Chapter 1: The race
The years went by and little Kovu grows up like the wind blow, from a tiny little orphan cub he grew up to become a strong masculine lion. His life is of high and pampered as a mighty prince should be treated. His brother Mamlaka is his closest friend, the two always spend time with each other, whenever Kovu started mischief, his brother is sure to be dragged into and eventually saved by Kovu who took the blames from their father, king Scar. But there was only one difference between the two, while Mamlaka was being groomed to become a powerful, strong, responsible, someone who shall take great care into burdens and not a slightest of thought for enjoyment and indulgements. But Kovu doesn't have a single moment of heavy heart of burden in his mind, he was a carefree young lion, he was being groomed for a different position in royalty. Or rather, a different purpose in life, one that he has never chosen but shall fulfill.
One pleasant morning in the savannah like any other day for the high class nobles, two lions were racing each other across the plain, one was a auburn fur lion with a dark brown mane and the other was a grey lion with light silver mane. They were Kovu and Mamlaka, racing each other to see who's the fastest lion in the kingdom, running past the herds, flocks and bouncing on and off the crocodiles in the river. They ran through the hunting ground of the lionesses and onto the construction site where a huge temple with a statue of Scar erected into the mountain side, the two ran onto the wooden platforms, causes bricks and stones to fall, the stairs began to crumble as the two made their way down to sand floor below, as soon as Kovu and Mamlaka stops on top of the sand floor, they breath a relaxing breath knowing that they have stop themselves before anymore damages were caused. But unfortunately the nose of Scar's statue tumbled on the ground and a wave of sand was formed on the impact site pushing the sand dunes to break its barriers and flood the front of the temple, below the dune were a trio of hyenas, high priests of Scar, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed. The hyenas saw the falling sand dunes and were running for their lives and but were wash away with the two lions.
Running away from the scene of the mess back to their home, the Priderock, "You think we're going to get into trouble for this one?" Mamalka asked Kovu with a worried look on his face. But Kovu's optimistic hasn't faded away, yet. "No not a chance." He confidently replied as they ran back to Priderock. That was until they were summoned by Scar. Their father wasn't pleased at all to hear a temple and a statue of Scar was broken in the nose. "Why do the gods torment me with such reckless, destructive, blasphemous sons?" Scar gruntled as his sons were standing still waiting to be scold by their father. "Father if i may..." Mamlaka tried to voice his reason but was cut short. "Be still when the king speak!" Scar snarled at his son and continues. "I seek to build an empire. And your thought of amusement is by tearing it down. Have i taught you nothing?" Then the hyenas priests Shenzim Banzai and Ed add up in an attempt to calm down Scar's wrath. "You mustn't be so hard on yourself your majesty. You're an excellent teacher." Shenzi said and Banzai add. "It's just your sons they learned nothing." then Shenzi corrected Banzai statement with hers, "Well they learn blasphemy." Then the priest exited the king's chamber and leave the family be. "Father the fault was mine, i goaded Mamlaka into a race so i'm responsible for the damages that it caused." Kovu stepped up once again trying to defend his older brother.
"Responsible? Do you know what that means Kovu? The ancient tradition. When i passed on to the next world then Mamlaka will the morning and evening star." Scar lectured the two lions, "One damaged temple doesn not mean the end of centuries of tradition." Mamlaka reasoned with his father but only to be scold even harder. "But one weak link can break the chain of a mighty dynasty!" The words were hard and fills with hatred, Scar's roar to Mamlaka and Kovu was simply a bit too harsh and only gods know what will it lead Mamlaka to in the future. "You have my leave to go." Walking away Mamlaka felt disappointed and even more distance from his father when he is called the weak link of the family. Looking at his brother and he felt himself the guilty party who caused all the troubles in the kingdom, Kovu tries to ask his father to forgive his brother. "Father, you know that it was really my fault. Must you be so hard on him?" Scar look into Kovu's eyes and knows that he was being as honest as he can be. "Kovu you never have to bare a burden...like the crown that i will pass on to Mamlaka. But he must not allow himself to be led astray even by you, my son.", knowing that his father is listening to reason, Kovu convinced Scar to gave Mamlaka a chance. "I know that he will live up to your expectations." Scar took a moment and think it through and he knows that his first born son wouldn't let him down not a single moment. "Maybe, maybe so. Go now, i shall see you two tonight."
