Hey guys. Here's chapter 2 of The Circle Of Life. I want to thank the 32 viewers who have taken the time from their day to check out this story, and here is the reward for them, in case they want more. This chapter is mostly serving to introduce the characters in the LK universe for now, and how our unlikely heroes are going to adapt to this strange new world. Read and review, and do enjoy.

'Oooh….my aching head. What happened?' David tiredly muttered as he began to regain feeling in his limp body. He was struggling to open his eyes, but what he was able to feel first was that he was flat on his back on what felt like rock. How he got there, he did not have a clue, but he didn't even remember anything that had happened, but he was able to recall a sensation of falling, quickly followed by a sharp blow to his dome.

When he could finally move again, the first thought that came to mind was where his friends were, and better yet, if they were alright. When David tried to get himself back onto his feet, the encroaching silence around him suddenly gave way to a voice directly in front of him. "Do not tire yourself young one. You wouldn't want to knock yourself out again, would you?" The voice had an element of power and strength, yet it also had nobility, and kindness. Needless to say, when David could finally open his eyes, all feelings of calm and peace instantly gave way to unparalleled fear and shock.

Standing proud and tall before the black-haired bespectacled boy was a massive lion towering above him adorned with a brilliant auburn mane and the most powerful golden gaze he had ever seen. However, it doesn't take much to realize that David was more terrified than he was surprised, for almost instantly, he backed away on hands and feet to the wall right behind him. He was sitting face to face with a gigantic lion that could very easily take him out right here, and one isn't usually calm in such a situation. Strangely though, this lion didn't show any sign of wanting to attack the terrified boy. Instead, he looked rather…amused.

"Do not be afraid, I have no intention of hurting you." The lion suddenly spoke in that strong voice. In a heartbeat, David had stopped trying to back away, and had become still as stone. 'D-did that…lion just t-talk? T-that's impossible! Lions can NOT talk!!' he mentally shouted to himself, clearly even more afraid. However, his curiosity got the better of him, and he found himself responding to this abnormality standing before him. "Y-you…t-talk?" he stuttered, trying very hard to keep his composure. Trying, and failing.

The lion slowly began to approach the black haired boy, trying his best not to frighten him even more. He had a calm, amused smile adorned to his face. "You speak as if you were not expecting me to." He said once more. To his sudden surprise, David instantly struck himself across the face with his own hand. The grand creature looked over the strange human with curiosity and confusion. "Why on earth did you just do that?" he asked the boy, curiosity evident in his tone.

David had merely been trying to see if he was dreaming, and this proved that what he was seeing, and better yet, HEARING, was actually the real deal. "Y-you…you really CAN talk." He muttered in no more than a whisper. In a calm, yet confused manner, David tucked himself into a ball, looking directly at the beast standing before him. "Am I going crazy?" he asked, mostly to himself. Needless to say, the lion answered his question for him. "I can assure you, child, you are not by any means, insane. I take it, you have not seen lions before, correct?" he asked concernedly, laying himself down to be at the same eye level as the boy.

David just managed to shake his head. "I HAVE seen lions, but they don't talk. They mostly just…well, roar." He spoke timidly as he finally decided to uncurl himself into his usually lanky form, sitting against the rock wall. It had basically dawned on him that if this lion had wanted to kill him, it would have taken that chance a long time ago, so this probably meant he was alright, for now.

Finally coming to terms with the situation he was in, he decided to try and make the most of it. Taking a few deep breaths to calm his nerves, David finally took the time to catch up on all that had occurred. "Alright. Uh…I just need to know, first of all…where am I?" he asked, finally deciding to look at all of his surroundings. It looked like a dimmed out cave with a gigantic ceiling way up high. The lion stood himself back up, and David decided to follow suit.

"Well, strange one, as for where you are, you are in Pride Rock, the heart of the Pridelands, which is my kingdom." He spoke politely as David decided to take in all his surroundings. "Wow. So, uh…if I could ask, who are you, then?" he asked again, trying his best not to trip over his words. This wasn't exactly where he would picture himself anytime soon. In a gigantic cave somewhere in Africa. Also talking to a lion of all things. Better yet, he was talking to a lion as if it was a normal thing.

The huge lion bowed his head with a warm smile on his golden face as he began to approach an opening in the stonewall. "I am King Mufasa, ruler of these Pridelands." He responded, only to gain a chuckle from the black haired human in response. "Is something amusing that I do not know of?" he asked, with an almost unnoticeable twinge of irritation evident in his voice. David quickly straightened himself out. "Sorry. I wasn't trying to be rude. It's just, back where my friends and me came from; we were always told that the lion is the king of Africa. I just never thought it would be so literal." He said, now back to his cool, calm and collected demeanor.

