A/Ns:

Chu10: And welcome, dear readers, into yet another chapter, this time round still featuring the lovable cubs. Emerald dreamer and I have had quite a hard time composing this one, mainly because of time constraints, but also due to timezone difference (damn it, Time!). But in the end we still accomplished a whole lot, and it's always fun to compose with this awesome partner mine.

To LoBD, I'm sorry I didn't get to PM you the last time round, due to business. Now I'd love to thank you for your detailed review and the little correction. Also, some of your questions will be answered in time. :)
Enjoy the chapter!

Emerald dreamer96:Like Chu10 said this one was hard, not enough hours in the day! And those that are turn out to be in the wrong day. Still we managed to get this chapter done despite a different thing coming up for one of us at least once a day and Chu10 as ever was amazing.

But you're not interested in excuses or musings of why a certain deity hates us so with no further delay, read on and enjoy!

The days in the Pride Lands went by like constant clockwork. The sun rose and set in its magnificent arcs, and the Moon would follow every night with its dazzling showcase of stars. Each complete cycle marked a day past. And with each cycle complete, the young Prince Simba grew and grew.

One fine day, when the Moon was fading into the light blue dawn and the sun started its blaze across the African sky, an eight-month old Simba was wide awake in the den, boisterously stumbling over the sleeping forms of Lionesses and accidentally stepping on a tail or two, getting cries of annoyance at his little trip early in the day.

Hastily apologising after stepping on Kula's tail, Simba approached his father.

"Dad! Daad! Come on, Dad, we gotta go. Wake up!" He called out excitedly.

Pepo stuck her head up sleepily and looked at her friend.

"Kings, what time is it?"

Nala who had been nestled up next to her mother also woke up.

"What's happening?"

"Just Simba being annoying." Pepo replied irritably.

"Oh... that's nice." Nala replied drowsily before pushing back into the warmth of her mother's fur.

By this point Simba had given up on calling out to his father and started to pull on his ear before losing his grip and flying backwards landing on Mheetu who gave out a large oohmpf sound. Malka growled angrily.

"Watch it!"

"Sorry."

"Couldn't you wait a few hours before being an idiot?"

"I said sorry!"

"Whatever."

Mufasa sighing wearily got up and approached his son who instantly forgot his irritation.

"Can we go now? Please? You promised!"

Mufasa smiled at the boundless energy in the young cub.

"I was thinking of waiting for breakfast first." He teased.

"What?! But you promised!" Simba yelled.

"Just a snack."

"Fine... I think Malka would taste great." Simba smiled cheekily.

"Hmm... you're right, but I think that Princes taste even better."

"You wouldn't eat me, mom would bite your tail off." Simba said confidently.

"It won't just be a tail if you two don't get out of here already." Sarabi called out.

Father and son made their way outside of the den. The sun was just beginning its ascent up into the sky, and the back of Pride Rock was lit in an enchanting purple glow. They began their climb up, all the way to the promontory. With each step, Simba got more and more excited, and the air tasted even fresher high up above. When the pair finally reached the peak, Simba was thrilled. The whole of the Pride Lands basked in the glory of the morning sun, and from their perch high above, the young Prince felt like he could see the whole of the world.

"Woah," he gasped, and ran right to the edge, drinking in the view of the lands. "Dad, Dad! You have got to see this!"

Mufasa laughed as he came up behind his son. His son, the bubbly cub whose eyes always brightened in that certain way when something caught his interest. Sitting down beside the energetic form of the cub, Mufasa beckoned for him to sit down beside him as well. Simba happily obliged.

"Look son, everything that the light touches is our kingdom."

"Everything the light touches... what about that shadowy place?" Simba asked, pointing out a forbidding formation of rocks shrouded in distance and shadow.

"That is beyond our borders," Mufasa said strernly, "you must never go there Simba."

"I thought that a King could do whatever he wants." Simba said,puzzled.

Mufasa laughed at his son's naivety.

"There's more to being a King than getting your own way all the time."

"There's more?!" Simba asked excitedly.

"Simba..." Mufasa started, but his own thoughts started to seep into his mind, like an invading cloud that formed out of thin mist. He felt as if he was taken back to another time, a time long ago when he himself was a cub, along with his father and his little brother.

