Chapter 2: Newcomers from the forest

After both lions left with the sleepy cub (Koda), the others sat down again so Rafiki could continue telling them the story. But, as he did so, a familiar and somewhat alarmed voice was heard. It was Zazu.

"Your Majesties! "Lion Guard!" he exclaimed as he landed nearby, "Rafiki, where is Vitani? There is an emergency!"

"He's gone to help an elephant in the mud swamps," he responded, trying to calm him down, "What's the emergency?"

"There are two fawns trapped in the currents of the Maji Baridi Falls, about to fall!"

"Fawns?" the kids asked, except for Dan, since they had never seen a real one, as it was not a species that was commonly seen in the Pride Lands.

For his part, Dan had only seen one deer in his life, or rather, in his old life, and he did not like that memory: when he was human, his uncle had brought a dead deer to his den and the nauseating smell of the chemicals he used while dissecting it left him dizzy until the next day, where he sadly gazed at the poor animal's head in the living room.

Returning to the present, Zazu said as he flew: "Then I will go and warn them…!"

Dan could see the bird walking away, but an instinct in him didn't want to abandon those lives that were hanging by a thread (or it was simply that memory that he didn't want to repeat), so he got up and, before he knew it, Shany he had done it too.

"Do you plan to go without me?" she asked with a smile.

"Me? "Well…" he tried to excuse himself.

"Don't pretend, you want to go help the fawns before the lion's guard," she reproached him.

"But is dangerous..."

"Ha, I don't know the danger," Jabari mentioned, "I'm going with you."

"Also, if you say it's dangerous, you shouldn't go alone," Akira clarified, "I'm in too."

"Guys…" Dan said, realizing that he couldn't change their minds, "Okay, let's hurry!"

Rahisi, while watching the cubs go towards danger, asked his teacher:

"Master Rafiki, won't you try to stop them? I mean, don't you want to prevent them from getting hurt?"

"We can't stop a determined soul," he explained, "Dan has the courage to help others despite danger, which is why the previous kings allowed him to use the roar of the ancestors once. But he also has concern for his loved ones and respect for the cycle of life, which undoubtedly makes him similar to Mufasa. Although you are right: he is dangerous, could you go help them?"

"Oh really?" he asked, somewhat bewildered.

"I know deep down you want to do it. Hurry up"

Rahisi nodded, knowing that was what she wanted and went to help his friends.

(At the Maji Baridi Falls...)

As Zazu had said, the two twin fawns were in the water... or well, fighting against the current: the male was holding his sister with his paws while he was holding on to the branch of a nearby bush with his mouth, the which had grown between some rocks. However, the young deer's efforts were being in vain, as the branch was giving way. Soon, they would fall over the waterfall.

At the edge of the stream, the quartet of young lions had come to contemplate the scene. With a quick glance, Akira confirmed the situation described previously and reported it to the others.

"The water in the stream is too strong for any of us…" she also observed, "If we get caught, we will fall."

"Maybe we can build a bridge?" Jabari asked. Looking around.

The others did the same and Shany noticed an old hollow log that was down.

"Let's use that," she told them.

Everyone agreed and, with teamwork, they all pushed the log as best they could towards the river to create the bridge. However, this one was too heavy to be moved in time...

"I will help you!" Rahisi exclaimed, reaching out to push as well.

"Rahisi!"

With the support of Mjuzi's apprentice, they managed to push the log to the river, and leave it stuck between the rocks, creating the desired bridge. Without anything else to do, Dan, Jabari and Rahisi climbed the log and crossed until they reached the other end (Shany and Akira stayed on solid ground, since too much weight for the log was also a disadvantage. Furthermore, the force of the river made the river tremble. trunk of an unstable).

"Rahisi," the cub said, "You have hands, can you reach them while Jabari and I hold you?"

"Okay," the apprentice responded.

Then, while the young mandril leaned over the two fawns, extending one of his hands to reach them, with the other he held his apprentice staff, which Dan and Jabari held in their mouths, to prevent his friend from falling into the river.

"A little more!" said Rahisi, addressing the fawns, "Don't worry!"

Finally, Rahisi managed to grab the fawn's head and drag it towards the trunk. However, when they thought they were saving him, the other fawn slipped from his brother's paws and was swept away by the current. Almost without thinking, Dan jumped into the water and, with everything he had learned from Vitani about swimming, helped her get hold of the branch again, but he was taken in her place...

"Dan!" his friends shouted when they saw him fall over the waterfall.

Luckily for him, before he fell, an adult lion caught him. Then, both fell into the water with a speed less than what it would have been like to fall from above. Coming out and expelling all the water from his throat, Dan was lowered and blinked a few times before saying:

"Grandpa Simba!"

Simba smiled as he said, "Are you okay, Dan?"

"Yes, thank you very much"

"Dan!" Shany shouted from afar, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" he answered out loud.

Recognizing that Dan was safe, the group of cubs and the mandril, along with the two fawns, descended from the lower Maji Baridi Falls. When they met Simba, they all immediately bowed slightly.

"No need, cubs," Simba told them, "After all, you are the heroes. And now..."

He turned to the two fawns, who, believing that he would eat them, became frightened.

