Baby Steps
The first week of living, baby Niru spent his days drinking his mother's warm, sweet milk, sleeping, and cuddling with his parents. Kiara and Kovu were so amazed and proud of their new son. Niru was a beautiful golden- orange color like Kiara, with Kovu's bright green eyes and same shaped nose, only in a lighter shade, along with a small reddish-brown marking on his head where his mane tuft would begin to grow. Niru had the curiosity and playfulness of his mother, and his father's coordination and keen sense of hunting. Of course these traits couldn't be demonstrated yet for a month or two. However, only Kiara and Kovu could see this perfect blend of traits that had been passed onto Niru. Being a new mother, Kiara was as proud and excited as ever about raising her and Kovu's son with her beloved mate.
During the second week, Niru began to yearn to move around more. The first week he had enjoyed the warm, tingling, soothing motion of his mother's wet tongue bathing him, but now he was getting just a little antsy. The first time in the late morning on the Monday of the second week, Kiara was gently nuzzling and cooing at her son. Niru, enjoying the soothing noises, giggled and pawed at Kiara. Kiara beamed at her beautiful, innocent son, and purred happily.
Just then Nala gently and slowly approached her daughter. "Kiara," she said in a soft, warm tone.
"Mom," Kiara looked over at her and smiled.
"How are you both doing?" Nala asked.
"Couldn't be better," Kiara grinned.
"Wonderful. I'm so proud of you, Kiara. We all are," Nala said scanning the rejoined pride. "Especially your father," Nala said looking at Simba as he was talking to Timon and Pumbaa nearby under a small tree.
Simba's back was turned to Kiara as Timon and Pumbaa would occasionally peek at Kiara and Nala, trying to get a glimpse of Niru again, since they hadn't seen him since his presentation a week ago. At the presentation, as they sat off to the side as usual to watch Rafiki's hands were obscuring most of Niru's profile and the cub had his head turned to look around at everything below him as he was in the air. That's when Mufasa and the great kings of the past smiled down on the new heir to the Pridelands and shone their warm rays of sunlight down on Niru, which made it too bright for poor Timon and Pumbaa to see the cub's face. Since Rafiki only held him up for about five minutes before taking him down, Kiara, Kovu, and Reekyo, and Kovu crowded on each side, so Timon and Pumbaa couldn't see the new prince up close. Then Rafiki handed him back to Kiara to be fed and go to sleep, and to spend time with his parents. Well, after a week of solitude in cave, Kiara finally came outside with her new prince.
Simba, not wanting to invade his daughter's space seeing that she was now a mother, he remembered when Kiara was born and the mother instinct that Nala demonstrated. Now that Vitani had cubs too, twins in fact, he had seen her give a warning growl to Timon and Pumbaa when she saw them sneaking around too close to her and her nursing cubs.
"I'm tellin' ya Simba, she's gonna get mad if she sees us spying on her and the kid," Timon said nervously.
"Yeah, Nala told us mommy lionesses are very protective of their cubs, especially when they're first born. They're so cute and tiny like Queen Kiara's little, uh," Pumbaa tried to remember which gender cub Kiara had.
"Little guy, Pumbaa," Timon reminded him, accenting the word "guy."
"Oh yeah," Pumbaa nodded. Then a confused look came over his face. "Wait, then what's his name?"
Timon sighed, a bit annoyed. "Ask Simba."
Simba smiled at Pumbaa and nodded as he spoke. "His name is Niru."
Then he looked over at Nala and saw her talking to Kiara, while Kiara was feeding Niru. He caught a glimpse of his grandson's tiny golden-orange tail sticking out from the side of Kiara's leg.
"So, when Niru's done eating will you be ready to introduce him to your father?" Nala asked smiling.
Kiara looked at Niru as he breathed rapidly through his nose while trying to get as much milk as he could. He was definitely growing stronger. Kiara gave a small laugh at her son and looked back at her mom.
"Of course Daddy can come. Just let me clean Niru's muzzle first," she giggled.
