Mabadiliko

by KyleKouncil

The life of Abdul, a young teenage boy and fan of the Lion King, takes a dramatic turn when he unwittingly finds himself in the world he only thought existed in fiction. Yet he will soon discover that this new world is a lot more different than its cartoon version. [Better Story Description in the first Chapter.] [Rated T.] [A lot more Genres and Characters than listed here.]

7. A String Of Un-Dream-Like Events

Chapter 5 : A String Of Un-Dream-Like Events

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It was obvious. He wouldn't win this. He'd known this, as soon as they took their places. He was by no means surprised by the fact that he didn't come first. Nor by the fact that he came out in last place.

He was, however, surprised by two things he noticed, rather quickly.

First, it had actually been a much closer race than what he'd thought it'd be. Mheetu and Nala had started off strong, both often alternating between first and second place. Yet as time passed -and they got closer to the cavern's exit-, they both visibly started to get tired, giving Abdul the opportunity, not only to quickly catch up, but also grab first place in the race -to the surprise of all three of them-.

Abdul wasn't quite sure how that had happened, but his best guess was that, since he was actually a human -an endurance-focused predator- he had been subconsciously reserving his energy, using it sparingly and in short bursts. While the two siblings, being real lion cubs -an agility-focused predator- had an entirely different mindset, which was using all of their energy in one burst, giving themselves a great temporary advantage, yet exhausting themselves afterwards. At least, that was his best guess. He wasn't really an expert at these things.

Not that it had helped, anyway. As he also quickly discovered, energy reserves meant nothing, if you weren't working out, or staying in relatively good shape. Two things that Abdul liked to believe he might have had, back home. But he certainly didn't have them in this body. He was in this body for less than a day. He didn't even know how to properly use it yet. Let alone keep it in peak condition. His lack of fitness became apparent very quickly.

Just as he was at the end, Abdul had begun to pant heavily, his legs had begun to feel heavier with every step, while his muscles had started to burn. The more he kept running, the more exhausted he became. He was having difficulty staying in a straight line.

And just then, Nala, using what little scraps of energy she had left, jumped into his right vision, quickly passing him and retaking first place. Bummer, for a brief moment he'd thought he actually had a chance. He kept running on, but just as suddenly, Mheetu passed him by his left side, only narrowly getting second place. Abdul wasn't too upset, he'd expected to lose. But still …

Abdul, just as he was worried he was about to fall over, passed through the "wall" of light at the cave's mouth, right behind the other two cubs. He was temporarily blinded by the sudden burst of intense light in his eyes, yet quickly shook himself and recovered. Having passed the unofficial finish-line, Abdul finally began to slow down.

Exhausted from the race, and feeling his - still quite inexperienced- body burning up in protest to the sudden and unforgiving exercise, Abdul managed to take a few more steps outside the cavern's mouth, before promptly -and unceremoniously- letting himself fall down, on the solid stone beneath him. Thankfully, his body was too sore from running, to really feel any pain from the fall. Abdul simply lay there, taking in slow, deep breaths.

"To-told ya." He heard Nala utter in between breaths. "Eat. My. Dust." She tried to laugh triumphantly, but her breathing deeply made them sound more like coughs.

"You." Mheetu began to say, clearing his sore throat. "You. Just. Got lucky. A few more steps. And I would've beat ya."

"Suuure, Mhee. Whatever you say." Nala offered as a rebuttal, her tone hinting that she was quickly recovering from their race.

'W-where do they get so much energy from ?' Abdul wondered. Sure, he didn't have their lion-experience, but he couldn't be that out of shape. Could he ?

"H-hey, Abdul. How're you doing ?" Mheetu asked him, without looking at him.

"I … I'll live." Abdul replied, in between breaths, earning a snort from the two cubs.

"You know." Nala said. "I'm not sure why you were so worried. You almost won back there."

'Almost.' He thought. "Eh, beginner's luck, I guess." He simply stated.

"Wait." Mheetu said. "Whose luck now ?"

'What ? What do you mean "whose luck" ?' Abdul looked at where the two cubs lied. Sure enough, they were looking at him like he had just said something foreign to them. 'Like the hour thing.'

"Oh, you know. "Beginner's Luck" ? When you try something for the first time, yet you seem really good at it ?" Abdul had a bit of a difficulty explaining it. He never had to before. It had appeared self-evident to him.

'Come on. There's no way you don't know the phrase.' Abdul hoped secretly.

Thankfully for him, Nala gave him a look of realisation. "Ohh, I get what you mean. But I've never heard it called that before." She told him.

"That's because we tend to use another saying for it." Akina's voice briefly echoed through the cavern's entrance, before she and Hesabu also exited the cave. They both gave the three exhausted cube a shared look of amusement, before Akina continued. "If you can remember, little ones, your parents may have taught you the phrase "Mgeni's Grace". What Abdul just said, is a different version of that."

'I'm sorry, "Mgeni's Grace" ? What kind of phrase is that ?' He asked himself.

"Ohhh. So that's what it means." Mheetu stated, as if he'd just discovered some hidden knowledge. "And I was wondering what kind of names Mgeni and Grace were."

"You doofus." Nala teasingly admonished her little brother. "Were you not paying attention when Dad was speaking ?"

"Nala. Language." Hesabu sharply interjected, earning a quick "Sorry." from the she-cub.

"Hey." Mheetu continued, unperturbed. "Our friend is called Abdul. You don't know."

'Please, don't bring me into this. Just pretend I'm not here.' Abdul thought, worriedly. 'Hang on, friend ? You really think I'm your friend ?'

"He's a nomad. He doesn't count." Nala pouted, in a tone that Abdul recognised as someone who realised that her counterpart had a good point, but didn't want to admit it.

"Nala, Mheetu. Abdul is right here. Don't talk about him, as if he isn't." Akina chastised the two siblings. It may have been just his imagination, but her tone sounded a bit too defensive for him at that moment.

"Oh. Sorry, Abdul." Nala apologised.

"Yeah, sorry." Mheetu followed as well.

Abdul opted not to dwell too much on it. "Don't worry about it. Though, to be fair, I've never heard the phrase before either." He said, as he slowly lifted himself off the ground, and sat on his haunches. "Ah, question, is Mgeni an actual lion's name, or is it just a random word ?" He asked, curiously.

"Oh, it most certainly is a lion's name. Or, rather was, I suppose." Hesabu replied with a chuckle, casually approaching him. Abdul tried not to look nervous under his gaze, as the adult lion continued his explanation. "It's not entirely clear what lion was named as such, but it's said that in the Far Past, a lion with such a name, was known across every pride beneath the Sky, for being able to master everything he set out to do -despite never having done it before-, as if he'd done it since birth. So much so, that every other lion since, that had such beginner's luck -like you said- was believed to have his grace. And so, the saying was born. At least, that's how the story goes."

'Huh, didn't expect the Lion King to have its own myths and legends.' Because it didn't. At least, not any serious ones. It was a children's film, and he knew it. But he chose not to question it, at least not right now.

"Wait, so Mgeni is a real name ?" Mheetu wondered rhetorically, as both he and his sister got up, as well.

"Heh, guess you learn something new every day, huh ?" Abdul added, in a joking manner.

"Yeah." Nala chuckled. "Like who's the fastest cub in all the Pride Lands." She stated, proudly pointing at herself with her own paw.

'Well, aren't you an exemplar of humility …' Abdul rolled his eyes. Had she always been so cocky in the film ? Even as a cub ? But just as he thought about it, the mental image of her pinning Simba to the ground -followed by her iconic "Pinned ya." catchphrase afterwards- popped into his mind. 'Yes. Yes, she had been. Nevermind.'

"Don't get used to the title." Mheetu declared. "You won't be holding it for long."

"Alright, alright. Settle down, you two." Hesabu calmly cut in, before the siblings could continue their verbal sparring. "You'll both have ample opportunities to prove who's the fastest lion in all the Land. In the future, that is." He then smirked smugly at them. "Plus, you'll learn not to panic, whenever you hear a roar."

'Oh, right.' Abdul remembered Hesabu's roar, back in the cavern. Man, that had actually scared him. And it had only been a prank. 'Lion roars are scary. Scratch that, lions are scary' He safely concluded.

However, the two cub-siblings seemingly took offence to this, as they both hastily sat straight, trying to look perfectly serious. It reminded Abdul of some kids back in Kindergarten trying to emulate the adults, trying to act more mature than they really were. Which probably wasn't that far off, all things considered.

"P-panic ? Eh, what panic ? I didn't panic." Mheetu tried -and failed- to convince the gathered lions and the transformed human.

"Uh, yeah." Nala joined in. "I didn't panic either. Or get scared."

'Oh yeah. You totally freaked out. Don't worry. So did I.' Abdul decided not to join in on the theatrics, content to merely observe the siblings dig themselves deeper.

The conspiratory look the two adults shared, made Abdul guess that he was about to witness what he could only safely describe as "shenanigans".

"Y-you weren't scared ?" Hesabu asked the siblings, his tone a little too distressed-sounding, to be genuine.

"Nuh-uh." Nala shook her head, a bit too quickly.

"Not even a little bit ?" Hesabu asked. Though Abdul could hear it in his voice. He was simply messing with them.

"Not at all." Mheetu tried to look as convincing as he sounded. Abdul almost admired the effort.

Hearing that response, Hesabu's demeanor changed. He adopted an almost hurt look. "So, y-you're saying that I can't scare anyone ?" The sudden shift in tone and demeanor threw the two cubs off. They looked like they'd actually slapped him.

Hesabu was clearly not done with his little show, as he fell flat on his belly and threw his paws over his maned head, in the most melodramatic way that Abdul had ever seen. "Oh, no ! Oh, woe is me ! I can't even scare two little cubs ! How can I call myself a lion ? What will the animals of the Kingdom think of me ?"

Abdul knew a performance when he saw one -Akina did too, if her trying to hold herself from bursting into laughter was any indication-, and he had to admit, Hesabu had a bit of an actor hidden within him. But the two siblings clearly hadn't developed such an understanding yet, as their masks of confidence fell apart, and they rushed to the grown lion, hugging him and offering him assurances that he was actually quite scary, plus a few admissions that they had been frightened after all.

Abdul giggled a little, as he lifted himself off the ground. He was about to offer his two cents on the matter, before an unconscious flick from his left ear drew his attention behind him, towards the edge of the rock ledge they were currently standing on. His curiosity got the better of him, as he walked close to the edge, glancing at the view that was unveiled beneath him. His mouth dropped and he gasped in awe.

From the look of things the cavern they had exited from, led them to a rocky hilltop, leading down to what Abdul could only describe as an open courtyard. Or, at least, the closest equivalent to it one could find, out in the wild. In the center of it lay a nearly-flat, grassy field, which looked surprisingly well-trimmed for a wild patch.

Around the field, he could see a few rock-platforms, some of which seemed occupied, if the lions on top of them were of any indication. Rows of trees could be seen between the courtyard and the rock formations of Pride Rock -which expanded quite a bit of distance away from here-, creating a natural kind of borderline. Huh, he even spotted a small stream passing down from one of the rock formations across the field, alongside the treeline, and further down the line, vanishing from sight.

All in all, it actually looked like a pretty nice gathering spot. Fresh water, shade from the rocks and trees, and small spots to congregate, if need be. And the flat grass field could be used to … whatever it was that lions did for entertainment. It's not like the movie lore had ever expanded upon it. He briefly thought about how none of this had been in the film, but by this point, with so many deviations so far, it was just part of the course, really. He preferred to focus on the sights.

"Aww, I wanted to show him the view." Abdul vaguely heard Mheetu's disappointed voice behind him, before the cub appeared on the corner of his left eye. Honestly, he'd expected Hesabu's act to last a little longer.

"As if you haven't shown the view, to Mom and Dad, like a dozillion times." Nala came next to her brother, teasing him.

