Tiifu sighed heavily. Her gaze towards the water was unfocused as her mind was heavy with concern and hurt that she felt lately.
Kiara had been stirring chaos within the pride ever since the first attempt at the Coronation had failed. She criticized everyone she knew, and every retort and jab she made toward nearly each pride member had been personal. It was uncharacteristic of her best friend. The spotted lioness had no idea how much Kiara even knew about everyone.
The closest animal she trusted with her feelings besides Kiara was Zuri, but Zuri was on yet another diplomatic trip, and was gone for days, now. The blue-eyed lioness didn’t even disclose where her latest trip would take place. She’d just left without a word. It hurt.
All Tiifu knew is that she felt like she couldn’t be alone, anymore. She tried to keep it to herself as long as she could, but it ate away at her.
She heard a rustle in the tall grass and saw something dark in the corner of her eye as she continued to hang her head.
“Hey, Kovu.” she greeted him flatly.
“Tiifu.” the lion gave a short, polite nod – a quirk he may or may not have picked up on while training with Simba.
“What’s going on with you?” she said even more glumly.
“Could be better, honestly…” he shook his head a bit, “I’ll be fine.”
Tiifu looked up at him. He and his sister Vitani had a tendency to be very similar, she noticed.
“It-It’s just…” he scratched the back of his neck, “Kiara’s just really been on my case, lately.”
“I noticed.” Tiifu’s voice quivered, “It’s been making everyone upset.”
Kovu sat up, “You too?”
“Yeah, she’s just been so hot and cold with what she wants. I keep wanting to help her prepare better for the new Coronation, but she just keeps talking about my relationship with Vitani. She keeps saying I’m making her ‘soft’, or whatever.”
“Sheesh,” Kovu scoffed, “What’s that about?”
“I don’t know…” Tiifu drew a circle in the sand, “Maybe she’s right…”
“No,” said the dark lion, “she doesn’t mean that. It… It’s not like her…”
The Future King Consort began to doubt himself
“But, she’s been either avoiding me or making me feel really stupid. It’s like she’s going out of her way to totally sabotage our relationship before the two of us could ever ascend the throne.” the dark lion said with misty eyes, “It’s not the Kiara I fell in love with…”
Tiifu frowned empathetically. She teared up a bit as well.
Approaching the Waterhole were four of five members of the Lion Guard. Shabaha began her usual knack for asking her friends hypothetical questions.
“So, you think Kiume’s ending up in purgatory, or summoned in fire?” Shabaha grinned, eager for an answer.
“Hopefully nowhere, like Scar.” Kasi scowled to her side.
Shabaha scoffed, “Who would even summon him?”
“The only followers he had were Jeuri and Mrembo, and if they’re as good as they say they are, they won’t do that.” Tazama concluded.
“If you see them again sometime soon, don’t even tell them he’s dead.” Kasi replied, “It’d break their hearts and give them ideas if either of them go off the deep-end.”
“Wasn’t Kiume a father?” Shabaha suddenly asked.
“Not a good one, remember? Like he said in his trial.” Kasi shivered, “Ugh, he didn’t even sound one bit remorseful when he confessed…”
“A husband to someone, then?”
“He’s not her problem, anymore.”
“Shh,” Imara cut in, “Look. Something’s up.”
The Guard did as their Second-in-Command told them to. They shifted their focus to the two glum lions by the shore of the Waterhole. They saw Tiifu comforting a heartbroken Kovu.
Kasi sat by the two, “Why the long faces, guys?”
“Is it the Coronation thing?” Imara inquired, “Everyone seems so on-edge.”
“Yeah, does anyone know when the redo’s gonna go on?” Shabaha glanced at everyone, “No one’s made up their mind. I don’t even know how to prepare.”
“That’s the problem.” Tiifu said, “Kiara won’t say when she’ll be ready again. All she ever does is give everyone a hard time.”
“Wait… She’s been speaking to you?” Shabaha tilted her head, “She’s been acting all cryptic and quiet from what I’ve seen.”
“That, too.” Tiifu agreed, “It’s weird. When we were growing up, she would always brag about being Future Queen. She wanted to be a nice and generous one, too. Now… It's like she doesn’t want to be a Queen. Certainly not a nice one, either.”
“Huh,” Imara glanced down in thought, “she did tell us to stop investigating the drownings and missing animals, recently. She never told us why. Just snapped at us when we tried to ask.”
