"No, I love you more." He gushed then licked her cheek, she giggled frantically then repeated the action saying,

"Impossible, I love you more."

"I love you times infinity!" He yelled as he rubbed his face on hers, making sure to get his scent on her in case any male decides they want her all to themselves.

"I love you times infinity and beyond!" She giggled once more and nuzzled into his dark brown mane.

"Ugh, I think I liked them better when they were fighting." I grumbled as I held my paws to my ears in attempt to block them out.

"I think we all did." I heard Vitani and I chuckled as I removed my paws from my ears and licked her freckled muzzle. She purred and moved her head to be under my own as she gave me a small embrace and together we looked on at the revolting couple.

"Uncle Tanabi! Uncle Tanabi!" I heard little Muna shriek as she ran towards me. I smiled and Vitani changed her position so now her head is on my back. Muna jumped up and clung onto my muzzle as she giggled happily.

"Good morning, Muna." I said in a muffled voice.

"Hi." She squeaked as she released me and cuddled into my paws but gagged at the sight of Mheetu and Shanni rubbing noses.

"Why are they doing that?" The innocent cub asked while cocking her head to the side. I chuckled and licked her head once before answering.

"I don't know Squeaker, maybe it's because they love each other." I explained it as best as I could and rested my head near her body, as I felt Vitani's soft breathes on my back where she rests.

"But, you love Vitani and you don't do that." She reasoned looking at me with her deep brown eyes. I gave her a soft smile and rubbed my forehead against hers causing her to yawn.

"There are different ways to show love. I love Vitani yes, but you don't have to show it as elaborately as them. It just depends on the people in the relationship." I said causing her eyes to become droopy and filled with sleep. The sun still isn't up yet, I suppose the love birds in the corner awoke her.

"I love you, Tana." She whispered as she finally fell asleep curled up in my paws.

"I love you too." I said in a hushed tone letting my head fall over her body to give her warmth from the cool morning.

"Tanabi?" I heard Vitani call my name. I flicked my ears towards her voice and hummed the word yes. "Do you really love me as much as you claim you do?" Her question made my mouth open a bit and my head to shoot straight up. Muna stirred slightly so I placed one of my paws closer to her and she smiled in her sleep. I then turned my head to look at her, her violet-blue eyes wide open begging for a response.

"Of course, Vitani. Don't ever think that I love you less than I actually do." I assure her with truth behind every word.

"It's just, you don't show it." She blushed and hid her face with my mane.

"Hey," I whispered "I don't show it because I know it makes you uncomfortable. But, I do love you, dear God I love you so much it gives me chest pains. Please, don't think I don't when in reality I love you more than any lion has ever loved a lioness." Vitani emerged from my mane and looked at me for a long while before a smile spread across her lips.

"You're too kind to me."

"You showed me kindness when nobody else did. You saw me, not an outsider." I explained in a hushed voice. She looked at me for a while until she finally smiled once more and leaned over giving me a quick lick on the cheek.

"When I saw you, I saw myself. Lost and confused, you needed someone and I did too, I still do but now I have you and I feel complete. You're mine, Tanabi, mine and only mine." She breathed and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"I'm yours, Vitani. The same way you're only mine, I'm here to protect you until the very day I die." I assured her and licked her tears away.

"I love you." She whispered and moved a bit closer to me so that her head was now by my own. I made sure her head was on my arm before I rested my head on hers.

"I love you, Vitani, so damn much." I said once more then began to lick the top of her head until I finally fell asleep.

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"Tana, Tana, wake up." I heard a high pitched voice call. My eyes fluttered open and landed on a pair of big brown eyes staring into my light green pair.

"Hello there, Muna." I yawned.

"I think you might want to see MK. " She said with a worried look. I instantly perked up my head and felt Vitani squirm, I smiled and moved her head softy off of my paw and onto the cool ground. She groaned a bit but then became accustomed to the floor and a smile appeared on her lips. I licked her cheek before getting up and following the spotted cub towards the mouth of the cave where I found a rather lonely bat with midnight purple wings and huge orange eyes staring up at the sunrise. It was beautiful, the sky tinted in beautiful shades of pink and orange as the sun arose slowly.

"Hey there, Macho Kubwa, what's wrong?" I asked as I sat near him. He looked up at me and gave me a sad look before looking back up at the sky. "MK?"