"Hey." Mheetu retorted. "They're always stunned, just like Abdul, whenever I show it to them. And "dozillion" isn't even a word."

"How would you know ? You weren't paying attention when Mom was teaching us how to count." Mheetu responded to that, by sticking his tongue out at her, prompting Nala to reciprocate the gesture.

Abdul, meanwhile, was too stunned by the sight, to pay attention to the siblings' bickering, or to Akina trying to get them to settle down. He only paid attention when he heard Hesabu's words. "Abdul, I think you've got enough flies in your mouth, don't you agree ?"

Abdul was confused by what he meant at first, but then he realised he still had his mouth open. He sharply closed it, trying to ignore the heat he now felt on his cheeks, making Hesabu snort at his reaction.

"So, " Abdul decided to change the subject. ", is this where the pride gathers, or something ?"

"Not, per se." Hesabu answered. "The entire pride usually gathers at the Rock's Entrance, from where you came from with Akina, and is almost always a Summon from the King. This is the Mraba, and lions usually come here to relax, when they're not on duty, or they just have nothing else to do."

'Mraba. Huh. So, it's a hub, like a town square. And the Rock's entrance is where the king makes all the decrees, just like in the film.' Huh, after so many deviations, it was kind of odd to be somewhat sticking to the lore right now, even a little bit.

"Hey, Abdul." Mheetu's voice got his attention. "You see those holes over there, going inside the rocks ?" Abdul followed where Mheetu's paw was pointing at, and true enough, towards the left side of the hilltop, he could vaguely spot a great number of holes carved into the rocks. He nodded at Mheetu. "That's where the Dens are. What do you say, want to see where we live ?" Mheetu asked him excitedly.

Abdul didn't really have a reason to refuse, and he was kind of curious about their living accommodations. "Uh, sure. Why not ?"

"Sweet ! Don't fall behind." Mheetu then went down the rocky hill, following the "path" leading towards the dens. His sister followed behind him, and Abdul picked up after them. He didn't have to look behind him, to know that the two adults were following them.

"Hey, Mhee." Nala turned to her brother, as they walked. "After the Dens, where will you take Abdul ?" She asked him.

'Why do I feel like I'm being babysat right now ?' Abdul tilted his head. Sure, he was being given a tour, but … did he have no say in the matter ?

Meanwhile, Mheetu pondered the question a little bit. "Um, I'm not sure. Haven't thought that far ahead. Why ?"

Nala looked excited at his response. "Well, how about we go to the Pits, then ? It's about time we see them as well."

'I'm sorry. The pits ? What kind of ominous name is that ?' One that -yet again- hadn't been in the film. 'And how come you haven't seen it either ?'

Before Mheetu -or Abdul- had to say anything, Akina cut in very hastily. "Ah, I don't think going to the Pits is a good idea, little ones." Abdul took note of the slight nervousness in her voice. "Best to leave that for another day."

Abdul didn't need to have a lion's nose, to smell the manure in her words -not that he'd dare call her out on it, of course-. But the two cubs clearly didn't pick up on it.

"Aww, but why not ?" Nala asked, obviously exasperated. "That's what all the grown ups say, all the time. Why can't we go to the Pits ?"

"You will, Nala. Trust me, one day, you will." Akina answered her, in a calming tone. "I just don't think now's a good time for you to go there. Perhaps when you're a little older. Okay ?"

'Ohhh.' Now, it clicked in Abdul's mind. 'Okay. It's the "Don't take your kids there, unless you want them to be traumatised." part of the attractions. Got it.' Whatever the pits were, they weren't for the faint of heart. Though, if he was being honest, now he wanted to go and see it even more. He had been on the Internet for quite some time now. He was mildly curious to see what his messed up fantasy would try to conjure up, just to ruin his favourite Movie Universe.

Not that he'd actually try to force the issue. If the grown lioness -backed up by her grown lion-husband, no less- said that a place was off limits, he wasn't going there. At least, not when she was around. "It's okay, guys." Abdul said to the two cubs. "Can't see all the things in one day, right ?" He attempted as a half-joke.

Nala looked at him a little conflicted, then she looked at Akina. Finally, she relented. "Fine." She sighed, before she kept going forward. She clearly wasn't happy, but she probably realised -like Abdul had- that she couldn't really do anything about it.

"Hey, don't fret. There's many other places to see in Pride Rock." Hesabu attempted to cheer them up. "And it's not like you'll never get to go there, when you're older."

"Well, it's not like they'll go anywhere, right ?" Mheetu lightly bumped his sister with his shoulder, getting a small smile out of her. "We'll just go there another time." Then, he turned towards Abdul. "Hey, Abul. You'll come with us, right ?"

The turned-human simply looked at him, clearly confused. "Uh, come where ?"

"To see the sights, you dummy." Mheetu chuckled. "Whenever we get there, will you come with us ?"

'Yeah, I don't think so, Mheetu.' Abdul knew better than to say that out loud, but what else could he say ? He hadn't expected such a question. It's not like one could wake up from a dream, "revisit" it, and "pick up" right where they "left off". Especially a dream that felt so real. Besides, even if it was out of pure necessity, he hated lying to them. They didn't deserve it.

"Um, if I'm around Pride Rock, then sure." He settled on a half-lie. It was technically the truth. If he ever found himself again in this wonderful land, he would go wherever they asked him to accompany them. It was just that he'd never get to come here, ever again. A fact that both relieved, and kind of saddened him, honestly.

Still, the answer seemed to satisfy both the cubs -if their smiles were anything to go by- and the adults. Although Abdul did notice the brief looks they gave each other. It could've just been his imagination, but he still wondered. Did they suspect him ?

"Ha, you're dreaming, if you think we'll only explore Pride Rock." Abdul tried to ignore Mheetu's unintentional jab about dreaming. "When we grow up, we'll venture throughout the whole Kingdom. No stick or stone will be left unturned !" Mheetu boldly declared, and Abdul felt oddly inspired by that. Nala too, evident by her prideful posturing.

Akina snorted at the cub's words. "Well, for now, I think we should stick to the Dens. Don't you think so, Mheetu ?" She smiled at him.

The comment seemed to snap him back into reality, as the young cub rubbed his left paw. "Um, yes. That's a good idea." Mheetu then hastily took the lead, before Nala could get the chance. Abdul followed next to them, trying to quell any paranoia that any of the four lions might be onto him.

They kept walking for a little while, before Abdul managed to spot some of the small caves, carved inside the stone, behind Pride Rock. Some of them were lower to the ground, while others were higher elevated, requiring some unseen path -or good climbing skills- in order to reach them. All the caves were dispersed out from one another, having plenty of "breathing room" between them.

He'd have to see them up close, of course, but from a distance, they looked like a decent place to live. 'Not that I'd spend a night there. Couldn't pay me to do so. I prefer my human-world luxuries, thank you very much.' Still, considering that the majority of animals' living-standards were probably something akin to "Whatever spot on the ground is most comfortable.", these caves were certainly prime real estate.

"So, that's where all the lions sleep ?" Abdul asked the two adult lions behind him, curiously.

"Well, most of the pride does, though not all of them." Hesabu responded to him.

"Really ? How does it work ?" Abdul asked again.

"From what I can remember," This time, it was Akina who spoke. ", it used to be that every lion got their own cave. But when the pride grew, this started to cause problems. So now, a cave is offered for every kin in the pride."

'Kin ?' When had he heard that word before ?

"So me," Mheetu began to speak, pointing to himself with one of his paws. ", Nala, Mom and Dad, have an entire cave all to ourselves." He said, with a hint of smugness.

"And Akina and I have one for ourselves." Hesabu added, rubbing his mane on the lioness's head, eliciting a small purr out of her.

"Though the Royal Kin dwell on top of Pride Rock, right where the Over Watch is." Akina quickly added.

Nala pouted at that. "It's not fair. Why do they get to have the best view ?" She questioned out loud, getting a laugh out of the two adults.

Abdul was too lost in thought to laugh along. 'Kin … Royal Kin … So, they're talking about families. But then, why do they not use that word ? Does it mean something different, or do they just not know it ?' Abdul didn't dare ask them, lest he repeat his mistake, like with the hour. 'Some things, like the overwatch being the great platform of Pride Rock, those make some amount of sense. Why can't the rest be like that ?' He wondered.

Abdul chose to let go of his pondering, for now, and keep going towards the caves. They were close to the first of them, before he began to pick up on a peculiar smell. He was briefly surprised by the fact that his lion-nose actually worked -one would have thought that such peculiar detail would not have been important, while dreaming-, but the smell started to become stronger as he got closer to the first cave. It didn't smell bad pre se, but it was beginning to bother him.

"Abdul, is something the matter ?" Akina asked him, slightly concerned. "You look kind of distracted."

Abdul internally grumbled a bit. He'd hoped not to draw attention to himself. "There's some kind of smell in the air, and I can't tell what it is." He tactfully replied.

"Smell ?" Akina lifted her head up and sniffed the air. "Oh, you mean the markings. I'm surprised you could even pick up on the scents, Abdul."

"Uhh, scents ?" Abdul chose to be very careful with his questions.

"Oh, you know." Nala spoke up. "Lions marking their cave, so there's no confusion about who sleeps where." The she-cub continued, as they walked past the first cave on their path.

"Heh, can you imagine not being able to tell where you slept ?" Mheetu added in a joking manner. "That sounds like a nightmare." He expressed with a giggle.

'But, they're animals.' Abdul thought internally. 'Animals can't mark their territory like humans can. They can only do so … by … Oh-' Abdul couldn't suppress the gag reflex that came out of him at the realisation. He held a paw in front of his mouth, in a vain attempt to shield his nose from the smell. Not that it helped.

Hesabu noticed his sudden change in demeanor first, and rushed to his side. "Abdul ! Abdul, are you alright ?" Abdul felt a large paw on his small back, gently rubbing him up and down.

"What is it ? Are you hurt ?" Akina leaned close to him, the concern was evident in her voice.

'Why would I imagine that ? This is my dream. Min 'ajl kuli ma hu maqdasun ! Why would I imagine that ? What in Jahannam is wrong with me ?' He felt mostly disgusted with himself, than with anyone else, really. Why would he conjure up something like that ?

"I-" He quickly cleared his throat, not wanting to give them the wrong impression. He had a role to play, after all. "I'm fine. I just … wasn't expecting that."

"Wasn't expecting, what ?" Akina asked him, and he could briefly see the two cubs behind her, looking at him with concern.

"For, eh, for the scents to be so … um, many. There aren't a lot of lions out there, you know." Abdul responded, playing into the nomad backstory he'd made up.

Thankfully for him, it seemed to be a good response, as both adults looked visibly relieved at hearing that.

"Great Viongozi, little one, don't scare us like that." Akina lightly chastised him, quickly rubbing her chin with his forehead.

"Honey, go easy on the cub. Don't you remember what the first days around the pride were like ?" Hesabu gently reminded his mate, while still carefully massaging Abdul's back with his paw.

Akina was clearly lost in thought for a moment, vividly reminiscent of some past memory, before sighing, seemingly conceding the point to her mate. "Still, are you sure you're alright, Abdul. Are you feeling well enough ?" Akina asked him, still slightly worried.

"Oh, I-I'm fine, really. I just wasn't expecting that. I'm okay now." Abdul tried to reassure the two adults.

"Are you certain ? We can go see the Royal Mjuzi, if you'd like. It's really no bother." Hesabu insisted.

'The mjuzi ? Who's that ? The Pridelands don't have that. They have a shaman …' Abdul tried desperately not to show the adults and the two cubs his sudden panic. 'Rafiki. Oh no. Oh no, no, no. Absolutely not !' In any other scenario, seeing the crazy mandril who served the royal family, would have him screaming like a fanboy.

