Chapter 9

The days came and went, as did the weeks which turned into months. It wasn't long before the rains once again came to the Pridelands, bringing with them the green colours of fresh life. The dark clouds rolled over the grasslands, the thunder booming in the air as lightning flashed across the sky illuminating the great structure of Pride Rock. Where the Pridelander's had taken shelter in the dens, warm and dry from the miserable weather outside.

Resting with stomachs full from an earlier days hunt none seemed the wiser to the storm raging outside the cave. All but one. Amber eyes watched the lightning flash outside, with each clap of thunder Prince Kopa would jump a little. The young prince couldn't sleep with the storm, so he sat along the edge of the den watching the thunder. He seen rain before, but this was his first rainy season since his birth.

The young prince stuck his paw out of the cave letting the rain hit it before pulling it back in, a sour look on his face. Because of the rain it made it difficult to go out and play. There was only ever a few brief moments where the rains would stop before they would eventually continue. The Hunting Party often took those times to go out and hunt for the pride, with the rains came new herds to the Pridelands. Those who followed the rains across the savannahs.

Kopa and the other cubs only had those brief moments to play till their parents ushered them back into the caves. Kopa after the first two weeks of rain thought being stuck in the cave like this was just as bad as having to be grounded. Whenever he would whine about it to the adults, his mother and father would only laugh and say "Should have seen the rain in the Jungle" that had followed by a story from both his parents who told them what had happened when the lake in the grove had over flooded and had caused them to all climb for the high caves where they had to stay for days without little food save for the mice they could catch.

It was one of the many stories his parents now shared with him.

When Kopa had returned from his walk with his father those months ago, he had gone to find his mother to have her answer the questions that were running through his head at that time of finding out his mother had come from another pride…

Kopa and Simba left the watering hole shortly before the great circle began to descend from the sky. The cub was more energetic than he been in days thanks to being allowed to play with his friends, who had left in the opposite direction that the two royals had taken toward Pride Rock. Kopa tried to convince them to walk back with him and his father but the other cubs sitters who he only knew by name of Dotty and Spotty, said that wouldn't be wise. He had seen them a few times around Pride Rock but was never to approach them or so he grandmother always said.

He could never understand the prides hate for each other.

His mother always taught him that every member of the pride was important for its survival.

As soon as Pride rock was within sight, Simba shooed his son along. "I'm going to speak with Zazu for the last report of the day. Go, run along, and find your mother!" he said hitting his son's rump with his paw to send Kopa on his way.

"But dad can't I come with you?" Kopa asked turning to face his father.

Simba shook his head "No Kopa, you've been out enough today. Hurry on home to get something to eat. I'm sure your mother has something for you. Plus it's getting dark, now run along!" the King gave his son another nudge, then turned his body and padded away to make one last round and speak with Zazu.

The young prince sat there watching his father walk away then with a defeated sigh, he turned and began making the rest of the way toward Pride Rock. As he got closer he could see the silhouettes of his mother and Nala at the base of Pride rock, Nala was lying across the stones while his mother sat. He could see her head occasionally look out over the grasslands before returning her attention to Nala once more.

Picking up the pace, Kopa called out, "Mom!"

Zuri and Nala's head's turned toward the call, Zuri climbing to all four paws to watch her son's body slink through the grass while he made his way over to them slightly confused as to why she didn't see Simba with him.

Upon reaching them, Kopa made a leap for the rocks but only managed to grasp the edge before slowly sliding backwards. "Whoa!"

Reaching out, Zuri caught her cub with her paw and scooped him up bringing him up onto the rocks planting him at her paws. "Are you alright?"

Kopa shook his body, fixing the small tuft of hair on his head and nodded his head "Yes!" he answered flashing both his mother and Nala a large smile. The tanned lioness returned it and reached down and nudged the cub with her paw, "So cub what were you and your father up too?" she asked.

"We had loads, dad showed me a few places and oh he also showed me where grandfather died…" Kopa trailed off when he saw the two lionesses' share a look then looked back down at him. "What? I asked him why I couldn't go near the gorge and he went and showed me why…"

"He showed you?" Zuri asked a little concerned, she thought it was a tough subject for a cub Kopa's age to know. "And why did you ask if you couldn't go near there?" leaning in she eyed her cub with a questionable look; suspicions confirmed when the cub shifted his paws nervously.

