"Maybe were not so different after all?"

[TheLionQueen]

Date: 9/4/02 Time: roughly 8:30 am Day: Friday Season: Winter Pride: Rich pride

As you can see the set of data above has some kinda meaning and this is it. Friday September 4 2002 roughly 8:30 am in the cold winter of Africa a young lioness named Kelli went on her first hunt with who else but her two best friends who had been on hunts alone before. "Siana." One of the lioness called to the lead, "What Kelli?!" She scolded. "The zebra it stopped running, and there is something biting into it's neck." She stated they were a bit too far to tell what the strange animal was. Kelli offered to go in and check it out which she did, "You know we were hunting that zebra you got there." She said to the young male cheetah she saw infront of her biting into the still struggling zebras neck. The cheetah let his jaws loose and allowed the zebra to go, "Now none of us will hunt that zebra, nor it's family, so now leave you got what you wanted." He replied. "I didn't want the zebra to get away." She said questionably. "Yes, but you didn't want me to have that zebra did ya now." He sassed. "Look if were gonna have a problem here I will make you bow to the princess of the rich pride." She said. "Whatcha gonna do drag me over to her once ya kill me, all you lions are the same and I know you are not the rich princess, your dark friend over there is." He added.
Kelli growled, "And now you expect me to run away scared." He said before standing tall a few inches taller than the young FULL GROWN lioness. "Look. Babe, your gonna just go away and return to your little pack or herd or whatever you sticks call your groups and your gonna leave me alone before I break a stick in your face." She said. "Terrible comeback." The cheetah said before snarlin' "How 'bout we be friends?" He asked. "Speed, strength, smarts and bulk, that'd make ya supper cat." The cheetah growled jokingly. "Okay, let's start with names, I'm Kelli Rich." She said. "I'm Ashton um and what's with the sur name Kelli Rich?"He asked. "Ashton, the rich pride puts the word rich after their names to show our pride for our pride." Kelli explained. "Then I'm Ashton Kutcher." Ashton replied remembering seeing the name 'Ashton Kutcher in a littered magazine left behind by a tourist. He never even had a first nor surname so he used Ashton. Kelli giggled, "You've got an animal in that heart eh?" She asked referring to him not running away or being afraid. "I've never understand running away when I have a perfectly good meal in my jaws, and you lions can get one 24/7 you rule the lands." Ashton replied. "Why don't you come back to Rich lands with me, I can show you our lives have difficulties that you my friend can compare to." She said pushing him to stand next to her and walk with her back to her friends. "Kelli your one damn crazy lioness, we'll meet you at home." Siana said running off with the other lioness they had with them. "Ashton, follow me." She ordered climbing up a tall land rock formation (and no it's not priderock it's something like it) "Ashton, this is the rich pride lands." Kelli said. "What happened? The lands are burnt and all I see is water and dirt." Ashton observed. "See, our lands were ruined by a rival pride and then they burnt us and our lands. My father's neck will never heal and his mane will never grow back where he was burnt. My mother will never be able to run again and my baby brother perished." she said before tears ran down her face thinking about it. Ashtons face lost its sly smile and his face became sad also but then he looked at Kelli and licked her tears away. "Cole." She said quietly saying her young baby brothers name. "Kelli, I'm really sorry and I know how it is." Ashton said to comfort her before nuzzling her furry neck and throwing a paw over her shoulders. "Maybe we aren't so different afterall?" He said before a tear also ran down his face, "Look, when I was young my mother was killed by a lion, from the rich pride. That scarred me forever and I'm in pieces and I couldn't believe my mother was no longer around. Thought she would be there forever, right on my side." Ashton confessed. "So maybe we can hang out, you and I. You seem like really down to earth, my type of gal, meet me in the gorge midnight ." He explained before dashing off.

