Lulu and Maia made their way back from the Pridelands after hearing that Mufasa was killed in a stampede. Lulu was already sad because before Mufasa had passed, she had gotten into an argument with him about Maia sneaking off. It was already bad enough that Maia had snuck off to the Elephant Graveyard where she, Simba, and Nala would've been eaten by the Hyenas but she could've made her way to the Pride Rock where everyone would know about the former King's daughter. Lulu had to be strong for her daughter but deep inside Lulu herself was depressed because not only did her daughter lose her father but that she lost her half brother Simba. While walking along side her daughter she could remember the argument that she and Mufasa had before his tragic death.
~Flashback Dream~
"I thought you said you had a talk with her about sneaking off." Mufasa said to Lulu.
"I did have a talk with her."
"Then why would she sneak off?"
"I don't know, I have no clue why she would sneak off the way that she did." Lulu sighed and hung her head low. "I just hope that that Simba and Maia didn't find out that their brother and sister."
"It would've been your fault if they did find out." Mufasa replied.
"Excuse me?"
"Had you been more firm with Maia, she would've never snuck away."
"I was firm with Maia and since where do you get off telling me how to raise my daughter?" Lulu said getting in Mufasa's way.
"Apparently you're not doing a good job of raising her very well. The would've never happened if she was under my watch!" Mufasa spoken which Lulu took very offense to.
"I am doing the best I can for Maia, it's not like you're ever around to see it."
"What does that suppose to mean?"
"You're not around! That's exactly what it means!"
"I am the King of Pridelands, you know I can not be around like I want to be!"
"Exactly! So you have no right to tell me how to raise my daughter! Especially when you haven't been there for her when she needed you!"
"I have always been there for Maia when she needs me and how dare you say otherwise!"
"Being there? Being there? Ha! Being there is not coming all the way from the Pridelands to pay a visit for an hour, being there is not putting an entire land over your her, being there is not coming here questioning my parenting towards Maia. Being there is exactly what it means single day whether she's happy, sad, sick, injured, or healthy. The daughter you love so much was just another thorn in your backside, so until you've done that plus carrying her for 110 days. You don't ever tell me how to raise my daughter!"
"I will do and say whatever I want, I am her father!"
"The same father that didn't even want her in the first place!"
"What?" They heard and saw little Maia standing behind the two of them. "You never wanted me daddy?" Maia asked Mufasa.
"Maia, no no that's not true." Mufasa said wanting a hug from his daughter only for Maia to run away. "Maia!"
"Maia!" Her mother calls but Maia kept on running.
It took awhile for Mufasa and Lulu to find Maia but luckily he found her staring at the moonlight all alone. Mufasa walked right next to Maia and sat down next to her. "I just want to let you know that the day you were born was one of the happiest days of my life. I mean it." He said to Maia but she still didn't believe it.
"Just because I'm not around doesn't mean I don't love you, I just have a lot responsibilities to handle at the Pride Lands." Mufasa lend down next to Maia. "I was wrong, I was very wrong."
"And I was wrong for bringing it up in the first place." Lulu said.
"Maia, you know that you've never heard me speaking bad about your father at all. Because he is a good father, Maia." Lulu spoke but Maia reminded silent.
"Maia, I know you're just a cub but this is the part where you say I love you daddy and I forgive you." Mufasa said. "Why?" Maia asked.
"It's good manners, Maia." Mufasa spoke.
"Of course, I still love you, you're my daddy. I'm just mad at you."
"Oh well, I can except that." Mufasa said and hugged his daughter.
"I don't have to be home for another hour or so, if you'll give me a chance I still want to spend time with you."
"Really?" Maia cheerfully asked. "Oh, of course!" Mufasa said the father and daughter played together while the mother watched happily.
