The night was alive with the humming of crickets and the chirping of nightbirds. There seemed to be a magic in the air as two young lions lay next to eachother under the stars.

"I love you Sarabi." A voice mumbled. Sarabi felt a rough tongue lick her cheek. She nestled closer to the big lion and felt his heart beating next to hers. The moon shone down on the two bodies, making them shine with a pale, luminous glow. Sarabi gazed adoringly into his eyes.

"I love you too Mufasa, more than anything else in the world." She rested her head on his paws and closed her eyes, her breathing slow and calm, the very picture of tranquility. Mufasa smiled down at the sleeping lioness. The way the moon shone on her hazel-brown fur. Her angelic face, her big soft eyes that sparkled like stars. Yes, it confirmed all his wishes, all his dreams. Sarabi was perfect, she was everything that was good and pure and beautiful all rolled into one. He layed his head next to hers and closed his eyes. The two of them slept together as peacefully as if they were the only two people in the world.

                                           *******

Mufasa, Sarabi and Sarafina came running back from their buffalo hunt, their faces flushed with excitement. Mufasa saw an old lion appear in the entrance to Pride Rock and ran towards him.

"How's my best boy?" King Bokala greeted his eldest son. Mufasa grinned and embraced his father. "I'm so proud of you son, in a few months it'll be your crowning ceremony, and I couldn't have hoped for a better lion to take my place as King of The Pridelands!" There were cheers and shouts from the rest of the Pride, and Mufasa looked modestly at his  paws as prasie and applause errupted from all sides. When it had finished King Bokala began again "Now son, I'd like to have a talk with you about leadership..."

"Oh, err, sorry, dad. I promised the others I'd go with them down to our oasis round about now." Mufasa said, a little guiltily. Then he bounded off down the rocks back towards his friends. Bokala moved to stop him, but was halted gently by a lioness.

"Let him go and have some fun, you have to admit, his days of carefree happiness will soon be replaced by responsibility and duty." He nooded as he watched the three friends bound off into the grass.

No one really noticed, but lurking in  the background, was Taka. No one really noticed, but Taka had always been lurking in the background. He had grown up in the shadow of his elder brother, and every day his feelings had become more bitter towards him. Mufasa was a wonder child.  Mufasa was everything their father and the rest of the pride could have hoped for. Taka was nothing, he was the coward, the failure, the lesser prince, lacking in everything apart from intelligence.Ever since cubhood Mufasa had always surpassed Taka in nearly everything. He had the strength, He had the confidence, he had the power, he had the leadership skills, he had the heritage of the throne, and now....he was going to get the loveliest lioness. They were head-over-heels in love with eachother, and when Mufasa's crowning ceremony came, Sarabi was sure to become his Queen. Taka's mind seethed with rage at the very thought of it, as he watched the three lions heading towards the oasis.

"Stop it!" Sarafina laughed as Sarabi splashed her with water. The two of them skimmed along the shallow water. laughing as they tried to splash water in eachother's faces, and startling birds.  Suddenly a massive shape loomed up and knocked them both back into the water. Mufasa laughed at the soaked lionesses, and then regretted it when thousands of water drops flew into him like tiny crystal arrows.

"That's not fair, it's two against one!" Mufasa yelped, but the lionesses ignored him and continued to pelt him unmercifully with showers of water, until he turned tail and fled, chuckling as the lionesses ran after him. Eventually they all sat on the bank, shivering cold, but laughing. Mufasa shook the last few droplets of water from his fiery orban mane and began to pad away, they all knew it the time they should get back to Pride Rock. The two lionesses followed him as the sun set on The Pridelands.

A few days later,Prince Mufasa and King Bokala went out to patrol the territory, driving out any unwanted hyenas. It was then that he would have this special talk with Mufasa, about being a good King. They left so early in the morning that the other lions didn't get a chance to say goodbye, but carried on as usual anyway, knowing what they were doing.

