We are all lying together, side by side, telling stories of Kopa and how much of a brave lion he was even at such a young age. I found out he died at the age of nine but I haven't heard how he died. I would like to ask but I honestly don't want the queen to cry even more than she already has. Kiara is next to her, with her tiny paw on top of her mothers comforting her when a new story of her first born comes around.

Beba has begun a new story.

"Kopa was a prince but he was never shallow nor arrogant. He was kind and would put people before him. I believe that wherever he is, he is still pouncing on butterflies and getting himself into trouble with The Great Kings Of The Past, tugging on their ears or pouncing on their tails. But I hope that he is happy out of everything. He wasn't only a friend, he was my brother. Though I was the 'weird' friend that was always running and never roared he was always by my side. I remember this one time Kopa asked me to help him babysit Kiara..." He pauses and looks over at Kiara who is staring at my spotted brother.

"Kopa had the bright idea to make her bite onto my tail as I dragged her along the cave floor. She was laughing the entire time and Kopa was watching with wide eyes and a smile on his face that made the whole cave brighter. It looked as if he was trying to absorb everything, so he can have it in his head and replay it as many times as he possibly can. Kopa was always doing this, always trying to bring joy wherever he went even if he wasn't happy himself." He finishes the story and I swear it's as if he's telling me a vivid memory, as if I already knew the story.

I've heard over ten stories and I knew how they would all end. Pouncing lessons with Timon, pulling on Pumbaa's tail that ended in a disaster and him smell like crap for a month, playing with Kiara and Beba. All of them I knew already without them having to finish them. Am I really Kopa? I mean it's been ten years since his passing and I'm his age, nineteen, so it's possible. I don't believe it is but I suppose it can since Mufasa is the wind.

The sun is now gone and has been replaced by the moon. Haunani, Makuma, and Muna are all asleep on their father and they look adorable with their mouths hanging open and eyes barely closed.

"It's getting late and Simba is already mad. I think it's time we all go. " Nala says with a sniffle. They can't leave, I haven't heard how Kopa died. "We'll be back tomorrow with more stories." She assures me with tears in her teal eyes.

"Can we stay?" Kiara asks for the four of them, then turns to me and Beba "if that's okay." She adds.

"Of course." He says with a grin. Nala says they can and with that the sad queen takes her pride back home.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-

"I'm sure you want more stories and the one you want won't be given to you by them." Kiara says once we have lied down and put the cubs to sleep in a moss patch.

"I want to know how he died, yes, but I know you don't want to share it."

"I would tell you if I knew the story." She frowns and I feel horrible for bringing it up.

"It's okay." Her face lightens up and she rests her head in Kovu's paws and in seconds she's asleep.

"She's been really moody since her pregnancy." Kovu jokes as he licks Kiara's head. It's a sweet gesture but for some reason it makes me scrunch up my nose.

"What?" He stops licking her and looks at me with his emerald eyes.

"Nothing. "

"Then why the face?" He nods towards me.

"No reason. " I simply answer since I don't have one and lay my head on my paws.

"Tanabi? Is Muna with you?" I hear Beba ask so I turn my head to face him.

"No I thought she was sleeping with her brothers. " I get up and follow him to the cubs but one find two out of three. Only the boys are there.

I look up at Beba and he has a very worried look on his face.

"We'll find her. She couldn't have gone far. " I assure him and look back and notice that Mheetu has disappeared as well. He wouldn't hurt her...would he?

"Tani?" I nudge her with my nose and wake her.

"What's wrong?" She asks in a groggy voice.

"Do you know where Mheetu went?" She blinks a few times and look to her right side seeing that he really isn't here.

"He said something about peeing? " Peeing? Why would he need Muna to pee?

I sniff the space next to her getting odd looks from everyone, even Kiara who was once asleep. I continued to smell the air and picked up in his scent.

I took off following the scent like a dog, I though I'd never hear those words, I stopped every so often to pick up the scent again. Once I did I ran until the scent was gone.

I'm in an odd place, beautiful, but odd.

"Mheetu? Muna?" I called flicking my ears every direction and heard nothing. So I called again and again and again. Then I heard a squeak come from one direction, I have no clue which.

I bellowed and got one back from the north. I started running until I saw Mheetu and Muna stuck in some type of trap?

"What happened?" I asked with wide eyes.

"I went to pee and Muna followed. She said she knew a great place to tinkle and bam! We're trapped in this shit." He tugs his hind leg and I see a string on it.

"Are you guys okay?" I get closer making sure I don't step into anything.

"My paw hurts. " Muna whines while pulling her leg making something clang.

"Shhhh! There might be hunters around!" I whisper half shout. She cowers and licks her paw.

