Mufa, a small golden furred and red-ish brown eyed lion cub sat up to Pride Rock, eagerly waiting for the sun to fully rise. As the sun rose it cast light upon his beautiful future kingdom. Sure, he was just a cub now, but he wouldn't be forever. Someday this entire kingdom, the Pridelands, would be his.

His littermates, Kubwa and Imani, were still sleeping. They didn't take the chance to seize the day like Mufa did. Unlike them, he'd wait there until the sun completely rose above the ground and it was time.

After what seemed like forever to Mufa, the sun finally wasn't touching the ground anymore. Excitement shot through him like a lightning bolt. It's time! He rushed towards his mother, Kiara, who was sleeping inside of Pride Rock's den, the place they lived. Kovu was sleeping next to her, along with Mufa's littermate Imani. However Kubwa wasn't there. He must have gotten up since Mufa left to wait. "Mother! Mother! Wake up! You promised! Remember? It's time!"

Kiara groggily opened her eyes. Kovu, Mufa's father, did too. He let out a huge yawn. They looked at Mufa. "Time for what again?"

"You promised you would show me the entire kingdom today!"

Kiara yawned. "Alright, alright." She got to her paws, not noticing Kubwa's absence. "Come along now." She led the way out of the inside of Pride Rock. Kovu followed, getting up carefully as to not wake Imani.

But Mufa was confused when they started heading higher. "Mother, Father, you're going the wrong way."

"You'll see," was Kiara's response.

They walked higher and higher until they reached the peak of Pride Rock. Mufa looked down. This was his first time being all the way up.

It's so high!

Kiara and Kovu both sat down. Mufa did the same and looked at them curiously. "What's going on? I thought we're gonna go see the kingdom."

"We will. But first, look," Kiara told him.

"Look at what?" Mufa asked.

"Everything the light touches."

Mufa looked out over the Pridelands. He saw grass, trees, lakes, mountains, and animals of all kinds. "Why an I looking?" he asked.

"Because all this will be yours. Your father and I's sun is only up for so much time in our role in the great Circle of Life. When our sun sets, your sun will rise as king of the Pridelands."

"And this will all be mine, right?"

"Everything the light touches will be yours someday." Kovu nodded.

Mufa looked out onto the Pridelands. This'll all be mine! He remembered his parents' words; everything the light touches.

"Hey Mom and Dad! What are you doing?" a familiar voice squeaked. Mufa turned around. It was his littermate, Kubwa, rushing towards them. Kubwa had brown fur, green eyes, and a yellowish tawny underbelly.

"Kubwa!" Kiara shouted fearfully. Kubwa had picked up too much speed and was about to skid off Pride Rock, his body already halfway off the edge, but in the nick of time Kovu swooped in and caught him by the scruff. He set him down beside them. "Kubwa, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Don't run when you're on top of Pride Rock!" Kiara scolded.

"Sorry! Sorry! Me and Ruka were just playing and wanted to go by the watering hole and you always say I should ask first because I'm little so I'm asking can me and Ruka go play by the water hole?" Kubwa said in one exhausted breath. Close behind him his best friend Ruka followed. Ruka was a serval who had a yellow coat and a mix of both stripes and spots that were blackish brown. He had a white underbelly and golden eyes. Then another animal hopped behind - a peregrine falcon chick. It was Haraka, Kubwa and Ruka's other friend. She was quite fluffy, but was just beginning to lose some of the fluff and trade it for more sleeker feathers that she could one day fly with. She was light gray, but when she got a little older that would change.

Kiara let out a sigh. "Alright. But your dad has to go with you."

"Okay!" the little cub agreed.

"C'mon Kubwa. Nice and slow." They walked off, Kovu leading the way back down Pride Rock. Kubwa was the second born in the litter, which meant he was going to be leader of the Lion Guard someday. The Lion Guard was a team of animals that protected the Pridelands and defended the Circle of Life. Once Kubwa was ready, the Lions of the Past would give him the Roar of the Elders, a special power making him the official leader of the Lion Guard.

"Are you gonna show me the kingdom now?" Mufa eagerly asked his mother.

