Five Years Later

"Maalum, for the love of the Great Kings, get down from there!" I grumbled seeing my son at the top a tree. I heard his evil little laugh and some rustling of the leaves.

"I am not kidding around, young lion!" I bellow and place my paws on the trunk of the tree to get a better footing.

"I am giving you until the count of three to come down on your own before I make you come down." I threaten and hear his wicked laugh once again.

"One." I begin, my tail twitching with anger. "Two." I continue with my claws digging into the bark. "Three." Then, silence.

"Maalum?" I call but there is no answer. "Son?" I try again, this time pushing away from the tree and wobbling on my hind legs. Had he hurt himself? Is he stuck?

"Maal!" I say loudly and without any warning, a large baobab lands with an exaggerated bang.

"Son of a-" I stop myself when Vitani's figure comes walking towards me with the rest of our cubs at her side.

"Finish that and you're dead." She narrows her eyes with mock anger.

"Lovely, beautiful, bodacious, lioness whom I love ever so." I joke making her laugh. She walks over to me and gives my lips a lick before she jumps onto the tree and within seconds she has an upset Maalum in her grasp.

"No fair. You're big." He pouts as she lowers him onto the ground.

"Apologize to your father for your attack." She says sternly. Maalum flops his ears and sticks his nose in the air.

"I don't want to."

"I don't remember asking. Go on, young cub." She pushes him with her muzzle making him groan and swat at her. Vitani reels back with her infamous "mother glare" she's developed over the years and instantly Maalum breaks his facade and chuckles nervously.

"Sorry, dad." He sighs. I ruffle his developing hair tuft with my paw and shove him lightly.

"I know, son." I smile. He had gotten darker with age. His golden pelt more tawny-gold now and his tail tuft had darkened as well. It was a dark burgundy with a few on his hair tuft. His eyes were forever the same as mine, strangely pale green with flecks of gold and darker shades of green melting into his iris. He was large as well for his age. He would be a great hunter, I was sure.

"Daddy!" Salama yells and torpedoes my way.

"Hey, Sweetheart." My heart bubbles and I nuzzle her deeply before Kellan came up and pressed his little paws against my forehead with rambunctious Adya running into him. Imara was the last and most tranquil to come over and greet me.

"How's everyone this morning? Did you get to watch Mommy hunt?" The girls nod happily while my boys roll their eyes with boredom.

"Maalum, you really missed out on today's hunt." Vitani chastised but Maalum didn't seem to be paying much attention. He was too focused on the butterfly he was trying to capture in the grass.

Vitani rolled her eyes at her son but smiled when he successfully captured it.

"Where is everyone?" I ask with the cubs crawling all over my legs and back and head.

"At the kill sight. And if some cubs are good enough, they can have their first bite of meat." The cub all paused, even Maalum, and looked over at their stunning mother.

"That caught your attention, huh?" She chuckles a raspy chuckle and leads us to the antelope they brought down.

"Alma!" Malene greets her cousin with a playful pull of the ear and drags her over to the antelope. "Our mommies did this!" She yelps.

"Yummy!" Salama licks her lips and takes a large chunk from the thigh and easily begins to eat. Malene follows her lead and takes her own piece and lays beside her.

"Icky." Sarafina scrunches her nose at the blood only for Cecil to press her face into it. "Cecil! Bad!" Cecil laughs and high paws his twin Aslan. They had grown so much over the years. Their hair tufts were black now, as promised by their tail tufts, and fell onto the sides of their faces. They were shaping up to be a handsome pair.

Mwezi silently and carefully tore a piece from the stomach and handed it to his sister, Sarafina.

"Thank you." She smiled and bit into it. Mwezi was a mute. We couldn't determine why. Rafiki and Jama ruled it out as selective and hoping that one day, soon, he would say his first words. Though, him being mute didn't affect his knowledge. He was the best at swiping food right from underneath his siblings noses.

"Slowly, Bindi. It's not going anywhere." Shyra lightly reprimanded her only daughter.

"Let her be. Don't you remember your first weening?" Siwatu asked, cuddling to her side. Bindi was the last of the cubs to be born but that didn't stop her from catching up and enjoying her first taste of real food. She was a light tawny cub with hazel eyes just like her mothers. Like her father, uncle, and cousin she too possessed darker spots on her paws.

