Dawn Over Pride Rock

[Kion]

"Morning, Kiara." Equally dejected looking, Kion turned brown eyes towards his sister who was clearly feigning cheeriness before returning his gaze to Kopa. "Kopa, you know how I feel about you going to patrol the Outlands...what if Mega's right? You'd just be painting a giant target on your head, and no one wants to see you get hurt." He stood to his feet reluctantly. "Why don't you let me get the Guard together and WE can go down there and patrol, if you want to investigate so badly. At least that way, it's less risky."

[Kopa]

Kopa thought for a moment, then nodded, "I guess that seems good." he said. He wasn't that sure himself, but he managed to push past that.

[Kiara]

"No."

Further conversation wasn't tolerable to the princess. Kopa's proposal for patrolling the Pridelands had caused her head to rear up. Ears perked like alarmed discs as her eyes had grown wide, flicking between her brothers as they discussed with the grown male. When it became clear to all that there was something brewing for them to head out Kiara had evidently had enough. With a tight expression the young lioness stalked forward on stiff legs, halting between Kion and Kopa. "The Guard can go investigate on your orders. They don't need you present to do their jobs."

[Kopa]

Kopa turned towards his sister, shock forming on his features. "No?" Kopa wasn't sure he heard her right. "Why can't we go? Why does the Guard have to handle it?" Kopa felt anger rush through him. "What gives you the right to say what and what we can not do?" But when he heard himself, he felt the question to be a bit redundant. He took a deep breath and sighed. "I want to go..." he muttered meekly.

[Shani]

"Being next in line, that's what gives her the right."
Shani had arrived late to the party, it seemed, the trek up to pride rock from the medic tent was getting easier, but she still had to take her time getting through the rows of tents. Still, she had arrived in time just to hear the exchange between Kiara and Kopa.
She wasn't too happy with how Kopa had been acting. Moping about, he wasn't the only one who lost someone, Kiara, Kion, and Nala had all lost Simba too, heck, even Shani herself lost her mother in that ambush, but none of them were acting as rude and reckless as Kopa was.

Shani drew up next to Kiara, brushing her tail across the other's shoulder in a silent greeting, her attention still on Kopa,
"The guard can handle it because that's their job, just like being a medic is my job now, and being a peacekeeper is yours. We all have things to be doing to help the army, and our pride, but all you seem to be concerned about is your dad. Why not focus on the family you still have, right here in front of you? Instead of bickering with them like a cub!"
Shani paused in her spiel, casting a sightless glance at Kiara,
"Sorry... did I overstep my bounds?" she asked in a hushed voice.

[Kion]

Kion was more surprised by the interruption by the blind lioness cub than by Kiara, honestly. He was used to his sister's attitude -- brushed off that much more given their recent and very horrible loss -- but he wasn't used to seeing Shani speak up. He stared at her for a moment as she spoke her piece.

"Right. That's our job, we're here to protect the Pridelands, and Pride Rock. Kiara, if it makes you feel better, that's what I'll do. I'll just order the Guard to go investigate the Outlands, and I'll stay here. I'm sure they can handle themselves." A compromise like that should settle both Kopa and Kiara, he hoped.

[Deleted]

"Shani's right, Kopa," Kanzi interjected. They had followed Shani up Pride Rock. "I want to know what happened to Dad too, but even I know that the odds of us finding anything are, like, a thousand to one. We're toast the second we step paw out of the Pride Lands."

The cub looked out at the horizon, seeing not the sunny plains of the Pride Lands but the past. "Too many things want us dead..."

[Kopa]

He glared. But he sighed quickly after. He knew they were right. "Ugh..." he turned away from them and looked at the horizon. Then he looked back. "Fine..." He said nothing else and sat down, turning away again.

[Mega]

Mega fell silent as two more lions joined them Shani, the medic and Kopa's brother, Kanzi. The adult male watches on as they chatter finally able to shut down's Kopa's attempt at going out of the Pride lands towards his no doubt death. A glare crosses Kopa's face of course he was mad, he was also desperate from the looks of it. "Don't be upset Kopa, we just want the best for you, and that's your safety" Mega finally speaks after letting the younger members do so. He turned, glancing at the newcomers 

[Deleted]

Kanzi did feel sorry for Kopa. Out of all of Simba's cubs, Kopa had held him in the highest regard. Asking him to stay in the Pride Lands and do nothing was like telling a fish to stop swimming or a bird to stop flying. Kopa had always said Simba was the best king ever. 

But Kanzi could only feel sympathy - not empathy. Their cub spots had scarcely begun to fade when Simba joined the Great Kings of the Past. They could not share their family's pain because they never really had what they lost. It was almost like Kanzi had been mourning for somebody else's father. Kanzi felt a twinge of guilt. Maybe that was why it was so easy for them to be good and stay in camp. 

The cream cub's eyes drifted from their sister's unsmiling face to the woebegone Kopa and sighed. They had a feeling that this would not be the end of it. Kopa and Kiara were both as stubborn as buffaloes. 

"Let's go get breakfast," Kanzi suggested. "Maybe Silver made scrambled eggs today."