Hello all, and welcome to my story! My last several attempts at writing one have been a complete failure, so hopefully this one will pan out. When all of you are finished reading this chapter, please do not forget to leave a review! Well, I think that I have done enough blabbing, so without any further ado, here is the very first chapter!

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING!

"You know what Kopa?"

Kopa gave the young lioness, known as Vitani, a curious look, his growing red man bristling in the light wind moving through the Pridelands, as they always did during the sunset hours.

Then, to the young prince's complete surprise, Vitani began to nuzzle him deeply.

"I love you."

Kopa began to chuckle, thinking that there was a likely possibility that his female friend was only fibbing.

"Yeah right!"

Vitani toyed with the light golden bangs of fur on her head before chuckling as well. "Hey it's true!"

"VITANI!"

The young lioness rolled her sapphire blue eyes, incredibly annoyed at the sound of the voice. "That's my brother. I have got to go. See ya later Kopa!"

Kopa smiled at the retreating young lioness before speaking a last sentence. "Bye Vitani!"

He turned around to see the sun lower under the horizon, but a small blue bird caught the young prince's attention, and he spoke gently to it.

"Shouldn't you be back at your nest by now?"

The bird said nothing, and simply flew away from the young prince. Kopa realized he was standing at the tip of a very familiar gorge, the gorge of Mufasa. That was when Kopa heard a sinister sounding voice make itself known.

"Ah, young Kopa, the time has finally come. The time I have waited so long for."

Kopa turned around slowly and his amber eyes widened when he saw to whom the voice belonged to.

"Zira? What are you talking about?"

Zira's blood red eyes sparkled with sadistic glee as she cackled. "Scar…This is for you my sweet! The spawn of Simba shall die in the same place as his dear old granddaddy!"

Kopa felt tears run down his face, and he backed away from the psychotic lioness, closer and closer to the ever legendary gorge.

"Zira. Zira, please! Don't do this!"

Zira snarled at the young cub in response. "Don't you cower at my, boy. It is not going to change your fate!"

Tears now flooded down Kopa's face as the murderous lioness came closer and closer to him. The young prince ducked his head and closed his eyes, simply waiting for the first strike.

It came.

Zira's claws tore into Kopa's back, ripping blood and flesh out of the young cub's body. Kopa screamed in intense pain as Zira nearly ripped open his leg, and plunged a single claw into his shoulder.

Zira suddenly stopped, and Kopa looked into her eyes while moaning, being in intense pain that he had never felt before. Zira, to his surprise, sighed.

"That was fun, but I am beginning to get bored. Good bye Prince Kopa."

With one last, fearsome strike, Zira clawed the cub across his chest, and Kopa flew over the gorge, landing unconscious on the soft sand below.

Zira gave one last sadistic chuckle, and left the scene, returning to Pride Rock in order to face judgment for her actions against Kopa.

To speak of the devil, the young prince lay unmoving in the sand for three hours, appearing completely dead to anyone or anything that dared to take a peek at the cub's body.

However, one lion knew better to automatically assume that the young cub was dead. The lion, a male with a black mane, golden fur, and bright blue eyes had stumbled upon the cub's body with two henchmen by his side.

"Vasili. I think I see a cub up ahead. Looks dead to me. Should we carry on with our stroll?"

The lion known as Vasili unsheathed a single claw, and scratched at his chin before responding with an accent that we humans would call Russian.

"Vektor, one thing I have learned in my travels is that when you think someone dead, make sure they dead." He then turned to his other henchman. "Roscoe. Inspect body."

Roscoe nodded and walked over to the lifeless form of Kopa. With one paw, he pushed the body to the side, rolling the cub on to his back.

"Boss, I think that he is dead."

Vasili rolled his blue eyes in annoyance at his henchman. "Roscoe, you idiot! That is not how you check body! I'll do it myself!"

The Russian-accented lion walked over to young Kopa, and put an ear to the prince's heart, checking for any sign of a heartbeat. The lion then took a paw, and gently put it to Kopa's throat, checking for any sign of a pulse. Vasili stood up, and shook his head.

"He is covered in blood, and looks like he was just thrown off a cliff, but somehow, for reasons I do not know, he is alive."

Roscoe nodded in understand, but Vektor, who was the more intelligent of the two, widened his eyes in sudden realization.

"That cub is familiar. I am pretty sure that he is Prince Kopa of the Pridelands, the son of Simba!"

Vasili smiled and his eyes gleamed with sadistic glee. "Simba's laws that say that only the old and sick of the herds may be hunted have greatly benefited our business. All come to us for the real meat, and we get…services…in exchange. I owe Simba, whether I like it or not. I shall heal his child, and protect the prince from any danger. But if Simba EVER crosses me, I have excellent blackmail opportunity…"

Roscoe nodded in agreement with Vasili, and Vektor eventually did as well. The "businessman" then motioned to his two henchmen.

"Take the body to our Jungle base. Have him healed, and he will join our business endeavor."

Roscoe gave his boss a puzzled look. "But what if he says no?"

Vasili chuckled sadistically. "I assure you…he will."

Vektor picked up the unconscious prince, and the three lions walked off into the horizon, the moon shining brightly above them as they headed in the direction of the jungle.

Well, that is all for now! If any of you are confused, do not worry. This is just a prologue to better introduce characters for later on. Time will rapidly advance the next chapter, and the real story will begin….uh oh. I've said too much! Anyway, thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave me a review! Take care!

-G-