Chapter 2- Answer To Your Elders
Those large eyes staring back at me, pupils fixed on the spot where I laid. I wasn't exactly imposing a figure that suggested they could defend themselves, so I really wasn't feeling too confident in the situation. The eyes got closer until the camouflage faded and a slender lioness came into view. Her fur was a creamy colour, lighter underneath her muzzle, underbelly and just beneath her eyes. Without a word, she came right up to me, lowering her head until her nose was nearly on my head. I could hear her sniffing at me. Seeing as I was already lost and confused, the out of character silence was not so surprising. I could feel my heart race as judgement was passed on me, or at least that is what it felt like. "Okay, okay, just close your eyes and it'll be over soon." I thought to myself, doing exactly what I had told myself to do, my eyes shut tight as I tried to think of anything other than a lioness possibly finishing my brief existence. I knew at this point it could not be a dream, there was no sudden cut to my gallant escape, but there was a lot of feeling; the ground beneath me, the sound of inhalation over me.
Before I could even try to do something, she finally spoke up. "How did you get here?" Her voice had a curious tone, though there was an overbearing sensation of care from her. My first thought though, was of how there was a lioness talking at me, rather than the relief that my life wasn't in as much peril as I thought. Here she was, calm as anything, asking me a question and yet I had found another reason to freeze up on her. Despite my growing confusion, I found a quick movement to crane my neck around to look at the feline. Clearly, I looked as worried and addled as I felt, because all of a sudden, I could watch her chuckling, albeit in a soft manner as opposed to a maniacal cackle. "I haven't seen a cub look so lost before. I'll ask again, but slowly." The lioness leaned in close again, just reminding me of the size difference "How did you get here? Zazu hadn't mentioned any lions come through here, so how did you get here alone?" Her tone remained as calming as it had always done, which was breaking my silence.
"I walked." Was all I said, knowing it was a lie, but how was I supposed to explain that to someone I had just met? In truth, I became preoccupied in my mind, my younger, feminine voice was making me feel uncomfortable. I wasn't believing it, trying to clear my throat by coughing, seeing if that would bring my voice back at least to the gender I was used to being, but no luck. "I walked and got tired." I spoke, trying to find my old voice. Of course, the forced coughing resulted in this lioness giving me a rather strange look, to which my response was a rather sheepish smile, earning another chuckle from her.
My new company circled me with her tail flicking across my face a couple of time. In the brief moment after that, I noticed I had my own tail once more. The shock hadn't worn off in that respect, watching the appendage, although it didn't move much, just the odd flick at the tip due to my nerves hitting their peak. "I have a cub of my own. I know when cubs lie and that was definitely a lie." With her soft tone I couldn't tell if that was her telling me off or pleasantly reminiscing of days in the past. I wasn't about to ask and find out either "Surely you don't think I'm the kind of lioness to jump out and attack cubs, even if I don't know them, do you?" A smile grew on her features and she raised a brow, stopping in front of me as I righted myself from my side onto my stomach, my front legs stretched a little in front of me.
Of course, I shook my head, I wasn't about to argue with someone who had teeth as sharp as hers. I did get the feeling that I was safe, despite being I the company of a stranger whose power I could feel. "It was a half truth, I swear!" My voice gave a little squeak as I tried to force my response, hoping that would be enough to ease the questions.
The admission I made did not appease my interrogator, changing her position to a crouch in an attempt to get closer to my eye level, although she was still large enough, I had to look up. If I hadn't been paying attention, then I would have missed what I can only assume to have been a sigh as if I reminded her of someone she knew. "Well then, perhaps you should tell me the whole truth? I think a cub like you should be with her mother at the very least. Being out here is no place for you by yourself just yet. When you're older though, you can. So, how about it, why don't you tell me the whole truth?" Her eyes stared straight into mine, allowing me to see myself in her reflection if she were to keep her eyes still, or if I could look there for long enough. As it was, I was rather uncertain of what would come if I did tell her everything. Despite her concerns being voiced, almost assuring me that she wanted to help, I refused to believe I would be seen as anything but absolutely crazy. Being the careful person, I had been, I wasn't willing to risk the consequence just yet.
