I hope you guys have been enjoying the story so far :) I present to you the next wonderful chapter in the story
The Guardians Prophesy by D. Ritchie.
Sarabi rested peacefully next to Mufasa after what had been an intense
workout. She cuddled beside him, delighting in his delicate touch and
warmth. She was finally where she'd wanted to be for so long. Something was
troubling her, though. "Mufasa?" she asked.
"Hmmm?" the lion replied, burying his nuzzle in the crook of her neck.
"You said that Fox saved your life," she said, pausing. "Did he?"
"Yes," he responded softly. "He did." He explained further. "The group I
was hunting wounded me and then left to gather their pack and cubs to kill
me. Fox arrived moments after they'd left. He wrapped this… bandage around
my wound and protected me from the hyenas while I recovered." The more he
thought about it, the more he thought about the Guardian Prophesy from so
long ago. It was as though Fox had been sent to protect him.
Sarabi wasn't thinking about prophesies. She'd nearly lost her beloved
Mufasa before they'd even had the chance to wed. She also felt guilty about
attacking Fox. Sarabi was a ferocious enemy, but she was fair, and she
didn't like the idea of having attacked a friend. I'll make it up to him,
she decided. Later. She turned her attention back to Mufasa. "How long do
you intend to keep him here?" she asked.
Mufasa thought about this. "I'm not keeping him here," he said finally. "He
can go whenever he wishes, but I suppose he can stay as long as he likes."
He paused for a moment. "I'd prefer it if he did."
"Mufasa," she replied. "Have you thought about the consequences of a human
in the Pridelands? What'll he eat? Where will he sleep? How will the
lionesses respond to him?"
"Sarabi," Mufasa said solemnly. "He saved my life. I owe him everything. I
can't turn him away because the lionesses are uncomfortable."
Sarabi knew he was right. She always repaid her debts, and she knew Mufasa
did as well. This debt, though, was enormous. There really was no way he
could repay the human for his life. "So he stays?" she asked.
"Yes," Mufasa replied. "He stays. He'll sleep in the lioness' den, and
we'll provide him food. You can handle that, can't you, my love?" he asked,
smiling.
"Hmmm…" she said with mock concentration as nuzzled his cheek. "Maybe… if
you don't tire me out…"
"Well, in that case," Mufasa said, smiling back. "He may have to go hungry
for a while…"
News traveled quickly in the Pridelands, and soon, Pride Rock was buzzing
with talk of the human. Zazu, for his part, was keeping quiet about what he
knew. He didn't like humans, but he hated rumors. "If they want to insult
him," he declared aloud to himself, "they certainly can find enough true
things to say about him without the help of gossip." The lionesses quickly
found out about Fox as well. There was general discontent about a human in
the Pridelands, but when they learned that he'd been responsible for saving
Mufasa's life, their opinion of him quickly changed. All of this occurred
even before Sarafina had finished showing him the highlights of the Pride
Lands.
"It's beautiful," Fox said in awe. "There's nothing like this where I come
from."
Sarafina nodded. "I know. Isn't it amazing?" Fox had been eager to explore
this reservoir of plant and animal life, and now he knew why. The colors
and sights and smells of the place were unlike anything he'd ever seen
before in his life. He was staring down at the canyon that ran west from
the Rock when he noticed a cub approaching him. He couldn't tell whether it
was a male or female, but whichever it was, it was moving cautiously,
obviously uncomfortable with him. "Hey there!" he said, trying to sound as
friendly as he could.
The cub jumped as he spoke. He decided that it was probably a female from
the lighter color coat and the apparent lack of any extra fur around the
head and neck. She stared at him for a moment. "Are you…" she began
bravely. "Are you a human?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied. He had no idea how to announce himself diplomatically,
so he'd opted for the direct approach. "What's your name?" he asked. That's
always a good ice-breaker, he thought.
"Kala," the young cub replied quickly. Fox could tell she was restless with
him. She began to speak again. "Do you… eat cubs?" she asked, backing up,
preparing to run.
Fox laughed. So that's why he was so mistrusted around here. Humans, he
decided, probably bore the brunt of the most accusatory stories. "No," he
said, still laughing. "No, I don't eat cubs. Who told you that?"
"Everybody knows that humans eat little cubs," she informed him
indignantly. She trotted up to him though, walking in a complete circle
around him.
