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"Kovu?"

The young lion stirred, his head slowly moving across his paws towards the source of the voice. His bleary, tired eyes slowly split open and he peered towards the amber eyes stared towards him. His exhausted mind took a few seconds to process his surroundings and why he was laying inside the cave beside the pride.

Despite being offered the warm sanctuary of the den to sleep in opposed to the chilly night air, sleep evaded him at every hour, as it did with many of the other pride members. His face felt worn and weary from the silent tears he had shed at some time that night and his limbs felt like stiff logs. His mouth was dry and in desperate need for a drink, his eyes were sore and crusty, and the bags under his eyes reflected the mood and depressed state.

Sarabi looked no better than him. The bags under her eyes were more pronounced, even in the dim light. The wrinkles on her face had caught the tears and dried them, leaving faint trails on her face. No doubt she had spent the night weeping for the loss of Nuka. If he wasn't so absorbed in his own grief, perhaps he would feel more sympathy for her. After all, if the hushed whispers and sobs he had heard last night were any indication, Nuka had been akin to a son to her, more than just a nephew. No doubt that agony was stronger for her, having had him nearby for so long just to lose him.

The former queen was looking at him, concern ridden across her soft face. "Couldn't sleep as well I see."

His throat felt try and his muscles stiff. He decided to reply with a long blink. "I fear it will be a while before any of us have a good night's sleep." She exhaled softly and began scooting herself closer to him.

"I wanted to see how you're faring." Part of him wanted to deny his hurt and anger with an irritated tone while another wanted to pick off where his mourning ended last night. Both possible responses sparked and quickly died off with the lack of energy in his body. Instead, he squeezed his eyes tightly close, letting what little moisture he had left to bead out in the corner of his eyes.

"Shh." He let out a hitched breath, feeling the warmth of her breath blow across towards him and a paw extend and gently rub against the back of his. He stubbornly tried to swallow his ragged breaths and sniffed to control his breakdown. Sarabi was quiet the entire time, never once letting her paw up from his and murmuring soft, comforting sounds to him. There were no more tears left to fall, though he cried nonetheless.

When his emotions had exhausted themselves again, she stopped and waited. His paw twitched where hers had rubbed it. It was such a foreign gesture to him, but strangely sweet and comforting. Still, not the strangest thing he had encountered here.

His numb heart gave a stinging ache, and he was reminded of why he was here again. His stomach roiled at the thought of his mission. Sometime last night during his weeping he had come to the conclusion that he absolutely could not go with his objective, not with what he had discovered. His last day was today, he was on the third day. Either he fulfilled his obligations or his mother and pride would for him.

Though he hated to betray his pride and put them at risk for further suffering, he knew, in good conscience, that he could not allow for the destruction of this one. Not when he had family ties and no real hate towards them. He would have to tell them, warn them. He would be revealing himself and face the consequences, though perhaps he could have some leniency if he could help avert a bigger tragedy at hand.

"Would you like to join me for an early morning walk, Kovu?"

His mind snapped back to the real world and he stared at her before shaking his head. "I-I don't..." he coughed. "I don't think I have the energy to..."

"I had in mind just a short walk. Just far enough to go for a drink at the nearby watering hole. We could all use a drink after all the tears shed." She began to stand up, her old joints creaking as she slowly got herself up to her feet. "Besides, it is wise to have an escort accompany an old lady on a short trip to the watering hole, especially at a time like this."

Against all the uncomfortable stiffness in his bones and the desire to chase what little warmth and rest he could in these last precious moments of darkness, he knew he wasn't going to find it tonight. With a heave, he brought his limbs together, groaning as he propped himself up. He stifled a yawn with his paw as he stretched, his limbs creaking rather loudly in the early morning air. With a heavy heave of willpower, he began trudging outside into the chilled outside world, the former queen of the Pridelands following right beside him.

Had the two been paying attention early, they would've realized they were not the only lions awake at this time and out before the first rays of sunlight came over the horizon.

Two pictures in a row where the characters are not very perceptive to those leaving or watching them nearby.

Also, I want to give a special thank you to albinoWolf58 . If you haven't seen their picture "Not Scar ", I highly recommend checking it out. It was an inspiration for me to do this picture and made me thing quite a bit about possible character interactions that we haven't seen in the original film.

Sarabi © The Lion King © Walt Disney Animation Studios
Kovu © The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride © Walt Disney Animation Studios
Tiifu © The Lion Guard © Walt Disney Animation Studios
Art © Vtoony

Description

Previous || Next

"Kovu?"

