Chapter 8

Cody kept on starring at the lioness in front of him. A lion that spoke to him... in perfect English!

...

...

"Uhhh... are you o—"

Cody's eyes are wide like saucers as they nearly popped out of their sockets while he screamed in absolute terror. That only lasted for two-and-a-half seconds before Kiara pounced him down onto his back while pinning him to the ground and muffling his screaming with her right paw as the freaked out teenager struggled against her.

"I told you not to freak out."

Cody kept on freaking out as his screams are muffled while kept on trying to get out of the lioness' restraints.

I should've known this would happen. Kiara thought.

The teenager kept on fighting against her even though Kiara isn't really putting any effort since the boy is unable to get out of her grip. The lioness sighed as she then said "I'll get off of you, if you calm down. Then we'll continue our discussion alright."

Cody struggled less due exhuastion as Kiara added "If I wanted to eat you, I would've done so in the first place instead of talking with you."

The teenager's eyes lit upon that realization. He slowly stopped screaming and his body stopped shaking as he slowly became calm even his expression remained unchanged. The lioness then removed her paw from Cody's mouth. He was abou to speak until Kiara placed her paw back on his mouth as she reminded him "Please don't run. And no screaming... alright."

Cody quickly nodded as she then got removed her paw agains and slowly got off of him. The teenager then got up onto his feet and faced Kiara with a them freaked out and wide eyed expression.

"Good. Now we got that settled—"

"You can talk!?" Cody blurted out dumbly, "HOW CAN YOU TALK?!"

"Uh... since always."

"But— WAIT A MINUTE! WHAT YOU SAID EARLIER, DOES THAT MEAN ALL THE ANIMALS CAN TALK?!"

"Of course we can all talk. Just you like you can." Kiara replied, "Thankfully bugs don't talk. That would be creepy."

Kiara slightly chuckled while Cody is still bewildered to all of this.

"That's impossible! Animals can't talk!" Cody stuttered as he no longer faced the lioness in front of him, "This can't be a dream since I hurt myself when I tripped unless—"

Cody gasped in realization. "The potion!"

"Huh?"

"Not only it suppposed to allow us to understand and speak with the human tribe of the Pride Lands, we can also talk with animals as well!? Why the heck didn't Kijani and his father tell us about this?!"

"Human tribe? We don't have—"

A lion roar was then heard while terrified screams of the teenager's friends were followed afterwards.

"GUYS!?" Cody shouted with worry while slightly forgetting about the talking lion in front of him. He then ran back to camp while drawing out his knife.

OH NO! Kiara thought, DADDY AND THE REST OF THE PRIDE MUST'VE DECIDED TO PROCEED WITH THE PLAN EARLY!

The princess then ran after the boy so she prevent her father from making a huge mistake.

One Minutes Earlier...

Rosa finished making breakfast as Greg, Fred, and Stan (already out of his suitjamas and into his suit) began to eat while sitting down with her by the recenly buried camp fire pit.

"Where the heck is Cody?" Fred asked.

"I think he's still taking his "business"?" Greg guessed.

"Well he better not take too long. It's still dangerous out there." Rosa said as she began to sit down with them.

"If he doesn't get here in two minutes, I'm eating his food." Stan said.

"I thought you don't like it." Fred asked.

"That's not going stop my hunger."

"Well this is the last of the food." Rosa added.

"Will the food be better at King Simba's tribe?" Stan asked.

"It'll be the same, or more traditional than the Nomadic Ghosts'."

"You mean different."

Rosa frowned at him with irritation in which the suit wearing teenager felt uneasy in response.

"Besides it's not like we're staying there." Fred said, "They're going to help us get back to our parents."

"Thankfully." Gred said, "This is more of an exprience with nature than I ever wanted in my life."

"True." Rosa agreeing with Fred, "But if Cody doesn't come back after we finish eating, we're going to look for him before we locate—"

Then out of nowhere, a lion jumped in front of them as he roared threateningly at them. The lion has brownish-gold fur, red eyes, and a red mane while being followed by other lionesses and a younger lion with brown fur, green eyes with a scar on his left, and a black mane. The teenagers screamed in terror after the lion roared at them.

Rosa, being raised with the knowledge of animals, knew what to do in a situation like his.

"Guys." Rosa whispered quickly while trying to stay calm, "Slowly get into the tent while making eye contact with them! That way they won't attack us—"

Greg was the only one who listened to her... sort of. The glasses wearing teenager hastily jumped into the tent while Fred pressed back against the acacia tree as Stan instantly climbed up the tree while hang on a branch upside down panicking. Rosa frowned in annoyance at Cody's friends for not listening to her.

