A/N: Welcome back, beloved readers! I'm sure you're all itching to find out if Simba is going to survive, well wait no further! Well, we have to go through the reviews first, but that'll only take a jiffy...

Jestalnaker94000: Cheers. At least we get to find out if they do pretty much straight away.

InvincibleFanBoy (Guest): Indeed. I think this will be more of an interesting moment for the overall plot than you might initially think. How it will play out exactly, we'll have to wait to find out.

Jason Chandler: Yup, we'll find out if Mufasa actually gets his claws on the jackals in due course.

Fire Lord Zuzu: It's good to have you back reviewing again. And yes, it does seem that way XD. The jackals will provide an interesting perspective in this conflict, we may even end up rooting for some of them! Okay, you got me there, but what will be interesting is seeing how this particular moment will be decisive for events further down the line. Indeed, we are both cliffhanger experts it seems, speaking of which, let us finally see what happens.

Morgan gasped and crawled as fast as he could through the tunnel when he saw Simba's painful expression on his distressed face, his paws thrashing about and trying to pull himself out of the pile of debris.

'So that's what those noises were,' he concluded, having heard a combination of barks, panting and paws drumming against the floor before a great thud shook the tunnel and disturbed loose dirt.

Upon finally being able to stand, Morgan ran sloppily toward Simba, grabbed his paws and tried to pull him out. He could only stretch the cub as he winced in pain. He was about to ask what had happened but decided that would spend precious time that he didn't know how much he had.

"Ow, ow, ow!" the muddy cub cried out, causing Morgan to immediately stop pursuing that option. He looked around, looking for something that Simba could latch on to while he tried to pull on the thing, maybe one of the sticks, and in doing so, pulling the cub out of the mud. But his plans changed when he saw that the sinkhole that they fell in had grown in size and there was a relatively neat slope up to ground level.

"Simba, I'm going to get some help," Morgan said. Simba looked at him with panic.

"No... please, don't leave me!" his voice broke.

"I'm just going up the slope, I'll be right back," Morgan promised, cupping Simba's cheeks, wiping a tear that fell from his frantic and worried eyes. Morgan then climbed the slope, his foot sinking into the earth slightly with every step. When he got to the top, he put his hands on his knees to recover for a moment, and as he went to yell for help, his heart leapt for joy when he saw Alex, who upon seeing Morgan's muddied clothes and body, began running to his aid.

"Morgan?! What happened to you?" Alex asked with a voice of both distress and amusement.

"No time, Simba needs our help!" Morgan pointed to the trapped cub.

"Oh, sh-" Alex gasped as he practically jumped down the slope, not regarding his now muddy shoes and legs as he splashed on the mud. He got down to his knees and dug lumps of mud from around Simba. Morgan did the same to the best of his ability, with his smaller hands and lesser strength obviously allowing less capacity.

"How'd you get in this mess, eh?" Alex asked casually.

Simba sniffed and swallowed between each shaky breath he took. "A sinkhole formed around us and we each went down different tunnels to find a way out but I came across some jackals who chased me and then the tunnel collapsed," he explained. His voice was heavy and strained.

The humans managed to dig their way through the mud until Simba was able to move most of his torso.

"Are you able to pull yourself out?" Alex asked. Simba tried to pull himself out again, but he gasped and stopped doing so when he felt pain in his right hind leg. It was no longer the pain of being crushed, but a sharp sting, like a cut. Had one of the jackals just managed to nick his leg just as they were buried?

"My leg hurts, I think it's been cut," Simba replied, his voice becoming no less unstable.

Alex continued digging through the mud until he found not only Simba's muddy hind leg, which he was able to move freely but not without wincing in pain due to the small but still bleeding cut, but also a paw that belonged to a jackal. It started thrashing about.

"You better get that wound cleaned if nothing else, there was a lake close to where Nala was found, get him there and clean it as soon as you can," Alex commanded as he continued delving into the mud, his hands now caked in mud and each handful of mud less and less each time.

"Can you walk up this bank, Simba?" Morgan asked.

"I... I think so," Simba replied. While he could climb the bank, he winced every time he put his injured leg on the floor, and almost slipped down, which would have rendered his progress futile. Morgan decided to support Simba from behind and then picked him up and held him lying in his arms when they reached ground level. He was slightly heavier than expected, which he guessed was a little heavier than a common house cat, but he could manage.

Alex resumed digging into the earth so that the jackal could escape. When he uncovered their face, the jackal took in a load of air and breathed heavily, partly to refill their lungs but also in relief that they survived.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked.

"Yeah... yes, thank you... I owe you... my life, man," the jackal said gratefully between breaths. He then remembered his friend was still buried beneath the earth. Even though he just insulted his honour and his late parents, he wasn't so mad at him that he would leave him to die. How would he explain that to Hila?

