Lion King

Title: They see what they think is there by Dellinah

Synopsis:

Kopa never told Simba why he ran away. Simba never told Kion about Kopa. Kopa never told anyone about finding Scar. Scar never told anyone he was alive. Zira never told Simba she didn't kill Kopa. Everyone has secrets; and within secrets there are lies. When Kion finds out that his brother and great uncle are alive, he might find that the truth isn't always what it seems to be.

Genre: Family & Hurt/Comfort

Rated: T

Words: 85k+

Status: In-Progress(😅)

Spoilers:

Chapter 1: Lost cub

Kopa didn't know for how long he had been running, but he knew it had been more than just a few hours. His legs ached something awful and his throat was dryer than ever before, but he had no plans to stop anytime soon. However, there was only so much his young body could take before he collapsed onto the ground, panting and in pain.

He tried to stand up again, but he was just so tired that his body wouldn't obey. Looking over his shoulder, he sighed when he realized how the Pride Rock was now just a little smudge on the distant horizon behind. The moon was already up on the sky, being the only source of light Kopa had considering that the clouds were covering all of the stars above.

Kopa gulped and then looked ahead, still trying to catch his breath. All he could see were shadows and blurred forms that he assumed to be trees. He was tired to the point where it was starting to muddle his sight and his eyelids kept closing against his will, so he shook his head and tried to see things any clearer, but it didn't work that well.

He knew that he needed to rest if he wanted to keep running in the morning. To be sure nobody would ever find him he needed to keep going until he could no longer see the Pride Rock, until he could no longer see any part of the Pride Lands behind him. Still, falling asleep in the middle of an open field like that could be dangerous. He had no idea what animals lived there, and for a second panic took over him when he realized there could be hyenas there.

That panic gave him enough adrenalin to get up off his paws and run a little more, but he couldn't find anywhere safe to sleep. A lion cub like him would be an easy prey for any predator that felt hungry enough to attack, especially hyenas. As he looked around, searching for any signs of danger, he didn't notice when the ground below him changed from soft grass to sand and some rocks as he entered a dry field, with less trees and a taller, yellow grass that covered some spots here and there.

His lack of attention led him to a misstep when he tripped over a rock and then he fell on the ground again. Kopa shook his head and tried to stand up, but then he noticed a sharp pain on his right front paw. He tried to ignore it and keep on walking, only to let out a cry as he flopped to the ground once more, unable to lean on said paw.

Kopa's jaw dropped in despair when he noticed his paw was twisted in an impossible angle, and he prayed it wouldn't be broken. But even if it wasn't, the pain made it impossible for him to walk any more that night.

He then accepted that that dry spot was going to be his bed for the night. It wasn't very comfortable, but at least there were no signs of any predator. In fact, there didn't seem to be any animals around him, which made him worried for a moment when he remembered how hungry he was. He just hoped that in the morning his paw wouldn't be hurting as much and that he would find something to hunt, even if he wasn't exactly the best hunter there was he should be able to catch something.

He put his head in between his paws and closed his eyes, but he wouldn't fall asleep. His mind was invaded by all the memories and thoughts that he had been trying to avoid, like the reason why he had run away. How could his father do something like that? Fill his head with dreams and hopes his whole life only to break them and tell Kopa he wasn't the chosen one? And why wasn't he the chosen one, anyway? He was the rightful prince, he was the smartest cub; and he knew he could be the fiercest. He could be if he had been given that stupid gift, but no, the Gods were yet to choose the new leader.

And it wasn't him.

Kopa could already feel the tears that were starting to form in the corner of his eyes when he heard a sound and his head shot up, his previous thoughts vanishing away as his instincts took over him. He looked around and lowered the volume of his breath, gulping in fear as he tried to duck as much as he could.

It was the sound of steps, and it was getting louder and louder.

He lowered his head again, trying to hide among the grass, but there wasn't much there to hide him. Kopa cursed for hurting his paw in such an open spot. Even a hyena cub would be able to kill him when he had an injured paw. He felt a cold drop fall on his muzzle and thanked nature for the rain, knowing the water would help to disguise his scent, even if it was just those few drops.

The next thing he heard was the sound of someone sniffing the air, and then more steps. Kopa's heartbeat was so loud that he could hear it clearly, and he knew that whoever was there could hear it too, and he wished he could control his heart.

In the darkness, he saw a blurred shape walking toward him.

His heart stopped beating for a second and Kopa started to cry silently. He tried to stand up one last time, but his paw was just too damaged to do so. His breath quickened and his lip quivered as he shrank in fear, closing his eyes.

