The searching party continued their desperate quest to find the missing Amini. Days turned into nights, and every corner of the pridelands and the outlands had been scoured. Their relentless efforts yielded no clues about the secondborn's whereabouts.
The Royal Family faced a heart-wrenching decision, one that was hard to make but seemed inevitable. The conclusion was grim: Amini is to be declared dead.
Kopa, standing amidst the solemn group, couldn't help but express his doubts. "Are you sure about this?"
Kovu, his face etched with sorrow, responded with a heavy heart, "There is no other way, Kopa. We've been searching for days..."
Kopa's bitterness seeped into his words as he turned to leave the scene, saying, "Well, you're the king... Good luck, Kovu." As he left with a sly smile.
Kiara, the fire in her eyes refusing to dim, couldn't accept the grim decision. She interjected with determination, "No, we have to keep looking! He has to be out there somewhere!"
Kovu, weary from the exhaustive search, argued, "Kiara, we have tried! We have searched at every corner of the pridelands and the outlands!"
Kiara's response was resolute, and she didn't mince words. "You're not trying hard enough. You never even cared about him. You always had some favoritism for your other son just because he was the heir!"
Kovu, struggling to defend his actions, asserted, "It's not about that, Kiara. I loved them equally."
Kiara, undeterred, pointed out the painful truth. "Then where were you? You were never at his side. You always left him out when you and Chaka were spending time together. If you also had spent time with him, this wouldn't have happened!"
Kovu, grappling with the weight of his decisions, countered, "Chaka needed training as he is going to be the future king!"
But Kiara wouldn't back down. "So what? You could have at least given him time!"
Kovu took a deep breath, attempting to quell the rising emotions. "I am afraid you're right Kiara I understand your pain, and I wish I could turn back time and change my actions. But Amini is gone, and there's nothing we can do to change that."
Kiara, tears in her eyes, looked into Kovu's eyes, her voice heavy with sorrow. "I just wish we had one more chance to make things right, Kovu."
Kovu gently wiped away her tears and embraced her. "So do I, Kiara. So do I."
"Vitani..." Kiara said with a determined look in her eyes. "I have to talk to her."
"She's at the lair." Kovu replied
Kiara made her way to the lair, where she found Vitani. The two lionesses exchanged solemn glances.
"Vitani... I need to talk to you," Kiara said, her voice filled with a sense of urgency.
Vitani, a mixture of curiosity and concern etched across her face, responded, "What is it, Kiara?"
Kiara took a deep breath before addressing the matter that had been weighing on her. "Earlier... Kovu told me that you theorized that someone could have killed my father, right?"
Vitani nodded, recalling the conversation. "Yeah, why? I let it go, but it still troubles me."
Kiara's gaze was unwavering as she continued, "I think you're right. And I think my father's death and Amini's disappearance are connected."
Vitani's eyes widened as the gravity of the situation hit her. "I... think so too. But there's still no proof, and there's still no clues."
"Vitani, whoever it is, it might be someone who is very close to us. There's a traitor in our midst." Kiara says "I'm sure of it"
"And whoever it is, It's messing with the wrong Lioness, A Mother and a Queen. The traitor will pay and suffer"
Kopa's secret place is a hidden cave in the desolate Outlands, far removed from the pridelands where his true ambitions and dark plans could remain concealed.
As Kopa entered the dimly lit cave, Amini, the young cub with a fresh scar on his face, was waiting. Kopa, his eyes filled with intrigue, greeted his nephew. "Greetings, Amini. What bothers you today?"
Amini, still clueless about the sinister agenda at play, winced and touched his healing scar. "Hurts..." he muttered, his mind unwittingly following his uncle's lead.
Kopa, appearing sympathetic, reassured him, "Oh, that will be alright. It only hurts when it's new. So, what do you want?"
Amini, under the influence of Kopa's corruption, responded without hesitation, "To be your heir, and you as the king."
Kopa's sinister grin grew as he approved of Amini's willingness. "Perfect."
Janja, who had been observing the exchange, voiced his curiosity. "So how the hell does this work? We abduct some brat, and now what?"
Kopa, his voice dripping with malevolence, explained, "One step closer to dominance. Now I have to stop the Lion Guard, and after that, let's say... I will hurt the king and queen very badly."
Janja, skeptical, inquired further, "How will we stop the Lion Guard? Even if we did succeed in all of that, Kion will most likely come back, someone who is more experienced as the Lion Guard!"
Kopa's confidence didn't waver as he responded, "You don't think I have that planned out? My brother is a huge obstacle, I agree, but I know what to do if he ever comes back. You'll know later."
Asante joined in. "Speaking about the Lion Guard, wouldn't the rightful king and heir also need its own Lion Guard?"
Kopa, considering the notion, posed a question. "Where would we get one? You know you just can't meet someone right?"
Asante, with a knowing look, hinted at a particular lion. "Oh, Kopa, you know who we are talking about and someone we need to meet."
Kopa, inquisitive but cautious, pressed further. "Just give it up! Who?"
"Afua," Asante revealed. "He needs to know, and he can help us a lot."
Kopa hesitated, unsure of Afua's loyalty. "I'm not so sure, Asante. He could rat us out."
Asante reminded Kopa of Afua's tragic history, which could fuel his desire for vengeance. "Oh, Kopa, trust me. He hates those Outlander pests as much as you do. His parents were victims of those pests, don't you remember?"
Kopa, recalling his memory, acknowledged, Afua's parents were killed by Zira's outsiders when he was still cub he knew this as a fact. "Yes, I do. I'm just not sure he will join us."
Asante remained confident "He will, Kopa. He is our friend. I'm sure he will."
Kopa conceded "I'll try."
Vitani's mind raced as she thought about the troubling possibility of a traitor within their pride. Kiara's words had sparked her determination to uncover the truth, and she couldn't dismiss the unsettling idea that someone close to them might be involved in the recent troubling events.
She considered the criteria: a "him," someone that is very connected to the pridelands, someone who could have benefited from Simba's death and Amini's disappearance. Only two lions fit that description: Kopa and Kovu.
In Kovu's case, she quickly dismissed the notion. She knew him well and couldn't fathom him hurting his own son or plotting against Simba.
Kopa, on the other hand, was a different story. His return had been marked by tension and his refusal to accept Kovu as king. He had harbored resentment over losing his position and might view hurting Amini, or whatever fate had befallen him, as payback for what Zira had done to him as a cub. It all seemed to connect in an unsettling way.
Vitani realized she needed answers, but she also knew she couldn't rush to conclusions without concrete evidence.
She tried to form possible outcomes "It works... He kills Simba so it would get him closer to be king... He needs Amini gone for revenge to what Zira had done to him. The pain of losing a cub and ruining one's life"
She pushed further "He always wanted to be king while he never showed much enthusiasm about it when he was a cub he was always confident about his role"
"Connected to our past ever since..."
"A constant repeat of history!"
She picked the clues that was previously given her, Connected to our past ever since... A constant repeat of history. It connects! Another case of Sibling Rivalry!
This is it for sure she has cracked the case the traitor...
Vitani chuckled "Oh Kopa... You are in trouble"
That's it for this chapter, I know it's kinda short but I want to end the chapter like this lol.
Vitani has cracked the case! To be continued.