Then red-maned approached the teenage girl with a threatening snarl. As Rosa scooted away from the lion closing in on her, she heard a familar voice calling out to her. "ROSA!"

Rosa and the rest of the teenagers turned their heads around, including the lions, and saw Cody running towards them with knife in hand. The beanie wearing teenager was only twelve steps away from his friends when the black-maned lion saw the knife in the teenagers hand as he then jumped towards him to pounce. Rosa screamed in terror while the boys wore expressions of horror as the lion hurled toward their friend. Cody saw the lion as well as everything seemed like slow motion as the lion closed in on him in mid-air as the boy slowly fell down by surprse. Then suddenly, a blur of golden amber pushed the lion down to the ground saving his life. It was Kiara.

The black-maned lion stared at her in shock as he said "KIARA?! WHAT ARE YOU—"

"YOU COULD'VE KILLED HIM!"

"Him?" the red-maned spoke with a raised eybrow. Then his eyes lit up with realization as he then faced his daughter with an angry expression "You spoke with that Watu?!"

"Daddy they're not a threat! They need our help!"

"Kiara," The lioness with creamy-tawny fur and teal-ish blue eyes spoke, "Don't you realize how dangerous that is!"

"Mom please let me explain."

Then Kiara began to explain to her pride, mostly towards her mother and father, how Cody (she also added how his name is spelled differently) helped a baby zebra as she then approached him carefully while asking questions before she revealed herself to him. She also added that he and his friends are in their mid adolescence which surprised her mother and the other lionesses... except both her father and the black-maned lion are half surprised by this while mostly cautious and distrustful of the teenagers.

"Plus they say that animals and humans don't speak and understand one anoth—"

Then Kiara's eyes went wide. She forgot about Cody's friends since they haven't seen an animal talk like he had. "Uh oh..."

She then turned toward the humans as Rosa, Greg, Fred, and Stan stared at the lions with wide eyes of dumfoundment while in disbelief.

"Pleas don't—" Greg's, Fred's, and Stan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets while the suit wearing began freaking out in terror like a madman, the hat wearing teenager gripped the tree behind him with his mouth slack-jawed, and the glasses wearing teenager began to stutter in half-nonsense at the impossible before them. "—freak out."

Greg, Fred, and Stan continued to freak out as the black-maned lion got up and stood next to Kiara and her parents.

"We didn't really need to chased them out after all." The black-maned said with a half smile, "We could've just talked and they'll just run out of here."

"KOVU!?"

"What?" The lion, Kovu, said to Kiara defensively.

Rosa remained unchanged as Cody gotten over the fact he was almost killed by a lion. He then quickly crawled fast to to her as he asked "Are you alright?"

She wore a "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" expression on her face as she replied "I'M I OKAY?! YOU WERE ALMOST KILLED BY A LION!"

"HEY! I'M STILL HERE AREN'T I!"

"Animals can't talk?!" Greg stuttered, "This is—"

"AMAZING!" Rosa finished with very excited expression as she wore a big smile. Cody, Greg, Fred, and Stan stared at her in disbelief as they yelled in unison "WHAT?!"

Stan accidently released his grip on the branch as he then fell on his back on the ground. The suit wearing teenager slightly groaned in pain as he noticed a lioness staring down at him face to face.

"Are you okay?" The lioness asked. Stan yelped loudly, which caused the lioness to jump back, as the teenager quickly placed his back against the tree in the same position as Fred.

"Tiifa! you shouldn't get near it!" The lioness, now next to her, warned.

"I was checking if that Watu was alright Zuri." The lioness, Tiifa, said. "Kiara said they're not bad as they seemed right?"

"Aren't you freaked out about all of this?!" Cody asked his childhood friend.

"Of course, but I've always wanted to talk to animals since I was a little girl!" Rosa replied still wearing a smile on her face which made Kiara smile to the fact at least one of the humans is okay with this, "Isn't this incredible?!"

"I'm still haven't gotten over the fact we can communicate with them."

"What are you Watu doing here in the Pride Lands." The Kiara's father asked in a distrusful tone.

"Daddy I told you, they—"

"You're in enough trouble already Kiara!"

Kiara was then quiet as she was later comforted by Kovu. The teenagers are still shaken up that the lions are talking.

"Well?!"

"Take it easy Simba." the creamy tawned lion whispered quietly to her husband, "Maybe Kiara's right? Look how frightened they are."

"But Nala—"

"We aren't here to cause any problems."

The one that spoke was Cody as he then stood up as he slowly approached Kiara's father.

I can't believe I'm doing this! Cody's friends also agree with him by the expressions on their faces.

