"The Pride That Never Was"

[Dave]

Great story Akril! Can't wait for future chapters!

[Akril]

Chapter Twelve:


As Shani and Kovu made their way back to Pride Rock, they were unaware of a gaunt, shadowy figure following them at a distance. The figure tailed them until they neared Pride Rock, then crouched beside a large boulder and waited. As Kovu and Shani reached the peak of Pride Rock, Simba stepped out of the cave to greet them. The figure tensed in excitement at the sight of him, and her blue eyes grew wide.

Shani entered the cave first, leaving Simba and Kovu alone in the open. Then they too began to make their way towards the cave.

"Get him!" the figure whispered nervously. "What are you waiting for, Kovu? Get him!"

Simba and Kovu entered the cave, vanishing from sight. With a snarl of both shock and rage, Shetani bolted from her hiding place beside the boulder and bounded away, heading back to the Outlands.

Bianca had been right when she said that something might have gone wrong with Kovu's mission. Now Shetani had seen the proof of this with her own eyes. Had Kovu really betrayed the Outsiders? He couldn't, Shetani kept telling herself. He couldn't...


As the next day dawned, Kovu left the cave and walked towards the peak of Pride Rock, wondering what he was going to do. He couldn't keep lying to Shani and her family, especially now that he'd truly realized his feelings for her. But what would she think of him once he told her? What would her father think? Would they believe him, or would they banish him like they had done with his mother?

After several worried minutes, Kovu gathered up his courage and walked back to the cave. Shani was there to meet him as he entered.

"Shani," he said, "I need to talk to you..."

"Wait," said a stern voice from behind Shani. Simba appeared out of the shadows, walking towards Kovu.

"I want to talk to you first, Kovu," he said quietly.

Kovu trembled slightly. What did Simba want with him? Had he started to suspect him? Kovu glanced at Shani, who glanced at her father and shrugged, apparently just as puzzled by his words as Kovu was.

Simba left the cave and Kovu obediently followed him out into the sunlight. They continued down the slope of Pride Rock until they reached the ground, and then continued walking across the savannah. Shani watched them from the mouth of the cave with great curiosity.


Simba led Kovu into the region of the Pride Lands that had been consumed by the fire. Though it had been weeks since the blaze, the ground was still covered in ash and the air was still hazy and dark. Still, some of the trees had started to sprout leaves again, and tender shoots of grass could occasionally be seen poking through the dusty, grey carpet that blanketed the land.

Not far away was the Zuberi River, running through a deep, high-walled gorge. However, this section of it was almost completely dry because of a huge wall of logs and debris that had formed a tall dam further up the gorge. It had been like this for many seasons, and Simba didn't know when the dam was going to break -- if indeed it ever would.

"Scar couldn't let go of his hate," Simba said. "And in the end, it destroyed him."

"Yes," Kovu said quietly. "Sarafina said the same thing about Scar being...being a killer."

Simba nodded.

"Fire is a killer," he said, gesturing to the burnt desolation that surrounded them. He stopped walking and Kovu halted as well.

"But sometimes what's left behind can grow better than the generation before..."

He leaned down and brushed some of the ash at their feet aside. Kovu leaned down as well to see a pale green sprig that had been buried beneath the ash.

"...If given the chance," Simba said.

Suddenly, Simba's head shot up, and so did Kovu's. Both of them had heard a noise coming from nearby, but it was impossible to see where it was coming from. Then several dark shapes began emerging from the thick haze. A cold shudder ran through Kovu as he realized what those shapes were.

"No..." he said in a low voice. "Oh no..."

The Outsiders slowly became visible and drew closer to Simba and Kovu from all sides,
forming a tight circle around them. Bianca and Shetani were standing directly
in front of them.

"Bianca," Simba growled, his fur bristling.

"Why, Simba," Bianca grinned. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

She turned to Kovu.

"Excellent work, my son," she purred. "I knew you wouldn't fail us."

Simba's eyes widened. Then he glared furiously at Kovu.

"You," he snarled.

"No," Kovu cried. "No, I had nothing to do with this!"

"Attack!" Bianca yelled.

