Chapter 13: Time Together
A/n: Since this question was brought up to me via PM, please note that this story is NOT in any way cannon to the TLK comics, of which Kopa's character is based on. Also, please do take the time to read the important message I've left at the end of this chapter.
Vitani crept stealthily along the narrow passageway, making sure she didn't trip on any of the countless of loose cobbles that littered the ground and give herself away. Her breathing quickened the moment she could feel the passageway started going on an incline, and it wasn't long before she saw a few streaks of sunlight stealing through the narrow slit between two large rocks that blocked the very end of the pathway.
The Lioness peeked an eye through the narrow slit and smiled when she saw the destination ahead of her was completely clear of any interfering souls. Using her muzzle and brute strength, Vitani steadily, and quite easily, inched one of the rocks apart to form an opening just big enough for her to squeeze through while making sure to make as minimal noise as she could in the process. Once that was done, she casually slipped through the small opening and onto the other side. She smirked to herself as she stood before her destination; Simba and Nala's personal ledge, the ledge that overlooked the entire den of Pride Rock and where the King and Queen of the Pridelands slept.
Of course it was a clear, unspoken rule that no-one but the Royal family were allowed to be there, but Vitani wasn't one to follow such rules and had many a time crept her way up there whenever she felt the need to escape the company of the other inhabitants of Pride Rock, and of course, she would only dare to do so when she's certain that Simba and Nala were away for a long period time, such as that current morning when the King ad Queen had to attend a meeting with the Elephants that was expected to last till dusk.
Vitani quietly proceeded over to the ledge and nimbly laid herself there close to the edge, looking over the other inhabitants that were scattered around the den's common area beneath her. The other Lionesses were at one end of the den, minding their own businesses, the two cubs Mwamba and Hasina were squeling and wrestling each other over a Baobab fruit right at the centre, and...
Vitani raised a brow when she noticed her brother and Kiara were eyeing the two animals just a few feet away from them intenly. Kopa and Fuli were busy conversing with each other about Mwamba, but Vitani knew that Kiara and Kovu's attention were set on the brown-maned Lion. She trained her gaze back on the newest inhabitant of Pride Rock and silently began observing him. He had only been part of the pride for not more than forty-eight hours, and suffice to say, she could already tell he was suffering. It wasn't hard for her to notice the brief glares her pridesisters shot at him whenever he had his back towards them and how they would purposely ignore and pretend they didn't hear him when he shyly tried to speak with them. But even worse were the damning insults they'd use whenever they were gossiping about him during his absence that would have definitely destroyed his dignity and his will to stay there any longer should he ever hear them.
Of course, eventhough she didn't stoop so low as to join her pridesisters with their harassment towards Kopa, she herself had personally avoided being anywhere near the brown-maned Lion, but it was for a different reason. She already felt Pride Rock getting too cramped since the birth of Hasina and the addition of Mwamba later on, and with Kopa now more or less part of the pride, she felt there was hardly any space for her to be in the confinements of her privacy within the den.
But in all honesty though, Vitani did hold some degree of respect for the newest addition of the pride, stemming from two nights ago during the first confrontation where he and his two Backlander companions managed to escape from Pride Rock despite being surrounded by a dozen hostile Lionesses. She hate to admit it, but eventhough she herself was threatened by some of Kopa's goons whom aided his escape, she actually was quite impressed by how he managed to catch the entire pride off-guard and used it to his advantage.
A dark smirk shadowed the far corners of her lips. Even after months being a part of a pride that was often regarded as protectors of the Circle of Life, her appreciation for ruthlessness had never left her, and what Kopa displayed that night was just that; pure ruthlessness. In a way, she saw him as a reflection of herself during the days she and her family were exiled in the forsaken Outlands.
She paused her train of thoughts and returned her gaze back onto him, and was mildly intrigued by what she saw next. Kopa had excused himself from Fuli and began walking towards where Kovu and Kiara were sitting. Vitani had noticed her brother and Kiara talking quietly to each other while stealing glances towards the brown-maned Lion earlier, and she could already what was about to happen next. Just as she expected, Kiara had already gotten on her fours and hurriedly forced her mate and daughter to follow her out of the den before Kopa could get anywhere near them.
