Chapter 2: Time and Patience
Over the next month, Kiara observed her father and mother and the other members of the pride and how they acted, and began copying them. This of course amazed Nala and Simba, as they both wondered how the sudden maturity and sense of responsibility had come over Kiara at such a young age. Of course they knew she was capable of being well mannered and responsible for knowing basic safety rules; that's the way they had been bringing her up so far. However, taking after her father, both Simba and Nala began to get suspicious after about almost two weeks. They suspected Kiara was cooking up some kind of plan in her head to try to bribe them of getting something by the she copied almost every move the other lionesses made. Also, she constantly worked on her hunting and swimming skills to strengthen her muscles all day, save meals and nap times. No longer did she jump and prance around wildly and make up games of her own to play. She had almost seemed to lose her sense of curiosity. It was as if she was a different cub. Something was very wrong, Nala sensed. One day when Kiara was napping, Nala beckoned her mate to come behind Pride Rock to talk.
"Is this what I think it's about?" Simba asked.
"You mean our daughter? Yes," Nala nodded seriously.
"Well, where should we start?" Simba asked.
Suddenly Nala rubbed under her mate's chin and nuzzled him as he tightly embraced her. She squeezed her eyes shut, but warm tears quickly escaped and fell into her fur, slightly tinting it.
"Oh Simba, I'm so worried about her. It's like she's not even the same cub anymore. It's like she's not OUR daughter! All she does lately is train by hunting and swimming. She works all day, except at meals and nap times. She's not having fun anymore, Simba. It may look like it, but it's not. The way cubs' train is by playing and exploring the world around them. Not by swimming laps back and forth across the waterhole and pounce butterflies a hundred times! Oh, what have we done? Is it our fault, Simba?" Nala sobbed into her mate's fur.
Simba shared her pain and tears, and sniffled. Then he licked his mate's tears away. "Nala, Kiara is going to be alright. If anything I did something wrong, not you. Maybe I put too much pressure on her that day," he sighed and resumed nuzzling Nala.
"Don't worry, we'll talk to her together this time. That way we'll both know what is going on," Simba smiled and winked at her.
Nala's face brightened. "I was just going to suggest that your majesty," Nala gave him one last nuzzle and licked his cheek before standing up. "I'll go wake up Kiara, it's time for her to get up anyway. I'll bring her back here," Nala smiled and turned back around and began walking towards the front of Pride Rock.
"I'll be waiting," Simba smiled back as he watched his beloved mate gracefully walk to the front of Pride Rock and ascend up to the cave.
"Kiara?" Nala gently nudged her daughter with her nose.
Kiara immediately groaned, rolled over and swatted the ground. "Oww! Hey what- She awoke with a start and looked over her shoulder and saw 2 neon green eyes staring down at her. She screamed and leaped to her feet, just as she remembered Kovu had done when she knocked into him. She got in defensive position and gave a stern cub growl.
"Kiara?" Nala was taken aback by this aggressive reaction from her daughter.
"Mom? Oh you scared me!" Kiara relaxed her muscles and panted to recover from the startle. "Did you want to talk to me?"
"Yes, actually we do. Follow me," Nala said quickly and turned and walked out of the cave.
Kiara blinked curiously, gulped, and followed. Upon rounding the corning to the back of Pride Rock, her eyes met her father's. A rush of panic flew through her as she thought back to their last talk. She looked up at her mom, who was walking calmly toward her father. Kiara blinked and looked around casually. "Just act natural," she thought to herself.
"Hi daddy, uh dad," she cleared her throat. "What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked, casually lowering her eyelids.
"Well Kiara, your mother and I are concerned about the way you've been acting lately," Simba began.
"Really? Have I been acting bad?" she asked worriedly.
"No, not at all. Actually you've been very mature and responsible lately, the maturest I've ever seen you act. Heck, any cub your age for that matter," Simba began to smile.
