AN: Thanks to all who have favourite this story and reviewed. Keep those reviews coming. The more reviews I get the more encouraged I am to write. Because it lets me know the story is being liked.


Chapter 4


"There…that sap should bring down the swelling. No don't lick at it." Nuru was all smiles pulling back from her young companion. Her sandy-golden eyes taking in the cubs paw which she had slathered with sticky sap from a dead tree that she had collected by slicing into the bark.

Her paw then darted out and smacked the lion cub on the nose sharply when she caught him starting to lick at it.

Disgruntled Kopa glared at the Serval who just smiled on back at him like she hadn't just smacked him. "What was that for?" he grumbled. With his sap free paw he rubbed his nose where it hurt for just a second then it disappeared.

Rolling her eyes at the cub, Nuru made her way around him to collect the mice and lizards she caught for the two of them. It had been two and a half days since she had come across Kopa. Two and a half days when she noticed that Kopa's limp appeared to be getting worst the more they walked without stopping. That was when she decided it was the perfect time for them to settle down for the night and see if she could do something about that paw. That was when she remembered an old remedy that her mother once used on her.

"I did warn you not to lick it." Nuru reminded him settling their dinner down. Sitting she stared at the cub who gave her a critical eye.

"Well it's sticky what else am I suppose to do…whoever said sap could bring down swelling anyways?" the exiled Prince mumbled waving his sap covered paw around when he noticed it was starting to stick to the ground. "Uck!" His face then scrunched up when a glob of sap flung off his paw when he shook it too hard and hit him in the face right between the eyes.

From in front of him, Nuru had fallen to the ground in fits of laughter. Playing no heed to the glare that was now pointed in her direction. After a good solid few minutes her laughter subsided. Lifting her head she smiled cheekily at the cub. "That's a good look on you." She commented climbed to her paws she leaned over and much to Kopa's dismay began to clean his face as if she were his mother.

Annoyed the cub pulled away rubbing his clean paw over his face in an attempt to dry it. "It's okay I can clean myself." He continued to rub his face when he finally took notice of exactly what Nuru had caught for their dinner tonight. Mice…mice was nothing. He could live off that for a little while. It was mice that his mother and father first had him practice his hunting skills on. It was what the crazy Serval had along with the mice. "Li…Lizards!?" he gagged eyeing the dead lizards lying in front of him.

"I can't eat that!" he said looking at Nuru like she lost her mind. Well more then what he already thought she had. Over the last two and a half days of Nuru's constant talking and endless energy and jokes. He had to resist asking his companion on whether or not she ever been dropped on her head as a cub…repeatedly.

Looking down at their meal, then back to Kopa, Nuru raised her eyebrow at him. "Of course you can…"

"It's a lizard!"

"What you never had lizard before?" asked Nuru. She watched as Kopa nodded his head to tell her that yes he had never eaten a lizard before. Snorting, she shook her head at him and placed her paw on one of the three lizards she had caught for them. Slicing it open with her claws. "Boy Kopa, your parents really must have spoiled you." She said picking up a piece of meat from the lizard plopping it in her mouth. Chewing slowly she then swallowed it watching the look of disgust come over the lion cubs face.

Kopa felt a quick flash of anger rise up inside him when Nuru mentioned his parents. Growling he climbed to his paws and leaned in so his face was close to hers, "Don't ever talk about my parents like you know them! Because you don't!"

Taken back, Nuru leaned herself back away from Kopa staring at him with wide eyes. "Whoa there pussy cat! Calm yourself down!" Nuru held her paws up in defence taking a step back from the exiled Prince. "I didn't mean to insult them. I just meant to say that you probably only ever ate large meals like Zebra…or antelope and such…let me say this, I envy you. I'd never be able to eat such meals like that. Not unless I attempted scavenged it from someone else's kill. Which is a difficult thing to pull off. Some predators are extremely protective of their kills. But I've managed it here and there from leftovers. This is what I learned to live off of…especially out here in the desert where there is very little food." She explained picking up another piece of meat from the lizard and licked it off her claw. "And you should know this Kopa. As long as you are out here with me cubby, I suggest you get use to what you can catch. Which won't be very much."

Watching her, Kopa could still not help the gagging feeling in his throat at watching her eat the lizard. But he could see what she meant by what she said. But he still could not see himself eating lizards. "I…I think I'll stick to mice…" Reaching for a mouse he dragged it toward him and started to sink his teeth into it. Mice didn't serve as much of a meal but it was better than nothing at all.

