A Spy in the Open

"Are you okay?"

He may not have been the kind of cat Ivypool was expecting, but Kopa still was a cat of some description. Uncertain of what else he could have been doing, the youngest of Simba's broode had taken to watching the others come and go. Spotting Ivypool had been easy enough, especially since she looked so skittish right then. Maybe voicing his presence first wasn't the best idea. Kopa had already done that much, though, and was already padding forward. Too late to take it back now.

Since he didn't want to scare her too badly, he stayed back a couple of paces while still being near enough to talk. Once he stopped moving, he took a moment to really look Ivypool over. For being such a slender cat, she was covered in a fair amount of wounds. Healed wounds, he could tell that much, but they reminded him of his great uncle Scar that was talked about so often. Scars... could such a slender thing really have been in fights? Kopa's ears pinned back at the thought.

"Do you need help with something?" Kopa asked. One paw was lifted up a bit higher. He thought about taking another step closer, but ultimately decided against it.

In response to the screech, Kopa let out a small yelp of his own in surprise. Thankfully, it didn't take long for him to see that she was calming down. That was good, at least. A good natured smile tugged on his lips as he nodded his head a little.

"I am! Well... a lion cub, but that's still a cat. Or so I'm told," Kopa said. He'd only picked up on bits and pieces of what humans had talked about in regards to his own species. Some said they were 'big' cats. He didn't get why that was. In all actuality, he wasn't that big of a lion cub. He watched Ivypool stand and again nodded his head at her questions. Of course there were! He'd be happy to show her, too.

"Yeah, there's more of us. There's me, my brother and sister, my mom and dad, and my grandparents. My grandpa is the king, actually," he explained. He didn't know if Ivypool would know what a king was, but that was okay. He only knew so much about how the royalty stuff worked. Like how his dad was the prince, and Kiara was the next in line after their dad. And he... was still just the spare. Well, he was working on accepting that much.

He gave his own chest fluff a couple of licks before continuing.

"My name's Kopa. Nice to meet you," he said, tipping his head down in an equally polite manner. "What's your name? Do you need help finding anything? Or finding your way around the camp?" Kopa wasn't exactly the official meet and greeter or anything, but he certainly wasn't going to let Ivypool struggle on her own if she needed help. Maybe she was looking for one of his parents or grandparents. Or... maybe someone else. Kopa could at least try and do something about that, though.

"Ivypool," he said, testing the name on his tongue. It was different. Not a bad different, though! If anything, it was a pretty name for a lovely little kitty. He did wonder how she'd gotten all those cuts, but Kopa wasn't about to ask this time. Ivypool had questions for him again. When she was done asking, he bobbed his head up and down quickly. His little mane tuft was ruffled a bit in the process, but he didn't mind so much.

"I can try," Kopa answered. He was pleased to at least be able to offer Ivypool that much in the way of assistance. "This is where the Enchanted Suns spend a lot of time. It's basically kind of a camp. That's what the humans call it, anyway." He gestured a paw around the area, motioning to the bustling of various Enchanted Suns around them. They didn't seem to be paying the cat and the cub that much attention, but Kopa was okay with that. They had things to do. As long as he wasn't getting underfoot, he was sure no one would mind too much.

"There's also forest all around us! That's where we can hunt and practice and stuff. But my parents say I'm too little to fight yet." He shuffled his paws a bit beneath him as he explained that much. It probably didn't help that he was the smallest of Simba and Nala's cubs in general. The one thing that confused him was the whole nine lives thing. Kopa's head was tilted to the side, and he blinked.

"A king is a leader, but... I don't think my grandfather has nine lives," he said. His tail flicked back and forth a little as he thought about it. "My great uncle did try to kill him, though. That's what my brother and sister and I were told, anyway. Do leaders have nine lives where you're from? How is that possible?" Now Kopa found himself getting more curious. Could cats and lions really be that different? What was it that made them that way?

Ivypool smiled. Finally a word she recognized. Camp. Camp meant safety. Camp meant where warriors shared information. Camp meant a home among a crazy world out there. She padded alongside the giant kit, listening to his words. He was very mature for a kit. There was absolutely no way she could ask any of the ThunderClan kits to give a tour of the camp it would derail in a hot minute. And it did as the kit began to ask very kit-like questions. Ivypool's whiskers twitched with amusement. She nodded to him about the question.

"Yes, StarClan grants a leader nine lives," she purred. She was about to continue but a glowing of ginger fur next to her shocked her into a silence. Her leader was there. It didn't matter that she and Firestar were kin, Ivypool had held him on a pedestal since she was very young. As did everyone. The kittypet who became leader. The she-cat straightened up and tilted her chin high in respect.

"F-firestar!" She stammered, "Uh I was just...uh...getting a tour of this camp! I don't have anything to report yet. I didn't realize you were coming! Where is the rest of the clan?"

Where is my sister? Ivypool thought frantically.