"I'm fine it's just, well, everyone has found their mate. You and Vitani, Simba and Nala, Kovu and Kiara, Mheetu and Shanni, hell! Even Beba knows what love is but me, well, I don't have anyone. " He admitted as he looked back up at me with tears in his eyes. I suddenly felt bad for the teen-aged bat, he's lonely in this huge savanna. I mean sure he has the pride but he doesn't have that special someone to wake up next to every morning. I sighed and bent a bit to be able to look at him more clearly.

"MK, you'll find someone. Don't worry, everyone finds their soul mate. "

"What if I don't? I left home to be alone, besides who's going to want to mate with a nerdy bat like me?" He pouted.

"You're a...manageable guy. You're funny, sometimes, sarcastic, annoying-"

"Aren't you supposed to be helping him?" Muna asked furrowing her brows and a grumpy look on her face. I chuckled and ran my paw over her head before saying,

"Why don't you go inside before your father wakes up?" I suggested earning a sad look for the beautiful cub. "Go on, you know you're still supposed to be sleeping it's much too early. Run along." Muna sighed but then licked MK's head before tapping her foot against my own. Muna then ran inside the cave and faded into the darkness of the cave.

"You're right though, I'm just too, too-"

"Hey, I'm kidding. I just said those things to try and perk you up. Look, if you'd like today, after I take care of a few things, we can go site seeing and possibly find another bat that isn't you. Would that make you feel a little bit better?" I asked while arching a brow. Then suddenly I felt something smack my nose and when I looked it was MK wrapped around me with a huge grin on his face.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I appreciate this so much!" He cheered then licked my nose causing me to shake my head and him to fall off but he landed on a soft patch of grass making his fall less painful.

"You're welcome, now, come along we have to wake up the pride. It's time to hunt."

"Sir, yes, sir." He saluted then chuckled and flew up onto my head like always and together we woke up our friends.

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"I'm so tired, dear Lord." Mheetu yawned out loud causing the antelope we were hunting to perk its head up from the grass while chewing.

"Shh, Mheetu, you're going to scare it away." I reprimanded in a harsh whisper with my eyes locked on our breakfast.

"But I'm tired." He whined a bit louder.

"Mheetu, shut it." Vitani growled from behind him while Shanni stared her down from behind my flank.

"Why don't you mind your own business." Mheetu said a bit louder.

"This isn't the time to argue, now be quiet before-oh great perfect." Beba groaned as the horned animal bounded away.

"Thanks, Mheetu." I groaned and shook my head.

"It's not my fault I'm tired."

"Uh, yes it is. You spent twelve hours sucking faces with Shanni." I bit back and sat with the tip of my tail twitching slightly.

"Oh come on, don't act like you and Vitani don't do the same thing in your spare time." Shanni whined as she made her way over to her new found mate.

"We don't and maybe if you didn't either we would be eating and not arguing." Vitani answered as she sat in place with Beba coming up from behind her.

"Guys, let's just go look for something else to eat, the cubs are going to start to worry." He said with worry in his green eyes. I sighed and nodded then stood back up and began to look around for something else to eat. As I skimmed the area my eyes landed on another antelope, my ears fell back and I crouched down with my friends mimicking my actions.

Once we were close enough I flicked my ears up and Beba arose from the tall grass with a loud chirrup as he ran after the thin legged deer. Mheetu then chased after him with Vitani near his right flank. Shanni then went with a grunt as she leaped up and tagged along behind Vitani.

Stay still Tanabi. I thought to myself while watching Beba lead the antelope back over towards my direction and when it was just a few feet away from me, I leaped up and grabbed it by the throat causing it to topple to the ground as I clung desperately to its throat hopping to kill it quickly. I groaned as my back and ground connected but held my grasp until my friends finally made it near me and began to tear away at it. I made sure my claws were digging into the animal before I moved my mouth from its neck to its nose where I breathed heavily and successfully suffocating it.

"Another great hunt." Beba panted with face filled with blood and green eyes with large pupils.

"Hell yeah." Mheetu said in an excited voice as he licked his lips and began to tear away at the meal. Shanni giggled at her mate then began to eat followed by Beba, Vitani, then I.

While eating I something other than blood caught my scent. I lifted my nose from the half eaten animal and sniffed the air.

"Is something wrong?" Mheetu asked lifting his head. I shook my head and placed my nose on the ground to follow the scent a bit better.

