All the lionesses gathered at the base of pride rock to say goodbye to Nuka and his cubs; Vitani stood at the front with Kopa, Simba, Nala and Kovu. It'd been three weeks since Nuka had arrived; in this time Vitani had ballooned up. The birth of the cub would soon come.
A tear trickled down her cheek as Nuka licked her forehead. "Now what happened to the Tani I knew? She wouldn't go all soft on me..." He smirked and Vitani shoved him slightly. Then he moved on to her younger brother.
Vitani watched as her older brother worked his way round the front of the pride, and then with a final nod to Simba, walked off into the distance, his three cubs traipsing behind him. Kopa stood beside her and she cuddled her nose into his mane, finding comfort in the warmth of her mate's fur.
The gathering broke up as the male disappeared over the horizon. Vitani remained sitting there, gazing at the spot where he'd disappeared; she was almost willing him to return as she watched. Kopa licked her tuft, bringing her back to her senses.
"Ready to go back in?" She nodded silently, and with her mate by her side she returned to the cave she now knew so well. In recent days she'd been confined to the birthing cave as the event grew closer; though she wasn't happy at being stuck, she knew it was for the best.
She settled herself in a spot near the back of the space which she'd taken as her own, then shut her eyes and slept. She was exhausted at all the excitement that had taken place; she had to rest.
In her dreams, Vitani cradled a ball of fur, so soft it was unreal; Kopa stood by her side, smiling proudly at his new cub. The sun appeared from behind the clouds and Rafiki approached the new mother, a broad smile on his face. He took the youngster from her arms and approached the edge of pride rock; it was at this point she felt something was wrong. Vitani couldn't understand, and then she listened; there were no animal calls apart from a cackling. She ran to where Rafiki stood just as he released his grip on the cub. She screamed as she saw what waited below; millions of hyenas crowded round, jaws open in waiting for the falling child. Vitani watched in horror as the child's face turned to her one last time and squealed a pathetic mew of a single word; "Momma". As Vitani watched them shred the little cub she felt herself pushed off the edge and follow her child into the mouths of the vicious killers. She screamed as a ripple of pain rushed through her from the hyena's jaws; Vitani woke but the pain was still there.
She peered behind her and saw a small puddle on the otherwise bone dry cave floor; her waters had broken. She knew she had to get someone to come otherwise she would be in serious trouble. She tried to stand but felt another ripple of pain pass through her, pinning her to the ground. She couldn't move. Using her last resort, Vitani roared a painful howl which could've woken the entire savannah; she heard footsteps rushing to her.
All at once, Kopa rushed to her side with a worried expression on his face; he was closely followed by Nala, Simba, Kiara and finally Kovu. They all felt the tension in the air.
"Vitani, what's going on? It's midnight..." With a shocked look he saw the patch behind her that was still damp. He looked at her with wide eyes. "It's happening, it's time isn't it?"
"What's happening?" Nala broke into their hushed conversation, obviously concerned.
"The cub..." Vitani stopped as another ripple passed through, this one more painful than the previous two, causing her to gasp. Nala knew what was happening and immediately took action.
"Kiara, run to Rafiki's tree and tell him it's time. Simba, take Kopa and Kovu out of here; this is a lionesses' place." As her mate turned to leave she spoke again: "Oh and could you get my mother and Masara to come; we'll need some help in here."
With that, everybody moved quickly; Kiara bolted off with a look of determination on her face. The three males left the cave, Kopa licking her gently before he departed. It left just her and Nala alone, but not for long; Sarafina came in quickly, followed closely by Masara. Sarafina sat beside Vitani, putting a paw on her's.
This would be a long night...
It was early in the morning and the birthing cave was full of tired out females; Sarafina, Masara and Kiara sat near the entrance of the cave with Rafiki, whilst Nala lay beside Vitani. She smiled at those who stood around her, still tired from her entire night. It had all been worth it.
