Harry sat in silent thinking, feeling at a total loss; after having heard Mufasa explain that after Richard had disappeared, rumours had surfaced of him having been a traitor who had fled to escape punishment, he didn't know what to make of it. Although touched to learn that Mufasa had refused to believe those 'rumours' all along, the news that his brother might have been involved in some traitorous affair, presumably for his own gain, was highly disturbing. Even more so was the realisation that he was back to square one; even Mufasa's pride, who had last seen Richard alive, didn't know what had happened to him or whether he was dead or alive.
All his life, Harry had known Richard to be highly ambitious, with a great thirst for knowledge or anything that would promote his scientific career. He also knew him to sometimes be prone to taking unnecessary and often reckless risks to achieve his goals if necessary. However, he also knew his brother to value his friendship with others and would never betray someone he had grown so close to in favour of a personal pursuit. According to Mufasa, Richard had simply taken off one night and never returned, leaving his fate open to speculations. Trying to maintain his calm, he turned to his host, who seemed to be waiting for his own explanation.
"With all due respect Mufasa, but you didn't know my brother like I did; he was ambitious and sometimes reckless, but he was never disloyal. He would never double-cross anyone he regarded a friend to suit his own interests. No, whatever happened to Richard can't be related to betrayal. I only wish I knew where he was now; even if I could find his body to bury him, would provide some sense of closure…" Suddenly, inspired by his own words, Harry realised something very important; if Richard had never left the plateau, given that nobody had actually seen him go, then could this mean, maybe he was still here somewhere? Perhaps he was marooned or stranded? Maybe he was still alive? Although his assumption sounded highly optimistic given that he hadn't showed up after all this time, Harry didn't want to give up hope just yet. As if reading his mind, Mufasa said, "My Pride and I will help you in every way we can to find your brother. In the meantime, I insist you stay with us until you're better and we've found your missing men. So, will you accept my offer?"
Harry considered for a moment; he knew that Mufasa probably felt he had offended him by telling him what had happened with Richard…as much as they knew, or rather assumed anyway. In true, although rather shocked at the explanation, Harry felt Mufasa was on his side, at least regarding Richard, and he could trust him. Finally, realising he had little choice anyway he looked at it, he nodded, "Very well Mufasa, I'll stay. And I thank you for your hospitality."
"The pleasure is all mine," Mufasa replied curtly, a warm smile forming across his face, "Come, the kill will soon attract flies and I am starving." It was only then when Harry realised his own hunger; after not having consumed a single calorie in over 72 hours, he felt close to collapse. The thought of fresh, juicy meat, a meal he hadn't enjoyed since before the war, made his lips water. Then he realised a serious problem; as a human, he couldn't consume meat raw like his lion hosts could, least of all that of wildlife game, which could give him serious, if not lethal, food poisoning. And unfortunately, he had no cooking utensils, or even any means of building a fire. Going through his pockets, he realised he had lost his matchbox, which had thrown from the balloon along with his pipe and tobacco.
Studying his surroundings, he saw nothing useful in making a fire; although there was plenty of wood and dry grass, there was nothing to produce a flame or even a spark. The surrounding rocks were solid but unsuitable to improvise flints by striking his sword against them. Then, his eyes lit up as he took out his watch and studied it. Most pocket watches were a customary design with a single glass face cover and other metal one to cover the works behind. Harry's however was a slightly unusual make, which used glass coverings back and front. With some basic knowledge of physics and a bit of luck, he would soon have an improvised lighter at hand…
As Mufasa led him back to Pride Rock, Harry paused to pick up an armful of dry wood and twigs. Catching Mufasa's confused look, he explained, "Cooking wood. I'll need a fire to cook my share…" As he had feared, Mufasa frowned, "Fire? Fire is dangerous, a threat to life! Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Harry smiled, "Trust me; it's perfectly safe as long as we don't leave the fire unattended. However, you may want to issue a word of warning to the other lionesses though. We don't need a panic." Ascending the stone ramp up to Pride Rock, they saw the lionesses had returned from the hunt with a large buffalo; a feast, big enough to feed the entire pride, lay before them.
Setting down the pile of wood on the rocky ground, away from the cave entrance, Harry took out his watch. Carefully unscrewing both of the curved glass covers from their frames and crossing them together, he improvised a lens. This in turn was placed in the path of the sunlight, concentrating the sun's rays on a twig. Meanwhile, the entire pride, having heard Mufasa's explanation of what their guest was doing, had diverted their attention to Harry's endeavour. Zira, who had approached for a closer look, or perhaps to sneer at the man's efforts, jumped back in surprise as the twig in Harry's hand suddenly burst into flame like a match. The man placed it under the pile of wood and soon had a roaring fire going.
