A/N: Hey, everybody. I'm going to do my very best to add a new chapter every two to three days. At the very latest a week. I have ideas as to where to go, but I didn't plan to start the fanfiction from Kopa's cub life at all. Heh. So, I have some work ahead of me. I appreciate the followers I've got. I adore all my supporters, thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Lion King and/the characters. I own the plot of this fanfiction based on the Lion King Six New Adventures. I only own Lela.

Chapter 2

Kopa

"You blinked!" I declare, bouncing up and down. "I win again!"

Lela frowns, "You're such a sore winner," she mumbles under her breath.

Half the day has gone by, and boy has it been a long one. It's been so dull today that I'm hyped up about a staring contest. But to be fair, winning, no matter what you're winning at, is always exciting. "I'm not though," I defend.

Lela's taken aback that I heard her. She stands with a little more composure. "Yeah, you are," Lela returns. "You always announce your wins."

"Well that doesn't make me a sore winner," I shake my head. "Come on, let's play again and I'll show you."

Lela considers for a minute before sitting again. "Alright. Once more."

I sit before her and we both close our eyes in preparation for our duel. "Three…two…one!" I open my eyes and Lela's dark brown one's spring open at the same time. We stare for a while at each other, waiting for the other to blink. "Heh," I smile. "Might as well give it up, Lela."

"No such luck, Kopa," says Lela with a smile.

"What's going on here?" asks Rafiki, coming up Pride Rock.

"Rafiki!" screams Lela with glee. She hops off to the old baboon and rubs against his leg.

"Hey, what about our game?" I ask, but I go unheard.

"Are you here to celebrate the rains?" Lela asks.

The Pridelands have recently been surrounded by grey clouds for a few days. It's only a matter of time before rain falls. "Yes, I am," laughs Rafiki. "The great ones from the past honour us with this gift. We must give thanks." Uncle Rafiki seems a little off in his own world.

"How do these celebrations work?" Lela asks.

"Oooh, child," Rafiki pokes Lela's nose and laughs. "Don't ask me that. Ask me why you shouldn't eat crickets. You're still a cub, enjoy it while you can. Now," he looks around. "Where is the king?"

"He's been out for a while," I say.

"And your mother?"

"Here, I am, Rafiki," says Mom, strolling out of the cave. "So nice to see you again."

Rafiki gives a small bow. "And you too."

"What have you all been up to?" asks Mom, sitting next to me.

"Staring contest," Lela and I say together.

"Well, where's Afua?" asks Mom.

I slouch and look away from everyone. "He's off playing with Beba." In the corner of my eye, I can see that my mother wants to say something, but a drop of rain on her forehead distracts her – and me too! That one drop has friends. Many friends. Many, many friends. It's showering, it's a deluge, and "It's raining!" I jump up happily. My mom and friends laugh at my excitement.

"Why don't you two go splash in some puddles?" Rafiki encourages, covering his face from the downpour.

No one needs to tell me twice, but Lela seems a bit hesitant. I ram her playfully with my head, "Come on! Let's go, Lela!" I beam enthusiastically. "The good puddles are gonna be taken." I bite her ear and tug at it.

"Okay! Okay!" laughs Lela, standing up to tag along.

The two of us trickle down the ramp of Pride Rock, giggling the whole distance.

"Just don't wander further than the watering hole!" alerts Mom.

"Yes, Queen Nala!" Lela hangs back to respond.

"Make sure the young Prince gets the message," Rafiki adds. "He's a selective hearer, that one." Rafiki gives a hearty laugh.

"Yes, Rafiki," Lela calls over her shoulder before sprinting to catch up to me.

I force myself to run faster, just to jeer at my friend a little. But I'm not as fast as she is, and she lunges over my head and lands with a drift in front of me. I stop abruptly, but I've stopped too late. "Woah!" I scream before we clash. We roll around on the floor until we land with a splash in a deep hole that's gathered some rainwater. We giggle for a while before I speak up. "C'mon, let's look for frogs."

Lela and I waddle around in the deep pond, looking for amphibians.

"Hey, ho! Lookie here! Check it out!" chirps Jambo. "It's the cats. The lions. The residents of Pride Rock."

"Hey, Jambo. Hey, Kwaheri," greets Lela she climbs out of the pool to near them. The monkeys are in a nearby tree, relaxing on the bows and munching on some strange fruit. "Do you want to help us find frogs?"

I follow behind her until we're both under the tree. "We can make it a challenge!" I pipe.

"No, thanks. We're good. We're a-okay," says Kwaheri. "But we have a challenge for you. Yes, we do. A challenge for you."

"What is it?" I cock a brow.

"Can you catch raindrops on your tongue?" ask Jambo.

Lela and I exchange looks before responding. "You're on."

The brothers hop down from their tree and we all run about tasting the rain. "Have you noticed that rainwater tastes kind of… different to groundwater?" Lela asks after a while.