“I didn’t wanna say it, but she's been acting like a real dictator.” Kasi shook her head.
“She called me ‘Spotty’ last night.”
Everyone turned to Tazama. The Guard and Kovu especially looked taken aback. Tiifu glanced all around at the former Outsiders before looking back at the Keenest of Sight, hoping to be filled in.
“Wait, really?” Kasi tilted her head.
Tazama gave a quick nod, “...And then she corrected herself right after. I… I didn’t think she knew that nickname. Only Zira called me that…”
All lions who knew Zira had exchanged looks. Kovu, however, looked down in deep thought.
“Weeeiird.” the Fastest muttered before turning her head, “Did anyone tell her about our days as Outsiders? Kovu, did –”
When Kasi turned to where the Prince Consort had been sitting, she saw a divet in the patch of grass and sand.
Kovu had abruptly sat up and walked off without a word. He was just so utterly weirded out that he couldn’t even contribute to the conversation anymore.
He headed the direction of Pride Rock. If he happens upon Kiara, he was to firmly put his paw down and ask her what was going on, and why it felt like she was breaking the pride apart.
_________
Pride Rock, the Main Den…
“You’re sure this will work?” Vitani asked.
She and Rafiki spoke about their plan to ascend Nuka as the mandrill had helped start a small fire for the Fiercest to summon her deceased brother from.
“Indeed. Once you and your brothers talk everything out, you won’t have to worry about keeping Nuka’s spirit a secret. Once he’s in the clouds, he won’t be summoned by the wrong animal.”
Vitani turned to him, “What do you mean?”
“A spirit like Nuka’s can be summoned by anyone with a heat source and the right chant.”
“No kidding?” Vitani’s eyebrows flung upwards, “How has no one tried to do that already?”
“Someone might have for all we know.” Rafiki shrugged.
“Oh, don’t scare me with that thought.” the lioness’ eyes narrowed, “Wait.. have you and Nuka been talking?”
The mandrill chuckled, “Maybe from time to time.”
The Fiercest gave a hard, abrupt sigh in relief. She truly wondered what her brother and the shaman had spoken about.
“Well, thank you for the advice.” she finally said aloud.
“Any time, Vitani.”
The mandrill hobbled out of the den to the direction of his baobab tree.
He didn’t see a lioness hiding behind a nook outside of the den’s entrance, who slunk back further between the rocks as she saw a dark lion ascending the megalith.
Vitani took a deep breath, preparing to say her chant for the final time. No longer would Nuka’s spirit have to be kept secret.
Just before she could speak, however, she heard the approach of a lion. She grinned.
Just in time.
Kovu sighed as he put a paw on the back of his neck. It had been a long day, despite it only being noon. He saw his sister approach.
“Kovu!” Vitani beamed, “Perfect timing! Come on, there’s something I gotta show you…”
“Vitani, I’m really not – G’ah – !” the scarred lion sputtered as he felt himself be dragged by a paw gently fixed between his sister’s jaws.
“C’mooonnn!” she beckoned.
All Kovu could see was a flame in the middle of the empty den. He was less than amused.
“You… started a fire in the den.” he deadpanned, “So, what made you wanna do that?”
“Just wait.” she said, “Check this out!”
He watched as Vitani adjusted her position, planting her paws firmly to the ground as she took a breath.
“Roho ya Moto!”
Suddenly, the flame grew with a white-hot blast. As the blast faded, an orange flame almost as tall as the den appeared. It seemed to have a face, as well as an upper body.
Kovu instantly recognized the form, and tears formed in his eyes. It had been his deceased brother.
“Nuka?!” he steadily walked closer, “How is this possible…?”
“Pretty cool, huh?” Vitani grinned.
“Is this why you’ve been able to breathe fire?” he whispered “H-How long have you been able to do this…?”
“It’s a bit of a long story.
Kovu basically picked his jaw up from the floor. He cleared his throat and approached with building anxiety and anticipation.
“Vitani, what is he doing here?” the fiery spirit scowled.
“Nuka, I –”
“Well, well, well,” Nuka sneered, “if it isn’t everyone’s favorite little termite. What, too cool and kingly to remember your dead brother? Huh?”
“Nuka, you have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to talk to you! I –”
“Oh, really? Would talking to me clear your conscience? Would that take the weight off your shoulders? Well, go right ahead!”
“Nuka?!” Vitani balked. What was he doing?
