"I'm disappointed in you, Kiara." Nala's voice was softer now then it had been in the Outlands. The mother and daughter had reentered the Pridelands and Nala was giving Kiara a through talking to as they took a slow stroll around the gazelle grazing grounds. "And after all the warnings about the Outlands your father and I have told you about, you specifically sought out the border and found an Outsider? What in the Pridelands were you thinking?"

The queen turned her teal eyes downward and let them examine her drooping eared daughter. 

Kiara kicked a stone with one paw as she mumbled, "I'm sorry."

Nala sighed deeply and slowed her pace, taking a seat on the ground and waiting for her daughter to follow suit. Kiara plopped her tail end down with a thud and she kept her chocolate brown eyes on the green grasses under her paws.

"Kiara, I love you very much. I'm angry because I know what horrible things could've happened to you there, and I was afraid I might lose you," she said, watching her daughter with a frown on her face. "I also know that by going to the prohibited Outlands I've lost some of the trust I had in you. And trust is a very hard thing to regain. You know I'm like this because I love you, right?"

"Yeah, I know." Kiara frowned. 

With one beautiful movement, Nala swooped down and got on eye level with her cub, lifting the little head with her paw. The two met eyes. 

"You're my world, Kiara," Nala said, a soft smile forming on her features. She nuzzled her daughter gently. "I love you, so much."

"I love you, too, mom," Kiara replied, smiling for the first time that evening. 

A comfortable silence followed where the two sat in awe of the darkening sky above. 

"You know, I was with the hunting party earlier today," Nala said suddenly. 

Kiara paid no mind to her mother's statement, as she took it as another attempt for her mother to share a story. But Nala watched her daughter out of the corner of her eyes, knowing that her daughter was walking right into her juicy trap.

"Cool," Kiara replied, still watching the stars begin to shine as the light continued to fade from the sky.

"Yeah," Nala resumed. "And the oddest thing happened."

"Oh, really?" Kiara asked, still more focused on the beautiful twilight gripped land.

"Uh-huh. We were trying to hunt a flock of ostriches over on the west side of the Kubwa Fields."

The queen spotted her cub tense up in her peripheral vision as Kiara realized what her mother was talking about.

"And then, right as we were about to pounce on the injured one we'd singled out, two random animals lept out of the tall grasses and began to scream and jump around like rabid creatures, causing utter chaos among the flightless ostriches." Nala relayed, keeping her eyes on her child. 

Kiara avoided looking at her mother with as much casualty that she could muster. But then, Nala broke out into a hearty, fluttering laugh that caused Kiara to turn her red-cheeked face towards her mother. 

"Oh, Kiara," she laughed. "I knew it was you from the moment I saw it. That's how I knew you were in the Outlands."

Kiara gave a sheepish smile and said, "Gee mom, I didn't know you were trying to hunt the birds. Vitani didn't tell me that."

The two lions burst out laughing at the funny situation. 

Later that night, after she'd tucked Kiara in and kissed Simba goodnight, Nala swiftly and silently left the den with as much stealth as she could manage. She took her rushed paw steps across the darkened landscape and right to the Outlands border, where she'd found Kiara earlier. Her gentle teal eyes searched the endless shadows for a sign of who she'd come for, but she did so in vain. At least, until another figure stepped out of the darkness and came to stand in front of Nala.

"Nala?" the lioness asked slowly. 

"Zira!" the queen sighed with relief. 

"I knew you'd come after the incident this evening," Zira said, a smile on her face as she embraced her old friend. 

"I had to, I have to talk to you," Nala said drawing back and looking into Zira's dark reddish eyes with a serious look on her face. 

"What is it?" Zira asked.

"Since Kiara and Vitani met today, it may compromise our secret meetings."

"Yes," Zira agreed with a nod. "I thought the same thing." 

"I've been pondering what to do, but to no avail," Nala said, letting her gaze fall to the ground. 

"Well," Zira began softly. "It kind of hurt to have to tear our daughters apart. As a young lioness, I always dreamed that our children would be friends when we were grown and married. But obviously, there's no way."

A tear slid down Nala's cheek at the thought of all the dreams and rants and talks that the two had shared during the dark times of the land. All the sister like memories that Nala remembered were flooding her mind.

"Cheer up, Nala," Zira said when she spotted her friend's tears. "We've got a whole life ahead of us, and our daughter's too."

"But why can we not share our lives? It's no fair that we have to hide our friendship!" Nala replied.

"Maybe it's for the best." Zira said. "You know, one day, when they're older, maybe our daughters can become friends. Maybe they can meet with each other as we do."

"No, Zira," the queen sighed. "I wouldn't hear of it. It would make it even more dangerous for you and Vitani. I can't jeopardize your safety."

"Nala, our safety in the Outlands is constantly in jeprody. Coming to these meetings is the highlight of my days. It keeps me going. I want to share that feeling with our daughters."

"I don't know, Zira. . ." Nala sighed.

"Just think about it," Zira said.

**********

"Where is she?" Kiara whined, her bored eyes searching around for the millionth time. "She was right around here last time!"

Suddenly, Vitani crept out of the grasses, a plump, fuzzy rodent in her mouth. Her violet eyes landed on Kiara and her heart skipped a beat. She knew if Kiara spotted her coming from the Pridelands with the hyrax in her mouth, she would be busted and probably punished by the King. Vitani attempted to sprint away, but she was too late.

Kiara suddenly whirled around, her angry eyes widening into excited circles.

"Vitani!" Kiara sqeeled.

"Shhh!" Vitani hissed, prowling forward and placing her kill behind a nearby boulder.

Kiara smiled and backed up, watching her friend with anticipation.

"So, is that lunch?" Kiara asked.

Vitani positioned the grasses around her hyrax meal, hiding the little rodent as best as she could.

"It's my lunch." Vitani replied with an angry frown.

But in reality, she was glad Kiara had come back. Kiara was a nice change of pace from the scruffy Outsiders. And Vitani liked to have some time off of hunting and surviving to instead go off and have fun with another cub. It made her feel more like a Pridelander.