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Nala sat atop of Pride Rock, surveying the land. From here she could see her husband and daughter playing together in the grasses below.

She reflected on how far they’d come, and what it took to get here. Her journey through the desert, her finding Simba in the jungle, them defeating Scar and battling with the hyenas.

And Tai.

The maned lioness was often in the back of her mind, the words she spoke nagging at her. Nala had once believed her to be wrong. Since Simba took the thrown, the herds had returned and the land flourished. It would seem as if the change of management had made things better.

But deep down, she knew that Tai had a point. Lions like Scar didn’t appear out of thin air, ready to do evil. They were molded by their environment, influenced by the prejudices of their friends and family that stemmed from generations of passing down old beliefs and superstitions. And it was no excuse for what he had done, but to prevent more Scars from arising in the future, some things had to change.

Simba, of course, was not opposed to dumping a few traditions. For one, he wanted to keep to his word and discard betrothals. He wanted their daughter to choose love for herself, rather than risk her ending up in an unhappy marriage, despite it having worked out for them. And Nala, having experienced what she had, wanted to make sure her daughter knew how to fight, as she did.

But they had also decided to discard one other age old tradition. Instead of trying for a boy to pass on the crown to, and leaving their daughter to feel less important, Kiara would be heir to the throne. The first Crown Princess of the Jua Pride.

Obviously, Simba would train her to be a leader, to understand the Circle of Life and everything in it, and how to run a kingdom.

And Nala would teach her not to be pushed around, and to think for herself. She wanted her daughter to know when to question authority, so as not to repeat the mistakes of her mother and aunts, who refused to stand up to Scar despite his clear incompetence and cruelty.

And to this, Nala believed she owed Tai. She had taught her how to fight, and how to fend for herself, things her mother had believed unnecessary. Most importantly, she’d taught her to think, and to stand up for her beliefs. She hadn’t always agreed with Tai, and on many things she still didn’t. But Nala had always silently hoped Tai had found peace, where ever she was. She had never belonged here. She probably was better off elsewhere.

Nala turned to make her way down the slope to meet up with her family, and as she did so, she thanked the stars for what she had. The future was bright.

Miles away, a lioness wandered through the dried remains of long dead giants. Food was scarce here, yet life still endured, lurking in the shadows, snatching up any and all prey that dared wander through, only able to feast when elderly elephants came to die. One would think that the abundance of corpses would make the ground rich and fertile, but alas, nearby volcanic activity seemed to choke the earth, and steered away herbivores that would otherwise spread the seeds of the grasses they consumed. Only hyenas were versatile enough to survive here for so many generations.

And a lion like her really wasn’t. But she was determined. Despite dealing with malnutrition, she was finally healing from the emotional wounds of her life in her old pride. She had tried so hard to fix things, but in the end, she knew she had to leave it all behind in order to move forward, even if the path forward was tough.

As she padded further, she arrived at a clearing. The northern edge of the graveyard, opposite the border with the Pridelands, had been just as barren for many seasons. But something about it was different this day. She could see green.

It had seemed the storm that had liberated the Pridelands had also blessed this land as well. And it was not known to be inhabited by lions or other predators. She felt a sense of hope and excitement. She wanted to rush back into the graveyard and tell her spotted companions of her discovery. If life continued o grow her, they would no longer have to scrounge for food amongst bones or fight with lions to have a decent living. They could have a territory all their own that wasn’t clouded by the fog of volcanic ash. And she could be their steward and ambassador, to keep other lions away.

But she decided to wait. The greenery was only just coming in, and there were few prey items that she could see. This place needed time to grow, time for and ecosystem to form before the top predators could come in and complete the Circle.

But it meant there was hope. After all this time, she could finally have a better life.

_______
I can't believe I poored my heart and soul into a Lion King fanfiction, but here it is.
I wanted to make it clear that Tai did make some positive impact going forward. I also didn't want it to seem like I was completly demonizing the protagonists. Nala and Simba are much more open to change than their parents, even if a lot of things are still the same. It's a slow process. And as we know from the second film, their daughter will continue to move the pride forward into a more tolerant society, though not before old conflicts are dredged up again...

Thank you again to everyone who has faved and commented! I probably wouldn't have written more than the first chapter without your feedback.

