Colt's father stood before his son with a height leagues beyond the young zebra. Around them, other fellow zebras grazed among the grass that seemed to shine under the sun's golden rays. "Son," Colt's father spoke with a deadly firm voice that really didn't help with the young foal's quiverness at all. "You are given two choices that will decide whether your herd will survive in this harsh land or not."

That totally didn't pressure Colt at all as he nodded his quivering head.

"Imagine a severe drought has left most of the Pride Land's lush food to wither and die. However, there is hope. There are two different spots for your herd to feed on, but because they haven't eaten for a while, they will only have enough energy to travel to ONLY one of them. Are you following?"

"Y-Yes…" he whimpered.

Red hot anger flashed in his father's eyes. Without warning, he stomped the ground with all his might, shaking the very earth beneath them. Colt, always ready to be set off by pretty much anything, jumped three feet off the dirt in total fright. "I SAID!" his father bellowed loud enough to be heard everywhere across the entire plain. "ARE YOU FOLLOWING!" Despite their leader's roar that rivaled even a lion's, not one zebra lifted their heads off the grass. Not even a flicker of their ears.

Well, it was a regular occurrence after all.

"Y-Yes sir!" Colt half whimpered.

His father huffed at his patheticness. "Stand up straight and speak to me with more confidence!"

A spark of determination, or maybe fear, drove Colt to unleash a more powerful "Yes sir!", but it wasn't as powerful as his father's own voice. Though, it did manage to crack a proud smile in his old man's face, but back to business. "The first choice you are given is a part of land perfect for us to feed on, BUT it's filled with a small herd of rhinoceros already grazing the food there before us. Now, the second option you have is another land with food source; however, it's far from being perfect compared to the last option. Not to mention it's crowded with an enormous group of buffaloes that will definitely make food scarce. Now, what path will you take your herd?"

To Colt, this was as hard as choosing between the red pill or the blue pill. "I guess I would take the one with the rhinoceros." A simple sentence, but Colt actually stuttered half-way through with uncertainty.

"And why?" his father leered dangerously.

"Because I feel like there should be enough food for everyone there, you know? So the rhinoceros will share their food with us, right?" At first, Colt took his father's act of closing his eyes as a calming expression, like he answered right, but in reality, it was nothing but a failed attempt to hold in his anger before it came exploding out into the world.

"NO!" he boomed. "Rhinoceros won't simply share their precious food with us, especially in such a dire time! They're also highly territorial here and just approaching one is simply asking for trouble! And that perfect piece of land can be easily used by predators as a feeding ground! And most predators wouldn't dare to hunt a full grown rhino, so they will most definitely hunt us instead. " Another question formed in the young foal's mind, but his father was already busy answering it. "Option 2 is the better choice. Not only will predators expect any prey to inhabit such a low source of food, but the large group of buffaloes will greatly outweigh our own, providing the perfect cover in case of any predators lurking about."

"But I felt-"

"Don't feel!" Immediately, Colt shut his mouth as his father turned his back on him, sighing in complete disappointment. "When you are the leader of an entire herd… the leader of many lives… don't consider your feelings; only consider others because they hold more value than yourself. However…." He turned and faced his son with a more fatherly look than before. "Also consider the probabilities. What will happen… or what might not happen? Thanks to my father's teachings that I am now trying to pass onto you, our herd has had much less casualties compared to other foolish herds." Then, apparently finished, he turned his back on his son once more, gazing at the peaceful land with cold eyes. "We are done today. Your presence is no longer needed."

Colt bowed his head and slowly made his way away from his father… and only ended up nearly tripping on nothing later. "I'm pathetic…" he whispered quietly to himself, eyeing the small patch of grass with dull eyes.

Everyday he tries to force himself to do this. To try and prove his father he can lead this herd just as well as he can, only to end up somehow disappointing him later on.

Colt and his father were kind of opposite to each other. While the father was a wise, strong zebra who spoke with a firm unwavering voice, the son was nothing more than a shy little guy who couldn't finish one sentence without stuttering at least a single word.

His father could quite possibly be the best leader in zebra history. He would make trips towards food where no predator would ever think where. Whether it's as far as the borders of the Pride Lands, or as close to Pride Rock where the lionesses are hunting somewhere farther off for them.

"Atlas, that boy will get my children killed someday!" a fellow zebra complained to his father. Maybe they knew Colt was there? Or maybe they didn't care at all? "Have you ever considered getting another mate?" the other zebra continued. "You know, so this time you can get yourself another son who ISN'T like your failed one?"

Another flash of anger, but his father successfully quell it this time. "My son is not a failure," he said without a hint of lie in his firm voice. "He's simply a youngling that needs to be nurtured much like any young of this world. And I believe in my son just as much as his mother once did. I believe he will be a greater leader of this herd than I am. He just needs time."