"Ah!" the female shouted, "Predators!"

"You won't eat my sister!" shouted the male, who, despite being trembling at first sight, stood in front of his sister like a shield.

"We don't want to eat you," Simba clarified.

"That's how it is. Besides, we just helped them" Dan said.

"Don't worry, you're safe," Simba reassured them, "I'm Simba, the former King of the Pride Lands. This is my grandson Dan, what are your names and what are you doing here?"

"Did you say king?" the male fawn asked, looking at the lions in confusion.

"You guys, where do you come from?" Shany asked.

"We come from the forest," replied the male fawn, "My name is Geno, your majesty. My sister's name is Gurri..."

"We are lost, your majesty…" Gurri added, "We were separated from mom and dad because of the hunters."

When mentioning the word 'hunters', Dan and all the other lions seemed worried, as they all remembered the bad things that several animals had suffered because of humans. Out of the corner of their eye, Dan and Shany exchanged glances, as these two were the ones who had been closest to them. When they saw the fawns again, they noticed that they had scratches and bite marks.

While they were thinking, Zazu came flying towards where everyone was.

"Your Majesty Simba!" Zazu said to him when he saw him, "I have called the lion guard…"

"Everything is now in order Zazu," he replied, "Go back to the guard and tell them to meet us at Rafiki's tree, we have to tend to the wounds of our newcomers. And then go and inform Nala, Kovu and Kiara, there are things to discuss"

"Yes, your majesty," he said, and flew away.

(A few minutes later, back at Rafiki's tree...)

Everyone was gathered at the base of the tree, from Vitani's lion guard to Kovu and Kiara with little Koda. Likewise, there were Shany and Akira's mothers. Rafiki, along with his apprentice, attended to the wounds on Geno and Gurri's paws. After he finished, he declared that...

"They were scratches like those of a wolf, cheetah or…" he began to say.

"They were dogs, sir" said Gurri, "Dogs that obey the hunters."

"What is a dog?" Shany asked in a whisper to Dan.

"They are like wolves," he replied in a low voice, "But they are animals that live with humans, most are docile and have nothing to do with hunting, but these must be the ones that were trained for that."

"We should return them to their parents," Kiara suggested, lightly hugging Koda, "They must be very worried."

"Geno, Gurri…" Simba told them, "You said they come from the forest, didn't you?"

"Yes," answered the two fawns.

"I remember now!" Shany exclaimed, "Rafiki, you were telling us about the forest, right?"

"Of course, Shany," replied the Mjuzi, "The forest is the home of Geno and Gurri, beyond the snowy mountain."

"And how did they get here?" Vitani asked, "They would have to pass through a frozen lake to have been swept away by the current."

"That also has its explanation…"

The Mjuzi then used his wand and waved it towards the two fawns in some sort of incomprehensible shaman dance. They looked like the ancient dances of ancient cultures around the fire. When he finished, Dan could sense something strange: like a soft breeze stirring around him.

"Shany, did you feel it?" Dan asked his best friend.

"Uh? What are you taking about?" she asked, surprised.

"I did feel it," Simba told her, looking at her grandson, "It was a strange breeze, wasn't it?"

"Yeah…" Dan muttered.

"As I suspected, they are generally safe because they are protected by a large guardian entity," Rafiki told them. Then, he turned to Simba and Dan, "Just as you were protected by the spirit of your father, Simba... and you, Dan, whose spirit is united with that of Mufasa, these boys are protected by a spirit from their own forest"

"A… forest spirit, Master Rafiki?" Rahisi asked, "I remember you taught me about it before"

"Correct. The spirits surround us and only those of us who are most united to them can feel ourselves. We can be chosen by the spirits themselves or it can be things of destiny. So, I guess your family must be very united with this spirit."

"Well... our father is the Great Prince of the Forest," Geno mentioned, "Maybe that's why"

"The Great Prince of the Forest?!" everyone exclaimed.

There was a series of murmurs for a few seconds at that news. When they finished, Vitani proposed:

"If you order Kovu, the lion guard can escort the fawns back to the forest."

"Well, I guess…" Kovu began.

"It won't be necessary," Simba interrupted, "I'll take them back."

"But dad…" Kiara told him, "You…"

"Don't worry Kiara," Nala told her, "Your father will be fine and he has already recovered from his injuries. Besides, he won't go alone: I will also go with him."

"You too, your majesty?" Vitani asked, "Wouldn't that be dangerous?"

"Don't worry Kiara, you and Kovu are the kings of the Pride lands now," Simba told them, "That's why you should stay and take care of them along with the lion guard. We must go on a diplomatic mission. And I promise you that your mother and I will return."

"Well…" Kiara said, recognizing that what her father told her was true, "Just promise to come back."

"But we will leave tomorrow," Nala declared, watching the sun go down, "Night is going to fall and walking the road will be difficult in the dark."

"It's true," Kiara acknowledged, "Don't worry, Geno and Gurri, you can stay at the Pride Rock tonight."

"Thank you very much, your majesties," Gurri responded.

"Yes, thank you very much your majesty," Geno said.

Thus, the group of lions took their pair of guests to rest before returning to their home.