Kovu was deeply hurt. The one chance to speak to his brother again, to make any possible amends, to say anything to his deceased brother, dashed.
“I…” the youngest scowled, “You know what? I was gonna try and be your friend, but you’re just the same old antisocial coward that doesn’t wanna listen to anybody!”
“Be my friend? What, do you need me, now? Brother-Killer!”
“What? It was an accident! I didn’t know you were gonna climb that dam!”
They began to yell over each other. Not one word was understood, but not one of those words had to have been important. This was stupid, and out of nowhere. It began to grate against Vitani’s ears.
“SHUT UP, you two!” their sister roared.
They stopped as they watched her stomp her forelegs in frustration.
“You guys know what? Fight it out, then! Just leave me out of your stupid quarrels!” she began to storm away, “You two idiots never changed!”
Just after watching her leave, the two brothers continued to exchange bitter scowls toward one another.
_________
Across the Pridelands…
Vitani fumed as she mindlessly continued to storm. She made it to a body of water.
“Stupid… this was so stupid…” she grabbed her own face, “Why is it so hard to forgive someone?”
“I may not be of much help, kid, but I can tell ya a good reason why that is…”
Vitani’s heart jumped at the familiar, raspy, rumbly voice. She looked over her shoulder to see a heavily-scarred, green crocodile on an adjacent end of the lake. The crocodile whose leadership and fighting skills she found herself idolizing shortly after her arrival to the Pridelands.
The Fiercest realized she’d wandered all the way to Lake Matope, the home of Makuu and his float.
“H-Hello…” she stammered nervously.
He took a deep breath, “I to this day cannot forgive someone I once considered a brother. He disobeyed me, disrespected me, and betrayed me.”
“You’re talking about –”
“Kiburi…” the crocodile leader growled lowly.
Long ago, in a far away marsh land…
“I lived far from the Pridelands – waayyy south. Like most crocodiles, life was tough by the time you reach your juvenile years. It’s why we got such thick skin. I grew up all alone, but I got by. I liked it that way…
“Until one day, I happened upon a young croc not too different in age from me. He would find himself getting into trouble a lot. I saved him from trouble, one day. Some bigger crocs were chasin’ him out of their turf.
“I used the one trick I learned on my own to get through life: The Reverse Tail-Whip…
“I smacked the thugs away like it was nothin’. Kiburi told me how he never felt like he fit in. His father never wanted him, and it felt like no one else did, either. He admired my self-sufficiency, and wanted to start a new float with me.
“I like you, Makuu. You’re smart. We’d make a great team. You could be the brains, and I could be the brawn.”
“With all the trouble I had to help him get out of, I took care of the brawn, too. Though, Kiburi never liked to admit it. He looked up at me too much to really care..
“This ‘Circle of Life’ meant nothin’ to us. All we understood was ‘eat or be eaten’, growing up in the world that we did.
“It was just the two of us, until we came across some older crocs migrating north. They’d been away from the Pridelands because herds were sparse and on the move.
Pua was their leader, and he saw potential in the both of us. We got through the traditional initiation by taking on some members of his float, and we were in.
“When we all arrived at the restored Pridelands, I could sense Kiburi and the other younger crocodiles were growing tired of Pua’s old ways, and I did too. Kiburi pressured me to challenge the old leader.
“I won, and felt good to be in power. I pushed other animals around, intimidated them, and ate whatever I pleased. But Kion and his Lion Guard warned me about breaking the Circle of Life. I didn’t listen for the longest time, but all my leadership did was get my float and I into nothing but trouble.
“I made efforts to change my ways, and had to prove tirelessly to the Lion Guard and the Pridelands that I would follow the laws of the land.
“Kiburi missed the old me, and would pressure me to go back to my old ways. I felt wrong for it, and refused, and he lost all respect for me. He began to lead my float behind my back, and called for a Mashindano.
“He lost, and I banished him. He kept coming back to the Pridelands and illegally challenging me under Scar’s control. He stopped coming back, one day, and we’ve never seen each other, since…
“His betrayal goes beyond working for Scar. It was personal, and the time to cut him out of my life was due for some time…”
Vitani knew someone like Kiburi. This lion encouraged her to be a savage, domineering enforcer. One who didn’t take kindly to redeeming oneself and listening to the enemy. The refusal to make peace was her ultimate downfall.
The Fiercest remembered her recent encounter with her mother. She still never told anyone, still believing it to be a prophetic dream, as the Zamani powder provided by Makini could not help her figure it out. She heard the crocodile speak up again.