"Listen, my friend is also trapped behind me, you gotta help me free him," the jackal pleaded and Alex nodded his head before they both dug their way to the second jackal.

The jackal seemed like he was physically unable to perform to his potential when it came to digging. Alex put this down to the fact that he was just pulled out from several tonnes of earth. Eventually, they dug so far that they could drag him out of the dirt. To their collective dismay, he was motionless.

"Oh, please, please," the jackal begged, shaking the shoulders of his friend.

Alex's heart sank, having been in a similar situation himself, but now was no time to delve into his bank of memories. He had to do what he could to revive the unconscious jackal, but when he got down to look at his face, he paused. He recognised the unconscious jackal from the canyon standoff.

"Wait... I know this bastard, he held me and my friend hostage with other jackals," Alex said with anger. He moved his eyes over to Kujadili and glared angrily at him.

"You were going after the King's son!" Alex spat and rose to his feet, towering intimidatingly over the now frightened Kujadili.

"Oh, n-no, we weren't going to hurt him, we were just going to take him," he defended.

"Oh, and that makes it okay?!" Alex yelled angrily, causing Kujadili to shrink to the floor.

"No, no, I'm sorry, but please can you at least help my friend?" the jackal begged.

Alex scoffed and looked around in disbelief. The jackal before him just admitted that he was trying to kidnap Simba with the jackal who held him and Morgan hostage and had the cheek, the audacity to ask this of the guy who was apparently destined to defend the Pridelanders from those who would harm them. Alex went through the moral debate between refusing to help someone who tried to kidnap Simba, or doing the ultimately honourable thing to do, and realised that there was a way to do the latter but also exact a form of petty revenge on the jackal.

"Yeah," Alex chuckled. "Okay," he nodded. "I'll fucking help him wake him up," he said before leaning down and slapping the jackal on the side of the head. Alex didn't expect that to work, but to both of their surprise, it did, and the jackal jumped up.

"Huh... I'm... I'm alive!" he said with elation, even jumping around a bit. Then his eyes fell on Alex and his face instantly fell.

"I'm dead," he said bluntly.

"You fucking well will be unless you two don't get out of this kingdom right fucking now or else I'll snap your fucking necks," Alex threatened with a cold voice.

With that, the jackals looked at each other before running back through the tunnel. Alex sighed.

"That. Was. Awesome."

Alex's eyes widened at the realisation that his profanity was heard by innocent ears. He slowly turned around and looked up to the top of the bank to see a less muddy Simba with a huge grin on his face and Morgan standing with his jaws wide open.

"Know this," he pointed to them both. "I only saved them because they said 'please'," he said but couldn't restrain an eruption of laughter before finally climbing the bank.

Alex's POV

I carried Simba in my arms, his front paws resting on my shoulder. I explained to Sarafina that Simba fell into the sinkhole and was attacked. She recommended that I take Simba to Rafiki. Her ears twitched and her attention was directed upwards.

"Ah, Zazu!" she exclaimed as I looked where she was looking and saw a bird no bigger than a pigeon with feathers of blue and white with a big orange beak. It swooped down and landed on my shoulder, his talons were a little uncomfortable.

"Miss Sarafina, how may I help you?" the bird known as Zazu asked. He then looked to his side and squawked.

"This is the human? What a terribl-y... tremendous creature," he said in an unimpressed manner.

"Nice to meet you too," I scoffed. "Look, Simba was hurt as he fell into a waterhole and was attacked by jackals, could you please inform Mufasa?"

Zazu stared at me in an affronted manner. "A guest of the realm asking a majordomo what to do?" he gasped. "I'll never hear the end of it," he said before flying off.

"Rude," I commented.

"He always was a bird of tradition," Sarafina chuckled.

"Anyway, I'll take Simba," I sighed. "Morgan, are you coming with me or going with Sarafina?" I offered him.

Morgan chuckled. "The last time I went to Rafiki's tree, someone tried to kill me!" he reminded me.

"Fair enough," I laughed.

No POV

"Oh, my God, oh, my God!" Kujadili panted, having run for ten straight minutes through Nandembo Caverns and back into their pack's territory.

"That went better than expected and worse than expected," was Mjinga's conclusion.

"What do you mean? We almost died!" Kujadili exclaimed in exasperation.

"Well, yes, but we caused a sinkhole," Mjinga replied.

"And tried and failed to kidnap the Lion Prince," Kujadili countered.

"And the guy I held hostage saved our lives," Mjinga chuckled. "So all in all, I'd call that a success."

Kujadili shook his head and walked off. "Whatever."

