Mufasa walked back home from visiting Scar and I could tell he was in a bad mood. He kept his head low and his expression blank but I could see the frustration in his eyes.

"What happened?" I asked him. Mufasa sighed and looked up at me.

"Where's Simba?" He replied, ignoring my question. I gave him a look though I knew he ignored that too.

"With Nala," I said, "What happened?"

Mufasa hesitated and finally answered, "No matter what I do it seems I can't get through to him. I don't understand him. He stays locked up in his own den away from the others or hangs around those hyenas. I just don't know what to do with him."

Mufasa had been trying hard to talk to Scar after Simba had been born but Scar just shut himself off from the rest of the world even more.

"You know, I remember a time when you two got along," I told Mufasa, giving him a light hearted smile that turned into a grin. He didn't look me in  the eye but I could tell he was thinking to himself. It seemed like forever ago when they got along. I met Mufasa and Scar when I was very young but back then Scar was known as Taka and he was his brother's best friend.

"Sarabi!" Sarafina called for me. I walked out of the den into the bright sunlight. I blinked many times until my eyes adjusted to the sunlight. Sarafina stood, waiting for me, on the path from pride rock to the pride lands. "Come on! You're coming right?" She questioned me.

"Yeah," I replied running to her. Together we ran, side by side, down pride rock into the tall grass, that moved with the wind. I ran a little in front of her and grinned. Sarafina didn't noticed though, she was too busy keeping an eye open for an butterflies.

"Found one!" She laughed chasing after a butterfly with large bright blue wings with solid black framing the blue. Sarafina chased after it, reaching her paw out to grab it. I got low to the ground and let the tall grass cover me as I waited for Sarafina and the butterfly to come close. I counted the seconds as I watched them through the blades of grass. I kept my breath low. 1....2.........3! I jumped out of the grass and reached for the butterfly. My paw barely missed it's delicate wings before I crashed back to the earth.

"That was so close!" Sarafina cheered me on. I smiled at her compliment, feeling proud of myself. Then something caught her eye. I turned around to see what she was looking at when I heard her yell, "Hey, Mufasa!"

I saw Mufasa wandering around the field. He turned to see us and gave us a smile before running over to us. His fur was a perfect golden color and he looked a lot bigger than the last time I saw him but I never really did get to spend much time with him. I wanted to see him more often, Sarafina and him used to hang out but after his father, Ahadi, began his training to become The Lion King that's all he did.

"Hi Sarafina. Hello Sarabi. Have you two seen Taka? We were supposed to go and play today but then I got pulled away because of my father and now I can't find him," Mufasa said.

"No, haven't seen him," Sarafina and I answered him together. Mufasa let out a small sigh.

"I just hope he's not in trouble or anything," Mufasa says, "And I'm kind of bored." I saw Sarafina's eyes widen and I knew she was going to ask in her overjoyed voice if he wanted to play but I agreed with her this time. We should take his mind of some things.

"Wanna play with us?" Sarafina asked. I nodded at Mufasa telling him it was alright with me.

"Okay, sure," Mufasa answered. Sarafina had a big grin on her face when she tapped me on the shoulder and shouted, "Tag! You're it!"

I watched as Mufasa and Sarafina scattered away from me. I felt the dirt under my paws, crouched down real low, and bolted after them. I was determined to get Mufasa but he was a lot faster than me. I heard Sarafina giggle in the distance but kept my eye on Mufasa. I held back my laugh and tried to stay focus on the game. Mufasa was fast, swift, and smart. He was able to make sharper turns than I could which slowed me down a lot. Sarafina cheered Mufasa on and when I went by her I gave her a glare. Why not cheer for me? I jumped at Mufasa and found myself on top of him. I accidently knocked him to the ground and we rolled on the hard dusty ground, I couldn't help but laugh.

"That was fun," Mufasa laughed, "You're really good."

"Well, what do you expect from the future leader of the hunting parties," I bragged. Sarafina ran up behind me and replied, "Yep! Sarabi is the best at hunting. She's going to be the leader of the hunting parties and I'm going to be co-leader!"

Mufasa opened his mouth to say something but he was interrupted by a noise behind him. We all looked to find Taka slowly walking up to us. I'd never met Taka before. He didn't talk much and was always off on his own or with his mother, Uru.

"Hi Taka," Mufasa greeted his brother.

"I thought you were training," Taka grumbled.

"I was but dad let me go early. I went looking for you but I couldn't find you anywhere. That's when I ran into Sarafina and Sarabi," Mufasa explained. Taka just rolled his eyes. The air was still as we sat there in silence until Sarafina decided to break the awkward moment.

"You want to play with us, Taka?" She asked in her sweet soft voice. Taka looked up at her and hesitated. He turned to his brother, Mufasa, who was nodding yes. Then he looked at me. He stared deep into my eyes for a long moment before saying something to Sarafina.

