Kamaria's stomach felt funny. It must have been the bugs she ate before Simba and her left for her first training session this morning. They must have been bad or maybe even sick when she ate them.

"Okay now crouch lower, you need to stay downwind, they can't smell you coming that way." Simba whispered into her ear. He was so close to her, she could feel his body heat wrap around her.  The closer he was, the sicker she felt. Her stomach was twisting and turning in ways she didn't think it could.

"Right, downwind. Got it." Simba moved away from her, giving her a bit more room as they stalked towards the awaiting warthog and meerkat.

Timon and Pumbaa claimed they were forced into helping Kamaria in her training, but really, they were happy to help. Kamaria was finally learning the things they couldn't teach her.

"Oh wow, I hope no lions come and try to eat me." Timon said out loud, knowing the two were close by.

"Lions? Where?" Pumbaa yelled as he looked around, scared a lion was about to attack. Timon had to quickly grab onto Pumbaa's hair, as Timon was atop the warthogs back.

"No, it's Kamaria and Simba. Remember?" Timon said to Pumbaa, bending down to look into his big eyes.

"Oh, right right." Pumbaa said, calming back down.

"Okay, when you feel steady then—" Kamaria leapt towards her friends, tackling both to the ground.

"Ha! I did it!! Did you see? I did it!" Kamaria yelled happily as Timon and Pumbaa looked around in a daze. They weren't expecting Kamaria to be able to knock them over so quickly.

"Wow! Kamaria, you're a natural!" Kamaria beamed up at Simba as he stood next to her. Simba felt a smile appear on his own face as Kamaria continued to happily say she did it.

"Thank you Simba! I feel like a lion already!" Kamaria said quickly, rushing up to lay her head over his furry neck. He was still growing his mane out and had a few years to go before it was full but it was unusually soft.

"Yea, sure. Not a problem." Simba said back.

Realization quickly slammed into the lioness. She was hugging Simba, she was hugging Simba. She once again felt that sick feeling in her stomach. It felt like the bugs she ate were coming back to life, crawling and flying inside her. She didn't like it, it felt weird.

"Well, um, thank you. Again." Kamaria said, removing herself from Simba and turning to check on Timon and Pumbaa.

While the bugs stopped moving in her stomach, she couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment wash over her at leaving Simba's embrace. Quickly shaking the unwanted and unusual feeling, Kamaria was quick to help both dazed animals up.

"Sorry, I didn't meant to knock you over so violently." Kamaria sheepishly apologized.

"It's okay! Lion training, yay." Pumbaa said as he stood up, only to teeter and fall back down. Grimacing to herself, Kamaria bent down and helped Pumbaa back up. She then helped Timon onto her back.

"You okay Timon?" She questioned to the meerkat. Shaking his head, Timon found himself seeing two Simba's in front of him.

"Yep! Can we eat grubs now?" Kamaria laughed at  Pumbaa wanting to eat after being tackled, even if it was all in good fun.

"Wait! I have an idea! We should go eat now!" Timon said atop Kamaria. Simba chuckled as he walked from Kamaria's front to her side.

"I think grub would be good. Keep up our energy." Kamaria nodded and walked towards a damp rotting log.

"Should be plenty of grub here." Kamaria waited for Pumbaa to use his tusk to rip the top of the log off.

Seeing the feast in front of them, the four animals dug in as they laughed about their day together.

———

Simba and Kamaria now stood at the edge of the Oasis as the sun rose behind them. They had been practicing and training for awhile now, days had passed since their first training practice. Today, the duo were going to explore outside the Oasis. Simba thought Kamaria was ready to handle anything, well mostly anything, that came her way.

"You ready?" Simba asked to a nervous looking Kamaria.

She had managed to fully step out of the Oasis and even venture a bit into the savanna. She could do this, she could explore the savanna and feel confident in her abilities.

"With you by my side? I think I'm ready for anything." Simba smiled at her words before both lions rushed into the new setting.

As they passed the final row of trees between the Oasis and savanna, both slowed to a stop at what lay in front of them.

"Is a savanna usually this humid?" Kamaria asked as she looked out into the distance. The Oasis had plenty of rain and water sources, it usually was foggy and wet there in the mornings. But this place was dry and deprived of water.

"No, it usually has tall green grass and skinny trees with lots of green leaves for animals to eat. This is... different." Simba said as he watched a tumbleweed drift by him. He took a few steps forward and looked off into the horizon.

Kamaria walked up to his side as Simba just looked into the distance. Following his gaze, Kamaria couldn't see anything but more dry land.

"What are you looking for?" Simba blinked as he was brought out of his thoughts.

"What?" Kamaria asked Simba her question again.

"Oh, nothing. Just... my pride. It's in that direction, if you go straight you reach it. I sometimes wonder if they..." Kamaria nodded in understanding. If they missed him. Wanted him to come home. Knew the truth of what happened that fateful day.

"You know, I would never stop you from going home, right? Sometimes I wonder if you should." Simba sent a bewildered look to Kamaria.

"Do you hate me that much you want me to leave?" Kamaria's eyes widen as she shook her head no.

"No, no. It's just, I see you Simba. I see how you think about home sometimes, how you stare into the stars looking for answers to your unspoken questions. I might not have been with you your whole life, but I'm not blind to see what you want." Simba shook his head, turning around to head back to the Oasis.

"No, you're wrong. I don't want to go home. They don't need me there. They're better off without me." Simba said as he walked back towards the Oasis.

"Simba, I didn't mean to assume—"

"No, you didn't. You don't know anything. You've never even been in a pride before. You've never even met your parents! You wouldn't understand what I've been through. Why I can't go home." Simba scoffed as he left a heartbroken Kamaria behind him, walking away. She knew she pushed him when mentioning his home, but she never expected him to snap back at her like that.

"You're right. I never got the chance to meet my parents, they left me before I could even open my eyes. But you, you had the chance to meet yours. To be a normal lion cub surrounded by those who were like you. Who loved you for being yourself." Kamaria snarled as she raced up to Simba's side, stopping him from moving as she stared the male down.

"Why do you think everyone back at the Oasis accepted you so fast? It's because they got all their fear out when I first came. They wouldn't approach me, they wouldn't even look at me! I couldn't open my mouth without someone screaming about me eating them! You're lucky Simba, I hope you realize that." Kamaria felt a tear leave her eye before she turned and ran back home. Simba could find his way back home himself.