Jason Chandler; In this story the animals age like humans.

Here's chapter seventeen, enjoy.

Nala's eyes widened as confusion swept across her face as she stopped snarling before backing away. Nala narrowed her eyes as she looked him over, mostly to check for weak points in case another fight break out. So she would know what she's going against.

The young male had bright golden brown fur, he was pretty muscular. His head was crowned with a handsomely red mane. The bangs falling nicely above his bright orange eyes. Nala looked at the golden lion with a unreadable expression as she asked,

"Who are you?"

The golden lion took a step forward with a small smile. "It's me...Simba."

The tawny peach lioness was tooken back. Simba? But as Nala looked into the lion's familiar orange eyes her own eyes widen before a smile formed.

"Simba!"

The golden lion smiled brightly before running over and head bump his long lost friend. Nala realized with a smile that this was the lion she was in love with. The two jumped around, laughing and asking questions.

"What are you doing here?"

"Me? What are you doing here?"

"HEY! WHAT'S GOIN' ON HERE!?"

Simba and Nala looked down at the pale brown meerkat. Simba rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Timon, this Nala. She's my best friend."

Timon looked thoroughly confused. "Friends?!"

Simba nodded before looking at the red warthog stuck under the tree root. "Yeah. Hey, Pumbaa, come over here."

Pumbaa gets himself unstuck and walks over to the group, by Timon.

"Pumbaa meet Nala. Nala, Pumbaa."

Nala dipped her head with a smile. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Timon shook his head and raised his paws. "How do you do.. Whoa! Whoa. Time out.. Lemme get this straight. You know him. He knows you. But he wants to eat him. And everybody's... okay with this? DID I MISS SOMETHING?!"

Simba shook his head with a small smile. "Relax, Timon."

Nala looked from the meerkat and smiled at Simba. "Wait till everybody finds out you've been here all this time! And your mother and sisters... what will they think?"

Simba shook his head, "Wait, sisters?"

Nala lowered her head before lifting it with a sigh. "Your mother and mine gave birth to King Mufasa's last cubs nine months after Scar became king."

Simba couldn't believe his father would do that and to his mother. She must be hurt.

"To know that their big brother is alive. Imagine what they would think?" Nala mused smiling.

Simba shook his head, misunderstanding what Nala was saying as fear shined in his eyes. "They don't have to know. Nobody has to know."

Nala frowned, "Well, of course they do. Everyone thinks you're dead."

Simba looked at his friend with wide eyes. "They do?"

Nala nodded before looking up. "Yeah. Scar told us about the stampede."

"He did? Well..." Simba was starting to get concern. "...what else did he tell you?"

Nala shook her head with a bright smile. "What else matters? You're alive. And that means... you're the king."

Timon laughed with the wave of his paws. "King? Pbbb. Lady, have you got your lions crossed."

Pumbaa looked at Simba in awe before noisily kissing Simba's paw. "Your Majesty! I gravel at your feet."

Simba snatched his paw away with a glare. "Stop it."

Timon shook his head before pushing the warthog away. "It's not 'gravel'. It's 'grovel'. And DON'T- he's not the king." the meerkat looked over his shoulder with a raised eye brow. "Are ya?"

"No."

Nala frowned, "Simba?"

Simba shook his head before walking off a bit. "No, I'm not the King. Maybe I was gonna be, but... that was a long time ago."

Timon looked at Simba liked he gained two more heads. "Let me get this straight. You're the king? And you never told us?"

Simba turned and looked at Timon. "Look, I'm still the same cub you found."

Timon raised a balled paw. "But with power!"

Nala cleared her throat before looking at Timon and Pumbaa. "Could you guys... excuse us for a few minutes?"

"Hey," Timon taps Pumbaa before glaring at Nala. "Whatever she has to say, she can say in front of us. Right, Simba?"

Simba closed his eyes before looking at Timon with a pleadful look. "Please?"

Timon sighed before walking off with Pumbaa into the lush oasis.

Simba chuckled lightly. "Timon and Pumbaa. You learn to love 'em."

Nala smiled lightly before she turned and bowed her head down sadly. All the memories of them as cubs came to the surface. She thought that they were just something to hold on to because her best friend was dead. As least that's what she and the pride believes.

Simba frowned as he apporched the peachy cream lioness. "What? ...What is it?"

Nala sighs, "It's like you're back from the dead. You don't know how much this will mean to everyone." a pained expression swept across her beautiful face. "...What it means to me."

Simba looked concerned as he walked over with his ears back. "Hey, it's okay."

