Chapter 1: The Surprise

NINE MONTHS LATER

Simba

"You are so full of crap, Simba," Tama said as he rolled his eyes.

I smiled smugly. "You're just jealous 'cause I'm so much braver than you."

"Oh, so running away like a scared little rabbit is brave now?" Tama shot back with a malicious grin.

"I wasn't scared!" I growled as my fur bristled. "There must've been a hundred hyenas, and I fought 'em all off!" Tama rolled his eyes again and walked off. "I didn't see you out there in the graveyard with us!" I shouted after him. "Where were you?"

"I was right here," he replied. "Not crying behind a pile of bones about to get eaten, I might add."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" I said as I crouched low to the ground, tail up in the air.

Tama turned around and crouched opposite me, grinning. "Exactly what it sounds like…crybaby!"

"Say that again…" I challenged him as I returned his grin.

"Cryba-" Tama began to say before I pounced on him. For the next minute, we were one blurry mass of batting paws and playful growls. Finally, I managed to flip Tama onto his back, and I stood victorious, one paw planted in the center of his chest.

"Lemme up, Simba!" Tama laughed as he tried to squirm free.

I pressed down harder and smirked. "Not until you say I fought off a hundred hyenas. By myself."

"All by yourself, huh?" a different voice replied behind me. "I don't think so. And last time I checked, there were only three hyenas."

I turned around and saw Nala staring at me skeptically, one eyebrow raised.

"Aww, why'd you have to go and ruin it, Nala?" I complained as Tama managed to squirm free. He stood up and brushed himself off, laughing the whole time.

"Only three?" he asked. "What happened to the other ninety-seven?"

I glowered again at the beige cub, who smiled and nudged my shoulder with her paw. "Don't listen to him," she continued. "You were still really brave."

I shot another superior grin at Tama, who rolled his eyes a third time.

"Somethin' wrong with your hair, Tama?" I teased. "You're lookin' up at it so much, I figure you must be pretty worried about it."

Tama's eyebrows shot up. "Well, I should be. Don't you know about my disease?"

"Which one?"

"'Crazyfriend-itis'...had it since birth. There's all kinds of symptoms: eye rolling, deep sighs, headaches...sometimes I just can't control it, especially when a certain someone starts making up stories about their heroic triumph over an entire hyena pack."

I crouched down, ready to pounce again. "Well, maybe I can help fix it. I'm sure a couple blows to the head oughta do the trick."

Tama's legs tensed up too, and we were about to go at each other again when he suddenly stood up and stared at something behind me.

"What's the matter?" I taunted. "Afraid I'll beat you again?"

"Oh, Simba, I do hate it when you fight," said a deep voice behind me. I jumped at the unexpected sound, but I relaxed again as I looked back and saw my uncle Scar sitting behind me. He was standing tall so his shadow enveloped me, and he had an unconvincing attempt at looking worried plastered on his face. "I don't know what I'd do if something…happened to you."

"Hey, Uncle Scar," I said happily. Some people (like Tama) thought Scar was creepy, but I didn't see him like that. He was a little strange sometimes, but he was still my uncle. He wouldn't do anything to hurt me. "What are you doin' here?"

"If you must know, I was just passing through when your father stopped me and told me to find you and bring you out to the canyon. He says he's got a special surprise there for you."

"Really? Oh, boy!" I said. In an instant, I forgot what I was arguing about with Tama and started wondering what my dad's surprise would be. Usually, it was just another corner of the kingdom that he hadn't shown me yet, but sometimes he would take me to see the lions from another pride or something really cool that he found out in the wilderness. I hoped it was one of those surprises.

"I can't wait to see it! Did he say what it was?" I shouted, practically jumping up and down with excitement.

"Now, now, Simba, no more questions. I wouldn't want to ruin your father's surprise. Come along. We don't want to be late."

"Can Nala and Tama come this time? I bet they'd love to see the surprise too! Please?" I begged, flashing what I hoped was a disarming smile for good measure.

