The Lion King: A Second Chance

Mysteries Revealed

Simba smiled at his son and the three lions headed into the cave to eat. It was bedtime for the cubs after dinner, so Kopa asked if he could go say goodnight to Vitani. Simba allowed him to, and the cub ran over to the other side of the den to go see his lover. She was laying next to Zira, and Kopa stopped, not wanting to get too close to the strange lioness.

"Hey Vitani" he whispered. "Just wanted to say Goodnight." Vitani lifted her head up and smiled at the prince.

"Goodnight, Kopa." She yawned. Kopa was about to turn around and head back when he was stopped by Zira trying to talk to him. He cringed when he heard her voice.

"Hello young prince. I heard about you and my daughter, and I just wanted to say that I am utterly delighted to hear about you wanting Vitani to become.. your queen." As Zira paused her sentence, she had flashbacks of to when she was Scar's queen and during his reign, when he confessed to her that he loved her. Zira, once again, forced a smile onto her face before speaking to the prince.

"Now hurry back over to your mother, dear, before the sleep monster kidnaps you." She smiled maliciously. Kopa shuddered and ran back to Nala before cuddling into her.

"Mom?" he asked. Nala lifted her head up sleepily.

"What is it dear?" she responded.

"Is there such thing as a sleep monster?" the frightened prince asked again. Nala chuckled lightly before licking her sons face.

"No my dear. Now go get some sleep." Kopa lay his head down on Nala's forelegs and drifted off to sleep. Nala smiled at her sleeping son and lay her head gently down on his.

Meanwhile, Simba was sitting on the tip of Pride Rock, talking to Zazu.

"It's getting too dangerous for her out there, Zazu, she's almost fully blind. I'm gonna have to get someone to be with her at all times, just in case she gets herself lost." A few months ago, Sarabi's sight had gotten significantly worse and she was going completely blind now. Simba turned back into the cave and looked at his sleeping mother.

"Don't worry Sire, fortunately for you, I know a bird who could be able to help Sarabi get around the place." Simba turned back around to the major domo, now smiling.

"You really think they would be able to do that?" he asked. Zazu nodded.

"I can go get them now if you want, but I mightn't be back until tomorrow as it is quite the journey away." Zazu answered. Simba sighed in relief and smiled again at the bird.

"Thank you Zazu, and I give you permission to get them. Have a safe journey." Zazu smiled and nodded at the king before flying off into the sky. Simba kept smiling and turned back and walked into the cave.

Chuma looked up and saw Simba walk back in and lay down beside Nala. He turned back to Zira and needed answers from her.

"Zira, we need to talk." She opened one eye, glaring at her mate.

"What?" she asked coldly. Chuma frowned at her attitude before opening his mouth to speak.

"Where have you been off to the last few weeks? Rafiki suggests that you might be visiting someone he knows. Is that correct?" Zira shot up knocking Nuka and Vitani over at gave Chuma the death stare.

"Don't play hard with me. You aren't getting anything from me, softie. Ask me about this again, and you'll get a repeat of your childhood." Chuma gulped and watched Zira lay herself down on the floor again. I hope to the Great Kings that she is just in this mood because of the cub. He thought. He too, lay down, slowly drifting off to sleep.

A young cub was hiding in the long, savannah grass, quivering with fear. He looked to his side and saw three, deep and bloody cuts on his leg. He tried not to scream or cry as he did his best to clean them, but he knew only his mother could do that. He heard rustling in the grass not too far from him. He gasped quietly trying not to give away his position, his heart beating a mile a minute. He heard a voice he hated to hear.

"Oh, Chuma? Where are you? Daddy need to finish teaching you a lesson." The young Chuma began to cry silently as the voice started to get closer. And closer. And closer. Until it was too late.

"THERE YOU ARE. LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DISOBEY ME!" That sentence was followed by the horrific scream of a young child.

Chuma shot up, sweating, and gasping for air. He looked around to see that he was in the cave, and it was morning. He looked to his side, and Zira was gone. He sighed shakily, still shook by that 'dream'. He stretched his stiff limbs and walked out of the cave and bumped into Simba. Chuma jumped as he bumped into the king and lept back a few steps, shaking. Simba was extremely confused by his friends behaviour.

"Uh, Chuma? Are you um, okay?" he asked with concern. Chuma got himself together and stood up again.

"Oh, um uh, yeah yeah, I'm fine." He answered. Simba wasn't buying his response, but he wanted to respect his friend, so he went with it.

"Alright, but I'm here to talk to, I don't bite." Chuma faked his smile at the king and walked down Pride Rock, heading to the waterhole. Simba watched his friend walk off in the distance. He was starting to become worried about him. He saw how Zira was talking to him last night, and how he reacted when she said that she would give him a repeat of his childhood. He thought about earlier on, when he woke up and he saw that Chuma looked to be having a nightmare. He wanted to wake him up, but he didn't want to wake up the sleeping twins aswell by doing so.

Zira had been walking for about 5 hours now. She had just entered the driest lands in Africa, even dryer than the Outlands. She was carrying the leg of an antelope in her mouth. All the trees that she walked past were dead for decades. There is no life in these lands at all. Except for some hyenas, and a lion. As she continues to get closer to her destination she smiles when she sees an old friend walking towards her. She drops the leg and begins to speak.

"Hello again, Shenzi." She smiled. Shenzi kept her face blank and nodded.

"Zira. Good to see you keeping well." She responded. "He is waiting for you. You may go." Zira smiled and picked up the leg and started to walk to the entrance of the cave. She walked in through the narrow tunnel and into a large open space. There was a hole in the ceiling, with the sun's light shining down on a long and slender figure. She walked up to it and drop the leg beside him.

"It is an antelope. I thought you might like it." She told him. The lion hesitated, and then got up weakly. The bone chilling voice that came from him was music to Zira's ears.

"Thank you, Zira." She nodded her head and watched him start to eat the leg of the antelope. After a minute, he lifted his head up and began to speak again.

"So, what is going on back at home." He said, still chewing the meat. Zira waited a moment for him to swallow, before speaking.

"Simba's son is after getting engaged with my daughter. That wuss I call a mate is onto me. He finds it suspicious that I leave to see you all the time." He smiled at the lioness, before speaking again.

"Don't worry Zira, once I am fully healed, I will head back to the Pridelands, and we will take those Pridelanders down, and rule together." The two lions smiled maliciously, before he continued eating.

"You really should stop getting into fights you know." Zira started. "The last one ended up with you getting shot by a human." He glared at Zira and swallowed.

"And he died because of it." He said coldly. "Just like Simba will."