Nala thrust her head under Simba's, while purring. "I've really missed you."

Simba was shocked by Nala's boldness for an instant, then reciprocating. "I've missed you too."

...

Simba and Nala smiled as they walked through the oasis. As they apporched a waterfall they walked around each other, taking in each other's movements, as they walked down a slope. They gazed at each other. When Nala lowered her head to drink, Simba glanced at her before closing his eyes and sighed.

Simba:So many things to tell her

But how to make her see

The truth about my past? Impossible!

She'd turn away from me.

Nala looked up and frowned at the look on Simba's face and the emotions swirling in his eyes.

Nala:He's holding back, he's hiding

But what? I can't decide

Why won't he be the king I know he is?

The king I see inside?

Simba looks at Nala, who smiles before running off. Simba runs back with a vine in his muzzle and splashes into the middle of the pond. Nala looks out over the still water. Suddenly Simba lunges up under her and pulls her in the pond playfully. Nala immediately comes out dripping and miffed. When Simba comes out, she pushes him back in before running off. Which end with the two chasing one another. They end up play fighting. After tumbling down a hillside, Simba ends up pinning Nala for a first. She smiles before giving him a lick across the cheek. Simba looked a bit startled and stares at Nala. Nala stares back with a seductive smile. Simba smiles back as his expression change from a surprised one to a comprehending one. The two rub heads, nuzzling and embracing. Before they decided move things forward.

BTBW

It's been a week since the birth of those spawns of the tyrant and traitorous sult and disappearance of her daughter. Sarafina was worried. Nala is the most beautiful young lioness in the pride. She's actually surprised that Scar choose Elara instead of Nala. The sounds of light laughter caused the tawny lioness to snap her dark green eyes to the source to see Mheetu with Cecilia, his sister and Sienna.

Sarafina narrowed her eyes as she growled. "Mheetu! Thelma! What do you two think you are doing!"

The light golden thirteen year old moved her brown eyes from the pale beige thirteen year old by her side to her fuming mother. "We just came back from hunting."

Sarafina glared before taking a step closer to her children. "Your sister is missing!"

Sarafina and the young lions' ears perked at a clearing of a throat. They looked towards the left to see Elara with Sarabi, Eleanor and some of the pride that is still loyal to Mufasa.

Elara apporched the tawny lioness in regal strides. "Nala is not missing. I personally sent her to get help."

Sarafina snarled as she went to strike the dark tawny lioness but a young adult dark gold lion with a dark red mane pounced on her as Mheetu stood between Elara and his mother.

"Get off me Tojo!" Sarafina snarled.

The dark golden lion shook his head and was going to say something when a low roar echoed through the grey air. Everyone's attention soon went to the side of priderock to see Nala running over.

A delighted look formed on Sarafina's face, Tojo let the older lioness up. Sarafina quickly ran over and embraced her daughter.

"Oh Nala I was so worried! Where did you go?"

Nala sighed deeply before looking at everyone. "I'll explain later. Right now we have to get up priderock!"

Before any one could ask further a loud roar echoed through the grey land. Causing the pride to stand in a alert.

"Elara!"

The dark tawny lioness sighed before standing and heading towards the rocky slope. To have her mother block her path.

"Elara, wait!" Eleanor pleaded.

Elara gave her mother a resurring nuzzle before sighing. "I have to go. If I don't...it will be worst than it already is."

Eleanor sighed before stepping aside before watching her daughter round the corner. Elara walked through a line of hyenas. Some of them snap at her heels. She only glares disdainfully at them. Once at top she was greeted by a fuming Scar.

"Yes, Scar?"

Scar sneered before he began to pace. "Where is your hunting party? They're not doing their job."

Elara took a deep breath before speaking as calmly as she could. She was crazy to ever have feelings for him but what's done is done. "Scar, there is no food. The herds have moved on."

The rich brown lion growled. "No. They're just not looking hard enough."

Elara sighed before speaking once again. "It's over. There is nothing left. We have only one choice. We must leave priderock." she mentioned leaving because her cubs can't grow here. And she'll do anything to make sure that doesn't happen.

The tyrant king glared at his queen with a toothy snarl. "We're not going anywhere."

Elara's purple eyes widen in shock and horror. "Then you have sentenced us to death."

Scar walks off a bit with a not a care in the world. "Then so be it."

Elara glared at the older lion with a disgusted glare. "You can't do that."

Scar held his head proudly as he growled. "I'm the king. I can do whatever I want."