Mjinga could only stand there, reflecting on the fact that he had just stated. He could have died, and he was saved by someone who had every right to let him die. Why did the human save him? He couldn't quite find an answer, so just decided that having escaped the claws of death, anything that happened from this day henceforth would be a bonus. He had been given a second chance at life. An opportunity to be better, stronger, and more competent. He decided to start his new life by apologising to his friend.

"Kuja," he began. The said jackal stopped walking and turned to face the jackal he was fighting not half an hour earlier.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for what I said about your parents," he said with authenticity. "They would be proud of who you've become."

Kujadili smiled and nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Mjinga, and I'm sorry if I ever made you feel useless," he said in response. "I'll tell you what, I'll tell Hila that the plan was successful because of you," he declared.

"Thank you," Mjinga replied.

Unbeknownst to both jackals, Chukua, the mate to Hila was listening to their every word. He was hiding behind a rock that marked the border of the pack's territory, having been told by the vultures that the jackals were not where they were told they would be and that, while a sinkhole was formed, it was much smaller than planned.

Alex's POV

Having been to Rafiki's tree to patch up Simba's leg, and ruling out any internal crush injuries, the prince was told that he had to keep off the wounded leg for the rest of the day, I carried the cub through the land that he would one day rule, and this earned a couple of weird looks from his future subjects.

One encounter resulted in me and Simba laughing and joking about it for the rest of the day.

We were walking through the zebra herd, the majority of the constituents of which made way for the bipedal guest of the realm, but one zebra remained in our path, munching on the rich grass, so I simply drifted to the zebra's right in good time, unsure if the rule about horses also applied to zebras.

When I thought we passed the zebra, we heard a rather distinguished voice.

"Excuse me, lanky baboon, would you care to unhand the Crown Prince?" he requested. I only looked at Simba and snickered at what he called me.

"That's a new one," I chuckled. I thought that would be the end of it, but I flinched when I heard the thumping of hooves come from behind. Instinctively, I put a hand on Simba's head.

"How rude!" the zebra huffed. "First you disrespect the son of the King and now you disrespect me?! This will be noted!"

"Thurston, it's okay," Simba began. "Alex is a guest of the realm and he's carrying me because I hurt my leg," he explained.

Thurston duly nodded curtly. "My apologies, Your Highness, I only think of thy dignity," he said.

"Appreciated," Simba chuckled. Thurston went off to join with the rest of his herd and we continued on our journey to Pride Rock.

"Lanky baboon!" I repeated to myself before bursting into laughter.

We finally arrived at Pride Rock and we were met with Mufasa at the foot of the slope up to the promontory. I gulped.

Standing before Mufasa, I placed Simba gently on the floor.

"Are you okay, Simba?" the King nuzzled his son.

"Yeah, just a cut on my leg," he said, looking at the organic dressing on his right hind leg.

"And I understand that you saved him," Mufasa said to me with an expression of gratitude on his kind face.

"Well... Morgan helped," I looked down sheepishly to my feet. I don't know why I was acting like this, probably because even though Mufasa was a kind and wise lion, he was an absolute unit and I had already got on his bad side once before. I wondered what he was like when he was incensed.

"For that, I am truly grateful for you both," Mufasa put a mighty paw on my shoulder.

"And you should have seen how he scared off the jackals after he saved them," Simba piped up. I went to somewhat refute Simba but my voice was frozen when I saw Mufasa's eyes pierce my very being like spears.

"You... saved the jackals that tried to kidnap my son?" Mufasa asked accusingly. Oh, shit.

"Yeah, and then he told them to get out of the Pride Lands or he would snap their, uh, effing necks," Simba giggled. I could only close my eyes in defeat.

Mufasa divided his gaze between Simba and me. I felt like I was in for a bollocking.

"To be fair, Your Majesty," a voice interjected. I opened my eyes and saw Morgan walking into the conversation. He was now free of dirt on his clothes and skin. "Alex saved the jackals even after finding out that one of them held us hostage," he added.

Mufasa then looked at me again, his expression was unchanged. He really knew how to scare someone shitless just by looking at them, and he probably didn't realise how good he was or how much fear he was inspiring in my heart. Speaking of which, with every heartbeat, it beats faster, harder and louder.

Mufasa nodded. "Indeed, that was very noble and honourable of you," he praised. I nodded quickly.

"Just please refrain from swearing in front of my son," he requested. I stupidly decided to reply with this,

"Well, I didn't even know he was behind me when-" I was cut off by that stare again. I chuckled nervously. "Of course, it won't happen again."

Mufasa then picked his son up with his mouth and carried him by his nape up the slope leading to the cave. I exhaled heavily and Morgan creased in laughter.

"You should have seen your face!" he nearly screamed.

