and her followers. It needed to be perfect.

Maybe, if she had just glanced behind her, out of  the corner of her eye she would have seen a little lonely male lion who looked as if his heart contained all the sadness in the world.

The Golden Pride were having yet another ceremony, this time it was for Rafiki, who was going to visit his tribe of baboons. Simba bounded up to Rafiki, and the monkey embraced the big lion with his skinny arms.

"Have a safe journey, my old friend."

After the ceremony the pride went back inside and the mood was cheerful. Simba saw tiny dark clouds, forming like black whisps of magic on the horizon. "There's a storm coming, everyone," Simba announced, "and we all best be ready when it does." He did not know how relevant his words actually were.

Kopa and Chanto were busy playing in the hot sand. Chanto was the only other cub in the pride and was Kopa's best friend, well, the only one he was allowed to tell his father about. Suddenly Chanto stopped and looked at the vast plains stretched out before them.

"Hey, why don't we go and explore?"

" Erm... I dunno, Chanto. We don't know what might happen to us when we're out there."

"We can play Dares!"

"Why can't we play it here?"

"Oh, if you insist we'll ask the parents. But if they say no I'm still going! So it 'don't  make any difference!" Chanto cried smugly and before Kopa could stop her she had ran to where the grown-ups were resting. "Mum, can me and Kopa go and explore?"

Femi smiled. "Well, ok then, if you make sure it's alright with Kopa's father." Chanto then went over to where Simba and Nala were lying beneath a tree. They looked up sleeply as the cub approached them.

"King Simba, is it ok if me and Kopa go and explore? It's a lovely sunny day..."

"Hmmm. Yes you can, as long as you promise to be back soon." Nala looked concerened as the cubs bounded off. "It's alright. He's grown up enough now to have some responsibility, and anyway I've told them to come back soon. Besides, he really is a sensible cub..."

"Not like some people  I know when they were cubs!" Nala cried. They both burst out laughing and nuzzled affectionetly, thinking about the childhood adventures they had shared together. Ever heard of an Elephant Graveyard?

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

The two cubs galloped away until Pride Rock was just a small blot in the distance.

"Now we can have fun without getting into trouble!" Chanto cried, grinnig mishceviously.Kopa looked uneasy.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, lets say I dare you to dive into that big pond over there, and stay underwater there for 15 seconds!" Kopa shrunk away.

"No! What's the point in that? All lions hate water, well I definetely do! And so do you! So it isn't fair, you just want to have the satisfaction of seeing the look on my face. Well you're not going to get it. I'm going to do it without a single expression, or a flinch or anything. Just watch me." He squared himself up bravely and marched towards the pond. Chanto smiled, he had changed his own mind without even thinking about it. Kopa wavered uneasily on the edge.

"Take your time." Chanto teased. Kopa's face flushed, and he closed his eyes. One...two....three....GO! He shot into the murky water with a splash, startling a few ibis that were standing in the reeds. He felt a horrible, suffocating darkness envelope his body. He began to panic, he wasn't going to breathe for 15 seconds! He closed his eyes again and counted.....and counted..... 12,     13,    14,    15!!! He scrabbled frantically, trying to swim up to life and light and air. He propelled himself to the surface and came up in a rush, gasping. He scrambled ashore, and stood, shivering. How awful his fur felt! So cold and clammy and damp. He shook all the water off and smiled. He'd done it. He looked around triumphantly for Chanto, it was his turn to dare her now! She  would pay for making him go under water..........but where was she? She was not anywhere near the pond. He scanned the grass for her, but there was nothing. His heart began to beat fast.

"Chanto?...." He called, but there was no reply. He listened hard, and heard the chirping of crickets, the sloshing of the water as the ibis waded around, the wind blowing gently through the leaves...

"KOPA! RUN! RUN!!!!" Nuka??? Kopa whipped around and screamed!

"Simba..." A voice smashed through his dreams and he looked up sleepily.

"Uhh?"

Nala's anxious face filled his vision. "It's nearly sunset. The cubs aren't back yet." Simba assumed he was still dreaming mumbled something, and settled back down again. "SIMBA!" Nala shook him until he finally got up. "Simba, the cubs are missing. They still haven't returned." Simba realised that he wasn't dreaming, and saw Femi running around, obviously distressed.