Sarabi was drinking at a small, secluded waterhole, her lapping tongue making large ripples on the water's surface. Little did she know that she was being watched. Taka stood only a few metres away, his  body covered by the long grass, eyeing the prize that would soon be Mufasa's. Mufasa may have acomplished many brave feats, been the first to roar, the first to hunt, the apple of his father's eye, and  impressed everybody throughout his life, including Sarabi, but he, Taka, had had a secret fascination with her since cubhood. At last, he had a chance- Mufasa wasn't around! Finally his patience had payed off. He'd talk to her, maybe even tell her how he felt about her, maybe she'd want him instead of Mufasa.... Huh. In his dreams. Well, talking to her now was better than nothing. Perhaps he could persade her that becoming a Queen was a huge responsiblity, and she shouldn't take it. Actually, if he used all his wits, it may just work.

 He slipped silently through the grass, unsure of how to approach her. He took a step towards her, then two, then three, and then he caught her scent. His nostrils filled with an overpowering, arousing aroma that he couldn't ignore or make it go away. It was the scent of a female in heat. He walked towards her again, and the scent became stronger and stronger. He gulped as he neared her spot,   trembling with the effort to keep cool and composed when every bit of masculine energy inside him was going crazy. Sarabi looked to the right and got the shock of her life! She whipped round and stumbled backwards  with a splash.

"Taka!!! ....What are you doing here? I thought you were Mufasa." Taka's heart filled with hatred at the very mention of his brother's name. Mufasa, Mufasa, Mufasa! Is that all she ever thinks about?!?

"He's...out. He's out chasing hyenas with Father." Taka's voice was strained and odd, but his eyes glinted excitedly. Here at last, was something at which he could be first! Not Mufasa -he wouldn't even know, and Taka would get his own sweet, secret piece of revenge. Suddenly the fact that Mufasa wasn't around took on a whole different meaning. 

"Sarabi...I came here to talk to you." He said, as casually as he could.

"Oh.......what about?" Sarabi said, all hint of interest gone from her voice. She turned half-heartedly back to drinking from the pool.

He hesitated, then continued." It's just...I'm concerned for you. I hope you realise that...Once Mufasa is King, and you are his Queen," (he winced slightly) " he won't be able to spend...quality time with you. His life will be too full of responsibility, too full of serious, Kingly matters. You, too, will have important duties to fulfill, and your lives..won't be like this anymore. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Oh no, we'll always have time for eachother." Sarabi licked the glistening water from her mouth and smiled at him, which under the circumstances looked almost seductive. Taka was getting increasingly agitated. That scent. That infuriating scent.

"Well, I think you should reconsider.....and look at your other options, before it's too late." Taka snapped. Sarabi noticed the strain in his voice, as well as the weird things he was saying....

"What are you.....?"

He paced around Sarabi, sniffing, panting."I can show you, Sarabi. I might not be a warrior, but there are some things that I can be just a lion as he is." Sarabi whipped around to face him.

 "I'm sorry, I don't want you as my mate." She stated, clearly and firmly so he would get the message. There was a slight hint of fear in her eyes. 

He wouldn't leave her alone. He rubbed his body against hers, whispering gently in her black-rimmed ear.

"He's neglecting you already, Sarabi. I can be more than he ever was. He doesn't have to know, nobody has to know..."

"No." She mumbled, shifting her body.

"Yes." His voice dropped lower, and his glittering green eys gazed into her bown ones. " you know what you want, I know what you want..."

"Get away from me!" Sarabi leapt away, her face wrinkled in disgust.

He roared and leapt at her. She couldn't get away, he sank his teeth into the loose skin on the back of her neck and forced himself on her. Sarabi screamed and struggled, and in her desperation she twisted her body out of his grip and  the two of them tumbled onto the ground. She jumped up in a flash, snarling.

"I SAID NO!" She screamed, and her paw flashed out, quick as a striking snake, but just slow enough for Taka to see sunlight bursting through the slits inbetween each  claw. SLAM!!! .....

Taka blinked in surprise as blood gushed from his right eye. His left eye