A/N: So, I'm back, and I was reading the old one and went "Wow! This doesn't even make sense! How did my readers ever read this???" and so, I'm rewriting it to make sense...
Disclaimer: Disclaimed
Nala lay in the birthing cave, a small infant lying near her chest, her strong paws clasped delicately around him. Simba stood above her proudly as Rafiki inspected the young lion. The smile on the kings' muzzle could not be matched by anyone, and he nodded as Rafiki picked the small cub up. Nala stood and followed the shaman out to the outcropping, where all the animals in the pride lands were gathered. Rafiki held the young prince up for the animals to see, and they began a massive cheer, welcoming the new arrival. Simba, Nala and Tanabi looked on, their grins as wide as their faces, until Rafiki brought the prince down.
Now a cub, Kopa was adventurous as his father. A large tuft of brown hair grew thick on the top of his head, and his large limbs proved him excellent at running. He was learning a lot, and this sunrise, his father had promised him a special treat.
He raced into the den, scrambling over several lionesses and his older brother before reaching his parents in the centre. He prodded his father awake. Simba's eyes opened sleepily, before watching his son excitedly tug at his ears and fur.
"Dad?" the young cub whispered and Simba grunted in response. "It's time to go see the animals!"
Simba smiled at his sons consideration for the pride, and stood up silently, stretching and loosening stiff muscles. He left Nala and picked his way around the lionesses, finding it much harder than his son did. Kopa raced ahead, making his way to the decent.
"Kopa…hold on now. Wait for me," Simba called softly, and Kopa waited obediently.
Simba exited the den, yawning and stretching once more. The two of them walked down the descent and onto the plains, and started visiting the homes of many animals. They said hello and made sure they were satisfied with Simba's leadership, and taking any requests that could be fulfilled. Kopa assisted by remembering the requests and entertaining the animal's children while the adults talked. By midday, they were done, and they started the journey back to pride rock. Halfway there, Simba stopped, and started sniffing the air, his ears twitching.
"Kopa…get behind me," he said softly, looking around.
Kopa scurried to get behind his father's back legs, cautiously looking about and sniffing.
"Hyena's?" Kopa asked, looking up at his father, who nodded.
Simba looked around, spotting a familiar mother hyena with three hyena pups. Simba growled and gave a warning roar but the mother hyena took no notice of him and continued to eat her find. Simba started walking towards them and one of the hyena pups gave a short, maniac laugh. The mother hyena finally looked up and saw Simba. A grin appeared on her face as the blood of an animal dripped down her muzzle.
"Simba…." she chuckled, "Long time no see,"
"Shenzi…" Simba growled "We wiped you all out…and any survivors are banished…how did you survive?"
"I wasn't there for the slaughter of my friends and family," the old hyena sneered, and Simba frowned."After Scar's remains had been consumed by the flames, the better half of us fled, knowing you'd be looking for us."
Kopa stepped forward bravely, standing between his father's front paws as he regarded the hyena and her pups. Shenzi glared down at him, before her lips curved into a manic grin, before her gaze turned back to Simba.
"What are you doing here, in the Pride Lands," Simba growled
"Eating…" she grinned back, licking the blood from her lips.
"You know the penalty for entering the Pride Lands," Simba said angrily, and sighed, her eyes downcast.
"Fine…" Shenzi said softly , pushing one of her pups forward.
Simba glared down at it and raised a paw, getting ready to strike. The pup cowered and whimpered, staring up at Simba with wide, innocent eyes. Kopa watched in horror.
"Dad…no," Kopa whispered
"You know what I have to do Kopa," Simba said, almost sadly.
He raised his paw once more, then cried out as he was knocked to the side by a blur of grey.
"Dad!" Kopa shouted as his father hit the ground with a loud thump.
Another hyena had attacked, and suddenly they were surrounded. Simba stood up and roared loudly and lioness came spilling out of Pride Rock, ready to fight. Nala came in first, tackling Shenzi and biting her neck. Kopa was picked up by the scruff of his neck by Sarafina and was taken back to Pride Rock.
Sarafina set him down near Zira and then ran back to the fight.
"Hey Kopa… dad in trouble?" Tanabi asked from his position in the den with Vitani, and Kopa nodded, grinning at them.
"He's got it covered," Kopa laughed and he nodded, while Vitani returned to grooming herself.
