"Hey, Simba! Long time, no see! We gather you've been filling the little 'un with stories about how empty vessels make the most sound. Quite right too. A wizened fellow like me, knows when to keep his mouth shut," said Timon, modest as ever, without a hint of self-consciousness.

Tanabi had blabbed about what I'd told him about Timon not being the sharpest stick in the forest, but Timon being Timon had not picked up quite yet on its meaning.

"Course, we've been teaching him all we know. He's a quick learner, much better than you, y'know."

"Er, thanks, I think…" I replied.

"Oh yeah, your majesty," Pumbaa piped up, "he's got the hang of bowling for buzzards really well, runs in the family I'd say."

"Oh Pumbaa, please. Simba doesn't need crawlers and suck-ups, he can take it how it is. He never could frighten a bird, don't flatter him by suggesting he could."

"Frighten a bird?!" I laughed, "all I have to do is roar! Besides, why bother with birds? It's much more fun doing it on you."

"Tanabi growled from behind the meerkat, and Timon jumped out of his skin. "Yaaaah!! Where is it?! It's gonna eat me!"

Tanabi laughed and rolled over on his back. "Uncle Timon, your such a scaredy kat!"

"Oh, young mister, you wait and see. One of these days, I'll be ever so brave, I'll show you. Oh I will!"

"Dream on!" laughed Tanabi.

If nothing else, he'd caught on best how to aggravate Timon; something I couldn't begrudge him for!

"Hey, Timon, he has a point. You're always waking up dreaming about large monsters with great big teeth," offered Pumbaa.

"You know about that?! Hey, how d'you know about that? I never told you!"

"Well, its hard to miss. You always bury your head in my side and shudder."

"Heeey… You're supposed to be asleep when that happens!"

"Well…I wasn't…"

"You mean you hid it from me?" Timon's face was on the verge of breaking up, into anger or sadness, I couldn't tell, "how could you?!"

To be sure, all this stuff was liquid gold for future arguments with them, but I had come to collect Tanabi because I had somewhere to take him. He reluctantly left when I mouthed at him to follow, giggling madly at the two friend's continuing arguments.

"You see?" I asked Tanabi when we were out of earshot, "the more they speak the less they think!"

"Too right! I'm glad I'm a lion!"

"Me too, Tani."

He put on a contented face and walked alongside me, head held high.

"So…where are we going?" he asked at length.

"Somewhere very special," I told him, "you haven't been there yet."

"Really? Wooow!" His unrivalled enthusiasm continued.

"Are we nearly there yet?"

"No, not yet. Why don't you tell me about one of your lessons from Granny Saffy this morning?"

"Ooh, yeah!" he said delightedly, "she taught me this real cool story. All about a real ugly lion and a real nice one with a white mane."

"Yeah?" I said, pretending the story was new to me.

"Yeah! And the white-maned one was really nasty and mean and, and… what was the word… agro-ant?"

"arrogant?" I suggested.

"Yeah, that's it! agroant! Well, yeah, he was really agroant and the ugly lion with one eye and a limp was real nice. And one day, they were out walking together, and they saw a pretty lioness. Well, the agroant lion says to her 'hmm, with my brains and our combined good looks, we could make a great team and rival Aideu himself!' but the one eyed lion just smiles at her and says hello."

"Really?" I said, feigning surprise, "so then what happened?"

"Well, the lioness followed them home, and the agroant one thought she was following him, so he was strutting about like all that," he gave me a demonstration with his tail held high in the air and his head pointing upwards, "but she weren't too impressed with it. She thought he was silly."

"Uh huh? And what did the one-eyed one think?"

"He thought she was very pretty, but that she wouldn't dream of even looking at him because of how he looked. But she did, she kept smiling at him, and the agroant one got real jealous."

"Then what happened?!"

"Well, eventually, the one-eyed one and the lioness got married, and the agroant one got all huffy and showed off by jumping off the top of Pride Rock, to show how brave he was. A-and the two lived happily ever after but the agroant one was dead."

"Very good, and what does it mean?"

"It-It's what's on the inside that counts, and the mind can be just as great as the body!" he wagged his tail excitedly, "Did I get it right?!"

"Perfect, son," and he beamed at me.

We continued along. The truth was, I didn't have any special place for us to go, I just liked walking and talking with Tanabi, and he seemed to enjoy it back. I had a vague plan for us to go and meet his mother and Mtifu and her daughters Sava and Ella, just the few of us, in the peace and quiet, away from the hustle and bustle of Pride Rock and the pressures of ruling a Kingdom. Eventually, we arrived at a spot where the four of them were waiting for us in the shade of some acacia trees. I lay down contented whilst Tanabi ran off into the grasses to play with Sava and Ella.

"Don't go too far now," called Nala protectively.

Nala, Mtifu and I lay talking happily.

