Legal Stuff If ever there was a company that didn’t need to worry about people stealing its stuff, it would be Disney (or is that DisneyÔ?) It seems, though, that people have been getting the iron boot from Eisner and Co. out in sunny Cali in return for their efforts to give back what they’ve gleaned from a timeless and classic story, so I guess it’s only proper (and safer) to add a disclaimer to the work. So… Dear Mike, I am hereby acknowledging myself and informing all others who handle this document that The Lion King production is copyright Walt Disney Co. All characters, script lines, lyrics, musical scores, and story concepts from The Lion King and subsequent affiliated publications are property of the Walt Disney Co. I sincerely hope the best for you and your company now that you are firmly entrenched as dictator… er, CEO, and I hope your reign is fruitful. My nephew says he loves the sweater you wear on Magical World as it detracts from your glowering red eyes and pointy horns. My best to the fam. Hugs and Kisses, D. Ritchie My apologies for the cynicism, but I abhor legalities. I find it irritating that Disney feels threatened by the very people who make it successful – the diehard fans. On a lighter note, I’d like to mention that all references to non-licensed, non-published (fan-fiction, in English) works are addressed in the section below entitled "Where Credit is Due." Where Credit is Due It would be arrogant (not to mention inaccurate) to say that I was alone in my efforts to produce The Guardian Prophesy. I wasn’t. This work is the result of inspiration garnered from an inordinate amount of Fan Fiction. I’d like to take a moment to list just some of the works that offered helpful insight into Prophesy. The Visitor, by Gil Ruiz (who also edited Prophesy. Thanks-a-truck-load Gil!) Stranger in the Pride Lands, by Frank Calabraro. Acceptance, by Jason Ahrens. The Tales of Tanabi, by Joshua Templin. The Lion Rogue, by Sam Simpson. A Matter of Pride, by Christine Morgan. There are many more, but I don’t have a complete list of works, so I won’t continue. Let it simply be known that all of these works and the remaining unlisted works contributed in some way, shape, or form to the development of Prophesy. Oh, and how could I forget? The Chronicles of the Pridelands, by John Burkitt and David Morris Wow, you two. Chronicles rocked, and that’s all there is to it. My advise to anyone who loves The Lion King is to go to your local libraries and check out these books. If for some reason you can’t find them there (I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t be able to, though) you can go to The Largest of All Text Archives concerning TLK at Ryan’s Lion, and find them there. About the Author Wow. What do you say after finishing something like this other than ‘Wow?’ I’ve written a lot of papers, but I don’t think I’ve ever done something as lengthy as Prophesy. Let me confess. I’m something of a fan. I don’t collect toys or dolls or cards, but I do think that The Lion King is certainly the best work that’s ever come out of Disney, probably the best animated feature in the history of the world, and perhaps one of the greatest stories ever told. My congrats to Walt and the Gang for this fine piece of work. (Incidentally, I thought you guys should have gotten the Academy Award for best movie in ‘94, but then the Gump boys would have gone ballistic, right? Then imagine the Disabilities Lobbyists and... I shudder to think about it.) Prophesy is the result of a request of sorts. Reading through the fiction provided by all of the fans of The Lion King, I found that one story addressed the notion of a human in the Pridelands. The story description indicated that it lacked sophistication. On reading it, I found myself wanting the human (Chad) to be deeper. I wanted him , in the words of Tim Rice, to "Find his place on the path unwinding in the Circle of Life." The idea was too juicy to let go, and so I set out to write my own story, something I’d promised myself I wouldn’t do when I started reading this stuff. I didn’t want to use Chad, though, so I got some wood out of the garage and built my own character. As far as style, I don’t like James-Joyce-depth writing, so I avoided really obscure symbolism and references to the aesthetics of life. If you find any such references, please, for the love of God, email me at ritchie@gnt.net so that I can take them out and replace them with something more palatable. Comments are entirely welcome, of course. You’ve got the address. Enough about me, though. You didn’t download this file to read about me, and so, without further hesitation (aside from the other half of this page, which I’ve opted not to fill for you the reader’s benefit), I give you The Guardian Prophesy. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. D. Ritchie - 10/10/96 The Guardian Prophesy If we refuse to accept that anything is possible, then we surrender our dreams and submit to convention, and nothing is less remarkable than convention. Fate must be mad. There was no other explanation. It wasn’t the way that Chicago’s traffic lights always seemed to turn red when he was already an hour late that told him so. It wasn’t even the random incidents of people meeting on obscure, rain-soaked street corners and falling in love that made it that way. It wasn’t necessarily the disease or the starvation that plagued entire races to extinction. In the mind of one man who stood apart from all others in more ways than one, it was that damned name. Who in their right mind would name a child Palafox Aegisthus Sears? At seven years old, he stopped trying to explain it and started trying to analyze it. At eight, he stopped trying to analyze it and began to ignore it. At ten, he realized he couldn’t ignore it and started trying to analyze it again. It had to mean something, he knew. Something beyond the fact that his parents were a little tipsy when they’d made a decision that would result in more than a few hard years for him in various public schools. A name like that meant something, but exactly what had eluded him all of his life. When the time came – if the time came – he was sure a monolithic revelation would present itself to him, and so that was all the thought he’d given the matter… that is, until a monolithic revelation unexpectedly presented itself to him… Fox glanced down at his rugged wilder-woodsman Rolex. It was time to be getting back, he decided. He brought the yoke of the Cessna Skylark around until the digital compass read due east. He looked quickly across the dash of his aircraft. "Altitude… your looking good," he sang. "Fuel, check. Mix is… mixed, I guess. Oil’s…" he tapped the gauge. "Good enough. Nothin’ can stop me now…" He’d been having trouble with the aircraft recently, and he was in the process of repairing it. The real bugs get worked out in the air, he thought to himself after failing to get the ‘real’ bugs worked out on the ground. Now that everything seemed to be running smoothly, he relished the opportunity to relax. "Magnificent," he declared as he glanced out the side of his aircraft. The African evening. Ever since he was a boy, he had wanted nothing more than what he had now. The savanna unfolded below him like a colorful photograph. The constant thrum of the single propeller relaxed him even further. He sat back in the Skylark’s austere but familiar seat and thought casually about the last few months. Palafox Aegisthus, or Fox Aegis – even better, just Fox, as everyone had called him since his youth – had arrived at the Serengeti earlier in the year as part of a behavioral science research project on the social initiatives of the African wildlife. Those were the precise words he used when explaining this to the local authorities. Actually, he had no intention of doing research, and he didn’t even know what a social initiative was, nor did he care. He’d simply wanted to be there, which unfortunately wasn’t the most widely accepted grounds for being granted permission to enter the country of Batswana. "The last refugee of uncorrupted life," he’d deemed the enchanting land. He was only twenty and already had no family to speak of. He’d moved away from home at 18 when the clashes with his father drove a sizable wedge between he and his family. His relations in Chicago were sparse and his career as a salesperson feel considerably short of his expectations in life, so the decision to do field work came easily to him. Out here, he could be with what he truly admired. The trees… the grass… the life. This was life, he’d decided in his younger years. Not only that, it was fun, which was far more important than life. After all, if the meaning of life wasn’t to have fun and live it up, then what was? An eternity of schooling and college had brought him a great deal of knowledge and experience, but the human, he was convinced, was the most pampered and undeserving creature on the planet. The ‘Rat Race’ of getting a career in order, settling down and having two cars and two-point-four kids didn’t appeal to him. Where’s the life in that? he wondered. Where was the fun in that? Spend your days working for a major corporation to build seemingly useless thingamajigs to sell to an unsuspecting but waiting and wanting public, and then go home at night to watch hours of programming in which you yourself are sold seemingly useless thingamajigs. How conventional. Out here, though, he could take life for what it was worth – grab it by the lapels and stare it straight in the eye. With fascination he watched it happening beneath him. The whole cycle was spinning endlessly below him. The creatures were hunting for their food and caring for their young. One day, their young would hunt for their own food and care for their own young. No forty hour work weeks… no mortgage payments… no menial hassles that plagued the human condition. Life was day to day, the way it was meant to be lived. "Yes," he said with determination. "This is the place. God lives in Africa." He’d made his home in a village near Mehu where a humanitarian aid project and a wildlife refuge made first-world supplies readily available. It was perhaps the only area in Tanzania that had a well stocked and staffed hospital, a resonable airstrip, and the sort of sundries Fox had found convenient. Despite this, he was still living in a native-style run-down shack, which naturally offered scarce luxury. Excursions like this one occupied the majority of his time. It wasn’t uncommon for him to pack a week’s worth of clothes and supplies and head out into the uncharted savanna. Between such ‘vacations’, as he called them, he would fly contract shipments to and from the Mehu camp, providing him with some spare cash, and more importantly, the good graces of the Mehu supply station crews, who were more than happy to look the other way when Fox found himself in a monetary bind or a low fuel load. With such an ideal setup, how could he go wrong? Today, he was perusing the Olduvai Gorge. East of the Serengeti plains, Olduvai was actually more fun to fly through than to look at. It presented a unique challenge to a pilot who was too young to understand or too restless to acknowledge the danger. He’d been paying attention to the instruments when he realized he’d passed the gorge and was now above the Serengeti National Park. Somewhere in the back of his mind, conscience panged. He knew he wasn’t supposed to be flying there; the Serengeti was restricted airspace, but he decided to stick around for a while and take a look. Secretly, he’d been desperately wanting to ‘accidentally’ blunder into the Serengeti, a legitimate excuse to look around and see what there was to see. After all, he was having mechanical trouble, wasn’t he? Glancing out the left side of his aircraft, Fox saw something unusual. A large rock formation jutted out from a narrow plateau. It gave him the impression of a… castle? It wasn’t normal to see something like that in the Serengeti… at least, not as far as his experience told him. Dismissing the rock, he glanced back to his instruments. The oil pressure light was on and flashing, a tiny crimson reminder of Murphy’s Law and how it directly applied to his life. "Damn it!" he cursed. "I just fixed you. What’s wrong now?" He tapped the gauge again, but this time, it refused to resign. "Okay," he reasoned with the aircraft. "If you can just make it back to Mehu, I can fix it." But the Cessna rocked with protest as the engine temperature climbed and metal grated against metal. "Okay.. Don’t panic Fox," he spoke to himself. "We’ll just put you down here and fix it on the ground." Piloting the aircraft closer to the ground, he scouted for a clear area. Finally deciding on a grassy spot away from the shrubs of the savanna, he descended. "Steady, folks," he said, his voice monotone in deep concentration. "There we go… There we go…" Movement caught his eye, and his head jerked left. An animal? A cat?? A lion! A big lion! Fox had always been fond of the beasts and had a great deal of respect for these kings of the jungle, but just the same, he never wanted to pet one or feed it treats. This one was close enough that he could do both. An afterthought later, he realized that his diverted attention would prove fatal to his landing. The moment he looked away, the plane slammed into the ground, the gear groaning in protest under the weight. The aircraft spun into the ground, and the impact nearly knocked him unconscious, leaving him scrambled but miraculously lucid. When the aircraft finally shuddered to an abrupt halt, he kicked the door open, loosed his safety belt, grabbed his survival bag, and raced from the plane. He silently thanked God that the Cessna hadn’t exploded on impact. Nevertheless, he wasn’t taking any chances with the wreaked Skylark. After running for what must have been a few hundred feet, he turned back and looked at his fallen friend. The Skylark hadn’t exploded, but he knew that it had taken a severe beating. "Damn it!" he shouted toward the craft, as if to make it feel guilty for crashing. "What the hell am I supposed to do now?" He had no idea where he was, and he had no idea where home was – or how far away it was for that matter. He’d spent almost everything he’d saved from odd jobs back in the States to lease the aircraft, and now it didn’t look like he’d be getting his deposit back. All the makings of a bad situation. "Damn!" he said again. "Damn you," he told the tree he was standing next to. "Damn you too," he reiterated to the grass. "And damn you to hell," he told the lion, who gazed back unpleasantly. Lion? His stomach fell into his feet. No more than ten feet away was the beast that had distracted him from his landing. Fox’s mind cursed at him so extensively that, had he not been wondering whether or not he’d be dead in a few moments, he would have certainly been offended at the language. The lion was twice as big as he looked from the sky and a hundred times more intimidating. "I didn’t mean that, buddy," he apologized to the cat, who glared at him with menace. "Look… Damn me!" he said quickly, pointing to himself. "Damn me to hell! My fault," he assuaged, backing away slowly. Mufasa looked at the stranger oddly. Damn? He wondered. Buddy? He glanced around. There was no one else about. Surely this human had intended him to hear what he’d said, or he wouldn’t have said it? Simple logic. He expects a response, Mufasa decided. Here’s your response, human, he mused. The lion’s bass roar sent Fox stumbling backwards onto the dry savanna grass where he collapsed. He was at eye level with the massive beast now. "Nice kitty?" he asked weakly, his limbs growing numb with anxiety. Ironically, between the two rational minds at work, neither of them realized the coincidental opportunity that had been handed to them, much less the incredible impact such a hopeless position would have on their lives. Kitty!? Mufasa was sincerely annoyed now... Who was this… thing? He would have dispatched of the invader immediately if he’d had the ability, but his condition prevented it. His expression turned to absolute disgust as he thought of the hyenas he’d been pursuing. He cursed mentally, furious with himself. Just minutes prior to the human’s arrival, he’d been chasing a pack away from the Pridelands. He’d arrogantly assumed they would run to the border and not look back, as they always had for his father. Arrogance, the wise old lion had taught him, is a luxury that kings couldn’t afford. Mufasa wished now that he’d been a better student. In sheer numbers, the hyenas had overpowered and wounded him. Now, he knew, they were likely bringing their pack in for the kill. A fitting end for a young fool like yourself! he spat in his mind. He knew that he didn’t stand a chance against the lot of them wounded. He’d get one or two, but eventually he’d go down and that would be the end. He’d been making his peace and waiting to die when the human had descended in the screeching bird. Meanwhile, Fox was paralyzed with fear. He sat frozen, his eyes locked on the lion only fifteen feet in front of him. He’s frowning at me, he thought. I’ll bet he’s mad. Please don’t be mad. Suddenly the forty hour work week was looking relatively sweet. Then he noticed something. The lion wasn’t moving at all. He was scowling and roaring… but there wasn’t the slightest motion. Here he was, fresh meat for the taking, and yet the huge cat hadn’t budged an inch. And then Fox saw the wound. He wondered immediately how he could have missed it. The lion’s foreleg was torn and bloody, revealing an unnatural and inordinate amount of muscle. Too bad for him, too good for me, Fox thought. "So that’s the way it is, huh?" he smirked, regaining his confidence and his feet. He brushed himself off slowly and stared the lion down. "Not so tough without your leg, are ya’, pussy cat?" he sneered tauntingly. Fallen or not, this was too much for Mufasa. It was bad enough that the human was even here… Now, he was being insulted. "Why don’t you come here and see how tough I am, little one?" he replied venomously. He didn’t think the human would understand him – humans couldn’t understand nature’s children – but either way he thought the gesture would seem imposing enough. Fox glared down at the lion, pointing authoritatively. "One more time?" he began condescendingly. "I didn’t quite catch…" The sneer fell off his face and he paused, dumbfounded. "Whu… what’d you say?" The lion had just… spoken to him? No… that wasn’t right. He looked to the nearby patch of trees. A more logical explanation popped into his mind. "Okay, whoever you are," he said, wagging his finger. Local pranksters, probably having a good laugh at an idiot tourist like himself, he decided. "Not funny. You can come out now." No reply. Fox continued anyway. "I need to know where the nearest city is. Y’know, I can’t believe you expect people to fall for that sort of stuff. It must be all of that fiber you—" "—Quiet, human!" Mufasa demanded. Intriguing. The human could understand him, or so it seemed. Normally, being able to communicate with other animals wouldn’t have surprised Mufasa, but humans were different. They weren’t Nature’s children, and so they couldn’t talk to Nature’s creatures. A find like this would have certainly been news if he’d had the opportunity to take it back to his Pride, but that wasn’t likely to happen now. He was in a bad mood, and it appeared as though he was going to stay that way. He certainly didn’t need his last few moments of life polluted with an annoying little… man. A bewildered Fox looked back at the lion, laughing uncomfortably. "I’m not buying this, pal. I don’t know what the deal here is, but I’m not buying, comprende?" He glanced around frantically. This wasn’t happening to him! He was young and fit – too young and too fit to be going crazy. He’d hit his head in the crash, he decided. Yes. He’d hit his head, and he was laying unconscious in the Skylark sleeping and dreaming… "Are you testing me, boy?" Mufasa asked angrily. Apparently humans weren’t very intelligent creatures. He’d suspected as much. Fox’s eyes locked in on the lion again. He stared for a long moment. "Okay," he said slowly. "Let’s say – for arguments sake, nothing more – that you are actually… you know… we’re…communicating here… why haven’t you killed me yet? Hmmm? Answer me that, my feline friend." He added emphatically. "I’ve seen hundreds of National Geographic Explorers, and I know that you eat guys like me. So let’s have it, huh?" Fox smiled with satisfaction, although he had no idea why. Mufasa knew nothing of the human’s ravings, except for the part about eating him. He understood that part quite well. "I’m wondering the same thing myself," he muttered. With half annoyance and half indifference, his mind wandered elsewhere, to his home and his waiting bride. He’d let her down, he realized with a sad sigh. He thought about his father, who’d always taught him to never stop fighting. He’d let him down as well. He tried to move his battered leg, but the pain was too great, and he succeeded only in wincing at the effort. Fox saw the lion try to move. He could tell the beast was in pain. The absurdity of the situation coupled with the rush of adrenaline Fox was experiencing made rationality an afterthought. Right now, he felt… sorry for the beast? If there’s one thing I won’t do, it’s get close to the lion, his mind shouted. "Look," he said. "I like cats. I’m a big fan." He gestured to his emergency bag. "I can help you," he suggested. The rational half of his mind cursed at him again. Idiot! Don’t help the lion! Stay away from the lion! The lion is bad! The lion will kill you! The instinctive part of his mind wasn’t listening. It was very sure now that this was all a dream, and nothing bad would happen to him in a dream, right? He took the opportunity to be adventurous, thinking how proud of himself he’d be when he awoke. The rational part of his mind, thoroughly disgusted at this point, shut down and refused to be any part of it. Mufasa eyed the human suspiciously. "You?" he asked mockingly. "You didn’t help your friend," he said, indicating the wrecked Skylark. "Or is that what you call help?" He may have been defeated by arrogant pride, but he still wasn’t foolish enough to trust a human. Or was he? Fox looked back at the Cessna, and then at Mufasa. "The plane?" he asked. He thought about how things looked to the lion. "You don’t understand. That’s a… Oh, just don’t worry about it." He became suddenly serious. "I can help fix your leg, but I want you to promise you’re not going to eat me, or maul me or maim me or anything that you normally do to people like me." Mufasa had very little to lose. He’d never trusted humans before. His brother had been attacked by the marauders when they were younger. The curs had beaten him with sticks and burned him with their fire. He could still remember the tortured young Taka crawling back to Pride Rock in agony, shrieking for mother. Images such as that one die hard in the impressionable mind. All humans had ever brought to the Pridelands was pain. It was time to make a decision. He was sure this human intended to kill him, but he was tired of waiting for his end, and there was little more undignified that dying at the claws and jaws of hyenas. Goodbye, Sarabi, he said to himself, remembering his betrothed. She was to become his queen when he returned from this excursion. I’m sorry, father, he thought. I’ve failed as a king. Taka would have been a better choice. His brother, he knew, would now assume the throne. "Grant him your wisdom, father," Mufasa sighed under his breath. He looked back at the man standing in front of him. Get it over with! he growled to himself. Better to be just a fool than a fool and a coward. "Okay, human," he said, lowering his head to the ground into what another lion would consider resignation. "Do what you will. I won’t harm you." Fox nodded. "Okay, good." He cautiously moved in closer to the lion. He still wasn’t entirely convinced that this was a dream or that he was speaking with a cat. He imagined some young native kid hopping out from the trees and laughing at him as the lion mauled him to bits. Open minded, he thought. Be open minded. When he was just outside of striking distance, he paused. Mufasa didn’t move. Slowly, he inched closer. Despite his remarkable will and strength, Mufasa couldn’t force himself to simply submit to death, and so on the outside chance that the human was actually trying to help him, the lion began to explain. "I understand your reservations about getting so close, but I assure you, my word is good." Fox set his bag down and opened it, never taking his eyes off the golden-furred beast that lay wounded in front of him. Medically, he was poorly stocked, but he had an application of morphine and bandages. They were intended for him if he’d ever crashed his plane and was wounded. Since he’d already crashed his plane and hadn’t been injured, he didn’t mind so