Okay let me just say that I live in New York and so as most of you know, a hurricane is coming. And according to the news it's worse than when hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. I might die so I'm just leaving this chapter here in my memory. Anyway, I think I sounded way too desperate in my last chapter ending. So let me apologize for my hiatus threat. You all know I didn't mean that right? Plus I just didn't understand how so many people could read and not review. It just bugs me because if you're reading and the story doesn't make you think of something it means the writer has failed somehow. If you're a fellow writer then please back me up on this. Anyway, so far I've gotten three new reviews, two of which are guest reviews from the same person. Anyway, first I'll start with a celeb shout out.
To Katy Perry – Happy twenty-eighth birthday Katy! That's right; recently this amazing musician became twenty-eight on October 25, 2012 which coincidentally was the same day I wrote this. I just wanted to say happy birthday, you're an awesome singer, keep up the great work!
Next comes my reviewer shout outs.
To PrettyGurlSwagg – First let me just say that I like your optimism. And yes I really do want reviews. All writers love reviews. It's what keeps us writing. Second, I agree that many people don't understand Lion King. I can't say I fully understand it myself. This is just my personal interpretation but thank you anyway. Third, they actually have three TLK movies but I guess you mean one that continues the story with Kovu and Kiara and I must say that I can't disagree. Finally, I won't judge your writing skills because I'm also very lazy and sometimes I don't bother with spell check.
Now, please wish me luck on surviving hurricane Sandy tomorrow and I hope to be alive so that I can finish this story. That's really it so without further ado…Tales of Two Kings chapter 10!
-X-
"Slimy!"
"Crunchy!"
"Slimy!"
"Crunchy!"
Vitani rolled her eyes. The small group of three had decided to rest right near the border so that they could fill up before going on for a couple more hours without food. At least for Vitani it would be. For Timon and Pumbaa, they could eat once they had reached the oasis which was a now two-fifths of a day's journey.
Vitani had already finished her breakfast and was now resting on her side. She looked up into the sky and wondered if Kopa was ever there watching her. She knew he wasn't a king but that didn't mean he wasn't up there right? She looked back and Timon and Pumbaa and realized that this argument sounded very familiar. That's right…She lived in the Pridelands once before. Those two babysat Kopa whenever Zazu was busy.
-X-
"Slimy!"
"Crunchy!"
"Slimy!"
"Crunchy!"
"How long are they going to keep this up?" whispered a little Vitani cub.
"Their longest record was a whole day" replied Kopa.
"Well, we're not really going to wait here for that long are we?"
"Of course not, we'll just sneak away. It's really easy when they're arguing like this. Come on!"
Kopa ran off in the opposite direction with Vitani following close behind. Soon enough they were far away from the dynamic duo.
"Wow, those two are bigger idiots than I thought! And very bad babysitters" commented Vitani as she stopped by the water hole to get a drink.
"Hey! Those are my foster grandparents!" started Kopa but then grinned. "And that cannot be more true"
"Whew! And here I thought you were going to disagree with me and start some sort of argument" Vitani chuckled.
"No way, if we were in an argument then you would win. Mostly through threats and violence of course" said Kopa, muttering the last sentence.
"What was that?"
"Oh nothing, just saying this personal mantra to myself"
"Have you been hanging out with Rafiki lately?"
"No, besides he speaks in riddles, not mantras"
"Well what is this personal mantra of yours?"
Before Kopa had the chance to make something up from the top of his head he was saved by three other cubs coming towards them. One was a lioness cub and the other two were both males.
"Hey Kopa, 'Tani, what's going on?" asked a younger version Sierra. (This OC was mentioned in the prologue, if you don't remember her then just refer back to it)
"Hey Sierra, Afua, Jua!" greeted Kopa.
Vitani on the other hand didn't so much as acknowledge any of them. Well, none except Sierra at least. "Hi" she muttered dryly.
"Hey Kopa, you want to go to Zulu Falls with us?" asked Jua.
