Author: Daggermouth
Lion King 4
Chapter:VIII – The Tale of Prince Kopa, Part Two.
The roars of Nala's pain could be heard across the entire savannah, standing in the grotto entrance stood Rafiki, there was nothing he
could have done to save Nala's mother. With a deep sigh of regret je suddenly realises the shadow he saw in his vision was right about everything, the prophecy is coming true and for the first time in a long while the mandrill is terrified of the future. He stands in the entrance of the lion's den, behind him Zira and Kivuli face off, and below the battle still rages.

At Priderock the battle continues but in the furthest reaches of the Pridelands far across the sunny mores Kopa walks along the Evenstar Beach, a fabled sandy coast around an enormous lake to the east of Priderock just past the Daggermouth Gorge. If anyone was to survive falling into that dangerous gorge, this is where they would eventually get washed up. Kopa walks across the smooth land, feeling the particles of sand beneath his golden paws, he looks back and wonders to himself about his life, about everything, right now to him none of it mattered he was still mad they tried to replace him with a new prince. Looking over at Priderock Kopa couldn't see the fighting from where he was as Priderock were a mere spec in the distance. But he sees a figure running towards him, a lioness, she was just a young adult and it takes the prince awhile to realise it is his sister. In the short time it take Kiara to run toward the beach the prince thinks of what to say, he has never seen his sister fully grown before, and she has never seen him fully grown before either. Kiara rushes forward and eventually reaches the beach; she squints over at Kopa, was stood tall with a larger brown and slightly ginger mane, his eyes were brown and the colour of his fur matched that of the sand on the shore around them. And for the first time brother and sister reunite. Kiara knows about her brothers tale but he never got to finish what really happened to him Kopa decides to reflects back on what happened to him after he chased a shadowy figure in the fog that fateful day when he was a cub—

'—"Y-you only told me that you stopped Scar. Not killed him!" Tears stream down the prince's face, Kopa suddenly realises the truth of his origins, "You lied to me! It was you who killed Vitani's father!" Kopa screams at his dad before shaking his head and running off into the darkened savannah. Kopa ran so fast he couldn't hear his father's cries: "Kopa I can explain, please come back!" Simba's voice only seemed a mere echo as the prince Kopa ran so fast he didn't even notice he was running into a mysterious white fog, angry and upset at the past, Kopa suddenly finds he is alone. Looking around so cold and upset, Kopa fails to see a lioness in the fog with him. The lioness gazes at the young cub prince, a killing look in her eye; claws drawn; the fog would be the perfect ambush. It seemed Kopa's fate was already sealed.

At Priderock was fog was getting denser, Simba arrives at Priderock and worries that Kopa has run away, alerting everyone on guard including Kopa grandmother Sarabi who looks out across the Pridelands, its only at that moment that the devious Zira approaches the elder lioness and circles around her mocking the lioness about her missing grandson,
"Soon Sarabi everything in the Pridelands shall be mine," Zira snarls one day she believes all the Pridelands will belong to her own son Kovu and she will be the instigator of this plan. Sarabi frowns and rushes out to find Kopa praying that this magical land will never fall into total darkness. The search continues throughout the daylight hours, but it was almost impossible to find the prince as he was too far deep inside it. Sulking in the fog and curled up into a ball the young cub prince was upset, he just realised it was Simba who killed the father of his true love Vitani. The fog was icy cold and it appeared to be coming from underneath the ground itself, Kopa shivered and sighed and looked around to realise he was lost and the lioness draws closer, circling the prince she makes her approach with claws drawn, its Zira. As she approaches she seems friendly at first and the prince decides to approach her also, that was until suddenly Kopa's grandmother Sarabi jumps infront of the prince growling at the villain Zira. Suddenly her plan becomes real as Sarabi and Zira fight in the in the centre of the Pridelands, Sarabi was old and outmanoeuvring the younger Zira but Sarabi fell as she was clawed across the face many times.
"Run!" Sarabi barks orders to her grandson as Kopa in fear runs for her life leaving the two fighting lionesses behind him. Running fast Kopa screams for his mom and dad, it's only at that moment that the fog decides to clear slightly revealing more of the Pridelands around them. Kopa turns his head to see something, a spirit crossing the Pridelands behind him, the spirit of a black fox, it looks directly at the small prince and Kopa looks back at the ghostly black figure before it fades away before him the sheer site of the spirit sent chills down the young prince's spine. His fur stood on end before finally he snapped back to his senses and continued running.

