Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion King. Nope. Disney does. However, I do own some of the characters that will feature in this story, including: Tumba, Kri, Mandu, Situ, and others that you won't recognize from any of the films.

Two Days Later...

Tumba leapt from rock to rock as he attempted to catch a small, blue butterfly, that, each and every time he though he caught it, would flutter free again. Tumba wasn't alone, of course. Kovu and Kri were sitting, watching him. Kovu stretched lazily as rested under the shade of one of the many trees that grew around Pride Rock. Kri, meanwhile, was attempting to find something more interesting to do that didn't require leaving Kovu's sight, since he had been watching her more closely lately.

"Dad, when'll mom be back?" Kri asked Kovu as she found a small black beetle that was resting on a white flower.

Kovu's eyes left his son and moved to Kri as he responded. "Soon, Kri. You know hunting takes a long time." The lion king released a yawn. One thing Kovu didn't really miss from before he became king was hunting. He could leave it up to the lionesses now!

The girl cub looked at her father as the beetle flew away from the wings it suddenly "sprouted" and sighed. "I wish I could go with her." said Kri.

A hard "thud!" sounded at that moment, and when both Kovu and the princess turned their heads, they were greeted with the sight of Tumba on his back, his paws clenched tightly together before him. "Hah! I gotchya!" exclaimed the boy excitedly. However, when he pulled his paws apart, the butterfly was less than a little ok. Its now-bent wings twitched as it fell from the boy's paws. "Ewww!" both twins said simultaneously.

"Gross, Tumba! Why'd you do that? The poor butterfly..." said Kri with a frown. Kovu just watched the two with a faint smile on his face.

"I didn't mean too!" Tumba defended himself.

"Yeah, you did!"

"I did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not!"

"Did!"

"Didn't!"

The two siblings bickered back and forth until at last, Kri had had enough. "Did to!" she cried out as she leapt at her brother, easily pinning him to the ground.

"Did not!"

"Yes you did!" Kri growled softly, her ears pinning back.

Finally, Kovu had heard enough. "Kri! Tumba!" their father's deep voice caught their attention quickly. "Enough!"

Kri frowned and quickly climbed off of Tumba, but not before she stuck her toungue out at him.

"Kri!" Kovu scolded.

Kri flinched and glanced at her father while Tumba got to his paws and quickly shook his coat out. "Now I'm all dirty!" he whined.

"Stop whining, Tumba!" Kri muttered, glaring at her brother. She still wasn't happy about the butterfly.

Tumba opened his mouth to say more at about the same time a shadow passed over him, and circled. The prince glanced down and watched the shadow before looking up quickly. Kovu suddenly walked past him, and stopped a pace or so in front of his son and called out.

"Mandu! Do you bring news?"

Kri trotted up beside her brother and glanced up as she sat on her haunches, as did her brother. "Yeah, Mandu! Anything interesting?" inquired Kri. "Did mom get some good food?" asked Tumba.

The hornbill lowered onto a rock before the cubs and their father. His expression seemed slightly distressed. "Yes, sire!" answered the hornbill with a quick dip of his head. "The lionesses have had no luck, this time..." he said.

Kovu lifted a brow. "That's strange. Even with Kiara helping them they usually do quite well... has something happened?"

"Yes. Hyenas, sir!"

"Hyenas?!" all three leonines cried out at once. Kovu was alarmed, Tumba was fearful, and Kri--well, Kri was Kri. Excited and adventurous, she wanted to know more. She wanted to see these hyenas for herself!

Kovu nodded his head sharply. "I'll handle the hyenas," he said. "Mandu, take Tumba and Kri up to the cavern." that said, Kovu started to trot away.

"Wait!" Kri cried out and started to run after him. "Dad! Dad, I wanna come!"

Kovu quickly slowed and turned to stop his daughter as she ran. "No, Kri. Stay with Mandu and your brother. You have to watch over him, being older, you know?" with that, Kovu left Kri with a disappointed look on her face.

Kri sighed as she walked back to join her brother, her ears drooping. "He never lets us do anything fun." she said softly as she walked past her brother, who merely followed her with his eyes. As she walked past, he leapt up to his paws and followed after her quietly for a moment.

"That's not right Kri," said the boy cub, though he came up with nothing else. Kri just sighed. "Maybe we can find Situ!" said Tumba, knowing that his sister would likely cheer up at the idea.

And indeed, she did. Her eyes lit up as she looked at the Rock, and even more so as she climbed up, where she could surely find Situ. 'I just want her to be happy...' Thought the prince. True, no matter how much they fought or were different, Tumba always admitted that he loved his sister dearly, and he'd do almost anything for her.

Tumba stopped at the base of Pride Rock as his sister climbed up to the top. She'd probably find Situ up there somewhere. No telling where, though. Mandu landed beside the boy and looked at him through calm amber eyes. Tumba just sighed. "Hyenas again, Mandu?"

