The lions watched curiously as the three explorers gathered up their equipment, preparing to move their camp over to Pride Rock. Although some of them, Josh noted, still seemed on edge in their presence, carefully watching their every move like eagles on the hunt, their interest was quickly growing. Some of them had even gotten bold enough to start pawing through their things, fascinated by all these strange human gadgets their visitors had brought along.
Kovu had come across the open medicine chest in Chen's pack. Unable to resist the peculiar scent of all the drugs within, he took a large whiff from an open bottle of ammonia salts, causing him to emit such a loud sneeze, it caused the birds in the surrounding trees to take flight in alarm.
"Um… Bless you," Chen said nervously, closing the medicine box and picking it up by the handle.
Kiara had found Denzel's unfolded sleeping bag and was rubbing her head around in it, enjoying this incredible softness, purring with delight.
"I would hurry up if I were you," said Zazu, his wings folded like a person would fold his arms. "The royal family are not lowly subjects who can be kept waiting all day!"
"Hey, keep your shirt on, would ya?" snapped Denzel. "Just be glad that this is all we're carrying as we had to leave the rest of our supplies behind!" Now that the shock at the realization that they could talk to animals had passed, Denzel was finding he didn't like to be lectured by a pompous hornbill with a big mouth! Zazu was indignant.
"Humph!" was all the hornbill was able to retort, but then his expression grew puzzled, "Eh, what's a shirt?" Denzel rolled his eyes, trying not to laugh. This hornbill had a lot to learn, he thought.
He then noticed Kiara playfully rubbing against his sleeping bag. Finding this amusing, Denzel couldn't help but smile as he bent down to retrieve it. "Comfortable, isn't it?"
"Hmm…? Oh!" Kiara said, opening her eyes, only just realizing she had pretty much been acting like a young cub by helping herself to a visitor's belongings. Feeling rather embarrassed about it, she quickly straightened herself up and stepped off of the bag so Denzel could fold it up. "Eh, yeah, sorry," she apologized, smiling sheepishly. "It was just so soft, I… I couldn't help myself."
Denzel only smiled. "No harm done."
Kovu only rolled his eyes in annoyance. As far as he was concerned, they should know better than to be indulging in these human luxuries. Alas, his beautiful Kiara was always known for her stubbornness. "Are you all packed yet?" he asked in an annoyed tone. "You heard Zazu, we can't keep Simba waiting." 'To send you back where you came from', he thought.
"Thank you, Your Highness," said Zazu, nodding his head. "At least someone remembers the royal protocol of etiquette."
"Actually, Mr. Zazu," piped up Marigold, getting somewhat annoyed at Zazu's attitude, "Royal protocol back in England dictates that the royal major-domo doesn't criticize visitors of the royal family." Zazu merely huffed, clearly not liking being lectured by this strange creature that looked like a zebra that had lost its stripes and apparently only held the rank of servant among these humans.
"Thanks, girl," said Josh, giving her a pat on the nose.
"Don't mind Zazu," said Kiara, not wanting their visitors to feel like they were being snubbed. "He's been that way since even my father was a cub."
"That's quite all right, Your Highness," said Marigold, "I'm only doing my duty and defending my master's decency, as one always does."
"Please don't call me that," Josh said, feeling abashed, "It reminds me too much of the abolitionist days back home."
"Oh! Terribly sorry, Mr. Cody."
"Never mind, it's all in the past," said Josh as he heaved his backpack onto his shoulders. "Okay, we're all set!"
And just like that, the men had finished packing up their gear, which they loaded onto Marigold as they began their short trek back to Pride Rock, escorted by their new hosts.
King Simba and Queen Nala were waiting for them at the base of their majestic dwelling. They stared at all the hardware the humans were carrying. No lion certainly needed so many possessions, like common squirrels hoarding acorns! 'Strange creatures, these humans,' he thought. "Are these all your…belongings, then?" Simba asked aloud.
"Mostly, Your Majesty," said Josh.
Simba raised an eyebrow. "Mostly?"
"Where's the rest of it?" asked Nala.
"Oh, miles away, beyond the Pride Lands. We had to leave it behind on the way here on account of Marigold's injury."
"I hope it wasn't anything too important."
"Not at all, Your Royal Highness." Josh felt like a nitwit, remembering how he hadn't, ever so rudely, properly introduced himself to the queen lioness yet. "Uh, pardon me, ma'am, but would you do me the honor of letting me kiss your front paw?"
Simba and Nala each raised an eyebrow. "Um… Why?"
"Well, y'see, ma'am, I believe it's customary where I come from for one to kiss the hand of the queen when they present themselves to her."
