A Near Future

By Baby Fire Wolf

Note: The characters Simba, Nala, Timon and Pumbaa have been created by Disney, as well as the movies The Lion King, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and The Lion King 1 1/2: Timon and Pumbaa's Story (A.K.A III: Hakunahmatta). Kopa has been created by Golier Publishing Company.

Kopa was playing near the water hole, his meows of laughter filling the spring air like music. Small cub of gold and yellow was rushing through the cool liquid, splashing a herd of nearby buffalo. But it didn't matter, for this little one was the prince of Pride Rock. Royal blood. And that herd was just another adition to the King's subjects.

Suddenly, Kopa stopped, and became very still, as drips of water slid off his drenched coat, and fell into the water hole once more, disturbing the once gentle surface. His claws dug into the mud below as the water line made its borders just a few inches above those paws. Young eyes had caught a fish in the distance, and so, the quivering little one began to edge closer to it, expression almost mocking. The buffalo snorted as a few elders curiously watched, tails swishing in iritation from the flies.

Then, he pounced.

"Kopa!" a voice called in the distance.

Splash. Before he knew what had happened, a blanket of cold water rushed through his fur and surrounded him as he closed his eyes, only to meet with the hard, mushy floor of the water hole, dull but slight pain quickly blanketing his nerves. Sputtering, the prince was now lying in the water as he jerked his head up, mud dripping from his bang-covered face. As he quivered, Kopa stood, now soaked as his once beautiful fur of sunlight color, was now brown, and sticking to his skin.

"Looks like your mom's gonna have t' give you another bath," Simba snickered as he leapt on an ascending rock. "Why are you out here alone anyway? Where's Timon and Pumbaa?"

"Dad," complained Kopa as he scrambled up on shore, and shook what liquid he could out of his coat. "You made me miss my kill!"

"Uh, sorry there, son." replied the King, but Kopa only glared as his father continued to smirk.

Abruptly widing his eyes, the cub gasped, and made an attempt to jump backwards, but, too late - Simba had grabbed him in his forepaws, and was now giving his struggling son a nuggie.

"Knock it off, Dad!" Kopa managed to yell between pants of laughter.

"OK, OK," chuckled the lion, letting the cub tumble into the lush grass of the Pridelands.

Kopa staggered up, huffing, but he could not help but grin. For a moment, the young one pondered whether or not to pounce his sire, when Simba began to speak.

"Son, I have some news for you." he exclaimed, tail curling around his body as he sat, now in the grass.

Kopa replied, "News?" He cocked his head slightly.

"Mmhm."

"Good or bad?" the prince carefully quiered.

"Mmm..." Simba thought aloud, but Kopa just whined, "Daad," at his father's stalling. A quick laugh, before the King said, "All right. It's good news for me and for Nala...well it should be good news for us all. You see," and he briefly paused to let Kopa plop down beside him. "You're going to have a younger brother or sister."

The words were slowly, verbally revealed, but struck the cub like a paw, crashing down with extended claws to rip out a victim's flesh.

"What?" Kopa finally asked.

"That's right. You're mother's going to give birth soon, and there will be a big ceremony for him or her, or even them. Just like we did with you."

"So that's why Mom's gotten so fat!" the little lion suddenly blurted before he could help himself.

"Kopa!" his dad firmly replied. "This is serious."

"I know, Dad." and he stood up, facing Simba. "So who will be the ruler of Pride Rock?"

Suddenly, his father did something that was not at all expected: he winked. Kopa again, tilted his head. It was almost as if he was studying the adult. But Simba was smiling.

"You, Kopa." Simba explained. "You will have much responsability in the future. You are prince now, and your sister or brother will be princess or prince, too. But when you come of age, you will be King."

So there was some good in this after all. He got to keep his near title and status, and was able to brag to his newest sibling. Glancing around, a wave of relief clearly washing upon Simba's son, the prince then looked back to his father, smiling.

"Well, until then," Kopa remarked. "Hakunahmatta."