The lion's eyes widened, mirroring my own as a thousand thoughts raced through my head. He had survived? My brother was alive?!

My memory took me back to the conversation I had with Shenzi. I couldn't barely believe it! Not only that, but he had come home to save us from our murderous uncle and take his rightful place.

The lion-my brother, Simba-looked at mother. "My sister?!" He questioned.

"Simba," mother replied. "You didn't know this, but I was about a month pregnant before you left. I had gone to Rafiki right before you asked to go to the "really cool place" by the "water hole"."

Rafiki? Does mother mean that creepy mandrill?

"I would have thought Nala would have filled you in on everything," mother continued, smiling slightly. "But you were probably busy with other things."

Simba and Nala, who was standing suspiciously close to him, blushed under their fur. It was nice to think that while I was dying from starvation, they were busy flirting with each other in a far-off paradise. I gave them slack, though. They had been best friends their whole life until they had been separated for years.

I grinned nervously at Simba. I had no flipping clue what to say to a brother that I had thought dead my whole life.

He grinned back, nervously, obviously also unsure how to respond to meeting his sister he never knew he had.

"Umm..." I began, trying to break the ice. "Thanks for... uh... saving me from the fire..."

"Oh... uh... sure," he replied. "No problem."

I hadn't known my brother for long, but I knew that the Pridelands were in good paws. He may not do well in awkward conversations, but he had saved the life of a lioness he hadn't known was his sister. And that already left a good impression on me.

Nighttime had fallen. The pride was fast asleep in the den that previously used to be reserved for only my murderous uncle.

Simba was asleep on the raised platform at the back of the den which was reserved for the king, his mate and cubs. Nala, although not his mate (at least not yet), was sleeping beside him, the two wrapped together in a warm embrace.

Before he had entered the den, he had asked Nala to sleep with him, ignoring the badly-suppressed giggling of the less mature members of the pride and the grins of the more mature. He had said something about not wanting to be alone, which I had only heard because I was eavesdropping, something I had not known you should do when two animals are having a romantic moment.

I wasn't, and never was, much experienced in the romantic department. I could never understand soulmates and kissing and all that rather mushy stuff. I don't think that should come as a surprise to others, given the way I had grown up.

Mother and I were laying not far from the platform. Mother was fast asleep. I, on the other hand, wasn't tired enough. Instead, my mind wondered in to what my life would be like now with Scar gone.

More food, probably. Though it'll probably be a while before the herds returned. No more stupid rules and restrictions or the constant fear that the hyenas might choose you as their next meal. Honestly, I was surprised that I had survived this long. Maybe I'd find a mate or something. Nah, scratch that. I'd rather not.

Oh, I had forgotten about Zira. That lioness had practically worshipped Scar. She probably won't take to kindly to my brother taking the throne. I wondered where her and her girls were. Probably out hunting or something.

I stretched my body and yawned. I still felt slight hunger panes in my stomach, but I knew that my brother would do anything he could to make sure we all had something to eat.

With that optimistic thought, I closed my eyes and went to sleep.

Morning arrived. It was still quite early when I had awakened and most of the pride was fast asleep.

With the exception of my brother. His sleeping spot was vacant, while Nala was still fast asleep. She was never one for mornings, though, if I could remember, mother had told me that my brother always got up with the sun.

Apparently he still did. I stretched lazily and got to my feet. My stomach was still empty, but I knew that I would have to struggle through a few more days before the herds returned.

I decided to go look for Simba. I tiptoed quietly to the entrance and exited the den. I saw him sitting at the edge of the ledge, staring out into the barren wastelands. He wasn't moving except for his twitching tail.

I approached him and sat down next to him. He turned around and looked at me.

"Oh, hi," he greeted, not unwelcomely.

"Hi," I replied. "D'you mind if I join you?"

"Not at all."

He turned back to the depressing view. We sat there in silence for a few moments, just taking in the scene.

Just then, a loud voice broke the silence. The voice was coming somewhere down beneath us. We looked down as the meerkat and warthog, that I had seen earlier, trotted into view.

