The Lion King 4 - Tarew's Story

The Lion from the Other Land

The sun was beating down on a dry savanna. Dust swirled in tiny tornados made up of sand and hot wind. The Acacia trees loomed high above the earth and cast the tiniest bit of shade upon the scorched ground. The Most of the plants had shrivelled up, but a few were still fighting for their lives and storing as much moisture as possible before the sun dried them out completely. 

It was the dry season in Tanzania, and as little as 15mm of rainfall made finding any water almost impossible, especially for any wandering soul who hadn't the faintest idea where they're heading. 

Lying on his back, a young lion cub lay speed-eagled in the shade underneath an Acacia tree. He was panting heavily as he had just been running from a vulture who had spotted him roaming the savanna, looking tired and lost. It had decided to chase him and he ran a good mile to get away from it, although he did end up even more exhausted than he already was. Whats more, the run had also made him thirsty, and now, as he lay under the tree, he thought about the Watering Hole back home and how he would give anything to be diving into its refreshing depths or bathing in the shallows.

It was noon, the time when the scorching sun was at it's peak and the temperature rose to it's highest. Tarew had forced the thought about the Watering Hole out of his mind as he realised it was only making his longing for water grow. It had been one day since his departure from the Pridelands and so far, he hadn't been able to find food, water, or any shelter whatsoever. It seemed as though the savanna was a flat, unforgiving landscape that barely had any resources to do anything with. Knowing this, he had found a large rock and propped up against a tree, hoping that it would be firm enough to let him stay the night underneath it. 

-

His tongue lolled around lazily in his mouth as he kept on panting continuously in the afternoon air. He had stopped at the Watering Hole to get a drink on his way out as he predicted this would happen, but he hadn't known that there wasn't any water for miles! Now he was stuck in the middle of nowhere with no food (the meat scrap had been eaten previously), no water, and no hope of surviving whatsoever. It was during this thought process that he realised, he had no chance of lasting in the wilderness on his own. After all, he was just a cub who didn't know how to hunt or scavenge for food. This wasn't the first time this thought had crossed his mind either. Now, as he lay on the ground staring at the branches of the tree beside him, he knew he only had a matter of time left before.... gulp. He closed his eyes and almost instantly fell asleep. His dreams were interrupted by a series of images and sounds, his father shouting, the mouse he'd trapped, the elephants he'd seen, the fall from the top of Pride Rock, and the screeching of the vultures.... This left the little cub flinching in his sleep, hoping for a new day and a new life that would be better than the one the cub currently owned... please...

-

He was faintly aware of something nudging his head, although he didn't know what it was, he knew it was there. Wearily, he opened one eye and was greeted with a fuzzy white blur. As his eyes adjusted to the early evening light, his vision focussed onto a young adult lioness. At first he was shocked and thought her to be a mirage from the lack of water, but she took a couple cautious steps towards him and he realised that she was real. After a few moments of him gazing at her in fascination, he suddenly realised that whoever she was, she could be dangerous. Quick as lightning, he bolted up into a sitting position and looked her straight in the eye.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

He didn't dare move a muscle.

"I said, who are you?" the lioness repeated in a sharper tone of voice.

"Umm.. I.. uhh... I'm.. Tarew......" (gulp)

"What is your business near my Pride?"

"Oh.... umm.. well I was just... uhh.... wait a second.... there's another Pride?"

"Course, now tell me, what do you want?" 

"Long story. Could you possibly tell me more about this.. Other Pride?"

"Tell a complete stranger more about our Pride. Why exactly would I do that and risk my family's safety?"

"Good point.. its just.... where i'm from..... We were told there was only one Pride, the one that I'm in... well was in.."

"Oh? What happened then?" she asked in a kinder voice.

"Well, they never treated me very nicely there... in fact they treated me like dirt.. so.... I decided to run away and start again."

".... thats ridiculous. You're going back to your Pride, your parents are probably worried sick!"

"I'm pretty sure they don't care.."

"Don't be stupid, of course they care. Now, tell me, which Pride are you from little guy?"

"The Pridelands."

She froze. A mixture of deep thought and fear spread over her face.

"The...... umm... Pridelands?" she asked shakily.

"Yep."

"Oh... well... uhh... would you... like to stay the night in my Pride?"

"Well... I shouldn't really be taking offers from strangers, but I am in the middle of nowhere so... umm... I guess its alright?"

"Yea.... sure.."

And with that she turned and walked off into the distance, Tarew following at her heels. 

A random cub from the Pridelands just shows up?No way is that Patas Monkey right! Argh... I have to tell Arja about this... he's a leader after all. But, I can't let the cub know that.. he might freak out or run away or something. But, if the monkey is right then... well... never mind, we'll be ready for it anyways. We better hurry though...

These thoughts passed through her mind as the pair of them wandered across the empty savanna, she found it difficult not to think about them, but if they were true....