"Kiara honey, you see, you've been hunting and swimming and training all day for the past almost two weeks and well, your father and I are concerned you're working too hard and not having enough fun. Look, you don't have to grow up right now; you're still a young cub. Enjoy and have fun. Don't worry, you'll learn what you need to know along the way, every day as you explore and play you learn something knew. That's what happened with me when I was your age," she smiled.
"Oh, well I like training, it's a lot of fun in a new, different sort of way," Kiara looked down, trying to make herself sound more convincing. Then she looked up again, realizing she wasn't very convincing and had just about blown her cover. Then she brightened and said, "but I guess lately it hasn't been that much fun because I've been training too hard and too long. That's why I haven't been enjoying myself," she sighed, feeling relieved that she had admitted half the truth to her parents.
"Oh, I see," Simba nodded understandingly.
"But I'll go easier on myself tomorrow, and I'll just swim and play hunt for fun, not for hard training to be a good hunter, but just for enjoyment," she smiled naturally.
"Oh, I'm so relieved you're all right, honey," Nala sighed and nuzzled her daughter tightly.
"Yes, and I'm very proud you made that wise, responsible decision to go back to being a cub," Simba chuckled and nuzzled his daughter.
"Yes, and if you ever need to talk to us about a problem or need advice, or just want to chat, you know you can always come to us, Kiara. We're your parents and we'll always love you no matter what," Nala smiled warmly and licked her daughter's head.
Simba nodded in agreement and licked behind Kiara's ear.
"Now, run along and play," Simba nodded.
Hearing those words made Kiara so happy, she began to sprint down the pathway, but then slowed down a bit and crouched down upon reaching the grass, pretending to go hunt. Once in the maze of tall grass, Kiara fell to the ground and sighed with relief. A grin spread across her face and she looked up at the clear blue sky with puffy white clouds.
"Yes! I didn't mess it up! I did it, I did it!" she giggled out loud but then stopped abruptly, remembering when she had said those words to Kovu after their crocodile adventure. She missed him more each day, but now that it looked like she would get to see him again soon, she felt almost as if she didn't want to anymore. Maybe the whole plan was just a silly idea and she should forget it and just stay in the Pridelands and not run away and try to change anything. After all, she was just a princess, what could she do?
"Is that all I am? Just an heir to inherit and rule a kingdom one day? For what? Why? Is that all I'm here for? Is that all I'm good for? Is that it?" Once again Kiara began to ponder her identity. She finally made her mind up to try to change things. If she was a princess, there had to be something she could do. She would prove to herself and her pride that she was more than just a royal cub. It was the only way she would ever know who she really was and what it meant to be a princess.
Determined, Kiara stood up and raced to the rock "diving board" in front of the water hole, which faced the Outlands. She gave a cursory look in all directions before climbing onto the rock. She studied the dry, barren land before her. All the Outlanders seemed to be off somewhere, giving Kiara the perfect opportunity to sneak into the Outlands. She hesitated at first, and looked back at the Pridelands where the grass was tall and green, and food and water were abundant. And of course, most importantly, Pride Rock. Her home. The cub's heart sank a little at the thought of running away from her only home, but her determination surged inside of her, reminding her that it was now or never. She turned back to the Outlands, and spotted a large, hollow log she could hide behind. She gulped as her muscles tensed, ears slicked back, and her eyebrows formed a serious, mature look on the young cub's face.
"Now," she whispered to herself as she leaped off the rock and bolted toward the log. Unfortunately, she tripped on a weed growing from the ground and crashed to the ground on her stomach. She groaned as she lifted herself up slowly.
"Gotcha little termite!" A voice rang out.
Kiara gasped as she leapt to her feet and raced into the hollow log. Once inside, she lay dead still with her eyes shut, praying she wouldn't get caught. Realizing she hadn't been caught, she opened her eyes slowly and gave a huge sigh. Just then she heard laughter coming closer to her. She stood up, remaining in the middle of the log, and looked out one end.
