Chapter 21
Tenna landed in the new world on her feet. All four of them. She couldn't help but feel happy she and Kairi had both picked the Pride Lands. After all, she had always wanted to know what it would be like to be a lion. She immediately began romping, looking for things to tackle, because that is something one does when they are on four legs. Spotting a target behind a rock, she wiggled her bottom, swished her tail, and pounced.
"Ow!" The target screamed when she hit. "What's your problem, stupid?" It—he—shoved her off him, causing her to bounce off the stony ground and roll painfully onto her back. The dark, black-mane lion stood over her in a fashion that allowed her to see his face upside-down. He had a scar over his left eye, just like her, but it looked like he could still see out of it. He probably noticed hers, too, because his expression changed from anger to confusion. She was about to say something, when Sora rocketed out of nowhere and began beating the tar out of him with his Keyblade stuck firmly in his mouth.
"Take that, Scar!" he snarled around his weapon, with the lion, who was about twice his size, yelling at him and trying to fight back, "And that! And that! There's no way you're gonna haunt Simba anymore! Yah!"
"But I'm not Scar!" the lion was finally able to cry out, irritated. He swatted at Sora, probably in the same fashion he had with Tenna, and shook himself off. "Scar's been… gone for years now…"
Sora finally got a chance to look at him more closely. Indeed, he wasn't as scraggly-looking as Scar was. And a lot younger, too. "You're right. I'm sorry."
"Anyway, my name's Kovu," the lion said. "My pride banished me last night because they found out I had switched loyalty." He winked his scarred eye. "That's how I got this."
Sora was surprised. "I didn't realize there was another pride aside from Simba's."
"There wasn't until Scar died. My mother, Zira, is the leader of the exiled lions that want to overthrow Simba. But last year, I met Simba's daughter and—"
Sora's ears shot up and his jaw dropped. "Simba's got… Already?!"
Tenna, feeling a bit lost, stood up, shook leftover dust off her, and went to find the others and see what they looked like in this world.
"No, it's hind-left, fore-left, hind-right, fore-right. Again." Donald, now in a more aerial form, was teaching Riku and Kairi to walk in their new bodies, which seemed slow going. Goofy the Tortoise was acting as the example, mimicking what Donald was instructing them. Tenna wasn't sure why they would have any problem. She already had it down when they arrived.
"How in the world are you walking already?" Kairi asked, tripping and landing on her nose. Riku, at least, was staying upright, if a little unsteadily.
"Um… Practice?"
"How did you come across practicing for something like this?"
Tenna shifted on her paws. "Well… I played with my little brothers. Especially the baby. I would crawl around and pounce on them… and stuff… But you're right, I shouldn't be running around this much if it's my first time actually being on four legs for real."
"You're just that much of an animal, I guess…" Riku said, smiling and taking an unsteady step toward her. "What's Sora up to, by the way?"
"He's talking to a lion with a black mane—"
"Scar!" Goofy and Donald together, starting to head off in his direction. But Tenna blocked their path.
"No, he's not Scar. Sora already made that mistake. His name is Kovu." Donald tried to dash past her, but she grabbed him out of the air and sat on him. "Don't go near him, alright?"
"Get offa me!" Donald shouted furiously from under her rump.
"No."
Just then, Sora and Kovu approached. "He's seen some of those creatures nearby and agreed to help get rid of them," he said cheerfully. Kovu glanced at him, somewhat confused as to why he was so happy. "So let's go to Pride Rock and say hi to Simba. I'm sure he'll be glad to know you're loyal to him now."
Kovu hesitated. "I can't go there either. They found out what pride I had come from. I can't even see Kiara anymore."
Sora stomped his paw on the ground. "Now, that's just unacceptable. We'll turn things around for you, buddy. Won't we guys?"
"Yeah!" Everyone shouted.
"I don't know if it'll be that easy. You don't seem to know society very well… Are you sure you're lions?"
Tenna started to deny it, but Sora gave her a look that seemed to say, "Quiet." She nodded and shut her mouth. Instead of say anything more, she joined up with the others, following Sora, Donald (now freed from Tenna's weight and flying somewhat haphazardly), and Goofy to a giant rock sticking prominently in the distance.
Simba, the king of Pride Rock, was overjoyed to see Sora again, greeting him with a playful tackle. "Hey, Sora. I'da thought you'd grown into your mane by now, but it's still as scrappy as ever." He glanced at Riku. "Like your buddy there." Sora glared at his friend, his eyes glowing with jealousy. Riku just smiled and began taunting him.
"You know what they say back home about—"
"Shut it!"
"What's going on out here?" a voice asked. A young lioness emerged from a cave.
