Chapter 8: Truths
The sky had turned pitch black as Simba's and Zira's prides were sitting in the same place they had confronted each other earlier that night.
Nuka had just finished telling the story of the previous afternoon when Kovu had gone missing.
Zira, whose head was turned from her eldest son in disgust, slowly turned to face him.
"You mean to tell me the last place you saw Kovu was near some log?" she questioned.
"Yes mother," Nuka replied softly.
"Well how about that? I'll bet my life that your daughter was hiding in that log and my Kovu heard her," Zira gave a half-hearted laugh.
"And I bet he was protecting her by hiding her from me so I wouldn't tell on them," Nuka added.
Zira turned and looked into his eyes, coldly. "This is why you'll never be king, Nuka," she growled.
"Well, what do you propose we do, Simba?" Nala asked her mate.
Simba looked at Zira and then away, trying to come up with an idea.
"Wait!" Zira broke the silence again.
"What is it?" Simba inquired, looking back at her.
Zira turned once again to Nuka. "Do you at least remember where this log was where you left Kovu?" she asked, still upset at him.
"Oh yeah, it's—" he began but was cut off by a snarl from his mother.
"Don't explain, just take us there!" she commanded.
He jumped up. "Yes ma'am," he saluted and jogged in the direction of the log.
Zira followed right behind him, as did the rest of the Outlanders.
"She's right, Simba. Let's go!" Nala instructed as she ran in front of the king, and gave a roar for the pride to follow her.
Once both prides arrived at the log, Zira, Simba, and Nala immediately began sniffing and inspecting it.
"Yes, they've been here," Simba muttered to himself.
"Just as I suspected," Zira growled to herself.
"Well, now what?" a lioness asked.
Just then Rafiki popped up from the grass, a solemn look on his face. "Ahh, de Pridelanders and Outlanders both here together searching for two missing pieces of der prides," he stated.
Vitani was the first to notice and let out a scream and promptly ran behind her mother.
"Rafiki!" Simba exclaimed.
"Eww, who's the monkey?" Nuka muttered, and was immediately silenced by a snarl from his mother.
"Rafiki, the wisest baboon in all the savanna," Zira's eyes widened as she stepped forward. "Please, can you help me find my little prince Kovu?" she pleaded.
"De answer you seek is something I cannot help you find, but is something you must discover on your own. Only you know where to find it," he gave an encouraging smile.
Zira's heart sank and she dug her claws in the ground, annoyed at Rafiki's response.
"However," the wise old baboon continued. "I know where der is something very important in helping you all along de way. It is something only you can see and understand," he continued in riddles.
"Show us, please," Nala spoke up.
"Yes your highness. Come quickly," he gestured for them to follow him and sprinted into the grassy fields in the direction of the mountains.
Both prides tore off from the Outlands and continued trailing Rafiki until they found him knelt down in the grass staring at something on the ground.
Simba eyes widened as he recognized it as the body of a young lioness cub. The small soft ears, the delicate features—it must be Kiara!
"Kiara!" he cried out while leaping in mid-air and stopping a few feet away from the small body.
Nala arrived seconds later, panting. "Kiara! Is it her?"
"I'm afraid you are both mistaken your majesties, for dis is not de princess...at least not yours," his lips formed a tiny smile.
"What? Well then who is she?" an angry Zira demanded.
"I can tell you no more. She is still alive, but she needs your care. She will be of more help than I," and with that, he disappeared mysteriously into the grass again.
"Oh great, just another stupid riddle from the baboon," Zira growled.
"This is getting us nowhere," an Outlander groaned.
Vitani curiously went over to the young cub and nudged her. Yep, she was breathing, but shallow and her nose was warm and dry. Although she had no idea where this strange cub came from or did she have any reason to care about it, something inside tugged at her heart upon seeing the cub in the state that she was in. Vitani inhaled deeply and suddenly held her breath. This cub had a very familiar smell on her. It almost smelled like her only, more masculine. Yes—it was Kovu's scent! Vitani boldly faced the two prides and yelled.
"Hey! Have you all forgotten about this little cub? She needs help! Besides, she has Kovu's scent on her!" she arched her back, upset.
Zira's eyes bugged out and she rushed toward the small cub and buried her nose into its fur. She gasped. "It is Kovu! Oh thank the heavens!" she cried.
Just then the little cub's eyes opened and she saw a blurred image of Vitani, and mistook it for Kiara. She lifted her paw, weakly to try to touch Vitani's face.
"Kiara, help me," she groaned.
Vitani looked down at her and gasped. "No, I'm not Kiara. I'm Vitani," she explained quietly.
"Where Kovu?" she asked worriedly.
The two prides gasped and quickly turned their attention on the golden- yellow ball of fur that had just spoken familiar names.
