I am now devoting most of my free time into completing this story. Mostly because I realized that if I continue at this rate then there will be a ton of chapters. So I'm going to try and fit as much as I can into each chapter. You know, make use of any extra space. Anyway, I am very pleased with all the attention this story has gotten. None of my other stories have ever done this well but don't look into them unless you're a Digimon fan. As you should know, this is my one and only Lion King fic so far but I plan on writing up sequels and such. You know, to hopefully fill up all the kings and shamans from my prophecy. Probably not all of them though. So here are my reviewer shout outs.

To T5Tango – I wasn't exactly talking about Timon's character transition, I always felt that side of him was there. I meant the scene transition from Timon and Pumbaa to Tamina and two others. But thanks anyway and I'm glad you like my Mufasa implication.

To Shimmy Tsu – Gracias! Yo quiero hablar en espanol pero estoy un poco mal. I'm not really sure what I said is correct considering I don't have accents or the squiggly line above the 'n' in espanol but you know. Thanks for the offer to help me with my Spanish and I'm glad you like my story.

That's it for now. I wanted to make sure it was shorter than my last one so I don't have to waste so much time and just get on with the story. But here I am rambling on again. Anyway, to the story!

-X-

The young little lion cub struggled to open his eyes. Everything hurt, even his fur felt like it did. As a matter a fact, it felt as if he had fallen off of a very high cliff after being nearly mauled to death by a crazed lion.

"Hey, kid, wake up!" called a far away voice. It was female and she sounded both agitated and worried, an odd combination.

The cub felt a nudge and his eyes fluttered open. He looked down to notice that he was lying in a pile of leaves and there was a meerkat looking up at him.

"Er…Hello?" grunted the cub as he attempted and failed to sit up.

"Just lie down. You're hurt and you shouldn't be moving. Especially not with those injuries" said the meerkat as she dragged a leg of an antelope towards him.

The lion cub heard his stomach growl and two things went through his mind at that moment. Where was he and what was a meerkat doing with an antelope leg? His stomach growled again and he decided to ignore his second question and took a bite out of the dead herbivore limb.

"So, you okay? You have some nasty cuts all over your sides" informed the meerkat as she ripped off some tree bark to find numerous insects crawling among it. It was then he noticed some interesting features about her. First, she carried a sharp stick around her waist which was tied to her with the thinnest vine he had ever seen. She had this permanent angry expression on her eyes. Meaning she looked as if she was glaring all the time. And finally, she was much older than he was if he was a meerkat.

The cub glanced at his sides to see leaf bandages around them. There were no signs that he was hurt except for the scent of grounded herbs emanating from the bandages. It stunk and there was a small hint of blood mixed with it. "I think I'm fine…What happened to me?"

"How should I know? One minute I'm getting prepared to rest in my hammock and the next, plop! You fell right onto it from the sky" said the meerkat as she took a bite of a rather large grub.

"Oh...sorry"

"For what?"

"Well, you look and sound angry so I just presumed that you were mad about me falling into your hammock"

The meerkat groaned. "Not this again…Look I don't mean to sound mad I just do. It could be because I like to release my pent up anger at everything"

"Oh…Well where is this pent up anger coming from?" asked the cub.

"Who knows? It could be from the non-appreciation I receive. Or the fact that no one really likes me. Or that I'll probably never find a mate. Or maybe even my dad for leaving me and mom years ago for a teenaged meerkat!"

"I'm sorry"

"You don't have to apologize for every little thing. You're young; you're supposed to be curious. I think I'd be more worried if you didn't ask me anything"

"Well…Why did you save me? I mean, not that I don't appreciate it but why? I'm a lion and you're a meerkat…It doesn't make sense"

"Species doesn't matter…I'm the savior of the pride that lives near my colony anyway"

"Really, the savior?"

"Oh yeah" the angered expression seemed to disappear when she was reminiscing. "Once a huge pack of hyenas infiltrated the lands that belonged to King Amri, the ruler of the Western pride, the general area where I'm from. Now, as you should know, lions are much more powerful than hyenas but they largely outnumbered the lions. I stepped in the minute I could. Before that invasion of hyenas I always protected my colony from every predator out there, jackals, wild dogs, cheetahs, you name it…I went straight to the leader of those pesky pups and took her down. It's easy when you know how to fight like me"

"So you fought against hyenas and won? That is so cool!" exclaimed the cub as he attempted to jump up and down in excitement.

"Whoa there, slow down or you'll reopen those wounds" grinned the meerkat. Her scowl was gone and she was finally smiling, sort of.

