Chapter 8

The great circle was still low in the morning sky, when a group of five, three cubs and two lionesses made their way from the back caves down the winding back paths that led away and around Pride rock into the grasslands. Dotty who was in the front of the small group, kept her eyes open for any danger that may be to the three cubs that frolicked between her and Spotty who brought up the rear.

Each cub could hardly hold in their excitement for finally being let out of the den and away from pride rock for the first time since Zira had grounded them. To them it was almost like the first day they had ever ventured out of pride rock with their mother and on their own. Though their moods were a little dampened that they couldn't find Kopa and play with their friend, they were happy to be able to gallivant even with their two babysitters in the form of two of their mothers most loyal lionesses.

Dotty and Spotty walked an equal amount of distance apart, but not to far apart that they wouldn't be able to help the cubs if something were to happen, but enough for them to walk without having the cubs but into their legs.

From the rear, Spotty kept her eyes on the cubs, watching with a small grin tugging at her mouth. It was amusing to watch the cubs. Their happiness was a new thing for her. She and Dotty had arrived in the Pridelands shortly after Scar took the throne, and when the land was already beginning to change into the shadow lands that it had been. The cubs were so young, but even then it didn't seem like happiness ever reigned down on the Pridelands.

Her eyes fell upon Nuka. He was such a small thing when he was born. So small that Scar really hadn't wanted anything to do with his only son, Spotty like many lionesses knew the truth behind the fact that Kovu was indeed not the son of Scar. Vitani in fact had been the last cub that Zira had managed to bare for Scar. But to Scar a princess wasn't what he wanted as an heir.

And in a desperate move, Zira had entrusted her lionesses to find a rogue. It was a risky move, but none had dared defy the Queen that had pleaded them out to the King. And so they had searched and indeed had found one, the next tricky part was getting around the Hyenas. After distracting them Zira had slipped from the Pridelands. She was gone for five days with only the lionesses knowing where she was.

Spotty remembered Scar storming the cave multiple times demanding to know where Zira was in which they always responded that they didn't know. Though they were loyal to Scar they were even more loyal to Zira. Zira had returned later to a furious Scar but the King did not harm his Queen when she told him she was pregnant.

None outside those loyal to Zira were the wiser. Though many knew that Sarabi and the others suspected something which soon made the king suspicious but in the end when Kovu was born the King replaced Kovu as his chosen heir over Nuka. The cub had been resentful in the beginning, but Nuka never really showed that anymore. Spotty's eyes softened, Nuka was a sweet cub, and he always was. The same was with Vitani and Kovu.

"Yow!"

She was brought back from her thoughts at the yowl; lifting her head she stared at the cubs, more importantly Kovu and Nuka who were now wrestling on the ground, each trying to better the other. Dotty turned when she heard the noise and snapped, "Now that's enough, don't make me turn us around and head on home!"

Both boys broke apart at that pointing their paws at one another; "He started it!" each one blaming the other then glared at one another. Spotty took back what she thought there was still some rivalry between the brothers after all. Moving forward she cuffed boys on the head with her paw and growled, "Behave!" with a nudge of her nose she got them walking again but both cubs shared another glare and stuck their tongues out at one another.

Both lionesses grinned when they heard Vitani scoff, "Boys!" with a roll of her eyes.

The sisters shared a common look, before ushering the cubs on toward the watering hole where they figured was a better place then not for the cubs to play at.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaad, come on!"

The King grinned and chuckled at the sight of his overly excited cub. He and his Queen stepped out of their den into the first rays of sunlight that bathed Pride Rock in its radiant warm glow. Both laid their eyes down upon their son who resembled a lion who had, had too much to drink from the way he kept jumping from paw to paw every few seconds unable to contain his excitement of being allowed out with his father. Too Zuri, though Kopa often reminded her of her cousin, Kopa was much more excited to wander along with his father then Jaali ever was to do so with Mansa as a cub. Then again, Simba was much different than Mansa in everyway.

Kopa had awoken quit early that day. Up before the great circle had even risen. The moment he had seen the first rays of sunlight in the horizon he had run to wake his slumbering parents.

"Come on!" Kopa began to jump on the spot his tail twitching behind him.

"Alright, alright!" chuckling Simba turned toward his mate and rubbed his head against hers. "I'll take good care of him, you relax today."

Zuri laughed softly, "Oh I plan too, without a jumpy cub to bother me."

"Hey!" Kopa exclaimed with a scowl and a sharp look that made both his parents break out in laughter. Zuri bent and licked her son on the snout, and smiled, "I am only kidding. Now you have fun with your father and be good…" lifting her head she looked Simba in the eyes and gave him a lick on the cheek. "The both of you!"

