Elsa comes to the Jungle

There are many legends told of these jungles of Uganda. But none as great as the one I am about to tell you. Where from the jungle's vengeance, one young girl abandoned by her people and through great losses, grew up to become a great lord and protector of the jungle.

A tale that began with the rain and the storm...


The sound of rain pattering rapidly against stone could be heard from inside the cave. Followed by the bellow of thunder followed by a flash of bright light over the hard stone walls of the cave entrance. Yet despite the raging storm outside, the pride was sound asleep within their den. Over a stone platform, a large male lion slept next to his mate and cub. Below them over the floor of the cave, several lionesses slept alongside their cubs.

That is, all but one.

At the mouth of the cave, a rare white lioness laid awake over the floor of the cave. She faced the mouth of the cave, peering at the storm outside. She then narrowed her eyes in contempt for the lose of her cub. She had wandered deep into the jungle during the day before, alone. She was curious and had ventured far from the safety of her mother and the pride. By the time she noticed her cub was missing, she heard her voice calling for her.

The lioness and the others of the pride rushed to the aid of her cub. But they were too late. She heard her cub screaming in the distance. And then the sudden silence that followed. Even now she can still hear he cub. Her voice echoed through her mind. Sorrowfully, the lioness cringed. Desperately she tried to renounce her memory. But found she could not let go.

All she wanted was to have her cub at her side.

Throughout the night, she continued to ponder her loss. Slowly the roars of thunder had ceased and the drops of rain had then eased before fading from notice. The sun's light began to peek into the cave. The lioness lifted her head to look to the cave entrance. It was now morning and the storm had long passed. The lioness stood up over her four paws and walked outside the cave. She came over the ledge and faced the jungle ahead of her. She needed time, away from the pride.

Just as she was about to make her way down the path, she then heard a voice from the cave behind her.

"Diata?"

Diata looked back at the entrance of the den. It was there she saw Mufasa, the king of the jungle and alpha of the pride, standing within the the mouth of the cave.

"Where are you going?" Mufasa asked.

Diata did not answer. She simply turned forward, gazing toward the jungle below. Something which did not go unnoticed by Mufasa, who frowned in sympathy for the white lioness.

"Diata, I have the deepest condolences for your cub," Mufassa said.

"I understand what you are going through and I know it's hard. But you must move passed this."

Diata narrowed her eyes, knowing that the king spoke true. But it was not so simple. Not when it was her own cub.

"Mufassa, I appreciate what you are trying to do for me," she said, glancing back to him.

"But I must be alone."

Mufassa sighed and narrowed his eyes.

"Very well," Mufassa said.

"Do what you must."

"Thank you." she said.

Mufassa watched Diata passed him by and made her way down the path. When she was no longer in sight walked over the ledge, where he gazed down to her as she disappeared into the jungle below.


Diata wandering aimlessly through the jungle. She was now far to the east and had ventured outside the pride's territory. Though she cared not of where she was nor where she was going. Diata thought of nothing more than the cub she had lost. She refused to believe it was true. Her cub. Her own daughter.

Gone...

No longer would she be sleeping next to her at night. No longer would they play together. It all now felt like a distant memory.

As the lioness walked along, she looked up ahead of her and saw a tree laying on the path she was on, blocking her way. She looked to her left and saw a trail of fallen trees and a trail of wrecked grounds. She thought to herself, what could have done this?

The lioness turned and began to follow the path of destruction. She stepped over fallen branches of fall trees, till she suddenly came across something she had never seen before. It was a giant, white bird lying dead on the ground. Its back was split into two, the glass windows were smashed and the wings torn from its sides. The lioness slowly crept toward the strange bird. She looked to its sides observing such a beast. She came up to the split back.

She then looked right and then stopped. There was the noise of crying to her left. She gazed over and the noise coming from behind a tree's corner. The lioness slowly and hesitatively peered around the tree and was met with such a strange sight. She saw a small girl cub, lying on one of the two dead bodies, crying. One was the body of a man with light brown hair; the other was the body of a woman with dark brown hair. They both lay on the ground without a hint of motion.

