Chapter 21
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters in Ice Age. They all belong to Twentieth Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios, not to me. I also do not own the Lion King characters, for they are owned by Disney. All lines in bold are either from any of the Ice Age movies, any of the Lion King movies, either Brother Bear movie, The Wild, or from a song that will be specified at the beginning of the applying chapter.
Kovu's P.O.V.
The cubs are now four weeks old. This means they are capable of walking and running without toppling over every few seconds. Kiara is out hunting for breakfast, which leaves me alone with our cubs. Ari and Layla are still sleeping, each of them snoring and twitching as they snooze. I go over to the twins and nudge them roughly with my nose.
"Get up," I command in a stern voice.
"But, Dad," Ari says.
"No buts. Get up now," I reply in a gruff tone.
"Daddy, we haven't even had breakfast yet," Layla brings to my attention.
"That's perfect. Training on an empty stomach is better for you anyway," I tell my daughter.
Layla rolls over, her golden coat now covered in snow. Ari groans as he stands up and stretches out his muscles. For my son to look so much like me, he doesn't act like me in the least bit.
Once the two of them are up, I take them into the woods to begin training. My cubs are not going to be pushovers like Kiara was when she was young. I get in front of Ari and Layla, so they try to keep up with me as I sprint through the woods. Both of them are running slower than I would like, so I decide to teach them a lesson they won't forget. Ari is panting heavily when we stop in the clearing, so I'll start with him.
"Ari, if you run that slow in a life-or-death situation, you will be eaten," I tell him.
My son gulps and his face shows his fear.
"What would eat me?" Ari questions.
I stand there in silence, trying to come up with an answer that will really scare him. Ah-hah! An idea pops in my head as I think of something Kopa told Layla a few days ago.
"Well, uh, the Hyena King, of course," I reveal with a slightly creepy smile.
"The- the Hyena King?" Ari squeaks out, his amber eyes growing wider by the second.
"Yes, Ari. Now, let me give you a demonstration!" I growl before beginning to chase after him.
My paws pound on the snowy ground as I chase after Ari. His small, dark brown body is very visible in the snow as he runs. I can't believe it. I'm barely even running and I'm already only two paw steps behind Ari. My son's running is even slower than I previously imagined. Huh. How is this even my life? A cub this weak and pathetic shouldn't contain my genes.
I know where he gets these traits: Kiara. I rack my brain for options as to how I can get Ari to run any faster at all. Bingo! Curling back my lips, I let out a fierce roar as I skid to a stop. That sends Ari fleeing into the undergrowth, still slower than I would like. Quietly, I slink after my son as he gets closer to Layla. At least my daughter seems to have decent survival instincts.
Ari runs straight into Layla, which makes both of my cubs fall to the ground.
"Layla! Layla, help! The Hyena King's coming!" Ari yells to his sister as they both stand up.
Layla jumps to her feet as she starts to run beside Ari. She soon skids to a halt, almost as if she has realized something.
"Hey, wait a minute," Layla calls to Ari as she pulls him to a stop using one of her front paws.
"What is it, Layla?" Ari inquires in a state of slight shock.
"There's no such thing as the Hyena King," Layla explains to her younger brother. "He's nothing but an imaginary figment," she says, rolling her emerald eyes.
"How do you know?" my son asks, standing in front of Layla to prevent her from walking away.
"Mom told me when Kopa tried to scare me. She says the tale is just an old ghost story. Remember?" my daughter responds before tackling Ari into the snow.
That makes my son laugh as he tries to escape from under Layla's paws. Uhh! Ari is just the worst fighter I know! He's going to need more training if he's going to survive my father's pride.
"Dad was just pretending so I could practice running for my life," Ari tells Layla when she lets him up.
"Why? Nothing's going to hurt us if Mommy's around," Layla assures, nuzzling Ari's head with her own.
"I'm too slow. If I don't get faster, something terrible is gonna get me," he nervously remarks, his voice wavering out of fear.
I choose this moment to step out of the shadows and show myself to my cubs.
"You're the worst lion ever!" I roar at Ari as I get in his face.
Ari backs away slowly, falling onto his back as he looks up at me in both shock and fear.
"if the Hyena King ever did come down from the mountain, you'd be digested by now," I crossly remark to my youngest cub.
"I bet I could catch you," my son challenges me.
I scoff at Ari's ridiculous statement.
"Could not," I laugh, dismissing his challenge all together.
This seems to spark some sort of fire in Ari. He bunches his muscles before springing towards me. His form looks terrible from the start. I'm not expecting much from him.
"Roar!" Ari yells as he jumps towards me.
He's still too young to have a roar, but just saying the word is just pathetic.
Man, I'm being really judgmental about my son. Oh, well. If he is to survive this cruel world, he'll have to toughen up eventually.
"Missed me," I nonchalantly say as I side-step Ari, which makes him fall face-first into the ground.
"Try again, Ari. You can do it!" Layla encourages with a smile.
Ari picks himself out of the dirt and snow before getting back into position. Yet again, I think that he is not going to succeed in his attack.
"Roar!" he tries again, jumping closer this time.
Another failure. I should have known.
"Missed again," I mock, stepping over him and placing a paw in the middle of his back. "It's sad, really," I groan.
"This is a recipe for disaster," Layla remarks aloud.
Yes, Layla. You have no idea what I have in store.
"Tomorrow your training intensifies," I direct towards my only daughter and the only twin I have any faith in.
Kiara's P.O.V.
