(So, we've been in Zira's point of view for a while, now. I've been staying as true to the second movie and the Lion Guard as I can to make this work, but these last few chapters are mostly gonna be in the point of view of some characters that we may not have heard from in a while, just to give the story a bit of a twist so that it's not just like second movie end and then story end and blah blah blah...In this story, Kopa's gonna have a pretty big role in the end, so I figured we should pay him a bit of a visit. Are we all on the same page, now? Good. On with the story.)
Kopa watched the sun set on the border of the pridelands. There was a change in the winds tonight. He could feel it. He would have to go back to the pridelands tonight.
Turning to his uncle, Kopa felt sadness knowing that Mheetu would not be returning with him.
"There's a change in the circle of life." Mheetu said. "Mufasa's been pretty quiet for the past few months." He remarked. "Kopa, when you get back, will you tell Nala about me? Will you tell her that I miss her so much, and that I wish I could see her again."
"Why don't you come with me?" Kopa asked. "Why don't you come back home, come back to the pridelands?"
Mheetu shook his head. "If I was in the pridelands, I wouldn't have been there to save you that night from the great river. There may still be a purpose for me out here."
"Then let me stay. I don't want you to be out here all alone. You said yourself that you were really lonely before I came along."
Mheetu shook his head once again. "You're needed in the pridelands, Kopa. Your friend from the outlands. She needs you there. Your sister, Kiara, needs you, too."
"Tani..." Kopa said, remembering Vitani. His friend had been on his mind for a while now. He was worried for her. He was longing to see her again. But more than anything...he loved her. Kopa loved Vitani with everything in him. That sweet lioness that had been his best friend despite her past...she didn't deserve her past. She deserved so much more. And he could feel that something was wrong with Vitani. Mufasa had told him. Vitani's heart was so overcome with hatred for her mother, for Kiara, for someone to place the blame on...Kopa hoped that he would be able to return before it was too late.
Kopa stood at the mouth of the cave while the stars began to form with the rising of the moon.
"Why do you stall?" Mheetu asked. "Vitani needs you, my nephew. She is lost without you."
Kopa turned back to Mheetu. "Is there...any chance that I'll ever see you again?" He asked. He was going to miss his uncle. He was like a father to him.
Mheetu shook his head. "I'm afraid not. After you leave, I'm going to leave this cave for somewhere else to live. If the pridelanders knew where I was, the hyenas may as well." He walked up to Kopa, putting his arm around him in a short hug. "It's been an honor to know you and to watch you grow into the king you have become." Mheetu said, before sitting back and saying, "now go. Go to Vitani."
Kopa nodded, and looked around one final time at the cave that he had called home for so many months now, before bounding into the grassy savannah that he had known as his hunting grounds ever since he first learned to hunt. He continued as the moon rose in the sky, racing through the tall grasses, and across the heat of the volcanic grounds that Mheetu had never allowed him to cross. He felt the heat on his paws, and recognized the birds flying across the dark sky as the first sign of life other than Mheetu or their prey that he had seen in a long time. It sent a sense of a new beginning into the air.
Kopa continued to run for a long time. So many things had changed since Mheetu had saved him so many months ago. He had gone so far that he didn't even know how to get back to the cave.
As he was passing though the tall grasses of another savannah off of the coast of the great river, Kopa noted a beautiful tree growing in front of the great river that he had never noticed before. Slowing down and looking at the tree, mesmerized, Kopa wondered how something as common as a tree could harness so much power that he felt radiating off of it. But then, his ears went up in attention. Someone else was here. Kopa looked around, hearing the rustling of the tall grasses and a loud, growling, breathing. Just as Kopa looked to his right, a yellow and red blur shot out from the tall grasses and towards Kopa. But as the blur was bright in contrast to the darkness of the night, Kopa was easily able to dodge the attacker, who whammed smack-dab into the powerful tree.
As the animal turned around to get back to its feet, Kopa pinned it to the ground, baring his teeth to the newcomer, a lion, to show that he meant business. The lion had a shocked look on his face, as if he had honestly thought that the pounce would have worked.
The lion was clearly younger than Kopa, and he had a bright red mane that was back, away from his face, unlike Kopa's own. He had a bright yellow pelt, a lighter underbelly and paws, and a three-lined scar across his left eye, which was a dark red, similar to the color of Kopa's father's and sister's eyes.
"Er, let's not get too carried away, here..." the Lion laughed uncomfortably. "Please let me up."
"Let you up?" Kopa asked angrily. "You nearly tried to kill me, and now you're talking to me like nothing happened? What, do you think that now that I've showed you that I can and will fight, we're pals now? Or are you just stupid?"
The lion didn't get a chance to answer, as in the dark of the night, Kopa didn't see the lioness creeping through the brush beside him. He was soon knocked off of the lion and onto the ground, looking up and seeing a reddish-brown lioness with a lighter underbelly and paws. A darker brown stripe was on her head and went down her back. The tuft of fur at the end of her tail was a darker brown, she had a strange sort of mark on her right shoulder, and she looked angry.
"State your business!!" She barked. "Why are you at the tree of life? Were you trying to break in? Answer me!!!" She yelled before Kopa even had the chance to open his mouth.
Kopa just sat there for a few minutes in shock, before asking, "the tree of what now?"
"Hold on, Rani." The Lion that had originally attacked Kopa said, getting up from where Kopa had pinned him. "I think that he sincerely doesn't know what you're talking about. I've never seen him around here." The lioness, who's name, Kopa guessed, was Rani, looked at him skeptically.
