AN: This is my first fanfic. I have recently been swept up in a Lion King obsession due to re-watching the movie several times and I am writing this interpretation of Vitani's story for my sister. Please read and review, tell me everything you think. I hope you enjoy.
Vitani looked longingly back toward her brother and sister-in law, as they fussed over their newborn cub. Kiara and Kovu had recently become the new king and queen of the pride lands and had been blessed with a baby boy. They had named the cub Mokavu, and he was to be the new king. The three looked so happy and Vitani couldn't help but sigh with anguish. Seeing her brother and his mate reminded her of what she might have had, if it hadn't been ripped from her paws, and by her own mother nonetheless.
It had all started a few years ago:
Vitani had been playing in the tall pale grass stalking a bright colored beetle not far from the watering hole, when she heard a noise. She shrugged it off thinking that she must have just stepped on a rock in her pursuit of her prey. Just as she jumped, a light colored cub flew through the air and smacked his head into her own. The two cubs stuttered back and rubbed their heads with their paws.
" Hey! You let my beetle get away" she yelled at the cub she had unfortunately collided with.
"Your beetle?" he scoffed "I have been stalking that thing forever"
A likely story she thought, the cub looked as though he had never stepped foot in the dirt, his vibrant yellow orange fur gleamed with a shine that she was surprised she had not seen glimmer in the grass just moments ago, surely she should have noticed the so called mane of red brown hair that sat in a disheveled tuft on the top of his head. He stared at her with a questioning look on his face as she realized he had kind of asked her a question.
"Yes my beetle" she replied, she couldn't think of a comeback and instead looked around for her lost prey to show him how a real hunter worked. Spotting the beetle a few yards away in the grass she lowered herself down and began to crawl barely making a sound toward it.
"Shh, follow me and I'll show you how a real lion hunts" She continued to slowly and silently travel through the grass until she was just behind the bug. Just as she was about to pounce the other cub leaped over her head and landed on the beetle with a satisfying crunch.
"Now look what you've done! Who are you anyway?"
The young cub chuckled as he cleaned the remains of the beetle off his front paws. "Kopa" he said, he seemed surprised that she didn't know who he was.
"Well Kopa," she snapped "Thanks to you I have to go find something else to hunt." she began to stalk away when Kopa pounced in front of her.
"Hey wait, aren't you going to tell me your name?
"No, I won't." and she continued to walk off back the way she had come.
"Oh come on, please! I'll help you find another beetle" he stood in her path and as she tried to pass him he would jump in her way.
"NO! How am I supposed to trust you when you squished my bug? She was beginning to get mad at the cub for getting in her way.
"I promise and I never turn my back on a promise" he said. For some reason she trusted his words and allowed him to follow her as they stalked another bug, a butterfly this time.
Vitani came back to the present at that moment, that was the first time she had met Kopa. She had known at the moment that he had said he would never turn back on a promise that it would mean something to her one day, but she wouldn't know yet for some time. Vitani stared out the mouth of the cave that Pride Rock was home to and let the tears flow as she watched the rain fall and thought of another moment when Kopa had made a promise to her, one that he had yet to keep.