Chapter 4: Tears of Pain and Joy
It was Simba's worst nightmare come true. The one thing he feared deep inside that he hoped would never happen. Kiara was gone. His daughter, more importantly his only cub and heir to the throne of Pride Rock, the future queen was gone. He knew he had reason to worry the way he did constantly about her everyday when she ran ahead of him into the grassy plains of the Pridelands. He felt sick to his stomach immediately, and almost fell to his knees in shock. But he forced himself to stand tall, for his beloved lifelong mate, Nala. She was now mourning on the ground, roaring pain-staking cries. Simba couldn't take it anymore; he fell to the ground beside her and squeezed her in a tight embrace, and began to mourn with her.
Sarafina, Nala's mother, and Simba's mother-in-law, stood close by them, hung her head, and tried her best to comfort them. Soon the rest of Simba's pride met up around Simba and Nala, freezing when they saw their king and queen on the ground, mourning in unison. Nala sensed their presence and looked up at them immediately, with an inkling of hope wavering in her glossy aquamarine eyes.
The other lionesses returning from their search looked from one another to Nala and Simba, and hung their heads to hide the pained expressions on their faces as the sky darkened as the night drew closer and closer to the African savanna. However, the stars didn't come out, for thick, gray rain clouds masked them.
In the distance, the Outlands too filled with roars of mourning and anger, echoing the Pridelander's cries. After the skies had become completely painted with rain clouds, it remained still, as if waiting for someone to pierce a hole and let loose all of the water in contained.
"Have you checked EVERYWHERE?" Zira seethed at a random lioness in her pride.
"Yes," the lioness responded.
"NUKA!" Zira roared, tears streaming down her face. "This is all your fault! You can't even watch over our future king for one afternoon!"
"But mother, he wanders off on his on!" Nuka tried to explain.
Zira was about to yell at her eldest son again, but instead all her emotions well up and she lifted her paw and slugged Nuka across his face.
He cried out and hit the ground on his side.
Thunder crashed in the sky, and Vitani, who was near her brother, looked up. Then she noticed Pride Rock-their enemy's lair, which they would take over one day for Scar. This gave Vitani an idea.
"Mother, Pride Rock!" she spoke up.
"Vitani, what are you talking about?" Zira blinked, surprised by the random outburst by her daughter.
"We haven't looked for Kovu at Pride Rock yet or in the Pridelands," she explained.
Zira looked at the large rock formation that stood in the distance. "That's impossible, he wouldn't stand a chance from Simba-
She gasped. What if Kovu had sneaked back into the Pridelands and had been killed?
Glaring ahead at Pride Rock, Zira growled low in her throat. "It's the only other place." she muttered to herself.
"Zira?" a random lioness asked.
"Mother?" Vitani gulped, as she looked up warily at her mother.
Zira glanced down at Vitani and a maniacal grin spread across her face as she stared into her daughter's smoky blue eyes.
Vitani raised her eyebrows and hunched over a bit, frightened, and stared back up into her mother's intense red-orange eyes.
"Vitani, I always new I could count on you," Zira cackled, reaching out to hug her daughter.
To Vitani, the hug was more like a squeeze as she felt her face being squished against her mother's messy, beige fur. She winced and struggled to be released.
"Vitani's absolutely right," she said addressing the Outlanders as she promptly let go of her hold on her daughter, forgetting about her for the moment. "Tonight, we pay a little visit to the Pridelands and a certain king and queen," she growled, emphasizing "king."
Back at Pride Rock, Simba was pacing in the center of the circle his pride had formed around him upon returning from their search of Kiara.
"Doesn't ANYONE have any idea or information at all about Kiara or where she might have run off to and why? What might have happened to her, how? Anything?" Simba cried, frustrated.
"Your majesty?" Valla, a young, chocolate colored lioness stepped forward, timidly.
"Valla, what is it?" Simba faced her with wide, intense red-orange eyes.
"I uh saw something today when I was looking near the water hole for Kiara," she began.
"What? Was it Kiara! Did you see her?!" he leapt forward, as she jumped to the side.
"Simba!" Nala roared.
Everyone turned at looked at Queen Nala, who had apparently recovered from her earlier crying spell.
"Nala," Simba began.
