Nuka awakens from the horrifying betrayal of his father from yesterday. All he could see was the trees and grass in the forest of the prideland. He doesn't know what to do since he lost everything because of his cold-hearted father. He lost his home, his herd, and most importantly he lost his brother and sisters.
Suddenly, his stomach began to growl. The lonely lion cub is hungry and hasn't eaten anything in two days. Since his siblings showed him how to hunt, Nuka began looking for food within the forest.
So far, he hasn't seen any animals since he entered the prideland. Suddenly, he immediately spotted a gazelle and hid inside of a brush. He watches the animal feed on the grass as his stomach is growling. Nuka already knows that he doesn't have a chance to capture his prey but he doesn't have a choice. He needs to eat something or else he will starve to death.
Finally, he decided to try to catch his prey. Nuka slowly and quietly crawled out of the brush and headed to the gazelle without scaring it away. He stops and begins doubting himself. The young cub shook his head and was ready to jump on his prey.
"Come on Nuka," he whispered to himself. "You can do this."
He was about to attack the gazelle while he had the chance until a lioness came out of nowhere and attacked his prey. Nuka quickly runs back into the brush and watches the pridelander ending the life of her prey. The young cub was catching his breath from the close call with a pridelander.
Then, two more lionesses appeared out of nowhere and joined their friend. When the gazelle was slain, the three of them dined on their prey. Nuka found his opportunity to escape from the pridelanders. The young cub slowly and quickly crawled away from the area without making a single noise.
Suddenly, he accidentally stepped on a branch and snapped it, causing a silence in the forest. Nuka slowly turned around and immediately spotted the eyes of the pridelanders in his direction. The young cub quickly ran for his life as the three lionesses chased him.
Nuka tried his best to lose the pridelanders in the grass but they're right on his tail. He quickly spotted a log and hid inside of it as he was catching his breath. The young cub tried to be quiet when he was inside of the log until one of the lioness' claws rushed inside and tried to catch him. Luckily, he escapes out of the other side of the log but the lioness spotted him escaping and chased after him.
Nuka tries to run as fast as he can but the pridelander is starting to catch up to him while the innocent cub starts to shed tears. The lioness manages to knock the lion cub to the ground on his back. He was about to roll over but the pridelander roared when she stopped in front of him.
"PLEASE DON'T KILL ME," Nuka quickly begged for his life. "I DIDN'T MEAN TO TRESPASS I SWEAR!! PLEASE I BEGGING YOU!!"
"Oh my goodness," the lioness said, shocked. "I am so sorry! Are you okay?!"
When Nuka opened his eyes, he was caught by the sight of the most beautiful lion he had ever met in his life. He stares deeply into her beautiful red eyes. "Are… Are you an angel," the first question came out of his mouth.
The lioness was flattered by the young cub having affection towards her. "Aww! How cute. Again, I am so sorry for trying to hunt you."
"Are you going to kill?"
"Of course not! I would never hurt an innocent little cub like you." The lioness notices a scar on Nuka's right eye. "Oh my goodness! Did I scratch your eye?!"
"What? Oh no-"
"Kiara!" The two other lionesses arrived behind their friend. "Are you alright? Did you catch that-" one of them stopped and spotted the young cub. "Aww! Where did you find this adorable little guy?!"
"That's weird," the other lioness said. "I don't remember there's a male lion cub in the prideland? Where did he come from?"
"Who cares Tiifu," the other one says as she crawls to Nuka. "All we know is that there's an adorable little cub!" She began nuzzling the young cub's cheek, causing Nuka to giggle cutely.
"Well, I guess you're right. He's so cute!" She sat beside Nuka and patted him on the head. Until she gasps from the sight of a scar on the lion cub. "What happened to you?! Kiara, did you do this?!"
"I think I did-"
"No," Nuka stops them. "She didn't do this to me."
"Then," Kiara asks, "who did this to you? And most importantly, where is your herd?"
Nuka shakes in fear of telling them the truth. "You all promised not to be mad at me?" The three lionesses looked at each other and all nodded. "I'm from… the outland."
They all gasp from the truth. "You're from the outland," Tiifu said, shocked. "But the outlanders aren't allowed to be in the prideland!"
"Why are you in the prideland," Kiara said.
Then, Nuka took a deep breath and explained how he ended up in the prideland. "It was my dad… I tried to make him love me by doing what he wanted me to do… but no matter what I do… he hates me. He's the one who gave me this scar." The three lionesses gasps. "Yesterday, I thought my dad wanted to redeem himself by teaching me how to hunt… but he lied to me and tried to kill me."
They were all shocked by what happened to the poor cub. "How did you escape," the other lioness asked.
"I was very lucky. There was a lioness, who came out of nowhere, attack my father. Thanks to her, I managed to escape. I can't go back to my home because if I do, then my dad will kill me. That's why I fled to the prideland."
"Oh, you poor sweet little cub," Kiara said.
"I just don't know why my dad hates me," Nuka cries as tears drip from his eyes. "Maybe he was right about me! I am nothing but a pathetic, worthless, disgusting lion that ever lived! Maybe I am better off dead! I should've waited for my dad to-"
Suddenly, Kiara pulls him towards her chest and wraps him under her paws. She began to hush the poor cub as she's nuzzling his cheek. "Please," she comforted him, "don't say that about yourself. You're still a young and adorable little cub. Your father isn't here to torture you anymore. You're free to do whatever you want. Everything is gonna be okay. You're safe."