"Shut up," I muttered, shaking my head in amusement.

I spent the rest of that afternoon sitting on the edge of the promontory, giving me an almost unparalleled view of the animals of the Pride Lands going about their day. I noticed that animals would usually remain under the looming shadow of the towering monument behind me. I wondered what it would look like from all the way up there if one could actually get up there.

While my eyes followed the progressively fewer animals roaming across what was known as Kiburi Fields, my mind was following a train of thoughts that began with recalling the events of earlier that afternoon. What would be the wider consequences of my actions, beyond Mufasa being momentarily annoyed at me for saving a criminal? Then again, I wasn't sure if there was a system that punished those who broke the rules. Anyway, I digress. Would my actions today come back to haunt me in the future? What will the price of my honour be? Will the two jackals go on to harm or kill any citizens of the Pride Lands, or even members of the Royal Family?

These thoughts came to an end when Morgan joined me and sat down on the end of the promontory, kicking his legs in the air.

"Alex," he snickered. "Lanky baboon," he giggled.

"Simba told you about that, did he?" I asked with a grin.

"Yeah, that was hilarious, I wish I went with you to see that happen," Morgan admitted. I chuckled, before remembering that I was going to see how he was holding up after his dream.

"Are you okay, Morgan?" I asked after a few moments of silence between us both. Morgan looked at me.

"Yeah, I think so," he replied. "I mean, I've obviously not enjoyed every moment here, but I've never had a thrill as we have had over the past few days," he said.

"Adrenaline junkie, are we?" I chuckled.

"I mean, above all else, I'm glad that it was you that survived with me," he said sincerely. I could only smile and wrap an arm around his shoulder and pull him against me.

"Sometimes, I question who is the more mature between the two of us," I commented. "You've gone through things that no child should have to go through, and you still have your smile," I said, pinching his cheek, causing him to push me away. In smiling even with a broken heart, he reminded me of myself. But I often used my smile as a veil to ward off invasive questions about my state of mind. At the time, I thought they wouldn't understand what was going on in my mind, but this is one of the moments where I was reminded that it was better to let the pain out through words rather than blood.

"But what's going on behind that smile, hmm?" I asked him. He looked at me with solemn confusion.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, at the start of the day, you were withdrawn, you didn't start conversations, and... I was wondering if you were thinking about the dream," I explained.

Morgan sighed. "I suppose it was still on my mind," he admitted. I decided to take a risk.

"What did you actually see in that dream?" I asked. Morgan looked up at me again, his eyes now beginning to glisten and well up with a tear.

"I saw the person who took me from my mother, and I saw the person who would take my life, and they were the same person: you," Morgan revealed to my utter dismay.

I was so deeply perturbed by his revelation that I could only silently stare into the shadow cast by Pride Rock. I realised now why he reacted to me as if he saw a threat and rejected my help. He must have been so traumatised by his vision that he somehow thought that he could be reunited with his mother.

"Morgan..." I began, breathing shakily. "Is there any part of you that believes I could harm you, let alone... kill you?" my voice was barely audible when the last two words left my mouth. Morgan firmly shook his head. "Are you sure?" I had to hear it from his mouth.

"I'm sure. I completely trust you. I believe that you are loyal to your sense of duty over me," he said.

I sighed, but it wasn't one of relief. "This is so fucked up," I said with my head in my hands. I looked at Morgan and said,

"Don't think it's your fault that you had that dream, we can control our dreams no more than we can control our heart. Oh, and sorry for my choice of vocabulary," I forced a chuckle. Morgan then scooted himself backwards and got on his feet.

"I'm getting cold," he said and started walking off. I swung my legs around onto the promontory and caught up with him.

"Is there any part of your heart that what you dreamt will come to pass?" I asked him, causing him to stop and turn to face me.

"No, not at all," he said firmly and walked into the cave. I couldn't shake the feeling that his response was said out of a desire to end the conversation and make me somewhat assured, but evidently, I wasn't assured. On the morning when we arrived in the Pride Lands, he was visibly comforted by my presence and actively wanted to be by my side, especially after the assassin tried to kill him, but ever since his dream, he was distant. I could tell that he was wary of me. Was his dream that convincing that he believed that I would ultimately be responsible for his death? Then again, it's not as if he was still actively trying to get away from me… as far as I was aware. Even though I was weary after playing with the cubs and saving Simba, as I lay next to Morgan in the cave to go to sleep, it took a while for that weariness to overwhelm my mind which had so many questions running through it.

Kujadili and Mjinga cautiously walked into Hila's dark cave where she and her mate resided. They had their lines, they had their confidence. What could go wrong? Everything, it would turn out.