~End of Flashback Dream~
Lulu tearfully smiled while remembering Mufasa with Maia. She felt so bad about the argument that she had with Mufasa that it was eating her up inside. Meanwhile, Maia was sad that her daddy was gone forever and that her new friend Simba was gone too. The two headed home till they heard a strange noise coming from behind them, Lulu and Maia looked all around them to find out out where the noise had came from but they couldn't find anything. The two kept walking on home and they heard the noise again and laughter was right along with it. There they were a gang of Hyenas circling around them with only one thing one their minds...hunger. Maia held closely onto her mother and the Hyenas were surrounding them, Lulu knew that there was no way that she could've fought all of them while Maia was around. Lulu leaned down and whispered to Maia. "Maia, listen to me." She said and while the Hyenas crowded around them.
"Run." She told Maia. "But mom-" Maia tries to speak.
"Just run away and don't look back. Go!" Lulu commanded and Maia did what she was told while Lulu tried to fend off the Hyenas. As Lulu tries to fend off the Hyenas. Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed went after Maia. They tried their best to catch the little cub but Maia was too quick for the Hyenas to keep up with her. Maia was scared and wanted to be with her mother but she kept her mother's word and kept running, not looking back once, and she kept doing so till the morning came.
Simba had collapsed from heat exhaustion while running away from home, and getting surrounded by a flock pf buzzards.
Meanwhile in the Oasis,. A certain meerkat and a warthog charged out into the desert.
"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaahh!" He yelled as they headed for the buzzards.
"Get out!"
"Get out!" They yelled.
"Get outta here!"
"Whoo!"
"I love it! Bowlin' for Buzzards!" Pumbaa smiled.
"Gets 'em every time," Timon laughed as he dusted himself off. "Uh oh," Pumbaa noticed an unconscious Simba, "Hey Timon, you better come look; I think it's still alive."
"Ewww…" Timon grimaced as he walked over to them. Simba had one paw in front of his face. "All righty, what have we got here?" He sniffed at him before lifting his paw up with a struggle, before dropping it, and jumping back in fright, tripping backwards over it. "Jeez, it's a lion!" He exclaimed, before he scurried back on the warthog's head and pulled his ears back. "Run, Pumbaa! Move it!"
"Hey Timon, he's just a little lion," Pumbaa smiled at the cub. "Look at him. He's so cute, and all alone!"
"Could we keep him?" He asked Timon.
"Pumbaa, are you nuts?!" He yelled in his ears, "We're talking about a lion. Lions eat guys, and girls, like us."
"But he's so little," Pumbaa leaned closer to him, accidentally dumping his pint-sized friends on the ground.
"He's gonna get bigger," Timon retorted, as he was under the warthog's nose.
"Maybe he'll be on our side," Pumbaa said.
"A-huh!" Timon laughed, "That's the stupidest thing I ever heard. Maybe he'll b… Hey, I got it! What if he's on our side?"
"You know, having a lion around might not be such a bad idea." He climbed back up on the warthog's head.
"So we're keepin' him?"
"Pbb, of course," Timon scoffed, "Who's the brains of this outfit?"
Pumbaa carefully lifted Simba up on his tusks. "Uhhh…"
"My point exactly," Timon said before Pumbaa could get a word in, "Jeez, I'm fried," He wiped some sweat off his forehead, "Let's get out of here, and find some shade."
Once they found a shady spot, Timon splashed some water on the cub's face, as he came to.
"You okay, kid?" Timon asked him.
"I guess so," Simba replied.
"You nearly died," Pumbaa told him.
"I saved ya," Timon claimed. Pumbaa snorted at him, "Well uh, Pumbaa helped. A little."
"Thanks for the help," Simba said dully before walking away.
"Hey, where're you going?" Timon asked him.
"Nowhere," The cub replied dully.
"Gee, he looks blue," Timon remarked as he and Pumbaa, watched him.
"I'd say brownish-gold," The warthog said, misunderstanding the meerkat's statement.
"No, no, no, he means he's depressed," Timon explained to him.
"Oh." Pumbaa trotted up to Simba, with Timon following. "Kid, what's eatin' ya?"