Snorting in amusement, the Serval smirked then went onto finishing the lizard she had already started eating. Finishing, she licked her muzzle clean and threw the lizard away and finished the next few on her own leaving the mice to Kopa. Once they were both finished their meal, Nuru was the one to dispose of the remains a good distance from them to let the scavenger birds pick at them.

Returning she saw that Kopa was once again licking at the sap on his paw. "Ouch!" The cub cursed when he felt a paw connect with the back of his head. Grumbling and taking the hint Kopa stopped licking his paw and settled down on the ground. In the sky the sun was settling far into the west making the sky above him and Nuru already starting to darken.

The sound of shifting sand told him that Nuru had settled down to his left. Looking toward her with his eyes he watched as she started to groom herself. He wondered why she was bothering to do so; she was only going to get dirty again from the sand that was all around them. The exiled prince just put it off as a female thing that lingered in all species of felines. He, himself, he didn't care if he was dirty. Although every time he thought about it, sadness would rise up because he would remember back to when he was three months old and his mother would joke about him loosing all his fur if he stayed too dirty.

Sighing, Kopa reached up and rubbed the wounds on his face and head. They still hurt him. He thought they would have dulled already but he could still feel them stinging. At times he thought they were inflected but he never brought that to Nuru's attention because he feared she would do some new crazy thing and stick his cuts with sap next or some other crazy concoction. He bit back a laugh as he thought that Nuru reminded him of that old Shaman Rafiki he had met only a few times. The last he had seen the mandrill had been when he helped deliver the cubs.

Looking over at Nuru again, he grinned, if they weren't two different species Kopa would think the two were related. Nuru sure had the crazy down like the old Shaman that was for sure. Studying Nuru, Kopa really wasn't sure what to really think of his spotted companion. It was too soon to consider her his friend. And after she delivered him to the Rasheda's he was pretty sure he would never see her again as she went on her way.

He still hated that he had tricked himself into going there.

Kopa had thought if he told her that he had promised his mother and father and said he was going there she would have left him alone. He really should have known better. He should have just said that he wasn't going there and then he would have been free to wander wherever he wanted and still defy that stupid furless monkey.

Which he was surprised that he hadn't heard from in the last two and a half days. The exiled Prince had half expected Jelani to show up and boast about how wrong Kopa had been in trying to defy him. But the cub was hoping once at the jungles he could loose Nuru and run away from the Rasheda's. Still find a way to escape whatever 'destiny' was supposed to await him.

But strangely some part of him didn't want to abandon Nuru. He found it oddly comforting to have a companion. Kopa wasn't use to being alone for long. Even those times he been grounded and couldn't see his friends or was hiding out in those caves with nothing but his mother and then siblings. He still had others around him at all times. He figured even if he hadn't tricked himself into going to the jungles, Nuru would still have followed him.

He figured that perhaps she had been lonely traveling on her own. He didn't know whether he wanted to admit it or not that he was happy for the company. Even if her constant chattering at times made him wish he could just cover his ears and tune her out. Now that he thought about it, he was wondering whether or not which was worst in the chattering department. Nuru or Zazu. Both were equally annoying when they didn't seem to even take a breath between words.

"Kopa?" Nuru's voice made him look back toward her questioningly to see that she too was looking at him. Her paws crossed in front of her while she rested her head on them. Her large oval ears twitching in the slight breeze of the night.

"Yes?" he shifted his body to face her completely. He caught the ghost of a smile tug at her muzzle while she was contemplating something but wasn't sure whether or not she should say anything. "What is it?" he pressed.

Shifting her body to get more comfortable, Nuru watched the cub closely. He'd probably been her first companion in almost two years she thought. It was a sad thing. But not many of her kind travelled with others. Her last companion had been her sister before she had been killed by a lone hyena like she had told Kopa when they met. It was a lonely life but least by being alone you didn't face the disappointment if someone left you or the loss of loosing someone you got close too.

Over the course of the two days she spent with Kopa. She had been watching him closely. Nuru still had the sinking feeling that Kopa hadn't been completely honest with her about where he'd come from or who his parents had been. But she could tell he was telling the truth about the family he had in the jungle. It was just the way he said it that made her know the difference between the truth and the lies he spoke. But the reason she secretly wondered if his parents had truly been rogues was by the way Kopa carried himself.