There was no escaping her, because it seemed she had read my thoughts nearly. "You don't need to be afraid of me. I am not going to hurt you. I don't hurt cubs, I never would." At that, I was surprised yet again when her face came into contact with mine, forcing my eyes to close in response, not knowing what to expect. What I started to feel was her head rubbing against mine, a low purr coming from her. I couldn't see any of this, but being feline, it wasn't hard to work out. However, what surprised me more was that it almost felt like her purring had relaxed me, both physically and mentally, feeling the purr run over me, I could tell I was in caring presence. To add to this, I felt my chest starting to rumble, caused by myself, although I felt like I had no control over it. I just couldn't help it, not even holding back on moving my head with hers, letting the lioness know tat I was indeed comfortable with her now. The next moment snapped me out of it, feeling her draw back a little, only to snap my eyes open when I could feel a warm, wet tugging at my face, catching onto the fur somewhat. I looked around to see that she had licked me. The lioness I had just met had licked my face and despite the obvious confusion on my face, I didn't feel the need to resist. "That wasn't so bad now was it?" She tilted her head at me with a smile before chuckling once more "You remind me of someone very dear to me." There was a pause for just a moment as I was left to savour the compliment, not that I was in the mind to do so. "What is your name?" She asked, looking me over once more, as if she was thinking of a name herself.
Thinking of an answer to that question, I knew I had to be fast because otherwise it would become an obvious lie and apparently this lioness knew when cubs lied. With so many options and so little time, I decided to help myself "What's your name?" I mustered my first smile to her, feeling my tail swish in amusement because I had avoided the question for now, although I was still thinking of something. I couldn't go with my name because it was a male's name, unless I tried to play it off as a female's, which didn't sound too appealing to me. My next option was to go with a girl's name, which didn't narrow it down too much for me.
"My name? Hm, okay I will tell you mine first, but you must tell me yours, otherwise I'll have to resort to little one, young cub and things like that. That gets tiring." She admitted, giving me more time than I thought I would get from her "My name is Sarafina." She announced, which gave me an idea as to what sort of names I should lean towards. In my mind, it had to be regional, but I couldn't even begin to know what name to pick, partly because I didn't know what region I was in.
As if by divine intervention, a subtle breeze came around, but what made it notable was that it seemed to linger around me, making small circles around my neck. It was a little off putting when I started hearing a faint voice in it. For a while it wasn't clear what the voice was saying, but I did pick out one word. "Tishala." I blurted, looking confused at my own response for a moment before I returned to normal, staring up at Sarafina, her green eyes fixed on me. It was the one word that I understood from the wind, but my saying it felt involuntary. I had never heard the name before, but it seemed to satisfy my larger counterpart and she nodded, going in again to rub her head against mine.
I would have responded in the same manner if the lioness didn't lift her head all of a sudden, standing up as her eyes narrowed. Before I could ask what was happening, she took me into her maw by the scruff of my neck, leaving me as nothing but a spectator to whatever was going on. With no shortage of speed, Sarafina darted into the savannah, ducking down a little. Surely, she couldn't have switched to a hunt with me there in her jaws. Once I calmed down enough to listen, I could hear a thumping on the ground, not rhythmic; frantic instead as I could tell there was more than one source. Two, three, four, there was too many to count by the time the sound had increased from the light thumping to the heavy sounds of hooves on the ground, rushing towards us, although Sarafina did not move, so I could assume we were not in the way, or that I had just shared a moment with a suicidal lioness and didn't know it. It was possible, but even as my panic at the growing sound had risen, even I found that doubtful.
Bursts of adrenaline hit me as zebra raced past. I couldn't explain why it brought me such a buzz, but I could feel my little heart racing, fixed entirely on the equines and where they were going. Of course, it now made sense as to why I had been relocated with Sarafina to where I was. Put simply, I would have been trampled on if I stayed where I was before. It was strange for me to see my life as something that would have gone that easily, but the thought of it didn't scare me, at least not yet. I was too caught up in the zebras dashing by; being so caught up in this, I was caught off guard when I heard them calling out in panic. Suddenly, it made sense what was happening. I saw various shades of fur that did not match with the zebras' striped coat, indicating to me the presence of lions. It was quite something to see live rather than a documentary. This crew of lionesses were working in sync with each other, singling out one zebra, trapping it and finally taking it down. I shut my eyes before the zebra's final moment of life was taken. After all I had gone through, that wasn't something I wanted to see as well.