Nuka wiped away the tears and began nuzzling the lioness' warm fur. "Thank you… umm…"
"Kiara. My name is Kiara. These two are my friends: Zuri and Tiifu."
"Th-Thank you, Kiara. M-My name is Nuka."
"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Nuka. Do you want to live with us?"
"Are all lions nice just like you?"
"Yes."
"Kiara," Tiifu interrupted her friend, "are you sure that's a good idea? What if your father-"
"I can handle my dad. I don't want to leave this adorable little guy all by himself. Are you two with me?"
"Of course," Zuri said.
"Well…" Tiifu is concerned. "If you two want to do it, then I guess I'm in too."
"Great," Kiara appreciates her friend's loyalty. She turned to the young cub, "Alright, Nuka. You're coming with us and introducing you to my family."
"Really?" The young cub asked with a smile as the lioness nodded. Nuka rushes to Kiara and begins nuzzling her paw. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Kiara giggles at Nuka's cuteness. "No problem. Come on! Let's go!" Finally, the pridelanders began bringing the young lion cub to his, could be, new home.
The sun began to go down as Nuka followed the three lionesses to the pride rock, the home for the pridelanders. The young cub recognized the structure similar to the outland spot, where he and his brother used to hang out. He climbed up the mountain with the lioness to the top.
When they've reached the top, Nuka sees a bunch of lionesses gathered by a cave. The outlander is very nervous about the herd of pridelanders and hides behind Kiara. "It's alright," she calmed the young cub. "Everything is going to be fine. Come on."
The four of them began heading to the herd of lions. "Ha sis!" Nuka is alerted by a familiar voice he heard when he first visited the prideland. He spotted a young adult male lion, with a lion mark on his right shoulder, approaching them. "How was your hunting?"
"Hey Kion," she responded to her brother. "My hunting was just perfect. Have you seen dad anywhere? I have a special surprise for him."
"Oh yeah! He's-"
"Kiara! There you are!"
Then, Nuka shook in fear when he heard that voice. That's the same voice that he had heard from the close call in the prideland: They're nothing but disgusting and disgraceful vermin! They don't deserve any mercy from anyone! They deserve to die in that forsaken land! The poor cub whimpered in fear when he spotted the harsh pridelander leader. He quickly hid behind Tiifu, to avoid being spotted by the lion.
"Where have you been," the leader demanded. "We have been worried sick!"
"I was just hunting with my friends," Kiara responded. "You really need to stop treating me like a cub, Dad."
"I'm just worried that something might gonna happen to you while you're-"
"Simba," an adult lioness, stopped her husband. "You already know that she isn't a cub anymore. She and Kion are young adults now. They're free to do whatever they want."
"I know Nala, but I want Kiara to be safe-"
"Father," their daughter ended their conversation and got to the point, "I need to tell you something really important." She finally got her parent's attention. "I've found someone in the forest-"
"Who," her father demanded.
"He's just a lion cub. He was all alone when we found him. I was hoping he could stay with us?"
"Of course," her mother allowed.
"Where is he anyway," her father asked.
"He's right here," Kiara pointed at the young cub behind her friends.
Tiifu gently places Nuka in front of the royal family as the young cub shivers in fear of the lion king. "Umm," the outlander said nervously. "He-Hello."
"Wait a minute," the king said as he examined the appearance of the lion cub. He began to develop anger and said, "You're from the outland!"
"Ye...Yes sir."
Simba finally noticed a scar on his face and he was shocked. "How did you get that scar?"
"From… From my father."
"Does your father have a scar as well?"
"Ye-Yes, sir."
"WHAT?!!"
Then, he formed an attack position at the little cub, ready to attack. Before he could attack the young cub, his children stopped him by blocking his way. "Father," Kiara cries, "what are you doing?!"
"Dad," Kion pleaded, "what's wrong with you?! He's just a little cub! Who's gonna care if he's an outlander?!"
"Do any of you realize who's this cub?!" Every lion remained quiet from his question. "He is the son of Scar!"
Everyone is shocked by the unexpected truth. "What," Nala confused.
"He is," Kion said, shocked.
"You're…" Kiara couldn't believe what she just heard. "You're the son of… Scar?!"
"He is," Simba roars as he marches towards the young cub. "And he will bring disaster upon the prideland if we let stay… just like Scar!"
"What," Nuka was both confused and scared as he backed away from the rageful king. "I don't know what you're talking about?"
"LIAR!! You know darn well what your father did-"
"SIMBA!!"
They all turned and spotted the former lion king and his wife, Mufasa and Sarabi. "What's the meaning of this," he demanded.
"Father," Simba alerted his father, "this is the son of Scar! He must be dealt with!"
"Simba. He's just a cub. We don't know why he's here or what drove him here." The old lion stood before the little cub and lay in front of him. "Hello, little one. My name is Mufasa. What's your name?"
"My…" Nuka said nervously to the elder. "My name is… Nuka… sir."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Nuka. Now tell me, what are you doing in the prideland?"
