The animals all made their way to Pride Rock. The sun was just rising over the horizon. King Taka was looking over his kingdom when a blue hornbill called Zazu flew in front of him and bowed. A wise, old baboon called Rafiki made his way up Pride Rock and the two friends hugged before Taka made his was into the cave. There his mate, Queen Sarafina, lay, with an orange cub in her arms. The two mates nuzzled before looking at the cub. Sarafina gently licked his head and the cub turned to look at them. Rafiki came into the den and wiped some juice on the cub's forehead before taking some sand and sprinkling it on him. Rafiki then took the cub and brought him out side, the king following. Rafiki lifted the cub up in front of all the watching animals, and almost at once there was stanping and cheering coming from the sea of animals to welcome the new prince. Prince Simba.

Simba looked out at the pridelands. The sun had barely risen. The young prince raced inside and climbed over all the lions to got to his dad. "Dad! Wake up! Come on dad, you need to get up!" Simba said, tugging at his father's ear. "You're son is awake." Sarafina muttered to Taka. "Before sunrise he's your son." Taka mumbled, with Simba going "Dad dad dad dad dad dad dad dad dad." in the background. "Dad, come on dad." Simba whined and tugged at Taka's ears. Falling backwards, he headbutted his father. "You promised." Simba scowled. Taka yawned and rose to his feet, muttering to himself about how early it was. He took Simba up to the summit, where the sun was just rising. "Look, Simba, everything the light touches is part of the pridelands. When you are king all this will be yours." Taka explained. "Everything the light touches." Simba breathed. Then he thought of something. "What about that shadowy place?" Simba asked. "That is beyond our borders. It is far too dangerous for you, Simba. You must never go there." Taka told his son. "But can't a king do whatever he wants?" Simba whined. "Thare is more to being king then getting your way all the time." Taka smiled and began to walk away. "Wow, there's more?" Simba gasped, following his father. "Simba!" Taka chuckled. When they were quite far from pride rock Taka continued. "In life there is a great balance. A king must understand that balance, and respect all the creatures, from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope." He explained. "But dad, we eat the antelope." Simba pointed out. "Yes, Simba, that is true, but let me explain. When we die out bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. So we are all connected in the great circle of life." The king said gently. Simba nodded. Just then Zazu flew in and landed on a nearby rock. "Good morning sire!" "Good morning Zazu." Taka nodded. "Checking in with the morning report." Zazu said, bowing. "Go on, fire away." Taka said. "Chimps are going ape. Giraffes remain above it all. Elephants remember tough just what I can't recall. Crocodiles are snapping up fresh offers in the banks. Shwoed interest in my nest egg but I quickly said no thanks. We haven't payed the hornbills and the vultures have a hunch. Not everyone invited will be coming back from lunch." Zazu laughed nervously before continuing his song, although Simba didn't understand why he had to sing. "This is the morning report. Brings you the long and the short. Every grunt, roar and snort. Not a tale I distort. On the morning report." Simba had spotted a mole while Zazu was singing this, and was attempting to pounce on it. "What are you doing, son?" Taka whispered to Simba. "Pouncing." Simba replied while rubbing his head, since he had banged it after missing the mole again. "Let an old pro show you how it's done." Taka whispered, and paid no attention to what Zazu was singing after that. "Stay low to the ground." Taka suggested. "Yeah yeah OK stay low to the ground, got it." Simba replied. "Sshh, not a sound." Taka said lowly. "Take it slowly. One more step, then..." Simbapounced on Zazu, who was taken by surprise. Taka laughed. "This is the morning report. Brings you the long and the short. Every grunt roar and snort. Not a tale I distort." Simba sang, tormenting Zazu. He grabbed his tail just as the hornbill was trying to fly away. "On the morning report." Simba sang, a bit muffled, and being dragged around by Zazu in his attempt to get away. Finally Simba let go and Zazu bumped into the mole while Taka laughed. "Very good." Taka began. "Now, if you just-" "Sire! Hyenas! In the pridelands!" Zazu cried, peaking out behind a rock. At once Taka became serious again. "Zazu, take Simba home." He ordered. "Aw dad, can't I come?" Simba pleaded. Taka shook his head and walked off. "I never get to go anywhere. It's not fair!" Simba complained. "Oh young Simba one day you will be king." Zazu said. "And then you will be able to chase out those slobbering mangy stupid poachers from dawn until dusk."

Later Simba met up with Scratch. "Hey Uncle Scratch guess what! My dad just showed me the whole kingdom. And I'm gonna rule it all when I grow up." Simba said. "Oh goodie." Scratch mumbled. "Hey Uncle Scratch, when I'm king, what will that make you?" Simba asked, climbing on top of Scratch's mane. "A monkey's uncle." Scratch replied. Simba laughed at that. "So, your father showed you the whole kingdom?" Scratch asked, getting back to the subject. Simba nodded. "I bet he didn't show you beyond the borders." Simba sighed. "Well no, he said I can't go there." He mumbled. "And your father is absolutely right it is far to dangerous out there!" Scratch said. "An elephant graveyard is no place for a cub." Scratch gasped and covered his mouth. Simba gasped in amazement. " Simba, just promise me one thing. Promise me you will never visit that horrible place." Scratch said, nuzzling Simba. "No problem." Simba smiled. "There's a good lad. Now run along and remember. It's our little secret." Scratch smiled. Simba ran off.