"Nothin', he's on top of the food chain!" Timon joked, "Ahhhhhhha ha haaa!" He elbowed Simba's side as he cracked up, "The food cha-haain!" Pumbaa and Simba stared at him silently, "Ehe he… ehem," He slowly stopped, realizing his joke flopped. "So, where're you from?" He asked Simba.
"Who cares? I can't go back."
"Ahh, you're an outcast!" Timon smiled, "That's great, so are we."
"What'd you do?" Pumbaa asked Simba.
"Something terrible; but I don't want to talk about it." Simba answered.
"Good, we don't want to hear about it," Timon said,
"Come on, Timon. Anything we can do?" Pumbaa asked Simba.
"Not unless you can change the past." Pumbaa's heart ached for him.
"You know, kid, in times like this, my buddy Timon says "You got to put your behind in your past,"" He misquoted.
"No, no, no," Timon waved his arms around. "I mean…"
"Amateur; Lie down before you hurt yourself." Pumbaa sat down, looking disappointed, "It's "you got to put your past behind you." Look kid, bad things happen, and you can't do anything about it, right?"
"Right."
"Wrong!" Timon suddenly poked Simba's nose, surprising him, "When the world turns its back on you, you turn your back on the world."
"That's not what I was taught."
"Then maybe you need a new lesson. Repeat after me," Timon cleared his throat and before he could say anything Maia came bursting onto the scene startling an unexpected Timon, Pumbaa, and Simba. She collapsed on the ground after running all night away from the Hyenas chasing her.
"Another lion?" Timon explained. "Where are you guys coming from?" Timon asked Simba and he shrugged not knowing where Maia came from. Maia turns around to see the three staring at her and instantly Simba recognized her.
"Maia?" He calls. Maia turns around to see who called her name. "Simba?" She said.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were dead?" Maia asked.
"No I ran away. What are you doing here?" Simba asked.
"I ran away too." Maia explained. "Uhh, do you two know each other?" Timon asked the two cubs.
"Well, this is my new friend Maia." Simba said. "Are you an outsider too?" Pumbaa asked her. "Well yeah, I am."
"Can we keep her too?" Pumbaa asked Timon. "You're really trying to create a foster home aren't ya, Pumbaa?" Timon sarcastically asked.
"Please, I have no place else to go?" Maia begged. Timon saw the sadness and desperation in Maia's eyes and so he had to take both Simba and Maia in. "Alright, you can come with us." Timon said. "But, if you two are going to be staying with us. You have to understand our phrase."
"What phrase?" Maia asked.
"Hakuna Matata."
"What?"
"Ha-ku-na Ma-ta-ta," Pumbaa repeated more slowly, "It means "No worries.""
"Hakuna Matata, what a wonderful phrase!" Timon started singing.
"Hakuna Matata, ain't no passing craze!" Pumbaa started as well.
"It means no worries, for the rest of your days," Timon started singing. They led Simba and Maia over to a green bush, which they leaned into like it was a cushion.
"It's our problem-free… philosophy," The duo sang together.
"Hakuna Matata," Timon filed down one of Simba's claws.
"Hakuna Matata?"
"Yeah, it's our motto," Pumbaa told him.
"What's a motto?" Simba asked them.
"Nothin', what's a-motto with you?" Timon joked, "Ahh haha!" He laughed, as did Pumbaa.
"You know, kids. These two words will solve all your problems," Pumbaa told Simba and Maia.
"That's right! Take Pumbaa for example," Timon said before he started singing, "Why, when he was a young warthog."
"When I was a young wartho-o-o-og!"
"Very nice." Timon complemented cleaning out his ear.
"Thanks!"
"He found his aroma lacked a certain appeal," Timon continued,
"He could clear the savannah after every meal."
"I'm a sensitive soul," Pumbaa chimed in, "Though I seem thick-skinned.
"And it hurt that my friends never stood downwind. And oh, the shame!"