That night, ten minutes before midnight

Kelli stood up in the den she shared with the females of her pride. She made sure to be swift and get around. She soon forced herself to run as fast as possible because she had kicked over a rock. "Ashton?!" She called as she bounced down the rocks of the gorge to the bottom, she found the cheetah down at the heart of the gorge seemingly observing the broken and dead tree. "What's this?" Kelli asked coming and sitting next to Ashton, "King Mufasa died here, my father told me a story of the king who risked his life for the prince Simba. His brother Scar had thrown him from the edge up there." He pointed with a paw. "Scar was evil, deceiving." He explained. "Wow, I never heard of this." She said. "I know Simba's son, his name is Kopa, he's very handsome, my father betrothed me to him but I don't want to marry him. He loves another girl." Kelli said smiling but kinda hurt inside hearing about this story. "Kelli, why don't you just marry me." Ashton said seriously. Kelli thought Ashton was joking and chuckled, "Good one." Ashton realized she would never marry him and then looked at her, "Let's go for a walk in the pridelands." He suggested. "No, I don't want to see Kopa." She said walking away from him. "Look Kelli, just come with me, have you ever even seen the pridelands?" He asked. "I've been to it's borders to meet the prince but that's it." Kelli replied. Ashton put a paw on her shoulder before running up the wall of the gorge. She was shocked with his speed he was swift and had great force to pull up the ledges and rocks, this cheetah was as mysterious as the dark side of the moon. She tried running up herself but failed. She was feeling disappointed and then leaped up to a large rock and climbed using her claws. She made it to the top and saw Ashton sitting in the tree above her. "Baby, your slow." He said before jumping down and dashing to the next tree which was a few hundred feet away. Kelli growled before trotting over. "These are the pridelands." Ashton called from the top of a tall tree. "They were once struck by Zeus' lightning, the king of the sky. The lands were filled of fire and became ashes. Yet now the land is plentiful and beautiful, thanks to Hermes the messenger who told Apollo who repainted the pridelands. Artemis, Apollo's sister replenished the animals, Demeter the goddess of fertility grow the grass and trees. And Hades balanced it all out with evil. And the last two Hestia gave us family and Poseidon gave us our water." Ashton explained as he came down the tree. "But the great kings of the past tied it all together with a bow by giving Simba back to the pridelands to defeat Scar." Ashton added. "Woah so this all comes from the stars?" She asked. "How else?" Ashton asked hypothetically. "And you have your semi-gods Aeolus god of the wind, Thanatos god of death, Hypnos god of sleep, Uranos god of the sky, Themis the goddess of justice,and my favorite Eros god of love and desire, she gives me you." He explained. "So your in love with me?" She asked. "Maybe I am. Or maybe Eros says I am." He replied with a sly smile. "So goodnight, meet me back at the gorge tomorrow at the same time and we'll go beyond the waterhole." He said before disappearing with the wind. Kelli smiled, "Mysterious as the dark side of the moon, swift as a coarsin' river, forceful as a great typhoon and as strong as a raging fire." She said admiring the young handsome cheetah she had just fell in love with. She waited over night for him to return and even sat in the same spot while there was a stampede she finally smiled when she saw him walk towards her, "Eros says I am too." She replied. "So yes?" Ashton asked. "Yes to what?" Kelli asked in response. "Marry me?" He asked before smiling. turned a nuzzle then pulled away and looked into the cheetahs eyes, "I can't." She replied. "What do you mean, you just said you loved me, and when you love someone you marry 'em right?" Ashton argued, "Damn. It's another male isn't it?" He added. "No!" Kelli said loudly and angrerly. "You're a cheetah and I'm a lion I can't marry you my father would never allow it and neither would my mother." She said more calmly. "Kelli, what if I become a lion." He said. "If I became what you're father wants, a prince of a lion." Kelli looked at him as if he was a ghost bleeding from the eyes, "Are you crazy how the hell would you do that?" She asked hypothetically. "The one called Tutageuza-Ficha-nyota ziko mbali he's a crazy meerkat hidden in the stars if I ask him to change me he will." Ashton explained. "I'll believe you only because this is our one chance of being together." Kelli replied, "Meet me where you released the Zebra." She ordered before running off to find her parents and tell them she found a suitor who they would like. Ashton quickly went to Tutageuza-Ficha-nyota ziko mbali's resting place.