Hope soared across Colt's body, but didn't really make him feel better at all. Instead, it felt like fear's hand was grasping his throat again and shoving his head down in shame, leading him away from the herd to who knows where.

Then, a few seconds later, ends up finding Kovu sleeping peacefully on the solid ground with a snot bubble changing size depending on his calm breathing. It looked like he's been sleeping there all morning. Well, according to all the time Colt's known Kovu, apparently, sleeping is his favorite thing to do during the day.

The zebra just stayed there for a good few minutes staring curiously at the lion, wondering what the heck should he do.

Should he wake the sleeping lion?

Sure, waking just about anybody is labeled rude, but right now, Colt needed guidance. Not from his father, but from a friend.

So, gathering his courage through a deep breath, he gently nudged the dozing cat with a shaky hoof.

The snot bubble popped.

"Who what when where why how!?" Kovu immediately screamed, waving his head frantically everywhere until his eyes eventually set on the stunned zebra. How long has he been standing there? "Oh uh…" Kovu began, a lost for words. He flicked his head. "Sup Colt," he said coolly, trying to make up for that little act from before.

"Hey Kovu…." Colt greeted, his head facing the other direction.

Kovu grinned. "Well, you seem down, not like it would weird for you if you weren't anyways, but what's wrong?"

Colt sighed, a bit jealous over Kovu. Almost every time he sees him he's always managed to keep up that brilliant smile of his. "Just… a lot of pressure." was all he could say.

"Hmmmm, pressure you say?" the lion pondered, claw under chin. "I'm probably gonna need a lot more info than that if ya want me ta help."

"It's my father..."

"Father business, eh? I guess I can help you in that sorta thing. So, what's going on between you and your old man?"

"It's his faith in me," he mumbled so weakly that only those with sharp ears can catch. "He has faith that I can become a great leader for my herd. And I feel like I won't be able to live up to that faith…. like I'd only end up disappointing him in the end."

Kovu closed his eyes, processing everything through his head. Then, opened up a second later, an answer already shining in mind. "Sound like to me, you've got your feelings about your father's faith wrong."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, you shouldn't let your dad's faith in you scare you," Kovu answered, walking around until he finally found the perfect rock to perch on, taking in the vast beauty of the land. A gentle breeze then swept both the tall grass and his jet black mane. "Instead, let it inspire you. Inspire you to become the great leader he has faith that you can be. And in case you're wondering, I have faith in you too. Faith that you're gonna be something great in your future!"

Realization warmed Colt's frozen body with each second passed. "Th-thanks… Kovu…" he stuttered not out of fear, but pure joy. Even if most zebras declare Colt a failure, he can always count his father to think otherwise. Even a lion like a Kovu.

"Besides… at least you have someone who has faith in you," Kovu accidently slipped out.

"What?" Colt eyed questioningly. The zebra's mind was a bit preoccupied at the moment so he couldn't translate exactly what he heard.

"Oh, nothing," Kovu said, hopping off the rock to give a assuring pat on the shoulder. "I'm just happy that your old man has faith in you is all," he explained cheerfully. There was something off about his eyes when he said that, but the radiance in his bright smile was just too much for Colt to notice.

Colt had already left Kovu minutes ago, leaving the lion alone with his thoughts. Once again, he was perched on the rock, drinking in the land with dull eyes. "Heh, if only you knew, Colt…" Kovu whispered to the world.

The sun had barely risen which put the land in a temporary dull brightness that shined on Kovu's half sleeping form just outside the cave.

"Simba, you're still scared of Kovu?"

Kovu's ears immediately perked. That voice was most definitely his mother. Though he chose to keep his eyes closed, he could clearly tell that his mother was arguing with Simba yet again.

"No!" he heard his father scoff back. "As if a runt like him could scare me! I'm only worried what'll happen when he grows up."

"Simba," his mother piped in. "What'll happen to Kovu is that he'll just be a regular lion in our pride and nothing more than that. As long as nothing happens to Kiara-"

"Exactly!" Simba interjected. "Kovu is exactly how Scar was! Remember back then how Scar hated his life as much as he hated my father? He wanted the life of power so he HAD to take the throne for himself or else he'd have nothing ahead of him. Don't you guys see? Just like Scar, if Kovu doesn't have the throne, what kind of life does he have instead of some worthless outsider in our pride?"

A familiar shot of pain pierced Kovu. In the beginning, he couldn't stand the heavy weight in his chest that seemed to pile up with each stab, but with each stab he experienced as time passed, it gradually became a sort of ticklish feeling that Kovu strangely started to enjoy. One time, it even drew out a slight giggle out of him to which he tries to forget to this day.

He wasn't turning crazy, right?

"As long as I can help my friends and family," Kovu whispered, basking in the calm wind with a peaceful smile, but the sad tears said something otherwise. "I don't need my future…"