~Chapter 2~
The secret meetings continued between the two young cubs. Though the meetings didn't come without difficulty. Kiara missed a planned meet up when Timon and Pumbaa crossed her path on her way to the border of the Outlands. Kovu showed up when she didn't and began to wonder if she had forgotten him. Simba had made it difficult for his young cub to sneak off alone, but Kiara was more clever than her parents gave her credit for. Kovu was relieved to say the least when she showed up at the next meeting.
"What took you?" Kovu whined when she finally was able to come, "I was wondering if you forgot me."
"Not a chance, Kovu." Kiara replied shaking her head, "My father has been really hard to shake these days."
"Get used to it, I feel like my mother doesn't trust me either."
"Should we not meet up? I don't want to cause you trouble."
"Not at all…" Kovu replied bending down looking ready to pounce, "Besides getting into trouble isn't the hard part…"
"Well, what is the hard part?"
"My training...mother keeps mentioning a plan to avenge a fallen lion, but she hasn't really told me much detail about it yet."
"Any idea who?"
"Nope, but in any case, my mother is adamant I follow through on it, but not until I'm older."
"Sounds like a lot of pressure…" Kiara said solemnly.
"Could be worse." Kovu shrugged.
"I know how to get your mind off it…" Kiara said playfully wagging her tail crouching low.
"And what's that?"
"Tag you're it!" Kiara exclaimed bopping Kovu on the nose with her paw.
She laughed as she turned to run, but stopped when she realized Kovu wasn't following her. He looked at her confused.
"Hey, what's the matter? It's only a game. Lighten up." She insisted.
"Mother doesn't like games, she says it makes me lose focus."
"Well then, it's not a game. Think of it as more training. Try and catch me, Kovu!" Kiara jeered and took off in a sprint into the tall grasses. She knew the best places where she would be camouflaged the best. Kiara factored in she probably couldn't outrun him, but maybe she could outsmart him. He lost track of her for a few moments, but then surprised her by jumping from behind pinning her to the ground bopping her nose this time.
"Gotcha!" He smiled proudly.
"Now, I'm it." Kiara laughed.
Though their fun didn't last. Kovu stuck his nose in the air and his ears perked up to something approaching, but was soon followed by a voice.
"Kiara, it's time to come home."
Kiara's ears drooped hearing her mother Nala's voice.
"Sorry, Kovu, I gotta go. See you same time tomorrow?"
"Will you be there?"
"You know I will unless I'm forced to have an escort. My daddy has really been intense lately."
"Tomorrow then." Kovu nodded as he watched Kiara bound off toward the direction of Pride Rock. Kovu groaned wishing there was more time. He loved spending time with Kiara because it distracted him from the pressures he faced from his own family. It was a rough life, but the only he had and nothing about it could possibly change. Being an Outsider marked him and all the judgment he received just by association.
When he returned home to the termite mound, his sister Vitani bounded right up to him.
"You're in trouble, mother has been looking for you." She taunted.
"What did you tell her?" Kovu said nervously.
"I know nothing. Why? Have something to confess?" Vitani said crouching low playfully.
She leapt toward her brother, but he saw it coming easily and ducked as she pounced missing him completely.
"You need to work on your timing." Kovu said.
"Tch, whatever." Vitani said rolling her eyes.
Kovu's ears fell when he heard Zira growl for him to come inside the mound.
"You're gonna get it." Vitani chanted.
"KOVU!" Zira yelled impatiently.
He quickly ran inside to find his mother who stared him down as he came around the corner of the cave.
"Where have you been?" Zira grumbled.
"I-I was uh... patrolling the borders." He lied quickly.
The lie was thought up quick, but Kovu didn't think there was a way he could deceive his mother, but little did he know that he could hardly do no wrong in her eyes. As the heir to the pride of Outsiders, Zira would soon tell her son all about the destiny that would await him as he grew up. Though until then, it would be intense training in preparation for what she had planned. Zira had to be patient and she knew it.
"We'll discuss your border patrols later, but for now, you should sleep. After all, you must be exhausted." She said nudging her son to the top of a tree stump where he usually slept.
