Thanks for the feedback, everyone! Hope you'll enjoy this here chapter. C:

Wokovu: Kovu's Journey

Chapter 5: Morning

Kiara dashed out from the cave atop Pride Rock, onto the promontory, stopping finally at the edge of the cliff, looking out into the breaking dawn. A clutter of varied creatures had begun to stir in the faint light of early morning, none pausing to look up at the seemingly-distressed lioness that stood far above them.

Simba emerged from the cave seconds later, followed by the rest of the Pride. He had a stern look on his face, a far cry from his daughter, whose countenance was downturned in fear and dismay as she gazed out toward the horizon. Kiara turned back to her father, bewildered and unable to say a word, an expectant look spread across her face. The king did not stare back. His gaze had found Vitani, who had meandered to a spot beside the king.

"You swear you speak the truth, then?" Simba asked finally, stealing a quick look Vitani out of the corner of his eye. Vitani nodded tersely.

"No!" Kiara leapt from the edge of the promontory, back to her father and the rest of the Pride. "It's not true! It can't be."

Vitani took a step forward. "You callin' me a liar?"

"Kovu wouldn't just leave without telling me!" snapped Kiara. With a hushed voice, she added, "he tells me everything."

"Obviously not everything since you don't know the least of what is going on in my brother's head right now. Get that through your head and give him some space!"

"Enough!" Simba roared. The two lionesses flinched and cowered back, Vitani muttering a quick "sorry" before rejoining the other lionesses. Kiara remained where she stood.

Simba continued, "Kiara… I know how you must feel." There was a hint of regret in his eyes. "But I also must respect what Kovu has decided, as should the rest of us. I know myself that time spent away to find yourself can work wonders—" he added.

"But daddy—" Kiara started.

"—so if Kovu needs some time off to find himself, then so be it. Besides," he added with a grin, "what's there to do around here right now anyway?"

"Gee, I dunno, besides spend time with me?" Simba's daughter was obviously still irate about the situation.

"Mind your father, Kiara!" Nala stepped out from the crowd of lionesses and to Simba's side.

"It's not fair!"

Kiara ran past her parents and the other lions, down the side of Pride Rock, and off into the surrounding grounds. "Kiara!" Simba had started to follow her, but Nala sided in front of her mate, stopping him from moving further. "Let her go," she mused.

The other lionesses sidled back into the cave. The sun had finally risen to the point where it was fully visible, and the sky had finally begun to take on its familiar blue tint. It was a cloudless morning. No breeze. Already the deep chasm of the cave seemed inviting, given how warm it was promising to be.

"I don't get it," Simba ambled to the edge of the promontory, looking over the bustling activity of morning in the savanna. "She seems angry at me over this." He turned to Nala, clearly puzzled. "What did I do?"

Nala smiled warmly, brushing her head against her mate's mane. "You did nothing. It's just… well, you know how our daughter can get."

"I guess," said Simba through gritted teeth. He paused for a few moments, staring into the sky. "I gotta say, though… Nala, have you noticed Kovu acting… odd lately?"

Laughing, Nala replied, "We knew coming in that Kovu would much rather keep to himself than mingle with the rest of us, except for Kiara, of course. The boy rarely talks to me. If he's acting weird, I would be one of the last to know."

"I know that. Still… he seemed distant yesterday during our hunt. Kiara's a great hunter, don't get me wrong, but she doubled Kovu's take. And they were whispering about something at first, and Kiara ignored him for the rest of the hunt. Uncharacteristic, if you ask me."

"Hmm," mused Nala. "Maybe you're right. We can only hope that whatever Kovu's problems are, he can solve them off by himself. Wherever he's going…."

Simba nodded and, without another word, strode away from Nala. He bounded down the side of Pride Rock, in the direction of where Kiara had run off. He would need to find her eventually, though perhaps she would return under her own conscience anyway. Nonetheless, Kiara needed to see that this was not his fault. For it had not been, right? There had been nothing he could do to stop Kovu going… right?

