Chapter 20

Simba was feeling very worried. He couldn't find Kovu, Kiara, nor any of his grand cubs anywhere. After a few years of more relaxed parenting, his normal instincts were coming back to them.

"Simba!" he heard his father call out. He turned around to see Mufasa and Vitani, dragging Kiara along with them.

"I found her by Pride Rock," Vitani told him. "By the looks of it, she's been attacked by a hyena."

Simba knelt down, and brought his daughter into his paws. He gave her a lick, and she woke up immediately.

"Kovu!" she coughed, gasping for air. "Where is he? Where is my cub?"

"We don't know, Kiara," Simba told her calmly. "We've been trying to look, but we haven't seen him anywhere. Just stay here, and-"

"NO!" Kiara shouted, jumping up, with a sudden burst of energy. "I have to go find them myself."

"You can't do that!" Vitani gasped. "You're weak, Kiara! You can't fight Kovu by yourself!"

"That's what Kovu wants me to think…" Kiara muttered. "He wants me to be pathetic. But he's wrong…"

"I will not let my daughter get in the way of that monster!" Simba yelled.

"Dad, relax!" Kiara told her father. "I said that I'm fighting…but not alone."

She ran towards Pride Rock, and looked back at Simba. "Are you coming?"

Simba hesitated, not just for his reluctance to let his daughter fight, but also his old age taking it's toll on him.

"All right," he said at last, running up to her. "But are you sure you want to do this?"

"I brought Kovu to the Pride Lands in the first place," Kiara growled. "And it will be me who forces him out."

Over by the water's edge, Shenzi sat, staring at the cub Kovu had left in her charge. Since cubs weren't allowed in the Pride Lands, she hadn't been near one in years. Maybe they didn't taste that bad, after all…

Her troubles only got worse when Banzai and Ed found her with the cub.

"I can't believe it…" Banzai gasped, when he found the pair. "I mean you take the 'No Cubs' law so seriously…"

"It's not mine!" Shenzi snapped at him. "I'm just taking care of it for Kovu while he deals with his own cub."

"Huh?" Ed said, confused.

"Kovu has a cub?" Banzai asked, just as confused as Ed.

"Yeah, long story…" Shenzi mumbled, looking out into the water.

Banzai looked at the water as well, and then looked at Binti. He had a brilliant idea…

"You know, Shenzi," Banzai said casually. "I think it would really help Kovu if you dealt with the cub."

Ed cackled at Banzai's suggestion. Shenzi, on the other hand, looked confused.

"I thought cubs didn't taste good," she said. " 'Too much fur; not enough meat'? Remember?"

"I know that!" Banzai retorted. "Besides, we aren't going to eat it…" He looked back at the water and grinned. "We're going to drown it!"

"Woo hoo!" Ed exclaimed, stupidly.

"Well, that was Kovu's idea, anyway…" Shenzi said thoughtfully. "Lets do it!"

As they picked Binti up, Pumbaa ran down the hill towards them, with Timon on his back. A small pack of hyenas was about to follow them, but one stopped them.

"Leave them be!" he ordered. "Shenzi will deal with them."

Or so he thought. As it turns out, Pumbaa was running so fast, that he ran into the trio of hyenas, knocking them into the water. Timon was able to catch Binti just in time, as the hyenas were pushed by the strong current…far from the Pride Lands.

As Timon, Pumbaa, and Binti walked up the hill, Rafiki and Scar found them. Scar laughed at what he saw. "I see you found a friend," he told Timon.

"Oh, her?" Timon replied, looking at Binti, who was nuzzling against him. "Yeah…I guess she isn't that bad, after all."

A little shorter than the chapters I've been writing lately, but I decided to leave the big climax till the next chapter. If I'm in luck, the story might even be done by the end of today!