The sun shone over the savannah, fixed in the centre of the sky. Sharp gushes of winds that had battered through the morning now resided, forcing humidity to build in the air, hanging over the land. Across these boiling plains, Simba trotted slowly back home, leading with him Kopa, Kwaheri and Jicho He carefully stepped forth as to not place too much pressure on his punctured front paws.
Behind him, Kopa, who for the entire duration of the journey had remained to himself, trotted slowly behind a rather active, energetic Kwaheri. The monkey leapt and bounced across the Pridelands, clambering up the occasional Baobab tree before swinging back to the ground, landing right next to Simba.
"You really can't stay still, can you?" Simba asked.
"Nope!" The monkey grinned. He skipped beside the king, shrugging his shoulders as they approached Pride Rock. "Never could, even when I was an infant, living here."
"Wait!" The king stopped, his head pulled back in surprise. "You lived here?"
Kwaheri continued to walk, ignoring the shocked reaction from the king of the Pridelands. "Yeah, a lot has changed since we lived here, right Kopa?"
Kopa refused to reply.
"Kopa?"
Behind them, Kopa crept through the grasslands, his head shrunken close to his chest, buried in the vast amount of fluffy mane adorning it. Occasionally, his eyes darted across the landscape, revealing a certain sparkling look in their corners. The land was lush and fertile, alive and well where only a few years prior, dust and desert consumed all life within reach. How could this be?
This trail of thought was swiftly squished out of his brain by Kwaheri leaping onto his friend's fur-coated head. The monkey slid through his short mane and onto his back.
"Wha-?!" Kopa'sclaws dug into the ground, forcing his body to brake, flinging the unsecured monkey on his back. Kwaheri landed onto the ground before him with a pushy plumping sound.
Kwaheri then jumped to his feet in one sleek slide. Jicho, who up until now had stayed in the air, sweeping through the air like a feathery claw through soggy, sleek dirt, decided to swoop down at last, landing beside her feline friend. Her sharp, focused eyes studied his face, practically scanning into his heart itself.
"Kopa?" The eagle chirped, looking up at the seemingly worried lion. "What's wrong?"
Kopa shook his head, clearing his mind of the thoughts bubbling in his bony cauldron, along with the specs of dirt kicked into the thick, protruding mane by his monkey friend's ruckus.
"It's nothing, Jicho." The lion continued to rumble forward, away from Simba's lead. His head sloped down further to the ground.
Jicho darted in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. "It doesn't look like it." A worried wideness shot through her eyes. "You can tell me, Kopa."
Knowing he had no choice, Kopa broke his silence. "I can't face her, Jicho. I can't bring this pain into her world." A small stream of salty liquid slipped from the corner of his eye, sweeping through his mane before seeping into his fur, stinging an ancient scar buried upon his cheek.
The eagle, seeing her friend in such a broken state, brushed out her wing, wiping his scarred, torn face with its feather-soft touch. "Kopa, you've saved the king of this land. I don't seriously think they will try to hurt you, or any of us."
"But I hurt him." Kopa sat down, his breathing intensifying. "That's the exact opposite of my job as Royal Mlinzi. I clawed him in the paws and... "
With one gigantic breath of air, he held back a flood of tears and emotion.
"Shwari, Kopa..." A voice from within whispered, calming and soothing. "Shwari..."
"You're right, Jicho." The lion re-aligned himself with the king's lead, preparing to pick up the pace. "I need to talk to Simba."
With one steady kick at the ground, Kopa sprinted off, catching up with the king and Kwaheri, who was still monkeying about near his majesty. Not far before approaching the king, he slowed to a trot, aligning himself with the king's side.
"Ahh, finally caught up, erm..." Simba awaited a response from the lion beside him.
"Kopa, your majesty." Kopa continued to introduce himself. "I'm the Royal Mlinzi for the Uasi Pride."
A sudden, minuscule weight seemed to lift from his chest, although his head still stared at the ground.
"Royal Mlinzi?" Simba turned back to the path ahead. They were not far from the rocky pathway leading up to Pride Rock. "I'm not familiar with that title. What do you do?"
"I protect the royal family of the Uasi Pride, from all harm, or at least... I-I used to." Kopa lowered his head, a shocking mixture of sorrow and pride rushed through his mind as images of the old days returned, flushed by the horrors of the past few months. "It's kinda why I'm here."
"Well, that certainly explains your knack for rescues then. "The king chuckled looking down at his front paws. "Even if a bit of collateral damage is involved."
