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Description

Kovu had been a cub when he had met her.

He’d slipped away from his older brother to explore, as he often did, much like the day he had met the Princess of the Pridelands. This day, however, he wanted to explore somewhere a little different.

Kovu found himself wandering along the Outlands’ border, the opposite border from the Pridelands. His mother had warned him and his siblings not to cross it, saying it was dangerous but not elaborating on why. Her warnings further confused him now that he could see the lands beyond, these lands that seemed to have no name. There was green here, grasses and small trees tentatively rising from the earth in patches. It was not as lush or as aged as the growth in the Pridelands, but it was enough to make the cub wonder why his pride couldn’t just live here.

“Woah” Kovu breathed as he stared out into the vast landscape. He could see a small group of herbivores off in the distance and it filled him with excitement to think that he’d found food for his pride.

“Hey!” A stern voice called out from the brush nearby, startling the cub and causing him to practically jump out of his fur. A lion emerged from the brush hurriedly, speaking firmly to him. “This is no place for a lion cub.”

“Uh—” Kovu shrank back and froze, remembering the last time he had encountered a stranger outside of the Outlands. “I’m—I’m sorry…” He squeaked.

“You shouldn’t be here.” The lion warned. As they approached, Kovu picked up on their scent and he noticed something odd. This stranger looked like a lion, but they smelled like a lioness.

The stranger soon stopped once they reached him and their nose began to twitch as they smelled him, their brow furrowing. “Do I know you?” They suddenly asked in a puzzled tone after a moment’s hesitation.

“I… don’t think so…” Kovu muttered, now even more confused at the sudden question. He’d never seen this lion before, had he?

“Kovu!” A new, more familiar voice called out from a great distance behind him. He spun his head around to see the silhouette of his mother and brother bounding towards him.

“Uh-oh.” The cub muttered, before turning back to the stranger. However, he was instead met with nothing but the faintly rustling brush, the stranger’s tail quickly disappearing through it. “Wait!” He called, but to no avail.

“Kovu!” The harsh voice of his mother came again but much closer now as she and Nuka caught up to where he was. “What do you think you’re doing?!” She snarled as she toward over him.

Kovu flattened himself to the ground in fear, anticipating a blow from her. “I’m sorry, mother!” He squeaked, thinking fast for an excuse. “I…I-I was just looking for food for us! Look!” He turned around and pointed towards the unnamed lands. “There’s prey over there.”

Zira didn’t bother looking where he pointed, instead stepping in front of his view and roughly nudging him with her muzzle back towards the Outlands. “Those aren’t for us!” She scolded.

“But why?” He questioned, hurrying along in the direction she pushed him. “Why can’t we live there instead of the Outlands?”

“Don’t you know anything?” Nuka piped up in his usual snide tone. “A bunch of hyenas took over that land.”

“Yes, our pride is too small to risk conflict with those bone-munchers.” Zira added as she led them farther from the border. “But more importantly, those aren’t our lands. The Pridelands are our home. We can’t simply abandon them for some other territory just because Simba stole the throne and kicked us out. That’s why your training is so vital.”

“Hyenas?” Kovu questioned. “But… I just saw a lion over there.”

“Don’t be a fool, Kovu, there are no lions sharing territory with hyenas.” Zira chastised.

Kovu furrowed his brow before speaking up again. “I thought Scar was friends with them. That’s what Nuka told me.” He glanced at his brother, who looked back at him in a manner as if to say why are you bringing me into this? “Wouldn’t they be on our side?”

“NO.” Zira almost shouted, stamping her paw in anger. “Those beasts are cowards who abandon Scar when he needed them most! They don’t care about us lions and they never will, and we shouldn’t care about them!”

Kovu’s ears flattened against his head as his mother snarled at him and he stumbled towards Nuka in an effort to distance himself from her. He glanced back up towards his older brother briefly to see him solemnly staring at the ground as he walked, seemingly thinking about something.

The younger cub turned his attention back to the path in front of him, furrowing his eyebrows in frustration. “I still saw a lion.” He grumbled.

“Oh, shut up, termite!” Nuka suddenly snapped. “Do you really have to make up stories to get attention now? Don’t you get enough attention?”

Zira swiftly backhanded her eldest cub. “Don’t yell at your brother! You’re the one who lost him in the first place, you have no room to be angry! I’m the only one that has the right to be angry here, and you’re both in trouble!”

Nuka sat back and rubbed his cheek with his paw, looking defeated. “Sorry mother…”

Despite his brother snapping at him, Kovu couldn’t help feeling bad after watching Zira hit him. He knew he was the favorite, and Nuka had reason to be bitter.

The brothers stayed silent the rest of the way home, their tails tucked underneath them.

***

That’s all he could remember of that interaction as he relayed it to his now fiancé, Kiara, venting to her about his family life growing up as they lay atop Pride Rock overlooking the kingdom.

