sleuthy sleuth

Kiara has noticed that her friend can't quite keep eye contact anymore, often darting away quickly. When Kiara comes close to nuzzle her, groom her, even just to chat, she's been insistent on keeping more distance than usual, scooching away with an awkward and very unsubtle clearing her throat. On top of that, she's being leaving the den at night more and more to pace and grumble. Vitani might think she's being discrete but Kiara knows her enough to be able to tell when something's wrong. She's started to worry that her dear friend has started to lose sleep.

She's more than familiar with the old Vitani -- the quiet broody lioness who most times couldn't stand to stick around the pride, more out of habit than preference. She's reminded now of that Vitani.

There's no one she's enjoyed seeing come out of her shell more than Vitani. Except Kovu, of course. But she loves getting Vitani to crack that crooked smile of hers, getting her to loosen up and see that there's no immediate threat to look out for anymore. Kiara never bore witness to the atrocities Scar inflicted upon the Pridelands but she thinks witnessing how her new friends have been affected by Zira's tyrannical reign is the closest thing to it. The lack of food, the lack of support, the lack of love. She can't imagine what that's like.

Kiara does realize her privileged position; she's the Princess of the Pridelands for gods' sake. She knows she could never come close to knowing what it's like to suffer this greatly or to feel the after-effects of cruelty. But it's all she can do to check in on those who have.

So when her training lets out at the first sign of sunset, she spares Kovu a halfhearted nuzzle before going off in search of Vitani as she always does.

She's not at the watering hole, nor the fields, nor in the shady spot where they play-fought just a few days ago.

Hm. The Guard must have finished late today.

Kiara heads back to the Rock to visit the lair and approaches just in time to see Vitani exit with Imara at her side. The two are speaking with hushed tones and standing rather close. Vitani ducks her head in laughter and Imara nuzzles her side.

A pit forms in Kiara's gut. Huh. She must be hungrier than she thought. Yeah. That must be it.

Before she knows it, she's trotting towards them, calling, "Hey, Vitani!"

Her friend perks up instantly, those big ears of hers at attention. She looks hesitant but smiles at her nonetheless. Kiara grins as she makes her way over.

Imara nudges Vitani with her shoulder almost smugly, before bidding her goodbye and offering a respectful nod in Kiara's direction just as she comes face-to-face.

"Hi," Kiara breathes, only a little winded from her hurried journey over.

"Hi," Vitani breathes back, though she doesn't look tired at all.

Kiara tilts her head at her tall friend. "How was patrolling today?"

"Eh, it was fine. Imara just left to report to your old man. Had to chase off some mangy rogue who thought he could flirt with me and the Guard. Unfortunately, he was stubborn enough to let things get violent."

"Ugh, he sounds awful."

"Oh, he was," Vitani barks out an amused laugh, "But I knocked him flat and he ran away scared."

"Ha! You sure showed him," Kiara chuckles, finding herself circling around Vitani. She does things like this sometimes, stalking around Vitani as if hunting -- and at one point, Kovu as well -- and she doesn't quite know why. At this point, she's reasoned it's simply a natural habit. "How lucky we are to have you to protect us." She leans in to brush their sides together, nuzzling her cheek to Vitani's. "I missed you, y'know."

Vitani tenses but that's never been atypical. Touch has always been something her friend found hard to get used. "Oh, I, uh --" She clears her throat, thrown off her game. "I-I missed you too." She shakes her head. "But you just saw me yesterday, Princess!"

"I can still miss you!"

A snort. "Yeah, right."

Kiara is about to shoot a retort back when her nose starts to itch and a loud sneeze interrupts her, startling them both.

"Yeegh," Kiara exclaims, shaking her head and licking her nose, "Vitani!"

"What?"

"There's so much dust in your fur! No doubt from that fight. You seriously need a bath."

Vitani bristles. "Ugh, no way." She shakes herself out, ears flapping almost aggressively. "Look, I'm totally fi--" When she takes a step forward, her foreleg buckles and she stumbles, catching herself with the other foreleg.

"Vitani!" Immediately, Kiara is moving in to assist her.

"I'm fine, Kiara." Vitani grits. "It's just a sprain, nothin' I can't handle."

Kiara looks back towards the fields. Her mother won't be back with food a little while. "Come follow me."