It didn't take very long for Siwatu and Shyra to become an item. After about a year of back and forth, they decided they were fit for one another. I suppose everyone thought they were since the moment Siwatu first arrived. They were polar opposites but in that they found their middle ground.

"Maal, share with Kellan." I again reprimand Maalum. God, what was I going to do with him?

"Why?" He bit back with an angry pout.

"Because he is your brother." I reason and snatch the thigh away from him and split it.

"No he's not." He mumbled causing my fur to raise in disbelief.

"Maalum!" Vitani yelled with her ears flicked back in anger. "Apologize to your brother. Now." She continued as she strode over to them. Kellan didn't seem to might the quarrel and I hoped he hadn't heard. It was too soon to tell him and Arya that they were adopted. In time, we will but only when they realize their differences and not any sooner than that.

"I am sorry." Maalum rolled his eyes and lied down beside Salama. They seemed the closest out of our brood. Which bewildered us all. Salama was the most calm out of the group and only broke out of character when Arya decided to bite at her ears.

"That cub of ours has too much of me in his blood." Vitani sighed now beside me. I chuckled and licked her nose.

"He'll grow out of it soon. He's just a cub now. When he grows into his mane he'll be a good lion, you'll see." Vitani rolled her eyes at and continued her feast.

The midday sun soon approached as the cubs had all huddled together and created a nest to nap in. It was the only time in the day we had silence to enjoy.

"We should visit my brother." Vitani suggested with her paw caressing my face.

"Nuka?" I ask though I already know the answer. Kovu had come to visit less and less with all the training he needed to be king. Even if we wanted to, visiting Pride Rock be one wasted.

"I want to see how little Penda is doing." She smiled at the memory of her pseudo niece. She was one of the handsomest cubs to be born in my opinion. But then, I thought all of the cubs were beautiful.

"It'll be the first thing we do tomorrow." I assured and leaned into her touch.

"Why not today? We'd be at the oasis before dark and we could stay the night. It would be good for the cubs to be away from our cave and meet the oasis." She pointed out and I thought for a moment before agreeing. Maalum and a jungle full of places to hide didn't sound like the greatest combination but perhaps with him by his mothers side he would be easier to control.

"Let's rally the Pride." I smiled and licked her black lips. She smiled and licked me back before I rolled off of her and stood.

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"My paws hurt." Arya complained. She shook her dark paws and pouted angrily at me. I chuckled and grabbed her by the scruff and placed her on my back.

"Better?" I ask, looking back into her crystal eyes. She nodded and nuzzled deep within my mane.

"How much further?" Mheetu asked with his triplets riding on his back.

"Not far now. I think." I try to remember the way to the oasis. It had been so long since we last came to visit.

"There should be a log to pass over soon." Shanni assures, her twins frolicking by her side. She smiled to them a smile only a mother could possess.

"Right." I agreed and carried on. Our paws meeting the damp ground of the jungle. It was welcomed though. The dry savanna ground burned out feet during this never ending summer heat.

"There!" Aslan giggled and ran ahead.

"Be careful As! That log is older than you are!" Shanni cautioned, her mismatched eyes gleaming with worry.

"He'll be fine, Shans." Mheetu smiled and placed his cubs on the ground. "Go on, have an adventure." He encouraged and pushed gently on their rumps with his snout. Malene was the first to run and catch up with her eldest sibling. Cecil frolicked behind and slowly Sarafina and Mwezi.

"Can I be bad now pa?" Maalum asked, his green eyes mischievous and daring. I chuckled and licked his smooth cheek.

"Not too bad." I warn and hear his small purr of approval. He took off with Kellan at his side and Arya at their tail.

"Malene wait for me!" Salama objectified and picked up her pace.

"Me too! Me too!" Bindi giggled.

It was incredible just how much they've all grown. I missed the times where all they did was suckle and nap.

"We have a wallflower, my love." Vitani frowned. I furrowed my brows and followed her eyes to our son. Imara sat perplexed watching his siblings and cousins racing towards a moldy log.

"Imara?" I called, his little ears flicking at the sound of it. "You don't want to play?"

"Do I have to?" He cocked his head, looking exactly like his mother minus the nose and freckles. I pressed mine against his playfully.

"Well, you want to grow up and be big and strong don't you?"