He was serious. Determined. Brave. Something she saw in rogue lions but there was too much dignity to the way he held himself. Almost like he been born and raised for something. But she knew it wasn't her place to ask, if he didn't want her to know she wasn't about to make him tell her. That was a sure way to loose ones trust was to be too pushy.

Turning her head to watch him she smiled. "Tell me about your parents. The way you defend them, you really must love them dearly. So tell me about them, I'd love to hear about them from you."

Kopa was clearly taken back when Nuru asked him about his parents. He wasn't sure how to answer that without giving away who his parents had been in case Nuru really had heard of the Pridelands and who had once ruled there. That and he didn't want to talk about his parents. It was hard enough to know that they were gone but to talk about them made it even harder because it meant he would have to talk about past pretence and it made it a lot harder to accept that he would never see his parents again.

Biting his lip, it took a moment for Kopa to collect his thoughts before he said anything. Then opening his mouth he began to describe his parents to the best of his abilities. "My Father…he…he was the bravest lion I knew. He was always there for us. Even when I thought he wasn't. He taught me how to pounce, wrestle, even patrol…Ah, the areas were normally hunted." Kopa was quick to add remembering his parents were supposed to have been rogues. He watched Nuru closely but it seemed she didn't catch his near slip. But even if she had, she wasn't showing it. "He was really big. With a large mane that I always hoped I'd end up with. He once told me that I had more hair on my head than he did at my age and said if he could turn out with as big a mane he had then I too would one day have one as big as his and any lion before me." Kopa grinned at that memory.

"Mom would always describe Dad a jokester and would say I was just like him. Even what he looked like when he was young. Mom knew that because she grew up along side him…You see my Dad lost his parents too when he was young and my grandmother Zakia's sister Leta found him and gave him to my grandmother who took him in and raised him along side my mom and Uncle Jaali. Dad grew up in the Rasheda's before he and mom left shortly after they mated and was expecting me."

Well that wasn't all a lie he thought. It was half the truth. His father was taken in and raised alongside his mother and Uncle Jaali. And they did leave shortly after they were mated and his mom was expecting him when they fought off Scar for the Pridelands. It was everything he remembered in the stories they told him about what had happened. Those days back in the Pridelands lying in his mothers arms listening to the pride tell him stories of things of the past almost seemed like a distant memory now.

His face then turned sombre. "I watched him try and fight for us. He told me to run and I did." He sighed closing his eyes remembering the last image he had of his father.

He opened his eyes when he felt a paw rest on his and saw that Nuru was smiling softly at him encouraging him to go on. Even asking, "What about your mother?"

This time Kopa raised his eyes to the sky as he thought about his mother. "My Mom…she was beautiful…the most beautiful lioness I ever seen. She had blue eyes and dark fur. Mom was wonderful. I often spent more time with her then I did with my dad. She taught me how to hunt but sometimes Dad would help her teach me. I loved when they both spent time with me together." A grin came over Kopa's face as he remembered his hunting lessons. But his smile soon vanished when he remembered those lessons had been shared with the cubs he thought had been his friends but had turned out to only been using him.

He hated them. They betrayed him and his family and the trust he and his mother had laid in them. Because of their ploy to trick him into being his friend, he had thought it was smart enough to venture out of the cave when he heard them. Only to find out they were meant to draw him away from the safety of his mother and the cave. Which eventually led to getting everyone but him killed.

"Mom had a good heart. I think she was too trusting at times. But I loved her for who she was. She was brave too. She would also tell stories about her and dad growing up. She was the best Mom anyone could have asked for…she was the first of my parents to die…she gave her life so I could live…just like Dad did…" Tears filled the exiled Prince's eyes. "I…I never even got the chance to say goodbye…" he whimpered but tried not to show too much of it. He didn't want to appear weak in front of Nuru. He faintly heard Nuru shifting her body to get up and move herself closer. He didn't even realize she had laid down beside him till she draped her paw over his back in a comforting fashion.

Kopa looked at her confused when Nuru just smiled and spoke softly to him. "It sounds like your parents truly loved you Kopa. It appears that they did what they had for you like any parent would to insecure that their cub survived. Both of them died doing what a parent should do. Protect their youngling." Nuru watched the cubs face closely. Her heart went out for him that she suddenly regretted asking what his parents had been like but Nuru felt that it would do the cub some good to get the emotions off his chest and talk about his parents.

