Chapter 2


She listened to the wind that continued to howl outside the place she had sought shelter from the storm just days prior. But that storm had long since passed. Now the clouds were dispersed and the sun shining bright through like it was chasing away the very darkness of what happened that dreadful night.

But it was not a rainstorm that was howling now. But that of a different kind of storm. A more deadly storm as Kumai saw it.

Sandstorms had always been something she loathed. When they had travelled for that time after the fall of their pride they had crossed barren lands where sandstorms were common. One had nearly buried them alive. To this very day she could not stomach one and to be in the middle of one unnerved her.

But least she had shelter this time around to shield her from it. But watching it blow by the entrance of the small cave she had found to hide away in, still tied knots in her already tight stomach. It had been nearly a week since Hawa's death…nearly a week since they had been banished from the Pridelands.

A whole week where Kumai had not once gotten more then an hour or two of sleep a night. It was hard to sleep when the images of your dead sister entered your dreams or at times she thought she heard Hawa's voice calling out to her in her dreams begging her to help save her. Each and every time she would wake shaking in cold sweat.

But dreaming of her beloved sister was not all of Kumai's problems. Drawing her eyes from the raging storm of dust that clouded her view of everything outside, she laid her gaze upon the small ball of brown and white fur which was curled up against her side fast asleep. Just like she had been for hours at a time each passing day.

There resting beside her like there was nothing to fear from her at all was the offspring of her enemy.

Over the course of the week she had been debating with herself about why she had taken the cub from the Pridelands rather just killing the cub. But there was still something inside her that she knew it would eat at her if she were to kill a cub but that didn't stop her from acting out her revenge in her own way. When Kumai had first gotten her perfect idea of revenge, she had stolen the cub away from the Pridelands and had slipped out past the border to seek out a place to hide for the time being.

She had managed to find a cave which an entrance that was small but she was able to crawl through it after getting down low onto her stomach. It was after that, that Kumai had gotten to work on cleaning the cub in order to dry her off and clean the cub's wounds. Most people would think it was crazy to do everything in order to keep your enemy's cub alive. She couldn't kill the cub but she could have let the cub die from sickness.

But yet she didn't instead she worked until she was sure the cub would live. After cleaning the cub, she had wrapped her body around the cub in order to keep her warm. It had been a rocky night but Kumai had managed it. She had managed to keep the cub alive.

She had stayed there in the cave throughout that night. Waiting for it to pass over before she slipped out from to find out what had happened to the others. But before that, she had taken the cub into a back part of the cave and hid her much like how she had found her at the Eastern border inside the caves where the Queen had tried to hide the cubs. She told the cub to stay quite and she would return shortly.

After that she had gone to track down her pride. Only it wasn't her that found them but Asma who had found her and taken Kumai to where much to her surprise the pride now was calling home. It was around then that she discovered what had happened after she had run away…


Kumai slipped out of the cave. Stopping to take a look around to see if the cost was clear. Once she was sure it was secure to leave the cave, she began making her way back toward the borders of the Pridelands. She was both in a hurry to find out what had happened to her pride and not so in a hurry to face Zira.

She wasn't sure how her opposed Queen would feel to her running off the way she had.

And for the fact that she hadn't returned the very same night made her wonder how Zira would feel about that also. The entire night she had worried about the outcome of what would happen to her pride while she kept herself safe and warm inside that cave trying to keep the cub of Simba and Zuri alive.

All through the night she wondered if any of them suffered the same fate as her sister.

That was what made her suddenly cautious as she approached the border of the Pridelands. Keeping herself downwind so that her scent would not attract any unwanted attention. But just as she approached the border, Kumai suddenly caught a scent on the wind. A familiar scent that made her smile because it made her know that this someone whose scent she caught was alive.

But what confused her was that the scent was coming from the wrong direction. It wasn't coming from the Pridelands and it was a fresh scent. What confused her more was it was coming from a place she wasn't expecting it. The Outlands. Why would Asma be out in the Outlands?

Taking in the sight of the green flourishing Pridelands, where in the distance shining like a beacon was Pride Rock. Kumai tore her gaze away from it and instead now decided to follow the scent and where it would lead her. It was the further she went from the Pridelands border and closer to the scent that she discovered it wasn't just Asma's scent in the air. But that of the others of her pride. Asma confused her enough but the others was another story entirely.