"W-Well…" The young cub stops and sheds a single tear before he resumes. "It's because of my dad."
"What did he do to you?"
"H-He tried to kill me… because he sees me as a disgrace to my family… and I believe him. I tried my best to impress my dad so he could love me… but he had never shown me any love ever since I was born. No one has ever given me any love in the outland… except for my brother and sisters. They were the only ones who actually loved me for who I am.
"Until… Everything changed when my dad banished me yesterday. He lures me away from the outland so my brother and sisters won't stop him. I'd manage to escape from him before he could finish me. So… that's why I'm here all alone… because I got nowhere else to go."
Every lion is shocked by the horrible abuse that the poor lion cub has been through. Even Simba is speechless when he hears what Scar did to his own son. Sarabi steps towards Nuka and gently nuzzles his cheek, comforting him. "You poor little angel," she said to him.
"And I assume that your father has given you that scar," Mufasa asks Nuka.
"Y-Yes."
"I am so sorry, little one. No innocent cub should go through such hardship torture."
"Did your father tell you anything about the prideland," Simba asked.
"H-He said that the pridelanders are the most dangerous lions that ever lived," Nuka replied. "That they've done horrible things and murdered each other for sport. I-Is that true?!"
"No, little one. I believe that your father had lied to you about us. We will never harm each other nor hunt each other for sport. For we are very peaceful lions in the prideland and allow anyone into the herd."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that as king of the prideland, I welcome you to our home and you're now one with the herd."
"R-Really," Nuka cries for joy.
"Indeed. From now on, you shall live with me and my family. We will all treat you as you are one of us."
Without fear or hesitation, Nuka rushes to the king's leg and hugs it as he cries, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Simba gently places his paw on the lion cub's back and comforts him. "You are very welcome."
"Now," Mufasa interrupted the two, "I believe the night is about to begin. I advise that we all should get some rest."
Then, all of the lions prepare themselves for the night's rest. Simba looks down on the young cub and tells him, "Come now, Nuka. It's time to get some rest. My daughter will give you a tour of the prideland in the morning."
Nuka follows the king into the cave and joins his family for a good night's sleep. He lay right beside Kiara and tried to get some rest. Until the lioness picked up the young cub and placed him under her paws. He felt a gentle kiss on his head before she nuzzled him.
"Goodnight Nuka," Kiara whispers to him.
"Goodnight Kiara," he responded.
Nuka has found the perfect place that he can call his new home. Not only did he find those who will take care of him but those he could call his new family. Finally, Nuka went to sleep.
"Nuka. Nuka."
Nuka slowly opened his eyes as he yawned from his restful sleep. He found Kiara nuzzling him to wake up. He smiles at the presence of his new friend and picks himself up. "Good morning, Kiara!"
"Good morning, Nuka," she smiled. "Do you want me to give you a tour around your new home?"
"Yeah! I'm ready right now!"
"Alright, let's go!"
"Not so fast."
The two turned and found Nala and Sarabi entering the cave. "Hi mom! Hi grandmother," she greeted them both. "Is there something wrong?"
"Oh no," she calms her daughter down. "Everything is fine. Would you mind stepping out for a while?
"Me and your mother just wanted to have a little quality time with our newcomer," Sarabi told her.
"Of course." She turned to the lion cub and told him, "I'll wait for you outside, Nuka."
"Umm… okay."
After Kiara exited the cave, Nuka began to get nervous and frightened by the queen of the prideland and her mother's presence. The two lionesses move towards him and lay down right in front of him, causing the young cub to be even more nervous. Nala pulled him closer to her and sniffed him. "Since when was the last time you were given a bath," she asked with a smile.
"I haven't been given one since I left my home," Nuka responded.
"Well, let us give you one," Sarabi smiles.
When the two began licking the young cub, Nuka couldn't help but laugh as he was being licked. "HAHA! Wait! It tickles! HAHA! Stop it! HAHA! Please!"
"Hold still, Nuka," Nala couldn't help but laugh too. "We're almost done!" When they're done, the two lionesses Nuka catch his breath. "All done. How was your bath, little one?"
"I enjoy it! Thank you, mom!" Nuka immediately covers his mouth after calling the queen 'mom'. "I am so sorry, your highness. Really, I'm so-"
Nala hushed the young cub by nuzzling his cheek. "It's fine, Nuka. It's alright. There's no need to apologize. Remember you're living with us now. You can call me whatever you feel comfortable with."
"Thank you, your highness."
"It's a pleasure to have you in our land, Nuka. Now, run along. My daughter is waiting for you outside."
"Alright! Thank you again, your highness!" Nuka rushes out of the cave and joins Kiara with the tour.
"He's such a little angel," Sarabi told her daughter.
"He really is," Nala nodded. "I'm really happy with Kiara bringing him here."
As Kiara is giving Nuka the tour around the prideland, she spotted her brother, Kion, hanging out with the Lion Guards. She lures the young cub to introduce him to the others. "Ha Kion," she shouts at her brother, grabbing his attention.
"Oh ha Kiara," Kion greeted his sister. He noticed Nuka beside Kiara. "Ha Nuka! How's it going?"
"I'm doing fine. I'm really happy that your father let me live in the prideland."
"Yeah! My dad is the best! It's nice to see a new face around here."
