AN: One-shot.
I. – The eve of Kopa's attack…
The lands his father had never shown him were lighter then usual, Kopa noted this as he wandered the trail he and Zazu had taken days earlier. Terminally dark clouds rumbled in deep breathes of air giving them a life all their own; it was going to rain soon. A common occurrence other then frequent showers, tall grass and boundaries was a division in prides the cub knew of. Scar's children were not allowed to play with Kopa and he in turn could not play with them. The cubs resided in a bone yard where elephants lay along with other followers of Scar, a lioness named Zira was chief among them. She was the most devoted.
An opening in the grass piqued Kopa's curiosity.
"Huh," he said to himself. The cub had the knowledge he was not suppose to be anywhere near the Elephant Graveyard. "Wonder what's on the other side of that ridge. I wonder…"
There was suddenly movement behind him.
"Ah!"
A black and gray blur of color pounced right on top of the cub.
"Yah!"
They rolled, tussled and finally came to a stop with Kopa being pinned down.
He immediately recognized the pair of crimson eyes. "Nuka?"
"Kopa?" Scar's son replied in detest.
"What're you doing here?" The prince rolled to his feet.
"I could ask you the same thing. What are you doing on our lands?"
"They're not yours. They're the hyenas!"
"Hah, wrong!" Nuka – who was several months older – boasted. He flaunted around his younger cousin which put the cub on guard. "Mom says since they left this is our home. But the Pride Lands will always be my father's. I mean, come on, your Dad stole them!"
"Did not!" Kopa barked.
"Did so."
"Did not!
"Did-,"
It was so sudden Kopa had no time to react. A long, lanky presence was over him.
"Ah - ah!" He struggled to keep himself from screaming. Dark red eyes sized him up.
"ROAR!" A husky noise burst through the fields.
His father showed.
Kopa was safe… for now.
II. – Adolescent Kopa in the Outlands…
After having been banished from the jungle by the merekat colony who had taken him in, Kopa had endured months of hitting up other prides for food and trying to scavenge kills. The other lions made it look so easy! He was a lean lion verging on young adulthood, the scars of his attack were pink and visible along his body. One particular scar was one that ran down his right eye and caused a bloodied look to his otherwise brown iris. His mane wasn't well kept but despite his build he knew he was a Pride Lander. Still, Kopa did not have the courage to return to his former home. They believed him dead, he was a burden.
As the thin teenager came upon the outskirts of the Pride Lands – he was hoping maybe he could scrounge off of some other rogue's kill – the sight of a dark figure running his way put Kopa on guard. He squinted his good and bad eye before making out a cub just months old running towards him. The frightened animal stopped short of Kopa before he turned around at the appearance of a lion even lankier then the newcomer. His strangely familiar red eyes scanned the ground before spying the trembling young cub. Kopa knew from looking into the child's own green eyes that this lion intended to cause harm to him.
That's when their eyes connected.
"Kopa?"
"Nuka?" Their recognition was instantaneous.
"My mother killed you." the black-maned lion said in a low voice.
"She wasn't thorough enough," Kopa countered darkly.
"Come on Kopa." Nuka egged his cousin. "Do it!" he aimed a look at the young cub. "I mean, come on. I'm gonna tell Mom and frame you. You might as well get it over with."
Kopa didn't move.
"Mother. MOTHER! Kopa survived!"
The golden-furred lion looked down at his young charge and placed a paw on his backside. He was so taken with the youngster's courage for putting up with Nuka that he smiled and the cub in turn smiled back. Fearing the worst if he stayed, however, Kopa went the other way to make his leave. The young cub gaped at being left alone and so followed after him.
Kopa straightened before looking down at the boy with inquiring eyes.
Nuka turned back to them as a pride of lionesses appeared at the top of the ridge.
With a sigh the rogue approached the cub and bent to take his neck scruff in his teeth.
"Uh… uh!" His charge fussed.
When Kopa saw that he was pawing at the air in resistance the lion loosened his hold so that the cub was only being held by a small amount of skin. When the cub realized this he slowly stopped whimpering and relaxed. Kopa carried the cub off to a safe distance even as the lionesses descended. Nuka was predictably scolded by his mother as Kopa slipped away with the cub. He walked for a while before stopping at the edge of a hedge of dark green grass. The blades reached just the top of his shoulders, Kopa noted. He considered what was best for the cub and himself before setting him down and turning to leave again.
"Thank you," his nameless new friend told him.
Kopa paused and lowered his head. No one ever thanked the scarred lion, even the colony of merekats had only taken him in out of pity. They didn't like predators and hadn't given him more then a roof over his head. Rafiki had been the one to take him scraps of meat, it had been Rafiki who had told him it wasn't safe to return to his family even as he cried in the night for them and it was he who'd nursed Kopa back to health. The scar-marked lion had never known another creature who had looked to him for comfort nor given it to him.
"You're welcome." Kopa said softly before leaving.
III. – Three years later…
It had taken a long time for Kopa to gain the courage to return to his home. Once he did the decision could not be reversed. The lands looked just the way he had always dreamed they would as he stood on a grassy knoll overlooking everything. With his body bulked, a full grown mane wrapped around his head and experience under his tail, the lion knew it in his heart that he was ready to confront his family. Rumor had it that Scar had a second son he had birthed and it was chosen as his heir over Nuka; who Kopa had heard was attacked and killed by Scar's younger, stronger offspring. If this lion was holding his pride hostage, it was now time to do something about it. A lioness appeared at the top of a hill right then.
She was young and looked to be curious.
Kopa perked his ears… he had heard of a cat fitting her description.
The two bounded down their respective grassy podiums and ran to face one another.
"Who are you?" She asked. Her fur was just like his only lighter but Kopa knew she was the one he had been told about. This was the princess of the Pride Lands and his own kin.
"It's me." The scarred lion told her. "I'm your brother, Kopa."
His voice surprised him because he normally didn't listen to it, but he knew it was like his father's. Kopa knew this because Kiara recognized it. She knew it too. The lioness gasped and tears filled her eyes. Kopa happily welcomed her embrace. Zira and Nuka were finally dead. It almost didn't register to him that someone was looking down on them. Someone had a look of disapproval on his face as he watched the strange lion and Kiara snuggling.
"Excuse me."
Kopa looked up.
The lion wasn't lanky like a son of Scar's should be. It didn't matter to Kopa.
"I'm here to reclaim my Pride Lands…" he stood up to the cat. "as king of Pride Rock."
"You're looking at him."
Kopa then noticed that Simba was not far behind.
"Father!" Kiara ran immediately to him. "It's-,"
The dark-maned lion lunged at Kopa and the two tumbled down the grassy incline. This was too terrible, his father had actually accepted Scar's son as Kopa's placement! Taking this news in rage, the larger lion hammered his younger opponent into the ground which stopped their rolling. Kopa raised his paw to the sky and extended his claws. Before the others could reach them Kopa delivered a gruesome slash in the same area he had been dealt. It was only then as he watched the lion turn his head that he saw a second scar mark his left eye. Kopa stepped off of him in confusion as the lion got to his feet shakily.
Slowly, almost too afraid to look up, Scar's son lifted his head and stared at the older lion.
"You…" Kopa said in recognition. "You're not Scar's son. You're that child I met once."
This knowledge did little to ease the pain off his friend's face and the lion dropped his head. As Simba, Nala and Kiara met the two of them at bottom of the grassy incline, they saw Kovu and the long lost prince standing with their foreheads pressed against one another in silent camaraderie. While Kopa cried Kovu bled. Their tears and blood mingled together as one.
The End.
~ Lavenderpaw ~