“They never listened to anything I told them.” Kovu continued. “I was supposed to be king, yet my impute never mattered. I was just a pawn…”

“I’m sorry.” Kiara comforted him as she nuzzled his mane, her paw over his. “Families aren’t supposed to be like that.”

Kovu sighed. “I know you’re right, it’s just…” He hesitated, kneading his claws into the rock nervously. “Sometimes… your family’s kindness… I don’t know how to feel about it. I mean, logically I know you mean what you say, and that you all care for me, but… I keep finding myself doubting, waiting for the façade to fall away…”

He didn’t like the look Kiara was giving him now, so hurt looking, as if he was accusing her of terrible things.

“Please don’t don’t take it personally!” He quickly added. “I don’t actually… I mean—“

“No need to apologize, Kovu.” Kiara interjected. “I knew what you meant. I just wish I could make that go away.”

Kovu sighed in relief, and in sadness. This wasn’t as easy as he’d thought it’d be. Meeting Kiara and escaping his mother was the best thing to ever happen to him. And yet… it was all so strange. Simba was no longer his enemy but his friend, and future father-in-law. And they were all so kind and patient with him. As much as things had improved for him, this place still didn’t quite feel like home.

He’d noticed Vitani had had an even harder time adjusting. While she was cordial with the rest of the pride, she still mostly kept to herself or only hung out with their cousins and aunts. She kept her distance from everyone else, not out of malice but unease, as if she too were waiting for the moment when she would inevitably be hit or chastised by their former adversaries. Kovu’s own apprehensions may have been the only reason he even picked up on his sister’s behavior and recognized it for what it was.

“I wish I could, too.” Nala’s voice caused the couple to turn their heads to see the Queen approaching, Simba following behind. “But wounds don’t heal overnight. And some…” she looked away for a moment as she sat down near the two. “Become scars.”

Kovu noticed Nala’s eye contact break from him as she finished her sentence, no doubt trying not to bring attention to the blemish adorning his own face.

“Yes.” Simba spoke as he sat next to his wife. “But the nice thing about scars is that they eventually stop hurting. I’m still haunted by what I witnessed as a cub, but the farther I get from it the less it hurts.”

“Forgive me for changing the subject,” Nala interjected, a thoughtful look on her face. “But there was something in your story that caught my attention. That strange lion you mentioned… could you describe them a bit more?”

Kovu was confused by the request as it hadn’t been an important detail of the story, but he obliged nonetheless, now with his own curiosity.

“Well… they had golden fur, and a black mane…” He paused a moment trying to remember details from so long ago. “Oh, and green eyes, greener than mine. And, yeah, I assume they were male, but something about them made me doubt…”

Nala and Simba turned to each other and shared a look.

“Mom?” Kiara asked, sitting up. “What aren’t you telling us?”

“Well,” Nala hesitated. “There’s someone we never told you about…”

Kovu listened intently as the queen began weaving a short tale of a former pride member: A lioness named Tai, who’d had a mane despite her gender and who’d never gotten on well with the others due to her odd nature. She had been loyal to Scar during his reign and had served a sort of advisor role to him, and upon Simba’s return Nala had fought against her and she was banished.

“How come you never mentioned this lioness?” Kiara asked in an accusatory tone.

“We… honestly forgot.” Simba looked away sheepishly. “It didn’t seem important. And besides,” He glanced at his wife. “We thought Tai was living in the Outlands with the other Outsiders.”

“And we didn’t think much of it when we didn’t see her amongst your— uh, Zira’s pride during the war.” Nala added. “We were a bit distracted by the situation.”

“Well, it is important!” Kiara stood up. “We’re supposed to be putting the past behind us. That means every pride member should be forgiven.” Kiara turned to Kovu. “What if she’s still out there? We could find her and bring here home.”

“I understand your concern, Kiara.” Simba cut in. “But let’s not get too hasty. We don’t even know if Tai is still alive, much less still in the lands Kovu saw her in when he was just a cub.”

“I have to try…” Kiara stated in a determined tone.

It took some persuading, but the king and queen would eventually relent to their daughter’s request. After all, Simba couldn’t protect her forever, and he knew she’d find a way to do what she wanted regardless.

That’s how Kovu found himself back in the Outlands. Simba wasn’t just going to let his daughter roam strange lands without backup, so both he and his sister were assigned to go with her. Of course, Kovu was her future consort, so it made since for him to accompany Kiara on what she considered a diplomatic mission.

That said, he wasn’t entirely on board with this idea. He was no more confident than Simba that Tai could still be in those unnamed lands. But he knew his fiancé. She wouldn’t quit until she at least tried.

But it did mean crossing through his old home. There was something both soothing and unsettling about being here. It felt like home, but in a way that made him uneasy, a contrast to the Pridelands that didn’t quite feel like home yet but was far more comfortable. He was starting to worry that he might never be at ease anywhere.

