things pretty fast. You only knew each other for a few days before you decided to seal the deal." Kiara lunged at the meerkat and clapped her jaws together with an intimidating 'Clack' within a whisker of his face. Needless to say, he got the point. "Ha…ha…ha, not that that's a bad thing."

Kiara's frown turned into a sadistic grin. "I'm glad you think so. And for your information, Maalum isn't my boyfriend. Kovu and I are still mates. I'd never leave him."

An awkward silence followed which Maalum decided to break shortly after. "So where did that warthog run off to?"

"His name is Pumbaa," Timon replied, "and he is probably running for the hills."

"Hang on Timon, I'm coming back for ya!" the voice of said warthog rang through the air as did the sound of rustling grass. Pumbaa broke through the edge of the grass and made a beeline for his meerkat friend. That was until his front hoof caught a root and he went tumbling strait into the clumsy tunnel digger. He then sat up on his back and looked around. "Timon?"

"Nice timing Pumbaa," Kiara chimed.

Pumbaa turned to see the princess standing next to him, completely oblivious to the large male. "Oh hello Kiara. Come to visit your favorite uncles?"

"Why, of course. By the way, I think one of my 'favorite uncles' is running out of air." She snickered and gestured to a flailing arm under the warthog's bulk.

"Uh oh." Pumbaa immediately rolled, freeing his companion from his portly prison.

Timon gasped for air. "Oh Pumbaa, I'm telling ya…you've got to lose a few pounds."

"Well if that's all over, Pumbaa I'd like you to meet Maalum. Maalum this is Timon and Pumbaa. My father's dearest friends," Kiara finished her formal introductions.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Pumbaa addressing the large liger as if nothing was out of the ordinary, earning a look from his friend.

"Pumbaa how is it that you are not shaking with fear right now. I mean look at him. He's huge. Terrifiying. Those shifty eyes." Timon was now pointing accusingly at the liger's features. "Sharp fangs. Those weird stripes. Wait, stripes?" Timon now took note of the strange patterns running the length of the liger's body and took a step back. "What the heck are ya?"

Maalum narrowed his eyes, but Kiara intervened. "Timon, Maalum is a liger. A cross between a lion and a tiger. That's why he has stripes."

Timon stared intently at the hybrid cat before finally nodding. "Well, if Simba trusts him I guess that's a start," he said while turning and heading over to a rotten log. "I say we have the strangest things in these Pride Lands. Royal dead guys in the sky, animals that randomly break into song, and now this. Sheesh, what's next?"

Timon knelt down and began to dig under the log for some fresh grubs. To everyone's surprise, Maalum padded over to the log and gripped it with his claws. With a simple flick he tossed it aside.

"You're doing it wrong," he said with an arrogant smirk on his face.

Pumbaa sat wondering where the log just went while Timon crossed his arms and shot Maalum a look. "Oh yeah, and what would you big carnivores know about the beauty of grubs? You're all about the," he shuddered at the thought, "fresh meat. I, on the other paw, have been digging up the finest grubs since Ma brought me out of the ground."

"Is that so?"

He took his paw and shoved it down one of the grub holes that had been under the log. After reaching around he pulled out several long, slimy worms. "I do believe these are what you were looking for," he held them up with a haughty grin. Then, in an act of showing off, he took two of the longest and slurped them up in one swift motion. "Ah, slimy yet satisfying."

The other three animals just stared at him in disbelief. After a long moment, the two insectivores looked at each other and then burst out laughing. Pumbaa held his stomach as he laughed while Timon started rolling on the ground. Kiara, on the other hand, was not amused, but rather disgusted.

"I knew it," the meerkat shouted between fits of laughter, "I knew Simba couldn't be the only lion with a taste for grubs."

Maalum chuckled and flicked the other worms off his paw. The moment they landed Timon moved to claim a share; slurping them down just as Maalum had. "Oh Pumbaa, you got to try one. These are some quality grubs. Their sliminess is exceptional."