Fox tried to follow the cub with his head, but failed. She was a cute
little thing, he thought. So innocent and friendly.
"Are you sure you don't eat cubs?" she asked again, stopping in front of
him.
Fox reached his hand down to her. She backed away a little, but stopped
herself. She sniffed his hand. Suddenly, without thinking, he began to sing
softly to the cub.
"If I reach out to thee," he started. "Do not tremble and shriek from the
touch of my hand on thy hair." The little cub looked at him strangely, but
started to laugh.
"It's fur, silly!"
"Let my fingers but speak, thou art warm and alive and no phantom to fade
in the air!" his hand reached out and he hoisted the cub up into his arms.
"Dulcinea!" he sang to her. "Dulcinea!" Kala was giggling uncontrollably
now and made no effort to fight him. "I have sought thee, sung thee,
dreamed thee, Dulcinea! Now I've found thee and the world shall know thy
glory…" He smiled softly at her. "Dulcinea," he finished.
Kala beamed back at him. "My name's 'Kala'!" she squealed with delight.
"Whatever," Fox said. He didn't mind making a fool out himself for this
tiny creature.
Kala sighed comfortably as she reclined in his arms. "The others said you
would eat me if I got too close," she explained. She paused for a moment to
think. "Y'know… if you don't eat cubs, I bet you don't cause all that
lightning either, huh?"
Lightning?! Fox thought. He wondered how many frightening phenomenon were
blamed, for lack of a better explanation, on humans. "Nope," he said.
"Look, Kala. You're going to have to forget everything you know… or don't
know… about humans. I have a feeling that what you've heard about us isn't
very true." A troubled expression crossed his face. Kala cocked her head in
curiosity. "Actually, a lot of it probably is true too."
At that moment, a voice cried from the edge of the patch of trees. "Kala!"
it rang out.
"Oops," Kala said. "That's my mom. I've gotta' go!" She jumped down from
his arms and ran off toward the voice. "Bye, human!"
"Fox!" he called back after her. She stopped and looked back at him with a
nod. "Bye, Fox!"
Sarafina approached him from behind. "That was really sweet, what you did,"
she said.
Fox turned around to face the lioness. "Well," he said. "I'd hate to think
that all of these cubs are going to grow up hating humans as much as you
guys did."
Sarafina smiled. True, she thought. They had grown up hating humans. Ahadi
had always told them that humans were destructive, and if they ever found
one, they were to immediately call him so that he could kill it. "We didn't
hate you," she lied. "We're just leery of what we don't know."
Fox didn't pursue the matter. Something else was on his mind. "Forgive me
for asking, but what do you eat around here?"
Sarafina looked up at him, trying to decide what to tell him. "Do you eat
meat?" she asked cautiously. "Or just plants and bugs."
Bugs?! he thought with disgust. Who eats bugs? But then, this was the
savanna, and there were probably animals out here that ate everything.
"Meat," Fox replied quickly.
Sarafina smiled. "Good. We hunt for our food, Fox," she explained. An idea
occurred to her. "Do you hunt?" she asked.
"Me?" he replied, off guard. "Uh… no. I don't. Sorry," he apologized.
"How do you eat, then?" she wondered aloud as they turned back toward the
Rock.
"It's hard to explain," he said. "People hunt for me." That was basically
what it boiled down to, so why were Sarafina's eyes getting so wide? he
asked himself.
"Are you a… king?" she whispered in awe.
Fox chuckled mentally at the notion. "No… why would you think that?"
Sarafina's disappointed was brief but evident. "Oh… we hunt for Mufasa."
she replied. "I just thought…"
So that's how it was, he thought. "Well, things are a lot different where
I'm from. Actually, most people don't hunt. We buy our food with money."
"Money?" Sarafina asked, confused. She'd never heard that word before. Fox
didn't want to explain macroeconomics to a lioness, and so he dismissed it.
The two arrived at the Rock, and Mufasa was outside on what Fox assumed to
be his 'throne'. The 'throne' was a gigantic, distinguished rock that
extended from the side of the king's cave. The two approached the king and
saw that Sarabi was by his side.
"Fox," Mufasa welcomed the human. "So, how do we rate?" he asked with a
smile.
"I've never seen anything like it," Fox answered with a shrug. There was
little else he could say to describe the place. It was so peaceful, so
majestic.
