Scar grabs a mouse and lifts it up with her right paw. "Life's not fair, is it? You see, I... Well, I shall never be Queen. Huh." Scar lets the mouse scurry across her paw. "And you..." The mouse tries to jump to freedom, but Scar snags it in her claws again. "Shall never see the light of another day. Hmm, hmm. Adieu." Scar opens her jaws and lowers the mouse into her mouth. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with your food?" Zazu asked. The mouse struggles to wriggle out from under Scar's paw, to no avail. "What do you want?" She asked. "I'm here to announce that Queen (M/n) is on her way," Zazu bows over one wing. "So you'd better have a good excuse for missing the ceremony this morning." He said. With Scar distracted, the mouse wriggles out of her grasp and escapes into a nearby hole in the wall. "Oh, now, look, Zazu. You've made me lose my lunch." She pouted. "Ha! You'll lose more than that when the Queen gets through with you. She's as mad as a hippo with a hernia." Zazu crosses his wings huffily. "Oooh, I quiver with fear!" Scar crouches and bares her teeth at Zazu, who backs away fearfully. "Now, Scar, don't look at me that way. Help!" 

Zazu tries to fly away, but Scar catches him in her jaws. (M/n)'s paw steps into view behind her. "Scar?" She asked firmly. She looks at her over her shoulder, her cheeks puffed out. "Mm-hmm?" She asked. "Drop him." (M/n) said. Zazu's beak pokes out of Scar's mouth. "Impeccable timing, Your Majesty." Scar spits out Zazu, who sits up with saliva-plastered wings. "Ugh." "Why, if it isn't my big sister." Scar saunters toward (M/n). "Descending from on high to mingle with the commoners." She said. Scar turns and saunters away. "(F/n) and I didn't see you at the presentation of (Y/n)." (M/n) said. "That was today? Oh, I feel simply awful!" Scar drags her claws along the wall, creating a screeching sound that makes Zazu cringe. "Must've slipped my mind." She said sarcastically. "Yes, well, as slippery as your mind is," Zazu flies accusingly into Scar's face. "As the queen's sister, you should've been first in line!" Scar snaps her jaws shut, causing Zazu to take refuge behind (M/n)'s  leg. "Well, I was first in line..." Zazu peeks out at Scar, indignant. "Until the little hairball was born." She snarled. Scar thrusts her face toward Zazu, who ducks back behind (M/n)'s leg. (M/n) lowers her head to Scar's level. "That hairball is my daughter." (M/n) and Scar lift their heads simultaneously. "And your future queen." (M/n) said. "Oh, I shall practice my curtsy." Scar turns and walks away. "Don't turn your back on me, Scar." (M/n) said.

"Oh, no, (M/n). Perhaps you shouldn't turn your back on me." Once more, Scar turns and walks away. (M/n) launches herself after her and roars. (M/n) blocks Scar's way and advances threateningly. "Is that a challenge?!" She growled. "Temper, temper. I wouldn't dream," Scar rolls her eyes. "Of challenging you." She said sarcastically. "Pity. Why not?" Zazu asked. Zazu puts his wings on his hips. Scar ducks her head to address Zazu. "Well, as far as brains go, I got the lion's share, but when it comes to brute strength..." Scar lifts her head to address (M/n), clearly bitter and incensed. After a moment, the expression fades, and she shoulders past (M/n), who glares at her. Scar looks back at (M/n) and Zazu. "I'm afraid I'm at the shallow end of the gene pool." She walks off into the savanna, and Zazu sighs. "There's one in every family, ma'am. Two in mine, actually." Zazu flies up to perch on (M/n)'s shoulder. "And they always manage to ruin special occasions." He said. "What am I going to do with her?" (M/n) asked. Zazu grins cheekily. "She'd make a very beautiful throw rug." He said. (M/n) grins back. "Zazu!" She scolded playfully. "And just think," Zazu flies ahead of her, who walks after him. "Whenever she gets dirty, you could take her out and beat her!" 

