I am afraid to inform all of you that after this chapter it might take a while before the next one is updated. This is because I only thought my story up to this point. Don't worry, the wait won't be long, I find inspiration pretty quick. I hope you all forgive me and don't forget to leave a review at the end. I deeply appreciate your understanding. Oh and one more thing, I am holding a funeral for iCarly. That's right, I'm still grieving. Hope you like this chapter!

Oh, to Littletiger: It's a little bit of both; Vitani doesn't really hate the word. She just kind of finds it annoying. And of course she was just kidding with the whole eating part. What kind of a lioness do you think she is? Hakuna Matata right back at ya!

WARNING: This chapter includes a character death, friends getting farther apart, and a prince questioning his past. This may also cause crying, anger, suffocation, nausea, trauma, explosive diarrhea, spontaneously combusting, and breaking out into a song by Lady Gaga. Please do not sue the writer if you experience any of these symptoms.

-X-

Max continued his long dig. If he was younger and if the underground was stuffed with grubs, he might've made it to the Pride Lands a lot earlier. But unfortunately, his old bones just weren't cut out for digging like the old days. He had to pause more than once.

He stopped once more and breathed heavily. He puffed out a breath of air and leaned his back on the wall of the tunnel. He felt a shift in the dirt but ignored. Of course, he couldn't ignore it for very long when the wall collapsed on itself.

"Gyah!" he exclaimed as he fell into a mole den.

"Hey, chief, check it out!" shouted one of the moles.

Max quickly sat up. Knowing that moles weren't predators he knew it was safe but he still had to be cautious. It was his first time seeing these animals in the first place especially so close in proximity.

"What's this? Smells like a meerkat" said a large and old mole. Most likely it was the one they called chief.

'Smells? That's right, moles are blind.' "Um, yes, I am a meerkat. I'm terribly sorry for barging in on you like this. I was just on my way to the Pride Lands to speak to the king" said Max as he turned around.

"The Pride Lands? Well look no further, you're here!" said the mole that had spoken first.

"I am? Well, then I guess I'll just tunnel upwards…Actually could you tell me which direction is Pride Rock? I'd rather go up when I'm already there" said Max.

"Ha ha, just like a meerkat, fearing the surface. Well please allow Chane to lead you up there. He's one of the king's loyal assistants" offered the chief.

"Chane is currently sleeping, today is his day off. I can escort him" suggested another mole.

"Ah yes, Ashon, please do" said the chief.

"Thank you so much for this. I am very grateful" thanked Max.

"Think nothing of it…Just follow me" said Ashon.

Ashon began burrowing his way through the solid dirt. Max followed close behind since the tunnels were dark and it was difficult to see with his aged eyes. Thankfully, it was one direction so he didn't bump into anything.

Soon enough Ashon began to burrow upwards and then light began to filter into the tunnels. They were soon flooded with light from the shining moon and Max could tell it was rather beautiful.

"The Pride Lands look so different since the last time I was here" commented Max.

"You were here once before?" inquired Ashon.

"Oh yes, once…But that was a long time ago. The last time I was here everything was destroyed, darkened…lifeless."

"Ah, you must've been here during Scar's rule. Yes it was a terrible life for all of us. Thankfully King Simba took back the kingdom and now we have an amazing prince who will one day take over."

"Yes, my great nephew sent a messenger to tell us about prince Kovu. I haven't met him but I hear he will make a great king one day."

"I did not mean Kovu…I meant the king's son, Kopa."

"Oh, you didn't hear of Kopa's death years ago?"

"He was believed to be dead. But recently he has returned but not one animal in the Pride Lands is allowed to speak of his return, at least not in front of the prince himself. By the way, what business do you have with the king?"

"That's right! I just have to warn him of possible hostile lions here. Nothing bad ever happened from being a little cautious."

"True…Too bad you couldn't keep up with those rules."

"What do you mean?"

Max turned around to see that he was completely alone. He turned back around and saw Pride rock in the distance and he tried to stay calm. Even though he was trying to, he couldn't help shaking. It wasn't from the cold; it felt much more ominous than that.

"Hello? Is anybody there? Hello? Ashon?" called Max into the darkness.

"Didn't anybody ever tell you not to come onto foreign territory alone?" asked a malicious voice from ahead.

Max turned right back around and gasped. He fell backwards and fell onto his rear. Right in front of him stood a smiling lion with eyes full of bloodlust. There were three horrible scars on the side of his cheeks.

"Wh-who are you?" gasped out Max. "And what did you do to Ashon?"

"Ashon happens to be a friend of mine…Better say your prayers because this will be the last time you ever see the ground" growled the lion.

