"W...what did you just say?!", Mufasa stared at Shanira, mouth open.

"Like you didn't hear. I know who you are."

"But...but how...?!", Mufasa stepped back, pulling Simba along. "I mean it's...it's impossible!"

"Not quite. I know more than you think. For example, I know that you were forced to leave the kingdom because your brother betrayed you."

"You're...you're wrong! Leave us alone!", Mufasa was ready to escape.

How does she know?! Who is she even?!

"Sure you can run, but I will find you. I'm not as dumb as you think", Shanira said calmly, not seeming to be surprised by Mufasa's reaction at all. It made her even more erratic.

"Well, what do you want then?! How do you know about our past?! I demand answers, right now!"

"Oh boy, the story is much complicated than this. Its roots are far in the past. But if you have time to listen, sure I can tell."

"But why? I thought you hated us", Simba wondered. "Maybe you aren't as evil as you appear."

"I let you decide about that", Shanira said, turning around. Tapping the ground quickly with her paw, the vision turned into a starry night.

"What happened?", Mufasa looked around. "Another vision?"

"Not exactly. If you know how things work here, you can navigate between them. I'm showing you one of my memories."

"Huh? But why?", both lions asked. They didn't understand this weird cat at all.

"Listen and you might understand. I'm gonna tell you a story about my ancestor, a panther called Lakicia. She was one of the first of our species who arrived in The Pridelands during king Mohatu's rule.

"You know my grandfather?", Mufasa asked, surprised.

Wow, she does know more than shows.

"I do. I also know his son and your father, king Ahadi. Your mother was from the neighbor pride, Am I correct?"

"Yes, that's right. But I still don't..."

"Shut your big mouth and open your ears", Shanira interrupted angrily. "So, it all started on one fateful day..."


King Mohatu was worried. The Pridelands had been suffering from dryness for a long time and it had not rained for weeks. Soon the animals would be left without food unless he came up with something very soon. But what could it be?

"What should we do, honey?", his wife asked. "Soon we'll starve."

"I don't know. I have spoken with animals, and they are getting restless. They depend on me, so I have to solve this out."

"Dad!", a sudden voice interrupted the king and he turned around. His son, prince Ahadi ran fast towards his parents.

"What is it, son?"

"The river! It's dying!"

"What do you mean?!"

"You have to see it for yourself! Everyone is there!"

Looking very confused, Mohatu followed his son to the river. A large group of animals stood at the bend. And they looked really worried.

"What's going on here?", the king asked. Animals bowed when they saw the father and son.

"Your highness, have you already seen what has happened here?"

"Not exactly. Can you tell me about the situation?", Mohatu asked. "My son said the river is in big trouble."

"Yes, my king. This dryness kills all the water. Soon, we are left thirsty!"

"One of my beaver friends said they had to destroy their dams. It's that serious apparently, Dad", Ahadi told. This worried his father even more.

"Hmm...and it's too risky to leave, there can be fire if the grass gets too hot under the sun."

"Indeed. What can we do?", one of the zebras asked.

"I don't know yet. I need to have a check around the kingdom before I can decide anything. Ahadi, come with me. This is a good opportunity for you to learn."

"Okay, Dad", Ahadi smiled. This was going to be cool.


"Hold on, hold on! How come my father never told me any of this? Sure I would know if my kingdom was suffering so badly", Mufasa shook his head, not believing this story.

"Your knowledge is not the main point here. Remember, everyone has secrets. Maybe your old man didn't want you to know everything. And I can clearly see why...", Shanira eyed Mufasa from top to the bottom. This irritated him.

"Excuse me?!"

"Dad, let's listen. This story sounds interesting", Simba said. "I wanna know more."

"You heard the kid. So, where was I? Oh yes. So your dear grandpa and father went to check the borders of the kingdom. But they soon found out that getting fresh water for everyone was more difficult than they first thought. Until..."


"This is not good", Mohatu sat on Pride Rock, sharing his worries with his wife.

"You mean you didn't find proper places where to get more water to the river?"

"No. Waterholes, ponds, everything is nearly gone. And if there's no water, animals will die. We need it."

"But how? Are we going to leave our home?!"

