This chapter was late because my laptop's hard drive died (presumably from overheating), but nonetheless, I apologize for the tardiness. :S This has become a habit lately. I don't like it. I'm starting college in a few weeks, so I'm squeezing in as many chapters as I can since I doubt I can get as many chapters out as I used to. But I'll try.
Zero Unit RBG: Thank you so much! :) I hope so too. :/
AtlanticRose: Haha, no prob. Thanks for reading! :D
~20~
"He had been a bit aloof lately," Ashanti smirked. "Doesn't shock me a bit that he's been conversing with the enemy like this."
Iman scowled promptly at his sister's tasteless reaction, but she took no notice. The usually silent morning was filled with the panicky royal parents barking demands, faint gossip amongst half-asleep subjects, and impromptu plans established in a sea of chaos. Search parties were banded and dispatched like clockwork and Kovu's eyes darted restlessly as he paced around the den. He'd rip open Nassor and Sura's throats himself if he could, but the malicious duo abandoned their refuge, with the young prince in tow. Iman suddenly felt an immense guilt flow through his veins—as he was the only witness aside from Diallo, and his testaments were useless now that the brothers had taken off.
"Does it not concern you at all that our brother could be anywhere right now with those villains doing who knows what?" Iman inquired with a bumped brow.
Shani, who's cheeks stained with briny tears, took to Ashanti's left side, her sea blue irises surveying him and her maw sporting an angry curl. Iman cocked his brows, pleading silently for her forgiveness, but his willingness to salvage their friendship did nothing to assuage her broken heart, and the young lioness remained bitter and desolate.
"My only concern is that in a matter of years, he'll be responsible for these lands and our lives." Ashanti added again spitefully.
"Give it a rest!" the middle cub hissed viciously. "Are you so clouded in your stupid rivalry that you don't realize Diallo is out there—possibly hurt or worse?"
"He brought it on himself." the princess scoffed. "It's about time someone knocked him off his pedestal."
"He's our brother. Granted he's jerk, but he's still our blood and we should be there for each other. How could you even say those terrible things about him so remorselessly?"
Ashanti's stern glower seemed to soften gradually once Iman uttered those words. She bowed her head and sighed, disappointed in herself for letting such trifle matters shroud her state of mind.
"You're right." she grimaced dolefully after a long pause. "And all those nasty things I said about him...and for all we know, he might not even be alive."
Shani shared a portion of her friend's remorse, fearing that the fate of her future king and mate would take a grim turn. The fierceness of her glare died once her focus roved from her onto the young prince, who's glum and fearful countenance didn't fail to melt away the resentment she had towards him. With Diallo's sudden decampment and Ashanti's long-awaited epiphany, Shani quickly realized it was better to bury the hatchet with her good friend rather than indulge in her trivial snubbing any longer.
"If this all ends well, it'll be best for you and Diallo to end this pettiness and we can start fresh again." Iman proposed with a rising grin. "I'd like for us all to be great friends again—like when we were cubs."
He passed another look at Shani, who refused to smile, but the uneasy look on her face was hard to ignore.
"That'd be great." Ashanti chirped enthusiastically.
Just as Iman passed a smile of approval to his young sister, he felt a paw brush against his left shoulder blade. Shani's face was painted with remorse and her muzzle widened into a content grin.
"Thanks, Shani." he beamed with zeal. "I hope you can forgive me."
"I already did." she purred cordially, tussling his sun-kissed red tuft and swiftly departing.
Iman darted after her, and once again―the cubs were inseparable. A fragment of yellow rays peaked just above the horizon, and the den still busied with commotion, but Kovu's loud, stern voice snapped the cubs out of their tranquil, nostalgic moment.
"We found him wandering alone just beyond the Northern Borders." Vitani reported with an unusually serious tone. "We couldn't find Nassor or Sura."
"Where were you?!" he bolted at the ball of scruffy brown fur just a few steps in front of him.
The den grew disturbingly silent as Kovu's glare grew sharper and his demands got louder.
"Where's Nassor and Sura?" the enraged king barked again, this time eliciting a response from the royal rebel.
"They're hiding." he responded coldly. "Don't bother looking for them, you'll never find them. I'm helping them seek refuge."
"Diallo, stop this craziness now! I am your father and your king, now listen to me."
"No you listen to me!" the young prince interposed with a fiery tone. "Nassor and Sura never lied to me! Nassor and Sura are my friends―my real friends. And I'm going to see them whether you like it or not!"
Kovu's lips curled and bore his rattling teeth. He rose a paw, but Simba and Kiara quickly restrained him, while Diallo's eyes met his fuming patriarch, a remorseless grin painted across his muzzle. The pride looked on in shock, but even their surprise couldn't rival that of the three youngest pridemembers, who spectated what was just the beginning of Diallo's sudden transition.
With Diallo's rebellion growing stronger, Kovu prohibited his eldest son from leaving Pride Rock, fearing that Nassor and Sura would continue to corrupt the prince. Understandably, Diallo didn't take well to this newfound confinement and schemed to escape and meet his friends once more―unsuccessfully. Kiara's nightmares wouldn't go away and she grew fearful for the fate of all three of her children.
"This can't be a coincidence." she said breathlessly. "Something's going to happen. Kovu, our cubs are in danger!"
He'd always tell her she's worrying too much and that Diallo would soon grow out of his rebellious ways, but with each coming day, he too began to ponder the sincerity of his words. Kovu's concern for his oldest son roved onto the younger cubs as well, and they were constantly warned not to converse with the leopard brothers and not to roam too close to the borders―fearing they might show up unannounced.