"Ha! What a pathetic little runt! You can't hunt!" Nuka laughed hysterically. Then he gasped as an idea came to him. "Hey! That rhymes! Kovu's a runt, he can't hunt!" he laughed uproariously as his scraggly, mangy colored coat came into Kiara's view.
"How mean!" she thought to herself. "I wonder who that is?"
"Shut up, Nuka!" Kovu growled.
"Haha, what's that? I can't hear you, lalalala!" Nuka taunted and continued to chant "Kovu's a runt, he can't hunt!"
Kiara gasped as a smile came over her face. She was so excited upon hearing Kovu's voice she jumped up and hit her head on the top of the log accidentally.
Kovu gasped upon hearing the noise, and looked to the log. He narrowed his eyes and growled, thinking it was Vitani or one of the other cubs trying to play a trick on him. He leapt to look inside the log.
"Ok, who is it?" Kovu snarled.
Kiara gasped with frightened eyes, seeing Kovu's fierce expression, and felt like he was about to attack her. After all, she was on his land. She backed up, frightened.
Kovu stared for a minute, and upon realizing it was Kiara, his jaw dropped. He thought he would never see her again! At least not until he took over the Pridelands one day, as his mother was planning to have him do.
"Huh?" Nuka turned back to Kovu. "What's going on? What's in that log, termite?" he demanded walking over to Kovu.
Kovu gasped and spun around, backing up slowly to block the side of the log. "Termite?" Nuka's voice echoed in Kovu's head, and he blurted out, "Just a-bunch of termites!"
Nuka gasped and backed away. "Oh no, they're not getting me this time!" he yelled and ran back to their cave.
Once he made sure Nuka was gone, Kovu quickly climbed into the log. "Kiara! Is that really you?" he exclaimed.
The frightened Kiara looked up at him and relaxed a bit. "Yeah it's me, but is it really you?" she asked, feeling hurt.
"Kiara, I'm sorry, I had no idea it was you. I figured it was one of the other Outlander cubs trying to scare me. Just because I'm a prince doesn't mean I'm the most well-liked cub in my pride," he said, and looked down.
"I know exactly how you feel. I guess that's kind of the reason I ran away to come find you," Kiara smiled, feeling better.
"You ran away?" Kovu gasped. "Wow, I'm impressed, princess," he chuckled.
"You should be. It's not like you would've had the guts to do that, prince of the Outlands!" she retorted and stuck her tongue out at him.
"Oh yeah, well maybe I was going to," Kovu tried to redeem himself.
Kiara rolled her eyes.
"Wait, so you came here to see me?" he asked.
"Well, I want to bring peace between our prides. I don't see what is so wrong with us two being friends, and I just thought that maybe if your pride and my pride saw that we are friends and can get along, they can too," Kiara explained.
"Hey that's not a bad idea. Besides, I don't want to be your enemy. I miss playing with you; you're my only friend. I think we should be able to be friends, Kovu," she smiled warmly at him.
"Wow, I've got to admit that's a pretty good idea, for a Pridelander," he grinned.
"Kovu!"
"I'm kidding. I'm really happy to see you again. I think you're idea is great, and we should show our two prides that if we can get along, then they can too, and we should be able to be friends. I've missed playing with you, too, Kiara. Honestly, I haven't had any fun since the last time we played together," Kovu admitted, blushing slightly.
"Really? Aww Kovu," Kiara came close to his face like she had done the day they met, only this time she nuzzled his cheek.
Kovu's eyes got wide and he froze for a minute in shock. But then slowly he nuzzled her back and gave her a quick hug.
"So, how is this going to work? How can we get both our prides together in the same place without them fighting each other?" Kovu questioned, realizing the flaw in Kiara's plan.
"We run away from the Pridelands and Outlands and leave a trail so they will come look for us, and when they find us, they'll see we just want to be friends and then they'll understand," Kiara said confidently.
"Yeah, good idea! But where do we run away to?" Kovu thought.
"Umm, well," Kiara pondered.