"I don't wanna think about it, but if nothing is gonna happen, I'm afraid we must."

"Oh, no...what are we going to tell everyone? Or our son?"

"Don't tell anything yet. I try to fix this problem."

Too bad that Ahadi was right behind one of the rocks and he heard everything. He didn't want to leave his beloved home, so he decided to think of something to help everyone. But first, he needed to explore.

"I better tell Uru about this. I need her help."

Later, the two cubs met in their usual hiding place. Since Uru wasn't a Pridelander, she needed to avoid attention. So they never met near Pride Rock.

"Did anyone follow you?", she asked the prince who arrived from the bushes.

"No, don't worry. I got rid of my babysitters."

"I hope so. My parents will kill me if they know I'm hanging out with the prince."

"Haha", Ahadi snorted. "So, things aren't good with your pride either?"

"No. We have been thinking about asking to join your pride, but some of us are still against it."

"It would be awesome if you joined. Then we don't have to hide anymore."

"Let's hope for the best", Uru smiled. "So, are we going?"

"Yeah, I know a couple of places. Come on!", Ahadi led the way. But the cubs didn't know that they were followed...

"Hmm...", Ahadi looked around. "I can't see anything."

"Yeah...these trees are so big", Uru looked around as well.

"Maybe we should try to get out of this forest. We can't find anything useful here. And I must succeed, otherwise..."

Uru was sad. Ahadi was so responsible for his age. He was always ready to help everyone and he loved to spend time with Mohatu and learn new things from him.

I think I like him...a lot.

"What do you think your father is going to do about this situation? The river is pretty big and if it dries out..."

"I don't know. He spends days walking around the kingdom, trying to find help. He suggested that we might have to leave our home..."

"That's awful! I think The Pridelands is beautiful."

"Yeah, and it's the place where I wanna grow up. So I'm doing everything I can to defend it!"

The cubs kept running, trying to get out of the forest. Ahadi wanted to help his father more than anything. After all, he was the prince.

"Ahadi, listen! Do you hear that?", Uru suddenly stopped.

"What do you mean?"

"That rumble. It's coming somewhere here..."

"Hmm...", the prince listened. True, Uru was right. It sounded almost like...

"Hey, I think it's a waterfall!"

"Are you sure? I don't remember nearby being a single one."

"You're right, this is weird. Maybe we wandered too far from the border? Dad has not shown me all of them."

"Perhaps..."

"Well, there's only one way to find out. Come on!", Ahadi led the way through the trees.

"Hurry, Uru!"

"I'm coming! Slow down."

"Good! Here we goooooo...!"

*Brightness*

Stopping, both cubs covered their eyes from the light that hit their faces. When they were able to open their eyes, the view stunned them both.

"Woah...", Uru gasped. "What is that?!"

"It's the biggest waterfall I've ever seen!", Ahadi answered. "I had no idea something like this even existed in our kingdom!"

"Neither did I. But it's huge! And look at that lake behind it!", Uru pointed out. "Oh, I can see Kilimanjaro from here!"

"Wow, true. How did we wander so far from the kingdom in such a short time?"

"No idea. Maybe we were concentrating too deeply that we didn't notice how time flew."

"U-huh?"

"Well, anyhow. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah. There's enough water for everyone!"

"The only problem is how to get it there..."

"Hmm...", Ahadi looked around. "Hey, see that path of rocks over there? I climb to the other side and see if I can find anything."

"Are you sure? It looks dangerous", Uru was worried. "What if you fall?"

"Don't worry, I won't", Ahadi ran to the bend. Suddenly, the cubs heard a voice above them.

"And what do you think you're doing?"

"Huh?!", both Ahadi and Uru turned around. A big dark cat sat in a tree above them, hiding in the shadows.

"Who's there?!", Ahadi stepped in front of his friend. "Show yourself!"

"This is a very dangerous place to be around, little prince", the cat answered back. Ahadi's expression turned into confusion.

"Wait...you know who I am?! But how...?!"

"Sure everyone knows the prince", the cat jumped to the ground. It was a huge panther, blackish fur shining in the sunlight.

"Woah! You're a panther", Uru said. "I've never seen one so close."

"Clever", this weird stranger said sarcastically. "And you are a pair of warthogs I believe?"