"No!" Scar said harshly, and for a moment I thought I had said something wrong. Then Scar shook his head and adopted a pleasant expression again. "I mean…your father was very specific that it's for your eyes only."

"Okay…" I mumbled. I turned to Nala and Tama. "See you later, guys. I promise I'll tell you everything once I get back!"

"Have fun, Simba!" Nala replied, a tiny hint of disappointment flickering in her eyes. "Don't get into too much trouble without me!"

I grinned. "It wouldn't be any fun getting into trouble without you, Nala."

Nala's cheeks went red underneath her fur, and suddenly my mind went blank. It was like seeing Nala react to my compliment flipped a switch in my head or something, and all that switch did was give me a weird fuzzy feeling in my chest that made my paws sweat and my brain shut off. It had happened a couple times before when I was with Nala, but never in front of Tama, or anybody else for that matter. I didn't know what to do, or really even what to think.

Is this what being…betrothed feels like?, a little voice in my mind that sounded an awful lot like mine wondered as Nala looked away, slightly embarrassed about blushing. I knew that betrothed meant getting married, and my dad always said he got a fuzzy feeling when he saw my mom. Is that what this is?

"Um…" I stammered as I tried to think of something clever to say. Why the need to sound clever?, I asked myself. It's just Nala!

"So…I guess I'll see you later?" Nala asked as she looked up again.

"Yeah…bye," I said as Scar tapped his claws against the ground. As I followed my uncle away, my conscience was practically screaming at me. 'Yeah…bye?' That's it? That's all you could come up with? You're betrothed! That means marriage, and marriage means you can't just blow her off like that!

I didn't blow her off!, I argued back. I…

Marriage means you've gotta be there for her. Marriage means…

I stopped walking. "Marriage means love," I whispered to myself. The instant I thought it, I put it out of my mind. I didn't love Nala. We were friends. That was it. Love would be too complicated. Love would be too weird. Love would…

The fuzzy feeling came back, and I groaned. How can anyone like feeling like this all the time?, I wondered one last time before Scar brought me back to reality.

"What's wrong, Simba? Don't you want to see your father's surprise?" he said a little impatiently.

Quickly, I shook all thoughts of Nala out of my head. My dad was waiting. "You bet I do! Let's go!"

I bounded ahead of Scar, eager to see my dad and whatever he had in store for me. As I passed Scar, I could've sworn I saw him grin, but when I turned around again his face was clear. I don't know why, but that grin had seemed…evil somehow, like Scar had some terrible plan that I was just a tiny part of. I quickly brushed away that suspicion, though. Scar was my uncle, which meant he was almost like my dad. It was crazy to even think that he would ever want to hurt me. Right?

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Tama

"You bet I do! Let's go!" Simba shouted happily. As he sprinted past his uncle, I saw a smile cross Scar's face that I would remember for the rest of my life. I don't know why the thought entered my head, but as soon as I saw Scar's satisfied leer I knew that there was something more to his visit. Something he knew that Simba didn't. As crazy as it was, I had never been so sure of anything in my entire life. As if Scar knew what I was thinking, he turned his head around and fixed me with an impassive stare, and I could tell he was deciding whether I was worth bothering with. I shuddered and looked away.

"What's the matter with you?" Nala asked as Scar finally took his eyes off me. "You're acting really weird."

"I could say the same thing about you," I countered, trying to take my mind off Simba's uncle. "What was that with you and Simba a minute ago?"

She blushed again. "Nothing. He…it was really nice of him to say that, that's all."

I grinned slowly. "You liiiiike him."

"No, I don't! We're just friends! Just because we're be…betro…whatever, doesn't mean we're in love!"

"Simba and Nala sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S…."

"Shut up!" Nala screamed as she gave me a big shove.

I stared at the now fuming tan cub, shocked at her reaction. Nala was usually very levelheaded, and it was a bit of a shock to see her that worked up over anything, let alone Simba. She stared back, and a moment later her anger fade away as quickly as it had come.

