The Lion King Chronicles: Vitani's Vengeance

Chapter 2

After the fight between the lionesses, Zira never left Kovu or I unattended. She always kept us within a tail's length and if anyone came close to us, she would growl or snap. Sometimes she got a wild, crazed look in her eye that made me nervous. Why didn't she want Sarafina near me? That appeared to be a mystery I might never solve.

I didn't stray far from her, mostly because I didn't want to cause more trouble. Slowly, day by day, my body became stronger. I was still awfully tiny, even Kovu outgrew me. We were only a few days apart, but my young mind forgot the fact that we weren't born together. Mother always treated us like we were twins, so twins we became.

Morning came and I opened my eyes slowly. The cave was dark and the only light came from the rising sun. Streams of sunlight came through the cave entrance, tempting me, calling me. I stood up on wobbly legs and considered walking outside.

Mother still slept soundly. I noticed that Kovu's eyes were slightly open and he peeked at me. "What are you looking at?" I growled playfully.

Kovu snapped his eyes closed. "Uh, nothing..."

I huffed and rolled my blue eyes at him. "Let's go outside, Kovu!"

He shook his head quickly. "Momma will get angry..." Kovu cowered against her flank with wide eyes.

"No she won't," I tried to convince him. "Come on, it'll be fun!" I pounced on him with a giggle. Then I gently bit on his ear, tugging towards the cave entrance.

"Okay, okay!" Kovu growled, swatting at me. "I'm coming!"

We crawled silently away from Zira towards the cave entrance. The closer we got, the brighter the light became. My eyes widened with excitement. I couldn't wait to lay eyes on the Pridelands, my home.

Suddenly, we were intercepted by a dark brown lioness. Ramla. She was Zira's biggest supporter. Sometimes she frightened me with her strong presence and blunt personality. Often she mock fought with the other lionesses. Her pelt was riddled with scars from old fights.

"And where are you two going?" Her eyes narrowed questioningly.

"Uh...outside?" My voice sounded small and squeaky compared to hers.

"Back to your mother," Ramla growled. "You're not allowed to go outside without her." She gently shoved us back towards Zira.

I lashed my tail angrily. Why couldn't I go outside? I was Princess Vitani! The Pridelands were my home, my domain, the kingdom I was born to protect! Who was she to tell me that I couldn't explore? I wanted to know every blade of grass, every pebble, and every drop of water.

When would I finally get to see beyond these boring cave walls? Kovu settled back in the nest, but I hesitated. Kovu might be content taking orders, but I wasn't. Glancing back at the cave entrance, Ramla still watched me expectantly. If I walked away from the nest, would she really stop me?

"Vitani?" Zira awoke and studied me curiously. "Get back in the nest."

I flattened my ears and frowned. Eventually, I gave in. The nest felt confining compared to the faint traces of the breeze coming in from outside. How far did the Pridelands go? Did they stretch beyond the farthest horizon?

Zira stood up and stretched. "You two need to stay in the cave until I return. Issa will be watching you very closely."

Issa was our mother's younger sister. In my first few days, she spent a lot of time at mother's side. She had a kind voice and a gentle touch. But she followed Mother's orders exactly. Surely she wouldn't let us go outside.

Zira left the cave with a few other lionesses. I watched them go with disappointment. Why couldn't I go with? Issa wandered over to us. She followed my gaze to the cave entrance.

"Someday you'll go with them," Issa promised.

"But why can't I go now?" I grumbled. "I wouldn't cause any trouble!"

Issa gave me a look. "You wouldn't be able to keep up. Besides, it's a scary world out there for a young cub like you."

"I wouldn't be afraid!" I declared bravely. Lifting my head and puffing out my chest, I tried to imitate the adult lions. "I'll show them!"

She chuckled at me. "I'm sure you wouldn't be afraid. Why don't you go ask Nuka to fight with you?"

I brightened at the idea. Nuka sat at the edge of the cave in a sulking manner. Maybe if he taught me some ways to fight then Zira would see how much I wanted to go outside! I wasted no time crossing the cave to where Nuka sat.

My brother narrowed his eyes at me. "What do you want?"

"Can you teach me how to fight?" I asked him hopefully.

Nuka simply stared at me, but then something sinister flickered in his red eyes. "Sure, sis, I'll teach you how to fight."

Without a warning, Nuka pounced on me. He pinned me down with his claws pricking into my skin. "Ow! That hurts!"

"You wanted to fight," Nuka growled. He clawed me across the face and I squealed in pain.

"Get off of her!" A lioness I've never seen before appeared out of nowhere and knocked Nuka off of me. Her fur was a tawny shade and she had a tuft of hair on her forehead. Her eyes were amber like the sun.

Suddenly, Issa was there too. The two lionesses faced each other, hackles raised and lips curled. Nuka hid behind Issa while I remained in between them.

"Leave them alone, Tama," Issa snarled.

The other lioness, Tama, growled in reply. "Nuka was hurting her!"

"Nuka was training her!" Issa retorted. "She needs to learn to be strong!"

"She's just a cub!" Tama argued.

"She's Zira's cub." Issa reminded Tama in a deathly cold voice. "Not yours or anyone else's. So back off."

For a long time, they just glared at each other. I cowered in between them, unsure of what to do. Why were they fighting? All Nuka did was play fight with me!

"Fine," Tama hissed. Then she turned and left the cave angrily.

I watched her go curiously. Who was she? Why did she feel the need to protect me from my own brother?

"Come, Vitani," Issa growled. "Back to the nest."

I obeyed, but my mind wandered outside the cave. Why was the Pride so divided? I feared that I would never understand it.