"Yes. Come along Mufa." Kiara led the way back down Pride Rock. When they got down to the bottom, they started walking. Mufa didn't know exactly where, but they must be going somewhere, right?

They kept walking throughout the savanna. Mufa took in his surroundings; the grass, the occasional acacia tree, the cloudless sky. The wet season had returned and everything was green again. He was in wonder.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Kiara breathed.

Mufa nodded eagerly. "It's amazing! And all this will be mine someday?"

"Yes."

"So I can do whatever I want, right?" Mufa looked up at her hopefully.

"Being king also takes responsibility," Kiara informed. "You must learn to take it on if you are to be a good king."

Mufa nodded. "Yes, Mother." He had never been more serious in his life. "But… how do I be a good king?"

"Well… part of being a good ruler is being kind, honest, courageous, things a good ruler would be."

Mufa had heard that before. It was kind of obvious. "Yeah I know, but what do I really do when I'm king? What do I do everyday and how do I do what I do everyday?"

"You mean royal duties?"

"Yeah!" Mufa exclaimed.

"Well, being formal is part of it, but only part of-"

"How do I be formal?" Mufa interrupted.

"Not like that," Kiara chuckled. "You're supposed to act as nice as you can."

"I can do that!"

"And in speeches you're supposed to remain calm and composed-"

"What does composed mean?" Mufa interrupted again.

"Calm and composed is where you don't overreact and stay in a happy place in your mind instead of a mad place," Kiara tried to explain.

"I can do that. What's another part?"

"Well, formal words help. In an important speech, avoid using too much slang or else your message won't get across."

"What is slang?"

"It's where you use a lot of shortcuts to say what you want to say. For example: it's, gonna, we're, you'll, you're, I'll, and so on."

"No shortcuts, got it! I'll talk like a king too!" He noticed he said 'I'll' instead of 'I will.' I'll get it right next time!

"You already talk a lot like a king," Kiara praised.

They walked through the entire Pridelands, from the savannas to the forests to the groves to the plains to the lakes and rivers… they saw it all. Mufa took it all in eagerly. Among the many excited thoughts that rushed through his mind, he couldn't stop thinking; All this will be mine!

Eventually they had to head back to Pride Rock. As they walked back, Mufa still observed every little thing, every blade of grass, every leaf on every tree, every insect crawling among them, every mouse scurrying through the grass, every bird flying through the sky. "Mother, will the Pridelands sky belong to me too?"

"Everything the light touches," she repeated.

They were right in front of Pride Rock when they saw Imani scurrying down the rocks.

"Imani! Why are you out here?" Kiara asked when Imani was right in front of them. "You're supposed to be inside the den if no one's watching you."

Imani stopped in her tracks so she didn't bump into them. She looked slightly shocked at the sound of their voices due to the fact she couldn't see them approaching. "I was. But I've been there for a long time and I'm getting a little bored. I memorized my way around Pride Rock! Isn't that great?"

"Imani, you're not supposed to leave the den without anyone with you. You could get hurt. You know that," Kiara told her.

"I know and I'm sorry but… I'm just so bored. I wish I could see too."

The expression that spread across Kiara's face was as if she got hit, but Mufa had no idea what hit her.

Imani ducked her head. "Sorry Mom," she apologized after a few moments of silence, her voice thick with guilt.

"Imani, I'll take you on a walk if you want," Kiara offered. It seemed like she was trying to make up for the fact Imani couldn't go out as much as Mufa and Kubwa could.

"Aren't you gonna show Mufa the Pridelands? I don't wanna stop you." More guilt was audible in Imani's voice.

"We're all done."

"Oh okay. Then yes," Imani agreed. Kiara gently rested the tip of her tail on the little cub's shoulder to guide her and off they went.

Mufa watched them leave. It wasn't long before he was bored. He was about the age where it was time for him to make friends, but he hadn't made any yet.

"Hi Mufa!" a familiar voice squeaked. He turned around and saw his littermate Kubwa, running around with serval friend Ruka and falcon friend Haraka. "Wanna play?"

Mufa's first impulse was to say yes, but then he remembered that kings do not look like reckless cubs running around. They look like calm adult lions.