Kopa glanced over at Vitani for a second before returning his attention to the male cub. "Uh, sure I guess. But what about Vitani, can't she come too?"
Jua's lips were about to form the word 'No' when Afua batted him slightly over the head. "Of course she can, it'll be more fun with more people" said Afua.
"But where are Timon and Pumbaa, weren't they supposed to be watching you?" asked Sierra looking around.
"They were supposed to, but whoever said they were good at it?" scoffed Vitani.
"Hey they raised the king himself when he was a cub. They deserve a little respect! Especially from one of Scar's brats" said Jua.
"Who are you calling a brat! And since when have you ever cared about those two? Last I checked you only saw them as lunch! So you shouldn't be telling me who I can and cannot respect!" snapped Vitani.
Both Vitani and Jua growled at each other. It looked as if they were ready to lunge at each other and the other three were fairly certain that they wouldn't end up play-fighting.
"Okay you guys really need to calm down. If this keeps up then only three of us will be going" said Afua coming between them.
"Yeah, we should head to Zulu Falls before you two decide to eat each other" added Sierra.
"Fine" muttered Jua turning away from Vitani.
"I'm not going" said Vitani suddenly.
"Why, is the little kitty afraid of some water?" smirked Jua.
"No" scoffed Vitani. "It's just that Zulu Falls is boring. I'd rather go somewhere more exciting. Like exploring the Elephant Graveyard!"
"The Elephant Graveyard? Why would you want to go there?" asked Afua incredulously.
"Duh, to look around. See what's there. Since the hyenas left we should have perfectly safe access to the place" said Vitani.
"That's sounds stupid" said Jua.
"I think it sounds kind of fun" said Kopa.
"You can't be serious" droned Jua.
"It's true that the hyenas left the place but it still creeps me out with all those elephant skulls" shuddered Sierra.
"Besides the rest of us are sane. The only reason you want to go is because of that connection to Scar" said Jua.
"Well if all of you are so sane then why does Kopa want to come?" asked Vitani.
"He probably only pities you because there's no one else that would hang out with you. And it's obvious why"
The next thing Vitani knew she clawed Jua's face and ran off. She had no idea what came over her. All she knew was that she was tired of being compared to Scar. He wasn't even alive when she was born so what connection did she have with him? None, and yet she received scorn from so many. Not just Jua, many of the older lions and even Afua at first. He probably just realized the truth that she was to be pitied and followed Sierra and Kopa. Those two probably weren't even her friends, they were just pretending to be.
She stopped and found herself at the same spot where Simba had told her and Kopa of the Great Kings of the Past. In the afternoon the sight was so different. The stars were replaced with clouds and the moon with a bright and shining sun.
"Vitani, what are you doing here?" asked a deep and gentle voice from behind her.
She turned around to see a large lion with dark brown fur. He had a black mane and blue eyes just like hers. He walked over to her and nuzzled her affectionately.
"Hi daddy…" said Vitani quietly. "What are you doing here?"
"I saw you run up here so I decided to follow. Listen I have something very important to tell you and you have to promise me that you will be strong" said her father.
"What is it?"
"Listen carefully…I'm going to be away for a long, long time. I'm not even sure if I'll ever be back"
"What? But you can't just leave! What about me? Or Nuka? Or even mom and the cub inside her?"
"Nuka is not my child and your mother doesn't need me anymore"
"…What do you mean?"
Her father sighed making him seem a lot older than he was. "I wish I could explain to you but I can't. All I can say is that I love you and I don't want you to forget that"
"But you can't leave me…No one here even likes me. Only you and mom and that's it! Please don't go!" pleaded Vitani.
"I'm sorry…And it's not true that no one likes you. Your friends Kopa and Sierra seem to like you very much. And I think the king and queen have taken a liking to you as well" said her father.
"No they don't…They probably just pity me because I don't have any real friends" muttered Vitani sadly.
"That's not true. Now listen, I don't have much time because I have to go very soon. Promise to watch over your new little sibling when he or she is born and never forget who you are…I don't want you to end up like me"
"End up like you? What does that mean?"
