[Closed] Little Stranger (Taraji Chapter 1)

[Lodrill]

Rahina nearly choked on her food as Kovu mentioned Zira. It all came to her like a death grip. She could never forget the name of the one lioness who was the cause of all her sorrow. Her eyes were wide open and she stood up very hastily and moved backwards for some yards until she was behind the rock again. From their she stared at Kovu. 'Now I know where I have heard the name Kovu before.' she thought. She threw a very nervous look to Kopa. He knew that this name was pretty much a bad omen for Rahina. She only told him once about her past and shivered all the time speaking of it.

At this moment Rahina did not shiver but her claws were extracted again by instinct. Hearing the name of Zira triggered her body to move on his own. It was not that she blamed Kovu or Kiara for that but her body couldn't help but increase the blood pressure and heart beats hearing Zira's name.

[hr][/hr]

Taraji winced as Rahina quickly moved back. But due she was not faced to Rahina she only felt her moving and so did not notice her cold stare at Kovu. She calmed down very fast and continued to cuddle against Kiara. Her belly made growling noises due she got pretty hungry by the time.

[KiarasMate]

Being a bit too preoccupied with Taraji, Kiara failed to notice the change that took over Rahina. Paying attention to her mate as he retrieved some of the softer organs of the gazelle, Kiara graciously accepted Kovu’s offerings with a warm smile as she responded in a loving tone.

”Thank you Honey. I’m not very hungry right now though so I think I’ll wait till later to eat. Hopefully my mom will have caught something for the rest of the pride by then and hopefully she’ll be able to give Cutie some more milk.”

Ejecting her sharp claws, Kiara severed off a few small strips of the protein in front of her, hooking one of the small pieces with one of her claws as she moved it towards Taraji, speaking encouragingly to their daughter as she did so.

”Here Cutie, try and eat some of this nummy gazelle. I’ll try and get you some milk later but for now, please eat some of this for Mommy.”

While Kiara remained oblivious to the impact that Kovu’s words had had upon Rahina, Kopa on the other paw, reacted swiftly, feeling his mate rising to her paws abruptly as she backed up towards the rock she was previously hiding behind. Hastily standing up as well, Kopa replied in a shocked voice.

”Zi…Zira? Please! Don’t say any more. That name doesn’t bode well with my mate and her past.”

Kopa had recalled that Rahina had told her about her experience with a group of lions known as The Outlanders, but this was only once as the mere subject of the tragic tale seemed to hit too close to home for the dark furred lioness. Hearing Zira’s name being mentioned once again however, Kopa himself started remembering something from his past as well. Having the mood completely shattered, Kopa addressed the small group of felines.

”Please don’t take this the wrong way but we’d like to be alone now if you don’t mind.”

Moving away from where Kovu, Kiara and Taraji were situated, Kopa made his way over towards Rahina as he spoke softly to her.

”Come on Hina, let’s go back into the den.”

Lovingly nuzzling his beloved mate, Kopa made sure to stay in between her and the others as he waited for her to move, following close behind. Finally noticing what was going on now, Kiara could sense the building tension in the air, leaving her feeling a bit uneasy as she gently picked up Taraji by the nape and lightly set her atop Kovu’s shoulders once again before speaking.

”C’mon Honey, let’s let them be.”

Giving one last thoughtful glance over towards the two felines, Kiara spoke in a hushed voice as they took their leave as well.

”Don’t let that get to you Honey. It’s not your fault. Zira did what she did and nothing can change that but it has nothing to do with you. Just forget about it.”

Realizing that she had just abandoned the meal she had prepared for Taraji, finding Nala started to become a top priority in Kiara’s mind as she walked alongside her mate once more.

=========

After speaking with Gumu for a little while, Nala had made her way back into The Grasslands. Having a lot on her mind, the cream colored queen simply wandered about until she happened upon Vitani, who also seemed to have no apparent agenda. Calling out to her fellow lioness, Nala picked up the pace as she bounded towards her.

