A Morning Tradition, {Kopa, Kiara, Nala}

[Simba]

Simba opened his eyes, nightmares still lingering as he looked around the peaceful den. The pride was at rest, each lioness breathing easily as the great Kings and Queens looked down from the stars. The King rose silently, tawny eyes seeking cub rather than lioness as he shook out his mane, shaking away the nightmares.

He had a promise to keep to his son. Today, he was fulfilling a tradition left too long. It was time to show Kopa the entire kingdom. With any luck, the young cub would show more wisdom than Simba had. So far, every sign had indicated Kopa a much more willing listener than his father had been. Simba could only be grateful for that simple difference between them.

He leaned in close, one paw pulling the body of the larger cub from his sister. "Kopa," he urged softly, tongue running along the younger male's head. If Kiara woke as well, she would follow them. While this was something of an inevitability, Simba needed the dawn of this day to be a shared moment with his son.

"Don't wake anyone. Follow me," he instructed with a nuzzle before padding away from the cubs' sleeping space and out onto Pride Rock. Once outside, Simba remembered making this trip with Mufasa. He had been looking forward to it, waking his father specifically so they could go. Eyes sweeping the heavens, the stars giving way to approaching dawn, Simba took a moment to bask in the presence of the Great Kings, of Mufasa, until he heard approaching paws.

As Kopa emerged, the King looked away from the stars. "Ready to go? It's time for you to really see our kingdom." Simba smiled. Now, with his son, with dawn approaching, and with a tradition to carry out, nightmares didn't seem so important anymore.



{OoC: I though I'd go with the suggestion I made in the plotting thread if nobody minds. Kopa and Simba starting things, Kiara following, and Nala tracking her. If anyone has suggestions/better ideas, let me know. Just wanted to get this started! Sorry this opening's so short.}

[Kopa]

Kopa had been dreaming. What of, he couldn't remember, but it had been a good dream... Until he felt a nudge in his side, his father whispering for him to wake up.

Opening one heavy eyelid, he grumbled slightly and tried to turn over... The sun wasn't even up yet! Why did Simba want him up with the Great Kings still watching over the kingdom?

He almost succeeded in getting back to sleep, but a little voice told him to get up. Simba wouldn't get him up before dawn for nothing, it wasn't his father's way.

Managing to drag himself to his paws, he stumbled slightly, before stretching the kinks out of his body, accidentally nudging his sister as he did so.

Padding out of the cave, his headfur mussed and his eyes drooping, a large yawn crossing his maw, the young prince saw his father looking at the stars. He suddenly remembered. He was to see the kingdom!

He was fully awake by the time he was following his father up to the peak of Pride Rock.

"We're gonna see the Kingdom, Dad?" he said, happily. "Is it really true that I'll be King?""

Sometimes he couldn't wrap his head around it.

[Simba]

Though leading the way, Simba made a point of watching Kopa for any signs of weariness; they'd both awoken very early, after all. If needed, the cub could be carried. At the enthusiasm in his son's voice, however, Simba worked to silence his worries. Kopa would be fine; he could make the journey. The King smiled; that enthusiasm so mirrored his own feelings when he'd been a cub. "One day, the sun will set on my reign in the Pridelands. It will rise with you as the new King, Kopa," Simba vowed, echoing the words Mufasa had spoken to him.

"An important part of being King is understanding balance. You can't just go around telling people what to do all the time. That kind of respect has to be earned and it can be taken away as swiftly as the river floods during rain. Once that respect has been lost, it's very hard to get back."

Simba's voice was a part of the lingering shadows, a lesson naturally forming as he walked, guided by something deeper than memory, and finally settled on the ledge. The sunrise, from here, would be spectacular. The entire kingdom would be illuminated, long before many of its inhabitants were moving.

"One King never learned that lesson. During his rule, there was no respect; there was nothing but demand. The herds moved on early in the season and the rain didn't come. The kingdom very nearly died." As he spoke, Simba's tail twitched. During Scar's reign, the lack of respect had seemed like the smallest concern, but it was the first thing Simba brought back. Mufasa had respected every creature in the Pridelands, even those who served as nourishment for the pride. Scar saw what he wanted and took it with no thought for consequences. Overhead, the stars twinkled, trying to shine brightly as long as they were able. The eastern sky was turning silver-gray.

[Kopa]

Kopa listened to his father speak, nodding as solemnly as his little body would allow. He could see the eastern sky lighting as he sat next to his father and wondered if the sight would be as spectacular as Simba had always said it was.

In talks of balance in the Land, Kopa looked up at his dad in wonder. Thankfully, the young cub had been blessed with the eagerness that had been a trait of his father's in cubhood, but also his mother's common sense and patience that blessed her in adulthood. Cocking his head to the side, he listened as Simba talked of Scar.

