The Longest Journey

[DGFone]

Dan couldn't help but laugh at Simba's question. "Yeah, you really don't know a lot do you?" He raised his hands when Nala growled at him. "Hey, not trying to be mean here, just stating a fact." He allowed himself some time to calm down before trying to talk again. "It really does present a problem, you know... how little non-humans know. When we grow up, we have to learn a lot of stuff, most of which is rather useless for what wee do, and all the other times, it's not enough. But on the other hand, you guys, who didn't go through the same schooling, you know even less... What I'm saying is that if I try to explain all your questions one by one, it will take forever and we will get nowhere. There needs to be a better way than this..."

He thought about how he should proceed. For a while, he just say there, thinking, and then he got an idea. "Right, Simba, Nala, your first lesson starts now." He quickly brought up the alphabet on the computer and showed it to them. "These symbols here, the two of you will need to learn how to see, interpret, and understand their meaning all by yourselves. It's called reading. The best way to think of it is that it's nothing more than a visual representation of the normal language that you or I speak out loud." With that, he began to try and teach them how to read.

As they flew, Nala rubbed her head in annoyance. This reading stuff was really beginning to hurt her head, and she felt like she got absolutely nowhere. "Why do we need to learn this stuff, anyways?" she asked. "Why can't you tell us what we need to know?"

Dan didn't bat an eye at her. Both Simba and Nala were having a hard time grasping the concept, and it was something that even most humans ask at least once. "Because sometimes I won't be around to explain things for you," he said, "or I might not know. But mostly, it's because you will come across writing all the time, and you will need to know what it says. It's the only way to get some things done." Dan motioned around the plane. "Look around. Tell me how much writing you see."

[Regulus]

"It's not so bad Nala," Simba commented. "Actually, many of these symbols seem somewhat... familiar." He searched his memory, trying to remember where he had seen written English before.

"Remember that one night, we were caught in a thunderstorm at the Jungle? We stayed in a cave by the river... and there it was. These symbols. They were on the rocks. I know Rafiki can read; he told me what it meant the next day: 'He lives in you.' That phrase goes back generations..." Simba raised his eyebrows, realizing what this meant.

He tried to explain his findings to Dan. "This is not the first time our paths have crossed. Definitely not. Our ancestors must have met at some point." He paused for a moment, before continuing. "In fact, I'd say much of our current traditions are probably based around ancient writings such as these. Unfortunately, none of us really know how to read anymore... not fluently," he said, slightly embarrassed by his last words.

[DGFone]

Dan was quiet interested in what Simba mentioned about the past. "Really? That's quite usual. Although it does explain why you guys speak English instead of the native Swahili of the area..."

Nala grinned. "You mean this?" She said a few things to Simba, who replied in kind. Dan, on the other had, clearly did not understand what had been said. Nala grinned at this realization. "Now we know how to keep secrets from him..." she whispered to Simba. She too remembered the cave they had stayed in, but had assumed that the symbols were just there created by Rafiki much like the various sketches and markings that covered his tree.

Dan sighed in annoyance. "Well, alright, I couldn't understand what you guys just said," he muttered, "the important thing is that you will learn how to read, and if possible, write as well. It will greatly ease your training, and will shorten it tremendously." He quickly found a simple page on the first moon landings and presented it to Simba and Nala. "Here, try to read this. I don't know if it's too much too soon, but if you will be able to understand it, it should answer a few questions as well. Remember, if you need any help, just help."

[Regulus]

Simba stared at the page for the greater half of an hour, attempting to read it. His limited understanding of the written English language and humans in general made it a difficult task, though he knew he understood some parts. However, before he could finish reading, he soon found himself napping.

Before he knew it, he returned to a state of consciousness to find Dan looking over him. He muttered the words "too long; didn't read," before setting his head back down over his paw and closing his eyes. Little did he know that the average human wouldn't have skimmed through the papers any closer than he did.

[DGFone]

Nala stared at the screen, trying to decipher the words on it. From the very little she did manage to read, she did not understand, and the entire ordeal left her feeling quite tired. Looking at Simba, she saw that he was already asleep as well. Shuffling closer ti him, Nala lay her head next to his and also allowed herself to close her eyes and relax.