Kovu peered out the side of the log and quickly looked around. He spotted the mountains in the distant. "Hey, what about the mountains? I've never heard anything about them really. I mean think about it. Your father ran away to the jungle when he was a cub, right?" Kovu asked.
"Yeah," Kiara nodded slowly, wondering where Kovu was going with this.
"Well, how about we go to some place new and exciting? We'll be the first cubs to venture to the mountains!" Kovu laughed.
"Make that royal cubs!" Kiara joined in the laughter.
"Yeah, that's a great idea! That way they can still find us easily," Kiara grinned to Kovu. He nodded, still smiling at her.
"So when do we leave?" Kiara asked as butterflies arose in her stomach.
"Umm, what about tonight?" Kovu whispered.
"Oh I don't know. Something could go wrong. Actually lots of things could go wrong. Knowing my parents, they'd probably catch me or else Timon and Pumbaa would. No, that's too risky and it could foil our whole plan," Kiara bit her lip nervously.
"Ok you're right. With all the cubs in my pride, someone is bound to catch and rat on me. Besides, sometimes my mother or Nuka, my brother, stay up really late. I'd fall asleep waiting for them to fall asleep," Kovu explained.
"Oh gosh, my dad does that too!" Kiara gasped, thinking about what would happen if he caught her and her plan was discovered.
"Ok, tonight is not good. Not gonna work. Hmm," Kovu looked around determined to find a way.
"What about right now, while we have a chance?" Kiara suggested.
"What? Now?" Kovu thought for a moment. "Well, mother is gone for another hour teaching Vitani how to properly hunt and lead a hunting party. Nuka is back at the cave most likely, besides he doesn't care about me anyway. What about you?" he asked nervously.
"My mother and father sent me off playing in the fields. They think I'm still in their somewhere, I hope," Kiara shivered.
"How did you get them to trust you again so quickly, especially your dad?" Kovu cocked his head.
"Well I planned it all out a few weeks ago---
Suddenly nearing roars and shouts of triumphs rang out. Zira's evil cackle filled the air.
Kovu inhaled sharply and spun around and stuck his head out of the log. "Oh no, Mother and Vitani are back from hunting!" Kovu's heart began racing with adrenaline and fear.
"Oh no, what do we do?" Kiara whimpered.
Kovu snorted to himself determinedly and whirled around to face Kiara. "We go now, come on follow me!" he growled out of fear.
"But how-
"Move it!" he commanded.
Kiara's heart began racing as well as Kovu darted from the log. She raced after him, scared she would lose him or something would go wrong. However, she soon forgot about that after whipping through the grass.
"Come on, this way!" Kovu instructed as they came upon a dirt path.
They sprinted down the path until they reached the ends of the fields. Kovu skidded to a stop, followed by Kiara, who absent-mindedly ran into him, sending the both of them to the ground.
"Kiara!" Kovu yelled, startled and angry.
"I'm sorry Kovu, I didn't see you stop," she apologized embarrassed. "I'm just a clumsy loser of a princess, honestly," she sulked as tears sprung to her eyes.
"No you're not, Kiara. You just haven't been taught right. Once we get to the mountains, I'll teach you everything you need to know," Kovu grinned proudly.
Kiara looked up and immediately brightened. "Aww, Kovu! You'd really do that for me?" she asked flattered.
"Yep," Kovu nodded.
The two cubs had been so preoccupied with chatting, neither one noticed the dark storm clouds that had moved over the skies above them. Suddenly thunder boomed!
Kiara let out a scream and jumped. Kovu gasped, and flung his small head up at the sky. A raindrop splashed into his eye, and he blinked it away.
"Uh oh, come on! We have to get to the mountains before the storm gets too heavy!" he beckoned.
"Yeah, let's go!" Kiara said as she lifted a paw and looked back once more at the Pridelands.
"Move it, Kiara, let's go!" he tagged her, and she immediately turned away from the Pridelands and raced after Kovu, as adrenaline surged through her small body, wondering what lay ahead of her and Kovu.