But right now ? In the body of a lion cub ? Trying to hide and blend in ? As lovable as he might've been in the films, the royal shaman was the absolute last person -or animal, in this case- the teen-turned-cub wanted to meet right now. There was no doubt in his mind. If Rafiki got his eyes on him, he'd expose him, somehow, he was just sure of that. 'Seriously, that monkey was able to figure out that Simba was alive and well. By a piece of hair. Flying in the wind. Travelling for who knows how many days and nights. In the particular direction where Rafiki was standing at that very moment. The guy isn't wearing plot armour. He is the plot armour.'

"N-no, that's okay. There really is no need for that." Abdul tried to stand straighter, if only to make himself a little more convincing.

The two adults briefly looked at each other and for a moment, Abdul could feel the suspicion falling on him. But just before things looked ready to escalate, they acquiesced. Or at least they gave that appearance.

"Okay, Abdul." Hesabu finally lifted his paw off of him, letting the disguised cub go free. "But if you feel anything, and I mean anything, wrong, you let us know, alright ?" The male lion told him in a serious tone, while Akina nodded in agreement.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you right away." Abdul responded, though he mostly wanted to drop the whole matter. 'As soon as I get out of this, that is.' He thought to himself. "So, can we go now ?" He looked up at the two adults.

Hesabu offered him a soft smile, while Akina stood aside, nodding towards the direction they had already been heading. Abdul kept moving forward again, passing the two lions. Deep down, he knew that this wasn't the end of it. Not by a long shot. But he was banking on the fact that, by the time they got really suspicious towards him, he'd be long gone. And none of this would matter. At least, he hoped so.

"Hey, Abdul." Mheetu's voice drew his attention. "For what it's worth, you're not the only one who's reacted like that. I'm pretty sure every cub went through this, when they were introduced to the pride for the very first time."

"Really ?" Abdul asked, genuinely surprised.

"Oh, yeah." Nala jumped in. "If anything, you took it rather well." She bumped her brother with her paw. "Mhee here, was so ovar… eh, ovorwh… uh, what was the word again ?"

"You mean, "overwhelmed" ?" Abdul clarified, without thinking again.

"Overwhelmed, yes. So overwhelmed by the scents around him, that he refused to leave the cave for days." Nala finished, with a smug look on her muzzle. How a lion cub could look so smug, Abdul had no idea. He'd stopped questioning such things for some time now.

"Did not." Mheetu quickly shot back at his sister, and Abdul could swear he could see his cheeks redden a little.

"Did too." Nala spoke back again.

"Did not."

"Did too."

The two cubs just kept going, even as they walked. And Abdul couldn't help but chuckle a little bit at the two siblings' antics. 'Ahh sibling rivalries. A classic.' Jahannam, they were actually quite similar to the bickerings of his own foster-siblings, at least when they had been closer to the two cubs' age.

Now that they were older, their vocabulary had been … expanded, to put it lightly. 'Though, to be fair, hearing Nala, or any other Disney character, using some nasty swears, would have been quite the sight.' That fun thought was interrupted by the memory of his foster-siblings, and his foster-family. 'Y' Allah, I hope I'm now too late. They'll be worried sick about me.'

Abdul kept walking besides the two siblings, knowing better than to get involved in their bickering. It didn't hurt that it also served as a useful distraction from his little hiccup just now ; though he did make a mental note to watch where he stepped on from this point onwards. Better safe than sorry, and all that.

---

The five of them kept moving forward, occasionally passing by some cave entrances -and even somewhat picking up differing scents from them-, which Abdul safely determined were being used as dens by the pride's non-royal members. 'Huh, that's interesting. The film never quite expanded upon their living quarters, other than the vague notion that "Pride Rock was their home".' For a moment, he'd expected them to just sleep out in the open. It seemed that he was wrong, once again. 'Seriously, how much that I know about this place is just plain wrong ?'

"Oh yeah ? Well I … I uh …" Mheetu's pondering broke his concentration.

"What's the matter ? Ran out of things to say ?" Nala asked confidently, as if already knowing the answer.

"No. No, I didn't. … Um, only a little bit." Wow, not even Mheetu believed his own words.

'Seriously, you two are still going ? Where do you find the energy ? And why haven't the adults put a stop to it ?' Abdul thought to himself.

"Eh, don't worry, so did I." Nala admitted, in a surprising attempt on her part to call for a draw, and to clearly put an end to their bickering. Mheetu, for his part, seemed willing to accept the truce.

"Hey, Nala, Mheetu. Isn't that your den ?" Akina's voice was heard behind them, her head pointing towards a cave entrance to their left.

"Wait, is it ? Oh wow, it is. I didn't even notice." Nala ran closer to the den's entrance, with Mheetu closely behind her, their previous bickering seemingly forgotten.

'Was it your plan from the start to just let them tire themselves out, and then quickly distract them with something else ? Or did you just get lucky ?' Abdul pondered, looking at the two adults with a hint of suspicion.

"Hey, Abdul. Check this out." Mheetu interrupted his thoughts, calling him over towards the cave's entrance. Not having anything else to do, Abdul approached the two cubs, standing in front of him.

Abdul was by no means an animal expert, but his nose did pick up a few scents, letting him know that the cave was lived in. He tried not to think too hard on that part.

"What are you waiting for ? Take a look inside." Mheetu continued, gesturing towards the den's interior, with a bit of a proud tone.

Abdul … really couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. It looked just like any other cavern he had seen before -including the one he came from-. His natural night vision helped him see a bit further inside, but aside from grey rock, there was nothing to write home about. 'Not that I expected to see furniture or anything. This is Lion King, not Zootopia. But still …'

"Well, what do you think ?' Nala asked him expectantly. Abdul knew better than to say what he really thought. But he didn't know what passed as a compliment for a lion's home.

"Um, it looks nice." He settled on something more neutral. "Big enough to fit a whole fa- kin." He quickly corrected himself, hoping he sounded convincing.

"You know it, it's one of the biggest in the pride." Nala beamed, saying those words. "Um." She adopted a more timid tone at that. "I would show you inside, but Mom and Dad said we can't bring any lions home without permission."

"Yeahh, sorry Abdul." Mheetu backed up his big sister.

"Oh, it's not a problem, you guys." Abdul appreciated the gesture, but it wasn't like there was much to see inside of a den. Or that he couldn't just … peek inside, given the lack of doors and all that. But still, he appreciated their hospitality.

"I'm sure they can show you, when they come back, Abdul." Akina jumped in behind him, no doubt to "reassure" him. "But for now, would you three like to see the Water Hole ?" She asked the little trio of cubs.

'Wait, really ? The waterhole ? T-that's actually a thing here ?' Was it really here ? Hadn't the movie shown it to be a bit of a distance from Pride Rock ?

"Um, are you sure about this, dear ? We'll be by ourselves." Hesabu kept smiling throughout, but he evidently didn't sound as thrilled about the idea. And given what Abdul knew about the film, he couldn't even blame him.

"Oh, it'll be fine, Sabu." Akina waved off his concerns with a paw. Then, she turned to the two siblings. "What do you little ones think ? Wanna go ?"

The two of them responded by cheering. Not done yet, Nala jumped in front of Hesabu. "Can we go, Mr Hesabu. Pleaaase." She begged the older lion. The sight of Nala of all lions begging did seem bizarre to Abdul, but then again, she was still a cub, so he didn't think too much into it. She'd probably grow out of it eventually.

And just when Abdul thought he'd seen enough, Nala did the thing. The thing that all children -regardless of species- do in every movie, when they really want to get something. And Abdul had seen enough films to immediately notice the stereotype.

Nala did the lion equivalent of what Abdul could only describe as "the puppy eyes". Probably encouraged by his sister, Mheetu followed her example, putting on his own pleading look. And was it just him, or did Akina also use the eyes ?

'Oh wow. That's dirty, you guys. That's so dirty.' Abdul put a paw in front of his mouth, to cover the grin that had overtaken him, while trying hard not to laugh. Again, Abdul had to give credit to Hesabu. He did actually try to resist the stares. But the teen-turned-cub knew it was a lost cause. He could see him slowly succumbing, his defences melting away. Let's be real. It was never a fair fight.'

Hesabu relented quickly after that display. "Okay, okay. We can go. But you have to promise that you won't leave our side for any reason." Abdul doubted that the two cubs heard him through their victory cheer, but he admired the effort.

"Come on, Abdul. Let's go ! The Water Hole awaits !" Mheetu yelled after him, as the two cubs began to run forwards, away from their home den. Abdul, not wanting to draw attention to himself -given how he hadn't joined in the staring-, followed them, briefly smiling at the two adults as he passed them.

'Technically, they didn't ask if I had agreed to go to the waterhole. Not that I'd have said no, but still. I just hope it doesn't take too long. I'll have to get out of here soon.' Abdul was momentarily curious just how far this dream of his was about to take him. And just what he might have to do to get out of it. He didn't want to think about it, yet he knew he couldn't ignore it forever. 'Just for a little bit longer.'

Leaving the two cubs' home-den behind them, Abdul followed the two siblings -with the two adults a little behind them- as they were leading them towards a slope, descending down, a bit further away from the dens and the so-called mraba. Probably guiding them around Pride Rock, towards the water hole, Abdul deduced.

"Hey, Nala ? Should we show Abdul the bole ?" Mheetu asked his sister, in a tone that Abdul suspected to be highly conspiratory.

'I'm sorry … the bole ?' Wasn't that another word for trunk ? What kind of tree trunk could possibly stand out here, in the wild savannah, of all places ?

"Hmm. Yeah. That's a good idea, Mhee." Nala responded with a wide grin, as she looked back at Abdul.

"Keep up, slowpoke !" Nala challenged him, as the two siblings picked up speed.

'Again, didn't wait for my input.' Abdul noted how both of them had challenged him. They even used the same word to provoke him. 'Man, you really are siblings.'

Nevertheless, Abdul took the pretty obvious bait, sprinting after them. He quickly reached them as they stopped, standing over a stone slab. "Soo, where's that bole ?" Abdul asked, looking around them.

Mheetu giggled, before answering. "Right in front of you, silly." He then pointed downwards with his head, imploring Abdul to look down.

The teen-turned-cub kept looking stunned for a moment. Right below him, there was a fallen rock formation, slightly curved as it rested on the descending slope, briefly giving the appearance of a fallen column. On top of said rock formation, there lied a leftover trunk from a tree. Though the passage of time was clearly visible on it, the trunk remained relatively smooth. The tree trunk began from where they stood, and ended right at the end of said slope. How this large piece of wood had found itself resting on this particular spot, Abdul could only guess at.

"Ohhh." 'So that's what they call a bole.' Sure, it was just a large piece of wood laying on a fallen piece of solid rock, but it was still impressive. 'So, it's basically like a wooden slide.'

"Well ?" Nala interrupted his observation. "After you." She pointed to it with her right paw.

Abdul blinked. He looked at Nala. Then at the bole. And then back at Nala. 'Oh, absolutely not.' Abdul shook his head and took a step away. "Yeah, no. I don't think so."

Both cubs looked dejected at Abdul's refusal to go down the natural slide. "Aww, come on, Abdul. Don't be like that." Mheetu looked at him, pleading him to change his mind with both his words and his saddened expression. Why did Abdul suddenly feel like he'd just kicked a puppy ? Lion cubs had no right to look this cute when pleading.

"Come on, Abdul. All cubs of Pride Rock must brace the bole at least once in their lives. It's like a right of passage, as the adults say." Nala also pleaded with him to change his mind, though her tone was much more challenging than her little brother's. "Unless, of course, you're scared. Don't tell me you're scared, Abdul." Nala challenged him with a smile that showed off her sharp teeth. Her fanged smile briefly unnerved Abdul. Even if she was only a cub at the moment, he couldn't forget that she was still a lion.

