NintendoGal55: Hello and welcome back everyone! :D Thanks a lot for the feedback and everything you've given here on this story, it means a lot! We're so glad you guys are enjoying it. We hope you'll enjoy this next part!

HAFanForever: I came up with this idea because I recently went to the zoo in D.C., and some of the info about the lions is the same from my trip.

You all know the disclaimer by now!

Oh yes, and also, we had to make some changes because of our account stuff, so now we'll be Forever Nintendo. Just keep it in mind! :D

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Later on that day, Arnold had opted that they go to the zoo, to take some pictures of the lions and even study them a bit. They had originally planned on going tomorrow, but realized that they had free time for the rest of the day and decided to use that time today, and even just have a little fun and spend time together some more. Helga relented to the idea, and now the two of them were at the city zoo, walking around and observing the animals in their enclosures as they went along.

Among the crowd they walked, holding hands, catching some occasional glances from passerby. Arnold also had his camera on a strap around his neck, with a fresh roll of film, ready and waiting to snap some shots.

"There are the lions." Helga pointed to a nearby enclosure with her free hand. "Man, those poor things must be sweltering under all that fur. Wonder how they handle it all the way back in the African Savannah."

"Let's see if there's a zookeeper nearby. I heard that some cubs were just born and I thought that pictures of them would be good for our project." Arnold said eagerly.

As they got closer to the exhibit, Arnold and Helga saw a male with two females, but they didn't see any cubs. Confused, Arnold saw a zookeeper right near the interior portion of the exhibit and went up to him.

"Excuse me, sir." Arnold asked. "Are there any cubs here? My girlfriend and I were hoping to take some pictures for a school project, and we wanted to include the cubs."

The zookeeper, whose name was Larry according to his name tag, answered, "Oh yes, the cubs are back here inside the house of the exhibit. Sometimes, the mothers don't always feed them, so the keepers have to help do it, especially to help keep the cubs alive. We had the females get pregnant once before and the cubs did not last for more than a few weeks. We've got three of them, and since I've trained with lions before, I know how to handle them. Would you like to come see them?"

"Oh yes." Arnold and Helga replied simultaneously.

"Great, then follow me."

Arnold and Helga followed Larry into the house, and sure enough, there were three cubs wrestling and playing together in a little fenced area where they could be safe.

"Awww that's so cute!" Helga exclaimed as she watched them playing. "Even their little baby snarls and growls sound cute!"

"Listen, Larry," Arnold began. "Do you think that since you're a handler for these animals, would it be okay if we got some pictures of us with these cubs? I mean, I know they're natural predators and that they might be a little bit dangerous at this age, but is there a way?"

"I think I can help you out." Larry nodded. "I've worked with the big cats for years and I know how to handle them, even the cubs."

Arnold grinned. "Great! Well, I think we want to get some shots of us with the cubs if you could take those for us, then I'll take some shots of the cubs alone, and I'll take some with Helga and the cubs, then she'll do the same with me and the cubs." He turned to Helga. "Sound okay to you?"

Helga laughed. "Sure, whatever floats your boat, football head."

It took a little more than fifteen minutes for Arnold and Helga to get all the shots they wanted with the cubs. At the beginning, Helga was a little nervous when she got into the fenced area with the cubs as she didn't want to get scratched or bitten. But Larry was in the fence with her and assured her that as long as he was here, they weren't going to hurt. Helga began patting and stroking one of the cubs and it responded very well with a loud purring. She initially hesitated in picking it up, but when she wrapped her arms around its belly, it didn't object and just kept purring, especially when she held it to her chest and began stroking its fur.

When Helga finally put the cub down, it stopped purring, like it had really enjoyed itself and was disappointed that it was over. So she tried petting it again and the purring resumed. She even scratched it belly and its head and it moved its head as she did so. She even swore that she saw the cub smiling as she petted it.

Arnold noticed everything that was going on with Helga and made sure he got a lot of pictures with her and the cub. He also took some of the cubs that were with Larry and some other shots included only the cubs and even a shot of each individual cub.

Arnold wanted his turn with the cubs and gave the camera to Helga. He decided to try and bond with the same cub that Helga interacted with, and sure enough, the cub took to Arnold just as quickly as it took to Helga. He did everything she did with the cub, scratching its head, rubbing its belly, and just simple petting.

Larry laughed at what he saw. "Wow, I never saw Luke take to two other humans so quickly."

"You named the cub Luke?" Helga asked.

"Sure, all of the cubs have names, and so do the parents." Larry answered. "The other two cubs are named Leona and Lionel. Their mother is Sandy while Luke is the only cub of Sara. The male is named Shadow and he fathered all three of the cubs."