"I…I'm sorry, Tama…." she said in a small voice. She looked and sounded like she was about to cry.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm fine," I said as I walked up to her. "Besides, I kinda pushed you first, if you think about it."

"That doesn't make it any less wrong."

"Hey," I continued as I put a paw on her shoulder. "Whatever's going on with Simba…it's fine. I don't care. I'm sorry I was being such a jerk about it."

She smiled faintly. "Thanks, Tama…and you're not a jerk. Far from it."

I smiled back and let my paw drop back down to the ground. As I glanced over to where Simba disappeared, I realized I could still see him and his uncle Scar walking away in the distance. Silently, I hoped Simba hadn't seen me comforting Nala. Nala could say whatever she wanted, but it was obvious to pretty much everybody that the two were more than just friends, and I didn't want the Prince of the Pridelands thinking I was going after his girlfriend.

Simba and Scar finally disappeared behind a cliff face, and I let out another shudder. Nala noticed, but apparently didn't feel like questioning it after what had happened the last time she asked.

"Gods, Scar creeps the heck out of me," I said, anticipating the question I knew was on the tip of her tongue.

"Why's that?" she asked, wrinkling her nose. "I mean, he's kinda weird, but he's not dangerous."

"I don't know…he's just so…". So what?, I continued inside my head. "I don't know. I can't help but feel like he's up to something, though."

"I think you're just being paranoid. Now come on! I didn't get to eat anything last night after we got back from the graveyard, and I haven't had breakfast yet! I'm starving!"

"Go ahead. I'll…I'll catch up in a sec."

Nala gave me a puzzled look, but thankfully didn't ask questions. As she ran off, I kept staring in the direction that Simba had gone with Scar. There was still a part of me that knew something was going to happen, but was that part right? Nala's voice echoed in my head again: You're just being paranoid. I was about to turn around when another memory poked through my subconscious: Scar's smile as he left. In an instant, my decision was made. As Nala's figure got smaller in the distance behind me, I sighed and took off towards the spot where I had seen Simba and Scar disappear. Whatever this surprise was, I had to know for myself whose idea it really was: Mufasa's, or Scar's.

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I caught up with Simba and Scar easily enough, as Scar seemed to be taking his sweet time getting to wherever the surprise was. Another pang of suspicion flew through my mind. If Scar had been in such a hurry to get Simba to his dad (as he had claimed), why was he walking slowly now, as if he were just on a morning stroll through the grasslands? It didn't make any sense, and my irrational worry for Simba increased constantly.

I don't think Simba noticed any of Scar's unusual conduct at all, and I couldn't help but grin. Simba was the type of lion who wouldn't notice a charging rhino if it was breathing down his neck, as long as there was a weird rock or a butterfly nearby. Odds were, he wouldn't think anything of Scar's strange behavior, even if he did notice it. It would be up to me to save him if Scar tried anything.

Which, of course, he won't, I grumbled. This is stupid. You're skipping breakfast because Simba's uncle gives you the creeps. Just turn around already.

I kept walking. As stupid as it was, my gut feeling of suspicion was overpowering.

Finally, Scar stopped at the lip of a huge canyon, and with another barely concealed smile he led Simba down into it. I crept up behind them and looked down on the mismatched pair from above. I could see a yellowish cub sitting on a rock enveloped by a large tree, but I couldn't hear what the lean black lion next to him was saying. Suddenly, Scar grabbed Simba and pulled him close to his jaws, and I tensed up, ready to sprint down and save my friend. But I soon realized that Scar was just whispering something into Simba's ear. Simba's face fell momentarily, but he quickly perked up again. I could just barely make out Simba's question, something about whether he would like the surprise his dad had in store for him.

Scar grinned again. "Simba, it's to die for," he replied.

There it was again: that weird smile that seemed both innocent and evil at the same time. He was up to something, I just knew it. Of course, Simba didn't notice anything. Simba was busy growling at a lizard he had just found.

