A/N: Hey guys! I just wanted to make a quick note before you read. The lion on the left is Makosa and the lion on the right is Kopa 😊. You may read and enjoy the new chapter below! (I am not going to say what number this chapter is on, because I now have lost count! Lmao 😂😂😂).

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Makosa

It has only been a day since Bahiya and I have visit my Aunt Vitani and her family. They are very nice to let us stay as much as we pleased. It was good for us all to catch up and update each other on what has been going on over the years with our own lives.

Aunt Vitani of course had asked me about my father, her brother. She is still very proud of him that he is King and also glad to hear that things are going positive in the Pride Lands. She misses my mother a lot too, who is her best friend. They were very close in-laws back at Pride Rock. I was told that long ago my mother and Aunt Vitani weren't always the best of friends in the beginning when her, my father, and their old pride were living in the Out Lands.

They were all once enemies and had come a very long way. My father falling in love with my mother is what amazingly brought everyone together as one. My parents use to tell me the story all the time when I was a cub. It is important Pride Land history. But I am not going to go over the story. I am pretty sure you all know what had happened during my grandparents time as King and Queen.

The leaves scud over the ground and take small flights into the air. As I toss my head back and raise my reddish brown eyes to the lovely afternoon sky, a smile spreads from furry cheek to cheek. The branches from the trees sway like arms. My mind relaxes and I feel the happiness of my life bubble up from within. It is true, I have been feeling happy every since I had left the Pride Lands and having my wife Bahiya joining my side.

Bahiya had a choice to stay or leave the Pride Lands. She did not have to come with me. But me on the other hand I was exiled, I did not have a choice to stay. I guess Bahiya could not be without me. I know it was extremely hard for her to leave her mother behind too. I took my eyes off from the sky for a few moments and see Bahiya having a nice girl talk with my Aunt Vitani and one of my cousins Aiysha.

Bahiya noticed me looking at them from afar on a hill and smiled. She winks, then return back to her girly gossip. I bet you all are still wondering when are we going to start a family of our own? Trust me, we will. Times like those need to be planned and prepared for. Right now, this is not the time. Bahiya and I have already agreed that we should start out our family once we have found our dream home.

Carrying around an infant cub while traveling will slow us down a lot. Plus, it would not be healthy for it either. Bahiya and I are facing danger coming across different lion territories and the constant change of weather. Our cub don't deserve any of that. So it is best that we wait patiently. There is no rush in these type of things! We are adults, but still so young. We have a lot of years ahead of us and each one will reveal something new. But I do hope to become a great father someday...

"Hey there, kiddo!" A voice greets.

I can now feel someone's presence behind me. The fur on my back sticks up. The deep voice kind of startled me. I look over my right shoulder seeing that it was just my Uncle Kopa.

I smile, relaxing my fur. "Oh, hey Uncle Kopa!"

He walks up to my left side and sat down joining me on the grassy hill. "What you been up to?"

"Nothing. Just thinking..."

"Heh, I can tell. You were looking so serious!"

I chuckled. "I was?"

Uncle Kopa nodded. "Yes. Is something bothering you?"

"No. I'm okay! Just thinking about life I guess."

"I see..."

It was now awkward silence. My reddish brown eyes looked back up at the sky as two birds flown pass. Uncle Kopa began licking his light yellow paws clean. I remember my father once told me that Uncle Kopa was not from Pride Rock or the Out Lands. He lived elsewhere and was majority a rouge his entire Adulthood. So how in the hell did he meet Aunt Vitani then? I was never told that story. Maybe for privacy purposes? I wonder how life was when Uncle Kopa traveled. It is great to hear from someone else's experience. It gives you more hope and something to look up to...

"Uncle Kopa?"

"Yes, Makosa?"

I took my eyes off the sky again, this time meeting with Uncle Kopa's brown ones. The wind blows his brown mane in multiple directions.

"I was wondering if you can tell me what life was like before you met my Aunt Vitani. I know you had to be traveling alone for awhile before coming to the Pride Lands." I say.

Uncle Kopa smiled and nod his head. "Ah, so you're curious Prince! What made you ask? Although, I don't mind sharing you my story." He replied.

"Well, you obviously know that Bahiya and I are travelers in search for our own home to build a pride. You were also a traveler too before you had met my Aunt Vitani. My father only told me snippets of the story and at that time I was just a cub. I want to know what your experience was like living on your own."

"There is not much to know young Prince. But there is something that might surprise you."

"Like what?" I asked, astound.

"I did not travel alone." He simply said.

"Huh?"

"Yes, I had two male lions with me. Their names are Chris and Kam. I've known them since I was a cub. We've developed a very close bond and often called each other brothers."

I smile amused. "Awesome! Where are they?"

Uncle Kopa shrug his furry shoulders. "I don't know. Before your Aunt Vitani had gave birth to your cousins, they decided to leave and search for their own home. It wasn't anything bad. They just wanted to begin their own life. I let them go on, they deserve to be happy just as I am. I only wished them the best of luck! They will always be brothers to me."