Suddenly Vitani was shoved out of the way by her mother, who peered down anxiously at the helpless cub. "Tell me child, where is my son, Kovu?"
The cub shrunk back, nervous, much like Kovu had done when he was scolded for playing with Kiara. "Kovu is your son? Then that means, you must be my grandma!" she giggled. The Outlanders looked at each other in shock and disbelief, while the Pridelanders tried to suppress laughs of the cute cub's comment.
Zira was taken aback by the comment.
"What? What are you talking about? I don't know you and you don't know me, and I'm not you're grandma!" she declared.
"But Kovu's my new daddy and Kiara's my new mommy," she explained.
Now it was the Pridelanders' turn to gape in disbelief at the small cub before them. Timon and Pumbaa exchanged confused looks and Pumbaa stepped forward and faced the small cub. Timon hopped down so he was level with the cub, forgetting about Zira being so close to him.
"Ok, what's your name, kid?" he asked.
"I'm not a kid, I'm a princess, and my name's Chaka. Princess Chaka to you," she smiled triumphantly.
"Boy, you're nothing like Princess Kiara that's for sure," Timon remarked.
"Kiara's not a princess, she's my new mother, so she's the Queen of our pride," Chaka continued.
"And what pride would that be?" Simba cut in.
"King Kovu's pride," she smiled proudly.
Nuka snickered, enjoying Chaka and the parody she was creating.
"Ok so Chaka," Timon continued. "Who all is in 'King Kovu's' pride?" he asked doubtful.
"Me, Kiara, Kovu, and my brother, Sumba," she replied.
"Sumba eh?" Timon remarked and looked up at Simba. "So, where is your 'pride' now?" he continued to play along with her.
She began to look around nervously. "I...I don't know. They were here before when the ostrich, and Kovu," she began to whimper.
"Whoa calm down kid. Why don't you start from the beginning, ok?" Timon comforted.
"Yes Chaka, tell us what happened," Nala spoke up.
"Ok. Well, it all started a few days ago, I think, when..." she began to re- tell all that had happened so far.
A/N: Hey what do you all think so far? Should I continue? It'll probably be a few weeks because I have a competition coming up March 6, I'm in my school's talent show March 13, and the music trip to Atlanta is a few days before spring break starts, so I have to take my exams early AND I have the ACT to prepare for!!!!!!!!!! Thank goodness you're only a junior once in your high school career. Oh well, I just have to stay focused. Anyway, just thought I'd give a friendly update. Please review!! ~Ceci1~
The sky had turned pitch black as Simba's and Zira's prides were sitting in the same place they had confronted each other earlier that night.
Nuka had just finished telling the story of the previous afternoon when Kovu had gone missing.
Zira, whose head was turned from her eldest son in disgust, slowly turned to face him.
"You mean to tell me the last place you saw Kovu was near some log?" she questioned.
"Yes mother," Nuka replied softly.
"Well how about that? I'll bet my life that your daughter was hiding in that log and my Kovu heard her," Zira gave a half-hearted laugh.
"And I bet he was protecting her by hiding her from me so I wouldn't tell on them," Nuka added.
Zira turned and looked into his eyes, coldly. "This is why you'll never be king, Nuka," she growled.
"Well, what do you propose we do, Simba?" Nala asked her mate.
Simba looked at Zira and then away, trying to come up with an idea.
"Wait!" Zira broke the silence again.
"What is it?" Simba inquired, looking back at her.
Zira turned once again to Nuka. "Do you at least remember where this log was where you left Kovu?" she asked, still upset at him.
"Oh yeah, it's—" he began but was cut off by a snarl from his mother.
"Don't explain, just take us there!" she commanded.
He jumped up. "Yes ma'am," he saluted and jogged in the direction of the log.
Zira followed right behind him, as did the rest of the Outlanders.
"She's right, Simba. Let's go!" Nala instructed as she ran in front of the king, and gave a roar for the pride to follow her.
Once both prides arrived at the log, Zira, Simba, and Nala immediately began sniffing and inspecting it.
"Yes, they've been here," Simba muttered to himself.
"Just as I suspected," Zira growled to herself.
"Well, now what?" a lioness asked.
Just then Rafiki popped up from the grass, a solemn look on his face. "Ahh, de Pridelanders and Outlanders both here together searching for two missing pieces of der prides," he stated.
Vitani was the first to notice and let out a scream and promptly ran behind her mother.
"Rafiki!" Simba exclaimed.
"Eww, who's the monkey?" Nuka muttered, and was immediately silenced by a snarl from his mother.
"Rafiki, the wisest baboon in all the savanna," Zira's eyes widened as she stepped forward. "Please, can you help me find my little prince Kovu?" she pleaded.
"De answer you seek is something I cannot help you find, but is something you must discover on your own. Only you know where to find it," he gave an encouraging smile.
Zira's heart sank and she dug her claws in the ground, annoyed at Rafiki's response.