much about using the morphine. Mufasa urged him on. "There isn’t much time, human. If you –" "Fox," Fox said, pulling a morphine syringe from the bag. "Call me Fox. Everyone else does." "Whatever. Fox," Mufasa continued. "Any moment, there’s going to be a pack of hyenas coming to finish me off. If you intend to help me, I’d like to suggest that you hurry." "Right," Fox said, not paying any attention. "Now look. I’m going to stick this needle in your paw, or leg, or whatever it is you call it. It’s gonna’ hurt like hell. Don’t kill me, okay?" "I told you, human," Mufasa said evenly. "My word is good." "And I told you. Call me Fox." He took the beast’s word at face value. "Okay," he said. "Here goes." He injected the fluid into the bloody fore leg of the lion, right above the wound. Mufasa took a sharp breath as the needle entered, but exhaled smoothly. "Good," Fox said, realizing he was still alive. "Good. Very good," he said encouragingly. Mufasa looked down at his mangled leg. He felt a tingling sensation in his wound. "What is that?" he demanded. Fox raised his hands in defense. "Just morphine, pal. It’ll stop the pain." As he spoke, Mufasa could feel the intense throb subsiding. It was as though his wound had healed in moments. He stood up. Then he fell over. "What kind of magic is this?" he questioned curtly. "I’m still injured." Fox was pulling a bandage from his bag. "I said it would stop the pain. I didn’t say it was the wonder cure. You should take what you can get." Mufasa conceded that he felt much better without the wrenching pain of the mess of his fore leg. "What are you doing now?" he asked. "Bandage," Fox replied. "It’ll stop the bleeding." His hands worked quickly to wrap the wound as he spoke. "If you’d rather die from blood loss that’s your choice I suppose, but I want my morphine back if that’s the case." Mufasa was beginning to understand. "Your a mage, aren’t you?" he asked in realization. "There is someone like you in my kingdom. His name is Rafiki." Mufasa paused. He looked over the one called Fox. "He walks on two legs as well. Perhaps you know each other?" he offered. Fox finished the wrapping. "I had a cat once named ‘Jessica’," he said dryly. "She walked on four legs. Perhaps you know each other?" Mufasa took the hint. "No," he said simply. "Are you finished?" Fox looked over the bandaged leg. "That’s about all I can do here," he announced. Mufasa stirred. "Then I can walk now?" Fox shook his head, restraining Mufasa with his hand. "Afraid not. You’ll have to wait until the wounds begin to heal. You won’t walk for a couple days at least." Mufasa looked at him with frustration. "We don’t have days, Fox. Perhaps you didn’t hear me. Very soon, we’ll be surrounded by some dozen hyenas, and they’ll kill you as quickly as they’ll kill me." "Why would they do that?" Fox asked, putting the medical materials back into his bag. Mufasa was obviously dealing with an outsider. "Because they’re hungry. They kill to eat." Among other reasons naturally… reasons that weren’t worth mentioning at this point. He honestly couldn’t believe he had to explain this. "You know very little of this place." The mutual benefits of this newfound relationship were about to make themselves evident. Fox was thinking. He had a means of protection. He always carried a handgun when he did field work, although not for occasions like this. It was intended for use against other humans – nothing made his blood boil more than poachers –- but it could be used in a tight situation for protection against the wild. "How many?" Fox asked. "Hyenas?" Mufasa asked. "Ten. Fifteen. Maybe more," he said solemnly. "Workable," Fox said. He carried enough ammunition to get himself out of this bind, but very little more. He didn’t like the idea of shooting up the wild animals, but these, he thought, were desperate times. He’d also had no experience with handguns. He’d never been an action fan and guns, in his mind, were toys that kids in grown-up bodies played with. Still, how hard could it be to fire a gun? "I think we’ll be okay." Protection no creature but human could provide, and just when it was needed most. Mufasa looked at Fox incredulously. "You’ve done me a great service, Fox. I wish I could repay you, but I am unable to fight. It would be best if you leave now," he said, resigning himself once again to impending death. He sighed again, chiding himself for his delusions of escaping this trap Fate had laid for him. You can’t fight with Fate, he thought. Fox looked back at him and smiled. "Hey, it’s not like I’m defenseless… You’ve got a name, I hope?" "Mufasa," the lion groaned as he tried to put weight on the leg again. "Mufasa," Fox repeated. "By the way, don’t do that," he said, pointing at the leg. "Anyway, Mufasa, I’m not helpless. I might not have claws, but I have this," he said, displaying the Beretta. Mufasa was not impressed. "I see," he said. "You should go now." "Ye of little faith, oh wounded one. Just wait. We’ll get out of this yet." They didn’t wait long, in fact, only a matter of minutes, before the hyenas arrived. "Dinnertime," the pack leader announced to the group said as they moved in. "And look," said another, indicating Fox. "Dessert. You caught a human, Mufasa? You’re making me so proud!" The sarcasm was evident, even to an outsider like Fox. He was already accustom to talking to Mufasa, so he didn’t even flinch when he understood the hyenas. He glared at the pack of hunters. "Leave him be," Mufasa demanded. "I’m what you want. And…" His eyes sunk to the ground. Even a noble king knows when to surrender. "…you’ve got me." The head of the group was a female, Fox decided. "We don’t take orders from you, Mufasa. You’re not our king." She moved in closer. King? Fox wondered. He stowed the thought. He didn’t like being pushed. "Back off, bitch," he demanded, leveling the Beretta at the predator. He’d never fired it before, and he hoped that it worked. He felt like Dirty Harry, he thought with a smile. It felt good. "Temper, temper," the hyena taunted, mildly surprised at having heard the human. "I don’t think you’re in much of a position to argue." Fox had had absolutely no experience with handguns, but he’d seen all the movies. The movies, he realized, offer little useful education, though. The slight motion forward as she spoke was enough to set him off. His hand twitched with inexperienced apprehension and he fired a round straight into her. She collapsed immediately, dead. Mufasa blinked as the weapon fired and his eyes shot wildly in Fox’s direction. Fox wasn’t finished. The slight recoil from the weapon had startled him, and he’d panicked. He fired three more rounds into the group, and three more hyenas fell dead. The remaining pack didn’t know what to do or where to go. They were dropping like flies and they had no idea why. Another two rounds went off and another two pack members went down. Through the melee, an unspoken but unanimous decision to retreat was somehow made. The survivors scrambled away from the human and the wounded lion, disappearing over the hill from which they’d approached. Neither Fox nor Mufasa spoke for a moment. Finally, Fox broke the silence. "See?" he said quietly. "Told ya’." "This is strong magic, Fox," Mufasa replied slowly. "Where did you get this power from?" Fox held up the Beretta again. "It’s this. Look here. It shoots these." He pulled out the clip and removed a bullet. He’d used six rounds and had only twenty left, he noted. "It fires them out the barrel here, and the little things go right through the target." He realized that he was trying to explain physical science to a cat. He abandoned the explanation. "Look. It’s not magic. That’s really all you need to know." Mufasa examined the Beretta for a moment. He didn’t like it. Nature protected its children well. Lions were strong, cheetahs were fast. Birds could fly. But this human could tear through all of those natural barriers with this… thing. Strong magic indeed. He then looked back at the human. "Fox," he began. "You’ve saved my life twice today." "Glad I could help," Fox replied, because he didn’t know what else to say. He looked around. It was getting dark. "Hey," he said to Mufasa. "Where’s home? Maybe I can get you there if it’s nearby." He was astounded by how easy it was to talk to a lion. It was like chatting with your best friend, he realized. Mufasa smiled. "I may have underestimated your ability to fight, but I know that you can’t carry me." Perhaps he was right, Fox thought. No, he was right. Looking at the lion’s frame, he estimated that he weighed somewhere between 350 to 400 pounds. "Well," he said, "then I guess we stay here tonight." He’d decided to stick with the lion for a while. He’d never spoken with an animal before - something that went without saying - and this was an opportunity that, simply put, he couldn’t pass up. "You know," Fox said as the two shared meat substitute from his emergency rations. "When I saw you for the first time, I was sure you were going to eat me." Mufasa was having a rough time with the rations. They were nothing like what he was used to, and the terrible taste was almost enough for him to decide to go hungry. "I still might," he scowled as he nibbled at the meat. "Is this what you normally eat?" Fox chuckled as he watched the lion grimace and swallow his petite meal. The night set in, and the two stranded animals sat under a nearby tree and talked. Fox examined the contents of his emergency bag during their conversation. It was always well stocked. He knew that his supplies wouldn’t last forever, but they should carry him long enough. Mufasa looked at him strangely. "You’re unlike the humans I’ve encountered," he said. "Why did you help me?" Fox shrugged. He still didn’t know what had possessed him to approach a wounded lion. "I don’t know," he finally said. "You needed it." Mufasa cracked a smile. Very good answer, he thought. "Listen, Fox. I would like to thank you for what you’ve done. I’d like you to be a guest in my kingdom." It was Fox’s turn to smile. "Right, sure. The king of the jungle bit, huh? Isn’t this your kingdom," he asked, waving his arms around, indicating the surrounding savanna. "No," Mufasa replied, somewhat confused. "My kingdom is Pride Rock. Well, it will be as soon as I return." I’ll play along, Fox thought. "Do you have a castle and a moat?" he goaded. Again, Mufasa was confused. "No," he replied. "I’m the king. My father was king before me, but now he’s passed on." The human didn’t seem to understand at all. Fox eyed the lion. "How many kings are there?" he asked suspiciously. Mufasa replied. "Just me. Why? Do I need a moat to be a king, Fox?" This was interesting to Fox. This wasn’t just any beast he’d found. If he was this Lion King that he spoke of, then he was probably very unique indeed. "I’m not quite sure I understand," Fox said. "What’s there to understand?" Mufasa asked, smiling. "This land you see is my territory. The animals who live here are my subjects." He paused. "Are there no kings where you come from, Fox?" "Hmmm?" Fox was looking around. "No… no… But I’ve heard of them," he said. Mufasa was serious, he realized. This lion he’d just saved from certain death was the monarch of all of the Serengeti – the ‘Pridelands’, Mufasa had called it. "What about that bird?" he inquired, pointing to a nest in the tree high above them. "Is he your subject?" "Yes, of course," Mufasa replied, not sure what the human was getting at. "And he’d do whatever you asked him to?" Fox replied. "I suppose so… Yes, he would. Why do you ask?" Amazing, the human thought. "No reason." Having no where else to go coupled with an overwhelming curiosity to learn more about Mufasa led Fox to a quick decision. "Hey, I’d love to be your guest," he said. As a kid, he’d gaped at pictures of these marvelous cats, but he’d known instinctively that photos were as close as he could safely get to them. Now, though, he would make fast friends with the lion community here in the Serengeti. Mufasa would see to that. He’d slept that night fully expecting to awaken somewhere else in another time to discover that this had been a dream. When he woke up the next morning, though, there was Mufasa sleeping comfortably a couple feet away. "Wild," he muttered to himself. There was little for the two to do in the next two days while Mufasa regained his strength. They were both happy to see that the hyenas had no intention of returning. Fox spent the first day looking over his wounded aircraft. Mufasa had hobbled over to him while he was examining it. "A large bird?" he asked, nodding to the Cessna. Not anymore, Fox thought to himself. "No, Mufasa. It’s not a bird. It’s a machine. We build them so that we can fly." "It doesn’t… fly very well." Mufasa pointed out. "It falls nicely, though." A conciliatory remark that Mufasa realized offered little comfort. Fox looked back at him. He was right. It did fall, and hard. The gear was mangled horribly, and the engine was still leaking oil somewhere. He covered the aircraft with its tan tarpaulin after retrieving what he thought he needed from the interior: clothing, a blanket and a hygiene kit. He wasn’t very worried about anyone stealing the aircraft. Potential thieves would have to find out how to repair the landing gear. "If they can do that," he muttered to himself, "then they can have it." Mufasa and Fox talked at great length about their pasts. They talked at great length about Fate. Mufasa explained that Fate had been kind enough to make him king and it had been cruel enough to have nearly killed him the day before. "It’s crazy," Fox replied contemplatively. Mufasa looked at him questioningly. "Fate," he explained, looking up at the lion. "Absolutely mad." Mufasa’s brow clouded. "That’s an interesting way of looking at it," he mused. "Of course, I can’t say how Fate would feel about that remark." "If you could see the things that I’ve seen, you’d agree with me," Fox informed Mufasa as he relaxed against the tree. "And besides, I’m not worried about what Fate thinks." After a short pause, Mufasa’s glance prompted Fox to continue. "You know… I’ve always felt like I was one up on it. I felt like I could… y’know, take it on. Beat it at its own game." Mufasa smiled with amusement. "Fate? Don’t you think that’s a little presumptuous?" he asked. "It’s not a good bet to make and lose." Fox nodded. "Yeah, but things always seems to turn out my way." He searched for a convenient example. "Like when my plane crashed yesterday. Do you know what the chances of me crashing and living are?" Mufasa simply shook his head, assuming that the chances were probably very low. "Real bad. The way I see it," he said, pointing up at the sky, "either someone up there’s got a crush on me or I’m the luckiest guy in the world. Either way, things always seem to work out for the better for me." Fox had never voiced how he felt so clearly as he’d just done. It had taken a conversation with this lion – a lion! -- for him to understand his own philosophy. He did feel invincible to Fate. It was a like a high. He felt… immortal, almost. If he never had anything else in his life, he had that. He could beat Fate. Mufasa wondered if perhaps Fox was a charmed creature. There was something… unusual about him that he couldn’t place. It reminded him of something, but he wasn’t sure what. He stowed the thought for another time and the two continued their conversation while Mufasa recovered. * * * It was early in the day, but Sarabi had already been waiting too long. "Sarafina, where is he?" she asked worriedly. She paced back and forth on the plains below the Rock. "You should relax," Sarafina replied with mock annoyance as she basked in the sun’s warm rays. "He’ll be back. What he’s doing is important, Sarabi." "I know it’s important," she said, frustrated. "But he’s been gone too long. He should have been back days ago!" Sarabi had been waiting for Mufasa since he’d left nearly four days ago. They were going to be wed, but duty called, and a pack of rogue hyenas had needed his immediate attention. "As soon as I return, Sarabi," he’d said, "We will be married." Sarabi had been attached to Mufasa since they were cubs, and she’d been betrothed to him nearly two years ago. She’d thought that was the most miraculous day of her life. She’d only realized recently that the most miraculous day was yet to come. It was time for her to take a mate. She could feel the changes in her body as she moved from an adolescent cub to an adult lioness. She was in season, and the wait for Mufasa to return was agonizing. Sarafina knew what Sarabi was going through. She too could feel the changes, but she was younger than Sarabi, and she was not yet to the same point of maturity. She would be soon, though, she knew, and Mufasa, as king, would be responsible for tending all of the lionesses – an exhausting task. And Oh, how she wanted a cub… a daughter, gods willing! Fortunately for the new king, Ahadi had attended to almost all of the lionesses shortly before his death, and Sarabi and Sarafina were the last in line, so Mufasa would not be taxed to care for them. It was fortunate for Sarabi as well. She didn’t like the idea of sharing Mufasa with the pride. She loved the lionesses, but Mufasa was uniquely hers. She wanted him all to herself. She didn’t mind so much that he would be responsible for Sarafina’s cubs because the two were so close, but she was glad that that would be the extent of his efforts. "This is too much," she said, flopping onto the ground. "Where is he?" she complained again. Sarafina smiled. It was so bizarre for her to see Sarabi like this. She remembered back to when they were cubs. The two girls, at the time, were thoroughly unimpressed with boys. "They’re so goofy," Sarabi had said to her. "They don’t take anything seriously." She’d been referring to Mufasa, who’d always been in the habit of making trouble. She recalled the time the young prince had tried to scare off a pack of loitering hyenas, just as he was doing now. He was so much littler then, though. Mufasa had been convinced that the scavengers would run when they saw him - a lion and a prince! Instead, he’d found himself being chased into the canyon, where he cowered in a crevice for hours. Through careful inquisition, Sarabi and Sarafina had both found out what had happened, but Mufasa had made them promise not to tell anyone. With her cub-like capacity for secrets, Sarafina had told Ahadi, the king and Mufasa’s father, about the incident before the day was out, and the young prince had received a thrashing for it. Sarabi, on the other hand, would have never told. She was convinced that Mufasa was the bravest, noblest lion in the world – braver than even Ahadi. Now, Sarafina thought, they were to be mates. "It’s funny how things change, Sarabi," she said pensively. Sarabi glanced up at her, not understanding. "Hmmm?" Sarafina shook off her contemplative mood and turned to her friend. "I was just thinking about how Mufasa tried to chase out those hyenas when we were younger," she laughed. The recollection brought a smile to Sarabi’s face. "And you told on him, too! He got it bad for that." "Yeah," Sarafina smiled. "I wonder if he ever found out which one of us told," she mused. He had, Sarabi knew. She’d told him later that it was Sarafina, but she’d never mentioned this to her female friend. "Maybe we’ll ask him when he gets back," she said. "If he gets back," she added with frustration. "Sarafina, where is he?" * * * Had the waiting lioness known how close Mufasa was, she would have been surprised indeed. The lion had managed to get up on his feet in just a day and a half. The king and his human friend had been walking through the Pridelands for most of the day, and now they were minutes away from the Rock. Fox realized that this was the same Rock he’d seen from the air two days ago. Things are so much smaller from up there, he thought as he took in the giant plateau. "So this is your home?" Fox asked. "Yes," Mufasa replied. "This is Pride Rock," he said, indicating the giant formation ahead. "It’s my kingdom." For a moment, Fox was beyond words. This was what he had come to the plains for. He’d thought he had what he’d wanted when he’d watched the savanna fly beneath him from his Cessna like a giant magazine photograph. But it had been just that – a photograph. Now, he was here. He was in the picture, looking out, and it was so much more beautiful on the inside. "Why is it that I can talk to you?" he asked Mufasa, switching tracks. He’d avoided the question until now because he wasn’t sure he’d wanted to know. "I mean, I don’t normally talk to cats or dogs or mice or anything." Mufasa too was puzzled. "I don’t know," he replied honestly. "I’ve never heard of animals talking to humans. Personally, I thought that they just weren’t intelligent enough to communicate," Mufasa said. Fox winced slightly and Mufasa realized his mistake. "I realize your are, though," he added tactfully. "Thanks," Fox replied, not sure whether to take it as a compliment. Mufasa had thought about the human frequently in the last few days. It was as though he’d descended from the sky solely to rescue him. There had been a story he’d once heard that Fox had reminded him of. As a cub, he’d begged his father for stories about the Kings of the past and the legends of the Pridelands. He’d eaten them up, and every night for a long time, before he would even consider going to sleep, his father had to tell him such a tale… * * * "It’s time!" Mufasa cried to his father. "It’s time!" Ahadi looked down at his son and smiled. "What time is it, Mufasa?" he’d asked, just as he did every night. Mufasa frowned at him in response, just as he did every night. "You know!" he demanded. The cub capered to the entrance of the cave. "Taka!" he called out. "Come on! It’s time!" Taka, Mufasa’s younger brother, was playing below the Rock in the plains with Sarabi and Sarafina, two of the young lioness cubs at Pride Rock. "I’ve gotta’ go," he apologized suddenly. Taka, too, loved to hear his father’s stories of the past, and he wouldn’t miss them no matter what he was busy doing. "Come on!" Sarabi complained. "It isn’t that late! You can stay a little while longer, can’t you?" The four cubs spent almost all of their time together, and they had come to be close friends. "Nope," Taka said decisively. "Sorry. I’ve gotta’ go," he said, turning toward the Rock’s incline. "Yeah, Sarabi," Sarafina mocked. "He’s gotta’ go hear stupid stories." She didn’t really think they were stupid, but she was mad at him for leaving so early. Taka whirled around angrily. "They are not stupid!" he shouted. "Dad’s stories are the greatest!" He was telling the truth, too. Every story father had to tell was captivating. "You just don’t know cause you never get to hear any," he pouted. "Girls are so dumb sometimes." He turned back to head up the incline. Sarabi wasn’t tired, and she knew that if she went back to the cave, she’d have to go to bed. Ahadi always let Mufasa and Taka stay up later. She had an idea, though. "Maybe he’ll let us hear his story too!" she called after Taka, who was bounding up toward the Rock. "Maybe!" he shouted back, barely stopping on his way. "Come on! Hurry!" The two females followed Taka up to the cave. The three bounced into the cave. Taka saw that Mufasa was already curling up next to Ahadi in his usual story-time position. "Dad?" Taka asked his father. "Sarabi wants to hear the story too. Is it all right?" Ahadi glanced down at his son and smiled softly. He’d had always assumed that Sarabi was uninterested in the legends, but he certainly took no objection. "Of course, Sarabi," he replied kindly. Bravely, Sarabi spoke up next. "What about Sarafina?" she asked, stepping aside to reveal the cub to her father. The shy cub shivered under the gaze of the massive king. Sarafina wasn’t Ahadi’s child. She’d been found wandering orphaned near the Pridelands months ago. Normally, a king’s duty would be to kill such stragglers, but Ahadi thought that such practice was barbaric. Surprisingly, he was somewhat of a rebel as far as kings went, departing from some of the traditional methods of ruling. He’d always taught his cubs to respect life above all else, and he was not about to break his own rule because of tradition. He’d arranged for the cub to be ‘adopted’ into the Pride, and she’d come to normal sleep with the lionesses in their cave. "Your welcome here anytime, Sarafina," he said smiling. Sarafina let out a sigh of relief and made herself comfortable next to Sarabi. "What’s the story about tonight?" Mufasa begged eagerly. "Hyenas?" ventured a hopeful Taka, who always liked hearing about hyenas getting ripped up. "Magic?" asked Sarabi. Ahadi turned on the story telling charm that entranced his cubs every night. "No," he announced. "Tonight, I’ll tell you about the Guardian Prophesy." An awed silence fell over the cave. "The what?" Mufasa asked, blinking. He’d never heard of that before, but he thought