Chapter 23: A New Love

"Today just feels like a lazy day, doesn't it?" Jayden asked.

She and Zula were relaxing on the remainder of the cliff on the ack of Pride Rock. It was the same place where Zula had revealed to Jayden her feelings for Clous. A couple ddays had passed since Jayden and Dark agreed they weren't "just friends" afterall.

The gray lioness made a sound of agreement and put her head on her paws. She seemed distracted and particularly melancholy today.

"Are you thinking about Clous?" Jayden asked her friend. The two of them hadn't gotten a chance to talk alone in a while, though Jayden had noticed several longing glances in Clous's direction on the days they hung out with him and the rest of their friends.

"Yeah." she sighed.

Jayden studied her. She felt bad for the gray friend.

"I just…I love him." she said, "Pure and simple. I just can't get him out of my head."

Jayden patted her arm with her paw. She went on, "I'm so tired of feeling this way. You need to help me forget about him!" she said playfully.

"I may not be the best one to give advice about forgetting someone you love…" Jayden said quietly.

"Huh?" Zula looked at her.

Jayden hesitated, then decided, I'm going to tell her. She won't tell anyone, I know it.

"Well I kinda have a secret." Jayden started. She knew this was a touchy subject. It was Zula's brother she was in love with after all!

Zula seemed interested and momentarily distracted from her woes. "Do tell!" she said good naturedly.

"There's someone I like. It's not Drayden. I've liked him for a long time."

"What!" Zula almost stood up. "You never told me?"

"I'm telling you now!"

"Who is it?!"

Well here it goes… she thought.

She swallowed hard. "Dark."

Zula stared.

"Are you mad? Or surprised?" Jayden asked.

"No way, I'm not mad! Surprised, yes. I didn't know. Does he know?"

"Yes…"

"You told him?"

"Well… he told me. We told each other."

"Oh Kings, he likes you too?" her eyes got big.

"Yes! Shh!" Jayden whispered, looking around.

"No one can hear us up here, chill. I can't believe you two are a couple! I mean… wow, when did this happen?"

"Well…when we were cubs we fell in love."

"WHAT!" Zula flew to her paws.

"Shh! I know! We had to keep it a secret because well, Dayya loved him too. In fact, she still does. So it's still a secret."

"Since you were cubs?" Zula said, settling back down into a crouch.

"Yes. We would sneak out at night and meet each other. Remember before the battle with the Black Pride when Kovu banned cubs from going out at night? That's about the time we first admitted out feelings for each other."

"Wow." Zula said. "I had a crush on Clous about that time too."

"I could tell."

"Oh yes, I guess it was obvious." Zula admitted. Jayden nodded, remembering the way the twins would look at Clous or try to sit by him, or the time during a game of truth or dare when Clous had to answer the question, "If you were stuck in a tree with any girl, who would it be?" and both twins had leaned in, heavily anticipating which of them he'd pick. Jayden couldn't remember which one he had picked then, but she knew not to ask Zula. It might upset her if she had to say it was her sister.

"So when I went away for two years," Jayden went on, "I tried to forget Dark. I thought I'd probably never see him again. Or I thought he'd move on and love someone else. I worried myself sick when wondering if Timani and Tikana's cubs would be girls and Dark would be interested in them when they were old enough."

Zula laughed, "Hah. He was never interested in them. And now I know why! So he loved you the whole time you were gone?"

"Yes… that's what he told me."

"That's so romantic. Please tell me there's a sunset somewhere in the story." she joked.

Jayden laughed and swatted her friend's arm. "Nope, only a shooting star." she said.

"That's even better!"

"So you're not mad? He's your brother."

"No stinkin' way! I'm so excited. You two could get married one day, and we will be sisters!"

"No no…we are splitting up again…" Jayden looked down. Over the last few days, she tried not to think about that part. "That's the sad part."

"Why?"

"Well my family is leaving once Tempest's cub is born and old enough to travel. I can't imagine myself staying behind without them."