Sarafina started walking in the direction of the victim, much to my dismay. I opened my eyes to see it, its eyes were still open, but I wasn't close enough to feel like it was staring back at me. We didn't get that close before the team of lionesses noticed myself and my grown-up counterpart. I saw one of them nod to the others, that particular lioness making her way to our duo. This lioness had a similar slender body as Sarafina, but her fur was beige, her muzzle being a cream colour to match her underbelly and patches of fur around her eyes. I couldn't help but notice the black tips to her ears as well as her deep orange eyes. She was more imposing, though it seemed I would feel that way about a lot of lionesses right now. This new female seemed to radiate an aura of majesty and needn't say anything to demand the attention when needed. It was strange how I could pick up on that so fast, although it was a first impression. "Sarabi, I apologise for not staying with the pack. I was following my path like you asked me to, but then…well, I found her." Sarafina explained after placing me on the ground, gesturing to me with one of her front paws. It became clear to me that this other lioness was the leader if she had told Sarafina a path to follow, but despite this, Sarabi wasn't having someone grovel to her, instead it seemed like the start of a friendly exchange. That was all I could hope for at this point.
My body felt a little stiff once again as I had an extra set of eyes staring down at me. I wished I could get smaller at that moment, but instead I looked up, meeting her eyes with mine. The new lioness gave a repeat examination of the one Sarafina gave me when we first met. I stayed still, not wanting to cause any trouble at this point. It seemed to have worked before. As soon as she was done, she lifted her head to look down on me "Hello child." Her voice, whilst a lot more powerful, still held the calming tone that I needed. "Sarafina." She looked up at her fellow lioness, waiting for an explanation with a straight face.
The lioness being addressed nodded and started to speak "Well, as I said, I followed the path you told me, trying to keep the zebras closer together. I wasn't far, but all of a sudden, it was like I was being guided towards her. Of course, there was her scent, but that wasn't guiding me. I found this cub, Tishala, laying down with no one else around. I found it strange because Zazu had reported to yourself and Mufasa that the Pridelands were clear of any rogues or invading prides. It took a bit of effort, but I got her to start talking to me. She told me her name and that she was walking and got tired, so she slept there. Now, obviously, I don't believe this cub would have walked far by herself. I think whoever her family is, they have either left her or joined the great circle of life and she is too upset to tell us." She explained, standing over me as I was sat down, looking around, trying to avoid eye contact with the other lioness, Sarabi. I couldn't fight the inevitability for long though as it almost felt like she drew my eyes to hers.
The larger feline made me feel nervous, to the point my stomach felt in knots. I wanted to shuffle away, until I realised, I actually didn't know how to move in this body. I was used to two legs, not four, so I found more reason to feel worried. I couldn't run away if I wanted to. Hearing Sarafina's assumptions though allowed me to formulate a story that would at least work for now. Inwardly, I grimaced at having to hear my own voice again, looking into Sarabi's eyes as she seemed to expect an answer from me. All this confusion and what I felt like was tension, it had left me on the edge of tears without realising it. I barely even noticed that my ears had migrated back, showing the vulnerability and fear I felt. "I was…my family…my parents, they told me I needed to run because they didn't want me to get hurt. I don't think I'm going to see them again. I think some bad m…uhm, bad lions were attacking our home and they didn't want me there. I kept running and running. I thought that Sarafina was one of them going to get me, but she didn't. I was so scared." I couldn't help but start to choke up as I continued to speak. I wouldn't normally cry, but it seemed like this body's age was having its own affect on my reactions, so they were less complex, matching up with the cub body I had. The sadness I felt to my own fake story was raw, enough so that I could feel what I can only assume were more strokes of Sarafina's tongue on my head, trying to comfort me.
After my confession to Sarabi, she spoke again, her voice softer than before "Sometimes bad things happen, and whilst the reality may not be pleasant, it may be that tragedy struck for a reason. Perhaps you will find that out when you get older. For now though child, do not cry. It sounds as if you have had a long journey and need to rest." She lifted herself up some and looked to the lioness over me "Take Tishala to the watering hole, I can see she has not had water in far too long. It is becoming dangerous. I will help the other lionesses bring our catches back. Afterwards, bring her back to Pride Rock, we cannot leave a cub out here. I have a feeling the circle of life was not meant to be so short for her. I will tell Rafiki and we shall see if he thinks the same thing." She ordered her friend, though the command was given in such a way that it seemed like a friendly request. Sarafina nodded and proceeded to pick me up again, turning to make her way to the fabled watering hole.
