Meanwhile in the Shadow Lands.

It's been a year since Nala was on her journey, and no one had news if she was alive or not. Her journey back, wouldn't take as long, and a good thing it wouldn't. The gray plains of the Shadow Lands was almost empty, only a select few remained there, mainly a pride of lions. A pride that was divided. The divide didn't cause any trouble, yet, for the final battle for Pride Rock, was certainly looming over all their heads. It was bound to happen, sooner or later. But the wait was almost driving them nuts.

A few miles away from Pride Rock, Sarafina, Adia and Sarabi were with the group that supported the idea that Pride Rock still had a fighting chance to regain it's former legendary, beautiful state. "Why must we wait any longer? Nala hasn't returned. The Pride Lands are dead. Staying here us utterly pointless." Said a lioness.

Sarabi narrowed her brows, and stood up, regally. "Nay, don't start. We can't give up hope on this land. We must remain strong, Nala is going to return."

"You don't know that...Forgive me, Sarabi, but we can't live here anymore, all the cubs have died...We couldn't feed them enough." Said the lioness, sadly, and closed her eyes. Looking away, she sobbed for a few moments.

Sarafina stood up, and looked at the lioness. "That's not true, my son is here, and Zira has Nuka and Vitani." She said. Zira and Sarafina recently gave birth. Zira gave birth to a daughter, and Sarafina to a son. She decided to call him: Mheetu. Mheetu had some similarities to his deceased father, mainly in appearances, though.

Nuka almost looked like Scar, but Nuka's tuft, very soon to be mane was oddly shaped, since he never really cleaned it. Vitani resembled Zira a little, but not by much.

Meanwhile at Pride Rock.

Nuka looked over the land, that his father was meant to look after, but something about being ruler intrigued him so. He turned his attention to his mother, who was already showing signs of being pregnant...Again, but this time, the father was different, and Scar surprisingly didn't seem to care. Scar had high hopes for the next cub to be born, if it was male, he would want that cub to take his place.

Zira didn't like talking about the father of her soon to be born cub, for reasons unknown at the moment. "Mother, I managed to find a few meerkats, I left them at the entrance of the den." said Nuka with personal triumph, hoping to make his mother proud. "I just figured, I could do what I can for this pride, when Scar makes me his successor." Nuka finished. Zira was grooming Vitani, but stopped and looked at him.

"I'm sorry, Nuka, but we already talked about this, Scar doesn't want you to succeed him." Zira replied with not much care, and shrugged off her son's desire to replace his father as king. Nuka looked down and frowned, and thought to him self. "I will prove my self worthy, and make you proud mom."

Meanwhile in the Shadow Lands.

Mheetu nestled between his mother's forepaws, after drinking as much milk as he could. Sarafina nuzzled the cub's oh so small nose, and purred to him. She never regretted on being the mate of Mufasa, and Tojo, for they both have given her something to live for. A daughter and son. Sarafina hoped to the gods, that Nala was alright.

Sarabi and Adia were in her company. The three of them stayed together a lot ever since Mufasa's death. Sarafina also never grew jealous of Sarabi. They always been best friends, since cubhood. Sarafina looked up at the two of them.

"I know, Nala. She will return. Do you have faith in me, and my daughter?" She asked. Sarabi and Adia smiled with assurance, and Adia said. "Aye, we do." Their smiles, made her feel all the better.

Meanwhile at the lush forest.

Nala was sitting on a nice grass field, and sighed lightly. Not being able to convince Simba to return, had her question on who she was as a lioness. Wasn't she wise enough to bring him back. She also failed on trying to have that one pride be of some aid. Some princess she was turning out to be, or so she thought.

"If there's so much I must be, can I still just be me? The way I am?" Nala whispered. "Can I trust in my own heart?" She concluded. She smirks lightly, remembering all the wise things Mufasa has taught Simba, for she has listened to those teaching on occasion, and she knew then, realized why she traveled this far, in the first place. She almost forgot. For she, is Nala, Princess of the Pride Lands. Of Pride Rock, and Simba is her king. Her mate.

She stood up, and smirked, with triumph. She had to find Simba, but didn't know where to look. Timon and Pumbaa must know where he is. So she ran as fast as she could to where she saw them resting for the night.

She found them easily enough. The lioness was thankful for that. Nala slowly walked to the sleeping duo. Timon was sleeping on Pumbaa's stomach. She raises her paw and gently nudges Timon.

"Hey. Hey, wake up." Nala whispered.

Timon groaned lightly, opened his eyes, and looked up slowly, to see two large blue eyes staring down at him. He screams and falls off of Pumbaa's stomach, waking up the warthog in the process. The duo scream in terror. Nala was frightened a bit, from their sudden screaming, but she calmed her nerves, then tried to calm them down.

"It's okay! Whoa, whoa! It's okay! It's me!"

Timon and Pumbaa stopped screaming, after realizing it was just Nala. Timon got on the warthog's stomach, to have a better eye level view, with Nala.

"Don't ever do that again. Carnivores! Oy!"

Nala glared at Timon, but ignored his words, her facial expression changed. "Have you guy's seen Simba?"

"I thought he was with you." Retorted Timon.

"He was, but now I can't find him." Nala replied.

Nala, Timon and Pumbaa hear joyous laughter above them, the three of them look up, and see a Mandrill.

"You won't find him here! Ha ha! The king has returned." Said Rafiki.

Nala looked down at Timon and Pumbaa, she smiled with hope and happiness.

"I can't believe it. He's gone back!" Said Nala.

"Gone back? What do you mean?" Timon asked, while he and the others looked up. Rafiki was gone. He vanished. "Hey, what's going on here?" Timon said with confusion.

Nala explained to them, about her cubhood, and some of the events leading up to where she reunited with Simba. But Timon and Pumbaa seemed to have a hard time following. She groaned.

"Oh, don't you get it?! Simba needs us. Now!" She concluded and ran from them, heading to the Pride Lands, to help Simba reclaim the land that once belonged to them. Nala didn't know what the outcome would be, but the final battle for Pride Rock was coming, and she took a short cut, because there was no time to waste. She couldn't wait a year to return, it would take at least two months to return and join Simba, and with her mother: Sarafina.