Chapter 16, A Stranger Like Me
The open Serengeti was a place Mufasa had known all his life—from when he was a cub, exploring with the utmost curiosity, to when he had become fully grown like his father before him. As the Lion King wandered searching for his adopted son and Nala, he could not help but take in the sight of it all. These were the lands he roamed and ruled over for all these years, earning the respect and loyalty of all his subjects, from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope. They were the many things he was taught to respect.
Mufasa paused momentarily, scanning the far horizon. Yet even still, there was no sign of Jay or Nala anywhere. The aging Lion King uttered a low groan. He then shifted his glance at the sight of his peaceful domain. Even with the advent of danger within his Kingdom, everything remained as it was.
"How can so much change and yet still feel the same?" Mufasa thought.
Mufasa pondered. He wondered how long that would still be, especially when he suspected Man had returned to the Pridelands after all these years. With what happened that day, he could not help but imagine the danger they would bring. His sights glared at the evening sky above, and he thought back to his father, the wise and Great King, Ahadi.
"Father, I seek your guidance. I fear the Pridelands may be in grave danger," Mufasa proclaimed.
"I've seen what they are capable of, and I know the stories are true. It will only be a matter of time before all the Pridelands do, and with Jay..."
Mufasa paused, realizing just what it would mean for his adopted son. Like his father before him, Mufasa had taught Jay to do the same. His time in the sun was soon to end, and he was to pass on the responsibility to his adopted son. The rest of the Pridelands had already accepted Jay, just as the Pride had long ago. Now, he was soon to be their new King. There was no doubt in his mind that Jay would prove himself just as he always promised him to.
But with the advent of man in the Pridelands, the Lion King feared they would see Jay the same way.
"I fear for my son, Father. I've done all I can to prepare him, as you have me," He proclaimed.
"My Time is ending, and Jay must take my place. I know he can follow in my Paw Prints. But he is still a human, and I fear the Pridelands will resent him if they learn man's true Nature."
Mufasa turned to look at the stares once more.
"Father, what must I do to protect him?" Mufasa asked.
Despite his plea, the Kings remained silent as the evening itself. Not that Mufasa ever expected any differently from his father and the other Kings. His father had told him that, as a cub, the Kings of The Past would guide him, but there were things he would need to find out for himself.
This may be one of those times.
The Lion King was so lost in his thoughts he had too little notice of movement with the grass behind him.
Jay emerged from the tall grass, though keeping low and silent so as not to be noticed. He saw the woman standing before the watering hole with that strange box in her hand. Their attention was directed to the other animals gathered around the banks. Jay narrowed down, squinting his eyes curiously.
Nala came up behind him, squinting her eyes curiously.
"So... something you need to tell me?" Nala asked.
Jay turned to her.
"Huh?" He said.
"I seem to remember you saying we need to follow her," Nala said, raising an eyebrow.
Jay paused for a moment.
"Oh... uh, " Jay said, glancing to the side.
Jay turned back to the human female, looking over the watering hole.
"I mean... I think she is," Jay insisted.
"What is it doing?" She asked.
Jay shook his head, staring at the female with that same mesmerized look. Like Nala, the act she was performing felt quite foreign to her. It didn't look like the previous staff used by the humans he had seen years ago. No sudden blasts of fire were coming from its tip, nor did any other animals seem in pain or peril.
"I'm not sure," Jay insisted.
However, one thing was certain: they would not see anything from here. They needed to get a closer look. The wild young man glanced over the nearby tree. It looked tall enough for him not to be noticed by the female.
"Hang on," He said.
Jay crept out from the grass, going over the tree, much to the worry of Nala, who attempted to stop him. Only to pause at the sound of the rustling grass, causing her to gasp, glancing over to the human female.
Tabir heard a faint rustling sound from behind. She then turned, looking back to the tall grass behind her.
"Mama?" She asked.
Only to see that there was no one there. She cocked her head, squinting her eyes curiously. She had thought she had heard something. She then turned forward and continued photographing the watering hole with her camera.
Nala slowly emerged from behind the tall grass, turning up to look at Jay, who was climbing up the tree.
"Jay!" she called to him.
Jay climbed onto a high branch, peering down over the human female. He saw her there, holding up that strange, small black box. A strange clicking sound came from the box. Jay squinted his eyes curiously. It wasn't one of those staffs that man used to hunt. What was it?
Though the young wild man would not have long to ponder, he heard a familiar hissing sound from below. He cocked his head down at the watering hole. There, he saw the familiar sight of the scale log floating toward the human female. Jay hunkered down over the branch. The human female didn't seem to notice the approaching crocodile.
Jay started, wearingly.
"Oh, no!" He said.
Crocodiles were not very selective when it came to prey. He had had many encounters with crocodiles in the past to know that. Regardless, he couldn't just stand there and let it happen. To do so would further jeopardize the future of the Pridelands.
Tabia took another picture of the elephants across the watering hole. Suddenly, she heard the crackle on her radio.
"Tabia? Tabia, come in," Her mother's voice over the radio said.
Tabia answered.
"Mama?" She said.
"Tabia, where are you? It's getting late," Efia said over the radio.
"Oh, sorry, mama, I'm just over at this watering hole taking some pictures," Tabia insisted.
"Well, you better get back to camp soon. It's getting dark, and predators will be out hunting," Efia insisted over the radio.
Tabia sighed, knowing her mother was right.
"Okay, I'll head back soon," Tabia insisted.
As she went to take another shot, she heard a sudden hissing sound from off to her right. She paused, shifting her glance to her left. She scanned the bank but saw that there was nothing. She then heard a gurgling sound from the water, causing her to cock her head and see the ripples. As if something had descended into the water itself.
