Ever eager to keep up with the other two cubs, Hali followed the two over as they followed Pumba. She winced and wrinkled up her nose as she noticed what Pumba was showing them, "Ew, I'll stick to Zebra" she said. Vitani peeked over, "Pumba, I am forbidding you from showing them any kind of burping lessons though" she said with a smile before walking back over to the others.

Hali smiled back. She would have tagged her or Damon again and then darted off for tag again, but could tell they had to keep moving.

Vitani smiled to first the cubs and then as she noticed Timon's panicked pleading with Simba. Simba was right of course, though.

"Calm down Timon, from what I've seen of your Uncle Max no panther or anything else will get at your colony" she tried to reassure along with Simba.

The growling...pet...friend, whatever that other grasshopper was, made Woody back up a bit and had him a bit on edge but they still didn't do anything yet.

"Wow..." Elliott just stared in awe as Maharajah went on. Even Miko, who had heard it, smiled again as he listened. Yup, even if as he said he didn't know everything about man, Maharajah knew some pretty cool stuff.

All the kids were shocked as the two cubs were suddenly hoisted up. "Hey...wa-" Miko was cut off as a monkey paw, he wasn't sure which, clamped over his mouth.

They were being...taken...by, by the monkeys? Why? The cub pondered this as they were taken along.

~~~~

For his part Exavier had thought that perhaps this one female panther wouldn't be too bad to take down, maybe, if Khan would let him and not attack from behind, but as another rushed out, he knew enough not to try it. He just backed up a bit, thinking.

For his part, Khan frowned, "I'll have you know I'm as good now as I ever was and I don't need some fellow cat who's forgotten his place and helps out man-cubs to come telling me...".

"We're trying to help!" Namita insisted.

Exavier still just backed up, assesing this situation. He didn't want to just give up, but taking on all three of them...

"You too!" Elliott grinned, "Wow, so you really know all about man?!" he asked, "We only knowed one man's cub our age...well two now but Ranjan's little".

"Yeah I told him about Mowgli" Miko smiled.

"Oh" the calf noticed the stuff Maharajah was wearing, "So what are those things?" he asked. His father still hadn't noticed any of this.

~~~~

"How do you know?" Namita asked. She then caught the sound on the wind Impudent waste of fur, I'll have you know I've been ruling this jungle since before your mother was born!"

"Nevermind..." Namita sighed, oh she hoped for his sake as well as Allison's Khan wouldn't do anything foolish. As they reached the place Namita caught sight of Khan throwing back his opponent once more.

Without hesitating she rushed out, "H-hold it...".

At seeing her firstly both tiger's paused. Khan frowned, "Don't interfere, I have this under control!".

~~~~

The monkey lead on, tracking any clues he could of the two cubs, before he saw something. "Um...we might have a problem..." he pointed to the two cubs now very near Hathi's elephant herd, "That one there, with the man stuff, he's the one but...I don't think we can get 'em with them elephants nearby".

~~~~

Kaa remained still for...two more seconds before becoming bored and still a bit hungry, giving chase. He was also having more success than he usually did.

At first Vitani frowned Timon, "Very funny" but it was obvious she could take the joke. Hali giggled a bit.

As they walked along Vitani glanced down to Makaila at her question on being expected to do important things. She smiled a bit sadly, "Believe it or not, Makaila, I probably know how you feel more than you'd guess".

Vitani sighed, not wanting to go where her memories were taking her but continuing. "As I believe has been stated, I was Zira's daughter and...well she told me Scar was my father, I never knew him but I think she was right. Growing up in the outlands, my mother talked constantly of the revenge were were going to get on Simba and...pulled me along into that as well. I had to train constantly, though got the lighter of it than Kovu, and mother always told me how fighters were the only kinds that mattered and I felt pressured that if I ever wasn't good enough she...well that I'd probably be pushed out with no where to go".