"I know you're here Sarabi; I can smell your fear!" Zira roars further in the icy cold fog. Sarabi rushes forward before Kopa and the elder lioness take no hesitation of taking Kopa in her mouth by the scruff and running, dashing off to the tall grass and placing him down where he can hide.
"Kopa promise me, no matter what you hear or see that you will stay here! Promise me!" Kopa gulps and breathes heavily,
"Promise me!" Sarabi says again almost shouting this time in desperation.
"I promise grandma." Kopa says scared he looks at Sarabi's face covered in scars and cuts before she dashes off to get help.
Kopa says extremely frightened. Sarabi has rushed off to find help leaving Kopa in the tall grass, alone.
"Come out little Kopa; It's only a matter of time." Kopa ducks as low as he his body pressed against the ground hiding and hoping for her to go away. As Zira walks past, he backs off slightly. He holds his breathe his heart beating quickly his paws shaking; Zira silently spots Kopa and walks through the tall grass towards him.
"Let me tell you about my daughter Kopa, she never loved you and she never will, not if I have anything to say about it." Zira comes up infront of the scared prince, Kopa looks up in tears as Zira with an evil grin on her face bears down on the defenceless cub... "No…I love Vita—!"Kopa mumbles his last words before they're cut short as his life is mercilessly taken from him.

A full circle of events began that fateful day. Sarabi hurt from the attack ran to Priderock and warned the others also hurt and attacked by Zira but she escaped and told the king. Sarabi rushes through the grass with Simba and Nala and Zazu flying not too close behind the fog clearing in their path as they run revealing the clear red sunset. Brushing through the tall grass they reach the scene. Zira is dusting off her claws and Kopa is laying on a small rock, his lifeless paws hanging over the edge… his body motionless and covered in blood. Kopa was already gone…and they were too late... Horror greets everyone at the scene, nobody could react big enough for words, Simba gaze upon Zira in absolute rage, Nala looked at her darling baby Kopa and shook in fear,
"Not again, please no, not again," Nala cries and rushes up to Kopa. She had already lost Mheetu during Scar reign and was grieving in anguish throughout all of the Great Migration and now she can't lose her cub too; Nala cradles her little brave prince curling up around him.
"W-what have you done!" Simba finally breaks the eerie silence and pounces on Zira and bites at her violently much too evil lioness' amusement as she just laughed in the face of the Lion King. "You don't deserve to live!" Simba roars again louder this time in rage he lifts his paw up ready to deal a killing blow his sharp claws drawn ready to destroy Zira but then in the distance the cub Vitani and adolescent Nuka both also come into view through the grass they've come to see the loud disturbance happening under the furious sunset. Simba's rage then drains out of him…
"Yes, you can't do it can you afterall: It will orphan my poor beloved cubs," Out of everyone Vitani reacted the worst, she was only just a cub and seeing Kopa in the state he was in, she was heartbroken, tears swelled up in her eyes, she couldn't quite understand that Kopa was really gone, brother and sister sit together and watch as Simba lowers his paw. Nala curls around Kopa.
"My baby… I was too late… I'm so sorry," She cries and licks Kopa's body clean of dirt and the little blood from what is left of his body. At that moment a single radiating light shines down from between the clouds right upon Kopa's body as a brief wind blows, white pedals fly through the air around them. Simba lets Zira up as he walks to his dead son and Nala still comforting him. Sarabi looks down at the ground suddenly blaming her for leaving him like she did in the heat of the moment. Simba shakes his head at the deviation,
"Get out," He whimpers under his many tears before mustering the strength to shout: "I sad get out! And never return!" Simba roars rage and turns to Zira a murderous look in his eye.
"Nuka, go get your brother Kovu, we're leaving," Zira picks up Vitani in her mouth by the scruff and turns away, Vitani with tears in her eyes; inside she just knows it's the last time she'll ever see her love. As the two groups separated; those who were friends or loyal with Zira joined her in exile to the barren Outland one such lioness was Doti who had fallen in love with Nuka during the Equinox sunset the night before and thus they all separated, the pride was broken. Rafiki appears from the tall grass, he has been called by the winds. He blesses Kopa and places his hand upon Nala's shoulder. Nala reluctantly has to leave Kopa after grooming his dead body… Rafiki blesses Kopa's body to help him on his way to the passed life with the Great Spirit the place all good creatures of the Pridelands go when they die and that day the Pridelands entered a great time of mourning. The message is sent across the Pridelands to grieve the loss of Kopa the wind blow across the Pridelands carrying pink petals. The echoes upon the wind flew across the sky to the oasis to tell Timon and Pumbaa and also far to the north to the Dry Forest and finally back to Priderock itself as the wind dusts itself across the lion's den as inside the den, Nala cradles her newest cub, she remembers how happy Kopa was when he learned he had a sister, but now he will never see her grow up. Everyone remains silent in the lion's den until Sarabi then admits it's all her fault regretfully she is laid in the corner her wounds are great but Rafiki is trying his best to tend her to wound and keep everyone together.
"It's my fault; I told him what happened with Scar...I left him alone." Simba corrects his mother Sarabi admitting he was to blame also. Simba feels like he let everyone down especially Nala who is so upset she has given up on herself. Falling into a spiral of depression similar to that of queen Uru, Nala rejects her newly born cub and it's up to Simba and Rafiki to help her:
"No matter the loss of Kopa you still have another healthy cub and she must be presented to the people tomorrow morning at first light." Rafiki says looking over at Nala who is rejecting her newest baby female cub. Simba looks down to the ground "I'll make sure nothing happens to her, I'll put paths in the Pridelands which she must follow, I'll watch over her protect her no matter what." Simba grunts he was willing to protect her even if it meant he would have to watch over her himself for the rest of her life. Nala turns to her newest cub. And utters the cubs name for the first time:
"Kiara." Sarabi passed away in the few days what followed, Rafiki explained that she had given up on all hope now that Kopa was gone and that her last words were regret for not heeding Zira's many warnings. Kiara is now old enough to be presented to the Pridelands. Rafiki sends the Echo's upon the winds once more chanting his song and all the animals came to Priderock. The sun rose on the horizon as the animals marched across the magical land. Rafiki then walks into the Lion Den with a large smile, and presents Kiara. Zira went to the Outland with her three cubs Vitani, Kovu and Nuka, they grew up together in the barren harshness, and poor Vitani was so alone. The nightmares she had of losing Kopa, the one she loved, of being pulled into a black void her heart was destroyed and she became fearless and she lost most her beauty in the Outland. But that one night Kopa was attacked something happened...