The sun had moved quite a ways through the sky by the time they arrived at the farthest reaches of the Outlands. Patches of grass began to appear as they traveled, until eventually they found themselves on the boundary. All three lions’ eyes widened as they gazed upon the landscape in front of them. It was almost as lush as the Pridelands, though more flat and less hilly. It was even greener than Kovu had remembered it being.

“Well…” Kovu eventually spoke, turning to Kiara. “Uh, where should we start?”

“Where did you see her last?” She asked.

Kovu looked to his right. “I think it was further down that way. But Kiara… what are the chances we’ll run into her in the same spot?”

“I suppose we could start traveling through the territory and see if we find anything.” Kiara replied.

“I don’t like that idea.” Vitani stated. “This place reeks of hyena.”

Kiara wrinkled her nose. “Is that what that smell is?”

Vitani turned to the princess. “Have you never met a hyena before?”

Kiara shook her head and Vitani scoffed. “Consider yourself lucky.”

“Guys,” Kovu spoke up, instinctively stepping in front of his fiancé. “There’s someone over there.”

The others followed his gaze to an outcrop off in the distance, on top of which the distinct silhouette of a lion could be seen, though they were too far away for him to make out any details.

“Hello!” Kiara stepped forward and called out. “We’re not a threat!”

“Kiara—“ Kovu whispered harshly in a slight panic, stepping up to her again and staying pinned to her side.

All three watched as the lone lion slithered down the rocks and into the grasses, almost disappearing completely if not for the blades rustling in their wake, slowly approaching the trio.

Vitani took her position on Kiara’s other side, ready for a potential fight. Kovu could sense his sister’s tension even from here as it was a feeling he shared with her, though Kiara seemed more relaxed, her head held high.

The siblings stayed ready until the stranger finally emerged from the brush, and Kovu’s eyes widened in shock. “It’s you…” He breathed. “It is you.”

This lion was unmistakably the one he’d met as a cub. Golden fur, black mane, and green eyes.

The lion’s face scrunched up. “Do I know you?” She asked, puzzled. “I can tell you’re Pridelanders, but I don’t know any of your faces.”

“I… I ran into you once when I was a cub…” Kovu stuttered, still stunned that they’d managed to find her so quickly.

“Are you Tai?” Kiara interrupted excitedly.

The lion raised an eyebrow. “Who wants to know?”

Kiara grinned giddily, her eyes shining. “Crown Princess Kiara, of the Pridelands.” She introduced herself with a subtle dip of her head.

“Crown Princess?” Tai parroted in a skeptical tone, her eyes narrowing. “Since when was that allowed?”

“Oh, heh,” Kiara stuttered sheepishly. “I suppose a lot has changed since you lived in the Pridelands.”

Sitting down, Kiara explained everything Tai had missed. The banishment of Zira, the war, the unfortunate deaths of Nuka and Zira, the prides rejoining, and of course how she and Kovu were to be married. Tai sat down as well as she listened, Kovu watching her face change slightly with each new detail.

“Mmhmm…” Tai said simply once Kiara finished. “That’s a lot of changes the pride decided to make conveniently after I already left.” She muttered with a slight scowl.

Kiara’s smile dropped a bit. “But it’s a good thing, isn’t it? I mean, that’s why we’re here. I want us to leave the past behind us. Everyone who was banished is being welcomed back into the Pridelands.”

“I wasn’t banished.” Tai retorted calmly. “I left. It was my decision.”

“O-oh.” Kiara stammered. “Well, all the same I’m sure you left because my father killed Scar… I know you were loyal to him because the pride treated you badly, but things have changed. Please…” Kiara’s eyes dropped. “Zira couldn’t let go of her hate; I don’t want the same to happen to you.”

Tai’s eyes narrowed and her face scrunched. It took her a moment before speaking, as if she was still processing everything Kiara said.

“Simba didn’t kill Scar.” Tai said.

“W-what?” Kovu finally spoke this time, confounded by the statement. What made her so confident in that fact?

“Who told you he did?” Tai asked.

“Uh,” Kiara furrowed her brow as she began to think. “I guess… come to think of it…” Kiara’s furrowed her brow “Daddy never did say he killed Scar, he just said Scar died in the fire… He never liked talking about Scar so he never gave details…”

Kovu glanced at his sister who returned his look of bewilderment. They’d been told their whole lives that Simba was responsible for Scar’s death, but now that he was thinking about, when Simba first told him Scar’s story, he had simply said that “hate” had “destroyed” him.

“If Simba didn’t kill Scar,” Kovu turned back to Tai. “Then who did?”

Kovu’s heart skipped a beat as he heard laughter—a very distinct, eerie kind of laughter that only one kind of animal could make—all around, and the grasses around them parted as roughly a dozen hyenas emerged to surround them.

“Sorry to eavesdrop, kitties,” The big female to Tai’s right sneered. “But you are on our turf.”

“D’ya hear that, Shenzi?” A male on Tai’s left cackled as he addressed the female. “Can you believe that Simba guy took credit for our good work?”