it sounded neat. He thought everything his dad said was neat. Even having never heard it mentioned before, the young cubs were already enchanted. The four of them gazed at the father, their eyes growing wide. "When I was young, my father told me of an ancient legend – the Guardian Prophesy." He looked down at the cubs. He usually had to make up stories for them, as they wanted a new one every night, and he’d run out of things to tell them a long time ago. Earlier today, though, he’d remembered this story that his father had told him while talking with Rafiki, and he decided that tonight he would pass the legend on. "My father told me long ago about a promise made to us by the gods. They sent a gift from the heavens – a Guardian who would watch over our cubs and keep us safe." Taka had rolled onto his back, his attention full at his father as he began to purr. "Wow," he whispered. The other cubs marveled at the notion as well. "The Guardian fought to protect us from the evil spirits. They say that once, he fought the sun when it tried to descend to the Pridelands," Ahadi continued. "With all of his might, the Guardian captured the sun and threw it back into the sky." The enthralled cubs were speechless with amazement. "But…!" Ahadi, snapped suddenly. The cubs jumped in startled anticipation. "But what?" Sarabi begged. "But," he repeated. "Soon the sun became jealous of the Guardian and grew bitter. The sun stole the Guardian from the plains and imprisoned him, where he still waits today to be released by a brave young cub who is willing to fight the sun for his freedom." Ahadi took a deep breath as he finished the legend. He hadn’t realized how ludicrous the story sounded when he was younger, but as he retold it, he wondered how his father had ever gotten him to believe such nonsense. Observing the cubs, he quickly remembered precisely how. "That’s so cool!" Mufasa cried. "I’ll fight the sun and save the Guardian!" he announced proudly. "No," Taka screeched. "I’ll do it. I’m not afraid of the stupid sun!" Ahadi laughed to himself silently. He loved to see that spirit in his cubs. He looked over all of them, even Sarafina. He was a proud father. Taka had been contemplating the Guardian. "I’ll bet he’s a great big lion like you, huh dad?" he pointed out. Ahadi paused for a moment, recalling what his father had said when he’d asked that same question. "No, son," he explained. "The Guardian isn’t a lion like me. Legends say he was disguised by the heavens so that the sun wouldn’t be able to recognize him." "But then how did the sun recognize him?" Taka asked innocently. A very good question, Ahadi thought. "I suppose it didn’t work," he replied after a moment’s thought. As good an answer as any. "Well, what did he look like?" Sarafina asked. "No one knows, Sarafina," Ahadi replied with a grin. "No one has seen him since his capture. But it is prophesied that one day, when he escapes from the sun, he will return to watch over our cubs and protect them." "Well," Mufasa said with sudden concern. "Who watches over us now?" Ahadi’s deep laugh echoed through the cave. "I do," he said. "And Zazu does." Zazu was a recent addition to the regime. The young blue hornbill was given the task of caring for the cubs and keeping them out of trouble. A steward. A majordomo, if you will. "Zazu?" Taka repeated, his face twisted with confusion. "But he’s just a bird." "The Guardian can come in any form," Ahadi explained. "His strength doesn’t come from might. It comes from the gods, and the gods can do anything. Even the smallest bird can defeat the most powerful lion with the help of the gods. Remember that." The sun had disappeared entirely, he’d noticed. "You cubs need to sleep now," he said finally. Obediently, Sarafina exited the cave and headed for the lioness’ den. Sarabi curled up with her mother and was fast asleep. Taka and Mufasa went to their corner of the cave. "Wow," Mufasa said. "That’s so cool!" "Yeah," Taka said. "Maybe we can fight the sun and help the Guardian," he offered. "That would be real cool!" As father’s have a knack for doing, Ahadi overheard the ambitious pair. "Go to sleep," he said softly but firmly. The two cubs who’d been huddled together were startled by their father’s voice. They both laid down silently and thought about the Guardian. Maybe one day, Mufasa thought, I’ll be able to rescue the Guardian. * * * The story moved to the back of Mufasa’s mind. It was just that, he thought. A story. Fight the sun? he mused. He’d wanted so badly to fight the sun when he was a cub. He’d wanted to be the one who’d rescued the Guardian. He smiled inwardly at his cub-like naiveté. He wasn’t embarrassed, though. He wouldn’t have traded his young ambitions for anything in the world. That spirit was part of who he had become, and he was proud of who he had become. Fox had noticed that Mufasa was falling into a contemplative mood. He left the lion alone to think while they walked. He, too, wanted a chance to mull over what had happened in the last two days. Let’s see, he thought. I wrecked my plane. I have no idea where I am or where I’m going. I’m talking to a lion and I’m shooting at hyenas. He could never had in his most bizarre imaginations come up with a scenario like this one. Still, he was interested in seeing where it would lead. He had very little incentive to return to the city, especially since he’d been flying the aircraft without insurance, an expensive commodity that didn’t fit his nickel and dime budget. He wondered what the chances of laying low out here for a while were. He looked back at Mufasa; the lion was deep in thought. That query could wait until later, he decided. Ahead, Fox saw the base of the Rock. Out in front of it was a pair of lionesses? He’d assumed that they were lionesses because they had no manes. I hope they like company, he thought. Sarabi was laying on her back under the warm sun when motion caught her eye. Every time she saw movement on the horizon, she snapped hopefully to her feet to see what was out there. Repeatedly she’d been disappointed by a herd of zebra or some young cubs playing in the plains. This time, though, she saw a lion. A big, male lion. "Mufasa!" she shouted. "Sarafina, look! It’s Mufasa." There was something else though. It was… "A human?" Sarafina mouthed with profound disbelief. She looked at Sarabi, who returned her confused expression. What was a human doing in the Pridelands? What was he doing so close to Mufasa?? She jumped to her feet and shot out toward the pair. "Sarabi," Sarafina called out. "Wait!" She rose from her rock and followed the lioness out to the plains. "Look, Mufasa," Fox said, finally breaking the lion’s concentration. "A welcoming party. I guess you are well liked around here." An understatement, Mufasa thought, but he let it go. He was about to reply when realization set it. Mufasa looked up and saw Sarabi running madly at him. At him? No, he thought. At the human? "Behind me, Fox! Quickly!" The lioness was closing so rapidly that there was little time. As she hurtled toward the pair, Sarabi saw Mufasa’s limp, and realizing he was wounded, she immediately drew conclusions. She bore down on the human, charging as quickly as she could, determined to protect the wounded King. "Behind you?" Fox stopped looked down to the lion. "Oh," he said. "I see. It’s a ‘king’ thing. Okay. If you insist." Fox began to fall in line with Mufasa. Probably some ritual, he supposed. Always walk behind the king. Oh well. When in Rome… He glanced back up just in time to see a flash of golden-brown fur flying at him. The lioness hit him square in the chest and knocked him onto his back. She’d almost landed on top of him, which, he realized later, would have probably killed him. A powerful claw constricted his throat, strangulating him. His arms flailed violently as he tried to push his assailant off of him, but it did did nothing to stop the furious lioness. "Sarabi!" Mufasa cried, unable to intercept the lioness as a result of his bad leg. "Stop!" Fox was staring into the lioness’ face. Her expression of ferocity was unforgettable, but when Mufasa’s words reached her, she immediately backed off, moving from killer to observer in a fraction of a second. He gasped for air, his hands clutching his painfully sore neck. Sarabi turned toward the lion. "Mufasa," she said between heavy breaths. "What’s going on? Are you okay?" She asked with concern, examining his bandaged leg. "What has he done to you?" she cried, nursing him like an overprotective mother. "Calm down, Sarabi!" he commanded. He turned toward Fox. "Are you okay?" he asked with sincerity. Fox nodded his head, but Sarabi’s attention was still directed at Mufasa. "He can’t understand you," she informed him, a hint of question in her voice. "Humans don’t understand us." Mufasa corrected her. "Fox does, my love. I’ve spoken with him." He turned to Fox. "Go ahead," he coaxed. "Show her." Fox’s throat still ached, but he managed a few syllables. "What’d you do that for?" he rasped, staring wildly at Sarabi. Sarabi’s eyes grew wide. She’d always thought that humans couldn’t understand them or speak to them, but this one could do both apparently. "I…" she stammered. "You were…." She turned to Mufasa. "He can talk?" "And understand, too," Mufasa smiled. "Did you doubt me? He turned back to the human. "This is Fox. He’s my… friend." The lioness recoiled when she heard this. "Friend? Mufasa! He’s a human!" Mufasa nodded. "Sarabi, he saved my life. Twice." Sarabi looked at Fox, who was on his knees now. His hands were still wrapped firmly around his throat. He looked up and smiled weakly at her. "Mufasa," she started again, looking back at his wounded leg. "Are you going to be all right? Is it bad?" Mufasa pointed to the human again. "You should ask him. He tended my wound. He’s a mage." She looked back at Fox. Years of experience made her wary and cautious. She didn’t like humans. Nothing good had ever come of humans, she knew. Still, Mufasa wouldn’t lie to her, of that she was certain. If he said that the human had helped him, then she was obliged to return the favor. She moved over to Fox’s side, but he immediately recoiled away from her. "Wait," she called to him. "I won’t hurt you." Fox looked at her as though she were crazy. "Again," she added apologetically. "I won’t hurt you again." Still he shook his head vigorously. This time, it was Mufasa who spoke. "You can trust her, Fox. This is Sarabi. I told you about her. Remember? If you trust me, then you can trust her." The three were interrupted by yet another arrival. Sarafina, who’d been following Sarabi out to the pair had finally caught up. "Mufasa! Are you – whoa, that’s a human!" She stopped when she noticed Fox laying on the ground. "This is Fox," Mufasa informed the other lionesses. "He helped me… er… defeat the hyenas I was hunting, and he saved my life." He looked at the two lionesses. They were still in a state of deep confusion. "We’ll continue this at the Rock," he announced finally. "Are you okay?" he asked Fox again. Fox nodded his head but said nothing. Mufasa turned and began to limp toward the Rock. He realized as he walked that he was now in his kingdom. For as long as he could remember, he’d been Prince Mufasa, heir to the throne of Pride Rock. But now, he was king. The realization was fantastic. He felt majestic, returning from battle with his enemies, being escorted by his loyal subjects back to his throne. ‘You’ve come a long way,’ he said to himself. ‘Father would be proud of you.’ And he was. As Mufasa moved off toward the Rock, Sarabi ambled up behind Fox. "I’m sorry," she said. "I didn’t realize… I saw the wound and I thought that you…" she fumbled. "I’m fine," Fox said, rubbing his neck. He could speak normally again. "Look, Sarabi. Sarabi, is it?" he asked, trying to get the pronunciation down. "Sarabi," she repeated for him. "Yes?" "Look, Sarabi," he said, getting it right this time. "It might not be my place to say this, but you shouldn’t go killing guys on a whim. It’s just not right." The lioness looked at him again apologetically. "I know. I’m sorry." Fox was willing to forgive, he decided. After all, her reaction had been natural. Besides that, it would certainly do him no good to be on the wrong side of this lioness. She was only trying to protect her king, and she was quite capable of doing it, too. All the same, he thought, I’d better keep an eye on her. "Okay," he said to her. "Just don’t try to kill me again, deal?" he said smiling. Sarabi smiled back. "Deal," she said. "Follow me. I’ll take you to the Rock," she said. He did so, following her all the way to the base of the cliff where Mufasa was arguing with a blue-feathered bird. Sarabi entered the cave, but Fox remained outside, looking on curiously at Mufasa’s associate. "No, Zazu! He’s my friend. I won’t turn him away, and neither will you," Mufasa demanded. "Sire," he began adamantly. "Humans are loathsome! Thorns in the side of order! They don’t have any respect for us, and we shouldn’t have any for them!" Zazu turned and saw Fox approaching. "There you are! You," he snapped sternly, flapping over to Fox, putting the tip of his wing in the human’s face. "You can just turn around and leave! The kingdom doesn’t want you here!" Fox was taken aback by the sudden change in hospitality. "Zazu!" Mufasa cried. "He’s our guest!" He turned to Fox, who was obviously startled by the birds ill manner. "Don’t mind him, Fox. He’s just unsociable." "I really didn’t…" Fox began, but the hornbill cut him off. "Unsociable?!" he exclaimed in disbelief, turning toward the lion. "Mufasa, it’s a human! He’s nothing but trouble! Remember what your father said! He’ll bring the whole…" Zazu blinked. He looked back at Fox. "Did you say something?" "I tried to," said Fox. "Look, I really didn’t want to cause any trouble. I…" "Did you hear that?" Zazu asked Mufasa quickly. "Did you understand that? What he just said?" Mufasa nodded slowly at him. Zazu’s expression changed from disapproval to shock. "You… you…" he began at Fox. "Can talk?" Fox finished for him. "I know. Wild, isn’t it?" Zazu wasn’t letting him off the hook, though. "It’s sorcery, is what it is," he cried. "Mufasa, get rid of him quickly, for the sake of the kingdom. He’s a menace!" A menace? Fox thought. He was getting tired of the bird’s constant harassment. "Mufasa," he said. "Who’s the feather collection?" he asked, thumbing toward the bird. "Zazi? Zayuh? Zizzah? What was it?" He was mispronouncing intentionally now just to aggravate the bird. Zazu had never been so insulted in all of his life. "Zazu!" he demanded. "And ‘feather collection’?" he fumed. "Why you filthy… human! If I had half your strength, Mufasa, I’d tear this… this thing to pieces!" Mufasa was getting tired of the argument. "Please!" he yelled. Zazu and Fox were silent. He turned to Fox first. "Fox," he said. "This is Zazu. He’s my advisor and my very close friend." He turned to Zazu. "Zazu, this is Fox. He is the reason I’m not lying dead in the savanna right now, so please, show him respect." Zazu wasn’t happy with this. "But…" he began. "Zazu!" Mufasa cut him off. "Enough!" "Yes, sire," the bird responded curtly. He shot an angry glance at Fox, who returned the expression. They were like two little kids making faces at each other. Mufasa had other things on his mind. Sarabi had been anxiously awaiting his arrival for a reason. He knew that reason, and he was anxious too. "Fox," he said. "Make yourself at home here. I’ll have Sarafina show you around." Fox nodded. "Zazu," he said. "See to it that Sarabi and I have some privacy, will you?" he asked. "Yes, sire," Zazu said quickly. He knew what that meant, and he couldn’t help but let a tiny grin cross his beak. Mufasa noticed the gesture, but instead of reprimanding the hornbill, he merely echoed the tiny grin and then turned toward the cavern. Zazu flew to the top of the cave entrance where he would stand guard for his king. Mufasa turned and entered the cave. Fox began to follow, but Zazu stopped him short. "And where do you think you’re going?" he asked. "I…" Fox started. "Mufasa said he wants privacy," he declared. "I.E., no ‘you’." Then he muttered. "Feather collection indeed! Filthy human." Fox wasn’t sure why the king had wanted to be left alone, but he accepted it on face and descended from the Rock. He was interested in looking around. Mufasa had told him that a Sarafina would show him Pride Rock, but he had no idea who Sarafina was. He sat down at the base of the incline and waited. Minutes passed before a lioness came down the incline from the Rock smiling. He recognized her from the plains. When she reached him, she spoke. "You’re Fox." "Sarafina, I presume?" What a line! he thought. Just like in the movies. The lioness smiled warmly. "So you can talk…" Fox smiled shyly. "I suppose so." Sarafina looked at him with amazement and shook her head. Finally, she spoke. "You should forgive Zazu," she laughed. "He doesn’t like humans very much. They did some pretty awful things to Mufasa’s brother and Zazu’s never forgiven them for it." "And what about you?" Fox asked. "Do you not like humans very much?" The lioness shrugged her shoulders. "I don’t know any humans," she said. "None other than you. You don’t seem all that bad." Fox smiled. "That’s nice to hear," he said. Since his plane had crashed, he’d been threatened by a lion, attacked by a lioness and a pack of hyenas, and insulted by a blue hornbill, and all of this solely because he was a human. The residents don’t think very highly of your kind, he said to himself. "Well," he said to Sarafina. "Do you mind showing me around? I’d like to see what’s out here." The lioness smiled back. "Follow me." * * * Sarabi rested peacefully next to Mufasa after what had been an intense workout. She cuddled beside him, delighting in his delicate touch and warmth. She was finally where she’d wanted to be for so long. Something was troubling her, though. "Mufasa?" she asked. "Hmmm?" the lion replied, burying his nuzzle in the crook of her neck. "You said that Fox saved your life," she said, pausing. "Did he?" "Yes," he responded softly. "He did." He explained further. "The group I was hunting wounded me and then left to gather their pack and cubs to kill me. Fox arrived moments after they’d left. He wrapped this… bandage around my wound and protected me from the hyenas while I recovered." The more he thought about it, the more he thought about the Guardian Prophesy from so long ago. It was as though Fox had been sent to protect him. Sarabi wasn’t thinking about prophesies. She’d nearly lost her beloved Mufasa before they’d even had the chance to wed. She also felt guilty about attacking Fox. Sarabi was a ferocious enemy, but she was fair, and she didn’t like the idea of having attacked a friend. I’ll make it up to him, she decided. Later. She turned her attention back to Mufasa. "How long do you intend to keep him here?" she asked. Mufasa thought about this. "I’m not keeping him here," he said finally. "He can go whenever he wishes, but I suppose he can stay as long as he likes." He paused for a moment. "I’d prefer it if he did." "Mufasa," she replied. "Have you thought about the consequences of a human in the Pridelands? What’ll he eat? Where will he sleep? How will the lionesses respond to him?" "Sarabi," Mufasa said solemnly. "He saved my life. I owe him everything. I can’t turn him away because the lionesses are uncomfortable." Sarabi knew he was right. She always repaid her debts, and she knew Mufasa did as well. This debt, though, was enormous. There really was no way he could repay the human for his life. "So he stays?" she asked. "Yes," Mufasa replied. "He stays. He’ll sleep in the lioness’ den, and we’ll provide him food. You can handle that, can’t you, my love?" he asked, smiling. "Hmmm…" she said with mock concentration as nuzzled his cheek. "Maybe… if you don’t tire me out…" "Well, in that case," Mufasa said, smiling back. "He may have to go hungry for a while…" * * * News traveled quickly in the Pridelands, and soon, Pride Rock was buzzing with talk of the human. Zazu, for his part, was keeping quiet about what he knew. He didn’t like humans, but he hated rumors. "If they want to insult him," he declared aloud to himself, "they certainly can find enough true things to say about him without the help of gossip." The lionesses quickly found out about Fox as well. There was general discontent about a human in the Pridelands, but when they learned that he’d been responsible for saving Mufasa’s life, their opinion of him quickly changed. All of this occurred even before Sarafina had finished showing him the highlights of the Pride Lands. "It’s beautiful," Fox said in awe. "There’s nothing like this where I come from." Sarafina nodded. "I know. Isn’t it amazing?" Fox had been eager to explore this reservoir of plant and animal life, and now he knew why. The colors and sights and smells of the place were unlike anything he’d ever seen before in his life. He was staring down at the canyon that ran west from the Rock when he noticed a cub approaching him. He couldn’t tell whether it was a male or female, but whichever it was, it was moving cautiously, obviously uncomfortable with him. "Hey there!" he said, trying to sound as friendly as he could. The cub jumped as he spoke. He decided that it was probably a female from the lighter color coat and the apparent lack of any extra fur around the head and neck. She stared at him for a moment. "Are you…" she began bravely. "Are you a human?" she asked. "Yes," he replied. He had no idea how to announce himself diplomatically, so he’d opted for the direct approach. "What’s your name?" he asked. That’s always a good ice-breaker, he thought. "Kala," the young cub replied quickly. Fox could tell she was restless with him. She began to speak again. "Do you… eat cubs?" she asked, backing up, preparing to run. Fox laughed. So that’s why he was so mistrusted around here. Humans, he decided, probably bore the brunt of the most accusatory stories. "No," he said, still laughing. "No, I don’t eat cubs. Who told you that?" "Everybody knows that humans eat little cubs," she informed him indignantly. She trotted up to him though, walking in a complete circle around him. Fox tried to follow the cub with his head, but failed. She was a cute little thing, he thought. So innocent and friendly. "Are you sure you don’t eat cubs?" she asked again, stopping in front of him. Fox reached his hand down to her. She backed away a little, but stopped herself. She sniffed his hand. Suddenly, without thinking, he began to sing softly to the cub. "If I reach out to thee," he started. "Do not tremble and shriek from the touch of my hand on thy hair." The little cub looked at him strangely, but started to laugh. "It’s fur, silly!" "Let my fingers but speak, thou art warm and alive and no phantom to fade in the air!" his hand reached out and he hoisted the cub up into his arms. "Dulcinea!" he sang to her. "Dulcinea!" Kala was giggling uncontrollably now and made no effort to fight him. "I have sought thee, sung thee, dreamed thee, Dulcinea! Now I’ve found thee and the world shall know thy glory…" He smiled softly at her. "Dulcinea," he finished. Kala beamed back at him. "My name’s ‘Kala’!" she squealed with delight. "Whatever," Fox said. He didn’t mind making a fool out himself for this tiny creature. Kala sighed comfortably as she reclined in his arms. "The others said you would eat me if I got too close," she explained. She paused for a moment to think. "Y’know… if you don’t eat cubs, I bet you don’t cause all that lightning either, huh?" Lightning?! Fox thought. He wondered how many frightening phenomenon were blamed, for lack of a better explanation, on humans. "Nope," he said. "Look, Kala. You’re going to have to forget everything you know… or don’t know… about humans. I have a feeling that what you’ve heard about us isn’t very true." A troubled expression crossed his face. Kala cocked her head in curiosity. "Actually, a lot of it probably is true too." At that moment, a voice cried from the edge of the patch of trees. "Kala!" it rang out. "Oops," Kala said. "That’s my mom. I’ve gotta’ go!" She jumped down from his arms and ran off toward the voice. "Bye, human!" "Fox!" he called back after her. She stopped and looked back at him with a nod. "Bye, Fox!" Sarafina approached him from behind. "That was really sweet, what you did," she said. Fox turned around to face the lioness. "Well," he said. "I’d hate to think that all of these cubs are going to grow up hating humans as much as you guys did." Sarafina smiled. True, she thought. They had grown up hating humans. Ahadi had always told them that humans were destructive, and if they ever found one, they were to immediately call him so that he could kill it. "We didn’t hate you," she lied. "We’re just leery of what we don’t know." Fox didn’t pursue the matter. Something else was on his mind. "Forgive me for asking, but what do you eat around