Kiara didn't know what to do. Rafiki had been in there for seasons it seemed. She knew nothing of medicine, and there was nothing else useful she could do.

She took to pacing in front of the mouth of the den.

The other lionesses were gathered around the base of Pride Rock, going about their everyday chores. Bathing, teaching the cubs, finishing the meat from the previous hunt. But they all seemed...slower. All the energy of the pride had been drained away by worry, and fear. There was no doubt that Simba was a much loved king. Every so often Kiara would notice one of them look up at the den. But then they would see her still pacing, and look down again, worry etched back into their faces.

So she was doing something useful after all. She was the prides link to their king. If anything happened, she would know, and they would see.

"Grandfather..." She murmured. "Please please please. Don't let him join you yet." Her father had always told her of his father and how his presence was still with the pride, guarding and guiding it. She didn't know exactly what had happened to him. Only that her mother said it was a story for her father to tell and her dad had a hard time telling it. He had told parts, and she had put them together, but the story as a whole hadn't come out yet. She knew he had died when her dad was very young. Still a cub even. Well, she wasn't a cub, but she wasn't ready for her father to leave just yet.

Is anyone ever really ready for something like that?

A roar came from the den. A lion's roar.

Not lioness. LION.

She smiled slightly. "Dads up," She whispered. "Thank you."

Her mother had told everybody, including her daughter, to stay out unless called so no one would get in Rafiki's way. A roar did not mean she was called. But it was ok. Her dad would make it. She knew he would.

She could wait.

~*~

Woo, Kiara. With all the mental baggage that comes with losing a family member (I'm guessing, thankfully) I can't see Simba being able to tell the whole story in one go. I also can't see Nala telling it for him. So I think that Kiara doesn't really know what happened in that gorge. If she had, I don't think she would have yelled "You will never be Mufasa" to her father. Just can't see it happening. This is the chunk, more to come. =^-^=