A new home
"Is it still far?" asked Sora, walking between Sarabi and Rafiki through the Savannah.
"No, not that far anymore. But if it gets too much for you, I can carry you," suggested the lioness, which the young lion declined with a shake of her head.
"I don't need to be carried, I can walk all day," said the cub determinedly and wanted to run ahead to demonstrate, which only worked to a limited extent.
Although walking and sneaking worked well, running was an entirely different matter. Because as soon as Sora had stormed forward a little, he tripped over his feet and fell to the ground. The lion cub fell onto his back with a somersault and snorted in dissatisfaction. Rafiki and Sarabi smiled a little at the cub's clumsy attempt to sprint, and approached until they were standing over the lying cub.
"I guess that could have gone better, but I'm still not tired," Sora said in a serious tone and looked up at both adult animals.
"I believe you, but you should start with small steps," Rafiki suggested with a smile.
"I guess before we start hunting, I'll teach you how to sprint," said the lioness, grinned, and turned the dark lion on its legs with her paws.
Sora stood up and laughed along with the other two adults as they continued on their way. After a while, the three had reached their destination, the sight of this place confused Sora a little. In front of him was a slightly narrower waterfall and a steep slope that was practically only made of stones. Below, the waterfall was a river that flowed along the landscape, which also served as a border. The landscape on the other side of the river was barren and dry. Even the trees there had no leaves, while on her side it looked like paradise. The grass was green, and the trees and bushes had leaves.
"What kind of place is that over there?" asked Sora, stepping closer to the river, while he was a little surprised that the land on the other side was so different.
"The Shadowland! It consists of wasteland and stone gorges. A truly hostile place, where everyone who did not respect the eternal circle of life once lived," explained Sarabi, standing next to the young lion.
"What is the eternal circle of life?" Sora asked curiously, looking up at the lioness.
Sarabi had to smile. Many lions his age must have asked this question. He is still so young and innocent, he still has a lot to learn about life. At that moment, however, she also had to think of Simba and Mufasa, which made her heart heavy.
"He has had that conversation sure with Simba too," thought the lioness sadly, looking dejectedly into the water.
"Sarabi, are you okay?" Sora asked worriedly and put a paw on the lioness's front leg.
"It... it's nothing... just a memory... of what once was," Sarabi answered somewhat brokenly and looked at the cub, who immediately noticed this was not all.
"As for your question, every living being is part of an important and delicate balance. That's why you have to respect every life, no matter how small it is. Especially when you kill other animals for your survival, you may only take as much as you need. We are all one and connected. But the most important thing is that you treat every animal with respect. This eternal circle of life is important for the animals' lives together," explained the lioness.
"I understand, I also believe that every life is important and valued," said the lion cub thoughtfully and looked at Sarabi.
"Yes, that's it. Each of us has our place in the eternal circle of life, none of us is here without a reason," explained Rafiki and stood next to Sora's other side.
"Exactly, you too will find your place one day. But for now, we will find a home for you, come with us," said Sarabi caringly and went ahead to the waterfall.
The lioness simply walked through the curtain of water, and Sora was a little surprised. He had been told that they were going to a cave. The young lion thought it was cool that it was also a hidden cave. He immediately went to the waterfall and jumped through the water, which soaked his fur. When he came out on the other side, his mane hung in his face.
"Nice storm hairstyle," said Sarabi amused and brushed the cub's mane out of his face.
"Um, yes, I think I need to shake myself a bit," warned Sora to the lioness, who immediately took a few steps back and got to safety.
The young lion began to shake himself, which was easier for him with his head than with the rest of his body. It took a while until he was dry, and on his last attempt, he got the hang of it. Sarabi was amazed that the lion cub's mane immediately returned to its spiky form. Now that Sora could finally see something again, he was amazed at the cave.
It wasn't deep, but it was very high and spacious. There were rocks on the side that got higher and higher and led to a high rock, like a kind of natural staircase. Inside the cave, there was a kind of small pool in which the water collected. A kind of climbing plant and lianas grew from the ceiling.
"Amazing, isn't it?" Sora suddenly heard Rafiki's voice behind him, standing next to the lion cub.
"Hey, how come you're not wet?" the cub asked in surprise and looked at the mandrill.
"Old Rafiki is full of surprises and secrets. And if I were to reveal them, they wouldn't be surprises and secrets anymore. I can tell you one secret, though, that's not the impressive trick, that I know," Rafiki explained in an amused voice and went deeper into the cave.
Sora quickly realized that he would just have to accept it and followed the mandrill. Everything looked dry in the deepest part of the cave, and Sarabi was sitting there waiting for the two of them.
