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Chapter 1
Spoiler: show
In my dream, I was standing on top of a hill, which was right in the middle of nowhere (Or so it seemed, since it was dark). It was somewhere around midnight, and for some weird reason, I was looking at myself. I was just standing there, doing nothing but staring at the dark land ahead of me. Whatever was out there, it was too dark for me to see anything, but looking back at my figure again, my expression seemed like I could see everything as if it was day-time.
I kept staring at myself for another minute, until I decided to go down the hill and see for myself. I always enjoyed the darkness, and I always went to sleep late. For some reason I just found the night calming and inviting.
As I trotted off the hill (which was a lot higher than it seemed at first) I glanced around at myself once more. My figure was still standing in the exact spot and was looking in the exact same direction. Usually it would be hard to spot a black-furred lion like me, but my half-grown white-mane made me very easy to notice under the moonlight.
I walked in the direction my figure was staring at, and as I moved farther away, I began to feel as if I was being watched. Now, being down the hill, I was able to see that I was surrounded by a few trees. The feeling of a hundred pairs of eyes staring at me just grew stronger as I kept walking. I listened carefully to any kind of noise, but I couldn't hear or see anything.
I looked at the hill once more, and as I did I could see myself turning around and running away from where I was staring at. I grew worried. I could feel something- no, someone coming towards me from the woods. I looked around me, but couldn't see or hear anything at all; even still, I could tell that he was close, that he could see me, and was coming for me. That was the point where I finally forced myself into a sprint, but just as I reached the bottom of the hill, something grabbed me.
I woke up with a start, and found myself inside the usual den I've lived at my whole life. It was very large, luckily, since I was part of a really big pride, around 40 — 50 lions / lionesses / cubs. I let out a sigh of relief when I realized it was just one of my dreams. I've been having strange dreams like that in the past few days, and it was driving me crazy.
I could tell it was already way past morning since the den was completely empty. I was used to being alone in the den when I woke up, like I've mentioned before, I always went to sleep late. I got up and stretched, a slight smile appearing on my muzzle as I heard two familiar voices coming closer towards the den.
It took a few more moments for my little brother and step dad to enter the den, my brother was busy talking about some story dad told us both yesterday. I don't believe in fairytales, but my brother can get really excited about those types of things. Then again, he was just a cub, so I figured that it was just his typical cubbish behaviour.
I mean come on! Stories about ancient spirits that keep the world in balance, of water, of fire, of wisdom, of other things I don't recognize and some mythical creatures. All of those sound like nonsense if you ask me. But I didn't say anything about it so to not upset my brother, even if he was really annoying when he talked about it.
"And can he like shoot thunder bolts out of his mouth?" My brother was taking that way too seriously, but I remembered I had such imagination as a cub. Before my step dad managed to say anything, my little brother caught sight of me. "Hatari!" he yelled, sounding even more excited than he usually did as he ran to greet me.
"Hey little guy." I said, grinning at my brother and rubbing his little head with my slightly larger paw. In case you haven't understood yet, my name's Hatari, my mother gave me that name. I then looked at my step father, ignoring my little brother who began wrestling my arm and biting it. "Morning Manu."
My step father smiled back at me, before lying down and watching his son 'play' with my finger. Don't get me wrong, the fact that I call my step dad by his name instead of naming him 'dad' does not mean I have anything against him. He was pretty much the only parent I had. My real father was never around for my birth, and my mother died when she gave birth to her second cub, the little thing that was hurting my fingers with his tiny teeth.
Yes, we don't have the same father, but he is my brother after all, and therefore I care about him more than anything else in the world. I can't really remember anything about my mom since I was very young when she died. He's my only relative, even if we look nothing alike. I had my small white mane and black fur while he was a golden furred, adorable and playful cub. I never told either Manu or my brother about my dreams. I didn't want the little cub to somehow relate them to Manu's bed-time story so that he could start talking about lions shooting thunder bolts again.