"I've made some mistakes in my past…Mistakes that I can never take back. All I can tell you is that when you love someone…Don't leave them. And you and your friend share a very strong love"
"M-Me and Kopa! N-No dad, it's not like that!" blushed Vitani.
"There are many forms of love my dear" chuckled her father before becoming serious again. "No, I meant love as friends. Now I must be off and I just have one more request…Don't ever tell your younger sibling about me. I don't want him or her to miss someone he'll never meet"
Vitani felt tears coming on but like her father had said she had to be strong. She held them back and embraced her father's leg. "I promise dad…And I promise that I'll never forget you either"
"I know you won't…Now I must go" said her father giving her one last nuzzle. With that he ran off in a different direction.
Once he was gone, Vitani turned back to the sky and broke down crying. She broke that dam that held back all her emotions. She didn't stop even when there was a rustle behind her indicating she was no longer alone.
"Hey, 'Tani, don't cry. I'm sure Jua didn't mean anything" said the recognizable voice of Kopa.
"That's not why I'm crying" sniffed Vitani turning to see Kopa and Sierra. They appeared to be slightly out of breath and very worried.
"Well even so you shouldn't let his words get to you. We're your friends, don't you ever forget that" said Sierra.
"Well what about Afua, he used to treat me badly and now all of a sudden he's trying to be nice to me. Why is that?" asked Vitani.
"He just felt threatened that you were taking his place as Kopa's best friend. You know before you had the time those two hung out all the time. But Kopa talked to him yesterday and they were able to work it out" said Sierra.
"So he wasn't being cold to me because of Scar?" sniffed Vitani.
"Of course not! Afua is not the type of person to judge someone based on others" said Kopa.
Vitani remained silent as she turned over their information over in her head. The fact that the two of them chased her so far, the fact that they were so worried…Maybe her dad was right, they were her friends and she had to trust them a little more. But the thought of her father reminded her of the reason for her tears.
"Thanks but…I'd rather be alone right now" said Vitani.
"Is this about whatever you're crying about? You can tell us you know" said Kopa.
"My dad was just here and he told me that he had to leave. He's gone and I might never see him again!" cried Vitani.
"Why did your dad leave?" asked Kopa gently, he seated himself on one side of his best friend.
"I don't know…He told me that he couldn't tell me" muttered Vitani.
"Well can't you stop him?" asked Sierra seating herself on her other side.
Vitani shook her head sadly. Suddenly she felt a little of her sadness vanish as Kopa gave her small nuzzle. Sierra laid her head down on Vitani's shoulder comfortingly. Soemhow the two of them were giving her some strength just by sitting by her.
"Thanks to both of you…" said Vitani.
"Hey that's what friends are for. We're there for each other no matter what" said Kopa.
"Right and we promise that the three of us will stick together no matter what!" added Sierra.
Vitani smiled at the thought of being with her friends forever. At the time it was a pleasant dream, now it was just a unreachable fantasy. But at least two of them were able to find themselves back to each other.
"Then let's make a pact. We'll always be friends forever, no matter what" smiled Vitani placing her paw in front of her.
The other two did the same so that their paws were all aligned. Together they said "We promise to always be friends". Once they lifted their paws, they noticed that they had made three paw prints at the very spot they made the promise. Vitani smiled…It was a symbol of their friendship and it will always be there.
-X-
Vitani pressed her paw into the ground in front of her. It left an indentation but nothing more. It had no meaning unlike the ones she and her friends left on that cliff. She wondered if they were still there. She turned her head back to the direction of Pride Rock. She could just barely make out the silhouette of the great rock.
She knew Afua and Jua were still there. She's seen them around although it was slightly difficult to recognize them with their manes. They, like many other male lions chose to stay with their pride although they lived in separate dens. Afua has been rather nice to her; Jua on the other paw still bears the claw marks she left him. So each time they passed each other he would give off a low growl. The reason why they weren't there the night of the battle between the Pridelanders and Outsiders took place was because they were visiting another pride at the time.