I rolled my eyes and backed away from the edge, looking all around for something that would give away Scar's plot, but I saw nothing except an empty desert surrounding me. Obviously, Scar had something bad planned, but what? The canyon was empty aside from Simba and his new lizard friend. The only thing I could see was a giant herd of wildebeest near the far end of the gorge, and they were all peacefully grazing without a care in the world. There was nothing even remotely dangerous in sight.

No, wait...now the wildebeest were moving. Something was chasing them. No, not chasing. Herding. The entire herd was being forced towards one point, right at the edge of the…

"Oh, no," I whispered in horror as I finally realized what was happening.

I made a beeline to the edge of the canyon, not caring if Scar saw me. "SIMBA!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "LOOK OUT!"

Simba finally spotted me, and I could see my name form on his lips as a puzzled expression crossed his face. Then he turned and saw what I had seen. The entire wildebeest herd had been forced into the canyon from their field, and somehow they had made it down the cliff face and were stampeding out of control. Simba would be crushed if he didn't move!

"RUN!" I yelled again, my voice starting to go hoarse. With a gut-wrenching look of terror, Simba sprinted away, but it was too late. The herd was already on top of him.

I ran along the edge of the canyon to where I had last seen my friend, searching desperately for a small patch of yellow among the blur of gray and brown. Suddenly, a shadow fell over me, and I tripped and fell onto my back as Mufasa leapt over me and tore into the canyon, followed close behind by Scar. I didn't know what was going on, but I knew I had to get away before Scar realized who he had just run past. If he really did have something to do with this, I couldn't guess what he would do to anyone who could reveal his guilt. I scrambled to my feet and ran up to a higher ledge, where I watched everything happen seemingly all at once.

Finally, I caught sight of Simba again, barely hanging on to a rickety tree branch. Mufasa had vanished into the raging herd, and I couldn't make out any sign of him anywhere. Meanwhile, Simba was slipping off the branch more and more every second, and soon one of the enraged wildebeest smashed straight through it, shattering it into pieces. Simba was thrown up into the air, and my heart leapt into my throat as my best friend fell to what would surely be his death.

Suddenly, an ear-splitting roar rang out from the canyon, and I saw Mufasa leap out of the herd and grab Simba firmly in his teeth. The king's paws flew over the rocky canyon floor as he ran against the furious barrage of panicked wildebeest. Suddenly, he stumbled and fell hard as one of the crazed animals' hooves cracked against his skull. Simba fell from his mouth, and for a moment both my friend and his dad were lost in the mass of bodies. But then just seconds later, I saw Mufasa weaving through the herd once again, with Simba safely in his grasp. Somehow, the king managed to make it to the side of the canyon, where he gently laid Simba down on a protruding ledge. Simba turned around and reached out to help his dad, only to feel empty air as Mufasa was dragged back into the stampede with an angry roar. Both Simba and I gasped, and Simba's mournful cry for his father echoed even over the crushing noise of the stampede.

I scanned the crowd again, numb with terror. There was no sign of Mufasa anywhere. Then, another roar split the air. Mufasa burst out of the herd a second time, this time latching his claws into the rock face itself. Slowly, ever so slowly, he began to climb up to where Scar was watching him. Simba ran off towards the top of the canyon, presumably to help pull his dad over the top, but I was rooted to the spot. I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach about what would happen once the king reached his brother.

Finally, Mufasa could go no further. "Scar!" Mufasa called out as he began to slip back down the rock face. "Brother…help me!"

Scar looked down pensively on his brother for a brief moment, then without warning he unsheathed his claws and buried them in Mufasa's forepaws. Mufasa roared in pain, and Scar smiled his twisted, evil smile one last time. Scar put his head down and whispered something into Mufasa's ear, and I saw the king's eyes widen.

Then Scar threw him off the cliff, sending the king of the Pridelands spiraling down into the horde below.

