Chapter 4 – Ditching the Dodo
Meanwhile, Rod raced out into the outcropping area where two grown lionesses were busy chatting with one of them bathing her daughter, who was around the same age as Rod. This lioness was golden brown with dark brown eyes and was named Marlena, and the female cub cradled in her arms was a dark mahogany with light brown hazel eyes and her name was none other than Lee; Lee was Rod's best friend and they have been very close from the time they were two weeks old.
They would do everything together, from playing in the waterhole to annoying Jack whenever he was stuck performing babysitting duties by watching them. Even though they would often fight and argue over trivial things, they still remained good friends and were completely inseparable, so inseparable that as a matter of fact, Marlena, Doug and Julie made arrangements for Rod and Lee to become betrothed when they were only a month old. Of course, they were unaware of this, so for now it was kept under wraps.
Rod then approached the young headstrong and fiery lioness as she was being cleaned by Marlena and Rod leaned over to her to whisper to her. "Hey, Lee; guess what? I got a really great place to show you," he hissed quietly as Lee snorted at her friend.
"Rod, I'm in the middle of a bath right now, so don't bother me," she snapped testily as she was now being licked in the head.
"And now it's time for yours," Julie interrupted as she suddenly snatched Rod by the head and she sat him down in her cradle while starting to lick him. "Mom!" Rod whined as Julie continued to wipe him all over his head and he squirmed and writhed uncontrollably in an attempt to get away. "Mom! You're messing with my mane!" he griped irritably as Julie's tongue pulled up his little hair tufts, causing it to become slightly messy.
Rod then groaned as he jumped out of her arms while brushing his hair tufts back into place while glaring at her. "Okay, okay, can we go now?" he snapped at her. "So where are we going? It better not be anyplace dumb," Lee growled at her friend as she continued taking her bath. "No, it's really cool," Rod grinned satisfactorily while wagging his tail.
"So where is this really cool place, Rod?" Julie asked him as Rod suddenly froze and tried to think for a few minutes before whipping around to face her while answering, "A waterhole." "A waterhole? Are you mad, Rod? What exactly is so great about a damn waterhole?" Lee hissed at Rod angrily as Rod turned to lean towards her face while whispering in a harsh voice with gritted teeth, "I'll show you when we get there."
"Ohhh…" Lee replied when her stern glare softened dramatically at the meaning of Rod's words and she then turned to her mother. "Mama, can I go with Rod, please?" Lee begged her as Marlena's eyebrows knitted considerably and she turned to Julie. "What do you think, Julie?" she asked her old friend as she put her paw under her chin and considered it with the cubs turning to face her. "Well…"
"Pleeeease?" Lee and Rod begged with Lee flashing her charming, graceful smile and Rod put on his classic puppy dog face. "All right, if it's all right with me," Julie acquiesced as the cubs then exploded into cheers as they were bouncing around with joy, that is, until Julie mentioned something else. "As long as Jack goes with you." "Oh no, not Jack!" Rod groaned with a face-palm as he exchanged consternated glances with Lee.
Sometime later, they were heading towards the waterhole with Jack leading them as he was blabbing one way or another about yet one of his boring scientific experiments. "So how do we ditch the dodo?" Lee asked Rod as they were walking together in the savanna. "That's easy; I got a big plan that will get him off our backs," Rod whispered back as Lee was quickly excited by what he just told her. "Wow!" she cried as Rod shushed her. "Just stay quiet and leave it up to me," he hissed as the cubs were now whispering among themselves and Jack happened to overhead and he swooped down to meet with them.
"Ah, so I see that there is young love blossoming in the hot savanna; your parents would be so thrilled with this latest development, since it also appears that you two are betrothed," Jack observed keenly as he landed in front of the lion cubs and turned to face them. "Be-what?" Rod cocked his head with a puzzled and confused expression as Lee looked at him worriedly.
