A/N:Kate and CSIMentalistTLK lover, you're right. Nala needs to bring her head out of her ass. But like Rafiki said there's a hurricane coming and it has her name on it.

Disgraceful Prince

"Mheetu! Mheetu!"

A cheerful voice was calling nearby, making Mheetu's ears twitch with annoyance. He shuffled his paws, drawing them closer to his body.

"Mheetu!"

The call grew louder, sounding right next to him now. A paw prodded his side, making him squeak in surprise. He raised his head, blinking blearily. For a moment, he couldn't see as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. It was night, and the whole pride was asleep. Except for one, that is. Nzuri. The charming peach cub stood beside him, eyes sparkling and paw poised to poke Mheetu again.

"You're awake!" She purred, dropping her paw and smiling at him.

Mheetu flicked his ears, blinking at her. He sat up, meeting her happy gaze. He was almost as big as her-he had grown slowly, and was a small cub anyway-but wasn't a mewling kitten any longer.

"What do you want?" He yawned, curling his tail around him as a light breeze tugged at his fur. The night carried an unwelcome chill.

"I have to show you something!" Nzuri giggled, her tail swishing rapidly as she talked.

"Shh!" Mheetu scolded her, glancing behind him at his adopted mother. But the mountain pride queen was the only mother he could think of.

Nabii was snoring softly, and his older brother Kishindo was sleeping peacefully near her hind legs.

"It's the middle of the night! We can't just run off!" He continued, returning his green-blue gaze to the she-cub.

"You're just grumpy because I woke you up in the middle of night time." Nzuri replied cheekily, still smiling. "Follow me!"

She moved before he could reply, dashing away through the grass, around the bushes that created the pride's little territory. Mheetu sighed softly, but rose to follow her. She was his friend, and he couldn't just let her run off in the dark. Picking a slow trot, he slipped around the sleeping lions and out into the open lush, waving grass and gentle slopes were suddenly unnerving. The moon, hidden by thick clouds, gave no comforting light to the dark savannah. Rustlings sounded everywhere, and faint flashes of movement appeared every so often. Mheetu trembled, keeping low to the ground. Small as he was, the grass easily grew above his head. He moved cautiously and quickly, unsure of this different setting. The only comfort he had was of Nzuri's tail, constantly twitching above the stalks. He stared at it as if his life depended on it. Suddenly her dark red tuft disappeared. Mheetu's ears pricked with surprise and he hurried forwards, starting to panic.

"Ow!"

Mheetu's shoulder collided with Nzuri's side. He blinked, the grass behind him swishing from where he had run through it.

"Nzuri?"

He looked to the other cub, who was crouched down and sniffing at a rather odd-looking pile of stones. They were pretty large too, bigger than him and a dull dusty gray.

"Is this what you wanted to show me?" He asked, a bit confused. Nzuri's ideas were usually much more interesting than...well, a pile of rocks.

"Yep!" She replied at last, glancing back to him with a sneaky smile painted across her muzzle.

Mheetu frowned slightly, still not understanding. But she had that look on her face.

"Uh...a pile of rocks?" Mheetu asked, hoping it didn't sound too blunt.

Nzuri's smile widened and she stepped away from the stones. As she did so, she shoved one of the smaller boulders away from the pile. A gaping hole opened up between the other rocks, dipping slightly into the ground. Mheetu stared for a moment.

"I guess that's not just a rabbit hole, is it?" He glanced to Nzuri, feeling a wave of fear. "Y-you don't want us to go in there, to you?"

Nzuri rolled her green-grey eyes. "You're such a scaredy-gazelle." She scoffed, her ears flicking.

Mheetu huffed softly. "No, I'm not!" He protested, though he knew it was a lie. He definitely did not want to go down in some random tunnel. What if they got lost? What if it caved in? "Besides, we'll get in trouble!" He tried to make Nzuri see sense.

"Nope!" She grinned happily. "We'll be out of here in no time." She always sounded so confident.

Mheetu sighed. "Why didn't you show this to one of the others?" He grumbled softly, tail tip twitching with discomfort.

Nzuri hopped closer to him, her pretty eyes sparkling. "Because you're my best friend." She meowed, for once showing signs of seriousness.

Mheetu managed an awkward smile at her tone."Well, if you're my best friend then you won't make me go down there." He replied, admitting to his fear.

"Ha! I knew you were afraid!" Nzuri regained her eager personality once again. She giggled and then turned to push the boulder back in front of the hole. "But fine. Maybe tomorrow."

She slipped past him and dashed back through the grass. Mheetu jumped and skittered around to follow journey home was much quicker, as both cubs ran. Nzuri led the way back into the brush, now slow and silent, and crept close to her mother Shinda. Mheetu pattered quietly over to Nabii, where he settled down and curled up close to her. A yawn escaped his little jaws, and he turned his gaze to the sky. For a moment, his gaze drifted across the heavens. Again, he wondered if he truly belonged here. He looked so different from the other lions, even his parents and brother looked so different. But no one ever said anything about it. They acted like he was one of them...but was he? Even Nabii and Malka avoided deeper questions when Mheetu asked them about their family. He wanted to believe he belonged, but it was very hard. Mheetu sighed and scooted closer to Nabii. He watched the clouds float across the dark sky. His eyes slowly drooped, and he felt exhaustion descend. The question still burned in his mind, as he drifted to sleep. Is this where I belong?