"So I'm going to guess you caught this antelope leg all by yourself then?"

"Of course not! I may be tough but I have the heart not to kill another. No, this was leftovers from a hyena feast. I just chased them off and dragged that back"

"I guess that makes more sense" nodded the cub.

The meekat nodded in agreement before throwing her tree bark away. She stood up and turned around. "Well, guess I'll be going then, see you around!"

"Wait, you're just going to leave me?" the cub called after her.

"What did you expect? That I'd take you along with me on my travels? No way kid, I'm a strict independent"

"B-But…I'm hurt so I won't be able to fend for myself!"

The meerkat stopped not even thinking how the cub could live alone out in the wilderness. He was badly injured and he was rather young. It was clear he wouldn't be able to hunt. And the closest pride that she knew of was very far away. A three week walk at most for an injured lion cub. She sighed.

"I must be crazier than my fellow meerkats think I am" muttered the meerkat. "Alright fine…You can come with me but only until you're able to take care of yourself. And you have to stay out of trouble and listen to every word I say" she nstructed.

"Right! Thank you so much, I promise I won't be a burden" said the cub with a huge smile.

"Good to know…Now that that's over…Allow me to introduce myself, the name's Tamina. What about you?"

"I'm-" The lion stopped, realizing he didn't remember his name. Or anything for that matter except for obvious things like the different animals, sights, and smells."I don't know…I can't remember anything actually"

"Seems like amnesia" analyzed Tamina.

"Amne-what?"

"Amnesia, basically its memory loss, it usually happens when you knock your head really hard or you went through some trauma. I'm going to guess the latter since your cuts look as if they were done by another lion"

"You mean I was attacked by another lion?"

For some odd reason, he could hear someone faintly screaming out a name. Then a flash of this dark and rather scary lioness appeared in his mind. She was cackling madly as her bloodied claws tried to reach him.

The cub shuddered as Tamina nodded. "Pretty much…But don't worry, if anyone comes to attack you, I'll fight them off. But whatever you do, no matter how bad the situation is for me, you do not, repeat do not come and help me. You are to run away from danger, not to it"

"But why? Why do you need to risk your life to protect mine?"

"I'm not sure…Something about you just tells me that I have to protect you. Like you're important or something"

"Well thanks…I never met, at least not one I remember, a prey animal willing to throw their life away for a predator"

"Well…I'm just crazy that way" smiled Tamina. "Now we need to give you a name, anything ring a bell to you?"

"What about something cool like 'Claw' or 'Storm'?" he offered.

"No…We need something that suits you…I know! What about Simba? It means lion" said Tamina.

"Simba…That name seems familiar to me…I like it!"

"Alright then! From this day onward, you will be named Simba!"

From that day on Tamina had met her first friend outside the Western lands. He wasn't a meerkat or even another prey animal. No, he was a lion, different and yet perfect to be her partner. He became her best friend and soon she was even teaching him the fundamentals of hunting.

-X-

An adolescent Kopa (Simba II) pounced on an unsuspecting gazelle. Unfortunately for him, the prey animal was quite experienced in avoiding predators and leaped out of the way at the very last second. In the end, Kopa ended up with a face full of dirt.

He looked up to hear laughing coming from a protruding rock from out of the grass. There he saw his friend Tamina holding her sides as she tried to calm herself.

"It's not funny, it's a lot harder than it looks you know" complained Kopa.

"Oh don't be such a sour puss" giggled Tamina. "It may be hard for you but I've improved on my hunting skills. Just watch and learn"

Tamina jumped into the grass and crawled away. He noticed her crawling towards a zebra stealthily. She jumped right onto his back catching him in surprise. She held onto him as he bucked and bounced in an attempt to shake her off. But her grip was firm and she held on. When she had the chance, she jumped onto his snout and punched him in the eye. The zebra pulled back onto his hind legs and shrieked in pain. Tamina jumped down and ran straight for the prey's hind legs and pushed it out from under him. The zebra fell in a heap of dust and Kopa's jaw dropped in shock and humiliation.

"Dinner is served, so you come and deliver that finishing blow because it's just plain impossible for me to kill something this big" Tamina grinned as she jumped onto Kopa's back.

Kopa smiled and did exactly that. It was already late so by nightfall the two of them were lying next to each other under the stars. It was another beautiful night, perfect for stargazing, which for some reason was Kopa's favorite activity, his second most favorite activity was to watch the sunrise. He always told Tamina that it had something to do with his past but he had no idea what.