Unable to hold his tears back anymore Kopa broke out into sobs. Sobbing harder for the first time in days. The exiled prince laid his head on the ground his non-sap covered paw covering his eyes. "It was my entire fault…Mom told me not to go anywhere too far and I did…I led them right to my parents…they were cruel! My mom had just had new cubs…and they were only a week old." Realizing he hadn't told that part to Nuru before he quickly added. "It was why mom wanted to go back to her old pride to visit them. For them to meet all of us and for us to meet them. This was three of them. Musa, Eshe and Kiara. I named Kiara after my parents let me." He sniffled at the thought of his dead brother and sisters.

"Those cruel…rogues that attacked us…they killed them right before my mom's eyes…" half truth, Musa did die before both his and his mothers eyes. He would never be able to get her heart broken cry out of his head at the sight of Musa's mangled body.

From beside him, Nuru was shocked to hear the, almost true, story of what had happened when Kopa had been attacked. She knew some rogues could be cruel and she knew infanticide wasn't unthought-of with lions. But still to hear it was just plain cruel sounding especially when the cubs were only a week old making them more defenceless then a cub Kopa's age.

Her paw on Kopa's back rubbed it soothingly to try and calm the cub that was becoming more emotional by the second. "Shh, there now pussy cat." She tried to calm the cub, drawing him closer to her until Kopa laid his head on her paws. She licked the top of his head messing up the tuft of hair but the exiled prince was too upset to say anything about it.

"They…they…had attacked me first…that was why I was held down and couldn't help them…I begged them to take me instead and leave them alone but they wouldn't…I promised my brother and sisters I'd protect them the day they were born. I failed doing that…" he mumbled beneath his sobs.

Giving his head another lick, Nuru smiled laying her head down next to Kopa's. "You don't have to say anything more Kopa. I bet you did what you could for them. You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened…things always just happen…it's never our fault when they do." The serval tried to comfort her young companion. "Things just happen…both good and bad…and there's never anything we can do about it…but just know that YOU are alive. You ran like your parents told you too. You managed to survive and because of that some part of them lives in you."

Some part of them lives in you Kopa repeated in his head. Was that true? Kopa doubted it. His Father wouldn't have run and neither would his mother. He was just a coward. He ran away from the Pridelands just so that a part of his family would always survive in the form of himself. He was the last blood relative of Simba and of Mufasa…well the side that mattered anyways. Nuka; Vitani and Kovu belonged to Scar's side. The dark side of the family.

And now they ruled the Pridelands just like Scar did. The Pridelands would fall into darkness again. But he was just a cub; there was nothing he could do. He could always return like he thought when he left the Pridelands, return one day just like his Father had. But then he wondered if he would ever want to return.

Now that he was heading toward the Rasheda's and a destiny that awaited there. Did that mean he'd never return to the Pridelands? That his place would be with the only real family he had left? Back in the Pridelands there really was nothing for him to go back for. His parents and pride were dead. Zira had won. When his father returned to Pride Rock there had been his mother and pride there for him. Kopa would have nothing.

But in the Rasheda's he had his great Aunt. He had Jaali, Yamile and Tufa. He had a pride there waiting for him. The pride his mother and father always spoke so highly of.

Maybe going there wouldn't be so bad.

He could have his family and he could also defy Jelani. It wasn't sure what the furless monkey wanted of him there but he could still defy Jelani when the time came. Yes, he would do exactly that. He would have the family he needed there and he would also defy what fate wanted of him.

Lying there, Kopa started finding himself drifting off. His crying had worn him out. But the exiled prince was happy to let sleep take him. His mind drifting to his parents who he missed dearly and the family he had waiting him in the jungles. He secretly wondered how they would take the news of his parent's deaths.

With those thoughts the cub drifted off to sleep his head still resting on Nuru's front paws. The serval remained awake watching the cub sleep. Her eyes softening when she realized just how much the cub had worn himself out. For a moment Nuru checked out the paw she had lathered in sap and sniffed at it scrunching her nose up at the smell of it and thought for a moment if it really worked. She couldn't remember whether it did when he mom used it on her and her sister growing up.