"But --"

"Don't argue with me. Come on." Kiara headbutts Vitani's shoulder and though Vitani grumbles the whole way, they walk up Pride Rock together. There, several lionesses are resting out at the entrance of the den, grooming themselves and each other and sunbathing while they still have a sun to bathe in.

There's a round of greetings when the pair ascend, including Tiifu, Zuri and, surprisingly, Kasi, who are dozing in a pile together. Vitani stares as they pass; Kasi looks away in slight embarrassment.

They find a spot somewhere nearby, still warm from the sun, and Kiara gives a look that makes Vitani sigh loudly and plop down. Kiara settles in beside her.

"Hmph, good. Now..." Kiara leans in and starts grooming the fur on Vitani's neck; immediately Vitani jerks away. "Oh, come on, Vitani."

"I-I-I really think I can do this myself!" Vitani stutters.

"Don't be ridiculous," Kiara huffs. "You couldn't reach that neck of yours if you tried!" She leans in again and when Vitani dodges once more, she reaches with both paws to ensnare her head and hold it securely to her. Vitani struggles but doesn't go so far as to kick at her with her hind legs -- a great sign. "Ha. Good girl."

Vitani goes ramrod straight. Kiara pays her no mind and starts to groom the tuft on her head. Slowly, her friend starts to relax, though she maintains the tension in her shoulders, claws digging into the dirt. Eventually, that too leaves her, pressure rolling off her shoulders till even her claws, trained to be out at all times in attack position, start to sheathe themselves. She breathes a sigh and closes her eyes.

Delight fills Kiara's chest. There's something precious about this. Being able to just lie here in peace with someone once considered her enemy and relax together. To see her realize there's nothing to fear, at long last. Vitani has been scared for so long. She might not like to admit, but Kiara knows. Kovu has told her the hardships they all had to face at Zira's paws, Vitani in particular. He'd been blind to it, at first, giving in to Zira's hate-filled rhetoric and training. But the months after the war had allowed the siblings to open up to one another, where they'd previously been emotionally standoffish.

Vitani was the one keeping their family together. Her closeness to their older brother as both of Zira's neglected children and her admittedly enforced love for Kovu was bridged by her need to do right by her mother. She amplified the admiration for her younger brother among the Outsiders, she kept her older brother in line, and, greatest of all, she was the perfect soldier. Savage and wild and bloodthirsty, eager to fight and, lucky for Zira, eager to please. Because, however small, that was the closest she would get to actual love from Zira.

A transactional, militaristic relationship.

And when at last she defied her mother, she was quickly cast aside.

Where Vitani had loved Kovu superficially, as taught by Zira, there was also the real love of being the only sibling who truly cared for him. They're twins, after all, as easy it is to forget, uniquely linked. That love was smaller, unfostered, buried away, but it was there. Her betraying Zira was what made Kovu realize there was more that needed to be talked about. How could they leave things the way they were? After they'd lost their only mother and Nuka, after not even knowing their supposedly shared father, how could they go on not truly knowing one another?

The months of healing did them well. While Vitani had been reclusive at first, there were times where she was seen with Kovu and she looked truly happy. Now, they're closer than they'd ever been, and Kovu happily recounts their visits together to Kiara.

It makes Kiara wonder: does Vitani fear being cast out again? Is that why she's been so aloof? Is she afraid that the peace is delicate, that it'll all fall apart one day and her value will be reduced to nothing once again?

Kiara will do anything to keep her from feeling that way.

An easy rumble in Vitani's throat draws her from her thoughts. She's nearly clean now, her usually unruly tuft smoothed into a funny-looking cowlick, but Kiara is reluctant to let her go.

"Something's been bugging you lately, hasn't it?"

Vitani's eyes open and, regrettably, a small amount of tension comes back to her. She's quiet for a long time, as if calculating her response.

"It's nothing you gotta worry about, Princess. I'll be fine."

Perfectly calculated, in fact. Something that says she shouldn't press or pry, even jokingly. Something Vitani wants to sort out herself. And as much as Kiara wants to help with this, to get her sleep and ease again, she has to respect it.

"Okay," Kiara settles on, "But if you want to talk, or need help in any way, you know I'm here for you, right? I always will be."

Vitani tilts her head and looks earnestly at her. Her violet eyes are soft, softer than she's ever seen them. A thumping erupts in Kiara's chest.

