KawaiiCutie12: Well well well, Simba and surprisingly Tama are not okay. But...some time has passed, so maybe they'll be okay now.
+RyanSquad: Okay you know what? Just jump through the screen and fight Tama if you wanna ️😂
+HydroCOre: I'm glad you're happy about the chap, and same here; I can't blame them though, especially not Tama. Hope you enjoy this chap, and you stay safe as well! ❤
+PinkStarDA: Thanks so much! 💘
Chapter 12:
It had been weeks and there has still been no sign of the siblings. Mufasa had asked neighboring prides, only for them to say they haven't seen them. Zira and Scar seemed...distant. Of course it wasn't because of the pride itself, but the reality of the situation was too real for them. But what they weren't aware of, was the fact that the two were alive, and unharmed.
For now...
"Come on, Nuka, the water's fine!" Vitani called out to him. One thing she loved doing was going for a morning swim. Her brother, on the contrary, was much more like their father.
"No, I'm gonna sleep" was his tired reply.
Vitani rolled her eyes. Nuka could be such a buzzkill sometimes. A though crossed her mind, and with a mischievous smile on her face, she slowly made her way over to her big brother. The sight of her brother snoring, with drool spilling out of his mouth, made Vitani giggle. She lowered herself to the ground, like her mother once taught her, and she crept up to the sleeping lion...
CRASH!
For the first time in a while she successfully pounced on him. And it was so worth the look on his face.
"Vitani!"
Laughing too hard, she couldn't outrun her brother. Catching up to her, he scooped her up and dropped her in the water.
"Ha ha ha! Who's laughing now, 'Tani?" He taunted.
He laughed to the point where his stomach began to cramp up; his laughter soon ceased, when he realized that Vitani still hadn't surfaced.
"Vitani?"
Taking a deep breath, he stuck his head underwater, and didn't see his little sister anywhere; his amusement turned into horror within a matter of seconds. Fear flooded through him, and every bad thought went flying around his head. He didn't know if he should dive in, or give it a few more minutes.
His thought storm was interrupted, when he felt something pull on his small mane. Completely taken off guard, he fell into the water and came back up, coughing up the water he unintentionally swallowed. The childlike laughter brought his attention behind him. There was Vitani, laughing so hard to the point where she accidentally inhaled some of the water.
"Hehehe, gotcha!"
Nuka smirked. "Oh yeah?"
He lunged at her, and they were engaged in an intense water war, that lasted for about thirty minutes. Eventually, they declared a truce, and were now basking in the sun, which was much higher now than when Vitani first hopped in the water.
"The sun looks so pretty." Vitani stared in awe.
Nuka hummed in agreement, before rolling over on his side. He felt something picking at his mane. He rolled back onto his stomach to see Vitani playing with it, and she looked up at him quizzically. He rose an eyebrow, to which she said, "you look just like Daddy when you make that face."
This took Nuka by surprise, but Vitani opened her mouth before he could comment on it. "How do you think our friends are doing?"
He paused, and he really had to take a moment to think. none of the cubs were ones to stay pessimistic, but after the mental breakdown Kula had, they weren't so sure. Yeah, they might've been angry with their parents, but the cubs, along with Dotty and Spotty, probably missed them.
"I think...they're getting by," he finally answered, stroking Vitani's hair tuft, earning a purr out of her. She sat on top of him, much like she did with their father and sometimes mother.
"Hey, Nuka?"
He moved his eyes upward, waiting for her to respond.
"There's not a lot of kill out here," Vitani noted, "we should move somewhere else."
Nuka, humming in agreement, got up and motioned for Vitani to follow him. They headed into another land, not catching sight of two pairs of eyes watching them intently.
Mufasa, Sarabi, and Sarafina chuckled at the sight of Simba and Nala wrestling in the dirt. They missed seeing them act so carefree with one another. Not that they didn't like Tama or Kula, but there was something these two had that just couldn't compare. They wrestled around a bit, only for the same outcome to come through.