Mufasa was pleased with the review. "It is nice, isn't it?" he responded
humbly. He took a quick moment to appreciate the land that the gods had
given him before shifting gears. He had news for Fox as soon as Zazu
arrived, whom he'd called for minutes ago.
Fox walked near the edge of the Rock, realizing for the first time that
'towering' barely began to describe the Rock. He would have to learn to get
comfortable with heights if he intended to stay here for any length of
time. The land out here had far more rocks and canyons than he'd ever
thought possible, and he had always been uncomfortable with high places.
That's probably not a problem for cats though, he decided. "Too bad I'm not
a cat." He moved away from the edge.
Zazu arrived some moments later. He landed next to Mufasa and nodded to
him, and then he saw Fox. "You again?!" he muttered. Mufasa gave him a
stern look, which was well received. "Oh, all right," he complained. "What
do you need, sire?" he asked politely.
Fox stepped back to the gathering on the Rock. Zazu was still unhappy with
him, he'd noticed. He was about to antagonize the bird when Mufasa spoke.
"I've called you here," he announced proudly, "to declare my intention to
wed Sarabi." He smiled down at the lioness, who smiled back.
Zazu had known this was coming. Everybody had. The real decision had been
made long ago before the two had even begun to think about such matters,
but this was a matter of ceremony. A smile spread across the bird's face as
he looked back and forth between the pair that he'd watched out for through
the years.
"That's wonderful, Sire! I shall make it known throughout Pride Rock that
our king has chosen his queen!"
"Please do that, Zazu," Mufasa said. The bird flapped away with elation.
With his propensity to speak, Fox thought, it wouldn't take long for Zazu
to tell the entire world. He told Mufasa so.
"You should lighten up on him, Fox," Mufasa said. "I've known him almost
all of my life, and you'll never meet a more loyal friend."
"Gee," Fox said sarcastically. "I've never had a friend like him before."
"Give him time," Mufasa urged. "He'll warm up to you."
Fox decided that Mufasa deserved the benefit of the doubt. He nodded and
looked over at Sarabi, who was laying on the Rock. "Looks like I showed up
just in time," he smirked. "So, when's the wedding?"
Mufasa raised a curious eyebrow. "That was it," he said simply.
Fox thought about this for a moment. Apparently the Pride didn't tend to
stand on ceremony. He let out a slightly disappointed sigh. "Oh… I was
hoping I'd be the best man," he said in a feeble attempt at humor.
Although Mufasa clearly didn't understand the concept of 'best man', he
understood the feeble attempt at humor. "Don't worry, Fox. You were the
only man," Mufasa consoled with a chuckle.
"I guess so," Fox said, shaking off his mock disappointment. "Well,
ceremony or no, I'm real happy for you two. You make a great pair."
"Thank you," Sarabi replied with a smile. She was becoming more and more
comfortable with Fox every minute. While she was thinking about him,
something else crossed her mind. "What do you need as far as food goes?"
she asked, remembering her conversation with Mufasa earlier.
"Hmmm? Oh, food," Fox replied, trying not to sound eager and failing.
"Well, what have you got?" He didn't like asking, but he was getting hungry
and he had no means of feeding himself.
"You name it," Sarabi prompted.
Steak! Fox's mind shouted. No, wait! They don't have steak! Lobster! No,
that won't work either! Fox shook his head, trying to think of what they
did have… nothing he really wanted, he decided. Finally, he smiled back.
"I'm partial to zebra," he said wryly. Sarabi's grin told him that she
understood his sarcasm. He wasn't partial to anything.
After a moments thought, she spoke again. "Perhaps you'd like to join us in
the hunt?" Sarabi ventured.
Mufasa looked at Fox, who's handgun, he knew, was still in the bag he was
carrying. "Better not," he interrupted. "You stay here, Fox."
Fox understood his concern. Mufasa didn't want any magic… er firearms used
for hunting. It wasn't natural, he knew, and it made the king
uncomfortable. Aside from that, he didn't want to use what little
ammunition he had left. Fox nodded in consent to Mufasa. "Sorry, Sarabi,"
he said smiling. "Dad says I can't come out an' play."
"Okay, you two," Sarabi laughed. "I'll be back as soon as I can." As she
passed Mufasa, she whispered. "Maybe sooner." He smiled knowingly, but Fox
hadn't heard the comment. He was looking back over the plains below. Mufasa
moved to the end of the Rock and sat next to him. Ahadi's story popped back
into his mind.