His little brother. A cub as he was, Mufasa had asked his father the same question. And his father had replied, smiling, with the morning sun lighting up his face.

"My sons," he had said, "a King knows his way around his friends, his family and his subjects. A good King is a fair King, and his heart is filled with love for all things around him in the Circle of Life."

Thinking back, Mufasa felt his heart ache. The memory, combined with the sunrise - Mufasa knew his brother used to love this magnificent sight - made his heart ache. Was he a good King? Was his heart filled with love for everything - including his brother? Scar. They used to frolic up on the peak of Pride Rock in the sunrise. My brother...

"Dad?" Simba's voice, piqued with curiosity, drew the Lion King out of his darker thoughts, like a spark of light in the dark. Like a sunrise.

"You said something about...uhh...there being more?" Simba asked with a grin.

"A King, serves his Kingdom. He enjoys many privileges but must always remember that while Kings come and go this land endures and the animals great and small are it's blood."

"Oh...that's cool." Simba said slightly disappointed.

"Also there is the mating." Mufasa said under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing." Mufasa coughed. "Now let's go eat."

Father and son made their way down to the den, now a hive of activity as the cubs and adults woke up and prepared for the day. Sarabi and Sarafina were organising the hunting party. Sarabi was talking to Mchanga.

"I want you and Pepo to help Furaha look after the younger cubs." She said, before dropping her voice to a joking whisper. "She is not as young as she used to be."

"I heard that!" Furaha called out, before changing tone to an exaggerated tone of mock annoyance and grouchiness. "It was practically yesterday that I was talking to your mother as she nursed you. She raised you to respect your elders, especially the ones that can still kick your butt in a fight."

Both Pepo and Mchanga laughed at Furaha's words. Both were not the small cubs they had been just under a year before; in a mere eight months, both cubs had grown fast, and were now strong, healthy adolescents. Mchanga had even sprouted the beginnings of a mane, brown hairs emerging on the top of his head and his chest, and Pepo's muscles were staring to grow in. But cubs would be cubs, and the both of them still loved to fool around and spend most of their time playing and exploring.

"Cool," Mchanga said, "so who are we babysitting today?"

He was interrupted by a non-too-happy Simba. "Hey! Who's calling who a baby?"

Mchanga laughed, and ruffled a paw over Simba's tuft, messing up the fur and causing it to stick out in all directions. "You're still a small cub."

"Says who?" Simba huffed.

"Says me!" Mchanga countered.

A light-brown pelted cub, roughly around Simba's age, came up beside Mchanga and started stretching, basking and soaking in the sunlight. It was Malka, the oldest of Sarafina's cubs, and he looked at the two playfully bantering cubs lazily.

"Immature," he rolled his eyes. Mchanga turned his attention to Malka, and started messing up his tuft as well.

"Get up sleepy head, it's a great day for going off to the waterhole!"

"Stop touching me, you moron!" Malka smacked Mchanga's paw off, which only caused the older cub to grin wider.

"I'll stop...if you can defeat me first!" Mchanga roared a cub roar and leapt at his friend, both locked in a play fight.

Malka was caught off guard and soon found himself pinned, and he roared back - although it sounded uncomfortably like a squeak due to the pressure on his chest and his youth. Mheetu ran to his brother's aid, only to be tripped up by Simba who jumped on his back. Nala upon seeing this lunged into the fray knocking Simba off his feet.

"Hey no fair! I wasn't ready." Simba protested upon seeing who his attacker was.

"That is the general idea behind a sneak attack." Nala informed him smugly.

As Simba struggled without success to break free, Furaha looked on at the utter pandemonium that had broken out in the den. She smiled fondly and was content to sit back and watch the show. Still, she kept a watchful eye out to make sure things didn't get out of hand.

Pepo sniffed, turning up her nose and laughing.

"Go Mchanga! Catch 'em all!" She cried, and all of a sudden the said cub had pounced on her and was rolling her over.

"Caught you first! Ha-ha!" He boasted, laughing loudly at his small victory. The cubs played for quite a while around the rocks, until a loud knocking sound was heard, and a cry of pain stopped the playing and tussling.

Stunned, the cubs all turned to see Mheetu grimacing in pain and putting a paw over his head. Simba was standing to the side, a look of mild shock on his face.