"Do I?" I paused and looked at my mate for assistance. She rolled her almost violet eyes and approached us.

"You can be anything you want to be, baby." She smiled and placed a paw on his head. He giggled and cuddled into her touch.

"Can I walk with you?"

"Of course." I nod and slow my steps so he could follow more easily.

Vitani's P.O.V
"Kellan, Maalum, please for the love of the Great Kings, stop trying to push each other off!" I grumble as Kellan pins his older brother down. He smiles cheekily and quickly swatted his brothers nose and jumped off of him.

"I saw that." I reprimand again and watch them run safety to the other side.

"Okay, Salama Arya you can go now." I say softly, well as softly as I can with my voice. Arya runs ahead without fear but Salama lingers behind. "Come on. Mommy will catch you if something goes wrong." I assure and give her unique ears a lick. She grins and carefully crosses the log.

"Cecil why don't you lead your little siblings across?" Shanni offers. Cecil's face twists but he doesn't argue with his mother. Cecil skips ahead with Sarafina, Malene, and dark eared Mwezi trailing behind. He was the most different looking out of his siblings. He looked the most like Mheetu, however with his uncle Siwatu's pale fur. His eyes were mismatched but unlike Cecil and Shanni his were a green and a blue. His ears were much darker in comparison to his body but it suited him. His paws also had the "bubble" marking that most of the family had.

"Watch your step Sarafina!" Mheetu warmed before his daughter stepped in a hole in the middle of the log. She gasped and jumped over it carefully and safely.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea." Shyra shudders as Bindi waddles over without a care to the other side to join her cousins.

"You go on ahead. I think I'll go last." I say with Imara still at my side.

"I'll go with you." Mheetu affirms with tired Aslan at his side. I nod and watch my husband stealthily maneuver his way across the log. His large figure only getting larger with age. His mane with the slightest hint of auburn in it now. It was still the beautiful golden brown I feel in love with but, now, small flames of red crept through it whenever the sun hit him. It answered the question as to who Maalum got his red tuft from.

"Alright cubs, you walk on ahead." I smile down at them and both give a concerned look. "Mheetu and I will be right behind you two." I affirm and both of them carefully creep onto the log.

"You can tell they're related can't you?" Mheetu jokes but I ignore him. Ever since the death of his father, his behavior had changed. He was still goofball Mheetu but there was a time where I worried for Shanni and their litter. He grew so distant I feared he would leave the pride all together. I've pushed his aside since then.

"Mama?" I look at my son and watch his body shake.

"What's wrong Imara?" I take a few steps onto the log and feel it quiver beneath my weight. My eyes widen and I quickly look at my son and nephew whimpering as Imara clung to the slight crack on the mossy log.

"Okay, just turn and walk back to mommy." I instruct, leaning a little forward in order to catch them in my mouth or jaw in case-I stop my thoughts immediately.

"I want my mommy." Aslan cried still frozen in place.

"It's okay son. I'm right here." Mheetu encouraged and stepped onto the log only making it shake more.

"Get off." I hiss causing his face to grow serious.

"Why don't you get off?"

"Because our sons are on the log and I'm leaner. Now get off Mheetu." I growl and feel his weight grow on the log. "I am serious You're going to make it worse."

"I'm not leaving my son on there." He argued and jumped over me.

"No!" I shriek and watch as the log split in two and the three of them collapsed with it, myself falling with them.

Tanabi's P.O.V.

"Mama!" Salama shrills the moment our family disappeared into the water beneath the log. Her golden body running to the edge of the cliff. I caught her in my arms and pulled her away from the potential fall.

"What're we going to do?" Shanni sounded petrified at my side while I tried to process the fact that I might have just lost all the people I hold dearest.

"Tanabi?" She shook me with her paws, tears in her mismatched eyes.

"We-I-"I stutter looking at all the cubs climbing near the edge in search of their family.

"I could be of some help." My fur rises and my teeth are bared the moment an unrecognizable voice is heard from behind us. I snap my head around and am in complete shock looking at the lion before us.

His mane pale and scruff, his pelt looked dirty in comparison. His claws exposed, some chipped and a few missing. What shocked me the most was the fact that half of his face was missing. The only inkling that he had another eye was the piercing red that blinked slowly, menacingly.

