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They stayed at the mountain top until dawn's blush turned the horizon a deep red. It reflected from the water lying in the once-desert, creating a red wonderland as otherworldly as the afterlife must be. Together they watched the show, entertained by the music of Kovu's contraption, and then, with a new day ahead of them, headed down the mountainside.

Mipa had just as much trouble going down as up the hillside, only it was her forelegs that received most of the abuse. Not only did they take most of her weight but the loose fat on her body rolled forward, smothering the movement of her forelegs. It was slow going and Mipa was obviously concentrating very hard, so Kovu did not say anything. Only when she got onto the flat below did she lie down.

"Phew!" she said, breathing heavily. Crystal blue eyes sought out Kovu's, however, and despite the distress of her overburdened body, the expression her chubby face could only be described as... excitement. They'd hardly said anything to each other all night, so Kovu only looked back until Mipa said, "That was... a beautiful thing you made."

"It was made for a beautiful lioness," he said, and bowed. Mipa giggled, the fat on her pigeon-like chest rocking in synchrony. But then she stopped, eyes widening, panting silent in a moment.

"Kovu..." she said, then paused. "I... I want you to take me."

Kovu blinked, then his heart leapt and he darted forwards. Mipa lay there, but her eyes widened as he moved and she flinched in the other direction. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing... just take me," she said, though her fear was still apparent. She did not get up, but her gaze never left his. Her tail was still; it was obvious she wasn't aroused.

"Mipa-"

"Please," she said, her voice a squeal as her panting returned, this time controlled, as if due to panic. "Just take me. I want to be yours. I want to be yours and I trust you just take me now and... and..." She met his gaze again, "... let's get this over with."

Her face studied Kovu for his reaction, but Kovu didn't know how to react. She wanted him. He wanted her... but she was scared. Too scared to copulate with him properly. And anyway, the female lioness was meant to arouse the male. This was all wrong. This wasn't what he wanted.

So he opened his mouth to say as much. "Mipa-."

She sprang - lunged - to her feet, the effort evident on her face. "Kovu! Don't make this harder than it needs to be. Please, I want to start a family with you, so... take me." She turned, facing her fat body away from him. He didn't mount her. Instead he walked by her side. "Mipa..."

Hiding her face, Mipa sobbed. "Kovu..."

"When you're ready, Mipa."

"I AM ready. It's just... my mind... my stupid mind. I'm ready, but it's not. My soul is ready... but my mind..." Kovu rubbed his flank against hers, but his chin over her neck. "When you're mind is ready, I'll be ready," he said. "I can wait. I desire you too, but I will wait... for you."

"What if I'm never ready?" she said, still facing away.

"Then we'll make the best of what we have," he said, licking behind her ear, rubbing his body against hers. "I don't think we're doing too badly."

She looked at him then, blue eyes full of tears, cascading over her fat cheeks. She nodded to him, and he nodded back; they both smiled. "I... I'm starving," she said at last. "Shall we go check some traps together?"

"It will be my pleasure," he said, then licked her cheek. Side-by-side, they walked off into the rich underbrush.

Kovu slinked his way through new green grass which rose to the large cat's shoulders. The muscular mounds worked up and down as he prowled as silently forward as he could. As he did, he could not help but reflect the difference a few monsoon storms could make.

The area in which he was now stalking had, in fact, been little more than barren desert before the start of the wet season. Now the grass was rich, abundant and flowering. The dead looking twisted trees which existed here and there now sported new coats of green and colorful flowers. One was as likely to step in mud now as solid ground. As for the animals, the time for migration was upon most of them.

The oasis was a smear of green on the horizon behind Kovu. He'd ranged out far for tonight's dinner. He just hoped he was cat enough to catch it. Walking, Kovu could simply feel a new sleekness on his frame, a softness that was not there before. Mipa had had an impact certainly on him, or rather the abundance of food her hunting technique provided. Hunching his shoulders in the grass and wishing at this moment that he lacked the large conspicuous mane which he wore, Kovu just hoped that the new weight which slightly padded his figure would not slow him down. However, if he did things right, there shouldn't be much of a chase in the first place.

There they were, just ahead of him. The wildebeest gathered in the new prairie by the thousand, perhaps hundred thousand, perhaps more. To Kovu at least, the herd appeared endless and he knew that the could only see a small portion of thier total number. Several dozen of them paced ahead, munching on the newly sprouted grass. Five times that number were steadily walking through those who had stopped. Wildebeest didn't hurry much, but they never stopped moving. This time of the year, they were going [south]. They weren't doing more than passing through the area, but still their numbers blackened the living desert.

The stench of their sweating bodies put Kovu on edge. The muscles along his spine and in his legs were tight like springs and his eyes darted to follow every movement. The large cat read the herd as a human would a sheet of parchment. There were certain patterns of motion which Kovu was looking for, ones that indicated age, illness or infirmity. He was also aware of every small shape representing each calf and observed them in case any wandered just a little too far. In Kovu's world, an easy meal was preferred to a hard one; only desperate lions tried bringing down young, fit prey. And Kovu along with his family had been that desperate on a number of occasions.