In the blink of an eye, two Outsider lionesses lunged at Simba, one jumping on his back, the other going for his throat. Simba roared in anger and tried to swat them away. Kovu stood frozen in horror for a moment, then tried to attack the lionesses in the hopes of giving Simba a chance to escape. However, Simba, thinking that Kovu was trying to attack him, roared angrily when Kovu approached, and Kovu backed away. Simba managed to get rid of the lioness that had been on his back, but now two more had jumped at him, and Shetani had joined the fray as well.

His horror now completely replaced by rage at seeing his pride attack the father of the lioness he had fallen in love with, Kovu snarled and leapt at the lionesses again, but this time he was hit in the head by a stray hind foot and was sent sprawling across the dusty ground.

By the time his head stopped spinning, he looked up to see Simba with more than a half-dozen lionesses clinging to him. To his terror, Kovu then realized that Simba was only a few feet away from the edge of the cliff that overlooked the gorge. Before he could even gather enough breath to shout out a warning, Simba had toppled over the edge of the cliff. Most of the lionesses leapt off him and stood on atop the cliff, staring down after him, along with Bianca.

Before the shock of this event could hit Kovu, Bianca called out:

"He's still alive! After him, all of you!"

The lionesses began leaping over the edge of the cliff. When they had all vanished, Kovu hurried to the cliff to see that Simba was indeed alive, and so were the rest of the Outsiders. The way to the bottom of the gorge wasn't a sheer drop at all, but a steep incline that could be rolled or slid down. Kovu raced down the incline as fast as he could, trying to catch up with the Outsiders, who were only a short distance behind Simba.


Simba ran up the gorge, trying not to let the pain of the wounds the Outsiders had given him slow him down. He had to get out, but how? The walls on either side of him were too steep to climb, and the only thing ahead of him was...

The dam. But how could he possibly climb it? It was almost as high as the gorge itself, and those logs could easily give way under his weight...still, as unpleasant an option as it was, it was the only one available to him.

It wasn't long before Simba came to the base of the dam. He stared up at the great wall of logs that towered above him, doubt starting to fill his heart. Then he heard the angry snarls of the Outsiders approaching him, and he knew that he would have to climb up the dam or die trying. He wasn't going to die at the paws of Scar's widow.

Simba leapt at the wall of logs, trying to get a grip on them with his front paws while scrambling for a foothold with his hind paws. Slowly but surely, he started to ascend the dam. Occasionally, he would feel a log give way underneath him, but he was still able to hold on to the ones above him with his claws.

When Simba was nearly halfway up the dam, he suddenly wondered whether any of the Outsiders might be climbing up after him. Clinging to the logs for dear life, he cautiously looked over his shoulder.

To his relief, he saw that all of the Outsiders were gathered at the base of the dam far below him. Either they thought that climbing after Simba was simply too great a risk...or they were waiting for him to fall. But some distance behind them, running towards the dam at great speed with a fierce snarl on his face...

...was Kovu.

Simba's eyes narrowed. That lying, conniving son of a murderer! Why hadn't Simba seen it before? That whole "I left my pride" story was all a scam, and now here he was, coming to finish the job the Outsiders had failed to do!

Simba's anger seemed to give him renewed strength. He began to claw his way up again, ignoring the stabbing pain from his wounds and his dull aching limbs, determined to make his way to the top alive. For his family's sake, he had to.


"He's getting away!" Bianca bellowed. "Shetani, after him!"

Shetani hesitated, staring up at the treacherous wall of logs. Suddenly, Simba loosened another log, which came bouncing down the dam wall and crashing just a few feet away from where the pride stood.

"Come on!" Bianca raged. "This may be our only chance! After him!"

But before Shetani could make a move, a dark blur sped in front of her and stopped in front of the assembled Outsiders. It was Kovu. His green eyes flashed angrily as he stood with his back to the dam, staring at his mother. Bianca glared at him.

"Kovu, what is wrong with you?" she thundered. "You're letting the brute that killed your father escape us!"

"No I'm not," said Kovu coldly.

"What?" Bianca demanded. "What are you talking about?"

"Simba didn't kill Scar," Kovu said levelly. "Scar's soldiers did when he betrayed them."

"Rubbish!" Bianca stormed. "Those deceitful Pridelanders have been filling your head full of stories, trying to get you to trust them. Don't fall for their lies, son. Your father would never have done such a thing!"

"I suppose he would never have killed his own brother as well!" Kovu shot back.

Bianca fell silent, her face confused for a moment. Then it resumed its typical snarl.

