Kopa strolled up to his best friend, Vitani, playfully. "Hey Vitani!" He exclaimed. "Wanna play wrestle? Rawwr, rawwwrr!"
Vitani looked different. Her eyes were grey and had no spirit to them. Her ears were drooped, and so were her whiskers. "I can't." Vitani murmered, tears filling her blue eyes. "Never again Kopa."
"Hey," Kopa said, and lifted her chin with his cheek. "I know I always win, but you can still try."
Vitani had tears streaming down her cheeks and she whispered, "No, Kopa. I can't. Never again. I'm so sorry!" Vitani cringed. Kopa licked her ears, and sighed.
"You have nothing to be sorry about, though!" Kopa spoke in a calm voice.
"Oh but I do. I'm so so sorry Kopa!" She slumped her shoulders. Kopa was about to reply, when he heard a cackling laughter.
"Kopa, at last!" cackled Zira. Kopa's heart raced. He looked at Vitani, who was staring at her paws, still a mess of tears. "You look just like Simba." Zira said in horror. "Well, you won't be alive much longer, so...."
"You!" Kopa exclaimed, baring his teeth at Vitani. She looked up in surprise, and Kopa striked her cheek. Blood flowed, and Vitani looked at Kopa in fear. Kopa felt guilty for hitting Vitani, but showed no signs of it. He instead growled at her again, and then ducked as Zira took a swipe at him. "I thought I could trust you, Vitani. But I know better now, I should have at the beginning." Kopa whispered coldly, and then ran between Zira's front paws. Zira roared, and smacked Kopa to the cold rock ground. Kopa limped up, but then he saw Nuka. Nuka smacked him also, leaving his shoulder split open to the clean white bone. Kopa roared in pain, and ran between them.
He leaped onto Zira's neck, and bit her ear. A round circle was bitten off one of them. She roared, and Nuka tried to hit Kopa off. Instead, it caused a scar to move down from her forehead to her upper back. Zira cringed, and knocked her son to the ground, meaning to strike Kopa, who had leaped off her back and was now hiding behind a rock. Nuka and Zira lost track of Kopa, but Vitani knew where he was.
"Did you see the little brat!?" Zira asked Nuka harshly.
"No!" Nuka growled back, looking around.
Kopa held his breath as Zira and Nuka turned to Vitani. "What about you, Vitani?!" Zira sneered. Kopa looked at his betrayed friend. She was looking at him, and her ears were up and her eyes wide. Kopa shook his head pleadingly. "I - uh..." Vitani stammered.
"I saw him go that way, running into the Pridelands." She managed to say, and pointed to the opposite direction. Zira looked to Nuka. "Lets go!" Zira exclaimed, and the two went racing off into the Pridelands.
Kopa looked back at his friend after they were gone. She was no where to be seen. He sighed, and raced off, knowing it wouldn't take long for Zira to know he wasn't in the Pridelands. He sprinted out into the desert, beyond the outlands. He knew never again would he see his father, mother, and unborn cub that was growing in her stomach, which was tight and round. He wanted to see the cub, but now he couldn't possibly go back.
Kopa found a small spot after running for a few days. A cold fresh puddle of water was there to cool his hot dry throat. He noticed it seemed to be the only place around with water. The only living things were small reptiles and coconuts. A palm provided shade, and Kopa decided that it was a safe place to rest. He slept for a couple days, and when his energy was restored, searched for food. He ended up returning to the palm, for no creatures besides lizards and chemilians lived here. He spent alot of time washing and grooming his injured shoulder, which Nuka had cut. He assumed his back paw was broken. He knew if he didn't find help, he would die in a matter of days.
The next morning, he was about to set off to look for help, but the wind picked up. He closed his eyes, and layed under the palm. He could feel sand hitting his face hard. He knew if he opened his eyes, then he would be blinded by the sand, so he covered his head in his paws and wrapped his tail against his body. Hours past, and he eventually fell asleep. When he woke up, the storm had passed. Sand layed everywhere, making the place look like a beach. He looked around his campsite. It had been completely destroyed. The palm was on the ground, and the only sign that water was there was some damp sand. He sighed, and picked himself up off the ground. He had to continue moving. Kopa is now a teenager, with shaggy red mane growing from the sides of his cheeks and back of his neck, and some on his thick broad chest.
Kopa traveled from sand, to more, well, sand! He continued this for hours. Finally, dehidrated and hungry, he collapsed in the sand. Again the wind picked up, but he could actually see this time. A brown paw stepped firmly in front of him. He looked up to its owner. The leg was muscular, and veiny. It was very thick, and seemed to bulge with strong, steel-like muscle. He looked to the owner's face. It was a lioness! He opened his eyes wide, and struggled to his feet.
The lioness jumped forward, alarmed at his sudden movement. She stood, prepared for a fight. Kopa continued to stagger up, until he was almost at her height. She was taller.
"Who are you?" Boomed the lioness. Kopa gulped.
"Kopa."
"Kopu who?" The lioness asked suspicously.
"Kop-A, and I have no pride."
Her eyes were shaped like hearts, the way Nuka's were. She had pretty blue-ish green eyes, and brown fur. Her underbelly and paws were mocha-colored. She had three black dots under her soft yet worry-filled eyes.
She scoffed. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Leave the male alone," another voice rang out. A lioness with pale fur stepped forward. Her ears were brown and so were her cheeks. She had Nala's fur color everywhere else, exept her belly, which was brown also. She had dots up above her eyebrows. They looked like they were in the same family. "We can take him back to the pride."
The muscular lioness growled, but stepped back. She then looked at all the lions and lionesses that had followed her. "We'll take this rogue back to the pride, but he will not join the pride unless King Mohatu agrees." She announced. Then she glared at Kopa, and turned, heading back to their pride.
"Sorry," the other lioness said in a soft voice. "That was Kaya. She's my sister, and after a rogue killed our mother, the queen, she doesn't really handle them well now. My name's Kaykay, by the way."
Kopa nodded, and Kaykay walked him to their pride, where a lion with a dark brown mane and lighter brown fur looked upon him with green eyes. "That's Papa, or King Mohatu. He's my father, and the leader of our pride. As I said earlier, a rogue ambushed us and killed my mother, the queen." Kaykay whispered silently.
"Who is this!?" The King boomed. Kopa again gulped, but limped forward.
"This, father," Kaykay told him, "is Kopa. He is weak, injured, and dehidrated, and has a terrible wound on his shoulder. It is infected."
Mohatu looked down upon Kopa with selfish eyes. "Is this true?"
"Yes sir." Kopa assured him. Mohatu grunted. Kaya grinned, thinking Kopa was not going to be let into their pride. How wrong she was.
"I will let you into the pride, young lion." Mohatu announced. "But, you won't be accepted until you prove you are no threat at all to our pride. We will care for your injuries and hydrations, but you must care for us, and in return even die defending us."
Kopa nodded, and whispered, "I will sir."
A crooked smile appeared on Mohatu's face. "Well, then my daughters Kaya and Kaykay will nuture you before you are judged. Kaya will decide whether or not you may join the pride, depending on your progress here." Mohatu turned to a couple of male lions. "Fetch this male some water, and get Atori!"
A few minutes later, a lioness was at his shoulder, placing sand, some herbs, and water into his wound. Kopa was allowed for the first time in days to drink fresh water. He knew here that these lions would care for him. Little did he know that Kaya, the muscular grouchy lioness, would fall in love with him, and end up his queen. (Kaya is the future queen, so Kopa becomes the king of the Drylands Pride.)