"Yo Kion," a honey badger landed on Kion's back, "who's this little guy?!"
"Um, hi," Nuka was weirded by the beagle. "My name is Nuka."
"Wait, aren't you that lion cub from the outland?!"
"Yes, I am. And who are you?"
"Meet the Lion Guards," Kion introduces his friends to Nuka. "This guy is Bunga, the bravest among us," he pointed at the honey badger.
"What's up," Bunga shouts.
"This is Fuli," Kion introduces the cheetah. "She's the fastest cheetah in the prideland."
"Ha there," Fuli greeted the cub.
"This is Ono," Kion introduces the cattle egret. "He's our bird in the sky."
"Really Kion," Ono rolls his eyes.
"What?"
"I took some offense from that."
"You know that I was just messing around." Kion introduced the hippo. "And this is Beshte. The muscle of us."
"Hi there, little guy," Beshte greeted Nuka.
"Um, it's nice to meet you all," Nuka said as he's confused, "but why do you all call yourselves the Lion Guards if there's only one lion?"
"That's what my dad said when I first formed them," Kion told the cub. "Then, he changed his mind after we saved Kiara's life from a stampede."
"What?! Kiara was in danger?"
"I was but Kion and his friends were there to save me," Kiara told him.
"After we saved my sister," Kion continued, "we stopped Janja and his gang from causing any more damage to the prideland."
"What," Nuka was surprised when he mentioned Janja. "You beat Janja?!"
"You know that jerk," Bunga surprises. "Please don't tell me that you two are buddies!"
"He's the most hated hyena of all the outland. He always picks on me whenever I play around."
"At least we know that he's still a jerk in both lands."
"Don't worry Nuka," Kion told the young cub. "You'll never have to worry about that weasel ever again. If he set his dirty paws on the prideland…"
"Then we'll be ready for him," Fuli finished Kion's sentence.
"That's awesome to hear," Nuka cheers.
"You know what even more awesome," Kion told him, "I can do the mighty lion roar!"
"What's that?"
"It's the legendary and greatest lion roar of all of prideland. Once you roar, the historic lion kings will roar with you."
"That sounds cool! Can you show me?!"
"Sorry little guy. I can only use it for bringing peace to the prideland. You know what they say, 'with great power comes great responsibility.'"
"You'd been hanging out with that monkey too much, haven't ya," Bunga asks him.
"I came up with that!"
"It sounds like a mouthful to me."
"As much as we want to talk about your 'amazing lion roar,' I want to continue the tour for Nuka," Kiara told Kion and his friends.
"Alright sis," Kion said. "See you later, Nuka!"
"Goodbye," Nuka said farewell to the others. "It's really nice to meet you all." After they were done talking to the Lion Guards, the two resumed the tour around the prideland.
Then, their next stop is in a small forest. Nuka was confused about why Kiara brought him into the forest. "Kiara," he asks her, "why are we out here?"
"I want you to meet my uncles," the lioness told Nuka. "They took care of my father during his journey on his own."
"You have uncles? How come I haven't met them at the pride rock?"
"They usually live out here for peace. Mostly, for the food."
"Where are they?"
"They should be close by. They usually-Oh! There they are!"
Nuka immediately focuses his attention on those in front of them. He can only see a meerkat and a warthog looking for food. "Come on Pumbaa," the meerkat told the warthog as he was freaking out, "it should be here somewhere! I last saw it around here!"
"Timon," the warthog whines, "why are we even looking for it? There's a bunch of them we could eat."
"You don't get it, Pumbaa," the meerkat jumps on the hog snout and makes eye contact. "It's a rare one! That means it's the most delicious one out of them all!"
"Hi Timon! Hi Pumbaa," Kiara greeted them as Nuka tilted his head confused.
The pair turned to Kiara and greeted her. "Hah," the meerkat welcomes her with open arms. "It's our favorite niece! Kiara! How ya been?!"
"I am fine." She brought the lion cub closer to them and introduced them, "This is Nuka, a newcomer to the prideland. Nuka, these are my uncles, Timon and Pumbaa."
"Hello," Nuka greeted them. He turned to Kiara and told her, "I am sorry but I thought your uncles were lions?"
"My father was cared for by them when he was in trouble. They help him regain his strength and relax. Although, I wished he could still relax."
"Oh! Now I get it!" Nuka turned to them. "So, what are you two looking for?"
"We're just looking for a delicious rarest meal we will have very soon," Timon explains as he was searching around a log. "It was last seen around here somewhere. Ah, forget it! Pumbaa lift it up!"
"You got it," the warthog nodded and lifted the log with his tusks. When he lifted it, underneath it was a swarm of big blobby bugs. "WE HIT THE MOTHERLOAD!"
"YES!!"
"Bugs," Nuka both confuses and disgusts. "They were looking for bugs?!"
"It's their favorite meal," Kiara told the young cub. "My father used to eat them during his journey."
"What?! He used to eat those bugs?!"
"These bugs are more delicious than they look, kid," Timon told Nuka as he offered one. "Go on kid! Give it a try!"
"You don't have to Nuka," Kiara told him.
"Come on kid. You can't knock it till you try it."