"Tanabi?" Vitani questioned as she licked her lips clean. Before I could respond my nose hit something causing my eyes to go cross eyed. I lifted my head and cocked my head to the side.

"What is it?" I asked and tapped it with my paw.

"That's a gemsbok cucumber, something we don't eat." Shanni sassed. I rolled my eyes and decided to take a bite out of it only to regret it soon after.

"What's it taste like?" Vitani asked now at my side.

"It doesn't taste bad it's just green in the inside." I gagged at the yellow spiked fruit with green interior. Vitani scrunched up her nose but still bent down and took a bite. She gagged not liking the taste or seeds.

"I'm sticking to meat." She said with disapproval written across her face.

"Same here, but, I know MK will like it so I'll bring him a few. Beba, do you think you can get me a thick leaf?" I asked as I grabbed a few more fruits and rolled them over towards the blood bathed group.

"Sure." Beba said with his mouth full of food, he swallowed and walked over to a tall tree with huge leafs. Beba then climbed the tree. disappearing into its branches. "Heads up!" He shouted as leafs began to fall, I quickly walked over , grabbed the biggest one, walked back over towards the odd fruits, and began to place the two of them onto the leaf then began to wrap it so that I could carry it in my mouth.

"Come on, time to go home. " I muffled and waited for Beba and Mheetu to grab what was left of the meal before I began the short walk home.

"You like MK don't you?" I heard Vitani say causing my mouth to open a bit and the leaf full of MK's food to fall. I cussed and bent down.

"I-I do not, I just, um, thought he might choke on one of the seeds and we'd finally get rid of him. " I said then grabbed the lead once more this time making sure my grip was tight.

"Alright, sure, sure. " She teased as she rubbed herself against my arm causing me to purr.

"Wait up! I have tiny paws!" I heard Shanni yell from way behind and I noticed she was stuck in a tiny pit of mud. I rolled my eyes and placed my sack on the floor and walked over to where Shanni was.

"Way to go, Shanni. "

"Oh be quiet and help me, Scar-face. " She said referring to the scar on my snout. I shook my head and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and easily pulled her out.

"Don't say I never do anything for you."

"Thanks, Nabi. "

"Don't call me that. " I said firmly and watched her smile grow.

"Oh lighten up, Nabi, I'm technically your sister in law. "

"You're annoying. " I groaned and made my way back towards Vitani who was waiting patiently and for a moment. A single moment. I saw her and I with a few cubs running around us as we held each other while looking at the sunset.

"Tanabi?" She asked coming closer to me. I shook my head and smiled picking up my speed to get to her, when I did I rubbed my forehead against hers.

"Let's get cleaned up. " I said in a soft voice then picked up the sack once more. Vitani nodded and followed after me with Mheetu, Shanni, and Beba close behind. 

After we got washed up we made our way back to the cave with the antelope still fresh. 

"Eat up." Beba encouraged his cubs as they ran towards the dead animal. Muna and Makuma seemed eager to eat but Haunani didn't seem to have as much energy like he always does when we bring food. While everyone takes their nap, I'll speak to the purple spotted, green eyed, cheetah cub. For now, I must find MK and give him this stuff. 

"Hey, Tanabi." I heard MK's nerdy voice and I smiled a bit then lifted my head to see him hanging upside down from the mouth of the cave. I nodded and placed the leaf on the ground. 

"Come down here, I've got something for you." I said while opening the leaf to reveal the still intact yellow fruit. 

"What is it?" He asked as he fluttered to the ground and landed in front of the fruits that are bigger than him. 

"Gemsbok cucumber, I know you like fruits so I thought I'd get you some." I blushed a bit not liking how that sounded coming out of my mouth. 

"Oh geese, how'd you know? These are my favorite! I knew you liked me! I knew it!" He yelled and then jumped onto my face and grabbed hold of my nose. 

"I like you sometimes." I admit and rest my butt on the ground. 

"This means so much to me, much more than helping me look for a mate. We don't have too, I can wait." He said then released my nose and landed on the prickly fruit as he munched on it not really doing much damage to it. I rolled my eyes and took a bit from it then placed the chunk on the ground so he could have a better chance of eating. "Thank you." He said with tears in his huge orange eyes, I bent and licked his cheek. 

"Buddies 'till death?" I asked. 