"Oww oww oww...it hurts! My head!" Mheetu wailed. Furaha, sensing the sudden quietness of the cubs, immediately came up beside the small cream-coloured cub.

"Shh my little one," she hushed, licking Mheetu on his forehead bump, "it's going to be fine." Mheetu only continued to cry.

"What happened, Mheetu?" the old lioness prompted.

"I hit my head..."

"How did that happen?" She asked.

"Simba pushed me!" He sobbed.

Furaha looked at the young Prince who had a look of guilt and fear on his face.

"That's a lie! He just fell."

"No, you pushed my head into the rock." Mheetu contradicted.

"Is this true Simba?" Furaha asked looking sternly at her charge.

Simba looked as if he was about to protest again but he soon wilted under her gaze and looked at his paws.

"Yes, it was an accident, honest. I didn't mean to push to hurt him." Furaha looked disappointed but seemed about to resolve the issue when Simba spoke again. "I didn't push him that hard, he's just being a baby about it." Simba said sincerely in his defence.

Mheetu sniffled slightly more. "Am not," he objected quietly but clearly upset.

"That's enough, Simba! Apologise this instant." Furaha commanded angrily as she gave Mheetu another comforting lick.

Simba looked shocked at her tone. "I'm sorry for hurting him and lying about it."

"And?"

"Sorry for making fun of him being such a baby." Simba said bitterly.

"Kings, you just can't stop yourself today can you? Right, you're staying in here while the others go to the watering hole."

"What?! But that's not fair! Simba protested.

"No, it is absolutely fair in my opinion. Well-behaved cubs get rewards and badly-behaved ones get grounded. Do I make myself clear?"

"But - !" Simba began again, but the lioness would have none of this.

"That's that, Simba."

The golden-furred cub sulked, defeated, and he sat down, frowning angrily and looking away from Furaha.

"Wasn't so much of my fault anyways, stupid baby..." he muttered. Pepo, being the soft-hearted cub that she was, wanted to go up and cheer him up. But the angry look on Furaha's face stopped her. Malka, on the other hand, was beside his brother, and he looked at Simba.

"Some Prince," he sneered.

"Shut up Malka," Simba huffed.

"Some Prince," Malka shot back, "hurting my brother and being stupid about it. So what if you're a Prince? You can't do it all your way."

"When I'm King, you'll be the first to -"

"Enough!" Furaha snapped at the two bickering cubs. "Malka, more of that and you're going to be grounded with your little friend. Run along now. And that includes all of you - except Simba."

The cubs did not need a second instruction, and they ran off, leaving a very angry cub and an annoyed old lioness sitting on the ground below Pride Rock.

As the morning passed and the sunlight got intense, the hunting party made their way back. Sarabi gave a loud roar, signalling a late breakfast for the Pride. Happily, the first lion to bounce up and run at her was her own son.

"Mom!" Simba cried happily, nuzzling his mother's leg. Sarabi smiled at him, and greeted him with a nuzzle of her own.

"How's my little son doing? Have you been a good cub?"

"Yeah I have," Simba smiled a huge toothy grin up at her, and Sarabi narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Simba, did you do something wrong?"

"Uhh...no?"

Furaha stepped in behind Simba. "Of course he has." Simba lowered his head sheepishly and guiltily.

"I... kind of hurt Mheetu. But it was an..." He began before deciding that shifting the blame would be pointless. "Then I made fun of him for crying like a ba - I mean for being so upset, but I feel really bad about it."

Sarabi sighed in disappointment, causing Simba's head to drop even further as the shame built up. She turned to Furaha.

"Is that all that happened?"

"No, he also lied about it and tried to pass it off as an accident. But... apart from a bit of sulking, he has been relatively well behaved during his punishment so I think he can come with me to collect his friends at the watering hole."

Sarabi nodded her assent before looking down at her son who now had a grin on his face once more. It quickly died when he saw the look on his mother's face.

"I'm very disappointed in you, I expect better from you, both as a Prince but more importantly as my son, you better stay out of trouble for the rest of the day. Or Kings help me, Mheetu will get to see you cry like a baby, understood?" Sarabi asked, intent clear in her voice.

