Tanabi's P.O.V.

It's been a few days since my son and sister returned from their journeys. It was a bittersweet moment, really.

Kiara and her family had changed so much since their trip to Egypt. I knew their journey was long and dangerous, risking their lives just so I could possibly have an alliance with lions whom we've barely ever spoken to. I had missed her, Kovu, and the cubs so much.

Well, they had been cubs when they left they were fully grown now with families of their own. Niszm had changed so much. He was a lion now and no longer a bratty cub. He had grown to accept and even rejoiced that he would not succeed his parents. He was happy with just being prince and I suppose now that he had a family, he would be going back to Egypt when the time was right.

"Tana?" My ears twitch and I purr at the sound of my wife's voice. She chuckles and lightly brushes her body against mine before standing beside me at the top of Pride Rock.

"You've been up here a while." She says and licks my cheek softly. I turn to her and nuzzle her, inhaling her scent.

"Just making sure everything is in its place." I answer and look back onto my lands. It was so strange still. How could all of this be mine? After so long of being lost I found so much more than I deserved.

"And is it?" She asks now laying down. Her fur was starting to grey and I adored every strand.

"Well, Abeni will be here soon with Jama. We will see if everything is alright."

"You worry too much. If there was a war it would've happened by now." She says and rolls on her back with a giggle. I roll my eyes at her softness and rest my head on my flat stomach.

"Milk and honey hasn't come to the lands yet."

"Milk and honey is a bunch of bullshit." She cussed and rolls her almost violet eyes and pushes me off. "You've become obsessed." She pouts and looks away from me. "Our son is home and you haven't even tried to make amends."

"He knows what he did is wrong and when he chooses to apologize-"

"You're his father, Tanabi. Forgive him." She pleads now turned to me with begging eyes.

"I am King before I am father."

"If we were still in that cave you would've forgiven him by now. Don't forget who you truly are because of some title you were born with."

"Are you forgetting you smacked him two seconds after seeing him?" I raise my voice and her ears fling back in anger.

"I have since apologized. If you cared more about the present than something Rafiki said before he died you would have noticed." She huffs and looks away from me. "I don't want to argue with you. But, Maalum is still our son and you both have to right this wrong." She says now quietly and sighs before leaving me with my thoughts.

I wanted for forgive my son. He was my son. My boy. My ginger cub with a strong heart.

But what he did to me and Imara it's not something so easily forgiven. It hurts my aging heart.

"Father?" Adya calls and my head whips around quickly. Her voice was alert and unlike her usual soft spoken and at ease voice I had grown to love. I stand to my feet and gallop down the steep rock and finally reach Adya. She was sitting pretty at the mouth of the cave, her twin sitting patiently beside her.

"What's wrong?" I ask softly and give her dark forehead a lick. She smiles and rubs her cheek against mine.

"Is there more family coming?" She asks, crystal eyes shimmering. I furrow my brows and look at Kellan who was alertly looking out into the horizon.

"What is it son?" I ask and he flicks his ears my direction. I lightly move Adya away and greet my son with a rub to the forehead when he looks at me.

"There's a few lions in the horizon. A bird too." He says and flicks his head towards the direction of them. I look forward and notice a small group of lions coming. A bird flying above them.

"Kellan, wake your uncle Mheetu and the twins. We might need your haphazard Guards help."

"We really need lions dad. It was fine before but now..." He trails off and I agree. Before, the Pride Lands didn't really need a Lion Guard. Kion and his Guard had done their job and even the hyenas were subdued. But, now, there's too many lions coming back. My obsession with a war might be silly to my mate but if Rafiki believed it then it would come true. I just don't know when. But we'll be ready.

"Once Abeni returns I'll make sure to send her to Malka and Chumvi's Prides. They should have males there who want to be in the Pride Lands Lion Guard." I assure and his eyes beam. "Now, go get them. That bird is coming too close for comfort." My son nods and quickly goes back into the den and fetches his uncle and cousins.