"Buddies 'till death." He chirped and licked my nose with his tiny tongue before he continued to eat his breakfast. 

"I'm going to tell you something but you have to promise not to freak out, alright?" I asked and he turned with green juice covering his orange cheeks. He nodded and swallowed before perking up his ears and moving closer to me. I placed my paw around him and pulled him close to my lips as I whispered my secret. 

"No way." He whispered back once I finished. "When?" 

"Now." I said with a wink and finally he released the tears that he was holding back. 

"You're going to be great." He whispered then wrapped his tiny arms around my nose with love wrapping around it rather than excitement. 

"Thanks, I'll be back in a bit." I assured him and nuzzled him a bit before pulling away from him and walked over towards Vitani. 

"Can we talk, in private? Please." I asked after I nudged her with my snout and she turned her attention towards me rather than towards Beba since they were having a conversation. 

"Uh, sure, is something wrong?" She asked with beautiful violet eyes filled with worry. I smiled and licked her nose. 

"Not at all, I just think we need to talk about something is all." I explained and then turned and walked out of the cave where MK was still munching away. I winked at him before leaving the cave with Vitani only a few feet away from me. 

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"Tanabi, we've been walking for a while now, can't you just tell me what you've been meaning to here?" She asked a bit irritated due to my silence and lack of explanation. I looked back at her and saw that she was a bit tired so I looked at my surroundings and thought it would be best to rest here. 

"Okay, yeah, this seems like a great place to do it." I thought out loud then turned towards Vitani. 

"What?" She asked while scrunching up her nose and cocking her head to the side causing her tuft to cascade down and cover one of her eyes. 

"No, no, no not that." I chuckled then padded over to her and moved her tuft with my cold nose causing her to giggle and not push me off like she usually does. When I stepped back I gasped and took my time to look at her. Really look at her. 

I took her in, all of her. Her dark cream colored fur, the black rims that circle her ears, the fluffy tuft she has that always looks perfect, her eyes, dear God her eyes, a deep blue-violet that drives me wild, her pink angular nose, the way her thick body traps me in at night with her body next to mine, her raspy voice, her. I am hopelessly in love with her. 

"Tanabi?" She asked quietly as my eyes kept looking at her and only her. I blinked a few times before realizing I had been staring at her but I didn't care, I smiled and felt butterflies erupt in my stomach before I opened my mouth. 

"Vitani, I've been meaning to tell you something." I stuttered slightly attempting to control my heart beat and breathing. 

"What is it?" She asked getting a bit closer to me and I gulped. I closed my eyes tight and let out a deep breath before finally opening my eye and said what I needed to say. 

"Earlier this morning while I was telling you how I felt, I imagined us growing grey fur together surrounded by our grandchildren and we'd laugh and tell them about how Mheetu got his ass whooped by Shanni and we'd be a happy family. I want that and there is no other lioness I would want to share that with. You're my one and only, Vitani. You're a pain in the butt at times but you're my pain in the butt. Mine and only mine. Vitani, will you do me the honor of marrying me?" I asked while grabbing her paw and locked eyes with her. Tears emerged in her eyes as she licked my lips. 

"I thought you'd never ask." She whispered causing my tail to wag in excitement.

"I love you." 

"I love you too." Then I dropped her paw and moved over so I could sit in front of her and hug her, Vitani sat and let me wrap myself around her. 

"Tanabi! Tanabi!" I heard a voice cry causing my head to perk up as well as my ears. 

"MK?" I asked as I watched him fly over to us in a hurry with wild eyes. "What's wrong?" I asked once he landed. Vitani turned and looked down at the tired bat. 

"I-it's Haunani! He's gone!" 

"What?" I asked completely floored and feeling my heart sink. 

"Tanabi!" I then heard Beba yell with Muna and Makuma crying at his side. 

"Beba? What's wrong?!" I began to panic making my way to the green eyed cheetah with tears trickling down. 

"He's gone, Haunani is gone!" He wailed allowing tears to cascade down while his twins clung to his thin legs. 

"That can't be, he-he was here a few minutes ago." I began. 

"Nani said he was going to drink water but he never came back." Muna sobbed as she clung to her father. 