"Um…well…that's where I and the others were playing that day…" he muttered shrinking under the stares of both lionesses.

"Kopa what have we told you…"

"I know, I know…and I'm sorry! But we got curious…and nothing bad happened…we were just playing a new game of hide and seek. The gorge had new places for us to hide. We know all the hiding places here!" Kopa mumbled smacking his paw on the ground. He didn't like upsetting his mother if he could help it, "So…dad took me and showed me where Grandpa died and he gave me a weird talk about how our body becomes the grass and that's why there's a patch of grass there" he said looking up at his mother and Nala.

Both lionesses spotted a smile and chuckled. Nala remembered that lecture, Simba had told her about it when they were cubs. It had been his first day out on the Pridelands with his father.

"Well you had a long day so you must be hungry, come I saved you some!" Zuri nudged Nala with her head and grinned at her new pride sister and turned and began making her way up Pride Rock when Kopa's voice sounded behind her.

"Hey mom?"

Zuri blinked and looked back at her cub, "Yes Kopa?" she wondered what her cub wanted that kept him from wanting to get his evening meal.

Kopa jumped to his paws and hurried along after his mother so he walked along aside her while they both made their way up Pride rock. "Dad told me something interesting!" he told her with a large grin on his face.

Deciding to humour her cub, Zuri grinned and nudged him along so that he was ahead of her helping him over the edge and began making her way toward where she had stored the scraps she had saved for him. "And what's that?"

"That you come from another pride!"

Kopa's answer shocked her that Zuri almost tripped over her own paws. She looked at her cub shocked, "How did you…"

"I told you, dad told me. He told me what happened after Grandpa died and how your pride took him in…why didn't you tell me you were from another pride mom?" Kopa asked stopping to look up at his mother who stared back at him, his ears folded back, thinking his mother was unhappy with him knowing this. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have said anything…"

The chuckle that came from his mother's mouth wasn't the response he was expecting, "Huh?"

Smiling, Zuri reached out and snatched her cub with her paw bringing him close to her, she ran her tongue over the top of his head messing up what little fur was growing there, chuckling when he squirmed and smoothed it back down again with his paw. "Oh Kopa, I'm not mad, just a little surprised. But yes, what your father said was true. I am not from the Pridelands!" she let go of him and continued to where she had hidden the food. Kopa falling in line behind her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked the cub.

"I was planning on telling you when you were older," was the Queens response.

Kopa grumbled, "I'm old enough…"

The Queen grinned and nodded her head, "Yes, yes you are. How silly of me!" she pushed aside the rock where she had the hid the scraps and pulled them out, holding them in her teeth she turned and dropped them in front of Kopa who eyed them. "Eat!"

"But…"

"Eat and I'll explain. But not until I see you eating!" Zuri gave her some a stern look. The cub started digging into his food, with a piece of meat in his teeth he started to chew it enough to slid it down his throat while he watched his mother his expression telling her he wanted to know what she had to tell him.

"I wasn't sure how you would take finding out I wasn't a Pridelander…that I was, an outsider. Your father and I mated…" she laughed at the look of disgust that came over Kopa's face an obvious sign that, that wasn't something he wanted to hear. "Okay, okay…well your father and I got together before Nala came searching for help. I was pregnant with you at the time. A few weeks along actually. With everything we heard we knew there was no other way, so we left, him and I to come to the Pridelands to help…I never even got to say goodbye to my aunt and uncle and the lionesses there. Only those who had come with Nala and Jaali to help with the Pridelands…"

"Why would the Pridelands need help mother?" Kopa asked confused.

Zuri looked down at her son. She was trying to decide whether or not to tell her son this and she sighed lowering herself down on the ground knowing she had no choice. She motioned for her son to make his way over, in which Kopa hurried over and sat beside him between his mother's paws.