"This cave is incredible, and nobody knows it?" asked the young animal in surprise.
"Oh yes, the animals just aren't interested in it. Not everyone likes to walk through a waterfall all the time. We are also too close to the borders, many are afraid of the Shadowland. But now that the hyenas are in the Pride Lands, and it is unsafe everywhere. It is safest for you here, and it is also the safest place for us to meet," explained the lioness in an encouraging voice.
Sora was happy about this and smiled happily, after all, he felt comfortable in the lioness's presence. He didn't remember anything, neither where he came from nor his family. Sarabi was practically everything he knew, she showed so much patience and understanding for him. He would have preferred she could stay with him, and yet he understood why that wasn't possible.
"Well, I'll bring you something to eat. After all, you haven't eaten anything all day, and you're probably hungry," said the lioness caringly, to which Sora's stomach immediately responded with a loud growl.
The lion cub smiled embarrassed, while Rafiki and Sarabi looked at him understandingly. Both had a complete understanding of the cub, the attack, and then the long hikes were certainly a lot for one day. It would be a miracle if he weren't hungry. Sarabi was walking towards the waterfall when Rafiki jumped next to her.
"Your Majesty, if I may help," said the mandrill, and he briefly touched the waterfall with his stick, whereupon the water parted and opened a kind of passage, making Sora marvel.
"Thank you, Rafiki," said the lioness and went outside.
When the lioness had gone through, the entrance closed again. Still completely surprised, the young lion looked at the water and wondered how the mandrill had done that. Rafiki noticed this and looked attentively at the cub while he thought. Sora didn't notice, he was too busy thinking about the trick he had just seen and decided to ask straight away.
"Tell me, Rafiki, can you do magic? Or is your stick magical?" said the lion cub thoughtfully and looked at the mandrill with big, sparkling eyes.
"Well, one doesn't have to exclude the other. But I found out that you also have a magical stick," said the mandrill in an interested voice.
Sora thought for a moment about what Rafiki meant, then remembered. When he was protecting Sarabi, something strange appeared in his mouth. It didn't taste like wood, and the lion cub couldn't say whether he had ever seen anything like it before. He didn't know what it was and had never seen it before, but when this thing appeared, a word flashed into his head.
"You mean the 'Keyblade'?" the cub asked brightly.
"Is that what it's called? Well... could you show it to me?" the mandrill asked curiously, raising his eyebrows.
"I don't know, the Keyblade hasn't come back yet. I... I don't know how it came to me," Sora explained hesitantly, rubbing his other front leg nervously with his paw.
"Hmmm... maybe it appeared because of your courage, or perhaps because of a decision you made. You know... magic is full of secrets, and sometimes it's not so easy to understand, but it always has a reason. I know it will be hard for you, but think about the attack for a moment. What did you feel, and what did you want at that moment?" Rafiki asked carefully, looking at the young lion with interest.
Sora really didn't want to think back to this morning, especially not to the fear he felt. He woke up in the ravine, in the shadow of a rock. At that point, the cub didn't know where it was or how it got there. Shortly afterward, these shadow creatures approached, like a shadow playing on the ground, they slithered towards him and rose from the ground. Sora didn't know what kind of creatures they were, but his instinct told him to flee. And that's what he did, but since he couldn't run or walk properly at that point, he didn't get very far.
At that moment, Sora thought that it was all over for him and that he would die. But then Sarabi appeared and protected him from the monsters. Even though the situation was so hopeless at the time, the lioness did not give up and continued to fight. Then Sora remembered when Sarabi was attacked. He wanted to protect her, just as she protected him.
At that moment, a flash of light appeared, briefly blinding both animals. When the light disappeared again, Rafiki could see the Keyblade in Sora's mouth. Intrigued, Mandrill approached the object and looked at it. The Mandrill had never seen anything like it before, but could feel the magic inherent in the Keyblade.
"Interesting, I've never seen anything like it. May I take a closer look?" Rafiki asked kindly, to which the young lion nodded.
The mandrill carefully took the Keyblade in his hands and examined it. Suddenly, the key disappeared from his hands and reappeared in the lion's mouth. Sora was surprised and looked at Rafiki confused.
"I see, no one but you can use the Keyblade," the mandrill concluded thoughtfully.
While Rafiki was thinking, Sora began to move with the Keyblade. Somehow he began to feel a certain familiarity, as if it were not the first time he had used such a sword, and yet everything felt so new. To swing the Keyblade, the young lion had to move his head or turn his body. After a while of trying, Sora performed horizontal blows in which he spun his body around. He even performed a punch in which he somersaulted in the air once. When he landed on his paws, the young lion staggered briefly and only just managed to stay on his feet.