"That lion... that was Scar, wasn't it?" He asked, softly. He'd overheard tales of the Shadowlands from his grandmothers and shuddered to think that that was what his Kingdom could become if he weren't careful. "I'm never gonna turn out like him... that'd just suck!" The conviction in his voice, though that of an optimistic cub, seemed to be a driving force behind what he thought. "If I ever get in trouble... I'm gonna think what would my dad do."

It was true, Kopa was proud of his father. Sarabi had told him the story of his father's time away for the Pridelands, driven away by Scar, and Kopa hoped that would never happen to him.

[Simba]

The cub's small body was still, so intent was Kopa as he listened. Simba felt he could hear his son's mind working as he processed the story and correctly identified exactly which King his father had spoken of. This, too, was no surprise. The cubs of the pride had always been carefully taught; Scar's reign had not been so long ago that it would be forgotten any time soon. "Yes," the King responded simply. "That was Scar."

At Kopa's praise, Simba smiled. It felt good to be reminded how much Kopa looked up to him, how many of the pride's lessons had already sunk in for the cub. "If you ever get in trouble, I hope I'll be there to help get you out," he commented. Every parent's wish for their child, to be always able to fix their problems for them. Without looking to the sky, Simba felt another flicker from one of the fading stars. Was Mufasa agreeing with his son's feelings or apologizing for having left him alone? After a second, Simba knew it didn't matter. Mufasa had always been there for him just as he would always be there for Kopa and Kiara.

As the sky lightened further, the last of the stars slowly winked out. Simba purred a moment, recognizing his cue. "One day, I won't be here anymore, Kopa. The sun will set on my time as King and will rise with you. When that happens, it will be your job to maintain the balance of the Circle of Life. That is something I can't truly show you how to do because everyone faces different challenges. However, I've been teaching you all I can and this is one of the most important lessons."

He took a slow breath, looking out across the Pridelands. The sun was still climbing languidly, the last stars yielding valiantly as the savannah glowed with the dawn. "Everything the light touches, Kopa, is our kingdom. Every tree, every creature, is a part of the Circle of Life."

[Kopa]

Kopa looked toward the stretching light across the Savannah. "Wow... our kingdom is huge! He comments softly. His small head turned as Simba mentioned the sun rising and falling on his time. Kopa was suddenly scared.

The question seemed to echo through the young cub's head... was his father's really dying? Was this why he was bringing up the (albeit) strange metaphor of the sun rising and falling on Simba's time.

Suddenly afraid, Kopa stood up. leaning his front paws against Simba's foreleg. "You're not gonna leave... right, dad?"

If his father was dying, without the young prince /or/ princess knowing, it was a secret very well kept..... and if it were true, Kopa didn't know how he would break the news to Kiara. Or Nala. Or Sarabi. Or Sarafini. If anyone, his father's death would be most easy to explain and/or describe to his grand mother... she wouldn't freak out, at least...

But that would leave him to talk with Nala and Kiara... he didn't know how they'd cope... but he supposed that once he was king, he'd protect them all from the nastiest blows.

Looking back up at Simba with a worried look, he managed a weak smile... was the cub really ready to rule a Kingdom?

[Simba]

Simba kept quiet, feeling his son's awe and deliberately ignoring the shadows that would always linger just beyond the northern border, marking the old elephant graveyard. As something pushed against his foreleg, the King was awed yet again at his son's quick understanding of such serious matters. Maybe Kopa had been a little young for this talk - or a little too old.

Dismissing his concerns, Simba crouched some, getting eye level with his son. "I promise, I won't be leaving you any time soon." It was the best reassurance he could give without pushing the point and increasing Kopa's unfounded concerns. Shoving the cub gently with his muzzle, Simba got to his paws again. "Let's go to the water hole." The vast view of the Pridelands was hardly the place to talk of death, particularly when there was no looming threat.

The water hole was one of Simba's favorite places to go in all the Pridelands. It always had been. Today, with Kopa, they would have a good trip. With any luck, it would dismiss the cub's fears.

[Kopa]

Concerns assuaged for the time being, the cub that would one day be king nodded as his father suggested they go to the water hole. From the looks of things, the day was going to be the usual hot, dry, sunny day... the cub would need water to wet his tongue and perhaps, when his lessons were done, he could have a splash fight with Afua.

Padding down the cliffside after his father, Kopa suddenly lost his footing on a loose stone and slid unceremoniously in his father's back leg with a loud 'OOF!'. Being close to the main cave's mouth at this point, his ears drooped, for fear of his clumsiness having woken his sister.

