As they made their way out, Logan rubbed up against his mother, purring slightly before running to catch up to Marcus, who was already seated at the edge of Pride Rock's mouth. Marie had decided to seat herself at the entrance of the den. Logan made his way over to Marcus and sat beside him as the king smiled down at his son. He then turned his attention back toward the horizon. "What do you see Logan?" he asked. The young cub looked over the savannah, smile still not leaving his eager face. "This is our kingdom…everything the light touches is what we must look after."

"Dude…" Logan murmured with awe. "You mean all of it?" Marcus nodded.

"And when my time as king is over, it will be your turn." Logan's pointy ears perked up higher than they already had been at this.

"You mean everything will be mine?" Marcus nodded. "Everything the light touches." The young green cub examined the entire savannah and his eyes landed on a dark, shadowy part where nothing seemed to live. "What about that gloomy looking place over there?" Marcus followed his son's gaze and his face darkened slightly.

"That's beyond the borders. Its off limits Logan," he replied vaguely. Logan looked up at his dad.

"But I thought kings could do anything they wanted without getting into trouble?" The thought itself is what Logan liked.

"There's more to being king than just getting your way every time son," he replied amused.

Logan's eyes lit up. "Dude, there's more!" Marcus chuckled and shook his head at his son's misinterpretation but said nothing to clarify. Marcus and Logan climbed down from Pride Rock as Marie watched them go and head for the grassland. As they arrived, antelope started to gallop by and Logan watched.

"You must learn to respect all of the creatures around us, from the tiniest of ants to the biggest of elephant. Even the antelope." Logan looked up confused.

"But don't we, you know, eat the antelope?" Marcus nodded.

"Let me explain. When we die, we become the grass, then the antelope eat the grass, and we eat the antelope. It's the role we all play in the circle of life."

"Good morning Sire and young prince!" Both lions looked up to see Garth flying down and landing on the rock in front of them. "How are your mornings going today?" Marcus smiled while Logan rolled his eyes at the bird. Ever since he was born Logan had found the hornbill annoying.

"Just fine Garth. What brings you here?" Marcus replied.

"Just dropping in with the morning report sir!"

"Let's hear it."

Chimps are going ape, giraffes remain above it all
Elephants remember, though just what I can't recall
Crocodiles are snapping up fresh offers from the banks
Showed interest in my nest egg but I quickly said, "No thanks!"

Garth went into the morning report and Marcus listened with feigned interest while Logan just simply tuned the hornbill out. A gopher popped up from the ground and Logan finally had a good distraction. He pounced but the gopher just ducked back into the ground before the young lion could even get close. Logan looked down in the hole but his face came back up as he heard Garth continue on. He sighed.

We haven't paid the hornbills and the vultures have a hunch
Not everyone invited will be coming back from lunch
This is the morning report
Gives you the long and the short
Every grunt, roar and snort
Not a tale I distort
On the morning report

The gopher reappeared and waved, apparently trying to get Marcus's attention but Logan spotted him and tried again but the gopher pulled another disappearing act but quickly popped back up in another spot, which Logan followed him. This continued on a few more times. "Dude, would you stop doing that?" Logan asked with a small snicker. He was having fun even if he couldn't catch the rodent. Logan pounced but instead, as soon as the gopher went back down, Logan hit his head against a rock, causing Marcus to look at the sound.

"What're you doing?" he asked completely ignoring Garth now. Logan rubbed his head.

"Pouncing." Marcus suddenly had a devious grin that Logan didn't even know he had.

"Well then, why don't you let an old pro show you how it works." He placed his paw on Logan's back. "I want you to stay low to the ground," he said in a low tone.

The buffalo have got a beef
About this season's grass
Warthogs have been thwarted
In attempts to save their gas
Flamingoes in the pink
Chasing secretary birds
Saffron is this season's color
Seen in all the herds
Moving down the rank and file
To near the bottom rung
Far too many beetles are

"Low. Ok check."

"And don't make a sound," Marcus continued to instruct. "And just one more step." And with that Logan pounced on the smaller bird.