The two of them discussed their hunting habits and the effectiveness of some of the moves that they carried out. Though I hunted extremely rarely myself, I took some interest in this, because hunting was the only activity in which I didn't join in, perhaps was even unwelcome to join in with. At length, however, the topic turned to me, as it usually did.

"The truth is, Sir," said Mtifu, "the older members don't have the confidence because they're sour and worried about what you might do when their backs are turned. They are under the misinterpretation that this may happen, simply because for so many years they did live with this fear. I told them it was unjustified, but they don't seem to want to see sense. They take any setback, major or minor, as a sign from Aideu that you aren't up to the job."

"It all seems a bit harsh to me," said Nala, "they were perfectly accepting when he came back and challenged Scar for the throne."

"Too true," replied Mtifu, "they're just caught up in silly unproven ideas."

"I'm just glad I've at least got a little support, or I might believe them myself," I said, "but I'm glad I cant trust you at any rate Mtifu."

"You have my life-long service, King Simba."

"But out of interest, if your loyalty lies with me, what of the father of your beautiful cubs?"

"Oh, for certain he was a fine fellow. He had a flowing soft mane and was incredibly muscly. But a rogue? I couldn't go and live with a rogue, I've lived in the sanctuary of a pride all my life. I couldn't abandon it now, especially not with cubs."

"I've heard similar problems from someone else," I said, looking at Nala knowingly, "and was, this fellow…keen, on this plan?"

"Not particularly, he said I had betrayed him by refusing to live with and marry him. He swore a vow against me and said he never wanted to see me again."

"He sounds rather possessive and forceful," Nala spoke aloud.

"Oh, he was I suppose. But I was at the stage where personality didn't seem the most important thing, if you see what I mean…"

"Perfectly," laughed Nala.

"Hey…" I said, wondering for a moment whether she was laughing knowingly about me…

The three of us laughed again.

"At any rate, I hope I don't see him again also. There's no telling what he might do to my dear cubs if he finds them."

"Is there any chance of that?"

She never answered. From over a ridge we heard cub squeals and roars from what sounded like an older lion. Panicking, we three rushed over towards the sound, ever wary of what kind of grisly sight might meet our eyes.

What we saw was arguably worse. For there, besides the three cubs was a fully grown adult male, who looked decidedly malicious. For the moment I was too far away to do anything, being far away on a ridge, and the four of them were unaware of my presence.

From what I could tell, Tanabi was facing the adult, spitting and growling as fiercely as he could at this intruder. Naturally, the intruder was not deterred by a small cub and he eyed him amusedly, before turning his attention back to Sava and Ella. Mtifu appeared by my side, "Oh no!" she breathed, "It's HIM."

From where we were there was little we could do. The adult strode past Tanabi and headed for the girls. They attempted to run, but he was too quick and bounded after them and stood over them, as if daring them to try and move without giving him what he wanted. I could only assume what he wanted was grisly. He raised a clawed paw, and was bringing it down towards dear Ella when he suddenly leaped up and roared in pain. Clinging to his ankle was my own little Tanabi, so young and insignificant compared to this bulk of a lion.

Tanabi held on with his teeth whilst the lion thrashed about madly, trying to shake him off, all his attention on the two daughters forgotten. They ran towards us, crying out and squealing. I passed them, running down towards the commotion, whilst they ran for their mother. But still I was too far away to make much difference, I couldn't reach before Tanabi had indeed been shaken off, and swung away to hit his head on a small rock, whereupon he lay very still. The lion advanced towards him slowly, baring his teeth, and roaring, "Meddlesome child, you will pay for that one!"

I was helpless and still. I suddenly realised what my father meant when he had said all those years ago that he was scared for the first time when he thought he'd lose me. Now the claw was on the other paw, and it was I in his situation, though I felt too paralysed and useless to move. Suddenly, a tawny blur appeared from one side, rushing towards the large lion, and jumping upon him. A lioness appeared, and the two thrashed about madly whilst I strived after them. My first thought was that the lioness had been Nala, but I couldn't understand why she would have appeared from the East if that had been the case, instead of where she was with me.

At length, I found my way to the fighting couple, where Tanabi lay still on the floor, and I leapt upon the bulk of the male, and ripped his throat out. He fell to the ground and was still. I looked at the lioness who had come rushing to help and noticed how she was scratched and wounded all over. She sat back on her haunches and began to clean herself. She didn't seem to be waiting for any gratitude, but remained sitting there. I didn't recognise her, but she was trespassing on my land, and I was unsure what to do.

And suddenly, it dawned on me. The East. She'd come from the East. A lioness from the East. She'd rushed to protect a child. Suddenly everything clicked and I looked at the rogue of the riverland pride with fervent astonishment.

"I told you to look after your son, for my sake!" she growled. "some father you are, letting him run off like that so near the border!"