Nala seemed hesitant, yet didn't object. Strange gesture as it may seem, it appeared innocent enough. Simba seemed to want to protest but ultimately chose to trust Nala's judgment on this. He smiled and shrugged his shoulders.
"Very well, you may," she said kindly.
Getting down on his knee, Josh politely took the lioness' forepaw in his hand, bowed his head, and politely placed a small kiss upon it. Nala smiled. "Thank you. How very kind."
"Just trying to preserve the good old code of etiquette, Your Royal Highness."
"Oh, there's no need to be so formal, you can just address me as Nala if you like."
"Nala. It's a very pretty name."
"Thank you. It means 'gift'."
"It's Swahili," Denzel pointed out. "Same with everyone's name 'round here."
"Really now?" Josh asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yup. For example, Simba's name means 'lion'."
Josh chuckled, putting a hand on his forehead. "Well, wish I'd known that sooner. Kinda obvious when you really think about it."
"We don't know what this 'Swahili' is," Simba chimed in. "We just use bits and pieces of the language passed on by our great ancestors."
Denzel put a finger to his chin, looking intrigued. "Huh. Interesting."
"What about the others?" Josh asked.
"Well, Kiara's name means 'princess', and Kovu's name means 'scar."
Josh was amused at the thought of Kiara's name literally being 'Princess Princess' as a small chuckle left his lips. But out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a fierce expression on Kovu's face, followed by a low growl, as he barred his sharp teeth. It was as if someone had reminded him of something he didn't want to be reminded of.
"Was it something I said?" asked Denzel, also noticing Kovu's sudden aggressiveness. Kovu, however, didn't answer him and instead turned away.
Fearing a confrontation, one of the lionesses, specifically the pale tan one, quickly muttered to Denzel, "Never mention the word 'scar' in front of His Highness. It upsets him greatly." Denzel wanted to inquire about the reason but thought against it. The last thing he wanted was to make a lion of Kovu's size lose his temper.
At that moment, the group was caught off-guard by the appearance of a young cub that came running eagerly out of the den. She was a dark brown color, not unlike Kovu's, but had deep blue eyes that resembled Nala's. "Mom, Dad!" she cried excitedly as Kiara hurried over to nuzzle the cub.
"Hello, sweetie," Kiara said, giving the cub a big lick on the top of her head. "Enjoy your nap?"
The cub sighed, obviously bored by being made to take naps, "Yeah, I guess. Now, can I go out and explore? Please?" She suddenly caught sight of the humans. "Oh…"
"Well, well," said Josh, raising an eyebrow upon seeing the cub. He thought she looked very cute. "Who do we have here?"
"Oh, sorry. This is my daughter, Rosa," said Kiara proudly, as she and Kovu, obviously the father, continued to nuzzle their cub. "She was born during the last rainy season."
Rosa stared curiously at the newcomers. "Mom? What are they?"
"Visitors, sweetie," she said, gesturing at Josh, Denzel, and Chen, "They're humans, but don't worry. They mean no harm."
"They're our guests," Simba added. "For the time being, anyway," he muttered under his breath.
Josh pretended he hadn't heard that last bit. They might have made a good start, but he knew he and his companions were still under evaluation. If Simba found one reason to think they posed a threat of any kind, they'd be out of here like a shot.
"Hu-mans?" Rosa asked, tilting her head to one side. "I've never seen one around here before. What kind of…skin is that?" she asked, staring curiously at the humans' filthy, sweat-laden garments. "They smell funny, too…" Kiara cleared her throat as if warning her daughter to mind her manners.
"Oh, these are clothes," Denzel answered. "We wear them to keep warm because our bodies aren't covered in fur likes yours is. As for the smell… Well, we have been traveling for a long time in the hot sun…"
"Kinda wish we hadn't discarded the cologne Lord Davidson provided us," Josh muttered, taking note of all the toiletries that had been left behind, following the loss of their horses.
"Or the bathtub," Chen retorted. It seemed they'd stuck smelling like camel dung. And in front of the royal family. What a disgrace!
Rosa raised an eyebrow. "Cologne?"
"Bathtub?" Kiara asked, just as curious as her daughter.
"Uh, things we humans use to keep clean and smell good," Josh answered sheepishly.
"Well, maybe not a habit you've been adhering to lately, eh?" said Marigold good-humoredly, making Josh laugh in spite of himself.
Evening had fallen across the Pride Lands as the explorers finished setting up their new accommodation; Simba had straightly refused to allow them inside the den, so Kiara and Kovu had directed them to a sheltered spot underneath the raised platform of Pride Rock, where they could set up camp. Although not exactly as sheltered as the lions' den, it was a far better choice than the mosquito-infested waterhole they had left behind.
