Truths To Tell

[Kiara]

They were the children of Jasper and Simba.

Kiara padded through the snow without really seeing where she was going, her gaze turned inwards as she thought. Her mind was a whirl of memories, piecing together small things and breaking them apart in endless feedback loops of confusion and questions.

Nala wasn't her mother, had never been her mother. That was why she'd found it so easy to push Kanzi off of Pride Rock's edge.

Oh, Kanzi... Kiara glanced back at the cub walking behind her, gaze pitying. They hadn't said a word thus far, and their sister was too perturbed to broach whatever quagmire had taken hold of the younger cat's mind. When Kanzi ran ahead to the cabin that had been designated as belonging to the big cats of the Dawnseekers she simply... Let them go. Let them take what comfort they could find in solitude.

Kiara followed more slowly, letting the oversized swinging door slide shut behind her as she stepped into the warmth of the manmade den. She could see Kanzi's form already curled up in one of the mountains of blankets, back to the room. Kiara sighed softly and turned away -- to another mound of bodies, this one holding the rest of their family.

Did she have to tell them? Malik had suggested that she say something now, when she still resembled more a lion than the mysterious liger she apparently was. He'd pointed out that shadows already marked her fur where Jasper's lineage would likely become clear as she aged and grew into the markings. If she waited for them to see the truth rather than hear it from her now...

Kiara wavered on shaking limbs, eyes swimming with frustrated tears. Everything kept changing. Right when she thought the world was beginning to settled it would rock her again.

It wasn't fair.

"Bibi...?" Kiara nuzzled into her grandmother's side.  "Kopa? Kion?"

[Kion]

    Kion grumbled and barely stirred from his sleep, giving a light snore every once in a while and also unceremoniously drooling out of his mouth. When he went to sleep, he was out like a light bulb. Then again, he was a growing boy, and needed all the sleep he could get. Thankfully, the nightmares that plagued his mind were slowly disappearing. They still lingered but were like leaves in the wind at that point. But Kiara's voice slowly made him wake up, and he made a very grumpily snort as he woke up. 

    "Hrrrnnngh..." He grumbled out and slid onto his side to where he heard his twin sister's voice. "Kiara...? What's going on?" The golden teenager yawned and shook his head, which thankfully started to get rid of the fog in his head from being asleep. His beard and growing mane was an absolute mess, but that wasn't here or there, and honestly? He didn't care at the moment. If Kiara was there and sounded like it was something important, that came first. 

[Kopa]

Kopa grunted as he heard a voice. He had been sleeping relatively peacefully, with the exception of nightmares sprinkled throughout. He opened an eye and saw Kiara, looking worried and troubled. He sat up, shaking himself. He yawned loudly. He could feel the rays of dawn peering through. He squinted.

"Kiara? What is it? I was trying to sleep," he grumbled until he saw up close how troubled Kiara seemed. He frowned. "What's going on?" he asked. Hoping she ignored his little outburst of anger.

His tuft fell onto his face, and he blew it out. Man, he needed to groom it. Or clean it. Or whatever. But now didn't seem to be the time for that.

[Sarabi]

The noise of the cabin door opening had caused Sarabi to stir before the warm press of a body against her side and her granddaughter's voice. Ever since her son's death, Sarabi had slept lightly as if afraid that she would wake to some other horrible happening if she wasn't ready to spring at a moment's notice. Without thinking she let out a welcoming pur and swiped her tongue across Kiara's head in greeting but the tone of her voice made her worry. The hint of uncertainty and hurt made her immediately worried for her.

Kanzi had buried themselves in a mound of soft pillows and Sarabi made a mental note to deal with her youngest grandchild once she had dealt with Kiara. She had made a promise to herself to be both mother and father to all of them and they would need it. It wasn't easy but she would give them the love that would hopefully fill the void left by Simba and Nala's absence, not the same but just as warm.

"Kiara, love, what's the matter?" she couldn't help but shoot Kopa a reproachful look at his petulant outburst, no doubt that would not help matters.

[Kiara]

Kiara's hindquarters plopped to the ground with a small thud, tufted tail tucked up between the girl's thighs. Her eyes shot from feline to feline of her little family with a sheen growing brighter at each move. There wasn't much use in sugar-coating the matter.