"I don't know...." He sighed. Sarafina dropped her ears in disappointment. Mufasa pounced at his brother and laughed.

"Come on, Taka. You know you want to play," Mufasa teased his brother. Taka pounced at Mufasa and the two wrestled for a long moment. Mufasa was able to knock his brother to the ground and hold him there but Taka gently held his brothers left ear in his mouth. I was sure I saw Taka smile at his brother. Sarafina was overjoyed with Taka's progress but I didn't say anything. I'd hate to ruin their moment.

We spent the rest of the day together. Taka came out of his shell and enjoyed play wrestling with his brother. The sun started to set and we heard our mothers calling us to come back for dinner. We even raced back home together.

The next morning we promised to do the same thing and although I acted like it didn't matter I woke up early that morning and ran outside to see my friends. Mufasa was the first one awake. He sat at the edge of Pride Rock and looked out onto the land. Sunlight stretched across the savanna.

"I always did like sunrise," Mufasa said, turning to see me.

'How did he know I was behind him??" I thought to myself a little freaked out. Mufasa turned back to look at the Pride Lands.

"Can you believe that one day I'll have all of this?" Mufasa said.I sat down next to him at the very edge of Pride Rock but instead of looking at the land I turned to Mufasa. His face was filled with amazement and he had a smile stretch across his face. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, of course it is. You're the prince," I replied in an almost emotionless tone. Mufasa turned and looked at him and I tried my best not to face him. I kept my eyes locked on this one small tree in the middle of the Pride Lands. It was small and kind of thin.

"You know, I'm more than just a prince," Mufasa sighed. I couldn't help but look at him. His smile had vanished when he said, "The prince part is just the more exciting part and is the part that makes up most of me." He couldn't hold a straight face any longer and laughed. I smiled too even though what he was trying to do wasn't really all that funny.

"Sarabi!" I heard Sarafina's voice giggle behind me, "I'm surprised to see you up so early! Is Taka up yet?"

"I don't think so. He likes to sleep in," Mufasa explained.

"Can you wake him up?" Sarafina asked in her sweet soft voice.

Mufasa smiled warmly at her and answered, "I'll try."

Sarafina sat next to me as Mufasa went back inside the den. Some other early morning lions and lionesses were waking up and going out into the Pride Lands. Sarafina and I stayed at the edge of Pride Rock and waited. Sarafina looked up at me with this huge grin. I tried to ignore her but she kept starring at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Do you think Mufasa is cute?" Sarafina asked.

"What?! No!" I snapped at her.

"Taka?" She questioned me.

"No! I don't think either one of them is cute!" I yelled at her. Sarafina laughed at me and I shot her a cold look. Mufasa skipped out of the den with Taka behind him. He didn't seem too happy though. He looked up at Sarafina and I. Sarafina was smiling, as usual, and because he seemed upset I smiled at him. Sarafina opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a loud thundering voice. We all looked over to find Ahadi, Mufasa and Taka's father and the Lion King. He stood there with the sun behind him. His green eyes stared right at his sons. Taka's ear dropped.

"Mufasa, you need to train. Follow me," Ahadi ordered. Mufasa looked at us and shrugged his shoulders. He ran to his father and walked away together. Taka sighed and walked back into the den. I noticed his mother was still in there.

"That was weird," Sarafina whispered to me. I nodded in agreement.

Sarafina and I played together like every other normal day. She was soon called by her mother for bath time so I decided to wander around. I was trying to catch everything that moved but that day I wasn't having much luck. I saw a grasshopper, sitting between the blades of grass. It seemed easy enough. I stayed low and quiet. Silence was my cover as I waited for the right moment. I jumped out of the grass but as soon as my paws were off the ground the grasshopper jumped away. I fell onto the hard ground head first.

"Stupid grasshopper. What's wrong with me today? I'm not getting anything," I mumbled to myself, thinking I was alone. That's when I heard a noise. I looked up and noticed Taka, sitting alone under a tree. I approached him slowly. I couldn't help but see how upset he looked. 'I should turn away...' I thought to myself but my conscious got the best of me and I couldn't look away.

"Taka?" I asked. He turned and looked at me.

"What?" He replied.

"Well....I just saw you and I wanted to...Taka, what's wrong?" I finally managed to say. Taka looked down at his paws.

"It's just my brother..." Taka said under his breath, but loud enough so I could hear.

"What about Mufasa?" I questioned him. I felt as if I was interrogating him for a crime or something. It didn't seem nice to ask so many questions.

"Not just him. Mufasa and my father. I know I would make a much better king," Taka explained, "If I was given the chance."

"I'm sure you would too," I said, trying to make him feel better. I wasn't sure what to say but as Taka sat there with his head down, sadness in his eyes, feeling sorry for himself I knew to make him feel better I should just agree with him. Even though, I had no idea what kind of king Taka would be. I barely knew anything about him or Mufasa.