Simba soon found his friend, Nala. She was a dark-ish lioness with ear rims and orange eyes. Nala was lying in her mother's, Sarabi's, paws. Nala was almost an exact replica of her mother, the only difference was, her colours were lighter. Nala never knew who her father was, and never asked because she didn't care.

"Hey Nala! I've just heard about this great place!" Simba smiled. "Simba, I'm having a bath!" Nala growled. "And it's time for yours."Sarafina chuckled and grabbed Simba before he could escape. "Mom!" Simba protested as Sarafina began to give him a bath. "Mom cut it out!" SImba jumped out of Sarafina's arms and rubbed his paw over his hair tuff. "OK, I'm clean, can we go now?" "So where are we going? If it's dumb Simba I swear-" Nala began but Simba interrupted her. "No, it's really cool." He grinned. "So where is this really cool place?" Sarafina asked. "Oh, around the water hole."Simba lied. "The water hole!" Nala snapped. "What's so great about the water hole?" "I'll show you when we get there." Simba hissed. Nala, getting the message, turned to Sarabi. "Uh, mom can I go with Simba?" She asked. "What do you think, Sarafina?" Sarabi asked. "It's alright with me." Sarafina purred, then called after the celebrating cubs, "So long as Zazu goes with you." Oh no, not Zazu" Simba complained.

Simba clung desperately onto the small tree. It hadn't been a good day. His uncle Sratch had told him to wait in the gorge for his father and to practice his roar. Then a stampede of wildabeest started, forcing Simba run. Now he was clinging desperately onto a tree that might snap at any moment.

A wildabeest hit the tree. Snap! Simba went flying through the air. This is it. Simba thought. I will never survive  this. Suddenly a figure grabbed him in his mouth. A kind of orange-ish pelt. His father! Everything was going to be alright again. Taka gently placed Simba on a rock, out of harms way, then got caught in the stampede. "Dad!" Simba cried, trying to see if he could spot his father. Taka suddenly leapt, and the next thing that Simba knew he was climbing up the side of the gorge. Simba ran up the rocky ledge to meet him.

What Simba didn't see was Taka look up desperately into Scratch's eyes. "Scratch! Brother, help me!" He begged. His back paws scrabbled desperately to try and get a hold of the side of the gorge. Scratch suddenly lunge, digging his claw's into Taka's paws. "Long live the king." He smirked. Then he threw Taka into the stampede. Simba's cry could be heard far and wide, it was a great cry like no one had ever heard. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

After the stampede was over Simba crept into the gorge to look for Taka. At first all he saw was a stray wildabeest running to it's herd, then Simba's gaze followed it... and his heart sank.

Taka was lying, not moving, under the fallen tree that Simba had clung onto. Simba padded over to him in silence. "Dad? Dad come on, you need to get up. We've got to go home." Simba tugged on Taka's ear, but then stopped. "Help!" He cried. "Someone, anyone... help." Tears streamed down Simba's face as he realised the truth. He crept back over to his father and lay under Taka's arm, sobbing gently. A shadow suddenly emerged from the swelling mist as Scratch appeared. "Simba, what have you done?" Simba stood up and faced his uncle, still crying. "There were wildabeest, he tried to save me and... I swear, I didn't mean for it to happen-" Simba began. "Of course you didn't. No one means for these things to happen. But the king is dead, and it is because of you." Scratch told him. Simba looked up in shock and horror as he realised what he had done. "What should I do?" He whispered. "Run. Run away and never return." Scratch told him. Simba turned away and fled down the mistly gorge.

Sarafina walked down past the rows of hyenas that were snapping at her paws and tail as she made her way up pride rock. "Yes King Scratch??" She asked calmly. "Where is your hunting party?" Scratch demanded. "Scratch, there is nothing left to hunt, the herds have gone." Sarafina told him. "No, they can't be, your just not looking!" Scratch hissed. "It's over. There is nothing left. We must leave pride rock." Sarafina told him. "We're staying here." "Then you will kill us all!" "So be it then!" "You can't do that!" Sarafina hissed. "I can do anything I want, I'm king!" Scratch snapped stubbornly. "If you were half the king Taka was you would-" "I am ten times the king that Taka was!" Scratch yelled, hitting Sarafina with the back of his paw. An orange figure growled furiously from the top of a pile of rocks. Scratch gasped and backed off as the figure came down. "Taka, no, your dead." Scratch gasped as the lion nuzzled Sarafina. She looked at him. "Taka? Is that you?" The lion looked down at her with kind eyes. "No, it's me." He told her. "Simba! Your alive?" Sarafina gasped and nuzzled him. "Oh Simba!" Scratch faked a smile. "I'm a little surprised to see you... alive." He muttered the last part and glared at the hyenas. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip you apart." Simba growled as he advanced menicingly towards his uncle. "Simba, please let's be reasonable..." "Then step down, Scratch." Simba told him. "Well you see I would, but there is a problem. Do you see them?" Scratch pointed to the hyenas. "They think I'm king." "Well we don't." Came Nala's voice. "Simba is the rightful king." Simba looked at his uncle. "The choice is yours. Step down or fight." "Oh, must this all end in violence, Simba?" Scar asked, beginning to circle Simba. "I mean, I would hate to be the one who caused the death of a family member, don't you agree?" Scratch turned to Simba with a smirk. "Nice try, but I've put it behind me." Simba told him. "But what about your subjects, have they put it behind them?" Scratch asked, still smirking. "What is he talking about, Simba?" Nala asked, looking confised. "Oh, so you haven't told them your secret! Well then, Simba, now is your chance, who is responsible for Taka's death?" Scratch turned to Simba, who stepped forward. "I am."