'Looks like I failed…again. But I guess I'll soon be joining you Buzz…But I don't plan on dying like a coward…' "Go ahead and do your worst…I won't run nor will I die a coward…" said Max confidently.

"You got guts old man…Too bad they won't save you."

The lion grinned evilly and pounced. Almost silently…Max's body lay completely limp and lifeless in his jaws. "Hm…Not even a scream…This one's a brave one" commented Ashon, coming out of the darkness.

"No…He wasn't being brave…He just accepted his fate and faced it with full acceptance. Heh…The fool" smirked the lion.

"Your name completely contradicts who you are" pointed out Ashon.

"Then I will no longer be called Jua…I will be called Thimba."

"Thimba means lion hunter."

"I know that you imbecile…But the only lions I'll be hunting will be those Outsiders" The lion formerly known as Jua began to laugh sinisterly. He left a large scratch on a nearby tree and walked back towards Pride Rock. "Better get my rest...I'll make sure to tell our master of our accomplishment today."

"Seems like a small one but I guess it does save us from having him be interrogated by the king."

"Simba's no king…To me he's completely pathetic…Now go back into your hole."

"Yes sir!"

Ashon dug his way back underground while Thimba looked around the area. He walked a short distance away from Pride Rock and watched as Vitani and Kopa laughed together. He scoffed and began to walk back towards Pride Rock. "You won't be laughing soon" muttered Thimba. "Vitani…"

-X-

"Afua, wait, hold on!" called Sierra as she bounded right in front of him.

"Sierra…Look I'm really tired…Just forget what Kopa said…" said Afua.

"How can I forget something like that? You know me, the lioness born with an elephant's memory" smiled Sierra. "And an elephant never forgets" they both finished together.

"And come on, just because I'm with Hasani doesn't mean I'll forget about you. When Vitani and Kopa were gone from my life I wanted to end it. But being with you made me love life once more. We were the best of friends then and I want that to remain the same" said Sierra as she walked up to him and nuzzled him affectionately. "Besides, I did fall for you at the time…It's just…I didn't want to lose you as a friend…"

"Thank you Sierra…When Kopa was gone I guess you did fill up that empty space. I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to move on from you though…" muttered Afua.

"Oh come on Afua. A lion like you not get a girl? That would definitely surprise me. There are a lot of other lionesses in the Pride Lands that could make potential mates for you."

"But none of them are like you…"

"…Afua…Sometimes you just have to let the ones you love go…They need to be free."

"That sounds like the kind of talk a child gives to their parent when they want to show them that they're an adult themselves."

"I admit I overheard Kiara telling this to Simba and Nala once. But it's also true."

"Yeah I know…I used this same speech on my parents."

The two of them laughed at the memory of themselves convincing their parents to let them do what they wanted. Sometimes it's a bad thing to go back too much, but other times it was nice to get a chance to look back.

"Memories like these are nice. You see, even if Hasani has my heart…He doesn't have our memories" said Sierra.

"I guess our bond is special" Afua chuckled. "I just wish I was the one who owned your heart."

"You may not have my heart the same way Hasani does but you do own it in another way. And believe me, it's a lot more than special" smiled Sierra.

"So what are you love birds doing out here at this time at night?" asked Vitani with a smile as she and Kopa walked over to them.

"Hey that's my thing" smiled Sierra.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist" grinned Vitani.

"Come on, it's getting kind of cold, why don't we turn in?" suggested Kopa.

"Don't have to tell me twice" Afua chuckled.

"Now this feels right" commented Kopa.

"What feels right?" asked the other three.

"Being here with you guys…What else?" smiled Kopa. "Race you back to Pride Rock!" He shot off straight for the kopje in the distance. The other three laughed with him as they chased after him.

-X-

A couple of days have passed since that night and things seemed to be pretty uneventful for the time being. At the moment, not many of Kopa's memories have resurfaced except for the ones involving his friends and Nala. The sun rose above the horizon and the animals of this great land were starting to awaken from their deep slumber. As usual, Simba and Kovu woke up just before the sun rose and watched it together. Afterwards they both went off to patrol the borders.

"Where are those two going?" asked Kopa to Tamina on top of his head.

"I don't know, maybe they like watching the sunrise as much as we do. Anyway, I'm off to see Timon" said Tamina, jumping down.

"Wait, you're off to see him again?" asked Kopa.

"What wrong about that?" asked Tamina, stopping in her tracks.

"It's just for these past few days you keep going off to see him. I feel like I never get the chance to hang out with you anymore. Like we're not even friends anymore."

"Oh like you haven't found new playmates!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh come on! Ever since we got here you've only hung out with that Vidami and her friends!"

