"I've always wanted a brother, Mufasa! You can be that brother now!" Taka exclaimed happily as the three cubs walked through the plains.

"I suppose so." Mufasa said back. Turning to see Sade, Mufasa questioned their relation.

"Oh, we aren't related. Eshe just takes care of me since she and my mother were good friends. My mom passed while giving birth to me." Sade explained to Mufasa.

"I'm so sorry. I lost my mom during the great flood." Sade felt a sympathetic frown form on her face.

"I'm sorry Mufasa, maybe Eshe will help you look for them. I'll help if I can!" Sade promised with a toothy grin.

"Really? Thank you!" Mufasa said back, a smile now on his face.

"You know, when I'm king no other animal will break my stride. And you brother–" Taka looked to Mufasa.

"My brother–" Mufasa responded.

"You will always take my side." Taka confidently said as he walked with Mufasa on one side and Sade on the other. Sade was interested to hear about Taka's plan for his kingdom.

"Ha! Yeah right!" Mufasa scoffed in disbelief.

"That's right! When I'm king–"

"When you are king–" Mufasa and Sade repeated, silently laughing at Taka's ideas.

"No other animal will break my pride!" Sade did admire that, Taka was willing to protect his pride as a king should.

"Our prey may run away, but they can't hide." Taka then said. Sade felt her nose crinkle at this, what about the circle of life? Eshe had been teaching her about that recently.

"Watch your hide." Mufasa said in warning. Taka had to realize that if he was going to hunt, then things may try to attack him back. Not everything went down without a fight for life.

"Boring, let's go!" Taka ran towards the wet lands, it was a marsh that usually was dry enough of animals to walk on, but the latest flood turned the ground to mud. The perfect place for the cubs to play.

A startled giraffe asked the cubs, "Did your mother say you could be out this far?" Sade did suppose the wet lands were a decent length away from the shade tree. It made sense the other animals asked.

"Okay, well, she didn't say... run away!" Taka yelled towards the others, laughing as he ran to the next spot. The other cubs followed with similar laughs leaving their mouths. The sun was going down at this point and they would be expected home soon.

"I made a wish on the brightest star and asked for a brother. I always wanted one, just like you!" Taka said as he looked to Mufasa, a bright grin on his face. Mufasa smile back as both he and Sade followed Taka to the next location.

Taka took Mufasa and Sade to the white tree for Mufasa to get a better look at. The tree stood tall over a shallow pond, rocks littered throughout. On one side of the tree stood a tall outcropping of rocks, almost as tall as the branches of the tree. Mufasa rushed up the rocks and leapt to the nearest branch while Taka and Sade climbed up the trunk.

"The birds are watching the world unfold." Mufasa said as he looked at the small red birds in wonder. Sade found herself doing the same, watching as some flew in pairs. Sade wished for that someday.

"The world unfold? Okay." Taka laughed back at Mufasa.

"My brother–"

"When I'm king they do as they're told." Taka cut Mufasa off, a sense of entitlement woven in his words.

"You may look down on them but they are free and where they go cannot be controlled." Sade found herself nodding along with Mufasa's words.

"No one looks down on me!" Taka defensively said back, scaring the birds into flying away. He wouldn't be a good king if others looked down on him. His father always told him he stood above others, never equal and never below.

"They look down on us brother." Sade agreed with Mufasa. The birds looked down upon everyone and everything, they saw it all. Taka laughed in Mufasa's face at his point.

"Some things you can chase but you cannot hold." Sade found Mufasa's words to be very wise. Pointing out that Taka wanting to be in total control was nothing but a dream, it would never be reality. The birds were free to do as they pleased, Taka couldn't control that.

"Okay, it's getting old." Taka said in annoyance. All three cubs jumped down from the tree to the ground, racing back to the shade tree.

"I heard his father say he doesn't want this stray." Chigaru spoke as the cubs reached the shade tree. Taka's uncle glared down at Mufasa, causing said cub to back up in fear slightly. Sade growled up to the lion, her teeth bared, trying to look threatening.

"I dare you to say that again to my face! What did you say about my brother? He's not a stray, he's my brother. You stay away from him because I say so!" Taka snarled towards his lazing uncle as he jumped upon a rock, glaring. Chigaru was unimpressed with the children's threats.

"If you put your paws on my brother, you'll meet the jaws of his brother!" Taka said. "These are the laws for my brother!" Sade saw Mufasa running away from the pride. Sade was quick to follow the lion, not wanting him to get lost.

By the time the cubs stopped running, the stars shone above the two. Mufasa looked up to the stars as Sade stood back, watching him.

"I always wanted a brother; but I still remember my mother. One season after another."

Time seemed to fly by as Mufasa visited the same spot over and over again to talk to the stars. Sade made it a point to join him, to remind him he wasn't alone.

"One season after the other." Mufasa and Sade spoke together under a veil of the night stars one night.

"Everyone smile for my brother! I'd do anything for my brother! Soon I'll be king with my brother by my side!" Taka danced in a circle with Mufasa and Sade, now all in their late teens. The three lions had grown into teenage bodies, they filled out their taller form with muscle and the two males had the start of a mane.

"Now we rely on each other, one season after the other!" The three lions ran throughout the wet lands, laughing as they went back to the shade tree.

"Hey Mufasa!" Mufasa looked over Sade towards his brother, all running home.

"Yes Taka?"

"I'll race you to the other side!" Taka laughed as the males ran ahead of Sade. They planned to scary Obasi and Chigaru by yelling about an elephant stampede. Sade had to find Eshe for her and Mufasa's hunting practice though. 

Sade found herself slowing as she approached the older lioness. While her body may have aged, her mind and wit were as strong as ever.

"Have fun with Mufasa and Taka today?" Sade nodded her head with a smile to Eshe.

"Yes! We went to the wet lands and stayed there all morning! We probably would have stayed all day if we didn't have hunting practice." Eshe found herself rolling her eyes playfully. While Taka could afford to mess around without a care in the world, Mufasa and Sade had important duties to practice for. Mufasa, to be Taka's guard and Sade, to be Taka's queen. Sade knew about the arrangement but found herself pushing against the idea.

She loved Taka, but as nothing more than a brother.

"Mufasa! There you are. Are you ready?" Sade turned at Eshe's words to see an upset Mufasa. She quickly approached his side and nudged his head with the her own.

"Everything okay?" She whispered. Mufasa looked towards the female, his eyes drooping in sadness.

"Yea, just told I didn't belong... again. Maybe Obasi is right, maybe I don't have a place here." Sade felt bad for Mufasa, Obasi used every second he could to remind Mufasa of his place in the pride. Which, according to Obasi, was below that of an earthworm.

"Don't listen to him Mufasa. He just has nothing better to talk about. You do have a place here." Mufasa could only send a weak smile towards Sade before walking up to Eshe to discuss today's hunt.

"You have a place here with me." Sade whispered, her heart squeezing painfully. Sade took a breath before rushing up to Eshe's other side to hear about the hunting plans.