Turning back to the pride, he saw the lionesses all staring at him, some in amazement at his accomplishment and others with owe. Their natural fear of fire, one built so close to their home nonetheless, had them all on edge. In Zira's case however, she seemed more bad-tempered than afraid, probably disgusted that Harry was getting so much attention. After a while, everything quietened down again and the lionesses returned to their duties.
As per the lions' etiquette, which Harry had learned from Richard, the male lions of the pride, including Mufasa and Scar, would be the first to eat while the lionesses waited their turn. Harry was about to join the group and wait his turn when, to his utmost amazement, Mufasa called him over to join him and his brother at the 'lunch table'. Drawing his sword, Harry peeled over the furry skin from the hip of the buffalo and cut himself a large chunk of meat from the bicep. Then, running the blade through the meat like a spit, he turned and held it over his fire, gently turning it over at slow intervals. A short while later, a nice, juicy steak was ready for serving.
Rejoining his hosts, Harry took his first bite out of his first hot meal in months, a great relief from the tinned corned beef and hardtack rations from the trenches. Although lacking salt or spices, the meat was good and filled with all the protein and carbohydrates needed to revive Harry's starving body. Since he had no dish or cutlery, he resolved to forget his normal table etiquette and eat with his hands, making a mental note to try and improvise some proper eating utensils later. By the time the lionesses had also had their turn, there was nothing left of the buffalo but a pile of gnarled bare bones.
That night, Harry, feeling well-fed, clean, and in better health, lay down to sleep on the den floor, using his folded-up jacket as a pillow, the lionesses all snuggled up around him. As he lay staring at the night sky through the cave entrance, he kept contemplating his fate. He had already been here two days; so far, he had found no way back to civilisation or any trace of his men. Would he ever see England again? And where were his companions? Had they survived or where they dead? And then there was this mystery with his brother; what had happened to Richard? Maybe Mufasa was still withholding something more from him? In spite of his uneasy thoughts, he was exhausted and soon drifted off to sleep, plagued by nightmares of his brother being thrown to his death by an unseen assailant with a sinister laugh…
By the morning of the third day in the Pride Lands, Harry felt much better, his heath quickly returning. It was such that on that day he found himself accompanying Mufasa on one of his 'morning rounds', a routine walk where the king would go around the kingdom in person, inspecting for problems and ensuring order. Like a farmer tending to his cattle, Mufasa proceeded to inspect each of the herds from a safe distance, as the indifferent animals grazed peacefully by their waterholes.
Harry was observing the carefully arranged order of the 'kingdom', amazed by the bounty of nature, which surpassed even the best farms in the world. Frustrated by not having some paper and ink to document all of this, he listened to Mufasa explain the secret to his leadership over this entire ecosystem.
"All the creatures exist together in a delicate balance; as king, it is my duty, aside from defending the pride from harm, to maintain that balance and eliminate all threats to it. Other than rogues, who often come seeking to seize leadership, our greatest enemies are scavengers, including hyenas and vultures. Those careless, foul creatures tend to multiply uncontrollably until they risk overwhelming our herds. On Richard's advice, we carefully listed the creatures that pose the greatest threat and offer the least contribution to the Great Circle of Life and drove them out, greatly improving the stability of the kingdom."
"The Great Circle of Life? I presume that is your name for the natural cycle?" Harry asked, trying to relate Mufasa's philosophy to his own academic knowledge. For centuries, humanity sought to understand and master the functions of nature; Mufasa's kind had apparently attempted likewise, aided by the information gained from occasional human visitors, including Sir Joshua and Richard. Mufasa smiled at his guest's understanding of his philosophy.
"My father always said that even though we may not be of the same species, the Circle of Life unites us in a common bond. We kill and eat the antelope or the zebra or the buffalo, yet when we die our bodies become fresh grass which our prey eats to survive. We are all connected in the Great Circle of Life."
"That's what nature is all about Mufasa; shame many people back in my world, blinded by their quest for profit and power, tend to negate the fact that we are all part of nature. There are some things about human civilisation which I had being associated with, including humanity's temptation of inventing more effective ways to kill and destroy each other. Both as a doctor and a soldier, I have had the misfortune of witnessing such atrocities up close, sometimes even forced to participate to fulfil my duty to my homeland. The war going on back home is a direct result of a competition for power."
