I don't own any of the characters! Including Kopa!

The night was filled with rain, lightning, and thunder. Vitani couldn't sleep one bit. She was filled with thoughts about what Nala might have had to go through, along with Simba. How Kovu and Kiara were so happy together, and what, Vitani was just supposed to sit there and watch them?! She couldn't take it, so she decided that she would tell Nala that Kopa ran away. She figured if he hasn't come back by now, he must be dead. About noon, Vitani would go and find Nala, and find a way to tell her.

Morning has come now, and the storm has passed, but you could still see the clouds in the distance. Vitani had fallen asleep after the storm left, and is still sleeping while all of the other lionesses get up for the new day. Kiara and Kovu have gone off for about half the day, they said they just wanted to be alone for a while, Simba was hesitant to let them go, but does. Today was hunting day and it was now half way through the morning, and the lionesses were gathering.

"Alright is everyone here that's supposed to hunt today?" Nala asks the lionesses

They all nod their heads. "Wait! Where's Vitani?" Dotty shouts out noticing that her friend was gone.

"I think she is still sleeping." a former outlander lioness says

"Well, let's let her sleep." Nala says and starts walking down Pride Rock.

"But she doesn't like it when we go hunting without her." Dotty says

"Well someone go wake her up." Nakara, a Pridelander says getting impatient

"I'll go see what she wants to do." Dotty says and then runs to the cave to find Vitani still sleeping on the cave floor in front of the royal sleeping rock. "Vitani," nothing "Vitani!" she hits Vitani lightly and Vitani stirs.

"Hu, what?"

"Do you want to go hunting, the lionesses are waiting?"

"Yeah, alright I'm up." Vitani quickly gets up, stretches, and shakes her head to wake herself up even more. "Let's go." Vitani says trotting out of the cave.

"Sorry." Vitani says to the pride.

"It's alright, now come on let's go find something to eat." Nala says finally walking all the way down Pride Rock, with the pride following, Vitani walks close to Nala.

"Alright for those of you who don't know how our hunting strategies work, we will form two groups around the subject, then when I give the signal, the group to the back of the animal will move in, and chase it towards the group to the front. Who will then try to take it down. Got it?" Nala says sort of sternly.

All of the lionesses nod their heads. "Good now does anyone see something that will fill us all up nearby?" Nala asks looking around.

"There! A herd of water buffalo." Vitani says as she spots some over in some big bushes.

"Alright come on." Nala proceeds to creep to the herd, the pride does the same. "Now, Vitani take some lionesses to the other side of that one right there." Nala says pointing to a small water buffalo that is limping.

"What!? No, let's go for that one." Vitani says pointing to another water buffalo that is bigger and seems to be in good health.

"Are you kidding? We can't bring that down!" Nala says at a whisper

"You mean you couldn't." Vitani says smiling "Now you have all of us."

Nala thinks about this for a moment. "Fine, we'll try it, but we're just wasting our energy."

"Just trust me." Vitani says moving on, "Oh and I'm not going to be a chaser, I'll bring it down."

"No, they need someone over there." Nala says still a whisper.

"No they don't, they just need to follow directions. Trust me Nala."

Nala again thinks about this. "Fine, just go."

Vitani looks to the lionesses, and motions half to go to the back of the water buffalo, and the rest to follow her and Nala.

All of the lionesses get into position, then Nala rocks her shoulders, telling the other lionesses to charge. They do and the buffalo starts running right into the trap. It runs right to Vitani and Nala. Nala moves to the side so she would be able to jump on it from the side, but Vitani jumps right on the front of it's neck. Some more lionesses jump on the back of the animal, along with Nala. Vitani has her mouth around the buffalo's under neck. Nala gets her mouth around the animals neck as well, along with another lioness. Soon the buffalo slows, and falls to the ground, the lionesses don't let go until they are sure that it is dead.

"See, now what did I tell you?" Vitani asks to Nala letting go of the buffalo.

"You were right Vitani, I'm sorry."

"Good." Vitani says playfully smug

Nala gives her a 'what do you think your doing' look. Vitani just smiles. "Ok, now we wait for Simba." Nala announces looking around for her mate.

"Where is he?" Vitani asks.

"I don't know." Nala replies, she then roars a mighty roar that should be able to reach Simba where ever he is and tell him to come and eat.

The pride sits in almost silence until Simba appears about five minutes later.

"Wow, you brought this down by yourselves?" Simba asks shocked at the buffalo.

"Yeah, why you think, we can't bring something this big down?" Nala asks nuzzling Simba.