"Ok, I'll go tell your father," Nala gave a small laugh and bent down to give Kiara a quick nuzzle before heading over to Simba.
Simba looked up eagerly at Nala as Pumbaa and Timon, who were arguing about something, stopped when Nala appeared in front of them.
"Well?" Simba asked.
Nala raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Yes," she nodded.
Simba's face lit up. Then he turned to his buddies. "Timon, maybe you and Pumbaa should stand behind me in case Kiara doesn't feel ready to introduce Niru to you yet," Simba advised.
"Yikes!" Timon shivered. "Sure thing, Simba," Timon said tiptoeing behind him.
As Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa slowly approached Kiara, their excitement and nervousness built inside, causing their legs to tremble slightly with every step. Simba stood to the side of his daughter respectively, and smiled nervously and excitedly at her as Timon and Pumbaa struggled to get a glimpse of the cub from behind Simba without upsetting anyone, specifically Kiara.
"Daddy," Kiara breathed as her eyes looked up at him. "I'm so glad you're here," she smiled, reaching up to embrace him.
Simba was overjoyed to hear his daughter's voice and see her face again. One week had seemed like a month to him. But that didn't matter now; all that mattered was he was with his daughter and that she was happy and well, not to mention that he was about to meet his first and only grandson. As he immediately came close to embrace her, all his worrying that had built up in him through the past week flooded out of his mind.
When they were done nuzzling, Kiara smiled at her father lovingly and sighed happily. Then she shifted her paws gently and carefully as not to disturb Niru, who had just nodded off into a nap. She looked her son over for a moment and then looked back up at Simba and asked, "Would you like to personally meet your new grandson?" she beamed.
Simba felt relieved and excited at the same time. He was going to personally closely look upon his first and only grandson. "Nothing would make me happier," he whispered.
Kiara grinned and then gently and carefully bent her head down to the small golden-orange ball of fur in her arms and gave it a soft, warm lick. Much like Simba had done as a baby, Niru turned his head to look up at his mom and spotted Simba gazing proudly and amazed upon him. Knowing this was someone new that kind of resembled his mother and father, Niru wanted to get a better view of Simba, so he turned onto his back and stared up curiously at Simba.
"Daddy, this your grandson, Niru. Niru, this is your grandpa Simba," Kiara introduced in a soft tone.
Simba's gaze was attached to his grandson, taking in every detail the cub possessed and all his features, his coat, paws, and tiny nose and eyes; the beautiful, innocent look on his face and the purity that radiated from the small cub's body. It was a gift, a treasure, a blessing-one that Simba would celebrate and watch over and love forever. Kiara saw her father experience the same emotions and thoughts she had just a week ago, when she first looked upon her son when he was born.
"Daddy," she whispered blinking slowly.
"Kiara?" he asked warmly.
"I feel and see them in him, too," Kiara whispered.
"Oh Niru," Simba inhaled and sighed deeply, enjoying the moment he was in.
Kiara remembered Timon and Pumbaa. "Timon, Pumbaa, it's alright. You can come see Niru if you like," she said motioning them over with her neck.
The two friends' faces lit up.
"Come on, Pumbaa, we got a cub to meet," Timon exclaimed and trotted over to Kiara and Niru on the opposite side from Simba.
Timon and Pumbaa stared in awe at the small prince.
"A new little guy, how about that, Pumbaa?" Timon gushed.
"Yeah, just like Kovu," Pumbaa sniffled happily.
"Kovu? We hardly knew him as a cub, well at least not personally, but I think he's like Kiara," Timon said.
Niru whimpered a little at seeing Timon and Pumbaa, as they didn't look or smell anything like his mother or grandfather. He was afraid they would hurt him, and cried out. He hid his face in Kiara's paw.
"Aww poor baby it's OK. Mommy's here," Kiara soothed.
"Oh no. Now look what you did, Pumbaa!" Timon scolded.
"What? You're the one who was talking," Pumbaa defended himself.
"Well you're the bigger, smellier, and no offense, smellier one here my corpulent compadre," Timon retorted.
"Guys," Simba spoke up. "It's neither of your faults."