"So you are the king," Fox said, gazing over the Pridelands.
"That's what they tell me," Mufasa replied. He looked up at Fox. "Have you
ever heard of the Guardian Prophesy?" he asked suddenly.
Fox hadn't. "No," he said, looking down a moment later. "No, I haven't.
Why?"
It was worth a shot, Mufasa thought. "I hadn't thought so. It's nothing.
Just wondering." The two looked back out over the Pridelands. After a
moment, Mufasa realized something. "You haven't yet met Rafiki, have you?"
"No, though you said something about him two days ago. He's some sort of
monkey, isn't he?" Fox asked.
"Oh, he's so much more than that," Mufasa smirked. "Come with me."
Rafiki sat high in his tree, cross-legged and contemplative. He was roused
from his meditation when he heard someone coming. "What is this?" he
wondered, rising and walking over to the edge of the tree trunk. There,
down below, he saw Mufasa and… a human? It had been a long time since
Rafiki had seen a human, and he knew that they could be trouble. The
mandrill had always subscribed to a non-judgmental philosophy regarding
other creatures, though. He sized up the human. If Mufasa was allowing him
to live, Rafiki thought, then he must be quite a remarkable individual
indeed. He descended to meet the pair.
"Rafiki," Mufasa said, approaching the mandrill as he moved down the tree.
"There's someone I'd like you to meet."
"Yes, yes," Rafiki said, moving straight past the king up to the human.
"This human," he said. "Yes, I know. So human," he said, squinting
suspiciosly. "What is your name?"
"Fox," Fox replied, squinting suspiciously back.
A hearing human, Rafiki marveled, careful not to let his amazement show.
This is certainly something new. The animals could normally understand what
humans said, but humans couldn't understand animals… usually. "Fox?!"
Rafiki mused. "That's not a human name. Humans have big long names that
wind on forever like snakes! What is your real name, boy?" he asked,
laughing as he usually did when asking such questions.
Fox looked at him strangely. How did he know that? Fox asked himself. "My
real name is Palafox," he muttered. "Palafox Aegisthus Sears." Mufasa did a
double take and tried to stifle a snicker. Three names? Fox's accusing
glare forced his silence.
"Ahhhh," Rafiki said, ignoring Mufasa's reaction. "That is more like it!
You humans need three names for just one creature. Crazy!" he laughed.
Aegisthus? he wondered.
"Yeah," Fox said, again shooting an annoyed look at Mufasa, who shrugged
helplessly back. "That's pretty crazy." It wasn't crazy at all, Fox
thought. Stupid little monkey.
"What does it mean, boy?" Rafiki asked with actual interest.
Fox dismissed the issue. "It means my parents did an awful lot of drinking
and thought they were pretty funny."
Rafiki shook his head. "No… the name tells us who you are. It tells us what
you are."
"Okay then," Fox spat. "I'm a Palafox. Any idea what that is?"
Rafiki pursued the matter no more and shook his head. All of the names of
nature's children were given by the gods. They all carried special meaning
for the creature. If the human was named by the gods, then his name carried
the same special meaning… or maybe it was his parents' fault.
"So, Palafox Aegis-" Rafiki began.
"Fox," Fox said with irritation. "Call me Fox."
Rafiki smiled approvingly. "Yes. Fox. So… What are you doing here? You're a
long way from home."
"Yes, well," Fox said. "My Cessna crashed and I—" he stopped. He was
speaking to a monkey, he remembered. "Forget it. Your not going to
understand it at all."
"No, go on," Rafiki prompted him. Fox eyed him suspiciously.
"Okay. You asked for it. I crashed here. I saw Mufasa's wound and I used
the morphine and bandage from my medical bag to help him, and then he
brought me here," Fox finished. "There were some things in between, but
that's basically it."
Rafiki smiled at him crazily. "That makes no sense at all!" he proclaimed,
swinging his arms wildly.
"See, I told you," he said shaking his head as Rafiki laughed crazily.
"See? I told him," he offered to Mufasa, who shrugged and nodded
helplessly. There was no way this monkey could have any idea what he was
talking about.
"Why would you go near a lion? It's ridiculous! He could have eaten you in
a single bite!"