"Well, boys, I must congratulate you," Hila said casually as she licked her paw. The male jackals looked at each other proudly, their tails wagging excitedly. However, as soon as they started wagging, they were almost immediately deflated and hung between their legs.

"FOR COMPLETELY FUCKING THAT UP!" she yelled as she stood up.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Kujadili stuttered his question. "We did what you wanted, we made a sinkhole and disrupted the Circle of Life,"

"My eyes see disappointment, both in front of me and in the Pride Lands," Hila said sourly, shaking her head.

"Is it because the vultures didn't see us?" Mjinga asked rhetorically. "We can explain that," he added.

"Go on," Hila said through gritted teeth.

"Well, you wouldn't believe our luck when, as we were, uh, discussing who should be the one to collapse the tunnel, a lion cub, the son of Mufasa, no less, walked into our very paws," Mjinga said. Kujadili gave him a weird look from behind, wondering why he paused.

Hila scanned the cave with her eyes. "Well?" she asked softly. "WHERE IS HE?!" she barked.

"Well, while we technically did catch him, that stupid human rescued him," Kujadili answered.

Hila growled. She then motioned to Chukua to approach the jackals. He then went on to strike them both on the side of their heads, leaving red scratches that looked as if they would bleed.

"Sorry, I can't hit you myself in my condition, so I delegated that duty to dear Chukua here," she said. This caused Kujadili to briefly stop nursing his cheek.

"You're pregnant?" Mjinga asked, almost in disbelief and now completely ignoring the stinging on his cheek.

"I am indeed bearing the first jackal who will know only freedom," Hila declared while caressing her stomach.

"Congratulations," Kujadili muttered.

"Anyway, speaking of delegations," Chukua interjected. "You two incompetents are going to lure Mufasa into a trap in the coming days," he announced. The said jackals looked at each other in fear and confusion.

"And... how are we meant to do that?" Mjinga asked.

"Mufasa thinks he's attending a peace negotiation with a pro-Circle of Life faction," Hila began. "Well, he is, but your task is to get him to accept our demands, which I would say are pretty reasonable," she added.

"What happens if we cannot reach that agreement?" Kujadili asked.

"Well, let's just say..." Chukua began. "Any war, in that case, will be on your heads," he warned.

Kujadili and Mjinga gulped.

32 HOURS LATER

Alex's POV

I woke up with the frustrating feeling I had when I overslept but also the realisation that my sleep had not been sullied by dreams of my past or visions of my future. Despite Morgan's deeply troubling revelation the other night, I had just exited the best sleep I had gotten since the morning before the day I left London, not that it would be difficult to beat such a standard of sleep. The first thing my ears detected was a tense conversation between Mufasa and Sarabi. They were walking into the cave and sat opposite me on the other side of the cave from where I lay.

"What do you mean they want to negotiate terms of peace?" Sarabi asked with incredulity.

"Their messenger, Mzingo, informed Zazu that Hila was willing to send a negotiation mission composed entirely of a faction that is more sympathetic to the Circle of Life," Mufasa explained. I remained dead still as I listened in on their conversation.

Sarabi scoffed. "There's such a thing?" she asked rhetorically. "Tell me you're not thinking of going alone," she pleaded. Mufasa remained silent.

"Oh, Mufasa, that is the most obvious trap, even you can see that!" she said exasperatedly.

Mufasa grinned."That is why we are going to do what they're going to do: keep a group of warriors in reserve," he revealed.

"Oh? Who are you taking?" the Queen asked.

"Your sisters, Sarafina and Alex," Mufasa responded.

I widened my eyes. What use would I be to anyone there? My presence would surely risk inflaming tensions, given that I was the target of a hostage crisis and threatened violence upon the jackals who tried to kidnap Simba.

"The human? Really?" Sarabi replied enthusiastically. "What, are you starting a new tradition where you bring Guests of the Realm into a potential battle?" she asked.

"Look, Sarafina reported that he handled himself well in the skirmish in the canyon, and we owe him a debt," Mufasa replied. This made me feel proud of my actions in protecting Morgan and saving Simba, but I was still wondering if I did the right thing in saving the lives of the jackals. Sure, my honour told me to do the immediately morally right thing to do, but what if either of those jackals' survival started a chain of events that would lead to a genocide of one of the resident species of the Pride Lands or assassination of a member of the Royal Family?

"If you say so," Sarabi said. "But if this is anything to go by..." I felt her words hit my back like darts. "I remain unconvinced," she said. I could only roll my eyes, afraid of what would happen if I let them know I wasn't actually asleep.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do? To roll over and concede like this?" Sarabi asked.