"Yeah. I know, Ki."

"I-I really care about you," Kiara finds herself blurting, "You're my best friend."

"What? But I thought Tiifu and Zuri were your best friends," Vitani says, surprised, "Or, Kovu? I can never keep track."

"No -- I mean, well, yes, they are -- but I can have multiple!" Kiara sputters, suddenly nervous and not knowing why. "The point is, I...I feel so close to you. I couldn't stand it if you were hurting a-and there was something I could do to help you."

The whole exchange gives Vitani pause and she's quiet for a long moment.

Then, miraculously, terrifically, magnificently, Vitani allows herself to nuzzle the side of her face into Kiara's chest.

"You're my best friend too, Kiara." Vitani smiles that lovely, crooked smile. "I...really care about you too."

It feels as though a storm cracks through her.

She's shaken, almost vibrating in her pelt. Her fur is warm, her mouth is dry -- what is this? She prays -- oh gods, she prays -- that Vitani can't hear her thunderous heartbeat. It would be awful of her to ruin this moment.

But what is it that's afflicted her?

Imara has to admit she's not entirely used to sleeping in a dark, cool den full of other lions; it's a far cry from sleeping in the dust of the Outlands, the rising sun hot on her pelt, tail and ears flicking away the termites that crawled over her. She can't complain though. There's an easy comradery in it that living in Zira's pride had never achieved, to be able to lean into the nearest warm, slumbering body when needed without worrying you'll be kicked away antagonistically -- kind, almost familial.

Since the migration to the Pridelands, Imara has come to like the lions in it, despite all her raising to despise them. It had taken quite a bit of healing and talking with the other lionesses -- from both groups -- to finally admit that. She used to be one of the skinniest of the Outlanders, something of a runt as a cub and always shoved from what little food could be scrounged up, the surprising generosity of the others allowed her to finally eat without worry to her heart’s content and build more body weight than she could've ever dreamed of having. She feels safe and supported here.

So these days, when she rises, bright and easy, stretching her ever-growing muscles and shaking her ears out, she's happy to pay it forward.

Today, she hops down the Rock and is the first to be at the base.

Next is Tazama, who greets her quietly yet warmly; then Shabaha, whose limp from the war has become hardly noticeable now; then, ironically, Kasi, who grumbles as they slink down the Rock.

"Nice of you to join us, Kas," Imara chuckles. "What kept you up so late last night?"

Kasi grouses, grooming a paw, "Noth --"

"I know what," Shabaha butts in, snickering, "You were up talking to Zuri last night, weren't you?"

From the way Kasi bristles, they can all tell Shabaha's right on the money. "...No, I wasn't . I can't even stand tha brat, let alone hold a conversation with her."

Shabaha laughs that wild laugh of hers, as if that's the funniest thing in the world. "Oh, please! I could hear you two giggling like cubs in the corner of the den! Who knew you could be such a charmer?"

"That -- you --" Kasi fumbles for words, their ears flattened in embarrassment, obviously caught. "Sh-Shut up, Shabaha! I-It was just…just idle conversation, nothing to gawk abou --"

"Yeah, you sure like gawking at her, don't you --"

"Why, you -- "

"Um, not to interrupt," Tazama says, distracted but clearly disturbed by their noise, "but it's past sunrise already; where's Vitani?"

The group falls silent as they realize she's right; they're far past their usual patrol time and their leader is nowhere to be found.

"Gosh," Imara says, "you guys don't think something happened to her, do you?"

"She might be sick?" Shabaha suggests. "Did you guys notice her looking strange yesterday?"

"Not me," Kasi says, shrugging. “‘Zama?”

"Hm," Tazama ponders, "I did notice something…odd last night at supper. Vitani looked quite anxious and didn't seem to eat much. In fact, she ended up giving the rest of the meat to Princess Kiara."

Imara's ears perk up at that. "Hey, yeah, now that you mention it, she didn't really say anything at supper. Neither of those things are really like her."

Tazama nods fervently, "Yes, yes, and also , I swear I heard her leave a little after everyone settled in to sleep. I think I could hear pacing just outside. It doesn't seem like she came back in."

Imara hums, then sniffs the air, then the ground. "Well, she's nearby. C'mon, guys, I think she's in the lair."