With the sun making a slow descent on the horizon, I was placed in front of the water. My company took the opportunity to drink from the pool of water. To my surprise, there seemed to be no one else around, possibly because of the presence of a lioness. I couldn't be sure, but it gave me the chance to stretch my neck a little bit, looking into the water, although I found it more difficult to look into than I thought because the surface reflected almost like a mirror. The ripples made by Sarafina drinking barely disturbed the image I was seeing. I could see a lion cub staring back at me from the water surface. My mouth was agape as I saw the features I hadn't been able to see before. At least, not like this. Right there I could see my whiskers. I had whiskers and suddenly I cold notice them in my field of vision more than before. When my focus got back to the mirror beneath me, I saw that my ears had the same black tips to them that Sarabi had on her ears, but whilst I had the creamy colour around my eyes and muzzle, they were lighter than the older lioness'. Feeling curious, I shuffled closer, not looking very dignified, but I did the job anyway. With more in view, I could see my underbelly fur matched my muzzle, a light cream colour. I only had to look over my shoulder to see that my fur on top was a darker shade of the cream colour, with a golden hue to it. My legs had the same colour until it got to my toes, where they each had the lighter shade of fur of my muzzle. I could see my expressions for the first time, such a young face looking so amazed and confused, my eyes large with curiosity and wonder at the same time. That is when I noticed my eyes had kept their grey colour, the colour in them though seemed to be deeper and have a little gleam to them.
My attention was brought away when Sarafina spoke to me "You'll be less thirsty if you actually drink the water." She mocked, putting it across to me gently though as she waited for me to take the hint and drink the water. Looking down at my reflection again, I lowered my head so my lips were at the surface, realising I couldn't just gulp it like I was a human anymore. "You'll find it an easier job standing up. Did your mother never teach you this?" She chuckled.
"She did…I think." I replied. Being as stubborn as I am, I regarded that as a challenge. Despite having never tried it before, I forced myself to stand, albeit a little shaky on all four legs. The balance was different to being on two legs, but she was right when she said it would be more comfortable for me drinking like that. Without waiting any longer, I used my tongue to try and rehydrate myself with the water available. I found it a lot easier than I thought, remembering that my tongue would now be able to basically flick the water back into my maw where I could swallow it. I did this in a rather sloppy, feral manner as the first taste made me realise how thirsty I was.
Sarafina had soon taken me away from the water, giving a soft giggle as she put me down "Be careful, if you have too much it isn't good for you. Honestly, cubs are always trying to drink like adults." Her smile was obvious "I wouldn't want to see you complaining later that you're aching because you had too much to drink." She paused to look at the horizon going a brilliant range of reds, oranges and even yellows from the sun setting. I was looking in the same direction. Not too far to the right of my view was a large set of rocks, they seemed to be places perfectly for a display platform "That, Tishala, is pride rock. Home to the lions in this land. Home to King Mufasa's pride." She explained with a certain amount of pride in her words.
The fact I was so close made me feel even smaller than I was. "So, that's where you live?" I asked, earning a nod from the lioness. "King Mufasa isn't going to be unhappy I'm here is he?" Sarafina shook her head. "Are you sure?" She nodded again "Really?" Again, she nodded, smiling as she started to speak, preventing another question to come out.
"King Mufasa will be fair to you. You are a cub who has lost her family. He is not heartless, and he will also have myself and Sarabi, his queen, to make sure you're kept safe." With that, she stood up and got behind me "It is getting late and my Nala will want to see me, though I'm sure the young prince has kept her quite entertained, she still needs her mother. I dread to think of how badly that cub needs a bath." She chuckled before picking me up in her jaws once again, starting to make our way back to her home and presumably where I would be staying for the time being.
It hadn't turned out so bad.
A/N: Well, there it is, perhaps it came out faster than I thought it would. I like to think I am good with my time management, but a window of opportunity presented itself, so I took it. Hopefully you folks will enjoy this. I do hope I won't get flamed for the portrayal of the two most famous characters you've met so far, Sarafina and Sarabi. I understand I cannot please everybody in that respect. To clarify, I do not own any of the characters from Disney's The Lion King or any sequels or relevant material. Nonetheless, I must ask to see some reviews. How else will I see if I'm atrocious or merely mediocre? Until next time. FHCC