Thank you all for reading!
Chapter One: A Chance
Nala returned exactly three weeks to the day of Kiara and Shani's birth. Her father was estatic to see her and meet his grandchildren, however, he was quite disappointed in Simba. Moto's words still hung in Nala's heart as she made her way back towards the Pridelands, Kiara and Shani on her back.
"If he wanted someone else, why did he have to hurt you?"
Nala felt tears sting her eyes. She heard Kiara giggle a little and smiled brightly. She turned her head to meet her sea green eyes with her elder daughter's ruby red orbs. Kiara had the biggest grin. Shani just looked to her mother with wonder. Nala could only smile at her girls, they were so perfect, so right. She didn't regret her time with Simba, no. If she hadn't been with Simba, she wouldn't have two beautiful little girls.
"We're almost home, girls. Settle yourselves."
"Mama!" Kiara burst. Nala paused and looked to her elder daughter.
"Kiara..."
"Mama!" Shani grinned. The mother's heart melted with pride. Her babies had just said their first words. Tears met the tawny lioness's eyes again, these were tears of joy, not sadness. Kiara giggled and Shani nuzzled her mother's neck.
"You shouldn't have to comfort Mama. I should comfort you. Forever. That is my job as your mother. Remember that." Nala said softly.
oOoOo
It took a matter of weeks, but finally, Kiara, Shani, and Kion were all about two months old and ready for their first adventure outside the den. Nala had yet to wake, but Kiara had. The golden girl ran out of the cave, smiling at the Pridelands.
"Wow!" She breathed, starting to head down the rocky outcropping to the ground, and Simba caught her.
"Where do you think you're going in such a hurry?" Simba asked with a soft smile, a paw on his princess's back.
"Daddy! Let go!"
Nala finally woke with the ruckus, her sea-green eyes blurry. She yawned, slightly nudging Shani.
"Nala? Don't worry, rest a bit more. I can tell him to go easy on her." Nadra offered, walking up to her sister. Nala looked to her sister, her sea-green eyes narrowing a touch. She was very, very, suspicious. However, she relaxed. Kiara considered Nadra a mom too, even called her that. Nadra was "Mom," Nala was "Mama."
"Just remember she's just like he was when he was young, full of adventure. He'd put all three of us in trouble sometimes." Nala smiled a touch. She had softened towards her sister some as her feelings for Simba faded. The betrayal still stung, but it was okay.
"I will, you and Shani get more rest." Nadra smiled brightly, her blue eyes bright. Nala placed a soft lick to Shani's head, and the duskier cub smiled.
"I love you, Mama." Shani said softly.
"I love you too, Shani. Do you want to go with your sister?" Nala asked.
"No, if it's okay, I'd like to go with Kion." Shani said softly. Nala gave a smile. Maybe this blended family thing was working okay. The mother nodded, her sea-green eyes filling with some tears. Shani immediately looked concerned.
"Mama? Mama, I didn't hurt your feelings, did I?" Shani asked, immensely worried for her mother.
"No, no you didn't, honey. I'm just glad our family is working out well," Nala looked to the cave entrance where Nadra and Simba were returning, then smiled, "I think your sister just left. Perhaps it's time you wake your brother."
"Yeah!" Shani cheered, running to the back of the cave and nudging her brother awake. Nala laughed softly as Kion and Shani left the cave at a full run.
"I'm glad they're getting along," Simba said softly, "all things considered."
"As am I," Nadra smiled gently to her sister, almost submissively. Oddly, even though Nadra was now the Queen, she still deferred to Nala. Nala knew why, it was out of pure respect for her. Nala had found Simba, had helped Simba defeat Scar, and was Simba's first wife. Nadra had escaped to her father's pride as a teenager and hadn't returned until Simba took his rightful place.
With me at his side, Nala thought bitterly, but I have to admit, at least she's realizing who she is in comparison to me.
"Same. Shani seems to be glued to Kion at times, moreso glued to Kion than she is her own twin." The sea-green eyed lioness chuckled.
"Is that a bad thing?" Simba asked.
"No, no. It's just an observation," Nala stood and stretched, "I'm going to start the hunt with your sister, Simba. We'll be back in the afternoon so Nadra's hunting party can take over."
"Thank you, Nala." Nadra said sheepishly.
Nala gave a small nod and woke Tama. The beige lioness looked up with her amber eyes and yawned, slowly lifting her form. She shook her head, her hair tuft shaking as well.
"Time for the hunt?" Tama asked with a smile.
"And possibly for you to see your Tojo," Nala teased with a grin.
The beige lioness blushed and huffed, "Shut up, Nala!" to which the former Queen laughed and bolted out of the cave. Tama was shortly behind her, the rest of the morning hunting party nearby too.
oOoOo
Nadra had gone out for the afternoon hunt when Nala returned with the morning party. Since Nadra was a little inexperienced when it came to hunting, Sarabi and Sarafina had to accompany the new Queen during hunts to ensure that she wouldn't get hurt. It was fine by the Queen Mother and Sarafina, however, sometimes it became tedious.
Almost all of Nadra's hunts came up empty due to her inexperience. Sarafina blamed Nadra's father for treating her as a precious little Princess who didn't need to learn to hunt. Sarabi, however, blamed Nadra herself for not wanting to become stronger as a Queen, but she'd never tell Sarafina that.
Tama learned to hunt even though she wasn't Mufasa's and had no right to learn how to hunt properly, Sarabi thought, her orange eyes wondering as she watched Nadra try to hunt, I'm surprised that Nadra wouldn't want to learn...
