"See?" Simba pointed eagerly to the forest when they got there. "This is insane!" he exclaimed. "All of this in the middle of nowhere! What do you know – Zazu was right! Banana-Beak did something good for once!"

"I like bananas," Haiba told them, for no particular reason. "Bananas are good. Great source of potassium."

"Potassi-what?" Simba asked, turning to Haiba.

"Oh, it's this… thing," Haiba replied. "Not important at all. Never mind. Anyway…" He looked around, and smiled. "I have to say, you were right. This place is pretty cool. So what can a guy do in this place for fun?"

Simba shrugged. "I don't know," he replied. "Probably some tall trees to climb. Maybe a cave. Definitely a river." He sniffed the air. "I can smell water." He sighed, a happy smile on his face. "Cool, clear, refreshing water."

"It's mine first!" Haiba declared, running past Simba and Nala and into the little forest, desperate for a drink.

As he ran, he noticed that the temperature had changed drastically – for the better, that is. It felt a lot cooler and nicer.

Much different from the sweltering heat of the dusty land they had been walking across. It felt like they were going to be travelling across it for all eternity. Like some kind of strange purgatory. As if they were stuck in perpetual limbo.

Haiba shuddered at the thought. He didn't like the idea of spending eternity in a desolate place. That's why he felt sorry for all the bad people in the world. The ones that had died, anyway. According to Simba, all a bad person got when they passed on with darkness. Endless darkness. For ever. He had to admit, that was pretty scary.

And just a little bit clever. The designer of death clearly deserved a little credit for that.

"Where's the river, where's the river?" Haiba muttered, looking left and right for the river that Simba claimed would be here. "Simba said there would be a river, so I'm expecting there to be a river here!"

"Haiba, wait up!" Simba exclaimed, running over to Haiba, skidding to a halt by his side. "Jeez, I've never seen you run like that! You're faster than a stampeding wildebeest today!"

"I become very fast when I'm thirsty," Haiba explained. "Which is kind of weird, when you think about it. If you're thirsty, then you shouldn't have much energy, should you? But you do have energy, because you're thirsty."

Simba shrugged. "I guess," he agreed. "My dad once told me that before you freeze to death, you feel really safe and warm."

"You guys talking about me?" Nala asked, joining the two cubs. "Or are there other things safer and warmer than an adorable girl like me?"

"We were just talking about freezing to death," Haiba told her. "Apparently it's not as bad as some people think."

"Felt pretty bad yesterday," Nala remarked, pushing past the two cubs and walking forwards. "So where's the river around these parts? I can't wait to go for a swim – especially after all that walking."

"It should be somewhere over here," said Simba, walking alongside Nala. Haiba joined her. "I'm pretty sure of it. Positively sure. Perfectly sure. One hundred per cent sure."

"We get the idea," said Haiba quickly. "We should just follow the sound of the flowing liquid." He listened out for sound, and could hear birds tweeting. He frowned.

Haiba didn't really like that sound anymore.

"I can hear water coming from somewhere," Simba told them, putting a paw to his ear. "I guess all we have to do is follow the—"

Simba tripped over an unseen ledge, and ended up slipping down a large hill with water inside. It was water slide!

"Stream!" Simba yelled as he slid down the slide, feeling both scared and excited at the same time. It was a very tricky feeling to describe.

"Simba, stop playing around!" Nala called, staring at Simba disapprovingly as he slid down the slide. "This is no time for fun and games!" She narrowed her eyes. "Wait a minute…" She then grinned. "Yes, it is!"

With that, Nala jumped down the slope, sliding down it on her stomach. "Yippee!" she cried, finally able to enjoy herself properly for the first time in a couple of days.

Haiba shrugged. "Ah, what the heck," he said, before sliding down the slope on his back. "Cowabunga, dude!"

Simba reached the end of the slide, falling off the edge and landing in a river below. Splash!

Simba emerged from the cool water, coughing and spluttering. "Whoa!" he exclaimed. "That was…" Suddenly, Simba felt something in his mouth. He put his paw inside, and pulled out a little fish. "Yuck!" he said, before tossing the fish back in the river.

"Oof!" Suddenly, Simba was hit by something. It only took him a few seconds to realise that it was Nala. "Nala, watch where you're sliding!"

"Sorry," Nala apologised, looking around the river.

It truly was beautiful. The river seemed to wind through the whole of the small forest. Bright sunlight shone down on the crisp, clear water, causing it to sparkle with beauty and wonder. Lush, green hills were on either side of it. Nala had never seen anything like this in her life before.

"Wait a minute." Nala narrowed her eyes. "Where is—"

Haiba smacked into the two cubs, and they all disappeared under the water. "Guys, it's okay! I landed on something…"

He looked down. "Oh."

Simba and Nala swam over to the right edge of the river, clambering onto dry land. They lay on their backs, breathing heavily after their exciting ride. "That was… wet," Simba said after a moment of silence. "But hey – we found the river."

"Yep!" Haiba exclaimed, joining them on the hill. "And the best part is that we have it all to ourselves!"

"Yeah!" Simba and Nala agreed, grinning.

"It's our own little place. Who is weird enough to come all the way out here just to swim in a river?" said Simba, confident that this small little patch of heaven now belonged to them.

"Us," Nala replied, giving him a funny look. "But then again, no one is as weird as the three of us."

"Exactly," Haiba said, pointing at Nala. "That's why this is so foolproof. This whole place is our little strip of paradise.

We're probably the first people to walk upon its ground!"

Simba, Nala and Haiba were partially true. They were certainly the first cub s to enter this strange little place. But there were plenty of other inhabitants. These included fish, bugs, and amphibians to name but a few.

But there was one little person who they really, really didn't want to meet. Because if they did, then their fate was sealed.

Unfortunately, the three cubs were never the type of people to stay out of trouble…