The young lion stirred, his head slowly moving across his paws towards the source of the voice. His bleary, tired eyes slowly split open and he peered towards the amber eyes stared towards him. His exhausted mind took a few seconds to process his surroundings and why he was laying inside the cave beside the pride.

Despite being offered the warm sanctuary of the den to sleep in opposed to the chilly night air, sleep evaded him at every hour, as it did with many of the other pride members. His face felt worn and weary from the silent tears he had shed at some time that night and his limbs felt like stiff logs. His mouth was dry and in desperate need for a drink, his eyes were sore and crusty, and the bags under his eyes reflected the mood and depressed state.

Sarabi looked no better than him. The bags under her eyes were more pronounced, even in the dim light. The wrinkles on her face had caught the tears and dried them, leaving faint trails on her face. No doubt she had spent the night weeping for the loss of Nuka. If he wasn't so absorbed in his own grief, perhaps he would feel more sympathy for her. After all, if the hushed whispers and sobs he had heard last night were any indication, Nuka had been akin to a son to her, more than just a nephew. No doubt that agony was stronger for her, having had him nearby for so long just to lose him.

The former queen was looking at him, concern ridden across her soft face. "Couldn't sleep as well I see."

His throat felt try and his muscles stiff. He decided to reply with a long blink. "I fear it will be a while before any of us have a good night's sleep." She exhaled softly and began scooting herself closer to him.

"I wanted to see how you're faring." Part of him wanted to deny his hurt and anger with an irritated tone while another wanted to pick off where his mourning ended last night. Both possible responses sparked and quickly died off with the lack of energy in his body. Instead, he squeezed his eyes tightly close, letting what little moisture he had left to bead out in the corner of his eyes.

"Shh." He let out a hitched breath, feeling the warmth of her breath blow across towards him and a paw extend and gently rub against the back of his. He stubbornly tried to swallow his ragged breaths and sniffed to control his breakdown. Sarabi was quiet the entire time, never once letting her paw up from his and murmuring soft, comforting sounds to him. There were no more tears left to fall, though he cried nonetheless.

When his emotions had exhausted themselves again, she stopped and waited. His paw twitched where hers had rubbed it. It was such a foreign gesture to him, but strangely sweet and comforting. Still, not the strangest thing he had encountered here.

His numb heart gave a stinging ache, and he was reminded of why he was here again. His stomach roiled at the thought of his mission. Sometime last night during his weeping he had come to the conclusion that he absolutely could not go with his objective, not with what he had discovered. His last day was today, he was on the third day. Either he fulfilled his obligations or his mother and pride would for him.

Though he hated to betray his pride and put them at risk for further suffering, he knew, in good conscience, that he could not allow for the destruction of this one. Not when he had family ties and no real hate towards them. He would have to tell them, warn them. He would be revealing himself and face the consequences, though perhaps he could have some leniency if he could help avert a bigger tragedy at hand.

"Would you like to join me for an early morning walk, Kovu?"

His mind snapped back to the real world and he stared at her before shaking his head. "I-I don't..." he coughed. "I don't think I have the energy to..."

"I had in mind just a short walk. Just far enough to go for a drink at the nearby watering hole. We could all use a drink after all the tears shed." She began to stand up, her old joints creaking as she slowly got herself up to her feet. "Besides, it is wise to have an escort accompany an old lady on a short trip to the watering hole, especially at a time like this."

Against all the uncomfortable stiffness in his bones and the desire to chase what little warmth and rest he could in these last precious moments of darkness, he knew he wasn't going to find it tonight. With a heave, he brought his limbs together, groaning as he propped himself up. He stifled a yawn with his paw as he stretched, his limbs creaking rather loudly in the early morning air. With a heavy heave of willpower, he began trudging outside into the chilled outside world, the former queen of the Pridelands following right beside him.

Had the two been paying attention early, they would've realized they were not the only lions awake at this time and out before the first rays of sunlight came over the horizon.

Two pictures in a row where the characters are not very perceptive to those leaving or watching them nearby.

Also, I want to give a special thank you to albinoWolf58 . If you haven't seen their picture "Not Scar ", I highly recommend checking it out. It was an inspiration for me to do this picture and made me thing quite a bit about possible character interactions that we haven't seen in the original film.

Sarabi © The Lion King © Walt Disney Animation Studios
Kovu © The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride © Walt Disney Animation Studios
Tiifu © The Lion Guard © Walt Disney Animation Studios
Art © Vtoony