And here you are... in the wonderous realms of the Pridelands, a beautiful tranquil, vast, wide-open landscape where animals, both predators and prey, are joined by the circle of life.

Y/N: "I can't wait until I see what this place has got. Now to--"

Just then, you slipped and fell on your stomach. As you get up you noticed your hands were turned into paws... white paws. Curious, you wonder what kind of 4-legged predator you were, so you walked over to the nearest body of water, the water hole.

There, you peek at your reflection and find out what animal Yen Sid has turned you into.

Y/N: "Whoa... now that's what I call majestic. This is crazy, he actually turned me into a lion! A white lion of all things!"

Suddenly, you got the urge to drink some of the water, which you do without a single care. Afterwards, you decide to walk around a little just to get used to your new body. And while exploring the Pridelands, you notice how peaceful everything is.

Y/N: "Looks like Mufasa was right. Everything I do see exists together in a delicate balance. I may not be king, but I most certainly do understand that balance and respect all of the creatures. From the crawling ant all the way to the leaping antelope."

But you couldn't enjoy the tranquility for long and made your way towards the gorge, hoping that this wouldn't be today of all days where a mighty king leaves the pride. You're still getting used to your new lion body, so running on 4 legs will take some time.

[Timeskip to the gorge because REASONS!!!]

By the time it took you to reach the gorge, you were able to get used to your current body and could walk without having to worry about stumbling over and falling. You looked around and noticed the gorge was completely empty and you could see the bottom clearly.

Which could only mean one thing: the stampede hasn't started yet and if the stampede hasn't been provoked, then Simba's might not be in danger... at least not yet.

Speaking of Simba, it was time to look for the young prince of the Pride Lands to see if this was the day Scar arranged for him to wait in the gorge for his father's "surprise." But you made sure to keep an eye out from higher ground and not risk getting trampled over.

Minutes later after scanning the gorge for the cub, you suddenly hear a loud familiar noise.

*RAWR*

That little roar could only come from one familiar little cub up ahead and so you raced over to check up on him, still remaining on the high ground as you have a plan for later.

Finally you found Simba and there by the edge of the cliff... the herd of wildabeasts race down the gorge at an alarming rate.

You gasped and ran ahead of the stampede to keep an eye on Simba while keeping a safe distance from the cub so as not to draw any sort of attention to yourself.

As for Mufasa, he was returning to Pride Rock when...

Zazu: "Oh, look, sire. The herd is on the move."

Mufasa: "Odd."

Then, enter scar.

Scar: Mufasa! Quick! Stampede in gorge! Simba's down there!"

Mufasa: *worried* "Simba?"

Back with Simba, he's still trying to keep ahead of the herd to avoid getting trampled over, but the wildabeasts were much faster than the little cub, so he had to improvise. With no way to outrun the stampeding wildabeasts, Simba clinged to the branch of a dead tree.

Meanwhile, Scar and Mufasa were making their way down to the gorge while Zazu flew ahead to find the young prince.

He flies above the stampede, searching very carefully, then finds the Simba clinging for dear life.

Simba: "Zazu, help me!"

Zazu: "Your father is on the way! HOLD ON!"

Simba: "HURRY!"

Sure enough, both lions make it to a low enough level to try and spot the young lion cub. Zazu shows up and points out the spot.

Zazu: "There! There, on that tree!"

Mufasa and Scar quickly spot the cub.

Mufasa: "Hold on, Simba!"

Just as he said that, one of the wildabeasts bumped the tree, causing it to partially break. Simba screamed in fear and Mufasa quickly jumped further down into the gorge and merged with the stampede, hoping that he'll make it towards his son on time.

Zazu: "Oh Scar, this is awful! What'll we do, what'll we do!?" *panicking* "I'll go back for help, that's what I'll do! I'll go back fo--"

But Scar simply smacks Zazu against a stone wall, knocking him out and watched as his plan unfolds before his eyes.

Mufasa keeps running ahead of the stampede, passing up Simba for the moment until Mufasa stopped and made a quick U-turn towards the tree in the middle, hoping he can reach him without bumping into any of the wildabeasts, but only makes it halfway.

He's knocked back by one of them and shakes off the damage to watch as Simba continues to hold on. But one of the wildabeasts breaks off the branch, launching the cub into the air and almost plummets into the danger zone, had Mufasa not reacted in time.

Simba's father catches him in his mouth and runs with the stampede to try and get to a safe place away from these out of control animals while Scar watches very carefully.

Mufasa then clashes with one of the wildabeasts by accident, letting go of his son, who's now trying to avoid the wildabeasts hooves until his dad gets him again. Mufasa quickly jumps up to one of the boulders and sets Simba down safely. But before he could climb back up, the stampede carries Mufasa away from his son.

Simba: *worried* "DAD!!!"

You also spot this happening, just like in the movie. This time, you climb into the gorge yourself, but keep a safe distance out of their sight and wait for the king to emerge. Simba also watches carefully, hoping his dad would come out of the gorge okay.

Sure enough, the king leaps out and clings to the slanted rocks of the gorge and goes to climb up to the top. Simba is relieved to see his dad is alright and climbs up some rocks as well in order to meet his dad along the way, but Mufasa ran into trouble... unknowingly.

Mufasa: "Scar! Br... Brother, help me!"

The king continues to cling to the gorge for dear life, but could only hold on for who knows how long, really. Scar simply looked down at his older brother with a cold straight face... until he sank his claws into his older brother's paws making him roar in pain.