Vitani had been staring forward as she said this, just sort of lost in her thoughts as she went on. She glanced back down to Makaila, "After I saw Zira for what she was and was able to stand up to her I felt alot like you, lost and...not sure what I was suppose to do now. I don't have all the answers and ghosts of the past dealt with even now but...well I've found starting out with just being yourself as near as you can tell it is a good way to start figuring that out".

Namita nodded as well, taking off after Bagheera while the kite flew up to try and help by spotting and if further help was needed. He had a feeling with Bagheera now on the case though it wouldn't be too long before the intruder was dealt with.

~~~~

"This way, sir, I see pawprints!" the monkey lead on into the jungle after the two cubs.

~~~~

Exavier and Khan's fight raged on. The younger tiger pouncing only to be swat away yet again. Exavier growled in frustration.

"If...you are...my sister's kid, left after she was killed by man" Khan panted, "Then I'll give you a fair warning one more time before I kill you, back. off. and. leave!".

Exavier frowned, "Don't think so!" he lunged again.

~~~~

Miko soon began to hear the sounds of elephants and stepped out, "There they are!" he grinned back at Maharajah, "Ok, now Colonel Hathi's nice and all but...let me talk first, he can be grumpy".

As Miko walked up, a little calf soon spotted him and rushed over as well, "Hey Miko! Ooh, who's this?" he asked.

The panther cub grinned, "Elliott, this is my new friend Maharajah, he lives with man, or one man, and was showing me all their stuff".

"Wow...hi!" Elliott smiled.

Suddenly a cry came from Bonnie's toy box. "I found it!". Sheriff Woody popped over the lid, smiling and placing his hat he'd misplaced once again on his head.

"Whew that's a relief. no tellin' how many times I've...". As Wood hopped down to the floor once more the sight of their newcomers froze him.

Standing in the room was the biggest grasshopper he'd ever seen and...another odd looking grasshopper. They also looked intellegnet and not like the one's typically found in one's backyard.

"Well, uh, Howdy There" with a bit of a nervous smile, Woody tipped his hat.

"Uh...guys" he glanced to Trixie ahd Rex playing their game, "who's the...guest?".

Hey all. This actually looks great and I'll take Woody for yall if you want

Chapter 2

"And then Kit stayed on the longerest and most!" Ducky seemed as excited as if she'd won again as she told both Petrie, his mother and a few of the other grown-ups, both her and Kit's mother's included, of the game.

"Wow!" Petrie glanced over to his cousin who gave a small smile, "You really stay on longer than Ducky!".

Kit shrugged, "I...guess". Lily smiled at her daughter, "Well that's great, Kit" she praised in that way parents do of backing up whatever their kids do and causing their own kind of pressure without meaning to.

"Yes, it sounds great, I think" Petrie's mother smiled to the other female adults, "Even if I'm still picking up the ins and outs of this game of the childrens". Mrs. Swimmer and Lily smiled back and nodded that yes, so were they, struggling to keep up with the kids' next big thing.

"Wow, maybe next time we play, Petrie let you have me spot again" Petrie said, "since me still not very good" he frowned.

"Don't worry Petrie, you'll get it" Kit encouraged, putting a wing around her cousin.

"Yeah, now that your cousin's the great log running winner, maybe she can give you pointers" Cera said as she walked up. She sounded sarcastic, but as the kids had picked up on, wasn't; just giving her usual brand of a half joke.

Even if Littlefoot still felt a part of her was bothered by the fact that she hadn't had a chance to try to win.

"Mr. Thicknose just told me about a spot with some really good tree sweets" he informed the others as to why he and Cera were walking up, "you guys wanna come?" he looked to Kit, Petrie, Ducky and Spike.

"Oh yes" Ducky cheered, "And we can give Kit extras of them for her winning prize" she giggled, just being helpful and nice as she hugged Kit herself in congratulations again.

Kit started to feel an odd stomach plummet and gave a half smile back as she secretly wished Ducky would just stop talking about her winning so much.

"Well only if Petrie feels up to it..." she glanced over to her cousin who stood, "Oh yes, me feel much better" he said. Kit made sure to glanced up to her aunt and make sure she approved, because otherwise it wouldn't matter how much better Petrie said he was. Mrs. Flyer smiled and nodded.

"Okay!" Kit flapped up, Petrie following. They flew off along with Littlefoot, Cera and Spike, who carried Ducky as always.

"You kids stay in the Valley now" Lily called out as the children walked off.

"We will" they chorused.

"They always say that..." Lily sighed, shaking her head and glancing to Mrs. Swimmer and Petrie's mom with that same knowing look. The three mothers sighed. Yes, they knew the kids TRIED to obey, they just wern't good at staying put.