Over the next month, Kiara observed her father and mother and the other members of the pride and how they acted, and began copying them. This of course amazed Nala and Simba, as they both wondered how the sudden maturity and sense of responsibility had come over Kiara at such a young age. Of course they knew she was capable of being well mannered and responsible for knowing basic safety rules; that's the way they had been bringing her up so far. However, taking after her father, both Simba and Nala began to get suspicious after about almost two weeks. They suspected Kiara was cooking up some kind of plan in her head to try to bribe them of getting something by the she copied almost every move the other lionesses made. Also, she constantly worked on her hunting and swimming skills to strengthen her muscles all day, save meals and nap times. No longer did she jump and prance around wildly and make up games of her own to play. She had almost seemed to lose her sense of curiosity. It was as if she was a different cub. Something was very wrong, Nala sensed. One day when Kiara was napping, Nala beckoned her mate to come behind Pride Rock to talk.
"Is this what I think it's about?" Simba asked.
"You mean our daughter? Yes," Nala nodded seriously.
"Well, where should we start?" Simba asked.
Suddenly Nala rubbed under her mate's chin and nuzzled him as he tightly embraced her. She squeezed her eyes shut, but warm tears quickly escaped and fell into her fur, slightly tinting it.
"Oh Simba, I'm so worried about her. It's like she's not even the same cub anymore. It's like she's not OUR daughter! All she does lately is train by hunting and swimming. She works all day, except at meals and nap times. She's not having fun anymore, Simba. It may look like it, but it's not. The way cubs' train is by playing and exploring the world around them. Not by swimming laps back and forth across the waterhole and pounce butterflies a hundred times! Oh, what have we done? Is it our fault, Simba?" Nala sobbed into her mate's fur.
Simba shared her pain and tears, and sniffled. Then he licked his mate's tears away. "Nala, Kiara is going to be alright. If anything I did something wrong, not you. Maybe I put too much pressure on her that day," he sighed and resumed nuzzling Nala.
"Don't worry, we'll talk to her together this time. That way we'll both know what is going on," Simba smiled and winked at her.
Nala's face brightened. "I was just going to suggest that your majesty," Nala gave him one last nuzzle and licked his cheek before standing up. "I'll go wake up Kiara, it's time for her to get up anyway. I'll bring her back here," Nala smiled and turned back around and began walking towards the front of Pride Rock.
"I'll be waiting," Simba smiled back as he watched his beloved mate gracefully walk to the front of Pride Rock and ascend up to the cave.
"Kiara?" Nala gently nudged her daughter with her nose.
Kiara immediately groaned, rolled over and swatted the ground. "Oww! Hey what- She awoke with a start and looked over her shoulder and saw 2 neon green eyes staring down at her. She screamed and leaped to her feet, just as she remembered Kovu had done when she knocked into him. She got in defensive position and gave a stern cub growl.
"Kiara?" Nala was taken aback by this aggressive reaction from her daughter.
"Mom? Oh you scared me!" Kiara relaxed her muscles and panted to recover from the startle. "Did you want to talk to me?"
"Yes, actually we do. Follow me," Nala said quickly and turned and walked out of the cave.
Kiara blinked curiously, gulped, and followed. Upon rounding the corning to the back of Pride Rock, her eyes met her father's. A rush of panic flew through her as she thought back to their last talk. She looked up at her mom, who was walking calmly toward her father. Kiara blinked and looked around casually. "Just act natural," she thought to herself.
"Hi daddy, uh dad," she cleared her throat. "What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked, casually lowering her eyelids.
"Well Kiara, your mother and I are concerned about the way you've been acting lately," Simba began.
"Really? Have I been acting bad?" she asked worriedly.
"No, not at all. Actually you've been very mature and responsible lately, the maturest I've ever seen you act. Heck, any cub your age for that matter," Simba began to smile.
