Author's note: This will be worked into a story series of mine, which is located at http://www.crosswinds.net/madrid/~donquixote/quixote/. It takes place (oddly enough) after the deaths of Sr. Quixote and his squire, as the two of them left Heaven in search of adventure. Also, the abbreviation "Sr." stands for "Seņor" as opposed to "sir." The Further Adventures of Don Quixote According to Laura McDaniel Don Quixote...In the Pride Lands! Zazu folded his wings as he glanced over the land. "Humph," he muttered, "you'd think something exciting would happen around here. But there's not a hyena in sight!" Suddenly, the gopher popped out of the ground. Zazu smiled, "Oh! Wonderful! What, pray tell, is going on?" "Sir, we have spotted a knight-errant," the gopher panted, and then disappeared into the ground. "A what?" Zazu asked, but it was too late. Shrugging, he flew to Pride Rock. "Sire!" he squawked, hovering over Mufasa's head, "There's a knight-errant in the Pride Lands!" Mufasa blinked, "What's a knight-errant?" Zazu swooped to the lion's paws, and shrugged, "I'm not sure, your highness, what's that fuzzy thing that delivers all those messages?" "Good point," Mufasa nodded, as he bounded off. Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, had appeared over the horizon. The master was gazing about confidently, the squire simply rubbing his head. "Where are we, Master?" Sancho asked "Ahhh, Sancho!" Sr. Quixote smiled. "You are a man of such little faith sometimes. Of course we're all right, and we will continue to be so, as it is impossible for us to be wounded in our current form." "I know, your grace, but what I asked was 'Where are we?'" At that moment, Mufasa came bounding in, baring his teeth, "What sort of creatures are you, and what business have you in my Kingdom?" Sancho hid behind his master in terror, while Sr. Quixote responded, very calmly, "I am Don Quixote, Knight of the Lions, and this is my squire, Sancho Panza. I was merely exploring whatever could be found, and I foundyour Kingdom. As for what sort of creatures we are, I am a homo sapien." "A what?" "What my master means to say is that we are human beings, your lordship," Sancho clarified, coming forward and wing." Mufasa scratched his head, "Interesting." He shrugged, "So, are there many of your kind about?" "There are over 5.5. billion of us, or so I heard when I was in Heaven," Sancho responded. Mufasa blinked, "That many? Then how come I've never seen your kind before?" "I'm not sure, Sir Lion, but I have seen your before. Infact, I did valorously overcome billions in combat. That is why I am called 'Knight of the Lions," Sr. Quixote responded. "Oh, really?" Mufasa rumbled, flexing his claws. "No, not really," Sancho responded, quivering at the claws. "It was two lions, in a cart, and neither one of them wanted to do anything but sleep..." "Sancho, whose valorous exploit was it?" Don Quixote asked. "Yours, your grace..." "Then, let me tell the story. Now, as I was saying, I fought valiantly against an entire pride of lions and..." "Is that a challenge?" Mufasa asked, with a smirk. "If you wish it to be. A knight-errant never resists a challenge." "Very well then, a challenge you shall have," Mufasa responded, starting to slink his way closer to the knight and squire. "Your grace, are you certain about this?" Sancho inquired, quickly getting out of the way." "I"m absolutely certain, Sancho my squire." He readied the lance he had stolen from a museum, and pointed it towards the lion. Mufasa stopped shortly before reaching the point, "Sir, in these parts, we fight with tooth and claw, not with sticks, or whatever that is." He took the lance in his jaws and tossed it aside. "Teeth? Claws?" Sr. Quixote asked, suddenly trembling with fright. "Or have you any?" "I have them, but they aren't as useful as yours," he responded, pointing to his fingernails and teeth. "The lance, sir lion, serves as my teeth and claws." "Lance?" Mufasa blinked. He turned his head, "Oh, the stick? Well, I'm sorry, but if you don't have suitable teeth and claws, you must be a herbivore...and prey..." The large lion closed in on the knight, baring his teeth. "Sancho!" Sr. Quixote cried. "Let's away! Quickly!" He ran over, and grabbed his lance. Sancho appeared from his hiding place and responded, "Coming, your grace!" The two of them bounded off into the setting sun. Mufasa looked after them, "Those two are truly the strangest creatures I've ever seen," he muttered, as he returned to Pride Rock. ------------------- Don Quixote AND TLK! Who says you can't have it all? ;) --LM/Hekima & co. "I've got a life! It's a Circle of Life." --Laura M.-- "Heh! You're so weird!" --Simba-- "I told the elephants to forget it, but they can't!" --Zazu-- "You follow ol' Rafiki, he knows de way!" --Rafiki-- ------- Begin TLK Code 1.51 ------- TLK++++ A+>++ B+++>++++ D C>+ L+>++ Mte+++ Pr+++ W+++>++++ S++ Tr++++ RLU a- cn++ e- h+ iw+++ limnrtw pcd++ sf- ------- End TLK Code -------