"What is this about a brother?" she asked scornfully.

"He didn't tell you, then?" Kovu asked. "He didn't tell you how he became king?"

Again, Bianca paused briefly before replying:

"Why should something such as that matter? Scar's father was obviously a king, so when that king died, he took his place. What more is there to know?"

"What's more to know is that he killed his older brother to become king!" Kovu shouted. "And then he exiled his own nephew -- Simba!"

A collective gasp rose up from the Outsiders. What had come over Kovu? Why was he suddenly defending the lions he had been taught to hate and distrust and badmouthing his own father? Shetani, however, was even more shocked than the others. Could what her brother was saying be true? Bianca wouldn't lie to them...would she?

"Lies!" Bianca spat. "All lies! Snap out of it, Kovu!"

"All right," Kovu said. "If I'm lying, then tell me the truth: why were you and the Outsiders exiled from the Pridelands?"

He stared deeply into Bianca's eyes with such an intensity that Bianca could almost feel them staring into her mind.

"I've told you," she said. "I've told you a thousand times. Simba exiled us when he found out we supported Scar."

"No, he didn't," Kovu said quietly. "I've been watching Simba for weeks now, and I know what he's really like. He's not the tyrant you told us he was, Mother. He isn't a lion that would exile a pride of lionesses just because they supported the lion he killed. There was something else that made him do it, wasn't there, Mother?"

The Outsiders exchanged frightened glances. Bianca began to tremble with rage.

"Stop it," she hissed. "Stop it at once!"

"Did you even see Simba kill Scar?" Kovu said in an even lower voice. "Or see what his body looked like after he was dead?"

Bianca suddenly swiped at her son's face with her claws extended. Kovu roared with pain and staggered back, his head down. Then he raised it to stare at his mother, breathing heavily. Across his left eye was a broad, vertical cut. Bianca recoiled in shock at what she had done, still angry but astonished at her son, who now resembled his father even more.

Without another word, Kovu ran through the group of lionesses, who snarled and growled as he passed by, but did nothing to stop him. He kept running down the gorge, heading back to the incline.

"Let him go," Bianca growled. "He is no son of mine any longer...and we have Simba to blame for this."

She padded away from them, then leapt onto a large boulder to address them with more authority.

"But don't worry," she continued. "We don't need Kovu now. Simba is injured and weak. We must attack him and his pride now! By sunrise tomorrow, the Pride Lands shall be ours!"

The lionesses all roared their approval, but as enthusiastic as their ovation was, there was now a tiny fragment of doubt inside of each of them, especially Shetani. Had Bianca truly lied to her children about the reason why Simba had exiled them? And what if that wasn't the only thing she had lied about?

[ograndebatata]

Well, I'm sorry for my absence in reading this story... and well, it's still as good as ever. It's pretty similar to Simba's Pride in these points... but there are some differences, I guess.

Oh, and unless I'm reading it wrong, what has happened to Timira? She apparently hasn't appeared yet... and well... I now think my idea of what happened to her is firmer than ever - but I won't tell it yet.

And I do wonder what happened to Binti and Winston. I guess poor Zazu does need a girlfriend after all.

Apologies for being an irregular reviewer... but well, I still look forward to the next chapter.

[YFWE]

Good chapter. Glad to see the Outlanders back in the mix. And I will say that a theory I had concerning Timira has been thrown out of the window now after this chapter, LOL.

I really liked in particular Kovu telling what really happened to the rest of the pride before Bianca attacked and he left. Plants that seed of doubt in them, especially Shetani, I'd imagine. That will be interesting concerning the final altercation.

Now I assume we get to see how everyone reacts to Kovu when he returns to the Pridelands. I look forward to it! I especially am interested in seeing what Chaka has to say about all this, since that's a character that wasn't in SP and therefore a character whose reaction cannot be entirely pinned down. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to banish Kovu, though!

[Akril]

[quote="ograndebatata"]Oh, and unless I'm reading it wrong, what has happened to Timira? She apparently hasn't appeared yet... and well... I now think my idea of what happened to her is firmer than ever - but I won't tell it yet.[/quote]
We still don't know yet (well, I know, but the readers and most of the characters in the story don't). Just keep waiting...

[quote="YFWE"]Good chapter. Glad to see the Outlanders back in the mix. And I will say that a theory I had concerning Timira has been thrown out of the window now after this chapter, LOL.[/quote]
Hmm, I'd be interested in seeing what that theory is when this story is over.

