Growing Up

"Ugh, how much farther do we have to walk? I feel exhausted!" Pembe shouted. The two had been walking all day. They had only stopped to drink and eat.

"Well, if it takes two weeks to reach the Marsh Lands, it must mean if you take breaks. If we take as little breaks as possible, we should be there much sooner, right?" Bahati replied. He was rather certain of this. It makes sense. The more we walk, the sooner we het there. He thought to himself.

"Yeah, but what's the rush?" Pembe asked, growing irritated with exhaustion.

"Well...not to be mean...but I wanna meet some other lions. I love you Pembe, you're my sister, but I would like to know what it's like to know lions...that's all."

"Oh, OK. That makes sense" she said, smiling. She was a little hurt at first, but it quickly went away when she remembered just what he was going through. "I understand" she said, grinning to him, showing off her stubby tusks growing in.

"Thank you for understanding. So, we have a long way ahead of us, what should we do in the mean time?" Bahati asked. He didn't want to be bored the whole time. That would be, well, boring.

"Hmm...well, we could sing a song?" Pembe suggessted.

"Sure. What one should we sing?"

"I got one" she said, smiling. "A-weembo wep, a-weembo wep a-weembo wep" she sang, causeing Bahati to laugh. He cleared his throat and began singing in a high pitched voice.

"In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight! In the jungle the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight. A WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-E-E-E A-EEE UM BUMBO WAY!" he shouted. the two erupted into laughter.

"You know, I never understood that song" Pembe said.

"Well, what do you mean?"

"Well, you're a lion, and I see no jungle, so how do you live in it?"

"Well, I-hmm...you're right. I don't know..." he said, stopping his walk. "Well, maybe they were singing about Asiatic lions? 'Cause they lived with tigers, which live in jungles, so maybe it was them?"

"Yeah, maybe..." Pembe said. "Well, now what do we sing about?"

"Well, I don't know...hmm...I got nothin', you?"

"Nothin'..." she said in a playful upset tone. "Well, there goes that."

"Well, we could stop here for the night I guess. I'm starting to get pretty tired" he said, a yawn escaping his mouth. Along with it came a low roar.

"Aw, look who's growing up. Last time you tried to roar, it only made me laugh. You sounded like a cub. My wittle bwuver's growin' up" she said, pinching his cheek in her trunk. He swatted her trunk away, chuckling lightly.

"Yeah, yeah, well, at least my teeth stay inside my mouth" he said, reminding her once again of her tusks.

"Yes, well, keep working on that little roar of yours, while I grow something that can actually protect me. You mock me now, but just you wait. In a year or two, these babies will be long enough to scare people away. Your roar might be a little more impressive if you didn't just have a few chest hairs to back it up with" she said, prodding his chest.

"OK, point made, now let's get to sleep..." he said, defeated once again. How does she always manage to come back at me? he thought to himself. The two curled up for a night of sleep. They layed in silence, allowing the increasing weight of their eyelids to be victorious in the fight to stay awake.

-in the Outlands-

"Catch me if you can, 'Tani!" shouted a young lion with a tuft of brown hair on his head.

"I'm coming Kopa!" she shouted, running after her friend. She felt something she didn't feel in a long time, happiness. She chased him and finally caught up to him, pouncing on him.

"Oof! 'Tani, lemme up" he said, laughing. She released him, just to be pounced on herself. The two began tumbling down a hill.

"Oof, that isn't fair. I wasn't paying attention" she said. Suddenly she realized it was nighttime. "Kopa, I gotta get going. Mother will flip if I don't get home soon" she said, expressing deep concern.

"Aw, 'Tani, just sleep in the cave tonight with me. Please?" he asked, widenning his eyes and pouting his lips.

"Ugh, you win. You know I can't resist that" she said, licking him on the cheek.

"Yeah, I know" he replied with a smug grin on his climbed off of her and layed himself next to her, their sides touching, "I love you 'Tani."

"I love you too Kopa" she said. She looked up at the stars and smiled. She looked back to Kopa and saw the cub she was in love with, but not how she last saw him. He looked at her through bleeding eyes, his mouth had a stream of blood/drool hanging down. His body was covered in cuts and gashes. Her eyes widened in shock, mouth agape.

"Something wrong, 'Tani?" he asked, seemingly unaware of his injuries.

"Yes, Vitani, is something wrong?" said another voice.

"Mother?" she asked.

"Yes child, yes. Remember, this is all Simba's doing. All, Simba's, Doing."

"All Simba's doing..." she repeated in almost a trance. Just as she said this, Simba himself appeared from the long grass beside them.

"All my doing" he said. With that, he lunged towards her.

Vitani sat up. She was panting and sweating hard. "Kopa..." she said in a whisper. She stood up and walked outside of the termite mound still panting. She sat and shivered. The cooler temperature chilled the sweat on her body. "Simba, why did you have to kill Scar? If you didn't kill him, Kopa would still be around!" she shouted. "You hurt my mother, and you have hurt me. I will take much pleasure in my place in the war. I will hurt you like you've hurt me. Justice shall be served..."

"That is what I like to hear, my child. Allow your hatred for Simba to grow, fueling you. We still have much preparing to do. In one year's time, we shall have our revenge" Zira said, sitting next to her daughter. She stared up to the moon, grinning.

"Yes mother. Kovu shall be an outstanding force. He keeps growing stronger, and with that, increases our chances of success" Vitani said.

"Indeed he will. He shall follow in Scar's paw prints and take his place as the rightful king of the Pride Lands. Our Pride Lands" she said, chuckling lightly.

"Mother, I must express my concern for Nuka. He has changed. He doesn't seem to be the same as he has before. He feels neglected and like you don't even love him or anything..." Vitani said quite timidly. Zira simply continued staring at the moon, her smile fading into a serious, unemotional expression.

"Scar deemed him unfit to rule. He was of no use to Scar, therefore no use to me" she said. this shocked Vitani. "It is all a part of Scar's plan. You don't have an issue with Scar's decision, do you? You have been very obedient. That isn't changing is it?" she asked, unsheathing a claw, allowing to shine in the moonlight. "You aren't questioning me are you?" Fear struck Vitani, remembering the beatings she had received as a cub.

"N-no mother. I stand by the plan, even if it means...d-disowning Nuka as my brother" she said, trying to sound as strong as she could.

"Good...now, get some rest. We are sparring tomorrow and I would like you to be on your best game."

"Yes mother" Vitani replied, hanging her head in shame. What the two didn't know was that there was another listening to the conversation.

Dis-owning me? Heh, I thought she loved me? She said so, she is my sister-no, she was my sister. Now she is just another lioness...

Chapter Thirteen. Reviews? Have people been catching the Lion King referances I've been hiding?