Suffering Before Happiness

Zivia had woken rather late that morning, with everyone to busy readying for the litter that Ilani was to bare they had forgotten to wake the cub. She rolled onto her side and opened her green-blue eyes sleepily with a yawn. She looked around and saw that sun already high in the sky. With wide eyes, she pulled herself up and danced out among the termite mounds, her eyes scouring the area. She saw a bee buzz its way over to her, and she snapped her jaws at it causing it to whizz away. The cub sat back and reached over behind herself to scratch at her back before turning around again.

She was confused as to why everyone seemed so impatient, as if something important was to happen. Un-known to the cub, her mother figure was about to give birth to a litter, and this news would excite her soon. She wondered which adult she could ask what was happening, but they all looked so busy she didn't want to be rude. Finally, after lazing underneath the sun in a light doze, a lioness that she remembered trotted over to her and greeted the cub. "Hiya! What's going on?" She asked, and was informed that her mother was ready to conceive. With a delighted squeal, Zivia pranced around happily.

The excitement that coursed through Zivia made her restless, and she chased the odd lizard or so in a way to burn extra energy. With a growl, she focused on the hunt of a green lizard, her tail hanging low behind her. She crouched down and crept forwards, careful not to knock over a stone. She saw one in her path, and carefully lifted each foot over it before crouching down lower and readied herself. She pounced on the lizard and caught it between her paws. She watched as it struggled within her grasp and bit the lizard playfully before letting it run free and again returning to her annoyance that she could not go visit her mother.

The sun was higher in the air when Kiume finally found his way out of the den again, he wanted to be left alone and everyone could notice. A few of his pridemates had returned to tell him that Lani had been buried in the land of kings; a special burial place by the Lone Tree where the royals of the Outlanders were laid to rest. The king hadn't really enjoyed the area, and he now sure wasn't going to. One of Kiume's advisers had assured the king that she was placed right next to Denali, and that she looked peaceful in death. But Kiume didn't care.

He had just lost his everything, it was like his life had just stopped then. But he couldn't end his own life now, he had cubs to take care of. And besides, would Lani have wanted that to happen? The cubs had already lost their mother, but to lose their father would be devastating. Kiume couldn't do that to them, they were his everything now. But then, Kiume remembered that not only did he have his cubs, but he also had Zivia. Zivia, the pale cub whom he rescued from the jaws of death months ago, she was again without a mother. And it pained Kiume to come to that realization.

Just as he was thinking of Zivia, the pale cub appeared on the path in front of him. How would he break this news to her? His instincts said to just go for it, and that's what Kiume did. The king padded up to the pale cub and coughed slightly to get her attention, "Zivia," the golden male sat down next to her, his head hung low. "There's something I have to tell you..."

The sun beat down on Zivia's back and made her restless and tired, but she also felt few bursts of energy when she became overly excited. Her life was at its happiest point, and she felt as if she would never be happier. The reality was that Zivia was about to take another blow to her happiness and have another motherly figure whom she adored ripped from her out-stretched paws. Many who would hear Zivia's story would feel sympathy for her losses, but never truly understand how much it would break the cub at such a young age.

For now, she was just lazing around in the sun, swiping her paw at a bee that continued to buzz around her. A few times, it almost dug its stinger in her paw but she rolled away and snapped her jaws at it, causing the bee to zoom away from her but return moments later. With a growl, she turned and hurried off to another spot by the termite mounds to doze in. She was sick of the bee's pestering her, she just wanted to see her mother and admire the newborn cubs.

It seemed that the day had flown by without Zivia realised it, but finally Kiume approached her. Being young, the cub failed to notice the initial hesitance and sadness that slumped his body and took the life out of his eyes, but she realised it in his voice. She bowed her head in greeting, as she always felt that the adults reserved her respect. With a tiny smile, her eyes filled with confusion as she darted forwards and rubbed her head against his leg. "Hello father, what is it? Is mother ready yet?"

Kiume pulled Zivia close to himself in a small embrace. She had asked about Lani and if she was ready to be viewed, and Kiume decided it was better now than later to reveal her adoptive mother's untimely fate. "Zivia..." Kiume paused, letting the sorrow sink into his own body, "Your mother didn't make it. She died after your siblings were born," It pained Kiume to reveal this information, he had lost his best friend and his lover. But young Zivia! She had just lost her mother for the second time in her life, how many more times would she have to go through with this?

The king had tears fall from his eyes, landing on the ground and some of the tears on Zivia's head. He leaned down and licked the pale cub's head, "She spoke of you before she left us darling, s-she loved you so much," Kiume would wait until Zivia was done with the initial sobbing to start talking again. But he couldn't execute the words, he couldn't speak! The emotion of his mate's death washed over him and strangled at his throat. He found it hard to breath, but at least he kept going.