"Yeah, Niru's only two weeks old and the only animal he's been around is lionesses, specifically me, so he's just getting used to seeing you two," Kiara explained.
"Oh," Timon and Pumbaa said in unison.
"Don't worry, when Niru and Vitani's cubs get older, you'll get to see them everyday," Simba reassured them.
The two friends gasped happily and grinned excitedly at each other.
"Just as long as they don't run away," Timon said jabbing his index finger into the air. "I'm getting too old for chasing cubs."
At this remark, Simba and Kiara laughed and then Timon and Pumbaa joined in.
Niru lifted his head again, sensing the happy aura around him, and giggled.
The four animals stopped laughing and looked down at Niru, who was now giggling in high-pitched squeals. They all began "awwing" at him, and visited with him for the rest of the morning.
Mufasa and the great kings watched from above and shone their rays of happiness down on the Pridelands. A cool breeze blew across Niru that afternoon, and he drifted into a peaceful afternoon nap.
3 weeks later
After three more weeks of developing his body, Niru was now a month old. He knew how to roll over, kick, and had just recently begun sitting up by himself. He had also learned how to use his tongue to speak. After being educated largely by Timon and Pumbaa in the art of speaking, Niru could say simple words including "Mama", "Dada", "Gampa", "Gama", "Tion" (pronounced Tee-own), Pua (Poo-uh), and "Nioo" (Nee-oo), his own name.
Kiara and Kovu were very proud indeed of their son and were most grateful to Timon and Pumbaa. Kiara decided to give them the honor of being Niru's godparents to show her gratitude of teaching Niru how to speak.
Now that Niru knew what he could do, he began getting bored of rolling over, kicking the air, and listening to Timon and Pumbaa trying to get him to pronounce the names he could already say, clearer. One day he got a feeling that he hadn't felt before. It made him want to get up and move around like everyone else he knew. He was just about to attempt walking when his mother lay him out on the ground on his back.
"Timon, Pumbaa!" Kiara called out quickly.
Pumbaa came rushing in the cave with Timon on his back. "What is it Queen Kiara?" Pumbaa asked concerned.
Kiara gritted her teeth and smiled politely. "Could you keep an eye on Niru for a second? I got to go-do something! Be right back!" She shouted rapidly and she sprinted from the cave.
Pumbaa stared at Niru and blinked. "I think it's been a second, Timon," he said beginning to walk away.
"Pumbaa! She means watch him till she comes back. Yeesh," Timon said, rubbing his head.
Niru giggled, amused and kicked his hind paws in the air.
Just then there came a high-pitched infant coo from across the cave.
Niru's ears flicked in the direction of the noise. Rolling over, he looked over at the area where the sound came from. He found himself staring at Vitani, who he hadn't seen before yet and two dusty golden colored cubs his size. One was getting a bath and the other was lying on the ground on her back, kicking the air like Niru had just done. The girl cub grunted whenever she batted the air with her front paw. Niru was intrigued by this cub and wanted to go over to her. He reached out a paw and grunted, trying to figure out how to stand up.
Timon and Pumbaa were now talking about how Kiara used to run away, and Timon glanced at Niru every few seconds. Then he lost count of seconds and became absorbed with stories they were re-telling.
Niru began worrying he'd never get to see the cubs on the other side of the cave. Then he remembered he could sit up now. He pushed against the ground with his front paws and tensed his small back muscles until he was sitting up. Phew, the hardest part was over! Or so he thought. Niru pushed himself forward, trying to stand up on his hind leg, but they weren't ready to support his back end yet, as this was his first attempt. Not able to drag his body weight anywhere yet, Niru began to whimper, frustrated. He looked longingly at the girl cub on the other side of the cave as she rolled over. This gave him an idea. He smiled and lay down. Then he positioned himself vertical to the other side of the cave, so he would roll to the other side.
Timon glanced at Niru again and smiled. "Good cub," he chuckled before returning to his original conversation with Pumbaa.
Niru began rolling. The first few roll were rough, but then he got the hang of them again, and began rolling faster. He was having so much fun that he forgot to stop and rolled right into the girl cub's side.