Wherever Kovu was then, Simba merely hoped that he knew where he was going and what he was doing, and that he knew his way back. He knew his daughter, and he knew that her restlessness would be unbearable eventually. And he most certainly could not risk her running off after the boy. He would not allow it.

But what could be Kovu's problem? Had the death of his mother hit him harder than the lion had first given off?

Simba would have to consult with Rafiki about this.

xXxXxXx

The dirt ground felt warm under Kovu's paws, an inviting addition to the morning considering the chilly night he had previously endured. A family of birds had taken to flying directly above him, as if providing a sort-of welcoming committee for the young lion; or, perhaps they were attempting to guide him.

Whatever their reasons for circling overhead, whether it was mere coincidence or not, Kovu certainly did not mind, for in that day and age, any company was good company. At least for the time being.

Not that Kovu was alone anyway. As the lion sauntered tenaciously through the Serengeti, the two much smaller creatures known as Koko and Bidii lumbered in front of him, the tinier Bidii having taken up a spot riding on Koko's back. The African wild dog still had her nose near the ground, as she continued to follow the lioness known as Jasusi's scent.

Slowly but surely, however, the pace the trio had set at first just hours before had considerably lessened. This was only natural; Kovu had not had any sleep in nearly a day now, and he assumed the same about Koko and Bidii.

Koko stopped suddenly, throwing her head back in a pronounced yawn. Kovu, having been focused on the birds overhead, did not see this, and walked right onto Koko's tail. The wild dog yelped in pain, rolling to her side, the hyrax Bidii falling off her back and onto the ground. "Sorry!" Kovu cried jumping off Koko's tail. "I wasn't… paying attention."

"N-n-no," the wild dog stood and examined her tail. "My f-fault, sir. I shouldn't have y-y-yaaaawned." The thought of yawning had once again brought Koko into another yawn herself.

"Seriously, Koko, you can stop calling me sir. I'm probably not that much older than you."

"Yes, s—I mean, Kovu," Koko grinned sheepishly. "I'm just… so tired…"

Kovu sighed. "I am too. But we can't stop… I have to catch that lioness. Do you understand?"

Koko nodded, though her eyelids were half-closed. "F-find the lioness. Right. Yeeeaaaaaah," she yawned again.

The talk of sleep had seemingly triggered something in Kovu, as he stifled a yawn himself. He looked in the distance. The sun had barely risen, so it was still early in the morning. Could they possibly spare a few hours for rest? If they awakened around midday, they would be able to travel until the early morning the next day, and if Jasusi was resting in the evening, then surely they would have a chance to catch her. After all, as far as Kovu knew, Jasusi was not aware that she had been spotted taking off. The lioness may have had no idea she was being trailed, and if this was the case, she would not be in any rush.

"You know," Kovu started again, "a short rest would not be bad. You guys are obviously tired, and I won't be able to travel much longer without sleep. What do you say?"

"That sounds like a great idea!" grinned Koko weakly. "Bidii hasn't said anything to me in a while now… you know he's about to pass out when he gets to that point since he's pretty much talking my ears off any other time."

They looked over. Bidii had fallen asleep in the exact spot he had rolled to when he had fallen off of Koko's back.

"I guess that settles that," Kovu held back a laugh at the snoring hyrax, whose mouth was hanging open lazily, a small pool of drool collecting on the ground. "We'll rest. But just for a few hours, okay? I think we've made great progress so far, and I don't wanna lose too much to the lioness I'm following. Understand?"

Koko nodded sleepily. "K-kovu?"

"Yeah?"

"J-just out of curiosity… you said you'd explain… why you're followin' this lioness…"

"And I will," Kovu grinned, "when we're a little more awake. Let's find a nice place to stop for now, okay?"

Kovu stared off into the distance. On the horizon, there was a large mountain-like structure of rock, which appeared to be split down the middle. A small grouping of trees stood nearby, and from Kovu's vantage point it was obvious that the area was particularly abundant with shade. He looked back down at Koko and nodded in its direction. The wild dog trotted over to the still-sleeping Bidii. She grabbed the hyrax in her teeth and flung him on her back with surprising strength.