Besides, he had his cubs to worry about now, he couldn't just leave them there. And now, Zivia was a big sister, she would have to meet the cubs sooner or later. But why not now? "My dear, why don't you come meet your siblings? You'll see that they all remind me of your mother in their own special way. Especially Kudumu, I think you'll just love him!" In spite of the pain Kiume felt, he wanted to keep the situation as bright as possible. The little girl next to him had so much to live for, she had to stay strong. Kiume wouldn't get up until his adoptive daughter was ready to, right now she needed comfort as much as the golden male was. And he was going to give it to her.

Zivia's smile faded, and she tilted her head as her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. After a small pause, the full weight of what she had just been told hit her and she wailed. "B-but! T-t-that's not f-a-ir!" Her voice broke as she choked the words out through her sobs. Her legs trembled as she tried to hold herself up, but it felt as if something were pushing her down and she let her legs collapse beneath her, sending her toppling to the ground by Kiume's feet.

She curled up against his legs, sobbing hard as her heart throbbed painfully. His words made her feel a bit better, that she knew her adoptive mother had loved her. She managed to stop her crying for a moment so she could respond. "I- I loved h-her too-o." She hiccupped and continued to cry softly, her head nuzzled against Kiume's leg. She felt she had been ripped off again, her mother had been taken away once more. Both times, she had dearly loved her mother and now they were both gone. She kept blubbering about it not being fair.

Her crying finally ceased to little sniffles and tears trailing down her face. She lifted a paw and wiped at the tears, before letting it drop and standing up. She rested her weight against Kiume's leg, too tired and weary to walk just yet. She looked up as he mentioned the cubs, and her eyes twinkled. She felt as if everything got a bit better at the mention of the cubs. "I- I would like to, father. B-but, my legs h-hurt." Zivia looked down at her trembling legs as if to further her point.

It nearly broke Kiume's heart to see his adoptive daughter in this state. Tears fell down his own cheeks as well, as he whispered to her calming sounds. She was right, it wasn't fair. Lani had been ripped from their grasp before her time was here., leaving not just three but four cubs that would have been her's. Zivia said that she loved her too, and Kiume frowned and nuzzled her head, "So did I sweetie, so did I..." And when asked if she wanted to see the cubs, Kiume saw a twinkle in her eyes.

Zivia complained that her legs hurt and Kiume nodded, "Don't worry, I'll carry you," The king stood and dipped his head, clenching his teeth ever so slightly on the scruff of her neck. The walk back to the dens was a silent one, for Kiume couldn't talk whilst carrying his non-biological daughter. But when they arrived, Kiume's tears started again. For a mere moment, the king swore he saw Lani standing there next to the cubs, watching as Chini looked over the cubs. Her own were with Furaha a small amount away, and it seemed as if Lani looked happy that her cubs were being taken care of.

Chini noticed the arrival of the king and bowed, standing up and walking over to her mate and own cubs. Currently the cubs were wide awake and moving around each other. It would be a few days until they opened their eyes, but Kiume knew that they would be beautiful. Kiume placed Zivia just a few inches away from the cubs and smiled. He picked up Kudumu softly with his paw and placed his on top of Zivia's own. "This is Kudumu, he looks the most like your mother. He's the smallest of the litter, so I expect you to watch him closely,"

Kiume would let Zivia keep Kudumu in her paws as he pulled Tao and Kavu close. They rested in his paws and pawed at each other, making Kiume smile and laugh at the same time. He waited until his daughter was finished gawking over the small cub to introduce the others. Kiume pointed with his nose at Kavu, "This is your little brother Kavu, he has your mother's under-pelt can't you see?" After that, he introduced the only girl in the litter, "And this is your sister Tao,"

But he didn't realize until right then that Tao carried the same marking of her mother on her nose. It was a light brown, the same shade as his own mane. He smiled when he noticed that his little girl had bangs starting to form. It seemed as if Tao was just like her mother without her colors. Kiume would wait until Zivia was done with Kudumu and then he would switch out the cubs with her until she had Tao in her paws. "Now Zivia, I know that you'll be a great big sister, so I want to ask you something..." This was Lani's daughter, she would be royalty just like Lani now was. "I want you to be a part of my family, but not just my family, the royal family. So how about it? Do you want to be a princess Zivia?"

Zivia stilled her sobs, and after a moment she had managed to stop shaking enough to look up at Kiume. The cub had suffered too much for such a young age, but she was strong and she didn’t want her father to think that she was weak. “She’s always with us, daddy,” Zivia sniffled and paused as a tear fell from her eye and she struggled not to continue sobbing. But, she negotiated with herself that not only did she have to stay strong to prove herself, she had to stay strong for Kiume. She didn’t want him to be upset, and it made her sad to see the wet fur of his cheeks. “In here.” Zivia nudged Kiume’s chest with her nose.