"Stop cheating, Nala!"
She blew a raspberry at him. "You just suck!"
They chased each other into the grassy fields, leaving the adults to chuckle at the sound of their childish banter.
"Those two are something else," Sarabi commented, shaking her head.
"At least he's feeling better now," Mufasa pointed out.
"Nala really cares for him," Sarabi added.
The adults nodded at the comment, and began to socialize with each other. It was going smoothly, until Sarafina asked a question.
"How do you think Scar and Zira are doing?"
A heavy silence followed, and she began to regret asking.
"I have no clue," Mufasa answered, "two of their kids are gone, and the youngest isn't even happy anymore. I doubt they're doing great."
"I agree," Sarabi answered, "I mean, imagine Nala running away."
"After a fight, may I add," Mufasa added in.
Sarafina couldn't imagine losing Nala, especially after a fight. Nuka, Vitani, and Kovu were like her kids as well; knowing that they still hadn't been found made her heart ache.
"Well, we shouldn't give up hope," Sarafina stated, "it's only been three weeks."
The royal couple looked at each other and realized she was right. There were other prides, and knowing Nuka, he was smart enough to figure out how to survive on their own. Not to mention, he'd go to hell and back for Vitani.
"You're right, 'Fina," Sarabi smiled at her, "we can't give up just yet."
The adults smiled before walking off to socialize, leaving the cubs to goof around.
Tama rubbed her eyes, and looked around. It appeared to be later in the morning, and by the groans next to her, Kula was also starting to wake up.
"Morning," she sleepily greeted.
"Good morning" was Kula's response in the same drowsy tone.
Kula looked around before getting up and stretching. "Where are the others at?" she asked the cream cub, who was fixing her hair tuft.
"I dunno, I just got up," she answered, getting up to stretch.
Tama looked back at Kula. "Come on, I'm starving."
Kula nodded. "Same here."
Tama smirked. "When are you not?"
The two laughed and walked out of the cave. When they got out, there was no sign of the adults anywhere.
"Hey, guys."
They turned to see Tojo, with his birds floating not too far behind.
"Hey, Tojo," Tama greeted.
"Where is everyone?" he asked.
Tama shrugged, while Kula yawned. "Malka and Chumvi were still asleep when we looked, and Nala wasn't in the den."
"That's weird, Malka nor Chumvi sre in the den," Tojo frowned, confused.
Tama blinked, surprised by the new piece of information.
"Come on, guys! Let's get some grub!" Kula suddenly cried.
The other two remembered their original plan, and ran after Kula in an attempt to fill their stomachs.
They arrived to the land and plopped down onto the ground again. Quickly rolling around on the grass, Vitani took in the sight, and laid back down next to Nuka, who was staring at the grass.
"Isn't this cool, Nuka?" she asked him.
"Hm? Oh yeah, it's neat," he half-heartedly answered.
Vitani blinked. "What's wrong, Nuk'?" she asked.
"You wouldn't understand, Vitani" was his quick, and slightly irritable answer.
Vitani frowned, but didn't push it. "Oh...okay."
She walked away, deciding it'd be best to give Nuka some space. She knew how he got, and knew he'd need some time to himself.
She explored the land a bit for herself, even letting a butterfly crawl on her nose. "Hehehe, this tickles!"
After about thirty minutes or so, she returned back to find that Nuka had hunted a gazelle this time. Tearing off a large piece, he tossed it to her without saying anything. They ate in silence, and Vitani was starting to feel weird. Why was Nuka being so distant?
"Did I...do something wrong?" she couldn't help but ask.
"No" was his quick answer.
"What's wrong, Nuka? I may not understand, but you can talk to me," she tried to help him.
Nuka didn't say anything. Instead, he grew frustrated, and got up. Luck wasn't on his side, however, because Vitani got up and followed him.
"Why are you acting so weird? Just talk to me!"