"What did they even do?" Ashanti asked once day while basking on a protruded slab of rock.
"I don't know," Iman replied solemnly. "Dad won't even tell us."
"It doesn't make any sense," Shani chimed in. "But they must've done something terrible."
"I can only imagine what heinous things those wicked brothers did to anger Kovu so much," Isa added with a prompt humph.
The two royal siblings agreed with a nod. Ashanti's gaze wandered onto her desolate older brother, sighing to himself while two lionesses watched him from the back while two others watched from the front.
"I feel kind of bad for him," she crooned. "I wish there was something we could do to help."
"Like what?" Shani inquired with a raised brow. "That boy's a lost cause. He won't budge."
"It wouldn't hurt to try." Iman said with a rising grin.
There was an ambitious flicker in Iman's sea green eyes that made it impossible for Shani to resist and she and the rest of the preteens trotted behind him, meeting with the oldest addition of their circle of friends.
"What do you losers want?" he scoffed when he saw them nearing him.
"We just wanted to keep you company." Iman said with a smile of assurance.
"I don't want to hang out with you guys. I want to hang out with Nassor and Sura."
"Well too bad." Ashanti smirked. "We're gonna stay here with you whether you like it or not."
"So suck it up!" Isa concluded with her wings folded.
Diallo swiftly turned away from the quartet, emitting an annoyed groan.
"Come on, Diallo." Iman probed. "Don't you want us to be like we were before?"
"Nooo…" the prince snapped back condescendingly.
"But it was fun." Shani pled.
"Who cares?"
"Come on, Diallo." Ashanti pressed genuinely. "I want us to be friends again. We have our differences, but I just want things to be different. I don't want to fight anymore."
Diallo still wasn't moved―but Iman noticed the glower on his brother's face began to quiver and his eyes danced around as if he was trying to avoid something. After a brief pause, he looked up and his lip quivered.
"I'm sorry," he muttered, his gaze fixed to the ground. "I'm sorry…all of you."
"It's fine, Diallo." Iman assured with a proud smile. "As long as we're on good terms, that's all that matters."
Shani, Ashanti and Isa smiled as well, relieved that this stupid rivalry was finally put to an end. The full quintet were banded and all was well once more. Kiara and Kovu entered the den, taken aback by the sight of happy conversing children giggling, laughing and horsing around.
"Well, what do we have here?" Kiara asked with a wide smile.
"Looks like the gang's back together." Kovu added with relief. "You see, Kiara? I told you. The issue resolved itself."
Kiara bit her lip, still very apprehensive and reluctant to side with Kovu, but he gave her a loving and nuzzle, and soon the worried queen was swayed.
"Well, I'm just glad that the cubs are friends again." she smiled. "I was worried that the issue would get worse."
The two dumbfounded parents were interrupted with a sudden soft padding sneaking into earshot, then the timid voice of their eldest prince.
"Umm, mom…dad, can we talk?" he proposed coyly.
"Anytime, son." Kovu responded with fatherly air.
With that, both the king, queen and young prince briskly padded from the den and ventured into the fields that lied just a few paces from Pride Rock. The skies were a sharp puce and dusk was quickly approaching.
"Now what is it you wanted to talk about?" the royal father inquired looking his son in the eye.
"I'm sorry for all the things I said to you guys earlier," Diallo uttered. "It was really stupid of me."
"It's fine," Kiara assured with a motherly lick. "You are still young and have a lot to learn. When we are upset, we say things we don't mean."
"But I have to ask…" Diallo interjected. "Why did you change the rules in the first place? Why did you lie to me all this time? Did you even want me to be king?"
Kovu swallowed hard and added,
"No, of course not! We changed the rules because we love you guys so much. And we don't want you three to become overwhelmed in envy and hate."
"Like Scar and Zira…" Kiara added, prompting a hasty glare from Kovu. "What…what did I do?"
"He shouldn't know about them. Not when he's so young."
"You can't keep secrets from him any longer, Kovu." she insisted sternly. "Diallo's our son and it's not fair to keep lying to him like this."
Kovu sighed unsurely, but with a hint of reluctance, sat Diallo down and told him everything―about Scar, Mufasa, Zira, Kopa, and why he was so resentful towards Nassor and Sura. By the time Kovu's story was finished, nighttime had reached its peak and Diallo's eyes were as wide as the moon that towered over them.
"But I'm nothing like Scar and Zira! Why would I ever want to consider harming my family? Over something as stupid as becoming king? Regardless of how things turn out, I'll always love you guys."
Kiara and Kovu smiled approvingly at their son and the family shared a nuzzle.
"We love you too, Diallo, and we're so proud of you for forgiving us for our mistakes." Kiara beamed, locking eyes with her son.
The extensive similarities he had to Kovu couldn't be overlooked. He was going to make a fine king someday.
"So, are we friends again?" Diallo chuckled, nudging his father with his paw.
"Of course." Kovu responded with equal jovialness. "And we'll always be friends."
Content, the parents began their slow stroll back to Pride Rock with Diallo trailing right behind them. They were too oblivious to notice the hate and deceit festering beneath the insincere words of assurance Diallo had uttered just a few minutes before. From then on, their young son became a ruthless monster.
"I'll show them." he uttered dangerously underneath his breath. "I'll show them all."
One thing about this chapter is that it's in 3rd person throughout its duration. About that, a good handful of this story may be in third until it ends. I do think the alternating POVs get annoying at some point. :P But before I ramble, once I track down the notes I made for this story, everything should go swimmingly. Thanks for reading! :D