"Simba, let her speak! Otherwise we'll never know what she saw!" Nala's eyes were red and sore from crying and stress. "Go ahead, Valla."
"Yes your highness, thank you," Valla replied quietly.
"Speak up, Valla," Simba said sternly.
"I was looking by the water hole for Kiara, and I heard something rustle in the bushes, so I hid behind the rock by the water hole. When I looked out I saw, some Outlanders," Valla trailed off, trying to remember more.
"What?" a random lioness whispered.
Others rolled their eyes and scoffed at each other. "Who could hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"I can't hear!" one lioness yelled.
Valla, shy and unsure of herself, looked at Simba and waited for him to say something, but instead, Nala came over.
"Valla, could you please repeat what you saw, a little louder this time?" she smiled, encouragingly to her.
Valla looked at the other snickering lionesses and growled low in her throat. Then she filled her lungs with air and shouted. "I SAW SOME OUTLANDERS, OKAY?"
The entire pride, including Simba and Nala stopped and stared at the young lioness, mouths agape.
Nala smiled contently at her and winked.
Valla had the same shocked expression, as she didn't know she could be that loud.
"Okay, but what does that tell us?" one lioness asked.
"Yeah, they could sneaking around trying to steal our food, like they've done in the past," another lioness declared.
Valla's eyes widened and she looked at the rest of her pride and decided to try using her "new voice" again. "I heard them say something about a cub!" Valla said loud and clear.
Gasps and whispers stirred in the pride.
"Valla," Simba took a step toward her.
"Simba, your highness, but I don't think they were talking about Kiara. I think they were looking for the other cub, Scar's heir uh.Kovu!" she panted, nervous about having said Scar's name.
Simba's eyebrows arched in fear as his uncle's name echoed in his head. He remained standing and took a step back, and bowed his head.
Everyone went silent and stared at Simba, watching intently to see what he would say.
"I wish I didn't have to do this, but it is the only way I'll know where my daughter might be. The only place we haven't looked.our enemy's territory.the Outlands."
A/N: Hey everyone! What did you all think about this chapter? I have another done, just review and tell me if you liked it or not and if you want, I'll post the next one! Thanks everyone!
~Ceci1~
It was Simba's worst nightmare come true. The one thing he feared deep inside that he hoped would never happen. Kiara was gone. His daughter, more importantly his only cub and heir to the throne of Pride Rock, the future queen was gone. He knew he had reason to worry the way he did constantly about her everyday when she ran ahead of him into the grassy plains of the Pridelands. He felt sick to his stomach immediately, and almost fell to his knees in shock. But he forced himself to stand tall, for his beloved lifelong mate, Nala. She was now mourning on the ground, roaring pain-staking cries. Simba couldn't take it anymore; he fell to the ground beside her and squeezed her in a tight embrace, and began to mourn with her.
Sarafina, Nala's mother, and Simba's mother-in-law, stood close by them, hung her head, and tried her best to comfort them. Soon the rest of Simba's pride met up around Simba and Nala, freezing when they saw their king and queen on the ground, mourning in unison. Nala sensed their presence and looked up at them immediately, with an inkling of hope wavering in her glossy aquamarine eyes.
The other lionesses returning from their search looked from one another to Nala and Simba, and hung their heads to hide the pained expressions on their faces as the sky darkened as the night drew closer and closer to the African savanna. However, the stars didn't come out, for thick, gray rain clouds masked them.
In the distance, the Outlands too filled with roars of mourning and anger, echoing the Pridelander's cries. After the skies had become completely painted with rain clouds, it remained still, as if waiting for someone to pierce a hole and let loose all of the water in contained.
"Have you checked EVERYWHERE?" Zira seethed at a random lioness in her pride.
"Yes," the lioness responded.
"NUKA!" Zira roared, tears streaming down her face. "This is all your fault! You can't even watch over our future king for one afternoon!"
"But mother, he wanders off on his on!" Nuka tried to explain.
Zira was about to yell at her eldest son again, but instead all her emotions well up and she lifted her paw and slugged Nuka across his face.
He cried out and hit the ground on his side.
Thunder crashed in the sky, and Vitani, who was near her brother, looked up. Then she noticed Pride Rock-their enemy's lair, which they would take over one day for Scar. This gave Vitani an idea.