The small young seven-year girl with ice blond hair, blue eyes, wearing a blue dress, continued to sob. The lioness looked down at the child. The two dead humans must have been her parents. She was all alone now and was vulnerable to other predators. She felt sorry for the small human cub.

The white lioness came closer to the girl. She lowered her head down and then nudged the female human cub. The girl turned to look and gasped. She backed away to the side a bit.

"Please, don't eat me!" she cried.

"It's okay little one, I won't hurt you," Diata reassured the girl.

The girl became so shocked and even more frighten. The lioness had just spoken to her.

"You can talk?" the girl asked.

Diata nodded. The girl was both amazed and shocked. She could talk to animals, how is that possible?

"Are you going to eat me?" the girl asked seeing as how this was a lioness she was talking to.

"No, I won't," Diata reassured.

The girl was still so hesitative. She wasn't sure if the lioness was telling the truth or not. Fortunately, for her Diata was of no mindset to conflict harm upon her. The lioness took a step closer to the frighten girl cub. Elsa tried to resist the urge to react in her fear. But she found the strength to keep it under control.

The little girl cub slowly reached her hand out to the lioness. She paused halfway as Diata looked. The lioness was aware of what Elsa wanted to do. She wanted for her to feel safe in her presence. Diata lowered her head down and gently pressed it against the girl palm.

Elsa gave a small and slight gasp as she felt the lioness`s fur under her palm. Diata raised her head back up, looking to the young girl cub. Elsa then began to pet the white lioness, her small hand stroking the fur on her head. Diata shut her eyes and gave a soft purr, the lioness sat down before Elsa. The little girl began chuckling as continued petting Diata.

"You're really pretty," said Elsa, complementing the lioness`s white fur.

"Why thank you." said Diata.

Diata raised her head up as Elsa. The bleached blond girl took her hand back.

"What's your name, little one?" the white lioness asked curiously.

"Elsa." The girl answered.

"Hello, Elsa," said the lioness.

"My name is Diata."

"It's nice to meet you Diata." said the young girl.

Diata nodded in agreement.

"It's nice to meet you too." said the white lioness.

"What are you doing out here in the jungle?"

Elsa herself had little an answer for that. She herself didn't know why she was in this lush jungle. It was not her intention to be here, not her doing.

"I... don't know," She answered.

"Do you remember anything at all?" asked Diata.

Elsa could barely think of what happened. Though she could recall small fragments memories that could tell her what happened before. Those memories revealed of her parents, panicking, her mother holding her close as the plane flew downward with the sounds of thunder and the flashes of lighting.

The final thing she could remember was her father looking to her and her mother. The last expression she saw on his face was one she had not seen him make before. It still lingered in her mind. Diata looked upon the girl's face, to be met with eyes of confusion and also sadness. For what the reason this was, the answer stood behind the girl. Diata gazed back up to the bodies that lied motionless on the ground. She saw Elsa was moaning over them just a short time ago.

Elsa looked at the bodies behind her. Her happiness then faded away and sadness and grief returned.

"Were those your parents?" asked Diata as she turned to the girl

Elsa nodded her head, before narrowing it downward. Closing her young blue eyes as tears began to emerge.

"Yes," She said.

Elsa began to sob. Her parents were killed in the crash of their plane during the storm, leaving her all alone. Diata looked to Elsa and saw the poor girl-cub in so much pain and loss. The lioness frowned, feeling so remorse for the girl cub.

"Hey, hey." Diata said coming up and sat down beside the girl.

Her white lioness reached out with her right paw and brought the child close to her.

"Shh, there, there." Diata said softly and in the tone of that of a mother, comforting the little girl.

"It's Okay... It's Okay. I'm here for you."

