Scar is dead. Simba thought to himself. He had been repeating that sentence every time his imagination got carried away today ever since the sun came up this morning. He sat on the ledge of Pride Rock, gazing out to the horizon.
It was a sunny day, and everyone who was in the Pride Lands was now out and about, minding their own business. His mate, Nala, was gathering the lionesses together for a morning hunt to hopefully bring home some antelope for the pride. She invited her daughter, Kiara and Vitani to come along, who both happily accepted. This only made Simba even more uneasy.
He wasn't feeling himself today since he had that concerning dream. Something was off.
But he had been having these reoccurring nightmares about the death of his father since it's ever happened. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary to him.
But it sure was the first time Kiara was brought into them. Which made him especially worried.
Scar is dead, he told himself again.
To lose Kiara the same way he lost his father…
Simba didn't even have the strength in his heart to think it.
"Simba."
He looked down, seeing Nala standing at the bottom of Pride Rock- with a cheerful Kiara and Vitani behind her.
"We're going on our hunt," Nala told him. "We'll be back soon."
"Wait," Simba then said.
Nala's blue eyes gently widened, watching her mate come down the boulders on Pride Rock. He came over to Nala's side, keeping his eyes on their daughter, concerned.
"Make sure you're careful," Simba told Nala under his breath. But the volume of Simba's voice did not matter, for Kiara knew he was talking about her by the way he was looking at her.
She gave an amused eye roll. "Daddy, please. I'm old enough to handle my own hunts. I thought you trusted me."
"I trust you, Kiara," Simba assured her. "It's what's out there that I don't."
Nala, Kiara, and Vitani exchanged glances. Vitani then stepped forward, speaking up.
"Simba… Kiara will be safe," she said. "I will not be collaborating with anyone to start wild fires. And Nala will watch her own daughter's safety. There's no need for concern."
Simba smiled genuinely at her. "I suppose your right."
"We'll only go into familiar areas of the Pride Lands," Nala told Simba. "We won't be long."
"Okay," Simba said. "I hope you all find something."
"Thanks, Dad," Kiara said smiling, and hurriedly turned around as Nala led the way with her daughter and Vitani following her.
Simba watched them head off, keeping his eyes on his daughter. Vitani was right. Kiara would be under her mother's supervision, and Simba surely trusted Vitani by now. She wasn't with the Outlanders anymore. Not to mention she was always prepared to take on anything that came their way. Simba was starting to wonder why he was so worried in the first place.
"-Oh, they grow up so fast!"
Simba looked down at his side, spotting Timon and Pumbaa standing beside him. Pumbaa was sniveling, tears forming in his eyes.
Simba was slightly confused, since he didn't hear them approaching. How long have they been standing there?
"-First she falls in love, then she gets engaged," Timon went on, clasping his paws together with emotion. "Now you're learning to let her go!"
Simba smirked and watched the horizon. Timon then shot a point at him. "Quite a big step for you, Simba."
Simba looked down at him with a smile. "Not so much."
"Euhh, what'dda you mean?" Pumbaa then asked. Simba returned his glace at Timon.
"The parenting tactics you use on your daughter sets a good example," Simba said with a hint of humor.
"What? On Jo?" Timon said. "Huh. Well, I'm glad at least somebody agrees with me!"
Simba looked back towards the grasslands, shaking his head smiling.
"-'Sarcasm's a foreign language to you, isn't it?'" someone said.
Timon, Simba, and Pumbaa turned to see Kheeva leaning against a small boulder with crossed arms, her tuft of butterscotch fur laying over her eye. Timon let out a stressed laugh.
"Ha, hi… sweetheart!" he greeted. "Uh… my, you look exceptionally…" Timon wafted his paw around to think of the right word. "…Not-so-mad at me today."
"I'm not," she plainly said.
"It's a good look on you, too!" he added. "Try it on more often!"
She smirked, amused.
"Good morning, Kheeva!" Pumbaa exclaimed.
"Hello, Pumbaa. Simba."
"Hello, Kheeva."
Timon slid down Pumbaa's snout and hopped to the ground. "So, uh, where is the offspring this morning?"
"Daddy, I-"
Timon had just about jumped out of his fur when he heard said voice behind him. "WHA…oah, don't… do that!" he said as he hopped around to face his daughter, clasping a paw over his chest. "What's with everyone popping up behind me, huh? Your old man ain't that young anymore!"
Kheeva giggled, and Simba respectfully got up on all fours, preparing to leave them all alone. He jogged back up a few boulders on Pride Rock, untroubled and unconcerned.
Jo shyly straightened out the tuft of fur over her eye like her mother's, only it was brilliant red, like her fathers.
"Eh, sorry, pop," she said.
Pumbaa sat down close by her.
"What brings you here, Johari?" Pumbaa asked merrily.
"Well, uh… I was gonna ask you guys sumthin'," Jo said. Timon crossed his arms.
"Shoot, kiddo."
"Okay," she sighed. Jo glanced upward, talking with her paws. "So, Clay asked me and his friends if we all wanted to hang out this morning… you remember Clay, right, Dad?"
"…Ah…"
"-Sure you do." Jo dismissively waved a paw.
