Author's note: Saffy is Sarafina, Nala's mother. Mheetu is the son of Sarafina and Scar. Chumvi, Tojo, and Kula are triplets.

Disclaimer: I do not own Lion King, or the copyrighted characters. I may have renamed some (i.e. Scruffy = Nolan, Imara = Dotty, Gemara = Spotty) but that is it. I do, however, own Manny, the daughter of Kula and Mheetu.

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~Silvie

"Tani. TANI!" Vitani snapped out of her daze. "What? What is it?" She turned to her husband, Tojo. "What is it, Toj?"

Tojo shook his head in mock embarrassment. "Saffy wants you for a hunting run. Are you up to the challenge?" His blue eyes twinkled mischievously.

Vitani nudged him hard, playfully. "Of course I'm up for it! You couldn't pay me to stay home and get even fatter, even if I am pregnant." She smiled at him.

Tojo licked her ear sweetly. "Just be careful, okay? I don't want to lose you like I lost my sister."

Vitani pressed her nose to his cheek lovingly. "Don't worry; I'm not going anywhere. Anyway, I bet Kula is looking down on us now, happy that you found love at last." She stuck her tongue out at him and raced away to join Sarafina, Nala, Immy, Gem, Scruffy (now called Nolan), and Manny (Mheetu and Kula's only daughter).

x.x.x

Kiara watched her sister-in-law join the hunting run. She wished that Kovu would let her go on one. She was so bored being cooped up in the cave all day, but Kovu, like Simba, was very protective of her, and wouldn't let her out of his sight. She sighed, and laid her head down on her paws, thinking.

Chumvi padded up to Kiara, and touched her shoulder. "Hey girl. What's new?"

Kiara sat up and said, "Well, Mr Monkey Man told me that I'm having twins. Oh joy." She rolled her eyes sarcastically.

Chumvi laughed, and said, "Well, Tani's expecting Tojo's twins too. I think you two are due at about the same time; maybe even the same day."

Kiara smiled sardonically. "If that happens, then I won't blame Rafiki if he wants to leave the pride to live on his own for the rest of his life."

"Speaking of Rafiki, isn't it time for him to choose a new shaman? I mean, he's gonna die soon, isn't he?" Chumvi asked.

Kiara nodded. "He went back to his clan to see if any of the younger baboons want to become the next shaman. He should be back in two days."

Chumvi nodded. He watched his brother play with his birds. "I can't believe Tojo's birds have grown so big. I remember when they were so tiny, that Simba and I used to chase them all around, trying to eat them."

Kiara glanced at Chumvi. She had forgotten that he was the same age as her father; he seemed so much younger. "What was my dad like when he was a cub?"

"A lot like you, actually," Chumvi chuckled. "He was a little trouble maker. But of course it didn't help that he had me and Tojo by his side, and then Malka came over every once in a while. Then, when Mheetu was a toddler, he would follow us four all around. Unfortunately, your father never got to know Mheetu very well; he ran away when Mhee was only three weeks old."

"Did you guys include Nala, Kula, and Tama in your fun?" Kiara asked, intrigued.

Chumvi nodded, eyes darkening when he thought of his sister. "We played so many pranks on the girls, and when Simba and Nala found out that they were going to be married when they were older, well, Tojo, Malka, and I had so much fun teasing them. Even Tama and Kula joined in from time-to-time." He fell silent as he remembered how his sister died.

"How did Kula die, Chumvi? No one will tell me."

Chumvi took a deep breath. "It was about a month after we had formed our small pride. I was the lead male, with Tojo and Mheetu as my backups. Kula and Tama were our girls. Mheetu fell in love with Kula, and a couple months later she gave birth to Manny.

"One day, when Kula, Manny, and Tama were out hunting (Tama had already given birth to Nuka and Tani and had given them up), Manny came racing back to where we were lounging. 'Dad, Uncles, come quick! Mom's hurt!' Manny cried. Mheetu jumped to his feet and raced off in the direction from where she came from. Me n' Tojo followed quickly afterward.

"When we reached the spot where Kula had fallen, she was already starting to leave us. Mheetu was crouched at her side, murmuring into her ear. Tama was trying hard not to cry, while Manny buried her nose in Kula's fur. Me and Tojo just stood there like idiots, watching our sister die.

"Finally, Tojo whispered to Tama, 'How did this happen?' Tama replied, 'A wildebeest kicked her in the chest, breaking her ribs and collapsing her lungs. There's nothing we can do.' I just stared as my sister passed away.

"You see, me, Tojo, and Kula were triplets. When one of us was hurt, the other two could feel it. So when Kula died, it felt like a third of me died with her, and I know Tojo feels the same way. I know you have Tanabi as your twin, and Kopa as your older brother," Chumvi murmured, turning to Kiara, "but you will never know what it feels like to lose part of your soul."

"Excuse me?" Kiara snapped. "My older brother was attacked and nearly killed by Zira. He couldn't find his way home and he ran off to live with some hyenas, my father's archenemies. Then, Tanabi was stolen from my mother's side when he was just a day old. I have always felt as if a part of me were missing. Now that Kopa's back, some of that hole has healed, but until I know what happened to Tanabi, I will never be whole."

Chumvi rested his paw on her shoulder. "I'm sorry; I forgot. But, you do know that we brought Kopa back to you, right? The day of your marriage to Prince Kovu, we arrived at Pride Rock—with Kopa. That was one of the reasons your father let three males stay in the pride—because we brought home his eldest son. I'm just glad that Kopa has grown out of his 'I must be King' stage and has allowed Kovu to take the throne. I wasn't sure how he would deal with that, but I believe he made the right choice."

"Thanks, Chumvi," Kiara murmured. She closed her eyes and promptly fell asleep.