"Oh no, no! He can't be gone! I was going to talk to him later on and I was going to-no!" I yelled and began to race over towards the waterhole while my friends yelled my name. I just ran and ran until I reached the waterhole and allowed my paws to enter it. "Haunani!" I bellowed and perked up my ears to listen into the savanna only to hear the trickling of the water. "Haunani!" I tried again but nothing. I let some tears escape, he can't be gone. He can't be! This is the quiet cub that spends his day in the cave watching his siblings! He can't be gone. 

"Tanabi?" I heard Vitani call and I turned to see that she had tears in her eyes too. I shook my head and raced over to her and slammed my head against her chest allowing more and more tears to escape. "Shh, babe, it's going to be okay." Her voice cracked only making me sob louder than before. 

"W-we have to get Simba." I sobbed and then felt a paw on my shoulder, I looked up and saw a red eyed Mheetu. 

"I should have gone with him. If I had gone he wouldn't be missing and-" He began but was interrupted by Shanni. 

"It's not your fault, it's not any of our faults. We will find him." She assured as tears trickled down her eyes. 

"Tanabi, what are we going to do? My son is gone." Beba began as he sat with his children next to him and MK crying on his head. 

"I'll go get Simba, you guys keep searching." I managed to say in between sobs. They all nodded and I quickly licked Vitani's cheek and I ran off into the distance making sure my steps were quick and my breathing was steady. 

I finally reached Pride Rock and I quickly ran up the steps and stepped into the cave looking for a male lion with a red mane.

"Simba!" I yelled earning a few groans from the people around me that were napping. 

"Tanabi? What are you doing here?" He asked in a groggy voice with Nala at his side. 

"It's Haunani, he's gone and we don't know where he went because it's not like him to just run off. Please tell me you can help us." I begged with more tears.

"Haunani is gone?" I heard Zuri ask as he rubbed his red eyes with his paws. 

"Yes, but we are going to find him. Summon your pride, Tanabi, while I call for The Royal Lion Guards. Go now! We will not rest until Haunani is safe and found!" He barked his orders as he walked to the very tip of Pride Rock and let out a deep roar that shook the ground. I began to bellow calling for my friends and fiance. 

"What's going on?" I heard Kiara ask with Nafari near her and Zuri. 

"Haunani is gone." I wept and saw that tears were in her eyes.

"Boys, how about you go and find daddy." She said and both boys ran off to find their father Kovu. "He wouldn't just leave. He's a smart cub, he would have used his words not just run off." She tried to say without letting tears escape. 

"I know, I know, it's odd but he's gone and I should have been there with him and asked him what was up." 

"Hey, hey, it's not your fault. We're going to find him, daddy has the best lions on the job." She comforted me while licking behind my ear in a friendly way.

"What's going on?" Kovu asked once he emerged from the cave with the twins on his back. Kiara explained to him everything and a pained expression fell across his face. Just then Beba, Muna, Makuma, Vitani, Mheetu, and Shanni arrived with pain in their eyes. 

"I will find your son, Beba, you were Kopa's best friend and I know he would have wanted us to help in every way possible. Haunani will be found." Then every lioness came out from the cave and nodded as if saying they were going to help as well. 

"Simba." A deep voice called causing us to all turn and I noticed three heavily built lions. One of them I knew as Tojo but there were two others I didn't recognize. A dark furred lion with a brown mane looking a bit like Kovu only he had red-brown eyes. The other lion had a dark cream fur, with a mane at first being alight brown but in the center it was a black color,on his ears there was a black tuft resting on it and a tiny bit of facial hair rested on his chin. He also had red-brown eyes with a rounded nose. 

"These are Chumvi, Malka, and Tojo. The Royal Lion Guards."  Simba explained as he rubbed foreheads with the muscular lions. 

"There aren't enough of us to scan the whole perimeter, Simba. We need more lions." Chumvi boomed, damn his voice is deep as hell. 

"I am aware, but what are we going to do?" He asked making his head hang. I looked over at Beba, Mheetu, Kovu who both nodded and the four of us stepped forward. 

"We volunteer." We said at once earning a smile from the king and from his friends. We will find Haunani if it is the last thing we do. 

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I hope this chapter was as good as I hope it was haha. 

Haunani is missing, Vitani and Tanabi are engaged, and Mheetu and Shanni make out way too much! 

Make sure to check out my other book Who Am I? It wants some love too haha.

I'd like to thank Shanni13 for making the edits like she always does make sure to check out her account as well. 

'Till my next post

LoVe Ya!!!

~Delaney^.*