"…The real skinny meerkat?" Pumbaa inquired, raising a single black hoof.
"Yeah!" Jo exclaimed. She gestured over to him. "See? Uncle Pumbaa remembers him."
"Memory like an elephant's!" Pumbaa stated, tapping a hollow hoof upon his head.
"So," Jo continued. "He was thinking of going to Cobra Cliffs to go fall diving with the guys." She balled up her fists and tossed her head back.
"-And I really wanna go."
"-Diving?" Kheeva then asked, immensely curious. She was still folding her arms against a boulder.
"Yeah, you know," Jo said. "Off the cliff…?"
Kheeva and Timon just kind of looked at her.
Like they were waiting for the punchline.
Jo stared back. She then made some slow breast stroke movements.
"…To swim?" she added.
"-Oh, yeah, yeah," Timon then realized, getting it.
"Right," Jo said. Then eyed her mother. "What'd you think I meant?"
Kheeva shook her head, dropping her arms.
"Nothing."
"Well, Clay's leaving now. So can I go?"
The two meerkats promptly answered together:
"-Of course."
"-Certainly not."
Timon and Kheeva suddenly glanced at each other- perplexed with the other's polar opposite response.
Now sincerely puzzled, Jo's brows knitted together. Pumbaa was just as confused. They briefly looked at each other.
"A little clearer, please?" Jo told her parents, twiddling her paws around.
Timon held his look on Kheeva, almost appalled with her answer. Annoyed, he then whipped his glace back to Pumbaa.
"Uh, Pumbaa, don't you need to, uh, talk with Simba?"
Pumbaa's eyelids opened, trying to recall.
"…What?"
"Ya know," Timon urged him, beginning to get irritated. "The thing you wanted to talk about with him?"
"-Euuhh, what thing?"
"-The thing!"
"Oh! The thing!" Pumbaa then shouted, catching the drift a bit too late. "Gee…! You're right, Timon…!" he vociferated.
Kheeva rolled her eyes.
Pumbaa spaced his words apart loud and clear. "I guess I should get going, then! See ya later, everybody!"
Pumbaa then made no heisitation to hop up and walk away, trotting hurriedly back up Pride Rock. Once the warthog had left, Timon returned his look at Jo.
"Well, I don't see any problem with it," Timon told her.
"-I do," Kheeva objected next to him.
"But…" Jo began, eyes fixed on her. "Mom…"
"What's this place called again?" Kheeva questioned.
Jo lowered her head meekly. "Cobra Cliffs?"
Kheeva only raised a brow suspiciously. Timon made no facial expression.
Jo impatiently groaned up towards the sky. "I'm not the one who came up with the name! Some guy just thought it sounded cool! I swear, it's not what you think."
"You're going to be with boy meerkats?" Kheeva said.
"Yeah, so?"
"-Look, kiddo," Timon began, elevating his paws at his daughter. "If you say this place is alright- then it's alright, alright?"
Jo happily stuttered and grinned- gratefully reaching out her paw out to Timon for his defense. "Thank you, dad!"
"-Now go out there have some fun!"
"-Thank you, daddy!"
"-Timon!"
But before Kheeva could protest any further, Jo scattered off, happy as a clam in the other direction. Timon was satisfied with the sight, but Kheeva only glared at him. He turned and noticed this. His smile vanished off his face and was replaced with an anxious one.
"What?"
"You've gotta start putting your foot down," Kheeva told him.
"She'll be fine," Timon assured, wafting a paw after Jo. "She'll get some… uh… fresh air."
"We can't just let our daughter go off and do whatever she wants. She's too young be unsupervised."
Timon shrugged. "She just wants to have a little bit of fun."
"We don't even know when she's going to be back…"
Timon inhaled, ready to say something, but he never seemed to think about that. Pushing the matter aside, he waved it off dismissively.
"Well, the kid's gotta come back to eat sometime…"
"-Did she tell you how high these cliffs were?"
"Well, no…"
"-Are the waters infested with carnivores?"
"Stop worrying," Timon then stated firmly. He was getting aggravated. "You know I hate it when you worry... Besides… I used to do stuff like that all the time with Simba and Pumbaa in the hakuna matata days!"
Kheeva stared.
"Timon…" she started gently. "…Hakuna matata doesn't work on everything. Especially parenting."
"-Says who?"
A bright, sarcastic smile flashed across Kheeva's face.
"Well…!" she piped out and then held onto her elbow… although deep in thought. "Did it truthfully help your friend, Simba with his personal problems?"
Timon looked flabbergasted.
"T-that was completely different!"
"No, not really."
"I…!" Timon shouted rawly, raising a finger. "…Am a good parent!"
Kheeva inhaled through her small, black nostrils and thought. She tapped her chin.
"…So if all the cool kids thought it would be a bright idea to jump off a bridge, would you let Jo do it?"
"Of course not!" Timon suddenly defended. He waved it off dismissively. "-I'd make sure she'd have a helmet!"
Kheeva growled angrily and let her arms fall, tossing her head back to glare up at the blue sky. Timon jumped, confused.
"What?" he asked with a shrug.
Kheeva walked off.