“Sometimes, ya just gotta let go of the ones that hold ya down to better yourself as a leader.”
He didn’t look up from his gaze into the lake, but he sensed the lioness’ saddened stare into the distance.
“Truth hurts, kid. I know…” he said.
Vitani slowly looked back at Pride Rock, observing the glow emanating from her brother’s fiery form.
She wondered what would happen if the two never forgave one another…
“Thanks, Makuu.” she said, “I… I think I needed that…”
_________
Back at the Den…
Kovu stared at Nuka’s fiery form like it had been a spiritual observation of a bonfire, still thinking of something to say.
The spirit had his back turned with his arms crossed.
“Well, if you’re gonna talk again, go on, spit it out, Termite…”
“I just wanted to say, ah…” Kovu stammered, “About the, y’know, the Gorge…”
“Oh, I know what this is gonna be about. It’s gonna be about how I died and you ended up getting everything you ever wanted in the end because of it, right?”
“If you just let me finish one sentence –” Kovu gritted his teeth.
“King Termite always gets what he wants! And now you wanna mock me to my undead, ghostly face! ‘Oh, Nuka’s such a clumsy idiot! Look, being a klutz finally got him in the end! That big jerk got what was coming!’ Yeah, YOU WIN! Or is that not enough?”
“IT WAS MY FAULT!”
“...Huh?”
“I don’t think you died like an idiot. It was all my fault…” Kovu continued, “I just stood up there and did nothing. And when you fell, I couldn’t get to you in time… I never wanted you to die. I never wanted anyone to die.”
“You…”
“Not one day passes by where I wish I could go back and grab your paw on time. I wish I could go back further, and tell you how much everyone cares about you. I wanted to tell you so long how much I saw you as the true Chosen One… No matter how much we fought, growing up, I would’ve saved you, either way.”
Nuka was speechless. None of what Kovu said sounded real. He never thought the termite valued him that way. He looked away.
Kovu looked away too, remembering all the times he and his brother bickered as cubs. He suddenly remembered a rather notable time:
Years ago, on the border between the Outlands and the river…
It was early morning. Zira tasked Nuka with watching over a young Kovu and Vitani while she, herself, would make her weekly reconnaissance rounds at the border of the Pridelands to listen for updates on her enemy, Simba.
Nuka, however, had different plans. He was going to catch dinner for mother. He was going to prove he was more competent than the little termite he was stuck babysitting.
Speaking of Kovu, the little cub had trailed behind him on his hunt, much to his chagrin. He begrudgingly let the little twerp follow along and at least learn something.
“Didja catch the mouse, yet?” the cub goaded, “Betcha didn’t!”
“You scared him away, you little miscreant.” Nuka sneered, turning to Kovu, “Stop following me.”
He backhanded the rejected cub. Kovu tumbled to the ground.
“I just thought, you know… we could be together.” the cub sniffed.
“It’s every lion for himself. Or are you afraid to be on your own? Coward.”
Kovu got in his face, “I’m not afraid of anything, fleabag!”
“Termite.”
The teen turned his back and hobbled away with his awkward gait. smiled to himself, relieved to finally have found a way to get the cub out of his hair.
Kovu’s head hung low as he was all alone with Nuka’s hurtful words echoed in his mind.
Pretty soon, the mouse ran out of hiding, and Kovu seized the opportunity to catch it on his own without Nuka.
Success! He pounced on the mouse with accuracy, grabbed it by the tail, and dangled it above his mouth, just like the lion he was being shaped up to be.
“I am the Chosen One. A great and mighty warrior.” he hissed ferociously, “I have chosen you to die honorably and nourish me.”
The mouse squirmed in Kovu’s paw. The cub frowned, and his shoulders lowered. He didn’t have the heart to take the life of another animal, not even one a lion needed to eat to live.
“However… um… Since I am not so hungry right now, I give you your freedom. So, go on!”
He let the mouse run free.
Suddenly, he heard a creak of a log in the distance, as if it was being crossed. The cub shrugged, thinking it to be nothing. He continued to explore the area he found himself in.
Before he knew it, he felt something his size crash into him, and the rest was history…
Present day…
“Y’know… if it hadn’t been for you, I would’ve never met Kiara, that day…” Kovu spoke up, “...and we never would’ve brought the prides together.I don’t think you realize just how much you saved the Pridelands’ future…”
Nuka continued to not speak. He glanced at Kovu a few times, then back down. He thought and thought.