here?" Sarafina looked up at him, trying to decide what to tell him. "Do you eat meat?" she asked cautiously. "Or just plants and bugs." Bugs?! he thought with disgust. Who eats bugs? But then, this was the savanna, and there were probably animals out here that ate everything. "Meat," Fox replied quickly. Sarafina smiled. "Good. We hunt for our food, Fox," she explained. An idea occurred to her. "Do you hunt?" she asked. "Me?" he replied, off guard. "Uh… no. I don’t. Sorry," he apologized. "How do you eat, then?" she wondered aloud as they turned back toward the Rock. "It’s hard to explain," he said. "People hunt for me." That was basically what it boiled down to, so why were Sarafina’s eyes getting so wide? he asked himself. "Are you a… king?" she whispered in awe. Fox chuckled mentally at the notion. "No… why would you think that?" Sarafina’s disappointed was brief but evident. "Oh… we hunt for Mufasa." she replied. "I just thought…" So that’s how it was, he thought. "Well, things are a lot different where I’m from. Actually, most people don’t hunt. We buy our food with money." "Money?" Sarafina asked, confused. She’d never heard that word before. Fox didn’t want to explain macroeconomics to a lioness, and so he dismissed it. The two arrived at the Rock, and Mufasa was outside on what Fox assumed to be his ‘throne’. The ‘throne’ was a gigantic, distinguished rock that extended from the side of the king’s cave. The two approached the king and saw that Sarabi was by his side. "Fox," Mufasa welcomed the human. "So, how do we rate?" he asked with a smile. "I’ve never seen anything like it," Fox answered with a shrug. There was little else he could say to describe the place. It was so peaceful, so majestic. Mufasa was pleased with the review. "It is nice, isn’t it?" he responded humbly. He took a quick moment to appreciate the land that the gods had given him before shifting gears. He had news for Fox as soon as Zazu arrived, whom he’d called for minutes ago. Fox walked near the edge of the Rock, realizing for the first time that ‘towering’ barely began to describe the Rock. He would have to learn to get comfortable with heights if he intended to stay here for any length of time. The land out here had far more rocks and canyons than he’d ever thought possible, and he had always been uncomfortable with high places. That’s probably not a problem for cats though, he decided. "Too bad I’m not a cat." He moved away from the edge. Zazu arrived some moments later. He landed next to Mufasa and nodded to him, and then he saw Fox. "You again?!" he muttered. Mufasa gave him a stern look, which was well received. "Oh, all right," he complained. "What do you need, sire?" he asked politely. Fox stepped back to the gathering on the Rock. Zazu was still unhappy with him, he’d noticed. He was about to antagonize the bird when Mufasa spoke. "I’ve called you here," he announced proudly, "to declare my intention to wed Sarabi." He smiled down at the lioness, who smiled back. Zazu had known this was coming. Everybody had. The real decision had been made long ago before the two had even begun to think about such matters, but this was a matter of ceremony. A smile spread across the bird’s face as he looked back and forth between the pair that he’d watched out for through the years. "That’s wonderful, Sire! I shall make it known throughout Pride Rock that our king has chosen his queen!" "Please do that, Zazu," Mufasa said. The bird flapped away with elation. With his propensity to speak, Fox thought, it wouldn’t take long for Zazu to tell the entire world. He told Mufasa so. "You should lighten up on him, Fox," Mufasa said. "I’ve known him almost all of my life, and you’ll never meet a more loyal friend." "Gee," Fox said sarcastically. "I’ve never had a friend like him before." "Give him time," Mufasa urged. "He’ll warm up to you." Fox decided that Mufasa deserved the benefit of the doubt. He nodded and looked over at Sarabi, who was laying on the Rock. "Looks like I showed up just in time," he smirked. "So, when’s the wedding?" Mufasa raised a curious eyebrow. "That was it," he said simply. Fox thought about this for a moment. Apparently the Pride didn’t tend to stand on ceremony. He let out a slightly disappointed sigh. "Oh… I was hoping I’d be the best man," he said in a feeble attempt at humor. Although Mufasa clearly didn’t understand the concept of ‘best man’, he understood the feeble attempt at humor. "Don’t worry, Fox. You were the only man," Mufasa consoled with a chuckle. "I guess so," Fox said, shaking off his mock disappointment. "Well, ceremony or no, I’m real happy for you two. You make a great pair." "Thank you," Sarabi replied with a smile. She was becoming more and more comfortable with Fox every minute. While she was thinking about him, something else crossed her mind. "What do you need as far as food goes?" she asked, remembering her conversation with Mufasa earlier. "Hmmm? Oh, food," Fox replied, trying not to sound eager and failing. "Well, what have you got?" He didn’t like asking, but he was getting hungry and he had no means of feeding himself. "You name it," Sarabi prompted. Steak! Fox’s mind shouted. No, wait! They don’t have steak! Lobster! No, that won’t work either! Fox shook his head, trying to think of what they did have… nothing he really wanted, he decided. Finally, he smiled back. "I’m partial to zebra," he said wryly. Sarabi’s grin told him that she understood his sarcasm. He wasn’t partial to anything. After a moments thought, she spoke again. "Perhaps you’d like to join us in the hunt?" Sarabi ventured. Mufasa looked at Fox, who’s handgun, he knew, was still in the bag he was carrying. "Better not," he interrupted. "You stay here, Fox." Fox understood his concern. Mufasa didn’t want any magic… er firearms used for hunting. It wasn’t natural, he knew, and it made the king uncomfortable. Aside from that, he didn’t want to use what little ammunition he had left. Fox nodded in consent to Mufasa. "Sorry, Sarabi," he said smiling. "Dad says I can’t come out an’ play." "Okay, you two," Sarabi laughed. "I’ll be back as soon as I can." As she passed Mufasa, she whispered. "Maybe sooner." He smiled knowingly, but Fox hadn’t heard the comment. He was looking back over the plains below. Mufasa moved to the end of the Rock and sat next to him. Ahadi’s story popped back into his mind. "So you are the king," Fox said, gazing over the Pridelands. "That’s what they tell me," Mufasa replied. He looked up at Fox. "Have you ever heard of the Guardian Prophesy?" he asked suddenly. Fox hadn’t. "No," he said, looking down a moment later. "No, I haven’t. Why?" It was worth a shot, Mufasa thought. "I hadn’t thought so. It’s nothing. Just wondering." The two looked back out over the Pridelands. After a moment, Mufasa realized something. "You haven’t yet met Rafiki, have you?" "No, though you said something about him two days ago. He’s some sort of monkey, isn’t he?" Fox asked. "Oh, he’s so much more than that," Mufasa smirked. "Come with me." * * * Rafiki sat high in his tree, cross-legged and contemplative. He was roused from his meditation when he heard someone coming. "What is this?" he wondered, rising and walking over to the edge of the tree trunk. There, down below, he saw Mufasa and… a human? It had been a long time since Rafiki had seen a human, and he knew that they could be trouble. The mandrill had always subscribed to a non-judgmental philosophy regarding other creatures, though. He sized up the human. If Mufasa was allowing him to live, Rafiki thought, then he must be quite a remarkable individual indeed. He descended to meet the pair. "Rafiki," Mufasa said, approaching the mandrill as he moved down the tree. "There’s someone I’d like you to meet." "Yes, yes," Rafiki said, moving straight past the king up to the human. "This human," he said. "Yes, I know. So human," he said, squinting suspiciosly. "What is your name?" "Fox," Fox replied, squinting suspiciously back. A hearing human, Rafiki marveled, careful not to let his amazement show. This is certainly something new. The animals could normally understand what humans said, but humans couldn’t understand animals… usually. "Fox?!" Rafiki mused. "That’s not a human name. Humans have big long names that wind on forever like snakes! What is your real name, boy?" he asked, laughing as he usually did when asking such questions. Fox looked at him strangely. How did he know that? Fox asked himself. "My real name is Palafox," he muttered. "Palafox Aegisthus Sears." Mufasa did a double take and tried to stifle a snicker. Three names? Fox’s accusing glare forced his silence. "Ahhhh," Rafiki said, ignoring Mufasa’s reaction. "That is more like it! You humans need three names for just one creature. Crazy!" he laughed. Aegisthus? he wondered. "Yeah," Fox said, again shooting an annoyed look at Mufasa, who shrugged helplessly back. "That’s pretty crazy." It wasn’t crazy at all, Fox thought. Stupid little monkey. "What does it mean, boy?" Rafiki asked with actual interest. Fox dismissed the issue. "It means my parents did an awful lot of drinking and thought they were pretty funny." Rafiki shook his head. "No… the name tells us who you are. It tells us what you are." "Okay then," Fox spat. "I’m a Palafox. Any idea what that is?" Rafiki pursued the matter no more and shook his head. All of the names of nature’s children were given by the gods. They all carried special meaning for the creature. If the human was named by the gods, then his name carried the same special meaning… or maybe it was his parents’ fault. "So, Palafox Aegis--" Rafiki began. "Fox," Fox said with irritation. "Call me Fox." Rafiki smiled approvingly. "Yes. Fox. So… What are you doing here? You’re a long way from home." "Yes, well," Fox said. "My Cessna crashed and I—" he stopped. He was speaking to a monkey, he remembered. "Forget it. Your not going to understand it at all." "No, go on," Rafiki prompted him. Fox eyed him suspiciously. "Okay. You asked for it. I crashed here. I saw Mufasa’s wound and I used the morphine and bandage from my medical bag to help him, and then he brought me here," Fox finished. "There were some things in between, but that’s basically it." Rafiki smiled at him crazily. "That makes no sense at all!" he proclaimed, swinging his arms wildly. "See, I told you," he said shaking his head as Rafiki laughed crazily. "See? I told him," he offered to Mufasa, who shrugged and nodded helplessly. There was no way this monkey could have any idea what he was talking about. "Why would you go near a lion? It’s ridiculous! He could have eaten you in a single bite!" Fox offered a courtesy laugh and nothing more. "Yeah… pretty ridiculous." Who was this monkey? Fox asked himself. "You know an awful lot about humans for a monkey," he said. He couldn’t believe how bizarre that had sounded, but it didn’t make it any less true. "Ah, yes. Old Rafiki knows much of your kind," Rafiki said. "And you know very little of us. Why did you help Mufasa, Fox?" Fox pondered this for a moment. "I… felt… sorry for him, I guess," he said finally. "He was hurt, and I knew I could help him. So I did." Rafiki nodded. This human had compassion, too, he thought. Another rare trait for the breed. At this point, Mufasa interrupted. "Fox, could we have a moment alone?" Fox was glad to get away from the conversation. "Sure. Have a ball," he said, heading over to the mandrill’s tree. He pretended to look around at the scenery, but was careful to overhear what was being said. It was probably about him. Mufasa moved in closer. "Rafiki," he began. "I actually came here to ask you a question. It may sound kind of silly to you, though." Fox strained and could just barely make out what was being said. Rafiki turned to him and frowned. "No, young Mufasa. It is silly to not ask a question." Mufasa sat down. "Did my father ever tell you stories?" "Your father?" Rafiki asked. "Of course! He used to tell them all the time! That was your question?" he asked. "There’s nothing silly about that!" "No," Mufasa said, whispering now. "Did he ever tell you a story about something called the Guardian Prophesy?" Rafiki squinted his eyes as if trying to remember. He looked Mufasa squarely in the eye. "The Guardian Prophesy," he repeated. "Yes," Mufasa reiterated. "Please try to remember." "Hmmmmmmmmm…" Rafiki said. "Nope!" he cried finally. "Nothing about that!" Mufasa was visibly disappointed. Rafiki spoke out again. "But I told him stories of the Guardian Prophesy," he said, smiling. Mufasa’s tail twitched and his ears perked. "You?" he asked. "Father said that his dad told him." "Kings are not the only ones who know stories, young Mufasa. I told your grandfather the same story when he was young as well." "So you know about the Guardian?" Mufasa asked eagerly. "Yes, of course," Rafiki replied. "Rafiki, could he?" Mufasa pointed to Fox, who was observing the wildlife. "Could he be the Guardian?" A wide smile crossed Rafiki’s face. "Him?! The human?!" he laughed. "Does it look to you like he can fight the sun?" the mandrill laughed. Mufasa wasn’t quitting yet, though. "Rafiki, no one can fight the sun! That’s just cub-talk! Come on, now! He can speak to us and understand us. He saved me from a pack of hyenas, and he fell out of the sky. Does that sound like a coincidence to you?" Rafiki was unconvinced that a human could be the Guardian, although it would explain a few things. He grabbed a gourd from the tree and tossed it up in the air. It fell and cracked on the ground. "Look, Mufasa," he said. "Just because the gourd falls from the sky, it does not mean that it is sent from the heavens." Mufasa still wasn’t giving up. "Maybe so, Rafiki, but just because it’s a gourd doesn’t mean that is isn’t sent from the heavens." Rafiki blinked. Mufasa was right. A human could be the Guardian. It would certainly be consistent with the inconsistency of Fate. He stared down at the gourd, and then back at the Fox, and then finally to Mufasa. "I’ll think about it," he said. "Thank you, Rafiki." Mufasa wanted the truth about Fox. He was no ordinary human. There was something very different about him. Rafiki climbed back into his tree and disappeared in the branches high above. "Where’s he going?" Fox asked, noticing that the mandrill ascending his tree once again. "He’s a very busy baboon," Mufasa smiled. "Come on," he said. "The lionesses should be done with their hunt by now." Fox needed no second invitation. He was starving. The two walked back toward Pride Rock. Rafiki sat high in his tree, looking down at the human. It was true, there were some very strange things about him. Very strange indeed. He cracked another gourd open and laid it on the ground. Pouring a measured handful of dust into it, he began to meditate once again. * * * "Your favorite," Sarabi chimed from behind Fox as the Pride gathered to eat. Fox stared in disbelief. "A zebra?" he groaned. Sarabi obviously misunderstood his response. "Of course!" she sang as she moved in behind Mufasa. "Enjoy!" Forcing aside his squeamishness, Fox paid close attention to the feeding rituals of the Pride. He noticed that Mufasa was the first to feed. He assumed that the male would always be the first to eat. He had no idea where he was in the pecking order of food, and he didn’t want to impose, so he waited until everyone was finished. He approached the zebra carcass. There was still a lot of meat on the animal, but the thought of eating raw zebra made Fox’s stomach turn. He needed cooked meat… he needed a fire. After a quick look around, he saw tinder brush that he could use, and he gathered it together. He had enough matches in his emergency bag to last him a couple weeks, and he assumed that would be sufficient. Mufasa watched him curiously as he piled the wood. "A human ritual?" he asked Fox. "In a manner of speaking…" Fox said, running a match across the rough box surface. It ignited. "…Yes." Mufasa’s eyes widened in shock, but he remained calm. "Fox?" "Yes?" Fox replied, turning to his lion friend. "The… uh… stick, Fox," Mufasa stammered. "It’s… on fire." Fox realized that lions – and probably all of the animals in the Pridelands – were wary of fire. "Hey, don’t worry," he said smoothly. Mufasa shifted uncomfortably, trying to decide what to do. Fox could tell that he was still uneasy. "Trust me," he reassured the lion. "It’s under control." Mufasa recoiled at the assertion. Control? Mufasa wondered. Fox could control fire? He inquired about this, and Fox explained how to put out a blaze, demonstrating on a small part of his embers. Mufasa was thoroughly impressed. Controlling fire was surely something the Guardian would know how to do. The coal-preparing process took almost half an hour, and Fox was starving. He went over to the zebra carcass and pulled a large piece of meat from it. Impaling the raw zebra on a stick, he set it over the fire to let it cook. The lion looked on with infinite curiosity. "What now?" he asked. He’d never seen such practice before. "Humans don’t hunt their food," Fox explained. "We have it hunted for us and sent to us a long way to where we live." "But if the kill isn’t fresh, then you can’t eat it," Mufasa pointed out. "It rots." "Exactly," Fox said. "But, if you keep the meat very cold, it doesn’t rot. Only problem is, when you get it, you can’t eat it cold. So you heat it with fire." Mufasa shook his head, trying to comprehend. "Why don’t you just eat fresh meat?" Fox thought for a moment. "That’s just how it is. That’s how we live." He looked back at his meat, which was cooking nicely. A couple more minutes, he thought. "Mufasa," he said. "What’s the Guardian Prophesy?" Mufasa looked up quickly. He’d must have been listening in on his conversation with Rafiki, Mufasa decided. "I’m not sure, Fox. That’s why I asked Rafiki." Fox looked him seriously. "You said you thought I was the Guardian. You must know something about it," Fox said. "Level with me. If you’re gonna’ sacrifice me to a volcano or something, I wanna’ know." "Nothing like that," Mufasa chuckled. He didn’t like keeping secrets from his friends, and there was really no reason Fox couldn’t know. "It’s a legend that my father told me when I was a cub. It was about a Guardian who protected the gods’ children from danger. The story says that the sun captured the Guardian and imprisoned him. My father told me that one day, a brave young cub would rescue the Guardian from the sun, and then he would return to watch over us." Mufasa was slightly embarrassed at the story. "It sounds childish, I know," he admitted. Fox blinked. "That’s out there, pal." Mufasa winced, but retorted. "You freeze your dinner." "Touché," Fox replied, and it was time to eat. He pulled the meat out of the fire and sampled it. His It was by no means the best he’d ever tasted, but he was hungry and the food was edible. He swallowed some more. He thanked Mufasa for the food. "It’s the least we can do," he said. "I want you to know that you’re welcome to stay here as long as you like," he added. "The lionesses will feed you and you can sleep in their cave." Fox wondered why Mufasa wanted him to sleep in the lionesses cave. Sarabi arrived and suddenly he knew why. "It’s getting late, Mufasa," she said with a wicked smile. She turned to Fox. "Did you enjoy your-" she noticed the fire. "Mufasa?" she started with concern. "Don’t worry, my love," he cut in. "Fox can control the fire. He uses it to prepare his food." He leaned over and whispered in her ear. "It’s a human thing." Raising an eyebrow, she nodded understandingly. Fox decided to let the newlyweds be. "I’ll just head over to the lionesses cave now," he said. "Sleep well" Mufasa said. Fox extinguished his fire and turned toward the cave in the base of the plateau. "What a strange creature," Sarabi said after he was out of earshot. "Indeed," Mufasa replied. "He heats his food with fire." He fell into deep thought. "So, do you think it’s him?" he asked distantly. Sarabi knew what Mufasa meant. Recently he’d been pitching the possibility to a couple of his closest friends… Zazu, Rafiki, and now her. She didn’t know what to think. She didn’t care right now. There was only one thing that she wanted to think about… "Maybe," she said, rubbing her head under his chin provocatively. "It would explain why he can talk to us," Mufasa reasoned, paying little attention to his mate. "And it would also explain why he can control fire and why he fell from the sky." Sarabi made another attempt at capturing Mufasa’s attention, but to no avail. "I guess it would," she clipped, starting to get frustrated. Stowing her irritation, she softly nuzzled her mate, licking his cheek and lion-kissing his face. Mufasa was unfazed. "And then there’s the name," Mufasa continued. Sarabi had had enough. She stormed up in front of him as he spoke. "I wonder what Palafox means… or Aegisthus… or—" "—See if you can figure out what this means," Sarabi growled, swatting him with her paw. She turned abruptly and stomped back to the Rock. The blow had no force in it, but it was sufficient to startle Mufasa from his contemplation. A moment’s thought led him to realize what had just happened. "Oh…" he muttered. "Uh… Sarabi?" he called out weakly, trotting after her. She didn’t look back. "Sarabi?? My love?? I’m sorry…! Wait up!" Sarabi ascended the incline and entered the cave, and Mufasa was right behind her. As the king and queen disappeared from the plains, night set in and the Pridelands became still. Fox entered the lionesses cave, and there was a sudden pause. The females had been talking among themselves, presumably about him. He smiled weakly. "Mufasa said I should sleep here." After a short pause, a cub bounced up to him. He recognized it as young Kala. "You can sleep next to me!" she announced. "Will you sing me another song?" she asked suddenly. The lionesses looked up at him quizzically. He shifted uncomfortably. "Uh…" he said in embarrassment. "We’ll see. Maybe later." Sarafina stood up from the Pride and trotted up next to the human. "You’re welcome here, Fox. Please, come in," she said. The lionesses warmly added their approval. Fox edged his way in and moved to the back of the cave where he sat against the wall. He was uncomfortable being so out of place. The lionesses began to talk amongst themselves once again, although he heard nothing mentioned about him. Sarafina followed him to his niche. "So what do you think?" she asked. He was interrupted by Kala, who pounced onto his lap. He petted her head and continued. "It’s great," he said. "I thought I was seeing the whole story from up in the Cessna, but this," he said sincerely, gesturing to their surroundings. "This you can’t see from the sky. It’s incredible." Sarafina smiled. "I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. If you need anything," she said, "just ask me. We’re all glad to have you." "Thanks," Fox said, unsure of whether or not the lioness meant it. Sarafina moved back to the Pride. For the most part, she did mean it. The lionesses were intrigued by the human, and the news that he’d saved Mufasa’s life placed him high in their esteem. "I’m very glad you’re here, too," Kala’s little voice said from below. He looked down. She was a cute cub, he thought. He wondered which of the lionesses was her mother, but he didn’t ask. "Well… thank you, Kala," Fox said warmly. "I’m very glad to be here." What else do you say to little kids? he wondered. He wasn’t very good with children of any kind, and he was trying to muddle his way through. "So," he began, trying to generate a conversation. "What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?" he asked without thinking. Immediately, he kicked himself. That isn’t going to work! he thought. It did, though. Kala snickered. "I sleep here," she said. "But I usually stay outside. I don’t like it where it’s always dark. Sometimes, I go play at the water hole. It’s really neat there…" The young cub began to tell him about what she did all day. Fox was remarkably patient, surprising even himself. He listened to every word Kala said, and although he didn’t pay any close attention to every detail, he managed to respond in the necessary places with "That’s nice," and "Very good." He liked the little cub. She was more open minded than any of the animals he’d met so far. It takes someone so young and innocent to be so unprejudiced, he thought. Soon, the lionesses were laying down to sleep. He picked up the cub and set her down next to him. "You should go to bed now, Kala," he said. "Can I sleep here next to you?" she asked. Fox didn’t want to be in a position where he made any decision for fear of imposing. "You’d better go sleep with your mother," he said. The cub nodded and curled up next to one of the lionesses Fox hadn’t yet met. He stretched out on the hard rock floor. This will take some getting used to, he thought. Despite the floor, he fell asleep almost instantly, having had an active day. He woke up only once during the night – at what time he had