"I am Sultan."

Vitani P.O.V.
"Imara?!" I yelled the moment my head burst out from the water. "Imara!" I sink back down and fight my way through the currents and waves struggling to keep my head out of the water.

"Son!" I yell when my head pops back out. I spot a fallen tree and allow the currents to push me towards it. I grab hold and pull myself up, feeling the trunk scape my hind leg. I groan but finally get on it and shake myself off.

"Imara!" I shout, hearing my voice echo.

"Mama?" I quickly turn and spot my son underneath me in a hole within the log. His fur was dripping and he shook like a leaf.

"Oh," I sigh and carefully lift him out and hold him to my chest. "Thank the great kings you're alright." My eyes water looking at the cut on his nose.

"My nose hurts." He whines with tears bubbling in his almost violet eyes. I lick them away and the small amount of blood from his cut.

"It's not deep, you won't scar." I assure him and hold him to my chest again. "We'll have to swim to shore. Do you think you can do it?" I felt his small head move and tuck under my leg, looking behind me to see the short distance to land. He looked up at me and nodded gently.

"I'll be right behind you, okay?" He nods again and I dip him back into the water where the rapids were practically gone. I jumped in after him and watched his small tail swirl as he swam. He went under a few times but ran the moment his paws touched the dirt.

"We have to find your uncle and cousin Aslan now." I tell him and help him get dry. He shook his fur a few times and scurried close to me for warmth. I purred and felt his body sink into my belly, he must've fallen asleep.

"Aunty Tani?" I hear from behind and watch little Aslan trip over his paws to get to me.

"Aslan!" I call and lift my paw for him to join my son. "Where's your father?"

He looked up at me, tears already spilling from his olive eyes. "I don't know."

"We'll find him. But first we have to get you dry."

"Promise?" He asked, his lisp making it difficult not to smile at him.

"I promise you. Now come here I'll keep you warm." He rushes over and carefully rests his head on top of my young son. They shiver and stir but eventually they both fall asleep. My ears twitching every direction hoping I could hear the familiar steps of Mheetu or, with the slightest bit of hope, that of my husband and cubs.

Tanabi's P.O.V.
"Lion, are you sure this is the closest way to my family?" I ask close behind Sultan. My cubs safely walking underneath me. Even Maalum knew better than to antagonize this male. He wasn't as big as me, I think only Mheetu came to be the closest to me in that, but by the way this male even walked I knew he's had his share of battles. Something I don't have much experience in.

"This jungle is practically home to my pride. I only share it with one other lion."

"Is it Nuka? He is my brother in law. We were coming today to meet his daughter." Sultan then paused and turned his massive and deformed head.

"Yes. He asked permission to stay here and I granted him it. As long as he stays on his end of the territory." He almost threatened and continued walking. "Healthy cub. She'll make a fine huntress someday. Big paws." He continued, his head facing forwards. His flank held many bite marks and scratches. I was in awe of them. How many battles had he won?

"Do you have any cubs?" I find myself asking, hoping he wasn't leading us to any of the cubs' death. My heart ached and my blood boiled at the thought of anything happening to them.

"Many." He curtly answered with a sinister chuckle. "I have many mates and therefore many daughters. Only one son."

"Oh." I gasp and try not to scrunch up my nose at the polygamous lion. There was nothing wrong with it, it was just an ancient practice.

"My son should be around here somewhere. He never leaves my side." He said and shortly as if on cue a small cub ran from the bushes and jumped onto Sultan's leg. He was the copy of his father. Minus the scars and a much darker tail tuft. The red eyes identical.

"You heard me didn't you!" The small cub whines making his father stop and look at him.

"No. But you're predictable." He said, a very tiny smile appeared and then vanished. "Meet my...new friends. This is my son, Damu."

I cringed at the sound of his name and the lack of sparkle in the cubs eyes as he turned and made direct contact with my children underneath. The boys name meant blood and for some odd reason it terrified me more than the lion with half a face.

Vitani's P.O.V.

"Stay close to me." I instruct and hear their little paws pick up off the ground at a quicker pace.

"Are we looking for my baba?" Aslan asks from somewhere underneath me.

"Yes, Aslan. But you have to be quiet, we all do if we want to get through the jungle safely. Okay?" I whisper and look back at my son and nephew. They were damp and lightly shivering but they were awake and alert. Their ears perked and they stepped quietly underneath me.

