At length, Zazu appeared, fluttering manically down to my feet.

"Oh dear Sire, oh dear, it's awful!! Terrible news, absolutely appalling, oh dear oh…"

The lionesses looked over in alarm, and Nala said "Just relax Zazu, and let it come naturally."

He did so.

"Terrible news, sire. Word has reached us of a small group of lionesses in the East, coming with murderous intent into the Pridelands."

I frowned, though I was quite worried at the same time. "Really? When did this information reach you?"

"Oh, the birds from the water hole brought word, sire. The network of flamingo's are on it, but I fear they will not work quickly enough, you must come."

Clearly, Zazu was rather worried. I was too, but tried to keep a calm head on things. I ordered a couple of instructions, "Nala, you go back to Pride Rock and warn the other lionesses; Mtifu, I think you should go to the rebels, you're the only one of us they'll trust in the slightest, and tell them, and Usiku, I think it would be an idea if you stayed here and guarded the cubs in case they come for them."

"What do you plan to do Sire?" asked Zazu, as if he couldn't guess.

"I'm going East!"

We all of us set off in our respective directions, and Zazu followed me, flying alongside me as I bounded towards the Eastern border. A thought struck me as I ran, and I voiced it to Zazu, "Zazu, are we certain that these lionesses actually belong to the River Pride?"

"I don't know, Sire, I've only been passed word on from others. I don't even know if there's any danger in it at all!"

That didn't really seem an option, and I continued onwards, ever wary of what I might have to confront, and their numbers. Still, I consoled myself, in the unlikely event that fighting was necessary, I would have the pride and the rebels to count on, for they disliked the River Pride immensely, and would not pass down an opportunity to banish them or spill their blood.

Eventually, I reached the border, blood pounding in my ears, to see…

Nothing.

Nothing at all, just empty grassland. Even over the border, there was no sign that any lion or lioness had crossed this border in the recent past. I didn't understand. Nor, it seemed, did Zazu - "I don't understand, Sire," he said, unhelpfully.

The two of us stood, looking at the emptiness around us in disbelief, wondering what to do next.

"Perhaps I should go check at Pride Rock, Sire," murmured Zazu tentatively, seemingly aware that he could be responsible for a complete wild goose chase, and clearly he wanted to get away as soon as possible to escape my possible wrath. But I had no such anger, I was too confused by the situation.

I nodded at him, and said, "Yes, perhaps you had. Warn the others that we do not know of the possible attackers, uh – whereabouts."

He went, and I pondered to myself why such a strange occurrence could have happened, but couldn't make head nor tail of it. Then I had a thought. Timon and Pumbaa had been rather quiet recently, hadn't they? Why would that have been? Could they have been planning something? I shut my eyes, realising if that were the case, then they would be in the vicinity right now, watching my reactions with intense amusement.

I opened my eyes again, to be greeted by a chagrined meerkat smile.

"We got 'im!" said the smile, joyously.

"You said it'd never work Timon."

"Ah, how wrong I was, dear Pumbaa," said Timon, putting on a mock sorrowful voice, "the simplest plans invariably work out the best."

I was quite annoyed, in all honesty, but had better sense than to show it. I tried to laugh it off, saying such things as "Yeah, good one guys," and "had to happen some time" but I knew my words sounded ridiculously hollow and insincere because I was so annoyed at myself for being outsmarted by such a pathetic plan which ordinarily would never have any chance of working, plus I had got the whole pride worked up about it to boot.

Timon and Pumbaa revelled in it, "This lion don't need no jungle to sleep in tonight," said Timon, cracking a bad joke, "he's so slow he's asleep all the time, in the grasses during the day!"

I gave him a pained expression at the true awfulness of that one, and even Pumbaa gave a sigh at it. But the jokes continued whilst I walked back to the field I had left earlier to apologise to Usiku for being fooled by a silly prank.

"Oh look Simba, a LION! RUN AFTER IT!! KILL IT!!" shouted Timon, before collapsing into peals of laughter, leaning on Pumbaa for support.

"What's up with him?" asked Pumbaa, looking at Timon, but obviously talking about me.

"Oh he's OK, just a bit of a sour puss," laughed Timon again.

"Do lions always look this angry from behind, or are you a bag of hot wind?" he asked, attempting another joke, and failing another joke also.

That continued for some time until I reached the rock maze again.

Usiku was standing, shoulders slumped, facing away from me. Something was wrong, I could tell immediately. She stared at the ground, not heeding me when I called her. Even Timon and Pumbaa in their jubilation sensed something was not right, and they stood back quietly as I continued forwards.

"Usiku? What's up?" I tried again, but still to no avail. I stood a couple of metres back from her, giving her the space she seemed to need.

Nala and Mtifu approached from behind me, to the same silence as I had been greeted with. They stood alongside, me, not understanding either. Eventually, Mtifu spoke, "Er, Simba, I need to tell you som…"

"Not now," I whispered to her sharply, "later."

Usiku turned her head. There were tears in her eyes. She shook her head, opened her mouth but no sound came out. She shook her head again and went back to staring at the floor. After a long time, she managed to croak, "I'm sorry Mtifu."

"For what?" she replied, puzzled.

Usiku continued in the same expressionless tone, "It wasn't a prank. It was my fault. I'm sorry. I think I should leave. Go somewhere far away."

"No, nobody wants that!" said Nala, trying to raise her spirits, full of good intent.

"You will," said Usiku, and she slowly walked away from us further, heading away, not turning back once.

Nala looked at me as if to say 'what was that about?' Whatever it was, it wasn't good. Mtifu crept forward, making to follow Usiku, but stopped dead at the spot where Usiku had been standing when we'd returned, and let out a cry of anguish. Worried, Nala and I rushed up to her, only to see why. There, a small way away in the patch of grass, was the disfigured body of Ella, caked in blood, clearly dead.