The hornbill nodded.

"Are they the same ones that Dad's been goin' after lately?"

Again, Mandu nodded.

Tumba frowned. "I hope Dad's ok... Mom too." with that, the Prince of the Pridelands carefully climbed up the rock, slowing toward the top where he saw Situ and Kri. Kri's back was to him, and she was talking to Situ.

"Oh, hey Tumba!" Situ called quickly, offering the prince a warm smile.

Kri stopped mid-sentence as Situ called out, and she quickly looked over her shoulder at Tumba. She rolled her eyes softly. "Hey, butterfly-killer." she greeted flatly.

"Hey!" Tumba cried out. "I told you that was an accident!" he frowned. "I'm sorry, ok?!"

Situ sighed as he listened and watched the two. "Hey, Kri, he really didn't mean it. Why not forget about it?"

Kri looked at Situ, and after a moment, she just shrugged her shoulders. "Ok..."

That was the thing that Tumba liked about Situ. He always thought about everyone, unlike some of Kri's other friends. They didn't like Tumba much. ...But Situ was different. Situ was like a big brother to Tumba.

The three gathered together then to talk for a little while, and Mandu went off to find Situ's mother so she could help look after the children as they played. Situ's mother was the only lioness that generally stayed around. She acted sort of as a nanny to the cubs of the pride, and carefully watched each one. When Situ's mother finally came into view, Mandu headed off.

"Hey, mom, can we go to the river?" Situ asked as his mother arrived.

The lioness remained silent for a moment as she looked upon her son, and the hopeful faces of the royal cubs as well. She couldn't possibly resist them! "Very well, my son. Your friends will be accompanying you?"

"Oh yeah!" Situ responded, both from excitement, and as an answer to his mother's previous question.

"Come along." said Situ's mother, and she started to pad down the Rock. The three cubs eagerly followed her. However, no sooner had they reached the bottom, did a roar sound. Immediately, all their ears perked up, but none as much as Kri and Tumba, whose eyes lit up. "Mom's home!" Tumba cried out as he started to dash further down the rock, slowing when he saw the lionesses and his mother carrying a large gazelle.

Kri, however, only sighed after a moment as something else dawned upon her. 'I guess we won't be going to the river after all...' She frowned and her ears drooped.

Tumba greeted his mom with a happy, soft "Rawr!" before heading toward the gazelle. Kiara didn't stop him. Nor did she stop Kri or Situ, when they did the same.

"Thank you for watching the kids." Kiara thanked Situ's mother. The lioness only smiled.

"It was, as always, a pleasure, your highness."

The queen smiled, then gently nuzzled her pride sister. "Ok. Now come on, let's get something to eat!" To this, Situ's mother happily agreed, and the two lionesses moved to join their children as well as the rest of the pride, who were already feeding.

Much in the time was eaten, and much was left over. It was a time of plenty in the Pridelands, and this meal would last another day or so before the pride needed to go hunting again. This was always good, as it gave the lionesses a break. Many of them were mothers, or had "more important" things to do aside from hunting. Namely, sleeping.

With their meal finished, the bloated lionesses headed up Pride Rock where they could sleep for the rest of the afternoon. Soon, only Kiara and the twins were left.

"Kri, Tumba, where is your father?" Kiara asked softly, concern etched on her face.

"Oh, Dad went to scare away the hyenas, Mom." answere Tumba with an small smile. Kri nodded her head quickly.

Kiara's brows furrowed. 'Those hyenas are still here?' "Hmmm." Kiara stretched slightly.

The queen and her children remained where they were for quite some time, the lioness watching her cubs play until the sun reached far to the western horizon. Then, and only then, did Kiara sigh and call to her children.

"Kri, Tumba. It's time to go back inside."

"Aww! Mom, do we hafta?" asked Tumba with a frown. Kiara nodded. Both cubs moaned, but obeyed their mother nonetheless.

The children and their mother headed up Pride Rock, but once they reached the cavern, Kiara only urged her cubs in, and remained where she was, watching the vultures circle the kill made earlier. "Kovu, where are you?" Kiara asked softly to no one, gazing over the Pridelands as she walked up to the Rock's peak. "You should've been home by now..."

But there was nothing Kiara could do. She could only go with her cubs and wait for his return. So the queen retired to the cavern and laid down there to rest. Gathering up Tumba and Kri in her paws, she closed her eyes and let a restless sleep take her.

I know, I know. These last few chapters have been pretty boring. -.- At least, I think they have been. Sigh. Oh well. The story's only just gotten started, and here soon it's really going to pick up a little more. And very much likely get more violent, as well. Well, not too violent, but violent, anyway. Thanks for reading this... please review some, though, too! I would really like one more review before I continue...