THE LION KING: RANI'S MAGICAL STORY

CHAPTER XI: RETURN

"Oh no...! I think we may have bit off more than we could chew here. There are tons of hyenas! What're we gonna do?!" Rani whispered fiercely.

They had gone closer to Pride Rock with no problem, but the hyenas were all sleeping. Any misstep, the girl knew; and Simba too, that their chances were slim to none.

"Don't worry, Rani. I have a plan." Simba whispered back.

"I'm all ears," Rani said. From under her hood, she could see Mei amongst all of the slobbering mangy stupid poachers.

"Hyenas... I hate hyenas. So what's your plan for getting past those guys?" Timon asked.

"Live bait." Simba answered.

"Yeah, good idea...hey!" Timon protested as he figured out slowly who was going to be distracting the hyenas.

"You got any better ideas?" Rani snarked back at the nervous meerkat.

"Com on, Timon; you guys have to create a diversion!" Simba agreed with Rani.

"What do you want me to do, dress in drag and do the hula?!" Timon raised his voice, enough for Mei to hear.

Before her older cousin's befuddled eyes was a meerkat doing a hula dance around a warthog, and singing to the hyenas all present and they made a run for it as they all chased after them, their bellies rumbling.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Nala and Jamie, an adult lion and a small person with a green jungle hoodie on top of the lion and they sneaked past the hyenas with ease. She chased after them as they got closer to Pride Rock, and demanded to know who they were.

"We're taking back what was stolen from us a long time ago." The hooded person said as she got off of the adult lion, and drew back her hood.

"Rani!!" Mei exclaimed in excitement and hugged her cousin, who in turned hugged her back.

"Mei!!! I missed you so much!" Rani smiled. Oh, how she had missed everyone here so much!

"Oh my gosh! Scar told us you were dead! How did you get here?" Mei had a thousand questions running rampant in her mind.

"He didn't exactly tell you or anyone the truth, did he? And I didn't come back alone—Simba's with me." Rani explained.

"Wait, wait, wait! You're telling me that full grown up lion with Nala is Simba?! He looks just like his dad!" Mei softly yowled in shock.

"Yep," Rani giggled as Simba came over, and Mei gave him a hug.

"Simba!" Mei squeaked in joy.

"Good to see you, Mei," Simba greeted.

"Likewise! It's great to see both of you!" Rani's cousin raved.

"Tell everyone you know that we're back and ready to take the throne away from Scar." Rani strategized, now serious. "We'll give him something to be scared about."

Rani mounted Simba and concealed herself with her hood.

"You got it, Ra!" Mei nodded and took off to the den.

"Nala, you find my mother and rally the lionesses. We'll look for Scar." Simba instructed.

Nala obeyed and went, with Jamie on top of her.

Rani steeled herself as she and Simba snuck to the summit of Pride Rock.

"SARABIIIIIII!!!" Scar's voice roared.

Simba and Rani both gasped in horror.

Joshua heard Scar's angry voice and opened his eyes weakly. He knew something was now afoot, and struggled to get up.