Chapter 11: Only Pretending
Kiara's lip began to quiver as her father's gaze locked on her. She couldn't move, breathe, or even think at that moment; at least not about anything except what her father was going to do to her once she got out of the electric fence. That is, if she ever did. Her heart seemed to have stopped in that moment as she broke out into a cold sweat, and began to shake, despite the humid air.
However, the moment was surprisingly broken by Sumba again.
"Chaka!" he wailed and looked back at her still body on the ground. It was too much for the tiny cub to handle, and he latched onto Kiara's front leg and sobbed into her fur.
Nala inspected Chaka and nudged her onto her back. She nuzzled the limp body and then drew her head away, in sorrow. "Simba," she whispered to her mate incisively.
He got the message, and lowered his head for a moment before raising it once again to face his daughter, along with Scar's chosen heir, and the little cub called "Sumba."
"So it is true...all of it," were Simba's first words directed towards his daughter.
"Yes, so it is!" Zira growled.
Kovu hardened his glare at Zira as the fur on his back began to rise. He began to back away slowly, without turning his back on his mother, and gritted his teeth.
"Whoa, he's going all psycho on her," Nuka muttered to Vitani, who for once didn't strike out at him, but continued to gape at her younger brother.
Zira continued to observe her youngest son in anger as he back away from her until he reached Kiara, in which he sat beside her protectively as they exchanged frightened glances and whispers.
Flames began dancing in Zira's eyes as she knew he had made a friend out of her, foiling her life-long plan of training him to hate Simba and regard Kiara as a decoy to get to Simba.
Nuka saw this, and practically read his mother's mind. In an effort to get his mother's attention and affection, he charged at the fence and roared to Kovu, "Get her, ya little termite, now! Kill her!"
As he leapt in mid-air, all three cubs on the other side of the fence gaped in horror at him. Kiara hunched over in fright, even though she knew the fence was impenetrable. "Princess!" Nuka snarled, showing his tainted gray teeth, as his scraggly black mane flew back, accenting his red-orange eyes.
Kiara hid her face as Nuka's body struck the fence, making a jolt and throwing him back to the ground.
Nuka let out a yelp and Zira and the rest of the Outlanders rushed to his side.
Kovu was shocked and concerned, even if he did hate his brother, he still felt something for him deep down inside. He immediately rushed to the fence, keeping a safe distance from it, while being able to see his brother.
Kiara uncovered her face and when she saw Kovu near the fence, she followed him.
Nuka turned to the side and looked towards Kiara through glazed eyes.
At first she was frightened to look at him, but then she saw something for a split-second in his eyes. Not only were they similar in color to hers, but there was yearning for something that he didn't have and the struggles he had gone through to try to get it. There was sadness to them, as something was clearly missing that he needed to feel complete.
Then the moment was interrupted by the authorative, upset voice of King Simba: "Kiara"
Oh how she hated to hear him say her name that way. Sometimes she wished she had a different name, but there was no time to think about that now. She had no idea what was to come next.
She tried her best to look brave as she peered up at him, as the feeling of the first day she met Kovu came flooding back to her.
"Kovu!" Zira's harsh, cold voice pierced the air.
The once brave, cub "king" of their new pride was instantly transformed back into the prince that he really was, as he could no longer pretend to be something he wasn't anymore.
"I...I don't know what to say," Simba half-chuckled. "I, I just don't understand how you could do such a thing? I mean, what made you think in that little head of yours that you could pull something like this, huh? This is not a game, Kiara," Simba's words hung in the air, stinging Kiara.
Out of pure innocence and loyalty, little Sumba crawled out from behind Kiara's legs and puffed his small chest out, and huffed at the king of the Pride Lands.
"You can't talk to Queen Kiara that way, she's the queen!" he squeaked. Kovu looked nervously at the small tan cub, and tried to stop him from talking further.
"Sumba, ix nay on the—" he began.
However Sumba turned his attention to his, "king," and defended him as well, "And especially not King Kovu, 'cuz he's the king!" he boasted.
Both prides were thankful for the comic relief provided by the small cub.
Vitani chuckled mischievously and cooed at Sumba. "And are you the prince of the pride?" she asked.
"You bet I am! I'm Prince Sumba," he grinned, which evoked more chuckles throughout the prides.
"Alright, enough of this game! Kovu, you get out from behind that fence right now!" Zira roared.
Sumba shuddered and ran to Kiara's side. "Kiara, make her stop roaring at Kovu! You're the queen, Kiara, I know you are!" he looked up with large, hopeful, honey eyes.