Tabia turned forward, staring nervously at the water. Slowly, she backed away from the waterhole, keeping her eyes on the surface for any sign of danger. Then, she stepped over a small rock behind her, causing her to stumble over the ground with a sudden gasp. As if seizing the opportunity, the crocodile emerged from the water with a sudden splash of water, and its jaw was open and wide. It lunged toward Tabia, ready to claim its quarry.
Tabia screamed, holding out her arms as she awaited for the inevitable pain that would follow.
Jay lunged from the branch above, wrapping his arms around the crocodile's neck. He shoved the crocodile out of the way of the human female as the two dove into the water, out of sight. Upon hearing the splash, the human female opened her eyes and saw the crocodile disappear into the water, along with something else.
Something that she hardly saw before it disappeared into the water. But what was it?
Nala emerged from the tallgrass, gasping in shock.
"Jay!" She exclaimed.
In the water, the crocodile attempted to snap its jaws at the wildman, who managed to dodge his every attempt. Jay wrapped himself over the reptile's back, holding on with all the strength he could muster and all the while trying to grip the crocodile to the point of strangling it. However, he had no intention of killing it. But rather try to put it to sleep to allow the human female to escape.
The Crocodile felt the young wild man's firm hold over its throat. Desperately, it tried thrashing about to knock Jay off, but it was useless as Jay continued to hold firm. The air it tried holding inside escaped from its open jaws and rose to the surface above.
Tabia saw several air bubbles rising from below to the water's surface. What was happening down there? She squinted her eyes nervously, seeing what, from what she could tell, to be a struggle between the crocodile and... something else. But what?
Tabia stepped forward, attempting to get a closer look, but the crocodile rose and broke the surface, causing her to gasp and jump back from the water. She fell back over the ground, turning back to the watering hole. However, what she saw next would leave her shocked and in awe. It was there she saw what looked to be... a man!
A young, muscular man who looked to be the same age, whose skin was white with healed claw marks; he had long brown hair that reached the top of his back and wore what looked like an animal-skinned loincloth, wrestling with the crocodile.
Tabia could hardly move, and her breath came in faint whisps. She could hardly believe what she was seeing.
The wild man continued to hold onto the crocodile. Slowly, the crocodile stopped struggling within Jay's embrace from the lack of oxygen and finally stopped growling as it sank back into the water.
Jay pushed the now-slumbering reptile into the water as he swam toward the shallows. Nala sighed in relief from the banks to see that Jay was safe. He then stood up, glancing back toward the crocodile as its unconscious body sank into the depths. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, relieved that he did not have to resort to his dagger.
His glance then shifted back toward the banks, where he saw the human female now looking back at him.
Tabia's gaze met that of this strange wildman, who was now staring back at her with a stern yet curious expression. One that froze her in place, both out of intimidation and awe. Leaving her to watch as this stranger approached her, coming just but a foot from where she was lying. Tabia attempted to stand back up and escape into the long grass but couldn't move.
She now found herself looking up at the wildman. Having dealt with that crocodile, she could see his tall and muscular form more clearly now—a sight that she found both intimidating and alluring. This confrontation with the crocodile was not the first with all the claw marks over his body. Judging by his skin, it was clear he was not of any native descent.
Finally, Tabia snapped out of it as she came to stand back. She held out her hands to the wildman.
"Wow, okay... Stay back! Don't come any closer!" She pleaded.
But still, the wildman stared back at her without saying anything or indicating that he understood what she was saying. Continuing to stare back at her with that same curious yet stern expression. Tabia squinted her eyes curiously.
"I'm warning you... If... you take another step," She insisted.
Glancing to the side, she found that she was without her pistol, leaving her without any means of defending herself.
"Okay, well, still... I wouldn't push it, Wildman. Do you understand?" she continued.
"Do you understand me?"
His continuous silence was all but a clear indication that he did not. He seemed quite indifferent to the language most accustomed to his race, indicating that he had not had any human contact in some time, if not ever. All but making things more complicated for her.
Suddenly, they heard the sound of a lion's roar from off to their left. They turned and saw a lioness emerge from the tall grass. Tabia paused.
"Oh, no," She said.
However, the lioness did not approach her any further. Instead, the lioness's attention was directed mainly toward the wildman. She uttered several growls, though not in a hostile. The wild man glanced back at her momentarily and then back to her. He narrowed his eyes, seeming to be pondering. Tabia paused. Were they... communicating with each other?
At that moment, there was the sound of another lion's roar, though this one sounded as though it was far off. Both the wildman and the lioness turned to gaze in the direction. Tabia turned back to the wildman for just a moment before turning and running off into the Serengeti.
Mufasa gave another mighty roar over the savannah, calling out for his son and Nala. He then paused there, all but hoping that they heard it. Though he had little reason to think they did not. Many of the Pridelanders have claimed to have heard him throughout the Pridelands in the past. And neither Jay nor Nala have ever ventured anywhere outside the Pride Lands.
At least, not like before.
There was a sudden rustling from the grass behind him, causing his ear to twitch. She glanced back, noticing that something was moving through the grass.
"Jay?" Mufasa asked.
The Lion King then paused, catching a whiff of a familiar scent—one he was all too familiar with and one he should not be. There was more rustling in the grass coming from all around. Followed by chuckling that could not be mistaken for any other animal in the Pridelands. Mufasa shifted his weary glance all around as he growled wearingly. However, the aging Lion King's gestures of threats would prove useless as he came to see that they surrounded him from all around.