Simba's face showed mock hurt as he laid his paw over his chest, "Oh, my Queen I am hurt!"

"Uh huh, sure!" Zuri smiled jabbed Simba with her paw lightly. "Now get going and enjoy yourselves!" she followed her mate and cub to the edge and sat down while she watched both of them descended down from Pride Rock to the ground below. Smiling as she watched them go, and stayed there until she could no longer see them in the distance then made her way back to the others where she would enjoy a day of being free of her restless cub.

King and Prince made their way from Pride Rock, Simba trying to carefully step around his son who was weaving himself in between his father's legs as he ran back and forth in zigzag patterns, bouncing around on his paws laughing. Kopa was too happy to be allowed out of Pride rock and more importantly being out with his father.

It wasn't often the young prince got to go anywhere with his father much less on his patrols. "What are we doing first dad?" he asked as he started to pad along side his father with a proud grin on his face, to be included in royal business as he thought of it.

Tilting his head down to look at his cub Simba grinned, "We await Zazu for the morning report," at the face Kopa made Simba let out a laugh remembering that very look that came over his face when his father took him out on the Pridelands for the first time and they had run into Zazu.

Simba led the cub through the grasslands toward the glade where Zazu always met him. When the two arrived, Simba sat down and watched Kopa as he padded around the small glade in the tall grass. "Kopa…"

Said cub raised his head, "Yes?"

"What do you do all day when I don't see you?" this always made Simba curious with his duties he was hardly around his son.

Kopa was confused about this question and actually gave it some thought, shrugging his shoulders. "I play with Nuka, Kovu and Vitani mostly. Or I hang out with mom and grandma. But my friends are more fun, but don't tell mom and grandma that!" he quickly told his father looking scared of what would happen if they heard. Simba grinned and ruffled the top of his head, "Don't worry your secret is safe with me!" he winked causing his son to grin.

"Your majesty!" a familiar voice rang up overhead.

Both prince and King raised their heads as a shadow flew over them, and with a flap of his wings Zazu landed on the ground in front of the two royals. Wings spread out he gave them a sweeping bow, "Sire, I have the morning report…"

"Yes, yes Zazu out with it!" Simba sat back looking down at his major-domo. "What news on the animals?"

"The apes are going wild sire, it appears a small family of leopards…."

Kopa, who wasn't really interested in listening to Zazu, wandered off a bit, slinking through the tall grass. Body low to the ground he slinked along, he heard movement ahead and continued forth, sticking his nose out of the grass to sniff around when he felt his nose press up against something. "Huh?"

Pushing up on his paws, Kopa stuck his head out of the grass to see what was pressed against his nose and blinked his eyes at the gazelle calf that stood in front of him. The two stared back at each other with wide eyes, the calf's legs quivered a little at the sight of the lion cub. "Uh…hello…" Kopa smiled at the calf but jumped when the calf gave a startled cry of;

"Mommy!"

Kopa soon found himself surrounded by the herd of Gazelle staring down at him, the calf he had crept up on now standing behind its mother sticking its head out to look at Kopa who gulped and shrunk to the ground at the sight of all their eyes on him. "Stay away from my calf lion!" the mother gazelle snapped her teeth at Kopa causing him to jump and fall backwards with a startled 'eep'

There was the sound of running paws behind him, before Simba made himself known, "What is the problem here?"

The gazelle looked up and over at Simba who positioned himself above Kopa, "The cub was about to attack my calf!" the mother gazelle accused.

Simba looked down at Kopa and then to the calf, he chuckled "My son is just out of his spots. He can't do much harm to your calf. But I will have a talk with him," bending down he picked up Kopa by the scruff and stepped back into the grass with his son dangling in his mouth. Turning he left the gazelle herd behind them, once deep in the grass he set his son down and stared down at him, "Kopa, what have you been told about sneaking off? Maybe I should take you back to Pride Rock!"

Kopa jumped to his paws, "But dad I didn't mean too I swear. I'm sorry; I was just snooping around while you talked to Zazu…"

"Kopa you could have been seriously hurt…."

"They wouldn't hurt me! I'm the prince!"

Simba sighed and shook his head, brushing some mane out of his eyes, "Yes Kopa, you are a prince, but prince or not. They like the pride will defend their young and themselves. They may respect my ruling Kopa but we also hunt them. That is the circle of life. And you have to be careful. Being a prince isn't a privilege. It's a responsibility and doesn't give you an immunity to harm. Is that understood Kopa?" Simba said sternly.