My mouth was open in horror, but nothing came out. Instead, another scream pierced the air. It belonged to Simba, who had reached the top of the canyon just in time to see his father fall for the last time. I looked over at Scar. He wasn't even watching Simba. In fact, he almost looked bored as he gazed down into the canyon, watching his brother die. But as I looked closer, I saw his eyes sparkle with content, and finally I knew that this had been his plan all along. He had lured the king here and thrown him to his death with hardly a second thought, leaving the throne open for him to take for himself.

But that can't be right!, I thought as mind raced to comprehend what was happening. Simba's supposed to be king next, right? He won't shut up about it! So if Mufasa dies, then Simba's...

I was completely alone on the ledge overlooking the hellish canyon, but I still felt like someone had knocked the breath right out of my lungs. Scar wasn't done yet. If he wanted to be king, there was still one more lion in his way. Not even a lion, really; a cub.

Simba.

He was going to kill him. Scar was going to kill my best friend. And I was the only one that could stop it.

At that moment, every bone in my body was flooded with a rage I can barely even describe. I had never been so angry in all my life, and all I could think about grabbing Scar by the throat and throwing him into the canyon to die alongside Mufasa. The world took on a slightly red tint as I broke into a sprint in Scar's direction. He still hadn't noticed me, but I was sure as hell going to change that. Somewhere below, Simba cried for help. I barely heard it. I didn't care. My world had narrowed down to a single thin tunnel, with Scar at the other end. I was going to kill him.

But in the instant before I leapt at his throat, Scar jumped down into what looked like empty air, and I managed to skid to a halt before I flew over the edge too. Looking down, I saw that Scar had taken a small path down to the bottom of the gorge and was now slowly padding towards a large tan mound that lay crumpled next to a broken tree. With a wave of nausea, I realized that the lump was Mufasa's body. But where was Simba?

Scar stopped behind the corpse of the king, and for a moment he seemed to be talking to it. I was confused, until through the cloud of dust left by the stampede I spotted a smaller lump next to the body move slightly. My throat tightened as I saw Simba get up and lean into his uncle's leg, tears streaming down his face. Suddenly, a look of terror swept across Simba's face, and he looked up at Scar with wide eyes. What did Scar tell him?, I wondered. As I saw Simba glance back at his fallen father again, guilt began to push through the pain etched in his face, and my anger at Scar returned in full force. What did you tell him?, I almost screamed, though I managed to keep the shout trapped in the back of my throat. What more could you possibly do to him?

I looked down and realized that my claws were out and digging into the ground. As I yanked them out of the soft clay beneath my feet, I looked up again and saw that Simba was now running away towards the other end of the canyon. My eyes narrowed. Scar had made him run. He was going to pay. For everything. Just as I was about to go down the path and finish what I started, I saw Scar's lips shift slightly as he muttered something. The second after he spoke, a threesome of baying hyenas raced out of the fog behind Scar, and I knew that they were taking care of the last weak link in the chain: Simba.

I sprinted down to the end of the canyon as fast as my already weary legs could carry me, rage and panic giving me enough energy to keep pace with the hyenas. Simba wasn't as lucky, though, and the hyenas were constantly gaining on him. It didn't help that an enormous pile of rocks and branches had blocked off the other end of the canyon as well. Luckily, Simba was just quick enough, and he slipped into a small crevice and soon popped out at the top, with the hyenas literally right behind him. I silently cheered Simba on until suddenly he was forced to stop. His toes were now hanging over the edge of another cliff, and far below him a huge pit of briars coated the landscape. Once again, a chill went down my spine. I knew exactly what my friend was thinking.

"Don't do it, Simba," I begged. "There has to be another way out!"

Once again, I was too late. Simba looked back at the approaching hyenas, and seemed to come to a decision. Slowly, he closed his eyes, sucked in a breath...

And stepped over the edge.

I think I was screaming, but I couldn't hear it. I could hardly hear anything, actually. The world was deathly silent, with the only noise coming from the baying of the hyena pack and Simba groaning as he bounced down the hillside. Finally, he reached the bottom and crashed into the briars. His battered body quickly disappeared under the thorns, and in an instant my friend was gone.