"Really?" Taka asked me. I nodded yes and he smiled.

For the rest of that day Taka did not hide away from the rest of us like he normally does,and I was happy to help him. When Mufasa's training was done he decided to join us. It was already late though. The Pride Land's sky was filled with colors as the bright sun fell and the stars started to rise. Sarafina and I were laying out near the den just talking. Taka, who had spent the whole day with us, decided to go on his own. Sarafina was already tired. She was so hyper today it was no surprised she crashed early.

"Sarafina," Her mother called, "Come on, sweety. It's getting late."

Sarafina looked over to her mother, who was waiting by the den, and she yawned before answering, "Okay mom."

"See you tomorrow?" I asked before she left.

"Of course," She replied, with a smile. Sarafina followed her mother. I wasn't even tired yet so I didn't feel like going to bed. I sat there just thinking to myself. I thought about what I would do tomorrow and the next day. I was alone and there was no noise, except for the few bugs. Soon my mind went blank and I completely zoned out as if I was in my own perfect world where nothing worried me and there was no need to even think. I was soon pulled out of my blank thoughts when I heard some one behind me. I was suddenly alert when I spun my head around and saw Mufasa. He was walking towards me, trying to be quiet.

"Sorry. Did I scare you?" He asked.

"No, not really. Aren't you tired?" I replied. Mufasa had spent a whole day of training I was sure he would enjoy some good rest but he stood before me, eyes wide open and awake.

"Not really," Mufasa said, "Where's Sarafina?"

"She was really tired so her mother called her to bed," I answered him. Mufasa sat down next to me. I had to admit I was a bit nervous when I was alone with him. I barely knew him and I didn't have much to talk about.

"Did Taka go to bed?" Mufasa asked.

"I honestly don't know. I haven't seen him in a while," I said. I couldn't help but notice how disappointed Mufasa looked when I answered him. He sat there moving around the dirt under his paw. Not knowing what else to say or do, I watched him and I saw how much bigger his paws were than mine. I sighed and looked out at the night sky. "You want to hang out? I know it's late but you've been training all day. You should have some fun," I asked him. Mufasa smiled at me and quickly replied, "Sure!"

We started down Pride Rock together. Some adults were still awake so I was sure it was fine that we were heading out at night.

"So..." Mufasa said, trying to start a conversation, "You want to be leader of the hunting party?"

"Yep," I replied. I had always wanted to become a great huntress. My mother was the leader, and so was her mother.

"Well, then I guess you're pretty fast and you wouldn't mind...racing me...?" Mufasa asked. I grinned at him and happily accepted his challenge.

"You're so on. Ready.....Go!" I shouted, taking off. I was in the lead for a while but Mufasa was coming up close to me. I could hear the pounding of his large paws. My heart was all ready racing, I loved a challenge. We raced to the plains. The tall grass gently brushed against my legs as I ran. I kept in mind how much fun it would be to be able to tease the prince about that one time when I beat him. I was already smiling big. Some wandering antelope noticed us and moved out of the way, clearing the straight path to my win. I was feeling so confident I decided to look behind me. I turned my head and saw Mufasa. He winked at me then shot past me. I tried to speed up but he was just a bit ahead of me.

"Where are we racing to??" I asked him, following close behind.

"To the waterhole!" Mufasa replied. I looked past Mufasa to see the waterhole in the near distance. I took in a deep breath and increased my speed. This must have been the fastest I have ever ran before and yet I was still loosing. It was too late. Mufasa was going to reach the waterhole before I did so I decided to just jump it. I leaped at Mufasa and as soon as his paw touched the edge of the water hole. I managed to knock him down but he quickly grabbed me as he rolled into the water. I pushed my head up out of the water and laughed. Mufasa came up, laughed too. I quickly got back on land and shook myself dry. Mufasa did the same, shaking the water all on me making me have to dry myself again.

"Hey...Mufasa. Did you that your brother....well, he really..." I trailed off. I don't know why I decided to bring Taka into the conversation but I did and it was too late. Just the thought about the talk I had with him today was enough to make me mention it to Mufasa.

"What about Taka?" He asked. Mufasa gave me stare but I couldn't seem to get any words out of my mouth. What was the best way to tell him his brother wanted to be king instead him? Just then someone interrupted us.

"What are you guys doing?" The voice asked. Mufasa and I turned to see who it was. I was surprised to see Taka standing there. I was extremely embarrassed and was hoping that he did not hear me talking about him. Taka slowly walked towards and looked at his older brother. Mufasa gave Taka a heart warming smile but it seemed to have no affect on Taka. Taka then turned to see me. I felt a lump in my throat, where my words got stuck, when I tried to talk.