Luckily, the king didn't find anything to be angered by with this statement, as he came back to his more welcoming frame of mind and stepped out a large stone path, quickly followed by David. "Well, since you had wanted to know who I am, may I ask, what name may my pride and myself call you by?" he asked the bespectacled boy. David was momentarily taken aback, but quickly got back to normal. "Oh, well, my name is David, so, I guess you could just call me that." He said in a well-mannered way. Luckily, he wasn't scared anymore. Something about this whole situation, for some reason, made him much more calm than usual. He didn't know what it was, but he had a feeling it could be the environment he was currently gazing upon up ahead.

The massive ocean of grass was actually rather beautiful when he wasn't dying of thirst in it. However, looking out upon the grass, he suddenly remembered the one thing still poking at his mind.

"Um, your Majesty, I almost forgot. I just wanted to know…how did I get here?" he asked, needing to get to the topic at hand fast. To his surprise, Mufasa calmly raised a paw to David's face, not losing his calm demeanor. "Well, first of all, we have never seen humans in the Pridelands before. Our shaman and healer, Rafiki had told us tales of your kind before, but nonetheless, your kind are strangers to our kingdom. Anyway, the answer to your question. My mate, Queen Sarabi had gone on the afternoon hunt in the grasslands east of Pride Rock. While out there, she came across you, and three others, apparently hiding in the grass. Needless to say, your presence was rather unexpected. She told me that she had wanted to get a closer look at the four of you. However, you had all gotten scared and tried to run, yet you stepped on hollowed ground and knocked yourselves out from the fall." The king finally finished, waiting patiently for David to process all of this.

Surprisingly, David's reaction was instantaneous. "The three others that were with me. Could you tell me what happened to them?" he asked, clearly worried. Once again, the king remained undeterred in his expression. "Don't worry, David. They are alright. Sarabi and her hunting party brought you here when they had all found you in that hole in the ground. We had Rafiki come and take care of any wounds you and your friends had while you were unconscious." He spoke calmly, turning to look out at the grasslands before them.

"Well, it's not that I'm not grateful for the care, but I really need to know, where are my friends?" he asked, almost on the verge of losing his cool. Almost as if on cue, the sound of feet scraping against the stone caught David's ears, and he turned to see Michael, Mason, and James all slowly stumbling out of the cave, clearly having not taken in their current surroundings. David knew it was only a matter of time before they would take it all in, then panic, especially Michael. At least, that would be the case if he hadn't calmed down since their little episode in the grasslands.

Needless to say, he was very relieved to see his friends were alright, though. "Hey guys. How are you feeling?" he asked nervously, waiting to see if they were going to freak out or not. "Well, for one, I feel like my head has been cracked, branded, and then crudely sewn back together, but other than that, I feel great." James grumbled, rubbing his head and then finally opening his eyes wide to see where they were. It would be a miracle if the whole panic situation could be avoided. Of course, miracles don't happen everyday.

Letting out a terrified yelp (which sounded rather funny from somebody who had a natural bass voice), James collapsed onto his rear, starting to back away, soon followed by a paling Michael, both of which were stuttering unintelligibly. Mason, for some reason, simply remained glued to where he stood, looking intently at David standing alongside this gigantic lion, who almost looked to have some kind of basic understanding with the four of them.

"Guys, guys, calm down, huh?" David said in as soothing a voice as he could muster to his hysterical friends. "David, get away. Don't you know lions eat people?" Michael suddenly shouted out, pointing an accusing finger at Mufasa, unaware of the king's golden eyes watching them intently. "Not just that, but they roam in packs. They'll be everywhere. We run now! NOW!" James shouted, clearly in hysterics.

Surprisingly, through his friends panic, David remained completely undeterred. "It's ok, guys. You're not gonna believe this, but these lions took us here after we knocked ourselves out cold. It's true. They can also talk." He said in a clear mixture of support and excitement. The only thing he got in return was a twin gaze of confusion from both of them.

"David, that's impossible. Lions don't talk, and they certainly don't help other creatures. They took us here to eat us!" Michael shouted, clearly thinking the black haired boy had completely snapped. James' retort was suddenly cut short when the lion they had feared suddenly proved David's theory. "Well, as hard as it may seem for you to believe, I can indeed speak. Also, if we had merely wanted to eat you, we would not have bothered to take you here out of the gaze of the sun. You can both be assured, we do not wish to harm any of you." Mufasa spoke strong and clearly.

