Chapter Nine

The Visitor

Later that afternoon, Zazu was flying around the Pride Lands as usual, looking for anything out of the ordinary to report back to Simba. So far, everything seemed to be running smoothly. The animals were sharing the water hole for once, and all the herds were peacefully grazing.

Then he spotted something and flew a little lower to investigate. The creature looked up, and Zazu gasped. It was a lion. He looked pretty young, with a full brown mane and a healthy, slender body. He smiled up at Zazu and called, "Hello! Could you…"

But Zazu was already flying back to Pride Rock to alert Simba. "Hey! Wait up!" the lion called, and he started running across the savanna underneath the hornbill.

Zazu reached Pride Rock in a matter of minutes and called out, "Sire! There's a rogue lion in the Pride Lands! He's heading this way!"

Simba, who had been resting beside Nala, jumped to his feet and ran onto the ledge. Sure enough, the lion was rapidly approaching. He slowed to a walk as he reached the base of Pride Rock and looked up at the king, who eyed the newcomer imperiously. "Who are you, rogue, and what is your purpose?"

The lion just stared up at him, his mouth slightly open. He didn't say anything, but Simba could see a swirl of confusing emotions spinning in his eyes: joy, shock, fear, sadness, all blending together to create one nameless feeling.

"I asked you what you are doing here," Simba called down. "Speak, rogue."

The lion finally found his voice. "Simba? Is that you? Is it really you?"

It wasn't the fact that the lion knew his name that made Simba start with surprise. He was fairly well-known even beyond the boundary of the Pride Lands. No, what bothered him was that the newcomer's voice sounded very much like his own.

Nala stepped forward to see what was going on, and, seeing her, the lion said, "Nala? Is that you as well?"

Nala's expression of shock and confusion mirrored Simba's.

"Who are you?" Simba asked, genuinely curious now.

Nothing in the world could have prepared him for the lion's answer.

"Father, it's me. Kopa. I'm home."

This announcement was followed by a long silence that seemed to stretch into eternity. Simba and Nala exchanged looks of stunned disbelief before returning their gazes to the newcomer.

At length, Simba replied, "That cannot be. My son is dead."

The lion shook his head. "No, Father. I'm alive. It's me."

He started to climb the stone steps leading to the ledge. Normally, Simba would have attacked any lion who dared attempt it, but royal protocol was the furthest thing from his mind.

The lion reached the ledge, and Simba examined him closely. The face was much like his own, but he could see hints of Nala in the shape of his cheekbones. Now that he was near, he could also see three thin scars running across his face. The young lion smiled, and Nala gasped as she saw the similarities between his grin and Simba's.

But what finally convinced them were the lion's bright brown eyes.

My eyes! Simba realized.

"Kopa?" he said softly, hardly daring to believe it. "You're alive? You really are alive?"

The lion nodded, and a lone tear began to slide down his cheek. "Yes, Father. I'm alive. And I'm home."

There was a pause. Then Simba let out a cry of sheer delight and leapt toward his son, rubbing his head against Kopa's and nuzzling him. Nala joined them, crying tears of joy and whispering, "Oh Kopa, my baby, you're alive, you're really alive!"

"What's going on?"

The three lions looked around to see the lionesses gathered at the mouth of the den. In front were Kiara, Kovu, and Vitani.

Simba wanted to shout with glee and tell them all that his son was alive, but words failed him. So it was Kopa who spoke first. "Vitani? Is that you?"

Like Simba and Nala, Vitani – along with everyone else – looked taken aback. "Uh…yes, I am Vitani," she said warily. "Who are you?"

"Vitani, it's me. Kopa. I'm home."

Vitani stared at him. Then she cried, "Kopa!" and ran to him. She rubbed her head against his and he nuzzled her tenderly. "Kopa, oh Kopa," she sighed, "I've missed you so much! So much! I love you, Kopa!"

"I love you too, Vitani," Kopa replied.

They pulled back, and Kiara approached them, Kovu right behind her. "Hello, Kopa," she said. "You wouldn't know me. I'm Kiara, your sister."

Kopa's eyes widened. "My sister!" he gasped. "Yes, I remember, Mother was expecting you when I went missing." He nuzzled her as well and added, "It's great to finally meet you."

"So, Kopa," said Simba, and everyone turned to look at him, "tell us, where have you been for all these years? Why did you wait so long to return? And how in the name of the Great Kings did you survive Zira's attack?"

Kopa sighed and said, "It's kind of a long story."

"We have plenty of time," Nala said, smiling warmly.

Kopa grinned and said, "Well, you see, up until a couple of days ago, I had no memory of anything that happened. I couldn't remember anything, not the attack, my parents, my home, even my own name."

He paused, his eyes gazing out over the Pride Lands but seeing something else, far away. "I was fortunate enough to be found by a friendly lioness named Bahati. She rescued me from a stampede and, since I had no memory of who I was, she took me in and raised me as her own…"