Chapter 4
On The Same Page
As the Pridelanders return after their confrontation with Zira and her pride, Kiara looks away from her father. She knew she was guilty of border jumping but the cub felt there was no wrong in making friends. Indeed, there was no wrong in doing that. Friendships should not be limited or blocked by borders and boundaries which are nothing more than a line in the sand.
But what could she do? She was a cub and according to Simba, she couldn't fully comprehend the situation yet. Like she cared. A friend was still a friend no matter what. Cruising beside his commander-in-chief, Dornaus could only shake his head. He felt sympathy for the cubs, whose friendship was torn apart due to political turmoil and rival factions.
He had seen children suffer in warzones back during his military days and knew how much they suffered. They were people just like him but unlike him, they did not have the privilege of being born in a country where war is something you'd see on television. These children, most of them no more than eight or nine years old, were strolling up and down the street wearing nothing more than ripped shits, shorts, and sandals.
If they were less fortunate, they would be barefoot. In the human's mind, children do not deserve to face such turmoil and like Kiara, he believed friendships should not be bound by a line in the sand. Everyone can be friends with one another, no matter their race, religion, species, political affiliation, and citizenship. We all are after all, living organisms on the same planet living quite literally right next to one another.
"Dornaus." Simba breaks silence. "You escort Nala and the other lionesses home. I want to have a word with Kiara."
"Yes sir." He sighs. "How did it devolve into this?"
The bodyguard follows through with his orders and cruises next to Nala and the lionesses as they made their way home. Simba takes the time to teach his daughter a lesson about running out without an escort. It was quite similar to the time when Mufasa lectured him about nearly getting Nala killed while exploring the Elephant Graveyard.
"Kiara, what did you think you were doing?" he asks. "You could've been killed today."
"But daddy." She replies. "I didn't mean to dis…"
"I'm telling you this because I love you." The king explains. "I don't want to lose you."
"I know…"
"If something happened to you I don't know what I'd do."
"One day I won't be here and I need you to carry on in my place. You're part of the Great…"
"Circle of life… I know."
"Exactly, and you need to be careful. As future queen…"
"What if I don't wanna be queen? It's no fun."
"That's like saying you don't want to be a lion, it's in your blood. As I am. We are part of each other."
Simba pushes his daughter off the rock he placed her on, causing her to slide down and land on the ground. A soft tune starts playing in the background and father and daughter grin at each other playfully before nuzzling one another.
Simba: (sings)
As you go through life you'll see
There's so much we don't understand
And the only thing we know
Is things don't always go
The way we planned
A fledgling attempts to fly away from its nest but is stopped by its mother and ushered back.
Simba: (sings)
But you'll see every day
That we'll never turn away
When it seems all your dreams come undone
We will stand by your side
Filled with hope and filled with pride
We are more than we are
We are one
A Wildebeest calf attempts to walk for the very first time. On his first go he falls but with the help of his mother, the calf gets back on his feet and starts walking. Slowly he starts moving faster and faster till he was running. Before he could leave however, his mother stops him and moves him back to the herd. Up on a tree, a troop of monkeys help one another to clear their backs of ticks and pests.
Just below, a baby hippo surfaces from the shallow end of a lake with the aid of his mother. He jumps across and lands on his father just as his mother emerge beside him after moving across underwater. Together the three embrace each other. Simba and Kiara witness everything happen around them as they cross a fallen log spanning the lake.
Kiara: (sings)
If there's so much I must be
Can I still just be me
The way I am
Can I trust my own heart
Or am I just one part
Of some big plan
A flock of birds fly across the sky in a V formation, headed for unknown territory as they migrate from place to place.
Simba: (sings)
Even those who are gone
Are with us as we go on
Your journey has only begun
Father and daughter climb on top of two dried branches respectively as they overwatch the grazing herbivores of the Pridelands.
Simba: (sings)
Tears of pain, tears of joy
One thing nothing can destroy
Is our pride, deep inside
We are one
The two dash across the plains where the herbivores fed, passing one herd after another. They continue to run, headed in the direction of Pride Rock.
Simba: (sings)
We are one you and I
We are like the Earth and sky
One family under the sun
All the wisdom to lead
All the courage that you'll need
You will find when you see
We are one
At the end of the singing session, Simba thought his daughter would at least understand something but she was still every bit as confused as before. He wasn't irritated in the slightest. She was still a cub after all. The king nuzzles his daughter before heading back to the royal den. Kiara was expected to follow but she stays back, admiring the sight of Pride Rock and the fledgling who has managed to successfully escape.
Kiara watches as the bird flies away. She was still confused about the whole "Pridelands-Outlands feud" and decides to head over to the dome where she hoped to get answers from her father's bodyguard. As she arrived at the compound the cub was surprised by the sound of machinegun fire, which came from the range within. Undeterred she enters and finds Dornaus walking back towards the dome, clutching his M60E4 machine gun.
"Hey, Dornaus." She said. "Can we talk?"
"Sure, Kiara. Let's go inside." The human answers. "And actually I've been meaning to ask. You want me to refer to you as princess or by name?"
"By name, I don't really want to be princess."
"Okay…"
The two enter the dome and sit down near the UCAV control station after Dornaus had placed his gun back on the rack and removed his gear.
"You said you wanted to talk." He said. "Something eating away at you? Because you don't usually run here just to talk with me."
"It's about what happened earlier." Kiara replies.
"What about it?"
"I just don't get it. Why can't we all be one? Aren't they the same kind as me and my family?"
"Kiara, you have to understand."
"Not when dad won't let me know."
"Politics, young one. It's the main reason why humans have borders all over the place."
"And now the same thing is happening to us?"
"Exactly. Your dad doesn't want a "Scar Incident" to happen again."
"But is there a problem with me making friends with Kovu?"
"Actually there isn't. Honestly speaking, I do feel sympathy for you and Kovu. Both of you are youngsters trying to befriend one another but are unable to because of some issues you can't even comprehend."
"Exactly." She sighs. "Oh the bright side, at least I know we're on the same page."
"True."
"Just… Us…"
Over on the other side of the border, Kovu had the same thought as Kiara and Dornaus. He couldn't understand why his mother wasn't so pleased about him befriending the king's daughter. As he hung in the mouth of his mother, Nuka and Vitani were chatting nearby. The older brother was a little disappointed that he wasn't the chosen one since he was the oldest of the three.
Well it didn't take much to explain why. He easily lost his sanity to small issues like a termite infestation within his fur(or was it ticks?). Zira places her youngest son on the ground and turns to confront Nuka. He had been assigned by her to keep an eye out for his little brother but somehow he still managed to escape. Kovu decides to take responsibility, seeing that he was the one to run off on his own.
"It wasn't his fault, mother." The cub said. "I ran off on my…"
"WHAT do you think you were DOING?" she closes in on her child, canines clearly seen as she growls. "WHO made us Outlanders?"
"Simba."
"Who killed Scar?"
"Simba."
"What have I told you, about THEM?"
"I-I'm sorry mother, s-she didn't seem so bad. I-I thought we could be…"
"FRIENDS? You thought you could get to the daughter and Simba would welcome you with open ARMS? WHAT an Idea!" Zira's tone suddenly changes as she realizes that her son might be onto something. "What an idea! You brilliant child! I'm so proud of you. You have the same conniving mind that made Scar so… Powerful."
Nuka scoffs at his mother's words. She growls in response, causing him to chuckle nervously. Zira picks her cub up by the back and walks in the direction of her den. Nuka scoffs again, only this time he made sure to mutter it to himself and not to the others around him. He still didn't quite understand that cowards like him would only cause harm to the ones under them.