I groaned at a voice that seemed to echo through my head. I'd been trying to ignore it, but it seemed my brain was as restless as I was injured. I shot upright as the voice insisted once more.

"Fine! I'm awaaaa…?" I trailed off as I found myself, not only uninjured, but laying in a star filled void. I stood up and looked around in confusion and shock. My feet rested on an invisible platform, allowing me to see space all around me. This place wasn't where I normally went if I wasn't dreaming...

I spun around and nearly fell back in surprise. My cry of fear only made the full blown lion in front of me chuckle(WHAT?!) and sit down, wrapping his tail around his paws.

"I mean you no harm, young one." I swore I could feel his voice vibrating the air around me. It was so deep and powerful. Beyond anything I had heard previously.

"Uh, duh, uhtalkinglion," I stammered as I took another step back. That got a mild laugh out of the lion(Since bloody well WHEN can they laugh?!)

"I am. Though, you may find that many of us talk, you just cannot hear."

"What did that monkey feed me?!" My next question popped out before I could stop it. "Why are you made of stars?" His blue coat of fur was lined with galaxies and nebulas. I had seen many a Bey Spirits over the He lifted a paw and looked it over.

"I am among them. As are you."

"I'm dead?!" I squeaked. I hadn't wanted to actually die!

"No, you are only here so I can speak with you. You will awake as you normally do with the sun." He still had that slightly smug smile on his face.

"Would you quit smirking at me?!" I snapped out of anxiety, only to flinch in expectation of claws and teeth. His smile faded, though not completely.

"I apologize. It is not often I get to speak directly to those still walking the planes."

"Okay. So…why me?"

"There is someone who owes you a life debt. I am here to help her fulfill it," He said with his head bowed for a moment. I only had to think for a second before the events of the day prior came to mind.

"…You don't mean that lioness I helped, do you?" He shook his head after raising it.

"No, I am talking about her cub."

"Is the cub, yours?"

"No, she is my son's."

"So, granddaughter, then."

"Yes."

"I didn't realize lions even had the concept of life debts." I paused. "And I never would have guessed that you had a concept of an afterlife." That made another smile, this one less condescending looking, grow on the lion's muzzle.

"We do. Now, we only have till sun up."

"O…kay?"

"Tell me, what is a life debt to you?" I thought about it, gratefully using the distraction from the weirdness that was my life.

"Depending on cultures or individuals, it could mean dedicating your life to serving the person that saved you, being willing to sacrifice yourself for them if the need arises, or just overall doing what you can for them out of gratitude."

"With our Pride, it is the generally second option, though the other two are negotiable between individuals."

"That's…I guess in the savanna, there is fluidity in what happens, given you can die at any point." The lion dipped his head in agreement.

"Indeed. Early this morning, not long after you were attacked, my son and daughter-in-law found you injured, and took you to our healer." There was silence for a long moment.

"The monkey's your healer," I deadpanned.

"And the best in the land. I expect you to obey him while you are under his care." The lowered brow made me shiver.

"Yeah, okay," I agreed quickly, not even considering the fact that I couldn't understand the mandrill.

"Good. With this life debt, I'm afraid it is harder to fulfil than most. Kiara is the future queen of the Pridelands and cannot be willing to sacrifice herself, especially not." I made an incredulous gesture before holding my hands up in a stopping motion.

"Okay, wait. Just give me a second, let me see if I got this right. I saved a lion princess, and she's now trapped in a life debt she can't fulfill because she's needed to rule your former pride in the future?" He nodded.

"Yes, those are the basics." I carded my fingers through my hair, giving myself another moment to think.

"And there's no way I can't just, let this go?" I prompted hopefully. He shook his head. I frowned, feeling way out of my depth. A thought occurred to me, however.

"Wait. You said her mother and father saved my life by taking me to the healer. There! Life debt solved!" I clapped my hands together before spreading my arms at the show of genius. He started to say something, only to pause for a moment.

"That is true. But it is not the only reason I brought you here tonight." The light in my eyes shuddered and faded a little.

"Okay, but I saved her life, they saved mine. It sounds like everything is fine to me." The lion stood and turned to my left, looking out towards the stars. I gasped when one exploded, filling the area with a white light. The white light retreated in front of us until it left an image of a large camp. Around 20 tents were spread out among the grass, with vehicles and boxes spread around them. I looked over the image of the supposed camp. The lion began speaking. A hint of dread carried in his tone.

"Poachers. They are a threat to the Pridelands. They will hunt and kill all of the members of my former pride if they are not stopped." I stared at the image for a bit before turning to him.