"However," the wise old baboon continued. "I know where der is something very important in helping you all along de way. It is something only you can see and understand," he continued in riddles.
"Show us, please," Nala spoke up.
"Yes your highness. Come quickly," he gestured for them to follow him and sprinted into the grassy fields in the direction of the mountains.
Both prides tore off from the Outlands and continued trailing Rafiki until they found him knelt down in the grass staring at something on the ground.
Simba eyes widened as he recognized it as the body of a young lioness cub. The small soft ears, the delicate features—it must be Kiara!
"Kiara!" he cried out while leaping in mid-air and stopping a few feet away from the small body.
Nala arrived seconds later, panting. "Kiara! Is it her?"
"I'm afraid you are both mistaken your majesties, for dis is not de princess...at least not yours," his lips formed a tiny smile.
"What? Well then who is she?" an angry Zira demanded.
"I can tell you no more. She is still alive, but she needs your care. She will be of more help than I," and with that, he disappeared mysteriously into the grass again.
"Oh great, just another stupid riddle from the baboon," Zira growled.
"This is getting us nowhere," an Outlander groaned.
Vitani curiously went over to the young cub and nudged her. Yep, she was breathing, but shallow and her nose was warm and dry. Although she had no idea where this strange cub came from or did she have any reason to care about it, something inside tugged at her heart upon seeing the cub in the state that she was in. Vitani inhaled deeply and suddenly held her breath. This cub had a very familiar smell on her. It almost smelled like her only, more masculine. Yes—it was Kovu's scent! Vitani boldly faced the two prides and yelled.
"Hey! Have you all forgotten about this little cub? She needs help! Besides, she has Kovu's scent on her!" she arched her back, upset.
Zira's eyes bugged out and she rushed toward the small cub and buried her nose into its fur. She gasped. "It is Kovu! Oh thank the heavens!" she cried.
Just then the little cub's eyes opened and she saw a blurred image of Vitani, and mistook it for Kiara. She lifted her paw, weakly to try to touch Vitani's face.
"Kiara, help me," she groaned.
Vitani looked down at her and gasped. "No, I'm not Kiara. I'm Vitani," she explained quietly.
"Where Kovu?" she asked worriedly.
The two prides gasped and quickly turned their attention on the golden- yellow ball of fur that had just spoken familiar names.
Suddenly Vitani was shoved out of the way by her mother, who peered down anxiously at the helpless cub. "Tell me child, where is my son, Kovu?"
The cub shrunk back, nervous, much like Kovu had done when he was scolded for playing with Kiara. "Kovu is your son? Then that means, you must be my grandma!" she giggled. The Outlanders looked at each other in shock and disbelief, while the Pridelanders tried to suppress laughs of the cute cub's comment.
Zira was taken aback by the comment.
"What? What are you talking about? I don't know you and you don't know me, and I'm not you're grandma!" she declared.
"But Kovu's my new daddy and Kiara's my new mommy," she explained.
Now it was the Pridelanders' turn to gape in disbelief at the small cub before them. Timon and Pumbaa exchanged confused looks and Pumbaa stepped forward and faced the small cub. Timon hopped down so he was level with the cub, forgetting about Zira being so close to him.
"Ok, what's your name, kid?" he asked.
"I'm not a kid, I'm a princess, and my name's Chaka. Princess Chaka to you," she smiled triumphantly.
"Boy, you're nothing like Princess Kiara that's for sure," Timon remarked.
"Kiara's not a princess, she's my new mother, so she's the Queen of our pride," Chaka continued.
"And what pride would that be?" Simba cut in.
"King Kovu's pride," she smiled proudly.
Nuka snickered, enjoying Chaka and the parody she was creating.
"Ok so Chaka," Timon continued. "Who all is in 'King Kovu's' pride?" he asked doubtful.
"Me, Kiara, Kovu, and my brother, Sumba," she replied.
"Sumba eh?" Timon remarked and looked up at Simba. "So, where is your 'pride' now?" he continued to play along with her.
She began to look around nervously. "I...I don't know. They were here before when the ostrich, and Kovu," she began to whimper.
"Whoa calm down kid. Why don't you start from the beginning, ok?" Timon comforted.
"Yes Chaka, tell us what happened," Nala spoke up.
"Ok. Well, it all started a few days ago, I think, when..." she began to re- tell all that had happened so far.
A/N: Hey what do you all think so far? Should I continue? It'll probably be a few weeks because I have a competition coming up March 6, I'm in my school's talent show March 13, and the music trip to Atlanta is a few days before spring break starts, so I have to take my exams early AND I have the ACT to prepare for!!!!!!!!!! Thank goodness you're only a junior once in your high school career. Oh well, I just have to stay focused. Anyway, just thought I'd give a friendly update. Please review!! ~Ceci1~