Sure enough, when they enter the lair, they find a lanky figure curled on the ground, breathing gently.

"Vitani?" Kasi calls.

No movement.

"Vitani, are you alright?" Tazama asks, as they all approach.

Still, nothing.

"VITANI! " Shabaha belts loudly, shaking her shoulder. Vitani bolts awake, eyes wide and growling, her stance defensive, fur standing on end. The four take an appeasing step backward.

"Whoa there," Imara attempts to soothe, "It's just us, Vitani."

Their leader freezes and blinks, eyes clearing. Her muzzle unwrinkles and her jaw goes slack. "Oh...jeez, I'm sorry, guys. I thought -- um --"

"It's alright, Vitani," Tazama placates, and Vitani drops her stance to lay on the ground again, yawning. "You didn't show for patrol --"

"Shit, what time is it!?" Vitani jolts up again but the Lion Guard blocks her path. "We gotta --"

"Absolutely not, dude," Kasi says.

"Indeed," Tazama agrees, "Patrol can wait for just a bit."

"But --"

"We can tell there's something wrong, Vi," Imara says. "What's eatin’ you? You didn't have much food last night and Tazama heard you get up and pace outside. And now we're finding you slept in here last night? C'mon, fess up."

Vitani, caught, gapes at her former squadron. "I..." And realizing there's no sense in making up excuses, she sighs heavily. Gone are the days where they were emotionally unavailable with one another in order to remain tough. They can all admit that they need this vulnerability now to survive after everything Zira had done to them. 

She starts slowly and quietly, "Yesterday...when we were done with evening patrol, I met up with Kiara to hang out like usual. But it was…different this time."

She doesn't look at them, looking conflicted and frustrated.

"Different how?" Imara gently presses.

Vitani heaves a sigh. "I think..." She trails off before growling voicelessly. Her friends nearly back away again -- they know how she can get when angered -- but in an instant the anger drains away, leaving shame in its wake. She squeezes her eyes shut. "I think I...I'm in love with Kiara."

All their ears point sideways and they gape in astonishment.

"Ah." Tazama is the first to speak up. "That is quite the conundrum."

"Wait, I'm confused," Shabaha says, "How did that make you eat less and lose sleep?"

"Shabaha..." Kasi says exasperatedly, knocking their shoulder into her.

"She's my brother's girlfriend, that's why! Ugh, how could I be so --" She lays her head flat on the the ground and covers her eyes with her paws, looking humiliated. "I'm such an asshole."

"Don't say that," Imara says, kneeling in front of her. "C'mon. Tell us how you know."

"How I --"

"How you know you're in love. "

Vitani lifts her paws away, staring up at her Strongest. "I...Well...Sh-She's just so kind to me and -- and brave and strong. I think the war was the first sign. Her standing up to her father like that, standing between him and us, gods, I have so much respect for her. Whenever I see her, I just...can't help but feel happy." She softens entirely. 

The rest of the Guard are shocked. Vitani is not the soft type. Though she may have let her eyes linger, she has never once swooned over any lioness ever. They can tell that even thinking about Kiara has an effect on their leader. 

"Yesterday, we were play-fighting and she pinned me so quickly. No one has ever done that, not even an Outlander. That's what made me realize that -- that --"

Anxious fright floods her expression, the realization that she's in deeper than even she realized, and she covers her face again, groaning. "She can never know!"

Imara, feeling sorry for her, asks, "Well, why not?"

"'Why not? '" Vitani mimics, suddenly lost in her own head, "It's embarrassing, it's -- it's disgusting! I'm weak for this. How could she -- How could I feel this way for -- What would my mother think?"

The mention of Zira sends a chill through all of them.

"Your mother isn't here," Kasi reminds firmly. And thank the gods for it, goes unsaid.

"Vitani..." Tazama steps closer. "Kasi's right. This isn't the Outlands; there's no reason to feel ashamed for loving Kiara." 

They all know that it isn't loving Kiara specifically that's the issue; it's loving, period. In their childhood, Zira liked to instill the belief in their heads that love was a fickle, weak thing. Something that makes you soft and distracts you from the ultimate goal of overthrowing Simba. As adults, they now see what a hypocrite she was, obsessed to extreme ends with her past lover, and understand it was simply a manipulation tactic to get them to focus on being her soldiers full-time, giving more attention to their physical prowess with the added goal of stunting them emotionally.

