Chapter 7: meeting for the first time

"I can't believe you would do that behind my back," Simba said pacing in front on Nala, who sat calmly in front of him with a slightly annoyed look on her face as her mate kept pacing back and forth in front of her.

"I handled things, the best way I knew how." She said her eyes sharp. Simba stopped pacing for a moment.

"I decided to wait and see, we still don't know if he`s jabari, Nala!" He said, returning to his pacing, his tail now lashing. Nala shook her head. "Well we`ll find out, wont we." She said, Simba stooped again and narrowed his angry eyes at her, "Is there a special reason you choose Alea?"

"No." she lied. Simba shook his head and sat down calming down; he knew he was getting mad over nothing. What Nala did was sensible and smart. Simba sighed, but his son couldn't be alive. How could he? He had searched until he couldn't let anymore of his lionesses go out, if this was Jabari then it was Simba`s fault if he never found his son. He should have looked harder!

Nala walked over to him, pressing her muzzle to his cheek. "He is our son that we know."

Simba looked at Nala and gave a small smile, "Did you have to choose Alea, and they never met before, how can we still believe this could work?"

Nala didn't seem to have an answer for that. Simba walked outside and Nala followed close behind him. Just below they could see Alea and Jabari heading back to Pride Rock. Jabari had his head held high and snapped at everything Alea said. How could this work?

He looked back to Nala, "He`s to different." He said.

Nala smiled, "Simba, you and I both remember how he was as a cub, that is still there, we just have to find it."

Simba nodded, but he didn't whole heartedly agree. He had to see it to believe it.

"I don't like the way you handled Kiara." Nala said sensing the previous conversation had come to an end.

Simba hardened instantly, "I don't like she keeps hanging around Kovu, he`s no good, I can tell."

"Maybe he`s changed for the better too, you can't always be sure."

"I know that Nala, but if he`s changed then he should stay away from Kiara, you know how she always finds a way into trouble."

"Just like someone else I know." Nala teased, walking back to the den.

"Who?" he asked curiously, glancing back at her.

"She's just like you when we were younger!" she said like it was obvious.

"what that`s not true!" he said heading after her.

XXX

Kiara crouched low and sprang on the pebble in front of her. She had been practicing her hunting with Kovu all day. Now she felt like she was could catch anything. She also knew how bad she used to be at hunting.

She crouched once more judging her leap. She pushed with her back legs going further than she expected. She suddenly landed on top of someone their fur covering her eyes. They both fell down the path way landing in the grass. Kiara sat up spitting out the dust that had entered her mouth. When she looked at the person she had landed on she almost thought it was Kovu, but then green eyes met hers and she backed away at the hostility in them.

"Sorry." She said shyly taking another step back as the other lion stood up. When he stared at her he seemed to have calm down a considerable amount. "It`s fine," the lion turned as Alea, one of the lionesses came running down the path. His eyes grew cold again.

"Kiara are you Ok?" Alea asked once she got down to them.

"of course why wouldn- Did father tell you about Kovu!" Kiara hissed , was her father telling everyone he was hanging around Kovu?

"Kovu?" The other two lions said. Kiara shook her head apparently not.

"Never mind, who`s this?" she said glancing at the other lion.

"Jabari." Alea said glaring at the male lion. "We have to get back to the den."

Jabari sneered, "You mean you have to return me to my cell so you can sleep?"

"Cell, what cell!" Kiara asked, she had heard something about a prisoner but never thought her father would do anything like that, then see remembered the night of the fire the lion they brought back, this must be him!

Jabari looked her up and down, "You must be the princess." He said. Kiara hated that title.

"My name is Kiara."

Jabari stared at her for a second before looking back to Alea and walking up the path. Kiara looked to Alea for an explanation but the lioness shook her head and raced after Jabari.

Kiara growled in annoyance. She raced up to the den and just missed her father walking into the den.

"DAD!" she yelled, her father came out her mother right behind him.

"I`ve just met our prisoner!" she hissed. Nala walked up to her, "Listen we wanted to tell you we thought it safe to wait till your bother was… calmer towards us."

"Brother! Jabari is my brother!" she hissed in disbelief.

"Wasn't that what you were talking about?" Her father asked.

"No, now I have more reason to suggest you get him out of his "Cell"!" she yowled at her parents.

"Kiara, you don't understand-" Simba started.

"No you don't!" she yelled racing back down the stony path, hoping to get away from her parents lies.