Hey guys. Thank you so much for the review xx Princess Kiara, Talo's my favorite too, and yes Shalu is a bite of an oddball. Wow I had 109 hits on the last chapter...though how many of those were the same person I don't know, and that might seem pathetic to some of you but to me it's awesome. Yes I'm a bit odd too. :) Any who here's chapter 3, it'll start moving along a bit more, hopfully.

Disclaimer: I don't own The Lion King, never will, wish I did though. :) :)

Kudoos!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 3

Shalu felt a nudge on his side and slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was bright green eyes staring back at him from a dark face. "Talo?" He asked uncertainly.

"Wake up." Talo whispered close to his face.

Shalu slowly looked around him. The rest of the pride was still fast asleep. Near himself and Talo lay Kovu and Kiara, curled up tight, and Simba and Nala. Shalu yawned and let his eyes wander to the cave entrance. His eyes widened.

"The sun's not even up yet!" He complained, looking at his eager brother. "It's still night time!"

"No it's early morning. Come on get up already." Talo poked him hard in the side with a paw.

Shalu sent him a glare. "You couldn't have at least waited until the sun was up? What are we supposed to do anyway? Mama and dad told us to stay in the cave until the rest of the Pride woke up."

Talo rolled his eyes. "Well I'm bored, I need something to do."

"Here's a thought, go back to sleep." Shalu curled up again, turning his back to his brother. Talo narrowed his eyes slightly. He poked his brother again, this time Shalu didn't respond. Talo felt an annoyance creep into his skin as he pounced on his brother, earning a yelp from Shalu.
"Get…get-off!" Shalu struggled. Talo batted him playfully with a paw and Shalu growled and leapt at his brother, sending his teeth into Talo's leg. Talo yelped, not from pain, for Shalu's teeth didn't penetrate his skin, but from surprise. Shalu yowled as he held on tight to Talo's leg as Talo fell onto his back. Talo bared his teeth into an evil like grin and kicked out with his hind legs, sending Shalu flying. Shalu hit the ground and rolled head over paws until he hit something warm and sturdy.

Slowly he shook his head and looked up, finding himself staring into large, amber eyes. "Shouldn't you two be asleep?" Simba asked him, his voice rumbling in Shalu's ears. Shalu glanced back at Talo who was staring at he ground, not even looking at them. Shalu looked back at his grandfather and tried to smile. All it earned him was a cocked eye.

"We…we were just…playing." Talo finally spoke, his voice shaking slightly, since he barely came halfway up Simba's leg, staring down the larger and much more majestic lion seemed impossible.

However, Simba's mouth twitched slightly, as though he was trying to fight a smile. "Kiara, come deal with your two cubs."

Shalu looked around, surprised to see his mother stand up and come over to him. Kovu was also up, though Shalu could hardly remember a time where Kovu didn't wake up when there was any sort of commotion, big or small. Shalu felt his mother grip his neck, and saw her attempt a grin to her father before following her mate and other son out of the cave.

Kiara placed Shalu beside Talo, and sat down near Kovu. Both parents looked sternly at their cubs. Talo smiled weakly at them. "Morning mom." He told her.

"Just what were you doing?" Kiara asked them.

"Well I was trying to sleep." Shalu muttered.

"I was just bored." Talo shrugged a shoulder and Kovu shot him a look.

"You were bored." Kovu said blandly.

"And I couldn't get to sleep." Talo added.

"And so you thought you would bring the same problem to the rest of the pride? The inability to sleep, I mean." Questioned Kiara.

"It seemed like a good plan at the time." Talo replied. He saw the look his mother gave him and quickly said. "I mean…no?" He answered uncertainly.

Shalu snorted and Talo stepped on his paw hard. After Shalu finished his yelp, and Kiara stopped her meaningful glare in Talo's direction, she spoke. "We told you not to leave the cave when it was still dark-"

"Which we didn't." Talo piped up.

"But we also don't want you disturbing those who are trying to sleep." Kovu finished.

Shalu and Talo hung their heads. "Sorry." They muttered.

Kiara looked at Talo. "Next time, lie there until one of us wakes up, don't wake up your brother or anyone else." Talo slowly nodded. Kiara turned her gaze to Shalu. "And Shalu, don't bite your brother. That's not how future rulers of Pride Rock should behave."

"You're one to talk." Kovu whispered to his mate, who flashed him an angry look, in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. Talo chuckled until Shalu nudged him into silence.

"Do you understand?" Kiara asked of them.