[quote]I really liked in particular Kovu telling what really happened to the rest of the pride before Bianca attacked and he left. Plants that seed of doubt in them, especially Shetani, I'd imagine. That will be interesting concerning the final altercation.[/quote]
Yeah. Kovu seemed like he had completely lost his backbone in the original SP scene -- not the sort of demeanor I'd expect from a highly disciplined trained killer -- so I tried to make him a bit fiercer and more composed here.

[quote]Now I assume we get to see how everyone reacts to Kovu when he returns to the Pridelands. I look forward to it! I especially am interested in seeing what Chaka has to say about all this, since that's a character that wasn't in SP and therefore a character whose reaction cannot be entirely pinned down. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to banish Kovu, though![/quote]
You couldn't be more right about Chaka, as you will see... : )



Chapter Thirteen:


Once he had reached the top of the dam, Simba had been able to easily climb out of the gorge, but by then his strength was failing and it took all of his strength to make the long journey back to Pride Rock. The sun was low in the sky before he came close to it. Shani, Chaka and Zazu were waiting at the base of Pride Rock, wondering where Simba and Kovu had gone and why they were taking so long. When they spotted Simba approaching with a definite limp and Kovu nowhere near him, Shani hurriedly told Zazu to get help, then ran to her father's side, along with her brother.

"Father!" Chaka gasped. "What happened?"

"Kovu..." Simba wheezed, cringing in pain. "Ambush..."

He fell over onto his side. Shani stared at her father in bewilderment. Kovu had tried to hurt her father. He couldn't have -- he just couldn't! The Kovu she knew would never do something like that...

Chaka leaned his body against his father's, trying to help him to his feet. By then, several of the lionesses had arrived, with Nala among them, together, they slowly helped Simba back to Pride Rock. Shani, however, stayed at the back of the group, trying in vain to make sense out of what had happened.


The pain in the cut over Kovu's eye had subsided by the time he was nearing Pride Rock. By then, the sun was setting, and he was surprised to see a large hoard of animals clustered around the base of Pride Rock. News of Simba's misfortune had spread quickly, and many of the residents of the Pride Lands had gathered, concerned that their king's death might not be far off.

He nervously made his way through the large, varied group, and animals of all species shied away from him as he neared them, creating a narrow path towards Pride Rock. He could hear nervous, frantic whispers among them, and slowly began to suspect that returning to Simba's pride had been a very bad idea. He was getting ready to make a hasty retreat when he heard an angry snarl from the peak of Pride Rock. It was Simba. He had spotted Kovu, and Kovu knew that it was too late to run away now.

"Why have you come back?" Simba said coldly.

Kovu looked up at him, trying to humble himself as much as he could. Chaka was standing at Simba's right side, and to his left were Nala and Shani. Both Simba and Chaka had angry looks on their faces, but Nala seemed worried, and Shani looked downright terrified. She kept on glancing from Simba to Kovu and back again, wondering what her father was going to do.

"Simba, listen to me," Kovu said. "That ambush wasn't my fault! I had nothing to do with it!"

"I trusted you, Kovu," Simba growled. "That's a mistake I won't make again."

"No," Kovu begged. "You don't understand -- it was all Bianca's plan. I was trying to -- "

"Enough!" Simba shouted.

"Dad, please listen to him!" Shani pleaded.

Simba turned to her.

"Quiet!" he snapped.

He turned back to Kovu. Kovu, the son of Scar, so similar to him in every detail...and now even bearing the mark over his eye that had earned Scar his namesake.

"I should known from the moment you asked to join this pride that you are as much a liar as your father was," Simba said. "But you won't be killing me or anyone else in my pride."

The animals on either side of Kovu began to grow more vocal, some of them flinging insults at Kovu or giving words of encouragement to Simba.

"No, please -- " Kovu said.

"Leave the Pride Lands and never return," Simba commanded.

"No!" Shani screamed.

As if they had all become a single unit, all the animals began forming a solid wall in front of Kovu, driving him backwards, away from Pride Rock.

"Simba, wait!" Kovu screamed, trying his best to fight the animals back. "Please! At least let me -- "

"Leave!" Simba roared.

"Kovu!" Shani cried. She tried to run towards him but Chaka bounded in front of her, blocking her way.