(M/n) chuckles. Clouds roil over the savanna. Thunder rumbles, and curtains of rain fall in the distance. The smooth surface of a river is disrupted by heavy rainfall. Thunder booms, and lightning zigzags across the sky, illuminating Rafiki's lone baobab tree. Inside, Rafiki uses a gourd to paint a lion cub, with lightning occasionally lighting up his canvas. He mutters to himself. "Ah." Rafiki sets down one gourd and picks up another. "Hmm." Rafiki smiles at his handiwork. He laughs. Rafiki dips his thumb in the paint and smears it across the painted cub's forehead. "(Y/n)." He chuckles. It is now early dawn at Pride Rock. (Y/n), now a cub, emerges on the promontory, her tail raised. With an excited look, she races away. (Y/n) races into the den, where the pride is sleeping. "Mom! Mom! Come on, Mom. We gotta go. Wake up!" (Y/n) dodges around the lionesses, jostling them. "Sorry!" (Y/n) jumps up on (M/n), who is sound asleep. "Mom!" (Y/n)'s expression turns dour when she does not respond. "Your daughter is awake." (F/n) said. "Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom." (Y/n) said. "Before sunrise, she's your daughter." (M/n) said. "Mom! Come on, Mom." (Y/n) tugs her mother's ear, but loses her grip and tumbles out of view. "Whoa!" (Y/n) headbutts her mother's face, and she sleepily opens one eye. "You promised!"

(Y/n) glares at her mother. "Okay, okay. I'm up, I'm up." She said. "Yeah!" (Y/n) races away excitedly as her mother yawns. (Y/n) skips out of the den, with (M/n) and (F/n) emerging shortly afterward. (Y/n) bounces up to (F/n) and rubs against his leg affectionately. (F/n) gives her rump an encouraging nudge and watches, smiling, as (Y/n) and her mother begin to ascend Pride Rock. The next shot shows the top of Pride Rock illuminated by the rising sun, with (Y/n) and her mother sitting side-by-side atop the summit. "Look, (Y/n). Everything the light touches is our kingdom." (M/n) said. "Wow." (Y/n) said. "A king's time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day, (Y/n), the sun will set on my time here and will rise with you," her mother ducks down to (Y/n)'s level. "As the new queen." She said. "And this'll all be mine?" (Y/n) asked. "Everything." Her mother said. (Y/n) strides along the edge of Pride Rock, overlooking the Pride Lands. "Everything the light touches." (Y/n) sits down. "What about that shadowy place?" She looks back at her mother questioningly. 

(M/n) strides toward her sternly. "That's beyond our borders. You must never go there, (Y/n)." She said. "But I thought a queen can do whatever she wants." (Y/n) said. Her mother smiles at her. "Oh, there's more to being queen than getting your way all the time." She said. (M/n) strides away. (Y/n) follows her, grinning. "There's more?" She asked, and her mother laughs. "(Y/n)..." Gazelles prance across the savanna. Nearby, (M/n) and (Y/n) stride side-by-side, with Pride Rock in the distance. "Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. As queen, you need to understand that balance and respect all the creatures, from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope." (M/n) said. "But, Mom, don't we eat the antelope?" (Y/n) asked. (M/n) ducks down to her daughter's level. "Yes, (Y/n), but let me explain." (M/n) lifts her head. "When we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. And so" (M/n) ducks down to (Y/n)'s level. "We are all connected in the great Circle of Life." She said. (M/n) gestures with her head to a river, where gazelles cavort and giraffes graze from trees. Zazu swoops in from overhead.

"Good morning, ma'am!" He greeted. "Good morning, Zazu." She said. Zazu lands on a nearby boulder. "Checking in with the morning report!" He said. Zazu bows. "Fire away." (M/n) said. "Well!" Zazu speaks with one wing shielding his beak, as if to spread gossip. "The buzz from the bees is that the leopards are in a bit of a spot." He said. A grasshopper jumps past (Y/n), who takes chase. "Oh, really?" (M/n) asked. "And the baboons are going ape over this." (Y/n) continues to hunt the grasshopper, and her mother takes notice. "Of course, the giraffes are acting like they're above it all... " Zazu continued. "What are you doing, kid?" (M/n) asked. (Y/n) attempts to catch the grasshopper on a rock, but opens her paws to emptiness. "Pouncing." Her mother ducks down conspiratorially. "Let an old pro show you how it's done." She smirked. "The tickbirds are pecking on the elephants. I told the elephants to forget it, but they can't..." Zazu shrugs dramatically. "Zazu, would you turn around?" (M/n) asked. "Yes, ma'am." Zazu turns around. "The cheetahs are hard up, but I always say..." he said. (M/n) uses a paw to lower (Y/n)'s rump. "Stay low to the ground." She said. Zazu waves a wing emphatically. "Cheetahs never prosper..." Zazu said. "Yeah, okay." (Y/n) said. 