"Um, okay," Nuka agreed as he accepted the bug. He picked it up and placed it in his mouth. When he began chewing it, the young cub immediately rushed to a bush and began throwing up. Kiara is rubbing his back as he is puking. "That was disgusting!"
"Oh come on! It can't be that bad!"
"I'll try it," Pumbaa volunteers as he's eating one. When he puts it in his mouth, he immediately spits it out and uses his hoofs to clean his tongue to remove the taste.
"Are you serious?! It isn't that bad!"
"Oh yeah!"
"Yeah!"
"Then you try to!"
"Okay, I will!" Timon picked up one and tossed it in his mouth. When he chewed it, his eyes popped open knowing it's disgusting. Refusing to admit he's wrong, he slowly chews and swallows without barfing. "S-See! It-It's delicious!"
"It was?!"
"Ye-Yeah!"
"Have another!"
"I… I will!" The meerkat slowly picked one up and was about to eat until he didn't want to experience the taste again as he threw it away. "AHHH GET IT AWAY FROM ME!!!"
"AHA! It is disgusting!"
"Well, I thought it would be delicious!"
"How can you tell the difference between a regular bug and a stinky one?!"
"Well, excuse me for being hungry all the time!"
"I think we should continue the tour," Kiara giggles as she and Nuka are leaving.
"It's nice to meet you two," Nuka shouts as he's leaving, but the two keep arguing with each other.
"How come you didn't know that it was bad," Timon complained.
"What are you talking about," Pumbaa was confused.
"That pig nose! How come you didn't smell it if it was good or bad?!"
"It can only smell the outside, not the inside!"
"I thought you could do both!"
"Oh, this is the worst moment than the last time we thought that little mouse was a bug!"
"Ha! He had it coming! He had always been mocking us when we failed to catch a single bug!"
"Well, he wasn't very happy about us trying to take a bite at him!"
"He was more scared of us than we're at him!"
"We had to run away when he was charging at us!"
"Ah great! You had to say it in front of the kid! Now, he thinks we're pathetic!"
As the sun was setting, Kiara and Nuka stopped at a boulder and concluded the tour of the prideland. "Well, I guess that's the end of the tour," the lioness told the young cub. "What do you think of the prideland?"
"It's really nice," Nuka answered. "And it's really great to meet your friends and family. They're really nice and very sweet to me."
"I'm glad you already love it here."
Kiara notices the sunset and a boulder next to them. She came up with something that will impress the outlander. She picked up Nuka with her mouth and climbed on top of the boulder. The lioness places the cub in her paws and the both of them gaze at the sunset together.
"It's beautiful," Nuka told the lioness. "Thank you."
"I always lay right here and gaze at the sunset at the end of the day," Kiara told him. "It's always beautiful to see every day. I always wanted someone to see it with me. I'm glad it's you. Do you want to do this every day with me, Nuka?"
"Y-Yeah! I would love that!"
Kiara nuzzles the cub's head after he agrees. "Thank you, Nuka."
"Thank you, Azra!"
Nuka was shocked after what he just said to Kiara. He lowered his head in disappointment and tried not to look at the lioness. Kiara lowers to Nuka level and draws his face to hers. "Nuka, who's Azra," she asks him.
"She's my older sister," he told her. "She was always there for me for my whole life. She had always taken good care of me when my parents weren't there for me. She's more of a mother to me than my actual mom."
Tears began to drip from the cub's eyes as he's describing his sister. "Now… that I can never go back to the outland… I can never see her ever again… I can never see my… my…"
Nuka is sobbing over the fact that he can never see his old sister again. Kiara immediately drew the young cub to her and began nuzzling his cheek, calming him down. "It's okay," she kept telling him. "Everything will be okay."
"I-I just don't understand why this is happening to me?! I may not have a perfect home or perfect parents… but I had the perfect brother and sisters! And now… I lost everything!"
Kiara kept nuzzling the sobbing young cub till he calmed down. "I am so sorry that happened to you, Nuka," the lioness said. "But don't be sad. You're living with us now. You are a part of the pride and part of our family."
"R-Really?"
"Yes. Also, I am sure that one day you will see your siblings again."
"A-Are you sure?"
"I just know it. Remember that family will always be united and strong as long as they have faith. Never forget that, Nuka."
Finally, Nuka smiles at Kiara as he's wiping the tears from his eyes. "Kiara, why are you so nice to me?"
"Because you're the kindest and sweetest little cub I've ever met. Also, you're so adorable," she laughs as she nuzzles Nuka cheek as the cub is laughing.
"Thank you, Kiara!"
"You're welcome, Nuka." Kiara got up and brought Nuka down to the ground. "Come on. It's getting dark. We should head back right now."
"Okay!" Nuka and Kiara head back home for a good rest with their family.
Once they had arrived at the pride rock, they found Simba was waiting for them to return. Nuka was very nervous about the way the king was looking at him, but Kiara calmed him down by nuzzling his cheek. "Is there something wrong father," the lioness asked.
"No," he responded. "Nothing is wrong, Kiara. I have brought some food for the family if you're hungry."
"Thank you, father."
The two were about to head inside, until Simba stop Nuka and told Kiara, "You can go on ahead. I just wanted to talk to Nuka alone."
"Okay, I'll see you inside you two!"
