A Little Help From a Friend

A Little Help From a Friend is a short story inspired by The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. It was published by Scholastic in May 2004 as part of Disney Tuck-in Tales: Stories of Friendship.
==Synopsis==
One morning, Kiara awoke her father, Simba, for a walk around the Pride Lands. As the two left the den of Pride Rock, Zazu approached with news that Outsiders had been spotted near the western canyon, and Simba apologetically cut his walk with Kiara short. Though she promised to stay near Pride Rock, he ordered her to take Timon and Pumbaa with her wherever she went. Once Simba had gone, Kiara schemed to lose Timon and Pumbaa, and travel to the western canyon herself.
Together, Kiara, Timon, and Pumbaa entered a grove of trees, and Timon and Pumbaa began searching for grubs. Kiara took advantage of their distraction to sneak away, only to get tackled by a male lion cub named Kovu. Despite his best attempts to intimidate her, she laughed at him, and he recognized her as his old playmate. Remembering a game from their past, Kovu invited Kiara to play tag with him, but she insisted upon watching Simba drive away the Outsiders at the western canyon. She invited Kovu to accompany her, but he reminded her that he was an Outsider himself, and she resigned herself to going alone. Realizing that it would be more fun to stay and play with Kovu, however, she doubled back and started up a game of tag with him.
While the cubs were playing, they overheard Pumbaa's voice and followed it to where Timon was dangling, unconscious, from a vine in a tree. Getting an idea, Kiara instructed Kovu to climb up the tree and free Timon's foot from the vine while she climbed onto Pumbaa's back and positioned herself to catch him. Kovu did as instructed, and Timon fell safely onto Kiara's back.
With Timon out of harm's way, Kiara urged Kovu to come to Pride Rock, but he pointed out that Outsiders were not welcome in the Pride Lands. The cubs complimented one another on their respective roles in Timon's rescue, then parted ways. On the way home, Pumbaa recounted how Kovu and Kiara had saved Timon's life, and Timon proposed that they not tell Simba about "the Outsider," but rather mention him as a friend.
At Pride Rock, Kiara, Timon, and Pumbaa learned that Zazu's warning about the Outsiders had been a false alarm. Upon hearing of Kiara's rescue of Timon, Simba praised her for her quick thinking, and she replied that many things were possible, if only with a little help from a friend.
==Appearances==
==Gallery==
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Category:The Lion King II: Simba's Pride short stories
Category:Real world
Category:Short stories