Her own eyes began to water as she knew she couldn't pretend anymore. Maybe somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew the whole time that it could never work, and she was lying to herself, thinking she could make a difference.
"Kiara, why are you doing this? Lying to a poor, innocent little cub like that, you ought to be ashamed! Not to mention running away from home!" Nala scolded.
"No, I didn't mean to lie, this is all a big misunderstanding, I didn't really lie anyway. I am a princess and he said I was queen of our pride with Kovu and Chaka, and..." Kiara trailed off as she realized it had all been a game. Just one that had gotten blown out of proportion and they allowed to take over their reality. It just felt so real, and it had worked for the while that they were on their own, hadn't it? What about Sumba, wasn't he real? And Chaka? Kiara suddenly remembered that Chaka had hit the fence and was lying on the ground. She gasped as she got up and walked toward the area where Chaka was lying.
For a moment, Kiara was overjoyed to see their new friend again. Then she studied the limp ball of golden fur that faced her.
Kiara looked worriedly at the small cub, "Chaka, can you hear me?" she whispered, and gave a hopeful smile.
Then a shadow seemed to come over Chaka's body, and something didn't feel right. There was no one to receive her words, but rather, they loomed over the cub's body.
Then Kiara began to feel a heavy weight on her body, as if someone was trying to pin her to the ground. Then a light, but chilly breeze blew towards her, and floated up her nostrils. The young lioness's eyes grew wide as she recognized the smell of a dead animal. Not just any dead animal, but a lion cub—Chaka.
Darkness seized Kiara's body and froze her in place. Her body began to shake and her ears went down in fear and sadness.
Nala walked over to see her daughter again through the fence, a solemn look on her face.
For the moment, she forgot about being in trouble and looked up at her mother, with pleading eyes for help.
Nala sighed deeply as she spoke quietly, "She's gone."
Kiara's eyes flooded with tears, and she lowered herself to the ground, the same way she had done when she rescued Chaka and Sumba from the ostrich's cave.
Zira came over to Chaka's body and sighed as well. "I suppose it's only right to give her a proper burial." She wore a pained expression, one that Kovu hadn't seen his mother wear before.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Timsu appeared. He gasped at the sight of the prides outside the fence, and dropped his walking stick.
Kiara turned suddenly and faced him. "Timsu!" she shouted surprised.
Simba, Nala, Zira, and the rest of the lions and lionesses turned their attention to Kiara and saw Timsu. They too gasped and backed away from the fence, warily.
However, Simba stepped forward and snarled fiercely at the sight of Timsu. "Get away from my daughter!" he roared.
Timsu backed away respectively, but tripped over a small rock in the grass and landed on his skinny bottom.
Kiara looked helpless at Timsu, and her orange eyes once again met his dark orbs. She saw something in them that she recognized. Something she had seen in the very beginning...
~*FLASHBACK*~
She awoke to the warmth of her mother's tongue gently bathing her. She smiled and squeaked happily at the affectionate action. She looked up and saw her mother's large, pink tongue sweep over her tiny face gently. Content with the moment, the little cub snuggled against her mother's warm, protective fur and closed her eyes again, just for a second.
Nala finished bathing her newborn daughter and gently lifted her up by the tiny nape of her neck.
Little Kiara was too tired to pay much attention, as she had fallen back into her morning slumber. Then she felt something sweep across her, tickling her. She opened her eyes at the new feeling and took in the new sites of Pride Rock.
Her gaze fell upon a tall, two-legged creature with gray fur, a bizarre colored face, and a wise, toothy grin.
Most cubs would flinch or become frightened by the mandrill's presence, but not the new princess. Even when she left her mother's grasp and was cradled in unfamiliar arms, Kiara had no worry in her. She was captivated by Rafiki's bright, colorful cheeks. She reached up and gently pawed his warm, fuzzy cheek, as the wind picked up and ruffled her fur. Then before she could continue observing the wise, old shaman, he secured his hold on her, and thrust her up into the air, as if he was giving her to the sun and the sky, which gave Kiara her first experience of adrenaline.
At first, she was startled, and didn't quite know what to do. Then, unbeknownst to her, Mufasa looked down at his new granddaughter, and smiled. Kiara suddenly felt warm and happy again, and she waved her paws up and down into the air, smiling. Instantly, she saw a full-scale, bird's eye view, of her future kingdom. Of course she didn't know this; to her, it was a warm, comforting, exciting place of happiness and adventure. She looked at everything below her, and began to experience the feeling of adrenaline rushing through her newborn body again, and decided she liked the feeling! The new golden-orange princess grinned playfully and gave the air a playful swipe. She watched as every animal bowed down to her, one row after the other.