I catch a drop and press my tongue to the roof of my mouth to get a good taste of it. "Yeah." I look up at the sky, then back to Lela. "I wonder why."

Lela sniffs the air. "It smells like it tastes too. Maybe it gets the taste in the air as it falls."

"Bwahaha!" Jambo blurts out. "That's hilarious. What a hoot!"

"I think it makes sense," tells Lela, obviously hurt by Jambo's outburst.

"Oh yeah. Must be. No doubt," Kwaheri teases. "So smart. Flawless."

"Well what's your theory?" Lela says defensively.

"My theory? My thoughts? My guess?" asks Jambo.

"Yeah," she challenges. On one side of me, the monkeys on the other side.

"You're nuts. Loco. In need of help," Kwaheri and Jambo say together. They double over in a fit of laughter, and Lela sits down, evading eye contact in defeat. "Crazy lion." They giggle.

"Okay, guys," I appeal. "Let's calm down."

The monkeys pay me no mind. They begin pointing now. "Next she'll say that there's water underground!"

I expect Lela to stand up for herself, but she just turns her back on the pair and droops her ears and shoulders.

"Guys, stop," I say firmly. "That's enough."

Kwaheri and Jambo run right past me and begin circling Lela. They start chanting things. "What's that bright yellow thing in the sky?" they ask. "What's that silver white thing that comes about at night? Sometimes it's half, sometimes it's three quarters, sometimes it's not there at all!" Lela tries to walk away, but the brothers continue to follow her around. My blood boils.

"Guys!" I stomp, but they hoot over me.

"Teach us! Tell us! Educate us!"

I take in a deep breath and force out a furious roar, stretching out my neck to the noisy monkeys with emphasis. But in reality, my roar is not imposing. It's no scarier than my yawns in the morning. A kitty shriek at most.

The clamour ends right then and there. Everyone looks to me, astonishment swimming all over their features. Then the brother burst out cackling again.

"Hahaha!" they screech. "Did ya hear that? Did you get it?"

I crunch my brows, still furious, now even more so. "You guys take things way too far!" I say, but the primates don't hear me over their own voices. My parents' teachings come to mind, and I acknowledge that the monkeys and I don't speak the same language. I sigh through my nostrils and look at the ground. After a while the monkey's grow tired and hurry off back where they came from. I look back over my shoulder at the monkeys as they disappear out of view. Then, I near Lela.

"I think we should head back to Pride Rock," she says. Before I can say anything, she begins on her way back to our home.

I follow her. The walk back isn't very eventful. I consider bringing up what happened a while ago, but something in me fights against it. When we finally get home, I see Rafiki hugging my parents.

"Hey, kids," greets Dad. "What have you been up to?"

"Chasing frogs," Lela and I say together.

"Did you find any?" Mom smiles.

We shake our heads. "Not this time."

"Hey, let's head inside," offers Mom. "It's been a long day, I think we could use some down time."

Rafiki, Lela and my mom walk inside and I'm about to follow, until Dad stops me with his forepaw. I look back at him. "Hey, the day's not out yet. How about I give you those roaring lessons, huh?"

"Yeah!" I beam with a spring. I scurry to stand in front of my dad again. "What's first? What's first?" Dang it! I'm starting to sound like those monkeys.

Dad chuckles. "Well how about we start by you getting out of the rain?" he puts his forepaws apart, "Come on, get under there."

I hurry under my dad's chest. It's much drier under here. I spin in a circle, "What now, Dad? Come on!"

"Okay, okay, calm down," starts Dad. I focus on calming my breathing, and sit I down. "Good. Now, all you really need to do is: puff out your chest while you breathe in, open up really wide and push out the biggest roar you possibly can."

I nod. "Puff out my chest," I take in a breath. "Open up wide and roar," I give out the same roar I gave before. I frown. "Aw, man."

"You sound just like me when I was your age," laughs Dad. "You'll have a great roar someday. I promise. You said it yourself, you'll roar so loud the umbrella thorn trees will drop their leaves."

I blush at my dad's reference. "Thanks, Dad," I nestle against his arm. "You're the best."

I spend a few more moments with my dad, working on my roaring skills, until the night comes to life. The rain is still coming down in full effect.

"Alright, son," smiles Dad. "I think we've done plenty for today," he nods to the cave entrance. "Let's head inside."

"Okay, Dad," I say, sated. As we head inside, it's noticeably warmer. Almost everyone is asleep, and as soon as I settle in my mom's arms, I'm out.

Thanks for reading guys. I don't know when I'll publish again. I think it might be next week (I have exams to write, yay!). But hey, miracles happen and I just might publish a chapter this weekend. Regarding this chapter, and the ones after, I want to try keep them as kiddies for as long as I can. The fanfiction is actually about their adult lives, but to extend the literature, I've started from the bottom. They will have age transitions soon though. I'm going to try and include more family scenes (like the one with Nala) but I've just got to think up something fresh. : D. Okay! Lots of love guys, please review if you can, they are like food to me. Heh.