“Well, Banzai” Tai glanced down at him with a smirk. “It sounds like he only took credit by omission.”

“Aw, why?” Banzai continued mockingly as he set his gaze on Kiara. “Too much of a pussy cat to admit he couldn’t stomach a little murder?”

Kovu growled at the hyena as he and Vitani closed in tighter against Kiara. These guys? They’d killed Scar? But hadn’t they been loyal to him?

“Ya see, Princess,” Tai turned her attention back to the trio. “My loyalty to Scar ended after he tried to sell out my friends to your father to save his own hide.”

“Yeah.” Shenzi added with a chilling grin. “So, we did what your daddy couldn’t.”

“Friends?!” Vitani exclaimed at Tai. “With these… creatures?” She spat the last word at a lazy-eyed hyena next to her who blew her a razz-berry in response.

Tai side-eyed Vitani. “Are you forgetting Scar’s affiliation with hyenas? Surely your mother didn’t leave that part out of her history lessons.”

“They were just lackeys.” Vitani replied. “He wasn’t their friend.”

“Yeah, he made that pretty clear.” Shenzi scowled, losing her smile.

“Tai…” Kiara pleaded. “You don’t have to live here. You can come home. Let old wounds heal.”

Tai glowered in anger and stood up. “What aren’t you getting? I am home.” She stated firmly. “And my wounds had healed until you showed up and reopened them. Even if what you say about your pride is true, it shouldn’t have taken them this long. The Clan accepted me as I was from day one, but my own species had to take a couple generations to think about it? And they want me to just forgive them? For what? Is it really for my own healing, or is it so you all can absolve yourselves of guilt?”

Kiara’s face fell and she shrunk back. She seemed to want to rebut a few times but second guessed herself.

“I know damn well you’re not willing to let hyenas back in the Pridelands anytime soon,” Tai glared at Vitani. “And I’m not leaving my real friends just so you all can pat yourselves on the back for letting The Queer back into the family.”

Kiara’s face was sullen, and it broke Kovu’s heart to see here like this. “…I just wanted to fix things…” She muttered timidly.

“Don’t stop now, Tai,” Banzai said, twirling his paw in the air as if listening to a tune. “Those were bars.”

“Banzai…” Shenzi sighed, putting a paw over her face.

“What?” Banzai replied. “I’m hip with the kids. Right Ed?” He addressed the lazy-eyed hyena who giggled hysterically and shook his head ‘no’.

Tai took a deep breath and let out a long sigh before addressing Kiara again. “Look… I’m not mad at you. You clearly have good intentions, but I find it awfully convenient that no one who actually knew me came to look for me. That doesn’t exactly scream “we’ve changed”. But it doesn’t matter. I’m happy here. Accept that.”

Kiara’s expression recovered a bit as she considered Tai’s words. “Ok… I’m sorry…”

“Don’t take it so personally, Kiara.” Vitani spoke up. “If she wants to live with fleabags, let her.”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Tai roared, suddenly lunging towards Vitani, catching the younger lioness off guard and causing her to back up. Even the hyenas seemed shocked at the outburst. “If you’re just going to insult my family then you can leave. NOW.”

“Let’s go.” Kiara placed her paw on Kovu before he could retaliate, causing the lion to stop and follow her back in the direction they came, his sister eventually joining them after a brief glaring session with Tai. The hyenas backed away to let them through.

But something had been nagging at Kovu for a while and he couldn’t leave just yet. He slowed his pace before stopping and turning back to the older lioness. “Can I ask you something?”

“What?” Tai growled angrily.

“When you… befriended the hyenas,” He began, pondering on how to word his question. “Did you trust them right away?”

Tai’s expression changed from cross to curious. “…No.” She eventually said. “A lifetime of rejection makes one paranoid. It took time for me to accept their friendliness towards me as genuine.”

“Hmm.” Kovu looked away as he reflected on her response.

“Why do you ask?” She added raising an eyebrow before smirking. “Trouble in paradise, Princey?”

Her comment was met with giggles from the hyenas, and Kovu noted how they’d seemed to rub off on her. “That’s none of your business.” He huffed.

Tai’s smirk grew with amusement for a moment before her expression softened. “It gets better, kid.”

Kovu sighed, satisfied with her answer. “Thank you.” He said before turning to leave.

“…Kovu.” Tai’s voice stopped him, and he turned to her again.

“I’m sorry about your brother.” She said calmly. “He was a good kid. He deserved so much better.”

Kovu heard a crack in her voice that told him she meant it. It hadn’t even occurred to him until now that she would have known Nuka, but now that he was thinking about it the timeline checked out. Was she good to him? She must have been by the way she was speaking about him. A wave of grief suddenly washed over him.

“Yeah, he did.” He replied solemnly before turning back to follow his sister and fiancé.

—

Welp, cue that one scene from Bojack Horseman .

Yay! We get to check in on Tai and the yeens after all this time, and get the TLK2 characters filled in on some history their parents forgot to mention.