Talo and Shalu nodded together.

"Good." Kovu said, glad to end the scolding of his sons. Kiara shot him an amused look. "Now go in and try to get some more sleep."

"But the sun's practically up!" Talo objected, nodding toward the sky which had faded from black to a dark-pale blue. "And you said you'd show us around the Pride Lands today."

"They run all over the Pride Lands every day you would think they would know it by now." Kiara laughed to her mate. Kovu smiled slightly at his cubs who were watching him with big, hopeful eyes. Is that how I looked when Simba told me he wanted to talk to me? Kovu wondered, the past creeping into his mind. No, he decided, I was scared out of my wits, not excited.

"That's right you did promise! You said you would give us the "Circle of Like" speech like grandfather got when he was a cub, and that he told both you and mom." Shalu added helpfully.

"I said when the sun was up." Reminded Kovu.

Talo rolled his eyes and stopped, staring at the horizon, a grin slid onto his features. "Look! It's the sun."

Kovu looked wearily at the horizon to see the shades of yellow, orange, and red begin to precede the golden sun on it's journey into the sky. "So it is." He murmured.

"It's today dad. Come on! Come on!" Talo and Shalu pleaded jumping around.

Kovu sighed in surrender, wishing he could've gotten more sleep, then smiled. "Okay."

"Yippee!" The two young cubs started to run off and Kovu looked back at the cave where he saw Simba watching him, smiling. Kovu nodded to him and padded off after his children. Kiara stayed and watched until the sun had risen high in the sky.

------------

"…and so we are each connected in the great Circle of Life." Kovu watched his children's expressions as he finished. They had walked for an hour and he had talked for almost that long. His throat was scratchy and he wanted to see if they had paid any attention.

To his certain surprise, they had. Both cubs' eyes were glowing with wonder and excitement. "And we get to rule it all?" Shalu said slowly.

"You and me, together." Talo said nudging Shalu happily. "And our mates, if we ever get them."

Kovu heard this and smiled slightly. They were eager to become King, but which one would? Their couldn't be two Queens and definitely not two Kings. Usually it was the elder of the two, but since they were born so close together, neither Kovu nor Kiara knew which one was older, though Talo was obviously the bigger of the two, that didn't mean much. In any other case it the leadership would go to the male, but since they were both male that didn't work either, and Kovu had yet to see which one would make the better king. Kovu put this pondering aside as he saw a young lioness running to meet them.

"Kovu." The female said stopping in front of him.

"Hi Auntie Vitani." The cubs chorused, then giggled at the rhyme they had made.

"Adorable" Vitani replied sarcastically, smiling at them. Then she looked at Kovu. "Kovu, they're here. They came back."

"Who came back?"

"The hyenas."

Kovu held his breath at the news. The hyenas who had disappeared after the fall of Scar were back! How could they possibly be back? "How do you know this?" He asked, hoping there may be some mistake. Perhaps a monkey had told her, everyone knew they weren't always reliable and could've been mistaken.

"I saw tracks, fresh ones. And when I followed it I found a dead wilder-beast, the smell of hyena was thick around it."

"How many?"

"I don't know. I didn't actually see any of them. Kovu, why do you think they're back?"

"I don't know, but whatever the reason it can't be good." He looked down at his children who were watching him intently. "Vitani, take the cubs and watch them. I'm going to have a look around the Elephant Graveyard."

Vitani raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure, Kovu? Maybe we should get Simba first. He's a strong fighter."

"And you think I'm not? Besides, I'm not going to fight, I'm just going to look around." Kovu replied.

"That's what you say now. What if…"

"What if nothing. Go." He tried to say it in the best king voice he could muster. Vitani snorted in laughter at her younger brother's attempt and then herded the cubs off.

"Come on little guys," He heard her say. "We don't want you to be here if daddy makes a mistake." Kovu rolled his eyes and ran off in the direction of the Elephant Graveyard.

A silent shadow watched them part. Her yellow eyes followed Kovu for a moment, then turned back to the cubs. As she watched them prance off she smiled, revealing sharp teeth.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's the end of Chapter 3. I hope you guys liked it. Doesn't it seem like Talo is always getting up much too early? That was me when I was younger, and I was always waking up my younger brother, so that bit of the story is based a little after myself (Of course I didn't kick my brother halfway across the cave :) ) Anyway it's summer now so I'll be able to update a lot sooner, and make the story better. Chapter 4 might be out today too, but who knows which way the winds will blow. Review pleeeeease!