A silent gasp came from the small croud of lionesses as Sarafina walked up to Simba. "Please, Simba, please tell me it's not true!" She begged. Simba breathed in. "It's true." He sighed. "So you see, he admits it! Murderer!" Scratch said. "No! It was an accident!" Simba claimed. Scratch began circling Simba again. "If it wasn't for you Taka would still be here, do you deny this?" "No." Simba sighed. "Then your guilty!" "No I'm not a murderer!" Simba began. Scratch began to make Simba back up against the edge of pride rock. "Simba, your in trouble again, but this time your dad isn't here to save you. And now everyone knows the real reason why!" Scratch yelled. Simba gasped as he fell off the cliff. He dug his claws into the rock in a desperate attempt to hold on. Lightning struck beneath him as flames began to spread underneath him. "Now, where have I seen this before?" Scratch thought out loud, pretending to try to remember something. "Oh yes I remember, this is exactly the way Taka looked before he died." Simba slipped further. Scratch's paws fell onto Simba's, getting ready to throw him off like he had done with Taka. "And now here's my secret." He smirked and leaned in to Simba's ear. "I killed Taka." Simba remembered Mufasa's yells and his own scream of terror. Now that scream almost came back, but this time in anger. He leapt back onto pride rock pinning Scratch down. "Murderer!" He yelled, furious. "Tell them what really happened." "Oh Simba, please I-" Scratch began. Simba put his paw on Scratch's throat. "OK, alright!" Scratch coughed. "I did it." "So they can hear you." Scratch glared at Simba as he called out, "I killed Taka!"

As the hyenas began to leap on Simba the lionesses also ran in to drag the hyenas off of Simba. Even Timon and Pumbaa leapt in to fight. As Simba looked around, he found Scratch trying to sneak away, but then, realising he had been spotted, began to run away. Simba chased after him and then finally caught up with him. "Murderer." He whispered. "Simba, please, have mercy, I beg you." "You don't deserve to live." "But Simba, I am family." Scratch said. "You didn't care about that when you murdered my father." Simba growled. "They hyenas, it was their idea, Simba, it was their fault, they are the real enemys!" Scratch told him. "I don't believe you. Everything you tell me is a lie." SImba snarled, now in front of Scratch. "What will you do? You wouldn't kill your own uncle, would you?" Scratch gasped. "No, Scratch, I'm not a murderer like you." Simba growled. "Oh thank you Simba, how can I prove myself to you, tell me anything that I have to do." Scratch said, rising to his feet. "Run." Simba said. "Run away, Scratch, and never return." "Yes, of course." Scratch said, beginning to walk away. "As you wish, your majesty!" Scratch threw hot ashes in Simba's face then leapt at him. He locked his jaws on Simba's mane then threw him to the ground, his head over the cliff, and began biting his neck. Simba knocked him off with his paw then leapt at him, doing his best to do damage. Scratch knocked Simba to the floor and he landed on his back. He looked. Scratch leapt at him. Simba's mind worked fast. As Scratch was about to come down on him he lifted up his back paws and flicked Scratch over his head. Scratch fell down the cliff, but as Simba peaked over he could see Scratch struggling to his feet, so Simba left, leaving his uncle to be devoured by the hyenas.

Just as the fire was about to get worse the rain began to pour to put out the flames. Simba returned to the base of pride rock where the pride was waiting. Simba looked up at Rafiki, who pointed to the edge of pride rock with his stick. Simba began to walk up and pulled Rafiki close in a hug. Rafiki then pulled away and smiled at SImba. "It is time." Simba walked up to the tip of pride rock. As he looked up into the sky he heard his father's voice. "Remember..." Looking down, Simba know what he had to do, and let out a long, clear roar. The lions below him echoed the roar back to him.

A few months later life had returned to the pridelands. Simba and Nala, the new king and queen, stood at the top of pride rock. Rafiki came out carrying an orange cub with colourless paws. The two proud parents watched as Rafiki lifted up the new cub. Princess Fluffy.