She winced startled, and looked at Niru, who turned to face her.
She gasped at the new face she saw before her, and the two cubs stared at each other. Vitani looked over at her daughter and gasped surprised to see Niru. "Oh little prince! What are you doing over here?" She asked in an affectionate tone and looked over at Timon and Pumbaa, who were still chatting.
Niru looked up at Vitani with wide, curious eyes.
The other cub, who was in Vitani's arms, peeked over them at Niru, curious of who the newcomer.
Just then Kiara returned. "Hey guys, where's Niru?" she began to worry when she saw the empty space behind Timon and Pumbaa where she had left Niru.
Timon and Pumbaa turned, and gasped at the empty space. Before they could make up an excuse, Vitani called out to Kiara.
"Kiara, your highness, Niru's over here!"
Kiara gasped and quickly trotted over to her.
"Huh?" Pumbaa asked, confused at how Niru got over to the other side of the cave.
"What she said!" Timon said nervously to Kiara as he and Pumbaa rushed over to Vitani and the cubs.
"Oh thank goodness you're alright, Niru," Kiara said licking him.
Vitani chuckled. "I guess he just wanted to see my Siva and Suvo," she said.
"Of course," Kiara realized.
Vitani lifted Suvo out of her arms and placed him next to his sister.
"Niru, this is Siva and Suvo," Vitani introduced her cubs to him, motioning to each cub as she said their names.
"Suvo, Siva, this is Niru," Kiara introduced in return.
The cubs immediately began sniffing each other. Once they knew what each other smelled like, they began nuzzling each other and pawing at each other on the ground.
The mothers watched the cubs play for a few minutes. Then Kiara picked up Niru to feed him. Vitani did the same for her cubs.
"I guess we'll have to start coming over to this side of the cave more often, huh Niru? Now you can have play dates with Siva and Suvo," she smiled happily down at her son.
Niru stopped drinking for a minute to say, "Siba, Subo!" and then giggled and burped.
The first week of living, baby Niru spent his days drinking his mother's warm, sweet milk, sleeping, and cuddling with his parents. Kiara and Kovu were so amazed and proud of their new son. Niru was a beautiful golden- orange color like Kiara, with Kovu's bright green eyes and same shaped nose, only in a lighter shade, along with a small reddish-brown marking on his head where his mane tuft would begin to grow. Niru had the curiosity and playfulness of his mother, and his father's coordination and keen sense of hunting. Of course these traits couldn't be demonstrated yet for a month or two. However, only Kiara and Kovu could see this perfect blend of traits that had been passed onto Niru. Being a new mother, Kiara was as proud and excited as ever about raising her and Kovu's son with her beloved mate.
During the second week, Niru began to yearn to move around more. The first week he had enjoyed the warm, tingling, soothing motion of his mother's wet tongue bathing him, but now he was getting just a little antsy. The first time in the late morning on the Monday of the second week, Kiara was gently nuzzling and cooing at her son. Niru, enjoying the soothing noises, giggled and pawed at Kiara. Kiara beamed at her beautiful, innocent son, and purred happily.
Just then Nala gently and slowly approached her daughter. "Kiara," she said in a soft, warm tone.
"Mom," Kiara looked over at her and smiled.
"How are you both doing?" Nala asked.
"Couldn't be better," Kiara grinned.
"Wonderful. I'm so proud of you, Kiara. We all are," Nala said scanning the rejoined pride. "Especially your father," Nala said looking at Simba as he was talking to Timon and Pumbaa nearby under a small tree.