"Shani!" Kovu yelled back. He tried his best to make himself heard, but Simba wouldn't stop cutting him off. He kept attempting to push his way through the animals until he realized that he was fighting a losing battle and he was going to get himself killed if he continued doing it. He turned and fled, with many of the animals chasing after him. Even after his lungs had grown sore from running, several of them were still hot on his heels. He kept running until he could no longer hear them following him, then paused and took one last sorrowful look towards Pride Rock, and then continued running.


Simba stood at the peak of Pride Rock, watching Kovu retreat. Many of the animals that had surrounded Pride Rock were gone now, and those that weren't were quickly leaving. When Simba could no longer make out the dark lion amidst the vast fields, he turned around, where Shani, Nala and Chaka were waiting for him. Shani padded up to him, almost in tears.

"Dad, how could you do that?" she cried.

Simba glared at her.

"Don't you see?" he said. "He used you to get to me!"

"No!" Shani protested. "He loves me!"

"He pretended to love you," Chaka chimed in. "I should have known...I never trusted that Outsider."

"But Simba," Nala said, "If he really did try to attack you like he said, why would he come back here, knowing you knew he was guilty?"

"Probably trying to play the innocent part," Chaka remarked before Simba could respond. "That's what I would do if I were in his place."

Nala stared sternly at him.

"I was talking to your father," she said coldly.

"Still, I think he's right," Simba said. "He must have been desperate to try a trick like that, though..."

"But you didn't even let him defend himself," Nala said, raising her voice. "You said yourself that he denied having anything to do with the ambush when it started!"

"That's right," Shani said. "And I know he couldn't have done it, Dad. He just couldn't have! Kovu wouldn't have done something like that!"

Chaka suddenly glared stonily at his sister.

"Just like Timira wouldn't have died in the fire?" he roared.

Everyone fell silent. Even Simba's anger was momentarily gone as he stared at his son in a stunned silence.

"Deny it all you want," Chaka snarled at Shani, "But one of these days, you've got to face the truth. Timira is dead and Kovu was trying to kill our father all along. You can't live in a fantasy world forever, Shani."

Shani backed away from her brother, shocked by his sudden outburst and even closer to tears. She had never seen this side of her brother before in all her life. Could this mean there was also a side to Kovu she had never seen? No, she thought automatically. No, it can't be. Kovu isn't a killer. He isn't...

"Chaka, what's come over you?" Nala demanded once she had recovered from her surprise.

"Mother, I'm just as upset about it as everybody else, but we can't keep pretending that Timira is still out there somewhere. She's gone, and I'll have to accept that, and so should Shani."

"Whatever happened to Timira, you didn't have to yell at your sister like you did," Simba said. "Especially after what happened with her and Kovu."

"I knew she wouldn't listen to me any other way!" Chaka yelled. "I had to get it through her head somehow!"

"But we don't even know that Kovu is really guilty or not," Nala said. "You might have just exiled an innocent lion, Simba!"

"He is Scar's son," Simba retorted. "His mother said that he was going to be the future king...and it looks like whatever plan she had involved using him to kill me."

"But just because he is Scar's son doesn't necessarily mean that he is like Scar!" Nala cried.

Simba, Nala and Chaka continued to argue angrily as Shani sat nearby, completely forgotten by them. She was thinking about Timira...and Kovu. Chaka was only half right. Though she had no way of knowing what had happened to Timira, she knew that Kovu hadn't tried to kill her father. She knew there was some good in him and that he truly loved her. She had to find him...but how?

Shani looked up at her parents and her brother and realized that none of them were facing her. She then looked behind her at the main cave and saw that she was out of sight of any lionesses that could be looking out through the cave's mouth. She slowly got to her feet and began to creep away, towards the slope that led down to the ground. Her family continued bickering as she moved away from them, and she heard no shouts of alarm as she descended the slope.

Once she reached the ground, she hurried into the tall, golden grass and crouched down, making herself hidden among the dense blades. She crawled along until she got to the other side of a large hill -- a place that she knew couldn't be seen from Pride Rock. There, she got to her feet and began to run, following the route she had seen Kovu take. She followed his scent until she reached a small stream. She crossed it and quickly picked it up again, but by this time she had grown so tired that she couldn't run anymore. She walked along, thinking of Kovu, his mother, her father, her brother, her pride and the Outsiders. Why did her father have to hate them so much, when what they tried to do was so long ago? Why couldn't he see that Kovu was innocent?

