Chapter 28 Roawr!
"Today's lesson for you three is to explore a world known as the Pride Lands," Master Eraqus says to Terra, Aqua, and Ven the next morning after the breakfast dishes had been washed and put away. "I have already spoken to the leader there and he is expecting you. He understands who you are and will help you acclimate to the world."
"What is there to get used to?" Terra asks.
"Ah, that is the surprise," Master Eraqus says with a smile. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Ven roll his eyes. "Also, you will be traveling by light corridor. Let's head outside and I will teach you."
The Terra and Aqua follow Master Eraqus to the front door with Ven bringing up the rear and dragging his feet. Outside, Master Eraqus waits patiently for Ven to catch up before beginning to speak. "Summoning a light corridor requires coming in contact with the light realm which connects all the worlds. These corridors can be extremely useful, but should not be overused. Walking the light corridors too often is very dangerous. If you remain too long in contact with the light realm it will attack the darkness in your heart and end up destroying you. However, light corridors are perfectly safe to use sparingly, and sometimes, like today, they are a safer way to enter a world than using your keyblade gliders." Master Eraqus looks to his apprentices to see if they have any questions, but they do not so he continues.
"Only knowing the name of the world you wish to go to is enough to summon a corridor to take you there. If however, you have been to the world before you will be able to decide which part of the world you want the corridor to take you to. Now, all three of you can try to summon a corridor, and you may depart once one of you has succeeded. Simply hold your hand out and draw upon your inner light while focusing on the world, in this case the Pride Lands, and a corridor will appear." He moves a few steps away to observe his students attempts. The three of them stand slightly apart, each with their hand held out before them and their brows furrowed.
The seconds stretch into minutes as nothing happens. Unsurprisingly, it is Aqua who is the first to succeed as a small pinprick of light appears in front of her which spirals out into a large portal. Both Ven and Terra stop their attempts and walk over. "Nice job Aqua," Terra says giving her a smile.
"Alright," Master Eraqus says. "Spend as long as you like in the Pride Lands. It will be a different experience for all of you. As I said, the leader of the world is expecting you. His name is Mufasa, and he will help you. As always be safe and polite." Master Eraqus says the last part directly to Ven who scowls.
With their curiosity fit to bursting at what they will find in the Pride Lands, Terra, Aqua, and Ven walk through the light corridor. As it disappears behind them, Master Eraqus turns to head back into the castle and begin Sora and Riku's lesson on dodge rolls, but something in the sky catches his eye. He turns to watch as two keyblade riders descend to him. He instantly recognizes the rider clothed in silver armor on the larger blue rider as Master Yen Sid, and he infers the the the small rider with gold and silver armor on the red glider is his apprentice Mickey. They land at the steps to MEKA and dismiss their gliders and armor. Master Yen Sid steps forward to greet Master Eraqus with a graver expression than usual.
"Eraqus, my old friend," Master Yen Sid says. "I am afraid I have some troubling news."
Master Eraqus becomes very serious and asks, "What is it?"
Master Yen Sid replies, "It has to do with the world of Carinol, and your apprentice Ventus."
…
Ven blinks as he walks out of the light corridor. The landscape has changed drastically to a wild open savanna, and everything seems larger. He senses movement behind him and turns to see Terra and Aqua step out of the light corridor as well, except they don't look like Terra and Aqua. "Are you guys...lions?" Ven asks shocked, taking in their new appearances.
"Apparently," Terra says as he examines his new form. His fur is tan in color and his large mane is a dark brown. Standing beside him is Aqua, whose fur is very pale with just a hint of blue to it. As both turn to look at Ven curiously, he realizes he is looking up to both of them.
"Hey," Ven says slowly. "Why are you guys taller than me?"
"You're so cute Ven!" Aqua exclaims bending her head down to be at his level. "Aw, you're just a little cub."
"What!" Ven shouts craning his next to look at himself. Compared to the other two he is tiny with light yellow fur and only a few tufts of blond hair where his mane would be. "Not fair! Why am I a cub?" He flops down on his stomach with a disgruntled expression and the few hairs he does have fall in his eyes.
He mutters angrily to himself as Terra and Aqua laugh at his outburst. "So where are we going to find this Mufasa guy?" Terra asks looking around.
