Scar x Zira: The Lost Heir

Chapter Twenty-Five

Kito rolled around playfully in the dirt, his paws batting at Shani's face with a determined yet gentle touch. She was grinning and chomping at his paws, which would almost always make him laugh. Asilia was sprawled out beside them, watching with tired eyes as her tail twitched with content.
Suddenly Shani stopped playing and looked up with a frown. Kito rolled on his side to look at who it was, and he was happy to see that it was Nala and her mother.
He smiled at her and she slowly forced a smile back. She looked sad, and he wondered what he could do to make her happy.
He felt Shani tense up and he heard Asilia get to her paws.
"What do you want?" Asilia growled.
Nala's mother, Sarafina, looked Asilia straight in the eye, not flinching at all from the hateful growls and glares.
"This is where my daughter and I always come to relax and play. Sarabi and Simba used to come here, too," Sarafina replied calmly.
Asilia's snout twitched in agitation, but she knew it was useless to start a fight. She nodded once and laid back down next to Shani and Kito.
Sarafina saw this and ushered Nala to a rock by a tree overlooking the Pridelands.
Shani was still watching the two, but now her body was beginning to relax and Kito could see pity in her eyes.
"So you said this is where Sarabi and Simba used to come?" Shani asked.
Sarafina looked over at the lioness, surprised at the sudden comment.
"Yes," she said, "all of the lionesses used to come here. Now they go to the watering hole."
Shani's ears twitched and she looked out at the savanna.
"But isn't it easier for them to stay here, at Pride Rock?"
Sarafina sighed.
"It's not easy for the lionesses to adjust to those filthy mongrels. It's unnatural for hyenas and lions to be so close, especially when they're supposed to live together peacefully."
Asilia nodded at this, and then looked around quickly to see if they were within earshot of the hyenas. Luckily, they weren't.
Kito looked up at Shani, his eyes bright and cheerful.
"Can I go play with Nala?" he asked.
Shani looked down at him carefully, and he started to think that she would say no. He looked at his paws when he heard her reply in a soft whisper,
"Go ahead."
He looked back up at her and grinned. She nudged him forward with her snout and he trotted over to Sarafina and Nala.
"Hi, Nala!" he said, "Do you wanna play today?"
When he stopped a few feet away from her she looked at him carefully, as if he were prey that she wasn't sure how to hunt. Then she looked at Sarafina, and the lioness whispered something to her.
Nala looked back at him and nodded.
"Sure."
She climbed down from the rock they were on before padding over to where he was.
"What do you want to play?" she asked.
Kito stared at her, not quite sure what to say. He had never played a specific game, especially not with another cub.
"Umm... I don't really know any games. What do you like to play?"
Nala stared back at him in silent wonder.
"You don't know any games?"
Kito flashed a small crooked smile.
"Well, I play fight with my mother and the lionesses sometimes."
Nala grinned.
"I'm good at that. You wanna try to beat me?"
His grin widened and he crouched down to pounce on her, but she was already in mid-air by the time he got into position. She hit him hard and they tumbled across the sun-bathed rock. When they had stopped she was pinning him down with a triumphant smile on her face.
"Pinned ya!" she said.
He laughed and she laughed, too.
Then she stopped laughing and looked down at him, sadness clear on her young face.
"What's wrong?" he asked quietly, rolling out from under her and getting to his paws.
She sniffed, and Kito thought he could see tears welling in her eyes.
"I used to play fight with Simba all the time," she murmured.
Kito's ears perked up.
"Who is Simba?"
Nala sniffed again.
"Simba used to be my best friend. He was going to be the next King, but he was killed in the stampede with his father, Mufasa."
Kito listened in shock and he felt a pang of sympathy.
"I'm so sorry," he said softly.
He walked up to her and put a paw on her shoulder. Then he heard someone getting up and he looked over to see Sarafina coming up to them. Her eyes landed on Kito.
"I think that's enough for one day. We're all going through a lot right now."
Her voice was firm, which immediately made Kito step away from Nala, but it always held a hint of gentleness that made him feel a little more comfortable around her.
She bent her head down and picked up Nala by the back of her neck, and slowly carried her back to their lounging spot.
"Bye, Nala."
"Bye, Kito."
He watched her for a few more moments before walking back over to Shani and Asilia. Shani greeted him with a gentle smile and opened her paws to him. He curled up in her arms and slowly drifted off into a satisfied sleep.