Zira gazed at Kopa and then at where Nuka, now an adolescent, sat, watching the fight. Kopa ran to where Nuka was sitting, watching the fight with wide eyes. From what he could tell, the lions were winning, but his father was pinned by five or six hyenas.
"Kopa!" Zira called and he looked away, coming back into the den.
"Yes aunt Zira?" Kopa asked and Zira stood up walking towards the young prince.
"Sit down, my young prince," she said softly, and Kopa complied, grinning over at Vitani. "Do you know the story about Scar?"
Zira lay down next to him, watching him carefully.
"My father has told me several stories…he said that Scar had hate, and too much passion inside of him…and there was a darkness that slowly drove him to madness…he wanted to be the king so badly, that he killed my grandfather for it." Kopa said softly, and rage bubbled up inside Zira, but she kept it beneath the surface.
"Lies." she said softly, then turned to the mouth of the cave.
"Nuka darling!" she called, and the scrawny lion was immediately at her side.
"Would you mind taking Tanabi and Vitani for a walk…I'd like to talk to Kopa alone…" Zira asked, and Nuka nodded, prodding them until they stood up and started following him.
Once they were gone, Zira turned back to the cub, a sneer on her face.
"Scar was a magnificent lion, strong and charming. He was the rightful king…but your grandfather snatched his title by putting a prank on him, giving him his scar, and making your great-grandfather, Ahadi, choose Mufasa instead." Zira snarled, her rage bubbling further.
Kopa stood up and started backing away, but Zira was just as quick, and had him backed into a corner.
"Zira! What are you doing?" Timon's voice was heard and Zira turned.
"I'm doing myself a favor," Zira growled
Timon rushed in front of Kopa, shielding the cub with his own small body,
"You weakling, I could knock you out with one claw," Zira said, staring at Timon, her eyebrows knotted into a frown.
"Get out of here Zira." Timon said bravely.
Zira raised her paw, flinging Timon to the side and causing him to hit the cave wall.
"Timon!" Kopa cried, he turned to Zira angrily.
He raised his paw and slashed her across the cheek, leaving a faint scratch mark. Zira chuckled and raised her paw.
"This one's for Scar!" she yelled, bringing her paw down and swiping Kopa on the face, leaving bright red scars over his eye.
She attacked him over and over, until he stopped moving. She breathed heavily, licking her lips. She picked him up by his neck and walked down the slope, quickly finding a tree and placing Kopa there. She walked back to pride rock, hoping that she would enter unnoticed. Her hopes were squashed when she saw the pride arriving.
"Zira…where's Kopa?" Simba asked, blood splattered over his paws and front legs.
Zira backed up nervously, trying to think of an excuse, but the lionesses behind her stopped her. Simba looked down and saw the blood on her paws and growled.
"What did you do?" he asked, and Zira stopped babbling, and stood up confidently.
"I did what Scar asked me to do," she growled angrily and Nala gasped
"No…" she said in disbelief, burying her head into Simba's mane
Simba stared at Zira with tears and disbelief in his eyes.
"We shall have a trial tomorrow…you and your cubs sleep outside tonight with Sarafina, Kula and Sarabi watching you…" Simba said coldly, looking at the night sky above them, fighting back tears.
The rest of the Pride walked into the den, all of them sad and most of them crying. Simba and Nala made their way to the middle slowly, Nala crying and Simba trying to contain his tears. When they sat down Nala cuddled up to Simba, the pair crying harder now. Tanabi didn't understand what had happened, and nobody would tell him, so he softly comforted his parents.
The rest of the pride politely ignored them and went to sleep, but Nala and Simba stayed up all night, mourning the loss of their cub.
When morning came Zira stood at the base of Pride Rock, with the other three lions around her. Simba and Nala stood on the rock that jutted out, glaring down at her with red eyes.
"When you came here you were a cub, your parents were dead. We took you in and gave you a place to sleep, food and a family. Over these years we treated you kindly and you had a family here with my uncle. Today you abandoned all this and…..and you did unmentionable crimes," Simba yelled, struggling not to burst into tears or let his voice break." You and your cubs are banished, forever!"
Zira glared up at Simba, but Sarafina, Sarabi and Kula growled at Zira and chased her out of the Pride lands.
A/N: Spot the differences? Hey look! Vitani and Tanabi...ahaha...