III

SIMBA'S WARNING

Kopa crawled on his tummy slowly through the green, lush grass, smirking as he did so. After a few moments of tracking, he had found it: a prairie dog. Suddenly, the cub leapt up, just as the small creature scrambled into the ground, laughing as he did so.

"Hahaha!" it yelled, popping its head out of the hole then. "You haven't caught me once!"

"Well practice makes perfect," Kopa snickered back.

"No one can catch me. I'm too quick." the prarie dog bregged.

"Oh yeah?" and the prince lifted a paw playfully, about to bat at him.

"Where'd the fur ball go anyway, eh?" someone said.

"Great," Kopa whispered to himself, rolling his eyes and retreating from the play to jump on a near log.

Down a small hill, just a few feet away were Timon and Pumbaa.

"I don't know," replied Pumbaa. "Maybe we should split up."

"Pumbaa, you'll never get it, will you?" Timon said, setting his elbows on the warthogs head as he sat on his neck.

"Huh?"

"That's just what the little guys wants: to confuse us! He's probably in the Elephant Graveyard now!"

"Maybe he's just playing nearby," suggested Pumbaa as he slowly walked through the grasslands.

"Ha! That's the stupidest thing you've said today!" and then Timon paused. "Hey, maybe he's just playing right now? Just nearby."

"Yeah!" Pumbaa cried.

"And we can sneak up on 'im!"

"You're a genius!"

"Of course, we've gone over that. Now, yah!"

Timon tugged on Pumbaa's ears, and the warthog suddenly took off to the east.

"Great, time t' lose these bozos," Kopa said to himself, smirking.

"What is it, Kopa?" the prarie dog then asked.

Kopa turned and said, "Pimbi, I need your help."

Timon was scenting the ground carefully after having leapt off Pumbaa.

"Pumbaa, ya find anything yet?" he asked.

"Nope," the warthog answered, shaking his head. "Except this grub," and he lifted up a rock with his snout and tusks.

"Pumbaa would ya stop with that already! We have a responsibility! If he gets hurt, we get hurt."

Suddenly, there was a grunt, and cracks filled the air. The two looked up to their left, eyes wide as their jaws dropped. A tree was falling right by them! The merekat almost instinctively leapt on Pumbaa as he turned to run off just as the tree landed.

"What was that?" asked Pumbaa in surprise as he stopped to look over his shoulder at the fallen grove.

"That tree was totally losing its roots!" exclaimed Timon.

There was laughing, and they looked up to see where the tree had been, there was a lion, who rolled around and kicked the air.

"Kopa!" they both yelled.

"You should've seen your faces!" he giggled.

"You did this?" Timon asked, astonished.

"You're right, it was just about to fall, so it was calling to me. The roots were stickin' out 'n everything!...but I had a little help," the prince snickered as he sat up, and Pimbi nodded proudly.

"Kopa, you should be ashamed," Pumbaa snorted.

"Ya bet he should! That little rascal could've killed us!"

"You just wait for the King and Queen to find out,"

Kopa rolled his eyes and said, "Like they'd believe you?"

Pumbaa groaned and Timon glowered, just as Kopa tapped his paw on the base of the now-lying-down tree. A root snapped, and the tree, still on its side, abruptly slid down to the screaming pair as they were pushed into near water hole.

"Oo," Pimbi exclaimed, squinting as if it were hard to look. "They're gonna hurt tommorrow."

Kopa's head was lowered as the baby-sitters rose up, splashing in the water.

"Help! Help! I can't swim!" Timon spat.

The cub scrambled off, knowing very well that Timon was safe.

"Yes you can," Pumbaa snorted as he got up. "We did all the time with Simba, remember?"

"Oh yeah," the merekat replied, standing up, soaking. "Hakunamatta."

He shook the water off as they climbed out.

"Now let's go get that prince," he huffed, once more climbing atop Pumbaa.

"Uh, yeah, but where is he?" Pumbaa questioned.

"Hey thanks, Pimbi. I think I can take it from here," Kopa said, now smiling, spirits slightly lightened.

"Kay, but watch out." he warned as he climbed into a hole.

Kopa shook his head. "You have those everywhere, don't you? And don't have to worry about me. I'm totally on the look out. I love t' face danger!"