Simba's back was turned to Kiara as Timon and Pumbaa would occasionally peek at Kiara and Nala, trying to get a glimpse of Niru again, since they hadn't seen him since his presentation a week ago. At the presentation, as they sat off to the side as usual to watch Rafiki's hands were obscuring most of Niru's profile and the cub had his head turned to look around at everything below him as he was in the air. That's when Mufasa and the great kings of the past smiled down on the new heir to the Pridelands and shone their warm rays of sunlight down on Niru, which made it too bright for poor Timon and Pumbaa to see the cub's face. Since Rafiki only held him up for about five minutes before taking him down, Kiara, Kovu, and Reekyo, and Kovu crowded on each side, so Timon and Pumbaa couldn't see the new prince up close. Then Rafiki handed him back to Kiara to be fed and go to sleep, and to spend time with his parents. Well, after a week of solitude in cave, Kiara finally came outside with her new prince.
Simba, not wanting to invade his daughter's space seeing that she was now a mother, he remembered when Kiara was born and the mother instinct that Nala demonstrated. Now that Vitani had cubs too, twins in fact, he had seen her give a warning growl to Timon and Pumbaa when she saw them sneaking around too close to her and her nursing cubs.
"I'm tellin' ya Simba, she's gonna get mad if she sees us spying on her and the kid," Timon said nervously.
"Yeah, Nala told us mommy lionesses are very protective of their cubs, especially when they're first born. They're so cute and tiny like Queen Kiara's little, uh," Pumbaa tried to remember which gender cub Kiara had.
"Little guy, Pumbaa," Timon reminded him, accenting the word "guy."
"Oh yeah," Pumbaa nodded. Then a confused look came over his face. "Wait, then what's his name?"
Timon sighed, a bit annoyed. "Ask Simba."
Simba smiled at Pumbaa and nodded as he spoke. "His name is Niru."
Then he looked over at Nala and saw her talking to Kiara, while Kiara was feeding Niru. He caught a glimpse of his grandson's tiny golden-orange tail sticking out from the side of Kiara's leg.
"So, when Niru's done eating will you be ready to introduce him to your father?" Nala asked smiling.
Kiara looked at Niru as he breathed rapidly through his nose while trying to get as much milk as he could. He was definitely growing stronger. Kiara gave a small laugh at her son and looked back at her mom.
"Of course Daddy can come. Just let me clean Niru's muzzle first," she giggled.
"Ok, I'll go tell your father," Nala gave a small laugh and bent down to give Kiara a quick nuzzle before heading over to Simba.
Simba looked up eagerly at Nala as Pumbaa and Timon, who were arguing about something, stopped when Nala appeared in front of them.
"Well?" Simba asked.
Nala raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Yes," she nodded.
Simba's face lit up. Then he turned to his buddies. "Timon, maybe you and Pumbaa should stand behind me in case Kiara doesn't feel ready to introduce Niru to you yet," Simba advised.
"Yikes!" Timon shivered. "Sure thing, Simba," Timon said tiptoeing behind him.
As Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa slowly approached Kiara, their excitement and nervousness built inside, causing their legs to tremble slightly with every step. Simba stood to the side of his daughter respectively, and smiled nervously and excitedly at her as Timon and Pumbaa struggled to get a glimpse of the cub from behind Simba without upsetting anyone, specifically Kiara.
"Daddy," Kiara breathed as her eyes looked up at him. "I'm so glad you're here," she smiled, reaching up to embrace him.
Simba was overjoyed to hear his daughter's voice and see her face again. One week had seemed like a month to him. But that didn't matter now; all that mattered was he was with his daughter and that she was happy and well, not to mention that he was about to meet his first and only grandson. As he immediately came close to embrace her, all his worrying that had built up in him through the past week flooded out of his mind.
When they were done nuzzling, Kiara smiled at her father lovingly and sighed happily. Then she shifted her paws gently and carefully as not to disturb Niru, who had just nodded off into a nap. She looked her son over for a moment and then looked back up at Simba and asked, "Would you like to personally meet your new grandson?" she beamed.
Simba felt relieved and excited at the same time. He was going to personally closely look upon his first and only grandson. "Nothing would make me happier," he whispered.
Kiara grinned and then gently and carefully bent her head down to the small golden-orange ball of fur in her arms and gave it a soft, warm lick. Much like Simba had done as a baby, Niru turned his head to look up at his mom and spotted Simba gazing proudly and amazed upon him. Knowing this was someone new that kind of resembled his mother and father, Niru wanted to get a better view of Simba, so he turned onto his back and stared up curiously at Simba.