Nuka turned to look at Vitani, eyes filled with irritation. They softened a bit seeing the hurt in Vitani's eyes. He sighed, and walked over to her, putting a paw on her head.
"Look, I'm sorry. It's just...I'm just pissed I had to leave Dotty and Spotty behind."
Vitani stared at him dumbfounded. That was his issue? As much as she loved the twins as well, he spent so much time with them.
Especially Dotty.
"Well...I had to leave Kopa behind. And we both had to leave Simba and the others behind. What's so different?"
Poor choice of words. Nuka shot daggers at her. "Because she was the only one that ever truly cared about me! Yeah sure Simba and his little friends were always nice, but they had loving parents. Aside from Mom on some occasions, Dotty was the only one that genuinely looked out for me."
Vitani frowned. "Daddy cares about you too, ya know. Don't you remember when you got bitten by that black mamba?"
Nuka remembered the day so clearly. When they were cubs, him and Dotty were the best of friends. On this particular day, they were playing in a field, when Nuka felt something bite into his hind leg. Turning around, he didn't see the snake that had slithered away from him, so he didn't think too much. A short while later however, he began to feel dizzy and his muscles started to spasm. Dotty, in a panic, put him on her back and rushed him over to Rafiki's. To her luck, Scar and Zira arrived not too long after, and immediately rushed to his side. Zira seemed genuinely frightened, Scar...well, he was hard to read. Even after he was treated, Scar was persisting that he was fine, and that he just needed sleep.
"Please, Father I only acted like that because Mom was freaking out. He hardly gave a shit about me, even when I was a cub," he spat, the bitter feelings crashing into him, "It's obvious who his favorite child is."
Vitani tossed him a questioning look. "What are you talking about?"
Nuka simply stared at her. Realization dawned over the young lioness cub. "I'm not Daddy's favorite! We're just closer!"
"Mmhm, sureee. That's why he always paid attention to you instead of playing with me."
She didn't know how to respond. On one hand, she wanted to jump to her dad's defense, but at the same time...he wasn't wrong.
"That doesn't mean he doesn't care!" Vitani cried, "I spend more time with you than Kovu, but that doesn't mean I don't care about him."
"Then how come he never tried to play with me when I was a cub? How come he never said he was proud of me anytime I'd do something right? How come he always seems to be annoyed with me anytime I come around? How come he's never said 'I love you' to me, huh? Answer that, Vitani."
A heavy silence soon followed after. Vitani was still fairly young when Nuka was a cub, so she never got to see how their parents interacted with him. From the sounds of it, he had a pretty bad cubhood.
"Nuka, I'm sorry...I didn't know..." Vitani tried to apologize, but her throat clammed up.
Nuka scoffed. "Of course you didn't, even though it's so obvious." He got up, and resumed walking away.
Vitani stared at him in disbelief. Was he really gonna leave her behind?
"Family doesn't turn their back on each other!" Vitani cried.
Nuka turned to Vitani, the betrayal evident in his eyes. "Family also doesn't play favorites, but look where we are now."
As she watched her brother walk away, something in her snapped.
"Fine, go ahead and leave! I don't need you anyway!"
She stormed off in the other direction. Plopping down on the ground, she began to cry for what felt like the umpteenth time. It seemed like even the one person she thought would go to hell and back for her was turning against her. She truly felt alone, and at this point it seemed like there was nothing she could do about it.
Getting up, she drowsily made her way over to the lake, where she cleaned herself up before returning to where she was. Making her way back to where she originally was, she noticed a small cave a few feet away; mentally declaring it as her new camp-out, she got up and turned to make her way over. Before she could make a move, however, a voice paused her walk.
"Hey, cubby, whatcha doing in our territory?"
The aura in the Pride Lands was in an odd state. On one hand they were going about their day for the most part. But on the other hand, they were praying for the prince and the princess.
"Mufasa, we've checked everywhere, and they still haven't been found."
Scar and Mufasa were talking at the base of Pride Rock. He wanted to check on his brother not just for his niece and nephews, but to try and support Scar and Zira.