The clouds were now covering the moon as well. Kopa was alone in the dark with the creature that was getting closer and closer, and he had nowhere to run and no way to defend himself. He whispered the names of his family and friends, as if that would be enough for them to hear him and come to the rescue, but nobody could hear him. And even if they could, why would they? Kopa had abandoned them.

Almost against his will, he turned his head and opened his eyes.

His eyes locked on the blurred form, and he panted in fear. When the shape got closer a few seconds later, Kopa realized it was a lion. Now, he had never heard of any lions that lived outside the Pride Rock other than the Outlanders, but he wasn't in the Outlands. Who could that be? It couldn't be anyone he knew now, could it? He was too far away from home, and he was sure nobody had seen it when he left. And even if his family had already noticed his absence back home, it would take them more than just a few hours to find him.

It could only be someone who would kill him for entering their territory. Kopa knew that was what most lions did, unlike his dad, who took in whoever needed help. He knew most lions were wild and didn't forgive intruders. He opened his mouth and prepared to apologize or beg for clemency, but he couldn't find his voice.

It seemed to be an eternity before the lion finally got close enough to him and stopped in front of the cub, standing still. The only thing Kopa saw was a pair of bright yellow and green eyes looking down at him, and that made him shiver as he let out a soft noise. Kopa couldn't see what that lion looked like, but he imagined he was baring his teeth or sharpening his claws to attack him.

None of them moved for what felt like forever. Kopa couldn't concentrate on any of the several thoughts going through his mind upon the fear and desperation he felt. What was the lion going to do with him? Why was he just looking down at Kopa instead of just attacking at once?

A cold wind blew across Kopa's face and he closed his eyes to avoid getting something in his eyes. When he opened them, he noticed the surroundings were way clearer, because the wind had managed to move the clouds away from the moon. When Kopa looked up again, his eyes widened at the new view he had of the lion.

Now that a moonbeam shone on his face, Kopa could see what he looked like. His eyes were green like the leaves of trees in spring, and they seemed to shine even more under the moonlight. His fur was brown like dirt and his head was covered by the darkest mane Kopa had ever seen. He had a scar on his left eye and he had lost half of his left ear and it looked like it had been shredded by sharp teeth, so Kopa assumed that lion had been in some fights – which only increased the fear he had of being attacked.

The rain got heavier, and soon there were enough drops falling to make Kopa's tuft of fur on his head wet to the point where a few drops ran down from it to his eyes and he rubbed his face with his paw, but when he did so he let out a cry for moving his injured paw.

The lion's eyes widened at the cub's cry, and then he leaned down a little to take a closer look at Kopa's paw. Kopa's whole body shivered in fear when the lion's breath hit him. After that, the lion straightened himself up and looked around, squinting.

"Are you alone here?"

Kopa gulped and it took him a while to wrap his brain around the lion's question. His voice was deep and he spoke differently than everyone else Kopa had ever heard, as if he was from a completely different place. Kopa wasn't as afraid anymore, for he thought that if the lion wanted him dead he would have killed him already, but he couldn't be sure. Still, now he was calm enough to speak.

"Yeah, I am." He whispered as he looked up at the lion with innocence.

The lion looked to the side and then looked up, as if he was pondering about something. He shook his body to get rid of the water on him and it splashed on Kopa, who sneezed and shook his head to dry it. After that, the lion sighed and leaned down again. Kopa gasped when he felt the lion's sharp teeth close tightly around his neck, and closed his eyes to wait for his death, hoping it would at least be fast enough not to be painful.

But the lion didn't bite him. Instead, he carefully held the back of Kopa's neck with his teeth and lifted him from the ground. He then turned around and started to walk. Kopa tilted his head in confusion. He looked up at the lion and saw that he looked straight ahead. When Kopa looked in the same direction, he saw they were walking toward a cave.

"Are you going to kill me?" Kopa asked, yet not as scared of the answer as he thought he would be.

The lion let out a small chuckle; still he didn't smile when he did so. "For now, I'll just get you out of this rain." He said through his clenched teeth, being careful not to open his mouth enough to drop Kopa.

Kopa sighed in relief and then looked over his shoulder. He could see the Pride Lands and the Pride Rock, yet it was so small that he wouldn't know it was the Pride Rock if he hadn't come from there. It came to him that it was no longer his home. A lightning stroke and lit up the sky for a few seconds, allowing Kopa to see the lion's scar and half ear again. He could also see that they were very close to the cave, meaning they would be safe from the rain very soon.

"Thank you." Kopa said, looking up at the lion.

The lion didn't say anything. He just nodded slightly and kept walking; speeding up when he noticed the rain was getting heavier.

Seriously, it's not a mystery who that lion is, is it?

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