The elephants trumpeted and reared up and stomped the ground in joy, which caused a flock of white birds to scatter. Just as Kiara looked up to see where the birds had gone, she felt herself being lowered and cradled again in Rafiki's arms, as he quickly rubbed something wet and sticky across her forehead. Confused, she blinked and looked around, until she felt her mother nuzzle her cheek, and she happily returned it with a purr. Then her father's warm, protective mane brushed against her face as he gave her a gentle, loving nuzzle. Finally, it was time for Rafiki to bid goodbye to the royal family. He took one last long gaze at the new princess, and as her innocent, soft eyes met his, he whispered a blessing to her before returning her to Nala's mouth, and descending the great rock once again to add a new drawing to his tree.
Kiara stared after him as she watched him leave, feeling secure and at peace, as she drifted into another peaceful sleep...
~* END OF FLASHBACK*~
Kiara rose to her feet, not looking back at her father, and went over to Timsu's staff. She batted at it, trying to move it closer to Timsu. He picked it up, and struggled to his feet, as he rubbed his bottom in pain. He didn't talk, as to not provoke the lions outside the fence further. He turned his gaze to Kiara once more, and gave her a small, but sad smile.
She looked curiously at him, wondering why she sensed sadness from him. Then she saw him slowly move away from her and power-walk into the recovery barn.
"Uh, Queen Kiara?" Sumba's small voice asked.
Kiara reluctantly turned to face the small cub. "Sumba, don't call me that, please. I..." she sighed as she saw the whole pride gape at her out of the corner of her eye. "I'm not a real queen, at least not yet. I only agreed that I was, because you and Chaka thought we were, and it was just a game, we were just playing along, Sumba," Kiara looked at him with pleading eyes for forgiveness. Although it didn't seem like a big deal, it was to him. To him, the game was reality; it was what he believed was true, and that wasn't his fault entirely. Kiara knew she had let the game get out of hand, but she was having so much fun, she thought she could make it real, because that's how she wanted to live. Tears flooded her eyes again.
"Sumba, it's not all Kiara's fault. I also went along with the game, because..."
Just then a piercing, wild call rang out, along with a gunshot, as Timsu came running around the other side of the fence!
Kiara gasped as her rescuer face her father and his pride, along with Zira and the Outsiders. She sat frozen as she watched Timsu waved his staff at the lions to get out, and fired a gunshot straight up into the air.
Kiara's ears went back as she gaped in horror at the black, faded gun. She didn't know exactly what it was, only that she feared it greatly, as did the rest of the pride members, except her father, and the scraggly, grey lion, who had tried to attack her earlier, which she now knew to be Kovu's brother, Nuka.
Timsu arched his back and gave another wild, defense holler.
Nuka covered his ears, and out of naivety, gave a roar and leapt at Timsu. Unfortunately, out of self-defense, Timsu quickly drew his gun and shot Nuka down in mid-air. The world seemed to stop for a moment.
Simba looked at Nuka in horror and shock, and then glared at Timsu.
Realizing what he had done, Timsu turned and fled from Simba ashamedly and in fear. Simba, however, followed him through the open gate into the fenced in land. He quickly spotted his daughter, and raced over to her. "Come on, we've got to get out of here, now!" he panted, upon reaching her, Kovu, and Sumba. He grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, and raced to the gate, just as a breeze blew it shut, creating a buzz to signify activation of the fence. As the Lion King stood before the large, metal obstacle, along with Kovu, Sumba, and daughter in his mouth, he jerked his head around as fast as he could, looking for another escape.
"No, how could I have let this happen, father?" Simba thought. It was then he began to notice that Kiara felt heavier than the last time he had carried her. He glanced down at her and noticed that her arms and legs had grown slightly longer and her body and face were beginning to show signs of maturing into adolescence. Especially her face; it was remarkably beautiful, he thought as he set her down on the ground once more.
A/N: Ok, I finally finished the LONG AWAITED chapter 11! Again, I'm so sorry for the long wait, I've been busy, but school's almost over! I will survive, and you will too! Yay! Oh, btw, thank you everyone who reviewed, and also, I would love IDEAS for upcoming chapters, because I'm just stumped right now for some reason as to what should happen next with this story, which is partly why it took so long for me to put up this chapter. I would really appreciate hearing you guys' ideas and comments/criticism in general. So, don't forget and review! Thanks!