"Her name is Vitani. And besides, I do hang out with you. My memories just take a little bit more priority."

"Gee thanks, when you put it that way it makes it all that much better"

"No, 'Tani, I didn't mean it that way"

"Tani!? It's Tammy! You're even getting us confused! Some friend you are!"

"No! Look I'm sorry! I'm just really tired."

"Well then maybe you shouldn't be having so many midnight trysts with your lovely 'Tani instead of sleeping in the den like a good little cub."

"Why are you calling me a cub? I'm practically an adult! If anything you're being like a cub with this immature attitude of yours!"

"Don't you talk back at me with that tone young man!"

"Oh so now you're my mother?"

"Well you haven't met your real one yet have you? I don't even know why we're even here anymore."

"For your information I think I already have and she's a much better guardian than you ever were."

"Well then how did you end up in my care? Some mother, she let you get all scratched up and then you get thrown off a cliff. Sounds like the happiest family in the whole entire world."

They both remained silent for a long time. They were just looking at each other angrily. Kopa's eyes softened a little and he turned his back to her. Tamina was confused and loosened a little.

"…Well if you hate it here so much then why don't you just leave?" asked Kopa.

"…Maybe I will…" said Tamina quietly. "…I guess…I'll miss you then…"

"…Yeah…Me too"

Tamina slowly walked away from him. She felt her eyes starting to fill up with tears. She wiped them away with her arm. She knew that Kopa would stay here, she just thought she would be with him. Looks like that won't happen.

"What was all that yelling about?" yawned Hasani coming out of the den. "And where's your little friend going?"

"She plans on going home…And I don't plan on stopping her" replied Kopa.

"Oh…I see…Well I guess it's your own choice. I'm going to talk to the shaman of this place" said Hasani.

"The shaman? Why are you going to see her?"

"Well she is a he first of all. And second, I always wanted to be like a shaman so I'm going to learn from one of the best. From what I hear, this Rafiki was taught by the best shaman in all of history, Hondari the Brave. I've been going to him almost every day and today's just another one of those days."

"I see…Well good luck with that."

"Thanks, see you when I get back."

Kopa gave him a weak smile as he watched Hasani run off. His smile dropped once he was gone. He looked over at the scars on his side and sighed. He walked towards Pride Rock, determined to find out what had happened to him.

-X-

"You're leaving?" questioned Timon in shock. "But why?"

"Kopa doesn't need me here anymore…We got into a fight earlier and now…Well I'm just not sure what I'm supposed to do now. All I know is that he doesn't want me around" said Tamina. "Could you please watch over him? And maybe send that majordomo to the Western pride so that we can keep in touch?"

"Why don't you just stay at the oasis? It's not that far from here and I live there. We can still be together" suggested Timon.

"Thanks Timon…But being so close to here…It would just hurt too much, I'm sorry but I have to go back."

"I understand…I won't stop you but could you at least stay for a little longer?"

"I don't know…"

"Just until tonight, we can depart tonight…I was planning on visiting anyway."

Tamina smiled. "Alright…I'll stay but we better leave tonight. The sooner the better…And I'll visit…And maybe one day you could visit me at the Western kingdom."

"I wouldn't have it any other way" smiled Timon.

"Oh, don't the two of you just look so adorable together!" squealed Ma from the entrance of the den.

"Ma! It's not like that!" stuttered Timon.

"Yeah, we're just friends and besides I'm going back soon anyway" said Tamina shyly.

"Why don't we go to one of my favorite places for grub hunting?" offered Timon.

"Sure" said Tamina.

"That doesn't sound like the best idea" said Pumbaa slowly walking out of the den. "There's a really bad storm coming."

"That's not possible. It's the middle of the dry season and there's not a cloud in sight" said Tamina.

"…Come on Tammy, we should go inside" urged Timon.

"What, you can't really believe there's a storm coming right?" asked Tamina.

"Honey, this may sound strange but Pumbaa can predict the weather very well. His stomach always churns badly when he predicts bad weather" stated Ma.

"And this is really bad one. We should get Simba and Kovu and tell them" said Pumbaa.

"I'm coming with you. Tammy, you need to stay inside" said Timon.

"Tamina, can stay out if she wants to. The storm won't be coming until a little after the midday but its best we get to them now. By now they're probably at the western border, the farthest away from here" said Pumbaa.

"Hold on, I'm coming with you guys. I don't believe in such fortunetelling mumbo jumbo but I'm not going to be left out of any action. Besides, it'll give me a chance to get to know you a little bit better Pumbaa" said Tamina.

"I'm flattered, but we better hurry" said Pumbaa. "Climb on."