But her words also put him in a difficult spot. Abdul knew that she really meant nothing by it, she was simply playing on his ego and wanted to get him to go down the wooden slide. But still, he felt this strange need -both foreign and familiar simultaneously- to not be seen as a coward. To rise to her challenge, like he did back when they raced in the tunnel. It was quite difficult to explain.

"I'm not scared, Nala." Abdul spoke in a calm tone, trying to play it cool. "I just don't want to get hurt." He subconsciously rubbed the spot on his muzzle he'd hit earlier on the Rock's entrance. 'Again.' He added to himself.

"You won't get hurt, you big baby." Nala giggled, dismissing his concerns. "Trust me. I've done this plenty of times since I learned how to walk. I've never gotten hurt." She playfully bumped Abdul's left shoulder. "You'll be fine, I promise."

'Easy for you to say, Nala.' Abdul thought to himself. 'You've been a lion your entire life. Unlike some of us.'

"Hey, Abdul. How about I show you how safe it is ?" Mheetu asked him, taking a step forward. "Want me to show you a … a demostri-. Not that's not it … a demonsteri-. No, that's not it either. What was the word again ?"

"Do you mean "demonstration" ?" Abdul corrected him.

"Yeah, that. A demonstration. Would you like me to go first ?" Mheetu offered proudly.

"Yeah, please do. I'd really appreciate that." Abdul was grateful for Mheetu's offer and stood aside, letting him go first.

"Alright, fine. You go first, Mhee." Nala relented, standing aside as well. "But just so you know, Abdul." Nala pointed to him with a paw. "Next time, you're going first. Dad alway says that you must fight your fear, not run from it. I don't want my friends to be afraid of anything." Nala declared, adopting a prideful posture.

Abdul simply nodded at her bold statement, knowing full well that there would be no next time after this. So there was no point in arguing with her over it. 'I mean, at least she cares for her friends, albeit in a very pushy kind of way. Also, was she just born cocky, or what ?' But hey, at least Nala, one of his favorite movie characters, considered him a friend of hers. For all that having a -what he still sincerely hoped to be- figment of your imagination consider you a friend meant.

"Watch and learn, you two. Here's how it's done." Mheetu ignored his sister's eye roll and stood on the edge of the stone slab. He lowered himself and wiggled his rear, flicking his tail around. "Whoever makes it last is a tortoise." Mheetu stole one last look at them, before he jumped off the edge and onto the tree trunk.

Abdul's heart skipped a beat, as he skirted towards the edge and looked down at Mheetu sliding down the bole. The male cub cheered loudly as he effortlessly slid down the trunk's smooth surface. As quickly as it started, Mheetu reached the end and without a hint of difficulty, he leaped off the bole and onto a soft patch of grass at the bottom of the slope.

"Show off." Abdul heard Nala murmuring next to him, also watching her brother.

Now at the bottom of the slope, Mheetu dusted himself off in an overly dramatic fashion and whooped at his own feat, before looking back up at the two of them. "Wooh ! See ? Not even a scratch ! Come on ! It'll be fine !" He yelled up at them, jumping up and down around the end of the fallen tree trunk.

"Alright, nomad-cub. Your turn." Nala looked at Abdul and made room for him to stand on the edge of the slab as well. "Trust me, you'll be fine. We wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't." Nala tried to reassure him, her tone a lot less challenging now than it was a few moments ago.

Abdul sighed, but he walked to the edge. Truth be told, the sight of Mheetu doing it did help him somewhat, it showed that it wasn't unfeasible. Merely ridiculous and unsafe. He looked down at the sharply curved slope the bole rested on, the ground seemingly a lot further beneath him now that it was a second ago. 'Can someone develop a fear of heights while being unconscious ?' He pondered to himself.

He looked at the wooden slide-like trunk itself, noting that there was nothing to stop him from simply falling off the sides, if things went wrong. 'Guardrails ? Safety precautions ? What are those ?' He thought to himself sarcastically.

"Abdul !" Akina's voice broke his concentration. He looked at the two grown lions, as they walked down a path, leading down the slope in a safer -though visibly time-consuming pace- a bit further away from the fallen bole. "Keep your paws and tails close to your body. If you keep them open, they could make you fall off." Akina called out to him, giving him advice, but not looking alarmed in the slightest.

"And don't forget to use your head." Hesabu offered him his own kind of advice. "Look at the direction you want to go and the rest of your body will follow."

'That's it ? Do they have nothing else to say about this ? No comment whatsoever ? Is this, like, normal around here ?' Seriously, had they done this before and knew from personal experience that this wasn't as dangerous as Abdul thought it was ? Were they that confident in him to not fall on his face ? Or was the concept of safety and precaution just … not really a thing around here ? Or maybe even a combination of all three ?

'To be fair. We're talking about animals here. And cubs are certainly a lot sturdier than human babies. But still !' Well, this was one more point in his favor at least. If they were so unbothered by this, it probably wasn't as dangerous as he really believed it to be.

"Abdul. Do you want me to push you ? Would that help ?" Nala offered him, clearly wanting to help him out.

Abdul looked back to her. Then back down the tree bole. Sure, he could just call it quits and run after Akina and Hesabu. But he didn't want to let his two new friends down. Or himself. But he could certainly use a little boost right now.

"I'd appreciate that. But not too harshly. Don't want to fall off." Abdul joked to calm himself down.

Nala chuckled at his joke. "Don't worry. Just a light bump. You'll barely even feel it." Nala stood right behind him.

"You've got this, Abdul !" Mheetu yelled from down the slope.

"Alright. On three. One." Abdul imitated Mheetu and lowered himself on the edge. "Two." He took a deep breath and braced himself. "Three !" Abdul felt a light push on his rump as Nala pushed him down the bole.

With a yelp as he was standing mid-air, Abdul's lion survival instincts kicked in. Without thinking about it, he threw his paws right in front of him, so that they would be the first to hit the wood of the trunk. As soon as he made contact with the bole, Akina's and Hesabu's advice came into focus. He sank his body onto the trunk as he slid down, effectively using his torso as a form of board. He pulled his paws and tail as close to him as he could, preventing any traction, and he used his head as a form of steering wheel, guiding his body wherever he wanted to go. Which was down and all the way forward, as quickly as possible.

"Woah, woah, woahhh !"

As he slid down, the wind hit his face -or his muzzle, to be precise-, the sound it made whizzing by his ears, as they stayed glued to his head. The distance from the ground felt like it was only growing, as the slide felt like it had no end in sight. He liked to blame his small lion body for that, but he couldn't be sure.

Then, as suddenly as it started, he reached the end of the bole. Remembering Mheetu's action, as soon as he was ready, he jumped off the tree trunk and onto the grass below him.

"Yahh ! Oof !"

However, unlike Mheetu, he instead lost his footing. He slipped and tumbled on the grass, rolling over his body once, before firmly planting his paws on the ground and stopping. Again, he lost his footing and fell on the ground, though he had the saving grace of falling on a quite soft patch of grass to cover his fall.

For a moment, he simply lay there panting, not from pain or exhaustion, but from the crazy and dangerous stunt he'd just pulled off. And without any visible scratches at that. He felt his heart beating in his chest, as the adrenaline began to wear off. He felt his stomach being warm from the smooth, wooden surface, but he could neither see nor feel any injuries other than that.

"Wow, Abdul ! You did it !" Mheetu's smiling face appeared in his line of vision, praising him for his stunt. He leaned down and offered a shoulder for Abdul to lift himself up from. Abdul gratefully took his offered shoulder and lifted himself up, offering the male cub a quick "Thanks." as he stood back up on his own paws.

'I … I did it. I actually did it !' Abdul cheered internally.

"You even did a roll on the way down. I told you, you've got this. You only have to work on your landing a bit, and you're set." Mheetu cheered him on.

Abdul chuckled and rubbed his nape with a paw. "Heh, um. Thanks, Mheetu." Why, yes. He'd absolutely meant to roll like that. No, he wouldn't elaborate on that any further. They'd just have to take his word for it. "You were pretty good as well." Abdul returned Mheetu's compliments with his own.

"Wooh hoo ! Look out, below !" Nala's yell drew their attention back to the bole. Both cubs' eyes widened as the little she-cub slid down the tree trunk with a loud whoop. Both of them jumped out of the way with a yelp, not wanting to get hit by her.

Nala meanwhile jumped off the bole and landed on the soft grass with the grace of a predator-to-be. The way she moved, with such dexterity and fluidity, as well as the way she made it look so natural, somewhat alarmed Abdul. And just for a snippet of a moment, he saw not a she-cub, but the great hunter she would become in the future. The future-queen he'd seen in the film so many times before.

"And that's how it's done." And just like that, the moment was gone, and Nala was back to being a little she-cub, at least for now. She polished her paw on her chest in a theatrical fashion, while her tail flickered behind her, radiating sheer confidence.

"You see, Abdul ? That wasn't so bad, was it ?" Nala put her paws back on the ground and took a step closer to him. "Almost got it on your first try. You were worried over nothing."

"Well, I've never done this before, so I think I was right to be a little worried." Abdul offered a slight protest at Nala's words, but he eventually relented. "But I guess you're right. I might have worried a bit too much."

"I always am." Nala smugly stated with a toothy grin as her tail flickered behind her, yet she offered Abdul a small nod, as if to acknowledge his own worries. "And this is just our first day." Nala continued, playfully bumping Abdul's chest with her right paw. "Stick with us, Abdul. And before you know it, you'll be a Pridelands lion like us." Nala declared, as if she was offering to tutor him in some deep and secret knowledge ; which she probably believed she was.

Mheetu probably believed it too, as he lightly brushed his sides with his tail, in a gesture that Abdul guessed was supposed to be supporting and reassuring. "Think about it, Abdul. We'll show all the adults what the three of us can do." Mheetu told him with a smile of his own.

'The three of us.' Abdul repeated Mheetu's words to himself. 'Oh, wouldn't that be something.' Abdul thought melancholically. Going on an adventure with his favorite characters from his favorite movie ? It would've been a dream come true. If only it weren't for the fact that he wouldn't be seeing any of them ever again. He'd be leaving when all was said and done. But they didn't need to know that.

"Well, I'd have to talk to my … parents about it." Abdul lied, not wanting to crush the two cubs' dreams. "We can't exactly barge around uninvited when we're … you know. Nomads." He spotted Akina and Hesabu approaching them from the corner of his eye. 'Could they pick up the pace, please ?' He didn't want to sit here and lie to his two friends for any longer than he had to.

"Oh, you worry too much, Abdul." Nala told him in a reassuring tone. "I may not know much about how adults work." Nala continued. "But I'm sure that if your parents sit down and talk to the King and Queen, they'll be more than happy to take you in."

"Seriously, don't bite your tail over it, Abdul." Mheetu backed up his sister's words, using a phrase that Abdul had never heard before. The teen-turned-cub was so busy mulling over that phrase, that he almost didn't pay attention to the rest of Mheetu's sentence.

Nor did he notice the two shadows quickly flying over them.

"King Mufasa is … like the Kingiest King that's ever Kinged." Mheetu continued, not noticing the two shadows either.

"Those aren't real words, Mhee." Nala told her brother, before turning back to Abdul. "But he's right, Abdul. The King and Queen are really nice. You'll see for yourself, once you get to talk to them. Trust me." Nala smiled at him reassuringly.

'Oh, I trust you, Nala. I really do. But things are not that simple, unfortunately.' Abdul thought to himself. He hated repeating himself. 'I really don't like this dream. If whatever this is can even be called that.'

Before Abdul could conjure up a convincing enough response, he saw Mheetu's eyes look up and widen in shock. "Look out !" He didn't have time to ask what that was about, as Mheetu pushed both him and his older sister away. A few seconds later, a small piece of stone rolled down the slope, falling right where the trio had been a few seconds prior. The small stone kept rolling away from them. Abdul stood there, dumbfounded.

"Are you okay ?" Mheetu asked his sister.

"Yeah, I'm fine.