"Should we wake Maalum too?" Adya asks and her eyes bug out the moment I look at her. "Sorry." She says quickly and retreats back into the cave. Salama would be waking soon and I knew she would be asking about her brother. I sigh and look at the boulder a few feet away from me. He was sound asleep there, breathing softly.

What troubles did my son know while away? He was so badly mauled and his ear was just starting to heal. That tooth in there would be looked over when Jama comes today with Abeni and Nafasi.

I sigh again and feel my eyes watering at the distance between myself and my son. I had lost him so long ago and I feel like I will never have my son again. Over something so stupid.

I shake my mane and look into the horizon again. The bird had come closer, farther from the group of lions. I hunch and pad over to my sleeping son.

"Maalum." I whisper and his eyes open instantly. Scaring me from the intensity behind his eyes. The eyes he got from me.

"Dad?" He mumbles and wipes the sleep from his eyes. He swishes his mane and wiggles his angular nose, his freckles twisting as he did. That was something I hoped he never grew out, his morning "face wake up" as he called it in his youth.

"What?" He groans and turns his head from me. I sigh again but I need to try to fix this. It was partly my fault for his leaving. For our distancing.

"There are lions in the horizon." I whisper and he slowly turns his head to me. His cheeks resting on his large paws.

"How many?"

"I can only make out two but it could be more. A bird's approaching." I inform and watch the bird come a few feet from the ledge of Pride Rock. I growl and watch it flutter down and it beings to preen.

I hear Maalum growl as well and he slowly lifts himself.

"An owl?" He asks and reveals his teeth seeing the owl still preening as if our home were some tree branch.

"Easy son." I soothe and he ignores me of course and takes off after it. "Maalum!" I chastise and watch my grown son swat at the bird with rambunctious roars and snarls. I roll my eyes and sit and watch him toy with it. The owl, I can hear her laugh, and screech only provoking my son further.

"Daddy?" Salama asks frantically looking at her brother. But she furrows her brows and takes a seat beside me. "He realizes that's the Egyptian Lion's Major Domo doesn't he?" She asks, looking at her brother with an expression to hilarious to describe.

I chuckle and rub my paw on her head.

"Go get him before he makes a fool out of himself. More than he already has." I chuckle and wait for the lions to approach Pride Rock.

I found myself smiling. They are huge. I finally knew where my abnormality came from.

"Welcome." I bow and then raise my head slowly, waiting for them to do the same. They slowly bowed a moment later and when we were close enough I noticed the paint they wore on their eyes. It was stunning and made my stomach leap knowing that if Mohatu's family had kept the tradition, my family would be wearing this paint.

"It is an honor." The male said. He was much younger than Imara, maybe seventeen or sixteen. His mane looked like it was just now thickening. Then, to my surprise a much younger female stood at his side. They were massive.

"My King." The female said, her voice smooth. "I am Asal." She bows and her eyes meet mine. She was stunning really.

"Princess. It is an honor to have you here." I smile and returns one, very charmingly. "I hope you don't mind my asking. But, you are twenty like my son, correct?" I ask feeling a bit sheepish. If even possible. Damn, a sheep from the human village would be a prize right now.

"Where did you hear that?" She asks but not harshly or even offended. She bats her long lashes, her lids painted the same way Laban and Rehema's were. I think even Zuberi and Niszm had the markings too now thinking back.

"Well, my son can't marry a cub." I chuckle but her face and her brothers remain still. I clear my throat. "You're not a cub right?"

"I'm sixteen in a few weeks." She corrects and my jaw drops. They sent over twins, which was fine since Imara was bi but they sent over their youngest. I couldn't marry Imara who would be twenty one soon to an almost sixteen year old.

"Um...we...we were not..."I trail off and look between the siblings. Oh this is going to be a shit show and a half.

"I understand. My father and mother had the same worries. We don't have to wed right away. But a betrothal and a place for one of us to stay will be enough. For now." She explains and bows her golden head softly.

"Well, we should get you all aquatinted shouldn't we?"
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Hi everyone !

Sorry for such a short chapter ! But I wanted this out already !

Hope you enjoyed !!

~ D