To say James and Michael's eyes were dinner plates would clearly be an understatement. If that lion had suddenly spoken their language as clear as day, then they were obviously at a loss for words. "I tried to tell you guys." David said with a shrug of his shoulders as Mason wordlessly approached the king of the Pridelands.

"So…you took us all the way here, to help us?" he asked straightforwardly, clearly a little confused. David breathed a sigh of relief. At least Mason remained as cool, calm and collected as ever. Mufasa simply nodded his head in response to the blonde boy's question. "To be honest, I didn't. Sarabi, my mate had found you all out there in the plains and had her hunting party carry you all here out of the sun. We had our healer take care of the wounds you all had." He answered calmly to the newest additions of this little soirée.

Finally, after thinking over everything that was being force-fed to them, James and Michael finally decided to stand and certify everything themselves. "So…your…uh, mate, was the eyes we saw in the bushes?" James asked confusedly, still rubbing his aching scalp. Clearly a blow to a steel roof, and then a blow from a hard old log wasn't a good combination.

"I was not there myself, but chances are most likely that she was indeed the one you saw. She told me about the whole experience. She and the other hunting parties should return shortly, so you could be able to ask her yourselves. However, there is one thing I wish to know from all of you." He spoke firmly.

David knew that this was time for them to get serious. He recognized the tone of authority when he heard it. Mason, Michael and James quickly made a beeline to their friend as the king looked at all of them with a firm and powerful glare. This obviously meant he knew how to inspire attention when he needed to. Clearly a good trait for a king. "I want to know, what is your purpose for being here?"

Right there, at that very moment, the four boys were momentarily stumped. For a second, none of them could remember how they even got to this strange new world. Then, out of the blue, it came back with full force. The plane. The only problem in telling that story, was explaining something as complicated as air travel, and crash landings to an animal, even if said animal WAS incredibly intelligent. However, they didn't want to face what consequences could be waiting if they didn't answer the king. Silently promising to all tell their story, the four boys stepped forward. Michael took another step forward, and decided to start.

"Well, it all started just the night before today. You see, we came here from up in the skies." He said as sensibly as he could, motioning to the clear blue skies overhead for reference. "We came in…well, a giant bird you could say." He continued, mentally slapping himself for talking on such nonsensical levels. However, he knew that nonsensical situations required just as absurd explanations.

Mason quickly took a step forward beside Michael, clearly wanting to continue for his friend. "You see, where we come from, we have birds, like what you no doubt have here, only they come in sizes you couldn't even begin to imagine. These birds carry our kind great distances, all across the entire world. However, the bird we were riding on, encountered a problem." He said, speaking as if he was talking to another human entirely. Once again, like with everything else he did, Michael, James and David were dumbstruck. Mason was pretty much always prepared for absolutely ANY situation apparently.

"That's right. Last night, the bird was…injured by some means we don't know of. Either way, the bird began to fall from the sky, with us still on it. If we hadn't done anything, we would have all died." James spoke up, joining his two other companions. David decided to finish their story and stepped forward. "Yeah. Our friend Michael tried to calm the bird and help turn its stomach to the ground. Since we're still alive, he obviously succeeded." He finished, placing a congratulatory hand on Michael's shoulder. "So, that's how we got here. As for why we're here, we came here completely by accident. We have no food, no water, and no way to call for help. We don't know where to go, nor do we have anywhere to go." Mason spoke solemnly.

"However, you have our deepest thanks for helping us the way you did, your Majesty." David added, catching the others off guard with his title for the lion they had just told their whole situation to.

When they turned their attention back Mufasa, they were surprised to see the surprised expression on his face. Quietly, and slowly, the great lion spoke up. "I believe I may have seen what you speak of." He said, to their surprise. "Last night, I came to check around the Pridelands for any troubles that may have needed assistance, and I heard the strangest noise coming from the stars. When I looked, I saw a creature I had never seen before plummeting from the night sky swallowed in flying flames. I was too shocked to act, but the entire Pridelands shook when the creature hit the ground. Was that the creature you all speak of?" he asked, clearly wanting an answer right now.

The boys instantly responded with a unanimous nod of the head. "That's exactly what it was. Do you know if anyone else could have noticed it when it happened?" Michael asked in mere curiosity. It was refreshing for the others to see he had finally returned to his calm, yet no-nonsense self.

"Well, as I had told you, the entire Pridelands shook when the creature you came on hit the ground. The entire pride had seen the whole happening as well. Some of the lionesses were still rather shaken from the whole event this afternoon before leaving for the hunt. However, with you all here, you could be able to finally calm their nerves." Mufasa explained, finally returning to his all too familiar warm expression.