no idea. He noticed that Kala had curled up next to him, though. He thought about waking her, but to do so would be to turn away the only friend he’d met so far that trusted him entirely. He smiled to himself and reached his arm out. Pulling the cub in close, he went back to sleep. * * * As time passed, Fox became more and more aware that he had no desire to leave Pride Rock. The lionesses were more than happy to feed and take care of him. Unbeknownst to the human, the lionesses were also growing fond of him, particularly Sarabi and Sarafina. He’d already saved Mufasa’s life, which they respected him a great deal for. Beyond that, though, he seemed to fit in very well with the Pride – like one of the lions. In the secrecy of sorority, the lionesses decided amongst themselves against Mufasa’s wishes to drop influential hints to Fox that he might want to stick around. Mufasa didn’t want to push him either way, and he’d made it clear to the Pride that he wanted the decision to be entirely up to Fox. Sarabi had made it clear afterwards that they were not to listen to Mufasa, and they’d happily decided to follow her lead on that particular matter. All of this occurred outside Fox’s realizations. He was too busy to think about it anyway. He’d begun to spend a lot of time with Kala, who always wanted to play. Frequently, she’d ask him to sing to her. "Again!" she begged. "Pleeeease?" Fox was always happy to oblige. He had become close friends with Mufasa and Sarabi, and he’d befriended the Pride as well, but he was more attached to Kala than any of them. He always loved to spend time with her, and he was never to busy to take her on walks or tell her stories about the human world. He realized that he was contributing nothing to the Pride, and that troubled him. It wouldn’t have, had he know how they felt, but he didn’t, and so it did. For now, though, he was happy. He’d even started getting along with Zazu. The turning point for him and the bird had been a territorial argument that Zazu had been mediating. Fox, who’d had nothing to do for the time being, followed the bird to his negotiation. Apparently, two groups of meerkats had been disputing over land. This was all very amusing to Fox, who’d never once in his creative thinking conceived of territorial mediations between animals. It was something you’d see only on Sesame Street, but here it was, happening. He felt like Gulliver, experiencing an amazing world of unbelievable things that no one would ever believe him about. The Lillyputians were going at it hard, too. Zazu had reached a reasonable agreement on both sides, dividing the land up to share equal resources. One of the two factions was unhappy. Claiming that they had nested in the area first, they demanded nothing less than three-quarters of the land, or what Fox perceived to be three-quarters. Zazu argued persistently that this was unacceptable, but the meerkats threatened to feud, which was precisely what Mufasa had told Zazu to prevent. It became obvious to Fox that Mufasa’s job was not only to rule the land, but to maintain order as well. In that respect, he was not unlike the human kings of Medieval Europe. Zazu, he noticed, was reaching wits end. He felt sorry for the bird, who he knew had worked feverishly for days trying to decide how to fairly divide the land. Fox decided to do everyone a favor. He reached down and grabbed the belligerent meerkat, careful to hold his thumb over its strong jaws. "Listen," he said seriously. "Zazu’s given you far more than you deserve, you little bastard. King Mufasa told me that he wants this issue resolved stat, and if it isn’t, then we get to hand the territory to whomever we like." His eyes narrowed to slits. "We don’t like you." The meerkat had no idea what a ‘bastard’ was, but given his position, he was inclined to agree that he was indeed a little one. Zazu was looking up at Fox with great concern. This wasn’t diplomatic at all. "Fox?" he asked anxiously. The human wasn’t finished though. "Not only that," he continued. "I’ll see to it that the King puts me personally in charge of all territorial mediation, and you’ll be lucky to find a swamp that I can’t kick you out of! Get it!?" He doubted whether Mufasa would put him in such a position, but he spoke with fake sincerity. He was overplaying his hand heavily, although the meerkat didn’t seem to notice. Instead, he nodded eagerly. Fox set him down next to Zazu again. The furry lemur spoke quietly. "The fifty—fifty arrangement is… satisfactory," he said quietly. Zazu smiled. "Very good," he said. "Then it’s settled. I don’t want to hear any more disturbances from you two," he said to the faction delegates. Once they were safely away from the disputed land, Zazu opened up on Fox. "Who do you think you are?!" he asked incredulously. "If Mufasa finds out about this, he’ll have my head! Where did you learn diplomacy, anyway?!" Fox defended himself adamantly. "You weren’t getting anywhere. I thought I’d try. It worked, didn’t it?" he asked innocently. Zazu’s angry expression slowly turned to one of amusement. "Yes," he said finally. "Yes, it did work." He thought for a moment as he eyed the human. "I won’t tell Mufasa if you won’t." "Deal," Fox returned, grinning. "Just the same, though, Fox?" Zazu began. "Yeah?" Fox replied. "Leave the negotiations up to me from now on, okay?" "Fair enough," Fox said. The two put their disagreements behind them and became fast friends after that. Fox stopped referring to him as ‘bird’ and ‘blue-thing’, and Zazu stopped calling him a ‘filthy human’. A definite start in the right direction. Roughly two weeks after he’d put in on, Fox removed Mufasa’s bandage from the wounded leg. He was unsure about how well the wound would heal, but he was pleasantly surprised. "Hold still!" Fox demanded as his survival knife sliced through the bandages. "I’m trying to!" Mufasa growled. "You’re jerking my leg around." Fox tried to be more careful. "If I cut you with this," he said, nodding to the knife, "the wound will be worse than when I put this thing on." Mufasa sat without moving as Fox worked as quickly as he could. "There!" the human said triumphantly, severing the last piece of the bandage. It fell away to reveal Mufasa’s leg. Some of the fur had died away from lack of oxygen, but Fox assured him that it would grow back. He was more interested in the wound itself. It seemed to have healed completely, Fox marveled. There wasn’t even a scar. "This looks really good," he said finally. "Should be business as usual for you now." Mufasa looked down at his leg. It felt normal. He’d been able to walk normally for a couple days, but Fox had insisted on keeping the bandages. He smiled. "Thank you again, Fox," he said. Fox grinned back. "My pleasure. It isn’t everyone who gets to play doctor for a king." Despite Fox’s deepest affection for Kala, he found that she had a maddening habit of seeking him out when she had ponderous questions. To make matters worse, Kala seemed to be an expert on asking questions that had no answers… deep questions… questions that kids should only ask their parents. "Fox?!" Kala cried out as she raced out through the plains. She’d been thinking all morning, and she had finally come up with a really good question – or in Fox’s case, a really bad one. Fox had been returning from the water hole when he heard Kala’s call. His first reaction was to shout back, but then he realized what she probably wanted. He darted to the nearest tree and made his best attempt to climb up into the concealing branches above. "I don’t know why you only have two eyes!" he muttered. "I don’t know why you’re a girl instead of a boy!" He reached the hidden branches of the tree and positioned himself so that he would be invisible from the ground. "I don’t know why Mufasa and Sarabi spend so much time in their cave…" Well, he did know that one, but he wasn’t going to tell her. "Fox?" Kala called out again. "Where are you?" Fox was resolute, though. He wasn’t coming out. Under no circumstances would he show himself. "Please come out!" she pleaded. No! Fox thought. Don’t beg! It won’t do you any good. Kala stopped and sat down, mewling dejectedly. "Please?" she whimpered. Fox cursed at himself. Be strong! You’re a man! You know what’s going to happen, he screamed in his mind. You know! "Don’t you like me anymore?" she cried, flattening her ears and slumping her head to the ground. It was too much for Fox to resist. For some inexplicable reason, Kala had managed to do what no other force in the universe could do… she could break his will in half without even trying. As if possessed by tiny little devil-cubs with huge, sweet blue eyes and light golden-brown fur, he slid down the tree and scooped up his little girl. "Of course I do," he said, rubbing her neck and scratching her head. Fox’s descent startled the cub, but she kept her composure, managing another tiny mewl as Fox picked her up. "Reeeeealy?" she asked with her best sad-cub face. "Absolutely," Fox replied with determination. He was coming to realize that while Mufasa was a master at fighting and the lionesses were masters at hunting, their natural ability paled in comparison with Kala’s knack for manipulating him. It was uncanny. Even worse, she knew it, and so usually got her way when she asked Fox. "Well… okay," she said finally, exceedingly proud of her performance. "I have a question." Like a faucet, the charm that was flowing from Kala was turned off, and Fox immediately came to his senses. He’d been had! Again! he realized. Played like a harp! Still, what could he do? With resignation, he let out a long sigh. "Okay, Kala. What’s your question?" He was sure he didn’t want to hear it. "Are you sure you want to hear it?" she asked. "Of course," Fox lied. He felt powerless to say no to those big blue eyes. Kala shifted uncomfortably a little bit it his arms. Fox wondered why, but he knew immediately when she spoke. "Does it hurt when you die?" she asked. Fox was taken completely off guard by the question. "Huh?" he answered. "You know… when you die. Like the antelope and zebras and stuff we eat." "I don’t know, Kala," Fox replied. For the first time ever, he wished he had an answer for her. "I’ve never died." Kala swatted him playfully. "I know that. But you know everything… I bet it does." Fox reached down and scratched under the cub’s neck. "You shouldn’t worry about that stuff," he said. "You’re too young to worry about that." Kala moved into more discomforting territory. "Am I gonna’ die?" she asked. "Er… well…" Fox stumbled. "Yes – but not for a real long time." He could tell that she was disappointed and even a little scared. He explained further. "It’s just part of life… like growing up. Everybody dies." "Even you?" she asked sadly. "Even me, kid," he said, rubbing her head. "But not for a real long time." He realized that Kala would be long dead by the time he died, as lions in the wild rarely lived beyond fifteen years. He didn’t like to think about that, though. Kala looked distressed over the revelation. "I don’t wanna’ die, Fox," she said. Fox’s heart ached for his little girl, but he could do nothing more than hold her. "Why don’t we go do something?" he asked. "Just you and me?" Kala shrugged a little. "Can we go to Paris?" she asked. A while ago, Fox had found a hidden alcove on the stream that fed the water hole. It was far out of the way of the plains and no one else ever went there, so Fox had decreed it their ‘special place’. They spent a lot of time there, and they never told anyone where they’d been. That’s why Paris was so special. ‘We’ll always have Paris’ Fox would say frequently with a laugh, and although she didn’t understand what that meant, she always laughed along. When Fox laughed, it made her laugh too. "Of course," he said kindly. "You know what I always say?" he asked as he carried her toward the stream. He didn’t even have to finish. A tiny smile broke out on the cub’s face, and Fox knew that everything was okay. Kala never mentioned dying again, and Fox never thought about it after that. In the weeks that followed, things ran smoothly. Fox helped Zazu with his daily rounds. He played with Kala and the other cubs. He always ate well – Sarabi had seen to that. He still cooked most of his food, which was still puzzling to the lioness, but she never mentioned it. One night, he’d felt particularly adventurous, and decided to try the meat raw. "Do it!" Kala had urged him. He didn’t want to disappoint his little friend, but he also didn’t really want to taste the uncooked meat. He tried to explain that humans needed to cook their food before they ate it, but Kala wasn’t taking excuses. "Come on!" she pushed. "Don’t be a sissy!" "Okay… Okay…" Fox said, immediately wishing he hadn’t. Kala brought him a large chunk of wildebeest. Among the things he’d had to eat out here, wildebeest was his favorite. It wasn’t steak or a hamburger, he thought, but it was better than everything else. He picked the meat up in his hands. It was still warm. "I can’t believe I’m about to do this," he groaned, but curiosity got the best of him, and he sampled a small piece. It was gummy, and the texture was terrible, but once he got past the initial distaste, he realized that in tight situations he could depend on such food. To Kala’s delight, he finished the meal that night without cooking. After that, though, he decided to only eat raw meat when he absolutely had to. He was proud of himself anyway. Sarabi would want to see this, he knew. He’d seen her stare with a puzzled expression at how he cooked his food, and he knew it struck her as odd. Since I tried the meat raw, maybe she’ll give my cooking a chance, he mused. Then he noticed that the lioness hadn’t come to eat that night. He looked around, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Kala?" he asked suddenly. "Where’s Sarabi?" Kala looked up from her dinner and glanced around. She thought for a moment. "Don’t know," she declared and went back to eating. Nobody knew, he’d found from asking around. They didn’t seem worried, so he assumed that this happened frequently. Still, he thought, I’d better go see what’s up. He ascended the incline to the Rock, where Mufasa was sitting outside of his cave, gazing over the land as he frequently did. Tonight, though, his solemn, pensive expression was replaced with a wide smile. "Mufasa?" Fox started. He didn’t want to interrupt the lion, but he thought it would be best. Mufasa turned to him. "Yes, Fox?" he replied kindly. "What can I do for you?" "It’s Sarabi," Fox said. "I haven’t seen her…" he thought for a moment. "All day, come to think of it," he finished. He’d expected Mufasa to be concerned, but instead, the king beamed at him. "Come here, Fox," he said, his voice full of pride. Fox followed Mufasa into the cave, where Sarabi was laying on the ground asleep. She looked just a little different, Fox thought. Ever so slightly, almost unnoticeably, she appeared to have gained a little weight. "What," he asked, confused. "Is she on a diet?" "No," Mufasa said, staring proudly at his mate. "She is with child." Fox was startled by this, but a huge smile found its way to his face. "Mufasa, you Casanova!" he laughed, punching the lion playfully on the shoulder. "That’s great!" Cubs, Fox grinned. His friend was going to be a father, and he was going to be a… well… kind of godfather. "So," he asked anxiously. "How long?" He knew that incubation for lionesses was about three months - a National Geographic Explorer fact – but he wanted to know for sure. "A while," Mufasa said. "Not until the rain season is over." A little less than three months, Fox thought to himself. He looked back at his friend. "Wow, Mufasa. This is heavy," he said. He was grinning uncontrollably. Mufasa, he knew, was going to make a good father. He envied the cub for the kind of care he would receive from the king. Fox himself had never been very close to his family, but he knew instinctively that Mufasa would be a family man… er lion. "Does she need anything?" Fox asked. "Food or something? I can bring her some food." Mufasa shook his head. "I’ve already taken care of that, he said. Of course he had, Fox thought. Mufasa would be hyper-attentive for the next three months. As it should be. "Well, does anyone know yet?" he asked. Mufasa shook his head again, and looked up at Fox. "No, not yet. Would you find Zazu for me?" he asked. Fox nodded and was off. * * * "With child!?" Zazu exclaimed in disbelief. "Why… why… I’ll have to tell the kingdom!" You always have to tell the kingdom, Fox didn’t say. Instead he smiled. "Go to it, Zazu!" The bird flapped away as quickly as he could. Mufasa had been right. Zazu was a loyal friend. He could tell how proud the bird was that his young Master was going to be a father. Zazu had watched him grow and helped raise him. Now, the cub would be like his grandchild. Fox began to wonder what Mufasa was like as a child. Probably pretty good as far as kids go, he decided. Fox thought about going along with Zazu, but realized that it was getting late and it would be dark soon. If he wanted to say goodnight to Kala he’d have to hurry back to the cave. As he entered the cave, he saw that the lionesses were putting their cubs to rest. Kala was pestering her mother, Mwanda. "But he said he’d be here!" she whined. "If I go to sleep, I’ll miss him!" Mwanda rolled her eyes and tried to console the cub. "When he gets here, I’ll wake you," she offered. "Go to sleep." Kala frowned and crumpled angrily to the ground, almost in tears. Fox slid up next to Mwanda. "Hey, cupcake," he said softly. Kala’s head snapped up from her sulking. "Fox!" she burst out. "I knew you’d come to say goodnight! See mom," she said, addressing her mother proudly. "I told you!" Mwanda smiled softly. "That’s right," she agreed. "You told me. Now go to sleep." Kala nodded happily. "Good night, mother," she said. "Good night, Fox." Fox bent down and kissed the cub on the forehead. "See ya’ tomorrow, kid," he whispered. The cub laid down comfortably this time, curling up into a tight ball. Her eyes snapped shut and she was asleep in moments. Mwanda sighed and looked up at Fox. "She’s really taken with you," she informed him. "You’re all she talks about now." Fox grinned proudly. "I’ve never been good with kids," he confessed. "But she makes it easy." The two sauntered back to the rest of the Pride and Fox sat down next to Sarafina. He’d become closer to the lionesses than with any other friends he’d ever had. It was like a clan that he’d been accepted into, and once you were a member, you were in for life. He wasn’t sure he would ever be a member, but despite this, there was never anything but hospitality from the Pride. The social scene consisted of constant grooming and bathing, but the only thing Fox was a part of was their evening conversations. Every night they’d sit around and talk about a variety of things. Usually the discussion would wander until they all decided to go to sleep. Tonight, the conversation was about him. "There he is," Sarafina laughed as she noticed Fox. "We’ve been talking about you." "Uh-oh," Fox groaned. "What have you been telling them?" The remark elicited a chuckle from the Pride, but Sarafina had a more serious question on her mind. It had been almost two moons – what Fox called months – since he had arrived, and she wasn’t sure what his plans were. She’d heard him talking with Mufasa about the possibility of staying, which she was excited about. Although he was a human and although humans were usually persona non grata, Sarafina had taken a deep liking to Fox. She knew that she would be sad to see him go, so she decided that it was finally time to do something. After their brief conversation while Fox was putting Kala to bed, she knew she had the consent of the Pride. "Do you have a family?" she asked, indirectly moving toward a point. Fox was taken by surprise at the question. "Well… yeah, I guess," he replied. He had a mother and a father. That was a family, wasn’t it? Sarafina tried to hide her disappointment. "So they probably miss you?" she asked. There was a slight hint of dejection in her voice, and immediately Fox understood. It hit him like a flash of lighting that maybe nobody minded that he was leeching off of the Pride’s kills. "No," he replied. "We were never very close." He knew they were likely wondering what his plans were for the future. He’d given some thought himself to what his next move was. He didn’t like the idea of leaving the Pride, but he didn’t feel like he belonged. Still, what did he have outside of the Pridelands? Sarafina carried on. "You weren’t happy at home?" she asked, angry with herself at how happy she was to hear it. Fox shook his head. "No… not at all," he answered, as much to himself as to Sarafina. He’d hated home, he remembered. He’d left with no intention of returning. But now that he’d been to Pride Rock, he knew he’d never be satisfied with routine flights over the Olduvai Gorge either. Not after he’d learned what was actually here. It was a bad situation indeed. "Why don’t you stay here?" Sarafina burst out suddenly. She tried to catch herself but was too late. She cringed and her head snapped around to the Pride. Until now, they’d been skirting the edge of disobeying Mufasa’s wishes by interfering in Fox’s decision, but she’d just stepped way over the line. She expected expressions of shock from her pridemates but was comforted to see their reassuring glances of approval. She turned back to Fox, whose face was unreadable. Fox wasn’t entirely convinced that it was a good idea for him to stay. "We should think about this some more," he responded slowly. Sarafina wasn’t surrendering. "What’s there to think about?" she asked. "Don’t you like it here?" Fox shrugged his shoulders. "It’s great," he answered, at a loss for better words. "I’ve never seen… anywhere like it." "…and you weren’t happy at home?" she continued. "No, I was miserable," Fox said. Miserable? Sarafina wondered. She decided that Fox needed to remember just how miserable home had been. But that would be taking advantage, wouldn’t it? Nah… She abandoned her attempt to be ethical and went for the kill. "Poor dear, it must have been awful," she cooed, grinning wildly in the back of her mind. "Why don’t we talk about it?" Fox shrugged his shoulders once again. Talk about it? "What’s there to say…?" {"THIS IS THE PLACE" cue. Introductory hat begins with shuffle beat} "Tell us everything," Sarafina prompted… "You want everything?" "Everything." "Okay…" {Fox says with a shrug. He steps to the entrance of the cave and leans cavalierly against the wall…} THIS IS THE PLACE (TAKE A LOOK AT THE PRIDELANDS) FOX: I USED TO LIVE IN CHICAGO I HAD A JOB AT CHATEAUS LOUSY PAY I HAD TO SPEND MY DAY SELLING WOMEN’S CLOTHES HATED LIFE TO THE FULLEST SO I SOLD OFF MY SHACK I GAVE MY BEST TO THE WEST (AND I) NEVER LOOKED BACK SARAFINA: {Approaches FOX, indicates outside the cave.} (BUT) TAKE A LOOK AT THE PRIDELANDS THE EARTH THAT HEAVEN ORDAINS (CAUSE IT’S) INCOMPLETE WITHOUT THE STARS OF THE SWEET SERENGETI PLAINS TAKE A SHOT WITH THE PRIDELANDS (AND) BRING YOUR BAGS JUST IN CASE IF YOU’VE GOTTA’ BE SOMEWHERE, THIS IS THE PLACE FOX: {In realization and slight disbelief} I’d forgotten how much I hated it… SARAFINA: {Spoken with a knowing smile} Awww… It wasn’t that bad, was it? FOX: People are so… dull… SARAFINA: {Deeply sarcastic} Gee… you can’t mean that! FOX: Yeah…? AN EXAMPLE TELEVISION WE LOVE (TO) THROW OUR LIVES AWAY WE JUST SIT AND STARE IT’S LIKE WE’RE WAITING THERE TO DIE IT’S THE GREATEST EXHIBITION OF A SAD AND PATHETIC WASTE SO I PACKED MY STUFF (I’VE) HAD (IT) THAT’S ENOUGH GOODBYE {On "Goodbye", FOX throws his hands up in disgust and turns away from the cave. SARAFINA moves immediately to his side and comforts him.} SARAFINA: NOW YOU’RE HERE IN THE PRIDELANDS THE EARTH THAT HEAVEN ORDAINS (CAUSE IT’S) INCOMPLETE WITHOUT THE STARS OF THE SWEET SERENGETI PLAINS FOX: {Considering} TAKE A CHANCE ON THE PRIDELANDS (NO) TELLIN’ WHAT I MIGHT FIND SARAFINA: {Leads FOX outside. PRIDE follows behind.} BUT TEN-TO-ONE IT’S MORE FUN (THAN) WHAT (YOU’RE) LEAVIN’ BEHIND IF YOU’RE LOOKIN’ FOR A REFUGE THEN YOU’VE REACHED THE RIGHT DOMICILE JUST TAKE A GLANCE ALTHOUGH YOU WON’T BELIEVE YOUR EYES IF YOU’RE SEARCHIN’ FOR NIRVANA AND YOU’VE (BEEN) AT IT FOR A WHILE THEN LOOK NO FURTHER, HERE’S WHAT I ADVISE DUO: TAKE A LOOK AT THE PRIDELANDS THE EARTH THAT HEAVEN ORDAINS (CAUSE IT’S) INCOMPLETE WITHOUT THE STARS OF THE SWEET SERENGETI PLAINS SARAFINA: (YOU) COULD STAY HERE IN THE PRIDELANDS FOX: {Shrugs with acceptance and smiles.} I’VE ALWAYS WANTED MORE SPACE SARAFINA: WHAT DO YOU SEE ALL AROUND YOU? THIS IS YOUR PLACE PRIDE+DUO: {PRIDE gathers around DUO} TAKE A LOOK AT THE PRIDELANDS THE EARTH THAT HEAVEN ORDAINS (CAUSE IT’S) INCOMPLETE WITHOUT THE STARS OF THE SWEET SERENGETI PLAINS TAKE YOUR CHANCE ON THE PRIDELANDS AND BRING YOUR BAGS JUST IN CASE SARAFINA: (CAUSE) IF YOU’VE GOTTA’ BE SOMEWHERE, THIS IS THE PLACE FOX: {With decision.