Lion King III: The Pridelands Reborn: Chapter I
#1 of Lion King III: Pridelands Reborn
The Lion King III: The Pridelands Reborn
Written by Loup D'argent; Co-written with StrikeTheWolf and TheCoolKat
Chapter I: A New Beginning
Simba's POV:
It had been awhile since Kopa's... my son's death. I still hadn't fully accepted the fact that he was dead, but I couldn't dwell on that too much. Seeing as Kiara was born just a few months ago... and you could definitely tell she was my daughter. She looked more like Nala but her personality was just like mine. Which meant we had to be careful; we didn't want another... incident. Zira, seemed to have settled down; but there had been a few reports in the past months about rogue lions visiting the Outlands. So far none had stayed but... I couldn't be too careful. I don't know what I'd do if I had lost Kiara. I know it seems strange; but if you'd had your son viciously murdered, my actions would seem logical. Hmph, logic, I thought. Logic; I hated that word. I had used logic to talk myself out of believing Zira would attack... and look what that brought me! Logic is what killed my son. I sat in the cave, brooding on my thoughts; and for the first time since Kiara was born, I wept for Kopa.
Kopa's POV:
Water... I need... water! After traveling for days since that last oasis across the desert, my throat was parched. It's hard to find water in the Outlands; and it's even harder to remember where it is. I sniffed the air cautiously, and caught a scent of a lion. That was just too strange; there weren't any prides near there! I sniffed the air again, and caught another scent, like rotting carrion; hyenas. As I wandered across the sun-baked landscape, I unsurprisingly noticed a trio of hyenas nearby, looking very hungry. I pretended that I hadn't noticed them, but tensed my muscles, ready to strike. One of the hyenas moved a little too close for my liking; Snarling, I swung my right paw at it; with one swipe I had cut its windpipe. The remaining two saw their dying comrade, and looked at me, hate and hunger blazing in their eyes. Fueled by anger, they leapt at me, snapping viciously; I moved out of the way and retaliated with all my lion strength; within seconds, I had ripped the throat out of one and had the other one pinned under me in a choke-hold. Forgive me for sounding too violent; you have to do what you have to do to survive in the Outlands; remorse or gentleness doesn't really enter into the equation. As soon as the body stopped moving, I released my grip and walked away to inspect the injuries to myself; other than a few new scars and blood to add to my collection, there was nothing worth my attention.
Oh, I'm sorry! I guess I haven't properly introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Kopa: Rogue Lion, former Prince of the Pridelands, and unreqitted love of a beautiful lioness by name of Vitani. Months ago, I exiled myself due to some unfortunate events that resulted in me almost dying... however, that was my past; and ever since that day I left, the only thing that kept me going was the memories of Mom and Dad... and of Vitani. Those memories will never fade. I had grown into fairly well-built adolescent lion; a tawny mane now dark brown with dirt hung around my neck. I had a few scars and have gained more since that day. Out of neccessity, I taught myself how to fight and search for food.
The scent of lion was overpowering now; as I walked away from the corpses of the hyenas, I heard a loud snarling nearby. Wary of another attack, I moved towards a rotten acacia tree and noticed a lioness about my age at the base, trying to fend off a pack of hyenas; and failing miserably. I stopped for a second, gears turning in my head; I didn't know the lioness, but I sure as hell couldn't let her get ripped apart by those mangy pooches, could I? Blood boiling, I took a breath and leapt into the fray.
Vitani's POV:
I opened my eyes to the inside of our termite-mound home. I yawned and looked to my left to see my boyfriend, Lati, sleeping beside me. I smiled; if it weren't for him, I would be absolutely miserable. It's survival of the fittest here in the Outlands, and that means physically, mentally... and emotionally. I needed Lati as an emotional pick-me-up for the months after Mom almost killed Kopa; I mean, sure he survived, but I was the only one who knew that.
I walked to the main area inside the largest termite mound, hearing loud cries of pain. I noticed, alarmed, that Mom had a crowd of lionesses around her; if I wasn't mistaken, she was giving birth! My new sibling was the cub of the Rogue lion that been through here a couple of months ago. Oh well; live and learn, I thought. I was a phrase my Mom always used. If you're wondering why I wasn't too excited about having another sibling, let me explain; I already had a brother, Nuka, to whom Mother paid no attention to whatsoever; I was only paid any attention because I was I not the family disappointment. I knew that the only reason she was having another cub in the first place was to have an heir for my father, Scar. Sometimes, I wished she would stop her insane quest to please a dead king, even though he was my father.
I leaned against the dirt wall of the termte mound for a while, and noticed Lati come up next to me. I smiled and nuzzled him, making him pur slightly. He lifted his forepaw and placed it gently on my shoulder, like in old times. We stayed like that for a few seconds, until he pulled away and walked back to our termite mound. I sighed, then looked upwards and began to pray silently: Please keep Kopa safe, and, if possible, lead him back here. Sure, I had Lati; but I needed my best friend back...
Zira's POV:
After a few hours of agony, with one last push I brought the meaning of my existence into the world, the means of my revenge! I looked down upon my newborn cub; the resemblance to Scar was shocking, even though my brief mate only looked vaguely similar to Scar. Heshima, one of the lionesses in my Outlander pride, looked at my child and said, "What will you name him?" I looked down at the little reddish-brown cub in my paws, "Kovu." I said. It meant "Scar," for the lion whose place he was going to take. I raise my head up, cackling in exhiliration, "Look out Simba; Zira's back, and I will have my revenge!"
Well folks, this begins our new story. Like it? Hate it? REVIEW!