And more, now that he was older, Kovu found that he respected the strength of his prey. To take life and death into one's paws was not a light matter. The strong ones advertised their strength in the herd both to their mates and to any predators that might be watching. They seemed to say to Kovu, "I understand my place in life, but I also understand yours. Come and deliver your trial unto me; I do not fear that I shall not pass." Kovu smiled a small cat's grin and sidled closer, his belly close to the ground and his eyes fixed ahead, looking for the one he would present with his challenge.

The lion's heart pounded in his chest, quicker and quicker the closer he got the the large, lumbering shapes. This was exhilaration, this was fun, this was passion and philosophy all rolled into a single sweet symphony. Kovu knew that everything he was feeling was leading up to just a few moments of action where his own life and the life of his prey would be, for a few precious seconds, entirely up in the air. Granted, the odds were in his favor for the coming battle, but only in the short run. There was a reason why there were more wildebeest than lions, after all.

The scent of the herbivores was intoxicating. It made Kovu giddy. The lion was filled with a sense of barely restrained power. It felt almost like he could simply launch himself at any of the plodding shapes and deliver instant death; though he knew better from firsthand experience. Ahead of him he saw it, an older male now past his breeding years. Normally, Kovu would have passed this one over in favor for one sick or a calf, but the beast was walking with a rather heavy limp, an old gnarled and grey scar on his hindleg marking where he'd once been gored. He was a bit on the thin side also and looked as though life had been rough to him. Kovu was willing to bet that he lacked stamina now in his waning years.

The lion creapt closer. The stink of wildebeest was intense and now the lion was passing fresh droppings as he neared his chosen one, grazing on the outer flanges of the constantly moving herd. The Old One had other scars on his body and he was strongly built in his forequarters. Perhaps he had been a bull in his prime, though judging by his condition, the reign must have been short-lived. At any rate, Kovu figured that he was past the age of siring young now. The herd would not suffer for his loss.

The tension only grew as he approached the target, moving as quickly as he dared. Kovu was acutely aware of the fact that if the wind changed only a little the herd would detect him and all his efforts would be forfeit. A young mother lifted her head nearby and looked in the lion's direction. Kovu happened to be looking in her direction and so was able to vanish into thicker grass before she could startle. The lion paused and waited a few moments and she placidly dropped her head. Kovu, however, was gripping the ground with his claws, so tense was he. If he had been a year younger he might have already darted for the older male, probably to the ruin of his whole hunt. But he had some experience hunting alone. More in these last several months than he'd had living with his mother, sister Vitani and his brother Nuka. He continued on, close to the ground. Only a few dozen more lengths to go...

As he reflected on his own painfully developed patience, Kovu had to consider one other thing about the recent changes to his life. As much as he loved Mipa and her luscious, voluptuous body, he would never understand her disinclination towards standard means of hunting. Granted, he didn't disaprove of her method, in fact he loved it. He loved it because it demonstrated just how clever Mipa was and also because it allowed her to support such an awesomely erotic figure that would be completely unattainable or supportable with the traditional methods. But despite its cleverness and even despite the fact that Kovu had learned much of the way of mechanics and weights and tension, this was something that he could not live without. Simply put, Kovu would not feel like a lion if he didn't hunt.

And yet... Mipa did not hunt at all. Kovu still had not fully come to terms with the concept. He'd brought it up on many an occasion in the past, but Mipa had always shrugged and either said she thought her way was better or that she never liked hunting. But how could one not like this?! It was what lions were born to do. Mipa seemed to have other motivations... Perhaps it was why she still seemed so opaque to him, even after all this time. Perhaps it was one of the reasons why she flinched when he touched her...

The Old One lifted his great horned head and snorted. Scuffing the ground with a hoof, he looked out uncomfortably over the prairie. Kovu held his breath and tried simultaneously not to move and to lower his belly to the ground...

Too late! Kovu locked eyes with the Old One and he let out a bellowing cry. The lion was on his feet and leaping forward, launching himself forward with his hindlegs with all the power in his youthful male body. The wildebeest, bigger and slower than Kovu, nevertheless turned like a dancing bird and began to tear up the new turf with his hooves. The alarm spread through all the gathered animals, but the chase was already on.

Kovu was close, but not as close as he would have liked. It took several moments to catch up and the burst of speed drained a lot of his reserves. Lions, nor any other big cat, could not match the stamina of most of their prey animals. Either you caught it in the first few seconds, or it got away most of the time. But this old timer had a limp and had seen too many summers, it seemed for Kovu was able to gain on him. The black maned lion made the crucial leap with a powerful thrust of his hindlegs. The grass under him was a green blur as his body plowed through the air like a fish in water. Then the hot, steaming body of the wildbeest was under him and his claws were drawing down, ever so slowly it seemed. Kovu watched as an outsider as his nails sank into the beast's thick hide. The Old One let out another bellow. Kovu feared that the others would come to assist the old timer, but his mates were drawing away, seemingly able to sense that now was the time for this beast to prove that he was worthy for continued survival... or not. With all the heads up and staring at them, Kovu felt akin to a celebrity. He was in a duet whose song was central to all things; Life itself. With his weight crashing down onto the wildebeest's back, Kovu reached forward and sank his fangs into the back of its neck.