“Uh… I gotta go…” he finally mumbled.
POOF!
Nuka was gone in the same flash he appeared from.
“Nuka!” Kovu called.
He sighed, “I forgive you…”
The lioness who watched everything from the nook between the walls of Pride Rock slithered down the megalith. She set out to travel far out to the border between the Pridelands and the Backlands.
_________
Back to Pride Rock…
Vitani made it back home that evening. She saw her younger brother sit at the edge of Pride Rock.
She sighed as she made it to the platform, expecting the worst. Kovu would be mad on top of an already bad day, Nuka would of course be even angrier and not want to talk to either Kovu, nor even her, for a very long time – or ever again.
Today wasn’t the right day for this, she supposed. She hoped she didn’t drive them further apart.
“So, where’d you go?” Kovu asked.
“Just… needed to clear my mind. Doesn’t matter.” she turned to her younger brother, “I take it Nuka yelled your ear off and bailed?”
“Actually, I kinda felt like we were starting to finally talk.”
The lioness turned to him, “Really?”
“Yeah,” Kovu looked down, “but… he left before I could get a proper goodbye.”
“Of course…” the lioness rolled her eyes.
“Yeah. Just… poofed away. He looked like he wanted to say something.”
“So close!” Vitani groaned.
“You know how proud he can get. He’s probably just not ready, yet.”
“No! This was supposed to happen today!” she paced stressfully, “M-Maybe it wasn’t done ri –”
Vitani stopped herself. She looked up to see a very confused, and, admittedly concerned, Kovu.
No, the forgiveness was to come naturally. From the heart.
She took a deep breath, and refrained from finishing her point, so as to not make Kovu force his forgiveness the next chance he could speak to Nuka.
“Maaayyybe he just needs time,” the dark furred lion finally said, “to think it over?”
“I guess…”
_________
At Misingi Falls…
Kiara stood at the grassy base of the waterfall. She dropped a flaming torch onto the grass and watched the fire grow as it ignited the driest parts of the field.
Within that time, the ghastly cerulean glow left Kiara’s eyes, and her body slumped forward. Zira’s spirit had left the living lioness’ body, and seeped into the lake.
Kiara, on the other hand, though conscious, was suspended in place by the water in her body.
Due to irreversible injuries sustained the previous year, Kiara felt herself easily wanting to cough from the rising smoke in the field, but the controlling force wouldn’t let her.
A glow had risen up the waterfall, and pretty soon, it had taken the form of the fallen Outsider leader.
Kiara wanted to yell from what she saw. She knew she wasn’t herself, and she knew the voice in her head, and now she saw what it all had been. Zira held the Princess’ mouth shut, smiling down at her tauntingly while doing so.
Zira called to her eldest child’s spirit with the chant she remembered:
“Roho ya Moto!” she bellowed, “Rise, my dear son!”
As expected, Nuka appeared as a flame.
“...Huh? Two summonings in one day?” he whipped around, “How – Wh-Where even am I – ?”
He deeply gasped at what he saw before him.
“Welcome back, son.”
If he wasn’t made of fire, he’d be shedding tears at the sight of his mother’s warmly smiling form.
“MOTHER! Is it really you? Oh, it’s been so long!”
“That, it has.” she said, “Far, too long.”
“What are you doing here?” he looked up and down, “Why are you made of water?”
“Let’s just say that your sister has been a real big help, lately…”
“Yeah! I’ve been chosen by the Lions of the Past to help Vitani! Oh! She leads the Lion Guard, by the way! And Kovu’s… uh… Gonna be King…”
She remembered her sons’ interactions with one another. She took Nuka’s jealousy of Kovu into account.
“So I’ve heard!” Zira purred, “It’s a good thing she did! Your brother and sister – ever since they made themselves at home in the Pridelands, they seem to have forgotten who their real family is. They need our help, and you’re just the one I need to help execute that plan…”
Zira held out an arm. Without hesitation, Nuka accepted his mother’s embrace.
He felt her watery form sizzle against his fiery surface. Her embrace stung, but it was something he wanted for years.
“You’re the only true follower I have left. The better son…”
Nuka smiled from ear-to-ear. He finally heard the one thing he’d always wanted to hear from his mother.