Today has rushed by in such a blur. It is already nightfall, which is hard to believe. Then again, having to hunt for all three meals for my family and watching two rambunctious cubs is not an easy task. Layla and Ari keep me busy when I'm in the den, that's for sure. My twin cubs always want attention and affection from me, along with persuading me to play games both outside the cave or inside our den. The three of us have played tag and hide-and-seek almost all of today, so I am quite exhausted. As for Ari and Layla, they seem to never tire out, almost as if their energy is infinite. With the sun setting on the horizon, I determine that it is time for my two precious cubs to go to sleep.
"Okay, sweethearts, time for bed," I gently tell them as I lie down on my bed-shaped rock.
"Aw, Mommy. Five more minutes?" Layla asks with a smile.
"You said that ten minutes ago, Layla," I grin back. "Why don't you come over here? You still need your bath," I remind my only daughter.
Ari's already has his bath, so all that's left for him to do is go to sleep.
"Okay," Layla says before running over to me and settling between my front paws.
"There's a good girl," I praise her before gently running my tongue over her golden head to clean off all the dirt.
Layla, surprisingly, falls asleep halfway through her bath. I guess the soothing feeling of being so close to my heart and gently licking her head is responsible. Ari, however, is still awake by my side, and he looks troubled by something.
"Come on, time for bed," I whisper to my son where I don't wake Layla up from her peaceful slumber.
"Yes, Mommy," Ari responds with a slight sigh as he cuddles up next to my side.
I know something is bothering Ari, so I am going to get him to either cheer up or admit what that something is.
"Let's see now… There," I say as I wrap my body around Ari, which presses him closer to my warm tummy. If there's one thing I know about my son, it's that he says the warmth of my body comforts him. "How's that? Are you comfy?" I softly ask as I look into his amber eyes that mirror my own.
"It's great, Mommy," Ari sleepily assures, resting his small head on my front right paw.
"I've got your nose," I smile as I grab Ari's nose with my other front paw.
This makes Ari laugh as he tries to escape my grasp. I knew that the "nose and toes trick" as I call it would help him feel better.
"I've got your toes," I softly chuckle as I nuzzle his paws with my head and nose.
That sets Ari off into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.
"Mommy, stop," he giggles, squirming to try and wiggle out of my reach. "I'm too big for nose and toes," he insists, even though just two days ago we played the same trick on Layla.
"Uh-oh. I think one's missing," I joke to mess with my son. "Maybe you're hiding it in… here," I laugh as I tickle Ari's stomach with my nose.
"How would a toe get in there?" Ari laughs.
"I don't know. You tell me," I grin down at him.
"It wouldn't, Mommy," he tells me.
"Oh, then I guess I better keep looking. "
As I gently nuzzle my son and pretend to keep looking for his "missing toe", Ari continues to laugh and giggle.
"Mommy, stop," he begs, tears falling from his eyes from excess laughter. "Stop," Ari laughs, batting at my large paws with his smaller ones.
All it takes is fifteen seconds and Ari's whole disposition changes.
"No, really…. Mommy, stop it," Ari roughly says, jerking out of my paws and moving out of my grasp.
That's not like my son at all. Ari loves getting all the attention he can from me; he's a complete Mommy's boy. Yet, his recent behavior concerns me. Noticing that Layla has rolled over in her sleep out of my paws, I stand up and quietly pad over to Ari.
"Ari, what's wrong?" I inquire, sitting down next to him with a concerned look on my face.
"Nothing," he whispers as he buries his face in my fur.
"Sweetheart, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong," I remind, wrapping my paws around his small body to comfort him.
The tears in Ari's amber eyes when he looks up tell me all I need to know. Something is bothering him.
"I'm not a good lion," Ari mutters, hanging his dark brown head in shame.
"Yes, you are. Ari, you're just a cub. You can't do everything yet, my little one."
To comfort my son, I run my tongue over his head and cheeks. I clean the tears off his face while he rests his body against my front legs.
"I can't outrun the Hyena King," he admits to me in a scared tone.
"The Hyena King?" I ask, remembering this story from my own childhood fears. "You know there's no such thing. That's just an old ghost story," I assure, using the words my mother used to comfort me.
"Yeah, but if he was real, he'd get me. I'm too slow," Ari shakily confesses, his insecurity starting to show.
There must be some way I can comfort my baby.
"I'll tell you what. If the Hyena King ever comes for you, I'll save you, Ari," I explain.
"Really?" Ari asks with a slight gasp.
"You can count on it," I nod, rubbing a paw over his head.
For a short moment, hope and understanding shines in Ari's eyes. Then, just as quickly, this glimmer disappears.
"Then you'd be in danger because of me," Ari fearfully tells me as he nuzzles my chest.
"Ari, I would gladly give up my life for you and Layla."
"Everyone would be better off if I just wasn't around."
"Hey," I start, turning to look in Ari's amber eyes. "I never want to hear you talk like that again, okay?" I tell him sternly, making sure to get the point across to him. "Regardless of what anyone tells you, I do need you. And I always will."
Ari's face lights up and he happily licks my cheek while rubbing his head against my chest. I know I've gotten through to him.
"Thank you, Mommy," Ari smiles before lying down on the cave floor.
"You're welcome, my little prince. Now, it's time for you to go to sleep," I smile down at him.
Ari lowers his head and sleep quickly overcomes his body. After picking up Layla by her scruff, I settle her down beside her brother and fall asleep myself.
Author's Note: And there's Chapter 21, my dear readers! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Yeah, Kovu's starting to act like a jerk towards Ari. You'll see where these thoughts lead soon…. Sorry for not updating in a while, but school's been really busy for me lately and I haven't had the time to write. Shout-out to my 7th period teacher for letting us have a free day where I could type this up in class. Anyways, review with what you thought, and I'll try to post the next chapter soon! Have a good week.