Zula noticeably saddened. "Oh yeah… you're leaving. I forgot about that. You're basically the only friend I have, what am I going to do without you?"

"Come, now, Mebala and Taeliss are your friends. And Nundi." she joked.

Zula stuck her tongue out at her.

"Besides, I'm not leaving yet, Tempest hasn't even had her cub."

"So what about you and Dark? You'll just break up?"

"Yeah I guess. That's our agreement. It was only a week ago we… I guess I should say re-admitted our feelings for each other. We tried to keep a just friends relationship but we were drawn to each other. Like you said about Clous, I couldn't get him out of my head."

"Wow. You know how I feel then."

"Well a little. I'm sorry, I don't suppose me telling you about my love life with your brother isn't helping your situation."

"But even though you are a couple now, you can't be one publicly, since Dayya still loves him right?"

Jayden nodded.

"And with Drayden so in love with you-which, now I know why you turned him down."

Jayden nodded again.

"Now that I think about it, I have noticed you and Dark have been kind of flirty when all of us hang out."

"Oh," Jayden said, embarrassed. "Maybe we should pull that back a bit."

"Now that I know, how am I gonna keep quiet?!" Zula said.

"You have to!"

"I'll try, but come on, don't you wish you could tell everyone?"

"Yes, more than anything."

Suddenly both lioness's eyes were drawn below them where a lion walked with a lioness. It was Clous and Zula. Fate was cruel.

"You gotta be kidding me." Zula murmured. After watching them for a silent moment, Zula said with a voice thick with grief, "I think I'll go with you when you and your family leaves. That'll help me forget him. What do you think?"

"I'd think, 'Welcome to the family, my sister!'" Jayden said, lightening the mood. Zula smiled at her.

Suddenly there were rapid pawsteps below them, Clous had come running back. He looked wide eyed, but had a smile.

"Yo girls! Come down quick! Tempest is having her cub!" he dashed off. Jayden gasped and flew to her paws.

"Oh my goodness! Let's hurry, I know we're not really supposed to climb down this, but let's go!" Zula said, and started to pick her way down the half crumbled cliff where Clous used to "rockslide" as a cub.

Jayden looked after her, feeling panicked. She heard her own words in her head, "Besides, I'm not leaving yet, Tempest hasn't even had her cub." Jayden's time with Dark was running out.

It took the brown lioness a couple seconds to snap out of it, and follow Zula. She wasn't the center of the universe. She had to be a good sister to Tempest and a good aunt to her niece or nephew.

A girl or a boy? Will it be a girl or a boy!? Jayden thought, getting excited. She stepped on a pointed stone, but kept going. Zula stumbled a little on some rocks at the bottom, but it made it down safely. Jayden leaped over the last bit to avoid stepping on more painful rocks. The two girls ran toward the front side of Pride Rock and toward the underside of the peak where they assumed Tempest would be. They approached slowly.

Tome and Vitani were there, standing nearby. Farther away was Cloud, Zuna and several other of their Pridemates. Tempest lay with her head on the ground. Her eyes were squeezed shut and mouth curled in a snarl of pain. Over her stood Mairu who was talking quietly into Tempest's ear. Jayden heard her say "breathe, " and "push." Next to her was Mani who was licking Tempest's face and neck. He looked a bit freaked. At Tempest's tail-end stood Nala and Tali. This would be Tali's first birth as a medicine lioness. Nala was explaining to Tali the timing of the contractions would tell them when the cub would come, and what it fees like to have a cub. Tali nodded and absorbed the information.

Kiara and Kovu padded up then and joined Jayden's side. She and Zula had stopped a few yards from Tempest. They had wanted to give her space. Dayya ran up a few seconds later and ran straight to Tempest and nuzzled her. Tempest tried to smile, but she grimaced in pain.