"If you know who I am, then you must know my father, King Mohatu. Are you living here somewhere, or...", Ahadi started, but he was cut off.

"I live here and there. But you aren't where you're supposed to be. This part of the Savannah is filled with dangerous animals."

"Thanks for the advice. But I think we should be going. Come on, Uru", Ahadi said. But the panther blocked their way.

"Kid, I'm serious. You'll be eaten alive if you don't get out of here."

"Says who?"

"Me."

"Right...well then, we're going! I have to save the kingdom and that's what I'm gonna do. Hey Uru, watch this!", Ahadi jumped on the first rock.

"Ahadi, I don't think that's such a good idea! Come back!"

"What an idiot", the panther rolled her eyes. "This isn't going to end well."

Despite Ahadi was noble, but he was also a bit of a show-off. And when it comes to Uru, he wanted desperately to impress her. So without thinking and listening to others, he took some speed and jumped towards another rock in front of him. Just too bad that he overestimated his ability and strength as a cub.

"Oh no no no...!", the prince screamed, falling into the water. Yelling for help, he began to drift fast towards the waterfall.

"AHADI!", Uru yelled helplessly.

"There the idiot goes. Oh, well..."

"Please, you have to save him! He will drown otherwise!"

"No way. I'm not risking my life for some stubborn brat."

"Please, I know you care for him! I do anything, just help him!", Uru begged. The panther looked back and sighed.

"Maybe I must...", she took a fast jump, landing in the water. It surprised Uru how a good swimmer the panther was and the flooding didn't seem to bother her at all.

"Hold on, Ahadi!", Uru ran beside the river. The waterfall came closer and closer...

"Help...", the prince gulped...and fell under the water. Stopping in her tracks, Uru gasped.

"NO! AHADI!"

Just when the cub thought that this was going to be her friend's doom, something unbelievable happened. That panther came to the surface, holding Ahadi in her mouth. Swimming to the bend, she dropped him down.

"Ahadi, thank god! Are you okay?!", Uru asked.

"I...", Ahadi babbled, hiding his gaze in shame.

"I told you. But of course, you didn't listen. What more do I have to...", the panther said...

"AHADI!"

"Oh no! It's your father", Uru said. "I have to go!", she whipped around, running into the bushes. The panther wasn't as fast, so she didn't have time to sneak away before Ahadi arrived with a couple of lionesses.

"Dad!", Ahadi stood up. "What are you doing here?!"

"We've been looking all over for you", the king said seriously. "Some birds saw you in the waterfall and they contacted me. What on earth are you doing so far from Pride Rock?!"

"Well, I..."

"This is a very dangerous area to be around. And who is that?!", Mohatu turned to see the panther. "I don't remember seeing you here before."

"Surprise", the panther answered. "Well, perhaps your son can tell what happened."

"I see...well, Ahadi?", Mohatu looked at him. The cub rubbed his paws against the ground...he didn't know what to say.

"I..."

"Son, I asked you a question. You have to answer."

"Well...s-she nearly drowned me in the waterfall!", the prince said in a panic. The panther's face turned surprised, then angry.

"What?!"

"Yeah! I was wandering here and stopped to have a drink, then she came and pushed me into the river! It's all her fault, Dad!"

"Is this true?!", Mohatu said angrily to the panther. "How dare you attack my son!"

"Hah, me?! Your little brat did that all by himself! I saved his life!"

"No, she's lying! You need to punish her!"

"Oh you can be sure I will", Mohatu said, but the panther had already climbed up into a tree. Looking down, she eyed murderously the royal family.

"Hurting my son is the biggest crime you can commit. I banish you from my kingdom for eternity! And don't dare to come back!"

"You fool...I hope your cursed brat is worthy of it. But I swear that one day, your foolish act will turn against you. You'll see", the panther glared at Ahadi, before fleeing out of sight.

"Don't worry son, she won't hurt you anymore. Now, let's go home", Mohatu smiled. Starting to follow his father, Ahadi felt bad about his lie. And he wasn't the only one who saw the episode...

"Ahadi, how could you?!", Uru whispered in her hiding place. "I never thought that deep underneath, beats a cowardly heart."