~~~~

"Here you go, Kit!" Ducky pushed over what looked like the best of her little pile as the children all gathered tree sweets. As usual, even while finding smallish ones, the tree sweets were the size of Ducky, Petrie and Kit. That's why Kit felt so bad as she was given an extra.

"Oh...that's ok" she pushed it back, "I don't need a congrad-lation gift".

"But you winned" Ducky pushed it back.

"Yes..." Kit pushed it again. Petrie had already been watching this and now the others started looking in that direction too, "...but, well, I don't wanna be full for tonight after my mom collects lots of tree stars". Kit's stomach plummeted again as she said this.

First she hadn't actually felt she'd won, now she'd lied...

Duck bought it though, "Oh, right" she recalled how she and Spike had done just that once. "Well ok, then I will not get fulled up either and we will leave it for someone else to find".

"Kit, you ok?" Petrie asked suddenly, causing her to look over at him sharply, "Huh?!".

"You looking kinda sickish" Petrie pointed out.

"I'm good" Kit smiled beyond another bad feeling. Lie number two.

~~~~

Later that night, after the kids returned home, Kit tried to eat as much as she could to sort of make what she'd said true, but her appetite just wasn't there at all.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright..." Lily asked her daughter, "You didn't catch what Petrie had did you?" she felt Kit's head.

The hatchling sighed, "No, he got sniffles from sky water, you don't catch those" she said.

"Not usually no" Lily smiled, "Well ok, I was just checking".

Kit gave a small smile, "Thanks, but I'm ok". The tally was now up to three.

~~~~

A chance for telling the truth did come the next day as the kids were all gathered again by the water they always used for this game. "Kit, will you play today?" Ducky asked.

With a smile, Kit nodded, "Sure, and who knows you'll probably win today" she felt good that both sentences were the truth she felt.

Ducky giggled. From where he settled on the grass near Littlefoot to watch, Petrie didn't seem to mind having to sit out either. "Me just might give Kit all me turns" he said.

Littlefoot laughed, "Aw Petrie, you're better at the game than you think" he encouraged.

Cera rolled her eyes then turned to where Ducky, Chomper, Ruby and Kit prepared to go. "Well, let's see if the great-log-running-flyer can impress us today". Littlefoot and Petrie looked at the threehorn confused on why she seemed so bothered by all this praising of Kit; probably because she wasn't use to attention not directed at her.

Everyone on their logs started running and Kit kept glancing over to see how Ducky was doing. So far so good. The swimmer was still on the log. Kit watched her own feet run, thinking through...alot of stuff.

Chomper slipped again, frowning again, and was soon followed by...Kit, as the flyer tipped and flew off. She sighed but didn't seem that upset as she flapped over to the others on land just as Chomper swam in.

"Wow, Kit, you had worse luck today" the sharptooth commented. At his statement Petrie frowned and turned to his cousin, beak opening to ask something and Kit laughed as she already knew what it was.

"No Petrie" she answered with a giggle, clamping his beak shut gently, "I haven't eaten anything weird today, I promise" she grinned at the funny little idea she knew had entered his head.

It was as she turned from this to watch Ruby and Ducky now going at it against each other that she caught Cera looking at her from out of the corner of her eye. Kit turned to the threehorn, who wasn't frowning at her or anything, but just had a look like...like she knew...something. Kit smiled back nervously.