"Come on, Rani. You remember when we first met? You really need to learn not to jump to conclusions."
"Or jump on top of anyone, either." Kopa remarked, receiving a harsh growl from Rani before she turned back to the younger lion.
"We don't know who this lion is, Kion." She said. "What if he's a spy for Makucha?"
"I don't even know who Makucha is..." Kopa mumbled, receiving yet another growl from Rani.
The younger lion, whose name Kopa was guessing was Kion, sighed, as if Rani pouncing on random animals was the norm for him. "Get off of him, please, Rani." He said, shaking his head. Rani growled at Kopa one more time before getting off of him and joining Kion's side once again, embracing him and then sitting at his side.
Panting, Kopa got to his feet once again before asking, "What on earth is the tree of life, and who is Makucha?"
Kion looked at Kopa skeptically for a moment. "While I don't want to be rude, Rani's right in saying that we don't always know who can be trusted. Before we answer your questions, we need you to answer some of ours." He looked Kopa dead in the eye. "First, where are you even from?"
Kopa gulped. "Aheh....it's a bit of a long story." He said.
"No time like the present." Rani said with a bit of a growl.
"What my mate means to say," Kion said, looking at Rani with an expression that said, must you be so judgemental? "Is we've got all the time in the world. Tell us the story, and we'll answer your questions."
Kopa thought of how to start the story. "Well, let's start off with names. My name's Kopa. And you are...?"
"I'm Kion." Kion replied. Motioning to Rani, he said, "and this is my mate, Rani. We're members of the night pride."
Kopa didn't exactly know what the night pride was, but he nodded as if he understood, anyways. "Yes, well..." he thought about how he should word this. "I'm originally from the pridelands. I was the prince of pride rock up until a few months ago. My parents were King Simba and Queen Nala, and my younger sister was Kiara." Kion's friendly smile quickly faded, and he looked like he had seen a ghost. Rani turned to Kion with a look of surprise.
"Kion, didn't you say..."
"Simba? Nala? Kiara?" Kion asked. "The pridelands?" Kopa wondered if he had said something wrong. Had his parents or sister wronged Kion while he was gone? "Why are you naming my parents and older sister?" Kion asked. "How did you know about the pridelands? Who are you really?"
"Hold on, Kion!!" Rani said in an attempt to calm him down. "You were the one who just told me not to jump to conclusions. Kopa genuinely looks as confused as you feel. There has to be a reasonable explanation. Let's not assume he's a predator just yet!!!"
"Well, now look who's the peacemaker." Kopa remarked. Rani groaned.
"I'm just trying to figure this out, okay?" She asked. "I want to know how you knew about Kion's family, but attacking you isn't gonna get us our answer." She looked at Kion. "Is it?" Kion sat back down and took a few deep breaths. "I'm sorry." He said. "Kopa," he began. "How do you know about the pridelands? If you lived there, why did you leave? And let's suppose that you were a prince. What reason did you have to leave?"
"I made friends with this cub named Vitani." He said. "She was beautiful. The sweetest cub you'd ever meet, despite her terrible past."
Kion scoffed. "Sweet. Right. Her mother nearly caused me to become a permanent resident to the outlands."
"Kion." Rani said firmly. Kion stopped talking and Rani nodded for Kopa to continue.
"Vitani and I would meet up every day to play. At one point, Kiara met her, and we played together. Vitani was my best friend...it actually wasn't long until I developed feelings for her. But then, something happened." Kopa shuddered as he remembered the terrible day. "Vitani's mother somehow found out about our friendship. She went to do something about it. I think she was blinded by fear or anger...but she attacked me. Everyone thought I was dead. Tani...Tani witnessed it. I guess that's why you were never told about me, and why I never knew you, Kion." He said. "I woke up deathly injured, and decided that it was best to leave the pridelands. I didn't want the risk of actually being killed the next time if I decided to go back. I've been living with my uncle, Mheetu, for a while now. I just left to return to the pridelands recently." He said. "In fact, I was on my way to the pridelands when we ran into each other." He joked.
Kion and Rani sat there, gaping at Kopa. "So...I have an older brother..." Kion said slowly. "And mom and dad never told me?"
"They probably didn't know how." Rani explained. "They thought that Kopa was dead. They didn't want to tell you that you had an older brother and have you know that Zira killed him."
"That explains why Dad was so overprotective with Kiara." Kion observed.
"Now, will you answer my questions?" Kopa asked. Kion nodded, and he and Rani walked towards the tree.
"this is the tree of life." Rani explained. "It holds many secrets, and is the source of life everywhere. It's where we live. The night guard is vowed to protect it."
"And Makucha is a cheetah who seeks to harm the tree of life, abusing its power for his own selfish gain." Kion said. He looked at Kopa. "I haven't been to the pridelands in a while, but you should know to be careful. Zira and the others are our enemies. Dad hasn't been willing to forgive, and they certainly haven't forgotten what she has done."
Kopa nodded. "Mufasa has been telling me that Vitani's in trouble." He said. "I've got to get back to her. I've got to find her and bring her back to her senses." Kion nodded.
"Good luck, Kopa." He said. "Rani and I wish you luck. It was a pleasure to finally meet you. Tell Kiara and our parents that I say hello."
Kopa nodded. "Take care, you two." He said, before bounding off in the direction of the pridelands. The sun would come up soon.