"So, what do you think those stars are? Like where did they come from and stuff?" asked Tamina out of the blue.

"Hmm…They could be anything really" said Kopa.

"Well I don't know about you but I say they look a lot like fireflies" said Tamina thoughtfully.

"Fireflies? I swear Tammy, you see everything as food for you" chuckled Kopa.

"No, no, no, not fireflies as a grub but as the beautiful lightning bugs they are. What about you?"

"Hmm…I never gave it much thought. I always thought of stars as just stars. But I do always have this thought in the back of my mind that tells me that they're something much more. Something important…"

"Important…Huh…Pretty lights high in the sky seem pretty much irrelevant to me…Maybe it has something to do with your past"

"Maybe…If I ever find my pride…The one I've forgotten…Will I have to stay with them?"

"That's your choice buddy, if you want to stay with them you can. If anything they probably think you're dead so if they see that you're alive then they'd probably be all excited and happy. They'd probably want you to stay"

Kopa seemed unsatisfied with this answer. He stood up so that he could have a better look at the meerkat. "What about you? If my real family wanted to take me back in then what would you do?"

"I'd probably have to move on…You know, a prey animal living among a pride of lions would probably be inappropriate" said Tamina as she sat up.

"But you get along with the Western pride well…Why can't that be the same with whatever pride I came from?"

"Because I'm a meerkat from the colony of their lands…I live there…I've earned their respect…It's not that easy to do the same for strangers"

"But you took me in, you helped me live…They would accept you if-"

"No they wouldn't! They're lions! One of the predators of my species! That means they could eat me in their sleep!" shouted Tamina who was now standing.

Kopa was silent before turning away. "A friend once told me that species didn't matter. I always believed that that was true…But clearly it's not since even the one who said it doesn't believe it" With that Kopa walked back to a cave that the two of them were staying for the night.

Tamina sighed sadly knowing that she had hurt him. She walked towards him and sat down near the entrance. "Look I'm sorry for my outburst…I guess I didn't want you clinging onto me. You have a family out there and they probably miss you so much. I guess I was just looking for an excuse for you to stay with them instead of me"

"You could always join a colony that lived near them"

"And if that colony didn't accept me?"

"You could live nearby, besides you're tough enough to take care of yourself. I've seen you fight off a lioness before"

"…Kopa…You have a family…I don't…My mother passed away just a month ago…None of my siblings, cousins, or other relatives care about me…And just because I was never able to know what a real family felt like doesn't mean you can't. You deserve to live with your family and your family deserves to be with you…I can't just live with a pride…"

"I guess not…But if I do stay with my family then I wouldn't be happy"

"Why not?"

"Because my family would be incomplete…You're a part of it"

Kopa gave her a light nuzzle by rubbing his head on her back. She smiled and accepted it. She then climbed onto his back and relaxed.

"Thanks Simba…Guess you're right…I do have a family…And that family being you is better than anything I could ever ask for…" said Tamina softly.

"Good night Tammy…" said Kopa with a smile when he noticed that she had fallen asleep.

He yawned and rested his head in his paws. With that he slowly drifted into a pleasant dream. One with lush grass, a young lioness cub, a mighty lion with a majestic red mane, a beautiful lioness with loving eyes, and Tamina lying in the shade. Although none of this he would remember in the morning.

-X-

"Ow, could you just be a little gentler?" asked Kopa as he felt the bandages tighten around his hind leg.

"Of course, how did this happen by the way?" asked an elderly elephant who was wrapping the bandages.

The elephant was named Kamaria. She was the shaman of the Western lands. She was tending to a wound that Kopa, now an adult, had received while hunting.

"I got it while I was out hunting. I sort of scratched it onto some jagged rocks" replied Kopa.

"So, I see…So how is everything?" asked Kamaria.

"It's fine…Um, Kamaria, can I ask you something?" asked Tamina.

"Of course, what is it Tamina?" replied Kamaria.

"Well, I was wondering if you knew of a land with lush green grass, a barren wasteland at the border, a huge gorge, and a majestic looking pointy rock" said Tamina.

"Well that would be the Pride Lands, the Eastern lands. Why do you ask?" said Kamaria as she made the finishing touches to the bandages.

"I sort of had a dream about it. I think I've had similar dreams before but this was the first time I remembered it" explained Kopa.

"Ah, so you believe that Simba here might be from these lands?" concluded Kamaria.

"Yeah…Do you know where the pride there lives?" asked Tamina.

"At the protruding rock that you described as pointy" said Kamaria.

"And when you say the Eastern lands you mean of the four great kingdoms right?"