She furrowed a brow when she saw the dejected look on Kopa's face, as the Lion stared towards the entrance where his own sister had walked out on him. Vitani never moved as she trained her gaze on the disheartened Lion. Somewhere deep inside her heart, she felt sorry for him. And it wasn't because she merely pitied the guy, it was because she herself had experienced such rejection. A piece of memory that flashed before her eyes brought her back to several months back when she and her (now former) Outsider pridesisters had merged together with Simba's pride after the union of her brother with Kiara.
Even when they were supposedly united as one, she could vividly recall how the Lionesses from Simba's pride still had distrusted her family members (apart from Kovu) during their first few week in their new home, how they would put on forced smiles that was nothing more than a facade to mask their grudges that they held for her sisters whenever they had to interact with them. She had no doubt that without Simba around, they would have more than gladly booted her family out back into Outlands.
But as distrustful as they were towards her family, it was nothing compared to the cold, bitter treatment that they gave to her. Eventhough it was she who had managed to convince her Outsider sisters to stop the war with Simba and his family, the other Lionesses were still wary and held an unbelievable amount of hate for her, most likely because they found out that she was the one who had earlier sabotaged and had Kiara trapped in a wildfire, which was in fact a part of the late Zira's plans to get Kovu get closer to Kiara and Simba in a cunning scheme to eliminate the latter.
How those Lionesses had ignored and emotionally tormented her was exactly the same mistreatment that Kopa was currently suffering from, only it was much worse for him as it wasn't only the Lioness hunters who rejected him, but also Kiara, his own younger sister. And it was no wonder why Vitani instantly held his pity when she saw how brokenhearted he looked as he sat there in the middle of the den, staring at the opening where he last saw his sister.
She knew for a fact that not even the toughest and ruthless of souls could bear the pain of being rejected by their own loved ones, and just observing him staring miserably at the lonely abyss almost made her want to just jump of from the ledge and rush over to him and give him a comforting hug... but of course, how could she? She was Vitani... and it was not in her nature to feel sorry for other animals' misery and give them comforting hugs. With a silent grimmace, she straightened her posture and observed the brown-maned Lion further, forgetting any sympathy she had for him earlier.
"Yes... he's much like you, isn't he?"
Vitani nearly jumped from her fur when she suddenly heard a voice behind her, thinking for a wild moment that she'd been caught red-handed sneaking into the King and Queen's personal quarters, but her shocked expression immediately morphed into that of spite and annoyance when she turned around and saw a smirking Mandrill wielding a wooden staff, his annoying smile was as if he was mocking her.
"What are you doing here?!" The Lioness hissed, barely managing to keep her voice low to avoid attracting any more unwanted attention.
"Ah... I could ask you the same question!" Rafiki grinned in an almost teasing manner that made her wish she that could just push the old baboon off the ledge and be done with it.
With a huff, the Lioness shot him a warning grimace before settling down again and continued observing the den below her. Maybe if she ignored him long enough and pretend he was never there, the crazy old ape would leave her alone. But to her dismay and uter annoyance, he let out this irritating laugh before hobbling right next to her, causing Vitani to angrily grit her teeth. Why was this elderly shaman always randomly turning up whenever he wasn't wanted? Now she really wished she could just push him off of the ledge.
"Oh, such a pitiful sight..." She suddenly heard him mused to himself. For a moment she thought he was referring to her in another crazy attempt to get her on edge, but stealing a glance towards him made her realized he was actually looking down towards the common area below them. Following his gaze, she saw that his attention was drawn to a particular brown-maned Lion.
Both didn't say anything as they watched Kopa now heading towards the Lioness Hunters who were resting at the other corner of the den. One of them noticed that he was approaching and she immediately alerted her sisters. Vitani let out a disappointed sigh through her nose when she saw her pridesisters got up one-by-one before heading for the exit in an obvious attempt to avoid and belittle him, she even noticed that some of them let out spiteful growls at Kopa as they passed him on their way out.
"Yes... such a pitiful sight..." Rafiki continued. "He really is a male who's rotten and hated by everyone, don't you think?"
Vitani's cerulean orbs widened when the Mandrill spoke his last few words.
"... a male who's rotten and hated by everyone..."
