The day was drawing near its end. As the sun began its climactic descent from the sky, Kopa stared out across the Pridelands. His head raised upwards towards the sky, illuminated by the stars shining down on his brown-orange fur.
His mind focused on these shining stars, seemingly staring back from above him. A sudden, chilling blast of wind blew against Pride Rock's rocky summit, sending a warming feeling into the young lion's fur, piercing his skin beneath. His nose twitched from side to side, searching for a particular scent.
"Come on. Where are you?" The lion continued searching for some time, sniffing the breeze in hope that the sweet, succulent smell he yearned for would turn up.
"Kopa?" A sweet, calming voice stirred through Kopa's skin, practically forcing him to leap into the air. Turning around, he saw Nala, casually wandering up behind him. A worried, confused smile brushed over her facial fur.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
Trying to hide his true motives, he shrugged off his thoughts, concentrating on the lands beyond. "Everything's changed so much."
"I suppose it has." She sat next to her nephew, joining his glance out at the Pridelands, watching a few animals wandering home for the night. The stars above, only faintly bursting through the thick clouds, glistened in the reflections of the watering hole all near the base of Pride Rock.
"In a good way."
Nala's thoughtful, maternal eyes darted between the landscape and her nephew. His slightly roughed up, messy mane blew gently in the evening breeze, tangling among itself. Oh, how he reminded her of his father. The strong, fearless lion that had saved her from harm when she was but a cub.
"Come here." Nala let out a slight giggle as she started to lick her nephew's face and mane. Slowly but surely, the twisted, conjoined fibre of fur unspun themselves, jutting from his body in a straightened silky smooth pattern.
Behind the pair, the majority of the pride were making their way back into the lair, ready for a good night's rest. Hopping up the rocky paths to the land below, Kiara, Tiifu and Zuri watched as Nala cleaned the young lion.
"Look!" Zuri pointed at the pair, a slight grin forming over her muzzle. "Seems like your mother's got a soft spot for the new guy."
"Yeah." Tiifu agreed with her friend. "Although you have to admit, he is kinda cute." Kiara and Zuri looked at their friend, concerned if not freaked out by her out-of-place comment. "What?!" Tiifu replied. Her face suddenly became warm, heart swallowed in her chest, ears lowered.
"Doesn't matter." Kiara said. She continued to walk towards the cave's entrance, followed closely by Zuri. "Come on, we'd better get inside."
As the trio entered the cave, Simba emerged, casually wandering down the rocky steps , before turning into the vine-coated layer below. Two hunks of meat lay nestled in his jaw.
As Nala finished cleaning Kopa, he turned his attention to the king's paw. It's rugged padding still dyed a dark, rich red in patches where the Simba's blood had stained his fur.
"What's that?" Nala's voice shuddered across Kopa's spine, forcing his paw back onto the ground, hiding the truth below it.
"Nothing."
"Now come on, Kopa." Nala nuzzled her head under his nephew's front right leg, flinging his paw into the air. Even with his muscular, panic-infused front legs, Kopa had no chance against his aunt. She was indeed a strong, capable lioness.
"I can tell something's wrong," The lioness's cobalt blue eyes rolled in her skull. "You're just like Simba, that look always gives it away." Her smile, combined with her soul-reaching eyes, resulted in the young lion's complete and utter surrender.
"Huh... okay, fine." He raised his paw, revealing the bloodstains upon his paw. His heartbeat thumped with might as his body began to shake, building in motion with every second passed. He turned and faced his aunt, terrified of her response.
"Blood?..." Nala's smile dissipated, replaced instead with a frown of shock and worry. She forced his paw around, carefully sniffing it. "Simba's blood!"
"It... it wasn't my fault." Kopa's shallow, trembling voice shuddered out from his muzzle. His body flicked away from Nala's, stepping further towards the edge of Pride Rock. His hind paws brushed a small group of pebbles off the edge and onto the rocky pathway below. "I... I tried to- "
Seeing that Kopa was heading towards the edge of the cliff, Nala hurried and flexed her body around his own, placing herself by the young lion's side. Kopa's face still adorned the terrified, nervous grimace that seemed to infect his whole muzzle.