Elsa lay against the lioness's chest, crying. She buried her face in the lionesses white fur. Diata gazed down at the young seven-year-old girl. Diata had such sympathy for Elsa; such a poor little cub lost the people she had loved. It was a similar factor to be known on her part as well. With the death of her previous cub, Diata came to see that she and this young child of man had but suffered the same loss.

Diata looked up to the two deceased parents of Elsa. Her family was gone and without them, this girl cub would never make it. Not out here. Elsa looked up to the lioness. Diata looked back at her. Elsa continued to stay close to her, pressing her head up against her chest. Elsa needed help from someone out in this jungle wilderness. But most of all, the girl needed a family. But there was no place for her to go, nobody for her to be with.

That is, with the exception of her.

The white lioness knew it to be her. It was she that found this girl. Who bared such feelings of sympathy for a cub that was not of her own kind. Diata knew her own heart told her that needed to be the guide of Elsa. She knew that Elsa was her responsibility now, she needed her and Diata needed Elsa as well.

Diata parted from Elsa and faced the now orphan cub.

"Elsa," Diata said in a whispering tone.

The little girl cub looked up to Diata, gazing into her blue eyes. Diata looked back to the small seven-year-old girl, a cub so young and full of such innocence.

"I know your loss is so great for someone as young as you. But I will help you."

Elsa's cheeks were wet with tears, and there was still that frown upon her face. But yet, there appeared something in the girl's eyes, some hope. For now, there came help to her. A new chance had been given to her.

"The jungle is not a place for you to be alone here." Diata explained.

"You need a people to survive."

"But there are no people here." said Elsa, knowing that there was no other people.

The white lioness bowed her head. The presence of her kind was a number that was far less than the jungle folk. There was none to be seen from miles around. However the lioness was not of that thinking. Instead, she wished for this cub to be cared for by her guidance and love.

"That is why I would like you to come with me." said the white lioness.

"I would like to take you to my pride. We live just east from here and you'll be safe with us."

The lioness backed up a bit and crouched down.

"Here, climb on."

Elsa hesitated a bit. She knew that Diata was a lion and that the same goes for her family. But she would be safer there then out her by herself. Elsa came up to the lioness and climbed up on her back. As soon as she settled, Diata came back up. She looked back to Elsa, who sat upon her back.

"You okay back there?" She said.

Elsa nodded her head yes.

"Alright, hang on."

Diata began to walk back the way she came, taking the child with her. As the two left the crash site, Elsa then gave one last looked back at the sight of the crashed plane. The last time she would ever see it again.

"Goodbye mama, papa." she said in a whispering voice before she turned forward.


Elsa was sitting silently over Diata's back, who carried her away from the crash site of her family's plane. They had walked for some time and were now far from the sight of the crash. Between the two of them there were only the jungle's occasional utterances, not a single word was gestured on either's part. As Diata continued to walk along, she took a glance back to Elsa. The girl was sitting in complete silence, here head was bowing downward and a frown was upon the girls face.

Diata gazed with sympathy of the cub's experience of sorrow from the loss of her parents. She knew very well of what it felt like when one losses someone as dear to them. The death of her cub was an experience that was too excruciating to endure. She hoped that her new home here in the jungle would be a new start for the girl. Diata turned and looked forward. However she suddenly ceased to move any further. Upon stopping, the young girl gazed up to the white lioness.

Diata stood pondering over the possibilities that would be against her desire for Elsa to stay with her. The biggest concern was if they wouldn't accept her. She couldn't fathom what would be the conclusion of that choice. She couldn't bear to see what would happen. She hadn't saved Elsa for her to just be abandoned again. If it did, then she would leave the pride and raise Elsa on her own, a choice that would be risky for both her and Elsa.

As Diata continued to ponder, it was then she heard the girl atop her back speak a word that she longed to hear.

"Mama?"

Diata glanced up in awe and turned back to the girl-cub. She stared back at the girl-cub. They had just met what was a short time ago and already she had just considered her to be her mother.

