"He's so handsome, dear..." a cream colored lioness with aqua eyes beamed.
"Thank you, Sarafina." Sarabi smiled to her closest and oldest friend.
"So how long have you two known each other?" Mo asked, referring to the two lionesses.
"Since we were little cubs," Sarafina smiled. "We're like sisters."
"Awww!" Mo smiled.
"These are our guests." Sarabi introduced.
"Welcome to Pride Rock," Sarafina smiled to their guests. "You must be from a very long way away if you're not familiar with our home."
"We're from some place that's really far away from here." Atticus said.
"Well, I hope you enjoy your stay here." Sarafina smiled to them.
"I'm sure we will while learning a few things." Mo said.
This turned out to be a rather exciting time.
That night, everyone was getting to bed, Mufasa invited his guests to spend the night. They felt they had no choice, they were very curious of what hapepend to them and why they were now jungle cats, but they decided to just go with it as they were now part of the lion pride.
'This is another adventure, I can already tell.' Atticus thought to himself.
"Darla, why are we wildcats?" Dot asked.
"I don't know..." Darla said with a yawn. "I'm sure it'll be all okay soon though."
"Yeah, let's just get some sleep." Patch yawned.
Cherry frowned, she didn't think sleeping on a cold rock floor would be comfy, but once she lay down, she was actually surprised to see that it wasn't so bad.
"You okay, Cerise?" Forte asked.
"I guess this isn't too bad..." Cherry said once she settled down on the floor and yawned. "Are you gonna sleep too or are you just gonna wander around until dawn?"
"I feel sleepy." Forte said.
Cherry shrugged to him, then fell asleep.
Forte got in a comfortable spot next to her and fell asleep next to her. "Bon nuit, Cerise."
As the days passed, Simba began to grow up into a fine young lion cub. Eventually, Sarafina's cub was born and she had a daughter, naming her Nala. Simba and Nala became the best of friends, and they enjoyed hanging out with their other friends who were visitors to Pride Rock. One day was different however, Mufasa promised a certain day in which he would show his son the kingdom that was the jungle they lived in and their guests were happy to join them if they wanted to.
Simba woke up before the sun came up as he was excited, it was the day his father promised him about. He then ran off inside the cave to find his dad, accidentally climbing over the others, but he excused himself and apologized for disturbing them. "Dad, Dad, come on, we gotta go! Wake up!"
Mufasa was still asleep next to Sarabi.
"Dad? Daaad..." Simba was frustrated, then tried to wake his father up by tugging on his ear. "Dad!"
"Your son is awake..." Sarabi said sleepily with an amused smile.
"Before sunrise, he's your son..." Mufasa retorted, also sleepy.
"Simba, could you keep it down, we're trying to sleep." Lucky groaned before getting his right ear pulled by Patch.
"Come on, Lucky, Mufasa promised to show us around today!" Patch called, muffling.
"It's true, Lucky, he did promise." Atticus smiled.
Simba ran against his father. "You promised!"
Mufasa slowly woke up and saw his son in sheer impatience, then smiled. "Okay, okay... I'm up... I'm up..."
"Yeah!" Simba cheered.
"Wahoo!" Patch cheered.
Mufasa yawned and woke up as his mate slowly followed after. Patch, Atticus, Lucky, Dot, and Darla followed after them as well. Simba smiled to his mother once he saw her and nuzzled against her before going out as the sun was now slowly coming up. Cherry woke up and decided to join the others as Forte was still asleep.
"How can he still be asleep?" Lucky asked after noticing the court composer/lion still sleeping.
"He doesn't sleep much in his original form, he's probably catching up." Cherry guessed.
"Must be that." Lucky said.
Sarabi smiled to the others, though mostly to Simba.
The sun was fully up now and everything looked golden from the sunrise highlighting the jungle.
"Look, Simba," Mufasa told his son. "Everything the light touches is our kingdom."
"Wow..." Simba whispered in awestruck.
"Amazing." Atticus said, amazed by the view.