She heard that sentence before... she remembered someone else saying those exact same words before... but who? Cogs and wheels began churning in her mind as she tried to recall from who she had heard utter that same sentence. As she thought back, a single, vague entity slowly appeared in her mind; a gazelle, and to be more specific, it was an elderly gazelle whom she finally remembered coming across a few days ago.
"Someday, Vitani, you will come across a Lion... a male, a male who's rotten and by everyone..."
Finally, everything was clear, she finally remembered. Those were the same words spoken by that dying old gazelle she came across lying weakly on the grass of the Acacia grazing grounds, patiently waiting for his time to come while she was hunting for the pride's lunch. Vitani remembered his final words to her, how he prophesized that she will come across another Lion who was widely hated by everyone around him, yet the said Lion was supposedly to be the key for her 'happy ending to her life story'. Of course, being a skeptic of the supernatural, she naturally dismissed everything he said and guessed that whatever the dying animal spoke was nothing more than mindless drivel.
But then again, as she started staring down back at Kopa, she couldn't help but feel that the brown-maned Lion more or less fit the description of the 'rotten male' the gazelle had talked about. Could it really be such a coincidence? And speaking of coincidences...
She stole a glance to the Mandrill next to her, only to see him already facing her and bearing a subtle smirk on his wrinkled lips, as if he had been reading what was going on in her mind. "Ah... I see you finally remember meeting my late friend, Busara, the wise former leader of the Gazelles," he spoke, confirming her suspicion that his choice of words earlier was anything but a coincidence. But wait... how exactly did that old Mandrill know she met the Gazelle when he wasn't even there?
"How exactly did you know that we met? Have you been spying on me?" She asked with a stern glare, almost demanding for his answer. But of course, no amount of intimidation could ever wipe that smile off the old primate, as he condescendingly leaned against his staff and curtly spoke his response, "Ah... Vitani, I don't need to spy on you to know that! The Great Kings of the Past were the ones who told me..."
The Lioness hitched her breath and desperately tried to control the rage that boiling up in her. Of course, she should have expected such an answer from that old fool. She was at the verge of lashing out at him when he unexpectedly continued, "In fact... you weren't actually talking to Busara that day, Vitani. You were actually talking to the Kings of the Past themselves!"
Vitani felt an eye twitch as she glared intently at Rafiki. His irrational response made her wonder if he really had lost his marbles or was just being senile with her. Either way, she already made up her mind that she wasn't going to waste another second listening to the old fool. "Oh wow... did I really? I'm truly flattered," Vitani jeered sarcastically before turning around to leave.
But before she could move a step ahead, the old shaman quickly leapt and landed right in front of her while letting out a teasing chuckle as he did, much to her annoyance. "That is right! You should be flattered! You are one of the few animals who had the chance to speak with the Great Rulers of the Past!"
The Lioness let out an exasperated sigh, wondering how much longer she had to suffer with the monkey's antics. "Hey, genius, I was just being sarcastic," She sharply quipped with an annoyed frown.
To her further irritance, Rafiki simply let out another annoying laugh before turning around and beckoned for her to follow him, "Well that, you should not be. Here, you follow Rafiki, he will explain to you!"
Vitani was initially reluctant to follow him, but out of curiosity, she decided to give him a chance. He took her to the wall just behind them, that was right beside the entrance of the secret passage she had earlier used to steal into the King and Queen's personal quarters. As they stood facing the wall, she noticed that it contained several finger-paintings, which she easily deduced were made by him. Scrutinizing the paintings briefly, she immediately discerned that the paintings resembled the past and present Royal Families of the Pridelands.
Rafiki caught her attention by gently pointing his staff towards a particular painting that resembled a group of majestic Lions gathering together. "You see, Vitani, there is a secret that has long been around the Pridelands... a secret that very few animals know. Not even Simba and Nala knows about it!"
"Okay... so what is it?" Vitani impatiently asked, now genuinely getting very much interested where this was going.
Rafiki smiled and gave the painting a single tap from his staff. Almost immediately, and much to Vitani's awe, the painting itself began to move. A single glow illuminated around the figures of the Lions and the Lions themselves showed signs of movement, and from afar, it looked like these wise Lions were discussing heavily amongst themselves.