In the cold night far in the Pridelands, the blistering darkness burns with cold chills. Kopa is left on the rock he died on, His body lifeless and fading away, nothing more but the sweeping gusts of wind could be heard but then, but as a sudden gust of wind rotates around him the faint glow of life returns to the cub and Kopa abruptly awakes in tears. He grunts in anguish, coughs and gets up weakly, covered in dirt and blood. He trembles and falls off the rock he was on…Falling to the ground his body could hardly move. He struggled to even lift his body up he gasps for breathe, the only question running through his head is wondering how he survived, Kopa sobs and finally gets up,
"I see; I see, Why can I see Grandpa?" Kopa squints the tears of the lion cub flow down his cheeks. The shadowy image of Mufasa in front of a white light comes into his vision. He shakes his head and musters all his strength to get back up. He glances over his shoulder and gazes Priderock in the distance of the night; his vision is blurry, his paws are quivering, "I just, want to go home. And Vitani, I should of said it before, I love you," Kopa scream out to himself but it was all too late. Speaking no more. He turns around and stumbles into the grass. The faint echoing voice of his Grandpa Mufasa rings out to him beckoning him, telling the young prince it's time to move on. But Kopa rushes away, each step he takes was as painful as the next but he ran anyway, the pain was almost natural to him now. Kopa ran so far away, further than any lion went before, the cub was so upset and destroyed inside almost nothing was left. In the many days what followed eventually Kopa discovers a mysterious lioness at the location known as the Evenstar Beach. She introduces herself as Tama.
"I was lost, so very long ago," she explains to the young cub however Tama had no clue that this little cub was. But they were both lost far from home and they could relate to eachother. As Kopa grew older with Tama, he gains and musters the courage to fight and he grew stronger. Tama and Kopa grew up on the Evenstar Beach together, Tama was like a mother to him, and Kopa almost forget his past completely. Eventually they too had to go their separate ways; this is when Kopa met a purple snake with red stripes and a piecing voice which slivers up behind him. The snake was called Joka, and he is more than just a snake. The snake gifted with second sight manipulated Kopa into using Malka to lie and finally Kopa returned home to Priderock—'

—Kopa now finishes the last of his story on the Evenstar Beach, he had just explained everything to his younger sister Kiara, about why he returned and where he had been all this time. Kopa knew where to find Tama because he grew up with her in the same years that Kovu and Kiara were growing up together. Suddenly everything became clear to Kiara, now she knows why Zira was exiled and banished; now she knows why he father Simba was so overprotective of her. She smiles to herself as Kopa kicks the sand before finally drawing a circle in the golden sand with his paw.
"The full circle of events which can never be stopped or changed," Kopa say to himself looking at the circle he drew. Kiara finally has the answers she wanted she rushes up to her brother and gives him an almighty nuzzle to reassure him that everything will be fine. But she is surprised to see that Kopa already Zira is still alive and he is so angry at her, Kopa might finally be able to get his revenge on that most evil of lionesses.
"We'll stop Zira together," Kiara offers her paw to her brother, who sadly looks out across the large lake and down at the circle in the sand he drew before taking his sister's paw and the two of them rush off to the west towards Priderock. The circle Kopa marked into the golden sand slowly gets washed away by the waves of the Evenstar Beach; they flow majestically across the sand destroying the circle as brother and sister run towards the fabled Priderock to hopefully stop Zira once and all.

End of Episode VIII