"A king's time as ruler rises and falls like the sun," Mufasa continued. "One day, Simba, the sun will set on my time here, and will rise with you as the new king."
"And this will all be his?" Darla asked.
"Everything." Mufasa confirmed.
"Everything the light touches..." Simba then repeated before looking to a canon in the north spot, very curious of it. "What about that shadowy place?"
"That's beyond our borders," Mufasa firmly replied. "You must never go there."
"But I thought a king could do whatever he wants." Patch said.
"Oh, there's more to being king than getting your way all the time." Mufasa started down the rock again.
"There's more?" Simba asked, amazed.
Mufasa chuckled to that. "Simba..."
"Your father is right, Simba, and Patch, there is more to be a king." Atticus said.
Mufasa walked his son and guests out further into the Savanna as there were galloping and leaping antelopes. "Everything you see exists together, in a delicate balance," he continued to educate his son while showing the others around their home. "As king, you need to understand that balance, and respect all the creatures, from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope."
"I thought you lions ate antelope?" Dot asked from confusion.
"Yes, my dear, but let me explain," Mufasa nodded to her. "When we die, our bodies become the grass. And the antelope eat the grass. And so we are all connected in the great Circle of Life."
"Cool, I don't think any humans know about that." Atticus said.
Mufasa looked curious why Atticus brought up humans, but changed the subject mentally as the blue hornbill flew in.
"Good morning, Sire!"
"Good morning, Zazu." Mufasa smiled to the bird.
"Checking in with the morning report." Zazu told him.
"Fire away." Mufasa told him.
Cherry saw a grasshopper and tried to pounce at it, remembering the encounter she had with the zebra for their first meal as lions, but still failed miserably. Atticus, Patch, Dot, Darla, and Simba began to give it a try next, but they failed as well. Darla growled in frustration.
"What are you all doing?" Mufasa asked the cubs.
"Pouncing." Simba pouted.
"Let an old pro show you all how it's done." Mufasa whispered sneakily.
Zazu continued his rant, unaware of what was going on.
"Zazu, would you turn around?" Mufasa requested.
"Of course, Sire." Zazu agreed, not knowing why, but turned around while continuing on.
"Stay low to the ground..." Mufasa whispered to the cubs as Zazu drew on about the animals of the wild.
Zazu realized something was going amiss. "What's going on?"
"A pouncing lesson." Mufasa smiled.
"Oh, very good, pouncing," Zazu smiled before panicking instantly. "POUNCING!? Oh, sir, you can't be serious... Oh, this is so humiliating..."
"Try not make a sound." Mufasa whispered back to the cubs.
"What are you telling them, Mufasa?" Zazu glared before noticing that the lions had somehow vanished. "Simba? Mufasa? Others...?"
Atticus, Patch, and Simba then pounced at him at the same time. Mufasa chuckled at that.
"Oh, poor Zazu..." Dot cooed.
Simba smiled that they were able to successfully pounce.
"That's very good, cubs." Mufasa said, still laughing a little.
"Thank you, sir." Atticus smiled.
A gopher emerged from the ground and told Zazu something very important.
"Now... This time..." Mufasa was about to let the girls have a turn.
"Sire!" Zazu panicked again, but this time, for a more life threatening reason. "Hyenas! In the Pridelands!"
"Zazu, take Simba and the others home." Mufasa told the hornbill, starting to run off to take care of the hyenas.
"Wait, sir, let us come with you." Atticus insisted.
"No." Mufasa curtly replied as he went off anyway.
Simba sighed. "I never get to go anywhere..."
"Dang it." Atticus groaned.
"Don't worry, young master," Zazu soothed the lion prince. "One day you will be king and then you can chase those slobbery, mangy, stupid poachers from dawn until dusk."
They went back to Pride Rock, now wondering what to do.
"So, what do you wanna do, Simba?" Mo asked.
"I'm not sure..." Simba hummed in thought, then looked up to see a familiar brown-furred lion with frizzy black mane. "Uncle Scar!" he cried happily and rushed over.
"We better keep up with him." Atticus said.