Once Kelli made it home she found her parents, "Mom, dad I have something important to tell you." She started. Her parents looked at her, "Yes dear?" Her mother said. Her father looked at her, "If it's about Kopa, we already know he got married to a outlander." He said not interested in his daughter at the moment. "No it's bigger." She said. "I found myself a suitor." Kelli said sitting tall infront of her parents. They both were surprised and her father just walked off, her mother smiled, "Where is he?" She asked. "I have to go get him he had to 'freshen up'." She lied. "Then, go get him then." Her mother pushed. Kelli ran to the spot she first met Ashton at.

"Tutageuza-Ficha-nyota ziko mbali?" He said curiously looking at a small rock with a drawing of a meerkat on it. "You called." Tutageuza-Ficha-nyota ziko mbali said forming from the wind. "Yes I need your help Tutageuza." Ashton replied. The meerkat chuckled before markings appeared on his body one of which was a lion cub and the other a full grown lion symbolizing the great king Simba. "I'm Timon." He said shaking the cheetahs paw. "Timon. Weren't you and King Simba like best friends?" Ashton asked. "Yeah, before Pumbaa and I got passed by a few hyenas." Timon explained. "Oh I'm real sorry sir." Ashton replied before looking at his paws and then Timon, "So look Timon, I'm in love with a lioness and she can't be with me unless I'm a lion and not a cheetah." He explained. "Alright kid one strong and handsome lion coming up." Timon said before cracking his fingers, "There." He added. Ashton smiled before running to the water which was only a few feet away, "I still look like a cheetah, I thought you changed me." He observed. "You only look as if you were still a cheetah in your reflection, you to me look like a lion, but at any point in time you can not show anyone else your reflection or it will be revealed who you really are." Timon explained. Ashton smiled before hugging Timon in one of his large lion paws, "Thank you." He said before running to meet Kelli.

"Kelli!" Ashton called running to the spot where he saw her. Kelli knew it was Ashton yet his voice and his looks were very different. "So your friend turned out for you eh?" She said before noticing his black lining around his eyes, "You look nice." She said, "Do you feel any different?" She asked. "Yea it's real hot under this mane." Ashton replied. "So lets go meet my parents shall we." Kelli said. "Lead the way." Ashton said as he soon got to Kelli's side and walked with her quietly to her mother where her father was no where to be seen. "Mom this is Ashton, Ashton this is my mother Kula and my fathers name is Tojo." She explained finally seeing her father walk over bringing her little brother with him. "Oh and that little cub is my baby brother Zuri." She added before her father came to a stop to put down his son and sit next to his mate, "Morning." He greeted. "Good morning sir I'm Ashton." Ashton replied. "What pride are you from Ashton?" Tojo asked as one of his six birds landed on his shoulder the rest standing around Tojo and Kula. "I'm uh a rogue actually." Ashton replied in a somewhat truthful way. "Parents?" Tojo asked. "Oh I never knew them sir." Ashton replied. "Siblings?" Tojo just kept on with simple questions. "Yes and no, I had a older sister." He replied. "Have you ever had any cubs?" Tojo asked. "No sir." Ashton replied. "Fought or killed?" Tojo asked, "Only what I had to eat sir." Ashton replied once again. "Where are you from?" Kula asked. "I'm from the open land near the pridelands ma'am." He replied. "Must you be so formal?" Tojo asked. "No just trying to make a good first impression don't want to get my backside handed to me." Ashton replied jokingly. "Come with me Ashton." Tojo asked before starting to turn and walk away his birds flying off. Ashton smiled at Kelli, "That good?" He asked. Kelli nodded a yes before Ashton ran to Tojo's side. "Sir?" Ashton asked as they continued walking. "Yes?" Tojo responded. "Can I ask you something?" Ashton replied. "You just did." Tojo joked. "How did your prides lands catch fire?" Ashton asked seeing the burn marks on Tojo's upper leg and lower neck. "A rival pride came in with sticks of fire and set this land to flames. My first son, and Kelli's first brother died in the flames, I tried to save him but by the time I got to him...... you get the picture. And now we have