I felt my face grow hot, and I closed my eyes before my tears could escape them. It was over. Scar had won. Simba couldn't have survived that fall.

At some point, I heard the hyenas arguing, and I looked up. Though my vision was blurry, I could see one of the hyenas yanking spikes out of his butt with his teeth as the other two laughed. It would've been funny if Simba had been there. Simba…

My eyes fell shut again. My best friend in the whole world was gone. We'd never laugh together again. The tears fell faster as I remembered our last fight. I couldn't believe that the last thing I had said to him was how crazy he was.

"Well, he's as good as dead out there, anyway," one of the hyenas said loudly. You got that right, I thought dejectedly. Maybe later I would go in and find his body. The least I could do was make sure he was buried properly with his father.

"And if he ever comes back, we'll kill him."

Wait, what? He's already dead!

I looked up. The hyenas were staring at something on the horizon. "Ya hear that?" one of the mangy creatures yelled. "If ya ever come back…we'll kill ya!" As the hyena's threat reverberated menacingly around the canyon, I squinted in the direction that he was yelling, hardly daring to even hope that the target of the hyena's jeers was who I thought it was. But sure enough, a small leonine figure was sprinting away into the desert. I knew without a doubt that it was Simba.

My tears were gone, and I felt a humongous grin stretch across my face. Without another word, I raced after the figure fading into the sunset. I have to catch him before he runs away forever, I thought as my paws flew over the earth. I wasn't worried, though. The royal bloodline (not to mention my best friend) was still alive. There was still hope for the future. All I needed to do was catch that future before it disappeared for good in the unforgiving desert.

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Simba

I don't know how long I kept running. I felt no pain. I had no thoughts. I just wanted to escape from everything: the hyenas, the canyon…and my guilt.

I knew that my dad was dead because of me. If I had been paying attention, if I had just run to the side and climbed up, none of this would've happened. I could go back to Pride Rock. We would still have a king. I could see Nala again…

And Tama, I thought, for some reason still trying not to think about Nala, still trying to keep away that warm fuzzy feeling that I craved and hated at the same time. Then another voice spoke up, louder than my own thoughts.

Why are you fighting it?, it asked me. What's wrong with loving Nala?

I stopped on a dime, panting hard from my run. Why was I fighting it? Sure, we were friends and all, but did that mean we couldn't be…more?

I groaned and squeezed my stinging eyes shut. I was giving myself a headache trying to piece together how I really felt. I needed to just drop it. It didn't matter anyway. It wasn't like I'd ever see her again. I was a rogue now, a criminal who didn't belong to any pride. And criminals don't get to fall in love or see their family or hear their friends' voices…. As I thought that, I could've sworn I heard Tama call my name from far away, and for some reason a dark chuckle slipped out of my throat. Apparently, it wasn't enough that I had killed my own dad and been pretty much exiled by someone I had trusted unconditionally for my whole life; now I was hearing things, too. But then the voice called my name again, only much closer this time.

I turned around slowly, and through the haze of the midday heat I could see a blurry figure running in my direction. He looked small and brownish, and as he got closer I could make out a little brown tuft on his head. Could it really be…

"Tama?" I whispered, right before Tama leapt at me and tackled me, laughing giddily the whole time.

Once we finally stopped rolling, I was flat on my back and Tama was standing over me, one of the biggest grins I've ever seen on anyone spread across his face.

"It really is you! You're alive!" he practically screamed as he laughed again.

I realized that he must have seen what happened in the canyon. Great…now he knows about my dad too. I let my head fall back into the sand and closed my eyes. "How much did you see?" I muttered with a sigh.

"Only all of it!" he replied from somewhere above me. "First there was the stampede, and then you were on that tree, and then your dad saved you, and then…" Tama trailed off. I guess he had remembered what had happened after that. "Simba, I'm really sorry about your dad."