"Nothing, just taking a walk," Mufasa explained for me. Taka seemed, again, upset over something.

"Well, I better go then," Taka sighed. He got and walked away. Mufasa looked at me. We locked eyes for an instant before he ran after his brother. Mufasa sprinted after Taka, and stood in front of Taka to block his path. The brothers exchanged serious looks for a moment then smiled.

"You can hang out with us too, Taka," Mufasa said. I watched as Taka smiled. Mufasa got into his pouncing position and Taka did the same. The two brothers pounced at each other, laughing. They wrestled each other to the ground then looked up at me. This was what I liked seeing.I always thought those boys were weird but I loved seeing them get a long. Mufasa and Taka took a moment away from each other to chase after me. It took me a second to realize that they were heading straight for me. Out of reaction I screamed at them, "No! Stop!" and I took off in the other direction. I turned around again and laughed, "This isn't fair! It's two against one!"

Mufasa and Taka still chased after me, laughing the whole way. When I looked back I couldn't help but notice that Mufasa was a little bit ahead of his brother and seemed more determined to catch me. I kept my attention to the distance between me and them. Suddenly they froze. Mufasa's mouth dropped open as he looked up at something. I cocked my head to the left at him, not knowing he was looking at something in front of me. I was still running full speed when I hit something hard, furry, and bony. I looked up to see a hyena, staring down at me with large eyes. The hyena opened its mouth. I was too scared to move. I watched as the drool dripped from the hyena's jaws. "Sarabi, run!" I heard Mufasa yell. I was suddenly shocked back into reality. I bolted away from the hyena, but I was sure it was right behind me. I heard it getting closer, and closer. Mufasa and Taka ran with me. I didn't dare to look back. I knew if I stared into that hyena's eyes I would be frozen in fear. I was still shaking as I ran. I looked to Mufasa, who was staying close to me even, though we both knew he could run a little faster. Taka seemed more shocked them me. I heard the hyena's jaws snap at us, when suddenly a loud roar echoed through the whole pride lands. Mufasa, Taka, and I stopped in our tracks to look up and see their father, Ahadi, and the queen, Uru. I looked behind us and saw the hyena take off. We were all out of breath and it took me a long time for my heart rate to slow down.

"Mufasa, Taka what happened?" Ahadi asked, in a deep thundering voice. I looked at Taka, who had his head down low. Mufasa opened his mouth to answer his father when, Uru interrupted, "It was the hyena's fault. They've been coming into our territory for a while now. Not sure why though. We should just get them home."

Ahadi nodded in agreement with Uru. He gave me a glance, which sent a small chill up my spine. I'd hate to make the king mad. "Are you alright, Sarabi?" He asked, in a much calmer voice. I managed to nod yes. Uru smiled at me and Taka quickly ran over to his mother.

"I am very sorry father...we were playing," Mufasa apologized.

"It's okay, my son. I know. The hyenas are hungry but they also take more than they should, that's why they are banished from the Pride Lands but they keep coming back. It is not your fault. Let's take Sarabi home," Ahadi said. His voice was not as deep and scary this time, he was very kind and nice to me during the walk home.

When we got to the den, Ahadi sent us straight to bed, and I was exhausted. Mufasa, Taka, and I walked in the den together.

"I had a lot of fun," I whispered. Taka smiled at me and I smiled back.

"I did too. How about we do the same tomorrow?" Mufasa asked. I nodded yes. Mufasa turned to Taka and added, "All of us."

We went to bed, and I had the best night of sleep in a long time. I didn't even have a dream, and I didn't wake up in the middle of the night. I woke up the next morning, when most adults were awake already. My mother stayed by me and when I woke up we walked outside together. Sarafina, being her cheery self, greeted me with a big smile on her face. "Are you okay? I heard what happened! I can't believe I missed all the action!" She said. I told her the story about how I was perfectly fine and what really happened. Sarafina and I then went down into the Pride Lands. It was a beautiful morning. It was sunny, warm, and sometimes a cool breeze would come through. We just spent the day, talking a walk and talking. I heard a noise over the hill so Sarafina and I went to check it out. We were cautious but when we poked our heads over the hill we found Mufasa and Taka. They were play wrestling in the grass. Mufasa was on top of his brother, but Taka managed to push him off and gently grabbed his tail, playfully. They were laughing and smiling. They looked like best friends.

"Hey!" Sarafina shouted, "Can we join?"

Mufasa and Taka looked at each other then looked back at us and they both,cheerfully, shouted back, "Of course!"

Sarafina and I raced down the hill to go play.

Mufasa, Taka, Sarafina, and I grew up together and no matter what happened we were able to get through it. We were best friends and back then, I had no idea that I would one day become Mufasa's mate but it all seemed to work out. Taka was a nice and playful cub. It's when we became teenagers when things got worse between the brothers....