Welcome the Morning Sun

[mistwolf]

{Kovu}

The morning sun slowly rose over the far mountains, casting orange, purple, and pink stripes over the softly waving grass of the Pridelands. The leaves of the trees sparkled with new dew, as did the grass. The air was pleasent this morning, neither hot nor cold, a welcome releif from the usual heat of Africa. Alone, standing at the tip of Priderock, one lion stood, his dark green eyes watching the distant sun which rose, giving life again to the kingdom. A kingdom that, one day, may be his. Prince Kovu took a deep breath, trying not to think about the future. Ruling a kingdom scared him. As much as he hated to admit it to anyone, even his own heart's delight, Kiara, he was terrified of the day he would have to take the throne, the day when Simba died or abdicated the crown. When he thought of that day that would come, dark thoughts inevtiably came to his mind. Thoughts of Scar, the lion that was not his father, yet whose legacy haunted him every day of his life. His mother, Zira, had raised him in the way of Scar, and Kovu feared that the darkness that had caused Scar to rule the Pridelands with such atrocity would cause him to fall, himself, into evil. He shuddered at the idea of hurting the lands of his mate. But for now, there was only the sunrise. And, for just a little while, he could imagine that ther was no future. There was nothing but the rising sun, and the Pridelands that stretched out before him. The Pridelands which were not yet his.

[Rose Petals]

Vitani stretched as she stood up from her deep slumber. She let out a growling yawn as she strode out of the den atop Pride Rock. Seeing Kovu at the edge, she decided she'd have a nice, peaceful morning chat with him, without the interruption of any cubs.

It seemed like a long walk first waking up, or the anticipation of getting to the top made it seem long, Vitani wasn't quite sure. It was such a majestic sight and quite a wonder to behold - much better than the Outlands for sure.

Sitting down quietly beside her brother, Vitani blinked her eyes as she took in the breath taking view over the Pridelands. One could see everything from atop Pride Rock, even the Outlands and the Elephant Graveyard. This truly was the best place to be in the entire land.

"Good morning, Kovu," Vitani said in almost a whisper, as not to wake the others. "Quite a sight we have here." Vitani glanced sideways at the prince, a slight smirk on her face. She and her brother hadn't really had much time alone together since the Pridelanders and Outlanders joined together, so this time was much needed in Vitani's eyes.

[mistwolf]

{Kovu}

Kovu hadn't expected for Vitani to join him. It was true the two siblings hadn't had much time to talk lately. And, truthfully, Kovu sometimes purposefully avoided his sister. Oh, sure, he loved her, but he often wondered if Vitani still thought it was his fault that their brother, Nuka, had been killed. In his mind, sometimes, he blamed himself. The last thing that he wanted was his sister to blame him, too. "Good morning, Vitani,"he smiled gently at her, then nodded at her comment about the Pridelands. "The only thing the Outlands had to look on was the termites." He laughed a little at his own joke, and glanced sideways at his sister. He wondered what was on her mind. Lots of things had changed in their lives, andonce upon a time, the two siblings had been amazingly close. Now Kovu wasn't even sure what she had been up to yesterday. He wondered if he'd be able to repair their relationship, or if this was the price of royalty.

[Rose Petals]

Vitani's ears flattened back in disgust, and she stuck out her tongue with instant disapproval. "Yuck! Those termites have a happy ending just as we do. No more having to eat them for dinner." Vitani calmed down her taste buds as she had remembered the awful bitter taste as opposed to antelope, and then she had to giggle. "Seemed as if our dear brother Nuka liked them, though." Vitani hadn't thought of Nuka in a while, as it depressed her usually when she did. However, this time it seemed different. This time, it seemed okay. She missed him as well as Zira, but he was corrupt by their mother moreso than they had been. He never would have seen the truth. Everyone was at peace now, the way it should be.

Glancing around, Vitani spotted the cubs at the water hole, prancing around happily. "So energetic," she commented. "Remember when we used to play fight like that?" Vitani snickered as she went towards Kovu's ear to nip at it, trying to instigate a little fun between them.

[mistwolf]

{Kovu}

"'Tani!"Kovu laughed as Vitani nipped at his ear. He used her cubhood nick-name, and leaped back with a smile on his face, his grim thoughts dissipating. He leaped forward at her and tried to catch her, laughing as he did so. He breifly remembered the days they had once played like this when they were cubs. He and Vitani had been playfighting champions, taking the silly cub games to a whole new level. Now that they were adults, there was more skill even in their fighting, and Kovu found himself herding and blocking her, not only as he would have with an antelope, but also the way their mother had taught them to fight. Kovu faltered a little bit at the thought that his those excrutiating lessons had not left him, but he regained himself, realizing that at some point, he was going to have to realize his mother no longer had any control over him. Which meant these silly games were just that. Because, unlike life in the Outlands, silly games were actually a part of the Pridelands culture.