"Yes"

"Four great kingdoms, what's that?" asked Kopa.

"The four great kingdoms are the lands to the west, east, north, and south. Where great kings live…The youngest of the four are the Eastern lands which was discovered only four kings ago. They are also known as the Pride Lands or the Land of The Rising Sun since they are the first of the four kingdoms to see the sunrise" said Kamaria."Each of these kingdoms is governed by a king who is accompanied by a shaman"

"So you're the shaman of the Western kingdom then" concluded Kopa.

"Precisely"

"Thanks Kamaria, for everything" said Tamina as the two got ready to go.

"Wait, do you two plan on going there?" asked the elephant.

"Yeah, we do…Simba's real family deserves to know that he's still alive and we plan on telling them that" said Tamina.

"I praise you for your noble cause but what will happen? Will you stay or will you return?" asked Kamaria.

"I'm not sure, that's up to Simba" shrugged Tamina.

"And I won't know until we get there" said Kopa.

"But if he does stay then I'll come back to tell you, if we come back then obviously we'd both return, and if we both decide to stay then I guess you'll know the answer if we don't" said Tamina.

"Then I wish you a safe journey…Until the day we meet again" said Kamaria with a bow.

"Thank you for your help all these years. We appreciate it" said Tamina as she and Kopa bowed back. She hopped onto Kopa's back and they ventured out. Thus the two of them began their journey to the Pride Lands.

-X-

The log appeared sturdy enough but one slip and they would tumble into a river of hungry crocs. It wasn't a very pleasant thought.

"Are you sure there's not another way across?" asked Kopa.

"Aw come on, don't be so scared. We just need to cross that bridge and we'll be safe. Nothing to it" said Tamina from atop his head.

"Easy for you to say, you're not wider than the log"

Tamina rolled her eyes. "Do you want to turn back then?"

"No…" said Kopa and then he sighed. "Fine, we'll walk across it"

"That's my boy"

Kopa slowly took a step onto the bridge, half expecting it to break. When it didn't he began walking across. It was a slow walk and he kept looking down to see if the crocodiles were still there watching them. They were and boy did they look hungry. When they were halfway there Kopa slipped.

"Whoa!"

"Simba!" shouted Tamina in panic as she held onto his mane.

Kopa was barely hanging on with his claws gripping the bark of the log. His feet dangled from the edge and they were dangerously close to the teeth of the hungry reptiles.

"I'm going to slip!" shouted Kopa in panic.

"Hold on, I'll get help!" said Tamina as she jumped back onto the log.

Unfortunately she had no idea what or who she was looking for. On one side was the beginning of a desert and on the other was a dense jungle. She didn't see anything or anyone that would be strong enough to pull her friend out of this situation. So she mustered all the strength she could and grabbed onto one of his paws. She pulled with all her might but no matter how strong a meerkat was they would never be able to pull up a full grown lion.

"Tamina, you have to let go!" shouted Kopa. "If you don't then you'll fall too!"

"No way! I'm not going to abandon you!" said Tamina.

Her grip was loosening ever so slightly and she felt the color drain from her face when she accidentally let go. She heard Kopa yell and saw him falling and the reptiles snapping their jaws from under him. But right before he fell into the pit, a large paw grabbed him. And then another gripped his other paw.

"Don't worry, I've got you kid" said an adult male lion. He pulled Kopa up and relaxed. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah, thank you sir, you saved my life" said Kopa through gasps of air.

"Don't mention it. And no need to call me sir, the name's Hasani"

"Thank goodness you were here to help, if you hadn't my friend would've died" said Tamina.

"No problems, so I'm going to guess you guys are heading in the direction as I am" said Hasani as he gestured towards the east.

"Yeah we are" said Kopa.

"Great, then why don't I accompany you until we part ways. You know what they say, the more the merrier" suggested Hasani.

"That sounds like a great idea. Let's go!" smiled Tamina.

Hasani smiled in return and he followed the two of them as they entered the desert. It was going to be a long trek, especially with little food. But somehow they knew that they would be able to make it as long as they stuck together.

-X-

This is the only time the entire chapter will be in italics. I hope. Anyway, I'd really appreciate any feedback if you could. Thanks for reading and here's a little something to you Disney fans out there. If you watched Disney's Make Your Mark on 10/19/12 then you saw the dancers compete for a place in Shake It Up. Well I'm just here to tell you to vote for whoever you want but please support me when you say you vote for Starley and Chris because I think they're the best! See you guys at my next update which by the way, will get faster, hopefully.