The cub sighed and nodded his head, "Yeah dad…I understand," he sulked.

Sighing, Simba bent and nudged his son with his nose. "Come on, we have some patrolling to do young prince! And you have much to learn in what it takes to be a prince and future King." Stepping over his son he began making his way through the grass out onto the savannah to do his usual round about patrol of his territory. It wouldn't be for a while before Zazu would come with his next report unless it was an emergency so that gave him some time with his son.

Kopa bounded off after his father, holding his head high as he walked along side him, he grinned up at his father who returned it with a grin of his own and ruffled the top of Kopa's head. The cub smacked at his fathers paw and fixed the tuft of hair on his head, when he stopped and stared off in the distance.

His eyes landing on the gorge where they had explored just days before. Realising his son was no longer following him; Simba stopped and looked back at his son "Kopa?"

"Dad, why won't you let me go there?" Kopa suddenly asked. This confused Simba, making his way back over to the cub he sat down, "Why do you want to know?"

"Um, that's where we went to play…" Kopa lowered his ears when Simba looked at him shocked.

"Kopa, I told you a dozen times never to go there!" Simba scowled.

"But why not?" The cub demanded. Simba sighed and looked away for a moment, then to the gorge as he thought about this. He never really wanted to share this with his son, not yet, not at such a young age. But he figured if he wasn't the one to tell Kopa then the cub would just go to the other lionesses and find the reason.

Sighing, he looked down at his son, "You heard from your grandmother what happened with your grandfather right?"

Tilting his head to the side, Kopa thought about it and nodded, "She said Grandpa died along time ago before I and the other cubs were born. She said he was a great King before he died and his brother Scar became King. She said he was the reason the Pridelands died and you were the reason it thrives now!" Kopa grinned remembering the stories his grandmother told him of his grandfather, Mufasa. "Why…why does that have anything to do with the gorge?"

Simba looked at his son and thought for a moment, and got to his paws and began walking toward the gorge. "Let me show you!" he motioned for Kopa to follow him. The cub jumped to his paws and hurried along after his father curious to see what he had to show him. Simba took Kopa to the safest way down into the gorge, picking his son up by the scruff to carry him down so that the cub wouldn't trip and fall.

Setting the cub down on his paws once they had reached the bottom, Kopa looked around, "Well?"

"This way…" Simba started to walk again, Kopa walking quickly to keep up. The young prince noticed that it was familiar where they were, this was where he had gone when he had hidden from Kovu when they had played hide and seek and had been found by Zira. He rounded the same corner he had days before and stopped staring at the tree and the grass that grew around it. Why were they here? He wondered.

"Dad…" he watched as his father made his way toward the tree and patch of grass. Simba looked back at his son and motioned him over, when Kopa was sitting beside him; Simba sighed and laid his paw upon the grass. "This here is where your grandfather died…"

Shock hit Kopa like a tone of bricks. He stared at the grass and the tree. This…this was where his grandfather died. "The grass…"

"When I was a cub. My father once said to me… 'Everything you see, exist together in a delicate balance, as King you must understand that balance and respect all the creatures, from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope…'"

"But don't we eat the antelope?"

Simba chuckled and patted his son on the back, "I asked that exact same thing."

"You did?" Kopa looked up at his father.

"Yes, and my father said to me, 'Let me explain, you see when we die our bodies become the grass and the antelope eat the grass and so we are all connected in the great circle of life'" Simba chuckled running his paw along the grass. "At the time I thought it was foolish talk that everything he told me was just so cool that I wanted nothing more then to grow up and become king." That was until he had met the Rasheda's, when he had met Jaali and Zuri. Being free of princely responsibilities. A lioness that loved him for being himself and not just a prince. But that was before he returned home and resumed the throne, he didn't think he could ever leave the Pridelands again but like his mate he too often missed the Jungle and the adventures they had as cubs.

Kopa stared at the grass. So his was where his grandfather died. The great King Mufasa as many called him. The last great King till his father took the throne. "Dad…why weren't you here when Scar took the throne?" he looked up, "You were the heir…"

Simba not sure of how to tell his son of his the years he been a coward. Running away when his mother and pride needed him, hiding away in the jungle with no worries of being a king. He never wanted his son to know any of this but he couldn't hide it any longer from his son. He knew he would learn the truth sooner or later and he guessed the cub had grown to the point that he could know all about it. "I ran away…My uncle told me that my father's death was my fault…so I ran away. I ran for days, until I finally collapsed. I was somewhere in the desert. Far from here. I thought I would die but then I was found by another pride…your mother's pride."