"He was ashamed!" Timon chimed in.
"Thoughta changing my name."
"Oh, what's in a name?" Timon chimed again.
"And I got downhearted."
"How did you feel?" Timing asked him.
"Every time that I…"
"Pumbaa! Not in front of the kids!" Timon said stopping him.
"Oh, sorry," He said sheepishly. Simba and Maia furrowed their eyebrows in confusion.
"Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase," The duo sang together, as Timon hoisted Pumbaa up to a vine, which he started swinging on, as Simba and Maia watched with interest.
"Hakuna Matata! Ain't no passing craze."
"It means no worries, for the rest of your days," Simba started singing with them, becoming more enthusiastic.
"Yeah, sing it, kid!" Timon did a vaudeville knee-slide up to him.
"It's our problem-free…" The cubs and meerkat sang together, before Pumbaa landed next to them.
"… philosophy!" He finished.
"Hakuna Matata!"
"Welcome… to our humble home," Timon pulled back a large fern leaf, revealing their home to Simba, and Maia who stared in awe.
"Wow!" Maia said amazed at the magnificent view.
"You live here?" Simba asked.
"We live wherever we want," Timon shrugged.
"Yep, home is where your rump rests," Pumbaa chuckled.
"It's beautiful," Simba smiled.
Later, as they walked through the oasis, Pumbaa let out a loud, raunchy burp. "I'm starved."
"I'm so hungry I could eat a whole zebra," Simba remarked.
Timon stopped walking, "Eeeahhah, we're fresh out of zebra."
"Any antelope?"
"Na-ah," Timon shook his head.
"Hippo?"
"Nope," Timon said,
"Watermelon?" Maia asked and Timon, Pumbaa, and Simba looked in confusion. "I'm a vegetarian lion." Maia said.
"Listen, kids if you live with us, you have to eat like us." He then spotted a stray log, and he and Pumbaa, walked towards it. Pumbaa forced the log up with his snout, revealing a bunch of grubs and bugs, one of which Timon grabs.
"Eeew, what's that?" Simba asked.
"A grub. What's it look like?"
"Eeew, gross!" Simba grimaced in disgust, while Timon ate the bug.
"Tastes like chicken," The meerkat remarked.
Pumbaa slurped up a large worm, as the trio started feasting on bugs. "Slimy, yet satisfying."
"These are rare delicacies," Timon grabbed a bug, and ate it, "Piquant… with a very pleasant crunch," He remarked before eating another.
"You'll learn to love 'em," Pumbaa told the cub, with his mouth full.
"I'm telling you, kid, this is the great life; no rules, no responsibilities," Timon poked his hand into a knothole, making many bugs scramble out, as he pulled one out, "Oooh! The little cream-filled kind." He ate it before placing another bug on a leaf he was carrying, that had a bunch of other bugs on it. "And best of all, no worries." He offered the bugs to Simba, "Well kid?"
Simba grabbed a grub from the pile, "Oh well, Hakuna Matata," Simba shrugged, before slowly slurping it. At first, he looked sick, but then he started becoming more cheerful. "Slimy, yet satisfying."
"That's it," Timon smiled.
"Well you guys enjoy, I'll just eat the leaves on this tree." Maia said taking a bit of the leaves.
Years later…
"Hakuna Matata, Hakuna Matata, Hakuna Matata…" Timon and Pumbaa chanted to the beat.
"It means no worries," A now adult Simba and Maia chimed in, "For the rest of your days."
"It's our problem-free… philosophy," They all sang together. "Hakuna Matata."
They dove down in the pond in turn, with Timon going first, then Pumbaa, then Maia all of them making small splashes. When Simba jumped down, he grabbed a vine with his teeth, it broke under his weight, so he fell in the pond, resulting in a splash big enough to wash the foursome ashore. The foursome repeated the two words together as they boogied off into the oasis. Simba and Maia grew up together just as brothers and sisters are supposed to.