He loved Kiara, no doubt about it, but he wanted to spend some real 'quality' time with his father, before the day started and animals would come to Simba for help.

Picking himself up, shaking his tawny coat free of dust, his fur ending up sticking up in every which way known to lion-kind, the fuzzball (or what Timon lovingly called a 'fuzzy maraca') tried (and failed) in vain to smooth his pelt. Looking at his father for a little help, he grinned sheepishly.

[Simba]

"Oof!" As Kopa's small body tumbled and skidded into the King's hind leg, Simba turned, ready to help. Of course, Kopa's resiliency had the cub back on his paws before his father could ask if everything was alright. Too focused on his son to worry about any others waking, Simba hovered until Kopa looked up, his fur sticking every which way.

"Come here." Simba's voice was gentle, his gaze unwavering as he watched the cub move closer, checking for any signs of injury. "I used to have a lot of trouble getting my fur to lay down too. It just takes a little patience," he reassured before running his tongue smoothly down Kopa's back. In his mind, he made a note of the feel of Kopa's muscles, his skin, sniffing for any hint of possible injury and grateful to find nothing.

Keeping one forepaw behind Kopa, Simba made quick work of the necessary grooming. Back, sides, head, neck, and legs, the fur easily tamed. Once the smaller tawny coat was laying in all the right directions, Simba nuzzled his son. Smiling, the King looked briefly over one shoulder, towards the den, before his gaze returned to Kopa and the smile turned to a grin. "Why don't you lead the way," he suggested, the growing light in the sky catching the red in Simba's mane.

[Kopa]

Kopa gratefully let his father groom him properly, allowing all of his fur to lay in its proper place. Once done, he shook his fur properly to dry it properly from his grooming and trotted forward at his father's offer of letting him lead.

The young cub felt his eyes go wide at the offer and he grinned, trotting and pouncing on crickets that happened in his way. His pouncing was getting better, thanks to all the play wrestling he did with Afua and Beba, and the grasshopper that had jumped out for the morning got an awful surprise when suddenly he was clamped under a small paw.

"I got him! I got him!" The young prince said excitedly. "Look, Dad! Look! Look!" He lifted his paw, only to have the grasshopper jump away, muttering things about lion cubs and their clumsy, great big paws. The cub's ears drooped slightly. "I lost him..."

His big brown eyes sought his father's. "It's gonna be hot today, isn't it dad?" He said after a moment, the lost insect suddenly forgotten. "Is that why we're goin' down the water hole? Cos it's gonna be hot??"

Huh... if it was gonna be hot, maybe he could play in the water and mud for a little while...

[Simba]

Simba hung back, allowing Kopa a real lead. As he stood still, the lion smiled, noticing how much his son had grown, how confident he was. Thankfully, Kopa had more humility than his father had at that age. This, more than anything, made Simba glad he had Nala as a mate; he was convinced Kopa's humility could only be a sign of Nala's influence. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the King made to follow his son to the water hole, watching the cub make a successful pounce.

"Next time, keep it pinned a little longer," he urged with a nuzzle as the insect hopped from under the cub's paw as it moved. Kopa, however, had moved on to more important matters, asking why they were headed to the water hole and if the day would be hot. Simba nodded. "Yes, it will be hot today. I want you to stay close to Pride Rock once we get back there. If you come down here again, tell me or your mother and don't come alone." The last thing Simba needed was to have a member of the pride, cub or lioness, spending too much time in the African heat.

Despite the worries, he worked to keep his instructions brief. There was no reason to weigh Kopa's little body down with parental concerns or responsibilities. As he made this decision, the King looked to the horizon where the sun was a fantastic orange-red in the slowly lightning sky. Yes, today would be hot, but beautiful - just as every day was in Simba's eyes.

[Kopa]

"Okay, dad." The little prince nodded, listening to his father's instructions about coming to the waterhole with someone. The African heat could be cruel, and could dominate anyone, if they weren't prepared.

Seeing another grasshopper, Kopa crouched in the grass, stalking his prey. A small growl in the back of his throat and a large pounce, the little lion cub went flying over his intended target and into the shallow water. Poking his head out of the cooling liquid, he managed to laugh at himself and is gross overestimation of his target.

"Didja see that, dad? Didja?" He giggled, flopping back into the water. "Come on! It's nice and cool in here!" He splashed a little water at his father. Prancing out of the water, he shook his fur out, causing it to bottle-brush every which way, making him look more like a dandelion than a lion cub. Play growling, he pounced at his father. "C'mon dad! Play with me!" He giggled. Early mornings were always a fun time for the prince, his cubbish tendencies shone through and he loved to play. Especially if his playmate was his father!

[[OOC: eep! short -_- I sorreh...]]