Chapter 24

Nuka watched his little sister sleep soundly in his mothers' arms. He thanked the kings his mother had a girl, he wouldn't know what to do if she had had a boy. The last thing he was going to do was give up his crown for some young furball. Now he didn't have to worry, all he had to focus on now was getting stronger, and proving himself to his father.

Zira herself was tried and restless, but still forced herself to stay awake. She wanted to wait until Scar returned home. She had to speak with him. Even though Rafiki had been dismissed he mention to the queen that it would be a better idea for him to stay close by. Just in case something went south with the cub, she was very tiny. However Zira said he would not be needed, it was survival of the fittest and if she survived she survived and if she died…she died. This was a complete opposite of her attitude when the twins were born, right away when she noticed her son, Nuka was smaller and weaker than his sister. She had everything done to make sure he would survive. That was for sure, she was not going to let anything happen to her only son.

"She looks a lot like Vitani…" noted Nuka, still staring at the cub. Zira scoffed and swallowed hard.

"Ugh, I hope she doesn't act like her." Then speaking of the devil, Vitani could be seen walking with Simba back up the steps of pride rocks. Simba did not dare to come inside and see the cub, he just took Vitani for her word of what she looked like and then parted from her. Walking to his usual resting spot on the edge of the cliff of pride rock, just like he uncle used to.

As Vitani enters the den, Zira ignorers her. The young lioness wanted to roll her eyes but knew better. She also knew she had to be the bigger lioness in the room and talk to her mother first. Even if she didn't want to.

"She doing okay?" asked Vitani.

"you'd know if you were here." was all Zira said.

At that exact moment, Vitani wanted to say something to her mother, the matter of fact truth of why she left. But then she remembered the conversation she just had with Simba. She knew her poor sister had a crazy mother and would need someone to look after her, because Zira at this stage in her life, just could not be the emotional support a cub needs.

"mmm you're right…" she voiced lowly.

"Damn right I'm right." Zira voiced, pushing her daughter even more. Nuka could see something tense was happening between his sister and mother, what he didn't know.

"Well, I'm going to head out." Voiced the prince. As he begin leaving the den, he walked passed his sister who sat across of her mother.

"Out?" Vitani raised a brow, "It's already late?"

"Yea, I like to train at night too, it way cooler than in the morning." The thought of Nuka training, let alone putting in any work, made the lioness laugh some to herself. "What's so funny?" he asked his twin.

"nothing just…you and training…it's funny when you put the two together." Nuka roller his eyes, he didn't feel like bantering with her right now. But he didn't have to worry, his mother would be his voice for him. It seemed like Vitani could not get a break.

"Yes, Nuka been training hard, unlike some others." Vitani voiced to herself. 'please great kings, keep me sane from this crazy lioness, I have to call my mother.'

"So is this the new Nuka I'm looking at?"

"Sure, you can say that."

"Well…" she started sitting up. "I have to admit you do look somewhat different. I mean…is that actual muscle I see in your arm…ha I might have to start taking you more seriously."

"Yea you better." He started leaving the den. He disappeared into the coming night. Vitani watched as her older brother vanished out of sight, something was with him…she just couldn't put her paw on it.

"So mom, what did you name her?"

"Shetani."

"Shetani?" 'little devil'? Did her mother really just name her sister, devil. "You've got to be kidding me-"

"She already looks like you, and if anything from when she was inside me, her name is fitting," Vitani said nothing, trying to force herself to keep her clam. But in all seriousness she couldn't understand her mother at all, why was she so spiteful when she didn't get her way. I mean when was her mother going to grow up and learn that things don't go her way all the time- well in her case I guess it never went her way most of the time. But still… The cub couldn't control the fact that she was going to be born a girl.

As the week passed, little Shetani wasn't the only one to be welcomed into the pridelands. The prideland lioness Sarabi found herself having labor pains earlier in the day a few weeks after little Shetani was born. Within a few hours, she was well into labor. And all the lioness were on high alert for the care of their queen and her soon arriving cub. "Push Sarabi!" voiced one of the lionesses as they crowed around their queen. The rimmed eared lioness bit down on her lip and pushed with all her might, and as she told Nala. Just because you already had a cub, doesn't mean the next one would be easy. This cub was making sure he or she was going to make a scene before they entered the world. Simba birth wasn't even this painful. And we all know how big headed the hotheaded lion was.