Shaking her head, she reached down and began to lick the paw in order to get the sap off of it once she noticed the wind started blowing lightly and grains of sand began piling up on the sticky residue. Once she was satisfied that it was clean enough, Nuru adjusted herself to bring Kopa closer to her to keep her young companion warm during the cold night.

Laying her head atop of the cubs, she let her eyes closed and sleep take her. Her ears always flickering to alert her of any approaching danger during the night. Completely unaware that the two of them were being watched from a distance.


Mansa and Zakia sat in comfortable silence, both atop of a sand dune over looking the exiled prince they had both swore to watch over. Zakia's mate had wanted to join them, but he had been torn between spending time watching over his grandson and keeping close to his daughter who he never had a chance to know personally in life. In the end Zakia and Mansa had agreed to overlook Kopa's journey.

They knew Jelani was not far. He had never left Kopa's side. The two of them didn't have a problem with the Guardian. For Jelani was only a guide to the living. But Zakia was still rather upset that such a thing had to be done for her pride. When she had discovered her daughter's untimely death, she had wept and begged for it not to be so. She had threatened both Bakari and Jelani that if anything happened to her daughter she would see too it that something happened to them.

But she knew she would never be able to lay a paw on them. They were simply stronger than her. Both were Guardians within their own rights. Jelani guided the living or more importantly he guided those that were…special in a way. He said there were certain individuals that were born with a light around them. A light meant they were born for higher things than what they may have thought they were born for.

Many of those born with the light often never inspired to do what they were born for. And when that happened their light often dulled and was washed away. But those who were managed to be guided to do what were destined of them. They would eventually shine brighter then most stars in the night sky.

That was what awaited her grandson. She was proud that her grandson was meant for better things but she didn't like that it had happened the way it had. She did not want to believe that her daughter had been meant to die. But Bakari had said that it had been.

For you see, Bakari was the guide of the dead. He guided lost souls that were trapped and guided them to a better world and beyond. They were often those who died young and unaware of what was going on. But Bakari had chosen to guide her daughter. To make sure Zuri could guide those who would needed guiding in the dark days to come. She knew her daughter was trying her hardest to defy what the Guardian wanted of her in the afterlife. Zuri would do what Bakari wanted of her, she would guide those who she loved but she would also see that her family ended up back together.

Sighing, Zakia hung her head. Beside her Mansa laid his paw on his sister-in-law's. "Everything will be fine, Zakia."

"He led her to her death Mansa…how can everything be fine…our family is torn apart…" Zakia looked at the gray mane lion beside her.

"If Bakari hadn't led Zuri to Kopa. Then he would be the one dead right now and you know Zuri would never have been able to live with herself if that happened. She is already barely hanging on with the fact that Musa had died." Mansa stated matter-of-factly.

All of them had been shocked when Musa had been killed. They had all hoped they could save all of the cubs. They didn't want a single one of them dead. They didn't want Zuri dead either but they knew Zuri would have done anything to keep her cubs alive. Each and every one of them had been angered when Musa had been the first to die and in which way he did die. Mansa may have been a hardened lion and ruler but he did care for his family. Zuri had been his family and he was angered when he saw how devastated she had been to watch her youngest son die before her eyes.

It had been Mansa who had found Musa's wandering soul before Bakari had. It was a rule that young spirits were to be guided to the afterlife and never linger in the living plains but Mansa would not allow Bakari to take him. Instead Mansa kept him safely hidden until he had brought him to Zuri. His niece had been shocked and happy at the same time. He had watched as she had wept when she drew the young spirit into her arms and held him close.

When Bakari had tried to take him away from her, Zuri had snapped and said that if her son was taken from her again she would refuse to do what Bakari wanted of her. Mansa; Zakia; Kopa; and Mufasa backed her on that. Mufasa had done so as an apology to Zuri for having failed in keeping the cub alive. The red mane lion never said anything but the others all knew that it had destroyed Mufasa to watch the pain his son had gone through.

But Mufasa knew there was nothing much that he could have done. Many had begged Scar to speak with his mate. But the red lion refused. Scar had atoned for his sins in life but he would not stop the only lioness that had stayed loyal to him during his reign.

Lowering his eyes, Mansa took in the scene of Nuru and Kopa in front of him. It had been he and Zakia who had sent Nuru Kopa's way. They knew the cub did not want to face his destiny but neither of them wanted the cub to wander the desert for the rest of his live. There really was no telling if the cub would survive if he had. None of them wanted the cub dead so they had sent him a companion.