"These Lions are all the great Rulers of the Past," Rafiki explained to Vitani, who had untypically became so wonderstruck with what she was seeing that she let her jaw gaped open and her eyes widened with part-confusion and part-disbelief. The Mandrill certainly enjoyed observing the awe-striken state of the Lioness after she had earlier indirectly made it clear that she dismissed him as an old, senile fool, but still he made sure he didn't get ahead of himself and gently continued,
"It is believed, Vitani, that sometimes, when a wise elderly animal is moments away from completing his journey through the Circle of Life, the spirits of the Great Kings would temporarily possess the body of that dying animal... and any passing animal who comes across it, the Kings will pass on their wisdom to that passing animal."
He gently tapped on the painting of the Lions once again, and, much to Vitani's consternation, the Lions suddenly became distorted as their figures suddenly 'sank' into another painting of an elderly Mandrill lying still on his back, his hands were clasped together on his chest. Vitani approached approached closer to the wall and further scrutinized the painting. She noticed that there was a second Mandrill was painted right next to the laying Mandrill, only this one looked smaller and appeared to be younger.
"Who is that? That can't be you, right?" She asked, nudging her head to the painting of the elderly Mandrill.
Rafiki chuckled, "No... that Mandrill was Zamani... and he was my father." Vitani's eyes widened once again and she turned back to the painting, her gaze was then set upon the painting of the younger Mandrill. "So that one must be..."
"... yes, that is me." Rafiki acknowledged, nodding his head as he completed her sentence. He then rested a palm on the painting of his late father. "You see, Vitani, the wise Zamani had been advisor and Royal Sage to three generations of Kings of the Pridelands, and somewhere along that line, he wanted a successor to continue his work and legacy after his time had come... and so he chose me, his son. But I was still young at that time, and... I was not really interested in anything my father did."
The old Mandrill sadly shook his head, as if displaying the guilt he felt that time all those years ago, even Vitani silently empathized with him. Still, he managed recompose himself and continued, "I was with him during his final hours here... but I never said anything. I was too... sad... and ashamed to speak anything to him. But... instead, he was the one who spoke to me. And he said to me plenty of things, but they were all unusual things I have never heard him say before. After my father finally left, I suddenly realized that everything he said and told me... was not spoken by him. I realized that it was actually the Great Kings of the Past talking and passing down their wisdom and knowledge to me, and it was that moment I know... I was chosen by them to use their wisdom to help the animals of the Pridelands."
Vitani pursed her lips as she absorbed everything that was being told to her. For a moment, her skeptical side made her wonder if the old Mandrill was simply making everything up, but after seeing how he was able to make those paintings move with a single tap of his stick, she reluctantly accepted the fact that the elderly primate, as quirky as he was, held some sort of supernatural wisdom and ability, and so finally trusted his explanation. She took a glance at Rafiki and saw him feeling about the painting of his father, presumably reliving those final minutes he had before his old man left him. She could have sworn she saw a tear trail down the Mandrill's cheek, and it somehow uncharacteristically spurred her to do something to prevent the old primate from being too emotional.
"Well, how 'bout that? Who would've ever thought that you were actually young once," she quipped with a grin while nudging her head towards the painting of Rafiki's younger self. To her relief, he instantly broke into a smile and even let out a brief chuckle.
"Yes... I was quite the trouble-maker when I was younger, that I cannot argue. Believe it or not, I nearly made my father lose his job after I face-painted the late King Mohatu while he was taking his nap! Ho-ho! He was so confused why the other animals were laughing at him when he passed by them shortly after that!"
"Well that I believe," she sneered good-humoredly under her breath, earning an appreciative nod from him. Then, a sudden thought flew into her mind,
"Wait a minute. Are you saying that after that old gazelle spoke to me, I'm supposed to take up a job as a Sage and do all those weird things you do?" She asked with somewhat horror written on her face at the thought of having .
"Heh. If you want to... I could use an apperentice to pass down my knowledge and become my successor," The Mandrill jokingly grinned, causing the Lioness to flash an annoyed and disapproving frown. "But rest assured, Vitani, you are not expected to do so. The Great Kings only expect you to use their words that were passed down to you to help your fellow Pridelanders in any way you can. Now... who is the closest Pridelander you know that could use your assistance?"