} IF I’VE GOTTA’ BE SOMEWHERE, THIS IS THE PLACE ALL: IF YOU’VE GOTTA’ BE SOMEWHERE, THIS IS THE PLACE {End "THIS IS THE PLACE"} * * * Like real-estate, the weather in the afternoon Serengeti was all a matter of location. It could be the most comfortably cool climate or the most blistering inferno. Fox knew where to be at the right time though, and this afternoon he was napping in the shade of a tree by the water hole. His slumber was disturbed by the sound of something moving nearby. His eyes snapped open and he saw Rafiki standing before him. Great, he thought. The wacky little monkey. It was as though Rafiki could read his mind. "Why do you think I’m crazy, Fox?" he asked. There! Fox thought, rubbing his sleepy eyes. That’s why! The mandrill could read him like a book. Nobody had ever been able to read Fox so well. He’d kept his emotions and opinions to himself, and no one ever got a look inside. Now this… this monkey could see right through him as though he were transparent. "I don’t think you’re crazy," he lied. Damn! He knows I’m lying Fox thought. Rafiki knew indeed. "Yes you do, young one," he said. "That’s okay. Everybody thinks that Rafiki is a little crazy." Fox could understand this. He nodded his head. "Is there something I can do for you?" he asked uncomfortably. He didn’t like being around the mandrill, and the sooner he left, the better. Rafiki stared back at him. "Nope!" he laughed. "Rafiki will always be crazy!" Fox smiled insincerely. "Yes, well…" he said. "Good for you." Rafiki stopped laughing. "The question is not what you can do for me, young Fox," he said. "The question is what I can do for you!" Rafiki pointed his walking stick in Fox’s face. Fox brushed it aside. "I don’t need help. I’m fine," he said, annoyed. "No," Rafiki answered. "You’re Fox!" He began to laugh again. "Right," Fox said. This was getting old. "I’m Fox." Rafiki put his stick back in Fox’s face. "Are you sure?" he asked cryptically. Fox was reaching the limit of his patience. "Yes! I’m sure! I’ve been me for twenty years and I’m very sure I know who I am!" "Not Palafox?" he asked. "No," Fox growled back. "Fox." "Not Aegisthus?" "No!" "Okay," Rafiki reasoned without wavering in the slightest. "Tell me who you are, then." Fox looked at him incredulously. "I’m Fox. I already told you that, or are you crazy and stupid?" Rafiki shook his head. "No, boy. Rafiki didn’t ask what your name was, he asked you who you are!" Fox thought for a moment. "I’m just a guy. Leave me alone!" "No!" Rafiki cried again. "’Just a guy’ doesn’t talk to animals. Who are you?" he demanded louder. "What do you mean, who am I?!" Fox retorted. "Who are you?" he said, pointing his finger down at the monkey. Rafiki nodded. Fair enough. "I am Rafiki… it means I am the ‘friend’. I am a friend to everyone in the Pridelands. And I help them…" Like I’m helping you, he didn’t add. Fox wasn’t playing that game. "I didn’t ask what you did!" he smirked. "I asked who you are!" Rafiki smiled back. "What I do is who I am, young one." That was enough for now, he decided. I’ll let him think about this for a while. In his usually curt manner, he turned around. "Bye!" The mandrill ran off leaving Fox alone in the woods. Fox didn’t try to stop him, though. He was thinking about what the monkey just said. It aggravated him that Rafiki seemed to think that a name could determine your destiny. Palafox? That didn’t mean anything. Aegisthus? Unless he was destined to court the legendary Clytemnestra, that didn’t mean anything either. He’d always thought his name had meant something, but there was no telling what. Why couldn’t it be something easy? Something like ‘Rafiki’. Then he’d at least have something. But ‘Rafiki’ was Swahili, wasn’t it? The meaning of his name would be rooted in his own language, not the language of Africa, right? Even though he’d decided to stay here in the Pridelands, he didn’t have any goals in life. He had no purpose… no destiny. He slumped down on the bank and began to toss pebbles into the water. "I don’t know," he admitted aloud. He tried to convince himself that it didn’t matter, but it did. "I don’t know who I am." * * * The tip of the sun ascended over the horizon of Pride Rock, and Kala, as usual, was there to greet it. She sat at the entrance of the lionesses cave, staring out over the land. The cub was always excited when a new day was coming. Often, she’d wake up just before sunrise and sit outside, waiting to see nothing more than this. Sometimes, she’d get worried that the sun wouldn’t come up that day. She’d been watching for a long time, though, and she’d never once been disappointed. Today wasn’t just any day, she knew. Today was the day of the Games. Like every society, the Pride had traditional communal events that everyone looked forward to. The Games were an excuse for everyone to take the day off. It was nothing new to Kala; she had every day off. But today was special because all of the lionesses and even Mufasa would come to play today. It would start after the morning hunt. Everyone would eat their fill, and then a nap was in order. After the short rest, though, play would commence. The lionesses would spar, honing their combat skills and teaching their cubs the tricks of the trade. There would be races – Kala always loved to watch races. The whole Pride would play enormous games of tag, and although the cubs never fared well against their faster and more agile mothers, they always had fun trying. Then there was one more factor… This would be the first time they’d ever had the Games with a human playing. Fox, she knew, wasn’t much of a games person, but she’d work her charm on him and he’d be racing in no time. After all, he’d decided a while ago that he intended to stay with the Pride indefinitely, so he had to start learning their customs. She had the ability, she’d noticed, to bat her eyes enough and ask sweetly enough to get anything out of the human. Unfortunately, he could do the same thing to her when he tried. She wouldn’t give him the chance though, she thought, smiling maliciously. Reentering the cave, she tip-toed to the back where the human was asleep on the floor. She looked at him for a moment. He was so… different from everyone else. Still, he was as friendly as all of the lionesses and he was always nice to her. She smiled as she trotted up to the human. Nudging him with her head, she tried to wake him up quietly. It didn’t work. Fox murmured something and brushed her muzzle aside as he rolled over. Undaunted, she tried to tickle his nose with the tip of her tail. This failed as well, as Fox brushed the tail aside and buried his face in his arms. "Hrmph," Kala grunted, sitting down. Fine, she thought, bending her head down next to his ear. If you won’t wake up quietly… "Fox!" she said sharply. Fox sprang up from his bed, hitting his head on an outcropping from the side of the cave. "Ow! Damn it!" he cursed. Then he saw Kala. Immediately, he bit his tongue, stifling all of the descriptive words he’d been thinking of into angry ramblings. "Mrrr… Grd drmnn et! Snnn ahvvar brrrch…!" he muttered. Kala smiled brightly at him. "Good morning!" she whispered cheerily. Fox looked down at her grumpily. His unhappy expression only prompted the young lioness to smile even wider. "Sun’s up! Come on!" She turned and darted out of the cave silently. Fox thought very seriously about going back to sleep. The ringing in his ears and the throbbing of his head argued persuasively for him to do just that. Against all better judgment, he crawled out from under his warm blanket and made his way on all fours to the cave exit. There, Kala was waiting. "Give me one good reason I shouldn’t tie you to a tree and leave you there for passing leopards," he growled. The little lioness was beaming at him. "Cause I’m your little girl," she cooed. To add weight to her response, she rubbed her head up against his arm. Fox’s head still hurt, so he wasn’t letting go. "Oh… yeah… you’re right," he said with a sigh. "I can’t tie you to a tree… but…" he continued, grabbing the cub with both hands and pinning her to him with his arms as he stood up. "…I will have my revenge!" he taunted, laughing maniacally as carried her toward the water hole. Kala fought wildly to break his grip, but nothing she did got her loose. "Wait…!" she cried out as the two reached the water. Too late. "Good morning, Kala!" Fox chirped as he dropped the cub into the cold pond. Sputtering, she charged out of the chilly water. She shot an angry expression up at her human friend. "What’d ya’ do that for?" she growled through chattering teeth. "All’s fair in love and war," Fox laughed. His head still hurt like hell, but he was enjoying himself too much to notice. "Would you like me to dry you off?" he asked after a moment. Shivering, the cub nodded without looking up. Fox heaved the soaked cub into his arms and carried her back to the lioness’ cave where he retrieved his towel and dried off Kala. After a moment, she was back to her usual self. "Fox," she said, batting her eyes just enough. "Uh-oh," Fox groaned. "You must want something… You only do that when you want something." Kala nodded. "Will you play with us in the Games today?" she asked sweetly. Fox’s eyebrows clouded. Games? He hadn’t heard anything about… "Oh," he said in realization. He remembered the lionesses saying something about playing games, but he hadn’t been very interested. "What kind of games?" "All kinds!" Kala chimed. "It’s lots of fun! Will you play with us?" she asked again. "Pleeeeeease?!" She pulled out all the stops, smiling so widely that Fox could see almost all of her teeth. How bad could it be? he wondered, patting the cub’s head. "Sure," he said. "I’ll play with you guys." He was a young, fit human, right? He could hold his own, right?. Why not? "Okay, what do I do…" * * * "…now?" Fox groaned to himself as Sarafina pinned him to the ground with a painful thud. His whole body ached – as it should after hitting the ground for what seemed to be the millionth time. After a moment – what would normally be the time it took to make a kill —the lioness backed away, letting Fox sit up. "Okay, that’s enough for me," he said, holding his hands up. He’d thought he was fortunate to end up sparring with Sarafina, whom he was convinced would play nicely. He’d been wrong, and now he was feeling it. Sarafina only smiled at him. "Oh, come on," she pressed, nudging him with her nose. "You’re getting much better!" Fox rolled his eyes. "I’m a punching bag with legs, Sarafina. Humans don’t do a lot of hand to hand fighting. Not with lionesses anyway…" Sarafina shrugged her shoulders. "Give it one more try," she said. "For me? I’ll go easy on you. Come on…" Fox looked around, catching his breath. Evening was on its way. It had been a long day for the whole pride. The Games were still going on, but some of the lionesses were taking extended breaks. Fox wanted to take an extended break too. Maybe one that lasted until tomorrow evening. He looked up at Sarafina, who was smiling hopefully. "How about it?" she asked. "Okay," Fox said, wishing he hadn’t. "One more time. I think I let you talk me into things too much." He rolled over and pushed himself to his knees. Something big and furry filled his field of view. Despair swept over him as he looked up and saw Mufasa standing inches away. The lion had a playfully evil look in his eyes. "May I," he asked Sarafina with gentlemen’s politeness. Fox didn’t turn around, but he could see the lioness nodding happily and backing away in his mind’s eye. He would get her later for it. "This is hardly fair," Fox muttered. Mufasa only beamed back at him. "Come on, Fox," he laughed. "You know I’ll be gentle with you." Fox was unconvinced. "So that means you’ll just snap my arms off instead of using me to sharpen your claws?" Mufasa continued to smile. "Oh, I don’t know if I’ll be that gentle." Fox rose to his feet. Peripherally he saw the other lionesses gathering around. Apparently, Mufasa didn’t play very often, and everyone wanted to watch. Fox was unnerved by the audience. "This isn’t humiliating enough?" he spat under his breath. "We need a crowd?" Mufasa backed away a little bit, crouching down into his attack position. He honestly didn’t want a crowd either. He didn’t want to humiliate Fox – he just wanted to get a look at his fighting style. He’d never seen humans fight before, and he was curious. Fox’s arms fell to his side. He bent his knees slightly, trying to decide what would be the most painless position to be slapped to the ground. Like lightning, Mufasa pounced. The beast hit him squarely in the chest, but he’d been expecting the blow. Ducking his legs under him, Fox hit the ground on his back and kicked forward with all of his might. Mufasa’s momentum carried him over Fox and onto the ground behind him. The human rolled back over and was on his feet. Mufasa’s expression told the crowd that he was surprised by the manuever. It wasn’t something that lions ever did, although it had worked quite nicely. Mentally, he noted how Fox had done it and stored it for later use. He landed on his side but was back to his feet in a fraction of a second. He smiled at Fox, who smirked back. "Here, kitty kitty…" Fox taunted. This time, Mufasa didn’t pounce. Instead he charged. Again Fox evaded him, sidestepping at the last split second and leaping onto Mufasa’s back. Mufasa’s strength was more than enough to carry the human, but the unexpected weight and the awkward angle toppled him to the ground. Fox reached his arms out, trying to get a hold of the lion’s neck. Mufasa wasn’t giving any points away, and a quick tuck and roll placed him safely out of reach. Immediately, he charged back in, using his massive paws to pin Fox’s shoulders to the ground with blinding speed. Both of them paused to catch their breath. "Good show," Mufasa panted with sincerity. "Yeah… yeah…" Fox growled. "I can’t feel my arms. If you don’t mind…" he said, nodding to Mufasa’s constricting paws. "My pleasure," Mufasa replied quickly, shifting his weight to his back legs and stepping to the side of the human. "That really was impressive." The lionesses had thought so too. There wasn’t one of them that didn’t know that Mufasa would take Fox down eventually – there wasn’t an animal they could conceive of better equipped for battle than a full-grown lion – but they hadn’t expected it to take so long. Individually, they congratulated the human as he lay there, unmoving. Sarafina was last in line. "If you’d fought like that with me, you’d have probably won," she said as she stood over him looking down into his face. "You will pay," was all Fox said. Sarafina chuckled a little bit and then joined the rest of the Pride. Mufasa laughed lightly and sat down next to Fox. The human didn’t move at all. "I think I’ll just lay here for a few days if that’s all right," he droned. "Come on," Mufasa said, nudging his friend. "I’ll help you to the cave. You’ve had a long day." Fox reached up slowly and grabbed onto Mufasa, lifting himself to his knees. With the lion as an escort and crutch, he somehow managed to stagger back to the lioness’ cave and crawled into the corner. When Fox had finally crawled into his make-shift bed, Mufasa spoke. "You shouldn’t be embarrassed," he said kindly. "I’ve spent most of my life learning how to fight. Considering the disadvantage of your size, you did remarkably well… amazingly well." Fox nodded graciously. "I’m sure my muscles will agree with you tomorrow," he said sarcastically. "I might not be up very early." Mufasa understood. "That’s okay," he laughed. He was worn from the day’s activities as well. "I won’t be either. Good evening, Fox," Mufasa said, turning toward the cave exit. "’Night," Fox replied, resting his head back on his improvised pillow. Kala came bursting in moments later. "You’re going to bed already?" she asked. Fox groaned back, already drifting away. Silently conceding the point, Kala snuggled up next to him. "Thanks for playing with us today, Fox." "My pleasure, cupcake," Fox murmured. His eyes slid open slightly. "Kala?" he asked. "Hmmm?" she replied, getting comfortable. "Please don’t wake me up tomorrow. Whatever it is, the answer’s ‘no’." Kala grinned. "Okay," she replied. That was fine. Tomorrow was just another day. Today had been very important, though, and Fox had helped make it important. She closed her eyes and drifted to sleep, resting safely next to her best friend. * * * Sometimes, contrary to all logic or justice, bad things happen to the best of people – or in this case, the best of cubs. As if to deny the power of a benevolent god, entropy takes hold and brings forth acts of random treachery. Fate, it would seem, as Fox often pointed out, must be mad. Fox whistled as he strolled back to the lioness’ cave from the water hole. The cool, refreshing water always took the grogginess out of him and left him ready for the day. It was unusual that Kala hadn’t met him there, though. Normally, the cub would be looking for him as soon as she woke up, and she knew that that’s where she’d find him. Fox didn’t think much about it at all until he got back to the cave and saw Mwanda, Kala’s mother, pacing outside. "Mwanda?" Fox asked, slightly concerned as he approached her. "Why aren’t you hunting with the Pride?" The lioness was part of the usual hunting party, and he’d never seen her stay behind before. Mwanda’s head shot up when she heard Fox. "Come here," she said quickly. The lioness turned and entered the cave. Fox followed, not knowing what to expect. What he found was Kala, lying drearily in the corner. Mwanda was hovering over her, kissing her on the cheek and promising her that everything was going to be all right. Fox began to worry. Why shouldn’t everything be all right? "What’s wrong?" he asked the little cub, kneeling beside her. "Don’t you want to come out and play?" Kala looked up at him through tired eyes. She shook her head but said nothing. Fox laid his hand down on her forehead. "What’s the matter?" he asked softly, hiding his concern. He couldn’t remember Kala ever wanting to stay inside the cave all day. She hated the dampness and darkness of the cavern. She’d even said so on many occasions before. "I don’t feel good," she whispered. Mwanda looked up worriedly. "What’s wrong?" the mother asked. "Is she sick? Will she be okay?" Fox noticed that the cub’s head was warm and her eyes were dry. "Are you thirsty?" he asked. "Do you want a drink?" Kala nodded but made no effort to get to her feet. Fox lifted her up in his arms. He turned to Mwanda and spoke quietly but deliberately. "I think there’s something wrong, but I don’t know what. I’ll take her to the water hole. Find Rafiki and tell him where we are, okay?" Mwanda nodded eagerly and ran out of the cave. Fox looked down at his friend. "Where does it hurt?" he asked. Kala rubbed her head with her paw as she stared sadly up at Fox. "Is that all?" he asked. She thought for a minute and then tapped her stomach. "An’ my back too," she added weakly. Fox didn’t know what was wrong. He couldn’t diagnose the common cold, much less whatever kind of illnesses lions had to deal with. Rafiki would know, though. He carried Kala out toward the water hole gently, careful not to jostle the tiny lioness. "Well, we’ll have you fixed up soon," he said reassuringly. Kala didn’t look reassured. She closed her eyes when the two got outside and dozed for most of the trip. When Fox reached the water hole, he roused her and set her down on the bank. Without a word, she began to gulp down water. "Not so fast, Kala," Fox told her, who didn’t seem to hear him. He sat down on the bank to wait for Rafiki. Fox hadn’t been paying attention to Kala, who was quickly growing nauseous on her feet. He didn’t even notice until she began to stagger back and forth. He tried to grab her, but she fell on her side and began to heave. "Kala!" he cried as he rushed to her side. She was convulsing rapidly, but he could do little more than comfort her as she retched in the grass by the bank. He knew then that something was terribly wrong. This was no cold – Kala was seriously ill. He stopped feeling sorry for her and became deeply concerned. When the convulsions finally stopped, he scooped her up and held her tightly. "Just hang on, Kala. Rafiki’s coming. He’ll fix everything." He wasn’t sure Rafiki could fix everything, though. Kala’s eyes rolled back as she dozed off to sleep again. "Rafiki?" Fox called out toward the plains loudly. Maybe he doesn’t know where we are! he thought frantically. Maybe Mwanda couldn’t find him! "Rafiki?!" he called out again. This time, there was a response. "Fox?" a voice called back from the plains. Fox recognized the mandrill’s accented call immediately. "Over here!" he called back. "Hurry!" Rafiki came tumbling through one of the bushes with Mwanda following close behind. Fox set Kala down in front of the mage. "She’s real bad…" he said. Mwanda circled around the pair and stuck her head in over Kala. "Please, Rafiki," she begged. "Do something!" Rafiki tried to brush Mwanda away from the sick cub, but she wouldn’t budge. "Fox," he said, indicating the lioness. Fox nodded understandingly. He gently pulled Mwanda back. "Come on," he said softly. "Let’s leave him alone with her." Mwanda hesitated momentarily, staring down at her daughter, but eventually let Fox lead her back out to the plains. When the pair had made it away from the water hole, Mwanda slumped over and began to cry. "Kala! My little Kala!" She stared desperately at Fox. "She has to be all right!" Fox put his arm around the lioness and reassured her that Kala would be fine. Mwanda pretended to be relieved, but she couldn’t shake the doubt from her mind. Fox had doubts as well. His best friend in the world was close to… death? He hadn’t thought about it until now, but he realized that Kala could very well die. A new panic gripped him, but he fought to keep it from surfacing. The two waited in silence for Rafiki to work his miracle. While they were waiting, the unsuspecting duo of Mufasa and Zazu happened by. It wasn’t uncommon for the two to stroll at this time in the morning. "Fox!" Mufasa called out to the human. "Good morning… Zazu and I were just—" then he noticed Mwanda’s sobbing. He realized that Fox, too, looked worn and worried. "Is something wrong?" he asked, padding over to the pair. Zazu left Mufasa’s side and flapped to the lioness’s feet. "Madame…? What’s the matter?" he asked. Mwanda made no reply. Fox finally spoke up. "It’s Kala," he said as he stared at the ground. "She’s sick… real sick." Zazu’s eyes grew wide as he looked back at Mufasa, who’s head sagged down to Mwanda as he sighed sadly. The bird knew that when one of the Pride became ill, death almost invariably followed. But Kala? he thought. She was so young… "Where is she?" Mufasa asked quietly. Mwanda pointed slowly toward the water hole. Mufasa nodded and turned to go see the mage and the young cub. He hadn’t moved a couple feet before Rafiki emerged from the brush surrounding the pond. Mwanda’s head was buried in her paws, but Fox had been watching and waiting intently. Rafiki’s expression was one of… regret? he thought. Mufasa had known the mandrill long enough that he didn’t think… he knew. Slowly and solemnly, Rafiki approached the four with the cub in his arms. "She is sleeping," he whispered as he set her down in her mother’s arms. He took a deep breath and continued. "…and she is dying. There is… nothing I can do for her." Zazu cringed at the news. Unable to look at the mother, Mufasa’s eyes sank to the ground. Mwanda looked down at her cub. Rafiki went on. "The sickness is one I’ve never seen before. I know of nothing that can cure it." "Oh gods…" Mwanda whispered in terror. Her head snapped back up to the mandrill. "Please! Don’t let her die… she’s my…" But grief overtook and silenced her. Her eyes drifted back down to Kala. The cold reality of death washed over her as she pulled the cub to her and wept. Fox shook his head with disbelief. "There’s gotta’ be something you can do, Rafiki," he demanded. "Give her medicine or crack one of your gourds or something…!" But there was nothing the mage could do. He didn’t know how to treat this illness. Those who were affected by such a disease had always died from it despite his greatest efforts. There was truly nothing he could do for the doomed cub. * * * Inside the cave on the Rock, Mufasa, Sarabi, and Fox sat quietly as seasonal rains pelted the Serengeti plains. "I’ve got to take her to Mehu," Fox said finally. "Mehu?" Sarabi asked quickly. Mufasa cut in. "The human lands?" he asked sadly. "I don’t think we can expect help from the humans." "Mufasa, we can’t let her die!" Fox snapped. Such a sharp response would have normally shocked Mufasa, but he knew how much Fox was hurting… how much all of them were hurting. The lion simply nodded understandingly. Fox caught his tone and bit his tongue. After a moment, he continued. "Maybe