Powerful Words

Past secrets resurface

Cindy stood defiantly in front of Kiara and Kovu, refusing to give Pricilla to them. The little cub struggled in Cindy's grasp, but couldn't break free of her grip.
"Mommy she's squeezing me and it hurts, make her stop!" Pricilla cried as Cindy held her to her chest.
"Why're you calling her mommy? She's not your mommy, I am," Cindy said irritatedly.

"You're not my mommy! I don't even know you! Give me to my parents, you're bad! You're a bad lioness! You're bad! Give me to my mommy! My daddy! Let me go!" Pricilla shouted.
"Cindy you're hurting her! Let her go!" Kiara tried to grab Pricilla but Cindy growled and stepped back, completely out of Kiara's reach.

"Pricilla is my cub Kiara, she's my daughter, I gave birth to her, she's mine! I'm taking her home with me. You have you're own cub, keep her and give Pricilla to me," Cindy said angrily.
"You're not my mommy!" Pricilla tried again to escape, but Cindy growled and held her in her paws and sent her a hard look.

"Listen to me, you are my daughter. I am your mother, I carried you for five months, I don't care if you think she's your mother, she's not! You'll accept me as your mother whether you like it or not! Understand?!" Cindy shouted aggressively. Pricilla then began to cry, Kiara felt rage coursing through her veins. Cindy would pay for making her daughter cry.

Before she can make a move, Kion came running from behind Cindy along with him were three lionesses.
"What's going on here? I was patrolling the area and I suddenly heard Kiara shouting and Pricilla crying. I rushed over and bumped into these three lionesses and they told me that Kovu was running in this direction, he was looking troubled. Is everything okay?"

"Yes everything is perfectly fine, I'm just taking my daughter back home where she belongs," Cindy turned to look at Kion a rather complacent look in her eyes. Kiara seized the opportunity and pushed Cindy backwards and she fell on her rump due to the abrupt movement. She then picked up Pricilla and held her in her paws.

Kovu stepped in front of Kiara and the three lionesses that came with Kion stepped in front of Kovu, growling threateningly at Cindy, daring her to take another step. Cindy was very slick as well as cunning. Kovu wasn't taking any chances with his daughter and neither was Kiara. Cindy growled and got back on her feet, her violet eyes penetrating and cold.

"Get out of here Cindy, you have ten seconds. If I count to ten, and you're still on my territory, I will not be responsible for my actions. Get. Out. Now!" Kovu growled.
"Fine! I'll leave, but mark my words, I will be back. Pricilla is my daughter, I will not rest until I have her. Mark my words Kovu, I will be back!"
With this threat, Cindy turned and fled from the scene not looking back.

Kiara collapsed on the ground and hugged Pricilla to her chest, crying as she held her precious child close to her. Kovu dropped down next to his mate and nuzzled her, comforting her and their daughter.
"Daddy who was she? She was so scary, she squeezed me and said such mean things to you and Mommy," Pricilla asked as she looked up at her father, still in her mother's protective embrace.

Kovu was at loss for words. It was the first time Pricilla had met Cindy. She had no idea of the truth. The one that her parents had kept from her for do long. She was too young to understand. Kovu wasn't about to burden her innocent little mind with such things. Kiara wasn't her biological mother, Zalika was her half- sister, Cindy was her real mother. No. He wouldn't, he couldn't. Not now not ever!

Struggling for words, Kovu looked down at those curious emerald green eyes that were so much like his.
"Sweetheart she's just some lioness who was mistaking you for a cub she knew. She thought you were hers," he said finally.
"Is she my mother?" Pricilla asked.

Kovu hesitated. He didn't want to lie to his daughter, but it was the only way to shield her from the ugly, heartbreaking truth.
"No she's not your real mother," he said.
After a few minutes, Kiara rose off the ground and they walked up the steps and  the onto the platform. The three lionesses went their separate ways, Kiara, Kovu, their two cubs and everyone else including Aina, Shinda, Jaribu and Tamu stayed on the platform.

"Mommy now we're both hungry, can we have some milk please?" Pricilla asked as her little stomach rumbled.
"Yes Mommy, we're starving, can we have some milk?" Zalika chimed in as she pulled Kiara's tail.
"Okay. Come on, I'll feed you girls then we'll go take a nap," Kiara said as she laid on her side, allowing her cubs access to her nipples where they could nurse.

They laid down and assumed a comfortable position and began to suckle on the rich nutritious milk their mother supplied.
Kovu laid next to Kiara and she rested her head on his shoulder and sighed contentedly, bathing in her mate's proximity.
"Aunt Diana I don't understand something," Tamu said after a while of silence.
"If Pricilla is Cindy's daughter, why didn't Kiara give her up? She's not her biological mother is she?"

Upon hearing this, Kiara rose up off the ground, forgetting for a moment that her cubs were nursing and walked up to Tamu, her amber eyes blazing.
Nala and Diana moved out of Kiara's way and Tamu, not expecting such a reaction, gasped and backed away.

Kovu saw the fear in Tamu's eyes and smirked to himself as did Vitani and Marisa. Everyone knew that Kiara tolerated entitlement, ignorance, arrogance and other such behaviours to a limit. And then when that limit was crossed, Kings help whoever made Kiara angry.

Tamu seemed unaware of that, and Kovu, despite knowing that she didn't know Kiara all that well, should have stopped Kiara from doing whatever she was about to do, but decided against it. All the time since Tamu was in the pride she'd been pushy and out of place. She needed to be taught a lesson and Kiara, Kovu was happy to know, was the perfect one to do it.

"How dare you say such things? You don't know what's been going on, you have no idea what happened all those months ago. 'Pricilla is Cindy's daughter why didn't I give her back to her mother'? WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" Kiara shouted.

Tamu flinched and hid behind her mother.
"You're irritating me Tamu! Your mere presence irritates me, go somewhere and do something, I don't care where you go or what you do just get out of my sight!" Kiara said angrily.
"Kiara! Do not speak to my daughter that way," Aina said sternly.

"Your daughter is pushy, out of place and her behaviour is totally unacceptable! This morning she she had the nerve, to tell me to leave my husband and spend some girl time with her since 'he needs alone time'," Kiara snapped.

"Leave it baby, you said your piece, now come back and nurse the girls," Kovu said in an attempt to stop an argument from escalating. Kiara exhaled and walked back up to her husband and laid down to finish nursing her daughters. 
Tamu, highly insulted by Kiara's reprimanding, stormed off the platform with her Jaribu and her parents following closely behind.