our new son and I'm just hoping this time I won't screw things up." Tojo replied. "I'm sorry I never should have asked." Ashton said. "No it's fine, things happen and talking about it helps. Although now there is nothing I can do about it. "Sir, if I may I'd say your a great father it wasn't your fault. What pride did this to you anyways?" Ashton asked, "They must be heathens." He added. "I think it was the pridelanders, I saw Simba's uncle Scar and a lioness I had never seen before but she looked much evil like Scar, but he was Simba's uncle I don't think he'd do that to us the king must have told them to do so." Tojo replied. "No Scar would Mufasa was dead only a while after he had Simba, Scar was evil and killed Mufasa and I'm sure if he could kill his brother he wouldn't have trouble killing these lands or you." Ashton stated. "You're a good kid." Tojo observed, "If you'd excuse me I must go now and apologize to Simba, for thinking such a thing. And how do you know all of this?" Tojo added. "Family, friends, living near the pridelands." Ashton replied before running back to Kelli while Tojo walked to the pridelands.
Kelli smiled seeing Ashton run to her his mane getting pushed back hard by the wind and his paws moving as if he were still a cheetah. "I love being a lion." Ashton said halting to a stop infront of Kelli. "Shhh, you don't want my mom to hear you." She ordered. "Oh sorry." Ashton said before waving a paw at Kelli's mother. "Kelli, want to rebuild your prides lands?" Ashton asked. "We all do but how?" She replied. "Lots of my friends a few trees, tons of grass and a little bud named Timon." He answered. "Let's get to it." Kelli replied. "Follow me!" Ashton said loudly as he ran off towards the pridelands where all the herd animals ate and lived. "Ashton wait up!" Kelli ordered. "Your the boss." He said stopping abruptly and letting Kelli run into him. "Refu!" Ashton called seeing the tallest of the giraffes, the giraffe looked around he knew the voice but did not see Ashton, "Down here it's me Ashton I need your help!" Ashton shouted so the tall giraffe could hear him. "Okay Ashton." Refu replied. "Meet me near the gorge!" Ashton ordered running again towards the rhinos, "Kali!" Ashton called. A large black rhino emerged from the rhino herd shoving his large pointed horn towards the lions, he pulled it away when Ashton pushed it aside with his paw, "It's me Ashton, I need your help meet me at the gorge." He said before the rhino smiled, and said in a heavy and deep voice, "I will be there." He replied. Ashton and Kelli moved onto the herd of zebras, "Dogo!" Ashton called, the skinny but tall zebra came from next to his herd where he was speaking to one of his herds many offspring, "Ashton is that you?" He asked looking down at Ashton, "Yes I need your herds help meet me at the gorge with all the grass your herd could possibly get." Ashton replied. "Alright." Dogo answered before going to his herd and shouting loudly, "Get as much grass as possible!" Ashton continued to move onto the next animals whom were elephants, he only called to one of the largest and strongest elephants, "Sikia!" Ashton called. The dark gray elephant swung his trunk down from the trees and looked down at Ashton, "Yes?" He replied not scared of the lion nor the lioness yet he recognized Ashton's voice. "It's me Ashton meet me at the gorge!" He ordered before walking towards the last animal he needed. "Magi!" Ashton called to the longed and thicked horned water buffalo. "Yes my friend?" The kind Magi replied. "I see you recognize my voice Magi. Bring your strongest and thickest and longest horned cows and bulls to the gorge, we have some work to do." Ashton ordered. "Of course anything for you my friend." The buffalo said dropping to his front knees slowly and bowing his head before going to his herd to explain this to them. "Now we go to the cheetahs and we should be good." Ashton explained, "But won't they know it's you? They can ruin our plans to get married!" Kelli said in a worried tone. "They won't, we can trust them. Only if you trust me though." Ashton said before telling Kelli she would have to jump into the gorge to stop the cheetahs from running during the mid day when they would pass through to the stream to drink from the coolest and most clear freshwater that flowed over the waterfall. "Are you crazy! They will kill me!" She argued, "Fine, I'll