"The snow has shifted. There isn't enough fresh snow to hide our tracks. The outsiders will find us quickly." Mufasa said, pausing in his steps as he looked back, seeing their paw prints.

"How are we going to hide the prints?" Taka asked, he stayed close to Malika, yet respected her distance as she walked with Sarabi.

"We need the snow to cover our tracks, if we could get the snow to fall down, it would be able to hide us." Malika spoke, her eyes focused on the snow above them. Mufasa looked to Malika with a smile on his face.

"You're right Malika! Zazu! Zazu!" Mufasa called the bird down to the ground. Once Zazu landed Mufasa crouched low to speak to him.

"Zazu, do you think you could hide our tracks in the snow but pushing the snow above down?" Zazu looked at Mufasa with a worried look.

"Me? Are you sure?" Zazu would never admit it, but he liked Mufasa, he wanted to make the male lion proud. He didn't find Zazu being guard to the princesses weird or outrageous and he felt the need to prove his worth, to show Mufasa was right not to laugh.

Mufasa smiled at the bird, "we can't fly up there to knock the snow off, you can. Even if we could shake the snow off, it would take too long and our tracks may not get covered all the way. Only you can do this."

"I agree with Mufasa, Zazu. You got this, I know you can do it." Malika joined the two, a smile on her face as she encouraged her friend.

Zazu felt a burst of confidence in his chest before flapping his wings to push him into the air.

"I will not let either of you down! I will hide these tracks better than any other could!" Zazu yelled as he flew back down to cover their trail.

Malika looked to Mufasa, a look of awe and wonder on her face as Mufasa was so willing to trust Zazu. Not many would be willing to travel with a bird, much less trust one with such an important task. Yet, Mufasa did.

"Good thinking Malika! What would we do without you." Taka said, a smile on his face as he moved to said lioness' side.

"It was your brother's idea to have Zazu cover our tracks and to hide them. I just pointed out where we could get the snow." Malika said, feeling she did not deserve all the credit. Taka felt his smile dampen slightly before pulling the corners up again.

"Yes well, we better keep going then! Don't want Zazu to get bored with the lack of tracks to cover." Taka said tightly, moving to the front of the group. Sarabi and Malika shared a look before following.

A thud was heard behind the girls as they walked up the mountain. Looking back, Rafiki managed to slip and fall into the snow. He flipped on to his back before laughing and making snow angels. Malika watched as Mufasa let out a chuckle while approaching the monkey.

"I got you Rafiki, I got you." Mufasa said as Rafiki climbed onto his back. Mufasa passed the sisters and followed Taka as Malika felt her eyes widen.

"I got you Malika, I got you." Sarabi sent her sister a weird look before nudging her forward.

"It was Mufasa, he saved me. He said those words while he covered me with his own body to keep me safe. But why would he lie?" Malika asked her sister, realization on her face at the discovery.

Sarabi shrugged her shoulders while walking. Both sisters fell into silence as one thought about why Mufasa lied to her and the other thought about the disaster that was about to play out.

——

"What are you doing?" Malika spoke up to Mufasa. The group had found a somewhat closed cave, providing them a sheltered place to sleep for the night.

As the elephant stampede stopped them from eating anything today, Mufasa volunteered to go find some food for the group. Malika decided to follow Mufasa and question him about today.

"Hunting."

Malika crouched low and tried to smell anything to hunt. Mufasa, seeing her struggle, smiled before nudged her to open her eyes.

"There, under that rock? An ermine is about to pop up." Malika watched as Mufasa was right, an ermine popped up from below the rock, its scent being doused by the layers of snow on top of it. It should have been impossible for anyone to smell that, same as it should be impossible for anyone to smell duck flower on her fur.

"It was you. You smelt the duck flower on my fur." Mufasa instantly tensed up, his prey leaving his mind and now focusing on what to say back.

"No, no I didn't. Taka did." Malika laughed at his words.

"Taka can't smell a dead zebra a few feet away from him. You smelt the flower on me just as you smelt the ermine under all that snow. And I 'got you Rafiki, I got you?' That was you too, you saved me in the stampede, not Taka." Mufasa moved away from the upset lioness, shaking his head no all the while.

"It was Taka. Taka saved you, just as he saved me. He is meant to be king! It's his destiny." Mufasa said, pacing back and forth in worry.

"No it isn't! His destiny was to save you!" Malika yelled back, desperate to make Mufasa see the truth that's being staring at them this whole time.

"It's you Mufasa. It's always been you." Malika whispered, her eyes sad at Mufasa's denial.

"Me?" Mufasa felt a weight lift from his chest. Malika's truth finally coming out and helping set his free.

"Ever since you appeared I've been running from something deep inside. And it's worse than I feared cause when I look into your eyes I can't hide. I push you away—"

"Don't push me away—"

"But the feelings come back, just twice as strong. I don't know what to say." Mufasa turned away from Malika in shame. Malika shook her head no and walked in front of him.

"You know just what to say." Malika tried to reason with the scared lion.

"But I know I'm right where I belong." Malika sent a smile towards Mufasa as he finally confessed his true feelings.

"The way you know just where to be." Malika thought back to Mufasa saving her, he knew where she was and came to save her. He put his life at risk to save her.

"The way you move, the way you see."

"You see me." Mufasa looked Malika in the eyes, taking a step closer to the lioness.

"The way you feel when you're with me."

"Besides me." Both lions said together, a spark in their eye at realizing both shared the same hidden feelings.

"Don't hide from me anymore." Malika did not want to be lied to anymore, not from Mufasa.

"Tell me it's you, I know it's you." She just needed to her Mufasa say it, then she would be sure.

"What do I say? Where do I go? How do I know you feel the same?" Mufasa turned and ran into one of the tunnels. His thoughts of self doubt stopped him from truly believing Malika.

Malika followed him into the caves, refusing to let Mufasa go with only his self doubt and insecurity. She hadn't said anything this whole trip and she felt it was time to finally say everything her heart wanted too.

"Quiet and low, letting it go, letting you know what's in me. Everywhere that I roam, I remind myself not to overstay." Mufasa confessed his deepest fears, his biggest worry of letting Malika in.

"Every time I find home, something happens to take that home away." Malika left her eyes soften at Mufasa's words. She would never be so easily taken from Mufasa. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

"But you've seen what I've seen." Mufasa and Malika stood on either sides of an iced wall. Only seeing the distorted image of the other.

"I see you." Malika said back to Mufasa. She had seen his selflessness, his kindness and courage, "As you lead with a strength that shines right through." She wanted Mufasa to know she had seen what he's done on this journey together.

"You move like a queen, a true queen." Malika found herself wanting Mufasa to be her king.

"Don't let anything take me away from you." Both lions said as they approached the end of the wall. Face to face and looking right at each other.

"Tell me it's you, I know it's you." Mufasa felt a smile on his face as he finally let his worries and doubt float away.

"Say it again, say it again. Tell me you're always with me." Malika felt a smile on her face as Mufasa finally seemed to catch on to her feelings towards him. She would never leave him.

"The love I feel when you're with me." Malika said.

"Say it again, say it again. Tell me the world won't interfere." Mufasa started to circle with Malika, both never leaving the other's sight.

"Say it again, say it again. Tell me the words I wanna hear." Malika approached Mufasa.

"Open our eyes and here we go." Malika stood right in front of Mufasa, her eyes waiting for something. Approval or denial. Mufasa looked into her eyes for a moment longer before he whispered his response.

"I know it's you."