I agree, last chapter was extremely sad. I appreciate the reviews. Now for the aftershock.

After Kion and Brandt left Kiara and their uncle, the princes headed for the watering hole. But when they got there they wasn't in a playful as before. The princes looked at their reflections in the water when out of nowhere a loud yell echoed through the air,

"Zuka zama!"

Kion and Brandt barely had time to react before a good amount of water splashed on them. Brandt shook the water from his light golden fur before glaring at water just as a small pale blue honey badger emerge from the water just as a pale gray hippo calf came running over with a white and light orange egret flying behind.

"You okay, little 'B'?"asked the hippo.

The honey badger grinned as he exited the watering hole. "Of course big 'B'!"

Brandt narrowed his green eyes. "Hey! You need to look before you jump you got me and my brother wet!"

"Aw! The poor princey got wet!"

The princes and the young animals looked to see a light golden cheetah cub run over with a amazing speed that dust was in the air causing Kion and Brandt to cough.

"Hey maybe introduction is due." the hippo offered.

The small egret now perched on the hippo's shoulder. "Well for us. We know who they are."

Brandt growled but stopped when Kion stepped in front of him. He looked at the animals with a kind smile, "I'm Kion and this is my younger brother Brandt."

The cheetah rolled her forest green eyes. "We know who you are royalty."

The egret rolled his brown eyes. "That's Fuli. I'm Ono, the hippo is Beshte and the daredevil badger is Bunga."

Kion tilted his head. "Daredevil?"

Beshte grimace a bit. "Bunga have the tenancy to jump into dangerous situations without thinking."

Kion looked at Bunga with wide light brown eyes. "Cool. You must be very brave."

Brandt rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed with the information he just received. "Yeah, brave broading on stupid."

Fuli giggled, finally someone else noticed. "I like you. You and your brother are cool with me."

Kion and Brandt shared a look before looking back at the group with broad smiles of their own. This was a start of a beautiful friendship and maybe something more.

Akan's Cave

Akan entered his cave to see Alyssa sitting in the middle of the cave with a smile on her muzzle. "I assume that everything went according to plan."

Akan shook his with a smile of his own. "It did but I am actually surprised. Nothing against you..." he took a deep breath, "Thank you. Now I have to go deliver the bad news. We'll meet here to talk about where we will go after."

Alyssa nodded before exiting the cave. Akan inhaled and exhaled before walking out the cave. He walked over towards priderock where Nala, Sarabi and Sarafina was with a still unconscious Zazu.

Nala looked up at her friend with confused eyes. "Akan, are you going to tell us what happened? And where's Simba and Kiara?"

Akan looked at Kovu who just apporched with Edina. "Can you go round up the cubs and everyone else?"

The mates shared a look before turning to go separate ways; Edina went to get the cubs as Kovu gathered the pride. When everyone was gathered, Kion and Brandt stood by Nala, by her was Sarabi, Sarafina, Nalin, and Maliha. Zazu, who had woken up not long after Kovu and Edina went to gather the pride stood by Sarabi's paws. Zira stood with Ameila as Alyssa stood by her friend, Akan sat on a ledge with his head low and tears falling from his closed eyes.

"I have sorry to report some terrible news. There was a stampede in the gorge this afternoon and I'm afraid our king and prince were lost."

The pride gasped, before they could register what they heard Akan continued,

"Simba's death was a terrible tragedy; but to lose Kiara, who had barely begun to live..."

Zazu, comforts Sarabi, who along with Nala bends her head in extreme pain as tears fell from their eyes along with Maliha. Tears fell from Kion and Brandt's eyes as they were cuddled together. Kopa closed his dark green eyes before rubbing against his mother's paw, crying.

Akan let his voice crack a bit before it gained strength. "..For me it is a deep personal loss. So it is with a heavy heart that I assume the throne. Yet, out of the ashes of this tragedy, we shall rise to greet the dawning of a new era..." The hyenas start emerging, casting eerie green shadows on priderock and laughing hollowly, "...in which lion and hyena come together, in a great and glorious future!"

Akan ascends Pride Rock as the hyenas appear in full force.

Rafiki's Tree

Rafiki who is shaking his head in the distance. The scene changes with Rafiki in the same position. He is in his tree house. After wiping away a tear, he reaches up and rubs his hand across the cub painting, smearing it.

TLKTLKTLKTLK

Buzzards are circling Kiara's body. One descends, then all. They circle around her. With a yell a pale brown meerkat riding a red worthog appears and dives into the midst of the buzzards. They slap and kick the buzzards all away.

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaahh! Get out! Get out! Get outta here! Whoo!" the meerkat yelled.

"I love it! Bowling for buzzards!" the worthog exclaimed.

The meerkat laughed while dusting himself off. "Gets 'em every time."

"Uh-oh. Hey Timon. You better come look. I think it's still alive."

Timon turned to see what his friend was looking at. "Ewww..."

Timon walks to the front of Kiara, who is lying on her side with her paw over her face.

"All righty, what have we got here?" Timon smells Kiara before tries to lift her paw. He can't. He gets under it and with a great push gets it above his head. When sees Kiara's face. "Jeez, it's a lioness!" Jumping up on the worthog. "Run, Pumbaa! Move it!"

Pumbaa shook his head as he looked at the unconscious cub. "Hey, Timon. It's just a little lioness. Look at her. She's so cute, and all alone! Can we keep her?"

Timon's brown eyes widen before yelling into Pumbaa's ear, "Pumbaa, are you nuts? We're talking about a lioness. Lionesses eatguys like us."

Pumbaa frowned and was about to mention their first asset but choose to go against it. "But she's so little."

He leans over to regard Kiara, and accidentally dumps Timon from his head.

Timon glared at the wild pig. "She's gonna get bigger."

Pumbaa smiled, "Maybe she'll be on our side."

Timon shook his head as he dust himself off. "A-huh! That's the stupidest thing I ever heard."

"What are you two doing?"

Timon and Pumbaa looked to see a black lioness with a white tuff on her head walk their way. Pumbaa smiled at the lioness. "Timon don't think we should help the cub."

The lioness rolled her bluish eyes. "Timon,"

Timon glared at the lioness. "I don't want to hear it Ororo. We raised you and that's enough."

Ororo looked at the meerkat for a moment before smiling. "Then you won't. I will."

Before Timon could protest Ororo gabbed the unconscious cub and head towards a cluster of trees. Timon groaned before jumping on Pumbaa and followed after the black lioness.