Description

Kovu had been a cub when he had met her.

He’d slipped away from his older brother to explore, as he often did, much like the day he had met the Princess of the Pridelands. This day, however, he wanted to explore somewhere a little different.

Kovu found himself wandering along the Outlands’ border, the opposite border from the Pridelands. His mother had warned him and his siblings not to cross it, saying it was dangerous but not elaborating on why. Her warnings further confused him now that he could see the lands beyond, these lands that seemed to have no name. There was green here, grasses and small trees tentatively rising from the earth in patches. It was not as lush or as aged as the growth in the Pridelands, but it was enough to make the cub wonder why his pride couldn’t just live here.

“Woah” Kovu breathed as he stared out into the vast landscape. He could see a small group of herbivores off in the distance and it filled him with excitement to think that he’d found food for his pride.

“Hey!” A stern voice called out from the brush nearby, startling the cub and causing him to practically jump out of his fur. A lion emerged from the brush hurriedly, speaking firmly to him. “This is no place for a lion cub.”

“Uh—” Kovu shrank back and froze, remembering the last time he had encountered a stranger outside of the Outlands. “I’m—I’m sorry…” He squeaked.

“You shouldn’t be here.” The lion warned. As they approached, Kovu picked up on their scent and he noticed something odd. This stranger looked like a lion, but they smelled like a lioness.

The stranger soon stopped once they reached him and their nose began to twitch as they smelled him, their brow furrowing. “Do I know you?” They suddenly asked in a puzzled tone after a moment’s hesitation.

“I… don’t think so…” Kovu muttered, now even more confused at the sudden question. He’d never seen this lion before, had he?

“Kovu!” A new, more familiar voice called out from a great distance behind him. He spun his head around to see the silhouette of his mother and brother bounding towards him.

“Uh-oh.” The cub muttered, before turning back to the stranger. However, he was instead met with nothing but the faintly rustling brush, the stranger’s tail quickly disappearing through it. “Wait!” He called, but to no avail.

“Kovu!” The harsh voice of his mother came again but much closer now as she and Nuka caught up to where he was. “What do you think you’re doing?!” She snarled as she toward over him.

Kovu flattened himself to the ground in fear, anticipating a blow from her. “I’m sorry, mother!” He squeaked, thinking fast for an excuse. “I…I-I was just looking for food for us! Look!” He turned around and pointed towards the unnamed lands. “There’s prey over there.”

Zira didn’t bother looking where he pointed, instead stepping in front of his view and roughly nudging him with her muzzle back towards the Outlands. “Those aren’t for us!” She scolded.

“But why?” He questioned, hurrying along in the direction she pushed him. “Why can’t we live there instead of the Outlands?”

“Don’t you know anything?” Nuka piped up in his usual snide tone. “A bunch of hyenas took over that land.”

“Yes, our pride is too small to risk conflict with those bone-munchers.” Zira added as she led them farther from the border. “But more importantly, those aren’t our lands. The Pridelands are our home. We can’t simply abandon them for some other territory just because Simba stole the throne and kicked us out. That’s why your training is so vital.”

“Hyenas?” Kovu questioned. “But… I just saw a lion over there.”

“Don’t be a fool, Kovu, there are no lions sharing territory with hyenas.” Zira chastised.

Kovu furrowed his brow before speaking up again. “I thought Scar was friends with them. That’s what Nuka told me.” He glanced at his brother, who looked back at him in a manner as if to say why are you bringing me into this? “Wouldn’t they be on our side?”

“NO.” Zira almost shouted, stamping her paw in anger. “Those beasts are cowards who abandon Scar when he needed them most! They don’t care about us lions and they never will, and we shouldn’t care about them!”

Kovu’s ears flattened against his head as his mother snarled at him and he stumbled towards Nuka in an effort to distance himself from her. He glanced back up towards his older brother briefly to see him solemnly staring at the ground as he walked, seemingly thinking about something.

The younger cub turned his attention back to the path in front of him, furrowing his eyebrows in frustration. “I still saw a lion.” He grumbled.

“Oh, shut up, termite!” Nuka suddenly snapped. “Do you really have to make up stories to get attention now? Don’t you get enough attention?”

Zira swiftly backhanded her eldest cub. “Don’t yell at your brother! You’re the one who lost him in the first place, you have no room to be angry! I’m the only one that has the right to be angry here, and you’re both in trouble!”

Nuka sat back and rubbed his cheek with his paw, looking defeated. “Sorry mother…”

Despite his brother snapping at him, Kovu couldn’t help feeling bad after watching Zira hit him. He knew he was the favorite, and Nuka had reason to be bitter.

The brothers stayed silent the rest of the way home, their tails tucked underneath them.

***

That’s all he could remember of that interaction as he relayed it to his now fiancé, Kiara, venting to her about his family life growing up as they lay atop Pride Rock overlooking the kingdom.