Kiara's lip began to quiver as her father's gaze locked on her. She couldn't move, breathe, or even think at that moment; at least not about anything except what her father was going to do to her once she got out of the electric fence. That is, if she ever did. Her heart seemed to have stopped in that moment as she broke out into a cold sweat, and began to shake, despite the humid air.
However, the moment was surprisingly broken by Sumba again.
"Chaka!" he wailed and looked back at her still body on the ground. It was too much for the tiny cub to handle, and he latched onto Kiara's front leg and sobbed into her fur.
Nala inspected Chaka and nudged her onto her back. She nuzzled the limp body and then drew her head away, in sorrow. "Simba," she whispered to her mate incisively.
He got the message, and lowered his head for a moment before raising it once again to face his daughter, along with Scar's chosen heir, and the little cub called "Sumba."
"So it is true...all of it," were Simba's first words directed towards his daughter.
"Yes, so it is!" Zira growled.
Kovu hardened his glare at Zira as the fur on his back began to rise. He began to back away slowly, without turning his back on his mother, and gritted his teeth.
"Whoa, he's going all psycho on her," Nuka muttered to Vitani, who for once didn't strike out at him, but continued to gape at her younger brother.
Zira continued to observe her youngest son in anger as he back away from her until he reached Kiara, in which he sat beside her protectively as they exchanged frightened glances and whispers.
Flames began dancing in Zira's eyes as she knew he had made a friend out of her, foiling her life-long plan of training him to hate Simba and regard Kiara as a decoy to get to Simba.
Nuka saw this, and practically read his mother's mind. In an effort to get his mother's attention and affection, he charged at the fence and roared to Kovu, "Get her, ya little termite, now! Kill her!"
As he leapt in mid-air, all three cubs on the other side of the fence gaped in horror at him. Kiara hunched over in fright, even though she knew the fence was impenetrable. "Princess!" Nuka snarled, showing his tainted gray teeth, as his scraggly black mane flew back, accenting his red-orange eyes.
Kiara hid her face as Nuka's body struck the fence, making a jolt and throwing him back to the ground.
Nuka let out a yelp and Zira and the rest of the Outlanders rushed to his side.
Kovu was shocked and concerned, even if he did hate his brother, he still felt something for him deep down inside. He immediately rushed to the fence, keeping a safe distance from it, while being able to see his brother.
Kiara uncovered her face and when she saw Kovu near the fence, she followed him.
Nuka turned to the side and looked towards Kiara through glazed eyes.
At first she was frightened to look at him, but then she saw something for a split-second in his eyes. Not only were they similar in color to hers, but there was yearning for something that he didn't have and the struggles he had gone through to try to get it. There was sadness to them, as something was clearly missing that he needed to feel complete.
Then the moment was interrupted by the authorative, upset voice of King Simba: "Kiara"
Oh how she hated to hear him say her name that way. Sometimes she wished she had a different name, but there was no time to think about that now. She had no idea what was to come next.
She tried her best to look brave as she peered up at him, as the feeling of the first day she met Kovu came flooding back to her.
"Kovu!" Zira's harsh, cold voice pierced the air.
The once brave, cub "king" of their new pride was instantly transformed back into the prince that he really was, as he could no longer pretend to be something he wasn't anymore.
"I...I don't know what to say," Simba half-chuckled. "I, I just don't understand how you could do such a thing? I mean, what made you think in that little head of yours that you could pull something like this, huh? This is not a game, Kiara," Simba's words hung in the air, stinging Kiara.
Out of pure innocence and loyalty, little Sumba crawled out from behind Kiara's legs and puffed his small chest out, and huffed at the king of the Pride Lands.
"You can't talk to Queen Kiara that way, she's the queen!" he squeaked. Kovu looked nervously at the small tan cub, and tried to stop him from talking further.
"Sumba, ix nay on the—" he began.
However Sumba turned his attention to his, "king," and defended him as well, "And especially not King Kovu, 'cuz he's the king!" he boasted.
Both prides were thankful for the comic relief provided by the small cub.
Vitani chuckled mischievously and cooed at Sumba. "And are you the prince of the pride?" she asked.
"You bet I am! I'm Prince Sumba," he grinned, which evoked more chuckles throughout the prides.
"Alright, enough of this game! Kovu, you get out from behind that fence right now!" Zira roared.
Sumba shuddered and ran to Kiara's side. "Kiara, make her stop roaring at Kovu! You're the queen, Kiara, I know you are!" he looked up with large, hopeful, honey eyes.
