The three lions hit the water below with a splash. Sade felt her body twist and turn as the current pushed and pulled her in multiple directions.

Sade blew out some air, watching the bubbles float towards the top. Using the direction of the bubbles, Sade kicked her legs, her head soon breaking the surface.

"Mufasa! Taka!" Sade yelled as her body was pulled from the waterfall.

"Here!" Sade turned to see Mufasa and Taka clinging to a tree branch. Quickly swimming over, Sade grabbed ahold of the tree branch too.

"I saved us! You're welcome!" Taka laughed in glee as the lions tried to catch their breath. A splash sounded behind them and the lions turned to see one of the outsiders also in the water.

"You were saying?" Taka sent a sheepish smile back. The branch the trio held onto slowly started to snap off the tree.

"Oh no." Sade said as she watched the lioness swim towards them. The lioness was just leaving the waterfalls edge when she was pulled under the water, a force dragging her down.

"Is that—"

"Crocodiles!" Mufasa said as the crocodile came back to the surface. The branch snapped further, Taka losing his grip and going under the water.

"Taka!" Sade screamed out.

"It's okay! He's holding on to me!" Mufasa quickly replied. He didn't need Sade trying to save his brother and getting hurt instead.

"We have to climb! Go!" Mufasa told Sade, as he nodded towards the land the tree stood on. Sade nodded before slowly shuffling up the tree branch.

"Mufasa?" Sade asked when she couldn't hear Mufasa shuffling up the branch.

"Still here with Taka!" Sade kept her eyes focused on the tree as the branch snapped further and further.

"Mufasa..." Sade warned. Mufasa grunted in answer, focused on getting him and Taka to safety.

"The branch, it's going to br—" Sade's sentence got cut off as the branch broke free. All three lions fell back into the water; the current pulling them down the river.

On the bright side, they escaped the crocodile as the current pushed them away. Down side, Mufasa may drown.

Sade felt disoriented as the water tossed her body around. Her mind was turning with the water as her body took a beating. Her back hit the river bed while a branch hit her face. She felt the branch slice her cheek open as she tried to swim to the surface.

She was so focused on swimming up she missed the danger in the water. A large rock jutted up from the river bed, a point as sharp as a fires flame sticking up. Her body crashed into it, her eyes widening as a sharp pain started in her thigh.

Sade couldn't focus with the pain in her leg, she was losing her breath, and fast. She didn't have enough to do the bubble trick again and her brain was too panicked to think of it.

Sade just started swimming and hoped it was the way up.

Breaking the surface again, Sade saw Mufasa and Taka both clinging to the broken branch. Gasping for air Sade swam over to the pair.

"Sade! You're okay!" Mufasa exclaimed once he saw the lioness. Sade felt butterflies erupt at Mufasa's worry for her.

Nodding in exhaustion, Sade moved onto the branch. Mufasa shuffled over to allow her more room to rest on, a gesture that caused the butterflies to flap harder.

"You, uh you guys okay?" Sade stuttered out once her lungs felt like they weren't on fire anymore.

Or so the butterflies could go away, Sade wasn't sure.

Both lions nodded as the current continued to push them from the waterfall.

"Are you?" Taka asked at seeing the tired lion. Sade nodded her head as she continued to take deep breaths of air.

"Yea, just never want to be thrown off a waterfall again into crocodile infested waters." Sade said with a smile towards Taka. Said lion sent a bashful smile back as Mufasa laughed out loud.

Seeing the sun setting, the trio tiredly pushed to the rivers edge. Thankfully it sloped up to the jungle floor rather than being an eroded edge.

Sade wasn't sure she would have been able to pull herself up.

All the lions panted as they dragged themselves from the water to solid ground. Flopping down once they were all a safe distance away, Mufasa turned to Sade.

"What happened to your leg?" Sade lifted her head to look before dropping it back down to look at Mufasa. A large, but shallow cut, decorated her back leg, blood slowly trickling out of it.

"Rock got it. I'll be fine." Mufasa sent a suspicious look to Sade, not believing her for a second. Sade let out an annoyed sigh.

"It's shallow, I'm fine. I would tell you if it hurt." Mufasa sent Sade an unbelieving look. Taka silently watched the two as he took notice of her leg. How did Mufasa know about it?

"How'd you find out about it?" Sade asked, as if reading Taka's mind.

"Saw it when you came out of the water. You limped on it." Sade rolled her eyes and stood up. A grimace formed on her face at the aching pain in her leg. Refusing to be the weak link in their journey, she managed to stand and walk on it.

Taka and Mufasa turned to each other, worried looks on their faces. The cut didn't look good and neither wanted the cut to become infected.

"I am fine. Both of you need to stop worrying. I'll let you know if it bothers me." The brothers still worried for the lioness but ultimately stayed silent. Both quietly following her into the awaiting jungle.

Sade couldn't help but think about Mufasa being worried for her. It felt nice to have him worry for her, as she worried about him constantly.

She could always see the hurt in his eyes when Mufasa saw Taka with Obasi and Eshe back home. He wanted his family back.

Noticing his desire to find his family, Eshe made it her mission to train him in hunting to find them. Not only would learning to hunt provide the pride food, but it would teach Mufasa the basic concepts of survival to look for his family.

Every time he thought he got a trace of his parent's scent, he would look, Sade always looking with him. Eshe always encouraged him to keep looking, that finding his way home was apart of the journey. Yet Sade could see the hope dimming in his eyes, day after day. It's why she hoped for him all these years.

Sade knew Mufasa needed a rock, a support system to keep him afloat in the river. Mufasa may have been saved from the crocodiles that day, but Sade knew he truly never left the river.

He still floated adrift, looking for his purpose in life.