When it Roars
Did you ever get a feeling,
Everybody else is happy,
Everybody else has friends,
And they're better friends than yours
It's a very recent feeling,
But its running through my body,
And it roars
It roars
Allura stopped writing in her journal. The Savannah sun baked her dark skin. She wiped sweat off of her forehead. The liquid sizzled on the rock she sat on when she tried to wave her hand dry. Taking in the noon heat Allura huffed and cursed herself for being distracted. It's already noon? I better get back home. She reached behind her to grab her straw hat and bag. Instead she grabbed nothing. Bewildered she turned to find her belongings gone. Dread filled her when she heard familiar grunts of the local congress.
In the distance, she saw a congress of ten baboons. One held her blue backpack. The creature shook it before banging it on the trunk of the tree they stood by. A few climbed and began basking in the shade. Another, a baby baboon, was chewing on her hat.
With a roll of her eyes, Allura sighed, "I should have payed more attention. Father won't be too thrilled to find out that the wildlife took my camera again." She scratched her chin while her face turned a shade darker in embarrassment and from the heat, "And I am talking to myself again."
Mice squeaking grabbed her attention. Allura glanced at the dry ground to find five mice. The burdens of her heart were lifted as she extended her hand out. The tiny mice jumped on eagerly and she lifted them up to her face. A gentle giggle escaped her. "Well, that is no longer the case! As long as I have you I am never alone!" Allura thought back to the poem she was writing in her journal.
None of my closest friends even has hands
Allura ignored her dread and loneliness. She stood with determination and placed her friends on her shoulder. She had to get back that camera at least. Those baboons could also hurt themselves. She took a few steps forward. Baboons can get aggressive. I need to be cautious. The best course of action would be to scare them. They just want shade and now they have my stuff to entertain themselves. An idea brewed within her mind only to be interrupted by a menacing growl.
The sixteen-year-old girl froze. A lioness came up to her left side. Her giant paws patted the rock she once sat on. On her other side, there was another lioness. Her golden eyes stared at Allura intensely. Scratch that...I can live without a camera. Allura held her breath as her small friends trembled. Two more circled around her and stood in front of her. One sniffed her. One stopped when she heard the baboons screeching at each other and fighting over her water bottle. An annoyed grunt escaped the lioness' lips. Allura attempted to take a step back only for her back to bump into fur.
Allura's heart skyrocketed. I think I am going to die. Allura felt the tears build up in her blue eyes. The fur disappeared as a white lioness came into her view. Allura caught her breath. She recognized the long scar that ran along the lioness' nose. This was Regina, her official name that her father gave her, the reason her family has been here for the past couple of years.
Prides consisted of many lionesses and a few lions. Mostly one or two. Rarely three. The lions guarded the territory while the lionesses hunted. But Regina's pride was different. There were no males in her pride of twenty. Instead, it appeared that Regina led the pride. Allura and her father had seen Regina fight off lions that tried to take over her pride or mate with the other lionesses. If it wasn't Regina fighting them off, these other four lionesses backed her up.
As a child, Allura called them Voltron. A comic book she use to read as a child. She didn't remember much about it except for the five robot lions running around to save the day. When they came together they formed this great warrior that Allura always looked up to. Her father knew Allura loved the comic book so he called her his princess.
These...these were her lions. Allura has personally climbed trees, snuck around rocks and hid in the grass to observe this fascinating pride. She had a name for all of them. Regina was Black when Allura didn't have to call her Regina for professional purposes. To her left was a lion with red stained teeth, Red. Green was the smallest of the lionesses and she was to her right. She was a curious lion. The largest lioness was one of the two in front of her, Yellow. Next to that was a dainty yet courageous lioness, Blue. She loved these lions and grew up learning about their quirks.
One of their quirks was taking down an elephant and giraffe at the same time. A reminder that these were still lions. Terrifyingly beautiful creatures that can kill her in a heartbeat. Allura stayed as still as a statue. She prayed that they would not do anything. Her memory of their history stated otherwise. This may actually be her last few moments.
I only wished that I could have lived more
Black let out a deep growl and tilted her head. Green and Red crouched to disappear into the yellow grass. Blue and yellow did the same while Black glanced at Allura before watching the other four surround the shade. When Allura realized that they were in position, Black ran and the baboons screeched in horror. The other four leaped from their hiding spot and snatched the baboons.
Allura let her breath go as her heart continued to race. She grabbed her chest. "That was a close one," she gasped. "Let's go home shall we?" Allura smiled to her friends. She clung to her notebook and jogged away, tuning out the death cries of the congress of baboons.
"Melenor, we lost our funding and we're going to have to go back to the U.S," Allura's father said as he read the mail. Allura just entered the tent to find her mother preparing lunch. Excitement grew within Allura at what her father said.
"Maybe I can meet an obese person!" Allura exclaimed. She jumped behind her father and hugged him. "Think about it! Wouldn't it be so amazing!? I could try high school, skateboards, and rapping!" Her eyes sparkled as she bounced in place. Her father laughed.
"Ah, my sweet daughter," he said and pat her hand that was around is shoulders.
"Oh! And I can try Starbucks Venti Chai!"
Her mother clicked her tongue as she brought out a plate of grapes, apples, and ham sandwiches. "It's going to be a difficult adjustment. You'll have to go to a real school."
Allura released her father and twirled around. She giggled and clenched her fists as she grinned at her mother. "Mom! I would love that! We live in a tent with the wildlife!" She opened her arms wide to gesture to their home tent. "Adventure is what we do!"
"Allura, where is your backpack?" her father asked. Allura paused and frowned as she thought about the events earlier.
"Um...a congress of baboons?" Allura sheepishly replied. Her father sighed and ran a hand through his greying hair. "I am sorry father. But I also saw Voltron today. They surrounded me! I thought I was done for! Instead, they went after the baboons so they could have shade."
"Really!?" her mother gasped. She covered her mouth. She hugged Allura. "I am so glad that you are safe. You need to be careful."
"I am fine mom," Allura replied.
"I think maybe going back to the US may actually be safer for her," her father said. Allura clapped her hands eagerly. We are going to the US! I will be able to get to go to a real school! Make friends. Oh, it could be so scary!
Allura's mother let go of Allura and looked to her husband skeptically, "There are other kinds of wildlife in public school."
"True," Allura's father agreed. He took a sandwich and took a bite as he continued to sort through the mail.
"Yes! We are going to the US!" Allura jumped in victory. "Oh, I should start packing!" She bolted to her side of the tent that was kept private by a fabric. The only privacy she had. She opened her wall also her door and looked at her cot and math books. There were a few teen magazines from a few years ago. Of course, there was the small mouse plushie that her parents gave to her when she was little. So much to pack.
"Allura! Eat your lunch first. Then we can start packing!" her mother called to her.
"Okay!" Allura exclaimed. She returned to the table and took a seat. "Is it okay if I write in my journal? And share my grapes?" She gestured to her mice friends that looked up hopefully at the older woman.
"Just for today sweetie," her mother answered. She kissed Allura on her forehead. "You are so sweet and beautiful."
"Thanks mom," Allura said. She opened her journal and began writing after taking a bite of her sandwich.
Did you ever get a feeling,
That a whole new world is waiting,
Bringing happiness and friends,
To the brave girl who explores,
It's a scary kind of feeling, but it's so exhilarating
How it roars
It roars
It roars!
Author's Note: I hope everyone likes this! I am going to follow both the musical and the movie, not line by line because I want to add my own fling to it and have the other characters from Voltron. Please leave a comment, like or follow! It lets me know that people are interested! Thank you for reading!