"Congratulations sweetie," Sarafina smiled at her grandson's mate. "I'll go fetch the lucky boy, shall I?" She winked then left the cave with Masara close behind her. Nala went to sit beside her daughter and the shaman, leaving Vitani with more space in the corner she lay in. Kopa appeared at the entrance of the cave, a blank expression on his face; it changed to one of ecstasy when he saw his mate.
"Oh Vitani, they're beautiful..." He came over to his mate and lay beside her and their new children which squirmed in her arms. She smiled, hardly believing anything could be so small, yet perfect...
She'd given birth to twins that night, a son and daughter. The female was golden with a small tuft, brown outsiders' nose and bright blue eyes that gazed up at her father with a gleam of curiosity. Her brother had a fur tone similar to Vitani's, a tuft of brown fur on his tail tip and a little brown pridelanders' nose. He had blue eyes like his sister and was cuddled into his mother's chest fur, half-asleep. Kopa looked proudly at his newborn children, and then at Vitani. He groomed her tuft fondly.
"They certainly are very striking cubs" Simba peered into the arms of his son's mate. "Have you thought of names for them yet?" Vitani shook her head.
"I thought Kopa could name one, and then I'd name the other." She smiled up at him; right now, nothing seemed more appealing than this scene.
Rafiki came over to her and reached for the young male, cradling him in his arms. He wiggled a finger above him, and he sleepily swiped at it; Kopa and Vitani smiled. He placed the little one back in his mother's care and instead lifted the female. He repeated his finger-wiggling and she gave a small growl, swiping and clawing randomly, causing the old monkey to laugh before setting her down again.
"They're both healthy; I'll leave you for a moment to come up with a name for each before we start the presentation." With that, Rafiki left their presence, collecting his staff most likely. She turned her attention back to her cubs.
"So Kopa, do you want to name the prince or the princess?" She watched as her mate gazed down thoughtfully at his new children; she noticed his eyes settle on the male.
"I think he should be named Chaka" He spoke without moving his gaze from his son. Vitani nodded then turned to look at her daughter who peered up at her; there was a fire in her eyes that made Vitani smile.
"Then his sister will be Shani," As she said this, the little female rubbed her head against Vitani's chest fur, and she smiled. She'd waited so long and now she finally had her cubs.
As she thought about the wonders of the circle of life, Rafiki entered the cave with his staff in his hand; the sun was ready to rise and so the ceremony would begin.
Vitani picked up Shani around the belly and padded out the cave, followed closely by Kopa and Chaka. The rest of the gathering headed down to the base of pride rock where the rest of the lionesses gathered to celebrate the newborns. Rafiki called out across the savannah and as he continued with his ancient tongues, known only by those who had the knowledge of the King's, dark shapes appeared on the horizon as all the animals headed towards the ceremony.
Vitani sat herself next to Kopa who still held Chaka by the scruff of his neck. She placed her daughter between her front paws, knowing it was only the male who would get a presentation, as he would be future king. Vitani watched as Rafiki came and took her son from Kopa's mouth, smearing a sticky substance on his forehead and lightly sprinkling sand over it; Chaka sneezed. The old shaman grinned then approached the edge of pride rock; Vitani saw all the animals try to catch a glimpse of the new prince. Within a moment, Rafiki had lifted Chaka into the air and the animals went into uproar. This was the circle of life at its most glorious. Vitani's new life had finally begun...
Thanks to all those who have read this, it was my first multi-chapter Fan Fiction and I'm glad many people enjoyed it (although I cringe slightly when I read the earlier chapters xD). There's just one more thing to address... I've been considering making this the second of an instalment of stories which I would entitle 'The Chronicles of Kopa' (original I know :L). Anyway, if you'd like this to happen then I need to know whether you'd like the first instalment (of Kopa's cubhood up to his adolescence here, much more in Kopa than Vitani's point of view) or the third instalment (continuing from here to his cubs, not sure who's point of view yet!) written and posted first. If you guys like the Chronicles idea then both of these will be done eventually. If not, then this is a standalone story (:
Thanks for reading!