"Tempest needs some space right now, Dayya." Mairu said gently. "Why don't you go sit by your sister." She gestured to Jayden with her head. Dayya obeyed, and sat by Jayden.

"This is so exciting! I hope it's a girl." The red lioness said.

More Pride Landers approached and sat around. She saw Kivu and Jai who were talking excitedly amongst each other. Ciara came padding over and Tempest called to her. The golden lioness quietly went to her side and nuzzled her. Tempest hooked her paw around Ciara's leg as if to stop her from leaving.

"I want my two best friends with me when the cub comes." she said, smiling at Ciara, then turned to smile at Tali. Ciara purred happily and Tali smiled.

"Mani, it would be okay if you sat with your friends." Tempest said gently to her mate over her shoulder. She could sense his nervousness. He nodded and nuzzled her quickly before moving away to sit by Jai and Kivu. His friends greeted him with huge slaps to his shoulders and back. They laughed and shouted to each other excitedly.

"You kids hush." Vitani silenced them from where she was sitting. They quieted. It grew quiet all around. All that could be heard was Mairu's instructions: "Push…breathe…that's good." and Nala's instructions to Tali, "Now, when the cub comes, don't pull, just let it come to your paw. Gently lower it…"

Jayden turned to her side and saw Zula watching with awe. There were similar looks all around her. She wondered if everyone had come. She was just about to wonder where Dark was when he showed up with Drayden and Koru. Dark sent a smile Jayden's way, which she returned, but he stayed with the other two lions.

Everyone waited. Tempest let out a groan every once in a while, and Ciara patted her paw or sometimes brushed her paw over Tempest's hair to move it out of her face. Mairy moved to Tempest's belly and began feeling around with her gentle paws.

Jayden began worrying. Was something wrong? Did something bad happen to the cub after all? The wound on Tempest's back had healed well, and the blood poisoning disappeared, but had the cub been poisoned without them knowing?

A few more minutes of silence went on. Some quiet murmuring broke out among the Pride Landers to ease the tension. Dayya gravitated toward Vitani and Tome and spoke quietly with them. Jayden felt a tap on her back and turned to see Dark.

"Are you doing okay?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I'm just scared for her." she whispered.

"You look freaked." he said, and lightly touched her paw with his. She wished she could nuzzle him.

Zula turned toward them, "Get a room," she whispered, and rose an eyebrow at Dark. Then she turned her head forward again. Dark looked at Jayden with a questionable glance. Jayden nodded as if to say, yes, she knows.

Dark shrugged and for the remainder of the time stood there with Jayden and Zula.

A few more quiet minutes passed. Tempest was becoming more worried. "What's wrong? Why isn't my cub coming?"

"Just relax." Tali was instructing.

"Nothings wrong." Mairu said. "I can feel the cub. It is full sized and moving. It will come soon. Tali, come here."

The light brown lioness joined Mairu's side. The old lioness showed Tali where to put her paws to feel the cub. She murmured other instructions for the learning lioness.

A few minutes later, Tempest groaned and announced, "I can feel the cub coming!"

Tali moved to Tempest's tail as she rose her leg. With a push, and a last groan, out came a cub. As instructed, Tali let it come gently into her paw and she laid it down softly. She and Nala cleaned the cub around the face so it could breathe.

Jayden couldn't help herself, she moved closer. When the cub took a breath, it began squeaking and making little "Rawr" sounds. It was the best sound she ever heard. There were "Awww"s all around and comments like, "So cute!"

"Wow," Jayden said, standing over the new born cub.

"Tali, please announce the gender of the cub." Mairu said.

"Tempest, and everyone," Tali said with a smile, "It's a boy."

There were more "Awww!"s and outbursts of joy from everyone, especially Mani, Vitani, Tome, Kovu, Kiara, Kivu, Dayya and Jai. Through the noise, Nala instructed Tali on how to move the newborn cub to Tempest's arms. The cub still wailed loudly. Jayden moved around to her front to keep the cub in sight. He was gently laid in Tempest's arms and began licking him.