Elara snarled at her current mate. "If you were half the king Mufasa was you would nev -"

Scar snarls as hits Elara, knocking her to the ground.

...

"I'm ten times the king Mufasa was!"

Simba had been watching from behind some of the rocks on priderock. He was waiting for the right moment to enter when the moment came when Scar hit Elara, his big sister. Sending the dark tawny lioness across the ground.

Simba growled, Elara has been like a big sister since he could remember. He glared at his uncle before leaping out and ran to Elara. Scar instantly mistaked the new lion as deceased brother and is completely frightened.

"Mufasa? No. You're dead."

Simba ignores him and nudge the down lioness. Elara opened her eyes and like Scar mistakes him as her father figure. "Mufasa?"

Simba sighed and shook his head. "No. It's me."

Elara looked in the old king look a like's orange eyes to see Sarabi's eyes. "Simba? You're alive?" Elara frowned with confusion. "How can that be?"

"It doesn't matter; I'm home."

Scar was just as confused as Elara was. "Simba...?" then he came to realize his nephew was back. "Simba! I'm a little surprised to see you," giving the hyenas above him an angry look. "alive..."

On the word "alive," Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed gulp audibly and slink into the shadows. Simba glares at his uncle as he moved towards him.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip you apart."

Backing into a wall, Scar looks at the golden lion with fear in his eyes as he made different excuses. "Oh, Simba, you must understand. The pressures of ruling a kingdom..."

Simba growled lowly. "...Are no longer yours. Step down, Scar."

The rich brown lion nodded while waving a paw. "Oh, oh, ye - Well, I would, heh, naturally, heh - however, there is one little problem. You see them?" Simba followed one of Scar's claws up to see the horde of hyenas on the rocks above. "They think I'M king."

Nala appears with the rest of the lionesses and the guard. Tojo along with Mheetu helped Elara up. Nala glares at the older lion with a growl.

"Well, we don't. Simba is the rightful king."

Simba turns from Nala and the pride to his uncle. "The choice is yours, Scar. Either step down or fight."

Scar sighed as he walked by Simba and over to the assembled pride. "Oh, must it all end in violence? I'd hate to be responsible for the death of a family member. Wouldn't you agree, Simba?"

Simba growled at his uncle. "That's not gonna work, Scar. I've put it behind me."

Scar smiled before looking at the pride, mainly Sienna, Thelma and Sarabi. "Eh, but what about your faithful subjects? Have they put it behind them?"

Nala looked from the tyrant to the lion she loves. "Simba, what is he talking about?"

Scar smiles delighted at it all. "Ahh, so you haven't told them your little secret. Well, Simba, now's your chance to tell them. Tell them who is responsible for Mufasa's death!"

At Scar's last line the lionesses and lions were startled before all are concentrating on Simba.

Simba sighed before taking a step forward. "I am."

Elara was tooken back as well as Nala. Nala closed her eyes and memories of the jungle resurfaced. "I can't go back!..." Nala snapped her eyes open. No! Simba couldn't be the reason why Mufasa is dead!

Sarabi approaches her son, slowly. She doesn't believe that her prince is responsible. Sarabi spoke with a grief stricken voice.

"It's not true. Tell me it's not true."

Simba sighed regretfully. "It's true."

"You see! He admits it! Murderer!"

Lightning crashes behind Scar's head as Elara snarled at the rich brown lion. She doesn't believe this load of bull he's giving.

"No. It was an accident."

Scar walks around and around Simba as he accuses him; Elara growled at the rich brown lion's every word.

"If it weren't for you, Mufasa would still be alive. It's your fault he's dead; do you deny it?"

Simba looked at his mother, Elara, who he assumes are his sisters and Nala before sighing heavily. "No."

Elara zoned out as she tried to put everything together. Simba couldn't of killed Mufasa. He was just a cub. The dark tawny lioness was knocked out of her thoughts by lightning striking below priderock. Elara's eyes widen as the lightening ignited a fire. Also to her and everyone's complete horror, Simba was dangling from the peak.

"Simba!" was all Elara, Sarabi and Nala could manage to shout.

Sarabi watched with fearful eyes as Scar and Simba exchanged words. Sarabi nor the pride could hear but they were most surprised when Simba leapt from the peak and pinned the rich brown lion. Everyone gasped as Simba growled with fury.

"Tell them the truth!"

They all held their breaths wondering what the truth was. Sarabi deep down had a bad feeling but hoped that her mate was really killed by a accident. But as they waited, the truth came out.

"I killed Mufasa!"