Pumbaa obeyed and trotted over and slurped down three at once. "I'd say your right Timon."

Kiara, who had been sitting quietly to the side, grimaced at the 3 males' choice of nourishment. "I don't know how you guys can stomach that stuff."

Timon replied in a baffled tone, "Kiara, I don't know how you can't. Just look at Simba. He ate grubs all the time when he was your age, and look at him. He's a picture of health."

He finished his speech by tossing the last worm her way, which ended up landing on her paw. She shrieked in a hilarious display of 'grub-phobia', and flicked the insect of her forepaw. "Gross, get that away from me!"

The three of them laughed and she glared at them.

"I still think the crunchy ones are superior though," Timon said after letting out a large 'bug belch'.

"Slimy," Pumbaa replied in a forceful tone.

"Crunchy."

"Slimy!"

"Crunchy!"

"Slimy!"

"Big guy, back me up here. Which do you prefer?"

Maalum brought his paw to his chin and pondered the question for a brief moment, and then grinned. "I go both ways."

The two stared at him and then all three burst out laughing.

"Kiara, where did you find this guy?" Timon said and jumped up onto Maalum's head. "A taste for grubs and a sense of humor; I like him already." He 'nuggied' the liger's mane the same way he had done with Kovu's a while back.

Uh, boys. So immature. Kiara thought as she watched the trio. But she couldn't help but smile at the scene. She found it cute in a way. Timon ceased his playful nuggy and his face brightened as if he had struck a brilliant idea.

"Pumbaa do you know what this means? Our old gang is back together. You, me, and a lion that eats what we do. And this time he won't get stolen away from us. Oh this is gonna be perfect."

"What do you mean by 'stolen away from you'?" Kiara narrowed her eyes at Timon, knowing exactly what he meant.

"Oh nothing," he said with a nervous giggle. He hopped off Maalum's head and landed on Pumbaa's back.

"Uh Timon, that only makes three of us. There were four in our gang, and we don't have a girl." The two glanced over at Kiara, who shook her head. "Not gonna happen."

Timon rolled his eyes. "Well, no plan is perfect. But hey, we've got the lion part, and he's half tiger, so he's got half of Sheeva's part covered to."

Maalum flinched at the mention of his mother's name and his smile dissolved away. Will they see the resemblance? He shifted slightly and tried to move over to Kiara so they could leave, but before he could put his plan into action, Kiara popped the question he had feared. "Who's Sheeva?"

The now anxious liger shut his eyes tight for a moment. God damn it, is the universe just trying to screw with me?

Timon answered, "Sheeva? What, Simba never told you about our old pal?"

Kiara shook her head and padded closer to hear the story. "No, who was he?"

"She. Sheeva was our little orange girl."

"Orange?"

"Yeah, Sheeva was a tiger. She had this crazy orange fur with black stripes. Kind of like Big Boy right here." Timon gestured at Maalum, who was currently doing his best impression of a statue. No one took note of his nerve-racked demeanor and Timon continued his recollection. "We found her as a cub like Simba, and we were one big happy family. I say the times we had together…" Timon went on, getting lost in the good old days. "And those two, they were the dynamic duo, I tell ya. They were the best of pals. She kicked his tail some many times at wrestling it's a wonder how he never quit trying. And they were so cute together."

Kiara, who had been listening with rapt attention, got a shocked look in her eyes. "So my father had a girlfriend before he and mom were mates?"

"Whoa, hit the brakes there Fluffy."

"Uh, Timon you know I hate that name." She didn't even know how she got it. Her fur wasn't that poofy.

"Right, right, sorry. No, I don't think they were ever that close. I mean, I think Simba still remembered he had a 'certain someone' back home that he couldn't forget."

Yeah. Well apparently he was able to forget about both of them when it was 'convenient' for him. Maalum thought bitterly.

"Well, that was quite the rambling debate," Kovu said as he and Simba padded away from the two herd matriarchs.