"You see Kopa…your grandfather had an uncle…and this Uncle…had done bad things…" '

That was the first night that Kopa had ever heard the true stories of the tyrant Scar. He was shocked when he had heard it. That a member of his own family could have done something like that and it had only been confirmed by the other members of his pride. Willing to share their side of the story given Zuri only really knew the parts in where she been involved in and what they had told her.

Though confusing at first. Kopa began to see why his grandmother and the lionesses never really trusted his friend's mother and her lionesses. But his mother always said to him;

"No matter what their views are. They are still members of this pride and ever member is important to its survival!"

The young prince couldn't understand why his mother would defend those who hated and insulted her. But he could only place it as his mother's personality and loving nature. For that's how he saw his mother. She had all the necessary traits that made a Queen, she often reminded him of his grandmother Sarabi and her fair nature.

A loud clap of thunder jarred the young prince from his thoughts momentarily. His amber eyes looking out at the storm that raged outside the cave, he realized that the rain was starting to get so heavy that it was spraying into the entrance of the cave and managed to soak a little of his fur.

With his paw the young prince attempted to fix the tuft of hair growing in on his head. Brown…the sign of the Rasheda in his blood…that's what his mother told him. That almost every male member of the Rasheda's sported a brown mane, something she was sure he too would one day wear proudly when he became King of the Pridelands.

The young prince backed a little ways back from the entrance so he wouldn't get wet anymore then he already had. He stared out into the storm. How any one could sleep through that surprised even him. Thunder clapped and lightning flashed. Bolts streaked across the sky, lighting up the outside of the cave and what Kopa saw made him freeze.

Two figures stood outside the cave, sitting near the edge of the structure.

Two lions.

Both red and grey manes.

And they were both staring back at him.

Clamping his eyes shut, Kopa opened them again but when he did the figures were gone. Lightning continued to light up the sky but the figures were no longer there, Kopa was beginning to think he was imagining things. Maybe he needed sleep.

But one of the figures was familiar to him.

The one in the red mane…

His eyes widened at the memory of seeing the spirit of his grandfather all those months ago. Mufasa. He had seen Mufasa again.

But why? And who was that second grey mane lion that was beside him?

Kopa climbed to his paws and walked toward the edge of the cave thinking he could see them again. When his mother's voice sounded behind him.

"Kopa? What are you doing? Get away from there and come and get some sleep!"

Kopa looked over into the darkness of the cave, his eyes seeing that his mother had awoken and was watching him with a concern look as her eyes were telling him to come away from the storm.

"But mom I…"

"No buts young lion come away from there before you get too wet!" Zuri had almost panicked when she had awoken without her cub beside her. Wary and full of concern she had searched the cave with her eyes till she spotted him at the head of the den almost about to wonder into the rain that fell outside. The Queen had only awakened due to a dream, a dream that hadn't plagued her for months since the time of her son's birth.

She watched the cub groan and look back out into the storm before finally stomping his way over to his parents and settled down between the both of them. She looked down at her cub, "You shouldn't wonder into the storm like that it could be dangerous!"

"But mom I saw…" Kopa sighed and lowered his head at the stern look she gave him. Zuri curled her body around her cub, nestling him between her and her mate's body. Kopa managed to peek toward the entrance of the cave, his mind wondered why he seen his grandfathers ghost again and who was that second lion…he almost seemed familiar…like he had heard about him before…but couldn't place the name…

With a tired sigh and a yawn, the young prince lowered his head, turning his snout into his mother's fur as he sought warmth from the chill the storm brought.

Outside the cave, the figures of two lions sat in the shadows watching the cave, and more importantly the young prince who had returned to his mother's side. The rain pounded down upon them and around them, but either of the two was affected by it. They had been sitting there for some time, watching, always watching over the young prince without his knowledge.

The greying male turned toward the other, "He had seen us."

"So it seems. The boy is a curious one."

"Is he suitable?"

"Do you question my judgement on it?"

"This isn't your pride you're speaking of!"

"He will make a fine King my friend, you just need patience."

The greying male scoffed and glared turning his attention to the cave before them then turned and vanished upon mid-step.

The red male, stared at the cave, watching the young queen and prince curl into one another. A look of sadness came across his face as he watched the young queen tremble from the dreams he knew plagued her.

"It begins…"