So I decided to post this chapter much earlier than I intended to. Besides, I have a better understanding of what I'll be naming the chicks and the story behind the name. Hope you're happy!

Emily642: Thanks! Glad you liked it! :D

Simba1928: Glad you're liking the suspense! All those questions will be answered and more in the upcoming chapters! Thanks for reading!

Can'thinkofasuitableusername: Daww, thank you! :D

~10~

If you asked me right now what goes on in your head when you first lay eyes on your firstborn child, I honestly wouldn't have a definite answer. So many emotions buzzed through my head as Dalila told me the news, and I was frozen in shock. Excitement, shock, anxiety, restlessness, joy, worry...you name it…just whizzing around in my consciousness like a violent storm. She beckoned me to hurry before I missed the first crack and I snapped out of my trance and quickly flew up to meet her. By the time I got up there, not much had happened, but the eggs bounced about as the very first chick fought to escape the enclosure it'd spent its first moments of life in. Bisa muttered a weary sentence or two as she heard us a few branches down, and exclaimed in joy when she saw what was going on.

"They've arrived so early!" she grinned. "I can't believe this is happening!"

As she said this, the first chick's beak stabbed through one of the eggs. Dalila's eyes grew moist with proud tears and I could feel some coming up too.

"In a few moments, we'll be parents!" she squealed, grasping my wing tight.

I nodded eagerly as we awaited the arrival of the very first chick. He had a bit of trouble getting out of the egg, and had to stop for a few moments. I nearly panicked because I thought something had happened to him, and I was ready to go and help him, but Bisa pulled me over to her before I could intervene.

"Don't you dare!" she spat sharply. "You can hurt the poor thing if you try to help it."

I stepped down, an annoyed sneer meagerly etched across my beak and as I inched away. To my relief, he started moving about again, thrashing around the nest, fighting to break free of the mysterious casing. With one last bout of energy, he finally entered the world. His feathers were wet with the remnants of yolk, and his eyes opened, revealing a pair of beautiful sapphire shaded irises.

"He has your eyes," I said to Dalila with a hearty smile.

She rushed to him, her wings wrapped tightly around his sodden little body. He squirmed about, trying to break free of her motherly hold.

"Hello, Zahir." she cooed tenderly, her beak nuzzling his. "Don't be frightened, I'm your mommy."

He was adorned in very little feathers that were a shade of deep baby blue mixed with a hint of greenish tone. He'd be quite a handsome lad once the rest of his feathers started coming in.

"Would you like to hold your son?" Dalila inquired, with a coy grin.

With a slight nod of approval, she transferred the newly born hatchling from her wings into mine. His body was warm and a bit tense.

"Zahir,"I sighed lovingly. "You'll make a fine addition to the family. Welcome to the world, son."

Another shrill chirp filled the air and I quickly turned away, little Zahir still secured in my wings. The second and final chick had emerged from its egg just moments after her big brother was born. Bisa picked her up, cooing at the naked baby bird.

"It's a girl," she sung with joy, snuggling the bird. "And she's absolutely beautiful."

She truly was a gem. She'd inherited most of Dalila's stunning features, and she had a few unique qualities of her own that neither of us possessed. As she opened her eyes for the first time, her attention tried to fix onto the clamor of excited adults, lively green leaves, and the commotion of her arrival. Her eyes donned a beautiful purplish color, a similar shade my mother used to possess so long ago, and she sported a natural smile that could melt anyone's heart at the sight.

"What will you name her, Dalila?" Bisa inquired, giving the hatchling to the new mother to handle.

She thought to herself, and then she turned to me with a smile.

"It wouldn't be fair to Zazu if I named both of them," she decided. "So Zazu…what do you want to name her?"

I knew almost immediately what I wanted to call her. Those beautiful purple eyes were far too reminiscent of the beautiful Elizabeth Taylor…may she rest in peace. And even in her first few minutes of gracing Planet Earth, I could tell she would grow to be a graceful and delicate little lady…almost like a queen.

"Elizabeth," I said joyfully, meeting eyes with the little femme. "Liz for short…"

"Zahir and Liz," Dalila cooed, snuggling next to me. "Zazu, this is without a doubt one of the happiest days in my life…thank you."

I returned the embrace and the two twins finally had a chance to interact with one another. Even a grumpy old Grinch like Bisa looked like her heart grew three times that day. But I could care less what she thought anyway. With our quaint little family of four finally established with the long-awaited birth of the twins, I was on cloud nine and nothing could bring me down.

Mufasa, upon hearing the news of the twins' arrival, gracefully gave me a break to spend time with the nippers as they grew. Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE my job, but the time that I've spent with the chicks and Dalila as a family were some of the best days in my life. It was a blast teaching them how to fly. With Dalila by my side, I watched as the chicks dove from the nest, flapping their wings frantically, trying to stay airborne. It was a bit nerve-wracking to see the little ones diving through the heights with such nonchalance, and I nearly fainted at the sight, but Dalila roused me out of my anxiety and insisted that they'd be just fine. I was so thankful she was there. My uptightness and her free-spirited mentality cancelled each other out perfectly.

"Look, Mummy…Daddy!" Lizzie exclaimed in a fit of laughter as she darted about the deep blue skies. "I'll be flying like a hawk in no time."

Her flying was still a bit unbalanced and choppy, but it was still quite impressive.

"You're very right, dear." Dalila responded with a warm smile. "And Zahir's not too far behind."

Liz stopped in her tracks, looking down at her elder brother, who didn't quite get the hang of it.

"He can never be as good as me!" she said cockily.

