"I'm positive it helped me."
"How could a single man take on multiple hyena and not leave the tree?"
"There was this tiny creature with the man."
"A creature?"
"I know what I saw," The lioness said firmly.
"Okay, okay. But why would man help you?" The lioness looked down at the cub nestled against her belly.
"…I'm going to find out."
"What? No!" The red maned lion blocked her path before she even stood up.
"Simba, I have to know. It didn't need to help me."
"And who says it won't change its mind and strike you down like those hyena?"
"Because I think it would have if it wanted to." She nuzzled him, "I'll be fine. If you're that worried, come with me."
"We don't go near man, I can't trust," He stammered.
"I'm going. With or without, you." She had put her paw down. Simba's jaw tightened.
"Okay. Let me get Sarabi to watch Kiara." The lioness smiled at that.
««{{}}»»
The two lions ran across the Pridelands, both on the lookout for the man. They slowed to a trot when they came to a creek at the edge of their territory. The lioness bent down to drink while Simba kept watch.
"Simba." He turned at her concerned tone. "Blood, in the water."
"It was probably just an animal caught by a crocodile."
"It doesn't smell familiar." He stepped over and sniffed the water, pausing at the unfamiliar scent.
"You're right." They both looked up stream and then at each other. Nodding, they ran with more urgency. A few seconds later something caught the lioness's eye.
"There!" She bolted ahead, only to gasp and skid to a stop. A gruesome sight lay across the stream. Laying on his side, facing the stream, was the man. Sandy blond hair was a nest. His arms were bloody and torn to shreds. The right arm had fallen into the water.
Simba crossed the stream, wary, but checking for signs of life. He nosed the man, flinching a little in expected retaliation. His concerned look turned to his partner, who stepped up on the other side.
"Nala…Is this him?" He asked. She nodded. "He was attacked not long ago. By dogs, if these bite marks and stench are anything to go by," Simba said, crouching next to him. "He's alive. But for how long, I'm not sure." Nala's expression hardened and she splashed through the water.
"Get him on my back," She said, crouching down. Simba stood up, his eyes widening.
"What? Why?"
"We're taking him to Rafiki's, maybe he can help."
"Nala, this is man, I-!"
"Simba!" She glared at him. "We owe him a great debt! I'm not going to let him die after he saved our daughter's life!" He frowned, but obliged, helping her move the unconscious man onto her back. She stood and nodded to the thing he had been lying on.
"Bring that, it might help him when he wakes up." Simba wordlessly hoisted it off the ground. The trek to Rafiki's tree was going to be a tense one.
««{{}}»»
"Brah-hah! What are you doing, bringing man here?!" A mandrill looked down at the two lions standing at the base of his tree.
"Rafiki, please, he needs help," Nala pleaded.
"You, are, crazy!" He said, swinging to a lower branch with each word.
"He's going to bleed out!" She insisted. She could feel the blood that had made its way into her fur during the trek. Rafiki slowed his dancing before hopping to the ground. He walked over as Nala lowered the man to the ground, the lioness wincing when the limp form rolled onto the worse arm.
Rafiki rolled him onto his back, stroking his own chin as he looked over the injuries.
"They are severe…" Not only were the arms injured, but the sides of the man's midsection were as well.
"Can you help him?" Nala asked urgently.
"Let Rafiki take care of it." The mandrill patted her non-bloody shoulder. Nala slumped in relief.
"Thank you. Thank you." The monkey tilted his head as he looked deep into her eyes.
"Why are you so concerned for man?" He questioned curiously.
"He saved Kiara's life," Nala said. Rafiki nodded slowly.
"I see." He looked down at the man before requesting the two lions help get him into the tree. After a few minutes of struggle, they managed to get him settled in the top of the tree, where the trunk made a sort of large platform.
Simba nudged Nala's neck when she hesitated in leaving.
"Come on, let's get back. Rafiki, we're trusting you to do the best you can."
"Rafiki will heal him up in no time. Don't you worry for a moment." Both lions returned his tooth filled smile with more restrained ones.
"Let us know if you need any help," Nala said before both lions turned and headed back to Pride Rock. But, not before Nala washed herself off.
Nala slumped down, curling around Kiara, who immediately started suckling. Simba nuzzled against both of them.
"Everything will be okay," He said. She looked outside of the cave.
"I hope so, Simba. I really hope so."
««{{}}»»
My whole body felt like it was on fire. Pain was clouding my mind, stopping me from wondering how I was alive. I opened my eyes to see a thick canopy of tree branches. Surprisingly, I still had my glasses on.
I was in a ginormous tree. Gourds, fruits, and herbs of various kinds were piled in different spots against the branches. I jumped when the branches above me shook. Despite immediately regretting the action as my body protested, I still noticed a shadow move around above me.
Given that it was late dusk at best, I shouldn't have been able to see anything at all.
"H-hello?" I croaked. The shaking stopped for a second. A mandrill dropped down across from me. I nearly swallowed my tongue in a gasp, breaking into a coughing fit as I tried to shuffle backwards. Mandrills had the capacity to kill a man, forget one as injured as myself. It slowly approached me on all fours, tentative in its steps.
"I'm, I didn't mean to intrude, I'm sorry, don't hurt me," I pleaded, closing my eyes as it came within arm's reach. I jumped at a gentle touch on my shoulder. Peeking an eye open, I flinched again at the hand on me.
It pulled its limb back before looking around. In a baffling display, it stroked the hair on its chin like a man would a beard. It hobbled over to the gourds and held one up to its ear, knocking on it. It put it back and repeated the action with three others before finding what it was looking for. It cracked the gourd open and hopped over to the herbs, putting a few handfuls in.
A breeze blew through the tree, some leaves and dust carried in it. The mandrill swatted at the leaves in annoyance before stopping, picking one up, and putting it and a few identical ones in the gourd.
I could only watch in utter confusion as the mandrill did all of this.
'Is it just imitating something it saw a human do? It seems pretty dedicated to this…craft,' I noted, looking at all of the stuff around me. I took a deep breath and tried to shift around, only to feel like lightning hit my left arm.
"Ah-!" I slapped my other hand over my mouth as the mandrill turned towards me. Its yellow eyes nearly glowed under the moonlight as it observed me. It turned back to what it was doing after a moment, making sounds in its own animalistic language.
After another minute or so it fully turned to me and hobbled over, the gourd held in one hand. It held the gourd out. I realized what it wanted and promptly clamped my mouth shut. It huffed in a very human way before dropping its fist onto my stomach. It didn't outright punch me, but I still coughed, only to gasp when it shoved the gourd to my lips. I was forced to swallow before I choked on the strange mixture. It tipped the whole thing into my mouth before I was able to truly react.
I coughed again before shoving the creature back with my better arm. I spit out the stuff left in my mouth, glaring at the monkey as it watched me with a very unimpressed look.
"Are you trying to drown me?!" I hissed before sucking in a halting breath. Just those few seconds of action and panic had taken the wind out of me.
The mandrill stepped forward, pointedly setting down the gourd, before placing its hand on my shoulder again. I scowled, batting away the hand, before turning away as best I could.
"Stupid dogs. Stupid monkey. Stupid human," I muttered, the last phrase bringing tears to my eyes. I shouldn't have been so unaware of my surroundings. I got casual about the savanna, and the savanna reminded me why that was a bad idea.
I closed my eyes as tears continued to fall down my sunburnt cheeks. I didn't know if I wanted death to take me or for this all to be a dream. Either way, it'd be better than suffering here. Wherever here was.