That same night, as Kiara lay dreaming fitfully of being imprisoned in the shadow of her own destiny, a familiar old primate sat mixing paint in the hollow of an ancient tree.
"Oh, Mufasa," Rafiki sighed heavily, sensing the spirit of the former king drifting by him with a smattering of stray milkweed floss on the breeze. He turned, frowning, to a painting on the wall of the tree - two lion cubs, a pale, creamy-furred one and a dark brown one. The old baboon had always had a gift for sensing the presence of spirits, and he could tell that Mufasa was with him now, sharing in his worries.
"Every day, Kiara grows more beautiful," Rafiki murmured, smearing blue paint over the small figure that represented the princess, "into a queen that will someday make us all very proud."
Rafiki looked at the painting of the princess with a satisfied smile, then his expression darkened as he turned to the dark cub next to her: Kovu.
"But this cub, Kovu," he muttered, "grows stronger..."
He dipped a finger into some bright red paint, striking it across the heart of the dark brown cub.
"...and Zira fills his heart with hate!"
Rafiki looked angry for a moment, then let out a resigned sigh.
"I'm very worried, Mufasa...things are not going well. No..."
The wind blew through Rafiki's mane, as though echoing his concern for the future.
"I don't blame you, old friend," Rafiki murmured to the wind somberly. "Some of the petty problems we go through down here are beyond even a Great King such as yourself." He cast another dark glance at the painting of Kovu and Kiara, sensing a pull between the two that made him feel even more anxious.
"Kiara is restless," Rafiki muttered, his eyes narrowing as he drew some lines around the princess that looked like sparks of electricity. "She believes her place in the Circle of Life is unstable..." His gaze was once again drawn from her to Kovu, "...and she thinks that following the dark example of Scar's chosen one will lead her to the light! Ohhh, no no no, how wrong that girl is!"
Rafiki's yellow eyes widened in brief panic. "Mufasa...what are we gonna do, man?!"
The wind ruffled Rafiki's mane again, making his fur stand stoic and upright - a reminder to hold fast.
"Hm?" Rafiki pricked up an ear, as though listening to the spirit on the breeze. Then he cracked a smile. "You've spoken to her, haven't you? Oh, Mufasa, nothing about you has changed since you ruled these lands...always two steps ahead! Ha-ha!"
The baboon's look of agony over the future was replaced by one of eager hope for a moment, but his gaze turned serious again as he looked at the painting of the two cubs.
"I only hope it will be enough...you know as well as I do that Kiara's just as headstrong as Simba."