Chapter 9: Trying to adapt

"What is a circus?" Simba asked confused.

"Well... where we are" the cub responded, "By the way, my name is Maya... Hey guys! Look at the newcomer!"

The dark area where Maya had come from was actually a large box that served as shelter for 2 other lion cubs: one male and one female.

"These are my brothers: Dalia and Nabil," Maya introduced, "Guys, this is Simba, the new one."

"Hello Simba," Dalia greeted him, "Wow, you are quite handsome"

"Er... thanks, I think..." he responded, somewhat awkwardly.

"Are you alright? What did they do to your leg?" Nabil asked.

"A sharp, hard mouth on the ground," Simba explained, "I think they call it a trap"

"Why would they want a trap for a transport animal? Or… what zoo do you come from?"

"Zoo? What's that? I was captured in the Pride Lands"

"And where is that?"

"Well, in…" Simba tried to say, but he remembered that he didn't know anything, "Far away… I think"

"You mean… Are you wild?" Dalia asked, "That's fantastic!"

"Hey, wild is saying a lot... my dad taught me that wild ones are those who do not respect the cycle of life and eat without having any respect in life."

At this explanation, the three lion cubs began to laugh, because they had never heard such things. However, a fourth voice, a little hoarser, surprised him. This came from a cage in which there was an old and apparently exhausted lion.

"Only a lion king talks that way," the old lion laughed. However, it was not in a mocking tone, but rather nostalgic happiness.

"Do you know about the Pride Lands, old Remus?" Maya asked.

"Who is he?" Simba asked.

"It's old Remus," Nabil explained, "It's said that he used to be a free lion in his youth, until…"

"They captured me just like you, young Pride Lands' prince," Remus finished, to the surprise of the other cubs.

Immediately, their looks changed from laughter to surprise.

"Are you a prince?" said Dalia, "Woah!"

"Really?" Maya asked him.

"Well... yes, my dad and mom are the king and the queen," Simba replied, "I also have a sister, two cousins and my uncles. Oh, and my friends from Outlands. By the way, where are your parents?"

But the cubs seemed discouraged when Simba brought up the topic. Maya, having to be honest, responded:

"We do not know. We were separated from them when we were little. We never saw them again. To tell the truth, we are just best friends: we grew up together, but we were born from different mothers."

"And we only know what the circus is," Nabil continued, "And now that I think about it, we have to rest: tomorrow we have practice."

"Practice? about what?" Simba asked.

(Meanwhile...)

On a cargo ship about to set sail, Ono flew around, trying to look for Dan at the agreed upon location.

"I hope he didn't leave without me…" he said, landing next to a cloth-covered lifeboat.

"Pst, Ono" Dan's voice scared him. When he turned around, he found him hiding inside.

"Hapana! Oh, that was you... Your Majesty; What are you doing there?"

"Well, a lion can't walk on the deck without someone screaming," he responded as he motioned for Ono to enter. The interior was like a small tent spacious enough for the adult lion. One detail was that there were a couple of steaks and some sausages inside.

"And that?" Ono asked.

"I did a little hunting in the kitchens. The spirits give me strength to overcome exhaustion, but not to overcome appetite. Now listen..."

Dan proceeded to tell her everything he had learned.

"Woah!" Ono exclaimed, "So this water transport is going to its native home?"

"It's called ship, but yes," Dan replied, "I remember knowing that circus and Simba is probably there. Ono... from this journey, we will leave everything you know behind, are you sure you want to continue?"

"For you, your majesty, whatever," he responded, bowing.

"You are quite loyal Ono, but I am not asking you as your king... but as your friend."

"Well, that reaffirms my loyalty, Dan. We are friends, and I will always be with them when they need it most."

"Thank you, Ono. Now, let's rest until we arrive."

Dusk came, and the two travelers remained hidden in the covered lifeboat. Luckily for them, none of the crew noticed their stowaways, although they did find the disappearance of a couple of hams and a couple of cabbages from the kitchen strange. At first, Ono was not very happy about this because he considered it theft, but then Dan calmed him down by telling him that the boatmen kept even more food than they consumed and did not share it with other living beings... stealing 'a little' didn't hurt them.

"Besides, like I told you, we're in uncharted territory," Dan told him, "And the laws of the Pride Lands don't hold true in the human world. We have to change customs a little"

(The next morning, at the circus...)

