sending a few insects flying from his mane. One landed on Rafiki's arm. He nimbly picked it between finger and thumb and, with a moment’s smiling inspection, ate it.

"Mmmm. Not so bad. And why did he not tell you? Answer me that?"

"I guess he didn't know."

"Guess, what are you? King or cub? No, I tell you he didn't tell you because you never ask a female elephant her age, and if you do they always say twenty seven."

"You mean they've forgotten how old they are?"

Rafiki lifted his stick slowly as if preparing to use it.

"No, NO! See how little you know, female elephants don't grow old... they just smell that way!"

"Rafiki! Why you..." Ahadi got up on to his paws quickly but the mandrill was already away and running between the boulders and towards the distant tree-topped ridge that lay between Priderock and his home, the baobab tree. Ahadi ran after him for a few metres before realising that pursuit was pointless. He sat down and regained his breath and waited for Rafiki to return as the lion was sure he would. ‘Kings,’ he mused to himself, ‘should not chase after their subjects, their subjects should chase after them. It's a good thing no lionesses chase after me, I don't think I could cope with that. Mufasa on the other paw...’ he thought on, ‘...he may grow up to be worth chasing.’

"What are you thinking now? Don't hold with all that thinking, not for kings anyway." Ahadi was startled out of thought by Rafiki's breath and voice on his cheek. "I tell you that Immue's got to be watched."

"What? Immue? No, she won't tell about Narala and me, not now anyways."

"Oh yes? And what is all this about Narala and you eh? Come on tell Rafiki."

Ahadi lifted a forepaw and pushed his head over theatrically with it. "Dohhh! Stupid kitty...!" He knew that Rafiki would not let him go until he had spilled the whole colourful truth. A few moments later any passersby would have been puzzled by the strange and inexplicable sight of a great lion sitting sternly while a seemingly deranged gibbering ape fell about the lion's forepaws in laughter.

The hours passed and Ahadi forgot Rafiki's warning, for the while at least. Any doubts as to Immue's changed nature were dispelled when she brought Scar over to the cave to play with a delighted Mufasa. She was all lightness and would do simply anything to help Akase. Indeed after a pleasant hour or so she offered to look after Mufasa while Akase took a nap, or went hunting or just wandered round to her old haunts and whiled away a few hours with her old friends, or even her sister, Narala. At first Akase was suspicious but there seemed to be no real reason for Immue to be suspected of anything and so, after many "You simply must have a break my dear, yes, yes, yes."'s, Akase gave in and left Mufasa and Scar playing together as Immue looked on, smiling.

      ***

Akase walked off quickly at first, glad to be able to have a little time to herself. She normally spent all her time with Mufasa or hunting or on some pride matter or other. There was little time for her to stop being Akase, mate to the King of Priderock and mother of the next king, and to be just Akase, the lioness. There were times when, tired and frayed, she would wander back to the cave long after Ahadi had gone to sleep only to wake before he did the next day. Now she was free, free to roam the plains, free to do anything she wanted. Now that she was free she found it difficult to know what she wanted to do. She wandered aimlessly for a while as she tried to remember what it was like to be able to do things on impulse and the moment, but somehow she just could not remember. She kept looking back to the rock, for a time she thought she couldn't see Immue, Scar and most importantly, Mufasa. She sat back and watched and waited... still she could not see her son. She was just beginning to wonder where they might be and whether she had already strayed too far from home when she spotted the trio. But they were not on the flat of the promontory; they were high up on the rock ledge that led to the top of the rock. Scar was leading Mufasa with Immue following behind.

"What are they up to? Why are they going up there?" Akase suddenly felt a cold shiver of fear run down her back. "They could fall off up there!" She felt the shiver grow to a rush of panic which forced her up to her paws and back at a full run as thoughts of her Mufasa falling to his death from the top of Priderock flashed through her mind. She could almost see his small body drop the first 20 metres of the eastern face of forbidding rock. He tumbled and screamed helplessly as Immue sat at the top and laughed. His body hit a protrusion and Akase could hear his back break with an agonising crack before his lifeless body thudded to the rock protrusion below. "NO! Mufasa! NO!" She rushed up the rocks forcefully to where the body of her son had fallen... but he was not there. She heard him cry out as he began to fall again. She looked up to where he had hit the stone edge high above her but now she could no longer see it. All she saw was Mufasa's head poking over the edge of the top. She could barely hear a few faint words.