go, but you have to come with me." Kelli gave into Ashtons fake puppy dog face. "Let's hurry to the gorge." Ashton ordered running quickly to the gorge which was not far away. They herd the echos of the cheetahs hisses and mews as they raced to the water, "I'm gonna beat you Fuli!" The only girl cheetah of the trio winced. "No way not this time Mechi!" Fuli called to the girl. A cheetah whirled passed them quickly with a brown flash, "Duma!" The two wined as Duma won once again. "Save your energy I'm always the winner." Duma said in a cocky tone his tuft of brownish yellow hair was scruffy and blew as he stopped at the water and let the wind cool his body. He smiled slyly before drinking from the water. Ashton and Kelli dived into the gorge paws first. Ashton landed first due to the fact he was the first to dive, he landed on his paws like a domestic cat but Kelli totally failed and crashed ontop of poor Ashton. "Duma brother." Ashton said as he pulled Kelli up and off his back. "Ashton, what happened to you?" Duma asked. "I'm a lion can you not see so? Timon changed me so I could be with this lioness her name is Kelli she is part of the rich pride." Ashton explained. Duma bowed his head in greeting to Kelli before introducing himself, "I'm Duma, this is my sister Mechi and my youngest brother Fuli, Ashton used to be the second oldest of the group." "That reminds me brother, where is the zebra you had gone to catch three days ago?" Duma asked. "It got away but thats not important here. I'm meetin' a few animals in a while and we are rebuilding the rich prides lands, they have been devastated by flames brought by Scar and his evil queen. These lands will be fixed even if I spend the rest of eternity rebuilding them back." Ashton explained as the herd animals poured into the gorge. "We are here." The Zebras said there words jumbled as their mouths were full of grass. Sikia had came with Magi buffalo, "We are here." They said. The rhino had brought another along, "We are here." He called. The one giraffe Refu, said, "I'm here." He smiled down at Ashton as his neck bent in a circular motion towards the floor of the gorge so he could hear the animals talk the giraffes neck was so long he could almost reach the top edges of the gorge. "We are in." Menchi, Fuli and Duma said at the same time. "Let's rebuild the rich pride!" Ashton shouted cheerfully. "Refu gather all birds of the sky and tell them where to fly with all the leaves they could gather off the healthy trees, Dogo get your herd and bring the grass to the rich lands with Kelli, Sikia you Magi go to the trees of the outlands and gather them carry them on the buffalo's horns to the rich lands Sikia also gather all the water possible. Kima, a small monkey had came down into the gorge, "You have forgot me!" The monkey wined. "Oh yes my friend I forgot to ask for your help, "Go with the birds lick the leaves and stick them to the trees." Ashton ordered. The animals went the way they needed to go and Ashton and Kelli led the zebras to the rich pride where they layed down the grass neatly which took them an hour. The rest of the herd animals arrived and did their jobs. Ashton looked at the waterbuffalo before telling them to rake the ground with their horns to airate the grass and make it easy for the water to go in. Sikia blew his trunk out all over the grass. Yet this was only about 300 feet of the prides lands, the whole lands took up 1-2 acres. They will have to work for about three straight weeks. Sikia after watering the grass held up the trees while the rhino stomped down on the dirt to dig into it making big enough holes for the trees to go in and then using it's horn pushed dirt over the openings of the holes. Ashton let the herd animals take a break before he told his "siblings" something, "I need you guys to use your light feet and strong run to push down the grass into the moist soil I only want you to go the the end once and walk around to get back, so the grass doesn't drown." Ashton ordered. The cheetahs did as told and then Kelli said to Ashton, "I thought you told my father you had a older sister?" She asked. "I did, those guys aren't my real family. When I got older I started to hang out with these looneys and we all became so close that we made ourselves a little 'pride' and decided we were all brothers and sisters. Sorta an 'adoption' type of thing." Ashton explained. "Oh." Kelli