Vitani's POV
I have always been raised to kill and fight by my mother Zira. I am the least important of her children but she trains me hard. The only friend I have is my brother Kovu. Nuka is my older brother but he only finds me and Kovu annoying. Zira has raised Nuka, Kovu and I to hate and kill Simba and take over the Pridelands. She tells us how Simba killed Scar and then cruelly banished Scar's followers to the Outlands where we have little food and less water. It consumes her day and night. We cannot have fun like other cubs. All we know how to do is train to hunt and to fight. If Kovu or I do anything wrong, Zira will knock us out or swipe at us with her claws unsheathed. She also tried to toughen us up by denying us food or making us sleep outside the termite mounds. But the worst punishment I received at Zira's hands was being blamed for the death of Kopa, my best friend when I was a cub just a few months old.
Kopa was the son of King Simba from the Pridelands. Zira warned us we were never to go into the Pridelands because we would have a pound of flesh taken off our backs by King Simba. And if any Pridelanders came into the Outlands, they would receive the same fate. Yet one day I cross the river into the Pridlands and run into ahandsome golden haired cub with a reddish brown tuft and the most beautiful amber eyes.. He does not hurt me and we become best friends. One time he crossed into the Outlands and I greet him there. He teaches me how to hunt. Sometimes we meet each other at night. I teach him how to hide in the Outlands and He teaches me how to get into the Pridelands without detection. Zira finds out about this and warns me not to see him. She even says she will hurt Kopa if he sets foot in the Outlands again. She even slaps me around a few times. I take off to the Pridelands to warn Kopa. Once I set foot there, I ran up to him and tell him about Zira's a handsome large golden lion with a red mane roars at me. It is King Simba, Kopa's picks me up by the nape of my neck with one paw and warns me never to set foot in the Pridelands again. He does not even hurt me. I hide in the grass and watch the King scold Kopa. But he does not lose his temper. He just tells Kopa he could have been killed. That was the first time I questioned my mother's judgement.
Kopa and I do not pay any attention to our parents and we continue to see each then make friends with a black leopard club named Shraga. We go meet near his den every day and then play. Kopa and I become closer and closer. We talk about making our prides one. We nuzzle each other. I am only a little girl and maybe I am in love. Then the one day that haunts me all my life and that I will never forget occurs:the day that I lose my friend Kopa. I go to the leopard den with Kopa but Shraga is not there to meet us. Instead this huge black leopard leaps from the den and attacks my friend Kopa and me. Kopa tells me to run but I will not leave him. The leopard is a giant monster. He has fierce red eyes and his voice sounds high pitched and crazy. He screams at Kopa and I for playing with Shraga and says he will kill us both. He unsheathes his claws and slices them across Kopa's back. I roar at him and leap biting his huge paw. Kopa starts to get away but the leopard turns his fury on me.
He slices my neck with his paws then swipes me across the face. I am knocked out. When I come to, I hear screaming then all is silent. I barely crawl and I see Kopa's battered body. I crawl over to Kopa. He is still alive. He tells me he loves me. I lay down next to him and fall asleep. I awake again to find my mother Zira standing over me with Nuka. "What have you, done?" she says. I try to get up and Zira swipes me across the face. "You killed the Prince, Vitani. He is dead because of you. "
I get up and walk over to Kopa. He is bloody and covered with scratches. I run over to his body and sob. "I did not mean to do this. It was an accident." I say. My mother tells me to get up and to quit crying. She hits me again.
Near Prince Kopa is the body of a small black male mother continues, " Nevertheless the Prince is dead. You have to face what you did, Vitani. When I came here, I saw this leopard attacking you and the prince. I managed to get it off of you, but it was too late for Kopa. I was able to kill the leopard. This is your fault, Vitani. I told you never to make friends with the Pridelanders or with the leopards. Leopards are mean and lions are their enemies. Leopards always go after lion cubs. What is even worse, Simba will think that we Outlanders killed the prince when we did not. Since you made friends with this leopard family, what is King Simba going to think? He will think that you lured his son to his death. Someday I want to kill Simba but not right now. Until Kovu grows up, I do not have any male lions to protect our Pride. Simba could wipe us all out in our sleep and it is all because of you. Because you made friends with Kopa and the leopard cub, you caused Kopa's death. Hopefully, when King Simba finds the body of his son here, he will at least think that the leopard killed his son and not us. You will have to live with your on let's go home."
I try to walk and follow Nuka and my mother to the river but I fall unconscious . My mother throws water in my face. "You are slowing us down."We have to leave here before Simba finds his son's body. If Simba catches us, I will tell him you are responsible for his son's death and I will turn you over to him." Zira hits me again and I pass out but Nuka picks me up and carries me. He insists on taking me to see Rafiki. I do not remember much after that.
I slowly get well and grow up. My neck heals but I still have scars there. I become mean and violent. However, I still remember Kopa's smile and how nice he was. I try not to think about the worst day of my life. But every year around the anniversary of his death I have nightmares that haunt me. The worst part about the nightmares is that the leopard is a monster about the size of a lion. I just do not see how it could have attacked us. I met Shraga's mother once and she seemed nice. I cannot believe that Shraga's father could have killed Kopa. I know I am responsible and I live with the guilt.
I have become a skilled huntress and fighter. I get tired of the Outlands and wish I could live in the Pridelands. Zira spends most of her time with Kovu and only wants Nuka and me around to babysit for him when she is training the lionesses. Kovu grows up to be handsome and strong. Like most male lions, he gets the best choice of meat from the kills. He looks handsome and sleek while the rest of us lionesses and Nuka are skinny and starved. We mostly eat small game but occasionally we slip into the Pridelands to poach. We do not do it too often and it keeps us alive. Everyday we train to fight for hours with our mother. It is a rigorous schedule. And I get tired of living out here. I am tired of the termites and bugs in my fur. But sometimes I sneak into the Pridelands at night and bathe or just look at Pride rock and wonder what it would be like if our Prides are one. I think of a young lion with a reddish brown mane and beautiful amber eyes who was my best friend.