Her own eyes began to water as she knew she couldn't pretend anymore. Maybe somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew the whole time that it could never work, and she was lying to herself, thinking she could make a difference.
"Kiara, why are you doing this? Lying to a poor, innocent little cub like that, you ought to be ashamed! Not to mention running away from home!" Nala scolded.
"No, I didn't mean to lie, this is all a big misunderstanding, I didn't really lie anyway. I am a princess and he said I was queen of our pride with Kovu and Chaka, and..." Kiara trailed off as she realized it had all been a game. Just one that had gotten blown out of proportion and they allowed to take over their reality. It just felt so real, and it had worked for the while that they were on their own, hadn't it? What about Sumba, wasn't he real? And Chaka? Kiara suddenly remembered that Chaka had hit the fence and was lying on the ground. She gasped as she got up and walked toward the area where Chaka was lying.
For a moment, Kiara was overjoyed to see their new friend again. Then she studied the limp ball of golden fur that faced her.
Kiara looked worriedly at the small cub, "Chaka, can you hear me?" she whispered, and gave a hopeful smile.
Then a shadow seemed to come over Chaka's body, and something didn't feel right. There was no one to receive her words, but rather, they loomed over the cub's body.
Then Kiara began to feel a heavy weight on her body, as if someone was trying to pin her to the ground. Then a light, but chilly breeze blew towards her, and floated up her nostrils. The young lioness's eyes grew wide as she recognized the smell of a dead animal. Not just any dead animal, but a lion cub—Chaka.
Darkness seized Kiara's body and froze her in place. Her body began to shake and her ears went down in fear and sadness.
Nala walked over to see her daughter again through the fence, a solemn look on her face.
For the moment, she forgot about being in trouble and looked up at her mother, with pleading eyes for help.
Nala sighed deeply as she spoke quietly, "She's gone."
Kiara's eyes flooded with tears, and she lowered herself to the ground, the same way she had done when she rescued Chaka and Sumba from the ostrich's cave.
Zira came over to Chaka's body and sighed as well. "I suppose it's only right to give her a proper burial." She wore a pained expression, one that Kovu hadn't seen his mother wear before.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Timsu appeared. He gasped at the sight of the prides outside the fence, and dropped his walking stick.
Kiara turned suddenly and faced him. "Timsu!" she shouted surprised.
Simba, Nala, Zira, and the rest of the lions and lionesses turned their attention to Kiara and saw Timsu. They too gasped and backed away from the fence, warily.
However, Simba stepped forward and snarled fiercely at the sight of Timsu. "Get away from my daughter!" he roared.
Timsu backed away respectively, but tripped over a small rock in the grass and landed on his skinny bottom.
Kiara looked helpless at Timsu, and her orange eyes once again met his dark orbs. She saw something in them that she recognized. Something she had seen in the very beginning...
~*FLASHBACK*~
She awoke to the warmth of her mother's tongue gently bathing her. She smiled and squeaked happily at the affectionate action. She looked up and saw her mother's large, pink tongue sweep over her tiny face gently. Content with the moment, the little cub snuggled against her mother's warm, protective fur and closed her eyes again, just for a second.
Nala finished bathing her newborn daughter and gently lifted her up by the tiny nape of her neck.
Little Kiara was too tired to pay much attention, as she had fallen back into her morning slumber. Then she felt something sweep across her, tickling her. She opened her eyes at the new feeling and took in the new sites of Pride Rock.
Her gaze fell upon a tall, two-legged creature with gray fur, a bizarre colored face, and a wise, toothy grin.
Most cubs would flinch or become frightened by the mandrill's presence, but not the new princess. Even when she left her mother's grasp and was cradled in unfamiliar arms, Kiara had no worry in her. She was captivated by Rafiki's bright, colorful cheeks. She reached up and gently pawed his warm, fuzzy cheek, as the wind picked up and ruffled her fur. Then before she could continue observing the wise, old shaman, he secured his hold on her, and thrust her up into the air, as if he was giving her to the sun and the sky, which gave Kiara her first experience of adrenaline.
At first, she was startled, and didn't quite know what to do. Then, unbeknownst to her, Mufasa looked down at his new granddaughter, and smiled. Kiara suddenly felt warm and happy again, and she waved her paws up and down into the air, smiling. Instantly, she saw a full-scale, bird's eye view, of her future kingdom. Of course she didn't know this; to her, it was a warm, comforting, exciting place of happiness and adventure. She looked at everything below her, and began to experience the feeling of adrenaline rushing through her newborn body again, and decided she liked the feeling! The new golden-orange princess grinned playfully and gave the air a playful swipe. She watched as every animal bowed down to her, one row after the other.