"I know you better than this. Both of you, in fact," he said, tossing a knowing glance.
Scar lifted his head. "I know they're still alive, I can feel it. I just...don't know where else they'd be."
Mufasa tried to reason with him. "I mean, let's be reasonable here: They're not in any neighboring prides. Most likely they've become rogues, or they're gone."
"No!" Scar snapped, finally sick of the topic, "They didn't become rogues, and they're not gone."
Mufasa just watched as he took a deep breath, regaining his composure.
"I'm sorry, I just..." he trailed off, but Mufasa knew what he wanted to say.
"Still no sign of the two?"
They glanced up to see Zazu, landing on the king's shoulder with a disheartened look. Neither responded, giving Zazu a clear answer.
"I can't believe I said those things to them," Scar whispered, trying to fight back tears.
The king and majordomo looked at the brown lion with so much sympathy, it physically hurt. Neither of them could blame him, though. Nuka and Vitani always brought their own spark to the wackiness of the Pride Lands. Not to mention, they truly had grown on the bird, even though he wouldn't admit it.
"I will try to fly around one last time and see if they're out there," he suggested.
Scar locked eyes with Zazu. "I mean, you really don't have to."
Zazu waved a wing. "Nonsense. Believe it or not, their shenanigans make my job fun."
Chuckling, they watched as Zazu flew away, a spark of hope being reborn.
"I hope they're safe," Scar said to no one in particular.
Walking over, Mufasa placed a paw on his shoulder. "They will be found," he firmly reassured his little brother, "and everything is going to go back to how it was."
She stared up at the strange animal. It looked like a lion...but with spots. Based on its features, he had to be the same age, if not slightly older than Nuka.
"What...what are you?" she questioned the animal. She'd never seen anything like him before, and as rude as it seemed, she was a bit weirded out.
"A leopon," he answered in a deepish voice, "Mama's a lioness, and Pops is a leopard."
Before Vitani could say anything back, the leopon started to walk towards her. "Now, answer my question: Whatcha doing in our territory?"
A wave of uneasiness came over Vitani, and her mind drew a blank. Unfortunately for her, the leopon took that as a sign of disrespect.
"Not talkin', huh?"
Vitani sighed. There was only one way out of this...
"Look, my brother and I ran away from our pride," she explained as calmly as she should, "we didn't mean to invade your land. I'll find my brother, and we'll leave."
She went to walk but the leopon blocked her path.
"No worries little miss. We know you didn't mean any harm," the leopon stated, offering a warm smile.
Vitani's nerves lowered, and she shyly smiled back.
"Where is that brother of yours?" he wondered.
Remembering their heated argument, she turned her smile into a frown. "I don't know...we got into a fight, and he abandoned me."
Perfect.
"Well...how about I look after you for now?" he offered.
Vitani hesitated, and the leopon could sense her doubts.
"Come on," he urged, "I'll take good care of you."
That seemed to be enough for Vitani. "Okay, let's go."
The leopon led her to his hideout, with a mischievous smile on his face.
Simba smiled as he trotted across the grassy fields. The last two to three weeks hadn't been easy for him, but after a talk with Nala, he felt more at ease for the most part.
Flashback:
Simba felt ill. How could he sleep knowing his cousins were out there all on their own? He was a ball of nerves, and his stomach twisted. Slowly getting up, he walked out of the Pride Rock ledge. Staring up at the stars, he tried to pinpoint Nuka's and Vitani's, but he couldn't. All the stars shone like normal; none were out of place.
"Come on, guys," Simba silently begged. "Come back."
"Simba?"
He turned to see his best friend, Nala, staring at him worriedly.
"H-Hey, Nala."
He quickly turned away, as to not be any more exposed.
Nala slowly padded up to him. "Do you wanna talk?"
Simba shook his head, before turning away; he didn't want to burden Nala with his feelings.
"You're not being a burden to me, ya know."