"Sorry, but I'm busy being a formal king," Mufa explained. I meant 'I am.'

"Can I be a formal king too? And what does formal mean?" Kubwa asked.

"Let's all be kings!" Ruka mewed.

"And queen!" Haraka chirped.

"You can't have four rulers. Only one," Mufa told them.

"But Mom and Dad are two!" Kubwa protested.

"That is different," Mufa said. I got the talking right!

"Why?" Kubwa asked.

"Who cares? Let's all be rulers!" Ruka exclaimed again.

"Yeah!" Kubwa agreed.

"No! That isn't how it works!" Mufa told them. I meant 'is not.'

"But why?" Ruka asked.

"Then can we all take turns?" Kubwa asked.

"Yeah," Haraka agreed. "Can Kubwa be king first? I wanna follow him."

"Yeah! All hail King Kubwa!" Ruka cheered.

"No, no, no! I'm supposed to be the king!"

"Animals of the Pridelands, King Kubwa orders you to run around in circles!" Kubwa giggled.

"That isn't what kings do!" Mufa told him. I used 'isn't' instead of 'is not,' ugh! Maybe they're not listening to me because I'm not talking formal!

"Why?" Ruka asked as he chased his own tail, running around in circles. "This is fun!"

"Yeah!" Haraka agreed.

"And why is Kubwa king?" Mufa asked. "We all know I am the future king." Ugh, I said 'I am' this time, not 'I'm.'

"But it is just a game, so why can't I be king?" Kubwa asked. "We all know in real life you're gonna be king."

Mufa was annoyed. "If you're gonna play like that, I'm leaving." He stalked off, frustrated. I'm king, not them!

He walked towards the watering hole. Maybe he was getting a little too worked up over nothing. Maybe he just needed a drink. As he walked, he took deep, calming breaths. He took in his surroundings once more, relishing in the beauty of it all. This'll all be mine someday.

When he got there, he saw creatures of all kinds gathered at the watering hole. Elephants, zebras, giraffes, gazelles, painted wolves, aardwolves, caracals, monkeys, flamingos, egrets… This watering hole will be mine too someday, Mufa eagerly reminded himself.

He approached the water and bent down to take a drink, but was soon interrupted: "Hello! We're Habari, Nafasi, and Chukua, Wanna be friends?"

He looked back up and saw a baboon, a caracal, and a painted wolf about his age standing in front of him.

"You look bored. Come play tag with us!"

Mufa's first impulse was to say yes, but he quickly remembered that kings do not carelessly run around at the watering hole disturbing other animals' peace. "No thank you," he politely declined.

"Aww c'mon," the caracal pleaded. "We can play tag, hide and seek, truth or dare…"

"You do know who I am, right?" Mufa asked. The baboon, caracal, and painted wolf all shook their heads. Mufa was stunned but tried to keep calm like a king should. "I am Mufa, Prince of the Pridelands, heir to the throne."

"Woah cool!" the baboon exclaimed.

"While is is 'cool,' I am afraid I cannot play your silly games," Mufa explained.

"Our games are supposed to be silly! That's what makes them fun." This time it was the painted wolf speaking.

"Yes, but I'm gonna be king, and kings must be formal." Mufa caught himself slip up. Twice! I used 'I'm' instead of 'I am' and 'gonna' instead of 'going to'!

"What does formal mean?" the baboon asked.

"Not this," was the only explanation Mufa could give.

"Oh…okay." The caracal looked disappointed. "Then you won't play?"

"I am afraid I am unable to," Mufa told them, trying to sound as formal as possible.

"Okay… then see ya around." The baboon, caracal, and painted wolf walked away disappointedly.

"Goodbye, fellow Pridelanders." That time I sounded really formal!

Then Mufa sat by himself. He was proud of himself for saying no while being nice and formal. I sounded just like a king!

He knew declining their invitation to play was the right thing to do. He didn't want to look silly in front of all those animals at the watering hole. He wanted to look like what a future king should look like: calm and formal. But he had to admit, deep down inside he wanted to run and play with them. But being a good king came first.

Pride rose inside him. I'll make a great king one day!