The pair giggled, even if Kopa's was more out of the need to blend in than an actual interest in humour. They leapt up the rocky path before them, confidently spreading their bounds upwards, one after the other. It had been many years since Kopa last did so, and even then, he had to clamber up, one stone slab at a time. He stared out across the Pridelands below, full of life and wonder. Nothing like the barren wasteland of his youth, under Scar's rule.
As they reached the peak, Jicho landed softly on Pride Rock's edge. Behind them, Kwaheri flung from the rock face of the monument, landing on the peak before somersaulting in the air. Simba and Kopa carefully tread towards a cave opening, buried in the rock itself.
"Come Kopa, it's time you met my pride." The king walked in,followed closely by a rather excited, grinning Kwaheri. Kopa's heart beat increased, his nerves building up. He knew she was in there, possibly caring for her son at this exact moment. Who knows what emotions must be running through her mind? Fear, Sadness, Revenge...
"It's ok, Kopa." The softening, soothing squawk of his Jicho brushed behind him and with one big breath, he entered the cave, for the first time since he was a cub...
...
Inside, the cave was bustling with activity. About a dozen lionesses nestled inside, some laying down, resting after a long morning's hunt. Others brushed in a corner, surrounding something. In the middle of the cave, a pile of meat and bones rested on a bed of leaves, the biggest Kopa had seen in months. His mouth began to drool as the warm stench of fresh meat slivered across his nose. Stepping forward, he was halted by Simba, who instead took the lead, wandering further into the cave.
As he did so, many of the lionesses turned, their eyes glistened, admiring their king. The ones that were standing bowed in his presence as he passed, only arising as the entire group had passed them. Ahead, three young adolescent females laid on the stone floor; All were creamed coloured in different shades. The lightest shaded one was giving the middle one a wash cross her face
"Hey, watch where you're licking, Tiifu!"
The young lioness with the lightest fur froze, moving her face away from her friend. "Sorry, Kiara! I didn't mean to get your eye!"
"Hakuna Matata, Tiifu." She replied before turning towards the king, his shadow, along with the slight change in the breeze giving him away. "Oh, hey dad!"
She leapt to her feet, bounding towards her father's feet. She brushed her body against him, her tail swinging side to side rapidly, infused with excitement.
"Hello, Princess." Simba closed his eyes, enjoying the sharp rush of pride bursting from his heart.
As the two separated their furs, the young lioness' expression altered, staring at the gathering of lionesses at the other end of the cave.
"Do you think he'll be ok, dad?"
"I'm sure he will, Kiara." He brushed his paw over her head, comforting his wide eyed daughter. She looked behind him, noticing Kopa. A look of worry shot through her face.
"It's ok, sweetheart. This is the lion who saved Kion." Simba released his paw from his daughter's head, allowing her to step closer to Kopa and his friends. Her steps, however, were cautious. The thin line of fur spread across her spine shot up, poking into the air.
"You really saved my brother?" Kiara began.
Kopa simply nodded, unsure how to respond to such a question. His mind was still amazed by the richness and elegance of his surroundings. As he looked around, some of the older, resting lionesses seemed familiar... It seemed like this was the case for them, as they also stared back., Perplexed yet curious frowns crossed their faces.
"Simba?" A shaken, yet calming, elegant voice echoed across the cave, emanating from the gathering in the corner. Before them all, a single, cream coloured lioness stood forward. Her bright, blue eyes stared towards the king, full of woefulness, yet relief. She sprinted towards the king before brushing her face into his bright red mane. Her tears soaked into the strands.
"I'm at least glad you're safe."
"It's okay, Nala." Simba brushed her face into his mane, forgetting about everything and everyone. This was their moment...
"He'll be ok." He whispered in her ear. "I know he will be."
As they departed, she looked behind her mate, noticing the young lion stranger. A feeling of similarity overcame her, but he couldn't quite put her paw on it.
"Who's our visitor, Simba?" Nala asked. The young lion behind them shrunk with a hunch, trying to turn around towards the cave's entrance. He began walking before his eagle friend spread her wings to halt the lion.
With no proper way out, he analysed the positioning of everyone in the cave, trying to find an escape route in case things turned south quickly.
"Ahh, yes!" The king turned around, a smile adorning his face. This is Kion's saviour, as well as mine: Kopa."
Kopa's heart skipped a beat.
This was it...
"Royal Mlinzi to the Uasi Pride."