Everyone moved in for a look at the new cub. His fur color could be described as light brown, or dark cream. A perfect mix of Tempest's light coloring and Mani's dark coloring. His underbelly and paws were lighter. His little ears were rimmed in a darker brown. Inside the ears was a lighter to medium brown. His pointed nose was the same color. On top of his head was a tiny hair tuft that was dark brown like Mani's mane. Jayden noticed with amusement that the hair curled a bit, just like Tempest's untamable head tuft.

Tempest licked her son until he was clean. Mani who was a little speechless until that point said, "He's so perfect."

"Of course he is." Tempest said, turning her head up and nuzzling her mate. "We made him."

He smiled at her, more in love than ever in his life.

"What color are his eyes?" Dayya asked.

"He hasn't opened them yet." Jayden said.

"Will they be blue, or yellow?" Came a voice from a lioness behind her.

"They could be violet like Vitani's." Someone else said.

"Come on little Torrent." Tempest said to her cub, taking a paw and ever so gently stroked his back. "Let's see your eyes."

Torrent squeaked and rose his head. Tempest moved her head down and touched noses to the little cub. At once, he opened his eyes and saw his mother for the first time. Everyone in view gasped quietly.

"Blue!" Dayya exclaimed. Vitani, beside her, said "Shhh!" but she looked overjoyed and was smiling like everyone else. Vitani moved closer to Tempest and nuzzled her.

"Congratulations, he's beautiful." she said.

"Thank you, mom."

Jayden made room for Tome who came to nuzzle his daughter too.

"Could we get a little room please?" Mairu from somewhere behind Jayden said. She had gotten pushed back during the excitement. "We need to examine the cub."

There was some murmuring as the lions made room for Tali and Mairu to come through. "Tempest, because of your wound and the near blood poisoning event, I would just like to check a few things on Torrent if that's okay with you." Mairu explained to Tempest gently.

"Yes, of course."

"Thank you. Tali, you lay across from Tempest and I'll tell you what to do."

Tali did as she was told, then looked around. "Could I get some more room, everyone? How about everyone but family move on out. You all can take turns visiting the cub later."

"You heard her, come on everyone." Mairu said to the lionesses that were standing around. Some murmured a quick, "Congratulations." to Tempest before leaving.

Dark turned to leave too, but not before giving Jayden a lingering gaze that made her want to melt on the ground. Zula followed him after telling Jayden, "Catch you later."

The only ones left besides Tempest were Mairu, Tali, Mani, Tome, Vitani, Dayya, Koru, Dayya and Jayden herself. When Ciara and Kivu tried to excuse themselves, Tempest asked them to stay, which they gladly obliged. Ciara couldn't get enough of the beautiful sight that was Tempest and her cub.

Everyone watched as Mairu began instructing Tali on how to examine Torrent. She touched his belly, legs and tail to feel for any abnormalities. She was told to look in his ears and in his mouth. Torrent was putting up with the prodding and examining until Tali was instructed to test his vision by moving her paw in front of his face. Torrent quickly nipped her paw. The cub had tiny teeth, but it didn't hurt her.

"Well, I guess that means he can see." Tali said.

Tempest grinned, "Torrent!" she scolded gently. The cub looked up at his mother and smiled.

Mairu spoke, "Tempest, you may let him suckle now. He will drink then sleep. It seems we have a perfectly healthy little Price! The wound you suffered had no adverse affect on him."

"That's wonderful news!" Mani chimed in from Tempest's side. There were joyous words all around from Tempest's friends and family. Jayden felt a tear coming to her eye. Everything worked out so perfectly for her. She had been so concerned for the cub, but now so relieved.

Suddenly a white bird with long tail feathers and a big yellow beak dropped down from Pride Rock's horizontal peak and landed on some large stones near the group.

Everyone stared as the bird spoke, "So the Pride Lands has a new Prince?"