One bright day in the spring, Vitani and Kiara were out hunting together in the grasslands, chattering away to one another about whatever happened to cross their minds and genuinely enjoying their time together, like sisters.

Kiara sighed and reached a paw to try and catch a butterfly near her head, "How old is Kovu now?"

Vitani put her head on one side, "Can't be much older than you," she let out a low giggle, "He'll be getting his mane soon, I bet." She reached to bat at the butterfly for Kiara.

Kiara imagined this for a moment, Kovu was at the moment stuck in the awkward in-between stage all male lions went through, his mane was growing in, but at the moment he looked like a strange lion/hyena half-breed. Still, she mused, when it grew in properly he would certainly be a sight to behold, a Prince of the realm to make her father and Guncle Scar immensely proud.

She mentally laughed at the word she used to describe Scar. As a cub she had found it too much effort to say 'Great Uncle' every time she referred to him, so he became a Gruncle. Still, he didn't seem to mind, he even seemed sort of flattered that she would think up a special word for him, and he treated her as a second daughter, allowing her to paw at his tail and climb all over him as a cub, and as she grew up, her father and ageing uncle's pride in her seemed perfectly matched.

Of course, Zira had been different, but Kiara expected that, Zira was utterly devoted to her mate and disliked anyone who took his time from her. Still, Zira knew Scar cared for Kiara, and that was enough to keep her happy. She was no second mother, though, unlike Scar, who so obviously thought of Kiara as his other little girl. Vitani would always come first, of course, but Kiara was a close second.

At the idea of two fathers, Kiara's thought moved to her second cousins, Nuka had been odd, while he was in the pride, he would tolerate babysitting on the odd occasion, but always let Kiara know when she was pushing his temper, and when Nuka got mad, the pride knew about it, he tended to go into short, sharp bursts of fury that only stopped with a roar from his mother, or an icy glare from Scar.

Vitani, on the other hand, readily accepted Kiara into the family as a surrogate sibling, taking her and Kovu on hunting trips and playing with them both, even once allowing Kiara to curl up asleep with them.

And Kovu… Kiara blushed a little. She could never think of Kovu as a brother, never. There was something about him that she couldn't put her claw on that made him less a brother and more a close friend. She adored him, of course, but in a different way to Vitani and Gruncle Scar.

"You're quite taken with him, aren't you?" Vitani purred sneakily, nudging the younger lioness as though she had read her thoughts.

Kiara blushed, "No!"

"Don't worry," Vitani winked one of her bright green eyes. "I won't tell him." She lifted her head to breathe in the air and get the scent of the herds.

A strange smell reached her and she crouched, tugging Kiara down with her. "I smell a lion." She growled.

Kiara's eyes lit up with fear, well aware of the damage a male could do to the two lionesses, alone out here. And what if he challenged Simba for the pride? Her father was a strong lion, but not as strong as he once was, and Scar would be of little use in a fight, he was more suited to hunting.

"How far away is it?" She whimpered.

Vitani breathed in again, "Not far. Kiara, I want you to run to pride rock, fetch Simba, Or my father, or Kovu, or all three. Just fetch one of the lions." She gave her a serious look, "And don't dawdle, because I can only fight a male for so long."

Kiara nodded, then turned and took off sprinting through the tall grass. Vitani tensed, ready if the lion burst through the bush, and began to creep, and if she could take it by surprise then perhaps she would be able to send it yelping back to its bachelor group.

To her astonishment, when she finally found the lion, she could not have been more wrong about having to fight.

It lay in the grass, covered in mud and dust and panting heavily, a mass of blood coming from various wounds on its large body. She couldn't even tell if it was alive or recently deceased. She found herself feeling glad she'd sent the weak-hearted Kiara back to pride rock, the lioness wanted to be a hunter, but she went pale and squeaky at the sight of a fresh kill.

She approached with caution and nudged its mighty head, "Are you alright?"

He didn't respond, but his chest still rose and fell with breath. She sighed and lapped his face, to see if that would revive him.