[Night]

Kiara opened her eyes, watching the bright light of the sun reach into the cave and onto her pelt. She yawned, and stood up to stretch. Her claws scraped the stone as she stretched out as far as she could, and smiled as her muscles relaxed. Hearing a small commotion outside, she walked out into the early-morning air. As her eyes adjusted to the bright light, she watched as Kovu and Vitani wrestled on the ground, obviously having fun. Smiling wide, Kiara trotted up to the two of them. "Looks like you guys are having fun!" She laughed, gazing warmly at them. She was happy to see that they were getting along, and that they were making up for lost time. They looked like a pair of cubs, and silently she wished that she would have had a close sibling as a cub. She was lonely as a cub, and wished that her big brother would have been there. She had heard stories about Kopa, her older brother, but he had mysteriously died before she could remember, or so she had thought. She had only heard small bits from when she eavesdropped on her parents, and sometimes wished that she had never heard them discuss him. She had never actually heard the whole story anyways. Plus, it's not like he would ever come back or anything. Smiling again after coming back from her thoughts, she looked warmly at her mate before sitting down to watch their tussle, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

[Rose Petals]

I fly with the stars in the skies, I am no longer trying to survive, I believe that life is a prize, But to live doesn't mean you're alive. I wish that I could have this moment for life, for life, for life Cuz in this moment I just feel so alive, alive, alive. I'm really tryna make it more than what it is, cuz everybody dies but not everybody lives! I wish that I could have this moment for life, for life, for life Cuz in this moment I just feel so alive, alive, alive

Vitani laughed as Kovu swung back around at her, acting as if she were his prey. She reveled in this moment, and wanted it to last forever. She dropped down her front paws and head, her tail high in the air swaying to and fro. She growled playfully, then leaped towards Kovu but purposely missed, running around him instead, then she went for his left leg to nip at it, giggling all the while with her teeth bared in fun. Her dark fur seemed lighter than normal in the morning sun, and it made her not look so much like a former outsider, not nearly as threatening.

Just then, Kiara had come to join in on the fun. Vitani felt a bit disappointed that the seclusion had ended, but she had become best friends with Kiara nonetheless and now there was another amongst them to 'hunt.' As she had gone down to nip at Kovu, she quickly threw in a morning greeting to the princess, but continue on at Kovu. Vitani knew that Kiara would join in on the fun without an invitation, and that was all she needed to know at this time.

[mistwolf]

{Kovu}

Kovu laughed as Vitani leaped at him, dodging her easily and turning to try and tackle her to the ground. But a different sound made his heart leap, and he straightened to look around. He saw Kiara coming towards them, and immediatly smiled at her. Kiara was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and he couldn't imagine a day without her. He loved his sister, Vitani, but Kiara was something different for him. She was his life, his heart, his other half. "Kiara!" he laughed. "C'mere. Help me hunt down Vitani. This lioness is too tricky for her own good!" He laughed again, beaming at his mate and the love of his life, hoping that she would join them in their game. He knew she would. If there was one thing he knew that Kiara couldn't resist, it was a good game.

[Night]

Kiara smiled wide as Vitani threw her a greeting, and laughed as the lioness went right back to play fighting Kovu. Her mate smiled up at her, and her heart lifted high as she felt the love for him wash over her. Beaming happily, she watched as Kovu turned to talk to her. "Kiara!" Kovu laughed. "C'mere. Help me hunt down Vitani. This lioness is too tricky for her own good!" He said, laughing again. Kiara laughed, her eyes sparkling with playfulness. She knew she couldn't resist a good play fight. Letting out a playful growl, she jumped into the tussle, gently nipping Vatani's ear and then jumping besides Kovu. Her breath coming in small gasps, she pushed Kovu with her shoulder. This was the most fun she'd had in a long time. "You're right, this lioness is pretty tricky!" She teased, laughing before looking at Vitani with a happy grin on her face . She felt like the luckiest lioness in the world. She had the most perfect, wonderful mate, and the best friend a lion could ever ask for. She felt so carefree that the worry of becoming Queen didn't even phase her. She was truly happy.

[Rose Petals]

Vitani laughed hysterically as she was called a tricky lioness by both her brother and her best friend. Her eyes became bright with joy as she lowered her entire body in a pouncing stance, then she threw herself towards them, only to trick them by going between them then towards the rocks that led down from Pride Rock to the main field. She stopped right at the top, then playfully growled. She then sat down and held her head up high so that her neck could be seen, her eyes closed and a smirk spread across her face. She had a plan to live up to Kovu and Kiara's expectations of her being a tricky lioness. She flicked her tail back and forth as she waited, peeking with her eye ever so slightly open so that it still looked as if it were shut so that she would know when they were coming but it seemed as if she wasn't paying attention.

[mistwolf]

{Kovu}

Kovu laughed as his sister leaped between he and his mate. He tried to counter her, leaping in front of her, cutting off her escape. He worked to back her up against the edge of Priderock, (though being careful not to endanger her) so he could move in. "Kiara, cut off her escapes!" he playfully told his mate. He crouched and smiled at her, green eyes shimmering. Gone was his fear and depression of minutes before. He often forgot how incredibly blessed he was to have such a family, even after coming from such an awful background. The future was so scary when he was surrounded by the amazing support group that he had. "I've got you now," he growled softly to his sister, green eyes narrowing as he prepared to finally catch her and win this little play war they were having. He'd show her that he was still the best hunter.

