Author's note: I'm so so sorry that this chapter took so long to post. Not only is it long, but things kept getting in the way and- well you know. I promise I'll try to prevent a delay this long from ever happening again.
Chapter 29: Rashid and the Gorge
As planned, Alex and the other zoosters had their own dinner far from the other lions. Luckily, none of them had any clue of what the lionesses had brought back. Though, Alex had to admit to himself that it did smell good. As a result he once again had a small chat with It, but the conversation was nearly identical to the last, once again ending in Alex's victory. Still though, it was a pain to have to deal with. To get his mind off of food, he went ahead and gorged himself on the abundant supply of fish, dining along side the penguins. Gloria, Melman, and Marty all had more of the lush green grass. And, Julien savoured another jackfruit he had taken earlier.
Though their appetites were full, the zoosters' curiosity was not. They once again prodded the penguins for information of their master plan.
"C'mon! We have to know what's going on," Alex pestered the penguins, "How do we know this will even work?"
"Worry not my troubled friend," Skipper gave a smirk, "With our plan, everything is going to work out just fine."
Marty grew impatient, "Will you just tell us wha-"
"Ah, ah, ah," Skipper waved his flipper, "I think it's best left to the future. I need your spontaneity to pull it off."
"Really now," Gloria put her hands on her hips.
Skipper reassured the hippo, "You better believe it, doll."
The sun set completely and the stars illuminated the warm blue sky. They all slept soundly that night, drifting into sleep at perfect ease.
The sun had almost risen the next morning, casting an eerie blue glow on the horizon. Pala sat proudly under his tree, waiting for Alex to awake. Luckily this did not take long. Alex had already awoken with an anxious mind. Anxious to abolish It once and for all. He soon put Julien to the side, checked to see if Marty was safe (just in case) and headed towards the tree. Underneath was the king and all of his majesty.
Pala asked, "Are you ready, Alex?"
"As ready as I could be," he answered eagerly.
"It's not a long journey. Rashid moved closer to the pride in case a problem ever arose again," Pala explained, "But I figured the earlier we left, the earlier we could return to share the news."
'Where do you plan to take me? Don't you try and pull anything!' It warned.
Alex snarled in his head, 'Shut up! I'm in control, and this time it's gonna stay that way!'
Pala grew curious of the pause, "Alex?"
"Oh! Well, I'm ready," Alex reassured the lion.
The white lion nodded and led Alex over the rock, and so they were off.
Alex felt a bit awkward. After all, he hardly knew this lion, though he knew he was great. But, he just had trouble connecting on a friendly level.
Though Pala hid it, he felt the same. He was inwardly very friendly and active at heart, but being in a top position he had to train himself to call nothing but respect to his presence. Really, the only time he was himself was around Tenji.
They had been walking for a while now with nothing but dry grass and scattered tree's passing by. Suddenly, Pala lead Alex to a familiar sight. They were approaching the south river, though at the base of the waterfall. Sounds of running water filled the air.
Alex questioned, "Why'd we come here?"
"The river is the best way to navigate to where we want to go," Pala answered.
"Ah, I see," Alex answered. Despite the exchange, Alex still felt a bit awkward without his usual friendly banter.
Pala turned and began leading Alex and himself Eastward.
They walked and walked without a word to each other.
Alex passed the time by thinking about things. Though one thought dwelt in his mind above the others. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He had to get it off his mind, "Excuse me. Your Majesty?"
Pala turned to the lion, "You can call me Pala."
"Well, Pala," Alex pondered, "I was just wondering..."
"Yes?"
"Why do you guys eat animals like zebra's and antelope and all them?" he asked innocently. He provided his support before letting the king answer, "I've been eating fish this whole time, and I feel fine."
Pala knew the answer, but how was he he to explain it? Finally he found a wording that he liked, "I know what you mean, Alex. But you have to realize that nature intends us to do so."
"But," Alex defended, "Nature is the very thing we're headed to get rid of! My natural instincts nearly got my best friend killed!"
"No, Alex. What you have is no natural presence. It disguises itself to seem so, but truly it is nothing but darkness attempting to make it's way in the world. If you notice, It never had you entertain thoughts of eating just anything that could help you survive. Only things that you held dearly to you."