"KOPA! CHANTO!" Simba roared. Nothing stirred. Simba was suddenly gripped by a strange panic that only a parent can feel. He quickly woke up the rest of his pride. "we need to search every inch of the Pridelands until we find the cubs. If you find them, roar as loudly as you can. Report back to Pride Rock in three hours. MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!" The pride was quickly organised into search parties and sent off in different directions. Femi went to join a group, but Simba held her back. "You're coming wiht us." He whispered gently and Nala, Simba, Femi, Timone and Pumbaa set off into the grass.

"we've been searching for hours, Simba." Timone gasped.

"I WON'T give up!" Simba shouted. He surged forward, sniffing frantically.

"Simba, we have to report back to Pride Rock, I'm sorry..." Timone mumbled, but he was ignored.

"Timone's right, Simba." Nala said, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. Simba sighed, and reluctantly they began to make their way back to Pride Rock.

"I was so stupid, Nala. I let them go without supervision, and now I've lost my son, my most precious posession."

"Don't give up hope. One of the other search parties may have found them, they may have come back to Pride Rock..." Nala said, but she was clearly crying.  Pumbaa stopped suddenly, and sniffed the air. Before any of them could stop him he ran towards a big pond and began to sniff. Suddenly he cried "OVER HERE! COME QUICK!" The rest of them were beside him in a flash and gazed down at... what might have been a lion cub.

"CHANTO! Oh, Chanto!" Femi nuzzled her daughter's bloody body and sobbed loudly. Nala put a comforting paw on Femi's shoulder as the lioness wept tears of bitter grief. But suddenly she felt something. A flicker of warmth. Femi opened her eyes, hardly daring to believe.

"Mummmy?..." Chanto whispered, and Femi suddenly embraced her, sobbing tears of releief.

When they all got back to Pride Rock Femi was carrying her daughter gently in her mouth. The Pride quickly surrounded her in sympathy and concern, and Femi and Chanto were made to rest and recover in Pride Rock.

"Is she going to live?" Simba asked Sarabi. Sarabi sighed and shook her head, she simply didn't know. Simbas head was still buzzing. Kopa was still out there somewhere. If he found him dead or alive, Simba was determined to find him. But where was he? Simba was trembling with fright, Kopa couldn't be gone! No! He just couldn't! He jumped down the rocks, determined to search again when he bumped into...Zira. Her and her clan had gathered around the base of Pride Rock.

"What are you doing here Zira?" Timone yelled and immediately nearly all of the pride came running out of Pride Rock, ready to defend.

"Zira...please....have you seen my son?" Simba cried desperately.

" Simba! The two cubs...pant...they were attacked by hyenas. Luckily we saw them in the distance and ran towards them....  We managed to fend off the hyenas but we were already too late to save the cubs...they....pant...took...Kopa..." Zira gasped, heaving for breath. Simba's worst fears had been realised.

No, it wasn't happening. It just couldn't...

"That's not true!" A little voice yelled from inside Pride Rock, and Chanto, bloodied and bruised, came running out before anyone could stop her. The pride muttered amongst themselves. Zira stared in surprise.

"But...you..." She gargled.

"Your pride ambushed me and Kopa while we were playing, far away from Pride Rock. You nearly ripped me to pieces and left me for dead........ AND  YOU   KILLED   KOPA!" Chanto screamed at Zira. The whole Pride gasped. Simba stared at Zira.

"Is this true?" he whispered, trembling. Zira's eyes were suddenly fearful. She stepped back, unable to say anything. There was a moment of unforgetable silence. It was like a nightmare that Simba couldn't wake up from. It  was  as if a tap of cold water was running over his head, as he stared at the lioness who had mudered his son. 

Kopa was dead.

Kopa was dead.

Kopa was dead.

"YOU KILLED MY SON!" Simba roared. He leapt at Zira who shot off like a bullet from a gun, running as though she had wings. With a roar of anguish, the whole pride gave chase, wanting nothing but revenge for their beloved prince. Soon the traitors were charging across the plains, fleeing to the far- away borders of the Outlands. Simba ran after her escaping pride.

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ! !" Simba screamed. He was ruthless. He took down one lion, then two. His blood boiled in his veins, his lust for revenge pulsed in his ears. Zira was just ahead of him, not looking back. He made a beeline for her. She heard his paws pounding the ground behind her, heard his breath, hot and heavy with a lust for blood. She howled in fright and doubled her speed,  her life depended on it. Simba