He would do anything to keep it like this…
__________________
Author's Notes:
The flashback of Kovu and Nuka's interaction as cubs was based on a scene from an early TLK 2 script written in 1996. It comes just before Kovu and Kiara's meeting. Because it fit so seamlessly into the timeline of the final movie, I decided the interaction would be canon (at least in my works). It blows my mind just how much one of many little spats the two brothers have would lead to the legendary events of the movie, so I just HAD to include it.
Normally Nuka can be summoned only once per day. However, that rule only turns out to apply for each animal that summons him. Zira gets a turn to summon him the same day Vitani did because she's another individual.
Artist Notes:
I gave Makuu scars because I not only felt like the kinds of fights he'd get into would earn them, but also to just show the passage of time and his status as an older, experienced leader.
The Kiara silhouette in Image 3 is actually a reused drawing of her I'd drawn way back in 2018 in a cancelled comic page. I might post the unfinished comic sometime.
Image 4 was drawn possibly a year ago because I was already confident this scene would take place. In fact, the very concept of Nuka and Zira's reunion was thought up all the way back in 2019, long before creating the VG series.
Genuinely cannot believe I made this, it's my biggest project to date!
Vitani's Lion Guard screenshot edit + redesign!
All of them except for Vitani are meant to look like different animals, as a nod to the previous guard! This one is for my favorite artist, MaskOfPrime, as well as for my sister and for a close friend of mine! Thank you all for the inspiration!
LOVESICK (part 3) - She Can Never Know! < prev | next >
As the sun begins to rise, the time for morning patrol follows suit. Every morning, the Lion Guard assembles at the base of Pride Rock to greet one another a good morning and decide who should hit which part of the lands.
Imara has to admit she's not entirely used to sleeping in a dark, cool den full of other lions; it's a far cry from sleeping in the dust of the Outlands, the rising sun hot on her pelt, tail and ears flicking away the termites that crawled over her. She can't complain though. There's an easy comradery in it that living in Zira's pride had never achieved, to be able to lean into the nearest warm, slumbering body when needed without worrying you'll be kicked away antagonistically -- kind, almost familial.
Since the migration to the Pridelands, Imara has come to like the lions in it, despite all her raising to despise them. It had taken quite a bit of healing and talking with the other lionesses -- from both groups -- to finally admit that. She used to be one of the skinniest of the Outlanders, something of a runt as a cub and always shoved from what little food could be scrounged up, the surprising generosity of the others allowed her to finally eat without worry to her heart’s content and build more body weight than she could've ever dreamed of having. She feels safe and supported here.
So these days, when she rises, bright and easy, stretching her ever-growing muscles and shaking her ears out, she's happy to pay it forward.
Today, she hops down the Rock and is the first to be at the base.
Next is Tazama, who greets her quietly yet warmly; then Shabaha, whose limp from the war has become hardly noticeable now; then, ironically, Kasi, who grumbles as they slink down the Rock.
"Nice of you to join us, Kas," Imara chuckles. "What kept you up so late last night?"
Kasi grouses, grooming a paw, "Noth --"
"I know what," Shabaha butts in, snickering, "You were up talking to Zuri last night, weren't you?"
From the way Kasi bristles, they can all tell Shabaha's right on the money. "...No, I wasn't . I can't even stand tha brat, let alone hold a conversation with her."
Shabaha laughs that wild laugh of hers, as if that's the funniest thing in the world. "Oh, please! I could hear you two giggling like cubs in the corner of the den! Who knew you could be such a charmer?"
"That -- you --" Kasi fumbles for words, their ears flattened in embarrassment, obviously caught. "Sh-Shut up, Shabaha! I-It was just…just idle conversation, nothing to gawk abou --"
"Yeah, you sure like gawking at her, don't you --"
"Why, you -- "
"Um, not to interrupt," Tazama says, distracted but clearly disturbed by their noise, "but it's past sunrise already; where's Vitani?"
The group falls silent as they realize she's right; they're far past their usual patrol time and their leader is nowhere to be found.
"Gosh," Imara says, "you guys don't think something happened to her, do you?"
"She might be sick?" Shabaha suggests. "Did you guys notice her looking strange yesterday?"
"Not me," Kasi says, shrugging. “‘Zama?”
"Hm," Tazama ponders, "I did notice something…odd last night at supper. Vitani looked quite anxious and didn't seem to eat much. In fact, she ended up giving the rest of the meat to Princess Kiara."
Imara's ears perk up at that. "Hey, yeah, now that you mention it, she didn't really say anything at supper. Neither of those things are really like her."