"But, back on Madagascar, It wanted me to eat all those little lemurs,"
Pala answered, "But tell me. Did you enjoy these 'lemurs'' company?"
"Well...yeah..." Alex admitted.
"You see, this voice is nothing but a mental torture device," Pala told him, "For everyone it chooses the vices to take advantage of to disguise itself as something natural or personal. If It hadn't entered your life, you would have been perfectly capable of holding off your primal urges."
"Is this true?" Alex asked.
'Don't listen to the old fool!' It cried out.
Alex ignored the comment.
"Yes. For you, It took advantage of the fact you were hungry to disguise Itself as your instincts. And eventually It would steer you to believe that It was a part of you until you lost all hope. Then when your concious was weak It could take over and live a life of It's own devising." Pala told him, "As for me, It disguised itself as typical child retaliation. It had me believe that I was simply defiant and nothing could be done about it. Well it was a lucky thing I found help when I did."
"Well I'm glad to know that this thing isn't a part of me at all," Alex was relived. But a thought returned to his head, "But that doesn't answer my question. Why don't you just live on fish or some other mindless animal?"
"Because, if we did something that nature wasn't prepared for, the environment around us would begin to falter," Pala explained, "If we ate nothing but fish, the prey animal population would boom out of control, then, overpopulated, they would all be grazing on the same grass. Soon their wouldn't be any grass left in Kenya and all the animals that depended on the grass would die," He looked at the sky, "We all balance each other out here in the wild. We, as predatory creatures, have a responsibility to uphold and keep the numbers in balance. Do you understand, now?"
"Yes," Alex admitted. It did all make sense, "But, are you saying that I should be eating my friends?"
"No, no, of course not," Pala waved his paws, "Above almost everything else, I think that choice is one of the most important things in life. Our choices effect everyone else, therefore we must be respectful of everyone else's choices. It is your choice to never eat a prey animal, and one lion won't hurt the entire world. Besides, you come from an urban land, correct?"
"Yes," Alex nodded.
"Therefore, you aren't held accountable for nature's shifts. You can eat whatever you want, it's your choice. But as king of my pride, I have a duty to preserve the life of these lands, so I will encourage my fellow indigenous lions to do the same."
"I understand, now," Alex told the King.
Pala sighed loudly, "Good, because it was a pain to explain."
Alex chuckled at the kings sudden drop of regal attitude.
"Ah, we're almost there," Pala commented auspiciously.
"Indeed," a gentle voice said.
Alex looked around, "What was that?". He found nothing.
"That would be Rashid," Pala answered.
Alex looked around more vigorously, "But where?"
Alex's head turned back to the forward position only to find a large giraffe facing him. Alex leapt in the air in surprise, "JESUS!"
Pala laughed at the dramatic response.
Alex calmed himself, "How did you do that!"
Rashid answered, "Ah, the savanna holds many secrets."
"That doesn't answer my question," Alex pointed out.
Rashid smiled slyly, "It wasn't meant to." The wise giraffe stroked his beard of fur, "So this is the lion who seeks my council?"
"I never told you about Alex," Pala defended.
"Ah, but once we both grew aware of his existence, I learned to focus on his presence," Rashid explained, "And so you are here to relieve your concious of the Baya. I can feel it in him."
"What's a Baya?" Alex wondered.
"It's what you are trying to get rid of," Rashid explained.
Alex tapped his chin, "So Baya is It?"
"Precisely," Rashid nodded.
"Alright, so what do I do?" Alex asked anxiously.
Rashid, "Follow me."
Rashid led them away from the river. The three soon found themselves going into a rocky area. They continued farther inward until they sat at the base of a large canyon.
"We have come to the place where the winds cross," said the giraffe.
A blast of wind rushed out of the canyon blowing across the three animal's faces. The wind settled and Alex finally spoke up, "And this means...?"
Rashid acted as if he heard nothing, "Alright, the conditions are correct. The winds cross and reach the sky, where life, death, and spirit can become one."
Alex didn't know what he meant, but nodded and played along, "So things are just right, huh? Ok, Rashid, what should I do now?"