"Well you never have before." Simba says

Nala looks at the animal. "Yeah, I guess we haven't, we never needed to, but now there is twice as many of us, so we need more I guess."

"Yeah, alright then, let's eat!" Simba says and walks towards the buffalo and begins to eat, the rest of the pride joins in.

Everyone eats their fill, while the buzzards gather in the nearby trees, ready to eat the scraps after the lions are finished. Soon the lionesses disperse and go do what they wanted for the rest of the day. The Outlanders couldn't eat as much as the Pridelanders, so they were the firsts to go, but Vitani stayed back. Nala finishes little after Simba had left, there were two other lionesses there and Vitani.

"I'm gonna go get a drink." Nala says and walks towards the water hole.

"I'm gonna go with you." Vitani says running up beside Nala.

"Alright."

The two travel in silence for about half the way, when Vitani speaks.

"So, Kiara seems to be happy here with Kovu."

"Yeah, she can't keep her eyes off him."

"Yeah, neither can Kovu."

"Love is a wonderful thing."

"Yeah, you can go to the ends of the world for someone you love."

Nala seances something hurting in Vitani's voice. "Is there something you want to talk about."

"No, well yeah, maybe. I'm just all of a sudden having second thoughts about talking about it."

"Don't worry Vitani, you know you can talk to me about anything."

"Yeah, I know, but this would come as a big shock to you."

"I can take it."

"I'm not so sure you can." Vitani looks at Nala seriously.

"Just tell me."

Vitani thinks for a little bit. "Alright what would you do if I told you, someone you thought was dead along time ago, wasn't really dead, well then anyway."

"I don't know what you mean."

Tears a slightly filling Vitani's eyes as they reach the water hole. "You know very well who I mean."

"No, I don't think I do." Nala says slightly shaking her head.

"Your... son Nala." Vitani says looking away.

"What!? Kopa isn't dead, how can that be... you're leing!?

"I wish I was!" Vitani says now looking at Nala, a tear runs down one cheek.

"Impossible!"

"No, Zira, didn't kill him, he ran away." Vitani says looking at the ground

"Where?! Why didn't you tell me before?!"

"I couldn't!... I was mad, that he left."

"But that doesn't mean you couldn't tell me!"

"No, I couldn't, he didn't want you to come looking for him,... he said he would come back, within a year, but he never did.

"NO! My baby!" Nala almost streams, and cries.

"But, Nala, don't tell Simba."

"Why not?"

"Then he might be mad at me, and do something like what he did to my mother."

"I wouldn't let him!"

"I know, but he would never take his eyes off me, or let me do anything on my own, he would think I was a traitor or something."

"No."

"Yes he would Nala, and you know it."

"But why did he run away?!" Nala asks through her tears.

"Well he was always saying how he didn't like the Pride Lands, and wanted to get away, but when you told him that you were going to have Kiara, that was the last straw, and I could hold him back."

"NO! So it was my fault!"

"Oh Nala don't say that."

"But it was!"

"No it wasn't totally. I think he was going to run away sometime anyway."

"But he wouldn't have if I didn't..."

"Nala I put myself down for this a long time, then, just let it go, a bit, and everything was better. See I thought it was my fault for some time too."

"but it wasn't!"

"And it wasn't you fault either. We can learn from this, that you just need to cherish every time you have with someone you love. I was once told that the greatest thing you will ever learn is to love, and be loved in return." Vitani says referring to the time that Nala told her that.

"But...I don't fully understand, why didn't he come back?"

"I don't know... I guess he's d..."

"NO! No, he can't be, if you say he ran away, he could still be alive!"

"No, remember I told you he said that he would come back in a year, and never did, did he?"

"But he could still be alive."

Vitani sighs. "I don't know."

Nala falls to the ground crying.

"Nala..." Vitani decides not to say anymore, and just lays down beside Nala, and hugs her, Nala cries into Vitani.

They sit there for sometime, when Nala just stands up, and wipes her tears away. They get a drink and head back, in silence. Soon they reach Pride Rock.

"Now remember Nala, don't tell Simba, please." Vitani pleads

"Fine... I wont."

"Thank you" Vitani proceeds up Pride Rock, Nala soon follows. Vitani goes off to the side to find some of the lionesses sun bathing, along with Kovu and Kiara, she walks to them. Nala just stands there for a while when Simba appears.

"Nala, have you seen Zazu?"

"No, why?"

"Because, I can't find him, hmm, I'm gonna go ask the lionesses."

"I'll come with you."

Well, now Nala knows, what will happen next, where's Zazu? You'll find out soon! Hope you liked it!

Vitanigirl25