Like Water and Rain (Chapter 9)

“Morning!”

GAH!

Oh, did she really have to make so much noise in the den…?

“Surprised ya, huh?” The daughter of Simba asked as she bounced around my tired body. “I'm ready for my first lesson!”

“Kiara, keep it down..” I groaned before smiling at the grinning lioness. “Let's go find Kovu and get it started so you can be an actually good hunter.”

A playful growl. “And I suppose you can do better?”

“Kiara, it's commonplace for you to play second fiddle when it comes to hunting.” I bit back before she whipped me with her tail.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!” She said before running out of the den, followed by my amused self.

--

I tapped my claws on the ground like a pencil on a paper, causing small holes to form as I heard Kiara’s whispers, grunts of pain and annoyance, the rustling behind me getting closer as Kovu rolled his eyes in amusement.

I sighed. “3...2...1..”

I quickly rolled to the side as the lioness pounced, missing me and tumbling across the ground. Approaching the princess, Kovu and I looked at each other before Kiara opened her eyes, chuckling nervously.

“Did I do good?” She asked.

“You did dreadful.” I said with blunt honesty. “As I told you when we were cubs, you're too loud when you approach, letting objects distract you and make noise, alerting prey to your presence.”

“Silence…” Kovu interjected, raking the dirt with his claws. “Feel the earth beneath you and let it guide you through hunting.”

Kiara raked her claws across the ground the same time as the black-maned lion. “And this is to let me be more stealthy?”

“No, Kiara, it's to cause kingdom-rocking noise...of course it's to make you more silent.” I smirked at Kiara’s irritated huff. Some things never change. “You should’ve gotten used to my teasing, princess.”

“My title isn't who I am, Connor, we both know that.” She pointed out. “You don't need to call me by my position in royalty…”

“If I don't, I'll probably forget.”

A scoff came from Kiara. “Wouldn't be the first time.”

“And probably won't be the last.”

Kovu went into a pouncing position with a smile when he heard birds coming from a hilltop. Before me and Kiara’s bickering could get worse, we turned to Kovu.

“Shh…” Kovu said, smile turning into a smirk as he looked at me. “Watch the master.”

“Kovu, we both trained at the same perio-”

Before I could finish, Kovu ran up the hills and dove, followed by a familiar scream as me and Kiara trotted up.

“Don't eat me! Please!” I saw Timon beg. “I never met your tyrant-I mean Scar! Scar, oh, heck of a guy! A little bit moody, but-”

“Timon, what are you doing here!?” Kiara quite rightly asked the meerkat, who grinned.

“Kiara! Shujaa! Thank goodness!” He breathed a sigh of relief. “Look, for once, we're not followin’ ya.”

I looked at Kiara with a raised eyebrow as she rolled her eyes.

“This happens to be the best smorgasbord in the Pridelands!” He continued before pointing at a crowd of birds pecking at the ground. “Bugs EVERYWHERE! But you don't call for a reservation and..sheesh.

Kovu looked understandably dumbstruck at the meerkat’s antics as Kiara blinked. But before we could speak, Timon was pecked by a bird he tried to shoo away, causing me to cringe and the princess to giggle at his nose reddening like an alarm.

Pumbaa kept charging into the birds, who simply flew and kept landing. As soon as the warthog was done, he was panting as birds landed on him.

“Ohh..Timon. I'm getting tired.” Pumbaa cried. “I think I gotta lose some pounds.”

Oh great, a fat joke.

As I rolled my eyes, Timon got the birds off of his friend.

“Hey! Maybe they can help!” Pumbaa suggested, looking at me and Kovu, who were trotting down with a laughing Kiara.

A laugh. “Don't be absurd! There's no way they can-” The meerkat paused before smiling. “Hey! What if they help?”

But didn't Pumbaa suggest tha-

“What?” Pumbaa asked, baffled as Timon hopped on my head.

“How about it, buddy?” He asked me as I blinked. “Think you can lend a voice?”

I looked at Kiara, who winked. Shrugging, I looked at the birds, took a deep breath and roared,  scattering the birds as Timon hopped back on Pumbaa, the two charging forward as the three of us followed them, Kiara continuing to laugh her heart out.

Man, I missed these times…

At least you relive your glory…

Ah well.

“Why are we doing this!?” Kovu shouted in confusion. “What's the point of this training!?”

“Training?” Kiara laughed. “This is just for fun!”

“‘Fun?’” He blinked as I smirked.

“Watch and learn, son of Zira!” I said with a smile as me and Kiara pressed onwards with a laughing Kovu.

We entered a gorge as I suddenly felt uneasy from the last time I was in a gorge, but quickly washed those feelings away...only for the four with me to skid to a halt, leading to be running into Kiara, knocking both of us down.

“What's wrong Kiar-” I started...before seeing a group of rhinos. “...Oh.”

When the rhinos started charging, I quickly helped the lioness up, running away from the charging chucks. Anyone get that reference?

Your love for those ‘video games’ annoys me.

As Kovu, Timon and Pumbaa ended up, getting in their own hiding spot, Kiara and I did the same.

“This is awkward.” I said to the lioness as she chuckled nervously. Looking at the hiding spot of the other 3, I sighed in relief, then looked back at Kiara. “Time to go.”

As we were wrestling to get out, our muzzles touched, causing our eyes to widen. And now it just became even more awkward.

“Come on, ya lovebirds!” Timon called to us as he and the others left. Allowing Kiara to get out first, I soon followed. Kiara looked at me, embarrassed.

“So...how about we not tell anyone of this?” She asked and I instantly nodded. “It was an accident after all.”

“Yeah..” I agreed. “I mean it's not like we'll get together or anything. Let's just carry on with our day.”

“Alrighty!” Kiara grinned.

We kept talking about what happened while I was away from the pridelands as we trotted out of the gorge.

Note: Sometimes, even the dark hearts have fun...

 

NEXT: When Rafiki pops up to show Shujaa and Kiara something called ‘Upendi', the two’s friendship begins to become something more...but not without Shujaa’s irritation over Zira’s grand plan and the part he's playing.