Tazama nods fervently, "Yes, yes, and also , I swear I heard her leave a little after everyone settled in to sleep. I think I could hear pacing just outside. It doesn't seem like she came back in."
Imara hums, then sniffs the air, then the ground. "Well, she's nearby. C'mon, guys, I think she's in the lair."
Sure enough, when they enter the lair, they find a lanky figure curled on the ground, breathing gently.
"Vitani?" Kasi calls.
No movement.
"Vitani, are you alright?" Tazama asks, as they all approach.
Still, nothing.
"VITANI! " Shabaha belts loudly, shaking her shoulder. Vitani bolts awake, eyes wide and growling, her stance defensive, fur standing on end. The four take an appeasing step backward.
"Whoa there," Imara attempts to soothe, "It's just us, Vitani."
Their leader freezes and blinks, eyes clearing. Her muzzle unwrinkles and her jaw goes slack. "Oh...jeez, I'm sorry, guys. I thought -- um --"
"It's alright, Vitani," Tazama placates, and Vitani drops her stance to lay on the ground again, yawning. "You didn't show for patrol --"
"Shit, what time is it!?" Vitani jolts up again but the Lion Guard blocks her path. "We gotta --"
"Absolutely not, dude," Kasi says.
"Indeed," Tazama agrees, "Patrol can wait for just a bit."
"But --"
"We can tell there's something wrong, Vi," Imara says. "What's eatin’ you? You didn't have much food last night and Tazama heard you get up and pace outside. And now we're finding you slept in here last night? C'mon, fess up."
Vitani, caught, gapes at her former squadron. "I..." And realizing there's no sense in making up excuses, she sighs heavily. Gone are the days where they were emotionally unavailable with one another in order to remain tough. They can all admit that they need this vulnerability now to survive after everything Zira had done to them.
She starts slowly and quietly, "Yesterday...when we were done with evening patrol, I met up with Kiara to hang out like usual. But it was…different this time."
She doesn't look at them, looking conflicted and frustrated.
"Different how?" Imara gently presses.
Vitani heaves a sigh. "I think..." She trails off before growling voicelessly. Her friends nearly back away again -- they know how she can get when angered -- but in an instant the anger drains away, leaving shame in its wake. She squeezes her eyes shut. "I think I...I'm in love with Kiara."
All their ears point sideways and they gape in astonishment.
"Ah." Tazama is the first to speak up. "That is quite the conundrum."
"Wait, I'm confused," Shabaha says, "How did that make you eat less and lose sleep?"
"Shabaha..." Kasi says exasperatedly, knocking their shoulder into her.
"She's my brother's girlfriend, that's why! Ugh, how could I be so --" She lays her head flat on the the ground and covers her eyes with her paws, looking humiliated. "I'm such an asshole."
"Don't say that," Imara says, kneeling in front of her. "C'mon. Tell us how you know."
"How I --"
"How you know you're in love. "
Vitani lifts her paws away, staring up at her Strongest. "I...Well...Sh-She's just so kind to me and -- and brave and strong. I think the war was the first sign. Her standing up to her father like that, standing between him and us, gods, I have so much respect for her. Whenever I see her, I just...can't help but feel happy." She softens entirely.
The rest of the Guard are shocked. Vitani is not the soft type. Though she may have let her eyes linger, she has never once swooned over any lioness ever. They can tell that even thinking about Kiara has an effect on their leader.
"Yesterday, we were play-fighting and she pinned me so quickly. No one has ever done that, not even an Outlander. That's what made me realize that -- that --"
Anxious fright floods her expression, the realization that she's in deeper than even she realized, and she covers her face again, groaning. "She can never know!"
Imara, feeling sorry for her, asks, "Well, why not?"
"'Why not? '" Vitani mimics, suddenly lost in her own head, "It's embarrassing, it's -- it's disgusting! I'm weak for this. How could she -- How could I feel this way for -- What would my mother think?"
The mention of Zira sends a chill through all of them.
"Your mother isn't here," Kasi reminds firmly. And thank the gods for it, goes unsaid.
"Vitani..." Tazama steps closer. "Kasi's right. This isn't the Outlands; there's no reason to feel ashamed for loving Kiara."