said. "Workers!" Ashton called to the animals, "You may return home. Thank you all for your help." He stated before looking at the cheetahs, "Where are you guys gonna sleep tonight?" Ashton asked. "The cheetahs lived like street rats in the pridelands and basically where ever they went, they had no permanent home nor real family to hand around 24/7 nor a steady food supply it's day by day, week by week, month by month. "We'll be fine." Duma said in a orderly tone, he was always the leader of the group and very stubborn. "Yeah, we'll find a nice place to curl up tonight, maybe the outlands we can sleep in the termite mounds if the termites don't bite too hard." Fuli explained. Mechi fake smiled and so did Fuli, "Don't worry Ashton, we got this under control." Mechi added before the cheetahs walked off to find shelter, food and some water. Tears ran down Ashtons face, "What have I done." He said softly. "I've stabbed my bestfriends backs, for nothing..........." He added before walking away. Kelli began to tear up, and turned away before sprinting to her den. "I guess it's goodbye Kelli." Ashton said not turning around and just walking towards the full moon in the cold cold night. His tears turned into ice from the cold and soon enough he began to feel lonely and not him. "Look at me I will never pass for a perfect guy nor a perfect suitor
can it be. Maybe we are different maybe I don't belong in her heart. I don't want to hide behind a mask of a lion. So it's cya, forever. Lions and Cheetahs can't mix and even though I look a lion, I'm not one and I'm never gonna be one." Ashton said to himself wiping his paw through the waterhole he had just stepped infront of, his reflection was his face and when he pulled the paw he wiped in the water he was still a lion, and not himself. "Great ancestors help me. That god of love bull and the rest of the stupid greek gods was no help. It ruined my life! I am no longer here nor anywhere to be found forget I ever happened everyone would be better off." He said walking into the ankle deep water that he had to cross the keep walking towards the moon. He was still cold and the mane he had hated so much helped a bit but was terrible when the snow came down, it kept getting stuck in his mane. "Timon." Ashton said seeing the rock with the painted meerkat again, "I'm no where near the pridelands where did you come from!" Ashton said angerly at the rock before Timon appeared, "Ashton, don't blame your ancestors, it's not there fault and it sure ain't yours." Timon stated. "Then whose fault is it?" He asked. "Mine." Timon said putting a hand over the adult painted Simba on his chest. "Look I can turn ya back and you can go home to your friends." Timon said. "I don't need your help anymore. You screwed up my life, I lost my love, my friends and everything. Just go back to your stupid rock and go die again." Ashton said angerly before plopping onto the cold snow. "Look kid Hakuna Matata." Timon replied. "Hakuna Mawhata?" Ashton asked. Timon stood on Ashton's shoulder and then pulled on his mane to get onto the top of Ashton's head where Timon's head leaned over and looked into Ashton's eyes, "It means no worries, it was Pumbaa, Simba and me's motto." He said. "That's I Timon not me." Ashton corrected. "I! Hakuna Matata what a wonderful phrase, Hakuna matata ain't no passing craze, It means no worries for the rest of your days, it's my problem free philosophy, hakuna matata." Timon started. "Hakuna matata what a wonderful phrase." Timon added. "Hakuna Matata ain't no passing craze, it means no worries for the rest my days, its a problem free philosophy hakuna matata." Ashton sang. "That's it." Timon said, then he added "you see Hakuna Matata will solve all your problems." Then he vanished into thin air. Ashton stood up and walked away to find no worries and a new life.

The cheetahs became part of a large group of cheetahs and became a bit higher than street rats, the herd animals were all safe at home and Kelli found a new guy who she loves not as much as she did Ashton but shes happy. Ashton he's long gone and theres a statue made of rock erected near the rich pride dens for his heroic land and pride saving planting, those 300 feet turned into the full acres over time thanks to Ashton and nature. He is now currently living in the egyptian desert and Hakuna Matataing all day and all night as the kings pet lion.

THE END