"And do you believe that all this killing and fighting will resolve anything?" Mufasa asked in a neutral voice. Harry considered for a moment; he could understand Mufasa was actually testing him, to determine his feelings regarding his kind's endless quest for power.
"I would be lying if I stated that I completely disapprove of the war effort," the doctor-turned soldier replied grimly, "I believe it is your right to kill in self-defence or to protect those around you. But killing for greed or simply to demonstrate your power is an atrocity. I recall, when we escaped the Front, one of the enemy accidentally ended up stranded with us; at first, we were all yielding to the impulse of killing him but then relented when we saw he was unarmed and in no position to pose a threat."
"Sometimes showing mercy to your worst enemy is your triumph," Mufasa said, reciting another of his philosophies, "If your kill a helpless opponent in cold blood, with the sole purpose of venting your hate onto him, you will still be giving him the satisfaction of sinking to his level on his account." Harry could have clapped; while this philosophy would have very little meaning in the War Office back in London, to him it certainly reflected what the spirit of the majority of humanity lacked the most. In spite of his determination of finding his men and figuring a way back to civilisation, Harry couldn't help but feel a strong bond with this strange new world...
Later that afternoon, as they made their way back to Pride Rock to eat, Mufasa took Harry to a rocky outcrop at the back of Pride Rock, hidden amidst the trees that decorated the majestic rock formation. The lion king went and stood before a stone, which stood out from the surrounding rocks because of its unnatural smooth corners, looking as if it had been worked on by a human hand. Sure enough, bending for a closer look, Harry spotted an inscription engraved in the headstone:
HERE REST IN PEACE
SIR JOSHUA CODY AND HIS WIFE ROSA
THE FIRST EXPLORERS TO DISCOVER THE PRIDE LANDS
WHILEST IN THE SERVICE OF HER SOVEREIGN MAJESTY
QUEEN VICTORIA OF ENGLAND.
SUCCUMBED TO MALARIA ON THE 26TH JUNE
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 1882
Harry sighed as he stared at the long forgotten graves of the Codies, the first British explorers to visit the Pride Lands during the colonisation of Central Africa in the 19th century, but whose discovery was never believed by the Royal Society. Their journals however, which had been brought back to England by their porters, following their deaths, had eventually ended up in the hands of Richard who chose to follow in their footsteps, which brought him all the way to this plateau.
Turning back to Mufasa, he saw the massive lion digging at a patch of soil between two boulders at the base of his home. Harry watched amazed, as the soil suddenly fell away, revealing another cave, which had been sealed off after years of mudslides caused by the heavy climate of the Pride Lands. Glancing inside, he saw the cave was in fact a former human shelter; some crudely-made furniture fashioned out of branches lay scattered about, as well as an old makeshift fireplace in the centre of the cave. Everything was coated in decades of dust and cobwebs, testifying to the long-term desolation of the place.
Stepping inside the shelter for a better look, Harry saw more signs of past human visitors; a selection of decaying artefacts, including a few empty bottles, a bowl of used gun cartridges, a broken lantern, some mouldy rags, a pail, a few rusted tools and instruments, as well as a few other odds and ends, each dating from different time periods, lay scattered around the cave. Picking up an empty corned beef can, bearing the crest of a familiar British brand on its fading label, he read the date of canning as 1912, testifying to his brother's visit to the plateau.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much, and time and nature had long since taken their toll on all this junk left behind by past explorers, leaving nothing useful for Harry to salvage. Nonetheless, he made a mental note of returning later to have a better look. As if reading his mind, Mufasa spoke.
"We reserve this cave as living quarters for any likely guests. Ever since Richard disappeared, it has been left unattended…Anyway, I was wondering, maybe you would like to set up home here? You're still welcome to sleep in the main cave if you like, but I think some humans appreciate their privacy…"
"That will do just fine Mufasa," Harry replied, pleased with the offer. He knew that some of the lionesses weren't too happy with him sharing their sleeping area and a private spot would offer him some good advantages during his stay here…however long that would be. The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't help but feel more and more at home in this strange land he was stranded in…
Author's note: Coming up next, we shift a few weeks forward, following Harry's adjustment to the new world and continue the LK story from canon. Also, the name Sir Joshua Cody is borrowed from Crossing Boundaries by Hewylewis. Enjoy and please review!
