"And just between you and me," Scar leaned in close to the lion cub. "You might want to work on that little roar. Hm?"
"Oh," Simba dropped his eyes. "Okay..."
The dark lion turned and started to make him way out of the gorge.
A thought entered the young prince's head. "Hey, uncle Scar!" Simba cried, perking right up. "Will I like the surprise?"
"Oh Simba, it's to die for!"
...
After reaching a certain point in the grasslands, the native tour guide informed Judy and Nick that this was as far as they go; no technology went beyond this point, in order to preserve the wild in its natural state.
Understandably, the two officers hopped out of the jeep. Upon asking, they were granted the permission to bring one disposable camera and paper notebooks.
Then it was off to locate the tribes. "This is so exciting!" Judy exclaimed, hopping excitedly on her paws. "A whole colony of unsocialized lions..."
"Not to mention the hyenas, giraffes, rhinos, elephants," Nick counted on his paw. "Zebras, ibex, and hippopotamus'..."
"Yeah, but, remember what the tour guide said?"
Nick shrugged. "I wasn't listening."
Judy sighed, walking beside her police partner through the tall grass. "He said that the lions govern over the animals; they're all connected in what's called the Circle of Life. So if we colonize the lions, they'll teach the rest of the animals what we've taught them."
"Unless the lions aren't listening." Nick smiled.
"Oh, look! Wildebeests!" Judy pointed out with her paw towards a massive herd of gnu. The animals all poured into a gorge like a black waterfall, their hooves beating the earth like thunder.
Judy took Nick's paw and ran. "Hurry! Let's go check it out!"
They made haste and stood at the lip of the gorge, staring down into the cavernous landscape. The gnu continued their graceful stampede, flowing seemingly endlessly down one side.
Nick squinted down, then poked Judy, pointing. "Is that an animal hanging on the limb?"
"An animal?" Judy squinted her eyes against the rising dust. "You're right. I think it's a cat."
"If that cat falls off, they'll be trampled." Nick said, swallowing hard.
"We should-"
"Look!" Nick pointed again, this time at a pair of large male lions. They had come to the rescue!
The orange lion flung himself into the herd, racing alongside them before doubling back towards the cub. The branch snapped; the cub was sling-shotted into the air!
The orange lion caught the cub in his mouth and set him gently on a rock. Then the herd overtook him, crushing him.
"Daaaad!" Cried the cub.
A long moment passed. Judy clung to Nick's arm, the two of them staring, unable to look away.
Then the orange lion appeared! He leaped and dug his claws into the face of the rock and started to climb.
Judy hopped up and down and cheered. But Nick fell silent, watching as the dark lion grabbed the other lion with his claws, then shoved him back, forcing him to fall...
"We should get out of sight." Nick said, backing up.
"What, why?" Judy tilted her head in question.
"I think I just witnessed a murder."