Simba chuckled. "You can say that again. You're just lucky that was one of the easier ones. The herds can have arguments about the most ridiculous things."

"Ugh, politics."

It had taken almost half the day for Simba and Kovu to iron out the problems between the rhino and zebra herds. Neither side had wanted to give up any grazing land to the other, and the argument had gone nowhere.

"Simba, don't you ever get tired of listening to the herds bicker? Couldn't they solve some of these issues themselves?"

"Trust me, I was tired of it since day one. But the purpose of being a king is to be the neutral party in all the conflicts. That way you can see the big picture and make wise choices. The most important thing to remember when you're given power is this; you serve them, they shouldn't serve you."

Kovu scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, "What do you mean by that? If you're King, don't they serve as your subjects?"

"Technically yes, but being a good leader means not taking your leadership role too far. If you start giving out orders and forcing them to carry out your will, then you are making them serve you. You must give others the freedom to make their own decisions. Otherwise you become a tyrant; someone who needs control of everything. And above all, you have to be willing to compromise. You're not always going to get what you want," Simba explained.

Kovu nodded in understanding. It had been a long day and they were both tired. Kovu had one last question, "Simba, how do you know that others in the kingdom aren't going to cause trouble? If you give them freedoms, how do you know won't abuse them?"

"The truth is, you don't. It's all about being able to judge one's character. Sometimes you can just tell if someone is going to be trouble or not. Building trust in others is critical to being a good king. They have to trust you if they're to accept your authority. It's especially difficult when meeting newcomers. You'll know nothing about them and will sometimes have to decide their fate based on what you see." Simba turned his head to eye Kovu, "Such as the case with our new addition to the pride."

Kovu tensed at the mentioning of him. Simba had been watching his reaction closely and didn't miss this.

"Kovu, is there something you want to tell me?" The King inquired in an even tone as to not give himself away. Kovu had a sinking feeling he knew where this was going, but he tried his luck and shook his head. Simba sighed in mild irritation at the younger male's behavior and halted to look directly at him. "Kovu I think you know what I'm talking about, but I'll ask it anyway. Why did you make Maalum sleep outside the den last night?"

Kovu just stared blankly at the King as he tried to formulate a response. He played the card most tried first. "What do you mean?"

Simba's frown deepened. "I mean, when I came out of the den in the morning I spotted Maalum resting outside. And before you accuse him of anything, he didn't rat you out. I figured it out on my own. So I'll ask again, why did you do it?"

Kovu lowered his head in guilt. "Simba, I'm sorry. I don't know why I did it. I guess I just panicked when I saw him walking towards the den. Someone as big and potentially dangerous as him so close to the rest of the pride. I'm just afraid that things are going to turn bad again. I mean, my sister, my old pride mates, your pride, Kiara, everyone; we've been through so much to finally end it all. I've seen so many I care about in my life get hurt; I don't want to see it happen again."

Simba relented; he could easily relate to Kovu's need to protect those around him. However, he'd also seen the effects of over protectiveness. "Kovu, weren't you listening during our talk last night. You need to give him a chance. I'm worried about the pride's safety as much as you are, but I'm keeping my concern in check. If Maalum was any immediate threat, we would have seen it by now. And unlike you, I've taken some time to get to know him. I've seen good in him. He's had a rough beginning just like we have; and it's our duty to help those like us."

Kovu sighed, but nodded.

Simba looked Kovu straight in the eye to get his point across. "Now Kovu, this erratic behavior is going to stop. If you keep treating him like your enemy, he'll become one. And I think we've dealt with enough enmity for one lifetime."

Kovu nodded in compliance, but kept silent. A loud roar rolled across the small hills, ending Simba's lecture. Both males were alert at once; rotating their ears and trying to find the source of the noise.

Kovu spoke first, "What the hell was that?"

Simba moved forward and his voice took a serious tone. "It came from this way. Come on, that's the area where Timon and Pumbaa are. They could be in danger."