They all know that it isn't loving Kiara specifically that's the issue; it's loving, period. In their childhood, Zira liked to instill the belief in their heads that love was a fickle, weak thing. Something that makes you soft and distracts you from the ultimate goal of overthrowing Simba. As adults, they now see what a hypocrite she was, obsessed to extreme ends with her past lover, and understand it was simply a manipulation tactic to get them to focus on being her soldiers full-time, giving more attention to their physical prowess with the added goal of stunting them emotionally.
Once upon a time, Vitani had let herself stray. As a teenager, despite her best efforts, she fell for another of Zira's followers -- a defiantly kind lioness named Kuuma who always, always shared her rations with Vitani and whose laugh sent a wave of butterflies through her stomach. She never got the chance to pursue anything with her; Zira had been observing her closely, saw how her eyes would linger, how they got lost in one another while together.
One less soldier was an easy price to pay for teaching her foolhardy daughter a lesson.
It was Vitani's mistake, her fault. How dare she, her mother's most loyal confidante, lose sight of their cause?
Maybe if she had just been stronger, kept her base desires in check, Kuuma would still be…
Vitani swallows, finds herself close to tears. She tries to bite them back, shoulders shaking. The four at last lie down beside her in comfort. Imara gently nuzzles her cheek. Shabaha touches her paw to Vitani's. Kasi leans their head on her back. Tazama leans a foreleg on her side.
The affection makes Vitani break, sobbing quietly.
They stay like that for a long moment, before Vitani's breathing evens out again and she's stopped shaking. The Guard wait patiently and occasionally groom her in consolation.
"I would never do anything to come between her and Kovu. Never." Vitani sighs. "He’s my brother. I promised myself I’d never hurt him again. And…even if she weren't with Kovu," she mumbles lowly, "There's no way she'd want to be with...someone like me. And what if she's disgusted? Then I'd lose someone I consider my best friend. I...I can never tell Kiara."
The Guard is quiet for a long time. Imara is the one who breaks the silence.
"Vitani, you know Princess Kiara better than we do. Do you really think she'd stop being friends with you over this?"
Vitani looks sorely down at the dirt between her paws. "...No."
Tazama smiles. "We all saw the bravery and kindness that ended the war. If you told her, even if she didn't feel the same, even if she doesn't like lionesses, I think she'd appreciate your honesty."
Shabaha and Kasi make sounds of agreement. Their leader thinks about it for a moment.
"I...I'm not ready to tell her. But I won't let it change anything between us. You all are right; I don't think she'd be that cruel." She lets out a final sigh. "I'm going to be mature about this. Thank you, guys, for listening to me and giving me advice."
Vitani rises from their emotional support pile, shakes the dust from her fur, and stretches, before puffing her chest out in determination.
"Now c'mon. We've got some patrolling to do."
--
i don't see much delving into trauma that revolves around zira's treatment of her kids and the other outlanders. i'm super into exploring that and showing how these characters are healing in their own ways. vitani's got some issues because of her mom's bs, especially because she seemed to be her number one grunt.
for timeline sake, at the end of tlk2, kiara, kovu, and vitani are young adults, equivalent to 18-year-olds, the rest of the guard being early 20's-ish. in this story, kiara, kovu, and vitani are about 21-22 and the guard are mid-20s, maybe 25-ish. much more mature and working things out. for further reference, kion is still age group behind, just now growing his mane out (and yet still married before kiara who has the sense to take things slow lmao).
and of course, the designs used here are from my older post which has them redesigned! >:P
I have a lot of grievances over how Vitani's Lion Guard was executed in the finale, but I think the one thing that would've saved it [or made it less bs] is to have them all be different animals. Same characters, personalities, voice actresses (and maybe eye-color?), and you can even keep the all-female guard, just different species of animals that would've made the ending come full circle rather than having its narrative be circular.
Like, Vitani's the one-lion on the Guard who's the leader/fiercest.
Shabaha would be a caracal cat since those motherfuckers can jump high and compete with other, bigger predators for food (we were robbed oa caraca, in TLG anyways so this would've been perfect.
Tazama would be a Secratarybird since they can run fast but also have sharp vision as birds of prey.
Imara would be a South African Rock Python, her strength being her coils and jaw vice - In fact, they could've easily saved time and effort by just co-opting the rock python from Season 1, pulling the ultimate Chekov's Gun by turning a background character into a major game player in the finale (also serving as a heroic parallel to Ushari and giving us a non-villainous snake, not enough of which are shown in media)
Kasi as an African Wild Dog (known for their stamina unlike the cheetah, and again, don't get enough appearances in animated animal-based media sans Wild Kratts)