"Mother, Pride Rock!" she spoke up.
"Vitani, what are you talking about?" Zira blinked, surprised by the random outburst by her daughter.
"We haven't looked for Kovu at Pride Rock yet or in the Pridelands," she explained.
Zira looked at the large rock formation that stood in the distance. "That's impossible, he wouldn't stand a chance from Simba-
She gasped. What if Kovu had sneaked back into the Pridelands and had been killed?
Glaring ahead at Pride Rock, Zira growled low in her throat. "It's the only other place." she muttered to herself.
"Zira?" a random lioness asked.
"Mother?" Vitani gulped, as she looked up warily at her mother.
Zira glanced down at Vitani and a maniacal grin spread across her face as she stared into her daughter's smoky blue eyes.
Vitani raised her eyebrows and hunched over a bit, frightened, and stared back up into her mother's intense red-orange eyes.
"Vitani, I always new I could count on you," Zira cackled, reaching out to hug her daughter.
To Vitani, the hug was more like a squeeze as she felt her face being squished against her mother's messy, beige fur. She winced and struggled to be released.
"Vitani's absolutely right," she said addressing the Outlanders as she promptly let go of her hold on her daughter, forgetting about her for the moment. "Tonight, we pay a little visit to the Pridelands and a certain king and queen," she growled, emphasizing "king."
Back at Pride Rock, Simba was pacing in the center of the circle his pride had formed around him upon returning from their search of Kiara.
"Doesn't ANYONE have any idea or information at all about Kiara or where she might have run off to and why? What might have happened to her, how? Anything?" Simba cried, frustrated.
"Your majesty?" Valla, a young, chocolate colored lioness stepped forward, timidly.
"Valla, what is it?" Simba faced her with wide, intense red-orange eyes.
"I uh saw something today when I was looking near the water hole for Kiara," she began.
"What? Was it Kiara! Did you see her?!" he leapt forward, as she jumped to the side.
"Simba!" Nala roared.
Everyone turned at looked at Queen Nala, who had apparently recovered from her earlier crying spell.
"Nala," Simba began.
"Simba, let her speak! Otherwise we'll never know what she saw!" Nala's eyes were red and sore from crying and stress. "Go ahead, Valla."
"Yes your highness, thank you," Valla replied quietly.
"Speak up, Valla," Simba said sternly.
"I was looking by the water hole for Kiara, and I heard something rustle in the bushes, so I hid behind the rock by the water hole. When I looked out I saw, some Outlanders," Valla trailed off, trying to remember more.
"What?" a random lioness whispered.
Others rolled their eyes and scoffed at each other. "Who could hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"I can't hear!" one lioness yelled.
Valla, shy and unsure of herself, looked at Simba and waited for him to say something, but instead, Nala came over.
"Valla, could you please repeat what you saw, a little louder this time?" she smiled, encouragingly to her.
Valla looked at the other snickering lionesses and growled low in her throat. Then she filled her lungs with air and shouted. "I SAW SOME OUTLANDERS, OKAY?"
The entire pride, including Simba and Nala stopped and stared at the young lioness, mouths agape.
Nala smiled contently at her and winked.
Valla had the same shocked expression, as she didn't know she could be that loud.
"Okay, but what does that tell us?" one lioness asked.
"Yeah, they could sneaking around trying to steal our food, like they've done in the past," another lioness declared.
Valla's eyes widened and she looked at the rest of her pride and decided to try using her "new voice" again. "I heard them say something about a cub!" Valla said loud and clear.
Gasps and whispers stirred in the pride.
"Valla," Simba took a step toward her.
"Simba, your highness, but I don't think they were talking about Kiara. I think they were looking for the other cub, Scar's heir uh.Kovu!" she panted, nervous about having said Scar's name.
Simba's eyebrows arched in fear as his uncle's name echoed in his head. He remained standing and took a step back, and bowed his head.
Everyone went silent and stared at Simba, watching intently to see what he would say.
"I wish I didn't have to do this, but it is the only way I'll know where my daughter might be. The only place we haven't looked.our enemy's territory.the Outlands."
A/N: Hey everyone! What did you all think about this chapter? I have another done, just review and tell me if you liked it or not and if you want, I'll post the next one! Thanks everyone!
~Ceci1~