A Second Chance

Darkness left its mark

                                        THREE YEARS LATER....

The Pride Lands had never been the same after that horrific day. Scar and Zira came and then they left, taking Kovu with them. It was a noble deed that had never been forgotten and will never be taken for granted. The incident had left a huge impact on the pride. Not only did they lose their future king, but a son, a brother, a succesor, a friend,  a family member and the love of someone's life. Moving on hadn't been easy, it had been the hardest thing they could've done. Letting Kovu go was something that would scar them for the rest of their lives.

But some good things had happened in the past three years. Kion and Vitani were now mates, they were deeply in love and soon enough, something wonderful was about to happen with this young couple.  Marisa had also found a mate. His name was Andreas. He had a brown mane, grey eyes, a golden fur colour and he was strong, kind and he respected the Circle Of Life. Marisa and Andreas were very happy together and they spent every single day together.

Some lionesses from Andreas' old pride had joined the pridelanders and the pride expanded, now with a total of thirty four. The hunting party was doing extremelly well and new, young lionesses had joined. But as well as good news, there had been some bad news also. Sarabi, in her old age had completed her purpose in the Circle Of Life and had passed away. Everyone had been devastated at the loss, especially Simba, who had grieved for his mother for days on end. Nala too had grieved, Sarabi had been like a second mother to her and she would be remembered forever.

Diana and Burnt Eboney knew what grief felt like, they had lost their son and up to date still mourned for him. Diana was traumatized and she barely ate anything. She had gotten thin and her limbs felt weak with each passing day. The pride had been shaken up and the ones who felt it most were the former outsiders. They had practically watched Kovu grow up and some even considered him like a son. Hasari, Maugi and Kuumaa too were sad. Hasari had gained the trust of the royal family as well as the pride members and she and the other two males were an essential addition to the group. Some lionesses had mated with Maugi and were now carrying his cubs. With Kovu gone, the pride needed more males around to protect them, mate and tend to their needs when the time came.

But there was one individual in particular who had been hit the hardest. Kovu's absence had left a dent in their life and had caused them to stagger backwards and fall into a hole. And that individual was Kiara. She had matured into a full grown lioness with a body so much like her mother's. She had perfected her hunting skills and was mature in both her thinking and her physique. But there was just one problem. When Kovu left, Kiara cried for days, she didn't eat anything, nor had she drank any water. She lashed out at anyone who came near her and isolated herself in the cave where she and Kovu had jumped in when the rhinos had chased them. The memories she shared with Kovu had stayed with her and for three years, haunted her being. Some were good, some were bad.

For a time frame of fourteen days, she cried, and made herself miserable. Her eyes had been bloodshot and her nose was always stuffy because she spent the majority of her time crying. She lost a lot of weight and had nearly slipped into a coma. Vitani and Marisa found her on the cave floor, gasping for breath and twisting herself into horrific positions. They picked her up and carried her to Rafiki's tree. While Rafiki tended to her, Vitani had raced to Pride Rock to fetch Simba and Nala. They came with Diana, Burnt Eboney and Kion. Nala had been terrified for her daughter and Simba had gone outside, he couldn't stay and watch his precious baby girl in that position. 

Rafiki had made a medicine for Kiara and while everyone else held her down, he had poured the bitter, stinging liquid down her throat. After careful administrations, Kiara was abck to normal. The gasping had stopped and she seemed okay. But then she forgot and asked for Kovu, leaving everyone in a state. Rafiki gently reminded her of what happened; she gasped and ran away crying bitterly. 

Ever since then everyone had been careful about mentioning Kovu's name in front of Kiara. "Give her time and she'll soon forget and move on," Rafiki had told them. At first, they were horrified, but then they understood that what Rafiki said made sense and complied. Kiara's crying had stopped and she ate and drank frequently. It wasn't much but it was a start, and gradually as the days, weeks and months went by, she began to heal; slowly but surely. She was still mourning for Kovu but she was mourning in a different way. Within the first year she had joined the hunting party and was one of the best in the group. 

When the cubs were born, Kiara devoted some days to cubsitting them while their mothers were out hunting or just taking a break and basking in the sun. She enjoyed sitting around chatting with her pride sisters and on most days when she had nothing to do, she would reminice about the fun times she spent with her beloved. 

Over the years that passed the pride had healed. Some faster than others, most slower than many.  No one knew what had happened to Scar and Zira, they didn't know what happend to Kovu and they didn't know if they would ever see him again. All they knew was wherever he was, the Great Kings of the Past would protect him; from present and future troubles. They missed him terribly, but one day everything would change; for better or for worst.