I shot her a stern glare, and she responded with a cheeky grin. She was still very young, but we definitely raised her better than that. Zahir seemed a bit annoyed and humiliated as he skulked in the corner, giving up after a few more sessions. Dalila looked to me, her eye brows raised and an assuring smile wide across her beak. I immediately knew where she was hinting at and I swooped towards my eldest child.

"What's wrong, son?" I asked worriedly.

"I can't do this!" he groaned, flapping his wings.

"Well you've just started," I said light-heartedly. "You still have a lot to learn."

"Dad…seriously…even my own twin could fly better than me!"

"Don't let that bring your confidence down," I said with a loving sigh. "Even though you two are twins…you both have very different qualities and personalities that your mother and I both love equally."

He laughed a bit as he lifted himself off the ground.

"Are you sure you don't love one of us a little more?" he asked me.

"Absolutely,"

"Not even a teeny tiny bit?"

"Positive, comrade."

His questions ended from there and he glided from his spot into the air again. He rose, looking down at me, but as his flapping intensified, he sunk lower towards ground level. I caught up with him, helping him through the last few steps.

"Relax, Zahir." I told him. "Don't flap your wings so quickly. Take it a bit slower."

He complied, and soon enough, he was doing it on his own.

"I'm doing it, Dad!" he said with a grin stretched from ear-to-ear.

It was so heart-warming seeing my two chicks dancing and darting about in the air, mastering the skill of flying. Those two were such fluffy and drop-dead adorable little things. Feh. The Olsen twins don't hold a candle to these little buggers.

"I'm going to get some rest," Dalila suggested, nuzzling me before she parted. "I'll see you three later."

"Bye, Mum." the duo responded in chirrupy unison.

Dalila flew off and the two of them quickly flew down to meet me.

"So don't tell your mother," I whispered to the chicks. "But I have a special surprise planned out for her."

Liz's face lit up with cheeriness once she heard the word surprise.

"What do we have to do?" she inquired with a jovial bounce in her voice.

"You two will follow me to the shrubs and help me pick out the gooseberries and the miracle berries and well gather them."

"Those are Mum's favorite." Zahir pointed out, a sly smile slowly creeping across his face. "Are we having a special dinner or something?"

"Your mother and I are having a special dinner while you two spend the rest of the evening with Bisa." I corrected humorously. "Can't we come, please?" Liz begged.

"Yeah!" Zahir added with a sulk. "Bisa's such a wanker!"

"Now watch your beak, young man!" I scolded, triggering a cutesy grin from my son.

He took the memo and he and Liz rushed away to do what I said. I honestly hated having to be so cross with them, but if it ensured that they'd be molded into well-mannered adults, then so be it. After a few hours of preparing, I finally finished setting up the area where we'd partake in our romantic dinner for two.

"And just one last thing to top it all off," I said to myself cheerfully as I parted the leaves to reveal the case of rings Rafiki had given to me earlier.

I opened the casing, just to get one last glimpse at them before I set them on the table and waited patiently for the chicks' return. As I relaxed myself, Liz parted the blades of grass, dragging along with her a large leaf with hordes of miracle berries and what not.

"Thank you, Liz darling," I told her with a proud grin.

I scoped the area, puzzled as to where Zahir would be at this time. They were usually glued to each other's side, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Where's your brother, Lizzie?" I inquired, growing a bit worried.

"He had the lilies in his beak," Liz responded with a bewildered look plastered across his face. "He went looking for a few more of them in the fields and that's where I last saw him."

Oh Great Kings, no…

"Liz, stay here and don't move a muscle!" I ordered as I readied to find my missing son.

"You're not mad at me, Daddy, are you?" she groaned remorsefully.

"Of course not, hon." I said with assurance to spare her feelings. "Now just do what I said and keep yourself occupied in the meantime!"

With that, I headed into the long stalks of grass, blindly searching for the missing Zahir. Simba and Nala, which were about ten times his size, would've been hyena chow if it weren't for Mufasa's quick thinking. Just imagine what would happen to a little fledgling like him. Heavens, just imagine the poor little lad, all lost, and alone, and cold, and hungry. Good going, Zazu! You stupidly left your children in the hands of the harsh African wilderness, when they just barely learned how to fly. Bah! Some kind of father you are! The Father of the Year plaque is shined up just for you.

In the midst of my thinking, I trampled over a ball of blue fluff. I turned back, and lo and behold—it's Zahir lifting himself off the ground. We met eyes simultaneously, and he forced a nervous laugh while I narrowed my eyes in disappointment.

"Ehehhe…sorry Dad." he blushed.

"You better have a good explanation for all of this!" I scolded.

"Dad…I'm sorry. I was picking the flowers for your dinner with Mom and these three weird birds passed by!"

My brow raised in suspicion. I was a bit reluctant to believe his story. He was quite a joker…and a pathological liar at that.

"And you gotta believe me!" he faltered on. "They had these big, razor sharp talons…WAYYY sharper than ours…and they were like FIVE TRILLION times your size, and they had these pointy looking beaks. And they were really something, Dad! You should've been there!"

"Don't you know how worried I was something happened to you?" I barked sharply. "And here you are just waltzing around, making us these lies?"

"But, Dad!" he said in his defense. "I'm telling you the truth!"

"Well you can tell Bisa all about your little voyage once you get home."

Looking back on it, I should've definitely taken little Zahir's story a bit more seriously. If I had, I could've probably avoided the tragic outcome hanging just around the corner.

Don't ask me how Zazu knows Liz Taylor, or the queen. He just does! xD Hope you liked it! Stay tuned for chapter 11! Good night, guys!