Lion King 3: The Lost Cub

Chapter 1: Strange Sights of a Ghost

Simba stretches himself as he got out of the cave, waking up as soon as the sun rises.

The wind is even today, he thought. He went down the stair-like rocks so he could drink water near the watering hole. After he drank, he saw a lion far away from the watering hole with a red mane, and the lion was already full-grown.

"Father?" He ran from the watering hole to try and chase the unknown lion. The unknown lion turned around and was walking away, he fastens his pace. "Wait for me!"

The lion disappeared, and Simba slowed down. Who was this mysterious lion? Was it Mufasa? Was he still alive, regardless of the fact he's dead? He wanted to find out, but how? The lion disappeared.

"Simba, what are you looking at?" Nala came to him after waking up.

"Uh, nothing. Did you have a good sleep?" He asked, Nala rubbing her head at his chin.

"Yes, I did. What about you?"

"Couldn't have a better one." He heard Nala's soft purr. "When's the hunt going to start?"

"Later, after most of the lionesses wake up." She explained, staring at the skies with Simba.

"You know, I saw a lion earlier." Simba explained, looking down to face Nala.

"Really? An intruder?" Nala stood up.

"I thought so, but his scent wasn't anything unfamiliar. Like he is joined in the Pride Lands. And his mane… is red. Not that I'm saying only we have red manes, but he looked very familiar. I was wondering if he was—"

"If he was Mufasa? Then that would mean we have a ghost lurking in the Pride Lands?"

"Yes, precisely as I was thinking." Simba stood up to face Nala, "what if there was a ghost?"

"Let's see. If one of the lionesses see the same, then we do. If not, then we don't."

After their short conversation, the rest of the lionesses woke up and were ready to hunt. They began the hunting, Simba patrolling across the Pride Lands.

"Why did it take you long to wake up? You missed the other lionesses."

"I was very tired." Kiara explained.

"All you did yesterday was walk the same path, and you didn't even hunt!"

"Yeah, I actually didn't."

Kiara sat near the watering hole, daring Kovu to scare her dad. And that would be a foolish thing to do.

"There he is!" She pointed at Simba.

"Well, I'll go there, then!" Kovu ran to the nearest hiding place near Simba.

"Hey, Kiara, what are you doing?" Simba asked.

"Dared Kovu to scare you—wait! If you're here…then who's the other lion?"

"What other lion?"

"I saw a lion near the river…"

Kovu returned with a frown, "Simba wasn't there. Are you kidding me?"

"You saw it too, huh?" Simba murmured, but neither did Kiara nor Kovu hear it.

Simba was confused because of the lion lurking in the Pride Lands. He couldn't concentrate on patrolling to see if anyone was trespassing the Pride Lands.

He returned to Pride Rock a minute before sundown, his head below the clouds.

"Simba," Nala called from the lying Simba at the cliff of Pride Rock. He was still wondering.

"Simba!" Simba looked around to see Nala, with eyes of confusion.

"It's time to sleep. Aren't you joining us?" Nala asked, doubting if he'll say yes and sleep.

Simba blinked, tiredness showing through his eyes, "yeah, I think so."

He stood up, and then waited for Nala to enter. She did so, smiling at him.

He was still wondering about the lion.

"Father! Don't run away from me!" He yelled out to Mufasa.

The lion stopped, and then looked around to see him. He smiled, and then walked to the blazing sun.

"Father!" He yelled out, waking all of the lionesses.

"Simba, are you okay?" Nala asked, Kiara and Kovu going to his side.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Simba's breathing was fast.

"We need to find that lion, do we?" Nala finally asked him.

"Yes. And this time, let's hope we catch him."

As lionesses gathered and was prepared to run around the Pride Lands for the mysterious lion with a red mane, Simba sighs as Nala and Kiara disappeared, as well as Kovu. Though there could be a lot of lions with red manes, Simba felt that he knew this one, as if they were connected. As if they were one.

"Hey, Simba!" Timon yelled, as he and Pumbaa got near Pride Rock.

"Hey, Timon, Pumbaa, if you encounter any lion with a red mane, and he doesn't walk away, I want you, Timon, to come there and we will catch him. He is not me, nor is he any of us." Simba ordered the two.

"Yes, your Majesty!" Timon and Pumbaa searched as well.

An hour later, the group returned with almost no success, but Nala trapped the lion from escaping. He was younger than Nala or Simba, taking out his chance as Mufasa. But he was older than Kiara and Kovu, so he could be anyone now.

"Good job, Nala." The other lionesses was amazed by what Nala did to trap him. They almost gave up and was about to return, when suddenly there was a roar. Nala had called the others to corner him.

"Dad, you should've seen how mom handled the situation! She used her senses very well, then we caught the one you're looking for." Kiara was just as amazed as the others. Kovu was grinning, obviously amazed as well.

"It was nothing. I just saw him and I thought sneaking behind him was better." Nala explained.

Some of the lionesses was unable to compliment, for their teeth were plunged into the young lion's fur.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Simba demanded from the young lion.

"I want to return." The lion admitted, looking honest.

"We do not remember a red mane lion existing in our lands these current years, other than me. Who are you?" He demanded again.

"I am..."

"Who?'

"I am Kopa."