(A/N: I wanted to get this chapter up for the weekend. If everything goes as planned, Chapter 6 will be up Monday. It's weird, I feel its a necessity that I post each chapter before I begin writing the next - especially weird considering that the first six chapters of Sarafina's Parenting Test were wrote before the first one was posted. Now I know the part in this chapter with Simba and Sarafina is about twice as long as the Sarabi and Nala scene - but my excuse for that is that it will be the other way around in the next chapter (Sarabi and Nala's part will be the biggest one in chapter 6, in other words). Now, for clarification: I don't buy that Scar is Nala's father, HOWEVER, nowhere in this story will I revoke that theory. If you like the idea that Scar is Nala's father, then read this story like that is the case. Also, I'm glad the lioness jokes didn't offend anyone. I was worried that would happen, so I'm glad that (seemingly) it didn't. Enjoy!)

"Simba! Simba, where are you?" Sarafina called into the savannah as she escaped the back den. She frantically looked left and right, but it was something from under her that caught her attention.

Right between her paws sat three sticks. One was longer than the others, and the other two smaller ones sat each at an angle from the main stick, all meeting at a single point. It was obvious now to Sarafina: it was an arrow.

Sarafina smiled. So this was his little game, was it? She followed on in the direction that the arrow had signaled, which led off Pride Rock, just to see if that was the case. Sure enough, she hadn't gone too far when she found another arrow lying in the grass. She followed that one too. She began to pick her pace up a bit, hoping that Simba hadn't gone too far. Fat chance he hadn't. He could run pretty fast, and he was full of energy. He was probably already long gone by now.

Sarafina began to get worried as she crossed a piece of wide open grassland. There hadn't been an arrow for a while now. Finally, she arrived at the waterhole. That's it; she was lost. She'd have to go back and restart from the last arrow: and in a hurry! However, before she whirled around and headed back, she spotted something else between her legs: another arrow. And it pointed right through the waterhole.

Sarafina grinned. "Yeah, right, Simba," she said aloud, "and what's to stop me from going around the waterhole, instead?"

"Cos I'm over here," replied a high pitched voice.

Sarafina looked back over in the direction of the voice, and her smile disappeared. Where the water was low in the middle of the waterhole sat a small island that had appeared above the water level. On it, sat Simba. The problem was that to get to that small island, she would have to make her way through deep water.

Sarafina regained her confidence though, and sat down. "And what's to stop me from staying here, and waiting for you to come back? I've got a whole world to explore from where I stand! You just have that tiny island."

"Cos I heard you and Mom talking last night," Simba replied, unwavered by Sarafina's small speech, "and she wants me back clean."

Sarafina looked over the water at him closer, and then her jaw dropped.

"How did you—?"

"Dirty water," replied Simba instantly, grinning from ear to ear. "Coming, Aunt Saffy?"

Sarafina couldn't think of a reply. He'd got her. He'd got her good. Sarafina hated water, and Simba knew it. But she needed to get Simba back to his real mom, clean. Suddenly however, she was saved by a small rumbling noise. Simba's grin fell and he looked down. Sarafina smirked.

"Not hungry now, are we? Was that your little tummy rumbling?"

"Uh oh," replied Simba.

"I suppose I could hunt, but I wouldn't want to ruin a perfect carcass by getting it wet. It would have to stay over on this side of the waterhole."

"Heh, Mom wouldn't like it if you made me starve," replied Simba.

"Well you're refusing to cooperate."

"You are too! You could quite easily drag a carcass over to this island."

"Ah, good point, but you're forgetting one thing, Simba."

"What?"

"I'm the mother."

"So?"

"So…for your refusal to cooperate, my punishment for you is to remain alone on an island without food, and you won't get food until you cooperate."

Simba smiled. "That's clever," he said.

"Why, thank you," replied Sarafina.

"You know what else is clever?" asked Simba.

"What?"

"This," replied Simba, and he held out his paw just as a fish jumped out from the water. He caught it in his paw and then chucked it in his throat, before chewing and swallowing it down.

Sarafina was stunned. "How did—?" but then she was cut off as Simba began to cough and spit pieces of the fish out. Sarafina let a smug look cross her face again. "Fish don't taste good in dirty water, do they Simba?" she asked rhetorically.

Simba continued to cough and spit.

"This tree!" exclaimed Nala.

"Uh…no…" replied Sarabi.

"Why not?" asked Nala. "You said I could climb that big one we saw five minutes ago, and that one is much more dangerous than this!"

"I did say that," admitted Sarabi, "however, you still can't climb this tree. See, there's something special about it…"

Nala gasped. "Like magic special?" she asked.

"No…not magic special…" Sarabi replied, chuckling, "more like…well…" Sarabi stopped as she looked back at the giant baobab tree where she knew the ancient shaman lived. "…yeah…I guess it is kind of magic special."

Wrong thing to say. Nala was gone. Completely ignoring and forgetting about Sarabi's safety briefing, the cub already had her claws dug into the bark as she climbed up the trunk.

"NALA, GET DOWN!" Sarabi bellowed.

The cub finally came to her senses halfway up the trunk. Her excitement had now gone; she was now in dread. Before Sarabi could say anything more, she clambered her way back down to the ground and turned around and sat down facing Sarabi. She met her gaze.

"What were you thinking?" asked Sarabi.

"You said it was magic," replied Nala, extremely upset.

"I also said you couldn't go up there!"

"I know," replied Nala. "I'm sorry," she said apologetically.

Sarabi sighed. "This is your warning, alright? You get only one warning with me, then I begin handing out punishments, okay?" Nala nodded. "You've been well-behaved so far, let's try and keep it that way."

"Yes Ma'am," replied Nala. "I'm just…I'm just…" she tried to add something as an explanation for her actions. Sarabi could tell she was trying to do this, so she took over for her.

"You're fascinated by magic? You want to see how it works?"

"Yeah," replied Nala.

Sarabi thought about it for a moment. "Alright," she finally said. "Climb the tree. I'll follow you. But remember Nala, somebody lives here. Don't touch anything until I say so, okay?"

"Okay!" replied Nala, excited that she would still get to go up the tree.

Sarabi smiled. "Go on," she said, making a gesture for Nala to lead her up the tree. Nala didn't hesitate.