'What the … ?' Abdul didn't pay much thought to their chatter, He looked up, where the stone had rolled down from. Right there, on the top of the stone slab, where the bole started and the three of them had been merely a few minutes ago, up there were perched two vultures. They were looking down at them and snickering. 'What the …? What ? Who are you two ?' Pride Rock didn't have vultures. Not in the film, at least ? They had only been shown outside of the Pridelands. So where had those two come from ?

"Ooh, so close." One of the vultures giggled at his partner.

"Eh, don't worry. There's more where that came from." The other vulture chuckled as he grabbed another small stone with its claws.

'Hold up. Hold the phone. That wasn't an accident ? They did that on purpose ?!' That hadn't happened in the film. This was completely uncharted territory. 'But why would they … ? Who would do such a … ?' Abdul's head went blank, trying to come up with any explanation for them doing this. He could find none whatsoever.

"Think fast, furballs !" The vulture yelled as he dropped another stone down the steep slope. It hit the wooden bole a few times, aiming for Mheetu.

But it didn't hit its target. With a sudden roar, Hesabu jumped in front of the little cub and hit the stone away mid-air with a swing of his claws. He then stood protectively in front of Mheetu, quickly checking on the cub and then looking up at the vultures with a low-growl.

Meanwhile, Akina jumped in front of Nala, ready to deflect anything else the two vultures might throw at them next. She also growled at the two birds.

"Abdul. Get behind me." Akina said with a low and sharp tone that bore no room for argument. Abdul didn't dare disagree with the clearly angry lioness, so he quickly rushed behind her, right next to Nala, and observed with a mixture of worry and curiosity what was happening behind his living shield.

"Oh, great. It's the fun-patrol." One of the vultures said to his partner, loud enough for all five lions to hear, which was definitely the intent.

"What's your problem ?! Is hurting little cubs what you feather-brains consider "fun" ?" Hesabu asked demandingly from the two vultures. The brief glances that he spared the three cubs as he spoke, gave Abdul the idea that if the three of them weren't here, he would've been a lot more … loose with his vocabulary.

'Classic Disney.' Abdul thought to himself sarcastically. 'Proudly putting on fights and mature themes for the whole family, but Allah forbid the kids are subjected to swear words.' He then looked up at the two vultures. 'And you two sure live up to the "all vultures are bastards" stereotype.' But where had they come from ? The movie had only shown them living far away from the Pridelands. Was this different as well ?

"Hurting ?" The vulture to the left asked in a tone of mock-surprise, waving his wings around in a dramatic fashion. "How dare you spur such hideous lies at us, my good lion ?" He continued in a voice dripping with condescension. "We were just playing around with the little ones." He could barely hold back his laughter at his own theatrics.

"Yeah." His partner agreed with him -because of course he did- chuckling to himself. "And teaching them some valuable lessons on speed and agility. After all, you never know when a rock might …" He cackled. "... fall on their heads !" The two vultures threw their heads back and laughed hysterically, as if they'd shared the funniest thing in the world.

Akina growled at their "joke" and tapped her paws on the grass, clearly agitated. "Why don't you come down here and play with us then ?" The lioness challenged them. "Maybe we'll even teach you some lessons of our own."

"Come on, you corpse eaters !" Hesabu challenged them as well, supporting his mate. "Why don't you stick your tongues where your ugly beaks are ?"

"Oh, that's rich. Coming from a walking flea colony." Upon hearing the vulture's words, Abdul couldn't help but subconsciously scratch his neck.

'Oh, wow. Who knew that arguments between animals could get this intense ?' Imaginary ones -at least so he hoped-, but still. Now he was really starting to imagine what a non-PG Lion King movie would have looked like. Though something told that he was looking at glimpses of it at this very moment.

"Hey, Abdul." Nala whispered to him in a reassuring manner, probably taking his lost-in-thought look for one of worry. "Don't be afraid. This is Pride Rock. Our land." Nala told him, beaming with pride. "The grown-ups will show those birds why no one messes with lions."

'I hope you're right, Nala.' Abdul had a bad feeling about this, for some reason he could not explain. 'I really hope you're right.'

"At least we bother to groom ourselves, unlike you." Akina talked back with utter disdain for the two vultures. "I can almost feel your stench from up there." The lioness lifted her muzzle up, as if tilting it away from a very unpleasant odour.

Abdul briefly smelled the air and actually did begin to pick up on an unpleasant smell with his nostrils. But it couldn't be the vultures, could it ?

"Oh, yeah ?" The vulture to the right yelled at her, seemingly genuinely insulted by her "stench" comment. "Well, at least I'm not cursed !"

'Pfff ! What !? What kind of stupid accusation is … that …' At the vulture's words, Akina didn't react the way Abdul had expected her to. She didn't laugh, she didn't flinch. She simply … froze. As if she was struck by lightning. Or an ice bolt.

"Mrs Akina ?" Abdul asked her, still facing her left side. Akina didn't respond, didn't even turn around. She didn't seem to even register that Abdul had talked to her.

"A-are you okay ?" Nala naked her, equally worried about her. She too got no response.

Abdul walked in front of the grown lioness, not worried about his own safety anymore. He looked up at her face. He expected to see a lot of things. But he didn't expect to see Akina deathly silent. Her sharp and predatory eyes had turned into pinpricks, her lips were slightly trembling somewhat. Her chest was shivering a little, some of her hair sticking out as if electrified. Her ears were glued to her head.

Ya Allah, she looked like she was barely holding herself together. As if the vulture's words had turned into a spear and pierced through her very heart. Just what had he said to her that had made her so upset ? Surely, that comment about curses was ludicrous. There were no curses in Lion King … Were there ?

Both Nala and Mheetu looked at Akina with almost terrified expressions. Clearly, they had never seen her like this before. It was as if they understood that something bad had just happened, but they couldn't quite tell what. But Hesabu's reaction to his mate was the most telling of them all. He looked absolutely livid. As if that avian had just insulted his mate in the most terrible manner imaginable.

"Ooh, it looks like you struck a nerve." The other vulture told his partner, as if invigorated by Akina's reaction. "Nice."

'Akina, why are you listening to them ? They're clearly taking the piss. It's obviously bullcrap. That's all.' Abdul wanted to say out loud, but didn't dare say anything. Something was wrong here. And it wasn't just the fact that this had nothing to do with the movie. This was something else …

"Yeah." The vulture who had insulted Akina so badly, continued. "I bet that's why you spend so much time with other lions' cubs. To get a small taste of what it's like to be a parent. You probably spend your nights dreaming of the real thing. Oh, it must be so terrible knowing that you'll never have it, cursed one." The vulture twisted and sank the dagger deeper with his every word.

Much to his shock and horror, Abdul saw tears slowly forming around Akina's eyes. Her lips trembled more visibly now. She sat down on her haunches and clutched her chest with a paw, barely holding herself from breaking down into a sobbing mess.

"You dare !" Hesabu roared, and the sound nearly made Abdul nearly wet himself. His voice was low and deadly sharp, as he ran closer to his mate's side, trying to comfort her with his mere proximity to her. He looked up to the two vultures with fire in his eyes. Oh, he was pissed ! "Have you no sense of dignity, you filthy corpse gluttons ?! Have you not an ounce of decency, you carrions of misery and death ?!" The prankster and jokester lion was suddenly replaced by a very furious predator.

At that moment, Abdul was sure that if Hesabu could, he would've committed murder. And that thought terrified him. "I swear to the Viongozi, once I get my claws on the two of you, I'll-" Hesabu had seemingly forgotten that there were children present right now. Not that Abdul could really blame him.

"Yeah, you'll have to fly up here to get us first. So … roar all you want !" The vultures laughed, probably thinking they were so smart.

'Wait a minute.' Abdul thought about what the vultures had said. Really thought about it. They had called Akina "cursed", but why ? Because … what, she didn't have her own cubs ? So what ? He'd spent time with her. He'd seen her in action. She was perfect mother-material. One day, she'd have cubs of her own, he was certain of that, and she'd be a great mother.

Or, well, she would. If she was real. If any of this was real … Wait. Hold up. If this was a dream … And everything here was a work of his subconscious … What was his subconscious trying to tell him right now with those comments ? That only blood-relation mattered ? That you couldn't call someone your mother, unless you came from her womb ? That you couldn't call someone your father, unless you came out of his seed ? But he didn't have those. He never met his parents. He only ever knew his foster-family …

'Subconscious … What ? The ? Fuck ?' Now it was Abdul's turn to get angry. Really angry. He looked up to Akina, still barely holding herself together. Then to the two cubs, who were desperately trying to comfort the lioness. And then to Hesabu, who was standing guard and was seemingly willing to break the laws of physics to get back at those who had scorned his mate so badly. After that, his look turned up to those vicious vultures, looking so smug and proud of themselves.

'No. No, I refuse your message, subconscious. I refuse !' He concentrated all his anger, frustration, and insecurities about his place and lot in life, and then channeled it on those two corpse eaters. At this moment, he didn't care about keeping a low profile, or staying hidden. If he had to, he'd break this realm of dreams, delusions and hallucinations apart, piece by piece. But not before getting his own word in, as small as that might be in the grand scheme of things.

"Why don't you go and bother someone else with your lies, you aleahirat ?" Abdul yelled up at the two vultures. The reaction was almost immediate. The vultures stopped laughing and instead looked at the teen-turned-cub. Mheetu, Nala and Hesabu stopped and looked at him, not believing what he was doing. And though he could not see her, even Akina had looked up and gotten herself under enough control to pay attention to him.

But Abdul paid them no mind. Right now, he was waging war against this dream and what it was trying to impose upon him. "What's the matter ? Lost your tongue ? You sure were talkative a few moments ago."

Eventually, one of the vultures commented to his friend. "Would you look at that ! That little cub's got claws !" He nudged his partner with a wing.

But Abdul gritted his teeth, getting more angry by the fact that they were ignoring what he was saying. "Did you listen to what I said, you freaks ? Get lost ! No one wants you here !" Though he didn't see them, both Hesabu's and Akina's eyes widened at the vocabulary that he used.

Both Nala and Mheetu, seeing Abdul standing up to the two vultures, found their courage and rushed to his side in support.

"Get out of here ! This is our land !" Nala yelled from his right side.

"You hurt Mrs Akina. Run away, before we hurt you back." Mheetu shouted from his left side.

But the vultures seemed focused only on what Abdul had said, which was fine with the teen-turned-cub. They clearly hadn't expected him to use such words, and he had many more where that had come from.

"Freaks ?" The vulture to the right talked back. Abdul couldn't tell if he was angry, or upset. Or both. That word really seemed to bother them, for some reason. Which Abdul had no problem with. "Now listen here, you little-"

"No ! No, I won't listen to you ! Because you have nothing I want to hear from you ! Not only are you freaks. But you're also absolutely pathetic. You're so pathetic, that you feel threatened by three cubs. Like, how sad can you get ?"

"Abdul. That's enough-" Hesabu had started to mutter something to him, but Abdul didn't pay attention. He was on a roll.

"And then you have the gall to insult someone's parenting skills." He looked back to the still shivering -but looking back at him with a stunned expression- form of Akina. "You're so wrong about her. Mrs Akina is the best lioness you could ever ask for." He declared, genuinely meaning it, even though his knowledge on lions was pretty minimal right now. But after today, he had a great feeling about her, and he chose to listen to it. "I've only spent a day with her. But in that time, I saw a loving, caring and nurturing lioness. And I know that one day, she'll make for a terrific mother."

He then looked back to the vultures, just missing Akina's change in demeanor at his words. "In fact, she'll be a better parent than both of you will ever be. Both her and Hesabu." Without even realising it, he said something he hadn't meant to say out loud. "They're the kind of parents I could only dream of having." Abdul missed his slip-up, as well as Nala and Mheetu. But neither Hesabu, nor Akina missed it.