"Hmm, not wise to do something that could get ya into too much trouble, if ya know what I mean. Look, somewhere in the east near the north is a loose rockwall where beyond it is water. To the south is a pack of dholes, oh and, watch out for the crocks near the northwest borders."

"How d' ya know all this?" the cub asked, somewhat impressed.

"News from the underground," Pimbi shrugged, before disappearing under.

As Kopa romped through grass, laughing there was suddenly a huge shadow, blanketing him and the very ground he stood upon. Blinking, the cub looked up, and sighed in relief to see his father again.

"Hey, Dad." he snickered.

"Kopa, I have to talk to you,"

"Er, OK. How 'bout some other time?"

"No. Now." Simba stated firmly.

"Fine." his son snorted.

As Simba began to talk about the Circle of Life and whatnot, Kopa just heaved a sigh, looking around with half-closed eyes.

"...and so it's just part of the Great Circle of Life. Kopa, are you listening to me?" Simba asked then, growing more iritated.

Kopa shifted in his position anxiously. "Hurry up, Dad. I can't sit here listening t' this all sun."

Simba blinked, outrage and shocked at his son's responce, and yet he hadn't a clue in how to react.

"Fine, sorry, Dad. Uh, could we at least walk while we're talking? Like...up there?" Kopa urged, nodding to dirt slope.

"Er, sure, if you want to,"

With that, the two began up the near slope, only to walk slowly upon atop rock wall that cut between a long, deep ravine.

"Now, we're all apart of the Great Circle of Life, right?" Simba said as his son nodded. "Well we each have our own parts in it - we might be eating the zebras today, but when we're dead, they'll be eating what remains of us."

"You mean they eat dead bodies?" Kopa asked asked excitedly. "Ew, gross!" he paused. "But cool!"

Simba chuckled and shook his head. "That's not what I mean...our bodies will help the grass thrive so that the zebras and other animals can eat. That's what makes us part of each other...We are one."

Kopa heaved a sigh of boredom.

"Don't you even care about this? About everything and everyone you're going to have to look after one day?"

"Hey, hakunamatta." he snickered.

"Sire!" someone called - Zazu. The little, blue hornbill came fluttering over. "Sire! The monkeys keep throwing rocks at the giraffes and the giraffes keep-!"

Suddenly the rock wall began to crumble. Simba jerked his head around, then down to where his very paws stood, and his eyes widened.

"Kopa! Move!" he urged his son, but it was too late; the whole thing collapsed under their weight, as well as the water which pushed and carved into its barrier.

Zazu gasped as the water pushed through the breaking stone, and the two lions went plummeting into to the small yet fierce river. The edges were too high for one to climb out of, made of dirt and risen land, and several rocks and hanging trees littered the river and its pathway ahead.

"Dad!" Kopa cried as his back slammed against a rock, his breath forced out.

Simba was able to wrap a foreleg around his son so that the current pushed them together.

"Oh my goodness!" Zazu cried as he flew after them, a few feet overhead. "Simba!"

Just then, as he held his cub, the memories of his past caught up with him. The stampede seemed to never end as the cub was thrown into the air from the broken tree. He found himself caught in the jaws of his father, but the danger wasn't gone yet. No, Simba thought, and pushed the flashback out of his mind. Now was the time to save his own son.

Simba was thrown in a wall of branches and vines. He gasped and struggled to hang on, and at the same time push Kopa up. The cub clawed his way from the wild waters below, only to leave his own dad. But Kopa managed to get to the top and, when he turned upon that branch to yell in shock, "Dad!" once more, the branch abruptly broke.

"Kopa!" Simba cried back.

Luckily Kopa had fallen on the risen land of a platue. He staggered to his paws, watching as his father began to climb up the finger like branches. Would they be strong enough to hold his weight, though?

"You can do it, Sire," Zazu urged as he tried to keep himself near Simba at all times.

When the King was only a couple feet below the edge of the platue, Kopa took a step back as to let his dad climb up all the way. Bad mistake. Kopa fell, and was soon sliding down yet another - steeper - slope of dirt, facing the north. When he met the edge of it, he flew out into the air and, was smacked into that of body. A lion cub. The two went rolling in the dust. Only when they came to a stop, did Kopa groan, his eyes tightly shut in agony from the fall.

"What did you do that for!" cried the cub he had fallen into.

"Huh?" asked Kopa, putting a paw on his head as he looked up to see a pale, sharp looking female. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to."