"I'm trying to keep the equilibrium from being disturbed for our subjects, they will only notice if the peace is disturbed, they won't care how it was kept," Mufasa said. "And I can't risk Simba getting hurt any further, and I won't see you come to harm, not now," he added. What did he mean by that?

"And what if this doesn't work? What if we lose this peace?" Sarabi asked with worry seasoning her otherwise majestic voice. Mufasa was silent for a few seconds.

"Then we'll fight."

The King and Queen left the cave a few minutes after Mufasa's declaration. I made sure that they didn't find out that I had listened to their entire conversation, one of privacy and the security of their kingdom and the peace it enjoyed. I felt that I did not earn such information, but I couldn't help but stay there. I remained on the floor a further few minutes before I dared to move. My clothes were still adorned with crusty mud, but most of what was there following Simba's rescue had faded or dripped away.

I heard the heartwarming sound of the laughter of a cub, and I followed it outside, where it grew stronger. When my eyes adjusted to the sunlight, I witnessed the cause of the laughter, and a broad smile grew across my face as I saw Mufasa running from Simba before the cub tackled the Lion King to the floor. This reminded me of the times that my own father would play with us as young children before he was stolen by grief and went to the bottle for solace. I tried to keep at bay any tears from developing, for this was a happy moment. The happiest moment since I arrived in the Pride Lands, and I'm not even involved in it.

Soon after, Zazu swooped gracefully from behind my peripheral view and landed on Mufasa's shoulder. He spoke into Mufasa's ear, who then spoke something unreached by my ears that Simba disapproved of. Perhaps Mufasa informed him of his need to deal with an urgent problem. That is what it seems like as the King departed towards the sun.

Simba trudged through the sun-stained grass and I decided to sit on the right side of the ledge that branched from Pride Rock like a misshapen tree ad watched Simba climb the ascent to his home.

"You okay?" I asked him. I didn't like this new depression I saw in him. His ears were pinned to his head as if they were glued there, and his tail dragged against the earth. I tried to find a memory so I could relate to Simba, but the closest I can think of was when Lewis went on a different school trip than me, or when he went to a university many miles from the one I attended for three years: the University of Oxford. I achieved a degree in Politics at Worcester, while Lewis claimed a degree in Biology at Cambridge.

"Yeah, it's just Dad is always being asked for, I barely ever get to spend time with him!" he complained. "I wish I had someone who was always there for me, someone who understood me," Simba claimed. I felt honoured that he would reveal this private feeling to me. Then again, having saved his life, it came as no surprise that he trusted me.

"Surely you have some friends here, who wouldn't want to be friends with a prince?" I tried to motivate him and encourage his present mood.

"Yeah, I have a few, but all the other cubs don't like me. They think I'm out of touch, and that I'll treat them with no respect," Simba replied. I felt quite sympathetic towards the cub. I too know what it feels like when your social class goes against you. Not in terms of disadvantage, clearly, but in terms of prejudice.

"And there's this girl..."

"Ey up!" I chuckled, and in return, I received an icy glare of annoyance from the cub. I shook my head and motioned for him to continue.

"...and I really like her, she is the most beautiful and kind person I've ever met!" he said with more frustration than one would usually say such a sentence, mostly over being interrupted.

"I've been there, man, you have to get 'em while they're there." Alex, you fucking idiot! You are talking to the next King of the fucking Pride Lands, and you are taking the piss out of his love life? Are you fucking serious?

"Alex! Why aren't you taking me seriously?" Simba cried. He was correct, and I felt awful for it. Stupid, stupid idiot, Alex. You're here to make friends and build trust, not trivialise their concerns.

"I'm sorry. I really am," I apologised categorically and decided to give him some proper advice.

"Look, if you have feelings for this lucky girl, don't suppress them, which would be something you might live to regret. Embrace and live with these feelings, and if you are sure, then you should tell her your true feelings," I said. Much better, good Alex.

"Thanks, Alex," Simba showed his appreciation.

"Would you like to play with my friends?" Simba suggested. "I think Sarafina and Morgan went with them over to the water hole," he said.

"Sure thing, I hope we don't encounter any more sinkholes," I chuckled. I promptly followed Simba to the water hole. My white shirt kept me at a tolerable temperature as the sun grew stronger as the morning began to turn into noon. At the water hole, my breath was stolen at the sight of elephants, zebra, antelope and, of course, lions. This would not get old very easily. I had always thought the closest thing to the real thing I would see of such scenes, animals in their natural habitat going about their day as free beings making their way in the Circle of Life would be by the National Geographic channel. Simba walked into a shallow forest, and a chorus of laughter pleased my ears, and then the sound was conducive to my eyes as I saw the cubs and Morgan playing tag once again. It appeared that Morgan was 'it' and was chasing Nala, but the lioness cub was much too agile and quick for the boy. So quickly, she even managed to execute a set piece that ended up with Morgan falling over his feet. He laughed as he landed on his bum and then noticed my arrival when he got back up on his feet.