"Wow...what a story", Simba said. "Did Grandpa really do such a terrible thing?"

"I had no idea about this episode at all. So your ancestor knew my parents and grandfather?", Mufasa asked Shanira who turned to him.

"Yes. Thanks to his lovely lie, our whole kin was banished from The Pridelands. "Your so-called grandfather was a fool by believing him."

"I'm terribly sorry. If only I had known..."

"Didn't Grandma Uru and Grandpa Ahadi never speak about this?", Simba wondered.

"No. I swear this all is new to me. And I bet Scar doesn't know about it either."

"How can you be so sure?"

"If there's something I know about him, it would be something like this. But still, I can't understand how my grandfather believed everything so blindly. And why my parents didn't tell us...", Mufasa shook his head.

"I bet they didn't want to trust a dummy like you", Shanira mocked again. "What I've seen, you're not far from your old man."

"Not again...when will you stop?! Alright, I admit my father did wrong and I truly apologize for the wrongs you and your family went through. But your behavior makes me wonder how difficult your species is..."

"Hah, as if you have a right to tell me how to behave. I have kept you alive simply because I have been too lazy to kill you. And to tell the truth, you aren't that useful."

"I disagree. I know you are mad, but I can tell you have a good heart. After all, you saved Simba from the stampede. And now that I heard this story, I owe you. Just name your price", Mufasa smiled, much to Simba and Shanira's surprise.

"Hah, stupid furball", Shanira eventually smiled a little. For the first time, it wasn't full of sarcasm, irony or hatred. Instead, it was...sincere.

"Yeah, I was wrong about you as well. I thought you were trying to hurt me, but now I understand you're just hurt and lost on the inside as we are. So, thanks...", Simba grabbed his paws around Shanira's leg who froze in place. At first, Mufasa was ready to pull him off, but then he just smiled.

I was wrong about her...she doesn't want to harm us. I know that now.

"Err, well...", Shanira pushed Simba away. "I think I better show you two the way out of here before this gets too weird."

"So you knew the way out all along", Mufasa said. "Of course..."

"I'm much more than you see. Now, I..."

"Wait, what about Timon and Pumbaa?", Simba interrupted. "We have to find them, Dad!"

"Don't worry runt, you'll see those idiots soon. I can promise that", Shanira said. Simba just stared back.

"I don't know what's happening now...but there's still something I need to ask. How did you know what Scar did to us? Did you know who we are from the beginning? And who is this boss of yours? Will we meet him? And most of all...why have you been so merciful?", Mufasa pulled his son between his paws.

"My dear lardball. You should know by now that my strength is action, not talking", Shanira retreated, hitting her paw against the ground. Soon, brightness surrounded the two lions.

"But remember this, my kitties! Not everyone is going to be nice to you. So think about this as a rare, rare gift. Goodbye...for now."

Before either Simba or Mufasa managed to answer, the light hit too strongly against their faces. It seemed to last an eternity but when they opened their eyes, they found themselves in the jungle.

"What happened? Are we back?", Simba looked around.

"We can find it out only by exploring this place. Maybe that's how we find those two silly friends of ours", Mufasa answered.

"Oh, okay", Simba smiled, walking beside his very quiet father.

"Dad, are you okay?"

"Kinda...this story turned my whole world view upside down. I never thought..."

"It surprised me, too. I couldn't have imagined that Shanira knew us so well."

"This shows how unpredictable life can be. And that even we royal ones make mistakes..."

"I wonder if the legend is really how Shanira told. Grandpa Ahadi did a very bad thing by lying."

"Yes, Simba. And I'm sure my mother was against it. She valued honesty and despised liars. This must have been harassing their relationship for years."

"I'm sorry to hear that. You must feel awful."

"Yes and no. As much as I would want to change this, but it was my father's choice. And you learn that even kings make bad judgment calls. Well, this is one of them."

"Yeah...I also wonder how she knew about Uncle Scar and everything. Do you think we will meet her again? Or her boss?"

"I don't know that either, son. But one thing I can be sure about", Mufasa said, expression turning serious as he looked towards the horizon. "Things aren't gonna be the same ever again. The world we knew...is gone forever."

TBC...