She followed her pride sister's scent until Kumai literally found herself atop of her. Jumping up rock by rock. Kumai stared down over the top to find herself gazing down at Asma who at the moment seemed to be tearing pieces of meat from the rotting corpse of a zebra. The smell of the meat though rotting made her stomach rumble.

"Asma?"

She watched as her pride sister suddenly stopped tearing the meat apart and suddenly tense up like she was expecting to be attacked. But Asma soon seemed to recognize the voice of who had called out for her and head whipping upwards her eyes wider then ostrich eggs. "Kumai…what…we thought…where were you!?"

Gripping the rocks with her paws, Kumai took her time to carefully climb down. Once she was safely on the ground she threw her arm around the other lioness, hooking her neck around Asma's who was glad to return the favour. The two stayed like that for a few seconds till they parted.

"What are you doing out here?" Kumai demanded. "It's dangerous in the Outlands!"

"I should be the one asking the questions Kumai…where did you disappear too last night…we could have used your help…" Asma stared at her sternly but she couldn't keep the stare she was just too full of concern as to where Kumai had disappeared too the night before. A few of them had worried that she had been killed as well when she didn't turn up during the night and none of their searches for her came up with anything.

"What do you mean you could have used my help…what happened?" Kumai asked looking over Asma that's when she noticed she was sporting minor wounds. Wounds she hadn't seen on her pride sister when she last saw her. "What happened?" she repeated more forcefully this time.

Sighing, Asma closed her eyes not sure how to explain what had happened but after taking a deep breath she reopened her eyes and started. "After you ran off…Zira went on to say that all this that happened was Simba's fault…if he hadn't returned Scar wouldn't be dead and Hawa would still be alive…she went onto say how they would send us away from the place we came to call home. She convinced us to attack Simba…and we did…but in the end we were overpowered…he threatened to kill Zira if we didn't back down…after that he went on to banish us from the Pridelands…but not just the Pridelands…Kumai he said he send word to other lands so that we may never be welcomed in another pride again…" Asma rambled on with a quiver in her voice.

After they had left the Pridelands the night before, it was distressing. Vitani had been a wreck the entire way, Nuka and Kovu just as much but none cried more than Vitani. All had demanded to know why they were being sent away from the Pridelands, all three of them more importantly wanted to know what happened to the Queen they loved and to their best friend. But no one could give them answers. Zira hadn't spoken a word since they stepped foot out of the Pridelands.

It was Spotty who sent them out to find as much food as they possibly could. None knew when their next meal would be and so they had to stock up she said.

Kumai stood there in shock at what she had heard. What had Zira been thinking?

Sending them all out against Simba and his pride. They could have died. They all could have died.

All Kumai could think was that getting them banished was the easy way out. Zira had killed the royals, Simba could have easily killed them in return. Shaking her head to clear it Kumai reached out and laid her paw on Asma's giving her a small smile. "Least none of you are dead…I already lost Hawa…It would have destroyed me to know I lost all I loved and protected…." hooking her arm around Asma again she nuzzled her to show her how much she cared about her being alive.

"Now it's your turn to answer my questions…" Asma stated pulling away from her pride sister. "What happened after you ran…where did you go?"

"I think that would be better explained to all of you at once…" Kumai insisted looking around them. Turning back to Asma she added. "Take me to where you are staying…then I'll explain everything…and I mean everything…" Kumai wasn't sure how she was going to explain she had one of Simba's cubs. Especially too Zira. She wanted to use the cub for her own gain and she could only hope that Zira saw the genius to her plan rather then jump the gun and kill the cub on sight.

Eyeing the other lioness Asma could see that Kumai was hiding something and wanted to know what it was. But she could also see that she wasn't about to tell her what it was until they were all together to hear it. Sighing, she nodded her head. "Fine…but Zira hasn't spoken since last night…I don't know how angry she will be that you ran off like that…but I'll take you. We're a good distance from here but we managed to find a place to live and hide out the heat…it's not much…but it's good enough for now…" turning, Asma began to pick up the chunks of meat she been previously tearing off the carcass.

