long grass, then reappeared holding a feather--actually, it looked like one of Zazu's.

Nala paused in her struggling to hold Simba down. "Hey, where'd you get that?"

"Nnghh,--" Simba grunted, pausing for a mischevious grin, "--Bannana Beak must be molting."

Nadra laughed, then padded over, feather still in her mouth, and began to tickle Simba's side with the blue hornbill feather.

"Aaaghh, no, no, aaaaaaughh-hahahahaha!" Simba laughed hysterically, pleading with them to quit when he got the breath to do so.

Nala laughed along, struggling to keep the squirming Simba still.

The grass around them rustled. Two male cubs trotted into the open.

"Hey, watcha doin'?" It was Malka, and he spoke first, standing in front of Simba and looking down over his head, grinning into his golden face.

"Hahaha--I'm---phahaha, no, stop, aagh, quit it, Nadra!--haha--I'm tryin'--naaaagh, get off, stop, hahaha, noo!--I'm---ppfft, no, hah, stop!" Simba quelled his laughter, eyes moist with the effort, and finally got fed up with trying to answer Malka directly. He said, voice strained with the effort of trying not to laugh, "Can I get a little help here?" he growled.

The other male cub, younger than the rest, was Mheetu, Nala's younger brother. "Okay!" he squeaked, and hurled himself at Nadra, who still held the feather.

Nadra rolled over and over in the dust with the younger cub, squishing him to the ground. The feather spun out of her mouth and twirled, floating in the air.

"Ih-hey!" She gasped, darting for the feather.

Simba finally shoved Nala off, and then pounced on Nadra.
 

He pushed her head down--not enough to hurt--and she kicked him off. He sprang back on top of her chest, pinning her there.

"Not bad--" Nadra growled playfully up at him as they scuffled in the dirt, Malka and Mheetu and Nala watching, "--for a little-haired prince!"

She kicked with her hind legs, sending him skidding into the grass.

Nadra got up, crouching, tail lashing back and forth, waiting for the golden lion cub to emerge from the tall grass, but he didn't come.

"Simba?" she padded closer.

"Hah!" Simba collided with her, paws first, and slammed her to the ground, smirking down at her. "No problem," he said, turning away with a satisfied look of triumph.

"Alright, Simba!"

"That was awesome!"

The three other cubs cheered the young prince on.

Nadra got up, shaking the dust from her white pelt.

Simba sat down next to her. "You okay?"

She shoved him with a paw, smiling, "Show off."

A roar sounded in the distance, from Pride Rock.

"That's Sarabi!" Mheetu cried.

Simba glanced at Nadra. "Looks like the watering hole'll hafta wait." He began walking through the tall grass.

Nala followed. "The watering hole?"

"Yeah. Nadra wanted to go."

"What's so great about the watering hole?" Nala wanted to know.

Mheetu and Malka followed them, the two young male cubs side-by-side as they walked away. Nadra was left alone, hearing Nala and Simba chuckling as their voices trailed off. Why can't he be like that with me? Why can't Nala get her own friend? Simba's been mine since we were little! She needs to keep her pretty little paws off of him!

Even then she knew those thoughts were selfish. A lioness cub from the Pride Lands would've been taught better than that. She slowly trailed after the other cubs. If there were other lions like me, I wouldn't feel so alone. Simba doesn't treat me like he does Nala anyway. And he doesn't stick out like a hyena on Pride Rock. If I had someone like me, I wouldn't need him.  But she knew she would. She liked him too much to just ditch him, Nala or no Nala. Still, she thought bitterly, I wish he'd pay more attention. I've been dropping hints like crazy for over a week. That was, after all, when she'd first noticed it. She'd started thinking about whether her staineless pelt got dirty if he was around, and began digging her claws into the ground to keep from grinning out-and-out when she saw him. She was helplessly crushing, and Simba could've cared less! Plus there was Nala. She blended with the Pride easily, and she was fun and pretty. Not like Nadra. Nadra was an outcast.

"Problems?" came a purring, British growl with a hint of menace to it behind her.

She spun around. A large, brown, full-grown lion with a mane of black, curly fur was prowling along beside her. She hadn't noticed, so lost in thought.