Once upon a time, Vitani had let herself stray. As a teenager, despite her best efforts, she fell for another of Zira's followers -- a defiantly kind lioness named Kuuma who always, always shared her rations with Vitani and whose laugh sent a wave of butterflies through her stomach. She never got the chance to pursue anything with her; Zira had been observing her closely, saw how her eyes would linger, how they got lost in one another while together.

One less soldier was an easy price to pay for teaching her foolhardy daughter a lesson.

It was Vitani's mistake, her fault. How dare she, her mother's most loyal confidante, lose sight of their cause?

Maybe if she had just been stronger, kept her base desires in check, Kuuma would still be…

Vitani swallows, finds herself close to tears. She tries to bite them back, shoulders shaking. The four at last lie down beside her in comfort. Imara gently nuzzles her cheek. Shabaha touches her paw to Vitani's. Kasi leans their head on her back. Tazama leans a foreleg on her side.

The affection makes Vitani break, sobbing quietly.

They stay like that for a long moment, before Vitani's breathing evens out again and she's stopped shaking. The Guard wait patiently and occasionally groom her in consolation.

"I would never do anything to come between her and Kovu. Never." Vitani sighs. "He’s my brother. I promised myself I’d never hurt him again. And…even if she weren't with Kovu," she mumbles lowly, "There's no way she'd want to be with...someone like me. And what if she's disgusted? Then I'd lose someone I consider my best friend. I...I can never tell Kiara."

The Guard is quiet for a long time. Imara is the one who breaks the silence.

"Vitani, you know Princess Kiara better than we do. Do you really think she'd stop being friends with you over this?"

Vitani looks sorely down at the dirt between her paws. "...No."

Tazama smiles. "We all saw the bravery and kindness that ended the war. If you told her, even if she didn't feel the same, even if she doesn't like lionesses, I think she'd appreciate your honesty."

Shabaha and Kasi make sounds of agreement. Their leader thinks about it for a moment.

"I...I'm not ready to tell her. But I won't let it change anything between us. You all are right; I don't think she'd be that cruel." She lets out a final sigh. "I'm going to be mature about this. Thank you, guys, for listening to me and giving me advice."

Vitani rises from their emotional support pile, shakes the dust from her fur, and stretches, before puffing her chest out in determination.

"Now c'mon. We've got some patrolling to do."

--

i don't see much delving into trauma that revolves around zira's treatment of her kids and the other outlanders. i'm super into exploring that and showing how these characters are healing in their own ways. vitani's got some issues because of her mom's bs, especially because she seemed to be her number one grunt.

for timeline sake, at the end of tlk2, kiara, kovu, and vitani are young adults, equivalent to 18-year-olds, the rest of the guard being early 20's-ish. in this story, kiara, kovu, and vitani are about 21-22 and the guard are mid-20s, maybe 25-ish. much more mature and working things out. for further reference, kion is still age group behind, just now growing his mane out (and yet still married before kiara who has the sense to take things slow lmao).

As soon as her back hits the ground, Vitani gasps, eyes springing open, registering her surroundings one element at a time. First, the pink sky. Then, the dust floating up into the air. Then, a paw pressed to her chest. Then, at last, Kiara's triumphant face.

"Pinned ya! " the princess laughs. "Aw, man, you should see your face right now!"

As she boasts on and on, Vitani can only stare up at her in bewilderment.

No one has ever overpowered her so easily like that, even while play-fighting. Not Kovu, not Imara -- hell, not even her mother. Bitten, maybe. Swiped at and scratched, of course. Kicked in her gut with claws out, abso-fucking-lutely.

But this? Never has she had all power stripped away in just one circular motion, in such a short time.

And it was done by Kiara.

Kiara.

Pretty little pampered princess Kiara. A daddy's girl. A goofball.

Kiara with her big eyes, the color of the burning Outland sky; her jutting chin; her big, stupid, fantastic grin; her dumb, gargantuan muscles.

Kiara with her kindness, believing in Vitani’s abilities and trusting without reservation.

Kiara intercepting her, accepting the fall onto her own back if only to push Vitani upward to gain the advantage easily.