"Mister Raphael... The big tiger that was Jasper's friend... He asked Kanzi and I to go listen to him. He told us..." The eyes that turned up to Sarabi were bright with unshed tears and full of fears of rejection.

"W-we aren't Mom's... Nala's... Cubs. Kanzi and I are Dad's a-and... Jasper's."

[Sarabi]

Sarabi couldn't help but stare at the teenage lioness in front of her, her words seemingly echoing within her brain. She had never given any thought to her son's closeness with Jasper, never considered that her grandchildren were anything but the product of Simba and Nala's mating. Kiara looked so like her son that it had never crossed her mind at all. Yet, she was not blind to see that Kiara was growing and not in the usual ways a lioness would, she was becoming much more thickly-built and larger than Sarabi had ever known for her species, likely she would dwarf her brothers one day. Before she had assumed that Mufasa's genes were shining through but now it was likely something different entirely.

Jasper. Was it not enough that he had taken her son from her? Was it not enough that he had betrayed Simba and led him to his death and with Nala complicit? Now would she not be able to look at Kiara or Kanzi without seeing her son's murderer in them?

No! You have been down this path before. The flash of a red cub in her mind's eye snapped her out of these thoughts. She had failed one child because she couldn't seperate the parent from them. Sarabi would not make the same mistake twice. Kula was gone but Kiara and Kanzi were still here, they could be her redemption for her failings as a mother.

Sarabi wrapped her paws around Kiara's neck in the best approximation of a hug that she could and pulled the teenager close to her "Listen to me." she said softly "Your blood does not define you. I swore when I first held you in my paws that I would love you all and nothing will ever change that. You are my granddaughter and always will be."

You are not Jasper. You are not my son. You are Kiara.

[Kopa]

This information took Kopa by surprise. He was reeling. A look of genuine shock spread throughout Kopa. The young lion had to take a few moments to regain his bearings. Kopa stared at Kiara with a shocked and confused look. For once, there wasn't anger right away, but it would come, so don't worry. It'd definitely come.

"What?" Was all that the male lion uttered. He couldn't accept it right away as Sarabi had, because this information was brand new. And he wasn't sure how to react to it. Anger seemed like the way to go, but on the other hand, this probably was news to Kiara, and she was still his sister. More or less.

Kopa was pawing at the ground, trying to make sense of the information and news presented to him. His first instinct, again, was to be angry. He wanted so badly to lash out in anger, but that wasn't really the only way. Did he even know his dad anymore? The more he found out about these new revelations, the more it made him question everything. And he disliked it. A lot.

"And Jasper himself never wanted to mention this?" he sounded angry now. He wouldn't be angry at Kiara, but he sure could be angry at Jasper, who again, kept something from them. His blue eyes were angry, but he also felt... he didn't know.

Was anything going to change between him and Kiara? Not likely, but he couldn't confirm that, even though he wanted to. Kopa didn't regard Kiara any differently, though he couldn't expect things to be the exact same.

[Kion]

    ...What?

    Kiara and Kanzi... weren't mom's cubs!? How... why??? He couldn't put his head around it. Kion just thought that Kiara was getting her size from Mufasa, and Kanzi took a lot more from Nala's side of the family. But it... somehow made sense. The strange markings that was starting to show up on her pelt, and Kanzi seemed different as well. They were still all Simba's cubs, but... they had different birth parents. He couldn't understand at that moment why their parents would keep it from them, and now they had to find out from some... stranger. It made him angry, but not at his siblings, but at Simba and Nala. But that was neither here nor there.

    "Kiara..." He ran right next to his twin and went to hug her the best he could with Grandma in the way. "It's okay, sis. We're still family, no matter what." He then looked at Kopa, hopeful that Kopa wouldn't be angry about all of it. 

[Kiara]

Being brought forward into an embrace was the shock that broke the veil holding back Kiara's tears. Clutching at her grandmother, at her not-twin-twin the girl smothered herself within their combined embrace with snuffling cries sniffed against Sarabi's chest. "Kion... B-bibi..."

Maybe they were right. Maybe that was all that they needed -- the affirmation that no matter the blood they were all still family. They were what remained of the family. They would stay together through anything.

Kiara's eyes slid shut as she eased into their embrace.