Simba gulped and nodded, his parents had almost never laid a paw on him but even the threat was enough to banish any notion of getting back at Mheetu. It also underlined just how badly he had messed up.

Furaha decided the Prince had had enough.

"Come on Simba, let's collect your friends."

A subdued Simba followed her, guilty and upset. As the pair approached the waterhole, one by one the cubs spotted Furaha, and knew it was a signal for lunchtime. As they started walking back, Mchanga bounced up to the younger cub immediately, tussling with his tuft.

"And has Your Majesty been acting prim and proper?" He mocked bowed, but he had a silly grin plastered on his muzzle.

Simba's paws immediately went up to his tuft, combing it back straight. "Yeah, I guess..."

"Don't be so upset," Pepo came up beside her best friend, and the Prince that she saw so much as a little brother. "Smile, Simba!" She said as she held Simba's mouth by its two ends and pulled up his lips.

"Orh -kaey," Simba said his mouth still pulled up by Pepo's paws.

"That's the way!" The female cub encouraged, and dropped her paws from his face. Simba chuckled.

"Thanks Pepo."

"Your cuteness is the only thanks I need."

"Excuse me while I go throw up." Mchanga broke in with exaggerated contempt, offset by the playful grin on his face.

Simba saw that Mheetu was avoiding his gaze and that Malka had placed himself in between the two of them. Simba sighed and approached the two brothers, intending to come close, but changed his mind at the last second and decided to stop a short distance away.

"Mheetu, I'm sorry for hurting you... and for calling you a baby. I was being a jerk." The words, although painful, were sincere.

The other cubs seemed stunned and even Furaha looked surprised, but pleasantly so.

"Yeah we noticed." Malka spat.

Simba started to growl but stopped when he noticed that Mheetu was speaking.

"That's ok, I forgive you... sorry for getting you in trouble, I shouldn't have told on you."

Simba had trouble with responding to this mainly because he agreed but he knew that Mheetu was pretty sensitive, almost like a girl. Still he managed to nod and put on a smile.

"So... friends?" He asked.

Mheetu nodded and smiled. Simba smiled back, he liked Mheetu even if he thought that he was a bit soft, he was still a nice cub. Furaha, who was looking on, was very proud of both cubs.

"Hmm, I think I saw a full antelope on Sarafina's back, I wonder if she'd be able to find two very mature friends to eat it with." She said playfully.

"I'm starving!" Nala cried dramatically.

"Me too," Simba said.

"What?" Mheetu asked.

"Huh?"

"You called my name."

"No I didn't."

"Did too."

"Did not!"

Nala sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Please tell me this is a really dumb joke."

"Nope, they really are that dumb." Malka called out from behind.

"Hey!" The two cubs yelled out in simultaneous indignation.

"The hairball known as my brother and the Prince of idiots." Malka replied disdainfully, most of his ire reserved for the latter.

"If I'm the Prince of idiots doesn't that mean that you're all idiots?" Simba retorted.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm your Prince, so if I'm the Prince of idiots, you just admitted you're an idiot." Simba explained smugly, eager to outsmart Malka for once.

"Shut up." Malka growled, furious. He'd had enough of the bratty prince for one day.

"Aren't you forgetting the magic word?" Simba replied cheekily. He turned to Nala and winked before whispering loudly, "it's please."

Malka tensed up, preparing for a lunge.

"Shut up." He repeated his voice laced with venom.

"Or what?" Simba asked, looking past Malka, a grin on his face.

"Or I'll..." Malka began before an older voice interrupted him.

"Or you'll what?" Mchanga asked nonchalantly as he came up from behind. Pepo at his back.

"Stay out of this!" Malka shouted angrily.

"Oooh, someone's grumpy today." Mchanga teased. "Now why don't you go and be a brat somewhere else?"

Malka shot a look of hatred at the older cub before stiffly walking towards Furaha.

"You shouldn't be so mean." Pepo told her friend reprovingly.

"And he shouldn't have been stupid enough to threaten the Prince in front of me." Mchanga said cockily.

"Thanks Mchanga, the look on his face when you spoke was hilarious, his eyes were huge!" Simba laughed as he went up to paw bump his protective older friend.

