Hey everyone how's it been, I hope you have enjoyed my stories up to this point, sorry for keeping you waiting so long I really need to just stop putting a deadline it never seems to pan out. Anyway I'm ready to start posting the next story Kopa's Burden.

This story as the title suggests revolves around Kopa, but not the Kopa you're used to this will be a very different than any other fan fic you read with him or at least I hope it is. I feel I should clarify something Kopa's burden was originally my first story I wrote as such the character arcs of Sarabi and Sarafina did not exist however while they have incorporated the two of them will still have a much smaller role than the previous two.

Also Kopa's Burden is nowhere near as dark as Fall or Tale, so expect a slightly different tone, though the character driven approach remains. Kopa's Burden serves as a sequel to Fall of the Pride Lands so it's best you read my previous stories before starting this one. I hope you enjoy this next chapter in the saga of the Lion King. (The opening scene of this story is partially lifted from the original Lion King I claim no ownership of this scene)

:The Lion King: Kopa's Burden

: Prologue:

Grief

Chaos surrounded the pride lands, pride rock was ablaze, the grass and hard stone around the land were littered with the scattered forms of dozens of lions and hyenas alike. The sky crackled with lightning as if the heavens itself were enraged, among all this two factions battled it out across the decaying kingdom, the once paradise kingdom was in a civil war. This was not the return she expected.

Zira had been away from the pride lands for a few months forced to leave for the sake of her at the time sick children Nuka and Vitani. It was not a choice she made lightly, for she was the queen of the kingdom and married to her perfect mate Scar well mostly maybe not perfect, living happily despite the decaying state of her home. It was then that illness struck her cubs and she was forced to leave without even telling Scar as the king was away negotiated a peace treaty and would not return for a few days though in this particular case peace probably meant murder, not something Zira fully agreed with but something she had to accept regardless. She would later learn the full truth of her cubs state a truth she still wasn't certain she believed. Why would her sister betray her it didn't make sense maybe there was some logic to it all back at her home, at Pride Rock

Now she was home and it was even worse, what had happened while she was away? Why was this war happening and whom was it being fought against, a rogue perhaps but if so why were the lioness fighting along side him against the hyenas who Zira knew would never betray Scar. It would seem that in spite of her madness Hasara was telling the truth the pride did turn on Scar she knew there was tension between them but what could've sparked an all out rebellion. Zira tried not to dwell on all these questions nor what happened to Hasara. She felt a pain in her chest at the thought of her friend why did it have to come to that, why did Hasara have to destroy herself like that why could've she done things differently. She pushed her feelings of regret from her mind she didn't have the answers and they were irrelevant to her at the time all that mattered was where was her mate, where was her beloved Scar?

Zira made her way through all the chaos swiping her claws at anyone stupid enough to get in her way. She found herself startled when a hyena snapped it's jaws at her.

"What are you doing you ungrateful vermin!" she shouted angrily.

"You would dare attack the queen!" She roared.

She then slashed it across the face with her claws before ending with the throat. She felt little remorse having very little tolerance for treachery a fact her sister was well aware of and hopefully remembered no don't jump to conclusions yet just focus on what matters and all that mattered was Scar where was he?

It was then that she saw two lions on top of pride rock struggling. One had gold fur and a red mane with a fairly good build the other was thin, slim with red fur and a black mane and although it was hard to see a scar going down his left eye. Zira recognized him immediately,

"Scar!" she cried, her voice very clearly filled with worry.

she didn't know who the other one was nor did she care all that mattered was Scars safety she had to help him, and she would then she'd make the fool who threatened him pay with his life.

The larger lion had corned Scar and yet would not attack, why was he hesitating? It was at that moment something even stranger happened Scar began to walk away, impossible Scar would never give up ever, but at that moment Scar's true intentions became clear he flung a burning pile of ash into the rogues eyes and used that opportunity to pounce him. The two lions wrestled with each other biting and clawing at each other.

Scar leaped into air crashing into the rogue the two grappled while swiping each others paws into there opponents face, the rogue hit first striking Scar in the face, but Scar retaliated striking the rogue directly in the jaw, he unleashed another swipe to his cheek and chin sending him crashing to the ground. "Yes!" Zira thought pleased over what appeared to be her mates victory.

"Finish him Scar!" Zira shouted to the sky, not that her words were heard by her mate.

Scar plunged from the sky preparing to land on top of the rogue pinning him and allowing him to take the throat. It was here that everything went wrong the rogue caught him underneath his paw and used it to flip him sending him over the edge.