the refuge in Mehu can do something for her," he offered. Sarabi nodded in agreement. "We’ve got to try. If we do nothing, Kala will die, Mufasa." There was a thoughtful pause. "Then we go to Mehu," Mufasa decided. He didn’t think that there was much of a chance for the cub, but he had to try. Kala was Mufasa’s half-sister, as she’d been Ahadi’s cub. Even so, he cared for the members of the Pride as he would his own cubs, and when one of them was in danger, something had to be done. "How do we get there?" Fox squinted for a moment in thought. "We don’t. I’ll take her," he decided. "The citizens won’t take kindly to you, Mufasa. Besides, the two of you are too heavy for the plane." Sarabi didn’t understand what Fox meant by this, but Mufasa realized what he was planning. "You said that it wouldn’t fly," he pointed out. Fox shrugged his shoulders. "It’s got to," he said simply. "We don’t have any other choice. I’ll do something to fix it." He didn’t know what he could do, but he knew what he couldn’t do… he couldn’t let Kala die. Not her. She was his little girl, and he’d do anything for her. "The engine still works, and that’s what’s most important," he said hopefully. "It’s the gear that’s damaged. If I can get off the ground, then I’ll be okay." There was, of course, the oil pressure problem. He ran a heavy risk of damaging the engine if he ran it without oil, but losing Kala was far worse than losing an engine. The three agreed on the plan of action. "Is there anything we can do?" Mufasa asked. "Name it and it’ll be done. My kingdom is at your disposal." Fox managed a smile. "I wish there were with an offer like that, but there isn’t." The king nodded understandingly. "Good luck, Fox," Mufasa said, placing his paw on the human’s shoulder. "I hope so," Fox replied. It was a long walk to the crash site in the rain. Fox carried Kala in his blanket, trying his best to keep the sick cub warm and dry. She’d woken up once while they were traveling, but she’d been too disoriented to remember what was happening. Fox sang her back to sleep, fighting the tears back. His little girl was dying in his arms, he knew. It felt like he was dying as he watched her sleep restlessly. He had a chance to save her, though – albeit a slim one, but nevertheless a chance. A mixture of luck and innovation was Fate’s Achilles’ Heel, he knew. He’d have to exploit both of them to win this time. After two hours of walking in the stinging rain, Fox arrived at the patch of trees he’d crashed next to almost three months ago. There, exactly where he’d left it, was the Skylark, resting comfortably under the tan tarpaulin that had kept it dry and unexposed. He put Kala inside the aircraft still wrapped tightly in the blanket so that she would stay asleep. The landing gear was a mess, he realized. Although still attached, the struts and shocks were snapped and ruined. The wheels were misaligned from the sheering they’d experienced when he’d crashed. The wheel frames were bent to the side slightly, forcing the rubber tires to sit loosely on them. With nothing more than a makeshift repair kit, Fox knew that he’d have to be remarkably lucky to get off the ground. He tightened the bolts, which straightened the tires out somewhat, but the alignment would cause the airplane to veer on take off and landing. No matter, he decided. On a real runway, a problem like that would keep any plane grounded, but here, in the vast expanses of the Serengeti, he had all the room he needed. Packing the tarpaulin into the back of the Cessna, he got inside, turned on the electrical systems, and checked all of the instruments. The battery, to his relief, still worked. The only trouble that was noticeable was that the oil pressure light was still blinking. On examination of the engine, he realized that a bypass hose was loose. "I wrecked my plane because of a lousy bypass hose?!" he shouted at the sky. Something so simple? He’d expected major engine damage. Instead, a tiny hose that kept the oil system closed was unattached. It infuriated him. Then he realized that it had been the best thing that had ever happened to him. Had the hose not slipped, he would have landed that day in Mehu, convinced that he was enjoying a worthless existence. Luck had brought him to the ground, and now he had a place to spend his life. He raised an eyebrow and stared up at the sky. "You’re not getting mushy on me, are you?" he asked the heavens. With the slip of a finger, he refastened the tube. He’d lost a lot of oil, he realized, but if that’s all that was wrong, he knew he’d at least be able to make it back to Mehu. He climbed back into the cabin out of the heavily pouring rain. "Well, Kala," he said with unconfident determination to the sleeping cub. "Let’s see if we can do something about that little sniffle of yours." He knew he wasn’t himself by pretending that they were out of the woods yet. With a quick prayer, he flipped the ignition. The electric starter buzzed for a second and the engine roared to life. Fox sighed a huge sigh of relief and thanked God for his good fortune. The oil pressure light was no longer flashing and everything seemed to be normal. Releasing the brake, he nudged the throttle up and the aircraft began to slide forward. The bent wheel frame protested under the strain, but eventually began to roll. As he’d expected, the Skylark began to rotate slowly to the left as the damaged gear grabbed the muddy savanna floor. Even so, the open plain allowed him to build up enough speed to pull the Cessna into the sky and east toward the Mehu village. "It’s only a matter of time now," he said to Kala as he pulled the warm blanket over her head, leaving only her nuzzle exposed. * * * Fox paced inside the lobby of an old building in the center of the Mehu Wildlife Refuge. He’d brought Kala in almost an hour ago, and although the administrator was curious as to where he’d gotten a lion cub, the Resident was eager to do something for Kala. Fox had been told to wait, but his patience was beginning to thin. He couldn’t tell whether it was a good sign or a bad sign that it’d been so long. Maybe they’d found something they could do, and that’s why it was taking so long. But then, maybe they had no idea what to do, and that’s why it was taking so long. Fox could wait no more. He barged through the door and into the hallway under loud protest of the large lady at the front desk. "Hey!" he shouted, looking around. There were several rooms in the hallway, but most of the doors were shut. "Hey!" he yelled again. "Where is she?" A door at the end of the hallway opened and a tan-clad women emerged. "Lion cub?" she asked simply. "That’s me," Fox said eagerly, pacing up to her. "Where is she?" Dr. Evelyn Stuart wagged her finger at him. "Ah-ah-ah… I want to know a few things first," she said. The humor left her voice. "For starters, what are you doing with a lion cub?" she demanded. Bureaucracy, Fox remembered, was an inherent part of the human world. "She was sick. I knew you’d help," he said impatiently. "I need to see her." The doctor shook her head and glared at him. "I don’t know why you’re so concerned. They sell just the same dead or alive," she spat accusingly. Sell? Fox became indignant. "Hey, look, I don’t need this, lady. Just tell me where she is and we’ll be on our way." Stuart wasn’t letting go though. "What’ll you do when they die off?" she sneered. "You and your precious market can’t last forever…!" "Do I look like a hunter, damn it?!" Fox howled. "Am I dressed like a hunter?!" He indicated his jeans and black shirt. He was infinitely glad he’d left his Beretta in the Cessna. "Why in would I come all the way here to have a cub treated if I was gonna’ kill it?!" Why indeed? the doctor wondered, outwardly unaffected by the outburst. It didn’t make any sense to her. Perhaps… perhaps he wasn’t a smuggler. "Where’d you find her?" she asked suspiciously. Fox calmed himself, deciding that his flared temper wouldn’t get him very far. "I found her… in Serengeti," he lied. "She’d been left behind and it looked like she was dying." Now it was his turn to accuse. "I didn’t realize that it was such a crime to try to help them." The doctor flinched a little. For a moment, she stood undecided. "It’s not," she finally said with a sigh. She extended her hand to Fox. "Hi. I’m Doctor Stuart. Evelyn Stuart." Fox shook her hand impatiently. "Nice to meet you, ma’am. Can I see her now?" he asked. "Of course," Stuart said with a nod. "Follow me." The two walked down to the last room in the hall. "Sorry about the third degree back there," she apologized. "It’s hunting season here in the plains." Fox could justify her apprehension, but he just wanted to see his little girl. The two swung into the room on the left, and there she was on a blanket on the table. Kala was awake but groggy. "Mother?" she mewled, turning her head toward the door. Fox understood the cub, but all Stuart heard was yelps and grunts. "We gave her a mild disassociative so we could do some tests," the doctor explained. "It’ll wear off." Fox was relieved to hear it, as Kala was now rolling crazily around the table, batting at the air with wide eyes. He darted over to the table and scooped her up, hugging her tightly. She stopped swinging and looked at him through distant eyes. "Fox?" she whispered questioningly. "Hey cupcake," he cooed. "Are you feeling better?" Stuart drew along side of him and smiled. "That’s cute," she laughed. "Do you always talk to her?" she asked. "Constantly," Fox replied. "What was wrong with her?" he asked. "Infection," the doctor said. "It’s probably a human derivative. The animals out here aren’t able to cope with the infections that we bring with us from overseas." She looked out the window at the nearby Humanitarian Aid Hospital. "Neither are the people." "But she’s fine now, right?" Fox asked. The doctor looked back. "Hmmm? Oh yes. Amoxicillin will clean up the bacteria. I’d also like to give her some shots." Fox eyed her suspiciously. "You’re allowed to vaccinate wild animals?" he questioned, remembering Sarabi’s pregnancy. It might be a good idea to have all the cubs vaccinated. Stuart shrugged. "We’re not supposed to, but it seems fair enough to me. People are killing these animals off so fast, I think it’s only fair we give them an upper hand against nature, don’t you?" "Sounds good to me," Fox said with a smile. * * * "NO!" Kala cried as the doctor approached her. This was the second day she’d been in the refuge and she wasn’t having any fun at all. The first time the doctor had come at her with a needle, she eyed it curiously. When Evelyn stuck it into her side, though, the curiosity wore off and was replaced by sharp pain. Time after time, the doctor had continued to jab these needles into her, one after the other, and each time it hurt even more. "Fox?!" she squealed. "Please make her stop!" Fox stood over the cub as Evelyn rubbed another spot with topical anesthetic. "Calm down, Kala," he said firmly. "If you wiggle around, it’s gonna’ hurt." "It already hurts!" Kala shrieked. The cub fought tooth and nail to keep the needle away, but the doctor won out in the end and the syringe emptied its contents into the lioness. Kala yowled as the needle poked into her. Fox knew that the vaccinations could save the cub’s life, but he couldn’t help but cringe every time his little girl cried out. "There," Evelyn said. "All done." She let go of the cub, who leaped frantically into Fox’s arms. "That’s the whole series." Fox apologized for Kala’s behavior. "She’s very… spirited," he said. He was as glad it was over as she was, though. "I deal with it all the time," Stuart replied dismissively. "They fight even harder when they’re grown up." Fox laughed as he imagined the good doctor trying to stick Sarabi with a needle. "I think I understand," he said. He turned and spoke sincerely to the doctor. "Look… thanks for everything. If there’s anything I can do—?" "—Just take care of her," Evelyn said. She reached out to pet the cub, but Kala snapped at her and she withdrew her hand. "She’s a sweetie…" Evelyn laughed. "I’d hate for anything to happen to her." With a gracious nod, Fox carried the cub out of the building and into the rainy outdoors. It was late, and they’d both had a long day. "We’ll go back in the morning," he told Kala when they got out. To his surprise, she glared up at him menacingly. "You let her do that on purpose!" she growled. "Why didn’t you stop her?!" Fox stumbled for a second. Finally he spoke. "Kala, you could have died." The cub looked at him disbelieving. "I didn’t feel like I was going to die," she said. "All I felt was that sticker-thing! It still hurts!" She rubbed her irritated skin tenderly. Fox eventually calmed her down, assuring her that she’d never ever have to get shots again. "Promise?" she glowered. "Hope to die," he replied. He noticed that a lot of the village inhabitants were giving him bizarre looks as he spoke to the cub. If only they knew, he mused. Then he addressed Kala once again. "Let’s get something to eat. How ‘bout it?" he asked. Kala nodded eagerly, having already forgiven her human friend. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten. She couldn’t really remember anything about the last two days, but she knew she was starving. There was only one problem. "Who’s gonna’ hunt for us, Fox?" she asked with slight confusion. "I will," Fox said. "Tonight, we’re going to track down and capture the delectable ‘Take-out beast’!" Kala looked at him crazily. "Trust me," he said. Although a tiny village in the mountains, Mehu was a blatant victim of unabashed urbanization. The Humanitarian Aid crews were willing to leave their homes from around the world and help the locals, but they’d done some industrializing to help make the Tanzanian town more homey. This meant imported food and modern construction. It wasn’t the best hamburger he’d ever eaten, but Fox had been subsisting on zebra and wildebeest for the last three months and he was more than happy to wolf it down as he sat with Kala in his Skylark. The cub was less enthusiastic. "What is it?" she asked, poking the steaming beef. "It’s all brown and weird." "Food of the gods," Fox said between mouthfuls. Kala sniffed her meal. "It’s cooked," Fox told her. "That’s how food’s supposed to be cooked. Medium." Kala still wasn’t convinced, so when Fox finished his meal, he began to press her. "I ate the wildebeest raw, remember? Now you’ve gotta’ try it my way." Kala looked helplessly at the meat on the plate in front of her. "Okay," she said finally. How bad could it be? She nibbled a corner of it and swallowed. She pondered it for a moment, trying to decide what she thought. "Wow!" she said finally, ripping off another piece. "Ids pruhty grrd!" she mumbled as she chewed. "You bet," Fox grinned. "Where I come from, people are addicted to this stuff," he said, pointing to the meat. Kala, it seemed, was becoming addicted to it as well, and before she was done, he’d bought five hamburgers. When she finally finished her meal, Fox reclined his seat. The sun had gone down an hour before, so it was far past Kala’s regular bedtime. Without protest, she curled up next to him in his seat and fell asleep. Only then did Fox think about how close he’d come to losing her. He subconsciously slid his arm around his little girl and rubbed her head as she slept soundly. Two days ago she was teetering on the edge of death, but things had worked out. "Picking on kids now?" he whispered to the sky. "Another point for me. You lose again, you bastard." He’d cheated Fate again. He’d stolen from it’s hungry mouth again. Just like when he’d rescued Mufasa, he felt invincible to destiny. A wide smile crossed his face. It wasn’t something he bragged about, but he always felt like he could do anything if he really wanted to. He wanted to keep Kala safe. He wanted to see her grow up and call him ‘dad’. So he would. Then, he thought about Mufasa and Sarabi and… oh God, Mwanda! What she must be going through, he realized. Not knowing must be awful! He thought about going back that night, but he was exhausted and he didn’t want to fall asleep at the controls of the plane. Vaccinated or not, they’d both be history for sure if that happened. He nodded off to sleep, aided by the steady rhythm of the pelting rain on the windshield. * * * A flash of lighting and a crash of thunder brought Fox from his slumber. He sat up quickly and hit the top of the cabin. "Ow!" he yelped as stars floated around his throbbing head. Kala burst out laughing. He looked over and realized she was wide awake and watching the storm. "You did it again!" she shouted in hysterics as she rolled around in the passenger’s seat.. "Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?" he asked, rubbing his forehead. "I’m not tired anymore," she complained. "I slept for the last two days. I want to do something!" "Go back to sleep!" he growled. "That’s something." Kala shook her head in defiance. "You know what I mean! Something fun!" Fox looked down at his watch. It was still night, he knew, but he had no idea what time. "1:00 local," he mumbled. "Kala, it is way to early in the morning." Even as he spoke, though, he could feel the sluggishness leaving him. "But I’m not tired," Kala reiterated. "I can’t sleep!" Fox looked at her for a moment and then back down at his watch. "Okay," he sighed. "You want to do something?" He’d taken the edge off of his exhaustion, and he felt ready to take the two back to the Pridelands. He’d had work done on the undercarriage of the plane while he and Kala were in the hospital. It wasn’t pretty, but the landing gear was operable again. He’d also had the engine oil replaced, so the aircraft was ready to go. Beyond all of this, he carried some extra aviation fuel, just in case he ever had to do something like this again. "What are we going to do?" she asked. Fox brought his seat back up and pulled her onto his lap. "Watch this," he said, flipping the cabin power on. The lights flashed on and told him that everything was working. Kala boggled at the colors. "Whoa! Neat!" she said in awe. Fox smiled down at her. "You ain’t seen nothing yet, little lady," he said. He flipped the ignition and the engine came to life. It startled Kala, but she always felt safe when she was with Fox. She’d been unconscious when the two had flown here, so everything about the plane was new to her. They slid forward as Fox taxied toward the grass strip. Kala pawed the side window, trying to figure out what was going on. "We’re moving!" she said urgently. Fox pulled her back down into his lap. "Stay there," he ordered as he turned onto the runway. "It’s gonna’ be a bumpy ride for a little bit." He punched the throttle and the Skylark lurched forward. The aircraft rattled as the plane raced down the grassy plain. "Shocks are a little tight," Fox said to himself. Kala did as she was told, sitting safely in Fox’s lap, until she felt a new sensation – something she’d never felt before. "What’s going on, Fox?" she asked, rising to her feet. "Take a look," he said, indicating the window. Kala bounced back up, somewhat unsteadily, and peered outside. She didn’t see anything. "Why is it so dark?" she puzzled, turning to Fox. "Look down," he said simply. She did so. The lights of the tiny village were getting further away. Kala nearly punctured Fox’s skin as she dug her claws in. Wild-eyed, her little head snapped back and forth between the departing ground and Fox’s amused expression. "The ground’s falling!" she shrieked. Fox laughed out loud. "The grounds not moving, Kala… we are. We’re flying." Kala looked back out the window, her claws still buried in Fox’s shirt as if she were hanging on for dear life. After she realized that she was in no danger, though, her grip loosened. She saw the ground floating by below. "Are we really… flying? Like birds?" she asked in awe. Fox reeled her back in to him. "If were not," he chuckled, "then I paid a lot of money for nothing." He set her on the dash. "Here, take a look out front." It was still very dark outside and the heavy cloud cover blocked most of the moonlight. Still, Kala’s eyes were glued to the window. "Is it safe?" she asked, almost disinterested in the answer as she continued to gaze. "I’ve never been killed in a plane crash," Fox joked. "Safe enough." He let the young cub soak the sight in. She looked just like he must have looked the first time he’d gone up in a plane. It was like a dream for him – like floating in mid air. There were very few things that Fox ever had to do, but learning to fly was one of them. He could tell when he had to do something, and he always managed to do those things without fail. Since that first flight, he’d studied every book and read every manual he could find to learn how to pilot an aircraft. When he was eighteen, he’d gotten his license and began to rent airplanes for weekend trips. Now, he virtually owned this Skylark. He hadn’t bought it, per se, but he’d rented it without any intention of returning it. That was like buying it – just not quite as legal. He’d laid down enough money to hold it for six months, and although technically it was still legally leased to him, he didn’t plan to take it back. He didn’t feel very guilty. The company had been ripping him off all this time anyway, charging what they did. He’d even had to buy his own fuel. It was a fair deal. Soon, his attention drifted back toward the cub. "Have you ever just sat and looked up at the clouds?" he asked mysteriously. "Sometimes," Kala replied without looking back. "Why?" "Have you ever just sat and looked down at the clouds?" he asked with a malicious grin. Kala gave him a double take. She shook her head vigorously. "Can we?" she asked. "If we can fly," Fox said, striking a thespian pose, "can we not do anything?" He retrieved the cub from the dash and pulled back on the stick. The ascension through the clouds was rocky, but when they finally broke through the ceiling, everything became smooth and silent. Floating high above the white cotton and the raging storm below, they had the full benefit of the almost-full moon’s light. It’s white glow made the clouds dance eerily below. "It’s so pretty," Kala said with wonder, again pasted to the side window. "Yep," Fox said. "This is as close to Heaven as you can get without dying." He thought for a moment. "You know, you’re looking at something that no other lion has ever seen before in the history of time. That makes you a record breaker." "Wow…" was all Kala could manage as she continued to gaze. Fox continued to explain. "Right now, we’re moving twice as fast as the fastest cheetahs and ten times higher than the biggest birds. What do you think of that?" The cub didn’t know what to think. "How come you never showed us this?" she asked curiously. Fox had always shared everything with her before. "Lots of reasons," Fox responded casually. "First of all, I didn’t even know if the Skylark would fly before three days ago. I had to do a quick-fix on it to get you to the Mehu village." As if to say thank-you, Kala jumped down from the window and curled up in his lap. "Second, I don’t have very much fuel. I can get from Mehu to the Serengeti and back all right, but not much further." Kala didn’t understand the concept of fuel, but she didn’t ask. She trusted Fox. "Can we look at Pride Rock?" she asked. "Mother needs to see this!" "We’ll get there before dawn," he said. "They’ll all be asleep." He could see the disappointment on Kala’s face. "Maybe we’ll show her some other time, huh?" The cub nodded happily. She could just see her mom’s face as they flew by. Only birds could fly. But now, she could too. Kala spent much of the rest of the trip watching out the window silently. When Fox reached the Serengeti plains, he descended back through the cloud cover into the storm. The rain was coming down and it became difficult to see, but there was no missing the Rock. There it sat, majestically, like a beacon in the storm. Inside, he knew Mufasa and Sarabi were either sleeping restlessly or waiting anxiously. He saw the lioness’ cave down below. He knew Mwanda wasn’t sleeping at all. Arcing down toward the Rock, Fox flew by within a hundred feet of the throne. He wasn’t sure whether or not it would wake up the sleeping king and queen, but when he looked back, he saw the silhouette of one of them racing out to see what had made such an ungodly noise at such an ungodly hour. He set the Skylark down in the plains below, which were wide and open but muddy from the constant rain. It was a sloppy landing, he knew, but by any standard it was far better than the last time he’d landed out here. He managed to set the Cessna down without doing any damage to it. Coming to rest not far from the lioness’ cave, he wrapped Kala in a dry blanket and opened the door. He didn’t bother locking it. After all, who was going to break in? He was one of the only creatures out here that even had opposable thumbs. Holding the cub tightly to him, he raced