"Daddy, this your grandson, Niru. Niru, this is your grandpa Simba," Kiara introduced in a soft tone.
Simba's gaze was attached to his grandson, taking in every detail the cub possessed and all his features, his coat, paws, and tiny nose and eyes; the beautiful, innocent look on his face and the purity that radiated from the small cub's body. It was a gift, a treasure, a blessing-one that Simba would celebrate and watch over and love forever. Kiara saw her father experience the same emotions and thoughts she had just a week ago, when she first looked upon her son when he was born.
"Daddy," she whispered blinking slowly.
"Kiara?" he asked warmly.
"I feel and see them in him, too," Kiara whispered.
"Oh Niru," Simba inhaled and sighed deeply, enjoying the moment he was in.
Kiara remembered Timon and Pumbaa. "Timon, Pumbaa, it's alright. You can come see Niru if you like," she said motioning them over with her neck.
The two friends' faces lit up.
"Come on, Pumbaa, we got a cub to meet," Timon exclaimed and trotted over to Kiara and Niru on the opposite side from Simba.
Timon and Pumbaa stared in awe at the small prince.
"A new little guy, how about that, Pumbaa?" Timon gushed.
"Yeah, just like Kovu," Pumbaa sniffled happily.
"Kovu? We hardly knew him as a cub, well at least not personally, but I think he's like Kiara," Timon said.
Niru whimpered a little at seeing Timon and Pumbaa, as they didn't look or smell anything like his mother or grandfather. He was afraid they would hurt him, and cried out. He hid his face in Kiara's paw.
"Aww poor baby it's OK. Mommy's here," Kiara soothed.
"Oh no. Now look what you did, Pumbaa!" Timon scolded.
"What? You're the one who was talking," Pumbaa defended himself.
"Well you're the bigger, smellier, and no offense, smellier one here my corpulent compadre," Timon retorted.
"Guys," Simba spoke up. "It's neither of your faults."
"Yeah, Niru's only two weeks old and the only animal he's been around is lionesses, specifically me, so he's just getting used to seeing you two," Kiara explained.
"Oh," Timon and Pumbaa said in unison.
"Don't worry, when Niru and Vitani's cubs get older, you'll get to see them everyday," Simba reassured them.
The two friends gasped happily and grinned excitedly at each other.
"Just as long as they don't run away," Timon said jabbing his index finger into the air. "I'm getting too old for chasing cubs."
At this remark, Simba and Kiara laughed and then Timon and Pumbaa joined in.
Niru lifted his head again, sensing the happy aura around him, and giggled.
The four animals stopped laughing and looked down at Niru, who was now giggling in high-pitched squeals. They all began "awwing" at him, and visited with him for the rest of the morning.
Mufasa and the great kings watched from above and shone their rays of happiness down on the Pridelands. A cool breeze blew across Niru that afternoon, and he drifted into a peaceful afternoon nap.
3 weeks later
After three more weeks of developing his body, Niru was now a month old. He knew how to roll over, kick, and had just recently begun sitting up by himself. He had also learned how to use his tongue to speak. After being educated largely by Timon and Pumbaa in the art of speaking, Niru could say simple words including "Mama", "Dada", "Gampa", "Gama", "Tion" (pronounced Tee-own), Pua (Poo-uh), and "Nioo" (Nee-oo), his own name.
Kiara and Kovu were very proud indeed of their son and were most grateful to Timon and Pumbaa. Kiara decided to give them the honor of being Niru's godparents to show her gratitude of teaching Niru how to speak.
Now that Niru knew what he could do, he began getting bored of rolling over, kicking the air, and listening to Timon and Pumbaa trying to get him to pronounce the names he could already say, clearer. One day he got a feeling that he hadn't felt before. It made him want to get up and move around like everyone else he knew. He was just about to attempt walking when his mother lay him out on the ground on his back.
"Timon, Pumbaa!" Kiara called out quickly.