"Okay, mister-dead-lion-sir, I really appreciate the light show, but I'm one guy."

"You may be one, but you have strength few others do." Again, I gave it a moment before responding.

"You're asking me to fight against at least a dozen full grown men that have guns. There's no way I can stop them."

"Maybe not before. But you have allies now." I shot him the flattest look possible.

"Are you saying I team up with lions?"

"Yes."

"How am I going to explain this," I gestured to the light show, "To a creature I can't even talk to, and would probably make a meal of me the first chance they get?!"

"Kneel down." I raised an eyebrow before doing so at his insistent nod. Once we were at eye level, his gaze locked with mine. The stars around us began to spin, the axis point behind his head.

"You, James, will save the Pridelands. And you have my blessing to speak the language of our lands." He pressed his nose to my forehead. The stars around us gained speed, making my vision spin as well. "It is time. Go, save my people." He stepped back and began to fade into the background.

"Wait, what's your name?!"

"Mufasa."

I awoke to the sun peeking through the leaves. I went to raise my left arm to block out the light, only to wince in pain. I tried the other arm. While it still hurt, it was more manageable. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, telling me it was barely morning. I found myself alone, in the same spot in the tree as before.

My stomach growled in want of food.

"Ugh, what did that crazy monkey feed me?" I groaned before trying to sit up. I heard a voice in the distance slowly getting louder.

"…ana! Squash Banana! We we nugu! Mi mi apana!" The mandrill landed on the other side of the tree and got to work making another mixture of fruits and herbs. It took me a second to register something.

"Squash banana?" I questioned aloud. The monkey spun around with a short shriek of surprise, dropping the stuff in his hands.

"Aye?! Aye! What are you doing, scaring old Rafiki like that?!" The mandrill shouted, shaking a finger at me.

"Uh!" I pulled back in shock, hearing full English words from its mouth.

"Ooooh…" The mandrill paused, tilting its head to the side. "HA! EhehehehaHA! Mufasa, you old fool! This is what you bring us?!" He said with a heavy accent, shaking a finger at the sky.

"Mufasa?!" The name startled me so much I couldn't help but repeat it. The mandrill looked at me, lowering his arm.

"Oh, you know him?"

"Uh. Just met him. I think," I said dumbly.

"Brah! Crazy, isn't he? Makes old Rafiki look somewhat sane, donchu think?" He tilted his head till it was almost horizontal.

"Eh…sure." I agreed just to not dash his mood. And keep myself relatively alive.

…

My arms hurt.

"So, you are the one he found," Rafiki noted, crawling over to give me a closer look. I cringed away. "It is very strange to see man here, much less after wild dogs get a taste of their blood." I shuddered at the memories of flashing teeth.

"Look. I don't know what's going on, okay? I was traveling, I just got visited by an apparently dead lion and now I'm talking with a mandrill." Rafiki started laughing, I scowled a little. "I'm glad you find my situation hilarious." He stopped, then grew somber.

"Maybe you are right. I apologize." He bowed his head slightly. "I talk with the stars all the time. You are not the first in your situation. Most likely won't be the last."

"You've met humans who can speak to animals?" That was a shocking idea.

"No, but I have heard stories of man doing great service for the savanna. On the other hand, the current king's grandfather had to chase some of them off before." His gaze had drifted before coming back to me. "You were here to help, weren't you?" I shook my head.

"I was just doing some training."

"What is this training?"

"I grow stronger by traveling the world."

"I see." He was quiet for a while, which allowed me to remember a point in the previous conversation.

"Mufasa said that poachers were going to threaten the…Pridelands?"

"The Pridelands are all around you. They are the lands of Mufasa's former pride," He explained, spreading his arms out in a show.

Kind of a dead-on name, but I couldn't have expected an animal to be too creative with labels.

"I, see. Apparently I'm supposed to stop this dozen or so poachers." I winced when I shifted my arm. "That's not happening. Even if I was uninjured, it's too easy for me to get hurt."

"Mufasa has told me that those men who threaten our lands will not be a threat for a few seasons." My eyes widened. There was no way I was trapped here for that long! And a "few" could mean at least a year's worth!

"How long am I supposed to be here?!" Rafiki could only give me a shrug. "But, I can't stay here that long! I've got a family back home!" He placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Calm yourself. Getting stressed will only make it harder for you to heal."

"Easy for-!" I started to snap, immediately regretting it. "I, I'm sorry."

"It is okay. Rafiki will heal you up good and you can see the king. I am sure he has many questions."

"He's not the only one."