"You'd better watch your tongue, cub. Before I tear it out." The vulture on the left screeched, and so did his partner, fluttering his wings in an aggressive gesture.

But Abdul wasn't impressed by their threats. This was a dream, after all. He was under no danger here. "No, you won't." He scoffed at the two of them. "Because you'd have to come down here to do that. And you won't do that. Because you're cowards. You're scared, pathetic, sad little cowards."

"Heh, cowards !" Nala yelled.

"Scaredy feather-brains !" Mheetu yelled as well.

"You're scared of little cubs~ You're scared of little cubs~" The two siblings began to sing a mocking tune together, making fun of the two vultures. Even jumped around a little -almost like dancing- on their little paws and taunting them, just to pour salt in the wound.

Though they were a bit of distance up, Abdul could swear he saw the areas around the vultures' faces turn red with anger. Their eyes narrowed and it almost looked like the edges of their beaks curl into a furious expression. The two birds rapidly hit their wings unison and screeched loudly. They really seemed ready to pounce.

But Hesabu suddenly appeared on the cubs' right flank, and Akina did on their left, hastily recovering from her previously downtrodden state -though some tears were still visible on her muzzle-. Both grown lions growled threateningly, and lowered themselves to the ground -ready to pounce and strike-, daring the two vultures to make a move. Despite what had just happened, it was clear that they would not let any harm come to the three cubs.

For a few moments, they were at an impasse. The two birds couldn't fly down to the lions. And the lions couldn't climb up to the vultures.

Just when Abdul was starting to wonder who was going to give in first, another screech was heard in the sky. Though this one clearly did not belong to the vultures. In fact, it sounded like an … eagle ?

Abdul heard the screech again. He looked up at the two vultures, looking frightened and trying to fly away from something. He blinked. And as soon as he opened his eyes again, he saw a brown bird -as quickly as a bullet- breeze right over them and plunging its claws on the right vulture.

The left vulture was shaken by the wind-current that the newcomer eagle had created and fell off the ledge. But he quickly got himself under control again mid-air and beat his wings. He took off in the air, flying away from Pride Rock with a cawl, leaving his partner to fend for himself.

'Like I said. Cowards.' Abdul thought to himself smugly.

Meanwhile, the eagle had thrown itself like a living torpedo to the vulture, sending the both of them back away from the ledge and out of sight from the five lions. For a few agonizing moments, the only thing that was heard was bird screeches, some screams, and the flickering of wings, the sharpening of claws, and something that sounded to Abdul's ears like punches. Apart from that, a few loose feathers flying around was the only thing they saw, though Abdul made a note that most of those feathers had belonged to the vulture.

Finally, the vulture appeared on the ledge again, with visible scars and bruises, not to mention quite a few missing feathers. With a panicked screech, he opened his ruffled up wings and jumped off the edge, taking to the skies as well. He also flew away, from Pride Rock, towards the same direction his partner had vanished off to.

Abdul kept watching the fleeing bird for a moment, before the eagle's screech drew his attention to the peak of the slope again. The eagle -having a bright brown coat, as Abdul noted- stood on the edge, seemingly having earned itself only a few bruises for its troubles. It screeched towards the vultures' shrinking silhouettes triumphantly. Then, much to Abdul's surprise, it spoke.

"That's right, you bone-sucking dregs ! And stay out !" She -the voice was clearly female- yelled at the vultures, though it was doubtful that they had heard her. She opened her wings in a triumphant display, signifying her victory.

'Wait, you're actually an eagle. A martial eagle.' Abdul's eyes widened in realization, thinking back on some of the documentaries he'd seen about the savannah back home. Sure, he wasn't an expert, but he couldn't think of any other bird as similar as her right now. 'But, weren't those a thing in the Lion Guard series ? Why are you here ? Why now, of all times ?'

Abdul was left to wonder, as the martial eagle flew down to them and landed on the ending point of the tree bole. Now that she was closer to them, Abdul could make out more of her characteristics. Her exterior feather coat was a light brown colour, while her interior one was a creamy white one. Her claws and beak wear golden in colour, with a bit of black around the edges. But the most striking part of her appearance were her eyes. He'd expected the typical golden irises, but instead he saw a sea of blue surrounding her predatory black pupils. That was certainly a first.

"Are you five okay ?" The martial eagle asked, her tone carrying a hint of concern.

"We're fine, Kuruka." Hesabu answered for the five of them. "Thanks for the help."

'Kuruka ?' Abdul processed the name of the eagle. It didn't ring any bells. It was probably brand new, just like Akina's and Hesabu's.

The now-known as Kuruka snorted in a clearly self-deprecating manner. "You shouldn't thank me. They shouldn't have made it as far as they did in the first place." She sighed with a touch of frustration.

"You still got here in time. That's all that matters." Hesabu tried to reassure her.

'Yeah, better late than never, I suppose.' Abdul thought to himself.

Kuruka nodded, then turned her attention to the two siblings. She gave Abdul a brief look of contemplation, clearly not recognising him, but for now she didn't say anything.

"Are you alright, younglings ?" Kuruka flicked her wings dramatically and put on a more cheerful voice when speaking to the cubs, but Abdul could spot a hint of concern in her tone as well. He figured that she was probably worried she might've gotten here too late.

"We're fine, Mrs Kuruka. Don't worry about us." Nala responded for the three of them.

Kuruka let out a sigh of relief. "Ah, good. That's good to hear."

"What about you, Mrs Kuruka ? Are you going to be okay ?" Mheetu asked worriedly, pointing towards the martial eagle's bruises with his head.

Kuruka looked down at her bruises and scoffed. "Hah ! Don't worry about me, little one. It's nothing that Time won't heal by itself." She flicked her wings around, displaying that she was still in her peak condition. "So, tell me. Those two bullies didn't give you too much of a hard time, did they ?"

"Nah, those two were no match for us, Mrs Kuruka." Nala waved away with a paw.

"We had everything under control." Mheetu said boldly. "But you should've seen Abdul, Mrs Kuruka." Mheetu bumped shoulders with Abdul, in a move that was meant to be appraising, but it simply put the spotlight on the teen-turned-cub. "The things he told them. Ooohh, it was so satisfying to watch. You should've seen just how red their faces got." Mheetu continued, and Abdul wanted nothing more than the ground beneath him to swallow him whole.

"Though I didn't quite get a few of the words you said. Like that "ale-hira" thingy. Was that even a word, or did you just make that up ?" Mheetu turned and asked Abdul, completely oblivious to his inner turmoil.

Abdul gulped as he felt the gazes of the two cubs and the martial eagle fall on him. He exchanged glances with the three of them, thinking of a good enough excuse to weasel his way out of it. Kuruka opened her beak, ready to say something, but she stopped as something else drew her attention.

Akina began to sniffle, loud enough for Abdul to hear. Hesabu did too, as he quickly rushed to his mate's side. He rubbed his head with hers, trying to comfort her. "Honey, it's okay. It's okay, honey. They're gone now." Abdul could see the lioness struggling to hold back her tears, her eyes being watery.

'Oh, crap.' Abdul could only think to himself, as he observed the gut-wrenching spectacle. 'Just what did they tell her ?' It couldn't have been that "curse" crap, right ? It had to be something else, something he didn't understand. But the obvious question remained. What had those vultures really meant, that had driven a grown lioness to the point of tears ?

"I know, I know." Akina said with a vividly trembling voice. "I'm fine, Sabu. Really, I'm fine." Though she said that, it was obvious to everyone that Akina was not fine.

"Mrs Akina ?" Mheetu walked closer, though he still kept a respectable distance. "Are you going to be okay ?" He asked, though Abdul could tell that even a cub like him could probably tell the answer already.

"Don't worry, little one. I'm fine." Akina sniffled, but she still tried to reassure Mheetu -and the two other cubs, by extension-. "I just … I just …" She really struggled to get the words out now. "I just need a moment." Akina couldn't utter anything else after that. She turned her head away, clearly not wanting the cubs to see her crying. Hesabu licked her muzzle and rubbed his body against hers as she leaned on him, using his body as support.

'Just what is going on here ?' Abdul's heart beat faster at the sight of Akina's distress. He didn't understand. And he didn't have the answers to even begin to understand. He wanted to help somehow, but he didn't know how. So -much to his frustration-, all he could do was stay there, alongside the two other cubs, and look on helplessly.

"Oh, Izulu. I totally messed it up, didn't I ?" Kuruka spoke with frustration, evidently blaming herself for Akina's distress. "If I just did my duty, none of this would've happened." She looked down at the grass, chastising herself. "That's what I get for slacking off." She murmured to herself, though Abdul wasn't sure if he was meant to hear that last part.

'Izulu ? Who's Izulu ?' Abdul wandered for a moment, but he knew better to ask that right now.

Kuruka looked up at the two adults again, her look now one of quiet determination. "I'll talk to Hadithi about this. And Zazu, if it comes to it. Mark my words, Akina. This won't go unanswered." She opened her wings fully, in a gesture that Abdul supposed was meant to be as some form of non-verbal promise. The movie had never dealt into avian mannerisms.

'Hadithi ?' Abdul had heard that name before, somewhere. 'Wait … the Hadithi ? That almost mythical hawk-eagle from the Lion Guard series. That Hadithi ?' No, no way. It couldn't be him. This was the movie timeline, not the series timeline. Hadithi's arc was years away. She must be talking about someone else, right ? … Right ? …

Akina was still too distraught to answer, so Hesabu answered for the both of them. "Thank you, Kuruka." He gave her a courteous nod. "We'll both owe you for this."

"You'll owe me nothing." Kuruka waved her wing, scoffing at the mere mention of the two lions owing her a favour. "And you can thank me after I claw the feathers out of those corpse eaters." She then gave all five of them a beaky smirk. "Again." That got a chuckle out of both Nala and Mheetu. Abdul was too lost in thought to react.

Kuruka extended her wings again, ready to take off. "I'll talk to the both of you very soon. Look out for her, Hesabu." Kuruka didn't wait for Hesabu's response, before beating her wings and taking off into the skies, letting out a loud screech.

"Go get them, Mrs Kuruka !" Nala yelled after her.

"Give them some scars from us as well !" Mheetu yelled as well.

'Wait ! Hold up ! You can't leave !' Abdul took a few steps forward, but he didn't give chase, knowing it'd be pointless. 'You can't just drop that bucket of information on me and not elaborate on it ! This is supposed to be a dream ! What am I supposed to do with this new knowledge ? Come back !' Those were all things that Abdul wanted to say out loud, but dared not to. The adrenaline from his earlier, verbal bravado, had now disappeared. And he'd rather not draw attention to himself. Again.

The four of them -Akina was still sobbing quietly- observed the martial eagle flying away for a while, until she flew in front of Pride Rock and out of view. Hesabu looked to his mate for a few more moments, not saying anything for some time. Then, while still holding the tearful Akina close to him, he looked down at the three cubs in front of him. His expression was a saddened one, as he spoke.

"I hate to be a bearer of bad news, little ones." He told them in a disappointing tone. "But I'm afraid our little excursion to the Water Hole will have to wait for another day." Though he tried to be nice about it, Abdul could tell that the decision was final, and not up for discussion.

"Awww." Still, Mheetu felt the need to complain about it. Though his whining was quickly stopped, courtesy of Nala lightly hitting his shoulder with her left forepaw. "Oww." Mheetu gave his bigger sister a nasty look as he rubbed his shoulder, but he seemed to realize her not-so-subtle hint. "I mean, it's okay, Mr Hesabu. We understand. We can always go another day, right ?" Mheetu tried to sell his words with the lion-equivalent of a sheepish grin.

"Nala, be nicer to your little brother." Hesabu chastised the little she-cub, before continuing. "And don't worry, you three. We'll go together some other time. And who knows ? We might even have some kind of surprise for you when we get there." Hesabu told them cryptically, giving them a wide smile. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the grown lion was still trying to cheer the three of them up. Abdul couldn't help but admire and respect the effort.