From the corner of her eyes she could see Kumai had stepped up beside her to help her carry the food. Giving her a look of thanks, she turned and began leading the other lioness off toward where they had taken shelter the night before. It wasn't that great a place but it had gotten them out of the rain and then out of the sun when it started to shine.

Kumai followed along behind Asma, her mouth full of rotted meat that almost made her way to gag. She was still shocked to find out they had been banished but still it was more suitable to her then it was to be killed. Her plan may not have worked then if it was just her going along with it.

Her eyes lifted when she soon caught sight of a structure appearing overhead that they were approaching. Here she could smell just about all of her pride. But she came to a halt when she came to realize just exactly what it was that she was looking at.

A termite mound.

They were hiding out in a termite mound?

Even if she done the decency of finding a cave. But taking a look around her, she could see that there really was very little cave system around the barren wasteland. Where she had gone to hide the cub had been more in the location of the northern border where there was a small rocky area for her to hide in.

Here there was nothing but barren land and termite mounds for the eye to see. And what little trees she could see looked long since dead.

Her attention was drawn forward when she suddenly heard someone calling out her name.

"Kumai!"

Kumai felt relief wash over her when she saw her pride sisters all come running toward her. But not just them but three cubs that she had come to adore over the years. When she was close enough she set down the meat she been carrying and smiled as each of them greeted her.

"There you are! We all were beginning to think you were dead!"

"Where have you been? You had us all worried!"

"Don't you ever run off like that again!"

Chuckling dryly, Kumai shook her head before she bent her head to nuzzle the cubs in greeting. She took note of how tired they were and just how red Vitani's eyes were telling her that the cub had been crying. A lot. And recently. "What matters is I am back and I'm safe." she whispered lifting her head to look at each of her pride sisters.

She noticed that Baya was still limping from her fight with the Queen the night before but that didn't stop the lioness from coming to greet her.

"What happened to you?" Spotty asked pushing her way through the others to look Kumai in the face. "We were all worried about you. We thought something must have happened…we all thought you were de…" she cut herself off when she took notice that the cubs were trying to hear what she had to say. None of them had spoken to the cubs about what had happened the night before…none were sure how they were going to take to the news of Hawa's death. The news of Zuri's and Kopa's deaths had made the cubs loose a night of sleep to begin with. The boys seemed to mope now rather than shed tears but Vitani was just a bundle of sobs.

Kumai sighed. Feeling suddenly guilty that she had made them worry. It wasn't her intentions but she had her own plans she had to put into effect. And first that started with keeping the cub she kidnapped alive.

"Well…" she started when another voice cut her off.

"KUMAI!"

The lioness felt like every hair on her body was standing on end at the tone that echoed in Zira's voice when she called her name. She watched as Baya was suddenly issuing the cubs back inside the termite mound much to their constant protests of wanting to know what was going on.

Bracing herself, Kumai turned to face the one who called her name. Bowing her head when she saw Zira storming her way over. "Forgive me Zira…I…"

"How dare you leave us to face Simba alone! Look at us now! I should have you punished for leaving your pride at their darkest hour!" Zira hollered when she stopped in front of the other lioness. She watched as Kumai kept her eyes on the ground. For a moment she thought she had broken the other lioness, it was not often Kumai dared to act so submissive and Zira found it oddly pleasing. It was what she wanted. To break the lioness and put her under her very will. That was the point of killing Hawa and blaming it on the Pridelanders.

"Forgive me Zira…I was distraught at seeing what those beasts did to my sister…I went to try and hunt them down myself. I wanted revenge for Hawa. She did not deserve to die the way she did!" Kumai started to explain, a well rehearsed speech she spent a majority of the night thinking up. "But I had happened upon…something much more…"

She watched as both Zira's eyebrows shot up at the mention of her finding something that would have been more important. "And what exactly would this be Kumai? To abandon your sisters in their time of need. We had the chance to fight for the Pridelands…"

"A cub Zira."

"A cub!" Dotty growled. "You abandoned us for some useless cub?"