”Hey Tani, wait up.” Arriving by the former Outlander moments later, Nala smiled as she continued. ”About what I told you and Kovu earlier, about me being pregnant, I have a favor to ask of you.”

==========

Simba had been at the main den atop Pride Rock for a while now. His patience wearing thin, expecting Kivuli’s arrival, the king of The Pride lands made his way outside and along the promontory of Pride Rock, scanning the horizon for any sign of his expected visitor, all the while, thinking of the past and how he had banished the younger male for reasons that he had always kept to himself about. Now that the situation was about to come to a head however, Simba prepared himself as he awaited Kivuli’s presence.

[Mike]

Kovu hung his read, resigning himself to face the same odd looks and whispers that he used to suffer at the hands of the pridelanders for as long as he knew Rahini and Kopa. He wasn't exactly offended by their reaction, he understood that it must be hard to get over his family, but Simba was related to Scar as well... It seemed unfair that he was singled out for this treatment.

"I guess they knew my mother afterall." Kopa said as he turned to leave with Kiara. "I guess it's nice to see that Rahini is flesh and blood though, she's one stone-hard lioness at first glance. And don't even get me started about Kopa at first glance. I mean, Twins separated at birth or what?"

----------------

Vitani was by herself in the grasslands, but you were never really alone in the pridelands. There were animals spread all over the land, some grazing, others resting in the shade, and without exception, all the younglings were rambunctiously pouncing on each other or their parents. She could have spent the rest of the day taking in the view, but was instead surprised by Nala's company. Once the older lioness approached they stood together and Nala began to give her reasons for wanting to chat.

"Name it." Vitani said in reply, her tone implying a rock-solid loyalty to Nala, and a willingness to help out with whatever the problem seemed to be.

[KiarasMate]

Walking next to her mate, listening to him speak as they moved along through The Grasslands, Kiara waited until they were clearly out of ear shot from The Private Waterhole before she spoke to him quietly.

”Yes, Rahina seems like a strong willed lioness. Anyone brave enough to take you on Honey, let alone a lioness, has to have no fear in life. As for Kopa though…” Kiara’s voice faltered slightly as she continued. ”There’s something I have to tell you Honey. Something that I probably shouldn’t, but seeing as this new lion…well, you’ll see.” Slowing her pace slightly as to allow for them to talk a bit easier, Kiara resumed her speech. ”My parents…they had a cub before me. Oddly enough, his name was Kopa and he was going to be the future king of The Pride Lands as I’m sure you could guess Honey, but he went missing at a very young age. My parents told me that they suspected that Zira had something to do with it but they were never sure.” Turning to look at her mate with a serious expression, Kiara paused for a bit as she went on talking. ”Call me crazy, but perhaps this Kopa that we met…could it be the same Kopa that my parents lost so long ago? I mean, there’s no way I can bring that topic up to either of them, since it really is painful for them to talk about it. That’s why Nala told you and your sister to not say anything to my dad about her being pregnant again. Ever since then, he doesn’t deal with that kind of news very well as it brings up the bad memories of the past, you know?” Letting a sigh slip from her muzzle, Kiara continued. ”I don’t know though Honey. It could just very well be a coincidence but…what if it’s not?”

Unsure of what exactly to make of the whole ordeal, Kiara resumed walking as she waited for her mate to give his insight on what he thought of what she had just told him.

=========

Smiling from Vitani’s willingness to help, Nala responded in an appreciative voice.

”Well, I have to get a check up from Rafiki tomorrow in regards to my pregnancy, but I don’t want Simba finding out, like I told you earlier, I just need to find the right time to break the news to him and with all of these new things happening, there just hasn’t seemed to be that right time yet. Anyways, I need you to cover for me. If Simba asks where I am, which hopefully he won’t, since he’ll most likely assume I’m off hunting his dinner, but if my whereabouts happen to come up, I need you to make something up. I hate to ask you for such a favor, but I really think my mate trusts you enough to believe what you’d tell him. I won’t be gone long, hopefully, but you never know how long things will take when it comes to Rafiki.”