Shani looked up at the sky. Night was approaching quickly, and Shani shivered. She had never been this far from home alone before, especially at night. Maybe if she found Kovu, she would be safe...

[ograndebatata]

Well, I don't know, but I really wouldn't trust that Shani would be safe if she found Kovu. Or rather, she would be safe if she found Kovu, but she has to find him first - and I'd say it won't be an easy task.

About Chaka... I don't really know if I'm right, but there just seems to be something wrong with him, and in the way how he reacted. Or maybe he's just more thick-headed than Simba.

And I'm starting to get surer and surer about what happened to Timira... although I can't really be certain until I see it on your chapters.

[YFWE]

I liked how Nala was active in defending Kovu as well and bringing a voice of reason. Even if it didn't change the outcome, having something more than Shani's word alone on Kovu's side was good to see.

Chaka obviously reacted the way I expected, LOL. Like father like son, I suppose. I'm interested to see where this goes next. I would presume the final battle is forthcoming, and Kovu and Shani will be reunited shortly as well. As for anything else... well, I have a few ideas. We'll see if I'm right or not.

[Akril]

[quote="YFWE"]I liked how Nala was active in defending Kovu as well and bringing a voice of reason. Even if it didn't change the outcome, having something more than Shani's word alone on Kovu's side was good to see.[/quote]
I'm know I'm repeating myself now, but yes, this is yet another "improvement" to the original story that I tacked on. Nala just seemed too passive during most of the movie, especially during this scene. Her lines during the stargazing scene obviously indicated that she felt that Kovu had some good in him, and just standing quietly by while Simba kicks him out for a fairly vague reason just didn't jive with me. I guess the writers wanted to focus on the conflict between Simba and Kiara more, but would it have killed them to give Nala just one line in that scene?

[KopsTheTerminator]

Those were some excellent chapters Akril! I really enjoyed reading them. I like how you portray the characters and give them the right personalities. I wonder what happened to Timira...

Anyways, I'm looking forward for the next chapter! Keep up the marvellous work!

[Akril]

Chapter Fourteen:


Kovu walked through the ash-covered wasteland that had once been blanketed with tall, lush grass and large trees. The place looked even eerier by night, and just as empty and desolate as Kovu's heart. Where could he go now? Back to Bianca, who seemed convinced that he had betrayed her and her pride? Back to Simba, and risk death trying to explain himself again? To some other land in the hopes of living on his own?

There seemed to be no good answer to his question. Kovu felt that he had lost everything: his pride, his trust in his mother, his belief that his father was a noble king, his love...

He paused. No, he hadn't lost his love. He knew that Shani still loved him. The way she had reacted when he was exiled proved that she did. If only he could find her...but there didn't seem to be any hope of that. Shani was still at Pride Rock, and Kovu knew what Simba would do to him if he returned there again.

Would he have still killed Simba if he hadn't fallen in love with Shani, Kovu wondered. Would the truth about Scar alone be enough to convince him, or would he have dismissed it as more lies from the Pridelanders? His thoughts suddenly shifted to his mother and his pride. What were they doing now that he was gone? Had Bianca given up, or was she formulating a different plan? Though Kovu doubted that the thin, undernourished lionesses in his pride could defeat the well-fed lionesses in Simba pride plus two males, he still feared for Simba and his family...even his overly defensive son.

Kovu began growing uncomfortable, so he tried thinking of something more pleasant: Shani. If only he could see her again and talk to her again...somehow, that was all that really mattered to him at the moment. She was the only one he could turn to now. If only he could find her, everything would be all right...

Then suddenly, there she was. She was sitting on top of a low hill covered with ash, her fur shining like white gold in the moonlight. Her back was turned to him, but Kovu could tell by the slump of her head and shoulders that she was just as unhappy as he was. He paused, wondering if this was just an illusion or a dream. Then the wind carried her scent over to him and he knew that he wasn't dreaming. He slowly stepped forward, overcome with joy.

Shani's ears pricked up at his approach and she slowly turned around to look at him. Her eyes were wide with disbelief at first, then she smiled a warm, innocent smile that made Kovu's heart race. She stood up and ran to meet him just as Kovu came running to her. They nuzzled each other warmly, feeling as if they had reunited for the first time in years. It seemed as if there was nothing in the world except the two of them, standing together on this dusty gray plain.

