Chapter 11, The beginning of a new life
Jay woke up to the sound of gurgling water as the currents pressed against his legs. He felt something wet and rough pressing against his cheek. He leaned up and saw he was laying along the banks of the river. His clothes felt soaked and covered with dirt. He looked all around. There was no sign of the road or the jeep. There were only fields and hills of green grass along with umbrella trees.
"Mom?" he said.
Jay stood up and walked up into the grass. He looked out over the fields.
"Mom, where are you?" he called again.
"Mom?!"
There still was nothing.
He remembered what happened last night. Those three men came and attacked them. He saw his mother lying on the ground after being shot. He wanted to help her, but she told him to run. There wasn't any choice. When he ran through the plains he heard the sound of a gunshot from...
Jay stood silently in the tall grass. Tears began to form and seep down from his eyes. He fell against an umbrella tree and slid down, his knees brought up to his chest. He crossed his arms and pressed his forehead over them. His mother, the one and only family he ever had, was gone.
He continued to cry when he suddenly heard a rustling from the grass. Jay looked up and peered at the long grass. He saw several strands of grass parting one another as some thing moved toward him. It was getting closer.
Jay turned and slid back away from whatever was coming.
And suddenly from out of the long grass came... A lion cub.
Jay sat wide eyed. The cub peered back at him, looking as taken back as he was at sight of him. The lion cub continued to look at the boy. It didn't move an inch away. Just then, there was the sound of more movement through the grass.
"Nala," a voice called, one that Jay couldn't hear.
Nala looked back. She saw her mother and several of the lionesses coming up behind her.
"Mom, look!" said Nala.
The two lionesses looked and saw the lonely boy, sitting there. Their eyes widened in shock and surprise. A human was sitting right in front of them.
"What is that thing?" Nala asked her mother
"I think that's a- man." she answered.
Several lionesses came out of the grass and walked around Jay. They narrowed their heads, leaning forward to the boy. Jay huddled back from them.
"It looks smaller than what everyone says." one of the other lioness said.
"It must be a cub."
"A cub?" Nala's mother said looking to the lioness.
"How did it get here?"
"Sarafina?"
Sarafina looked back. She saw a lioness the same age as her and had darkly tanned fur.
"Sarafina, whats going on?" she said.
The lioness came up Sarafina as she turned and saw Jay. She then paused. The boy was looking back at her, staring wide eyed. Sarabi stared back at him in awe.
"
She narrowed her head and crept closer to the boy.
"Be careful, Sarabi." Sarafina said.
"It could be dangerous."
Sarabi came up to the boy. He slid back from her, only to then came up before one of the other lionesses. Jay then stood there as he glanced back at the lioness. Sarabi narrowed her head and leaned forward, sniffing him curiously. She then narrowed her head and glanced down at the boy. He looked back up at her, his eyes filled with fear and tears seeping down his cheeks. She looked around and saw no other human in sight.
"Sarabi?" asked one of her fellow lioness.
"I've never seen a man-cub before, Sarafina." said Sarabi still looking at the boy.
"What's he doing here alone?"
Sarafina came up to the Sarabi's side.
"He must be abandoned." she said.
"Why would man abandon a young cub like this out here?" asked Sarabi looking to Sarafina.
Sarabi was so confused. She had heard many tales of man from her father and other animals. The tales of furless beasts that walk on two feet and hunts with weapons that shoot fire. They were said to have hunt even when they weren't hungry. They've taken many lives of animals, even ones in this very region. They may be said to be killers, but she never imagined that they would leave their young in the wild where they could be killed by other predators.
While the law states never to hunt or kill man, hyenas never did honor nor follow. If they were to find Jay, they would surely kill the boy. It was the same fate her son suffered.
"I don't know." Sarafina answered.
"What are we going to do with it?" asked Nala wondering what they were going to do with this man cub.
Sarabi looked back to Jay. He needed a home and a mother or he'll die out here. But man lived vary far from these lands and no one would ever make the journey there and come back alive. However the lioness conspired to another alternative solution for the fate of the boy. Deep inside, Sarabi had but a small voice convincing her to what action she should take. She had recently lost her own cub. But now she had found one that had lost it's own mother. Now there came another chance, not just for her but for her mate as well.
The very idea caused much anticipation and her very heart felt so mended. To raised this child as her own, was all she had ever wanted.
"We should bring him with us." said Sarabi.
The lionesses looked at her in shock.
"What?" said Sarafina looking to her friend.
"We could take care of him." Sarabi said.
Sarafina was stunned by Sarabi's words. Bringing a man cub into the pride? Though this was her choice, seeing that she was the queen and her mate was king. But this was a man cub, one that would grow up into a man.
"Sarabi you can't be-' she said but was quickly interrupted by Sarabi.
"Sarafina, look at him." Sarabi said.
The two lionesses gazed down to the abandoned child. The sight of Jay bared such pain and loss. He was without any care of a family, the most tormenting thing to face.
"He's scared and alone."
Sarafina looked to Jay who still stood with his knees to his chest. He was a man cub, a child of man. But even with that, he was still just a cub. He doesn't deserve to be left out here alone, ripped from his home, abandoned with no hope of making it out here alone.
But would the others approve of this? They know what humans are like, and wouldn't be open-minded to letting one live among them. But they have to show them this man-cub, especially Mufassa.
"We should probably show him to Mufassa and the others." Sarafina said.
Sarabi thought about that. She knew Mufassa would be on her side. But his brother Taka was another story. She knew he would never approve of this. The others would be the same. But she had to try, for Jay's sake.
"You're right." Sarabi agreed.
"Come; let's take him back to Pride rock."
The lioness turned back toward Jay. She walked up to the boy and nudged him. Jay looked to the lioness. Sarabi hunkered down, allowing him to get on. Jay hesitated. He was confused about why she was doing this, allowing him to get on her back. The boy crawled up and got on the back of the lioness. After he settled down on her back Sarabi got back up. She looked toward Sarafina and Nala.
"Come." she said.
The lioness began to walk back the way they had come. Nala and Sarafina and the other lionesses followed after them. As they walked along, Jay just sat on Sarabi's back, continuing to think about his long mother. His life in the world of man was forever over. But a new one was about to begin.
(That's all for now, I hope you guys enjoyed. If there's anyone who had ideas or requests for this story, feel free to tell me and as always, please comment and review)