Waiting for Vitani’s reaction to what she had asked of her, Nala sat idly by, thinking about the new life in her belly, as well as the memories of Kopa and how this strange new male who shared the same name as her missing cub, had shown up and triggered such thoughts to reenter her mind after so long.

[SinChei]

Daxis still followed Kivuli and watched all his actions the red maned cub was impressed by the grey lion. He couldn't take his eyes off him. Daxis went slowly nearer towards
Kivuli but after a while Kivuli went towards priderock and became faster and faster so that Daxis had to rrun on his small legs. He hoped Kivuli wouldn't notice him.

[Lodrill]

Rahina noded to Kopa and followed him to the den but she was thinking about very much things. Her mind was full of her memories and she finally remembered so much. For example that Kovu was the name of Ziras son. And also that Kiara had been the name of the daughter of the neighbor prides king. And also the name of the outlands came back in her mind.

Even if the name of Zira still was a trigger of fear inside Rahina - or rather a trigger of the traumata of the death of her mother and brother - all the other memories were bittersweet. Not only bitter memories came back to Rahina but also the nice memories and the feeling of home. She did not mention it to Kopa yet but she was pondering about all this.

As they reached the den she curled up on the pelt and put her head on her paws looking to the entrance. She still was pondering about all her memories.

[hr][/hr]

Before Taraji even could get one bite she was placed atop of Kovu again. She was a bit confused but by instinct she cuddled into his mane as they set of. She threw a last shy glare to Rahina and Kopa before they got out of sight.

[Mike]

Kovu saw that Kiara was deep in thought, and waited patiently until his mate quietly spilled her thoughts to him. Kopa's story came as a shock to Kovu who never had any reason to suspect that Kiara had a brother. He balanced the possibilities in his mind, but reluctantly had to conclude that the chancew of a cub surviving alone were just too slim.

Kiara, you really think that's possible? A cub as young as that has almost no chance at all on their own, and if Zira had taken him in I would have seen him. Neither the pridelanders nor the outlanders had any reason to believe that the cub was still alive. Would a rogue really take a lone cub under his wing? And a male one at that. I hate to be skeptical, but I think you're chasing after a ghost.

Kovu broke his opinions to Kiara as gently as possible, also speaking softly; it seemed to be appropriate to the subject they were discussing.

----------------

Vitani hissed gently through her teeth. She considered devotion to her pride to be one of the most important things for a lioness, and Nala was putting her in a difficult position. Keeping Nala's pregnancy to herself was one thing, but directly lying to her king was another. Adding to the difficulty was the fact that Nala was the queen, and had a considerable claim to her obedience as well.

"I know you wouldn't put me in this position without a good reason. I'll do it. I just hope Rafiki has good news so that you can end the secrecy. Good luck Nala," she said, saluting her queen with a quick nod. "I hope you don't need it."

[KiarasMate]

Shaking her head with a small giggle, Kiara replied in a corrective manner.

”No no Honey, this happened before your mother was banished so I think you would have been too young to even remember him but I suppose you’re right Honey. I don’t see any rogue taking in a lone cub, let alone, a male at that. But still, maybe he found his way to wherever Rahina was from and was raised there? Maybe I am just crazy though.”

Reflecting upon this for a moment longer, Kiara figured it best not to dwell on the past and started to focus upon the matters at paw, speaking up to break the silence.

”Well, let’s let my parents worry about that matter. Perhaps we should try and find my mom to get Taraji something to eat Honey. She should be back from hunting already.”

Although she had mentioned it, Kiara’s mind still lingered upon the thoughts of Kopa as she stayed next to her mate, walking alongside him as she enjoyed the cool breeze that began to signify the day coming to an end.

=========

Detecting a bit of reluctance within Vitani’s response but having no other trusted lioness to turn to, Nala simply nodded and replied.