"Aghhh!" Sarabi screamed from the pain as sweat drench her forehead, in the far distance Nala, stood watch. Wanting to help, but deep down the whole event was truly traumatizing her. There was so much blood, and screaming….and the look of utter pain. She had no idea this was real cub birth. She assumed it would be hard like she had heard from the lioness numerous stories, but…never did she think it would be like this. This was downright awful, who would want to do thought this by choice? Soon Nala found herself fighting against her stomach, which needed to relieve itself apparently. She quickly exited the den and ran into the bushes.

The blue-eyed lioness coughed up hard, so hard, it felt like she was going to cough a lung up. But with a few deep breathes she was able to calm herself once again.

"Nala, are you okay?" asked her mother as she came out the den, soon after her. Nala wiped her mouth and took a deep breath before speaking.

"um…yea…i…" Sarafina put a paw on her daughter's shoulder.

"It's okay if you need to stay out here."

"No…I-I want to be there, I just…I"

"Wasn't exactly what you were expecting." Nala nodded her head slowly, trying to get the image out of her head of all the blood and sweat. "It's okay, I'll stay out here with you, Sarabi will be fine." Well, at least that was little comforting for her.

"Mom…" Nala voiced.

"Yes?" in between them speaking, Nala could still hear Sarabi struggling inside the den. It tore at her heart.

"I…I don't think I ever want to have cubs…" as serious as her daughter was, Sarafina couldn't help but smile and laugh some at her daughter. Yes, she was still a cub for sure, even if she was getting older, something she just wasn't ready for.

"You say that now, but wait till you get older, you'll change your mind when you're ready."

"No way…not that way that looked…you had to go through that? For me?"

"Yes, I did. And I would do it all over again if I had to." Voiced her mother.

"Well, I guess you're just stronger than me then."

"Nala, relax, it's nature and natural."

"…if natural is that then I want to be Unnatural…I pretty sure I would just die…how is Sarabi not died yet, she lost so much blood….and it's been going for hours now."

"Lionesses are strong, you'll see as you grow up, there's a lot we can handle." Nala took the time to think about what her mother said. As she did this, Sarabi let out another scream. This is natural…this is natural she kept repeating to herself. Yet she thought that her mother might not be right on this one, Nala couldn't imagine going through all the pain Sarabi was going through right now, it just seemed too out of this world for her to even think about. Then suddenly the den inside went still and there was no noise. Nala was too deep in thought to notice, but her mother knew all too well what had happened. "Nala, let's go."

"Huh?" but before she could think twice her mother back into the den, Nala not knowing what was happening and thinking the worse because everything went still ran right after her. She went behind her mother and stepped through the crowd, staying close to Sarafina she knew she would be able to get close. Before she knew it she was right at Sarafina back paws. She watched as the queen laid still. Horror filled Nala heart…did she die, she didn't seem to move at all. Then walking right up to Sarabi a lioness carried a small brown tawny fur ball and placed it right before her.

"There he is…" she voiced. The cub blindly sticking his nose in the air to find his mother. Boy…it's a cute, but it looked so cute, it just had to be a girl thought the young lioness.

"Aw, look at him Sarabi, he's adorable perfectly healthy." Voiced Sarafina to her best friend. As Nala watched the cub waddle his way to his mother, she couldn't keep her eyes off of him.

"Wow…" was all she could think to say. He was so tiny and gave Sarabi such a fuss. "he's…he's beautiful." She voiced in aw at the new pride member. "w…what are you going to name him?"

"Kopa."

"Kopa…kopa…I like it!" voiced Nala with a wide smile. "Hi little kopa…" Cooed Nala, she was in utter love with the little cub. Sarabi watched on with a tired smile, thrilled her cub was safe and here with her...but in her mind the thought lingered. What problem could her son with Scar cause now? Especially with Zira.

"Don't think about that now." her friend broke her train of thought.

"Sara…"

"get some rest, you have enough to worry about."

"Yes but-"

"I said get some rest, don't make me tell you twice." Sarabi knew better than to argue, it would be a match with her friend she was surely lose. Sarabi laid her head back down on her paws, her son was already fast asleep by her side. To think of nothing, that was what she was trying to do, think of nothing to ease her mind. Yet the more she tried to think of nothing, more and more issues seemed to pile up. Unfortunately, it was going to be a long night for her.