"Kopa, it's okay. I know you didn't mean to." She brushed against his fur, slowly nudging him away from the edge.
"But what about Simba? What if he exiles me? Or worse?!"
Nala continued to nuzzle her nephew, a slight chuckle emitting from her lips. "He won't do that, Kopa. You saved his life, as well as Kion's. A soft, maternal lick by Kopa's head proved enough to calm him down. His breath eased, shoulders dropping. "He... we owe you everything."
The pair exchanged grooming licks for a few seconds, ignoring the rest of the world. It was on when Nala backed off that the air returned their senses back to them.
"Why are you so worried about being here?"
This question stopped Kopa in his tracks, firmly squashing his head onto the cold, rocky ground beneath them. His whole body slumped to the stone, paws dangling over the edge of Pride Rock. "There's nothing left. My Pride is either dead or missing." A stream of tears started to pour from his cheek. "The... the hyenas. They butchered all the animals, then the lions, even the cubs."
By now, Nala had flopped down beside him. Finally returning home from another successful evening hunt, a few lionesses noticed the tearful lion and had also laid next to Kopa and the queen. Their soft brushes seemingly comforted the scarred survivor. The young lion sniffled, sensing their touch.
"Karimu escaped before the fighting, but I don't know where she is." He brushed his paw over his face, wiping the tears from his fur. "That's why I'm here, to find her."
"Kopa..." Nala turned to the other lionesses.
"Spread the word. If anyone sees a lioness in the Pridelands, bring her back here, if possible." The lionesses nodded and departed, treading slowly towards the sleeping cave nearby.
"Come on, it's getting late. We'll need strength if we're going to find her tomorrow." Nala arose, turning back towards the cave.
"Okay- wait, WHAT?!" Kopa cried. A sudden, shocked smile overcame the young lion. "You're going to help?!"
"Why wouldn't we, we owe you the world." With a head tilt, Nala signalled towards the cave's entrance, slowly wandering inside as Kopa took one last look out into the Pridelands. He knew his princess was out there, somewhere, and tomorrow, the search for her would resume...
...
Deep below the pride's sleeping lair, Simba carried two hunks of meat from the pride's most recent kill. He wandered into the Lion Guard's lair. The sight that greeted him was one he thought he would not see in a million years.
Fuli had continued to snuggle up to her unconscious lion friend. Her short fur channeled her body heat into his thick fur, keeping both their bodies warm and cozy in the cold, breezy lair. Her tears had dried by now, replaced instead with the urge to now sleep and muster up new strength.
As the king dropped the meat before the feline couple, Fuli raised her head. The noble, majestic sight provoked Fuli's paw atop her brow, trying to hide her tears and worry for her friend.
"Fuli?"
"Oh, erm, King Simba!" The cheetah shot up until the pain in her leg forced her back down into Kion's fur. "It's not what it looks like. I was just trying to keep him warm."
"I know, Fuli." The king giggled, stepping around the other side of the pair. His sight turned to his unconscious son. "He'll be alright. He's strong." Simba sat before the cub, brushing his paw across his son's fur. Kion's shallow breaths rose into his cradling pad.
In the shadows, Rafiki had just finished painting the walls around the lair, adding the most recent events into the Pridelands' visual guide to its history.
"Rafiki?" Simba, arising to see these paintings, approached the mandrill. "Do you know what a 'Royal Mlinzi' is by any chance?
The mandrill stood back, his mind processing through all its vast knowledge. "Hmm." Rafiki groaned, gracing his chin with a thumb and finger. Scanning the paintings, he found one which contained this knowledge. Though worn and barely visible. Rafiki knew it held the truth which both sought.
"Ahh, of course. This one tells of the Mlinzi, and their place in the founding of the Pridelands."
Simba sat down next to the mandrill as he started to decipher the painting...
...
The Royal Mlinzi were the protectors of the original royal dynasty, here in the Pridelands. From King Yeye's reign all the way to the time of Askari. As you know, Askari would become the first Lion Guard leader after gaining the Roar of the Elders, all whilst travelling the savannah as a young lion. After many years of leading the Guard, Askari's brother died, and so Askari became the next King of the Pridelands. During this time, he would father three cubs, two boys and a girl.