Zazu, who seemed no more trusting of these human visitors than his master, had come and informed them that, should they require anything, they had but to call for him or any other member of the Pride. He had also reminded them, in a voice of utmost importance, that, while they were guests to the royal family, they were still obliged, as per their agreement, to abide by the King's laws at all times while they were here, and that their welcome would be forfeit should their choose to violate the terms of their agreement. Nearby, Marigold, who was grazing from a bush of thistles, rolled her eyes at Zazu's pompous attitude, muttering something that sounded distinctly like 'pompous-headed banana-beak.'
After some time of more and more curious lions coming to catch a glance of them, some exchanging friendly greetings, others merely distrustful, the pride finally lost interest and left them in peace. The men had just finished putting together their new encampment when two lionesses appeared, primarily the ones that had attacked Chen earlier.
"Oh, much obliged, ladies," said Josh, tipping his hat and taking the large calf of wildebeest the lionesses had dragged over to their camp. Although the meat was several hours old, it was still fresh.
"Yeah, thanks," said Denzel, smiling, although the lionesses were not.
"Compliments of the king," said the dotted-eyed lioness, "It's too late in the evening for hunting. Don't expect us to cater to you in the future though. Even guests are expected to hunt for their next meal."
"I presume you humans can hunt?" asked the pale tan lioness, almost tauntingly.
Josh felt slightly insulted by how rudely the lionesses treated him and his companions but knew better than to make a scene. Hopefully, all that distrust would blow over in good time. "Yes, ma'am, my Pa taught me."
The lionesses didn't comment on that, merely nodded and turned to leave them in peace. Josh was sure he heard one of them saying, "Those monkey boys will make fools of themselves trying to hunt, without claws and teeth. You watch." The other lioness laughed.
"We can hear you!" Denzel yelled. Unlike Josh, he didn't take kindly to mocking jabs. Chen placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Losing one's temper now wouldn't do any of them much good. Josh took out his tobacco flint and a block of brimstone.
Pretty soon, they had a roaring campfire going to cook their dinner of wildebeest the lionesses had begrudgingly provided for them. Leftovers, by a lion's standard, but a feast for three hungry humans.
Josh was busy roasting his wildebeest steak supper on a makeshift spit, wishing he had some of his favorite Mexican peppers to add to the feast when he heard a familiar, swift pattering of paws approaching from above. Sure enough, Kiara and Nala appeared, looking very alarmed about something. In an instant, Josh understood why.
"What do you think you're doing?!" gasped Nala, recoiling at the sight of the roaring fire.
"Fire?" shrieked Kiara, also backing away in fear, "Why did you start a fire outside our home?" she demanded. Cursing himself for forgetting their natural fear of fire and building his campfire so close to the den, probably stirring up a panic with the smell, which the lions could pick up from miles away, Josh hastily explained.
"It's all right, ladies, there's no need for alarm. It's simply for cooking…eh, humans can't eat raw meat without getting sick, so we cook it over a fire," he explained, showing them the semi-roasted steak.
"Unless, of course, it's steak tartar," added Denzel, not that he expected the lionesses to be familiar with French cuisine.
"But still, you lit a fire!" exclaimed Kiara, looking scared half to death. No doubt she had some frightening memories, probably some unpleasant past encounter with fire. "What if it spreads to the rest of the Pride Lands?"
"It won't," Josh reassured the princess. "We put a circle of stones around it so it stays contained and controllable. We're not foolish."
"We also need it to keep warm out here," Chen added, shuddering at a breeze which came blowing in their direction. "Sometimes our clothes just aren't enough on cold nights like this." Although their confidence seemed to appease the lionesses that there was no danger, they were still utterly baffled as to why humans would seemingly ruin such delicious, blood-rich meat. Humans sure were weird creatures!
"It's much better than it looks," said Denzel, who had put aside his own cooked piece of meat to let it cool. The lions grimaced at the sight of the sizzling, blackish meat, looking as if they were about to be sick; obviously, they didn't think anything was appetizing anymore about meat that had just been resting over flames. Denzel grinned, "Here, why don't you try some…? What the devil?!" As he picked up the pike to offer them a bite, he realized the meat was gone. A certain, sneaky little thief had already beaten her mother to the punch and was devouring the steak with great gusto.
"Rosa!" Kiara scolded her daughter, who had followed them, curious to see more of these strange humans, "You're supposed to be in bed! And stealing a guest's food is not polite!" The cub, still licking her lips in delight, lowered her ears shamefully at being told off.
"Sorry, Mom…"
Her grandmother, feeling more sympathetic, turned to her daughter, "Don't be too hard on her, Kiara; she's only being curious. Kinda like you were when you were her age, actually. Remember how you and Kovu first met?"