The following morning Scar sat atop of priderock, overlooking his kingdom. The king was not blind nor dumb and could see the poor changes that were happening to his lands. He knew he had to do something about it, but what? Then another thought ran through his mind, new came to him by word of mouth that Sarabi had given birth to a son, his son. In the back of Scar mind, he hoped that his cub would not share his brother feature, that too would be another sad and unwanted reminding of the lion he got rid of. Hmmm, what to do now, Zira had given him a daughter, a tiny one at that, and Sarabi had given him a son. A son he's yet to see but knows in his heart that he will be a strong one, after all he did take after Sarabi.

"What you plan on doing boss?" asked one of this three hyenas.

"I think I'm going to go visit my son, after all, what kind of father would I be if I didn't, right?"

"that's true, um boss?"

"what?"

"Do you think Zira has found out?"

"No, Zira still knows nothing."

"Oh good, I'd hate to see her reaction when she finds out."

"She won't find out….or rather then she does, I'll be the one to tell her."

"When are you going to do the official announcement your daughter with Zira?"

"Hmm, who knows, sometime soon or sometime later. You really can't rush these things. Plus with her being so small, I think it is better for her if we hold out on an official ceremony." Scar rose from his sitting spot. "But I assure you I'll think of something by then."

Zazu had flown by to see Sarabi late that day after hearing the news. The hornbill would be worried sick until he saw her. Zazu flapped his way down to the ground, the den was still, like no one was home.

"Hello….hello? Sarabi?" suddenly he heard the noise of a small cub cooeing. He went inside to see Sarabi, there resting, with Nala on full cub sitting duty.

"Oh Zazu hi! I didn't even notice you, come in." Nala jumped up and walked over to the hornbill. "You want to see the cub?"

"yes, I came right away once I heard the news."

"C'mon." Zazu approached the little bundle that snuggled up against his mother fur. Zazu let out a small sigh of relief when she saw the cub shared more of her feature than Scars. "isn't he the cutest thing ever. His names Kopa."

"Kopa, oh well…hello, little Kopa. I'm Zazu! But you can call me, Mr. banana beak." Nala rolled her eyes, he was still formal even to young cubs. He was surely something. "How is Sarabi?"

"Fine, she's just resting I think she was up a few minutes ago. Hey, I'm going to run and get some water for Sarabi. Before my mother and the others get back, okay- if she needs me just call…or if Kopa needs me just call- or if they both need me-"

"Just call?" Nala smiled, before taking off. Zazu laughed as he took note of how grown the young lioness was becoming.

" you can rest assure I'm in good paws Zazu." The blue hornbill turned to see Sarabi opening her eyes to face him.

"My queen, how are you feeling? Is everything alright?" Zazu flapped over to her head area.

"I'm fine, really. Just tried."

"As you should be, he is a lovely little one."

"Yes, he is, the sweetest, he's already loved so much."

" I bet he is, he's in great paws."

"the greatest, and what I cant do Nala will do for me."

"Really? Hmp little Nala all growing up I suppose."

"Yes, she loves Kopa so much."

" Her mothering instinct is really kicking in aren't they?"

"Yes, but ha, she has a while before she has to think about that."

"Oh of course of course." It went silent for a moment. Then Zazu spoke. "Have you seen him lately?" he asked referring to the pridelands king.

"No, thankfully. Has he heard the news?"

"Most likely. Unfortunately, I've been gone discuss his affairs with our neighboring pride."

"the Mountain pride?"

"Yes." He confirmed

"Why do we have business with them."

"Well you know the over hunting is causing some of the herd to move, they've been wandering into the mountain pride territory. Which you already know they are thrilled about. I went to speak in terms of sharing the herds since we are running so thin. But….I don't think I was very successful."

"You had nothing to offer?"

"No, not really… at least nothing they truly needed." Sarabi lowered her head thinking.

"Now, don't you worry, this is not the time for you to think of anything else but recovering and taking care of the little one."

"I know but, Zazu. This kingdom, my kingdom is falling apart and there is nothing I can do?"

"For right now, no, there is nothing. All we can hope for is that that king of our decides to do something, and soon." Sarabi said nothing for a moment then, oddly thinking of Zira she asks.

"How is Zira? I heard she had a girl"

"Yes, that's what I've heard. I have yet to see her myself. But I think she had the cub early."

"Yes, she did, but I think she is doing fine."

"what do you think Scar will have planned, knowing him…he has to have something up his paw. It's odd, but I don't like it that he has been this still lately."

"Kings who knows, really."