"N-no, Sabu. It's fine." Akina tried to weakly protest, looking back at her mate. Abdul could see her right eye from where he was standing. And it was red from crying. "I'm fine. We can go. I'll be alright, I promise." Though she sniffled, she still tried to look and sound strong. Whether she was trying to convince the cubs, Hesabu, or herself, Abdul couldn't tell.

Hesabu licked the tears running down her muzzle, silencing her protests. "Honey, I love you. But I wasn't asking." His tone was filled with care and concern for her, though it was clear that he wasn't going to budge on this. "Right now, you need some time to calm down and get yourself together, okay ?" Hesabu insisted, nuzzling her head with his mane.

"It's okay, Mrs Akina. The Water Hole isn't going anywhere." Nala spoke up in an attempt to comfort the lioness. "We'll just find something else to do in the meantime."

Mheetu didn't say anything, but he nodded firmly, clearly agreeing with his sister's words.

Abdul thought about not saying anything and just keep on silently watching, letting the matter sort itself out. But after having stood up for the two lions with his own words, it just felt wrong to stay quiet right now. He walked in front of the lioness -trying to ignore the sight of her two red eyes- and got her full attention on him.

"Mrs Akina, please. Get some rest. I don't like to see you hurting." Abdul looked her straight in the eye as he said that, trying to keep his tone both comforting and firm.

The words sounded so cheesy and simplistic -not to mention childish- and he briefly scolded himself for not coming up with something much better than that. But they just felt right as he uttered them. Maybe it was the simplicity and spontaneousness of them that made them feel so genuine.

Akina looked down at the little cub with an unreadable expression, and for a moment Abdul worried that his words might have not impressed her. But just then, her gaze visibly softened and a twinge of a smile could be seen on her lips.

"Alright." She said softly, relenting on her protests. "But I want you three to promise me that you won't wander off, okay ?" Her look turned more sharp as she gave all three cubs a meaningful look, expecting them to comply.

"Can we at least go to the Bush Watch ? It's pretty close, and Abdul will love the view." Mheetu asked.

'Bush watch ? What kind of name is that ?' Abdul couldn't help but ponder.

The two adults shared a look, silently conversing to one another. Then, Akina nodded to her husband. "Do you promise to be careful, and to come back here, when you've had your fun ?" Hesabu asked the two siblings.

"We promise, we'll be careful. And if something bad happens, we'll come right back to you, we swear." Nala promised them, speaking for the three of them. Abdul said nothing on the matter, but he clearly agreed with her.

Hesabu's lips curled upwards a little, in silent approval. "Alright then, you can go. But don't go anywhere else after that. Come back here straight away."

Akina stopped leaning on her husband and walked closer to Abdul, until she was right over him. It was at moments like these -craning his neck up just to look her in the eye- that Abdul was reminded just how small he really was in his current body. "Be safe out there. Alright, Abdul ?" Despite her still-red eyes, the look of concern she gave him was clear as day.

'Wait, where is this coming from ?' Abdul couldn't help but feel a mix of gratefulness and discomfort under Akina's worried gaze. Why was she so concerned for him all of a sudden ? Why didn't she say anything similar to the other two ? Why single out only him ?

Under her gaze, he could only meekly nod. "Okay, I promise to be careful." He said, meaning every word of it. It was one of the few things he hadn't lied about today.

Akina's soft smile widened and she leaned her head down, briefly nuzzling his forehead with her muzzle. Abdul was too taken aback by the sudden and tender gesture to pull back. It also didn't help that it didn't feel that bad. "That's a good little cub." With those words, Akina pulled back, ending her nuzzling as suddenly as she'd started it, and straightened herself up again. "I'll see you soon, little one." With a final smile, she walked away.

'... Okay … What just happened ?' Abdul simply stood there, trying to process what had just transpired. For obvious reasons, neither Nala nor Mheetu were of any help. Hesabu gently brushed his head with one of his forepaws, not saying anything else on the matter, and Akina had her back turned on him and was walking away. 'What the …'

"Listen to Nala and Mheetu, Abdul." Hesabu told him as he and Akina walked away, the lioness leaning on his side once again. "And you two." He spoke to the two siblings. "Take care of him. And play nice."

'Take care of me ? Excuse me ? I'm a cub, just like them- Wait, no ! No, I'm not a cub. I'm a human in the body of a cub. And I'm technically a teenager. I'm older than them- What am I thinking ? This is a dream. They're not real.' He tried to convince himself once again, but he had a much harder time doing so this time. 'None of this is real.' And it only got more difficult, the more time he spent here.

"We will, Mr Hesabu. You take care of Mrs Akina." Mheetu responded. With that, the two adults kept walking away, back to the dens where they had come from.

Abdul was left watching the two lions leave, before he felt a paw on his shoulder. "Come on, Abdul. Let's show you the Bush Watch." Nala brushed his shoulder with her paw. "You'll just love the view." She giggled as she jumped away from him, beckoning him to follow with a few jumps on the grass. "Come on, what are you waiting for ?"

'You two sure got over everything that just happened pretty quickly.' Abdul noted to himself. Did they -like him- simply not fully grasp what had just happened ? Or was it something else entirely, that he didn't quite understand ? 'Either way, I wish I had your mental fortitude.' He spared the lion couple on last look, before getting back up and following after the two cubs.

Both Nala and Mheetu were moving as if they were lightly jogging, forcing Abdul to go into a small sprint to keep up with them.

"Hey, do you two feel like racing again ?" Mheetu, leading the group of three, asked them.

"Nah, Abdul doesn't know the way. It wouldn't be fair." Nala spoke before Abdul had time to protest, giving him a knowing look.

Mheetu pouted in response. "But it's so boring to walk all the way up there. How about us two, Nala ? And Abdul can decide who won when we get there." He chuckled as he looked back at Abdul.

"Um, I don't think that's how racing works, Mheetu." Abdul said, wanting to avoid playing judge for their little race.

"Well, that's how it works with us. We make our own rules." He rebuked him with a toothy grin, before looking at his sister. "What do you say, Nal ? Race to the top ?" Mheetu asked in a challenging tone.

Which Nala reciprocated with a grin of her own. "Alright, but let's make it a bit more interesting and not leave Abdul in the dust. The winner shall be not whoever gets there first, but whoever's the least tired. Deal ?"

"Wait, how will that even-"

"Deal." Mheetu interrupted Abdul, before he had time to finish his sentence. "Get ready." Mheetu shook his rump as he jogged, ready to go into a sprint again.

"Hold up, what am I supposed to-"

"Don't worry, Abdul. Just try to keep up and tell us who got tired first when we get there." Nala said, before she quickly shook her rear as well. "Threetwoonego !" She jumped and rushed into a sprint, taking the lead with ease.

"Hey ! Not fair !" Mheetu yelled and also started running after her, trying to catch up with her.

Though he wasn't participating in the race, Abdul was also forced to run after them, if only to keep up and not get lost. As they started to climb up a rocky slope behind Pride Rock, he had some time to his thoughts, running everything that had just transpired through his head.

He had so, so many questions. And so, so few answers.

---

By the time the three of them reached the so-called "Bush watch", Abdul was panting and feeling his lungs burning up again. The two cubs had taken a turn away from the slope they had been under before, and had begun to run up a very narrow pathway leading up the rocks. Quickly looking up, Abdul determined that they were still on the back side of Pride Rock, though they were closer to the right side of it this time.

Huh, they had started their little tour on the left side of the natural wonder and had now ended closer to the other side of it. They had done a small circle around the monument, so that was pretty cool. At least, Abdul thought so. He wanted to see if there was more to this, but the solid wall of rock to his left and the cliff-like edge to his right, acted as a great incentive for him to not wander off and to stay on the narrow path -or at least, the closest equivalent to it out in the wilderness-.

Abdul struggled to keep up with the two siblings. It was one thing to run in a straight line, it was another to run up as you did so. As the two siblings were in their little race, leading the way, Abdul felt really out of shape. He made another mental note to take his foster-brother, Baraka, up on his previous offer about going to the gym together -and that was without forgetting the appointment with a psychiatrist, of course-, when he woke up and found his way home.

As he ran up behind them, trying to keep up, the teen-turned-cub stole a glance to his right, taking in the view through the little vegetation that grew up here. It was actually pretty nice, and it only got better, the higher they got.

Much to Abdul's own relief, the two cubs finally stopped in front of a small opening on the narrow path. Mheetu got on the stone platform first, with Nala only a few seconds behind him. Abdul began to slow down, taking in deep breaths, not wanting to fall down from exhaustion again.

"First." Mheetu stated, already declaring himself the winner.

"Not so fast, Mhee. We said the winner would be whoever was the least tired." Nala retorted, not ready to hand her brother the victory that easily.

"Still won then." Mheetu rebuked, puffing his chest to look as non-tired as possible.

"Pff, you wish. I see you holding back your breaths."

"S-so are you. You look like you're about to fall over."

Honestly, both of them did look pretty winded. But they looked to be in much better shape than Abdul was. He approached them while still panting, trying to get his breathing under control, not wanting to fall on the ground again.

"Hey, Abdul. You've got to tell us now. Who's more out of- Woah, what happened to you ?" Mheetu turned back to him, looking at Abdul walking up to them exhausted.

"By my whiskers, Abdul. You look like you're about to fall over. Are you okay ?" Nala looked at him as well, concern evident in her eyes.

"I'll be fine." Abdul reassured them, though he now became even more aware of his lack of fitness, even in the body of a lion cub. He tried not to show it though. "How about this ?" He said as he stopped in front of them, getting his breathing under control again. "You both win." He said in a bit of self-deprecating humor.

It did get a snort out of the two of them, to be fair. "Seriously, Abdul. You need training. You look like you just learned how to run this morning." Mheetu giggled at his joke, and Abdul made himself laugh along with a forced grin, not eager to show his friend just how eerily close to the truth his teasing statement had been.

"My brother's right. We need to get you into shape." Nala placed a paw on his chest, smirking at him. "You'll have to keep up with us and the other cubs. But we'll help you out. I won't let my friends fall behind."

Abdul felt a shiver run down his spine for a very brief second. Once again, even for a very short moment, Nala the cub was replaced by Nala the future-queen. It was so odd, seeing these glimpses of what she was destined to become. It was almost like he was looking into the future. Well, almost. Even when the moment had passed, and the cub-Nala had returned, he still felt so uneasy.

"Um, thanks, Nala. And you too, Mheetu." Was all he could think of saying.

Mheetu nodded at him, while Nala smiled. "You're welcome, Abdul. What are friends for ?" She let go of him and nodded to the edge of the stone platform. "Come on, you have to see the view." She walked towards the edge, her brother in tow.

Abdul followed after them. "What's that ?" He asked them, pointing a paw towards the small green foliage at the very end of the platform.

"Oh, that's a bush." Mheetu answered him. "I think the adults called it a milk-bush, or something like that ? But the really cool thing about it is that it is by itself. And it grows on the very edge of this spot they use to watch over the earth below."

"Which is why they call this spot, the Bush Watch." Nala added. "Not the most epic name in the Pride Lands, I must say. But hey, that's what the adults call it." She shrugged as she and her brother reached the end of the raised platform -mindful of the aforementioned milk-bush, of course-.

Both siblings made room between them for Abdul to join them. "Come on, see for yourself." Nala told him with a knowing smile.

Abdul did as asked and walked between the two cubs, mindful of the bush himself. Said vegetation did somewhat obstruct his vision, but it by no means diminished what was displayed in front of him.

Abdul's eyes widened and his jaw visibly dropped at the view in front of him. The edge they were standing on was essentially a mini-version of the great stone platform in the middle of Pride Rock, only theirs was lower and to the right side of the natural structure. Abdul had never been on the top of Pride Rock, but from what the movie had shown, this is what he had imagined it to be like.

