The Next day . . .

~ Zafira's POV ~

"Now, you two wait here... Your father has a Marvelous surprise for you" Uncle Scar told us as we approached a small tree.

"Ooh, what is it?" I questioned.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now, wouldn't it?"

"If you tell us, we'll still act surprised" Simba grinned.

Scar chuckled," oh are such a naughty boy!"

"Come on, Uncle Scar" I pleaded to him.

"No no no no, this is just for you two and your daddy. You know a sort of family surprise. Well! I better go get him!" Scar started walking away.

"We'll go with you!" I volunteered.

"NO!" Scar startled us," No, just... stay on this rock you two. You wouldn't want to end up in another mess like you did with the hyenas, hmmm Simba?"

"You know about that?" Simba asked

"Simba, everybody knows about that"

"Really?" I questioned.

"Oh yes, lucky daddy was there to save you Simba, eh?"

Scar leaned close to Simba and said something quietly in his ear.

"Oh... ok..." Simba looked at his paws.

"Hey Uncle Scar, will we like the surprise?" Simba asked.

"Let's just say... it's to die for!" Scar strode off.

As I waited for Uncle Scar and Dad, I noticed that Simba was playing with a chameleon. Suddenly Simba lets out a loud roar that echoed all across the gorge

"Wow, impressive..." I congratulated him.

Then I felt the ground start to move. Is there an earthquake? What else could be making the ground move like this?

My thoughts were interrupted when Simba shouted, "Zafira! Run!". I looked up and saw hundreds, possibly thousands of wildebeests stampeding towards us.

I shrieked and took off as fast as my legs could carry me. We were just barely able to keep ahead of the wildebeest but I knew we couldn't go on like this for much longer.

I wildly looked around for anywhere to escape the stampede. I turned to the right and climbed on top of a small outcropping in the gorge wall.

I frantically looked around to see where Simba was, but all the sand kicked up had built into a cloud so I could barely see anything. I finally saw Simba, who was barley holding on to the branch of a small dead tree.

"Simba!" I screamed, scared for my younger brother. I saw dad charge into the stampede and, just as Simba was flung off the branch, he lept up and caught him.

I quickly ran along the narrow pathway, trying to keep pace with my dad and brother. I looked up and noticed that Scar was also creeping along a path a little higher than mine.

What's he doing?, I thought. I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Simba yell, "Dad!!!" I saw Simba, looking around wildly for our dad, who was nowhere to be seen.

I joined him as he continued to desperately look for dad.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw dad suddenly leap from the stampede and onto the slope that was just the right angle to pull himself upwards.

Simba turned and started up a narrow opening in the cliff wall. I took a few steps forward when I heard something that made me stop in my tracks. It was dad, he was roaring in pain.

I turn around just in time to see Uncle Scar throw dad off the cliff. "Noooooooo!!!" Me and Simba screamed.

I followed Simba down some rocks towards the bottom of the gorge. Dust was everywhere and we couldn't see anything. "Daddy!" I called, hoping for a reply.

I then heard a sound behind me. "Daddy!" Simba and I looked hopefully. But it was just a wildebeest that got separated from the rest of the herd. However when I looked to where it had run, I saw something.

"Simba, look!" Simba stared in disbelief. It was dad. He was laying next to the broken dead tree Simba had climbed on. Me and Simba both ran up our dad's body.

I stared at his face, it looked like when he would sleep with us. Oh no, please great Kings and Queens of the past, please no... please let him be just asleep.

"Dad?" Simba approached him. "Daddy, come on. You gotta get up!" I tried lifting his head up. "Dad? We gotta go home!" Simba tried shaking him awake and tugging on his ear.

"Help!!!," Simba cried. "Somebody!" "Anybody..." I started sobbing. "help...". We both layed next to our fallen father, I let my tears flow freely.

Unbeknownst to us, a lion-like shape came out from the shadows. It slowly approached us and whispered, "Simba?," I looked up to see Scar. I backed away, remembering what I had seen. "What have you done?" Scar continued.

"The wildebeest... and tried to save us! It was an accident! I-I-I didn't mean for it to happen" Simba sobbed, looking at Dad. "Of course, of course, you didn't... no-one ever means for these things to happen... But the king is dead!," Simba looked up in disbelief, "and if it weren't for you... he'd still be alive...".

"Oh! What will your mother think?" Scar continued, I softly growled at him. He's lying through his teeth and now he's manipulating my brother!

"What are we gonna do?" I asked, nervously. "Run away and never return" Simba turned tail and ran off as I chased after him.

"Kill them..." Scar said to his three hyena minions. They then gave chase.

Me and Simba suddenly came to a large rock wall, I heard growling and turn around to see three hyenas slowly approaching us.

I spotted a crack in the wall and had Simba follow me through it. Simba narrowly escaped one of the hyena's claws as it reached for him.

Just as I thought we were in the clear, I notice that the cliff drops off and stopped myself and Simba from falling. I heard Simba gasp and turned around to see the hyenas still coming. Hyenas in front and cliff behind, not good...

"Simba, we have to jump!" I shouted.

"What?!" Simba asked, shocked.

"It's the only way!" I said, leaping off. Simba was close behind. We both tumbled down the steep cliffside and landed in a patch of thorns, which we quickly crawled through. As we ran off into the distance, I could faintly hear the hyenas saying that if we ever come back, they'll kill us...