"Oh, Alex is here, everyone," he informed everyone as he walked over to me.

"You alright?" I asked. Morgan nodded.

"I've spent the last two hours running from and after cubs," he exhaled wearily. "I thought I was energetic," he laughed. "They're no less fatigued than when they asked me to play with them," he commented.

"Well, why don't we get a drink?" I suggested, motioning to the nearby waterhole.

"Okay, I've heard that the water here is really nice," he accepted my offer. We informed Simba that we would be momentarily absent but would be sure to join in their game when we got back. Simba acknowledged that and then went off to play with his friends, declaring Nala to be 'it'.

Simba's POV

I ran as fast as I could with my recently recovered leg having been out of action for over a day, past the acacia trees and beyond the area that was considered to be the waterhole. The unspoiled grass provided excellent camouflage against Nala, but I didn't think about my scent. She was perhaps the most familiar with my scent out of the rest of the cubs, for we spent more time together than we spend with the rest of the gang. Whenever I'm around her, I feel so nervous that I can barely function, yet so calm that words could flow from my heart and through my teeth like the water flowing from the Spring of Life and into the waterhole. I feel afraid of every bad thing that could happen, but nothing more than the thought of her coming to harm or fear, and more selfishly, her not acknowledging me or actively rejecting me, yet when I think about spending the rest of my life with her by my side, as my companion through the unwinding path, I feel the courage I need to face whatever life has in store for me... for us. I really like...no, love her, but she doesn't know this. I'm afraid of her laughing at the notion of me thinking that we could be together, or that she would reject me and fall for someone else. I have fallen no deeper in love with someone and never has my heart felt so light. But merely talking about my feelings to myself is getting me nowhere, and even though I didn't like Alex not taking me seriously, he is right. I should at least tell her my feelings before it is too late.

My ear flicked at the sound of the grass brushing against itself in the wind, and the calm, soothing sound of water running against rocks. About ten metres to my left lies the Spring of Life, the source of the short river that feeds the waterhole. I then gasp at another sound, that of a paw delicately stepping on a grassy surface, and I knew it was Nala. I could smell her. I was doomed to become 'it'. I didn't want to face the humiliation of a lame defeat, nor to be beaten easily in a sprint. I decide to do something, and that something was to tense my hind legs to start sprinting, but Nala was too fast for me. I began to run, and after about two seconds, I could feel her paws drum against the earth behind me, licking my heels, and before I know it, my body is wrapped with Nala's paws and the momentum caused us to do several somersaults, and I then expected Nala to pin me to the floor, and I would grunt in defeat and another chance to tell her how I feel would be missed.

However, the terrain of the area depressed and the somersaults continued, and my head became light, and a pain brewed near the top of my head as the world spun around me, almost making me vomit. When we reached the bottom of the hill, the rolling culminated, to my surprise, with me pushing Nala to the floor, and as the world around me spun relentlessly, my eyes met with Nala's, and then I ignored everything else, my disorientation, the pain in my head, the sensation in my throat, the wind and the nearby animals. It was just me and her...her beauty, her delicately proportioned face that I believed to be unimprovable, her delicate, gorgeous features such as her cheeks, ears, nose, her smile. I had this feeling that everything was going to be alright, that it will never get worse. Her face was just so faultless, untainted...and I wanted her...all for my own.

"SIMBA!" Nala shouted, making me flinch violently. What happened to me? What was this beautiful feeling in my heart and stomach? I remember now...it was both terrifying and the best thing that ever happened to me.

"Oh, good. You're back in the Pride Lands," she said sarcastically. It was true, I was lost to the world in her gorgeous eyes, and it was amazing. I could see the adventures on which we would embark, the lives that we would share... and create. I now realised that my love for her was destined. I have to tell her now, for there will be no better opportunity. If I failed now, I will have failed forever.

I almost descended into the same trance, but I deduced that the worst, and the best, were over. I heard her beautiful voice continue to drone on like birdsong. It brought comfort to my heart, but then I remembered my purpose and had to cut short her voice.

"Nala," I caught her attention, and as she waited for my question, I froze. My tongue went into meltdown as I fell into a minefield of indiscernible babble.

"Nala, I...I-I...uh...uh...I-I-I" I stuttered and stalled before I began to panic. This was going horribly wrong, and for that reason, I started to hyperventilate, I saw the fear in her eyes, and I couldn't stand it. I-I can't even think straight!

"Simba, Simba!" she cried, and her voice soothed my mind. I relaxed and my heart returned to a friendlier pace.