"Goodnight my little prince. Your journey has only begun."
Kovu hopped up on the tree stump circling a couple of times before slumping down to sleep. He wasn't tired, but sleep took him sooner than he expected.
Kovu bounded across the Outlands as if the entire territory was his own personal playground. He had a brother and sister, Nuka and Vitani, but they were always hunting and Vitani was constantly on lookout duty along the borders. Not that anything would wander into their lands with minimal food and water to be had. The Outsiders constantly went to sleep thirsty and hungry. It was an exceptionally hot day when a Pride Lander stumbled into his path. She accidentally bumped into him and both the two cubs growled defensively. She tried to skirt around him though never taking her eyes off him. Her guard never came down as his face softened and he stood up relaxing a bit.
"You sure act funny." He teased, "What are you even doing?"
The Pride Lander didn't relax at all glaring at him and growling instinctively.
"My father says never to turn your back on an Outsider."
"Wow tame, bet you always do what your daddy says."
"No!" She growled.
"If you were like me, you wouldn't need anybody." Kovu replied standing proudly, "After all, I can take care of myself."
"As if, you're a cub, same as me." She retorted.
"What's your name?" He asked curiously.
"It's Kiara, if you must know."
"I'm Kovu. What are you doing over here anyway? You're either brave or stupid."
Kiara's stance softened a bit as she sat herself down in the dirt, but glaring at Kovu feeling pretty annoyed at this point.
"My father Simba taught me well. I can take on anything!" She said confidently flicking her tail in his face.
"Is that a challenge?" Kovu smirked.
"What do you think?" Kiara said as she lunged to pin him to the ground missing as he ducked simply.
"So predictable."
As Kiara shook herself from her embarrassment, she got up to try again with no hesitation. This time she landed him on his back, but only momentarily as his hind legs launched her off him. Both cubs growling now, but suddenly Kovu stopped his ears perking up to an additional noise.
"Hey, I'm over here." Kiara jeered, noticing Kovu's distractedness.
"Quiet." Kovu snapped glancing around.
Suddenly, leaves from the nearby baobab tree began to shake coming loose falling from above. As the two cubs looked up curiously, they saw a vicious predator climbing down the tree after them. A large, vicious leopard with long sharp fangs and yellow eyes fixated on them. Both the young lion cubs looked on in fear but stood their ground. Kovu courageous stepped in front of Kiara protectively.
"The princess of the Pride Lands and Zira's cub from the Outlands have wandered into my path. Now I don't have to go search for my dinner." The leopard said as he landed just in front of the cubs beside the tree.
"Stay back!" Kovu growled standing firm ground.
Internally, trembling, but didn't want to look cowardly. Still a cub after all.
"Leave us alone!" Kiara growled.
Kovu swiped his paw at the leopard and just barely grazed the predators' leg. Angrier now, Kiara and Kovu took off back the way they came.
"Faster Kiara!" Kovu urged.
The leopard was coming up on their hind legs in no time at all. A leopard wasn't a cheetah to compete in speed but still outmatched two young lion cubs. They found themselves running up against a steep cliff edge lying just against the border to the elephant graveyard. Kiara slipped on some loose rocks and began to fall before she dug her claws into the rock wall, but couldn't get her grip. Kiara kept scrambling and Kovu tried to pull her up by the nape of her neck, but the big slab of rock beneath his paws began to give way. In seconds, the two cubs fell down plummeting to their death as Kovu cried out in fear.
Kovu stirred awake panicked from the nightmare that snapped him back to reality. He steadied his uneven breaths as he glanced around worried if anyone saw him wake up in such a state. Once he calmed down a bit, he lay his head back down in his bed in silence, unable to fall back asleep. The nightmare was almost exactly accurate for what transpired between him and Kiara a month ago. Though Simba and Zira were the ones who saved their cubs that day from the rogue leopard. Life had teased Kovu introducing him to someone new to his world, but of course, Kiara was a Pride Lander. Ever since that day, the two cubs promised to meet up in secret and Kovu looked forward to each and every meeting. It was the one time every day they met up that he felt he could be himself.