Quite frankly in the dung
Aaaaaaaaak!

Garth glared up at the lion that was standing on top of him. Then Logan started to say something, imitating the hornbill.

This is the morning report
Gives you the long and the short
Every grunt, roar and snort
Not a tale I distort
On the morning report

Logan smiled and the pounced off toward his dad just as the gopher from before popped up beside the blue and white bird.

"Um, sir we have news from the underground." Marcus was just about to instruct Logan on his pouncing when Garth called over.

"Sir, there are hyenas in the Pride Lands!" Marcus's face turned serious and as he ran off he told Garth to take Logan home.

"But Dad, can't I come with you?" But Marcus was already gone. Logan sighed and then looked over at the bird that was escorting him with a sheepish grin. Garth just rolled his eyes and started to lead the cub home.

"Look on the brightside. One day you will be king and then you can chase those idiotic, slobbery, mangy poachers from dawn till dusk. And what's better is that you'll be out of my hair and will quit using me for pouncing practice." Logan couldn't help but laugh at that.

***** Slade lay on the lower rocks of Pride Rock in the shade provided by the over hang of rocks above him. He knocked a bone that was just within reach of him off the edge just as he heard his nephew's voice. "Hey Uncle Slade, guess what?"

"Do I have to?" Slade replied as he lifted his head to see Logan then lay it back down. "Guessing games have never been my favorite thing."

"Nah, you don't have to."Logan smiled. "I'm going to be king of Pride Rock," Logan answered. Slade rolled his eye.

"Oh wonderful," he replied in a bored and factious tone. Logan didn't even notice.

"Yeah, I know right! Dad just showed me the whole kingdom and he said it's gonna be all mine. I mean how awesome is that?"

"Quite," the orange lion replied seemingly bored with the conversation. "But forgive me for not leaping for the good news. You know, bad back and all." Logan scampered over to his uncle and then leaned against him with his paws.

"So dude, what will that make you when I'm king?" he asked, genuinely curious.

Slade didn't skip a beat to reply. "A monkey's uncle. And don't call me 'dude'." His tone still sounded bored. Logan laughed a full hearty laugh.

"You're so weird."

"You have absolutely no idea. So anyway, your dad showed you the entire kingdom then? Even the part past the northern border?" he asked referring to the part of the land covered in shadows. Logan's elf-like ears drooped slightly.

"Well, I mean, no. He said I can't go there."

"And he's right you know? It's far too dangerous for a cub like you. Only extremely brave lions go there."

"I'm brave!" Logan instantly replied. "Come on Slade just tell me what's out there!"

"No, no, no. I couldn't tell you. Besides what would a young prince want to do with an elephant graveyard…Oops!" he feigned a surprised expression as he slightly covered his mouth. Logan's eyes lit up. "Oh I've said too much! You must promise you won't go there. And do not tell anyone I told you." Slade warned the young cub. Logan smiled and nodded.

"Don't worry Slade, it'll be our secret." And with that Logan pounced off leaving Slade with a sly smile on his face. Logan quickly raced to the rock path that led from Pride Rock to the Savannah, in search of his friend Raven. He found her, along with his mother and Raven's mom Arella, who happened to be giving Raven's light gray fur a bath.

"Hey Rae," the green cub greeted his friend. Raven looked away from her mother and her dark violet eyes landed on Logan. She gave a slight smile.

"Hi Logan," she replied as Arella started to lick the purple patch, with a small red dot in the center, on her head. Logan walked right up to the girls and leaned close to Raven's ear.

"We need to go, I just heard about this really awesome place!" Raven raised a skeptic brow.

"Kind of in the middle of something." Before Logan could say more, Marie snatched him up by the scruff of his neck and started to give him a bath as well.

"Mom! Mom, quit it! Come on dude you're messing up the mane!" Marie and Arella chuckled and Marie smiled down at her son and let him out of her killer grasp. He shook himself and then turned his attention back to Raven.

"So where exactly are we going? Better not be like your last idea," Raven said with some humor in her monotone. Logan smiled sheepishly.