Zazu glances quizzically at the mother and daughter over his shoulder. "Stay low to the ground, right? Yeah." (Y/n) said. "What's going on?" Zazu asked. "Pouncing lesson." (M/n) said. "Oh, very good. Pouncing." Zazu turns away, apparently satisfied. Suddenly, he spasms. "Pouncing?!" Zazu turns back to face (M/n). "Oh, no, ma'am, you can't be serious... (M/n) gestures with one paw for Zazu to turn around. "Oh..." Zazu reluctantly turns around. "This is so humiliating." "Try not to make a sound." (M/n) said. Zazu glances over his shoulder. "What are you telling her, (M/n)?" Zazu looks behind him to find that (M/n) and (Y/n) have seemingly disappeared. "(M/n)?" Zazu tenses his body. "(Y/n)?" (Y/n) pounces on Zazu and he squawks in surprise. Her mother cracks up. (Y/n) glances over her shoulder at her mother, grinning, before she strides away. Meanwhile, Zazu lies on his back in the dirt. (Y/n) returns to her mother. "That's very good!" She said, before laughing again. The mole pops out of a hole in the dirt right beneath Zazu's head. "Zazu!" He said. "Yes!" He said. The mole salutes Zazu. "Sir! News from the underground." The mole said. (M/n) wraps a paw around (Y/n). "Now, this time–" she began. "Ma'am!" Zazu's head emerges from behind a rock, his eyes wide and terrified. "Hyenas! In the Pride Lands!" He shouted.

(M/n) starts to bound away, but pauses to look at Zazu. "Zazu, take (Y/n) home." She said. "Awww, Mom, can't I come?" (Y/n) asked. Her mother shakes her head. "No, daughter." She runs off into the savanna. (Y/n) stalks off with her head low. "Aw. I never get to go anywhere." She said. "Oh, young miss, one day, you will be queen." Zazu gestures with a wing. He takes to the air and flies over (Y/n), who is heading toward Pride Rock. "Then you can chase those slobbering, mangy, stupid poachers from dawn until dusk." He said. Scar prowls along a rock ledge. She pauses, then agitatedly knocks a bone off the edge. As she continues to slink along, (Y/n) bounds over. "Hey Aunt Scar, guess what?" She asked. Her aunt pauses. She turns and glowers at her niece. "I despise guessing games." She said. (Y/n) approaches her aunt and strikes a pose. "I'm going to be queen of Pride Rock." She boasted. She bounds away as her aunt scowls. "Oh, goodie." She said sarcastically. (Y/n) walks to the ledge and overlooks the savanna. "My mom just showed me the whole kingdom." 

(Y/n) looks at her aunt over her shoulder. "And I'm gonna rule it all!" She cackles. Her aunt glares at her, her back hunched. "Yes. Well, forgive me for not leaping for joy. Bad back, you know." Her aunt flops onto her side. (Y/n) approaches her and jumps up on her. "Hey aunt Scar, When I'm queen, what'll that make you?" She asked. "A monkey's aunt." She said sarcastically. (Y/n) tumbles off her and laughs. "You're so weird." She said. Her aunt lifts her head to meet her niece's gaze. "You have no idea." Scar stands up and walks away. "So, your mother showed you the whole kingdom, did she?" She asked. (Y/n) trails after her aunt. "Everything." She said. "She didn't show you what's beyond that rise at the northern border." Her aunt said as she sits down. (Y/n) also sits and her ears drop. "Well, no. She said I can't go there." (Y/n) said. "And she's absolutely right! It's far," Scar leans in dramatically. "Too dangerous. Only the bravest lions go there." She said. Her aunt looks away and (Y/n) stands and puffs out her chest. "Well, I'm brave!" (Y/n) tilts her head questioningly. "What's out-" "No, I'm sorry, (Y/n)."

Her aunt looks away. "I just can't tell you." She said. (Y/n) moves in front of her. "Why not?" She asked. "(Y/n). (Y/n)." She said as she sits down. "I'm only looking out for the well-being of my favorite niece." She said. She pats (Y/n)'s head with a comparatively giant paw. (Y/n) snorts. "Yeah, right. I'm your only niece." She said. (Y/n) peeks out from under her aunt's paw. "All the more reason for me to be protective." Her aunt lifts a claw like it's her pinky. "An elephant graveyard is no place for a young princess." (Y/n) stands up excitedly, and her aunt slaps a paw to her mouth in mock horror. "Oops!" "An elephant what?" (Y/n) looks away. "Whoa..." her aunt puts a paw to her head, feigning dismay. "Oh, dear, I've said too much. Well, I suppose you'd have found out sooner or later, you being so clever and all." (Y/n) tries to slink off, but her aunt grabs her and pulls her close. "Oh, just do me one favor: promise me you'll never visit that dreadful place." She said. "No problem." She said. "There's a good lass." Her aunt nudges (Y/n) away. "You run along now and have fun. And remember... " (Y/n) pauses and looks back at her. "It's our little secret." (Y/n) runs off, and her aunt walks away, smiling deviously.