Nuru was only meant to keep Kopa company not take him to the Rasheda's. That had been Kopa's choice in the explanation he had given her. Zakia and Mansa only meant to give Kopa someone who would help keep him alive no matter where the cub chose to travel too. But they could not help but be secretly pleased Kopa was heading to the Rasheda's where they knew his destiny would help the pride but also where the cub would have a family to help raise him.

"He'll be fine when he reaches the Rasheda's…it will give Zuri hope to know her son will live…" Mansa sighed. He also knew it would break his mate's heart to know the only living offspring of her sister was dead and so was her family. It may not be true that all of Zuri's family was dead but his mate would not know that. And they could not interfere with that for they could only truly show themselves when it was important too. At times others could see them even when they didn't try to show themselves how that could be was still a mystery to them.

"Do you think her plan will work?" asked Zakia.

Mansa closed his eyes. "I do not know Zakia. We will just have to wait and see what their paths will be when the time comes." Opening his eyes he turned his head to the left where he could see Jelani standing. The smaller Guardian turned his head toward them as if knew he was being watched. Scowling, the gray mane lion turned on the spot and began to leave. "Come Zakia we should report to Zuri on Kopa's doings."

Zakia too glanced toward Jelani and scoffed. Taking one last glance at her sleeping grandson she smiled wistfully. "Goodnight sweet prince, may you know you are loved by many." She whispered and with that turned to follow her brother-in-law to report back to her daughter and check on her two granddaughters who her heart went out too just as much as it went out to Kopa.

Xxx

The strong beating of wings and the thumping of his heart was all Zazu could feel. It been days since his leave of the Pridelands on Simba's wish that he deliver the news of the dead Queen and cubs to the Rasheda's. It was a trip that Zazu hadn't been expecting and wishes he didn't have to make. He knew the Rasheda's did deserve the truth.

But Zazu hated being the bearer of bad news. He hated having delivered the news of Mansa's pending death to Zuri and he didn't like the idea of delivering his Queen's death. When Zazu had heard of the news of Zuri's death he had been quite shocked and did not believe it at first until he saw Simba and Sarabi return with Zuri and Musa's bodies.

He could not believe it had happened again.

The short untimely death of a royal.

Only this time instead of a King it had been the Queen and royal cubs that fell. Zazu did believe that Kopa and Eshe were dead. After days of searching it was the only explanation of what had happened to the two royal cubs.

The majordomo had flown for days straight without stopping for there really was no safe place for him to stop during the trip. He would rest when he reached the jungle and from there eat and drink then find the Rasheda's. Rest some more then make his way back to the Pridelands to report to his King that his message had been delivered.

The trip seemed shorter this time only because this time around Zazu actually knew where he was flying. The last time he had gotten long and had to get the right directions from a couple of other birds that had been passing through the area at that time.

And with the right current Zazu managed to catch he could glide and let the wind take him in the right direction. It was four days into the flight that Zazu finally spotted the trees of the Jungles up ahead of him. It was seeing those trees that spurred Zazu on. The need for food, for rest and for some actual shade from the blazing heat of the sun becoming his driving need.

When he cleared the tops of the trees, he folded his wings in against his side and tilted his body till he nosed dived past the thick canopy of leaves. Spreading them out once he was past the tops of the leaves, allowing them to slow his decent before landing on the branch of one of the trees.

Sighing in content that he was actually out of the sun. Zazu turned his head and began pruning his wings carefully. Clicking his beak disgruntled at the fact that there was some sand in them from the minor sand storm he had managed to bypass on the way there. "That's the best I can do…for now." He mumbled. But remembering the Rasheda Grove had a lagoon he figured he could take a quick bath in it when he got there.

Sighing, Zazu folded his wings against him and closed his eyes giving himself a few moments of rest. However he listened to the sounds of the jungle around him. The sounds coming from this place were strange to him for everything echoed around him vibrating off the trees. There was so much life in the Pridelands but it didn't echo as much as the jungle seemed too.

To Zazu the jungles also seemed more of a dangerous place. In the grasslands there was a chance of escaping being hunted by a predator. For him he could easily take to the sky and get away. Here…where it was densely packed…and more coverage…one never knew where danger could be lurking. Opening his eyes, Zazu turned his had which way and that when he thought he heard movement in the trees and echoed the branches.

