Yay for two chapters, I'm so good at this. :s
Chapter two: What You Really Are
The two lions trudged on through the savannah, towards the huge stone Seth had pointed out earlier. They figured that something had to live there, and maybe they would be welcome to stay. Night was falling, and neither one wanted to be outside when it did.
"Jeez Seth, can't we rest for a few minutes at least?" Jack pleaded, "We haven't stopped moving for hours…"
"I'm tired too Jack, but I want to find somewhere safe where we can maybe figure out why in the world we were transformed into lions!" I replied, annoyed. My fur was getting matted and my paws hurt from the endless walking. Jack's complaints did nothing but further aggravate me. He sighed and lowered his head, continuing on. The sun had now fully set, and we were nowhere near the monolith. My spirits rose, however, when I spotted an old, gnarled tree in the distance. It had limbs that twisted out from the trunk in every direction, with broad leaves sheltering the ground below.
Not much of a shelter…I thought tentatively, But it'll have to do for now.
"'Ey Jack!" I said, "See that tree? I think we'll have to rest there for the night."
He nodded in agreement, and we lay down near the trunk, exhausted.
"Ahh… That's much better." Jack mumbled with a sigh of relief.
"Well, we still have a ways to go in the morning, but at least we can sleep here." I agreed. My eyelids drooped, and I found it increasingly hard to stay awake. When I could fight it no longer, I gave in to the urge to sleep.
Little did the two know, high up in the tree was a curious old mandrill watching them intently. The mandrill suddenly sped down to the center of the tree, where two peculiar symbols drew his interest.
A perfect fit…Thought the mandrill, as he did a mental comparison. The symbols were carbon copys of the ones on the two brother's backs…The mandrill cackled and clapped his hands, a crooked smile spreading across his face. He grabbed his staff, the empty gourds at the top rattling together, and returned to his perch at the top of the tree.
It is time! The mandrill thought in glee. De morning bring surprises for dese two!
Surprises indeed…
I opened my eyes groggily in the morning to see the sun rising, a magnificent ball of orange peeking over the horizon. The beautiful sight made me forget the world for a few seconds, basking in the first rays of light to hit the earth. I turned around and stretched my legs, hearing small cracks as I relaxed. I heard a loud yawn, and suddenly Jack was sitting next to me, still half asleep.
"We should get moving soon, if we want to get there early." I said. Jack just groaned and put his paws over his eyes.
"Do we have to do it now? I need to sleep more…" Jack mumbled. I rolled my eyes at his laziness but allowed him to sleep for a few more minutes. I walked over to where he was sleeping, and shook him awake.
"Jack, JACK! Get up! We have to get moving." I yelled in his ear.
"mmmbbbbblllll" was his reply, and he rolled over. I sighed in frustration, and punched him in the shoulder to get him awake.
"Ow! Come on Seth, why'd you have to-" he was cut off as a strange monkey came flying down from the tree in between us.
"WHOA!" We both yelped, startled. The mandrill only smiled.
"'Ello to you too!" he replied, laughing. His creepy laugh only made me angrier at the fact that he startled us.
"Hey! What the hell was that for?" I said, swinging a paw at the mandrill. The mandrill just laughed and jumped away.
"Come on up you!" he said, "Dere's much that you must know…"
Jack and I looked at each other, confused.
What…? Whoa, wait a minute!" I thought in excitement, Maybe this crazy old monkey knows what happened to us!"
"Come on Jack" I said with a smile. I unsheathed my claws and jumped up the tree. He still looked confused, but soon followed suit. I fought my way through the leaves to the center of the tree, where the monkey sat, meditating. I looked around at the various drawings on the walls, where a certain drawing of a beige colored lion with a red mane drew my attention.
Wait a minute…Isn't that…Simba? I thought in disbelief. Suddenly, everything made a little bit more, and a little bit less sense all at once.
So…That explains why we're lions. But HOW IS THIS REAL!
My thoughts were interrupted as the mandrill took hold of my ear and turned my head towards the opposite wall, where the same symbols that Jack and I had on our backs were burned into the wood.
"What…" Jack said, dumbfounded.
"You see? De symbols, Dey mean more than you think!" The mandrill said cryptically.
"So…These symbols, actually do something?" I wondered out loud.
"Yees!" He said with a clap of his hands, "De one you have stand for life! You brutha's stand for death." He said ominously.
"You are destined to be a great healer!" The mandrill chuckled at me.
"And you, a great warrior!" He pointed at Jack.
"You must learn to use de symbols, but that will not come easily!" He warned. I just sat there, stunned, my mouth agape.
"No time to dawdle! I must start your training!" The mandrill said, sliding down the tree. At the bottom of the tree he whistled loudly, and out of nowhere, a huge, battle-scarred tan lion appeared at the base of the tree.
"Yes, Rafiki?" He said in a slow, deep voice, his keen blue eyes gazing upon the small mandrill.
Wait, so this monkey's Rafiki? Oh damn it, how did I not see it before? I mentally slapped myself for not realizing it sooner.
"Go, take this one and train him Abasi!" Rafiki said, pointing at Jack. Abasi glanced up and saw Jack, his eyes widening as his gaze wandered to the symbol on Jack's shoulder. He then smiled and nodded.
"Come down here young one, your training must not be delayed." He said with a smile, eyes glinting. Jack tentatively padded over to Abasi; he looked shaken by all that was happening, and I couldn't blame him.
"Follow me, your brother has training of his own to do here, you may not see each other for quite some time…" Abasi said calmly. All I could do was wave quickly before Abasi and Jack padded off to some "secret" area. As I sighed and turned around, Rafiki was peering at me intently, as if judging me.
"Yes, yes…You will make a good shaman one day" He whispered to himself, laughing.
Shaman? Like some kind of voodoo doll carrying crazy person? This is way too damn crazy! I thought to myself.
"What exactly IS going-" I started, turning towards Rafiki, who then snapped his staff back over his head and smashed against my head.
"OW! WHAT THE HELL!" I shouted, my head now had a large bump forming where the staff hit.
"Lesson one: Do not question the spirits!" He said cackling. I groaned and massaged my injured head.
"Don't think dis will be easy!" Rafiki advised.
Little did they know, the year ahead would seem like hell on earth.
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