Welcome back to chapter thirty-nine, I'm looking forward to your feedback. Enjoy!

Wait, how does this stranger know my name?

Nala's green eyes widened as she stopped snarling before backing away. She narrowed her eyes as she looked him over, mostly to check for weak points in case another fight break out. So she would know what she's going against.

The young male had bright golden brown fur, he was pretty muscular. His head was crowned with a handsomely red mane. The bangs falling nicely above his bright orange eyes.

Nala looked at the golden lion with a unreadable expression as she asked, "Who are you?"

The golden lion took a step forward with a small smile. "It's me...Simba."

The tawny lioness was tooken back. Simba? But as Nala looked into the lion's familiar orange eyes her own eyes widen before a smile formed.

"Simba!"

The golden lion smiled brightly before running over and head bump his long lost friend. The two jumped around, laughing and asking questions.

"What are you doing here?"

"Me? What are you doing here?"

"HEY! WHAT'S GOIN' ON HERE!?"

Simba and Nala looked down at the pale brown meerkat. Simba rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Timon, this Nala. She's my best friend."

Timon looked thoroughly confused. "Friends?!"

Simba nodded before looking at the red warthog stuck under the tree root. "Yeah. Hey, Pumbaa, come over here."

Pumbaa gets himself unstuck and walks over to the group, by Timon.

"Nala, this is Pumbaa. Pumbaa, Nala."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Nala smiled at the warthog. "The pleasure's all mine."

Timon shook his head and raised his paws. "How do you do.. Whoa! Whoa. Time out.. Lemme get this straight. You know him. He knows you. But he wants to eat him. And everybody's... okay with this? DID I MISS SOMETHING?!"

Simba shook his head with a small smile. "Relax, Timon."

Nala looked from the meerkat and smiled at Simba. "Wait till everybody finds out you've been here all this time! And your mother and sister... what will they think?"

Simba shook his head, misunderstanding what Nala was saying as fear shined in his eyes. "They don't have to know. Nobody has to know."

Nala frowned, "Well, of course they do. Everyone thinks you're dead."

Simba looked at his friend with wide eyes. "They do?"

Nala nodded before looking up. "Yeah. Scar told us about the stampede."

"He did? Well..." Simba was starting to get concern. "...what else did he tell you?"

Nala shook her head with a bright smile. "What else matters? You're alive. And that means... you're the king."

Timon laughed with the wave of his paws. "King? Pbbb. Lady, have you got your lions crossed."

Pumbaa looked at Simba in awe before noisily kissing Simba's paw. "Your Majesty! I gravel at your feet."

Simba snatched his paw away with a glare. "Stop it."

Timon shook his head before pushing the warthog away. "It's not 'gravel'. It's 'grovel'. And DON'T- he's not the king." the meerkat looked over his shoulder with a raised eye brow. "Are ya?"

"No."

Nala frowned, "Simba?"

Simba shook his head before walking off a bit. "No, I'm not the King. Maybe I was gonna be, but... that was a long time ago."

Timon looked at Simba liked he gained two more heads. "Let me get this straight. You're the king? And you never told us?"

Simba turned and looked at Timon. " Look, I'm still the same cub you found."

Timon raised a balled paw. "But with power!"

Nala cleared her throat before looking at Timon and Pumbaa. "Could you guys... excuse us for a few minutes?"

"Hey," Timon taps Pumbaa before glaring at Nala. "Whatever she has to say, she can say in front of us. Right, Simba?"

Simba closed his eyes before looking at Timon with a pleadful look. "Please?"

Timon sighed before walking off with Pumbaa into the lush oasis.

Simba chuckled lightly. "Timon and Pumbaa. You learn to love 'em."

Nala smiled lightly before she turned and bowed her head down sadly. All the memories of them as cubs came to the surface. She thought that they were just something to hold on to because her best friend was dead. As least that's what she and the pride believed.

Simba frowned as he apporched the tawny lioness. "What? ...What is it?"

Nala sighs, "It's like you're back from the dead. You don't know how much this will mean to everyone." a pained expression swept across her beautiful face. "...What it means to me."

Simba looked concerned as he walked over with his ears back. "Hey, it's okay."