"Why don't you guys just chew it off?" They look at each other and show me the ropes. It's full of claw and bite marks.

"It's impossible." Mheetu hangs his head down in shame.

I look above them and see a large rope with cans tied to it. If I could get to that branch I could release them and untie the two idiots back at home. There's just one problem...lions can't climb trees.

I tried to calculate my possibilities of getting my fat ass on the third branch of this stupid tree to get these two freed. I looked from the hook to the branch and back over a hundred times.

"Staring at it won't help the situation. " Muna snaps clearly irritated.

"If you would have just taken Mheetu someplace closer to piss we wouldn't be in this situation. "

"Stop swearing! " She squeaks.

"Piss is not a bad word. Now hush up before I bite your leg off. " Well that made her shut up. "Now, let's see. How do I get my fat-self up there without killing myself. "

I ask out loud though I know they won't help me.

"Try. " Mheetu encourages me.

"Easier said then done I weight five hundred and fifty pounds, I can't get up there without braking a branch. That would just make a lot of noise and the hunters would come and kill us all. "

"Like my mommy?" I whip my head around to see tears streaming down her cheeks. Crap.

"No, no, no, no. I'll get you out. Please don't cry. " I sit next to her and wrap my paw around her small body.

After a few seconds I let go of her and jump onto the bark of the tree landing on my back making me gasp in pain.

"What the heck was that?" Muna yells.

"Don't swear. " I managed to gasps the words out.

"Sorry. There's a limp branch over there climb that and make your way up. Don't think of your weight, think of getting to the top and you'll get there. " The brilliant two year old toddler explains. I nod and do as told, my exposed claws sink into the dark bark of the tree and I feel everything inside of me shift.

I feel my body become light and my vision to clear as I glide easily to the top of the third branch and with ease snap the rope with my jaws. I feel like I'm in a dream. Everything is moving slowly and within seconds I'm back on the ground and everything's back to a normal pace.

"Dude, what the hell did you just do?" Mheetu asks with pure shock in is voice.

"I'm fat but you can't seriously be that surprised by my climbing. "

"No. Tanabi you were glowing. You were glowing a gold color and your pupils were slits. " He explains as I rip the rope from his and Muna's legs.

"I was not. " I retaliate. That is completely insane. Lions don't glow, no matter how golden my fur is, it doesn't glow.

"It was scary. " Muna says hiding behind Mheetu.

They're crazy. I did not glow! It is physically impossible!

"Whatever, come on let's get out of here. " I change the subject though I'm still pondering over what they told me. I mean Vitani once told me that I glowed back at the gorge. So maybe I did it again.

So maybe I did glow? Why am I over thinking this?

I shake my head to clear my thoughts and suddenly I hear a twig snap and I freeze. "Mheetu. Take Muna in your mouth and when I say you run. " I whisper still standing still.

"But-" I glare at him and he takes Muna in his mouth and with a quick flick of my ears he takes off with Muna screaming my name.

I turn around, snarling and holding my ground. I make myself look bigger by puffing up my chest and making the hair on my body rise. Hunters don't scare me as much as they should. I have claws and teeth while they have...guns. I'm so going to die.

Right when I was about to pounce someone walked out from the bushes. It wasn't a human but a lion. Simba? Okay I'm done. I give up on this insane family. No, nope, uh uh I refuse to continue to deal with them. They are literally going to drive me mad, well, more so than they already have. 

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at Pride Rock?" I ask my voice dripping with annoyance. 

"I heard your bellowing so I came here to make sure everything was okay." 

"Well, it is. Good night." I turn back around stomp off. I'm pissed off! I thought he was a hunter and I thought he hated me which obviously he's showing signs that he doesn't but at the same time he hates me. It's causing me headaches and chest pain and I keep over thinking shit. I'm nineteen years old I shouldn't be dealing with this kind of stuff.

"I thought that we could talk." The king says catching up to me. I roll my eyes and continue to walk ignoring him. I'm fed up, tired, and my family is going to be worried about me if I don't get home soon.

"I don't think that's a good idea." I answer quickly and shortly. I want to get home fast and be far away from ginger over here.

"Why not?"

"Are you bipolar?" I stop mid-step and face him.

"No, not at all." He smiles and I feel my claws dig into the ground beneath me with annoyance.

"You sure? 'Cause when I met you, you sort of liked me, then kicked me out, and now you're wondering if I'm okay and wanting to speak to me. I'm sorry but if you're not bipolar you're something." I turn back around and walk faster so I can get away from this wacko.