Pumbaa came rushing in the cave with Timon on his back. "What is it Queen Kiara?" Pumbaa asked concerned.
Kiara gritted her teeth and smiled politely. "Could you keep an eye on Niru for a second? I got to go-do something! Be right back!" She shouted rapidly and she sprinted from the cave.
Pumbaa stared at Niru and blinked. "I think it's been a second, Timon," he said beginning to walk away.
"Pumbaa! She means watch him till she comes back. Yeesh," Timon said, rubbing his head.
Niru giggled, amused and kicked his hind paws in the air.
Just then there came a high-pitched infant coo from across the cave.
Niru's ears flicked in the direction of the noise. Rolling over, he looked over at the area where the sound came from. He found himself staring at Vitani, who he hadn't seen before yet and two dusty golden colored cubs his size. One was getting a bath and the other was lying on the ground on her back, kicking the air like Niru had just done. The girl cub grunted whenever she batted the air with her front paw. Niru was intrigued by this cub and wanted to go over to her. He reached out a paw and grunted, trying to figure out how to stand up.
Timon and Pumbaa were now talking about how Kiara used to run away, and Timon glanced at Niru every few seconds. Then he lost count of seconds and became absorbed with stories they were re-telling.
Niru began worrying he'd never get to see the cubs on the other side of the cave. Then he remembered he could sit up now. He pushed against the ground with his front paws and tensed his small back muscles until he was sitting up. Phew, the hardest part was over! Or so he thought. Niru pushed himself forward, trying to stand up on his hind leg, but they weren't ready to support his back end yet, as this was his first attempt. Not able to drag his body weight anywhere yet, Niru began to whimper, frustrated. He looked longingly at the girl cub on the other side of the cave as she rolled over. This gave him an idea. He smiled and lay down. Then he positioned himself vertical to the other side of the cave, so he would roll to the other side.
Timon glanced at Niru again and smiled. "Good cub," he chuckled before returning to his original conversation with Pumbaa.
Niru began rolling. The first few roll were rough, but then he got the hang of them again, and began rolling faster. He was having so much fun that he forgot to stop and rolled right into the girl cub's side.
She winced startled, and looked at Niru, who turned to face her.
She gasped at the new face she saw before her, and the two cubs stared at each other. Vitani looked over at her daughter and gasped surprised to see Niru. "Oh little prince! What are you doing over here?" She asked in an affectionate tone and looked over at Timon and Pumbaa, who were still chatting.
Niru looked up at Vitani with wide, curious eyes.
The other cub, who was in Vitani's arms, peeked over them at Niru, curious of who the newcomer.
Just then Kiara returned. "Hey guys, where's Niru?" she began to worry when she saw the empty space behind Timon and Pumbaa where she had left Niru.
Timon and Pumbaa turned, and gasped at the empty space. Before they could make up an excuse, Vitani called out to Kiara.
"Kiara, your highness, Niru's over here!"
Kiara gasped and quickly trotted over to her.
"Huh?" Pumbaa asked, confused at how Niru got over to the other side of the cave.
"What she said!" Timon said nervously to Kiara as he and Pumbaa rushed over to Vitani and the cubs.
"Oh thank goodness you're alright, Niru," Kiara said licking him.
Vitani chuckled. "I guess he just wanted to see my Siva and Suvo," she said.
"Of course," Kiara realized.
Vitani lifted Suvo out of her arms and placed him next to his sister.
"Niru, this is Siva and Suvo," Vitani introduced her cubs to him, motioning to each cub as she said their names.
"Suvo, Siva, this is Niru," Kiara introduced in return.
The cubs immediately began sniffing each other. Once they knew what each other smelled like, they began nuzzling each other and pawing at each other on the ground.
The mothers watched the cubs play for a few minutes. Then Kiara picked up Niru to feed him. Vitani did the same for her cubs.
"I guess we'll have to start coming over to this side of the cave more often, huh Niru? Now you can have play dates with Siva and Suvo," she smiled happily down at her son.
Niru stopped drinking for a minute to say, "Siba, Subo!" and then giggled and burped.