Simba broke into a run with Kovu close behind. Simba and Kovu crested a small hill and splashed into the marsh while making their way to the other side of the field. Kovu took a quick glance around while following the King. Oh yeah, I remember this place. This is where I nearly got trampled to death by rhinos. Where are all the birds? The two males padded back onto dry ground and slowed their pace. Kovu continued to search around for any animals. The place looked deserted. Well that's strange.

"Simba, I'm not seeing anything that looks like an intruder. Whoever made that noise had to pretty big." Simba nodded but kept moving forward up a small hill. As they crested Simba came to a halt. Kovu was still looking around for signs of the intruder.

"Oh I think the 'intruder' was pretty large." Simba smiled while motioning with his head. Kovu glanced in this direction and spotted four figures on the other side of the field. He immediately identified three, but only one piqued his interest.

"Kiara, what is she doing out here?" Kovu asked and then registered her large companion. "And what is she doing with him? Where's Vitani?"

Kovu's voice took on an accusatory tone and he began padding towards the foursome. Kovu felt a pull on his tail and looked back to see Simba restraining him. "Kovu, before you go over there and start your unwarranted accusations, take a closer look. If they were in any danger from him, do you think they'd be laughing it up over there?"

Kovu looked again and, sure enough, the group was having a laughing fest. From the looks of it, Timon was telling a quite amusing story. Kovu sighed and attempted to move forward again, but the King didn't release his grip just yet.

"Hold it Kovu. I don't want you going over there if you plan to cause trouble."

Kovu turned his head back and mustered his calmest voice, "Simba I'm not going to cause trouble, I'm just going to find out where Vitani went."

I'm pretty sure we both know what Vitani did, Kovu…and I doubt that's the only reason you want to go over there. Simba acknowledged his suspicion but released Kovu's tail. The brown male padded towards the group. Simba sat down on the knoll to observe the events. He looked ahead of Kovu and back at group. The scene once again made him smile. Maalum and Kiara were lounging by each other while facing Timon and Pumbaa who were practically acting out some wild story.

Kovu padded towards the group, his thoughts rushing through his head. Maybe Simba's right, but how the hell does he trust this guy so easily? In the Outlands, if you put your trust in the wrong lion you're dead before you hit the ground. I should know. My mission was to kill him. There's still something of about this guy, and I'm going to find out what. As Kovu neared the group, he began to pick up on the story being told.

Timon's high pitched voice found his eardrum. "And then, he challenged her to a Snail Eating Contest! He was so tired of getting his lion butt kicked by her that he would have done anything to whoop her tail. And he actually won; though his victory was short lived. He barely had time to gloat before they both had to run into the bushes to start yakking up a stomach full of snails."

Kiara burst out laughing at this. She couldn't figure out why her dad had never told her these stories. Or why he had never told her about his cub hood friend. Even Maalum chuckled at the story. He'd heard the story before, from his mother's perspective. She'd left out the part with the puking.

A rustling in the grass caught the group's attention and a moment later, Kovu stepped into the clearing. Kiara immediately got to her paws and padded over to her mate and gave him an affectionate nuzzle. "Hey Kovu."

Kovu returned the gesture in kind; all the while eyeing the striped cat that was doing the same. However, Kovu wasn't shooting any glares. With Kiara around and Simba watching him, he didn't want to start any of the trouble Simba had mentioned.

"So honey," Kiara said as she pulled away, "How's your day been? Was listening to the rhinos and zebras bicker all morning good fun?" She finished her 'question' with a wide grin. She had been through training herself and knew exactly how monotonous the so called debates could become.

"Oh yeah, had the time of my life. I never thought eating grass could get so complicated," Kovu said with a smirk and glanced around the group, spotting the two insectivores.

"Hey Browny, how's it hanging? Were the rhinos cool after our little encounter?"

Kovu actually chuckled at this. "Yeah, they were cool. The head guy didn't even mention it."

Maalum watched Kovu closely. He was very surprised to see him so light hearted. So far he'd only witnessed him being an ass. Hmm, that's weird. Maybe he isn't just an ass. That or he just doesn't want to look like one in front of Kiara.