"Well," Aqua replies. "If we're lions he is probably a lion too."
"Good point. Which way do you think we should go to look for him?" Terra asks. "Maybe towards that big rock thing?"
Aqua and Ven look in the direction he is talking about to see a huge rock formation jutting out of the otherwise flat landscape. Ven gets to his feet with a shrug. "Seems like the best place to look."
Aqua nods and they begin to walk towards the pile of rocks. They move awkwardly at first as they adjust to four legs, but soon they are moving along at a comfortable speed. They stop to rest for a moment at a small oasis, taking a few minutes to drink some water out of the little pool and rest in the shade. Their brief hiatus is interrupted however when heartless suddenly appear around them.
With four Living Bone heartless approaching with their skeletal jaws snapping in anticipation, Terra, Aqua, and Ven bunch together to face their attackers. "How do we fight as lions?" Ven asks from between Terra and Aqua. They exchange a worried glance.
"Should we make a run for it?" Aqua asks Terra and he nods.
"Head for those rocks!" He shouts and they turn and sprint towards the rock formation still far off in the distance. Clattering from behind them alerts them to the fact that the heartless are in pursuit. Ven runs as fast he can, but even still, Terra and Aqua begin to pull ahead of him. His legs are just too short to keep up.
"Ven!" Aqua calls back when she sees he has fallen behind. She and Terra skid to a stop and wait for Ven to catch up.
The Living Bone heartless are gaining ground on Ven and when he looks back one snaps a little too close to his tail. Ven lets out a small yelp and tries to run even faster, but he trips up as his still new four legs tangle together. With more yelping he tumbles across the ground coming to a stop on his back. He lies there defenseless as one of the huge heartless runs at him with its mouth open wide and its sharp teeth glinting in the sun. A huge roar comes from behind Ven and he sees Terra jump over him and slash at the heartless with his claws. As Ven gets to his feet, he feels something grab him around the middle and pull him off his feet. Yelping in surprise, Ven twists to see that Aqua had picked him up in her mouth and is carrying him as she and Terra continue their sprint across the savanna.
As the rock formation gets closer, Ven hears another roar, this one deeper and more powerful than Terra's. He looks back to see that the Living Bone heartless are slowly gaining ground on Terra and Aqua. A few heart pounding minutes later, the heartless are snapping at their heels, but help has finally arrived. A large full grown lion and several lionesses come out of nowhere to attack the Living Bone heartless. With two or three lions per heartless, it only takes a few moments for the lions to put an end to the threat. With sides heaving in an attempt to catch their breath, Terra and Aqua make their way slowly to the lions that saved them.
"Let me go!" Ven complains trying to wiggle out of Aqua's hold. "Aqua! This is so embarrassing! Just put me down already." Aqua complies by opening her mouth and letting Ven fall to the ground in a heap. "I hate being a cub." Ven continues to complain as he gets to his feet and follows the others over to the large lion whose watchful eyes never waver from the keyblade wielders.
"Mufasa?" Aqua asks the large male lion. He nods slightly and the three keyblade wielders incline their heads slightly to him. "Thank you for saving us," Aqua continues. "I am Aqua, and this is Terra and Ven."
"Eraqus sent you." It isn't a question as the majestic lion walks around them looking critically at them. "I see what he meant by there is a lot for you to learn." There is slight amusement in his voice, but it is kind.
"This world is very different from our own," Terra says.
"Yes it is," Mufasa agrees. "As Eraqus asked of me, I will help you adjust to your new forms and learn to fight." Mufasa leans down to Ven who draws himself up to his full diminutive height. "You, my little one, are too young to fight however."
"But that's not fair!" Ven whines. "I want to fight too."
Mufasa lets out a booming laugh. "You remind me of my son. Always eager. Come now." Mufasa turns and begins to lead the keyblade wielders towards the rock formation with the lionesses following behind.
...
"Welcome to Pride Rock," Mufasa says as they reach their destination. Terra, Aqua, and Ven crane their necks up to see all the way to the top of the huge upright rock that towers over them.
"Dad!" A little lion cub comes running towards them with a huge grin on his face. "Guess what! Guess what?" He says stopping in front of Mufasa.
Mufasa complies and asks, "What?"
"I caught Zazu," the lion cub says with a smug expression.