Fox offered a courtesy laugh and nothing more. "Yeah… pretty ridiculous."
Who was this monkey? Fox asked himself. "You know an awful lot about humans
for a monkey," he said. He couldn't believe how bizarre that had sounded,
but it didn't make it any less true.
"Ah, yes. Old Rafiki knows much of your kind," Rafiki said. "And you know
very little of us. Why did you help Mufasa, Fox?"
Fox pondered this for a moment. "I… felt… sorry for him, I guess," he said
finally. "He was hurt, and I knew I could help him. So I did."
Rafiki nodded. This human had compassion, too, he thought. Another rare
trait for the breed.
At this point, Mufasa interrupted. "Fox, could we have a moment alone?"
Fox was glad to get away from the conversation. "Sure. Have a ball," he
said, heading over to the mandrill's tree. He pretended to look around at
the scenery, but was careful to overhear what was being said. It was
probably about him.
Mufasa moved in closer. "Rafiki," he began. "I actually came here to ask
you a question. It may sound kind of silly to you, though." Fox strained
and could just barely make out what was being said.
Rafiki turned to him and frowned. "No, young Mufasa. It is silly to not ask
a question."
Mufasa sat down. "Did my father ever tell you stories?"
"Your father?" Rafiki asked. "Of course! He used to tell them all the time!
That was your question?" he asked. "There's nothing silly about that!"
"No," Mufasa said, whispering now. "Did he ever tell you a story about
something called the Guardian Prophesy?"
Rafiki squinted his eyes as if trying to remember. He looked Mufasa
squarely in the eye. "The Guardian Prophesy," he repeated.
"Yes," Mufasa reiterated. "Please try to remember."
"Hmmmmmmmmm…" Rafiki said. "Nope!" he cried finally. "Nothing about that!"
Mufasa was visibly disappointed. Rafiki spoke out again. "But I told him
stories of the Guardian Prophesy," he said, smiling.
Mufasa's tail twitched and his ears perked. "You?" he asked. "Father said
that his dad told him."
"Kings are not the only ones who know stories, young Mufasa. I told your
grandfather the same story when he was young as well."
"So you know about the Guardian?" Mufasa asked eagerly.
"Yes, of course," Rafiki replied.
"Rafiki, could he?" Mufasa pointed to Fox, who was observing the wildlife.
"Could he be the Guardian?"
A wide smile crossed Rafiki's face. "Him?! The human?!" he laughed. "Does
it look to you like he can fight the sun?" the mandrill laughed.
Mufasa wasn't quitting yet, though. "Rafiki, no one can fight the sun!
That's just cub-talk! Come on, now! He can speak to us and understand us.
He saved me from a pack of hyenas, and he fell out of the sky. Does that
sound like a coincidence to you?"
Rafiki was unconvinced that a human could be the Guardian, although it
would explain a few things. He grabbed a gourd from the tree and tossed it
up in the air. It fell and cracked on the ground. "Look, Mufasa," he said.
"Just because the gourd falls from the sky, it does not mean that it is
sent from the heavens."
Mufasa still wasn't giving up. "Maybe so, Rafiki, but just because it's a
gourd doesn't mean that is isn't sent from the heavens."
Rafiki blinked. Mufasa was right. A human could be the Guardian. It would
certainly be consistent with the inconsistency of Fate. He stared down at
the gourd, and then back at the Fox, and then finally to Mufasa. "I'll
think about it," he said.
"Thank you, Rafiki." Mufasa wanted the truth about Fox. He was no ordinary
human. There was something very different about him.
Rafiki climbed back into his tree and disappeared in the branches high
above. "Where's he going?" Fox asked, noticing that the mandrill ascending
his tree once again.
"He's a very busy baboon," Mufasa smiled. "Come on," he said. "The
lionesses should be done with their hunt by now." Fox needed no second
invitation. He was starving. The two walked back toward Pride Rock.
Rafiki sat high in his tree, looking down at the human. It was true, there
were some very strange things about him. Very strange indeed. He cracked
another gourd open and laid it on the ground. Pouring a measured handful of
dust into it, he began to meditate once again.
"Your favorite," Sarabi chimed from behind Fox as the Pride gathered to
eat.
Fox stared in disbelief. "A zebra?" he groaned. Sarabi obviously
misunderstood his response.
"Of course!" she sang as she moved in behind Mufasa. "Enjoy!"