"Don't talk to any strangers and be careful of any wandering rogue predators!" called Ma as The two younger meerkats climbed onto the warthog. "We will!" assured Timon as Pumbaa ran off.

Ma turned back around and looked over at the stone table they used when dining. She looked at the stone bowls they used to eat, Pumbaa carved them out himself and they were much more useful than leaf bowls. She wasn't quite sure how Pumbaa did it but she knew he was very talented. She reached for one of the bowls but then it suddenly cracked right before she touched it.

"…This is not a good sign…" whispered Ma. She turned around to face the outside of the den and entwined her fingers. "Oh, please come back safely."

-X-

Kovu yawned loudly as they passed by the southern border.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" asked Simba with an arched eyebrow.

"Of course…I've just been worrying myself a bit too much over…You know" said Kovu.

"Yeah, it's a lot of stress thinking about your future cub or cubs in your case" chuckled Simba. "I remember I was just like you when Nala and I were expecting Kopa and then the same with Kiara. It doesn't get much easier knowing that I'll be a grandfather."

"Well how were you able to deal with it?" asked Kovu.

"I didn't…I just did the same thing as you are doing. I lost sleep and kept thinking about it. I'm still thinking about your cubs. I mean, while you're off on king duties I'll be the one who watches over them" said Simba. "But I also feel this is a chance for me to do things right. I feel as if I made so many mistakes raising Kopa and Kiara that this feels like another chance."

"I see…By the way, how's Kopa doing with his memories?" asked Kovu.

"According to your sister, he remembers most of everything except me" Simba sighed sadly. "I think it's because of the lack of time we spend together. But with everything that's been going on…"

Kovu gave his father-in-law a sympathetic look. He sighed. "Simba…Allow me to take care of everything today. You go talk to Kopa, catch up…You deserve it."

"But…The kingdom comes before my family."

"That's not how I see it. To me, family isn't selfish reasons, it's just priority. Yes, the kingdom is very important to you as a king but family is more important to you as a lion. And besides, it'll give me chance to experience some of this king stuff on my own."

"…Thank you Kovu…I am truly happy that you will be the one who will take my place when I'm gone."

"But what about Kopa, it's his rightful place, not mine."

"I'm afraid I might have to bend the rules a bit. I don't know if he's ready but I know you are."

"You could always re-teach him, and I can always help."

"Is this some way of trying to get out of responsibility?"

"Part of it….But the other part is that I feel like I'm taking everything away from Kopa. His birthright…His family…I feel as if I owe him."

"I see…Well there's nothing to worry about…Our family is big enough for the both of you."

They smiled at each other and then turned their backs on each other. The two in-laws were just about to part ways when Simba stopped Kovu.

"What's wrong Simba?" asked Kovu.

"Look, its Timon and Pumbaa. It looks like it might be urgent" said Simba pointing out his foster parents.

"What could it be?" asked Kovu.

"I'm not sure…But I have a bad feeling about this" said Simba.

-X-

Rafiki was just about to leave his dwelling when Hasani showed up. Right before Hasani got the chance to say anything, Rafiki held up a hand. Hasani was confused but upon seeing the old mandrill's serious expression, he knew that it was best not to question him.

"Rafiki, what's wrong? Did something happen?" asked Hasani.

"Something bad happened a few days ago but I wasn't sure what. All I know is that all of the negative energy since then has gathered up to this day. The spirits are very angry and a very bad storm is coming" said Rafiki.

"A storm at this time of year? I know it's not in my place to question your predictions as you are one of the best but are you sure you're not wrong? I mean, it is the dry season after all" said Hasani.

"When the spirits are angered the weather can be changed. The natural order of all lofe can be changed. We've seen that happened when there was a drought that lasted for years during Scar's reign."

"That's true…But what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to the pride to warn them. Actually Hasani, if you could, can you find Simba and Kovu? I think they're off on a patrol so they won't be at Pride Rock. Could you bring them back?"

"Of course."

With that done Hasani ran off in the direction of the western border. Once he was out of sight, Rafiki sighed and looked towards Pride Rock. "Something bad will happen today and it won't be good. Oh Mufasa…Why can't these lands ever be peaceful?" said Rafiki quietly.

-X-

That's it for now. While all of you are waiting I will be fixing any mistakes I have done in previous chapters. And I am very sad with the response to this story. I mean, I'm okay with guest reviews but it would be nice to see the number of my reviews go up from reviews from people with accounts. I'd like some more reviews but I won't force you. But if you don't have anything to say, try answering these questions.

Who is your favorite character and why? Least favorite?

What is your favorite chapter?

Do you think Taka/Scar's back story is believable?

That's pretty much it, so I'll see you all next time!