Chapter 4
After Simba had kicked out the stranger, no visitors came to Pride Rock. The pride believed the rogue lion had gotten the message about the king, and knew better than to return. Nala wasn't as convinced, though. After all, the stranger had been looking for her, and may not have wanted to leave until he saw her at least once. Even if this strange lion was Ni…
Normally, Nala would have investigated this, but even since the incident, Simba hadn't been too keen on leaving his mate, knowing the rogue was still at large. Whenever he had to leave, Simba left Kula and Chumvi, friends he and Nala had known as cubs, in charge of protecting the queen. Any other "king business" was left to his best friend Tojo, although he was more interested in visiting the kingdom's bird population.
Another reason that kept Nala at home was the fact that she was now far into her pregnancy. It had almost become routine for her to feel sick, sending Simba into panic, thinking the cub was coming early. It drove her nuts…but at least it was better than no help from Simba at all. To add to this, Nala found it best not to share her news with her mate, at least not until the cub was born.
Then, in the spring, peace came to the young couple at last. One morning, Simba found himself pacing around the cave, waiting impatiently for his cub to be born. He saw his mother come out of the cave, and ran to her immediately.
"So? Is it here?" Simba asked breathlessly.
Sarabi merely smiled, and said, "Come in and look yourself."
Simba took his mother's word, and quickly went inside. He stopped when he saw his mate in the corner of the cave, nuzzling the small creature in her paws.
"Is that…my…" Simba stuttered, finding a lost for words.
Nala looked up and smiled warmly. She knew she had to tell him the truth, but she couldn't say no. Not when her mate was so happy…
"This is your son," she told him, giving the tiny cub a lick. Seeing how excited Simba was, she signaled him to lie down beside her. With gentle care, she put the newborn cub in the lion's paws.
Simba could do nothing but gape at his "son." The little lion had his mother's green eyes, and brownish-gold fur, very similar to the giant who held him (a fact that Nala would later feel grateful for).
"What's his name?" Simba whispered to his mate, afraid to scare the cub.
Nala thought about this for a moment, realizing she hadn't named her son just yet. She was about to allow Simba to name the cub himself, but her mind went back to that one night…when she had finally learned her real mate's name…
"Kopa."
"Kopa?" Simba repeated. For a moment, Nala was afraid Simba would ask where the name came from, leading her to create yet another lie. Instead, he gave her a smile.
"Kopa…Prince Kopa…" Simba said thoughtfully. "I like it."
That afternoon, Nala stood at the foot of Pride Rock, beside Simba. In front of them, their friends, Timon and Pumbaa, waved to the large crowd that lay below them.
Simba and Nala looked at each other, and nuzzled each other. Like the kings and queens before them, they had brought the animals something to cheer about-life. More importantly, this was the life of a wise, noble leader, who would be encouraged to follow the paw-prints of his ancestors, and lead a respectful rule over his kingdom.
Then Rafiki came out behind them, with Kopa in his arms. He looked at both Simba and Nala, and then stepped forward to the edge of the long cliff. He then held the cub up high in the air, for all the animals to see. The animals all cheered when they saw their future king for the first time. Then, a shaft of light made its way through the clouds, and shined on Kopa's forehead, giving a signal to the animals to bow.
As Rafiki brought Kopa back into his arms, Simba kept looking into the clouds, puzzled. It had been a long time ago, as he was a newborn cub…but he could have sworn he saw the ghosts of his ancestors during his own ceremony. And hadn't he heard his father's voice, as he took his place as king? And hadn't he seen his father's image during his and Nala's union?
As Simba sat in his thoughts, Nala stood with Kopa in her mouth, while Rafiki got something sticky out of a gourd. He picked up the little prince, and smeared the red substance over the cub's forehead.
It was almost lucky Simba had his back turn; Rafiki and Nala were both staring at one spot on Kopa's head, now covered in goop. They could see a small tuft of brown fur, growing from his head.
Rafiki and Nala looked at each other, each unable to speak. They both knew it would be hard to keep the secret soon. Mane tufts weren't very common in the royal bloodline…