Hello all.... well, I know I haven't seen SP, but I know a lot about it 
and this fanfic isn't REALLY about SP....

The cub at the end of TLK is Kiara, but I belive that it was supposed to 
be a male. Many others do too. So I've wrote this little fanfic, which 
answers to a question many have asked:
What the heck happened to Tanabi?






What happened to Tanabi?

A short TLK story by Kristin Ottinsen.


It was evening, and the sunset was casting it’s beautiful red light over 
the savannah. It looked like such a peaceful scene, but... things are 
not always as they seem to be. All the prey animals in the Pride Lands 
were tense, as they were every evening. They knew that this night could 
be It, this night could be their doom, and they would never see another 
sunset again.
The predators, on the other paw, were preparing themselfs for the 
night’s hunt. They knew that they had to catch something to keep 
themselfs and their family alive. Most feared of these predators were 
the lions.
All the lionesses were getting ready to hunt, every single of them were 
there... except one.
Kiara was sitting on the peak of Pride Rock, watching as her pride mates 
disappeared into the sunset and the darkness. Kovu was with them, he had 
always been a good hunter. When they were out of sight, she turned her 
gaze back to the King, who was sitting next to her.
«Why didn’t you tell me before?» she asked, her large, hazel eyes 
peering into his. 
Simba sighed sadly, shaking his head slowly, the cool wind ruffling his 
mighty mane, «I didn’t want you to feel sad about it... you were only a 
cub.»
She frowned, «Dad, I’m a lioness now, I’ve been for a long time. And 
just how sad could I be, for the death of a brother I did not know?»
«That’s not a very nice thing to say, Kiara...» He narrowed his eyes 
gently, waiting for an answer which never came. He continued, «But, I 
guess you’re right... I didn’t keep quiet about it all this time only 
for you, but mostly for me. I didn’t want to be reminded of it. To tell 
you, I had to rip up in old, bad memories..» Simba closed his eyes and 
lowered his head.
Kiara could not stand to see her father so sad. She nuzzled him gently, 
«Father... these things happen. Not all cubs survive. But I can imagine 
how hard it must have been for you.» for a moment she paused, «I’m sorry 
if I seemed cold.»
«It doesn’t matter.» the lion looked up to her again, his face still 
filled with sorrow, «Nothing can bring little Tanabi back, I know that. 
He only lived for a few weeks before he became ill... but still it was 
as bad as losing someone I had known my whole life. Think I about it. I 
had known him all his life.»
The young princess nuzzled Simba again, then sat back, looking to his 
face. He was about to cry, she could see that. Blocking that thing up 
inside him for so long... would he ever stop running from his past? 
«You have me, dad. I will never leave you. Someday me and Kovu will be 
king and queen, we will have our own cubs. We will carry the family on. 
And when we tell our children about the Great Kings of The Past, we 
won’t forget anyone. Not you, not Mufasa, not Mufasa’s father or his 
father before him, not any of our mothers before me... and not little 
Prince Tanabi, who never made it to be King.»
Simba smiled softly, rising a paw to caress Kiara’s cheek, «You have a 
good heart, my daugther. And I know you will be a good mother and Queen 
some day and you won’t forget anyone.» 
The last glimmer of the sun disappeared behind the horizon. The darkness 
had won it’s fight against the light once again, but soon the light 
would come back. It was night. A distant roar from a lioness could be 
heard, and the scream of one who was dying joined in.
The lion king rose, but before he padded down, he stopped to look at 
Kiara, «You will carry the Circle on, Kiara, and your children will know 
they had an uncle. We are One.»
She watched him quietly as he left, and looked after him for a long time 
after he was gone. Would she manage to make her father proud? Would she 
be the Queen he wanted her to be? Would she be the mate Kovu wanted her 
to be? Only future would tell. One thing she knew for certain. The 
Circle would never end, and hopefully she would help it continue some 
day. She would do her best.
«Kiara? Are you coming?» It was Nala’s voice, and it came from the 
bottom of the slope. The lionesses were back with their dinner. Kiara 
glanced up at the night sky. The stars seemed to shine so brightly... 
especially that one. What? Did she hear the giggle of a cub? ‘You can do 
it...’ she heard a whispering voice inside herself. And she knew she 
would carry the Circle on, she didn’t hope, she knew it.
«Kiara! Come now, or there’ll be nothing left!» Nala’s head appeared as 
the queen made her way up the slope.
«Coming!» the young lioness rose and ran over, nuzzling her mother’s 
face in greeting. 
«What were you doing up there, my girl?»
«Just chatting with an old family member, mom. A very close one.»
«Oh? Who was this?»
Kiara grinned, «Let’s just say we came from the same place.»