After the kind lioness heads into their cave, Nuka and Simba are alone. The young cub is even more nervous now that he's alone with Kiara's father. The king turns to the view of all of the prideland. "Come and look at this, Nuka," he told him. The cub went over and sat next to the king. "This is my kingdom. It's so beautiful and peaceful. This is my father's work. As his son, I must maintain the peace to respect him."
"It sounds like you're afraid that you would displease your dad," Nuka responded.
"Yeah. I am. Even though my dad would still be proud of me no matter what I do as king, I am still afraid that I would ruin his judgment over me. I really love my dad so much."
"I wished your dad was my dad."
"Nuka, I am so sorry for what has happened to you. No lion cub should ever go through the pain and torture you had gone through."
"It's alright, your majesty. I wished I could've had better parents like you and your wife. Then, I would've had a perfect family."
"Well, you're part of our family now. We will take good care of you, Nuka. Now, time to get some rest."
Before Simba heads inside, Nuka immediately stops by saying, "Wait, your majesty!" The lion king stops and listens to the cub. "Do you remember that day when outlanders were trying to steal your food?"
"How did you-"
"I was with them."
Simba was shocked when he heard what Nuka just said. "What?"
"We weren't trying to steal your food. My brother and sister were trying to teach me how to hunt. When you arrived, they accidentally left me behind and… I heard what you said. I was so scared of you that if you found out that I was there… then you would've killed me."
Then, the lion king stared at Nuka with an angry look on his face, causing the young cub to shiver in fear. He drew his paw to the cub and drew him to him so that he could hug him. "I am so sorry for you to hear that," he apologized. "I was so angry at what Scar has done that I took my anger at those who follow him. I didn't mean for someone like you to hear it. Can you ever forgive me?"
"It-It's alright. I forgive you. I'm sure you didn't mean it. I'm sure you were upset with whatever my dad did to your land."
"Thank you, Nuka." The moment ended when Nuka's stomach began to growl. "Since when was the last time you ate?!"
"For like… three days ago?"
"Why didn't you say anything," he chuckles. "Go inside and get something to eat! A lion should always have food to eat to keep up his strength."
"Yes, your majesty!"
Finally, Nuka rushes inside and searches for the food. He spotted a torn zebra leg just for him. He dived in and began devouring the food quickly. Simba roams past him and tells him as he's laughing, "Slow down Nuka! It's not going anywhere."
"Yes sir!"
"Good night, Nuka."
"Good night!"
After he had finished eating his meal, he went over to Kiara and slept next to her. The lioness wrapped her paws around him and drew him closer to her. Nuka nuzzles her paws and heads to sleep. Finally, Nuka has found a perfect family and a perfect home that he can call his own.
Nuka woke up and found himself in the same dark shadowy mist that he had before. He knew what was going to happen and tried to wake up. He kept biting his tail, pinching his ears, and knocking his head on the ground. Sadly, no matter what he did he couldn't wake up.
Suddenly, a monstrous voice roared behind the lion cub and spoke, "What's up termite!" Nuka turned around and spotted a young adult who looked exactly like Kion. "What a pathetic cub like you doing out here without having someone with you so he can eat you!"
The lion dove in for the kill but Nuka dodge him and ran away from him. The cub ran so far away that he couldn't see the savage lion's presence in the mist. Out of nowhere, two shadowy lionesses emerge from the mist and stop the young cub.
The two lionesses looked exactly like Zuri and Tiifu. The lioness who looked like Zuri crawls slowly towards Nuka as she's smiling sinisterly. "I'm glad you came here," she growled. "It has been ages since we ate a weak and delicious lion cub like you!"
The lioness who looked like Tiifu roared to grab Nuka's attention and spoke as she snarled, "You're so adorable I could just eat you up… AND MAYBE I WILL!!"
Luckily, Nuka made a run for it before the two lionesses could attack him. The young cub managed to escape from the lioness by losing them in the mist. Suddenly, an adult lioness emerges from the mist and grabs Nuka's body with her teeth. She threw him to the ground and held him down with her paw.
The little cub has a good look at his attacker and she looks exactly like Nala. "You're the sweetest little thing that I have ever met," she laughs sinisterly. "Too bad that I have to devour your adorable body!"
The adult lioness drove in to kill him, but Nuka dodge as he ran underneath her and escaped. As the young cub runs for his life, he looks around at his surroundings for more lions. Suddenly, he stops in the presence of a lion's body. The little cub moves towards the body cautiously and gasps when he sees the face of the body… It's Kiara.
The lion cub rushes to the lioness's body and tries to wake her up. "Kiara," Nuka cries. "Kiara wake up, please! Please wake up! Kiara! Kiara!" Sadly, Kiara isn't waking up no matter how many times the little cub begged her… she's dead.
Before he could have time to mourn, Nuka was suddenly knocked away by an enraged lion. When he picks himself up, the lion who knocked him off is none other than Simba. The lion king stared angrily, with red eyes, at the young and roared, "You did this! You killed her!"
"No," the little cub gasps in horror. "No! I didn't do this to her! I would never hurt Kiara! I love her!"
"Liar! You outlanders can never be trusted! Especially the one who's the son of Scar! We welcome you to our home, care for you, love you, treat you as if you were one of our own, and this is how you repaid us!"
