Kopa didn't know what to do; he had been captured by the hunters and he had no way of escape. He was hungry, tired and at a complete loss. His tail stung from where it had been scraped by a bullet, and his eyes hurt from his constant crying since he was caught. He didn't even know where he was- he was in a cage in some sort of crate. It was hot and stuffy, and Kopa suddenly wished he was back in the cave of snakes that had once frightened him so much- that was nothing compared to how terrified he was right now.

Kopa's thoughts drifted to his father; had he gotten away from the hunters? He doubted it- he had been cornered when he told Kopa to run. Kopa forced himself to think of something happier, but he ended up thinking of someone else he would never see again- his best and only friend, Nuka. His mother, Zira had some issues, but Kopa was pretty sure that Nuka himself was nice. He wasn't sure about his temper though as he had never gotten on his bad side and didn't want to; after all, any cub raised by Zira was bound to have some level of fighting skills, and Kopa…Well he had to admit that he had none, and that's why I'm trapped, he thought bitterly, I wasn't strong enough to get away from the hunters. The cub lay down in the cage and slipped into deep thought before falling into a deep sleep.

~TLK~

Hours after the events of that afternoon, Nala sat at the peak of pride rock, sobbing quietly to herself. Her son was gone, and she had almost lost her mate, the love of her life, too. Through watery eyes, Nala looked out at the lands she helped rule over- the lands that would've one day been passed down to Kopa. Of course, she and Simba would still have someone to pass the lands down to- her bulging belly reminded her of that- but what if the new cub went missing? What if something like this happened again? Nala shook her head, trying to clear it of the tormenting thoughts that just wouldn't leave her alone. She knew she had to try and stay strong; she could send out search parties, and she would do it every day for as long as she lived if it meant that her son would come back to her. She had no doubt that Simba would do the same.

Nala heard footsteps behind, and turned around, blinking away her tears as best as she could in a hasty attempt to compose herself only to relax when she realized it was only Simba approaching her. He would never think her weak for crying. She smiled sadly at him before his limp and pained expression reminded her that he had been injured not that long ago, and her faint smile turned into a concerned frown, "You should be resting."

Simba shook his head, a slight smirk playing on his lips, "I'm hardly doing anything strenuous, am I now. But if it makes you any happier..." He sat down and smirked again, "There. Now I'm resting."

Nala rolled her eyes, "Honestly, you are such a boy…" but it felt good to have something to joke about.

The light atmosphere vanished almost as quickly as it arrived however when Simba said, "We should send out a search party soon."

Nala sighed and nodded, "You're probably right, but if we send one out I'll feel so bad that I'm not part of it."

Simba raised his eyebrows, "If that's your way of telling me you're joining the search, then it's not gonna happen. Rafiki says that you should give birth within a week- there's no way that you're traipsing around the possibly still dangerous Pridelands this close to the due date."

Nala frowned, "Okay, I get your point, but you're not helping look for our son either until I deem you healed enough to do so- it'll be the death of you given the state you're already in."

Simba pouted in mock-hurt, "What are you trying to say?"

Nala rolled her eyes at him for the second time that evening before sighing, "I'm not in the mood for joking around, Simba. I'm going to sleep." She stood up and padded back towards the den, leaving the king alone with his thoughts. He was more worried than he was letting on- he honestly shared the same emotions as his mate, but hadn't yet voiced his concerns, I have to stay strong for her and our son. Worrying won't help anything…

~TLK~

The following morning came around all too quickly for Kopa, and the young cub momentarily forgot where he was and what had happened to him, before it all came rushing back to him and he found himself having to force back tears. He moved as far towards the bars of his cage as he could, and peered through the handle-gap in the side of the crate he was in. It's only just sunrise, he thought, I have to find a way to escape. How though? He was trapped in a metal cage and metal was impossible for a creature as small as him to break through or even bend, even though he was a lion cub. He was about to give up on trying to find a way out when he noticed that the cage he was stuck within had no base.

Kopa's eyes widened in realization- it wasn't a proper cage at all, rather something used for trapping animals under not in. And that's why he was being kept in a crate as well. This made things easier as Kopa's claws were plenty sharp enough for him to cut through wood. The only problem he had now was keeping his escape quiet enough so as to not arouse the hunters.

A/N: Sorry it's been a little while since I last updated- I've been real busy recently. It might be a few weeks before I get chapter 4 up- I'm going on holiday on Friday for 2 weeks, and then I'll be busy again. I might possibly get chapter up before I go though. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please review :)