[Night]

Kiara braced herself as Vitani jumped towards her and Kovu, but then laughed as the lioness jumped over them. She stopped at the rocks leading down to the main field, and Kiara looked at her mate with a sly smile before following him towards Vitani. The lioness didn't seem to be paying attention. "Kiara, cut off her escapes!" Kovu told her playfully, and Kiara laughed as she went around Kovu and on the other side of Vitani. She smiled as she watched Kovu stalk towards the "tricky lioness," her eyes shimmering with utmost happiness. She was so happy with her life at the moment. She felt as if nothing could stop her from this enjoyable moment. Time seemed to be going slow lately, as if she was being given the chance to live life to the fullest. Silently she wished that nothing bad was going to happen, but then pushed that thought out of her head. Focusing on her mate and best friend, she waited to see what the lioness would do.

[Rose Petals]

As soon as Kovu and Kiara started coming towards her, she had planned to charge at them. However, she hadn't quite made it as there wasn't much room left to move. Laughing as her escape route was quickly taken away from her, she looked around. It was too far down to jump from Pride Rock, but she couldn't just run down the rocks either. Since the princess was blocking her path, and Kovu was on the other side of her, technically not in her way, but she decided quickly what she would do.

Still standing in place she whipped her body around quickly towards Kiara, her mouth open to catch a quick nibble at her leg, hoping to make her jump away so she could run down the path to give her more leverage to win in this little escapade of theirs. However, she was startled by the sight of a little white and brown cub that she recognized as Sasha before she could carry out her offense at Kiara. "We've got company," she quietly pointed out with a slight smile.



Sasha ran fiercely up to the three standing there, almost in a panic it seemed. "Prince Kovu, Princess Kiara! The cubs are up to no good! They were at the water hole, and I told them I'd tell but they wouldn't listen! I ran here as quickly as I could, but I heard something about the canyon before I got too far! You have to go get them! Something could happen to the immature brats!" Sasha sat down as she tried to catch her breath, waiting for the response she would get. Surely they would go after them and not be like the lioness that had just shrugged her off.



Even though Vitani felt like she should go as well, her brother and friend would be the ones that needed to learn to take their own responsibilities, not herself. She could go venture elsewhere while they took care of their royal duties, she figured. Play time was over. She sat down and looked back and forth at the two, knowing they would go but trying to give the hint that she would not be.

[mistwolf]

{Kovu}

Kovu crouched, ready and anxious to show his sister that he could still beat her in a game. Sure, it hadn't happened often when they were cubs, but it had happened often enough, and he wanted to show he that he still had skills, even as the Prince. He started as Vitani jerked forward towards Kiara, smiling with excitement and cunning. But he was dissapointed as Vitani raised her head and spoke. "We've got company..." Kovu looked up, a question in his eyes and looked around. Unfortunatly, what he saw was a small white and brown cub running towards them. He sighed. Sasha. He didn't like her. Of course, as prince he couldn't feel favortism or malice towards any of his would-be subjects, but this cub was exeedingly whiny. He wondered how Simba put up with some of these lions and lionesses. He recalled in the Outlands, if his mother, Zira, didn't like a lioness, she knew full well and usually got consistent reminders of it. But he pushed those thoughts from his mind. Those days were gone, and he was determined to keep them that way. He listened as she spilled out to him the shortcomings of all the cubs in the pride, and he inwardly sighed, trying not to look annoyed. But after she was finished, he glanced sideways at Kiara, giving her a gaze that practically screamed: "Why me?" "Sasha," he said to her, as patiently as he could. "I know you may not like what those cubs are up to, but if they want to go and play, there's nothing to stop them. There's no law in the Pridelands that forbids cubs to go and play. As long as they stay in the borders, they're fine."

[Night]

Kiara watched as Vitani started to come towards her and braced herself, only to become alert as she heard small pawsteps running their way. She watched as Sasha appeared, and smiled at the pretty cub. The smiled dropped as she listened to the cub tattle on the other cubs, and let a faint sigh draw from her lips. The princess looked at Kovu, and her mate was giving her a look that practically screamed, "Why me?" Kiara tried her best not to let out a small giggle, but then froze as the cub mentioned the Canyon. As Sasha finished talking, Kovu spoke. "Sasha," her mate said, looking like his patience was being tested. "I know you may not like what those cubs are up to, but if they want to go and play, there's nothing to stop them. There's no law in the Pridelands that forbids cubs to go and play. As long as they stay in the borders, they're fine." He told the young lioness. Kiara looked at her mate, her eyes wide. She tried her best to look calm, but knew that she wasn't pulling it off real well. "Kovu," she said, her voice a mere whisper for only her mate to hear. "Daddy has been having a hard time keeping predators away from the Canyon. Cheetahs have even been spotted there recently. If the cubs did go there, they could be in danger. And even if they're not, we should at least give them a good scolding. It's dangerous for cubs to go out to the canyon on their own." Kiara said, trying to speak calm and slow. Something bad could happen if they didn't step in. She managed a small smile, hoping he would understand. She was concerned, but wouldn't let Sasha see it. She didn't want to cause any alarm.