"It wasn't exactly like I was trying to run from you." A blue and white hornbill lands next to Mufasa with an annoyed expression.
Mufasa gives him an apologetic look before turning to his son and saying, "I'm very proud of you Simba. You will surely be a great hunter one day."
Simba bounces up and down at the praise, but when his eyes fall on Terra, Aqua, and Ven, his attention suddenly switches. "Who are they?" He asks his father.
"Simba, I would like to introduce you to the keyblade wielders who are visiting us today," Mufasa says bringing Simba over to them. "This is Terra, Aqua, and Ven. Say hello Simba."
"Hello," Simba says curiously with a big smile. He wanders over to Ven and they eye each other for a moment. "We match!" Simba points out and the others nod in agreement. Ven and Simba's fur color is very similar, and with no manes to speak of, the only way to tell them apart is their eye color. Mufasa and the lionesses begin to walk up onto Pride Rock, and Terra and Aqua follow. "Hey, you wanna meet my best friend Nala?" Simba asks Ven.
Ven looks to Terra and Aqua who nod that it is alright. "Sure," Ven replies and the two of them run off together to a different part of the large rock than where Mufasa is leading the others.
Terra and Aqua follow Mufasa to the top of rock structure where there is a flat circular top. The lionesses had left them to remain down below, but they are not alone. A lanky lion with a black mane is relaxing on the ground playing with a mouse he has as it tries to run from him. "Didn't mother ever tell you not to play with your food Scar?" Mufasa says in a disapproving voice.
Scar looks up and the mouse takes the opportunity to run away. "Why if it isn't my dear brother," Scar says in a mocking voice. He looks at Terra and Aqua sizing them up. "I take it these are the students."
"Yes, these are the keyblade wielders," Mufasa replies in a wary voice. "I am going to give them a fighting lesson. Would you like to join?"
"As much fun as that sounds, I have to find the lunch you scared away," Scar replies and walks past them, and heads down the path down the rock. Terra and Aqua look at Mufasa curiously.
Mufasa sighs. "Scar is my younger brother. He's harmless. Just annoying." Mufasa walks to the center of the of the plateau. "Now I cannot teach you how to fight in this form with your keyblades, but I will teach you how we lions fight."
Terra and Aqua listen carefully as Mufasa explains to them the basic principles of pouncing, scratching, and biting. Mufasa watches them play fight for a while as they experiment with the capabilities of their new forms. When Zazu appears and whispers in Mufasa's ear, Mufasa interrupts their fight saying, "I apologize, but there is a matter I must attend to. It will only take a moment."
As Mufasa leaves, Ven comes bounding up the path and joins his two friends on the plateau. "Hey guys," he says cheerfully. "Having fun?"
"Yes, we have learned a lot," Aqua replies. "What have you and Simba been up to?"
"We went to the watering hole with Nala," Ven tells them. "But when we came back their moms said they needed a bath so I came up here to see you guys. How's fighting like a lion?"
"Pretty cool," Terra says. "It's kind of like hand to hand combat just with paws and teeth."
"It seems natural," Aqua adds. "It's like the magic of this world has given us lion instincts. And fighting is not the only thing that's natural." She says this as she nuzzles Terra affectionately. He returns the gesture, and Ven makes a gagging sound.
They stop to look over at him. Ven continues to make the gagging sound and his whole body shudders as a small dark ball falls out of his mouth. "Hairball," Ven says looking up at Terra and Aqua who are staring at him.
"That...was disgusting," Aqua finally says.
Ven shrugs his shoulders. "It seemed natural."
Terra rolls his eyes. "So do you guys want to try summoning our keyblades and see what happens?"
"Ok!" Ven says and immediately summons his keyblade. Surprisingly, it appears in his mouth, and he yelps as the sudden weight makes him fall forward and hit his chin on the ground. Spitting it out, he straightens up and rubs his jaw. "Ow."
"How strange," Aqua says. She summons her keyblade as well, and it appears in her mouth like Ven. Unlike Ven however, she is able to hold its weight in her strong jaw. She begins to swing it around to get used to holding it in such a strange way. Terra summons his keyblade, and finds that he too is able to hold his keyblade in his mouth. Ven glares down at his own keyblade and tries to pick it up again. He succeeds in holding it in his mouth, but it weighs nearly as much as him in this form which causes him to stumble around with little control of it. Terra and Aqua watch in amusement until he gives up and makes his keyblade disappear.