I pushed Tama off of me and looked away. I didn't want to remember what happened. What I had made happen…

"You okay, Simba?" I heard Tama ask.

"No, Tama. I'm not okay," I replied, trying to keep my voice level. I didn't do a very good job of it, though, and Tama didn't fail to take note.

"Look, if you want to talk about it or something-"

"No, I don't want to talk about it!" I screamed, my shout more full of pain than anger. "There's nothing to talk about! I went into the canyon, and my dad's dead because of it!"

Tama looked shocked. "Simba, you can't think this is your fault…"

"How could it not be my fault?! If I haven't gone down there, my dad would still be alive! It's that simple!"

Now Tama looked angry. "No, it isn't that simple, Simba! Did it ever occur to you that it was Scar who tricked you into going down there in the first place? It's his fault your dad died!"

To be honest, that hadn't occurred to me, but I wasn't about to tell Tama that. Plus, I had still been gullible enough to be led into the trap that had killed my father. I was still partially to blame.

"Yeah, but I still listened to him! I still let him take me into the canyon!" I shot back.

Tama looked ready to argue more, but then he closed his eyes, took in a long deep breath, and let it out slowly. For some reason, he seemed even angrier about my dad's death than I was.

After a moment of silence, Tama opened his eyes again, seemingly with his temper back under control. "Simba, you trusted your uncle, and he took advantage of you for it," he continued in a calm but deadly serious tone. "I'm only going to say this one more time: it's…not…your…fault."

I sighed and looked away. The fight had gone out of me as soon as it had left Tama. I didn't really want to fight with one of my best friends, but no matter what he said I would always know that I played a part in my dad's death.

"So what do you want me to do?" I mumbled without looking at my friend. "Should I go back?"

"Not now," he reasoned. "If you go back now, Scar'll just finish what he started in the canyon. You'll be dead before you even get to Pride Rock."

"Then what am I supposed to do?!" I was shouting again. "I can't go back, I can't stay here…I'm just gonna have to run away and take my chances as a rogue."

I stood up and started to leave, but Tama jumped in front of me before I could take a single step. "No, you're not," he said forcefully. "You're gonna stay in the Pridelands, just...not at Pride Rock."

My eyebrows shot up, and I sat back down with a bump, a bit surprised by my friend's confidence, but not very encouraged by it. "All right...I'll stay. Where, exactly?"

I could almost see the gears turning behind Tama's eyes. "You know the caves by the river?"

I snorted. "You mean the ones we found a couple weeks ago and nearly got killed exploring? How could I forget?"

"Great. Go there and find one that's not too wet. If you hide out in the caves, you can be out of Scar's sight and inside the Pridelands at the same time."

My brow creased and a tiny frown dragged my face down towards the hot desert sand. It sounded like a good plan, but was I really supposed to live in a wet, moldy cave forever? "How long would I have to stay in the caves?"

"I don't know," Tama replied. "Until we can figure out some way to get back at Scar, I guess." I still wasn't convinced, and Tama picked up on my discontent fairly quickly. "Hey, it's not like you'd have to stay there all the time. You could still go out into the grasslands…I could help you learn to hunt. You'd be fine."

I sighed again. As uncomfortable as I was with the idea of being stuck in a damp cave for years, I had to admit that it had to be better than becoming a rogue.

"I…guess that'd be okay," I reluctantly agreed. "Can I tell Nala where I'm going first?"

Tama gave me a sarcastic look. "Can you tell her? Did the words 'dead before you reach Pride Rock' just not mean anything to you?"

"Okay, I get it…can you at least tell her I'm not dead, though?"

Tama smiled. "The next time I can get her alone. I promise."

I smiled weakly back. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Well, that was it for any movie tie-ins the story had...from here on out, it's all me, baby.

Also, I'll go ahead and clarify something that I'm sure someone will still ask about: Tama is a boy. I know in some other stories "Tama" is a female character, but I always imagined him to be a guy. Once you get farther into the story (more specifically, the romantic parts), it'll be a little more obvious what gender he is...