The elephants trumpeted and reared up and stomped the ground in joy, which caused a flock of white birds to scatter. Just as Kiara looked up to see where the birds had gone, she felt herself being lowered and cradled again in Rafiki's arms, as he quickly rubbed something wet and sticky across her forehead. Confused, she blinked and looked around, until she felt her mother nuzzle her cheek, and she happily returned it with a purr. Then her father's warm, protective mane brushed against her face as he gave her a gentle, loving nuzzle. Finally, it was time for Rafiki to bid goodbye to the royal family. He took one last long gaze at the new princess, and as her innocent, soft eyes met his, he whispered a blessing to her before returning her to Nala's mouth, and descending the great rock once again to add a new drawing to his tree.
Kiara stared after him as she watched him leave, feeling secure and at peace, as she drifted into another peaceful sleep...
~* END OF FLASHBACK*~
Kiara rose to her feet, not looking back at her father, and went over to Timsu's staff. She batted at it, trying to move it closer to Timsu. He picked it up, and struggled to his feet, as he rubbed his bottom in pain. He didn't talk, as to not provoke the lions outside the fence further. He turned his gaze to Kiara once more, and gave her a small, but sad smile.
She looked curiously at him, wondering why she sensed sadness from him. Then she saw him slowly move away from her and power-walk into the recovery barn.
"Uh, Queen Kiara?" Sumba's small voice asked.
Kiara reluctantly turned to face the small cub. "Sumba, don't call me that, please. I..." she sighed as she saw the whole pride gape at her out of the corner of her eye. "I'm not a real queen, at least not yet. I only agreed that I was, because you and Chaka thought we were, and it was just a game, we were just playing along, Sumba," Kiara looked at him with pleading eyes for forgiveness. Although it didn't seem like a big deal, it was to him. To him, the game was reality; it was what he believed was true, and that wasn't his fault entirely. Kiara knew she had let the game get out of hand, but she was having so much fun, she thought she could make it real, because that's how she wanted to live. Tears flooded her eyes again.
"Sumba, it's not all Kiara's fault. I also went along with the game, because..."
Just then a piercing, wild call rang out, along with a gunshot, as Timsu came running around the other side of the fence!
Kiara gasped as her rescuer face her father and his pride, along with Zira and the Outsiders. She sat frozen as she watched Timsu waved his staff at the lions to get out, and fired a gunshot straight up into the air.
Kiara's ears went back as she gaped in horror at the black, faded gun. She didn't know exactly what it was, only that she feared it greatly, as did the rest of the pride members, except her father, and the scraggly, grey lion, who had tried to attack her earlier, which she now knew to be Kovu's brother, Nuka.
Timsu arched his back and gave another wild, defense holler.
Nuka covered his ears, and out of naivety, gave a roar and leapt at Timsu. Unfortunately, out of self-defense, Timsu quickly drew his gun and shot Nuka down in mid-air. The world seemed to stop for a moment.
Simba looked at Nuka in horror and shock, and then glared at Timsu.
Realizing what he had done, Timsu turned and fled from Simba ashamedly and in fear. Simba, however, followed him through the open gate into the fenced in land. He quickly spotted his daughter, and raced over to her. "Come on, we've got to get out of here, now!" he panted, upon reaching her, Kovu, and Sumba. He grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, and raced to the gate, just as a breeze blew it shut, creating a buzz to signify activation of the fence. As the Lion King stood before the large, metal obstacle, along with Kovu, Sumba, and daughter in his mouth, he jerked his head around as fast as he could, looking for another escape.
"No, how could I have let this happen, father?" Simba thought. It was then he began to notice that Kiara felt heavier than the last time he had carried her. He glanced down at her and noticed that her arms and legs had grown slightly longer and her body and face were beginning to show signs of maturing into adolescence. Especially her face; it was remarkably beautiful, he thought as he set her down on the ground once more.
A/N: Ok, I finally finished the LONG AWAITED chapter 11! Again, I'm so sorry for the long wait, I've been busy, but school's almost over! I will survive, and you will too! Yay! Oh, btw, thank you everyone who reviewed, and also, I would love IDEAS for upcoming chapters, because I'm just stumped right now for some reason as to what should happen next with this story, which is partly why it took so long for me to put up this chapter. I would really appreciate hearing you guys' ideas and comments/criticism in general. So, don't forget and review! Thanks!