"I hate being a cub," Ven complains again and leaves the other two to spar while he returns to the base of Pride Rock.
Bored, Ven looks around until he spots Simba walking away with his uncle Scar. Not seeing anything else to do, Ven decides to follow them and see where they are going. They lead him to a deep gorge where they make their way to the bottom. Ven carefully makes his way down, and when he gets to the bottom, Scar is gone leaving Simba sitting alone on a rock in the shade of a solitary tree. "Hey Simba!" Ven calls bounding over. "What are you doing here?"
"Scar said my dad has a surprise for me," Simb explains. "He told me wait here."
"What kind of surprise?" Ven asks curiously taking a seat beside Simba on the rock.
"Dunno," Simba replies. "Uncle Scar just told me to sit here and wait for him. Oh! And he told me to practice my roar. Watch this!" Simba spots a gecko on the ground and jumps down beside it. After a deep breath Simba lets out his roar. "Rawr!" The gecko doesn't even react.
"Lemme try," Ven says jumping down to join Simba. He faces the gecko. "Rawr!" Ven's pitiful roar is just as ineffective as Simba's.
"Rrrroawr!" Simba tries again, but the gecko just blinks at him.
"Rawrrrr!" Ven tries and the gecko starts to walk away again.
"ROAWR!" They both roar louder than before and at the same time. They succeed in scaring the gecko as it flees from them. With triumphant smiles, they both perk their ears to listen to the sound of the echo their mighty roar had created.
As the echo fades, a new sound reaches their ears. Rumbling. It is coming from one end of the gorge, and they both turn as their ears flatten back in fear to see a stampede of wildebeests coming down the sloped side and heading straight for them. With gasps of fear, Simba and Ven take off running, trying to get away from the stampede. The wildebeests, however, are much faster than the two lion cubs and in only a few seconds Ven and Simba find themselves in the middle of the stampede running for their lives as they try and avoid the stamping hooves. Up ahead, Ven spots a dead tree sticking out of the ground which the wild animals are forced to skirt around.
"Simba!" Ven shouts trying to find his friend among the multitude of moving legs. "Simba!"
"Here!" Simba's shout comes from behind and Ven glances back for half a second to see Simba only a few steps behind him.
"We gotta get to that tree!" Ven says quickly as he leads Simba in the right direction. A few frantic seconds more of dodging sharp hooves, and Ven and Simba make it to the tree wasting no time in scrambling up it's slender trunk. At the end of the dead tree, they are higher than the stampeding wildebeests, but even with claws, hanging onto the tree is difficult. It shakes in rhythm with the pounding hooves, and Ven and Simba are thrown around as they cling to the dead wood for their lives.
Ven can hear Simba whimpering in fear, and finds himself doing the same. Shutting his eyes tight, Ven calls out in his mind, "Terra! Aqua! Where are you? I need you..."
I cry everytime I watch the gorge scene in The Lion King. Every. Single. Time. It always gets me. Even just thinking about it...*sniff*
Ok pulling myself together to reply to reviews.
Mexi: I'll definitely try and have them watch Insidious at one point. I've never seen it, but I have a friend who is terrified by that red demon face thing. Her reaction to me shoving a picture of it in her face...priceless.
SnowKawasagi: I think Terra and Aqua need to have The Talk again...
Zephyr26: I can't wait for what's coming too! *jumps up and down in excitement* I have so much planned! And all of it is evil! Mwhaahhah! :)
PARTY TIME!
Why? you ask. Well, this story has made two achievements that are blowing my mind.
1. Thank you Zephyr26 for giving the 50th review of this story!
2. With the posting of this chapter, this story will over 100,000 words long!
*sniff* It seems like only yesterday little MEKA was just a stupid idea floating around in my brain, and now it's all grown up and over 100,000 words...
But enough reminiscing! Let's look to the future and see what is coming up in the next chapter:
Next time we will hear what grave news Yen Sid has for Eraqus, and see how he reacts. Also, we will see the thrilling, and not so surprising conclusion to our heroes visit to the Pride Lands.
Ta ta for now! :)