Kopa looked confused, he always thought of his mother as a member of the Pridelander's. "Moms not from here?"

Nodding his head Simba continued, "She comes from a Pride called the Rasheda's. They live in the Jungles far from here. They raised me while I lived there. Your grandmother Zakia raised me and your mother along side each other, that's how we got to know each other so well. But we weren't the only cubs…there was Jaali, the prince of the Rasheda's he was your mother's cousin…"

"What made you come back?" Kopa asked.

"Nala, she came searching for help with Scar. And she stumbled upon the Rasheda's when Queen Leta and your mother found her. But it wasn't her that really made me come back…it was your grandfather…"at Kopa's confused look he just chuckled, "Don't worry I came back and that's the end of it!" he looked at the grass and tree and sighed closing his eyes. It was hard coming back to this very spot so many memories he had tried for years to forget.

This was all news to Kopa, he wondered why they had never told him about this, but he guessed now he understood why he often heard Zira say his mother was an outsider. He was curious of the Rasheda's now and wondered if he asked his mother if she would tell him about them. That's when a thought struck him when he remembered the ghost…

"Uh dad, what did grandpa look like?" he asked looking up at his father.

"Hm, well a lot of the lionesses say I look just like him only he was bigger in height and mane!" Simba brushed at his mane with his paw and gave his son a grin.

So that lion was his grandfather, Kopa looked at the spot he had seen the figure that night. It was the ghost of Mufasa. But why did he come and see him? Kopa was confused having never really seen a ghost before. But he was suddenly happy that he got to see his grandfather even as a ghost. And he had to admit both his father and grandfather shared similarities and Kopa had thought Mufasa was his father until he got a closer look.

Movement to his right made him turn around to see his father walking away, "Dad?"

"Come Kopa we still have patrols to do," Simba called over his shoulder. Wanting to get away from the place where his worst memories were reality.

The cub took one last look at the grass and tree then hurried after his father, who picked him up again to carry him up the side of the cliff. Kopa clenching his eyes shut in hopes of not having to look down at the floor below hoping he wouldn't be dropped. Opening them only when his father set him down on his paws again. Turning Kopa stared back into the gorge then quickly turned and followed his father who walked away.

"Where we going now dad?" he asked once he had caught up.

"The watering hole," Simba answered as he grinned down at his son and nudged him knocking the cub to the side a bit, "Race you!" with a laugh he took off with Kopa whining. "Dad!" behind him as Kopa took off after his father trying to make himself run faster to beat his father.

The two reached the watering hole with Simba in the lead, Kopa coming up behind him out of breath. Hunched over on his paws trying to catch his breath, he looked up and pointed his paw at his father "That's not fair. You cheated…you started first and you got longer legs!" he breathed out.

Chuckling Simba grinned and nudged Kopa toward the water to get a drink and calm down from the long run. "Don't worry, one day you'll be able to beat me."

Kopa grinned and bent his head to get a drink when he heard laughter. Familiar laughter. Lifting his head, he turned to the right and hurried over to a rock and crawled up peering over. There he spied three cubs playing in the shallows of the water. A large smile cracked across his face at the sight of his friends, the young prince not even noticing that they weren't alone jumped to his paws and called on down. "Hey!"

The three cubs stopped their playing and looked up at Kopa who shadowed them; Vitani wiggled her way out of from under her brothers a big smile spreading across her face. "Kopa!" she squealed as the young prince jumped down from the rock and splashed water over them when he landed in the water.

"Hey" The she-cubs whined spitting water out of her mouth. "That wasn't very nice!"

"You were already wet!" Kopa grinned from ear to ear trotting over to his friends. Kovu and Nuka jumping to their paws, the cubs greeted each other, swapping stories about what had happened during their groundings before Kopa ended up pushing Vitani into the water which proceeded to have her tackle him into the slightly deeper end.

Spotty and Dotty who were resting in the shade raised their heads at the noise and furrowed their brows at the sight of the young prince and looked at one another. They had been ordered not to allow the cubs anywhere near the prince, but what Zira didn't know couldn't harm them. They raised their head when Simba made himself known, sitting atop the rock that Kopa had jumped from.

The King and the lionesses looked at one another, neither saying a word, but each giving each other a neutral shrug. For the cub's sakes, they would push aside their differences for just that day and allow the cubs to have their fun. They stared at each other for the longest time before the surprised cries of the cubs drew their attentions and they turned to watch as the cubs started to gallivant with each other.

None the wiser to the pair of eyes in the tall grass watching them.