"Not just any cub…but Simba's cub. The brown one. I found her half drowned along side the bank of a river." Kumai fell silent watching as Zira's eyes went wide at the mention of finding one of the cubs. That wide eyed look though was suddenly replaced with a look of pleasure at what Kumai could only suspect was going through the lioness's mind.

"Oh what a glorious day. I missed out on killing Kopa…" Zira snapped her eyes looking at Asma who suddenly looked at the ground. Kumai cast her a glance, wondering why Asma hadn't told her that she had been the one to kill the Prince. She half expected to hear that the Prince was alive and living safely back at Pride Rock. "And I missed killing that other cub…whatever her name was…I heard from some damn squawking birds who were talking about the royals deaths that this little princess still survived…but here I get a whole new chance at killing one more of that tyrants cubs!" Zira laughed her claws digging into the dirt beneath her.

Kumai suddenly found herself biting back a growl. No, she thought. The cub wasn't going to die. That would ruin her plans. Her mind went back to Zira when the lioness asked. "Where is this cub Kumai…I see you don't have her here…I want to kill her…and leave her body at the edge of the Pridelands for Simba to find…draw another wedge into that cold heart of his!"

He wasn't the only one with a cold heart. Kumai thought. But she didn't dare say it out loud. Kumai bowed her head, "I have her hidden in a cave near the northern borders…"

"Perfect! You will lead…"

"No!"

Zira was taken back when Kumai was suddenly in her face. Eyes narrowing, Zira growled watching as Kumai stepped back when she realized her mistake. "No?" Zira repeated. "What do you mean by no?" Stepping toward the other lioness she watched as Kumai took another step back away from her. The others were all standing on the sidelines watching it play out with wide eyes each worrying for Kumai wondering why she was refusing Zira's order. "You dare to keep me from my revenge for my mate!?"

"No…no it's not like that Zira…my Queen…" Kumai stuttered adding the last part knowing it might please Zira. She hadn't been addressed as Queen since before Scar's death. She saw that it worked because Zira stopped her advance on her. "I thought of a plan…a plan that you might be interested my Queen…a plan that would hurt Simba just as much…or perhaps even more if he were to find his other daughter dead…"

She held her breath as she waited for Zira's reaction to this. Kumai watched as Zira seemed to ponder what Kumai said she had to offer. Then slowly Zira waved her paw for her to continue. "Go on Kumai…you've…intrigued me…but it had better be a good plan or else I want that cub dead!"

"Yes my Queen…" Kumai bowed her head and took a deep breath to calm herself and remember what she had planned to say. "Death is only one way to get back at Simba…but then there's a more emotional way…what do you suppose will be Simba's reaction one day…when he finds out his daughter who he thought was dead…was actually alive…and raised to hate him…raised to think that Kovu was the rightful King and he…the enemy…" she clenched her eyes as she awaited Zira's reaction to her idea.

After several minutes she raised her eyes again to see that Zira was watching her intently. Kumai's breath caught in her throat as she expected the opposed Queen to reject her idea when Zira suddenly started to laugh maniacally. Kumai and the others watched Zira cautiously that laugh they heard on many occasion and each time they heard it, it always sent chills down their spines.

"Oh Kumai!" Zira laughed looking straight at the lioness. "And here I thought I was the smart one in this…what a plan…oh yes…what a plan indeed…it would surely destroy that King if he found out his precious daughter in my paws and raised under my influence!" Laughing Zira smirked, "Yes…I believe I can raise her well…"

"My Queen…excuse me for interrupting…but your cubs already know that you are not with cub…it may be suspicious if you turned up with her." Kumai quickly interrupted Zira holding her head high and setting her paws firmly in front of her. "But…I am a good candidate…"

"You?" Zira laughed, "Why should I let you have this cub?"

"Because I can make it look like I left the pride to go give birth…wait a week then come back and say the cub was finally ready to meet everyone…and because I want just as much revenge as you do…I want revenge for my sisters death…and I will do whatever it takes to get it…" Kumai watched as a smirk came over Zira's face.

"You know Kumai…I may have been underestimating you…very well…keep the cub…but remember Kumai…she's the offspring of the enemy…nothing more…nothing less…don't get too attached!"


