Chapter 2 - Stare down

Author's Note- Hey guys! Chapter 2 is here! I was pretty satisfied with the success of the first chapter and am still getting a great amount of views. (This is awesome, graci!) Thanks for all the new followers! I love Mkali! She is so tiny and innocent. And I tried to make Kaona as sassy as possible, which was really fun. Hahaha

*references are the bottom* :) review!

Disclaimer- I don't own Lion King just my own characters!

Story time:

Kaona didn't know what Zira wanted her for, but knowing her she knew she wouldn't like whatever was about come. Mkali began to stir in her mouth so she walked slower. Ebony looked nervously over her shoulder when she did this.

"Come Kaona," she warned. "We mustn't keep Zira waiting." Kaona rolled her eyes unfazed by this.

"Let her wait," she muttered. "Why doesn't the lioness come to me if she needs to speak with me and my daughter? The nerve; I wish she'll say something. I dare her." Her speech was muffled by the mouthful of fur she was holding but she didn't care either way. Mkali began to squirm in her hold and mew.

Ebony ignored this and continued walking like she hadn't heard anything. Kaona hummed softly to keep Mkali quiet hoping to put her back to sleep but the more she hummed her tune the more irritable her daughter got. She was obviously noticing what her mother was trying to do and wasn't having it.

She let out a loud cry making Kaona stop. She put Mkali down and licked her forehead gently. "Ebony, I know that Zira wants an audience but at this rate nobody is getting anything."

Ebony looked back panicked and looked back forward obviously torn. "I apologize Kaona but she specifically asked to bring you both to her."

Mkali quieted while she was on the ground. She swatted at the dirt obviously oblivious to the problem at hand. Kaona leaned down and nudged her bottom with her muzzle.

"Come on baby girl," she encouraged. "Walk for mama." Mkali leaned over and licked her mother's face and stood running towards Ebony but tripping over her own paws. Kaona chuckled walking over to help her up. She looked at Ebony with a grin, "And so we go."

Ebony hurried forward with Mkali hot on her trail trying to swat her tail. Kaona smiled to herself loving to watch her little girl play. Mkali reminded her so much of herself. She had a soft but stubborn streak in her. Hasana says that's the Kaona way.

Probably is, she admitted to herself. As she continued to watch though, she began to worry again.

When Mkali was born it took her almost 4 days to begin to walk, whereas the average cub can walk only hours after. She didn't talk much unless she was alone with her mother or with Hasana. Zira's son Nuka had taken a liking to her because she couldn't find the words to scold him. Not that she wanted to.

Nuka was the only cub she was allowed to be around. She only talked to him when she wanted to; which wasn't often. And when she did talk, Mkali could only say small words that came out in stutters and was very softly spoken. She was scared easily but Nuka liked to protect and defend her when he gets a chance. Kaona didn't mind the hero complex in the young boy so allowed the friendship to happen. Kovu and Vitani barely ever got out of their mother's sight. And when they were out they're either training for the coming plans or they are isolated from the "contamination" of the outlander lionesses.

Kaona was fine with this though. Zira had mocked Mkali's timid and frightened personality with stupidity often. Spending so much time under their hateful mother, the cubs could have been "contaminated" themselves with their mother's ugliness.

As they neared Zira's chambers, Mkali's keen sense of smell kicked in. She stopped chasing Ebony's tail and looked up alert. She saw the main leader's cave only a short distance away from where she was standing. Letting out a small shriek she scampered and hid behind her mother's leg.

Kaona tried to console and encourage her to come out but Ebony looked like she wanted to do the same. Ignoring her, she said to her shaken daughter, "Mkali, Zira just wants to see you. Then we can go home and you can play with Hasana and maybe even Nuka if he isn't busy!"

As if on cue, the dirty little ball of fur ran over to them from his cave. "Hi Mkali," Nuka said. She peeked her head out from behind Kauna's leg and smiled small at the young cub. Mkali opened her mouth to speak.

"Nuka!" A voice roared scaring Mkali again. She screamed and it seemed like she could get closer to her mother's hind leg. Zira sneered at the child baring her teeth at him. "If anyone is going to speak to that child it's me!" She said advancing on him. Nuka lowered his ears and backed away.

"I-I'm sorry m-mother," he muttered. She growled at him and he scampered away. Kaona looked at her in disgust. Before she could say anything, Ebony stepped forward and bowed deeply practically licking the dirt underneath her paws.

"I hope I pleased you Zira," she said making Kaona roll her eyes. "Mkali and Kaona are here now for you to speak with you-" she was interrupted by an irritated growl making her shiver with fear.

"I'm not blind, Ebony," she sneered. "I can very well see that Kaona has honored by request. Therefore, you. Are. Dismissed." she said the last part through her teeth. Ebony scampered faster than Nuka did. Zira put on a smile and looked at Kaona. "Thank you for seeing me," she said.

Kaona put on a fake smirk and said nothing. Zira looked at Mkali like she knew a dirty secret about her. Kaona didn't like this look one bit; she cleared her throat getting Zira's attention.

"So we're here," she stated matter-of-fact stepping in front of Zira's view of her daughter. They made eye contact and Zira had a look on that would've made any other lioness draw back, but not Kaona. This must have amused Zira because she put on a smug look.

"And so you are," she said under her breath recovering eye contact with Mkali. Kaona felt her ndogo binti shaking against her leg but the courage she inherited from her mother gave her the confidence to keep the eye contact. Kaona opened her mouth again to speak but was beaten.

"Oh, Kaona," Zira said in an odd admiration. "Your daughter is so... tete but also has such high uwezo." She was practically saying all of this in low whisper. Kaona's overprotective instinct was slowly taking over. She poked Mkali on her bottom with her tail tuft motioning her underneath her underbelly. As far as Zira saw, the cub had lost interest in their staring contest and moved toward her mother.

Zira smirked again and it made Kaona's insides burn. She wanted to smack that smirk off her face. Zira looked at her with the smirk. "Walk with me, Kaona."

A/N - thanks for reading chapter 2, next update will be up soon. There were a lot of Swahili words in this chapter and so you're not confused I put these up lol:

Tete- fragile or vulnerable

Uwezo- potential or high quality

Ndogo binti - small daughter

Also there was a phrase that do not own. It was "And so we go" which was something Kaona said in the beginning. I'm a HUGE pendragon fan and it sounded so fitting right there. Some of you may have gotten an idea of where this story is going but for the sake of other readers please keep your predictions to yourself in order for the other readers can be just as surprised too. Thanks!