Kiara's father and Kovu growled at him which made the teenager stop in his tracks. Cody then realized that he was still holding his knife. He then sheathed it back, detached it from his belt, dropped it on the ground in front of him, and side kicked it away from himself. The lions are surprised by Cody's action while his friends, mostly the boys, can't believe he just tossed away his only means of self-defense.

"My friends and I came here to find a human tribe." Cody said, "We were told they can help us."

Kiara's father and mother, Kovu, and the other lioness stared him with incredulous expressions.

So that's what he meant. Kiara thought, He and his friends are looking for a human tribe for help.

"We don't have any Watu in the Pride Lands." The red-maned pointed bluntly, "Until you five arrived."

The teenagers stared in disbelief before they explaimed "WHAT?!"

"Are you sure?" Cody asked while having a hard time believing this, "We're supposed to find King Simba and his people."

The red-maned lion raised his eyebrows while the rest of the lions are surprised as he is.

"What?"

Nala slightly grinned at her mate as whispered "Well... you better tell them."

The red-maned lion sighed as he then replied to Cody "You're speaking to him."

The teenagers' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "WHAT?!"

"Tukufu didn't say that you're a lion!" Fred said.

"Well he didn't mention he wasn't human either." Rosa added.

"WHY THE HECK DIDN'T HE TELL US THIS?!" Stan asked while freaking out.

"The potion was supposed to help us converse with the humans here!" Greg said, "But if that's not the case, that would mean we instead—"

"—understand and speak with animals." Cody finished while still in shock.

The teenagers are dumfounded.

"What are you talking about?" The red-maned lion, revealed himself as Simba, asked.

Remembering what Tukufu instructioned, Cody then took of his pendant around his neck and held it in front of the king as he explained the reason for them being here; starting from when Rosa's home town is attacked and ending at when they first arrived at the Pride Lands.

The lions are are speechless by the teenagers' tragic story. Simba has mixed feelings whether or not he should feel bad for them but is torn by his caution and mistrust of the Watu before him. Kovu feels the same way but only a little bit less towards the caution and mistrust. Kiara and Nala on the other hand felt terrible for what they went through.

That would explain how hey entered Animalia and able to communicate with us. Simba thought, But still...

"How do I know that all of this isn't a trick?" Simba asked still not trusting the Watu.

The teenagers, including Kiara and Nala, can't believe what he just said.

"Don't worry. They're telling the truth."

The teenagers yelped while they nearly jumped (Stan jumped into Fred's arms in fright much to his annoyance) as a mandrill with a bakora stick, who has a tail for some reason, appeared from the tall grass.

"Rafiki." Simba began to asked while surprised seeing him, "how do you know that?"

"The High Chief of the Nomadic Ghosts sent a message to me early this morning," The mandrill, named Rafiki, replied, "explaining that these humans are not invading Animalia, but to seek help."

"Animalia? I thought we're in the Kingdom of Life?" Greg said with a raised eyebrow... but still dumbfounded with the whole 'talking animals' scenerio.

The mandrill laughed as he then said "That's th Nomadic Ghosts' name for this world."

"World?!" Cody said in disbelief, "I thought it was a like a small continent or something!"

"We all thought that!?" Fred said agreeing with him.

Rafiki grinned as he began to explain to the humans about Animalia being a untainted world that exists within and parallel to their's while being somewhat similar as well and having the same name of the contintents like theirs. Cody, Rosa, Greg, Fred, and Stan are speechless.

"SERIOUSLY!? WHY THE HECK DIDN'T THE HIGH CHIEF TELL US ANY OF THIS?!" Stan asked.

"And why didn't he tell us that the potion will allow us to speak to animals?" Cody asked.

"If he did, would you have believed him."

"Well no—"

"Then you and your friends would stray from the path in which you wouldn't be here right now."

The teenagers realized this. If they didn't believe Tufkufu they could've gotten lost, eaten, or worse.

"But that doesn't explain the animals showing... expressions." Rosa asked while trying not to sound rude while avoid saying "human" with it.

"When you drank the sap from the Tree of Life, not only did it allow to communicate with us. It also removed the veil between humans and animals."

"Wait, the potion we drank was tree sap?!" Fred exclaimed.

Stan almost gagged.

"Well, we let the missing details that Tukufu forgot to mention slide since you're going to help us." Cody said.

Simba looked a bit awkward "Uhh... I don't think I can help."

The teenagers stared at him.

"What do you mean by that?" Cody asked.

"What the king is saying is that animals can get in and out of Animalia without any problems. It's just that the pathways for humans haven't been used in so long that their knowledge and locations have been diminishing for a couple thousand years" Rafiki replied, "So it might take a while to locate them."

The teenagers looked somewhat concerned.