"No!" Zira cried as she watched her beloved go souring off of Pride rock.

Zira rushed to where she saw Scar fall, the area was surrounded by flames and she could not get through it but from the looks of it Scar appeared weak from the fall but alive. It was at the moment Shenzi, Banzi, and Ed arrived, Zira could barely contain her joy those three had been her and Scars closest friends since she was a cub, Scar was saved. She heard what appeared to be muffled words they were too quiet to be fully heard but that didn't matter soon her friends would help the king and destroy the rogue for his foolish challenge, the thought filled Zira with glee.

Zira leaned in as close as she could to see their triumph without being burned by the flames.

"What!" she thought something was wrong the hyenas weren't helping Scar, they were turning away from him while the rest of the pack circled him hungrily and worst of all the rogue was watching it all, she could hear Scar begging him for help.

"What are you doing? Help him! Someone, anyone please!" She cried frantically.

Her cries would unfortunately be unanswered the rogue growled in rage and turned his back on Scar leaving him to his fate. The hyenas piled on top of scar sinking there teeth into him, Zira knew what would happen next but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't look away. She watched, she saw it as the hyenas devoured Scar, tore into him, ripped him apart, she heard Scars cries, she would never forget them, they would haunt her thoughts whether asleep or awake for the rest of her life to the day she died.

Scare continued to cry out in pain his horrid shrieks starting to merge with Zira's anguished ones, and although no one would realize it yet Zira too would perish on this day, this very moment. She would continue to live for years on end but this would merely be a shadow a lifeless shell of a lioness whose heart and soul faded long ago, a creature that would be driven by one goal, a goal of revenge, a goal born in blood, a goal molded by hate, a hate that would consume every living itch of the lioness she once was and forge a new one murdering the old in the process, in it's place would be someone who was already dead inside. The birth would not come yet though there was still time for one more moment, one last single moment to show her humanity.

The hyenas had fled and the fire had been extinguished by the falling rain this was her chance, she approached the fallen form of her mate, he was clearly dead. Tears streaming down her cheeks she nuzzled him a part of her hoping praying it would somehow revive him, she knew it wouldn't work but couldn't stop. Zira collapsed on top of him cradling his lifeless body sobbing endlessly as she felt her heart shatter into a million pieces, there was nothing she could do except cry more.

Vitani had been told by her mother to stay hidden but she couldn't not while her father and home maybe in danger so she went off to pride rock her two brothers Kovu and Nuka following her the battle whatever reason it was being fought seemed to have ended, but where was her father? She saw her mother resting her head in her fathers mane she appeared to be crying even more strangely her father was covered up with a bunch of leaves.

"What's going on, why is mommy crying and why is daddy sleeping right now?" Vitani approached her mother and father curiously not understanding what had just happened.

Zira saw Vitani approaching Scar.

"No she can't find out not this way!" she thought but she was far too late.

"Daddy what are you doing, come on it's time to get up!" Vitani said playfully as if thinking her father was playing some kind of game, there was no response.

"come on you always told me you hating playing games like this." Vitani said confused, still he didn't move.

It was then that it began to dawn on her. "Daddy?" she approached him slowly.

"Come on daddy you got to get up, Daddy come on lets go home." She said tears beginning to stain her cheeks she couldn't control it anymore.

"Daddy!" She cried before breaking down into tears.

Nuka watched looking at the fallen form of his father. "Dad, he can't be." he said barely being able to control himself, he to joined his mother and sister leaving his younger brother who was much too young to understand what happened.

Zira watched as her children mourned the loss of there father, Nuka sunk his head onto his father mane, while Vitani nestled herself underneath his paw as if trying to attempt to create the image that he's hugging her one final time. Zira's heart broke at the sight of it, but then she heard something that made her blood boil, the lioness were roaring in victory. The king was dead, her mate, Kovu, Nuka, and Vitani's father was dead and they were roaring to the victory of this rogue, she would later realize that he was in fact not a rogue but Simba the son of Mufasa and Sarabi and the true heir to the throne. It didn't matter to Zira who he was all that mattered was that he was responsible for the loss of Zira's happy life, and the pride that was supposed to be her friends roared in triumph. The thought sickened her, it felt like her blood was boiling a growing anger slowly taking hold of her, it was at that moment she vowed this would not go unpunished.

"You're all going to suffer for this." She said quietly to herself, she would make all responsible for this pay, the hyenas, the rogue she would later know as Simba and anyone who stood with them or in her way. They would all pay no matter what, she would have her revenge!