Though neither of them were aware of it, the wind had become stronger during their embrace. As they stood together, it blew across the ash-covered ground, clearing away the gray flecks to reveal fresh young grass beneath it. In just a few minutes, the ground around them had turned from gray to green.


Far away from Shani and Kovu, Bianca and the rest of the Outsiders were leaving the Outlands. In the distance, a storm was gathering, and the rumble of thunder could be heard. Bianca led the Outsiders through a narrow section of the Zuberi River that was too shallow for crocodiles. The Outsiders waded through the still water, and when they came out on the other side, they were heavily caked in dark mud. They continued towards the center of the Pride Lands.

Bianca knew that they would win. It didn't matter that Kovu would no longer be their king. All that mattered now was that Simba was dead and that the Pride Lands were theirs again.


"Kovu," Shani said slowly, "you really love me, don't you?"

Kovu, who was lying beside Shani in the grass, nodded solemnly.

"And what you said about not being part of that ambush...it's true?"

"Yes," Kovu said earnestly. "It's true, I swear it's true."

Shani nervously glanced at the scar on Kovu's face.

"Then...you never were planning to kill my dad?"

Kovu cringed, then made up his mind that he wasn't going to lie to Shani a second more. He told her the whole story, about how Bianca had decided to train him to infiltrate Simba's pride by saving Shani, then kill Simba once Kovu had gained his trust, letting the Outsiders return to the Outlands. He told her about his reluctant acceptance of this plan and how Bianca had lied to him about Simba being a rogue that exiled the Outsiders just because of their allegiance to Scar. He explained how he had learned the truth from Simba and Sarafina, and now realized that he loved Shani, and would do everything he could to protect her and her family.

As he spoke these words, it felt as if a great weight had lifted from his heart. When he finished speaking, for one brief, terrified moment, he feared that Shani would fear him now that she knew that he had been trained to be a killer. However, though she gazed at him in shock for a moment, her face soon softened, then she smiled that warm smile of hers again.

"I knew it," she said. "I knew I was right about you, Kovu. I just knew it."

She leaned against him and nuzzled him affectionately.

"I was so worried about you when Dad banished you," she said. "I didn't know where you'd gone..."

She pulled away from him, looking worried.

"..But what'll we do now?"

"Well," Kovu sighed, "Your father doesn't want me in his lands again...and my mother doesn't want me either..."

He turned to her and grinned.

"What do you say you and me run away together and start a pride of our own?"

Shani giggled at this, but then suddenly became strangely solemn.

"What?" Kovu asked, puzzled.

"The prides," Shani explained. "We can't just leave them like this. We've got to do something."

"Like what?" Kovu asked dubiously.

Shani gazed down at the ground.

"I don't know," she said. "But I know we've got to do it...and soon."


Simba paced back and forth inside the cave, both angry and afraid. He was angry at himself and his family for not keeping a closer eye on Shani, angry at the sudden rain that had fallen and washed away her scent, making it impossible to track her down, and worried what might happen to Shani if she tried meeting up with that Kovu again. Nala, Chaka, Timon and Pumbaa watched him quietly from nearby.

"No worries, Simba," Pumbaa said. "Shani's smart. I know she'd know if she was doing something dumb, you know."

"She may be smart, but she's in love...or at least thinks she is," said Simba. His rage had subsided somewhat since his argument with Chaka and Nala, but he was still mad. "No matter what I told her, she didn't want to think that he doesn't love her back."

"Sheesh," Timon muttered. "I know love is blind, but I didn't think it was deaf too."

There was a sudden flutter of wings as Zazu swooped into the cave, hovering frantically in front of Simba. Simba stopped pacing and looked at him, instantly sensing that something was wrong from the terrified look on the hornbill's face.

"What is it, Zazu?"

"It's the Outsiders, Sire!" Zazu panted. "They're headed this way! It's war!"

Simba gasped in shock. Nala's green eyes widened and Chaka rose to his feet.

"Zazu, find Shani!" Simba commanded. "We'll gather everyone who is able to fight."

Zazu nodded and flew out into the heavy rain. Simba turned to his mate and son.

"Hurry," he urged. "Let's move! Now!"