"Kiara honey, you see, you've been hunting and swimming and training all day for the past almost two weeks and well, your father and I are concerned you're working too hard and not having enough fun. Look, you don't have to grow up right now; you're still a young cub. Enjoy and have fun. Don't worry, you'll learn what you need to know along the way, every day as you explore and play you learn something knew. That's what happened with me when I was your age," she smiled.
"Oh, well I like training, it's a lot of fun in a new, different sort of way," Kiara looked down, trying to make herself sound more convincing. Then she looked up again, realizing she wasn't very convincing and had just about blown her cover. Then she brightened and said, "but I guess lately it hasn't been that much fun because I've been training too hard and too long. That's why I haven't been enjoying myself," she sighed, feeling relieved that she had admitted half the truth to her parents.
"Oh, I see," Simba nodded understandingly.
"But I'll go easier on myself tomorrow, and I'll just swim and play hunt for fun, not for hard training to be a good hunter, but just for enjoyment," she smiled naturally.
"Oh, I'm so relieved you're all right, honey," Nala sighed and nuzzled her daughter tightly.
"Yes, and I'm very proud you made that wise, responsible decision to go back to being a cub," Simba chuckled and nuzzled his daughter.
"Yes, and if you ever need to talk to us about a problem or need advice, or just want to chat, you know you can always come to us, Kiara. We're your parents and we'll always love you no matter what," Nala smiled warmly and licked her daughter's head.
Simba nodded in agreement and licked behind Kiara's ear.
"Now, run along and play," Simba nodded.
Hearing those words made Kiara so happy, she began to sprint down the pathway, but then slowed down a bit and crouched down upon reaching the grass, pretending to go hunt. Once in the maze of tall grass, Kiara fell to the ground and sighed with relief. A grin spread across her face and she looked up at the clear blue sky with puffy white clouds.
"Yes! I didn't mess it up! I did it, I did it!" she giggled out loud but then stopped abruptly, remembering when she had said those words to Kovu after their crocodile adventure. She missed him more each day, but now that it looked like she would get to see him again soon, she felt almost as if she didn't want to anymore. Maybe the whole plan was just a silly idea and she should forget it and just stay in the Pridelands and not run away and try to change anything. After all, she was just a princess, what could she do?
"Is that all I am? Just an heir to inherit and rule a kingdom one day? For what? Why? Is that all I'm here for? Is that all I'm good for? Is that it?" Once again Kiara began to ponder her identity. She finally made her mind up to try to change things. If she was a princess, there had to be something she could do. She would prove to herself and her pride that she was more than just a royal cub. It was the only way she would ever know who she really was and what it meant to be a princess.
Determined, Kiara stood up and raced to the rock "diving board" in front of the water hole, which faced the Outlands. She gave a cursory look in all directions before climbing onto the rock. She studied the dry, barren land before her. All the Outlanders seemed to be off somewhere, giving Kiara the perfect opportunity to sneak into the Outlands. She hesitated at first, and looked back at the Pridelands where the grass was tall and green, and food and water were abundant. And of course, most importantly, Pride Rock. Her home. The cub's heart sank a little at the thought of running away from her only home, but her determination surged inside of her, reminding her that it was now or never. She turned back to the Outlands, and spotted a large, hollow log she could hide behind. She gulped as her muscles tensed, ears slicked back, and her eyebrows formed a serious, mature look on the young cub's face.
"Now," she whispered to herself as she leaped off the rock and bolted toward the log. Unfortunately, she tripped on a weed growing from the ground and crashed to the ground on her stomach. She groaned as she lifted herself up slowly.
"Gotcha little termite!" A voice rang out.
Kiara gasped as she leapt to her feet and raced into the hollow log. Once inside, she lay dead still with her eyes shut, praying she wouldn't get caught. Realizing she hadn't been caught, she opened her eyes slowly and gave a huge sigh. Just then she heard laughter coming closer to her. She stood up, remaining in the middle of the log, and looked out one end.