Luckily the boys all nodded their heads to the lion king in understanding. They decided that if things were as bad as they thought, chances for rescue would be slim to none. If that was the case, wallowing about it wouldn't help. Making the best of the situation would, however.

"Now, the only thing I need to know now, are the names of your companions, David." He spoke, much less seriously now. Clearly, this had gotten Mason, James and Michael's attention, turning to David. It clearly didn't occur to them at the moment that he hadn't already given his name in their absence. Either way, dwelling on it was pointless, so they might as well have gotten used to it. Straightening themselves out to make themselves look more presentable, they stepped forward and quickly bowed down with their heads down.

"My name is James." James spoke up, trying to sound as respectful as he was capable of.

"Mine is Mason." Mason said in an overly courteous and aristocratic way he could manage. David and James couldn't help but slightly chuckle at this.

"Well, I don't know if you had already guessed it, but I am Michael." The bearded boy spoke in the perfect polite tone.

Surprisingly, the great lion they were currently bowing before gave a bit of a laugh and raised a huge paw in a rising manner. "Please, you don't need to bother yourselves with the formalities. Know that you don't have to bow or call me 'Your Majesty'. You can all just call me Mufasa." He spoke in a surprisingly warm manner for royalty. The boys were probably expecting him to have a massive ego, due to his title as 'king'.

They didn't have much time to think through of all this, because only a few moments later, Mufasa had come between the four of them, approaching the edge of the stone platform they stood upon, looking intently out to the grasslands. The four weary humans decided to see what was going on, just in time to see a large number of lionesses steadily approaching there location from the plains, a few of them carrying what looked like an antelope and a zebra on their backs. It didn't take much for the boys to register that this was the hunting party, finally back from…well, hunting.

Suddenly, at the most unexpected moment, Mufasa let out the most powerful and nearly deafening roar any of them had ever imagined hearing up close and personal. 'Maybe that's his way of calling a family meeting.' David thought to himself with a chuckle while his head was still ringing non-stop. Almost instantly, all the lionesses had dropped their dead prey at the base of a big stone slope, which was probably the entrance to this huge slab of rock. Just as quickly as David thought they would, all the lionesses rushed up the slope and soon formed a large circle around the king and the four human boys. Michael and James couldn't help but notice the many frightened looks they all were receiving, but it had to be expected. Humans probably weren't the norm around here.

Just as soon as they had formed, one lioness came to take a spot right next to the king. Her fur was a darker shade of tan, and the warm expression on her face clearly reflected a natural motherly factor. Clearly she was Mufasa's mate, the one reason the four of them weren't dead out in the grasslands right now. The very first thing they all noticed was her sharp gold-ish orange eyes. That clearly proved this was the same lioness they had encountered all the way back in that grassy hell.

Michael was the one to react the most to this discovery. Apparently, he still had a bit of jumpiness inside him, and he clearly was losing his composure. However, that tension was almost instantly broken when the sound of a scuffle broke through the circle, and Mason and James instantly noticed two lion cubs rolling across the ground, clearly fighting with each other, but the laughing clearly meant they were playing, albeit roughly.

Suddenly, Mufasa spoke out powerfully and strictly. "Simba, Nala, that is enough!" Just as the boys had expected, the cubs stopped fighting almost instantly and instantly separated to their respective parents. The cub with the darker golden coat instantly ran to Mufasa and Sarabi, sitting intently between the two of them. His eyes were the same brilliant gold of Mufasa's, and he looked like he was just barely growing a bit of a mane on the top of his head. They were just making a shot-in-the-dark guess, but this was probably the one called Simba. The cub with the bright tan coat, which they basically deduced was Nala instantly ran to a lone lioness in the circle. She didn't have any noticeable qualities different from the other lionesses, except for her brilliant blue eyes.

For a reason the boys didn't understand, nobody, not even the king or his queen or the cubs said anything. The tension they could feel in the air could be cut with a knife at this point. Only a second later did Michael suddenly notice an empty spot in the circle the pride had formed. He had begun to wonder what it was there for when Mufasa suddenly spoke, in more of an annoyed mutter rather than a full-blown statement. "*sigh* Scar is late, again. I guess we'll have to tell him later." He whispered mainly to himself before he finally returned to his professional stance as the king of the pride.

"Everyone, I have important news to share with you all. Obviously, the four humans you have all found in the Pridelands are here before us. I have called you all here to tell you what there is for you to know of these four boys. First of all, their names are David, Michael, James and Mason, and we shall all refer to them as such. This is our first encounter with humans in the Pridelands, and I will not have them referred to as anything but their own name. As long as they are here, they are no more, no less important than all the creatures in the Pridelands." He stated powerfully so as to get his point across.