"No this place is really cool!" he assured. Arella smirked.

"And where exactly is this 'really cool' place?" the light peach furred lioness asked. Logan flinched as he started to come up with a lie.

"The…um watering hole!" he answered. Raven gave another skeptic look.

"What's so cool about the watering hole?" Logan leaned in close and said between his teeth.

"I'll show you when we get there." Raven immediately understood. She looked up at Arella.

"Can I go?" Arella looked over at Marie, who nodded, then smiled down at her daughter and did the same. And just as the young lions were getting excited, she told them they had to bring Garth. Logan let out a loud groan, while Raven simply shook her head.

***** Garth flew high in the sky in front of the cubs as Logan started to explain. "Ok so as soon as we ditch the joy-kill we're going to the elephant graveyard." Raven's eyes widened.

"Ok. So what's your plan?" Logan thought.

"I was actually hoping you'd have one." Raven slapped her paw against her forehead but kept walking. "What? You're the smart one!" Raven didn't argue. Just then Garth flew down and landed in front of them, making them stop. He smiled.

"Your parents are going to love this," he said. Logan and Raven looked at each other before looking back at the hornbill.

"What are you talking about now?" Logan asked.

"I'm just saying, with you being betrothed and all." Out of the corner of his eye, Logan could've sworn he saw Raven get paler.

"Be-what?" he asked wondering why she was so shaken' up.

"Betrothed." Nothing. "Intended." Still nothing. Garth rolled his eyes then very slowly as if talking to a slow child clarified, "One day you two will be married." Gar went almost as pale as Raven.

"Dude, no way! She's my best friend!" Raven nodded.

"I agree with him."

"Sorry to bust your bubble kids, but that's the law."

"Well then that's definitely the first thing to go when I become king," Logan muttered to Raven.

"Not so long as I'm around, young prince," the bird replied smugly.

"In that case you're fired." Logan smiled.

"Cant be done. You're not the king."

"Technically speaking, he is the future king," Raven added.

"Yeah," Logan agreed. "So you have to do as I say Bird-boy."

I'm gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware!

"I've never seen a king of beasts with quite so little hair." Garth shot back.

I'm gonna be the mane event
Like no king was before
I'm brushing up on looking down
I'm working on my roar

"Thus far a rather uninspiring thing."

Oh, I just can't wait to be king!

"No one saying do this!"

"Now when I said that-" Garth tried to say.

"No one saying be there!" Raven chimed in.

"What I meant was-"the hornbill tried again.

"No one saying stop that!" Logan interrupted.

"What you don't realize-"

"No one saying see here!" Raven continued.

"Now see here!"

Free to run around all day

"That's definitely out of the question." Garth said matter-of-factly.

Free to do it all my way!

"I think it's time that you and I arranged a heart-to-heart," Garth suggested desperatly. With all this going on, a bunch of animals had gathered to watch, Logan and Raven took this opportunity to hop on one of the ostriches and take them for a ride.

Kings dont need advice from little hornbills for a start

If this is where the monarchy is headed
Count me out
Out of service, out of Africa
I wouldn't hang about
This child is getting wildly out of wing

Oh, I just can't wait to be king!
Everybody look left

The animals stomped left.

Everybody look right

The animals stomped right.

Everywhere you look I'm-

Standing in the spotlight

"Not yet!"

Let every creature go for broke and sing
Let's hear it in the herd and on the wing
It's gonna be King Logan's finest fling

Oh, I just can't wait to be king!

Oh, he just can't wait to be king!

Oh, I just can't wait...to be king!

Garth looked around desperately for the two young cubs but they had all but vanished in the midst of animals. "Marcus is going to kill me! Right after Arella and Marie get done with me!" he thought.

******************** Ok so yeah. I want to take this time to say that I may be writing this but I couldnt do it without the help of my friend Angeltiger777! She brought this idea to me and has even given me ideas and helped me with casting and such. Thanks chick.

Anyway R&R suckas! BG OUT!