"Ha! What a pathetic little runt! You can't hunt!" Nuka laughed hysterically. Then he gasped as an idea came to him. "Hey! That rhymes! Kovu's a runt, he can't hunt!" he laughed uproariously as his scraggly, mangy colored coat came into Kiara's view.
"How mean!" she thought to herself. "I wonder who that is?"
"Shut up, Nuka!" Kovu growled.
"Haha, what's that? I can't hear you, lalalala!" Nuka taunted and continued to chant "Kovu's a runt, he can't hunt!"
Kiara gasped as a smile came over her face. She was so excited upon hearing Kovu's voice she jumped up and hit her head on the top of the log accidentally.
Kovu gasped upon hearing the noise, and looked to the log. He narrowed his eyes and growled, thinking it was Vitani or one of the other cubs trying to play a trick on him. He leapt to look inside the log.
"Ok, who is it?" Kovu snarled.
Kiara gasped with frightened eyes, seeing Kovu's fierce expression, and felt like he was about to attack her. After all, she was on his land. She backed up, frightened.
Kovu stared for a minute, and upon realizing it was Kiara, his jaw dropped. He thought he would never see her again! At least not until he took over the Pridelands one day, as his mother was planning to have him do.
"Huh?" Nuka turned back to Kovu. "What's going on? What's in that log, termite?" he demanded walking over to Kovu.
Kovu gasped and spun around, backing up slowly to block the side of the log. "Termite?" Nuka's voice echoed in Kovu's head, and he blurted out, "Just a-bunch of termites!"
Nuka gasped and backed away. "Oh no, they're not getting me this time!" he yelled and ran back to their cave.
Once he made sure Nuka was gone, Kovu quickly climbed into the log. "Kiara! Is that really you?" he exclaimed.
The frightened Kiara looked up at him and relaxed a bit. "Yeah it's me, but is it really you?" she asked, feeling hurt.
"Kiara, I'm sorry, I had no idea it was you. I figured it was one of the other Outlander cubs trying to scare me. Just because I'm a prince doesn't mean I'm the most well-liked cub in my pride," he said, and looked down.
"I know exactly how you feel. I guess that's kind of the reason I ran away to come find you," Kiara smiled, feeling better.
"You ran away?" Kovu gasped. "Wow, I'm impressed, princess," he chuckled.
"You should be. It's not like you would've had the guts to do that, prince of the Outlands!" she retorted and stuck her tongue out at him.
"Oh yeah, well maybe I was going to," Kovu tried to redeem himself.
Kiara rolled her eyes.
"Wait, so you came here to see me?" he asked.
"Well, I want to bring peace between our prides. I don't see what is so wrong with us two being friends, and I just thought that maybe if your pride and my pride saw that we are friends and can get along, they can too," Kiara explained.
"Hey that's not a bad idea. Besides, I don't want to be your enemy. I miss playing with you; you're my only friend. I think we should be able to be friends, Kovu," she smiled warmly at him.
"Wow, I've got to admit that's a pretty good idea, for a Pridelander," he grinned.
"Kovu!"
"I'm kidding. I'm really happy to see you again. I think you're idea is great, and we should show our two prides that if we can get along, then they can too, and we should be able to be friends. I've missed playing with you, too, Kiara. Honestly, I haven't had any fun since the last time we played together," Kovu admitted, blushing slightly.
"Really? Aww Kovu," Kiara came close to his face like she had done the day they met, only this time she nuzzled his cheek.
Kovu's eyes got wide and he froze for a minute in shock. But then slowly he nuzzled her back and gave her a quick hug.
"So, how is this going to work? How can we get both our prides together in the same place without them fighting each other?" Kovu questioned, realizing the flaw in Kiara's plan.
"We run away from the Pridelands and Outlands and leave a trail so they will come look for us, and when they find us, they'll see we just want to be friends and then they'll understand," Kiara said confidently.
"Yeah, good idea! But where do we run away to?" Kovu thought.
"Umm, well," Kiara pondered.