“They never listened to anything I told them.” Kovu continued. “I was supposed to be king, yet my impute never mattered. I was just a pawn…”

“I’m sorry.” Kiara comforted him as she nuzzled his mane, her paw over his. “Families aren’t supposed to be like that.”

Kovu sighed. “I know you’re right, it’s just…” He hesitated, kneading his claws into the rock nervously. “Sometimes… your family’s kindness… I don’t know how to feel about it. I mean, logically I know you mean what you say, and that you all care for me, but… I keep finding myself doubting, waiting for the façade to fall away…”

He didn’t like the look Kiara was giving him now, so hurt looking, as if he was accusing her of terrible things.

“Please don’t don’t take it personally!” He quickly added. “I don’t actually… I mean—“

“No need to apologize, Kovu.” Kiara interjected. “I knew what you meant. I just wish I could make that go away.”

Kovu sighed in relief, and in sadness. This wasn’t as easy as he’d thought it’d be. Meeting Kiara and escaping his mother was the best thing to ever happen to him. And yet… it was all so strange. Simba was no longer his enemy but his friend, and future father-in-law. And they were all so kind and patient with him. As much as things had improved for him, this place still didn’t quite feel like home.

He’d noticed Vitani had had an even harder time adjusting. While she was cordial with the rest of the pride, she still mostly kept to herself or only hung out with their cousins and aunts. She kept her distance from everyone else, not out of malice but unease, as if she too were waiting for the moment when she would inevitably be hit or chastised by their former adversaries. Kovu’s own apprehensions may have been the only reason he even picked up on his sister’s behavior and recognized it for what it was.

“I wish I could, too.” Nala’s voice caused the couple to turn their heads to see the Queen approaching, Simba following behind. “But wounds don’t heal overnight. And some…” she looked away for a moment as she sat down near the two. “Become scars.”

Kovu noticed Nala’s eye contact break from him as she finished her sentence, no doubt trying not to bring attention to the blemish adorning his own face.

“Yes.” Simba spoke as he sat next to his wife. “But the nice thing about scars is that they eventually stop hurting. I’m still haunted by what I witnessed as a cub, but the farther I get from it the less it hurts.”

“Forgive me for changing the subject,” Nala interjected, a thoughtful look on her face. “But there was something in your story that caught my attention. That strange lion you mentioned… could you describe them a bit more?”

Kovu was confused by the request as it hadn’t been an important detail of the story, but he obliged nonetheless, now with his own curiosity.

“Well… they had golden fur, and a black mane…” He paused a moment trying to remember details from so long ago. “Oh, and green eyes, greener than mine. And, yeah, I assume they were male, but something about them made me doubt…”

Nala and Simba turned to each other and shared a look.

“Mom?” Kiara asked, sitting up. “What aren’t you telling us?”

“Well,” Nala hesitated. “There’s someone we never told you about…”

Kovu listened intently as the queen began weaving a short tale of a former pride member: A lioness named Tai, who’d had a mane despite her gender and who’d never gotten on well with the others due to her odd nature. She had been loyal to Scar during his reign and had served a sort of advisor role to him, and upon Simba’s return Nala had fought against her and she was banished.

“How come you never mentioned this lioness?” Kiara asked in an accusatory tone.

“We… honestly forgot.” Simba looked away sheepishly. “It didn’t seem important. And besides,” He glanced at his wife. “We thought Tai was living in the Outlands with the other Outsiders.”

“And we didn’t think much of it when we didn’t see her amongst your— uh, Zira’s pride during the war.” Nala added. “We were a bit distracted by the situation.”

“Well, it is important!” Kiara stood up. “We’re supposed to be putting the past behind us. That means every pride member should be forgiven.” Kiara turned to Kovu. “What if she’s still out there? We could find her and bring here home.”

“I understand your concern, Kiara.” Simba cut in. “But let’s not get too hasty. We don’t even know if Tai is still alive, much less still in the lands Kovu saw her in when he was just a cub.”

“I have to try…” Kiara stated in a determined tone.

It took some persuading, but the king and queen would eventually relent to their daughter’s request. After all, Simba couldn’t protect her forever, and he knew she’d find a way to do what she wanted regardless.

That’s how Kovu found himself back in the Outlands. Simba wasn’t just going to let his daughter roam strange lands without backup, so both he and his sister were assigned to go with her. Of course, Kovu was her future consort, so it made since for him to accompany Kiara on what she considered a diplomatic mission.

That said, he wasn’t entirely on board with this idea. He was no more confident than Simba that Tai could still be in those unnamed lands. But he knew his fiancé. She wouldn’t quit until she at least tried.

But it did mean crossing through his old home. There was something both soothing and unsettling about being here. It felt like home, but in a way that made him uneasy, a contrast to the Pridelands that didn’t quite feel like home yet but was far more comfortable. He was starting to worry that he might never be at ease anywhere.

