(Cowardly Lion)

*June 5th, 1900*

*Forest*

*Day 2, Noon*

Dorothy, Scarecrow, and Tin Woodman were walking across the forest alongside Toto as it seemed that the forest was endless.

"It feels like we've been in this forest for ages, I wonder if we're ever gonna get out…" Scarecrow had spoken out while continuing to walk alongside with his friends as Tin Woodman nodded his head in agreement.

"I must agree, I hope we don't run into Kalidahs, they are such terrible beasts!" Tin Woodman had spoken out as this made Scarecrow shiver in fear while Dorothy was confused at what she just heard as she began to speak.

"Kalidahs? What are they? They seem awfully scary.." Dorothy had asked her friends as Tin Woodman began to answer her question.

"Kalidahs are terrible beasts! They have the appearance of tigers yet the physique and appearance of a bear! Such terrible creatures that we must never encounter in any circumstances" Tin Woodman explained to Dorothy as this made her eyes open in surprise as she let out a sigh of surprise while continuing to walk across the forest as they suddenly heard noises coming from one of the trees.

"D-Did you two just heard that!? It sounded like a Lion or something" Scarecrow uttered out as he quickly latched himself on to Tin Woodman as this made him stop in his tracks.

"What do you mean? I didn't hear anything, how about Dorothy?" Tin Woodman had spoken out to Scarecrow while also questioning Dorothy about the noise as the young girl had shaken her head in denial.

"I'm afraid not. You must be imagining things so it's best to not feed on those fears, okay " Dorothy spoken back in confusion as Scarecrow didn't want to press the matter any further so he simply shrugged it off while continuing to walk with his friends however Toto began to bark which alerted everyone once more.

"Toto, what's the matter? There's nobody there, It's ju-" Dorothy could utter out as she saw a butterfly flying in between her and Toto which caught her off guard.

"Wait! Come back! I'm not gonna hurt you!" A loud voice bellowed out as this scared Dorothy and the others as it was no other than a simple Lion.

"A-A Lion!" Scarecrow cried out as she fell on the floor as he saw the Lion chase the butterfly around while Tin Woodman watched in confusion.

"A Lion chasing a butterfly? Now that's something you don't see everyday…" Tin Woodman had thought to himself as he continued to observe the Lion chase and play with the butterfly while Toto was still barking.

"Toto! Stay away from him! He could be dangerous" Dorothy cried out as in that moment, she wasn't afraid of the Lion as she managed to pick up Toto who was close to the animal.

Lion was grandiose, handsome and nearly as big as a full grown horse in size. He is a rather cuddly animal despite being so large, and also is a gentle giant at heart. He is said to have golden colored eyes that sparkle like fools gold and are full of wit and loyalty. He is warm, plush and soft, having a fluffy, bushy and curly mane that is often adorned with a brightly colored bow of red or green silk.

"Dangerous? I'm not that at all. I'm quite gentle but I dearly apologize for the scare that I've given you.." Lion had apologized to Dorothy in a gentle voice as this caught the young girl and everyone else by surprise.

"Gentle? Should Lions be fierce and always willing to stand their ground?" Dorothy had asked Lion in a tone of curiosity as she was met with the feline animal nodding his head in a rather shameful way.

"Correct but I'm not like most Lions in these forests cause I lack the one thing that Lions should have and that's courage…" Cowardly Lion had answered back as he put his head down in shame while Dorothy smiled alongside Tin Woodman and Scarecrow.

"You don't have courage, mister? Well, you can always come with us since we're seeing the great and powerful Oz so I'm sure he can give you some courage" Dorothy had spoken back while Scarecrow nodded his head in agreement.

"Dorothy is right, I don't have any brains since I'm a scarecrow but I've heard that he can give me one hence why I'm marching along with Dorothy" Scarecrow had spoken out in support of Dorothy while Tin Woodman did the same thing.

"And I'm in need of a heart so I can feel love again and if we can get our desired wishes then you can surely get some courage so, care to join us?" Tin Woodman had offered Lion as this made the creature think about his answer for a moment before deciding on his choice.

"I'm not sure, the journey could be awfully scary and I don't wanna be a burden due to my cowardice" Cowardly Lion answered back in a rather depressed tone of voice as this made Dorothy concerned.

"It's okay, you're not gonna be a burden upon us. If you come with us then you'll get your courage from the great and powerful Oz himself. Just have some courage.." Dorothy had spoken back to Cowardly Lion as the creature had thought about it for a moment while Tin Woodman spoke out.

"She's right, just joining us takes plenty of courage but I can safely say that Oz will give you what you truly desire if you join us" Tin Woodman chimed in while Scarecrow nodded his head in agreement.

"I agree with everyone here, Dorothy needs a home, I need brains, and Tin Woodman needs a heart. We all want something from Oz so don't feel like you're a burden" Scarecrow advised Cowardly Lion as the gang saw the creature thinking for a moment before he eventually conceded.

"Okay, I guess I can join you guys but I just hope we don't run into Kalidahs!" Cowardly Lion had spoken out in fear as he officially made himself familiar with the gang which made everyone happy.

"Wonderful! I knew you had the courage in you but let's continue our adventures' ' Dorothy had spoken out in joy as this made Cowardly Lion smile.

"Oh, it wasn't courage but rather me agreeing to join you guys but I'm still grateful for giving me a chance" Cowardly Lion had spoken out in a gentle tone of voice as Dorothy smiled back at his comments while the gang officially resumed their adventure however unknowns to them, a fearsome Kalidah were stalking them.

*Day 2, Afternoon*

One hour had passed as the gang was walking towards the forest as it seemed forever however the gang had finally made it out of the forest.

"We've finally made it out of the forest! Now we can finally not worry about terrible beasts' ' Dorothy had spoken out in joy as she smiled alongside her friends as the gang had finally exited the forest to continue with their adventure.

"You're right however I'm gonna miss the forest but I'm sure my friends back home would understand my reasons for joining you guys" Cowardly Lion had spoken out as they suddenly heard noises coming from the trees which spooked him as his expression became that of a cowardly being.

"Nobody move. If we run then whoever is trying to capture us might catch us with ease so simply stay put with caution.." Scarecrow had advised the gang in a stern tone of voice as he and everyone else remained still for a few seconds until a creature appeared which made everyone froze.

"I-I-It's a Kalidah! What do we do!" Cowardly Lion cried out in fear as he felt himself shaking while Tin Woodman remained calm and rational.

"Quick! You guys run away while I take care of the beast! It's too dangerous for everyone to be here right now!" Tin Woodman cried out as Dorothy and the others attempted to run however Dorothy tripped over and scraped her knee which made her wince in pain.

"Dorothy! Are you okay?!" Cowardly Lion cried out in concern as he looked over to see Scarecrow being cornered by another Kalidah who managed to find its way into the chaos.

"I-I'm okay! I just need my wound treated, that's all.." Dorothy had answered back in pain as Toto quickly retreated inside of her basket as she looked over to see one Kalidah approaching Tin Woodman while the other was cornering Scarecrow as both animals growled as the one who was approaching Tin Woodman spoke.

"So, who shall be eaten first? The cute girl or maybe the Lion and while we're at it! We can use the Scarecrow for warmth while we thrash the scrap metal into bits!" The Kalidah had spoken out in a gleeful tone of voice as Dorothy and the others were trapped in the clutches of the terrible beats while Cowardly Lion could only do nothing but cower in fear at what he's currently seeing.