Kovu peered out the side of the log and quickly looked around. He spotted the mountains in the distant. "Hey, what about the mountains? I've never heard anything about them really. I mean think about it. Your father ran away to the jungle when he was a cub, right?" Kovu asked.
"Yeah," Kiara nodded slowly, wondering where Kovu was going with this.
"Well, how about we go to some place new and exciting? We'll be the first cubs to venture to the mountains!" Kovu laughed.
"Make that royal cubs!" Kiara joined in the laughter.
"Yeah, that's a great idea! That way they can still find us easily," Kiara grinned to Kovu. He nodded, still smiling at her.
"So when do we leave?" Kiara asked as butterflies arose in her stomach.
"Umm, what about tonight?" Kovu whispered.
"Oh I don't know. Something could go wrong. Actually lots of things could go wrong. Knowing my parents, they'd probably catch me or else Timon and Pumbaa would. No, that's too risky and it could foil our whole plan," Kiara bit her lip nervously.
"Ok you're right. With all the cubs in my pride, someone is bound to catch and rat on me. Besides, sometimes my mother or Nuka, my brother, stay up really late. I'd fall asleep waiting for them to fall asleep," Kovu explained.
"Oh gosh, my dad does that too!" Kiara gasped, thinking about what would happen if he caught her and her plan was discovered.
"Ok, tonight is not good. Not gonna work. Hmm," Kovu looked around determined to find a way.
"What about right now, while we have a chance?" Kiara suggested.
"What? Now?" Kovu thought for a moment. "Well, mother is gone for another hour teaching Vitani how to properly hunt and lead a hunting party. Nuka is back at the cave most likely, besides he doesn't care about me anyway. What about you?" he asked nervously.
"My mother and father sent me off playing in the fields. They think I'm still in their somewhere, I hope," Kiara shivered.
"How did you get them to trust you again so quickly, especially your dad?" Kovu cocked his head.
"Well I planned it all out a few weeks ago---
Suddenly nearing roars and shouts of triumphs rang out. Zira's evil cackle filled the air.
Kovu inhaled sharply and spun around and stuck his head out of the log. "Oh no, Mother and Vitani are back from hunting!" Kovu's heart began racing with adrenaline and fear.
"Oh no, what do we do?" Kiara whimpered.
Kovu snorted to himself determinedly and whirled around to face Kiara. "We go now, come on follow me!" he growled out of fear.
"But how-
"Move it!" he commanded.
Kiara's heart began racing as well as Kovu darted from the log. She raced after him, scared she would lose him or something would go wrong. However, she soon forgot about that after whipping through the grass.
"Come on, this way!" Kovu instructed as they came upon a dirt path.
They sprinted down the path until they reached the ends of the fields. Kovu skidded to a stop, followed by Kiara, who absent-mindedly ran into him, sending the both of them to the ground.
"Kiara!" Kovu yelled, startled and angry.
"I'm sorry Kovu, I didn't see you stop," she apologized embarrassed. "I'm just a clumsy loser of a princess, honestly," she sulked as tears sprung to her eyes.
"No you're not, Kiara. You just haven't been taught right. Once we get to the mountains, I'll teach you everything you need to know," Kovu grinned proudly.
Kiara looked up and immediately brightened. "Aww, Kovu! You'd really do that for me?" she asked flattered.
"Yep," Kovu nodded.
The two cubs had been so preoccupied with chatting, neither one noticed the dark storm clouds that had moved over the skies above them. Suddenly thunder boomed!
Kiara let out a scream and jumped. Kovu gasped, and flung his small head up at the sky. A raindrop splashed into his eye, and he blinked it away.
"Uh oh, come on! We have to get to the mountains before the storm gets too heavy!" he beckoned.
"Yeah, let's go!" Kiara said as she lifted a paw and looked back once more at the Pridelands.
"Move it, Kiara, let's go!" he tagged her, and she immediately turned away from the Pridelands and raced after Kovu, as adrenaline surged through her small body, wondering what lay ahead of her and Kovu.