Rafiki was amazed at the little lion's movements; it reminded him a bit of his own fighting style with his staff. However, he lacked elegance and his strikes were just raw and wild. But there was definitely an approach that could be built on. It would also only be an advantage if the young animal could defend itself as quickly as possible. Just as the mandrill was thinking about a training method, Sora struck again, whirling around quickly. Only this time, Sora did not manage to move his paws to match the attack and stumbled. He somersaulted once and landed on his butt, the Keyblade landed on the ground and disappeared shortly afterward.
"Oh dear... that we're going to work. But as the saying goes: No one is born a master," thought Rafiki and walked towards the lion.
"I think I still need to practice a bit," said Sora, embarrassed, smiling a little ashamed.
"It doesn't matter, I'll help you a bit. I've already told you, old Rafiki still has a few tricks up his sleeve. But we should both keep our little training to ourselves, otherwise Sarabi might be worried," said the mandrill.
Sora wasn't quite sure what to think of it. It didn't feel right to hide anything from the lioness. On the other hand, the lion cub didn't want Sarabi to worry even more. She was certainly not happy that he started fighting so young and potentially put himself in danger. After all, the lioness had brought him to safety in the farthest corner of the Pride Land.
"Okay, I won't say anything," said Sora somewhat hesitantly, to which Rafiki nodded.
Just then, Sarabi emerged from the waterfall. The lioness had a rabbit in her mouth and immediately began to shake the water off her body. She walked up to the cub and laid the prey on the ground. With an encouraging smile, she looked at Sora, who looked hesitantly at the dead body.
"Take it easy, you don't need to be shy," said Sarabi and pushed the rabbit further towards the lion cub.
Sora felt strange at the moment, as if he had never seen a freshly killed rabbit before. At that moment, the eternal circle of life went through his head, the rabbit had died so that he could live. It was not yet completely stiff, but bloody and lifeless. And it ... it looked so delicious. His nose could smell the blood, which made his mouth water. The young lion's stomach began to growl, this time even louder than before. Sarabi was a little surprised at the volume, but then had to laugh a little about it. She had never heard such a loud growl from such a small belly. Rafiki, on the other hand, laughed loudly and didn't hold back.
Meanwhile, Sora's instinct had kicked in, and he began to pounce on the prey that had been brought to him. He began to tear the meat wildly from the rabbit's bones and devour it, while his claws held on to the body. Although he had no direct comparison, the raw meat tasted heavenly. The cub smacked his lips with relish and growled as he chewed. After each swallow, the young lion licked his mouth and then took the next bite.
"Hey, a little slower. Nobody is taking anything from you here, you'll choke," said the lioness, slightly worried, while she was pleased that Sora was eating so well.
"Well, he has a healthy appetite. That means he's doing well," said Rafiki in a good mood.
"That's true, that's good. Rafiki, I have to leave you alone for today and go back to Pride Rock," said Sarabi dejectedly, letting her ears droop a little, whereupon Sora stopped eating.
"When are you coming back?" asked the young lion, slightly sad.
"I'll be back tomorrow, not when the sun comes up, but later," explained the lioness, leaning down a little towards the little lions.
"Please be careful and listen to Rafiki. We'll see you tomorrow," said the lioness, licking Sora's mane, whereupon he began to giggle.
"Your Highness, you should go to the Urembo meadow before you return to the rock," suggested the mandrill, approaching the waterfall again.
"Why does she have to go to the Urembo meadow?" asked the lion cub, confused.
"To cover up your or Rafiki's scent, I don't want Scar to notice a strange smell on me. Young animals like you don't smell that strong, but a faint scent could stick to my fur. Many flowers are growing in the meadow, that the lioness likes to use for her fur. They have a strong smell and cover up other scents," explained Sarabi.
"Do I stink that much?" asked Sora thoughtfully, smelling his fur.
The two adults laughed at the little lion's statement. Sarabi gently pushed him towards her with her paw and answered amusedly: "No, not at all. But Scar and the hyenas have good noses, and we don't want to take any risks."
Sora didn't quite understand the reason, but hoped that everything would go well. Rafiki opened the water curtain again with his staff, whereupon Sarabi, to her regret, set off. She looked back at the lion cubs once more and then looked indecisively at the mandrill, who nodded confidently at her. Knowing that someone reliable was looking after the young lion gave her confidence that everything would go well. As she walked through the water curtain, she looked back one last time before it closed, and you could no longer see into the cave.
"See you tomorrow," said Sarabi, and then she made her way to the Pride Rock.