"Do you mind me asking how did you guys meet?"

"At an animal reserve."

I gasp with pure shock. "No way! You at the reserve? No animal tries to step foot there. Wow that is incredibly far! How did you-"

Uncle Kopa laughed. "I knew you were going to ask me a bunch of questions after that. You see Makosa, I was once from a Pride too. It was called, The Jungle Pride. The name already gives you a clear hint that we lived in a tropical jungle. We were the only lion pride living there. My mother was leader, but not a Queen. Just a regular leader and i was next in line."

"Wow..."

"I remembered that it was a bright sunny day. The temperature was warm, but not too warm. The jungle is often cool due to all of the shady trees. Anyway, me and my best friend Tambo were on our way to new adventures as we normally would do. At that time I was a cub and he was a growing teenager. I miss him a lot and wonder how he is. He was like a big brother to me. Tambo should still be alive too, just older. He probably has a family of his own now."

I smile. "That's cool, Uncle Kopa."

Uncle Kopa's smile went from happy to sad in an instant. I cock my head to the side noticing.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing, I'm just having a small flashback in my head on what happened..." he slowly spoke. It sounded as if he was lost.

"What did you see?"

"I see Tambo and I running from something...something much taller and surprisingly fast..."

I furrow my brows trying to think what it could be. "Hmm..."

"It was a human. It was trying to take us away. Tambo luckily was able to escape. Me? I got caught in one of their traps. Tambo did try to come back for me, but it was too late. The humans pricked me on my leg with something and then it was instant black out. They took me away from my home." He sadly said.

"Wow, I am so sorry Uncle Kopa..."

"It's okay, young Prince. That happened to me many years ago! Everyday I am so thankful to be alive. The spirits in the sky have given me another chance at life. I guess it was not my time to go yet. They had something planned for me already and that was your Aunt Vitani. But before meeting her, I had stayed growing up at the animal reserve. It became my new home for a while."

"What was life like there?" I ask, suspiciously.

"Good." He nodded. " It wasn't scary like everyone would think. These humans were kind. They fed, bathe, protect, and loved us animals. They only wanted the best for us. The humans needed us to help re-populate the area. I didn't like the idea of being locked away though, so my friends and I had made an escape plan. Of course, it came out successful!"

"Amazing!"

"After long months of traveling, we stumbled across the Pride Lands and that was when I had first met your Aunt Vitani. I remembered like it was yesterday. I knew your Aunt had a special thing for me. She was just behaving stubborn and playing hard to get. But after a while I understood why. She was just protecting herself from a terrible past..."

"I see. You guys story is magnificent just like my parents. Now I understand why my Aunt left...it is just like how Bahiya left Pride Rock to be with me. We almost share the same story, but still very different." I said, while trying to process everything in my mind.

Uncle Kopa place his large paw on my right shoulder and smiled. "Yes, I agree. One day nephew you will find your dream home. Do not give up! Your Aunt and I may not have a Pride of our own, but we made it successfully and survived as a strong team. You have to always believe and trust in yourself that you will make it. The spirits will guide you through it all."

"Spirits? Wait, Uncle Kopa you know about the Great Kings and Queens of the past too?!"

"Yes. Your Aunt Vitani taught me about it. She had learned it from your father, who learned it from your grandfather Simba. I love listening to those stories!"

I smiled nodding. "Yeah, me too..."

"I'm glad that I have told you my past story, Makosa. I'm sure you had lots of questions and wonder who I was at the time."

"Yeah, Heri and I both did. At least I got to know the story first! Haha.."

Uncle Kopa laughed. "Very true!"

"Uncle Kopa, can I ask you one more question?"

"Yeah, shoot!"

"Did you have a father?" I ask.

Uncle Kopa rolled his brown eyes and chuckled. "Of course I did! Why you asked?"

"Well...you only mentioned your mother."

"Because I never met my father. I don't know his name, how he looked, or what his background was. He is like a mystery to me..."

"Oh."

Uncle Kopa furrow his brows. "I don't really bring it up or find it important either. If my father really wanted to me meet long ago, he would have. Obviously he didn't care about me. I was fine with just having my mother."

I can tell that Uncle Kopa is a bit heartbroken. This must be a very touchy topic for him. I feel bad for asking.

"I apologize for bringing that up. I didn't know-"

"It's okay, Prince! You asked a serious question and wanted to know. I'm not afraid to answer. Your Aunt Vitani had asked me the same thing. I am over it! I just sometimes get upset and wonder what it would be like to have a father. I never had a chance to experience it. It seems nice! I promise to always be a good father and stay in my children's lives. I don't want to become an absence like my own father did. He missed out on everything!"

I nodded, "Yeah he did. But you cannot blame him for it Uncle Kopa."

He shook his head. "Oh I'm not trying to. I just wish that I can go back in time and could have at least met him. I have so much questions to ask! But now I am sure he is dead just like my mother. It's been years!"

"I understand."

Awkward silence fell again. Uncle Kopa and I both looked up at the now late afternoon sky.

I don't know how I would feel if I didn't have my dad...