"Scar--I didn't see you." Nadra stopped, feeling nervous. She always felt that way when he came about. He was the King's younger brother, and he gave her the shivers whenever he was in her presence.

"Evidently." Scar rumbled. "Problems?" he repeated, with a toothy, sneering grin that made Nadra's white fur stand on end.

"N-no."

Scar blinked slowly.

"Well...yes." Nadra sighed slowly. "I guess I'm jealous."

"Do tell," Scar continued walking, flicking his tail for her to follow him. She did, struggling to keep up as she trotted beside him. Fully-grown, his legs were longer than hers.

"It's Simba." Nadra answered eagerly. She had to tell someone, it was killing her! And Scar seemed ready to hear her problems.

"Oh, goody," Scar muttered dryly. "The young prince, my favorite nephew." He wasn't smiling. Nadra arched a brow, frowning up at him. "Do go on," he urged her, catching her eye.

"Um, okay. Well," she paused, trying to think of how to say it. "I really like him."

"Mmmm." Scar didn't look down at her, but kept on prowling along. She bounded forward twice to keep up, then walked along clamly.

"I mean, I really like him. Like, not as a friend anymore." Nadra murmured.

Scar's eyes widened for a heartbeat, then his eyelids lowered again, still not smiling. "Ah," he nodded. "And what of Nala?"

Nadra bristled. "What about her?"

"It seems my nephew fancies her over you." Scar pointed out.

"He does?" Nadra's ears flattened against her head, tail drooping. "Really?"

"Mmmm-hm, it would appear so." Scar brightened for a moment. "Do you know what we could do?"

"No." Nadra blinked, nervous. "What?"

"Well," Scar raised an eyebrow. "I've a plan to assist you in your emotional dilemma."

"Huh?"

"I can help." Scar rumbled.

"You can?" Nadra squealed. "How?"

"We shall stage a mere 'accident'." Scar purred.

"Like...like put on an act?" Nadra blinked twice.

"Precisely." Scar stopped, lounging on a flat rock now, flopping down his massive body as the afternoon sun hit his pelt.

"I-I really should be getting back to Pride Rock..." Nadra began. "Sarabi was calling us, and--"

"Not to worry," Scar interrupted, tail flicking back and forth. "I shall escort you home when we are finished planning." He rested his chin on a paw.

"So what's your idea?" Nadra asked, laying down in the grass below him, glancing up at him. In the dirt she used her claw, sketching Simba's head. It wasn't very good, but it kept her gaze away from Scar's weird yellow eyes and that menacing grin he had on his muzzle.

Scar leaned forward, still grinning toothily. "Listen carefully..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Hey, lemme up!" Simba growled.

Nala had him pinned again outside the cave where the Pride slept on Pride Rock, pushing his back agaist the flat red-rock.

"Pinned ya again." Nala smirked at him.

"Na-la! Get off!" Simba pushed her off of him, standing up and shaking his pelt. He looked around. "Hey, where's Nadra?"

"I thought she came with us. She wasn't at lunch," Nala commented. One ear twitched. She didn't seem to care.

Simba was overly protective of Nadra, that having been his job, to teach her the ropes of Mufasa's Pride as soon as he was old enough. Now she was missing--he'd never not known where she was. It worried him. Usually, nothing worried the care-free prince of the Pride. But this was different. He was responsible for Nadra, she was one of his closest friends; he'd watched out for her since they were infants.

"I'll go look for 'er," Simba announced, bunching his muscles to leap downward onto a rock that lowered towards the ground below.

"Wrong!" Zazu suddenly appeared directly in front of Simba's nose, wings flapping in flight, beak an inch away from the young cub's snout. "Your father has sighted hyenas in the Pride Lands," he went on, landing and folding his wings back against his sides. "No cub is to venture off of Pride Rock."

Simba exchanged a glance with Nala, a large grin, mouth closed, sprading across his muzzle. His eyebrows lowered mischeviously. He turned ack to Zazu. "How many?"

Zazu closed his eyes in a know-it-all manner, strutting in a circle in front of the cubs, a feather-finger pointed upward, saying, "Oh, at least a dozen. They're all slobbering, mangy, stupid poachers, of course."

Simba smirked at him, eyelids lowered.