"Go into the gorge. After a mile or so, the walls will widen and you will find a perfectly round enclosure. Sit in the center of the enclosure and wait for the winds to return."
Alex took a few steps towards the gorge opening, looking ominous as ever. The lion suddenly turned around, "How do I know when to come out again."
Pala answered, "Trust me, Alex. You'll know."
Reluctantly, Alex nodded and continued his trek. He walked into the gorge, the walls closing in around him. Feeling a bit nervous, Alex glanced back for support. To his surprise he could see nothing. It appeared as if the gorge went on forever. 'That doesn't make sense, I just got in here! How can they be gone already?' he thought, 'This place is starting to freak me out...'. Having seemingly nowhere else to go, Alex head towards the heart of the labyrinth. A mist began to appear and circle around his feet, yet the air still felt hot and dry.
The once golden walls began to host a streak of various colors running through the hard rock. Despite the odd changes, Alex continued with the confidence in the king and the wise one. To relieve some of his tension, he popped his knuckles. The sound bounced off the walls, echoing endlessly down the canyon walls. Alex looked upward. The sky was cloaked by the rolling mist.
Suddenly the walls began to widen. He had found the enclosure. In the center was a round boulder, half buried in the ground below. The mist on the ground stood a foot or more from the boulder, as if not daring to touch it. Alex wasn't sure if he wanted to touch it either. But he followed instructions and approached the center of the enclosure and sat patiently on the rock.
He waited and found that the world around him was growing ever quieter. He couldn't even here the sound of his own breathe. In desperation he cried out, "King Pala!" but this time there was no echo. In fact it was as if the sound seemed it was stolen from him the moment he made the sound. Alex focussed and forced himself to remain calm and still. Still the air grew ever more silent. The sounds of birds and other animals grew stagnant and non-existent. Alex closed his eyes waiting for something to happen. He felt so isolated. So alone. He was reminded of when he drifted out to sea in his crate. The lapping waves were quickly carrying him to uncertainty. He left Marty, and that was the first time in his life he ever feared Marty and him being parted. The feeling crept into Alex's concious filling him with that same fear. He saw Marty, Melman and Gloria's crates floating off staring out of the one hole in the wood. He wanted to reach them so badly, but the sea was the only master here. He was there. He could feel the cold travelling across the water. He could taste the salt in the air on his tongue as he breathed.
But then something caught his attention. A gust of wind passed through the enclosure, yet the mist would not budge. After, a light shone through his eyelids. He was jerked from his vision of the past. Slowly he opened his eyes to investigate this change. Above him, a break was appearing in the mist letting a single beam of light down to the spot where he sat. It illuminated the rock walls that surrounded him. Though this light didn't seem natural. It lacked the yellow glow that accompanied the sun's rays. It was pure and white. The mist continued to part, and what it revealed was not the sky. It was a pool of swirling white light. Amazed, Alex gazed deeply into the light. He could make out white ghostly gazelle hopping along the savanna. He saw a rhino drinking from a water hole. And then he saw a lion. Tall and majestic. It held no familiar face, but Alex felt as if he knew it. To his surprise, the lion began to descend from the white cloud on an invisible staircase. Soon the apparition stood before him.
Alex was boggled but he spoke out, "Who are you? What is your name?"
The figure did not answer, but simply held out a paw.
Alex didn't know what to do.
The phantom lion's gaze went from Alex's paw to his.
Alex understood, and took the lions paw in his. Strangely, it felt as solid as that of a real lion. Then the ghostly lion began to rise once more, carrying Alex with him. Alex felt weightless and free, but he still held tight onto the other lion's paw. Up they went until they entered the white mass. It was so bright, but it didn't hurt to look at it. The two floated together until Alex asked, "Can I let go?"
The phantom lion nodded, and Alex released his paw. Alex remained floating in the air. The white figures circled around him, but suddenly dispersed. Now the only creature remaining was the glowing lion. The lion backed and lowered his body preparing to pounce. He was aimed directly at Alex. Yet Alex somehow knew he was safe. The phantom lion let out an unearthly roar and pounced at Alex's chest. He went straight through, but carried something with it. Alex took a deep breathe as if a heavy weight had been pulled from him.