Zivia was most glad when he informed her that he would carry her, and she let him pick her up. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been carried like this, and it felt strange. She was ashamed to admit that some of her sadness had faded at the prospect of meeting the cubs. The happiness was tinted with tragedy, still. With tears still falling, she smiled softly as she saw the cubs playing. Each were magnificent in their own way, and so adorable that Zivia wriggled in Kiume’s grasp and was pleased when she was placed down.

“Hello, Chini.” Zivia greeted the other lioness, her voice croaky from crying. She watched as the elder lioness walked back to her mate and her own cubs, and Zivia’s attention was drawn to her sisters and brothers once more. She watched as Kiume placed Kudumu between her paws, and she nuzzled against his head, already making a promise to herself to keep him safe. He looked like her mother. “I will, father.” She examined the cub curiously, giggling as he bumped his head against her nose. He couldn’t see yet, so he got a fright and jumped, but Zivia licked the top of his head and he nestled back against her.

Zivia looked up again as Kiume brought Tao and Kavu over, and she smiled. It made her sad to think that these cubs would grow up without a mother, but she would make sure they never felt too sad about that. She would be the best friend they ever had, she promised herself. “I see.” Zivia said, after looking at Kavu closely. He had his fathers colouring, save for his mother’s under-pelt. “He looks like you.” She murmured, one of her paws reaching out to press against his own lightly. Her attention turned to Tao, and she gasped.

The golden cub held her fathers colouring, but she looked just like her mother. There was the triangle shape above her nose, and the bangs on her head. She was gorgeous, and more tears rolled down Zivia’s cheeks. She only wished her mother could be here, to sit with them and rejoice in the birth of these beautiful cubs. The memories of that day when Ilani had become her mother burned in her mind, but she would not succumb to sorrow. She focused on the cubs, and she moved herself so that she could gather each one into her arms. They were a little squished together, but she nuzzled each before letting Tao and Kavu continue to paw at each other.

Zivia looked up at her father as he began to speak again, and she listened with interest. She giggled as Kudumu nestled into her, and she smiled at her father, though her eyes were filled with sorrow. “I hope I will be a good big sister, father.” Zivia licked the top of Kudumu’s head, and reluctantly let him stumble away towards the sounds of his sister and brother playing. Zivia looked back up to her father with a gasp. “I-I would,” she struggled to find the words. “It would be my honor to be a part of the royal family, daddy.” Zivia smiled at the words, and found that she liked calling him daddy. Though it may not be so formal, it sounded nicer.

Kiume smiled as he listened to his adopted daughter call him daddy, it was music to his ears and he knew that she wouldn't be the only one calling him dad in the coming months. It brought tears to his eyes and the king quickly wiped them away. He let Tao and Kavu out of his paws to let the two try to crawl around on the floor of the termite mounds. Kiume hoped that with his new litter that new life would spring into the forsaken Outlands. Food was already hard to come by, and with five -his three and Chini's two- new mouths to feed it was going to be rough.

When Zivia accepted the invitation into the royal family, Kiume knew that his daughter needed to know she couldn't rule the lands. But what would be a good time to tell her? He sighed, "Good, but Zivia, you must realize that you aren't a full-blooded heir," Kiume alluded to the fact that she couldn't become queen and he hoped his daughter understood that. But he chuckled, "Besides, you're going to need to watch over your siblings when they rule these lands together! Who knows what arguments they'll get into with the same power," Kiume nuzzled his Zivia and looked over his new family.

It would be rough, but with Denali, Mufasa and now Lani watching over them, he knew that they would survive. He only wished that he and his queen could rule side-by-side and grow old together. But he knew that she would be there to help when needed. She would be there in his dreams and there to see him when he finally departed from these lands. With news that Simba was indeed alive, the Outlander king knew that it would only be a matter of time before his return to the Pridelands. With the rightful king in place, his family would be able to return and grow healthy in the blooming homelands of their father.

But with such news, Kiume kept it a secret. War would break out over this and if Rafiki was smart he would keep his mouth shut. The golden lion would rally his troops when the time came, and he would fight for Simba under Mufasa's name. Maybe they could shove off Scar to Gerezani Prison? Either way, Kiume would be ready for war; and so would his pride. But Zivia and the cubs were too young to be put through this and Kiume knew it well. But none-the-less the male smiled and looked to the sky in the holes of the mounds. "Do not worry my dear Zivia, I promise you this. We will be living a much better existence soon enough," And Kiume hoped it was true.

(OOC: We can end it there unless Zivia has more to say! Sorry it took so long! ^^')