First Chapter

Description

Nala sat atop of Pride Rock, surveying the land. From here she could see her husband and daughter playing together in the grasses below.

She reflected on how far they’d come, and what it took to get here. Her journey through the desert, her finding Simba in the jungle, them defeating Scar and battling with the hyenas.

And Tai.

The maned lioness was often in the back of her mind, the words she spoke nagging at her. Nala had once believed her to be wrong. Since Simba took the thrown, the herds had returned and the land flourished. It would seem as if the change of management had made things better.

But deep down, she knew that Tai had a point. Lions like Scar didn’t appear out of thin air, ready to do evil. They were molded by their environment, influenced by the prejudices of their friends and family that stemmed from generations of passing down old beliefs and superstitions. And it was no excuse for what he had done, but to prevent more Scars from arising in the future, some things had to change.

Simba, of course, was not opposed to dumping a few traditions. For one, he wanted to keep to his word and discard betrothals. He wanted their daughter to choose love for herself, rather than risk her ending up in an unhappy marriage, despite it having worked out for them. And Nala, having experienced what she had, wanted to make sure her daughter knew how to fight, as she did.

But they had also decided to discard one other age old tradition. Instead of trying for a boy to pass on the crown to, and leaving their daughter to feel less important, Kiara would be heir to the throne. The first Crown Princess of the Jua Pride.

Obviously, Simba would train her to be a leader, to understand the Circle of Life and everything in it, and how to run a kingdom.

And Nala would teach her not to be pushed around, and to think for herself. She wanted her daughter to know when to question authority, so as not to repeat the mistakes of her mother and aunts, who refused to stand up to Scar despite his clear incompetence and cruelty.

And to this, Nala believed she owed Tai. She had taught her how to fight, and how to fend for herself, things her mother had believed unnecessary. Most importantly, she’d taught her to think, and to stand up for her beliefs. She hadn’t always agreed with Tai, and on many things she still didn’t. But Nala had always silently hoped Tai had found peace, where ever she was. She had never belonged here. She probably was better off elsewhere.

Nala turned to make her way down the slope to meet up with her family, and as she did so, she thanked the stars for what she had. The future was bright.

Miles away, a lioness wandered through the dried remains of long dead giants. Food was scarce here, yet life still endured, lurking in the shadows, snatching up any and all prey that dared wander through, only able to feast when elderly elephants came to die. One would think that the abundance of corpses would make the ground rich and fertile, but alas, nearby volcanic activity seemed to choke the earth, and steered away herbivores that would otherwise spread the seeds of the grasses they consumed. Only hyenas were versatile enough to survive here for so many generations.

And a lion like her really wasn’t. But she was determined. Despite dealing with malnutrition, she was finally healing from the emotional wounds of her life in her old pride. She had tried so hard to fix things, but in the end, she knew she had to leave it all behind in order to move forward, even if the path forward was tough.

As she padded further, she arrived at a clearing. The northern edge of the graveyard, opposite the border with the Pridelands, had been just as barren for many seasons. But something about it was different this day. She could see green.

It had seemed the storm that had liberated the Pridelands had also blessed this land as well. And it was not known to be inhabited by lions or other predators. She felt a sense of hope and excitement. She wanted to rush back into the graveyard and tell her spotted companions of her discovery. If life continued o grow her, they would no longer have to scrounge for food amongst bones or fight with lions to have a decent living. They could have a territory all their own that wasn’t clouded by the fog of volcanic ash. And she could be their steward and ambassador, to keep other lions away.

But she decided to wait. The greenery was only just coming in, and there were few prey items that she could see. This place needed time to grow, time for and ecosystem to form before the top predators could come in and complete the Circle.

But it meant there was hope. After all this time, she could finally have a better life.

_______
I can't believe I poored my heart and soul into a Lion King fanfiction, but here it is.
I wanted to make it clear that Tai did make some positive impact going forward. I also didn't want it to seem like I was completly demonizing the protagonists. Nala and Simba are much more open to change than their parents, even if a lot of things are still the same. It's a slow process. And as we know from the second film, their daughter will continue to move the pride forward into a more tolerant society, though not before old conflicts are dredged up again...

Thank you again to everyone who has faved and commented! I probably wouldn't have written more than the first chapter without your feedback.

First Chapter