Kiara pinning her down with just a light paw now, out of breath and bragging about her victory, her golden fur dusty and tousled.

Kiara, Kiara, Kiara.

Vitani blinks. Oh.

"--used it on my dad all the time, it's practically her signature move!" Kiara hasn't caught wind of her internal dilemma. "You should've seen Kovu's face when I--"

Kiara. Her brother's girlfriend.

Vitani's stomach squirms uncomfortably.

"--right? Vitani?"

"HUH? " Vitani gasps, pulled back to attention to find Kiara looking at her with concern in those big eyes, those big, beautiful eyes – Gods, stop it . "Wh-What?"

"I asked if you're alright."

"Oh. Um. Yes. Yeah. I'm, uh -- I’m good. I'm cool."

Kiara quirks a brow at her and looks at her with an amused smile. Regrettably, oh gods, so regrettably (STOP IT , Vitani screams at herself), she moves off of her.

"You must be really tired after today. Sorry about that, I shouldn’t have thrown you around like that, heh.” (Don’t apologize, never apologize – fucking stop, Vitani! ) “Hey, c'mon, I think Mom's hunting party just got back." She looks off towards Pride Rock, smiling, and is already turning towards it to seek out her mother's figure. "I think I'll go meet her there. They may need help portioning." 

Vitani rights herself and gazes at her sturdy figure, the savannah sun glinting over her, a halo forming over her head. 

Kiara turns and grins at her. "Meet you there? As the victor of our fight, I demand you sit next to me at supper."

Once the Outlanders had settled in the Pridelands, Vitani had initially been standoffish, preferring to either stick close to her former squadron or patrol the borders of the Pridelands by herself. Loathe as she was to keep away from her brother -- her only family now -- being around the royal family caused her hackles to raise involuntarily. It did nothing to quell King Simba’s leftover anxieties over how trustworthy the daughter of his enemy was but she needed time, they all knew; to spend your life as a pawn to a warmonger, preparing to overthrow a kingdom, and then end up making peace and living in said kingdom is no easy task.

It all changed with the concern of who would fill the position of Lion Guard in Kion's stead. All the creatures of the Pridelands were called to the Rock to seek council and discuss. It was an open forum and anyone was allowed to offer their suggestions. As King Simba would mention in his preamble to the meeting, his father would hold meetings like this so the lower subjects would not feel alienated in his reign.

Like clockwork, they gathered in the center of the plain, the royal family lying upon a flat rock, lions of their court around them, the elephants in the back and allowing smaller creatures to rest upon them, baboons and their babies nestled into trees alongside giraffes. The buffalo rest by the watering hole, the hippos poking their heads over the water’s surface, keeping cool as they listen, and the zebra and antelope graze all the while.

Vitani had never seen so much prey in one place, but contrary to seemingly popular belief, she’s no mongrel. She chose to linger in the back, feeling out of place in the communal crowd and hardly listening to them all babble on and on.

It was only when Kiara spoke up that her attention was caught. "What about Vitani?"

Creatures of all sizes turned towards her. Vitani, startled, bared her teeth out of instinct. "What about me?"

The prey around her trembled at her hostile response, but Kiara was unphased; in fact, she smiled. "Well, I figure if there's anyone who's up to protecting the Pridelands, it'd be you. I always see you out there diligently patrolling the border."

The Pridelanders couldn't help but agree. While initially stubbornly reluctant to fill such a highly spoken-of position, even Vitani had to admit: being the Pridelands' protector gave her something to do that felt satisfyingly familiar. 

King Simba, placing an overwhelming amount of trust in his daughter, gave his blessing in the decision; the job was hers from then on, but she couldn’t do it alone. Her Guard needed the strongest, fastest, bravest, and keenest-of-sight she could find and there was no group better equipped for these positions as her old squadron.

They all took to it quite quickly. It seems they were feeling similarly out of place in the aftermath of the war. Imara, with her newfound strength from her weight gain after finally finding sufficient food, impressed the Pridelanders with her ability to carry so many of them out of harm’s way. Kasi, eager to use her skills from her days as the team’s scout, rivaled Fuli, her predecessor, in her record speeds to relay information between trouble and the Guard. Shabaha found the life of a simple subject to be rather boring and was at last able to achieve the thrills she’d missed from her days in the Outlands. And Tazama, once trained to be an observant lookout, felt satisfaction in her usefulness to the kingdom, in a way that was far less murderous and risky.