"Please," Nuka begs as tears run down his cheeks, "you have to believe me! I would never hurt Kiara! I swear-"
"LIAR," Simba yelled as he smacked Nuka's face away from him. The enraged king held down the little cub and roared, "I WILL SHOW YOU OUTLANDERS WHAT HAPPENED IF YOU DARE ATTACK MY PRIDE!!"
"Please! I beg of you! Please, don't kill me!"
"THIS IS FOR KILLING MY DAUGHTER!" Finally, Simba sinks his claws at Nuka… killing him.
"NUKA!! NUKA PLEASE!! WAKE UP!!"
Kiara is trying to wake up the little cub by shaking him as he was crying in fear. "PLEASE," Nuka begs in his sleep. "PLEASE I BEG YOU!! PLEASE!!"
"NUKA!! IT'S ALRIGHT!! YOU ARE SAFE!! PLEASE WAKE UP!! PLEASE!!"
Finally, Nuka wakes from his horrific nightmare with tears in his eyes. As he's catching his breath, he looks up at Kiara with a concerned look on her face. "Nuka, are you okay," she asked worriedly. The lion cub responded by rushing to the lioness and nuzzling her fur as he was crying. She comforted him by nuzzling his head and told him, "Shh… it's alright. It's alright, Nuka. It's okay. Nothing is going to hurt you."
Simba and Nala are woken from the disturbance and check on their daughter. "Kiara, are you alright," Simba asked her with concern. "We heard screaming!"
"It's alright. Nuka had a nightmare."
"What," Nala gasps. She went over and lay beside Nuka. "Is he alright?"
"I'm sure he will be but he was so scared like… as if something was trying to kill him."
"Nuka," Nala calls him. "Nuka. Are you okay, sweetie?"
When Nuka turns to the queen, he immediately spotted an evil version of her from his nightmare and looked away in fear. They were very concerned and confused about what the little cub had just done. "Nuka," Simba tries to get his attention. "Please tell us what's wrong?" The little cub did the same thing to the king but he whimpered and shivered in complete horror.
They all stared back at one another trying to figure out what was wrong with him. Simba immediately exited the cave as he told them, "I'm going to get Rafiki. Maybe he can tell me what's wrong with Nuka. Just stay with him until I get back."
After Simba left the cave, Nala and her daughter stayed by the lion cub's side and comforted him. The queen began to nuzzle and lick Nuka's head, trying to calm him down. "You're going to be alright, Nuka," the lioness calms him. "Simba getting a dear friend of ours to help you. You'll be better soon."
The little cub tries to look at the queen but when he looks directly at her he keeps seeing her like a monster from his nightmare. Kiara kept comforting the poor cub with a worried look on her face. "Oh Nuka," she said anxiously. "I just don't know what's wrong with him, mother."
"Don't worry, Kiara. Soon, your father will be back with Rafiki and everything will be fine."
"Are you sure?"
"It's alright. Don't forget that he used to serve your grandfather. He'll know how to help Nuka."
Later, Simba and Rafiki both head to the cave to figure out what's wrong with Nuka. "I really appreciate this, Rafiki," the lion king told his shaman. "I'm really sorry for waking you up this late but he really needs your help."
"It isn't a bother, my king," the mandrill told him. "I would do anything for you and your family. However…" The shaman hit Simba in the head with his staff. "Why didn't you tell me that you have another cub," he shouts with joy. "We must alert everyone that the new royal blood has been born!"
"No! No! He isn't my cub! He was a lost cub my daughter found in the forest. We brought him in and let him live with me and my family. We need you to check on him. I don't know why, but I think he's really sick or something."
"You have nothing to fear. I will see if the little cub is ill or not." Before they enter the cave, Rafiki immediately spotted Nuka shivering in Kiara's paws. The shaman stopped the king and told him with a stern face, "That lion cub is from the outland!"
"Y-Yes," Simba nodded with a worried look.
"You and your family are taking care of an outlander and accept him for your pride?!"
"Y-Yes."
He stared at Simba for a while, until he laughed and shouted for joy. "Oh, Simba! You're uniting the kingdom! Well done, Simba! Well done, my boy! HAHAHA!"
"No. No, I am not. Listen, he's not a plain outlander." The mandrill tilts his head confused. "He is the son of Scar."
"What," he said, shocked. "He is Scar's son?" The lion king nodded. "Why is he living in the prideland?"
"He told us that Scar tried to kill him in the Elephant graveyard, but he escaped after being saved by an unknown lioness."
"Was it…" The ape clears his throat and whispers to Simba, "Was it her?"
"I don't know. Could be. Anyway, my daughter and her friends found him all alone and brought him here."
"And I assume Scar has given him that scar."
"I'm afraid so."
"After the year Scar and his followers were banished from the prideland… that beast never changes."
"That's what scares me."
Rafiki looks back at his king and sees only doubt and fear upon his face. Knowing that Simba is afraid of Scar and that he's planning to attack the prideland once again. He comforts the lion by patting his side and telling him, "Come now. Let us check on that little lion."
When they entered the cave, Kiara was so relieved to see her father and the shaman. "Dad," she whispers. "I'm so glad that you're back." She turns to the mandrill, "Thank you so much for coming, Rafiki."