Nala thrust her head under Simba's, while purring. "I've really missed you."

Simba was shocked by Nala's boldness for an instant, then reciprocating. "I've missed you too."

~PP~

A giggle filled the grey air of the Pridelands. But to Samiha's son, Desta it was the most beautiful sound to his ears.

From behind the brownish, black mane lion his sister catches him watching Artem play with her pale brown nephew, Mapenzi. Her brother was a single-dad since Mapenzi's mother died giving birth.

Luckily, Kula was still nursing Sienna. Now the light brown lioness was pregnant again but the cub isn't Malka's.

Kula comes and sit besides her brother with a smirk. "If you like her, go talk to her."

Desta sighed as he lowered his head. "Is it that obvious?"

Kula laughed. "Yes, very obvious. Good thing you have a sister like me to help!"

The light brown lioness head down and greeted the black lioness before smiling at her brown eyed nephew. "I'm taking Sienna hunting. Want to join us?"

"Cool!"

Artem smiled as the aunt and nephew walked away. She wanted to have cubs but couldn't find the right partner.

The black lioness turned to gasp when she bumped into Desta. "Oh my.."

Desta backed up and held out a paw to catch the lioness. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

Artem smiled while looking at the male in front of her. "It's okay Desta. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Desta felt like his throat tight up before he took deep breath."Would you like to go hunting or a night stroll with me?"

Artem was taken back but smiled, "I'll love that."

Desta beamed before giving the black lioness' cheek a lick and running off.

Artem sighed and shook her head before turning to head back to Pride Rock to tell her grandmother what happened.

...

The stars were twinkling against the dark sky. Uru sighed as she sat in a field and looked up at the stars. Smiling sadly when a breeze blew by causing the old goldish lioness to be transferred to old bittersweet memory.

"An't so special, now! King's Bastard," laughed a light tan cub through clenched teeth as he held the tail of a younger dark gold cub.

"Please let go of my tail!" cried Nefertiti, her pelt getting covered in dirt as she try to run away.

"Not a chance, runt!" growled the light tan furred cub.

"Wali! Stop that!"

The light tan cub groaned before looking to see a six month old goldish cub and a two month old creamy-peach cub.

Wali ignored them and continued to taunt his sister's friend.

"I said stop it!" Uru growled taking a step closer to Wali.

Wali growled and let Nefertiti's tail go before turning to the princess. Leaving Nefertiti to cover her face and cry.

"Who do you think you are?! Bossing someone around! You're not the boss of me!"

The creamy-peach cub, Leila narrowed her greenish-blue eyes. "Actually she is and so is Nefertiti."

Wali glared at Leila, "Stay out of this!" he turned his brown eyes on the future queen as he growled. "I don't take orders from females!"

Uru was silent for a moment before smirking. "Is that so? Maybe we should go see Miss Sia and see what she has to say?"

Wali's eyes widened in terror at the mention of his mother. Without saying anything, Wali bolted leaving Leila in a fit of giggles and Uru smiled satisfied of her quick thinking.

Leila groaned. "Why can't he be more like Waya?"

The two were heading over to the weeping dark gold princess when Uru rolled her green eyes.

"I think that's too much for his brain to handle and he's jealous that Sambi choose Waya to be the fastest instead of him."

Leila shook her head. "But Waya is his sister,"

Uru shrugged before the two stopped in front of their sister and friend. The goldish cub sat before placing a yellow colour paw on her sister.

"He's gone, Nef."

Nefertiti sat up with tear marks running down her cheeks. "My life sucks. My mother is gone, father is barely around. I feel alone."

Uru pulled Nefertiti close. "You're not alone. You have Leila and Waya. And me, we're sisters. Best friends forever."

Nefertiti smiled up at her sister. "Forever,"

Uru lowered her head and cried. How did things become the way they were?

"Auntie Uru?"

Uru lifted her head and turned to smile sadly at the lion that she saw. "Nadir, you remind me of your grandmother..." when she looked at the dark cream lion's face and seen his seemingly glowing green eyes. Tears started to fall, "And your mother,"

Nadir smiled lightly before joining his aunt and together they looked at the stars.