"Mufasa my dear, come away from there. We don't want you to fall now, do we? Hmmm? Yes, yes, that's better. Let's all be going down now. Come on my dears, its best we all went down now.

I know this has been simply too much fun but all good things must come to an end."

Akase heard a few moans of protest from Mufasa and Scar:

"Aww, Immue, but Dad says I'm gonna rule it all."

"Oh goody..."

Akase forced herself to wait at the bottom, close to the entrance to the cave where the rock ledge that led up to the top of the Priderock began. She knew that if she followed them up it would only cause trouble as the ledge was too narrow in all expect a couple of places for a fully grown lioness to turn round. She heard the distant laughing, happy voices growing stronger, echoing off the rock faces, only to fade again. She wanted only to feel her Mufasa's fur on hers, to feel his heart beat close to hers but she could do little but wait as nearer and nearer came the shtick-tick of cubs claws on hard rock as he grew closer. Immue made no sound as she carefully picked her way down the ledge following the cubs.

"Hi Mom! It was great, I showed them everything."

"Come here at once Mufasa, you're not to go up there alone again! Do you hear?" said Akase sharply, Mufasa was taken aback.

"But I wasn't alone. Scar and his mom were there too!" He protested as he ran to his mother and thrust his head against her forelegs. She bent her head down against his and drew in his scent.

"Yes, well, that doesn't change anything, you could have been killed."

"Aw come on mom, do ya think I would fall off?"

"No Mufasa, I didn't think you would fall." She looked accusingly at Immue.

"You don't think, my dear, that I would push him do you?" Asked Immue smoothly. Akase knew that that is exactly what she had thought but also felt that it had been an irrational idea, born out of what Akase knew was her tendency to overprotect Mufasa. If he was to grow up into an independent and self-confident lion she knew she had to let go a little and let him experience life for himself. Mufasa had to learn about life as it was, not as Akase would like to present it to him. She shook her head and tried to smile.

"No Immue, I just got worried - you know, as mothers do. I'm just glad you all got back ok. That's all." She nuzzled her son, just to make sure he really was back.

"Yes, yes, yes. I see. It's simply too easy for an accident to happen is it not. Don't worry, Mufasa is safe with me, I'll make sure he is treated just as he deserves. Yes, yes, yes. Now, if you're back we had better go. You know - things to do, Wildebeest to chase and all that."

"Oh, that's all right Immue, you go off if you need to. Scar, you can come and play again soon if you like. How about tomorrow?"

"Yeah? Yeah, I'd like that. Mufasa? We could play 'King of the rock'."

"Oh, I'm sorry my dear, we can't make it tomorrow I'm afraid, but how about the day after? Hmmmm?"

"Yeah Scar - bags I'm first." Mufasa held his head as high as he could manage and tried to look down on Scar. "You can be the commoners."

"Hmmm....." said Scar, "as long as I can be king next."

"Enough of that you two. Now Scar dear, we'll come and see Mufasa again in a couple of days. Yes, yes, yes."

Later that night in the cavern Scar reflected on the afternoon as Immue lay washing herself, as usual.

"Mother? Is Mufasa really going to be king?"

"Who?"

"Mufasa, my brother. You know he's great to play with. He does really awesome things with his tail."

"Oh, Mufasa. Oh, I wouldn't get too friendly with him, Scar dear. After all he won't ever be king. Yes, yes, yes."

"He won't be king? But Dad said..."

"He is very much mistaken. You will be king. You are the only choice."

"But what about Mufasa?" Scar insisted, not yet grasping what his mother really meant.

"What about him? He'll not live to be presented as the next king."

"Why? Is he sick?"

"NO! No, no. We're going to kill him."

"But