It didn't take no more than an instant for Vitani to know exactly who he was talking about. She swiftly turned and headed back to the ledge and observed the happenings going on down below. The common area was now almost completely deserted, except for the two animals she spotted talking to each other near the exit; Kopa and another Lioness whom Vitani immediately recognized was Bahati, the leader of the Lioness hunting party. Though she couldn't hear what exactly they were saying, she noted that both Lion and Lioness looked as if they were at the verge of tears as their conversation dragged on. Then, she saw Bahati miserably shaking her head before quickly making her exit, ignoring Kopa's pleas for her to stay. Vitani remained silent as she watched Kopa dejectedly stare after the den's opening where Bahati last seen.
"Well, Vitani? Are you going to help him?" She heard the Mandrill's voice right beside her. She momentarily turned to face him before looking back at the despondent brown-maned Lion below. Without having any second thoughts, she nimbly hopped down from the ledge, making sure to provide for a soft landing so her target wouldn't hear her before she stealthily sneaked towards him.
Kopa was still emotionally broken as he stared towards the den's opening. After being rejected one-by-one by the other inhabitants of his new home, he wondered if he should just leave the place and head back straight for the Backlands.
"Hey, you okay?"
Vitani nearly smirked with amusement when Kopa suddenly flinched out of startlement before he spun on her. Now being face-to-face with each other, the Lioness finally had a good close-up look of the Lion in front of her and immediately saw the prevailing details on his face that told her he had been crying; his entire fur was a mess, the dried tears plastered his fur against the skin around his eyes and his face was contorted somewhere between a glare, a sob and a look of shock. As embarrassed as Kopa was to be seen in such a disorderly state, he still managed to pull off a polite, last-minute smile as he eventually acknowledged her,
"OH! Oh man, you scared me!" He paused to clear his throat and recompose himself. "Hey, wait a minute. You're Vitani, right?"
"One and only." She curtly replied, though this time she said it with a small grin that graced the corners of her lips.
"Ah, okay..." Kopa continued, trying to fight off the sense of awkwardness that arose as he spoke. "Hey err... how long exactly were you there... and how much did you hear?"
"I heard more than enough."
"Oh." Kopa genuinely had several other questions going on in his mind he wanted to ask Vitani, but somehow, all that he was capable of doing at the moment was stare blankly straight into her her cerulean orbs while the words he wanted to speak were stuck mid-way in his throat.
The Lioness could easily feel the awkwardness of their silence quickly ballooned with each second that passed with neither of them failing to say anything, so she decided to be the first one to break the stillness and proceed with her agenda,
"Listen... I'm about to head of to the Zuberi River, but... I thought I could use some company. I'll try to answer your questions along the way," She said, hoping for Kings' sake that he got the hint she was dropping to him and say 'yes'.
Kopa's eyes widened as he was quite honestly baffled by her invitation and apparent kindness towards him, though he was able to snap from his apparent trance and confirmed her his reply, "Sure, I uh... I'd love to join you!" He managed to blurt with an appreciative smile.
Vitani nodded and flashed a satisfied grin before turning around and walking towards the exit, as Kopa quickly hastened his pace to catch up with her. Together, they walked side-by-side towards the direction of the Zuberi River while enjoying the comfortable silence between them.
XXXXXX
As the scorching afternoon Sun shone brightly above the savanna, Fuli struggled to fight off the tiredness and exhaustion that overcame her body as she strenuously journeyed her way back to her family's den while an equally worn-out Mwamba trailed by her side. She had to admit, walking back home under the afternoon Sun was something that used to be effortless for her, but it had not been that way since she started carrying the precious new life in her lower abdomen.
Ten minutes later, both mother and son were very much relieved when they finally arrived at the entrance of their own humble den, and even more so when they saw a smiling red-maned Lion patiently waiting for them. "Hey, you guys!" Kion cheerfully greeted his mate and adoptive son, though his family didn't seem to possess the same energy as he did by the time they arrived by his side.
"Hey, dad..." Mwamba tiredly returned his father's greeting with a yawn while Fuli only had the strength to give Kion a brief nuzzle before they entered their home.