The sun had moved quite a ways through the sky by the time they arrived at the farthest reaches of the Outlands. Patches of grass began to appear as they traveled, until eventually they found themselves on the boundary. All three lions’ eyes widened as they gazed upon the landscape in front of them. It was almost as lush as the Pridelands, though more flat and less hilly. It was even greener than Kovu had remembered it being.

“Well…” Kovu eventually spoke, turning to Kiara. “Uh, where should we start?”

“Where did you see her last?” She asked.

Kovu looked to his right. “I think it was further down that way. But Kiara… what are the chances we’ll run into her in the same spot?”

“I suppose we could start traveling through the territory and see if we find anything.” Kiara replied.

“I don’t like that idea.” Vitani stated. “This place reeks of hyena.”

Kiara wrinkled her nose. “Is that what that smell is?”

Vitani turned to the princess. “Have you never met a hyena before?”

Kiara shook her head and Vitani scoffed. “Consider yourself lucky.”

“Guys,” Kovu spoke up, instinctively stepping in front of his fiancé. “There’s someone over there.”

The others followed his gaze to an outcrop off in the distance, on top of which the distinct silhouette of a lion could be seen, though they were too far away for him to make out any details.

“Hello!” Kiara stepped forward and called out. “We’re not a threat!”

“Kiara—“ Kovu whispered harshly in a slight panic, stepping up to her again and staying pinned to her side.

All three watched as the lone lion slithered down the rocks and into the grasses, almost disappearing completely if not for the blades rustling in their wake, slowly approaching the trio.

Vitani took her position on Kiara’s other side, ready for a potential fight. Kovu could sense his sister’s tension even from here as it was a feeling he shared with her, though Kiara seemed more relaxed, her head held high.

The siblings stayed ready until the stranger finally emerged from the brush, and Kovu’s eyes widened in shock. “It’s you…” He breathed. “It is you.”

This lion was unmistakably the one he’d met as a cub. Golden fur, black mane, and green eyes.

The lion’s face scrunched up. “Do I know you?” She asked, puzzled. “I can tell you’re Pridelanders, but I don’t know any of your faces.”

“I… I ran into you once when I was a cub…” Kovu stuttered, still stunned that they’d managed to find her so quickly.

“Are you Tai?” Kiara interrupted excitedly.

The lion raised an eyebrow. “Who wants to know?”

Kiara grinned giddily, her eyes shining. “Crown Princess Kiara, of the Pridelands.” She introduced herself with a subtle dip of her head.

“Crown Princess?” Tai parroted in a skeptical tone, her eyes narrowing. “Since when was that allowed?”

“Oh, heh,” Kiara stuttered sheepishly. “I suppose a lot has changed since you lived in the Pridelands.”

Sitting down, Kiara explained everything Tai had missed. The banishment of Zira, the war, the unfortunate deaths of Nuka and Zira, the prides rejoining, and of course how she and Kovu were to be married. Tai sat down as well as she listened, Kovu watching her face change slightly with each new detail.

“Mmhmm…” Tai said simply once Kiara finished. “That’s a lot of changes the pride decided to make conveniently after I already left.” She muttered with a slight scowl.

Kiara’s smile dropped a bit. “But it’s a good thing, isn’t it? I mean, that’s why we’re here. I want us to leave the past behind us. Everyone who was banished is being welcomed back into the Pridelands.”

“I wasn’t banished.” Tai retorted calmly. “I left. It was my decision.”

“O-oh.” Kiara stammered. “Well, all the same I’m sure you left because my father killed Scar… I know you were loyal to him because the pride treated you badly, but things have changed. Please…” Kiara’s eyes dropped. “Zira couldn’t let go of her hate; I don’t want the same to happen to you.”

Tai’s eyes narrowed and her face scrunched. It took her a moment before speaking, as if she was still processing everything Kiara said.

“Simba didn’t kill Scar.” Tai said.

“W-what?” Kovu finally spoke this time, confounded by the statement. What made her so confident in that fact?

“Who told you he did?” Tai asked.

“Uh,” Kiara furrowed her brow as she began to think. “I guess… come to think of it…” Kiara’s furrowed her brow “Daddy never did say he killed Scar, he just said Scar died in the fire… He never liked talking about Scar so he never gave details…”

Kovu glanced at his sister who returned his look of bewilderment. They’d been told their whole lives that Simba was responsible for Scar’s death, but now that he was thinking about, when Simba first told him Scar’s story, he had simply said that “hate” had “destroyed” him.

“If Simba didn’t kill Scar,” Kovu turned back to Tai. “Then who did?”

Kovu’s heart skipped a beat as he heard laughter—a very distinct, eerie kind of laughter that only one kind of animal could make—all around, and the grasses around them parted as roughly a dozen hyenas emerged to surround them.

“Sorry to eavesdrop, kitties,” The big female to Tai’s right sneered. “But you are on our turf.”

“D’ya hear that, Shenzi?” A male on Tai’s left cackled as he addressed the female. “Can you believe that Simba guy took credit for our good work?”