It was after that, which Kumai returned to the cave. But not alone. Zira and Spotty had accompanied her back. Zira wanted proof that she had the cub. Once she had seen she had the cub, she was pleased. But more pleased when she saw that she had managed to scar the cub. A scar that Spotty asked Kumai how she was going to explain when the cub was brought back to the pride.

Kumai only said to leave it to her. Just make sure the cubs were made to believe that Kumai had secretly been with cub and had left to give birth that was why she was gone. Kumai also suggested that Spotty and the others begin to think of an explanation of why they were exiled and what had happened that night. Even if they had to lie about a part of it. But she urged her to think of something. The cubs had to know why they were exiled. Even if part of it was a lie in order to make the cubs believe they had nothing to do in the death of the Queen and prince they loved.

Asma who had brought food to her a day after told her of what they had come up with to explain to the cubs about what had happened after they explained why Kumai was off giving 'birth' to her cub.

Apparently Zira had been the one to give the cubs the explanation and apparently it had been how Zira had after gathering them had been told that Kumai had gone off to give birth like it had been expected. When the cubs asked why they hadn't been told that Kumai was pregnant, Baya had told the cubs that Kumai wanted it to be a surprise knowing they wanted more playmates and wanted to surprise them. That was when Zira had gone on to explain that she told the others what her cubs had said about Zuri being in danger.

She explained that she may have disagreed with the Queens ruling but she knew her cubs loved the Queen and prince and didn't want them in danger. They had caught the attacker just as it had murdered the Queen and Prince. They had fought off the attacker but by the time Simba and them arrived it had been too late and the attacker had run off.

Seeing them wounded from a fight, the Pridelanders had suspected that it was them who had killed the royals. For that they had killed Hawa before she had the chance to escape and had banished the rest of them.

Kumai had laughed when she heard it from Asma. It was a horrible lie with a lot of holes in it. But apparently the cubs had believed it. Zira did not want her cubs turned against her so the truth would never be told. That was also when Kumai had been told of Zira's plan of having them wait until Kovu was old enough before they would attempt another attack on the throne. Something Kumai thought was wise.

They were down a number. If they waited till the cubs were older then it added to their numbers and perhaps they would be able to take the Pridelanders by then.

Soft mews drew her attention away from her thoughts and back to the present. Turning her attention back to the cub which was nestled against her, her eyes met the one grey and one green eye of the cub. The cub other than for being blind in one eye appeared to be healthy. Well as healthy as a cub without milk could be. Since Kumai could not feed the cub herself or search for a nurse maid, she had decided to wean the cub off early and introduce her to meat.

Since the cubs teeth weren't that sharp, milk teeth really. Kumai would chew whatever food was brought to them and once she was sure it was chewed enough she would set it down for the cub to eat. It was tough but by the third day it seemed the cub was getting the liking to the meat and started to eat it completely after that. But Kumai would still need to chew a good bit of it for her.

"I see you're finally up." Kumai addressed the cub. "I take it your hungry?" when the cub squeaked she knew that was the only answer she would get. The cub was still too young to be able to talk. Nodding, Kumai got to her paws and moved toward where she had stored the mice she had killed the night prior. Behind her she could hear the cub climbing to her paws and padding on after her but from the squeak she knew the cub stumbled again since she had only began to walk two days ago.

Taking three of the mice, she ate them for herself for a moment then taking the last two she chewed them until they were small enough pieces of meat for the cub to chew. Laying the chewed pieces down she sat back on her haunches watching while the cub mewed happily and started to eat till her stomach was full.

Once the cub had enough, like always she would lean back as if trying to sit but her body would be hunched forward. Her eyes looking up at Kumai who had thought the cub would first be afraid of her given how the cub had squeaked at the smell of her. Kumai had her suspicions that perhaps the cub had hit her head harder then she thought. She eyed the bump that was healing just like her cuts on her face were. But it would be the ones on her face she knew would scar the cub for life.

Cub.

That's what she been calling her for a week. But really Kumai didn't know exactly what to call her. So cub was all she had to go by when addressing the little squeaker. It was one of the nicknames that Kumai came to like though tried to force herself to not say it. She felt like it made her too weak, like she was going soft on this cub.

This cub was an object.

A tool for her revenge.

Nothing more.