Simba turned his head back. Did I say that out loud?
Nala stared up into the sky momentarily, before looking back at Simba. "You miss them, huh?"
Simba only nodded, and Nala racked her brain to try and help her friend.
"Hey, you wanna hear something my mom told me?" Nala asked.
"Sure," Simba halfheartedly mumbled.
Nala looked back up at the sky and scanned the stars. "When my mom told me my dad was dead, I felt the same way you're feeling. She was broken, and I had no one to go to. I got fed up and stormed away from the pride one night, and Rafiki found me. He told me that my father was now with the Great Kings, and that if I ever needed to talk to him, I could just look up in the sky, and a star will shine brighter than the rest."
Simba's eyes widened, but he still didn't seem so sure. Nala saw that and looked up at the sky.
"Hey, Dad. It's been a while...two of my closest friends ran away, and I'm worried that they're in danger. Please look out for them for me," Nala said to the sky.
To her happiness, and Simba's surprise, a single star shone brighter than the rest. A warmth washed over Nala, and she smiled before turning to Simba.
"See? his star twinkled," Nala pointed.
Simba saw the proof, and he cleared his throat.
"Nuka...'Tani...I miss you guys," he forced out. "I hope you guys come back soon. Everyone's worried sick about you."
They waited, but no stars shone.
Frantic, Simba whipped his head around. "N-Nala, it didn't work!"
Nala frowned, but it dawned on her. Remembering back to what Rafiki told her, she allowed a small smile to decorate her face.
"No stars shone meaning...they're still alive," Nala informed him with a smile.
Simba locked eyes with her. "They are?"
Nala nodded vigorously. "Call out to your grandma or grandpa."
Simba decided it was worth a shot. Besides, he never had a chance to meet his grandparents.
"Grandma Uru? Grandpa Ahadi? It's me...your grandson," Simba shakily voiced. "I never got to meet you guys...but Dad and Uncle Scar talk about you guys a lot."
To his surprise, two large stars twinkled, and Simba's eyes widened. He turned to Nala, and her smile grew.
"See?" Nala asked. "They're still out there."
Simba stared at the sky, then back at Nala. "I guess so...thanks, Nala."
Nala smiled. "Anytime, Simba."
The two cubs shared a hug, before walking back into the den and cuddling with their parents.
End Flashback:
Though he was still worried about his cousins, his best friend's words rang through his head.
He looked around. None of his friends were around, and he didn't want to bother the adults at the moment. He stopped in his tracks, thinking of what to do.
I guess I could explore in the hideout, Kula showed 'Leco and I, but-
"BOO!"
Completely taken off guard, Simba fell to the ground, and was unable to move for a moment. After a few seconds, the culprit got off off and looked down at him.
"Gee, Nala was right. You're totally easy to pin."
Simba looked up to see Tama smirking down at him. Despite her mischievous look, he could see her eyes were a bit red.
Letting out a small chuckle, he got up. "Hey, Tama."
Tama smiled sadly. "How are you now?"
Simba sighed. "Okay, I guess. What about you?"
"I hope both of them are okay," Tama admitted. "Nuka and I, we don't really interact much, but he's kinda like a totally wacky older brother. As for Vitani..."
Tama let out a deep breath. "She was right...about everything. About me changing when my mom first fell ill, about me not bothering to ask why she didn't want to be around, about Nadia, all of it. I so can't believe I said those things to her; I hope I have a chance to tell her I'm sorry."
At this point, Tama-who was now seated-was getting emotional, and Simba sat down next to her.
"Hey, it's okay," Simba stated, placing a paw on her shoulder. "You feel bad and want to fix things, and that's good. You both said some messed up things to each other, ya know."
Tama nodded. "Yeah but, what I said was like, ten times worse. Besides, she only said the things she did because I kept pushing her."
Well, she's not wrong, Simba reasoned.
"I still think you should have some hope," Simba answered. "Wanna hear something?"