Laying next to Simba, Nala found it odd to imagine that at that moment, they were flying somewhere far away and far above the Pridelands. Although as her mind started to wander in the haze right before sleep, she started to wonder exactly what the future had in store for her and Simba.

When Simba and Nala went to sleep, Dan thought of whether it was a good idea for them to simply lie on the floor like that, but figured that should they need to move, he will wake them up. Himself feeling quite awake, he moved over to the cockpit. "Hey, mind if I fly for a bit?" With a motion from the pilot, Dan nodded in thanks and sat down in the copilot's seat, taking control of the plane and allowed himself to relax in the process of keeping the plane on course.

[Regulus]

"That's alright, I left the autopilot on," the pilot informed Dan before yawning. "You know what they say about flying; hours of boredom surrounded by moments of terror," he continued, trying to keep himself awake with a joke. "Actually, I guess I may as well take a nap," he reconsidered, leaning back in the copilot's chair.

Soon after Dan left, Simba drifted into a deep sleep. He stayed awake far later than he normally would, but, fortunately, jet lag would be working in his favor. Though he was awake for half the night, when Nala woke him up, it was still dark on the plane.

He looked out the window to find poorly lit clouds and a dark ocean. As he looked towards the rear of the plane, he could barely see illumination in the atmosphere from a rising sun. "I guess today is the day..." he whispered to Nala, "the day we'll find out if this was a good idea."

[DGFone]

Nala grinned and gave Simba a quick nuzzle. "Yeah, looks like it," she said, while trying to ignore the feeling that was telling her that it was much darker than it should be. "So what do you think it will be like? Really exciting? Or really boring?" She let out a long yawn. Unlike Simba, who was the pride's early morning wake up call, Nala liked to sleep in whenever she could. Despite that, Simba always managed to blame her for waking him up, something she did, and will continue to deny.

Every now and then, Dan would check on the status of the two feline passengers on the plane, and when he saw that they were up and about, he got an idea. Instead of calling out to them, he instead reached for the plane's intercom system. "Simba and Nala, would you please get over to the front of the plane?" he asked.

Upon hearing Dan's voice originating from, well, everywhere, Nala nearly jumped the entire height of the cabin in shock. "What? How'd you do that?" she blurted out, but proceeded to do as told and began to walk in-

"-other way, Nala."

Nala frowned and turned around, following Simba to the real front of the plane where Dan was waiting for them.

Dan was trying very hard not to laugh out loud when Simba and Nala made their way into the cockpit of the plane. "Morning you two," he greeted, "although it won't be morning for a while now. How was your nap?" He leaned back in his chair, inviting them to get a good look at the instrument panel in front of him.

[Regulus]

Simba observed the instruments, amazed by their complexity. The first thing he noticed was the attitude indicator, which he instinctively understood. He then noticed the cardinal directions on the horizontal situation indicator, but his comprehension of what the instruments meant ended there. "I hope you're going to explain what all this means," Simba said nervously. "I'm totally confused."

[DGFone]

Dan grinned. "Yeah, I'm going to explain what all those are to you," he said, "but not now. Not for a while, actually..."

Nala frowned and shook her head. Just like Simba, she had no idea what all of those things in front of her were doing. "So when are you going to explain?"

Dan sighed and leaned back in his seat, enjoying the view of the outside. "When the two of you will learn not only how to read, but read quickly." Nala looked a second time and realized that just about all of those things had writing on them, as well as what looked similar to writing, but not what Dan had showed them last night. "Numbers, Nala, numbers." Dan said, noticing where she was looking. "Like I said, you will need to learn how to understand a lot of information very quickly, and from many sources at once. Because..." He sighed. "Your life just might depend on what those numbers tell you."

[Regulus]

"Isn't there any way we could... speed up time, a little bit?" Simba inquired. "I mean, we're traveling through the air at... whatever speed that thing says, but can't we do anything else to make the situation a bit easier? Learning to read is boring; lets just get to the good stuff." He waited for a nod from Nala before pointing to the altimeter. "You could at least tell us what that means."