She wasn't going to allow herself to get close to the cub. But then again…

No! Growling, she stood and shook her head in a disgruntled manner. Turning she stepped around the cub and made her way to the front of the cave where she could see that the sandstorm outside was finally dying down.

Settling herself down on her stomach, she crossed her paws in front of her and stared out into the opening of the cave. She was beginning to go mad staying cooped up in the cave but she knew it was all for the sake of her plan to work. But she was beginning to miss the company of someone she could speak too; the cub with her wasn't much of a talker.

But the company she sought more then anything was her sister. She missed laying beside Hawa as the two of them would talk about anything that came to their mind. Often they would speak of their mother with Hawa always asking her for things on her that Hawa didn't know about given Kumai was older then she was. And their mother was killed when Hawa was only ten months old.

Kumai clenched her eyes shut when she started to feel tears enter her eyes at the thought of her little sister.

Hawa…you didn't deserve that…she thought sadly.

Shaking, Kumai laid her head down on her paws. Some part of her suddenly wished she had stepped into that river that night. Ended her pain and joined her family in the afterlife. But like she had thought then, she knew to be true; if she ended her life on a whim her family would be ashamed of her.

Kumai's eyes snapped open when she felt something nudging up against her head, and tiny paws gripping onto her arm. She wondered how zoned out she had been that she hadn't realized the cub until she was right on top of her. She turned her head enough to eye the cub that was half climbed up onto her arm, staring at her with wide eyes.

"What do you want?" she asked her voice dripping with boredom.

She listened as the cub squeaked and tried to climb further onto her arm and nudge her head against Kumai's again but the lioness lifted her head causing the cub to fumble into the nook both her arms created. She snorted in amusement before she could stop herself. She folded her arms like she had seen Zira do when she had given birth to her arms and watched as the cub squeaked happily.

For some reason, that happy squeak seemed to make Kumai smile. But when she caught herself she forced it away. No, she told herself. Do not get attached.

She jumped a little when she felt something wet touch her arm and looking down she saw that the cub was licking her arm. Her eyebrow rose. The cub stopped however when she caught Kumai staring at her. "What do you want? I thought you already ate…" she sneered.

The cub though didn't seem to be affected by Kumai's sneer instead she smiled and squeaked some more giving Kumai's arm another lick. It was around then that Kumai seemed to think she got the message that the cub was trying to tell her. "Alright…okay…fine…" shaking her head, the lioness adjusted the cub in her arms until she was propped up and then bending her head she started bathe the cub who purred happily at the attention.

Bathing the cub, Kumai began to see why the cub wanted a bath so badly. She sighed to know that other then feeding the cub she had neglected her in other ways for her fur was matted with dirt from a bath she hadn't received in over a week. This for some reason seemed to cause a pang of guilt inside her that Kumai couldn't quite explain. Trying to shake it off she continued to bathe the cub rolling her around in her paws.

When she switched the cub onto her back, the cub suddenly started to squirm in her arms as if bathe time was suddenly some new came to her. "Hold still…" Kumai mumbled trying to clean the cub's underside but was failing much to her contempt. The lioness suddenly reared back growling when she felt the cub kick her in the nose.

Her growls building, she snapped down at the cub "STOP THAT YOU STUPID ROTTEN BALL OF FUR!" The cub then froze in her arms and stared back at Kumai with wide eyes filled with sudden fear. Eyes that were soon started to fill with tears.

It was those tears and look of fear that cut right through Kumai like razor sharp teeth were tearing into her heart. And before she could stop herself, she was quickly cradling the cub back in her arms and nuzzling her with her nose purring softly to try and comfort the cub. "There now…it's okay…I didn't mean it…" she whispered but the cub was squirming and crying now in her arms as if trying to get away from her.

But Kumai kept her close. She wasn't sure what it was that suddenly got to her. But something in her…some deep material instinct she thought she didn't have was yelling at her. Telling her to correct what she had done.

Purring, she continued to nuzzle and lick the cub in order to give it comfort. That was when she found herself humming a tune she hadn't hummed in years.

A lullaby that her mother use to sing to both her and Hawa when they were young.