And so Kovu walk off of Priderock, full of thoughts in his mind. Moments later, he was breaking coconuts with a rock, but instead of smashing them apart completely, he just softened them up to a final smash then save them for his new game. "Well that went well." He said sarcasticly to Mamlaka who was laying on the rock Kovu was using to break coconuts. "Just go away." Mamlaka growled to Kovu, "Could have been worst." Kovu reassured his brother as he continues to break coconuts, trying to cheered his brother up. "The weak link in the chain. That's what he called me." Mamlaka mummured, remembering how his father called him moments ago. "Well you are rather pathetic." Kovu retorded as he puts the coconuts into a net. "Irresponsible, ignoring the traditions. You practicly accused me of bringing down the dynasty." Mamlaka growled at Kovu who was busy walking over the edge of the rocks they were on and saw the perfect prank victim of the day. "Oh i can see it now. There goes mount Kilimanjaro."
"And you can laugh about it?" The older grey lion jumps off the rock and asked in disbelief at Kovu optimistic nature. "Statues crackling, mountains tumbling over. The river dried up. Single-pawedly you'll bring the greatest kingdom on earth to ruin.", Kovu was aiming his first coconut net at the hyena priests below as Mamlaka continues to rant about Kovu's behaviors, "Tell me something, Kovu. Why is it that every time you started something and i'm the one who is getting into trouble?" But as soon as Mamlaka asked his question, Kovu threw down the first coconut net on the hyena priests and the coconuts break upon impact and splattered coconut juices on the priests. "Oh my new fur! It's Mamlaka again!"; "Yeah get down here i think you own us an apology! We're going to tell Scar!" Kovu then gave the other net to Mamlaka and he pushed the net down to the priests as well and it wet them even more. "You know what your problem is Mamlaka? You care too much." Kovu said with a glee on his face and his brother return with a comeback. "And your problem is you don't care at all."
"Well then i suppose that you care about the fact that. We're late for the banquette for example?" Kovu still holds his glee in his face, Mamlaka was terrified when he heard that they were late for a important event. They frantically racing down to the banquet as the evening draw closer. "Mamlaka, i'm done for it. Father will kill me!" Mamlaka said showing signs of panick and desparation erected clear on his face. Kovu tapped lightly on his older brother's shoulder, assuring him something to calm his nerves. "Don't worry, nobody will even notice that we're there." but as soon as the two came out of the bushes, they found themselves in the middle of the banquet and every single nobles of Scar's kingdom and their parents were standing in front of them, expecting them for god knows how long. "Nobody even notice." Mamlaka grumbled sarcasticly at Kovu, then Zira came to them embracing them with a warm rub, announcing great news to them. "Ah the young princes. Mamlaka you've just been promoted to prince regent. Your duty from now on is to oversee all the temple in this kingdom. Apparently Kovu, someone just need to have an opportunity." Zira congratulate her son on his earlier advice to Scar, Kovu then ran to Scar and ask for a tribute to the new prince regent.
"My lord king Scar, i offered you a tribute to the new prince regent." Kovu's offer of a tribute was heeded by Scar and the black maned lion called his hyena priests to present the tribute. "An excellent idea, Shenzi, Banzai, Ed!" The hyenas then went to present a tribute in the form of a captured lioness. A slender, light peach fur and ruby eyes lioness, restrained by a vine tied up her front paws. "Let us inspect this desert flower." Mamlaka and Kovu came to the lioness and see if she is worthy for their preference. But the lioness suddenly bite Mamlaka's paw and he pull his paws back and take back his statement about her as the desert flower. "More like a desert cobra." Kovu laughed at his brother's inability to charm a lioness, "Not much of a snake charmer, aren't you? As for you, you should show respect to the prince of Africa." Kovu turned his sight to the lioness and she wasn't showing any sign of letting up even to Kovu. "I am showing the respect that you pampered palace brat deserved, none!" She swing the vine that tied her paws everywhere when all of sudden, Kovu jumps up and hold down the vine in his mouth. "I demand you to set me free! Let go!" She cried out to him demand him to free her, taking it literaly, Kovu let of the vine and she fell into the water pond, completely wet her fur. The two brothers were laughing out loud while their mother, queen Zira was showing a disappointing look on her face. "You there have her dried up, send her to prince Kovu's quarter. If this pleases you father, i shall appoint Kovu as royal chief architect!" Mamlaka hang a necklace on Kovu's neck with the royal blue symbol of the royal architect, while then Kovu was looking into the lioness's eyes as she was being taken away by a monkey servant.