Zuka Zama Part II: The Scourge of Kopa | The Lion Guard

40. Diminished Power

Kopa let a roar rumble deep in his chest. The sky began to grow darker and a wind picked up. Simba felt his heart pounding through his chest, but he stood firm regardless. He wasn't going to turn his back on his son, not again. Kopa released a roar, but it came out...regular. There was no strong winds, no roaring clouds.....Even the clouds themselves cleared away.

What is this? What's wrong with--?, Kopa thought to himself. Scar. Scar! I can't use the Roar anymore! For the first time in his life Kopa did not get a response, not only that. That feeling that always surrounded him. That presence that he he always felt around him. It was gone. The realization quickly hit him and he was truly unprepared for it at all. Kopa felt defenseless and all alone. Everything he had wasn't there anymore. They were gone, taken from him just like before. The Roar is gone, Scar is gone and even Changa was nowhere to be seen.

Kion and Bunga heard the shouts and the roar and quickly joined the king's side. Only to see Kopa there alone, staring at the ground with a distraught look upon his face.

"Is he alright?", Bunga asked, hopping off of Kion's back. Kion shrugged in response and both of them stepped up to the king.

"Dad? Are you alright? What's going on?", Kion asked his father.

"I'm fine, Kion", Simba nodded. He quickly turned to Kopa who still stood there. The king took a deep breath and took a step towards Kopa, who was snapped from his thoughts. He looked at Simba in surprise.

"Kopa...I", Simba started, but he had to jump back quickly as Kopa swiped at him with his claws.

"Shut up! I'm tired of hearing your fake apologies! I know the truth! It's just like Scar told me, you cast out others to protect only yourself!", Kopa snarled, taking another swipe at the king.

"Scar was an evil lion killed his own brother, your own grandfather, and tried to kill me so he could rule the Pride Lands into ruin!", Simba argued, jumping clear from another attack. "Everything Scar did was for the benefit of himself of himself and no one else! Not me, not Kion, and certainly not the Pride Lands!"

"T-that can't be true!", Kopa shook his head once again. What was happening? What was wrong with him? He was a mess now, questioning himself at every second. "Scar guided me, everything I've ever done is because of his words!"

"I think I get it...", Bunga thought aloud, surprising all of them. "Yeah....it makes sense now."

"What are you talking about, badger?", Kopa spat.

"It's pretty obvious...", Bunga shrugged. "Scar took advantage of you. He saw what happened and used that for himself. You said everything you did was because of him. Then he must of planned it from the beginning. Raise you up to do what he couldn't anymore", the honey badger said bluntly, leaving everyone else on the hill speechless. Bunga wasn't one to sugarcoat his words, but his explanation in itself sounded especially harsh.

"No! That can't be true! It's not..!", Kopa desperately fought back against Bunga's notion, but in the back of his mind it all made too much of sense. He should have known.... He was just being used by his uncle who claimed to care about him. But now seeing that Kion had his mark back he put it together that something must have happened to Scar. He was truly all alone with nothing. What was the point of anything anymore?

Kopa looked around him, his eyes focused on Simba and he snarled again. It was him. He's the cause of all of this. He was the one who just gave up on him and brought all of this upon him.

"This is all your fault!", Kopa roared, launching himself at Simba. Simba braced himself and was harshly tackled to the ground, quickly gathering his thoughts he fought back against his son's attack. Kion and Bunga watched at the two lions were snarling and writhing in the dirt.

"You can do it, King Simba!", Bunga cheered.

"Bunga! We-- we gotta do something!", Kion said with urgency in his voice. Right now his father and brother were all each others throats. He was about to jump in himself when something blocked him. He looked down to see Bunga pushing against him.

"What are you doing?!", Kion asked his mate.

"Kion, I think we should just let this happen", Bunga suggested.

"Why would we do that?", Kion sniffed, thinking his mate was going crazy.

"I just have a...feeling. Look, if I gets too intense we jump in. Okay?", Bunga offered.

Kion took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay", despite all his instincts telling him to pounce on Kopa, he ignored them in favor of a hope that the two lions would be able to fight it out.