"It's alright." Cody said confidently, "It''ll only take you guys a couple days to locate them right?"

"Nope." Rafiki.

The teenagers then became slightly concerned.

"A week?"

"Nope?

The teenagers' expressions slightly increased.

"A few weeks?"

"Wrong."

The teenagers' expressions increased more.

"A month."

"Much longer I believe."

The teenagers' mouths then hung open in disbelief. This shocked them so much that Fred dropped Stan to the ground.

"We can't wait that long!?" Fred said, "Our parents are worried sick about us."

"We can't miss our classes at school!" Greg added, "It'll affect our grade!?"

"School? But you're not fish?" Zuri said. The lioness understood the word 'school', but she and the rest of the lions have no ideo what those are.

"Not that kind of school! It's a place of education!" Greg corrected.

"Huh?"

"I know this is troubling news to you kids." Rafiki said.

"Hey! we ain't kids! We're teenagers!" Stan corrected in slight annoyance as he slowly got up and dusted himself.

Rafiki acted like he didn't even spoke as he continued "And I assure that the king will take good care of you five until the pathway to where your parents are is found."

"I will?!"

"Of course. After all, the Nomadic Ghosts have been protecting the pathway to Animalia in Africa for generations. It is the least we do for them." Rafiki said, "I'll inform the wisest and most knowledgeable animals in Animalia, outside of the Pride Lands, to help locate the pathways as well. Also everyone in Animalia will be informed that the humans not a threat and the reason why they're here."

"So Makini will beas well?" Kiara asked.

"Of course."

"I don't know..." Simba said being unsure while still not trusting the Watu.

"Daddy please." Kiara begged, "They have nowhere else to go."

"Simba," Nala spoke agreeing with Kiara, "They're young. What harm could they possibly cause."

Simba began pondering wheither or not ot help. The teenagers looked worried with anticipation waiting for Simba's decision.

The king then sighed as he began to speak "You are welcome to stay at Pride Rock until the pathway is found."

Cody, Rosa, Greg, Fred, and Stan smiled in great relief. Cody was going to thank Simba until the red-maned continued "But you must obey the rules I'll lay out for you during your stay. Along with following the laws of Animalia! That includes the Circle of Life!"

The teenage boys raised their one of their eyebrows. "The circle of what?"

The lions are shocked that the humans don't know what that is.

"Greg I'm surprised at you." Rosa said, "I thought you would know what that is!"

"I should?" Greg said looking confused.

Rosa groaned. "It is also called the biological life cycle."

"Ohhh..." Greg finally understood, "I know what that is."

"Uh, the rest of us don't know what that is." Fred said.

"In simple terms, it's a declicate balance of life and death which brings harmony to nature."

"It is also a belief strongly held and respected here Animalia." Simba added, "We'll teach you more about it while you're all here."

The teenagers were about to pack up before the King still continued "Also you are only allowed to hunt animals that my pride hunts, hunt with only what the Nomadic Ghosts provided you with, and eat only when we eat. Understoood!"

"Yes—" Cody said but was cut off when Simba added "And if I find out if you Watu have 'sticks that make thunder'—"

"You mean guns?" Cody asked. Simba growled theateningly at the teenagers.

"I assure your majesty, we don't have anything of the sorts." Rosa promised.

Cody felt a twist in stomach thinking about his father's revolver in the messenger bag.

"If I find out you've five have lied to me about having these... guns, including breaking any of my rules, the laws of Animalia, and upseting the Circle of Life, I will make you five stay put in a den where you can't leave until the path is found." Simba warned threateningly. Then the king turned to Cody as he added, "So don't waste the kind assistance of the Nomadic Ghosts that your sister provided for you and your friends."

Cody remained calm with a undestood expression, but the slight shaking of his tightened right fist says otherwise. Luckily Simba didn't notice as he then told them to grab their belongs so he and his pride can lead them to their home at Pride Rock. The teenagers then began putting away their tent, which grabbed the attention of Kovu, Kiara, Nala, and the other lions as they approached them while finding out what the tent is and the stuff they have.

"I hope I don't reget this." Simba said as Rafiki stood next him.

"You won't your majesty." Rakiki assured him, "But I would keep an eye on Cody if I were you."

"Why? Is he going to be a problem?"

"No, nothing like that. He's just troubled... just like you back before you became king."

Simba stared the mjuzi with a confused expression. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"You already know." Rafiki replied with a smile.

The king of Pride Rock still had no idea what the old mandrill is talking about as the mjuzi started to leave not before saying with a grin "Now if you excuse me, I like to begin to help out with the elder animals to find the pathways for our humble guests."

Rafiki then disappeared behind the tall grass as the king then stared at the humans while answering questions from his pride.