”Thank you Tani. You don’t know how much this means to me and I assure you that I will repay you for this favor in the future. I just…well, can’t trust anyone as much as you with this sort of thing. You really are a great friend.”

Offering Vitani an appreciative smile, Nala rose to her paws as she stated.

”I should get going now. It’s already getting late and I forgot to tell Simba about two new comers to the pride, one of which who looks a lot like…well, never mind, but anyways, thank you again Tani. You’re a life saver.”

Taking her leave, Nala made her way back towards Pride Rock, bounding quickly up the promontory as she vanished within the dark opening to the main den.

[Mike]

Kovu agreed wholeheartedly with his mate's decisions to leave such confusing and unsolvable questions to others. Finding Taraji something to eat was a better thing to focus on in his opinion seeing as they had a good chance of success and a hungry cub was an awful state of affairs.

"Sounds good to me." Kovu said before craning his neck back to look at Taraji who was once again enjoying the ride. "You must be hungry little one. I'm sorry we didn't find Nala before, but with the day almost over she's sure to be back in the den before long, if she's not there already. We'll get you something to eat."

-----------------------

Vitani spent a moment after Nala had left relaxing under a tree as she thought about what she'd agreed to do. In the end she concluded that she was right to help Nala out, A visit to Rafiki's wasn't pride-breaking news by any means, and Simba would be just as satisfied to hear that Nala was Helping care for Taraji, or hunting.

Returning to the presant, Vitani recalled that Nala intended to return straight to Pride Rock without catching the pride supper. Not wanting to see her brother grumble over an empty stomach, Vitani figured that she'd take the initiative in hunting down something tasty. The sun had almost set, and was shining brightly at the horizon. Vitani used this to her advantage, and found a group of gazelles near a river preparing to end their day. They weren't a large meal, but they were one that Vitani was confident in attacking alone. With the sun at her back she was able to clearly see her prey, yet would be almost invisible due to the glare if any gazelle happened to look up.

She crept silently nearer and identified one specimen that was standing a short distance away from the rest with it's back to her. Taking one last steadying breath she prepared to make her attack. Suddenly she was a blur of motion, and the gazelle looked back, alarmed by the sudden rustling behind him. He bleated a warning to the rest of the herd and began to run, but made it only a few steps before Vitani was on him, making a flying leap to land with her forepaws on the gazelles shoulders. She dragged it down into the dirt and neatly bit it's neck to end the animal's suffering.

Breathing hard, Vitani took a moment to steady herself as the herd scattered. Then she began the long process of dragging her kill back to Pride Rock.

[KiarasMate]

Once the small group of felines had left them alone, Kopa focused his efforts on trying to comfort his precious lioness, laying himself next to her and lovingly embracing her within his strong fore legs as he murmured quietly to her.

”It’s okay Hina. Everything is going to be fine my precious, I promise. That Kovu fellow, he doesn’t seem like he holds any of the characteristics that…well, you know who did and you know I will protect you from anything Hina.”

Leaning in, Kopa planted an affectionate kiss over his mate’s soft muzzle lips as he met with her gaze, his eyes showing as much compassion for his one and only lioness in life as always as he snuggled in next to her, keeping her soothed by gently massaging her soft frame as he rested his head lightly against her’s, purring quietly to ease her tensions.

==========

Finally clearing her mind of the thoughts about Kopa, Kiara smiled as she watched Kovu interacting with their daughter, feeling her own spirits picking up once again as she slowed her pace as to fall slightly behind Kovu, playfully placing her paws atop his back side as she awkwardly balanced herself upon her hind paws, speaking in a joking manner as she did so.

”Any room up here for me too Taraji? I think Daddy should carry us both to the main den, what do you say Honey, or am I to fat to ride on top of you, hmm?”

After walking a few paces in her unusual stance, Kiara let her fore paws fall from Kovu’s rear, giving his swaying tail a loving swat as she returned to walk along side her mate as they made their way towards the main den in the hopes of finding Nala and getting Taraji’s next meal.