A teary-eyed Tama looked up at Simba. "What is it?"
Simba then explained what Nala told him weeks back, and how it actually worked for him.
"Whoa, really?" Tama's eyes widened. "That's wicked cool."
Simba smiled and nodded. Tama wiped her face and smiled.
"Thanks for the reassurance, Simba," Tama genuinely voiced. "You're such a great friend."
Simba beamed. "No problem. Hey, you wanna-
Roars sounded the area, and Tama stood up. "I guess they caught lunch."
Tama stood up, and looked down at Simba. "Maybe everyone else is there."
Getting up, Simba and Tama trotted side-by-side, where they met up with their other friends and ate their fill.
"This place is neat!"
The leopon had led Vitani to his secret hideout, and she began admiring the scene.
"Damn right it is," he smiled.
She walked around, the leopon following close behind. There was a small cave, similar to the one she found previously, and the stream flowed here as well.
"This is so cool," she whispered.
Remembering something, the leopon walked over to the cave. He returned to the awestruck lioness cub holding a halfway eaten zebra leg.
"Here, eat up, mamas," The leopon told her.
Vitani looked up at him. "R-Really? It's okay, I-"
"Go ahead," he warmly urged her. "You need it more than me."
Vitani moved towards the leg, and bit in, savoring the juicy taste. Memories of the Pride Lands came flooding in as she continued to devour the meat. The leopon stared out into the scenery. The sun was at its highest point, and the heat was beating down on the two. Turning around, he saw that Vitani had finished, and was now lying on her back.
"Hey, wanna head out for a walk?" The leopon asked.
Vitani's eyes brightened and she stood up, a bit too fast. Immediately, she placed a paw on her stomach.
"Are you okay?" The leopon asked.
Vitani nodded with a weak smile. "Yeah, I just ate too much."
The leopon disregarded the response. "Well, come on, I gotta show you around."
Excitement returning, she bounded next to him as he showed her around.
That same moment, the cubs had all gathered together and were walking and talking. Despite still fearing for the safety of Nuka and Vitani, they didn't want to mope the whole day.
"Hey, how about we play hide-and-seek?" Kula suggested.
Everyone looked at one another, before nodding their heads.
"Why don't we play it differently this time?" Tama spoke up.
Kula looked back at the tufted lioness cub. "What do you mean, Tama?"
"Well, there's...damn, it's not gonna work," Tama frowned. "There's only seven of us."
"Well...can I join?"
The group turned to see Kovu, shyly staring at the other year old cubs.
"Of course, 'Vu," Simba smiled.
Kovu beamed and bounded closer to them.
"Where's Kiara?" Tama wondered.
"She's with her mom," Kovu answered.
They nodded, and turned to Tama, waiting for the alternate rules.
"So, now that there's eight of us, here's how this game'll work," Tama explained. "We'll split up in teams of four, and a person from each team has to try and find all the members."
"I like that!" Simba acclaimed.
Tama smiled, before looking back and forth between the cubs. "So...Malka, Nala, Simba, and I will be one team; Kula, Chumvi, Tojo, Beleco, and Kovu will be another. Anyone wanna volunteer and be it?"
"I do," Beleco stepped forward.
A wave of pride flowed through Simba, and he stepped forward with a cheeky grin. "Bring it, 'Leco."
"So, both of you will count to twenty, okay?" Tama informed them. "If you're found by either one, go back to the waterhole rocks."
"Got it!" The two called, not breaking eye contact.
"Okay, ready?" Tama called out. "And...hide!"
Beleco and Simba turned and began counting, while the other cubs ran and hid. All in their hiding places, they waited to be found.
Beleco and Simba had since finished counting, and began searching the area. Simba walked around, trying to track their scents, but to no avail.
Hmm...Well, I think I saw Kovu run towards the den, so I guess I'll try there first.
Trotting towards the den, he noticed the adults were still outside of Pride Rock talking. Knowing it had to be about Nuka and Vitani, he pushed it to the side of his mind and went off to find Kovu.