"Nala!" Donald exclaimed.
Goofy shook his head. "No, that ain't Nala. She's got Simba's colors." He turned to the lioness. "Would you happen to be Kiara?"
Kiara took a step back. "How do you know my name?" she asked, frightened.
"How, indeed?" Simba remarked, eying them strangely.
"Kovu told us," Sora said.
Kiara's face lit up, and she smiled. "Really? How is he—?"
Simba interrupted her and glared at the others. "You spoke to that traitor?"
"Dad, he's not—"
"He's part of Zira's pride. He was sent to kill me, even doing something as low as claiming to be a rogue. He lied to us, and our pride was almost ruined. Did you want that to happen?"
Sora tried to intervene. "Simba, it's not like that—"
"Let me guess. He told you 'his side' of the story. That's not a very good source right now."
"Um… Your Majesty? May I call you Your Majesty?" Riku asked, padding forward. "If I know anything, I know treachery the most. I even went against my best friend because I thought it would be the best thing to do. I left everything that was important, and suffered for it. From what I've seen of Kovu made me realize how far I've come from my old self. I've made amends with my friends, and my actions are more or less a thing of the past. I was forgiven, and it felt like the best thing in the world. I can only imagine what that young lion feels right now."
Simba sighed. "I know you mean well, but an act like that cannot be forgiven. I'm sorry."
"Alright," Riku said, turning and beginning to walk out. "I understand. I'm glad to have met you. Goodbye, and thank you."
"Riku!" Kairi called, running after him. After hesitating and glancing back and forth between Kiara, Simba, and Sora, followed. Sora stayed to stare the Lion King down.
"You think you're going to change your mind through sheer force of will, aren't you?" Simba asked. His cheerful mood was all but gone with the news that his comrade had communicated with his enemy.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy stood abreast of each other, facing him. "We ain't leaving until you come with us," Goofy said. "Ya gotta listen to what that little feller has to say."
"I bet he could be useful if you need help later," Donald warned in a sing-songy voice. "You saw those new creatures, right? They're really scary-looking from what we've seen so far. You don't wanna mess with them if you get caught up in a fight."
"That's right," Sora said, grinning. "Six of us barely survived an attack of three. I don't know what'll happen if there are more, and you're the only one able to fight 'em off."
The three of them stood their ground for a little longer, Simba staring back. His daughter began to walk up to them. "Stay away, Kiara, this doesn't concern you."
Not even looking at her father, Kiara answered, "It does if you won't listen to news about my friend. I'm leaving, if you three want to join me." She dashed off as Simba shouted her name sternly.
"Come on, guys…" Sora said. With one last glance at Simba, they turned tail and followed.
"That was the longest speech I've heard you say so far this entire journey," Tenna told Riku, keeping pace with him as he sped across the savannah to the place where Kovu was waiting for them. He looked at her with an odd expression. A cross between embarrassment and pride.
"I don't know how to respond to that." Looking back, he slowed enough for Kairi to catch up. She was so small, like Sora. Come to think of it, Tenna was the only one of them that was anywhere close to normal lion size. Even as humans, Riku was barely taller than she was. Wasn't she the youngest of them, also? When they met her, she told them she had turned seventeen only a few days before. The same day he suggested building the second raft. Sora and Kairi had been seventeen years old for a couple months now, at least, and he would be considered an adult now. Either way, he hoped he would get a growth spurt within the next few years. Just to tip her off. It'd be fun.
Wait, what was he thinking? Why did he care if he was taller than her or not? Sora's words came back to him, causing him to stumble a bit.
That's not what I meant, and you know it.
I know you care about her.
What was going on? He'd never had feelings like this, even for Kairi. Especially when he teased Sora about it. He had just as much of a friendship with her as Sora did since forever, but nothing ever crossed his mind that he might actually like her. What did it mean when he felt like this toward someone he barely even knew? Sure, he'd joked around, but he did that with a lot of girls back home and it didn't change his view of them the way she did… Why?
"Riku? Riku? Hey." He realized he had stopped running. Tenna was poking him with her paw on one side, Kairi calling him on the other. "The cave's that way," Kairi said, pointing with her nose. "You were kinda diverted and went off the path. And when you didn't answer us, we got really worried.
"Um, y-yeah…" Riku managed to say awkwardly. Glancing at Tenna and quickly turning around, he headed for the cave. If he hadn't been a lion, he was pretty sure he'd be blushing right now. Jeeze, why was he acting this way all of a sudden? What's so special about her? Why her?
Again, he was totally unaware of his surroundings and didn't notice something sneaking up on him, ready to strike.