The wide savannah extended right underneath him, from the slopes of Pride Rock right underneath him, to the green trees around the great monument, and to the great and untamed wilderness beyond. The Pridelands, the kingdom of his favorite characters, was unveiled beneath him, as far as the eye could see. Off in the distance, he could see animals -big and small- either running or grazing, or doing anything else. On the blue sky above, flocks of birds flew in all directions, going who knew where. The world of Lion King was revealed beneath his feet -paws-, not as a series of pictures on a screen. But as a living, breathing ecosystem. Abdul could feel it in his very bones. It all felt so real, so alive.

"And there's the reaction I was looking for." Nala giggled next to him.

"Totally worth it." Mheetu laughed with her sister good-naturedly, prompting Abdul to close his mouth, trying to hide the redness on his cheeks.

"Thanks, you guys. For bringing me here. You're right. This is absolutely incredible." Abdul meant every bit of it. It was better than anything he'd dreamed of until now. If only it could've lasted just a little longer.

"You're welcome, Abdul." Mheetu told him.

"And this is just the Bush Watch." Nala spoke up. "You should see the view from the Over Watch." She nodded up and to the left, towards the center of Pride Rock, where the great central platform was located. Abdul could see it from where he stood. Would he ever get the chance to see it from up close and personal?

"It's a real shame we can't go up there by ourselves, you know." As if reading his thoughts, Nala made her thoughts on the subject known. "But Mom and Dad said that the Over Watch is meant for the Royal Kin only. We've only been up there once, and our parents had to ask the Queen for permission in order to do so. And even then, they wouldn't let us reach the very top of it. At least not without adult super… err, supervay…"

"Supervision ?" Abdul filled in the blank.

"Yeah, that. Adult supervision." Nala finished her sentence.

"Eugh. Which is such a bummer." Mheetu added. "Just look at it." He pointed a paw towards it. "It's so awesome. And we can't even go on our own. We haven't been up there once since then." He then looked back to Abdul. "But at least the view was worth it."

"Come on, Mheetu." Abdul tried to comfort his friend. "We're still young. We'll have plenty of opportunities to get up there eventually." Even if said comforting words were simply lies.

Mheetu smirked at him, though not for the reason that Abdul believed. "Heh, you said "we". That's the spirit. Thinking like a team." Mheetu chuckled and Abdul even saw Nala smiling at him.

Abdul looked at the valley below him, lost in thought. Mheetu was right. He had said that. Why had he said that ? He hadn't even thought about it. It'd just … come up to him so naturally. 'Seriously, what in the name of Allah is the matter with me ?' He shouldn't be having such thoughts, not when he was just imagining all these things.

"But you're right." Mheetu continued, getting Abdul back into focus again. "We're still little. We'll get up there again." He smiled. "And when we grow up, we will do so without any supervision."

"I don't know about you guys, but I can just feel it calling to me." Nala said, looking at the top of Pride Rock. Abdul followed her eyes and for a moment he swore he saw a lion on the bottom of the so-called Overwatch. But he couldn't make out any distinct characteristics. "Like … I don't know, like I just belong up there, you know." Nala continued, getting the two male cubs' attention. "I'm telling you. When I grow up, I'm gonna go to that top, and look at the Kingdom below. And then, no one will ever tell me what to do again. I'll do whatever I want, and every animal will listen and take me seriously." She finished her speech with a smug grin.

Abdul tried not to show it, he really did. But he couldn't quite hide his stunned look as he took in Nala's words. 'You know, if that isn't foreshadowing, then I don't know what is.' Like, seriously, based on what he'd seen in the movie and what he already knew, Nala had just described her future self, when she'd become queen and stand on top of Pride Rock, alongside Simba. It was … it was chilling if he was being honest.

'Does she just have the movie script hidden under her coat or something ?' He couldn't help but wonder sarcastically. Though, all things considered, this didn't sound so out of place for Nala to say. After all, as the movie had shown -particularly when she was singing along with Simba the iconic "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" song- the little lioness could very much have her own moments of sheer arrogance.

"Hahahaha …" Mheetu laughed, clearly not buying into Nala's foreboding words. Abdul couldn't blame him. The cub didn't know what he knew. Why would he think that Nala's bragging was anything more than the prideful boasts of a kid's hopes and dreams of grandeur ? "Nal, have you been gawking at the King and Queen on top of the Over Watch again ?" Mheetu asked his sister teasingly.

"Hey, a lioness can dream." Nala retorted with a smirk, playing along with her brother's banter. "Besides, you never know. It's like Dad told us, Mhee." She looked up in the sky, towards the sun. "Anything's possible under the Radiant Sun."

Mheetu snorted. "Why do grown-ups have to use such weird words like "radiant" ? Why can't they just be normal and use simple words like "bright", or "shiny" ?" Mheetu chuckled, and Nala joined in.

Abdul didn't. His gaze remained on the sky, towards the bright sun shining in the distance. He felt something odd when looking at it. Something was off, but he couldn't quite tell what it was.

'It's not as bright as it was during the ceremony. A lot less sun rays as well. It's like …' Abdul's eyes widened in silent realization.

It had moved. The sun had moved. It was closer to setting off into the distance now, when it was in the middle of the sky before. The colours were more orange now, than the bright yellow there was in the beginning. That meant that it was basically afternoon now. Which meant … How much time had passed ? How much time had he spent in this dream of his ?

"Min 'ajl kuli ma hu maqdasun ! Madha 'afeal huna ealaa al'arda ?" Mheetu dropped his head in his two forpaws as he yelled to himself, unintentionally prompting the two siblings to jump in fright from his sudden outburst.

It was afternoon already ? It would be dark soon. If so much time had passed in his dream … just how much time would have passed back in his own home ? How could he forget ? How could he lose track of time so easily ?

He couldn't stay here. His foster-family would be so worried for him. He had to go. He had to go now !

"W-w-what ?" Mheetu asked him with a stunned expression.

"I'm sorry. What did you just say, Abdul ?" Nala stood there just as stupefied, looking at him with a worried expression.

Abdul didn't answer them. He dropped his paws on the ground again and stood up, starting to walk backwards and away from the ledge. "I, I have to go." He told them vaguely. He couldn't explain, he couldn't waste anymore time here. He had to leave.

"Wait, go where ?" Mheetu asked him, following after him.

"Go back. Go back where I came from." Abdul said, turning around and starting to walk back the way he came.

"Abdul, stop." Nala said as she too walked away from the ledge, concern evident in her voice. "You can't just leave like that. We can't go anywhere alone."

"I'm sorry, but I really have to leave. I've wasted so much time. My … my parents will be worried sick about me." He told them, feeling bad about lying to them. But it was necessary.

The cubs stopped following after him, seemingly relenting somewhat at his explanation. "Hold on, can't you at least wait until we get down ? I'm sure Mrs Akina or Mr Hesabu will be more than happy to take you back." Mheetu said, trying to convince him to stay a little longer.

Abdul felt his chest tightening at the silent plea in his words. He looked back at them and saw their pleading looks. They really didn't want him to leave. A small part of him didn't want to leave either. But he had no choice.

He gulped and he looked back down the short pathway they had come from. "I'm sorry, but I can't wait that long. I really have to go, right now."

"Wait, what should we tell them ? They told us not to go anywhere else." Mheetu asked them, reminding him of the promises they'd made.

Abdul audibly gulped, feeling awful about leaving the two adults like that. They'd been so nice to him, looked out for him and kept him company, when they didn't have to. And he'd be thanking them for all that by simply leaving, without even having the courtesy of saying goodbye. Even if they were -hopefully- mere figments of his imagination, they didn't deserve to be treated like this. And it hurt that he had to do that to them.

"Just tell them that I was late and I couldn't wait for them to take me back. I'm sure they'll understand." Abdul replied, not having the courage to face the two of them. All four of them -both cubs and adults- had been so nice to him. And he was repaying their kindness and hospitality with lies and deception.

He heard no further protests from them, and he took that as his cue to leave. He took another step forward, but then he stopped and took one more look at them. They looked so sad, watching him go. An idea popped into his head. It was quite out-of-place at the moment, but when would he ever get another chance like this ?

"Screw it." He muttered to himself and ran back towards them. It would only take a minute or two, at most.

He ran in front of Nala and stopped right in front of her. She gave him a confused look. "What are you-" Before she could say anything, Abdul stood on his two back legs and gently laid his two forepaws around her neck, giving her a soft -albeit quite awkward, given his new proportions- hug. He lightly touched his right cheek with her left. He felt so childish, so stupid while doing this, but he wouldn't get another chance to do this. Plus, he hoped it'd make her feel a little bit better.

"Thanks, Nala." He briefly tightened his paws around her neck. Nala was clearly taken by surprise by his gesture, but she didn't push him off. She simply stood in place. Although Abdul couldn't see it, her lips twitched up into a soft smile, and she lightly brushed his head with her own.

Not wanting to push his luck, Abdul let go of her and stood back on his paws, before walking towards Abdul. Unlike his sister, Mheetu was prepared for the hug, and he slightly leaned forwards, making it easier for Abdul's paws to go around his neck. Just like Nala, he didn't push him off, and he lightly brushed head with him as well.

"Thanks, Mheetu." Abdul said, before letting him go and taking a few steps backwards.

"For what, Abdul ?" Nala asked him, her smile a bit wider now than before.

"You know, for showing me around. For being my friends. For hanging out together. And for having my back." Abdul said sincerely. Man, he'd miss these two, whenever he woke up.

Mheetu smiled at him. "You're welcome, Abdul. But don't you think you're being just a teeny bit dramatic ?" He playfully teased him. "You're acting like we'll never see each other again." Mheetu chuckled, oblivious of just how close to home his intended joke had hit for the teen-turned-cub.

'If only you knew, Mheetu. If only you knew.' It was impossible for Abdul not to notice the irony at play here.

"Yeah, Abdul." Nala took a few steps forward, hoping to reassure him. "Don't worry, we'll see each other again when the Sun rises. And who knows just what kind of adventures we'll have then ?" She told him with a mischievous grin that Abdul felt had no right to look so natural on an animal-child.

"We'll run the adults crazy, you can count on that." Mheetu added with a giggle.

Abdul simply gave them a somber smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. He didn't have the heart to tell them the truth. He didn't have the heart to tell them that they wouldn't be going on any adventures. That they would never see him again, or if he had to be accurate, that he would never see them again, at least not like this. That when he got out of here, the two of them -alongside everything and everyone around them- would simply cease to exist.

Even if they were merely figments of his imagination, he couldn't bear to crush them like this. So he chose to not say anything about it, opting to leave the two cubs in blissful ignorance.

"I can't wait." Was all he managed to tell them, hoping they wouldn't see through his poker-face. One last lie, he told himself. Just one last lie, and then it would all be over.

Abdul turned back towards the narrow pathway, before starting to walk towards it once again. "Thanks for everything, you two. It was a pleasure meeting you." He told them over his shoulder. 'It was nice knowing you.' He told himself. 'Even as merely images and voices in my head.'

"Bye !" Nala yelled at him.

"Goodbye, Abdul. We'll see you tomorrow !" Mheetu called out to him as well.

"Goodbye, Nala ! Goodbye, Mheetu !" He yelled back and looked away from them and towards the narrow path. He didn't want them to see his eyes getting watery again. "Goodbye forever." He mumbled to himself.

Shaking his head and taking a deep breath, Abdul picked up speed and left the two siblings behind for good. He climbed down the pathway, making his way down the steep slope of Pride Rock, starting the journey back where he had come from.

Just like in the morning when it all had begun, he was now once again ; alone.

---

Translation(s)

Min 'ajl kuli ma hu maqdasun ! : For the love of all that's holy !

Jahannam : Hell

Allah : God

aleahirat : bitches

Madha 'afeal huna ealaa al'arda ? : What on earth am I doing here ?