"Tanabi, as king, it's my job to put the pride first. I was only thinking about them and I didn't mean to offend you in any wa-'' 

"Not offend me? Not offend me? What kind of bullshit is that?" I cut him off rudely again turning around for the last time tonight. "You accused me of killing yours and Nala's mother. What kind of person does that? I was upset out of my mind because of their deaths and you had the audacity to accuse me of such a crime! I know I have scars, I know my claws are exposed and I look like a killer. But I'm not and I never will be, so before you go judging people remember that everyone has shit going on too. " I huff and run off hearing the king yelling after me but I know the old man won't catch up to me. 

I was so distracted that I bumped into something..someone. 

"Tanabi!" Muna shrieked as she squirmed in Mheetu's grasp. He let her go and she came torpedoing towards me, wrapping her paws around mine. 

"I thought you died." She mumbles with tears on her cheeks. 

"No, I'm still here." I nuzzled her and then rubbed foreheads with Mheetu. It's not in a sexual way it's in a reassuring way. Lions do this kind of stuff all the time so, no, I am not sexually interested in Mheetu.

"Next time, please pee someplace close to home." I taunt Mheetu who roles his eyes and pushes my face. The three of us run happily and safely back home. 

Muna threw herself onto her father and he cried into her. I know it's tears of joy because I bet he thought he'd loose her the same way he lost his wife. Her brothers licked her and nuzzled her until the three of them fell asleep once again. But this time they were safe in each others paws. 

"Thank you." Beba says with tears in his olive green eyes.

"You're my family, I'd do anything to protect it." I smile and he imitates my actions. He then turned and lied next to his trio of devils and the four of them rested surrounded by each others love.

I went back to my small group of friends and one by one I said goodnight to.

I rubbed foreheads with Kiara, fist pumped Kovu, hugged Mheetu and licked the very silent violet blue eyed lioness' cheek. 

"You okay?" I whispered so only she could hear. 

"I am now." She nuzzled into my neck and lied her head on my paws as I rested my own on her head. 

I spent the next few hours awake, hearing the soft breathing of the people around me. Suddenly I saw glowing eyes in the distance and I picked my head up and flicked my ears up. 

The glowing eyes blinked and I growled. The figure walked towards me and I carefully got up and snarled. If he wants to fight it's a fight he'll get. He stepped forwards once again and I charged roaring and growling causing everyone to wake up. I jumped into the air and landed on the stalker. When my vision cleared I saw who it was and my anger was at its boiling point. I am so fucking ready to rip his head off but when Kiara spoke I calmed down. 

"Daddy?" She question and I got off of the king. 

"I didn't mean to intrude." He lies and I can't help but scoff. I get a look from Kovu but I ignore it. It's way too early for this bullshit. 

"It's okay daddy, but, why are you here?" Kiara asks a bit pissed off. I don't blame her.

"I wanted to talk to Tanabi." 

"Couldn't you wait 'till morning?" She asks with pure irritation in her voice. 

"I wanted it to be private." He looks over at me and I growl. God I want to choke him for being such an ass. 

"Come back when the sun is out before the lionesses and he'll speak to you." I glare at Kiara and she gives me a small smile. Thanks for looking out for your big bro Kiara...where the hell did big bro come from? Ugh it's too damn early. 

"Alright." With one last look at me and one more snarl from me he disappeared into the darkness and everyone turned to me. 

"Hey, you guys are lucky I didn't hurt him." I say shrugging. 

"Don't be so hard on him, he's just protective." She answers me as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

"He kicked me out because he thought I murdered your grandmothers! I think I can be as harsh on him as I please!" I yell making the cubs whimper and I suddenly regret all of my actions. 

"I'm sorry." I quickly say and walk over to the cubs, taking them all into my arms. "I'm sorry." I repeat for the last time tonight. I lay down and shut my eyes. I need to sleep so I don't rip Simba limb from limb in the next couple of hours. 

I'm not a morning person. 

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Hello my lovely TLK FAM! Here is yet another horrible chapter that I hope you all like. 

I have no clue when but I will be going to Cuba soon to visit my family for a week so I'm going to update as often as possible until then because, if you didn't know, in Cuba there is no wifi. 

I'm going to die. 

Anyways, what does Simba so eagerly want to talk to Tanabi about? Why is Vitani so quiet? Will hunters come and look for the animals that escaped?! 

I'm going to leave you all with suspense! LOL don't forget to comment if you liked or hated this chapter, your opinion means a lot to me, and make sure to slap that vote button. 'Till my next post!

LoVe Ya! 

~Delaney ^.*

P.S. Pic of Beba and the cubs..in real life. 

        The song is Don't Stop by my Australian lovers 5 Seconds Of Summer (5SOS)