Kiara ran into Zira's youngest cub by accident.
Kovu then got up and snarled at the Lion Princess of Pride Rock. "Who are you, Pridelander?" he then asked, not recognizing her since he hadn't seen her like Nuka and Vitani did after she and Kion were born.
Kopa came over and protected his little sister and started to growl at Kovu. Kovu glared at Kopa and growled at him. Kiara looked nervous, she hunched herself back and tried not to turn her back on Kovu, remembering what she was told about the Outlanders. Every time Kovu would move around to get to Kiara, they would move the other way which confused the Outsider cub.
"What is she doing...?" Kovu asked about Kiara's estranged behavior.
"Our father says to never turn your back on an Outsider!" Kiara glared at the dark cub, coming by Kopa's side.
Kovu smirked to that. "You always do what Daddy says?"
"No!" Kiara glared.
"Bet ya do!" Kovu continued. "Bet your Daddy's Little Girl and I bet your big brother's a Mama's Boy!"
Kopa growled.
"An Outsider doesn't need anybody," Kovu walked along coolly. "I take care of myself!"
"Really?" Kiara sounded awed as she followed him. "Cool..."
Kopa followed after them only for him to hear a noise from under them. Kovu smiled casually before he looked worried for a moment.
Kiara looked behind and then saw crocodiles were coming for them which made her scream. "RUN!"
Kopa hit the crocodile before running off with the two cubs. Kovu and Kiara ran off, panting heavily for their lives. Kopa started doing the same as soon as he caught up with them. The crocodiles snarled and lunged for the cubs, but so far, did not succeed, thankfully enough. Akito, Vincent, Felicity, and Estelle gasped at the sight. Simon seemed to smile at the bloodbath.
"Quick, you two, follow me!" Kopa called out to the two cubs.
"Are you crazy?!" Kovu's eyes widened at the older cub.
"Listen to him!" Kiara agreed with her big brother, trusting him to guide them to safety.
"Well, alright." Kovu said before following the older cub.
"Stay close on my tail." Kopa instructed the younger lion cubs, even if one of them was an Outsider.
"You got it." Kiara and Kovu told him as they continued to follow him.
"We have to tell somebody." Estelle said to her brothers and cousin.
"But whom?" Felicity replied.
"We have to tell Simba." Vincent said.
"You think that's a good idea?" Akito asked.
"Whatever, we just can't stand here while Kopa, Kiara, and that other cub are in trouble!" Estelle flailed her arms, deeply concerned about the cubs being among the crocodiles.
Akito sighed, already knowing that Kopa and Kiara would be in trouble, but it was better than them being dead, so he decided to go back to Pride Rock the only fastest way possible, flight. The others followed after him while Kopa led his little sister and the Outsider cub to safety.
So far, it looked like the worst was over.
"Move it!" Kopa told Kovu after jumping on top of one of the crocodiles slamming its mouth shut as he landed on top of the reptile.
The three were now making their way to the other side as they climbed up a tree. The crocodiles were defeated and had been cheated out of their meal.
"We did it... We did it!" Kiara cheered before blowing a raspberry to the predators.
"Ha!" Kovu laughed with her.
"Nice try, boys!" Kopa laughed at the crocodiles.
The cubs then moved on the other side into safety as they recounted their adventure that they had just been thrown with.
"Whoa, man, did you see the size of those teeth?!" Kiara laughed. "They were going 'RAAAAWR'! He was just totally eatin' you up right there and Kopa jumped on his head and he bopped 'em so good!"
"Well, I wasn't going to let him eat any cubs today, even if one of them is an Outsider." Kopa added in.
Kovu had a small smile to that. Little did they know, Zira was secretly watching and looked rather menacing about the cubs interacting with each other.
"We made such a great team." Kopa smiled.
"Yeah, and you," Kiara said before turning to the new cub. "You were really brave..."
"Yeah, you were pretty brave too," Kovu smiled back. "My name's Kovu."
Kiara giggled before leaning against him slightly. "I'm Kiara~"
"And I'm her big brother, Kopa." Kopa smiled.
Kiara then smirked as she crouched down playfully and nudged Kovu with her paw. "Tag, you're it!"
Kovu just looked at her silently.
"Tag, you're it!" Kiara tried again. "You're it!"
Kovu didn't even react, he just stared at her like he had idea what she was trying to do.
"Um, hello, you run, we tag, get it?" Kopa asked as if it was an obvious question.
"What's the matter?" Kiara added in. "Don't you know how to play?"
Kovu honestly shook his head, then smirked as he decided to play with them and crouched down playfully and growled, but looked nervous as he looked up and saw Simba had come with Nala and the other lionesses. Atticus, Mo, Cherry, Forte, and the kids in the lion forms were there as well.
"Zira." Simba snarled at the dark lioness on the other side.
"Simba!" Zira growled back. "Nala..."
"Zira." Nala scowled.
"Timon, Pumbaa, Mabu, Mishka, Monty, ecetra..." Timon concluded as he rode on the warthog's back. "Great... Now that we all know each other... GET OUTTA OUR PRIDELANDS!"
"Yeah!" The meerkat kids added in.
"Your Pridelands?" Zira mocked the meerkat.
Timon ducked down and held his niece and nephews close.
"These lands belong to Scar." Zira growled.
"No, they're not, these lands belong to Simba!" Estelle glared.
"And I banished you from the Pridelands!" Simba added with a sneer to the rogue lioness. "Now, take your young cub and get out!"
This surprised both Kovu and Kiara.
"Oh... haven't you met my son, Kovu?" Zira introduced her youngest cub. "He was hand-chosen by Scar to follow in his pawprints... and become King!"
Timon scoffed at Kovu who looked rather frightened of Simba. "That's not a king, that's just a fuzzy maraca!"
"Yeah!" Mabu added.
"Good one, Uncle Timon." Monty snickered.
"Kovu was the last born before you exiled us to the Outlands," Zira glared to Simba. "Where we have little food, less water..."
"You know the penalty for returning to the Pridelands!" Simba snarled.
"But the child does not!" Zira replied. "However... If you need your pound of flesh... Here." Zira replied before nudging Kovu over to Simba.
"Is she serious?" Estelle asked.
Simba looked very disgusted with Zira's offer to sacrifice her own cub to him just for paying the price. "Take him and get out," he firmly demanded to the lioness. "We're finished here."
"Oh, no, Simba," Zira replied. "We have barely begun."
Kopa simply growled at her, not afraid of the evil lioness. Zira and Simba picked up their cubs and walked their separate ways, glaring to each other.
"Bye..." Kiara whispered.
"Bye..." Kovu whispered back.
Kopa frowned, sad that their fun had to be cut short after getting away from those crocodiles.
"Dad, I..." he spoke up softly.
"Let's go home." Simba cut him off right there, sounding reminiscent of his father when he and Nala encountered the hyenas when they were cubs.
Kopa frowned again.
Akito saw what happened between the two and decided to try and apologize as he went over to the older lion cub. "Kopa, I was only trying to-"
Kopa glared to him. "You told him, didn't you?"
"I only tried to help." Akito frowned.
"Well next time, try not to get us in trouble, alright?" Kopa glared before walking off and following his parents.
Akito felt deeply hurt as Estelle, Felicity, Simon, and Vincent were at his sides. "Guys, I'm confused, didn't I do the right thing?"
"I believe you did," Felicity said. "Even if Kopa and Kiara are in trouble, it is best it's from their parents and not becoming a meal for those crocodiles."
"That's right." Vincent said.
"I guess..." Akito sighed as they were now going back to Pride Rock.
The walk back to Pride Rock was a very long walk.