The lullaby seemed to do the trick for the cub was calming. But still continued to squirm enough. Sighing, Kumai pulled back away from the youngling and stared down at her trying to think of what she could do. Listening to the cubs sniffles she felt her heart seem to soften and grow warm at the sight of the little cub in her paws.

Having a cub had never been on Kumai's mind in the past. Sure she discussed it with the others in her pride when cubs were brought up. But she honestly thought she would never have any. She figured Hawa would be the mother before she ever was. While Kumai would just be the loving aunt.

But as she laid there staring down at the sniffling cub in her paws. She felt warmth she never felt before. Not even when she held Nuka, Kovu or Vitani in the past. But yet here she was holding the cub of who was obviously her enemy and she felt a strange warmth she never thought she could be able to have.

The cub mewed and sniffled staring up at the lioness in front of her. For days she had clung to this lioness. Her scent was familiar but the little cub could not place it. But it made her think like she knew it somewhere and that it meant something. Her little mind could not remember much before she opened her eyes and laid her gaze upon the very one who was holding her at that instant. Before that all she could remember was pain in her head and being wet and cold…very cold.

She had been frightened at first but when the lioness started to care for her that fear started to disappear. But right now she felt that fear again, recoiling at the eyes that were looking down at her. But when a strange noise reached her ears, she started to feel a calming effect on her.

Mewing, she squirmed in the lioness arms until she felt a wet feeling against her stomach.

Kumai ran her tongue along the cub's stomach feeling her stiffen beneath her. She then pulled back and looked down at her with a look of warmth on her face. "There now…see I'm sorry little one…I didn't mean to frighten you…" she cooed bending her head to nuzzle her nose against the cubs. Freezing when she heard a mewing giggle came from the cub in her paws, which reached up with her own tiny paws and grabbed onto her muzzle.

Another wave of warmth spread through her…No! She thought clenching her eyes shut.

She couldn't allow this to happen. She couldn't allow herself to get close to this cub.

But yet…at the same time she didn't want to stop herself from getting attached to the cub in her paws. Staring at the cub who stared back at her, her paws gripping her muzzle. Kumai felt something…

However she wasn't going to be convinced that she was letting the cub win her over. But she thought, it would be good to play the part. Even if she was pretending to play the mother role. It was easy to just pretend to love the cub. Right? Yes that's what she told herself but as she cub purred and her tiny tongue flicked against the bottom of her chin. Kumai found herself smiling.

"There now…see…everything is fine…mommy's here…" Mommy she thought, she suddenly liked the sound of that, "Yes…mommy's here for you baby girl…your mommy is right here little cub…" that was when Kumai realized she couldn't just keep on calling the cub…cub for that matter.

But what could she call her? Kumai thought.

Kumai was bad with names. Something she had gotten from her mother. Her mother had, had a hard time naming Hawa before an aunt of the two of them spoke up and gave her mother the name for her new cub.

Lowering her eyes back down at the cub that was now yawning and twisting her body inside Kumai's arms until she was nestled against the soft fur of Kumai's chest. "Yes there now…sleep my little one…mommy won't let anything happen to you…you're safe now…" Kumai paused when a name came to her. A name she was hesitant to give. For it was a name that meant something to her…a name that some part of her told her wasn't right to give to the daughter of her enemy.

But she's not his anymore…she's yours…Simba's loss will be your gain. He took something from you…and you took something of his and made it yours…she's yours now…

An echo in her mind told her. Yes…she was hers now. Her cub. Not Simba's.

Simba lost the chance at her when her sister was taken away from her.

And though a cub could never replace her sister…this cub was now hers and hers alone.

She knew she shouldn't get attached but that choice was beyond her reason now.

She would have no choice now but to be attached by the choice of name she chosen for the cub. A name that meant a lot to her. A name she hadn't heard of in years. The name of her mother.

Smiling, Kumai laid her head down next to the cub in her paws and closed her eyes. "Sleep tight little one…mommy is here…you are safe…" she whispered as she started to drift into what she knew would be another restless sleep but what she hoped would eventually pass.

"Zawadi."


Another introducing chapter to this new story to get the story started and progressing. Next chapter we will get into what's happening in the pridelands after the banishment.

Hope you enjoy.

Please remember to review.