“Why not?”

“Because it’s....” Mufasa stopped in mid sentence. The hair on his mane began to stand straight out, and he felt a tingling in his paws. “What the hell??”

The next moment a brilliant flash from the skies baptized the stone with the roar of a thousand waterfalls.

Elanna hurried outside. There was no one on the stone. “Mufasa! Simba!” Hoping against hope she would see nothing, she looked down. Lying on the ground with smoke rising from their pelts were the remnants of Elanna’s whole world. “Oh gods!!” she screamed. “Oh my gods!!”

Taka and Sarabi ran out, the cubs at their heels. “What happened??”

Sobbing hysterically, Elanna said, “They’re gone! They’re gone!!”

Taka bowed his head to the ground. “My brother?” Tears began to well up in his eyes and he collapsed into a miserable heap. Elanna and Sarabi lay next to him and they huddled together as the rain came pelting down in full force.

Mano looked over at Minshasa. “I hate to say I told you so.”

“But if we warned him not to go out on the promontory, everything would be fine.”

“Haven’t we changed things enough already? It’s time to put things back the way they were. Aiheu really knows what he’s doing.”

“But what about Taka?”

“It will be difficult for him, but in the end he will find peace.”

“But look at him! A wife and cubs, and such a kind disposition!”

“A king after the death of his brother. No son to carry on the line--he will never have sons, only daughters.”

“But...”

“And then will come the rogue male. Not a kind one, but a ruthless one that will destroy the pride.”

“How do you know this?”

“Because I asked Aiheu himself when I went to plead for this change. You think it was your idea, but I begged God to let me change things--to interfere. That’s when he told me.”