through the pouring ran toward the shelter of the cave. Mwanda was waiting outside. "Fox!" she cried, bolting out into the rain to him. "Where’s Kala?! Where’s my baby?!" He ran into the relative warmth of the cave and set down the blanket. Mwanda chased in after him frantically. He smiled widely at her. "May I present," he said with his best game show voice as he unwrapped the blanket, "new and improved, now in a smaller package with four times the energy… the beautiful young – Kala!" Mwanda gaped at the cub, unable to move for a moment. "Mother?" Kala whispered, he big blue eyes staring innocently up at Mwanda. "Kala!" Mwanda cried, pulling the cub into her. "My baby!" Her mother’s instinct took over and she nursed her child affectionately. The commotion brought the other lionesses from their sleep. In a moment, the crowd of them were huddled around the cub. When one of the pride’s cubs was lost, all of them felt the pain and loss. When one was found, all of them felt the joy. In that respect, Fox thought, he was just like one of the lionesses. Especially when it came to his little girl. He squatted on his knees and watched with immeasurable delight as the lionesses fawned over Kala. His enchanting scene was interrupted by a bass voice. "Fox?" it asked anxiously. He knew it was Mufasa. The lion barged through the crowd and stopped in front of Mwanda, who was still clutching her cub. Sarabi was moments behind him. He looked down with a mixture of shock and relief. He glanced back up at the human, who was beaming. "You did it," he said to Fox with calm realization. "I know a good doctor," Fox replied with a smile. Mufasa continued to stare. The signs were almost startlingly clear. It had to be him. He had to be the Guardian of the legends. Sarabi drew alongside, knowing almost telepathically what he was thinking. "The Kings and Spirits must be with us," Mwanda said joyfully as she stroked Kala’s fur. The lionesses vocalized their agreement. Surely, they knew, Fate had graced them. Fox wondered why Fate didn’t just save him the trip and skip the ordeal altogether. Things were rarely so simple, though. "Someone up there must like us." Or someone up there must hate us and is really unhappy right now, he added mentally. * * * Time pressed on even further. The incident of Kala’s illness faded from the spotlight and things returned to normal. Signs of Sarabi’s impending labor were becoming more and more evident. She’d begun eating more and doing less. Cramps kept her from hunting or engaging in any strenuous activity. Despite the limitations, Fox had never once heard her complain. The lioness nursed the cub in her womb as though it had already been born. Sarabi, it appeared, was eager to become a mother. Mufasa’s attention to her was astounding. There was almost not a moment that he was not beside her, comforting her or keeping her occupied so as to take her mind off of the discomfort. There was a short time in which Sarafina needed his attention, but aside from that, he spent day and night beside his beloved. Rafiki had been hounding Fox even further, and it was starting to aggravate him to no end. "No, not you again!" he muttered. He’d been playing with Kala and some of the cubs at the water hole when Rafiki approached him. He looked down at Kala. "You guys better go play without me." The cubs scampered off through the brush, but Kala held up for a moment. "Can we show mother today?" she asked. Fox had promised that he’d take her flying again, and she’d been looking anxiously forward to it. Today, he decided, was as good a day as any. "Sure can," he said. "A little later, though," he said, winking to her as he motioned toward Rafiki. She nodded understandingly and turned to follow the other cubs. Fox watched her go, thinking about how proud he would be when Kala grew up. He’d had a hand in raising her, and so he was, at least in some way, a sort of father to her. His musings ended with the sight of the mandrill closing in on him. "I don’t even want to start with you," he said as he turned on Rafiki. Rafiki smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Rafiki don come here to talk wid you. He just wan to watch de young cubs play." Fox was unconvinced, but there was little he could do to prevent the mandrill from sitting down next to him. Here we go, he thought. "De cubs are so cute," he said. Fox did not want to be having this conversation. "So young, so eager, so full of life… You are young, aren’t you Fox?" Fox gritted his teeth. "Depends on how you look at it," he said curtly. "You have much of your life ahead of you, Fox." Rafiki said. "Like de cubs." Fox’s muscles tensed. "Yes," he said. "Like the cubs." "Do you have an answer for me, Fox?" Rafiki asked after a moment. "What?! What do you mean an answer?" he fumed. "Have you decided who you are?" Rafiki asked. He didn’t laugh. Fox noticed that he always laughed, except when he asked that question. "Dammit! Look, no! I don’t have any idea who in the hell I am! Okay?! Satisfied?!" Rafiki smiled. It had taken the mandrill a long time to get the human to admit it. "Would you like me to tell you who you are?" Fox blinked. "Rafiki. You’re driving me insane," he said calmly. "If you’ll leave me alone after this, then yes. Tell me who I am." Secretly, Fox wanted to know. After the conversations he’d had with the monkey over the past three and a half months, he’d started thinking seriously about the question the mandrill continued to pose. That didn’t make it any less annoying, but still, it made it interesting. Rafiki knew what to tell him now. It had taken him a very long time to divine from the gods what Fox’s destiny was. It seemed almost impossible to believe, but Rafiki knew it was true. Fox’s recent efforts to protect Kala had strengthened what Rafiki was already coming to believe. He opened his mouth to speak when a shriek pierced the sweet silence of the plains. Fox and Rafiki looked at each other frantically. "The cubs!" they said in unison. Fox bolted through the brush out into the plain, running as fast as he could toward the direction of the cry for help. Ahead in the distance, he saw the cubs. They were running toward him? And then… Hyenas! his mind screamed at him. He sped toward the melee. One of the young male cubs reached him first, but Fox didn’t stop. The cub turned around and paced him. "The hyenas…" he cried, trying to keep up. His sobbing was making it difficult for him to run and speak at the same time. "They… and Kala… and…" Kala?! His little girl?! Fox ran even faster. He approached the fury and saw that hyena cubs and the lion cubs were swatting at each other, claws fully extended. When they saw him, the hyena cubs turned and ran. Fox looked over the scene, trying to catch his breath. The lion cubs were badgered and cut, but they seemed to have held their ground. All except for one. Kala was lying in the grass toward what had been the middle of the skirmish. One of the hyena cubs who hadn’t noticed Fox was still slashing at her unmoving body. Fox raced to her side and the hyena cub fled with its siblings. "Kala?" he cried out, tears in his eyes. He couldn’t tell if the young lioness was breathing or not. A stray claw from one of the hyena cubs had slashed her across the neck, and she was bleeding profusely. He saw another cut on her back, and yet another above her eye. He didn’t know what to do. Red life was pouring out of the young cub’s body from so many places he didn’t know where to begin. He turned toward the male cub that had intercepted him. "Get Mufasa!" he screamed, louder than he knew he could. The young cub backed away, startled. "Go!" he screamed again. "Now!" The little lion turned and ran across the plain toward Pride Rock. He turned his attention back to Kala. She was breathing, he’d realized, thanking God. She began to cough, and blood trickled from the side of her mouth. He wrapped Kala in his shirt and held the young cub in his trembling arms. "Oh, Kala," he whispered. "Don’t die, Kala. Please don’t die!" Kala’s eyes opened slightly, and she tried to focus. "Fox?" she asked. She’s alive! he rejoiced. "It’s me, Kala," he said. "I’m here. Please keep your eyes open for me, Kala. Can you do that for me, Kala?" he asked, trying not to break down. "Oh God, we’ve been through worse than this… We’ve made it through worse things than this! You’re gonna’ be okay, Kala," he sobbed. "Don’t cry," she murmured. "I don’t like it when you cry." "Please hang on Kala," Fox begged. "Hang on. Mufasa’s coming. He’ll help you… You’ll be okay. Everything’ll be okay…" More blood rolled down the cub’s cheek. She looked straight into the human’s eyes. "Don’t worry, Fox," she whispered. "It doesn’t hurt to die. I thought it would, but it doesn’t." Fox’s whole body shook with fear and grief. "Oh god… You’re not going to die Kala. I won’t let you die…" He glared up at the sky, suddenly enraged. "I’ve beaten you before!" he screamed to the wide-open savanna sky. "Damn you, I can do it again!" He felt a new wave of confidence. "You haven’t learned yet, have you!?" Fate was messing with the wrong man. "You can’t win!" he howled. "Not against me, you can’t!" …but the blood continued to flow. He didn’t understand it. He was invincible! He could do anything! He was immortal…… but Kala, he realized in one brief, horrifying moment, was not. His confidence drained away as his eyes slipped back down to Kala in terror. "Oh, God… no…" The cub looked back through half-lidded eyes. "Will you sing to me, Fox?" she asked, coughing up more blood. He paused for a moment in disbelief. "Yes, Kala," he said, trying to deny his resignation. He tried to keep from falling apart as he began to sing to her as he frequently did. He saw her eyes starting to droop closed. "Kala, NO!" he cried. "Please Kala. Please, NO!" But she didn’t hear him. Her eyes slipped shut. Fox watched in terror when her tiny chest fell as she exhaled for the last time. "NO!" Fox shouted, loud and long. Tears streamed from his eyes as he buried his face in the bloody cub’s broken body. Fate, he knew, had finally won. He’d been a fool, taunting destiny. He’d made a bet and lost. He’d lost everything. He’d lost Kala. His little girl was dead. Never before had Fox felt such a loss as he did now – never for any human had he cried so hard – never for any friend did he grieve more deeply than he did now – and so never would anyone suffer the fury of his revenge so greatly as Kala’s murderers would now. Fox grew numb. Rationality left him as he placed the silent cub on the savanna grass. His hand reached down and gripped the waiting Beretta from his side. He didn’t even check to see if it was loaded. He knew it was. His hand was wrapped so tightly around the handle that his knuckles turned white. His finger snapped the safety off, and he stood up. Turning toward the direction the hyena cubs had run, he looked out through bloodshot and teared eyes over the plains. He could see them grouped by a tree with their pack. He began to run. Like a machine, he moved faster and faster until he reached the tree. There, he stopped and stared. The hyena mothers stood protectively in front of their cubs, holding their ground. Fox didn’t see the beauty and life of wild animals anymore. All he saw were killers. Killers who’d taken young, innocent Kala from him. He raised the pistol and stared into the mothers’ defiant eyes. The hyenas stared back at him. Hatred burned in him. "You took her… you took my child," he shouted, trembling with rage. He wasn’t speaking to the hyenas, though. He was speaking to God. "Now," he roared, "I’m taking yours!" Without another word, he opened fire. The pack split like billiard balls and the frenzy began. Mothers cried desperately for their cubs, trying to grab them and run to safety. Fox was beyond mercy, though. Kala had been shown no mercy. He made no discrimination. He fired at mothers. He fired at cubs. Each time he fired, it was as though he was lethally stabbing at the heart of Fate, or God, or whatever had killed his Kala. The sick satisfaction of fury and vengeance washed over him as the hyenas fell, one after the other to the ground, yelping in pain and fear. They were all killers to him. They were sons and daughters of a sick and twisted god or gods. Even after all the hyenas lay dead on the grass, he continued firing the deadly rounds into their corpses. He fired until his handgun would fire no more. Even then, he continued to squeeze the trigger over and over again, begging that maybe there could still be a few bullets left so that he could mutilate the bodies further. There weren’t. The metal gun burned against his hand, but he felt nothing. His arm slacked to his side, and he stood there, unmoving, staring at the macabre scene. Fox’s senses left him. He had no idea how long he stood there before Mufasa rushed to his side. Mufasa saw cubs laying slain by their mothers, expressions of horror and confusion still on their faces. "Fox," he whispered in terror, looking over the blood soaked plains. "Gods… what have you done?" Mufasa and Fox reentered Pride Rock, the corpse of young Kala in Fox’s arms. He wasn’t crying anymore. He stared emptily ahead through blood-red eyes. Mufasa’s head was draped sadly toward the ground. The lionesses had been gathered by the Rock, having been warned that something was amiss. None of them moved as the two approached the Rock. Kala’s mother was waiting apprehensively. All of the cubs had returned except for hers, and none of them had seen young Kala in the melee. Fox approached Mwanda and set the dead cub down, still wrapped in his bloodied shirt. He couldn’t look at Kala’s emotionless face. Instead, he closed his eyes and backed away. Mufasa approached Mwanda and looked down sadly at Kala. "Something so trivial…" he whispered sorrowfully. "…can destroy something so dear." Mwanda, who’d closed her eyes and prayed to the gods for her cub as Fox approached, opened them and looked down at her child. The gathered lionesses looked on with silent uncertainty. Mwanda bit her lip, and tears built up in her eyes. They all knew then. Sarafina’s head bowed. All of the lionesses followed suit. After that, the only sounds on the open plains of Pride Rock were the shrieks of a grieving mother whose precious cub had been stolen away. * * * Fox packed the last of his belongings in his bag. "Are you sure this is what you want?" Mufasa asked him sadly. Fox wasn’t sure. He’d thought he wanted to be as far from here as he could get. He knew that nothing would erase young Kala from his mind. She would be with him forever. The memory of her young ambitions as she peeked her head out from those bushes the first time they’d met - the way he used to sing to her, and the way she’d giggled with delight - how she’d been so comfortable and forgiving with him – how she made him feel like he could do anything. Not only that… he was dangerous. His desire for revenge had gripped him so tightly that nothing he could do would break its hold. What he knew about human technology was dangerous to this place. He was sure that Mufasa was thinking the same thing but was too polite to say anything right now. "I can’t stay," Fox replied. "I just… I can’t," he said. There was nothing else to say. The two walked quietly down the incline from the Rock. At the base, Mufasa finally spoke. "Fox," he said. "You saved my life, and I’ll never forget that. You are truly a remarkable human and a good friend." Fox smiled sadly. "Mufasa," he began. "I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve given me. I…" he couldn’t continue. Good-byes were impossible for Fox. Especially with someone as close as Mufasa. The lion had been such an good friend to him. He’d never met any human who was so warm and caring. Forcing a smile, he spoke. "I’ll see ya’ when I see ya’, huh?" he said, knowing it wasn’t true. "Yes," Mufasa said. "I’ll… see ya’ when I see ya’." Fox turned and walked away, unable to look back. What was he doing? he thought as he trudged east toward the waiting Skylark. He was leaving behind what he’d always wanted. But things could never be the same, could they? He would go back home and live out his life as just another human. The plane was still under lease, so he didn’t have to worry about being hunted. He would return to his caged life back in the United States. He didn’t care. He couldn’t deal with losing the ones he’d loved so much. Maybe that’s why he’d never been close with his family, he thought. He couldn’t bear loss. That’s why he’d hid his emotions so well. He was afraid of being hurt, and he never got close to anyone that could get hurt or hurt him. He’d slipped with Kala, though. He’d given her everything he had to offer… opened himself up entirely. Now, she was gone… so he headed into the sun, east toward the plane he’d so luckily and unluckily crashed so long ago. Mufasa climbed the Rock to watch his friend go. When he reached the top, he found that Rafiki was sitting on the edge of the ‘throne’, staring out east toward the departing Fox. Mufasa moved to his side. He noticed, for the first time, the silhouette of Fox against the bright rising sun. The man he’d thought might have been the Guardian. "I was sure it was him, Rafiki. I guess I’ll never know now." The mandrill nodded his head and thought. Mufasa had been closer than he knew. "Do you remember the legend, Mufasa?" he asked without moving his head. "The Guardian Prophesy?" he asked. "Word for word… why?" "Someone must fight the sun," he told the grown-up cub. Mufasa turned toward him, puzzled. "What?" he asked. "Look," he said pointing toward Fox. Mufasa’s head followed the mandrill’s pointing finger. Fox’s head was slumped. He was the picture of agony against the bright morning sun. "He needs your help," Rafiki said. "You can save him." Mufasa blinked. He looked out at Fox again. His head cocked. It was true, he realized. From high above on Pride Rock, Mufasa saw the legend become a reality. Fox was the Guardian. "But… a human?" Mufasa asked Rafiki, testing the mandrill. "The Guardian can come in any form, Mufasa," Rafiki replied, having learned something himself. "Even human." Mufasa needed no further prompting. He tore down the Rock and out toward Fox. Rafiki watched from high above as the lion reached the human. After all of these years, Mufasa would be the one who’d rescued the Guardian from the sun. The king said something to his human friend, what it actually was being of little importance. Slowly Fox looked to his friend and nodded. Collapsing to his knees, he embraced Mufasa. "Now, young human cub," Rafiki said proudly. "Now you know who you are." Rafiki always helped. * * * The gathering outside Pride Rock was larger than any event Fox had ever witnessed. The crisp, bright morning was a welcome sight. The night had been long as had been Sarabi’s labor, but now, in her caring arms, was the young cub who would one day be king. Fox looked down at the Prince, who was yet to be named. Mufasa motioned for him to move out to the Rock. Fox complied immediately, although the sun burned his tired eyes. Mufasa could tell that the long night had taken its toll on Fox, who’d insisted on being present for the delivery. Mufasa too had been up all night by his mate’s side, but the pride he felt today as a father dwarfed the fatigue he felt as a lion. Fox approached the king and descended to one knee. He didn’t usually like to stand on ceremony, but this was Mufasa’s big day, and he wanted everything to be perfect. He bowed his head reverently, and Mufasa’s voice boomed. "Palafox Aegisthus Sears," he said. Fox winced. That name again. Now everyone knew, he cursed. You’ll pay for that later, Mufasa, he mused, but didn’t move a muscle. "Will you enter my service as the Guardian of my son?" "I will," Fox replied with determination in his voice. It was like some bizarre wedding ritual, he thought. "You understand that your duty is to protect the royal family from threat, inherent or inflicted?" "I do," he replied. "And you understand that your duty is to defend the royal family from such threat by any and all means, even forfeiting your life if necessary?" Fox hadn’t heard about that part. Forfeit my life? he thought. This was one tough deal. Still, he thought, glancing without moving his head at the cub in Sarabi’s arms. How much trouble could the kid possibly get into? he asked himself. "Sure, why not?" he said with a smile. Mufasa nodded proudly to him, a gesture that he knew meant that, for all intents and purposes, he belonged to the Pride now. He was the Guardian… the royal shield… the – "Aegis?" he wondered aloud. A wide smile found its way onto his face as he finally realized what he was destined to do. Not Aegisthus! Aegis! He was the protector. "The Aegis?" he asked Mufasa. If Rafiki had heard the question, he would have nodded proudly. The Lion King shrugged his shoulders. "Who are we to argue with Fate?" he asked with a grin. The revelation Fox had been waiting for all his life had finally appeared. He embraced the king, who reciprocated. After a moment, Fox released his friend and rose to his feet. He backed away from the edge of the throne, wanting to give a new father the limelight. Beside that, he still hadn’t gotten used to the height. A moment later, he saw Zazu land on the Rock and bow to his king. Mufasa nodded back with a smile. Finally, Rafiki came off the incline onto the Rock. Approaching the cub, he cracked another gourd. Fox wondered momentarily where the monkey got them all from and why he needed a new one every time he wanted to do something. He didn’t wonder long before the scene captivated the deepest crevices of his imagination. It was like… well, like a movie. Insight hit Fox full in the face, but it slipped away a moment later. "Nah…" he muttered. "Who would ever buy this." His attention turned back to Rafiki. The mandrill wiped some of the gourd’s fluid across the cubs head and sprinkled dust over it. The young prince sneezed from the powdering, and his mother’s face broke into a small affectionate smile. The mandrill paused for a moment, listening to the spirits. "Simba," he pronounced. That was to be this cub’s name. He carried Simba across the Rock, and holding him high in the air, presented him to the kingdom. "Your prince!" he announced. The congregation simultaneously bowed to the cub in reverence and respect. Rafiki returned Simba to his mother, who immediately began bathing him once again. The ceremony concluded, Mufasa, Fox, and Zazu approached her, staring down at the universe’s newest creation. "Could I…" Fox asked hesitantly, nodding at the cub. "Could I..uh?" Sarabi stopped bathing her son and looked up. She nodded to the cub with consent. Fox smiled as he kneeled down and scooped up the youngster. Simba began to purr happily. "Simba, eh?" he asked the cub, who stared back at him with inquisitive eyes. Mufasa and Zazu grinned warmly as Fox continued to speak to the cub. "I envy you," he said sincerely. "Not because you’re gonna’ be a king or anything… but you’ve got a mother who loves you more than anything." Sarabi blushed slightly and nodded her head. It was true. Her cub was first in her life from now on. "…you’ve got a father who’d do anything for you…" Mufasa smiled warmly. Again, Fox had spoken the absolute truth. "…and then there’s Zazu," he said awkwardly. The bird looked at him expectantly. Fox leaned down and whispered to the cub. "…watch out for Zazu. He’s kind of nutty," he said with crossed eyes. "What was that?" Zazu clipped angrily. Fox giggled to himself quietly. "Nah…" he corrected himself. "The birds cool too… and then there’s me…" He sighed sadly. "I… well…" The three looked at him curiously. The cub was adorable, he thought, but there would always be an emptiness where Kala had been. Nothing could replace his little girl. He’d give it his best, though. Simba deserved his best. He gave a sad smile. Finally, he spoke. "Don’t get me killed and we’ll be good friends, huh?" Setting the cub back down in his mother’s arms, Fox rose to his feet. It was Mufasa’s turn with the cub. He laid down next to his wife and pulled Simba in close to him. Fox made his way back out to the edge of the throne. The kingdom was dispersing from the congregation and going back to their lives as normal. Fox thought back on the events that had transpired over the last four months. The things he’d seen and done. The happiness, he thought as his first day in the Pridelands came back to mind. The sadness, he thought as he remembered his beloved young Kala. The absolute absurdity, he smirked as he looked at the mandrill at the edge of the Rock. The friends he’d made, he thought as he looked across the Rock at Mufasa, Zazu, and Sarabi. And so much more. He wouldn’t ever go back, he decided. Convention could go straight to hell for all he cared… and he’d be keeping the plane, too. Why not? He’d found his place here. He knew who he was here. He stared proudly across the land he would now call home. The End The Guardian Prophesy