Strange, why were these memories resurfacing now? She had suppressed so many of her memories of Kopa that she had forgotten so much, including her own father…That's when she was reminded of the real reason why she volunteered to go with Timon and Pumbaa. It wasn't so she could talk to them, she just wanted an excuse to get away from the Pride Lands. There were just too many painful memories there.
"Hey Vitani!" shouted Timon taking her attention from Pride Rock.
"What's wrong? You don't look so good" pointed out Pumbaa.
"Nothing, I was just thinking" said Vitani looking down.
"Is it about Kopa?" asked Timon.
"That's part of it" muttered Vitani.
"Well what's the other part?" asked Pumbaa.
"Did you two ever know my dad?" asked Vitani hesitantly.
Both Timon and Pumbaa looked at each other. Both of them were genuinely taken by surprise.
"Sort of…We were at the oasis for lots of that time but we got to know him a little" said Timon as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
"What was he like? I can barely remember him" said Vitani. 'Even though I promised that I would never forget him…'
Timon and Pumbaa glanced at each other once more. Timon just shrugged so Pumbaa decided to speak.
"Where should I start…Well let me just say that your dad wasn't the nicest animal out there, at least not at first. When we first met him he saw us as food and would've jumped at the chance to eat us" started Pumbaa.
"Meaning if he ever caught us alone then he would've chomped down on us" said Timon.
"That doesn't sound like him" said Vitani defensively.
"You didn't let us finish. Your dad wasn't the nicest and one day he did try to eat us. But Simba was able to save us right before he could. After that Simba had a very long talk with him in the den. Your dad was not happy when he came out but he never did try to eat us again" said Pumbaa.
"We never saw much of him until the day we heard Zira was about to give birth to you. We saw him nervously pacing back and forth outside the den with your older brother. Simba and Kopa was there also. Although Kopa was only a couple of days old at the time" said Timon.
"Kopa's presentation day was the day right after you were born actually" added Pumbaa.
"We saw that he was nervous and whatever Simba was saying to him was putting him at ease. Pumbaa and I decided to try talking to him ourselves" said Timon.
"It was true, we had no idea what it was like waiting for your mate to give birth but we knew what it was like to be a parent. We also knew what it was like to feel worried but then realize it was all worth it" smiled Pumbaa.
"From that day forward he was a lot nicer. And whenever he had you around with him he was always smiling. He went from someone cold and distant to warm, fatherly, and loving" finished Timon.
"I feel a lot better hearing that but I have one more question I have to ask about him" said Vitani. Both of the prey animals watched her intently as they waited patiently for her to ask the question she had in mind. "What happened to him?"
"…He wasn't banished or anything…All we know is that a week before Kovu was born he was gone. He left without uttering a word to either of us. Simba asked Zira if she knew anything about it but all she told him was that he was a filthy, disgusting vermin and she never wanted to see him again" said Timon quietly but still loud enough for Vitani to hear.
Vitani looked down so that her bangs covered her eyes. "…What was his name?"
"…His name was Neo…"
-X-
I know it's rather weird that I just ended a chapter with a name but you know, whatever. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter and I hope to get the next chapter up soon. Also I hope I won't die. Wish me luck on my very first natural disaster. (I was on vacation in France last year when hurricane Irene struck) Please leave a review and I will hopefully see you again next time.
But I do want to clear up a few things before I go. First, I'm not using actual lion facts in this story. Males are allowed to live in the pride if they want to. They don't have to leave and make their own pride but they must live in separate dens. Second, there are soul mates, no one king gets many wives. By the way this applies to every pride in this story not just the Pride Lands. Third, the aging process I'm using is not the real one but it's not the human aging process either. It's more like a lion's regular life span only doubled. The only thing in this story that's true about lions is the amount of time a lioness is pregnant which is approximately one hundred and ten days. That's it, until next time!