Kovu turned back to his mate. "Hey Kiara, do you know where Vitani went? I thought she was escorting him." He motioned towards Maalum.

Kiara arched an eyebrow. "Well, knowing her, she probably led him as far as she considered necessary—which for her was probably a pretty short distance. My point being, she ditched him."

"Uh huh." Kovu nodded in understanding. In truth, he could have guessed what happened. What he really wanted to know was this. "So how did you get all the way out here? I thought you were practicing your hunting techniques."

You don't know the half of it. Kiara thought with a small smirk on her muzzle. "I found Maalum roaming through the grass and showed him the way around."

Kovu arched an eyebrow. "It took over half the day for you two to make it out here? What were you doing?"

Kiara blanched for a second before recomposing herself. "It's a long story."

"Uh huh," Kovu said slowly, a sly undertone in his voice. He could tell she was hiding something. "Well I've got time. Come on. You can tell me all about it on our way back to Pride Rock. The hunting party has probably brought back some dinner by now."

Knowing she had no choice but to agree, lest she blow her and Maalum's cover, she answered in a forced happy tone. "Okay, let's go." She turned back to the trio. "I'll catch you guys later."

Timon mumbled something along the lines of 'not if he could help it' under his breath. The young royal couple padded off through the grass, leaving the three guys behind.

"So, what's brewing between you and Lover Boy?" Timon inquired to Maalum.

Maalum glanced down at the meerkat. "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? That wasn't a very subtle glare you sent him when Princess wasn't looking. What's up?"

Maalum didn't see any reason to lie. "I think he just thinks I'm a threat."

"A threat, ha. What, did you already try to make a move on Kiara? That's stupid. Kiara said it herself; she wasn't switching guys that fast. You're wasting your time."

Maalum went red again. "No, not that kind of threat. I mean I threat to everyone's safety."

"Oooooh…" Timon chuckled nervously out of embarrassment. "So why does he think you're so dangerous?"

"That's a strange question for you to ask, Timon. I'd assume you'd be the first to distrust someone of Maalum's size." The King's voice flowed onto the scene as he pushed his way through the grass to the clearing. It startled the other three males at first, but they calmed down once they saw Simba's warm smile.

"Oh, hey Simba. Long time, no see. This 'King' business must be workin ya hard."

"You don't know the half of it." Simba chuckled and then glanced at the liger. "So I see you've met my good friends."

Timon piped up in an excited tone, "Oh yeah, we've met him. Simba did you know he has a taste for grubs? He even knows where to find the good ones. And to top it off, he helped us scare of those pesky birds. I love this guy."

Simba raised his eyebrows at this. "So that was what that thunderclap we heard was? Don't you think that was a little overkill for scarring off some birds?"

Maalum gave a semi-shrug. "It was Kiara's idea; I was simply carrying out the Princess's wishes."

Simba rolled his eyes and chuckled again lightly. "Yeah, that sounds like Kiara. Anyway, come on. It'll be evening soon enough, and it's been a long day."

You have no idea. Maalum thought.

Simba turned to his former caretakers. "You two want to join us?"

Timon and Pumbaa glanced at each other and then shrugged. "Sure, why not? It's been a while since we crashed on the Rock. But I swear, if Fluffy tosses a piece of zebra meat at me again and I hurl, someone's head is gonna roll."

"She hasn't do that since she was a cub, Timon." Simba pointed out as the four males began their trek back to Pride Rock. "Let's get a move on; I'm starving."

Maalum chuckled silently. He never thought he'd be too stuffed to turn down fresh meat.

This chapter was written by 22teamplayer (You can find him in the search box or in the earlier reviews)

Here is your next chapter! I certainly hope you all enjoyed it. If so, it would be super cool if you told us! Thoughts and opinions on the character, plot and such would be much obliged. And to those of you who have been reviewing/following/favoriting, thank you! Big hugs for you. You're awesome.