"Walk ahead of me." I instruct and carefully walk over a fallen tree branch. "I want to be able to see you both."

Imara shivered violently, nervously while Aslan was starting to calm down.

"What was that?" Aslan suddenly says and they both cower. Their ears down and both trembling harshly in fear.

"Stay low." I crouch and circle around the cubs, hearing Imara whimper quietly, and prepare myself for an attack. When I saw the figure behind a small bush I pounced with a loud snarl and tumbled a few times before landing on top of the threat. When I recognize the dark mane and olive eyes I growled and hopped off. "You'd be dead within the hour, Mheetu." I sit and watch him recover from the attack.

"Oh thank the great kings I found you!"

"Right. Because you found me." I roll my eyes and shake my fur before calling for the cubs. "Come on our cubs. It's alright." I say and slowly, timidly, they poke their heads through the bushes. Aslans olive eyes gleam and a smile stretches over his face the moment he notices his father.

"Baba!" He cries and runs the fastest he can go to his father. Mheetu welcomes him with open arms and gives his eldest son a few dozen licks.

"Thank goodness you're alright." He whispers and pulls Aslan closer to his chest.

"Imara, come here son. I promise everything is okay now." I beckon my son who remained in the bushes.

"You sure?" He whines. Imara was a lot of things but he was not brave. I hope he grows out of it, for his sake.

"Yes my son." I say softly and slowly he peeks out his little head and timidly walks towards me. I give him a few licks of encouragement and look to Mheetu.

"What do you suppose we do now?" I ask, knowing he was just as clueless.

"Well, we could stay here and wait for them to find us." He shrugs and places Aslan on top of his back.

"You're suggesting we do nothing?" My ears flick back in anger.

"There's not much we can do."

"So instead of trying to do anything you want us to sit here in the damn jungle and hope Tanabi and the pride finds us?"

"Yes." He grins and lays down carefully.

"You are unbelievable." I fume.

"What's your bright idea then?" He challenges.

"Defiantly not just sitting around." I stomp my paw and kick up some mud. It hits Mheetu in the face with a loud splat and his eyes roll.

"Vitani, there's nothing we can do." He wipes the mud from his cheek and rests his head between his paws.

"You're pathetic you know that?" I say before thinking. It was harsher than I had intended but by the look on his face I knew he knew I was right.

"I'm tired Vitani. Let's wait 'til morning and-"

"Morning? I'm not letting the cubs sleep in a place like this. The ground is damp and we're too exposed. We're moving. Now." I direct and grab hold of Imara by the scruff of his neck.

"I'm not going anywhere and neither is Aslan." I stop and turn around. He looked like a mess. His darkening mane was flat and the color under his eyes had grown dark. He wasn't the same Mheetu I had met all those years ago.

"You know, you're really milking to whole "my daddy died so I'm sad about it" ordeal. Stop pouting and get over it-"

"Just because you love being cold hearted doesn't mean you get to dictate how everyone else should feel."

"I'm not dictating anything. I'm saying it's been five years since Ni died. We're all still feeling the loss but you're blowing it out of proportion." 

"Blowing it out of proportion? He was my father!" 

"For a month!" I yell and hear the cubs whimper and cower. Mheetu looked away from me, angry of course. 

"You know I'm right. Ni was an amazing lion but he was only around for a month. He fathered you and Nala for a month. The only beast that has any right to still be gutted about it is Siwatu and even he has found a way to move on, not for himself but for Bindi and for Shyra. So why can't you?" 

I sat down and allowed Imara to cuddle within the fluff in my belly. He was warm and small and I prayed to every great king and queen that his father would find us soon. 

Many hours passed this way with silence all around until a patter of familiar paws perked up my ears. 

"Vitani!" I hear and my entire heart melts at the sight of my cubs underneath my husband. 

"Thank the Great Kings." Tanabi said and captured me in his arms. My little ones running up and caressing me and their eldest brother. From beside me I heard Mheetu greet Shanni with a soft "I'm sorry" and they cradled each other. I suppose he'll change now that I've opened his eyes. 

"We're alright. Just cold." I assure and carefully we make our way out from the jungle with a strange lion and cub trailing beside us.