"Mum, Dad... is it alright if I took an early afternoon nap? I don't think I can stay awake another second..." The young cub asked while drowsily rubbing his eyes the moment he plopped himself at his own corner of the small cave.
"Of course, dear," Fuli responded to him with a motherly smile, to which Mwamba happily shut his eyes before surrendering himself to his beckoning slumber.
Both his adoptive parents smiled contentedly before Fuli decided that she herself could use a little break and possibly even a quick siesta. Kion quietly led her to the other end of their den before settling himself down with Fuli joining him by comfortably laying her body against his.
He smiled as his Cheetah mate lovingly gazed up into his hazel eyes. Neither of them spoke during the brief moment they firmly locked their sights onto each other. "Kion... you're not waiting this long just to give me a simple 'platonic' kiss, are you?" Fuli teased with a slight grin after more than a minute had passed.
Kion let out a soft chuckle, they have always used that line as an excuse for the affection that they showed with each other long before their romance was made official; platonic hugs, platonic nuzzles, platonic kisses... though that didn't seem to fool the other members of the Guard back then who had long suspected that there was certainly a thing going on between those two.
With a sly grin, Kion dipped his head forward and began licking all over her muzzle, much to the gleeful joy of his mate. "Fuli, I assure you that nothing about this is platonic," He whispered into her ear in a husky voice in between his licks, sending a tingling pleasure down her spine. A soft purr escaped the Cheetah's lips as she delightedly surrendered being the passive recipient of his love, relishing every inch of his touch.
"Mmmm... this is definitely the perfect ending to a hectic afternoon I could ever ask for," Fuli sighed as she scooted herself closer against Kion's firm built.
"Heh... and here I thought I was the one having a tough time after having to chase off Jackals and Vultures all morning," He teased with a subtle smirk plastered on his lips.
"Hah! As tough as your morning was, it's nothing compared to having to carry an extra weight in your stomach," She countered with an equally sly grin.
Her Lion mate let out a defeated chuckle and sighed, "Okay, I guess you're right about that. You win."
They exchanged glances one more time before Kion redirected his gaze to his mate's lower abdomen that was slightly bulging as it supported the new life in her womb. He broke into a wide smile as he thought about his unborn cub. Like many others, he and Fuli have wondered how their child would come out to look like. There certainly have never been a hybrid born from the union of a Lion and a Cheetah in the history of the Pridelands... maybe even in the world. Nonetheless, the soon-to-be father kept his hopes that the cub would inherit his leadership abilities and Fuli's resilience and wit; the best parts of both of them.
Fuli saw the smile on her mate's muzzle and got the idea to gently take ahold of his left paw and guided it to her stomach, allowing him to caress her fur around that area. "I love you, Kion..." She dreamily chuffed as the gentle girating motion of his paw sent her closer to her own slumber.
"I love you too, Fuli," He whispered, giving her a brief lick on her nose with a loving smile.
Just as the Cheetah rested her body deeper against his mate and shut her eyes to finally take a well-deserved nap, a random thought suddenly flew into her mind and caused her to flung her eyes open once again. Kion saw this and was quite honestly surprised by it. "You okay? What's wrong?" He gently inquired.
"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine..." She began, quite untruthfully. "Just that... I had a thought, that's all."
"Wanna share it?" He asked, innocently.
A certain heaviness suddenly filled her chest as she was honestly quite reluctant to relay to her mate what had been going on in her mind. But then again, trust was the key element that was the pinnacle of their marriage, and she didn't want him to get the wrong idea by keeping him in the dark of what she was thinking about. With a sigh, she re-positioned herself so she could directly face him, "Kion... I'm actually thinking about Kopa. I'm really worried about him..."
The red-maned Lion raised a brow, he certainly wasn't expecting for her to randomly bring up the topic of his elder brother. "Kopa? Why, what about him?"
She paused to let out a rather sad sigh before she answered, "I think you should know that just before we left Pride Rock, I saw him trying to approach Kiara and... well... let's just say that your sister wasn't too happy to see him, and she even forced Kovu and Hasina to follow her out of the den before he could get anywhere near them."
Kion said nothing as he gazed at her. His elder brother had been with the pride for only two days, and already he had heard of how the Lioness hunters were badly mistreating him. But hearing that Kiara was also distrustful of their brother was news to him, as he had thought that she would be the first one to warm up to him, given her kind-hearted nature. But then again, he was not surprised about it as he himself held certain grudges against the former Backlander.
