Drabble 8: Little Lion Man
A/N: I thought of this on the bus one day, and had to include it as a drabble. I hope you enjoy it, and please comment!
Six year old Leo Fitz gripped his mother's hand as they approached the entrance. He had been promised a trip to the zoo for some time, and now it was finally happening. He was definitely excited, but nervous for some reason. Most places seemed huge to the small boy, and this was no exception. His mother had told him about all the animals this zoo had, most of which he had never seen.
"Are you ready?"
He looked up and saw his mother smiling down at him. He smiled back and nodded.
"Then let's go!" She started walking faster, and Leo let go of her hand to run beside her, excitement getting the better of him. They got to the ticket booth and he waited for her to pay their way in with barely contained impatience.
As it usually happened, his mother had managed to drive away his apprehension and replace it with excitement.
She finished paying and looked at him again, her eyes glinting. "What do you say about starting with the lions?"
He didn't have to answer. She always called him her little lion, because of his name. He wanted to see how much he had in common with them.
The lions were kept in the middle, so they walked slowly. His mother let him take all the time he needed to observe the other animals from a distance. Once he fell so far behind her that he had to run to catch up again. He didn't know that she was doing it on purpose, always keeping him in sight but letting him explore on his own. She knew how inquisitive her little boy was. This was a great opportunity for him to react by himself. She wanted to see how he interacted with the animals.
When they finally reached the lions she watched him carefully. "There they are, Leo! Look how strong they are!"
His mouth opened and he grinned. "Wow! They're great!"
There were two in the large cage, a male and a female. They watched as the lions lay next to each other, and the male licked the female's head. Then he started looking around, surveying his kingdom. He saw Leo and his mother and stood up, walking near the edge of the cage. He sat and watched them for a moment.
Leo stepped a bit closer to study him, his mother right next to him. Then the lion's tail whipped from side to side, and it opened its mouth and growled at them. Leo jumped back in surprise. The lion stood up and started pacing, and it showed its teeth as it growled a second time. It paced for a minute, seemed to glare at them, and then swiped a paw at the cage, snarling.
Leo screamed, and his mother picked him up and ran back to another animal exhibit. She held him close and tried to soothe him while internally panicking, and ran a hand through his hair. After a few minutes she set him down and kneeled in front of him, face to face at eye level.
"Why did it do that?" he asked her. He sounded scared, but also curious. It was good to know that he was still acting like himself.
"I don't know, sweetie. He might have thought we were trying to hurt him. He just wanted to protect his mate."
He sniffed and nodded. "Okay. But I don't want to see them anymore. I don't think I like lions."
"Are you sure honey? They really aren't mean. You're my little lion!"
He shook his head. "Let's go see a different animal. What does a monkey do?"
She walked him to the monkey area, hoping she hadn't scared him away from lions forever. He saw the monkeys and immediately smiled, fascinated by them. He talked with her about how strange they looked, and noticed how they stayed together like a family, the big ones helping the little ones.
"Of course they do, honey. They're just like us."
His eyes widened when she said that and he studied them for a few minutes without talking. Then one of the little monkeys came over and reached out a hand.
At first Leo backed away. "Is it going to attack like the lion did?" he asked.
"No, it just wants you to give it some food." She walked to the food machine and inserted a token, and came back with a handful of cereal. "Here, try handing it one of these."
Leo took it from her and hesitantly held it out towards the monkey, looking away. When he felt the monkey take it from him he snatched his hand back quickly and watched it eat the piece. He watched his mother give a different monkey a piece of cereal, and she smiled when it took it.
"See Leo? They're really friendly."
He took another piece from his mother and held it out, this time looking towards the monkey as it came near him. This time it was the smallest one. His mother held him up so he could reach, and when he gave the cereal to the little monkey he laughed.
"I love the monkeys!" he said.
His mother smiled as she watched him. Of course he loved the monkeys; he was just like them, curious and very true to family.
But she would still call him her little lion. No matter which animal he liked best he would always be her little lion, and not just because of his name. She could tell from the day he was born that her boy would have a big heart, and be strong and dependable. She could see it in his eyes as she looked at him every day. There was a lion inside him. He just didn't know it.