TU-DT:Chap. 1 Early Adventures

"Come on, Bagheera!" The little black panther rubbed his eyes sleepily as Sarabi impatiently pounded her paws against his chest. "Wake up so we can play!" He begrudgingly stood up out of his nest of leaves, stretching his young muscles and yawning.

The two cubs walked alongside out of the mouth of the cave into the bright sunlight. Bagheera blinked at the sudden brightness, taking in the magnificent view atop Pride Rock. The rich African plains laid out below them like a great blanket, the morning light stretching out over every inch of the savanna. Had it really only been two months since he had ascended the great climb to the top of the great mountain, having collapsed from exhaustion at the feet of king Ahadi? Bagheera shuddered at the memories of escaping the far away jungle to reach Pride Rock at the instructions of his dying mother, thinking of nothing but survival. When he had reached his new home, the lionesses had nursed his wounds and fed him their milk as though he were one of their own.

A prodding paw startled Bagheera from his thoughts, and he turned to see a mischievous grin on Sarabi's face one second before she knocked him onto his back. She pinned his chest down with her paws, ready for a fight. Bagheera felt his breath leave him, and though he tried his best to push Sarabi off him, the young lioness was clearly stronger than him. Eventually, he managed to roll her to the side, and, seizing his chance, he managed to keep her pinned until she flip him over again, and soon they were breathless from laughter.

Sarabi pushed her paws against Bagheera's chest, smiling down at him. Bagheera smiled back up at her.

Seconds passed. Bagheera blushed, waiting for her to let him up. Suddenly, he looked up to see an upside-down grinning face in front of Sarabi's. A tuft of orange hair hung in front of his dark eyes, and his toothy smile turned up the corners of Bagheera's mouth. The king's son, Mufasa, was Bagheera's second-closest friend, next to Sarabi. No doubt he had come to play. Mufasa and Sarabi had always been early risers.

"Mufasa!" Sarabi lite up, pouncing on the other lion cub. Bagheera lost a bit of his joy, seeing them laughing and playing together. It always made him feel sad when he was around both Sarabi and Mufasa; he felt like he was intruding on them, the way they smiled at each other and played. Not that Bagheera and Mufasa weren't close; they were very good friends, just more so when Sarabi wasn't around and vice versa.

The three cubs began to walk down the slope of Pride Rock, down into a group of other cubs and their mothers. Mufasa and Sarabi walked especially close, Bagheera trailing behind.

"So listen, I just found out about this great place! My dad told me about it," Mufasa spoke enthusiastically.

"Where is it?" Sarabi asked, intrigued.

Mufasa lowered his voice so that the mothers couldn't hear. "The Outlands," he whispered gravelly, his excitement leaking through each word. Bagheera gasped. He knew they weren't allowed anywhere near the Outlands; Ahadi's rule didn't hold there. He looked uneasily at Sarabi, who was smiling at Mufasa in a way that made worried Bagheera. If Sarabi went, he knew that he would have to follow.

Sarabi looked back at Bagheera, smiling excitedly. "Let's check it out, Bagheera!"

"Well, I don't know..."

"Aw, come on, Baggy," Mufasa said. "It's so cool, it's," he lowered his voice again. "It's an elephant graveyard."

Sarabi gasped, delighted. "Let's go!" She looked back at Bagheera.

He sighed. "Oh, alright."

The three cubs went off in the direction of the horizon, making soft prints in the grass with their paws. Bagheera stared at his feet as he walked, nervous...but excited as well. It wasn't everyday that he got to see an elephant graveyard, after all.