The group had left the oasis and started towards the sun once again. Mufasa had yet to talk to Malika about what startled him this morning. Malika was debating asking him herself but didn't want to push on a potentially sensitive subject.

"Just go ask, you look like you have ants crawling all over you." Sarabi appeared next to her slightly older twin sister.

"What if the topic is sensitive? I don't want to upset him." Malika said back, nerves chewing on her insides.

"Well you won't know until you ask, and if it is, there is this thing called apologizing. Mufasa seems the type to accept them." Sarabi insightfully said. Malika seemed to debate the risks in her head before finally deciding to go for it, her steps quickening to reach Mufasa and Taka.

"Mufasa?" Malika softly said coming up to his open side. Sarabi followed, standing by her sister as Rafiki and Zazu walked and flew in front of them. Mufasa nodded his greeting.

"Hi Malika!" Taka said with a smile. "What are you doing today?" Malika sent a small smile to Taka.

"Walking to Milele with you." Taka loved the sound of that. Malika, the beautiful queen she is, walking with him, future king and royal, to the Milele. It was a sight to see in his mind.

"Mufasa, I was wondering if I could ask you something?" Malika said while Taka daydreamed about whatever.

"Of course."

"What startled you this morning? You don't have to answer if it's too hard, I just wanted to make sure you were alright." Mufasa felt his heart skip a beat at Malika's kind words. She reminded him of his mother, the selfless soul that she was.

"I dreamt of my mother, telling me to go to Milele, that I would find my family there. I don't know whether to believe it or not." Mufasa disclosed, his head bowed in remembrance of his lost mother.

Malika nudged her head into Mufasa's, silently telling the lion to keep his head up. "Maybe you will find your family in Milele. Maybe you won't. I can't know for certain, but I do know that family can be more than blood related. Taka and you are proof of that." Mufasa sent the lioness a kind smile, thankful for her words of encouragement.

"You are too kind for this world, Malika." She sent a smile back, Sarabi lightly pushing Malika into Mufasa.

"Careful, the rocks are uneven. Easy to trip on." Mufasa advised as he used his body to help Malika up. Malika nodded her head in embarrassment; a scolding look sent to her younger sister. Sarabi looked like she was trying not to laugh. Malika was going to kill her.

The group thankfully approached a canyon, wide in length and deep into the earth. Rafiki stared at the other side, where Milele was promised.

"We must get to the other side to continue to Milele. The question is around or through?" Rafiki turned to look at Mufasa, causing the others to look too.

"Through the deepest canyons." Mufasa whispered, a memory in the front of his mind. "We go through it, the rocks will help us hide our tracks."

"If we go through, the outsiders might catch up to us, they could trap us in." Malika said, looking to Mufasa. She didn't disagree with his idea, but she wanted to point out the possibly fatal flaw.

"I agree with Malika, we should go around." Sarabi said, standing by her sister. Mufasa shook his head before looking to the two girls.

"That will take too long, the outsiders while catch up to us easily." Sarabi sent Mufasa a look.

"How would you know?" Mufasa huffed in annoyance before looking at Malika. If he could show Malika why they needed to go through rather than around, she would agree and then Sarabi would too.

"Close your eyes." Malika sent a confused look to Mufasa.

"Uh, why?"

"Just do it. Tell me what you hear." Mufasa said. Malika did as Mufasa said, closing her eyes and focusing on the sounds around her. At first she couldn't hear anything of importance, just the everyday normal sounds.

Then she heard it, the outsiders, gaining ground on them as they speak.

"I can hear the lionesses. They lead the pride towards us. Mufasa is right, we have to go through the canyon." Malika says to her sister. Sarabi seemed to debate before nodding her head in agreement.

Malika smiled in appreciation before turning to head down the slated side of the canyon. "You picked a good one Malika, I'm proud of you." Sarabi whispered as she walked up to her older sister.

"Sarabi! Mufasa has no interest." Sarabi sent her a look of disbelief.

"Right and that's why he was flirting with you last night."

"He was not flirting with me!" Malika whisper yelled to Sarabi. She laughed before walking to the front of the group. Before Malika could run to catch up, Taka broke the silence.

"Are we almost there? I don't think we are going fast enough." Taka complained to Rafiki.

"If you want to go fast, you can go alone. But if you want to go far we must go together." Rafiki said back.

"Yes! I agree with the monkey. Your father left you in my care and now we are heading who knows where. But, sometimes all you need is a birds-eye view." Zazu flew down to tell the two princesses, reminding them of his important presence.

"Well it's a good thing we have you to see us through." Malika smiled back, nudging her head against the hornbill's feathery body.

"By land and air!" Zazu excitedly said. Malika and Sarabi laughed at his excitement. While the trio talked to one another, Mufasa walked to the side upon a higher up rock.

"I will find my family again, I will walk with you until then. I will find my family again." Mufasa repeated like a mantra to himself. He realized that Malika was right, whether he found his biological parents or not in Milele, he would find a family with Taka and others.

Malika felt a loud laugh escape her mouth at Zazu and Sarabi's silly interaction. This drew the attention of Taka who raced up a slanted rock to a lone rock island in the canyon.

"Like clouds and rain, or like meal in the grain. Like the flecks of gold in your mane, Malika, you and I go together." Taka confessed his love to himself as he stared at said lioness.

Feeling eyes on her, Malika looked up to Taka, seeing him looking at her from the island. She sent a smile before racing her sister to the other side.

"I think we were all meant to do this journey together. We go together so well." Malika said with a smile as the others joined her and Sarabi. Mufasa smiled back while Taka verbally agreed.

"We will go far together! Haha!" Rafiki laughed as he jumped into a pond of water.