Simba was very calmly resting in the morning on the straw floor when a new sound, similar to the cry of an elephant, but something smaller and higher pitched.

"Oh!" Simba shouted, annoyed at waking up so abruptly, "What is that?"

"It's just a trumpet," Maya explained, "Seals usually practice with them."

"Just one question, what is a seal?"

"Come look"

Maya pointed through the bars of the cage, showing him a group with webbed feet and long whiskers. Simba was a little surprised by these animals. In the same way, there were elephants, some tigers and some zebras outside. Everyone walked freely outside... or at least, they could almost enjoy it: each of these last three species wore chains around their necks that did not allow them to move more than two meters from a post.

Just then, he could hear the bars of the cage opening. He wasn't the human boy, but another rather burly fellow.

"Come out, furry ones," he told them.

Maya and Dalia immediately ran outside, Nabil staying long enough to see that Simba hadn't moved in the slightest.

"What's the matter?" Nabil asked, "Don't you want to get used to the place?"

"I don't think I'll get used to it. Besides, I'm hungry and I haven't eaten anything since they caught me," said Simba.

"Well, come then, it's also time to eat."

Having no other options, Simba accompanied the others. However, when the four of them were out of the cage, the man put a collar with a chain on the cub, chaining it to Maya. On the other hand, Nabil was chained with Dalia.

"This is quite uncomfortable," Simba told him.

"Once you get used to it, it feels normal," Maya explained, "So, did you say you wanted to eat something?" Look, here are the buckets"

Now, Simba was even more surprised: there were some metal objects that he didn't know about and inside there was a fairly strong fish smell. Immediately, the three cubs rushed to eat that, leaving the young prince quite displeased.

"What's happening? Weren't you hungry?" Nabil asked.

"Well... I don't know why you eat that," he replied, "That fish smells... strange."

"It's the best you can eat here," Maya told him, "And you should eat what you can before that bird comes to get his share."

"Bird?"

When Maya was going to explain it to him, a squawk was heard so high-pitched that it bothered the cub's (in fact, anyone's) hearing. It was a large, moody-looking, scarred vulture that had landed exactly in front of the buckets of fish.

"Time for me!" he said maliciously, seizing the fish, "Go!"

The cubs apparently understood, but if Simba had something, it was that he couldn't stand others abusing or stealing from others.

"Hey!" he shouted at him, to the surprise of the others, "Why do you steal? Can't you get your own food?"

"Who are you?" the vulture asked him in a mocking tone, "Are you new? "Listen kid: first rule of this place…"

Without warning, he struck him with his wing, throwing him into an elephant water's bucket and as he was chained with Maya, she was also got wet.

"...I take what I want!" completed the vulture.

"You will be…" Simba tried to tell him and was planning to go after him, but Maya stopped him.

"No, don't fight with Kasai, he is the owner's favorite," she told him, leaving and drying herself, "Besides, we are chained and you couldn't touch one of his feathers."

"And you plan to let him eat your food?!" Simba asked him, drying himself off as well.

"I know, but he's stronger than any of us!"

"That doesn't mean you should let him abuse them!"

"Um... guys..." Dalia stopped them, "It's not necessary for you to fight anymore."

Pointing in the direction of the buckets, the vulture was gone, having taken all the contents of the buckets. Somewhat disappointed, as he was considering trying, Simba just sat back down heavily, his stomach still growling.

"Here, I saved this for you," Nabil said, still having a smelly fish with him, "You shouldn't waste food."

"Thank you…" he responded, "Okay…"

Without any other option he tried the fish and, sure enough, it tasted like lightning and lightning. However, he had to pretend and swallow it, in order to fill some of his stomach.

"Well, now that you have energy, I hope you show it in practice," Maya told him, approaching a large circus ball.

"Tell me again what it is about," replied Simba.

Maya pushed him the ball and climbed on it, while Dalia with Nabil pushed Simba, climbing him on top with her. The cub immediately found himself struggling for balance against Maya, rolling the ball with them on top from side to side.

"Hey! Keep your balance!" Maya yelled at him.

"I don't know how to do this!" he yelled back.

"Well, you need to entertain the audience," Dalia explained, "That's what we usually do. "A, and you have to learn because we have a performance tonight…"

But the cub did not understand this, so he lost his balance and they both fell back into the trough, getting both wet again.

"I think it will take a while to get used for he…" commented Nabil.