"Oh yeah, I know that lions are among many wild animals who can have several mating partners in life, and since prides only include on or two male lions, they will mate will several of the females within the same pride." Helga remarked.

Larry chuckled and turned to Arnold. "Your girlfriend sure knows her stuff, young man."

"Yeah, she sure does." Arnold grinned sheepishly. "Well, I think we've got everything we wanted with the cubs. We're just gonna go back outside and take a few pictures of the adult lions."

"Take care, and glad to help." Larry waved as Arnold and Helga left the house and made way to the exhibit where the lions were publicly displayed.

The three lions were hanging close together, and they were all lying down and one of the females seemed to be sleeping.

Arnold removed the camera from his neck and took a few pictures of the three lions together, but he also wanted to get a shot of the male alone and one of the two females together.

Once they were done, Helga said to Arnold, "Hey Arnold, I'm feeling a little thirsty. I'm gonna get a drink from over there." She pointed to the closest water fountain.

"Okay, I'll just wait right here and look at the lions some more."

"Suit yourself, football head."

But Arnold really just wanted to stay behind so he could stare at Helga from far away when she wasn't looking. While he stayed at the lions' exhibit, he looked to his right in Helga's direction. As she sipped the water from the fountain, his gaze became half-lidded and he smiled widely at her (even though she wasn't looking at him), going into a daze as if he was not really thinking about anything but her.

With the same expression still on his face, Arnold turned towards the lions and saw one of the females cuddling up with Shadow. For a moment, Arnold saw himself and Helga in the same positions as those lions and that only made him smile more. Since he had been together with Helga, his grandfather often teased Arnold about the relationship between him and Helga since it was very much like relationship he had with Arnold's grandmother when they were kids. He knew it was way too early for him to be thinking about marriage, but Arnold still sometimes smiled about the possibility of him and Helga getting married one day, and held a very warm feeling towards the thought ever since things had mended between them.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost didn't hear Helga call him and grab his arm at the same time.

"Hey Arnold!"

Finally, Arnold came back to reality. "Oh, uh, sorry, Helga. I was just thinking."

"What else is new with you, hair boy?" Helga scoffed, but she smiled when she said it.

Arnold only smiled back. "I was just thinking about us, actually."

Her eyes widened. "...You were?"

"Well, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" His hand lowered down to hold her hand and squeeze it.

Blushing a bit, Helga gave a smile and looked away toward the lions. Arnold chuckled and stepped closer to her, leaning up on tiptoe to kiss her on the cheek. An unwitting giggle escaped the taller girl and she entwined her fingers with his. Even though she didn't say anything, he could tell she was really happy. Ever since they'd started going out, he'd noticed such a change in her behaviour. Yes, she was still the same old Helga, especially in keeping appearances up in school in front of their peers. But outside of that, she was a lot more open and tended to be herself, expressing whatever she was feeling. Even though it was all no surprise by this point, it was still interesting to see. Especially how one simple boy like himself could have such an effect on her. Yes, she did still have a lot of growing up to do and obstacles to overcome, but she was getting there at a good start.

A thought came to him then.

"Helga?"

"Yeah Arnold?"

"You were pretty cute, the way you handled the lion cubs back there. I think it's pretty cool when someone's good with animals like that."

"Well, doi, they're lions, football head! They could bite my hand off in one false move! Of course I'm going to be careful and gentle."

Arnold chuckled, despite the grotesque image implanted into his brain that was far too horrible to think of his love going through. "I know, Helga. That's true. But what I meant was, when a girl is so nice and caring with animals, it's...well, really nice to see. You know how girls really like it when a guy is good with kids?"

"Don't I know that."

"Well, I guess in a way that's kind of the same thing. I know animals aren't exactly babies, but they still deserve to be treated right and be raised properly."

Helga blushed a bit, looking back toward the lions. "So you like it when a girl is good with animals?"

"Yeah, and not just girls, but anyone, really. It shows a lot of compassion and caring in their hearts." Arnold admitted, and smiled. "I know you like Abner better."

"Hey! Well...I...I can't help it, that silly pig grew on me. Guess I kinda had to get used to him, since we're dating and all."

He squeezed her hand and scooted to stand closer to her, their arms touching. "I know it's different to get used to a pig, but I'm really glad you've made the effort to get along with Abner. It means a lot to me, it really does."

"I know. Abner's your little pet pig, a gift from the Green-Eyed people to your parents on their wedding day. Face it, Arnold, it was just the right thing to do."

"Isn't that supposed to be my line?"

"I don't know, you tell me, Football Head."

"Whatever you say, Hammerhead."

Helga gave a laugh and Arnold joined her moments later, before they went back to taking some more pictures of the adult lions.