“Well, Banzai” Tai glanced down at him with a smirk. “It sounds like he only took credit by omission.”

“Aw, why?” Banzai continued mockingly as he set his gaze on Kiara. “Too much of a pussy cat to admit he couldn’t stomach a little murder?”

Kovu growled at the hyena as he and Vitani closed in tighter against Kiara. These guys? They’d killed Scar? But hadn’t they been loyal to him?

“Ya see, Princess,” Tai turned her attention back to the trio. “My loyalty to Scar ended after he tried to sell out my friends to your father to save his own hide.”

“Yeah.” Shenzi added with a chilling grin. “So, we did what your daddy couldn’t.”

“Friends?!” Vitani exclaimed at Tai. “With these… creatures?” She spat the last word at a lazy-eyed hyena next to her who blew her a razz-berry in response.

Tai side-eyed Vitani. “Are you forgetting Scar’s affiliation with hyenas? Surely your mother didn’t leave that part out of her history lessons.”

“They were just lackeys.” Vitani replied. “He wasn’t their friend.”

“Yeah, he made that pretty clear.” Shenzi scowled, losing her smile.

“Tai…” Kiara pleaded. “You don’t have to live here. You can come home. Let old wounds heal.”

Tai glowered in anger and stood up. “What aren’t you getting? I am home.” She stated firmly. “And my wounds had healed until you showed up and reopened them. Even if what you say about your pride is true, it shouldn’t have taken them this long. The Clan accepted me as I was from day one, but my own species had to take a couple generations to think about it? And they want me to just forgive them? For what? Is it really for my own healing, or is it so you all can absolve yourselves of guilt?”

Kiara’s face fell and she shrunk back. She seemed to want to rebut a few times but second guessed herself.

“I know damn well you’re not willing to let hyenas back in the Pridelands anytime soon,” Tai glared at Vitani. “And I’m not leaving my real friends just so you all can pat yourselves on the back for letting The Queer back into the family.”

Kiara’s face was sullen, and it broke Kovu’s heart to see here like this. “…I just wanted to fix things…” She muttered timidly.

“Don’t stop now, Tai,” Banzai said, twirling his paw in the air as if listening to a tune. “Those were bars.”

“Banzai…” Shenzi sighed, putting a paw over her face.

“What?” Banzai replied. “I’m hip with the kids. Right Ed?” He addressed the lazy-eyed hyena who giggled hysterically and shook his head ‘no’.

Tai took a deep breath and let out a long sigh before addressing Kiara again. “Look… I’m not mad at you. You clearly have good intentions, but I find it awfully convenient that no one who actually knew me came to look for me. That doesn’t exactly scream “we’ve changed”. But it doesn’t matter. I’m happy here. Accept that.”

Kiara’s expression recovered a bit as she considered Tai’s words. “Ok… I’m sorry…”

“Don’t take it so personally, Kiara.” Vitani spoke up. “If she wants to live with fleabags, let her.”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Tai roared, suddenly lunging towards Vitani, catching the younger lioness off guard and causing her to back up. Even the hyenas seemed shocked at the outburst. “If you’re just going to insult my family then you can leave. NOW.”

“Let’s go.” Kiara placed her paw on Kovu before he could retaliate, causing the lion to stop and follow her back in the direction they came, his sister eventually joining them after a brief glaring session with Tai. The hyenas backed away to let them through.

But something had been nagging at Kovu for a while and he couldn’t leave just yet. He slowed his pace before stopping and turning back to the older lioness. “Can I ask you something?”

“What?” Tai growled angrily.

“When you… befriended the hyenas,” He began, pondering on how to word his question. “Did you trust them right away?”

Tai’s expression changed from cross to curious. “…No.” She eventually said. “A lifetime of rejection makes one paranoid. It took time for me to accept their friendliness towards me as genuine.”

“Hmm.” Kovu looked away as he reflected on her response.

“Why do you ask?” She added raising an eyebrow before smirking. “Trouble in paradise, Princey?”

Her comment was met with giggles from the hyenas, and Kovu noted how they’d seemed to rub off on her. “That’s none of your business.” He huffed.

Tai’s smirk grew with amusement for a moment before her expression softened. “It gets better, kid.”

Kovu sighed, satisfied with her answer. “Thank you.” He said before turning to leave.

“…Kovu.” Tai’s voice stopped him, and he turned to her again.

“I’m sorry about your brother.” She said calmly. “He was a good kid. He deserved so much better.”

Kovu heard a crack in her voice that told him she meant it. It hadn’t even occurred to him until now that she would have known Nuka, but now that he was thinking about it the timeline checked out. Was she good to him? She must have been by the way she was speaking about him. A wave of grief suddenly washed over him.

“Yeah, he did.” He replied solemnly before turning back to follow his sister and fiancé.

—

Welp, cue that one scene from Bojack Horseman .

Yay! We get to check in on Tai and the yeens after all this time, and get the TLK2 characters filled in on some history their parents forgot to mention.