"What's wrong?" Elsa asked, curiously.

Diata smiled, shaking her head to the girl.

"There's nothing wrong, Elsa." The white lioness reassured the girl.

"Everything's alright."

"Oh..." The girl said.

To follow was a brief moment of silence, Diata only stared toward Elsa. The impact of hearing the girl's worlds left much of a desired impression upon her.

"Mama?" Diata said softly.

"I just thought..." The girl said, nervously.

"Since I'm staying with you... that I could call you..."

Diata smiled at the girl, knowing what she meant. She nodded her head to the girl, loving for her to consider her to be her mother.

"Of course you may." Diata insisted to her.

Elsa smiled. While it was the first time for them to have come to meet, she had already considered the lioness to be her mother. As the two stared to one another, Diata felt the need to try. To gain the answer that she ever so longed to have, for Elsa to be her daughter. While she was still concerned if the answer was not to be the one she hoped.

But she was willing to try for Elsa.

Diata looked forward to the jungle path before her.

"We're getting close." Diata said, looking back at the girl.

"We shouldn't be far now. Are you ready to meet your new family?"

Elsa still felt hesitant, knowing that they were lions. Though she had faith to the outcome she hoped would be. Seeing how her new mother was to her, what was there to fear?

The girl nodded her head.

"I'm ready."


Mufasa stood over the ledge overlooking the pathway leading up to the cave. It was there below, the lionesses and their cubs were lying over the ledges below. The king gazed to the jungle below, waiting for Diata to return. He had feared how much she had been affected with the death of her cub.

Just then, Sarabi, the mate and queen of Mufassa came out of the cave. Sarabi was like any other queen lioness that came before her. She ruled with honor and love. She was a kind and loving mother to their young and adventurous son, Simba. He was already out playing with his friends in the jungle as always.

Sarabi looked over at her husband, staring over the jungle below, worryingly. The lioness walked up to her mate and sat at his side.

"Mufassa?" she asked.

Mufassa glanced back to his mate as she came up and stood at his side.

"Good morning." said Mufassa as he then nuzzled her.

"Good morning, my love." His queen greeted her mate.

Sarabi departed from her beloved king. He smiled back to her, but only a short time did it last. He then frowned, glancing back toward the jungle below.

"Why do you appear so troubled, Mufasa?" said Sarabi.

"I'm concerned for Diata." Mufasa explained.

"She's been deeply affected by the death of her cub."

"The death of a child can be hard for any mother," Sarabi insisted to her mate.

"It's a pain that takes time to be healed. You must let her be."

Mufassa sighed knowing she was right. This was not a simple accident, but the loss of an early life. She couldn't be forced to move on from that. Only time could heal the wound.

Sarabi narrowed her eyes as she turned forward. She then glanced to the jungle below and then gasped, widening her eyes with shock and awe.

"Mufassa." she said.

Mufassa turned to Sarabi and saw her gazing to the jungle below with a look of shock and awe. He then gazed below and saw Diata coming out of the jungle with something, carrying something over her back.

Diata came out from the line of trees and lush vegetation. She looked back to Elsa, she saw the young girl looking in awe at the sight of her new home. She gave smiled at her.

"Welcome home, Elsa." She said.

"This is where you live?" she asked curiously.

Diata nodded her head to Elsa.

"Yes." said Diata.

"And it's your home now too."

Elsa, who lay still sat upon her back, gazed up to what was her new home. There was a steep rock hill before a cave entrance above. There were several lionesses, lying upon the smooth, stone ground beneath them. There were several cubs along with them. The girl looked up toward the cave. There she saw a large male lion with a reddish brown mane and yellow fur. Right beside was a lioness with tanned fur. Both of them were looking down toward them.

"Who are they?" she said, pointing upward toward them.

Diata to where Elsa was pointing. It was then she saw Mufassa and Sarabi, who looked down at them. The white lioness knew that they were as surprised to be met with the sight of Elsa.