"Sorry ain't good enough," she spat, her blue and yellow eyes gleaming through bangs.

But Kopa wasn't listening. All he could think about was his dad. He turned around to call out, "Da-!" and was cut off as his face met the ground.

"Don't turn your back on me!" the cub warned as she got off him.

"Hey! Don't pounce me!" he snarled.

"You did it first,"

Kopa hufffed and stuck out his chest. The cub just laughed.

"Oo! You transformed from a fur ball to a puff ball, I'm so scared," she said sarcasitcally. "Pridelanders," she muttered rolling her eyes.

"Hey, don't go rolling your eyes at me! You're on my lands!" Kopa growled back.

"Really?" and she jerked her head around as if searching for something. "I don't see any lush grass or fresh water...That's because you're in the Outlands!"

"Huh?" He tilted his head.

"News flash, these ain't your lands,"

Kopa blinked as his eyes scanned the lands about. The new river itself seemed to be the borderline between the Pridelands and the Outlands. They were many yards from the grounds of his father's Empire, and so had a great view of it. But where they were now was just dirt, dry, yellow grass, and skeleton trees. Termites flew about as well, just adding to it.

"Oh man," the prince muttered as he looked up again.

He sat down, tail curling around himself as he gazed up to where he had fallen from. There, he waited - waited to see his father's face appear. Finally, the female blinked, and padded over.

"What are you looking at?" she asked curiously.

Kopa shook his head and took a deep breath. "Waiting for my dad," he answered.

She glanced up there, then looked at Kopa, as if seeing him for the first time. Her eyes lit up as she gasped.

"You're the King's son!" she cried.

"Yeah, so?" though he was still looking up at the dirt cliff.

"Hmm," she said, giggling. "We could have some fun then."

She play-bowed, about to pounce as her claws extended and scratched the ground. Kopa finally let his gaze move to her as he once again, cocked his head to the side.

"What are you-?" and she pounced him.

The sound of padding and shuffling filled the air, and the two looked up, Kopa on his back as the cub stood over him. He sighed in relief as he saw his dad sliding down the slope, and finally leap in front of them.

"Dad!" he cried.

Simba roared as the cub climbed off of him. He glared at her, before nuzzling his son as the majordomo flew over.

"Oh good, the little one's OK," Zazu sighed, but suddenly fluffed his feathers as his view fell upon the Outlander. "Sire! An Outlander!"

The King lifted his head from Kopa as he turned his attention back to the girl.

"Vitani," he growled lowly, still panting. "Where is your mother?"

Kopa sat under his father with a dazed, confused look on his face.

"Why, I'm right here," a cold voice said.

A slender lioness had climbed out through a bald bush. Her ribs were visible, and the features of her face were sharper than the cub's. She chuckled, sitting down behind Vitani, her tail curling about herself.

"Simba..." she whispered calmly, as she smiled.

"Zira," Simba said back, glaring. "I advise that you move your pride further from our borders."

"Ah, but it is you and your cub who are in our lands." Zira stated.

"Take my words as a warning, Zira. Besides, the Outlands are the Outlands. They belong not just to you..."

"Who else would live here but a few scrawny, lost lionesses, Simba?" she suddenly snarled. "With barely enough food and water to stay alive, no one! That's who!"

"Your mind is smaller than I thought." the King replied cooly. "The Outlands is a title for not just the dry parts of Africa, but everywhere else, away from the Pridelands."

"Does great King Simba feel threatened by our presence?" Zira snickered.

Suddenly there was an ear-splitting roar. Simba leapt forward, over his son - Kopa hadn't a clue he could roar that loud, and so grew impressed, yet frightened as he watched. Zazu fluttered over in front of the cub.

"I've warned you, Zira!" he growled, standing over her. "If you mess up just once..."

But the King did not finish, causing Zira to smirk up at him. Vitani just quivered beneath her.

"Take your cub and move out," Simba then ordered, more calmly as he backed up.

As Zira stood and took the wide-eyed Vitani by the scruff, she chuckled, "Too scared to turn your back on me?"

Yet she said nothing more, and turned around slowly, walking through the sun bathed, crisp grass. Simba growled lowly as he picked Kopa up and began to pad to the edge of the Outlands, finding an easy place to jump down from. After landing back in the Pridelands, Zazu flew ahead and exclaimed, "Mongrels!"