The king's brother leans in, grinning his sinister grin and whispers to him the last words that send shivers down his spine.

Scar: "Long live the king."

Soon, Scar throws Mufasa over the gorge... that was your cue.

Y/N: "NOT THIS TIME!"

You run at high speeds just as Mufasa was about to crash and meet his end, but in a swift blurr and with a breath of luck, you catch the king, but in doing so, you also felt his head bump againsts yours and he winds up knocked out on your back.

With the king safe, you travel further down and then climb to a high enough ledge to let the stampede go through.

Eventually, the gorge was empty and all that remained was the dust left behind by the hundreds of thousands of hoofprints that trampled throughout this massive gorge.

You set down the king and stood guard, waiting for Simba to show up and so you could put your next plan into action.

Eventually, you hear what sounds like an echo. You can clearly hear it was Simba shouting out the word "dad."

You look in the distance and spot the silhouette of the little cub, so to get his attention, you kicked a rock towards Simba. He notices it and runs towards your direction and spots both you and his unconscious dad, obviously, scared and confused.

Simba: "W...Who are you? And... wha... what's wrong with my dad, i-i-is he gonna be okay?"

Y/N: "Relax, he's still alive. He's just unconscious. Listen to me... we can't stay here, you're in terrible danger."

Simba: "W-What? What do you mean?"

Y/N: "I mean your father plummeting into the gorge was no accident, 'cause someone wanted him dead. But I know a place where you and your father can be safe, so follow me."

Simba: "But... But..."

Y/N: "If you wanna know more, you can get more info from your father when he wakes up, now come on, let's hurry, before..."

But, before you could leave, you hear what sounds like... hyena laughter, in which you hunch downward with your claws poking out from your paws, ready to strike.

Y/N: "Kid... get behind me... Now!"

You see in the distance the 3 major hyenas that Scar commands and they all come at you and the two royal lions. You roar and retaliate, locked in combat with the 3 hyenas, biting and clawing at them, roaring like the mighty lion you were.

One of them almost got to Simba, but you bit onto them and pulled them away, throwing them against the other two. You then pounced over the 3 pinned hyenas, growling.

Y/N: "If you ever come near the king and prince again..."

You pause, seeing how scared Shenzi, Banzai and Ed were and then you let out your loudest, predatorial roar, flaring our sharp, jagged fangs, scaring them off easily.

Simba: "You... you saved me."

Y/N: "Both of you. Now, come on. I know of a place where we can hide until the time is right to come back."

It's not like he had any choice. Simba clearly saw how strong you were to fight off those hyenas. and once again, you use your lion strength to lift Mufasa's unconscious body onto your back and then make your way out of the gorge with Simba walking closely with you.

As for the hyenas, they quickly made it to a safe spot, panting like they just ran a marathon.

Shenzi: "Who in the heck was that?!"

Banzai: "How should I know?! Nobody told me there'd be another lion involved in this and he really bit my tuckus hard! It was bad enough I got roughed up by that lousy Mufasa, but this new guy... OW... he's something else, now I have to wait months before I can sit."

Ed: *giggle fit*

Banzai: "Hey, shut up, it's not funny, Ed!"

Shenzi: "Ah, let him be, he's always on a laughing fit when he's escaped a life-threatening situation before. Besides, that king is dead either way and if the kid comes back, we'll kill him."

Banzai: "Yeah... Yeah, you're right!"

After they have their little moment, they wait a little longer before returning to Scar so they don't show their "battle scars."

Later that night, Scar made his big speech to the rest of the pride regarding his "departed" brother and nephew.

Scar: "Mufasa's death... is a terrible tragedy. But to lose Simba... who had barely begun to live."

The other lionesses all hung their heads, mourning the loss of their king, Sarabi and Nala being the most affected ones. Zazu tried his best to comfort the queen, but how could he?

Scar: "For me, it is a deep, personal loss. So it is with a heavy heart that I assume the throne. Yet out of the ashes of this tragedy, we shall rise, to greet the dawning of a new era. In which lion and hyena come together... in a great and GLORIOUS future!"

As he made his speech, all the lionesses and Zazu looked up in shock at the many hyenas appearing onto their sacred grounds. Scar, then climbed Pride Rock and walked up to the edge where he would now take over the Pride Lands with an iron paw.

Rafiki watched with disapproval and turned away from the travesty that had befallen this once glorious kingdom. The healer and guiding mandrill of the Pride Lands was also affected by the loss of the king... as well as the prince, shedding a single tear.

With no other heirs to inherit the throne, he put his hand on the drawing of Simba he made on his tree and smeered it off slightly, thinking his time had come too soon.

Little does he know, both he and the king were both resting fine by an oasis with you as their personal guard. It would be a while before Simba will grow up, but you're determined to make sure he AND Mufasa make it back home and defeat Scar.

You look out into the vast, wide-open desert where flocks of buzzards circle the hot, scorching, dried up lands for food.

Y/N: *thinking* "I know I shouldn't be meddling in their affairs, but I couldn't stand to let Mufasa die like that. Still... I feel like killing off Scar would be too good for him. Maybe I can... no, I can't worry about that, not when I have two lions to look after."

You look behind you, seeing Simba resting underneath his dad's paw and you smile, knowing how happy he'll be when he wakes up to see his father has survived death.