The firstborn was to become the next king. The second-born would become the second leader of the Lion guard. But his only daughter, Potea, thought that she was stronger, more worthy of the title of Royal Mlinzi.
But her father denied her...
The last time she was even mentioned was at her deathbed where she was called Potea, the first Royal Mlinzi of the Uasi Pride. The last true pridelander royal Mlinzi, until now...
....
"Hmm..." Simba turned away, processing Rafiki's story. "So, Kopa grew up in the Pridelands then?"
"Indeed!" Rafiki leapt across the room, pointing towards another painting. "Do you wish to know his story as well?"
"I'd love to, Rafiki." Simba approached him, sitting down to hear the story of his nephew's life in the Pridelands...
...
After you fled from the Pridelands, Scar falsely became the new king. But even then, the lionesses under his command were not all loyal. It was only a few months after that their hearts would fill with hope once more, for a better life.
One day, a lone, wandering lion entered the Pridelands. At first, the lionesses retaliated against this rogue, chasing him far from Pride Rock. In the end, it took a single cub, Nala, to show this lion's true motives.
This rogue's name was Ni.
When Nala became trapped by a group of hyenas, with no possible way out, Ni charged and saved her from certain death. Seeing Ni had returned with her daughter, Sarafina saw the potential for peace with this lion: a life without the tyranny of Scar.
The lionesses of Pride Rock welcomed their hero, especially Tuli, who took a shine to this shaggy, ungroomed lion. In time, they would become mates: a secret from Scar.
And so, only a few months after, the first cub of Scar's rule was born. All the lionesses adored him. His eyes sparkled with the careful gaze of his mother whilst his fur brushed with the scruffy, but welcoming texture of his father.
And so, he was called... Kopa.
...
"But that doesn't tell us why everyone seems to love him, Rafiki." Simba began to pace up and down, insisting on learning more about his nephew. At this time, the king didn't know if Kopa was a threat to the Pridelands, to his reign.
"It's okay, Simba." Rafiki wrapped his lean, primate arm around the lion, pointing his staff at the painting. "There is more..."
...
As Kopa grew, his father, Ni, watched on from the edges of the Pridelands. Kopa was building his strength so that one day, he could challenge Scar and take the throne. Deep within the pride, a rebellion grew. The lionesses, who yearned for change in power, secretly rallied behind Ni. They each scouted out possible weaknesses and opportunities of attack among Scar's 'chosen and his hyena army.
But the figurehead for this rebellion, the one that fuelled their passion and hope for this change did not come from Ni. No, it came from his son. The innocent, heart-warming ball of fluff that they cared for, that they snuggled in times when the bleak world around them was too much to bear.
Kopa was the seed of the rebellion: the idea that the innocent should not live in a world filled with chaos and destruction, especially ones so young and defenceless.
In time though, Scar found out about the rebellion, and on one dark day, found out about Ni's place in this attempted takeover. And so, as the sun reached its highest point in the sky, the two lions fought, but Scar was too powerful. He kicked Ni off of Pride Rock, crashing onto the ground below. As Ni awoke, unable to move, the hyenas under Scars command closed in, hungry for flesh and bone.
By nightfall, nothing remained of the lion but his skull. Many of the lionesses who dared oppose Scar were imprisoned. However, Tuli fled with Kopa, joined with a few loyal lionesses. She eventually found a home with the ancient Uasi Pride, hidden within the northern, mountainous regions.
Nala, too, was imprisoned under Scar's rule. He tried to force her to become his queen but she was able to escape before anything serious happened. After months of searching, she would eventually find you, Simba. And the rest of that story is known...
...
"Great kings above us..." Simba whispered, his fur standing on end at the rather shocking revelations before him.
"Indeed." Rafiki stood back as the moon's light shone into the lair, illuminating the wall in front of them. "His past is filled with sorrow." The mandrill continued. "And I sense things have only gotten worse."
"Thank you, Rafiki!" Simba began to leave the lair, not forgetting to give his son a single, paternal lick behind his ear. "I know what has to be done."
"Indeed, my king." The mandrill continued to paint. "Dark times are coming." He breathed in, holding back all forms of worry "And the scars of the past will bear upon the chosen..."