His body tensed when he thought he saw something moving along the higher branches completely hidden from view. His heart thumping, Zazu quickly took off before whatever it was found where he was out. He truly did not wish to end up on somebody else's menu that day. Knowing he had to get above the trees again in order to locate the exact spot the grove was in, Zazu made his way to the trip tops again. Breaking the canopy he skimmed along the tops of the trees the leaves tickling his underside.

Then with a flap of his wings he took himself higher and scanned the horizon. When he spotted a familiar setting. The majordomo dipped his body and began to fly towards it. Almost smiling at the familiar sight of a billowing waterfall cascading into an open lagoon that eventually trailed off into the trees.

The home of the Rasheda's.

Turning his body downward, Zazu glided on the faint currents of wind to whisk him down into the grove below. The place was truly beautiful. Zazu would give it that. But he figured he much rather be safe and home in the Pridelands which had been home to his family for generations and like his forbearers before him where they been serving the royals of the prides since the time of Mohatu. And shortly after him, Zazu hoped his own offspring would one day be majordomo as well. Whenever he got cracking on that, that is.

The hornbill swooped down until he landed in the middle of the grove. Taking a moment to take out his wings and feathers to make himself more presentable, Zazu gazed around the area expecting to see a handful of lionesses he had met before lounging around in the late afternoon.

However much to his surprise that would not be the case.

This time around the Grove seemed to be apparently empty.

Not a single sight or sound of the pride that lived there.

For a moment Zazu put it off as perhaps the King was out on patrol and the lionesses out on a hunt. But then he remembered the last he visited. There were lionesses in the pride that were surely too old to be out on a hunt and the Rasheda's never seemed to leave the Grove unattended.

Yet here and now, there appeared not to be a single lion present. Thinking perhaps they were deep in the caves, the hornbill called out. "Excuse!?" he waited but when no answer came or no one showed themselves he continued to call out. "King Jaali? Queen Leta…it is I, Zazu, I come bearing news from the Pridelands!"

But still no answer came.

Odd, he thought. Did everyone go out hunting that day?

Flapping his wings, Zazu flew to the many caves he could see and attempted to peak on inside. But he could see no one. Not even when he went to check on the royals den located directly behind the waterfall.

How odd.

Deciding that perhaps the King and lionesses were on patrol and hunting. Zazu decided to take this time to clean himself up while he waited their return. Making his way to the very shallowest end of the pool, Zazu lowered himself down into the water which only came up a bit past his legs. He eyed what little fish swam in the pool before with his wings he began scooping water off and letting it run over his feathers.

When he felt that he was clean enough, Zazu carefully flapped his way out of the water and onto the bank. Shaking himself to get the access water off his feathers. Be mindful of them before he saw that he was dry enough. Flexing his wings, Zazu decided that while the pride was out hunting that perhaps he should look for some food as well. Taking to the air, he flew through the trees searching for fruit but sticking close to where he knew the grove was.

Soon enough he came across some berries that after watching some parrots snack on them themselves he figured they were pretty much safe for him to eat. Picking at them with his beak, Zazu ate his fill. Once he was sure he had enough, Zazu used his wing and a leaf to clean the berry juices from his beak.

Patting his now full stomach, Zazu flew on back toward the grove half expecting to see the pride had returned. But breaking through the trees he saw that wasn't to be. The grove was still empty. With that, Zazu flew up and perched himself on a rock near the waterfall.

Perching himself there Zazu gave the area a quick sweep. Thinking if he waited long enough he was sure to catch one of the pride returning sooner or later.

Surely they were bound to notice him when they returned. He had made sure to perch himself just enough off the ground but not too high so they wouldn't notice his stocking blue feathers. Settling himself down on the rock, Zazu got himself as comfortable as he could. Suddenly missing the warmth of his own nest.

Not sure how long he would have to wait exactly. The majordomo decided it would be best for him to take a nap. Having flown so long without rest was tiring and had taken a lot more out of him then he had thought now that he had time to relax while he awaited the return of the Rasheda's.

Taking one last sweeping look of the grove, Zazu then tucked his head under his wing where he began to dose off not really noticing how much the sun had already begin to set thanks to the tallness of the trees. Within seconds he was fast asleep, but keeping his senses alert to tell him of when the Rasheda's would return so that he could deliver the news.

Oh, how he hated being the bearer of bad news.


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