Mheetu and Nala looked a bit uneasy, Malka could be annoying sometimes but he did always try and look out for them. And despite being a litter mate, he always acted as the big brother and was treated as such.

The little spat had distracted them from the near completion of their journey, the cubs were surprised when they looked ahead to see the pride already tucking into the fresh meat, they soon found energy to race to get their fill.

"Last one to reach the meat...gets beat!" Mchanga laughed boisterously, highly amused by his own joke, and started running forwards. But Pepo was quick, and lighter on her feet. In one quick movement, she pounced on Mchanga, brought him down to the ground, and hopped off him, starting to take the lead of the group of cubs. Her laughter tinkled as she leapt away, the very beginnings of a huntress.

"Hey no fair!" Mchanga cried, shaking the dust off his tuft, but all of the cubs ignored him and ran past him. "Fine, leave me alone..." he muttered, shaking his head in annoyance. All but one cub continued running though - Prince Simba stopped beside Mchanga, extending a paw to his friend.

"Get up, grumpy paws," Simba smirked, using the all-familiar nickname for his friend.

"Gee, thanks little brother," the older cub took Simba's paw to get up, and dusted himself off. "Let's go get stuffed!"

"Yeah!" Simba cheered as both boys ran to join the others.

The cubs took their places amongst the Pride eagerly tearing away at the delicious meat, the smell of blood hung in the air but there was a happy atmosphere. Mchanga noticed that Simba had only been nibbling at his food.

"You gonna eat that?"

"Yeah, just thinking about something."

"Great Kings of the Past! I better call Rafiki before the sky falls and the earth cracks open." Mchanga joked.

"Shut up." Simba said without too much heat.

"Well what do you call today? Face it Simba, you're kind of an idiot." Mchanga said dead pan before smiling to show he didn't mean it.

"Like you can talk. Like how you're insulting the Lion that gets to be in charge one day."

"I apologise my Prince, forgive my common manner... now mind telling me what type of bug crawled up your butt? Come on what's wrong?"

"Well. I was just thinking, we do the same stuff every day - play, fight, eat. Then one day I get to be King! But Dad was saying that being King is all about being serving the kingdom or something. It sounds so boring! I don't want to waste my time being an idiot – I much rather be a King who's up and running about, and doing whatever I want."

"I take it back, that's pretty deep. I think an adventure is in order."

"An adventure?"

"Yeah, Pepo and I know this awesome place it's...err near the old tree."

"The old tree? That's a pretty lame adventure."

Mchanga nodded towards the Lionesses eating near them.

"It's nice and safe and peaceful, nothing at all like those caves beneath the Termite mounds." He winked.

Simba gasped loudly, and nearly choked on a small piece of meat. "Those what?" He exclaimed loudly, causing some Lionesses to turn their way.

Mchanga whistled nonchalantly. "Huh what? No I wasn't saying something about some cool place."

"Mchanga!" Simba whined, and turned away from his food to nudge his friend playfully with his paw. "Come on!"

"Shh!" the older Lion cub shoved Simba away. "Don't be so stup - I mean, don't be so loud, stupid!"

The Lionesses were starting to turn away, not giving the two much heed. Young cubs were usually loud and full of energy when they spoke, even more so when they were in a group. Mchanga's eyes quickly glanced left and right, doing a quick sweep around the area to make sure no one was watching, and he started to tug on Simba's tail with his teeth.

"Come on Simba! This way," he whispered between clenched teeth. Simba cocked his head at him curiously, but shrugged and started to follow him behind a tree. Once again, Mchanga checked if the coast was clear - then quickly and quietly, as if he was whispering a conspiracy, he spoke into Simba's ear.

"Hey, little guy, tonight before all of us go to bed, could you help me do something?"

"Okay," Simba was smiling from ear to ear, excited at what Mchanga had to offer.

"I want you to go over to all the little ladies and tell them to get ready for an adventure tomorrow."

"Really?"

"No kidding." Mchanga replied. Simba nodded enthusiastically, his little tuft flopping along. Mchanga noticed the golden fluff that sat on the little Prince's head.

"Hey, for a lion you seem to have a very short mane," the sandy-furred cub proudly stroked his own brown coloured one. For one of the many times that evening, Simba gave his friend a mock-annoyed look.

"Shut up!"