A loud roar brought Sarabi's mind back to reality. Sarafina lifted her head,
"It's Simba! And Zira! Kiara's in trouble!"
Nadra turned on her heel and ran towards Simba, Sarabi and Sarafina shortly on her heels.
oOoOo
Nala started to panic as the sun set. She had heard Simba's roar earlier, and Zazu had told her that Kiara was okay, just shaken up, but she paced. After hearing Simba roar, she had gathered Shani and Kion and took them into Pride Rock, safe from any danger.
"Nala, I'm sure Kiara's fine. You're going to wear a hole in the floor." Tama noted.
"I know. But I can't help it. Zira was one of Scar's most devoted followers. If she hurt Kiara..." Nala looked away, hugging Shani closer to her.
"She didn't," Nadra entered, a soft smile on her face, "Kiara's fine. She's with Simba right now. I think he's scolding her some for going into the Outlands."
That made Nala extremely mad, "He's what? Being a hypocrite after he wandered into the Elephant Graveyard when he was just barely older than her?"
Nadra grumbled low, "Nala. Kiara disobeyed his orders."
"What's that supposed to mean, Nadra?" Nala sneered.
"Girls!" Sarabi snapped.
"Enough out of both of you." Sarafina said softly.
"The important thing is, Kiara's fine. She's alive." Tama said, trying to cheer Nala up.
"Even if she met Zira's son, Kovu," Sarafina smiled.
"Kovu?!" Nala paused, her sea-green eyes wide. Now there was a name she hadn't heard in awhile. Not since before Scar was dethroned. She looked to Kula for confirmation, and the brown lioness nodded.
"Kovu was there. Poor thing was shaking like a leaf at Simba's glare. He didn't have to be so hard on Kovu for Zira's misdeeds!" Kula murmured. Nala padded over to Kula and nudged her friend. Tama was shortly behind, Shani on her back.
"Who's Kovu, Mama?" Shani asked softly.
Nala looked to her daughter then to Kula, then to the cave entrance, "Kovu is Uncle Chumvi's son by Zira. And apparently, he's Scar's heir."
"Uncle Chumvi had a mate before he left?" Kion asked.
"He did, of sorts," Nadra answered her son, "Zira didn't allow Chumvi access to Kovu. So, he left. Zira took Kovu with her when your father banished her."
Along with some cubs that didn't deserve to be in that wasteland, Nala thought, looking to Tama. Tama looked a little pained at this conversation, looking away. Vitani was Tama's younger half sister, they shared the same biological father that had convinced Sarabi to have a fling before she fully committed to Mufasa, leading to Tama's birth. The rogue came back around when Scar was King, and fathered Vitani on Zira. Then there was Nuka, the oldest son of Zira by Scar.
Tama's ears were flattened against her skull, "I still don't understand why Simba did that." she whispered. Nala nudged Tama gently.
Heavy paw falls were heard at the entrance of the cave. Nadra smiled softly at her mate and purred in greeting. Nala burst out of the cave, Shani not too far behind her.
"Kiara!" Nala called, seeing her elder daughter and running to her. Shani kept up with her mother, amazingly. Kiara sobbed a bit and met Nala and Shani at a run.
"Mama! Shani!" Kiara said softly. Shani smiled and nuzzled her sister. Nala held both of her girls close, sighing gratefully.
"Are you all right?" Nala asked softly. Kiara nodded, but looked so... torn.
"Mama... Why did Daddy have to be so mean to Kovu?" Kiara asked.
Shani, too, looked to their mother with wonder, "Why does Daddy hate the mention of Uncle Scar?"
Nala looked down, then to her girls before sighing, "Uncle Scar did some bad things. Very bad things. Kovu was Scar's heir, as you are your father's heir, Kiara," the former Queen explained, "meaning that your Daddy feels... threatened in some ways. He shouldn't though. We're a strong pride, we act as one." Or as close to one as we can with co-parenting. I'll ream Simba's ass later.
"Oh." Kiara said softly.
"Then, why is he so scared?" Shani asked softly.
"I'll explain that once you're older, girls. For now, let's go inside. It's time for your baths." Nala smiled.
"Mama!" Kiara whined.
"Auntie Tama already gave me a bath!" Shani complained.
"No whining about it, not for now, okay?" Nala asked with a smile, "I just want to spend some time with my girls."
Whoo. Okay. I'm so sorry for the delay. Adulting sucks, but hey, I've got another two weeks staying indoors due to COVID19, so we shall see if I can finish this up before then, right? Ahaha. Okay.
A little backstory on Tama's birth/ Sarabi's infidelity:
I always thought that Sarabi and Mufasa looked older when Simba was born. I always wondered why that was. So I figured a way to fit in the semi-canon Tama into the mold. Tama looks enough like Sarabi when given movie-colors that I like making them related. My thought is perhaps Tama is either a) the elder child of Sarabi and Mufasa, or b) perhaps just Sarabi's daughter by a rogue. It would explain why Mufasa and Sarabi are certainly older when Simba is born. I went with option B for this story because it slightly fits? A lot of people like to place Sarabi as the ever-faithful, but was she really? Especially since Mufasa has one hell of a temper at times? Perhaps Sarabi just thought she found something in this rogue, and by the time he had sweet-talked her and gotten her pregnant, he left. So she returned to Mufasa, pregnant and asking for them to fix the marriage.
Mufasa agreed, raising Tama as his own.
Anyway, thank you for staying tuned with this story. I hope that I can get some good progress on this in the next two weeks. Review, stay tuned!