"You're very welcome, princess," the shaman bowed to her. "Now, let's see the young cub."
Kiara began nuzzling the little cub to wake him up. "Nuka," she whispered to him. "Please wake up." The lion cub yawned as he had awakened and begun rubbing his eyes. "Nuka, we have a friend of ours here to help you with your nightmares. He's right in front of you."
When the little cub turned and looked up to the mandrill, he was immediately scared by his face and immediately hid in Kiara's paws. Rafiki sat down in front of him and spoke peacefully, "You have nothing to fear, my little cub. I will not harm you. I am here to make you feel healthy and not sickie sickie. You can trust me. Watch."
The young cub looked back at the shaman again and he was immediately scared by mandrill's angry look. Until, Rafiki slides his hand down his face to turn from an angry face to a goofy face, causing Nuka to smile. He kept making a bunch of silly faces making the little lion giggle.
"You see. You can trust me." Nuka emerges from Kiara's warmth and sits in front of the shaman. "Now, tell goofy Rafiki what's wrong so he can help you."
The little cub's smile turned into a frown as he stepped forward to the shaman. "I had a nightmare," he told Rafiki, scared.
"And what was your nightmare about?"
The lion cub looks at Kiara and Simba before turning his attention back to the bamboo. "Is it okay if I tell you somewhere private? It's really personal."
Simba looks back at his daughter and his shaman about the situation with Nuka. He nodded to Rafiki and told him, "Go on outside. We will wait right here."
"Thank you, my king," Rafiki bowed to the lion king and headed outside.
Before he follows the shaman, Kiara grabs Nuka and gives him a gentle nuzzle on his head. "I'll be right here when you come back," she whispered to him. After she was done comforting him, she let the little lion go and joined Rafiki outside.
When the lion cub exited the cave, he found the bamboo outside in a meditation position as he's waiting patiently for him. "Now, tell me little cub," Rafiki told him as he was breaking his pose. "What was your nightmare about… and why do you wish to talk to me alone?"
Nuka sat down as he took a deep breath before telling his nightmare. "My nightmare is about Kiara and her family." Rafiki was shocked by what the young lion cub just said. "I was in a very dark fog and there were these monstrous lions. Those lions are Kiara's family: the king, the queen, her brother, and her two friends. They just wanted to kill me after saying horrible words at me.
"What's even more terrifying is… in my nightmare… I found Kiara dead." Nuka began to shed tears before resuming. "I tried to wake her up, I tried to push her, I tried everything, but… she died. And before I woke up, her dad blamed me for causing her death, and… he killed me."
Nuka began to shiver in fear as he was crying after he was done telling his nightmare. The wise mandrill walked over to the poor cub and pet his head for comfort. "Why are you worried about this nightmare, little cub," he asked him.
"Be-Because I'm afraid that Kiara might die. And I may have caused it."
"Why would you think such a thing?"
"Because this happened before."
"What do you mean?"
"I had a similar nightmare back in the outland and it actually happened."
"I'm afraid that I do not follow?"
"In my previous nightmare, my family was monsters and they hurt me. My father gave me this scar and said that I was a disgrace to the family name before he killed me."
"It sounds very true of what you have said, but you have forgotten one little detail… you are alive."
"I-I am, aren't I?"
"Of course, your nightmare came true but you are still alive!"
"But what about Kiara?! If that nightmare came true, what about this one?! I don't want anything bad to happen to her because of me."
"It could be a lie, a mistake, a little one. It might not gonna happen."
"What do you mean?"
"Your nightmare you said that your father has killed you, but you have managed to escape from him. If all of your nightmares have happened, you wouldn't be here, to begin with. Thus, not all of your nightmares will come true."
"How would you know?"
"I don't. I may be a shaman, but I cannot read the future. Life has plans for all of us. It decides our path and where it will lead us. We just have to have faith in ourselves and move forward. Do you understand?"
Nuka just stood there while still stressed about his nightmares and fears about what might happen to Kiara. After a minute or two of thinking, he nodded at Rafiki and accepted his wisdom. "Thank you, mister."
"You're welcome, little cub," he said as he was petting the little cub back. "Now, I believe that you need some resting. They need you to wake up in the morning."
"Okay. Thank you." Before he returns to Kiara and her family, he stops and turns back to the shaman before he leaves. "Wait! Will my nightmare come back again when I go to sleep?!"
The bamboo turns to him and responds, "Did it happen to you in your first one?" The lion cub shook his head. "Then, there's your answer." He waved goodbye to Nuka before heading off.
Finally, Nuka smiles as he returns to the other lions and lays in Kiara's paws, causing her to wake up. "Ha Nuka," she greeted him tiredly. "Are you feeling okay?"
"I feel great. Sorry, I woke you up."
"Aw. It's okay, Nuka." She nuzzles his forehead with hers. "I'm just happy to see you feeling okay. Now, time to get some rest."
"Okay." He rested in the caring paws of Kiara and whispered, "Goodnight Kiara. I love you."
"Goodnight Nuka. I love you too." Kiara licks the lion cub's head before drifting off to slumber.
Before he could do the same, Nuka's smile slowly turned into a frown. He's still frightened by his nightmare and the possibility of what's going to happen to Kiara. Finally, he rested his head on the princess's paws and went to sleep.
