Homecoming
Pride Rock was smaller than he remembered. He recalled the arm of a goliath, reaching up and snatching the clouds out of the sky. Now that it was in front of him, it reminded him of something more earthly: a stone cap atop a verdant hill. The surrounding area was different as well, the grass taller and acacias broader than before. The way the setting sun kissed the edge of the monolith as it slipped out of the sky, though… that was just as he remembered.
Kopa hesitated. It was very strange to see his goal in front of him, only an hour's walk away. As long as Kopa could remember he had been reaching for it, living and breathing and sleeping and eating for it. The journey that encompassed the whole of his life had drawn to a close, and with that knowledge came a certain unsettledness. A melancholy of sorts crept into Kopa’s heart: the end of an adventure. But, more importantly, the beginning of a new one, Kopa thought. The one I’ve been missing. The right one.
The right one? Kopa wondered, rolling the thought around in his head. Maybe not. For better or worse, and I think it’s better, everything I’ve gone through has made me myself . Kopa flicked a blade of grass back and forth. Had I never been forced from home, I wouldn’t be the Kopa I am today. He sifted the dirt between his toes, considering the memories that had shaped him.
He thought of his time in the desert with a poignant, if eccentric, chameleon companion. He thought of the beauty of the jungle and strange creatures he’d fallen in with in there. His misadventures with a certain vegetarian leopard. Then again, it wasn’t all fun and games. For every night Kopa spent in some sort of company, he spent three alone. The world’s a big, unwelcoming place for a lonely lion cub. He looked down at himself. Well, not a cub anymore. A dark mane hugged his neck and coated his chest, stark against a golden coat. A current of muscle swam beneath his pelt; Not the bulky, rippling muscles borne of training, but rough, sinewy strands, the muscles of necessity. I wonder if anyone will even recognize me.
They will, he said to himself. They’re my family. Through all of his adventures, Kopa knew he had always been missing the most important thing. He’d spent his entire life looking for it. Love, the sort of perfect love that exists among family. Somewhere that I will truly belong. He felt excitement welling up in his breast, and with it, a deep feeling of contentment.
But the land stretched out before him would be treacherous to navigate under the cover of darkness. And though Kopa had waited his entire life to return home, he decided he could wait just a little longer.