The meerkat seemed to be reprehending the warthog for something as they trotted of into the distance.

"So," I said pointing at them. "I'm guessing they are not for eating?"

Simba smiled. "No, sorry," he replied. "I owe it to them. They saved my life."

"And in long-term, mine too," I mused. "Thanks for that, by the way."

"No problem," he grinned.

Simba looked back at the view, frowning.

"Not the prettiest view, aye?" I commented. "Not that I'm an expert on views seeing as this is the only one I have ever seen."

"Jeez, that sounds depressing," he sighed. "This place used to be so beautiful. There used to be stretches of green grass and leaf filled trees. Not to mention the huge herds of many different species of animals. When Nala first told me about the land's current state, I didn't believe her."

He paused for a moment of silence.

"It's going to take a lot of hard work to restore the Pridelands to its former beauty."

"Well," I said. "Can't wait for that to happen."

"Now," I added. "On a less depressing note, when is your's and Nala's union ceremony?"

Underneath his golden fur, Simba blushed red. "Well... umm," he cleared his throat. "We... we're not... uh... exactly engaged... yet... You know... umm... there's... you know... uh... things to do and stuff..."

"Right..." I mused. "Hey, but aren't you two betrothed or something?"

Before he could answer to that, a razor hornbill flew in our direction and landed in front of Simba.

"Good morning, Sire, Shani," Zazu squawked. "Checking in for the morning report."

While Zazu went on with his whole lecture on finding herds and negotiating with kings from the neighbouring prides, I looked out in the horizon. I noticed my brother's two friends heading back to Priderock. I decided that maybe I should get to know them.

I went down from the ledge just as they arrived.

"Hello," I greeted them.

"Well, hello there, miss," the warthog smiled. The meerkat eyed me suspiciously.

"We're friends of the king," the meerkat said. "So you're gonna have to find your breakfast somewhere else."

"Oh, don't worry about that," I grinned. "I know."

"Well that's good to hear," grunted the warthog. I was seriously trying to resist the temptation of eating him. I was quite hungry. But the warthog seemed friendly enough. "I'm Pumbaa," he continued. "And this is Timon."

"I'm Shani," I replied. "And I'm the king's sister."

"Sister?" Questioned Timon, eyeing me critically. "I never knew Simba had a sister."

"Don't hold it against him, he didn't know either," I said. "I was born after he left."

The meerkat crossed his arms. He didn't trust me. Not that I could blame him. I was feeling rather hungry and the meerkat looked so good... And the warthog had flesh bulging out everywhere.

"Anyway," I said. "I just wanted to thank you guys for looking after my brother. I don't know where we would be if he hadn't survived."

"Eh," Timon scoffed. "Hakuna Matata."

"Huh?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Hakuna Matata," explained Timon. "It's our motto. It means 'no worries'."

"Well," I replied. "I think I need to hear more on that."

"Sure," he grinned. "We have a killer song to it. Wanna hear?"

I nodded, enthusiastically.

And so, they taught me Hakuna Matata. I loved it, for some reason. It was like saying life's hard, but we can still have fun. It wasn't long before the song was stuck fast in my head.

I think we all could use a little Hakuna Matata in our lives. It should keep our sanity intact.

I know it's been a while. Sorry about that. I had exams. So we get to have a bit of sibling talk. I'm sorry, but I don't do well with awkward conversations.

Anyway, I am a big fan of Hakuna Matata lifestyle. True it's a bit of a lazy one, but it's kind of like taking a break from all your physical and mental situations so that you can enjoy life. Worrying is not healthy when you don't need to worry.

Hopefully I will get the next chapter up soon. Also, In case anyone is interested, I've posted a new story called "Just a Birthday ". Honestly, I am terrible at titles. And summaries.

So, it's mainly about Simba and Sarabi missing each other after Simba's supposed death. It's kind of a side project and I don't plan on writing too many chapters, but I think it's worth a read. Hopefully.