This was a rather unusual "council meeting" they were caught up in the middle of, but deep down, the four weary humans couldn't help but feel a little bit flattered, to already be spoken of so highly by the king of this entire pride. Thankfully, all the lionesses looked rather understanding of the conditions of their kings' decree, and rather understanding on a personal level. 'Guess this means we're more than welcome here.' James thought thankfully to himself.

"Furthermore, I know you are all still rather concerned with the unusual events of last night, and I am happy to say that you all have no need to fear anything out there in the kingdom. Our human visitors have told me of the means by which they arrived here in our Pridelands, and they shall tell you all what they have told me." He said calmly and informatively as he turned his attention from the pride, to the four humans in the center.

Ignoring the attentive gaze of a creature as grand as a lion, is a difficult task already, but trying to not notice the attentive gaze of a lion that was clearly expecting something of you was impossible. Knowing this for a fact, the four boys readied themselves, stood shoulder to shoulder so as to face the entire pride, and proceeded to tell their entire story, just as they had told Mufasa only minutes ago, turn by turn, from the explanation of flight, to their instantaneous crash landing. To even help clear the air of absolutely any confusion, Mufasa stepped in and explained that this was just what they had seen the night before, so as to ease the pride of their worries. Thankfully, it worked.

By the time the four friends had finally ended their story, explaining the desperation of their current situation, the entire pride was filled with expressions of either amazement, or pity. A few moments of awkward silence hung over all present as the orange rays of the sun began to disappear behind the Savannah, the sky beginning to sparkle with millions of stars, accompanied with the glow from the full moon. Only moments later did Mufasa break the silence once more. "It is all too clear to all of us here, that you four, still only children, have been through a great deal in such a short amount of time. While you have the sympathies of myself, my family, and the pride, at the same time, you have clearly gained the respect of us all for the courage you all had displayed when facing what could very well have been your end. It must have been terrifying, to experience what you all had, but it is a commendable feat to face such danger for the sake of those you care about." Mufasa stated for David, Mason, Michael and James and the entire pride to hear.

Unanimously, all the pride nodded their heads in agreement to their king. "You all must be very weak and worn from what you have had to endure. In recognition for the bravery you had all shown, you are welcome to stay here for as long as you like. Do any of you have any objections to this?" he asked, referring to both the pride, and the humans.

Thankfully, none of the pride said anything. They all seemed to agree with their king that these four strangers had undergone enough for a while. As for said humans, they didn't see anything to object about. Michael wasn't all that comfortable with living with an entire pride of lions, and neither was James, but they seemed to be pretty welcoming, and in the case of their king, rather friendly. Plus, they were too worn out to really keep traveling, so this was what would be best.

"Then it is agreed. As of this moment, you are all considered members of the Pridelands." Mufasa finally finished, signing the end of this get together with another powerful roar, which was met with a unison of roars from all the lionesses, leaving the four boys clutching their ringing heads once again, but dealing with it. When the lions had all begun to disperse to the kills from the hunt at the foot of the slope, Mason suddenly noticed the pitch-black sky, and the watch around his wrist. "Wow. That lasted a lot longer than I thought." Michael said in a yawn as he looked over Mason's shoulder.

"Yeah. I don't know about you guys, but crashing your own plane, knocking yourself out on a petrified log, learning that lions are intelligent and can speak is a bit too much for me." James said in agreement with Michael. "I'm just gonna try and find someplace to sleep back inside. If they are expecting us to…well…eat those animals with them, please tell them I don't mean to be rude by refusing." Michael said to David and Mason as he and James began to walk back into the opening of the rock wall. David and Mason made a quick glance at each other, momentarily thinking what the best course of action was, and almost instantly, Mason turned on a heel, and began to walk down the rock slope to the other lions. "Sorry, man, but I for one am starving, and I actually know what to do with wild animal meat." He spoke up to David as he disappeared from the black haired boys sight.

David started momentarily turning his gaze from the slope, to the cave, and back and forth, trying to ignore the growling coming from his stomach. Finally he bowed his head, raised it back up, shrugged his shoulders, and quickly followed after Mason. He knew they would have to adapt to this kind of lifestyle if they were gonna survive.

Well guys, there's the second chapter. I meant to make chapter 2 and 3 in one day, but I'll have plenty of time tomorrow to continue this story by several chapters, depending on what happens over the day. I found it kind of difficult to keep Mufasa in character, in the frame of a wise and powerful king, kind-hearted, yet not afraid to command attention and authority when he needs to. However, I think I did a decent job at it. Anyway, Read and review, please. It took me seven hours to finally get this chapter just right. Thank you all.