Prologue

The day had come to a close. The sun was lowering itself below the horizon, and the dusky sense of night hung in the air like a thick blanket of fog.

Near Pride Rock, two well fed, freshly groomed cubs scampered towards a cave inside the rock, which was the lionesses sleeping quarters.

An old, tired looking lioness was dozing in the afternoon sunlight a little inside the cave, directly on a warm sunbeam. The first cub, of tawny golden colour with black rings of fur around the lining of his ears and reddish-gold eyes, pawed the lioness slightly on the shoulder.

"Grandma! Wake up!" She opened her clear violet eyes and smiled wanly. "Well, well, well. The young prince Simba and his friend Nala! To what do I owe this honour?"

"Mom told me we could hear a story before we went to sleep," Simba said, indicating to his friend Nala, who was fair furred and green eyed. The lioness got up on her haunches. "A story eh? What would you like to hear? One of the old fables?"

"No! A new one! One we've never heard before!" the young cubs chorused. The lioness' eyes twinkled. "A new one? Well, I've got the perfect one for you…."