The Lion King - The Wisest Princess

Chapter 23 - Fuli's New Family (Part 2)

Kion turned around to see his twin sister walking towards him with a worried look on her face, and the guilty feeling in Kion's stomach grew as he started realizing just how badly he'd messed up. Kia noticed the guilty look in her brother's eyes, and it made her worry that she'd just seen Fuli run off.

Kamaria - "Kion...What happened? Is Fuli okay?"

Kion - "I...I messed up. Really bad."

Kamaria - "I'm sure whatever you did was with good intentions. But what did you do?"

Kion - "I—I know today must be really hard for Fuli, especially since you couldn't be there to go with her to the Majonzi Fields...So the boys and I decided to invite her to join our family activities. But she...didn't really have much fun."

Kamaria - "...Kion, I told you what to do for Fuli. She doesn't need to be dragged into large crowds of animals, and she doesn't need to be reminded that most animals live together in packs while she doesn't."

Kion - "I didn't mean for her to think—"

Kamaria - "I know you didn't, and I'm pretty sure she knows that too. But it's not just about that, Kion. Cheetahs like to be alone, especially Fuli. Being able to run freely and be on her own gives Fuli the peaceful feeling that we get from being in a pride. Not everyone likes to be in a crowd, you know."

Kion - "...I really messed up, Kia."

Kamaria - "You never meant to hurt Fuli, and you only wanted her to feel included...But for someone like Fuli, letting her know she can have her own space is how you can make sure she knows you're there for her."

In the Outlands, Bunga remained oblivious to the drama going on between his friends as he trotted towards the volcano. Jumping around and over the lava inside the volcano, Bunga remained unaware of Cheezi watching him from a ledge. Reporting back to Janja who was in the middle of his spa day, Cheezi's grin got bigger as he explained how their dinner had been delivered to them. The hyenas watched Bunga messed around and sit in the steam holes, much to their absolute confusion.

Chungu - "I don't understand. That stuff is hot! Even I know not to do that."

Cheezi - "Hahaha! Yeah, what's that honey badger thinking, huh?"

Janja - "Who cares? Our dinner is cooking itself!"

One amazing song by Fuli later...

Fuli stood on the ledge and looked at the animals below, watching the foals of the herds play with their mothers and fathers, and she felt a sting in the back of her throat. Realizing she had tears forming in her eyes, Fuli tried to shake them away as she turned around and made her way to the hunting grounds. But at the sight of Majonzi Fields in the distance, Fuli decided she'd been strong long enough and let herself fall to the ground, letting her tears fall as she remembered her brother. At the sound of someone approaching her, Fuli stood up with her fur raised, but relaxed when she saw it was only Ushari. While the expression on his face wasn't exactly sympathetic, his eyes were softer than they usually were.

Fuli - "Oh, hey, Ushari. I was just leaving."

Ushari - "...Are you alright?"

Fuli - "Huh?...I'm fine, don't worry."

Ushari - "Alright...Tell Kia I said hello, alright?"

Fuli - "Yeah, sure..."

Fuli stood there in silence as she watched Ushari awkwardly slither away, before a small grin came onto her face. While she never had any interest in getting to know him, Fuli always had a sense of respect for Ushari and the cobras, but it sometimes faltered when he'd do something that went against the Circle of Life. Letting Ushari be on his way, Fuli continued her journey to the hunting grounds, but she couldn't help the bad feeling she had in her stomach. Meanwhile, the twins had met up with Beshte and Ono, and Kia immediately noticed the guilty expressions on her friends' faces.