Alex's focus returned to the lion and the new menace it had brought with. Unlike the figures of light, this figure was dark. It was so black that it seemed to slowly engulf all light around it. It was gnarled and mangled and had long arms and hands with twisted claws for fingertips. It hurt to merely look at it. Alex stared at the creature, despite the horror that crept into his heart as he did so. He saw two menacing red eyes glowing from the creature.
Alex and the black creature's gaze locked onto one another's. Then Alex knew. This black creature was It. The creature snarled and dove at Alex in a desperate attempt to reenter. But his body met nothing but the horns of three luminous gazelle. The had come from behind Alex to save him. The white ghost lion looked triumphant. Together the phantom lion and the three gazelle charged forth at It. The black creature kicked and struggled but he was soon carried out of sight. The red of his eyes had finally left Alex's gaze letting peace once again return to his mind.
The glowing lion once again returned to sight. It stood before Alex and nodded. Alex was about to thank the creature when it vanished before him. But with this, Alex felt a warmth return to his body that the mist had robbed. With this last phenomena, Alex began slowly descending to the ground. He felt his feet touch the boulder. Alex once again sat on the boulder. He looked up into the swirling light. Slowly it began to fade, and beyond showed the blue sky again. The birds chirped once more, and the mist disappeared. Slowly, Alex left the boulder and began his walk down the gorge.
After walking through the canyon he emerged to find Pala and Rashid still waiting for him. Pala was first to speak, "How did it go?"
Rashid answered for him, "He has been cleansed."
Alex laughed with restraint, "Pardon me for asking, but what just happened?"
Rashid answered, "A good question. This one I believe I will answer," the giraffe cleared his throat, "Look back on the past few days. How have you been fighting back the Baya?"
"I remembered good things: moments I cherished," Alex answered.
"And that love you felt within your heart always held the ability to abolish the Baya," Rashid told him.
"Wh-what?" Alex was confused, "Does this mean I could have destroyed It this entire time?"
Another gust of wind passed through the gorge. Rashid looked at the gorge and then back at Alex, "If under the right circumstance."
"What does that mean?" Alex asked.
"Describe to me what happened and I will explain it," Rashid instructed.
"Well... first the mist came and I couldn't see you anymore," Alex told him.
Rashid nodded, "Yes. This was a test to find your level of determination. And of course you continued."
"Yes," Alex nodded, "Then I found the enclosure you spoke of. I sat on it, but then everything became quiet. And then I relived a horrible memory."
"The key to unlocking your spirit lies in your emotions, and so your spirit had you recall an impacting moment in you," Rashid told him.
Alex nodded again, "But then a glorious light came and a phantom lion appeared before me and brought me into it. I still can't make out who it was."
Rashid chuckled, "Why, it was you Alex."
"It was?" Alex rose an eyebrow.
Rashid answered, "Yes. Or the part of you that feels love that is. Which for you I can tell is a massive part."
"And then the lion got rid of a black figure from in me. I could recognize the figure as It. But then their were other animals as well."
"All part of your spirit Alex. Though you may be a lion, your hear and spirit carries traits than have no limit in appearance. It's all your interpretation. And your love appeared as a lion, being the most identifiable, as is on the outside as well," Rashid explained.
"So what was the gorge for?" Alex asked.
"It is one of the few places where your spirit could reach beyond the boundaries of your physical being and drive the Baya out with no barriers," the giraffe said.
"I can imagine you're overwhelmed," Pala emoted, "I was too, when I had my cleansing."
"It sure was an acid trip alright," Alex laughed.
The others didn't understand the comment, but got the gist of it anyway.
"Well, Alex," Pala said, "Let's go back now. Your friends are waiting."
"Bye Rashid," Alex told the giraffe. He took one of Rashid's hooves into his hand, "And thank you so much."
Rashid bowed his head slightly, "You are most welcome." The giraffe made a shooing motion with his hoof, "Now go on. Marty is waiting."
Alex turned around in surprise, "Wait how did you kn-?"
Rashid regained his mystic quality, "Yet another savanna secret, young Alex."
Alex smiled and alongside Pala, the two returned to the valley of the Pala Pride.
Author's note: Though the wait was long the next chapter will not take as long. Look for updates. I reccomend putting the story on your alert list. ()