Mommy and her Kopa!

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The cub stared down, peering and squinting in wonder at the fairly large tunnel hole he and his sister had located not too far from the water hole. Okay, technically Kiara had found it ─ But he had helped!

What kind of animal would have made this? It was a pretty big hole; big enough that the cubs could probably crawl through it.

"How far down do you think it goes?" He murmured, looking to his sibling.

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"Timon!"

The cub frolicked over to the rockpiles, ears perked and eyes bright. He carried something wriggling within his maw ─ A skink that was being carried by its tail. Kopa skidded to a halt, dropping the poor reptile only to put a paw over it before it could escape.

"Timon! Timon! Timon, look what I caught! It's some kinda lizard! That's kinda like a bug, right? Wanna eat it with me?"

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He was out far later than he was supposed to be.

Lately, Kopa had a nose for mischief ─ Where it came from, no one knew, but it certainly kept the cub's parents on their toes. Poor Nala was at her wits' end trying to keep track of the ever-adventurous Kopa.

And yet, Kopa's curiosity oft led to a sense of fear.

He stared into the tall, lush grasses as they parted, his whiskers twitching in anticipation. Something was out there.

"H-Hey..! Come out! I can smell you! You're not gonna fool me ─ I'm the smartest lion in the Pridelands!" He boasted.

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Trespassers in the Pridelands were nothing new. King Simba, by now, was known far and wide for his story — and many wanted either to meet him or antagonize him. Though Kopa was told strictly not to talk to strangers, it didn't exactly stop him.

What's wrong with their face...s?

The cub knew better than to say it out loud, but he was certainly caught off guard. He had never seen anything like it before.

"Hey! What are you?" He called out curiously.

"it's okay, it's alright it was just a dream."

From Nala for Kopa <3

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The cub sniffled and sobbed, his small frame shaking as he curled up close to his mother. It felt silly to be so frightened, but nightmares could feel so real.

"It was Great Uncle Scar," The cub hiccupped in explanation.

He had never met the lion, of course — All he'd known of the former tyrant was from stories of horror and grandeur. Perhaps, the stories were too ample for a cub his age...

"He came back to life, a-and he grabbed you by your neck! And he threw you and Dad down a big hole, and he said I was next! What if he's still out there? What if he gets us?"