"Betrothed. Intended… ah, I don't know what the other word is, but one day you two are going to be married," Jack mused for a moment as he beamed at them happily, earning responses of both disgust, dismay and repulsion.
"Ewww! I can't marry her! She's my friend!" Rod shuddered and grimaced while peering at Lee quizzically. "Yeah, it would be just too weird," she concurred with him with a nervous laugh.
"Well, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, young ones, but it is going to happen one way or another and that's the way it is," Jack scoffed while jotting down on his notepad. "Not the way I see it," Rod grinned at him with a devious smirk.
"Well then, Master Rod, until you become king, there is nothing you can do about it," Jack snorted at him disdainfully as Lee glanced at him curiously. "Well, he is the future king after all," she commented as Rod grew bold and stepped up to Jack. "Yeah, so you gotta do what I say," he smirked as he tapped Jack hard on the chest.
"Not with an attitude like that, young man; you would make a rotten king indeed," Jack huffed at Rod arrogantly as Rod turned to look at him with an even wider, more devious smirk. "We'll see about that," he said as he then jumped onto a rock and began to sing.
I'm going to be a mighty king, so enemies beware!
Jack then hopped onto a tree branch while picking off one of Rod's tiny hair tufts.
I've never seen one with quite so little hair.
Rod dances around with his entire head covered in dark brown leaves as he shakes it wildly and then climbs up to another vine as he takes a deep breath and lets out a roar, sending Jack flying into a bush.
I'm going to be the main event that no king was before; I'm brushing up on looking down; I'm working on my roar!
Jack mutters to himself while rubbing on his sore beak, "Well that was rather an uninspiring thing."
Well I can't just wait to being king!
The scene then cuts to Lee and Rod standing on either side of a puddle as Jack stands between them with a detestable frown on his face.
No one saying do this.
Rod leans close to Jack with a grin.
No one saying be there.
Lee smirks at Jack demurely.
No one saying stop this.
Rod then makes a funny face while Lee squishes her face in a silly manner and then they race off while splashing Jack with a huge wave.
No one saying see here!
"Now, see here!" Jack shouts as he sees the young cubs run off laughing.
Lee and Rod are dashing across the water as Jack tries to catch up with them as he is dragged underwater by Ding Lao riding on water skis as he shouts, "Watch where ya going, you fool! Ha, ha, ha, ha!"
Free to run around all day!
Rod and Lee are also riding on ostriches as Jack is trying to catch up with them while flying as fast as he can.
Free to do it all my way!
Rod and Lee then walk through the aisle of zebras as Jack shows up at the edge and they close up in his face. It is then that a huge parade of alien experiments, consisting of Stitch and his cousins and also all of the experiments belonging to Team Legacy, start to follow around the two lion cubs.
Everybody look left!
Rod and the experiments look left.
Everybody look right!
Everyone looks to the right.
Everywhere you look around, I'm staying in the spotlight!
The cousins look down as Rod is displayed in a huge spotlight provided by an experiment named Spotlight as Jack emerges out of the crowd of experiments.
Not yet!
Let every creature go for broke and sing!
Let's hear it in the pride and on the wing.
It's gonna be King Rod's finest fling!
All of the alien experiments start to form a pyramid as everyone ranging from the 000 series to the 600 series and beyond starts to ascend up the formation, with Stitch, Angel, Leroy and 627 fanning with pink palm tree leaves just as Rod and Lee materialize on the very top.
Oh, I just can't wait to be king!
Oh, I just can't wait to be king!
Oh, I just can't wait to be king!
Oh, I just can't wait…
Jack then storms into the pyramid of animals as the enormous weight causes it to collapse completely on its seams as everyone falls towards the ground and they all land right on top of Jack, crushing him.
To be king!
The cousins are now groaning and whining amongst themselves while cursing in tantalog as Jack soon finds himself trapped under the huge pile of experiments. "Hello? Rod? Lee? Anyone? Help?"