One eye fluttered open and stared up at her, "...Are you an angel?"

Vitani laughed at that, she had to, "No, I'm Vitani." She sat beside the wounded lion, "You know, you're in lands that already have two adult males and an adolescent. It's not safe for you here."

The lion coughed, "Have I wandered so far from my homelands?"

Vitani frowned to herself, he had a strange accent that she didn't recognise, and his build was different to a pride land lion, he was heavier-set and his mane was much thicker. "What happened to you?"

He sighed and gasped, "I was attacked while hunting, I picked up the scent of a pride and thought that I may seek shelter… Are you the queen?"

Vitani blushed, "No."

"You must be noble blood though…" he attempted a smile, "I don't believe I've seen as beautiful a lioness in all my days…"

Vitani felt her face grow hot with embarrassment. "…Thank you."

"Vitani!!" Scar's roar cut into the moment as he raced up, Kiara close behind him. He skidded to a halt beside his daughter and observed the injured lion with careful eyes. "…Well, he's no threat. He would be if he was well, but I shouldn't think he could fend off anything like that."

The lion coughed again, "I assure you, I have no interest in fighting anyone."

Vitani nuzzled her head against her father's, a sure-fire way to convince him of anything, "He got hurt hunting, wandered out of his lands by mistake. Can we help him father?" she moved to stand beside Kiara and the two lionesses grinned in unison, "Pleeease?"

Scar sighed and looked down at the lion, clearly he didn't much like having to make this decision, and asked, "Can you walk?"

The lion struggled to get to its feet, "I can try, sir, if I take it slowly."

"Come on then, we can at least let Rafiki take a look at you." Scar decided. He turned to Kiara and Vitani "Although it's up to Simba if he can stay, you know. I'm not the one you have to convince, so stop grinning like that."

Simba did allow the lion to stay, just until he was well enough to travel. As Rafiki treated his wounds, the lion explained that he was a member of a neighbouring pride, respected but clumsy during hunting due to bad eyesight, and had got hurt rather badly this time.

Rafiki nodded to himself while the lions and lionesses shared their sympathy for the strange traveller. "Ah, Now tell dem why you 'ave de bad eyesight."

The lion smiled, "Your shaman is very bright." He lifted his head and shook his mane from around his face, revealing a pair of bright pink eyes.

The lionesses all gasped, Simba actually backed away in surprise for a moment, but Vitani just looked intrigued, stepping closer to examine him. "…You're not like us, are you?" She asked, brushing one paw over his leg to remove the caked-on dirt and showing a coat of fur as white as jasmine flowers.

"I'm an albino." The lion replied, "most say I'm dashed rare, and not bad to look at, but I have such terrible sight and I burn very easily in the summer."

Scar, who had not moved during this whole exchange, suddenly piped up, "Now I know who you are… Ahadi often spoke of a pride of white lions, King Juruga, by any chance?"

The male laughed, though it must have hurt, "No, that's my father. I'm Prince Kimba." He looked from Simba to Scar, "Am I to assume I'm speaking to Mufasa and Taka?"

The pride looked uneasily at him, but Scar smoothly replied, "No, my brother died some time ago, you're addressing King Simba and Prince Scar."

Kimba didn't question any of this, just nodded easily, a charm in his personality taking over; "My father always holds your pride in high regard. It's good to see the family still in power." He coughed, "Not to be rude, but I would love to take news to my father of the successors for you."

Simba shook his head, "Not at all." He nodded at Kiara, "This is my daughter, Kiara, she is the next in line. Beside her is Kovu, another Prince of the realm, I daresay one day he'll have a fine pride of his own…"

Kimba's eyes fixed on the pretty figure of Vitani, who was helping Rafiki clean the muck from his coat. "And this angel?"

Scar laughed and Zira purred, "Our Daughter, Princess Vitani."

"I knew she must be noble blood." Kimba murmured to himself as Rafiki's healing herbs began to make him sleepy, "She is so very beautiful."