Disclaimer: I don't own Lion King or any of its characters. I only own Kana and her mother.
Word count for chapter: 1,400 (the longest chapter of any story I've written in a long time!)
Rating: T, for later on.
The sun was setting over the Pridelands. A lioness with dark brown fur, almost black, with icy blue eyes, travelled silently. It was clear to see that she hadn't recently had enough to eat, her skin was stretched tightly over her skeleton, and if her fur had been lighter, her ribs would have been visible. A cub with the same dark fur and icy blue eyes followed her. Two thick strands of fur flopped down right between the cub's eyes. The cub also had three black spots on her right hind leg. Although the mother was starving, the cub looked strong and healthy. When the sun was fully gone, the lioness and her cub found a small cave, and fell asleep.
When the cub awoke the next morning, her mother wasn't awake. The cub nuzzled her mother, but still the lioness didn't move. The cub swatted her mother's nose, but still got no response. The cub's ears and tail drooped once she figured out her mother was never going to get up, because she was dead. The cub remembered that she was in an unfamiliar area, for she had just followed her mother everywhere. She looked around in the morning light, and saw the shape of Pride Rock, although the cub had no way of knowing exactly what it was. With one glance back at her mother over her shoulder, the cub started running towards Pride Rock.
The cub was lying down, taking a rest. She didn't know how long it would take to reach Pride Rock. Suddenly, another cub, who had been running, tripped over the dark furred cub, sending both rolling. The dark cub looked up to see a golden furred lioness cub, laying on her back and laughing. The golden cub righted herself, and looked at the other.
" Wow, that was fun," the lighter lioness said. The darker stood up, blinking.
" Who are you?" the dark furred cub asked, her head tilted to her right.
" I'm Kiara," Kiara replied with a grin.
" My name's Kana," the dark furred cub told her. Kiara swatted Kana's shoulder, jumping back.
" Tag! You're it!" Kiara said. Kana just looked at her funny, confusion lurking behind her glittering eyes. "Don't you know how to play Tag?" Kiara asked.
"The only thing I ever knew was to follow my mother. But she has died. So now I am alone," Kana replied.
"That's sad... Hey! I know! I'll take you home with me!" Kiara exclaimed, excited. "You can join our Pride!" she added. Kana was once again plagued with confusion.
" What's a Pride, Kiara?" Kana asked.
" Well, its a bunch of lioness and a lion that all live together, kinda. The lionesses hunt together, and my dad is King," Kiara explained. Kana hesitated, then nodded. Kiara ran towards Pride Rock excitedly, Kana racing after her. The only thing that kept Kana from passing Kiara was the fact that it was Kiara's home. When they got there, Kiara raced up to the den, while Kana walked, slowly. When Kiara got to the entrance of the den, she was bouncing with excitement. Simba smiled when he saw her.
"You seem excited, Kiara," Simba said to her.
"Daddy! I made a new friend, her name is Kana! Her mother is gone, can she join the Pride?" Kiara said all at once. Simba laughed a little.
"Calm down Kiara," he said, as Kana walked up shyly. Simba, and Nala who was beside him, were both very surprised by the dark fur color of Kana. Simba and Nala looked at each other, unsure of what to make of this cub. Kiara looked at them both expectantly. Simba took a deep breath.
" ...Alright, Kiara. She can join the Pride," Simba said. Kiara screamed with happiness, and immediately turned and bowled over Kana, both laughing, though it was less natural for the darker cub. Simba and Nala grinned.
A few days later, Kiara and Kana were up early and left the den. As they blinked in the early morning light, Kiara went to the top of Pride Rock. She looked around, viewing the Pridelands in awe. Kana shyly joined her, as Kiara turned her sights to the Outlands.
" I wonder what's over there," she said. Kana shrugged. Kiara turned to her dark furred friend.
" I say we should go check it out," she said. Kana looked down, averting eye contact.
" But your father wouldn't approve..." Kana trailed off. Kiara looked out to the Outlands again.
" I don't care. I say we go, Kana," Kiara insisted. Kana thought about it for a moment.
" Alright Kiara, don't get cross with me," Kana answered. Kiara turned to her with a grin.
" What makes you think I'm cross?" she asked. Instead of an answer, Kana merely whistled lightly. The cubs turned and raced down, and once they reached the watering hole, both lapped up the water. Then Kana gave Kiara a tiny shove, sending her head-first into the water. Kiara, surprised, flailed a tiny bit. Kana grinned when Kiara pulled herself out, shaking herself off. Kiara glared at the other cub playfully. Kana ran away from her.
"Bet you can't catch me, Kiara!" she shouted, as Kiara ran after her. Kiara was closing in on Kana, when she put on a burst of speed and sped ahead of her again. After several more incidents like this, Kiara knew Kana was letting her catch up on purpose. As they neared the Outlands, Kana slowed down. Both cubs began to walk, Kiara taking the lead. As soon as they entered the Outlands, they bumped into Kovu, who growled at them, thinking he was menacing. Kiara was nervous, but Kana was altogether unaffected. In fact, she swatted Kovu in the head. He pounced, as Kana rolled onto her back, and as he was overhead, she propped her hind legs into his belly, sending him flying forward. Jumping up quickly, she growled herself.
" Hey! We can all be friends here!" Kiara exclaimed. Kovu narrowed his eyes at Kana.
" What do you want, Pridelanders?" Kovu asked, wary of them, especially of Kana. Kana shoved Kovu onto a rock in the water, which wasn't a rock at all, it was an alligator. As it raised its head out of the water and snapped at Kovu, Kiara saved him, and Kana saved her, moving just in time to save herself as well. As they jumped from alligator to alligator, they saved each other and themselves, and eventually jumped up into a tree and then into the Pridelands.
" That was close," Kana breathed. Kovu and Kiara nodded.
" I'm Kovu," Kovu introduced himself.
" I'm... Kiara," Kiara said shyly, earning a snort from Kana. Kiara glared at her once.
" I'm Kana," Kana said, bored. Kiara swatted Kana, earning a glare from the dark cub, whose fur was even darker than Kovu's. Kiara tried to get Kovu to play Tag, but he just looked at her the way Kana had the first day Kiara and Kana met.
" Don't you know how to play?" Kiara asked, but Kovu never got the chance to answer, as Zira, Kovu's mother, and Simba came. They glared at each other, Kiara hiding behind Simba, and Kovu behind Zira.
" You know the price for being in the Pridelands!" Simba shouted at Zira.
" But the cub doesn't," Zira retorted. After a few more seconds, Zira picked Kovu up in her mouth, and turned and walked away. Simba picked Kiara up by the nape of her neck, and walked in the direction of Pride Rock, Kana following along beside him, keeping her head down, ears and tail drooped. When him and the rest of the pride were near Pride Rock, the rest of the pride went on ahead, Simba stopping and stopping Kana. He set Kiara down.
" What were you doing? You two could have been killed!" Simba scolded. Kana kept her head down, while Kiara looked up at her father.
" But he seemed nice," she said. Simba looked at her firmly, and Kiara sighed.
" Promise me you'll never go back to the Outlands," he told them.
" I promise," Kana promised quickly, then looked at Kiara, waiting for her to promise.
" .. I promise, Daddy," Kiara sighed, and then the three continued back to Pride Rock.
I'm sorry I have to start from Lion King 2 time, but this is where my character Kana comes in. The end will be different from how the movie ends. This actually needs to be written before I can write my sequal, because it introduces my character and stuff...