"Mom, please don't start…" muttered an embarrassed Kiara, blushing red beneath her fur, although Josh could see she was holding back laughter. Indeed, she had been quite a mischievous cub, sometimes even getting herself into trouble, not unlike her dear Kovu in fact, but after growing up and becoming a mother in her own rights, she was sometimes torn between disciplining her daughter to be responsible or letting have all the fun out of young life.
"It's alright," said Denzel. "I still have enough for myself."
"Here, "said Josh, extending his own steak on a stick, "Try some of mine." But the lionesses politely shook their heads, probably thinking it tasted like dead hyena guts.
Meanwhile, Rosa, still licking her lips from her first cooked meal, was getting more curious about Josh and his companions, as she snuggled closer to the American, nuzzling him and sniffing him. Josh smiled at her as he placed her onto his lap, taking off his hat and placing it atop her head for a joke, as his companions chuckled in amusement. Kiara was taken a little aback by a human handling her daughter, but seeing her so happy and content in the human's arms, she didn't shoo her away.
"Lot heavier than a house cat," Josh said, taking in how much heavier a lion cub really was. Although young, he could feel her strong muscles that would someday make her into a powerful, majestic animal that could snap a wildebeest's neck like a twig.
"Never held a lion cub before, huh?" Denzel asked.
"Held a few puma cubs before, and a jaguar cub once, but never something like this."
"Puma? Jaguar? Are those big cats where you come from?" asked Nala.
"Oh yeah," answered Denzel, "You see, pumas are similar to lions in many ways, only a bit smaller," he said, refraining from using the word 'weaker', in case the lions took offense. "In fact, they're sometimes called mountain lions. Except, uh, males don't have manes. Also, unlike lions, they're generally very solitary."
"And jaguars are like leopards, only a lot bigger…and meaner!" Josh added playfully to Rosa, who seemed intrigued by the zoology lesson, "Their teeth are so strong, they can crack open a turtle's shell like an egg!"
"That's nothing," added Chen, unconcerned. "Where I come from…we have tigers!"
Josh and Denzel ooh'd at the thought of those fierce predators that could make even a lion pale in comparison, especially when provoked.
"Tigers?" asked Kiara.
"Imagine a cat much bigger than a lion, covered in orange fur with black stripes, stalking you through the tall grass…quietly and stealthily…its stripes blending in so you can't see it coming. You think you're all alone, safe, and at peace…but then you hear a soft growl coming from all around you...as the tiger begins to circle you. And before you can even think to run…it… POUNCES!"
The two older lionesses yelped, while Rosa shrieked and literally jumped in fright at Chen's sudden change in tone of voice. But then, after a moment of silence, everyone, human and lioness, had a good hearty laugh. Boy, they sure needed that!
"Hoo!" Denzel exclaimed, wiping his brow and chuckling. "Boy, Chen, you certainly know how to set a scene."
"Yeah, you even had me goin'," said Josh, placing a hand over his rapidly beating heart.
"Thank you," said Chen, grinning proudly from ear to ear for his little show. "I am always happy with a satisfied audience."
"Hey, are there any lions like us where you come from, too?" asked Rosa, eager to hear more.
Before anyone could answer, however, a stern voice called down to them from the den, "Nala? Kiara? Rosa? Where are you?"
"We're coming, Daddy," called Kiara, who turned back to her daughter. Nighttime visits were over. "All right, come along, Rosa. Bedtime." Like all kids her age, Rosa felt her fun was over all too soon.
"Oh, Mom, can't I stay a little longer, please?" she pleaded, as Josh retrieved his hat and passed her to Kiara, who took her by the scruff of her neck.
"Sorry, Rosa, but it's late, and I'm sure these humans need their sleep, too," said Nala softly but firmly, as her daughter took the protesting cub away. "Now, off to bed with you, young lady." Bidding the explorers goodnight, she followed Kiara back up to the den.
Later that night, Josh lay down to sleep in his sleeping bag inside the tent they'd pitched beside the dimming fire, thinking of this adventure he and his companions had gotten themselves into. This sure was the adventure of a lifetime, which no explorer could even dream of; finding the secret of communicating with nature and befriending a pride of royal lions made him feel almost as if he had been born again. How he wished Kovu would see past his distrust, so that they could truly be a part of this wonderful place.
On the other hand, his happy thoughts were plagued with worry, as to what whether their coming here might ultimately spell out a catastrophe for this pristine land. Lebo and his people had kept the Pride Lands a secret from the outside for a reason. Could Burton, or the Crown itself, be trusted with the knowledge of such a place? In spite of his worrying thoughts, he was bushed and soon drifted off to sleep…