"What's the matter? Is there something you want to say?" she asked. She had no idea. I have been wanting to say it for weeks, and it had gone on for too long now, even as far as me temporarily falling into madness. I saw Nala's patience in her eyes turn into...longing. Did...did she feel the same way? No, she couldn't. She was far too beautiful for me...why am I even bothering? I am hopeless! Yet, a spark of courage from somewhere in my mind ignited hope in my heart.

Get her while she is here. Alex's words made sense and proved more helpful than I thought they would.

"Simba, tell me! What is it?" she asked. I was ready.

"Nala, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever met, and I believe you should know that I have a great deal of love for you. A love that is deeper than the roots of Rafiki's tree. You are fairer than all the jewels in the Ruby Caverns, and as graceful as the sunrise, and you have enlightened my life with your beautiful eyes, your gorgeous smile, your kind heart... every morning I wake up, I think of you and you make every day worth living, and I wish to wake up every morning knowing that you are there for me, that I am yours and you are mine, and it would be my honour if we could share our time in this world together," I said in a surprisingly calm and eloquent fashion. Was that too much?

Nala smiled, her eyes lit up, and I fought with every strength not to succumb to another spell of madness. She wore the mask that was my favourite face on her exquisite body, and it represented everything that was good about her, how she made me feel, her kind and selfless nature, and...I couldn't help myself...

My dreams prevailed! The face that I fell in love with, I wanted to...touch it in the way people show their love. Our lips met, and it felt amazing, even better because of who I was kissing...I couldn't get enough, it was bliss...but was I too rough? Did I do it for too long? Oh, goodness...what have I done? I didn't even ask for her permission.

"Oh, my God! Nala, I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me, I...I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," I blurted these words in about two milliseconds. Well, probably not that fast, but I spilt out words like a waterfall. Nala put her paw on my lips, and I immediately closed my mouth.

"First of all, shut the hell up," Nala ordered. I nodded.

"Secondly, you have no idea how long I have waited... how much I wanted for you to say that," she claimed, to my astonishment. She did indeed share these feelings, but I doubt she would love me after my meltdown and my illegitimate kiss, but something happened that I didn't expect. She wrapped her paws around my neck and our lips met once again. I froze in astonishment.

"I love you too, Simba, son of Mufasa," she admitted, to my utmost relief. I could only grin, and then I licked her cheek in gratitude for what she said.

"Sorry for that, I just hadn't felt like this before," I apologised and admitted.

"Simba?" Nala smiled, having remembered something.

"What?" I asked.

"YOU'RE IT!" she yelled, before shoving me aside and dashing into the distance.

Alex's POV

I drank about four handfuls of water. One sip of water was enough to make my lips and mouth no longer dry, but such was the taste and feel of the water, I had to have at least three more.

"You're right, this water is great," Morgan said after swallowing his first mouthful of water that was fed from the Spring of Life. I had told him what Mufasa told me about how it came to be and how it fed the waterhole with an incorruptible liquid that was said to have healing properties.

Morgan shook his head. "That must be the only explanation as to why it tastes so good," he chuckled.

Even though I knew Sarafina was looking after the cubs, I decided to spare a look at the joyous sight of the cubs running around, chasing and pouncing on each other and laughing merrily. Between every sip of fresh water, I looked back at the cubs with a smile on my face, but I couldn't see Simba or Nala. I decided that I would search for them after I finished my fifth intake of water, and such was the surprise of the moment that followed that I almost choked on the water. A harrowing shriek pierced my ears and sunk my heart. Simba!

Or Nala, or anyone. They could be in trouble or hurt...God forbid any worse fate. I dare not think about it, and I ran as fast as I could towards the source of the screaming, and I heard Nala shout 'Simba'.

My initial fears came true, and if Mufasa found out anything happened to Simba and I was not there to prevent it from happening to him, he would not be pleased. Would he banish someone who was destined to be the Guardian? Is that even possible? My thoughts culminate as I gasp in horror! Simba lying on the ground, surrounded by the cubs all displaying masks of fear and horror.

"Make way!" I ordered, and the four cubs moved at my command. And then I see what caused the fuss. Two small and identical wounds on his left paw, and the two tiny globules of blood that came from them. This made me suspicious of a horrible truth.

"What happened to Simba?" I ask, almost expecting the answer that I feared. I looked into the panicked eyes of Simba and saw the beads of sweat on his paw pads.

"He was bitten by a snake!" Nala whimpered.

A/N: Poor Simba, the kid just can't take a break! And who knows if the snake is poisonous? We will find out together in the next chapter - it's one you won't want to miss, so make sure this story is on your favourite/following lists and don't forget to give your thoughts on this one. Once again, thanks for reading and see you next week.