"Oh... I see." He half-heartedly said, turning his gaze away from Fuli. "I guess she still hasn't trust him yet."
The Cheetah raised a brow as she immediately picked something up from the way he spoke. "What about you? Do you trust him?"
Kion shut his eyes and silently groaned to himself, wishing she hadn't asked him that thorny question. But of course, he had to be honest with her, he guessed that she probably knew the answer anyways, so there was no use of lying. "Okay... I have to admit, I love him because he's my brother and because he saved my life while I was in the Backlands. But if I were to be honest with myself, I have to say I don't really have a single ounce of trust in him. I only pretended that I did the last two days just to protect our Mwamba."
Fuli silently nodded in agreement after his confession. "I believe you," she sighed, momentarily setting her gaze on their sleeping cub. "And I have to admit, while I think he may be a good person on the inside, I don't actually trust him any more than you do. Especially if he's with Mwamba... But I guess that still doesn't change the fact that he's your brother and part of our family."
"No... no it doesn't... quite unfortunately too," Kion sighed, reluctantly agreeing with what she said.
Fuli stared at him for a few seconds, thinking of a possible resolution. "Well... if he's a part of our family, then I think we should do something so that we can start trusting him as a family member. Why don't we spend some time with him some time tomorrow? Just you, me, him and Mwamba? It's the least we could do for him... after what the Lionesses and your sister have put him through anyways."
Kion pinched his lips to the side as he considered her suggestion. He supposed that what she said was right, and that he had start trusting his long-lost brother at some point. Maybe a day out with his own family and Kopa wouldn't be such a bad idea. After all, it would give his brother the chance to spend the day with Mwamba, or Reth who was his biological son. "Alright, we can do that," Kion nodded in acknowledgement at his mate. "Maybe I can even help straighten things out between him and Kiara."
Fuli smiled, glad to have found a solution for part of the family issues that had plagued her extended family for the past few days. With a sigh, resumed her sleeping position by laying on her side and resting her body against Kion's frame and let the comfortable silence in the air lead her to her slumber. Her mate gave her a brief lick to the side of her muzzle before turning his gaze towards the entrance of their den.
Eventhough he sounded enthusiastic at first, he was actually rather skeptical of the plans they've made for Kopa. He didn't tell anyone about it, but a gut feeling in the pit of his stomach had warned him about a possible disastrous calamity that would befall the Pride since the first day his brother had joined them, and what scared him most was the fact that his gut feeling had never been proven wrong before in his life. Releasing a long sigh through his nose, Kion desperately tried to shake off the mind-boggling thoughts in order to enjoy his private moment with his mate, but try as he could, he could not shake off the anxiety of what awaits him and his family in the near future.
Important A/n: I usually end the chapter with a 'To be continued..." but unfortunately, I can't do the same for this chapter. When I first started writing this story back in May, I had every intention to finish this story and make it enjoyable for my readers. However, as the chapters and months progressed on, and amid the various setbacks I had to face; writer's block, constrained schedules, the many criticisms I received (both constructive and negative), college-related problems as well as my commitment to my other story on Wattpad, I found my interest and passion for this current story slowly deteriorate with each update I post, and it has gotten so bad that I find it more of a burden and liability than an actual past-time leisure, just as I felt when I wrote this chapter, which you could probably tell by the shortened length and reduced quality.
I'm telling you guys this in advance because I don't want you guys to flame at me when I do decide to stop continuing this story. But rest assured, I'll try to find the help of another author to carry on with my work if I decide to call it quits. But for now, I'm still at uncertainties as to whether I should continue with this fic or not. I'm really sorry if I caused anyone to be upset by this, but I feel I really need to get this off my chest. I will still, however, continue reading and reviewing other stories in the TLK archieve and even provide words of encouragement to aspiring new authors who are new to the fandom where-ever I can.
And to my loyal readers, thank you for all the support you have given me. Again, I apologize if I happen to upset any of you guys.
Sincerely,
yingyangmaster
PS: My thoughts and prayers go to those affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Hope you guys stay safe out there!