"They are the king and queen." Diata answered, looking back at Elsa.

"The king and queen?" Elsa asked curiously.

Diata nodded her head to her.

"That is Mufassa." said Diata as she looked back to them.

"And that is his queen, Sarabi. They both rule over our jungle and uphold the law. They help protect our pride. We as a pride are a family, we protect one another."

"We're a family?" asked Elsa.

Diata looked back to her new found daughter.

"Yes." She answered.

"If their king and queen and we are all a family, does this mean that I'm also of royalty?"

Diata nodded her head yes.

"So I'm a princess?" asked Elsa.

Diata smiled to her daughter.

"Yes, you are." She said.

However that wasn't entirely true, at least not at the moment. She looked back up to them. She knew that they would question her for bring Elsa here. It was the reason; she needed to present Elsa to them. Diata looked back to the girl cub.

"Hold on." She said to Elsa.

The white lioness climbed up the steep path to the cave above. Once they came to curving path above, Diata turned to face Mufassa and Sarabi. The lioness approached them, passing by the other lionesses around her. They all stared curiously at the human child she carried on her back. Elsa looked all around, feeling a more nervous than before. A few of the lionesses stood up and walked around Diata as she passed by, all staring toward Elsa.

Diata came before The Alpha and his mate, just as Elsa turned to look.

"Mufassa." she said bowing her neck to the king and queen.

"Diata?" Mufassa said, noticing the human on her back.

"What is that on your back?"

Diata showed a smile.

"Mufassa," she said proudly.

"I would like you to meet my daughter."

Mufassa was shocked. Diata had just said that she was now her daughter. The alpha lion looked to the girl; she looked back to him with a bit of fear in her.

"Daughter?" Mufassa said as he looked back at Diata.

"I found her alone in the jungle." She said.

"And I've decided to take Elsa in."

"Elsa?" asked Mufassa, looking back to the girl.

"My name." the girl spoke up.

Mufassa became so surprised than before. The girl understood what he had said, how could that be possible?

"You understand us?" asked Sarabi.

Elsa nodded.

"Then tell me, mtoto." said Sarabi.

"Where are your real parents?"

Elsa narrowed her eyes and frowned.

"Her parents have been killed." Diata said.

Sarabi looked back at Mufassa. This girl cub before them had lost her family and would die if she was left alone. Mufassa then looked back to Diata.

"Were there any others?" asked Mufassa.

Diata shock her head no.

"She's the only one."

Mufassa looked up to the girl. There was no way to return her to her own kind and no one to care for her. The dangers of being without parents or anyone to guide her were clear to the Alpha lion. She wouldn't have a chance. Mufassa knew that she would be better off under the care of Diata.

Mufassa turned to his queen at his side. She looked back to him, knowing what he was thinking. He wanted to help Diata be relieved from her cub's death. Maybe this would be how he could help her. She nodded her head, wanting for him to allow her to keep this child.

Mufassa then turned back to Diata.

"Diata, are you certain of this?" He asked curiously.

The white lioness nodded her head to the lion king. She couldn't be more certain about anything in the world. She was now Elsa's mother and she needed her.

"I am." She said.

He gazed up to the girl who sat atop Diata's back. She saw the girl-cub stared back at him with her small and young blues eyes. There he saw a look of fear staring back at him. One who has lost so much and has but nothing left. Who is in need ever so more then she had ever had and would never have a chance on her own. However now she was given by Diata, a deed many would never take without a heart like hers.

He smiled back at the girl as he finally made his decision.

"Then I will support your choice." Mufassa said allowing Elsa to become part of the pride.

Elsa smiled gratefully, filled with joy that the Alpha accepted her to live with them.

"Thank you, mister." She said.

"Yes." She said to the king, bowed her head before him.

"Thank you, Mufassa."

The lioness looked back to her new daughter. She then leaned her head forward as she nuzzled Elsa. The girl-cub then began to chuckled as she was about to begin a new life in the jungle.