They already had the advantage of knowing how to work as a unified team. As the Guard, they prospered far more than before.

And so, slowly, Vitani began to open up more. Protecting the lands put her in everyone's good graces; she was no longer a soldier, but a guardian.

This also meant reporting closely to Kiara. King Simba was emboldened from his daughter’s vouching of Vitani and placed her in charge of the Guard’s operations. The princess, strange creature that she is, seemed more than happy to have a way to keep in contact with Vitani, even to the point of becoming… friends . 

Vitani had always found her to be odd. Pretty. But odd. Before she’d assumed Kiara was a ditz, just a royal with shit for brains who understood nothing of life’s realities and was easy enough to trick into being a cog in her mother’s plan; but when she and Kovu ended the war by force, all her assumptions were dashed instantly.

She leaned into it. Kiara was kind. Though the royal family might have given her the creeps sometimes, Vitani had no reason to think she held any animosity toward her, especially Kovu at her side.

As their relationship slowly transitioned from friendly at work to friends before and after work, it was strangely easy to lie in the sun with her, chat about their days, and even groom one another, just as the other lions do.

Which leads them to now.

As per usual after the day’s work is done, the pair of them are stretched out together on a grassy strip and enjoying the warm sunset. Conversation had metered out into content silent.

Beyond comfortable in the dirt, her arms and paws satisfyingly sore from evening patrol, Vitani can’t help but linger on the fact that she no longer feels the anxiety she used to feel in the Pridelands. Things changed entirely without her even realizing.

Vitani asks, "Hey. Can I ask you something?"

Kiara looks over and gave that bright, playful smile of hers. "You just did."

"Aw, shut up."

Kiara giggles. Vitani can't help but crack her own grin. "Sorry, sorry. Go ahead."

“You remember the council meeting from a couple seasons ago? The one where they were discussing who’d lead the Lion Guard.”

“Yeah?”

“Why’d you vouch for me then?”

Surprised for a moment, Kiara quickly sobers and sits up from her supine position. "Oh. Well...I mean, I meant what I said. There's really no one I could think of that'd be better for the job than you."

"But we didn't know each other then. Not like now." The princess has a way with getting people to open up to her.

"True, but Kovu had told me a lot about you."

Kovu. Right. Vitani's throat tightens for a reason unknown to her.

Kiara continues, eyes searching Vitani's, "He's told me about how strong you are and how you took care of him when no one else could. You were at the forefront of Zira's army."

Vitani breaks eye contact to swipe at some pebbles in front of her. "Ain't exactly a good thing, Princess."

"What I mean is, you're experienced in both leading a group and extending that paw of guardianship.”

Vitani grumbles, brushing off the accolade. She shouldn’t have asked. 

Kiara examines her for longer before smiling a tad cheekily. 

“You wanna know something? You act all cool and tough and mysterious, but at this point, I think I've got you pegged, Vitani."

Vitani raises a brow, something of a thrill rolling over the fur on her back. "Oh, you do , do you?"

Kiara leans in, smiling. "Yeah. Despite it all, you're a big softie ."

It's enough to throw Vitani into a fit of laughter. She shoves Kiara's shoulder. "Oh, fuck you!"

Kiara shoves back. "It's true! You're a lion on the outside, but, like, a bunny on the inside!"

"You take that back!" Vitani pounces and Kiara receives her readily. The two wrestle in the dirt, laughing and kicking up grass. Kiara is not the little lioness she was at the time of the war. She's bulked up significantly since then, with her training to ascend to the crown continuing where it had left off. Vitani has to admit; she's rather impressed by her progress. She herself has started to fill out with her newfound and ever-replenishing food source here in the Pridelands, but Kiara was truly something to marvel at in terms of physique goals.

Eventually, Vitani breaks free, panting, "Damn, I guess the termite's been teaching you well!"

Kiara glared playfully. "Oh, none of that was Kovu; my mom taught me those moves!"

"Oh, yeah?" Vitani rolled her shoulders in anticipation and crouched readily, "Well, now I'm interested. Show me some of those moves you learned from your mommy ; I want a good fight outta you, Princess!"

Kiara readies herself, almost perfectly mirroring Vitani. "Bring it on!"