The grouping of trees was only a short way away. Once they were within the gracious shade of the trees, Koko slowly lowered her back to the ground, rolling Bidii off gently. The hyrax awoke for a moment. Yawning, he sidled up next to Koko, rubbing against and into her spotted fur. The wild dog, eyes narrowed and heavy with sleep, raised her arm and covered the tiny hyrax with her foreleg, her paw covering Bidii's face. She lowered her head, resting it on her own leg, and seemed, too, to drift off to sleep.

Kovu finally lay down nearby, against one of the trees. He glanced over at the young, sleeping animals and smiled. Koko had been an enormous help thus far. Not that he could not have tracked Jasusi's scent on his own, but Koko had been a great help in informing Kovu about the area, and it had given Kovu more time to ponder what he would do once he finally met Jasusi.

And yet, Kovu still worried whether bringing them along had been a good idea. For what would happen when he did finally meet Jasusi? What if there were other lions with her? What if… what if he was leading Koko and Bidii to their deaths?

A little ways away, Koko stirred, her eyes fluttering open as she turned around to find Kovu. She saw him, and through slitted eyes, said in a tiny voice, "K-kovu… do you mind… lying next to me? J-just in case, you know…"

Grinning, Kovu stood and promenaded over to Koko and the sleeping Bidii. He lay down next to her, his large body encompassing hers like the sea against the shore. The small dog snuggled up against him, burrowing into his brown fur, and was still again. Kovu laid his head on his paws, smiling, and closed his eyes, allowing the calming feeling of sleep wash over him.

xXxXxXx

Jasusi squinted in the bright sunlight, exiting the cave for the first time that morning. She turned her head, her paw patting the head of the vulture that had led her there. "We'll be off now, then, Katili!" she called back into the cave. "My warmest regards. Thank you for the riveting story, my friend."

"Fare thee well, Jasusi!" came Katili's voice from the edge of the cave. "Do tell me you'll visit again sometime… perhaps not on such short notice?"

"I will return when the time has come for us to descend upon the Pride Lands, which, if I have understood correctly, you will be along for the journey?"

"Anything for you, love." Katili's fanged grin was barely visible in the shadows of the cave.

Jasusi nodded curtly. "Until then." And she stalked away, the vulture at her side glancing back pleadingly at the cave of the Matapeli. With a quick push with her foreleg, the vulture was thrust ahead of Jasusi. "Forgive me, my friend," she said. "I want you where I can see you."

"You don' need me. I've been alla th' use I could be for you, haven' I? Why don' you jus' let me go?"

"No need to be hasty, my feathered friend," Jasusi glared at the vulture. "Who knows if I'll need you for something else?"

They had reached the edge of the gorge. The vulture groaned, and turned on the spot, facing Jasusi. "Sorry," he said. "I ain' waitin' around no more. You lions are all th' same… you'll eat me when you get th' chance."

"Why, I wouldn't dream of it," said Jasusi all-too-lazily.

"Whatever. I got stuff to do. You can go do whatever th' hell you need to do with th' Pride Lands or wherever th' hell you're goin'. But leave me out of it."

"Go, then."

The vulture blinked. "Y'serious?"

Jasusi merely shrugged.

The vulture eyed Jasusi suspiciously, but quickly decided that this was his chance to escape. He once again turned on the spot, wings outstretched, and flapped swiftly, lifting off into the air.

Having flown a mere few feet, the vulture was snatched out of the air, extraordinarily powerful jaws closing around his throat. With a sickening crunch, the bird was wrenched to the ground, bones snapping in the forcefulness of the blow.

Blood swam in the vulture's eyes. He squinted, seeing the lioness halted above him.

Jasusi licked her blood-covered lips, her paws finding their way to the vulture's stocky neck.

"You could have been quite useful," murmured Jasusi. "I regret this."

And she broke the bird's neck.

END CHAPTER

Ewwwwwwww, violence.

Alrighty, I've got stuff I have to go do, so I'll make this short. Thanks for reading, whoever is out there! Reviews are always wonderful if you'd be so kind. I will attempt to have a quicker update here next time. I finally have a storyline down, so I think that might be a possibility.

~YFWE