He reached Pride Rock, and bounded inside. Walking around the interior, he didn't spot Kovu, so he walked outside to check the back. To his surprise, there was Kovu, squeezed into a small crack.
"Found ya, 'Vu."
The brown lion cub looked up to see the Pride Lands prince staring down at him.
"Damn," he muttered, before crawling out.
Making his way back to the waterhole, Sima chuckled before running off to find the rest.
Simby's got another thing coming if he thinks he's gonna beat me!
Beleco walked all over the Pride Lands, trying to find Simba's teammates. So far, he already found one of hers, but she's found none of his. She scanned the grassy fields, before setting her eyes on one of the large, acacia trees.
Hmm...I wonder...
Approaching the tree, she made up her mind and began to climb up; sure enough, there was Malka, curled up in a ball. She smirked at his small form.
"Hiya, Malka."
She watched as he immediately sat up, then realized what just happened.
"Gee, what a great hiding spot...not," Malka voiced, rubbing his black tufts.
Beleco giggled. "Awe Malky, don't be sad."
The cubs climbed down the tree, and the Mountain Lands prince walked to the waterhole, where he met up with Tojo and Kovu.
"Simba found you guys, huh?" he asked.
"Yup," Tojo sighed.
"We've still got Kula and Chumvi though," Kovu reminded Tojo.
"Yeah, true," the dirty gold lion cub agreed.
"Well, hopefully they don't let you guys down."
The lion cubs turned to see Tama walking towards them.
"Where were you?" Kovu asked.
"I was hiding in a bush," Tama chuckled.
Malka rolled his eyes with a smile. "Only you, Tam'."
"Oh, no! Our team's almost defeated!"
At that moment, they watched as Kula sped over and stood with Kovu and Tojo.
Tama and Malka shared a smirk, before noticing Beleco trotting towards the waterhole.
They all watched as she stopped, before looking towards one of the rocks. Stepping closer, she caught sight of Nala, wedged in a small space between the rocks.
"Found ya, Nala."
Nala turned, and her blue eyes widened. "Dang!"
Grinning widely, Beleco raback to the group.
"We won! I found Nala!" she cried.
Kula, Tojo, Kovu, and Beleco all high-fived and cheered, while the opposing team pouted.
"Hey, guys, I found-oh, come on!"
They turned to see Simba and Chumvi, who immediately noticed that the rest of Simba's team was at the waterhole.
"We won? Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about!"
The cheering started up again, and Simba joined in his team's pouting.
"Hey, good game, Simba."
He looked up to see Beleco's warm smile and a paw stretched out.
Simba couldn't help but smile back, and he high-fived her paw.
"Yeah, you're a good seeker."
"So what do we do now?" Nala asked.
The cubs looked to the horizon. It was still afternoon, though not as early as when they ate lunch.
"Hmm...we can swim in the waterhole?" Tojo suggested.
"Yeah, it is pretty hot," Kovu agreed.
Approving the idea, the cubs dove into the cool water, and tried to continue enjoying their time.
Zazu's still not back."
Scar and Zira were starting to lose hope. It was a little over an hour that Zazu had first flew off, and he hadn't been seen since. Mufasa, Sarabi, and, Sarafina could see the pain in their faces, and they weren't sure on what to do.
"In all fairness, they traveled pretty far," Sarafina reasoned. "If anything, I'd be surprised if he came back that quick."
Neither one of them said anything. Mufasa placed a paw on each one of their shoulders. "All we can do is wait."
Scar nodded. "I guess so, dear brother."
They all looked up in the sky.
"All we can do is wait."
KawaiiCutie12: Guys...I'm so excited for the next part (though, I think some of you may hate me😂). Sorry for the delay; thie rewrite shit is harder than it seems😅
As always, leave your opinions down below and follow and fave to keep up with the story. I'll see you guys next time!
KawaiiCutie12 signing off! ✌