"Simba!" Nala cried out as she slipped on an unfortunately placed bone. It gave way when she stepped on it, and she quickly began to slip backward down the hill. The hyenas were hot in tow, and catching up quickly. Their aged, more experienced paws made easier work of the hill than the young lions could. Easily gaining ground, they came up fast behind Nala. Whether she saw how close the hyenas were was a mystery, as she was obviously panicked by the very thought of what could be right behind her.

At the moment, they may not have been directly behind her, but were in pouncing range regardless. In fact the only reason the cubs weren't in the hyenas' clutches right at the moment, was because of the head start they had while Banzai and Shenzi were cracking stupid jokes.

Simba turned around at the sound of his friend's desperate plea for help. He gasped; the scene was one out of a nightmare. Nala was desperately clawing at the edge of the cliff they had scaled, trying to find solid ground under the piles of bones. Shenzi was almost within snapping range now, and she was poised for a final pounce to reach Nala, her lunch.

Simba sprung into action. He didn't even have time to think before he found himself barreling back down the hill. He had to reach Nala. He had to keep her safe. After all, it was his fault that they were in this situation.

As he reached Nala, Simba saw Shenzi's legs tensing, moments from pouncing, and tearing Nala to her inevitable doom. Nala was losing her struggle to regain her footing and was a sitting duck for the attack. Simba had to act fast if he was going to save her.

Simba pulled back his front paw and smashed Shenzi across the face just as she was about to land. The impact did little, but it stunned the hyena enough to stop her, if for only a moment. Simba and Nala turned and were ready to flee. Then, an unnoticed Banzai jumped Simba while he was turned.

Nala, not realizing that Simba had been caught, took off at a full sprint. As she ran, she ducked under tusks, and made sure not to lose her footing again. It was her own clumsiness that had gotten them into this in the first place after all.

After a few yards of running, she stopped cold in her tracks. An enormous lion vaulted over a giant heap of bones, trailed closely by a majestic-looking horn bill. The adult lion landed gracefully, and turned in one fluid movement. This massive beast was Mufasa, with the bird obviously being Zazu, the king's major-domo.

"Where is Simba?" Mufasa asked simply, controlled rage apparent in his blazing glare.

"I...uh...uh..." Nala stammered. Looking around, she noticed that she had no idea where her friend was, and oddly enough, the hyenas were nowhere to be seen.

Mufasa sprinted in the direction the young cub had come from, leaving her in the dust behind him.

Nala was still deep in thought, looking all around her, hoping with all her worth that Simba was hiding right behind her, like he always liked to do.

"He's just playing..." She told herself, denying any possible alternatives. "This is just another one of his pranks."

The elephant graveyard was silent behind her. Not a hyena or lion could be heard.

"You can come out now!" Nala yelled out, fear in her eyes. "You really got me this time, Simba!"

As Mufasa ran he felt panic for the first time in his life. He had no idea where his son was, but knew that he was in the clutches of the hyenas.

"Please, let him be alright," he begged of some invisible spirit. He had nothing to go on to follow the hyenas, but the general direction of where Nala had come in from. As he neared an open plain, he saw the hyenas he was looking for. Gathered around some mass, he couldn't make out in this distance.

He picked up speed, and barreled toward the hyenas. They clearly saw him coming, as they started running away, before he had even reached them.

As he neared the mass, he didn't want to believe his eyes. It was Simba, lying on the dark patch of ground, motionless.

Mufasa nuzzled his son. "Simba... Simba!" he shouted, in fear, his eyes finally realizing what he was seeing. He sat down in front of his son, not having the energy to move. Tears streamed down his strong face.

Zazu sat down next to the king, tears also spilling down his face. He couldn't believe the scene in front of him. He usually had a way with words, at least enough to comfort Mufasa, but he had nothing to say now.

"NOOO!" Mufasa shouted into the sky. Finally he accepted the truth in front of him and broke down into full despair.

He cried his rage into the heavens, and the savanna trembled.