I then remembered that my brother was still busy with my arm, "How about we go outside so you can say hello to your friends?" I said as I used my free arm to grab my little brother, who struggled helplessly as I got hold of him. He was just outside with his father, but trust me, if he had seen any of his friends, he would have been busy playing outside.
Once my little brother calmed down, I placed him back down and looked at Manu, "If that's okay with dad?" I asked, receiving a silent nod from him as an answer. I then looked back down at my brother, and placed him on my back like I knew he enjoyed the most and I ran outside.
I saw the usual sight when me and my brother emerged from the den; A few lions and lionesses lying around, the usual group of adolescents who usually ignored and teased me, and then I caught of my brother's friends. I walked over with my brother still on my back to where they were talking and put him down there. His friends smiled at me and then my brother began to plan their daily adventure.
I hated to admit it, but the cubs in the pride were the ones I felt more comfortable to be around. It was then when I heard a familiar voice, "Yo Hat." I turned around and I saw my only friend coming towards me (He thinks 'Hat' is a cool nickname for me). He had the typical lion appearance; golden yellow fur and a reddish mane. He was the only adolescent in our pride I've managed to befriend with.
I smiled back at him, remembering the talk we had yesterday. "Hey J." I replied, (His name's Jasiri, but he likes it when I call him J.) Though my smile faded when I noticed he was carrying a rather troubled expression "Is something wrong? We said we were going to explore the woods today."
I expected him to be as excited as I was. The forest was quite far, it was past a few hills and a few minutes' walk, but I had the feeling that it would be really interesting. What made the place look even more awesome were the really tall trees, I wonder if I can climb one of these. It was then when Jasiri sighed and answered me, "I dunno man, I don't think this is such a good idea."
I rolled my eyes, "You were really excited about it yesterday." I said, using the I won't take 'no' for an answer tone, when he opened his mouth to protest again, I spoke before he did. "What could possibly go wrong?"
I was wrong.
We didn't speak to each other at all on the way, at least not until we were right in the middle of the woods. Even though I've never been there before, I felt like I did. "You see J, its fine." I said, nudging him in the shoulder when I saw he was still carrying his worrying look.
I felt really strange for a moment, it seemed like he felt something wrong was about to happen, but what exactly could have made him think that way? It's not like he was having a dream or something like… I caught sight of the hill we came from, and then quickly looked around us, it then hit me. I knew why this place seemed so familiar, I dreamed about it before I woke up half an hour ago. Then the same feeling I had in the dream came to me, something was coming towards us, something big. I'm not the type who believes in dreams, but I had a really bad feeling. I turned to Jasiri, whose thoughts were impossible to guess and the words just came out of my mouth "We have to get out of here, now."
I kept staring at myself for another minute, until I decided to go down the hill and see for myself. I always enjoyed the darkness, and I always went to sleep late. For some reason I just found the night calming and inviting.
As I trotted off the hill (which was a lot higher than it seemed at first) I glanced around at myself once more. My figure was still standing in the exact spot and was looking in the exact same direction. Usually it would be hard to spot a black-furred lion like me, but my half-grown white-mane made me very easy to notice under the moonlight.
I walked in the direction my figure was staring at, and as I moved farther away, I began to feel as if I was being watched. Now, being down the hill, I was able to see that I was surrounded by a few trees. The feeling of a hundred pairs of eyes staring at me just grew stronger as I kept walking. I listened carefully to any kind of noise, but I couldn't hear or see anything.
I looked at the hill once more, and as I did I could see myself turning around and running away from where I was staring at. I grew worried. I could feel something- no, someone coming towards me from the woods. I looked around me, but couldn't see or hear anything at all; even still, I could tell that he was close, that he could see me, and was coming for me. That was the point where I finally forced myself into a sprint, but just as I reached the bottom of the hill, something grabbed me.
*
I woke up with a start, and found myself inside the usual den I've lived at my whole life. It was very large, luckily, since I was part of a really big pride, around 40 — 50 lions / lionesses / cubs. I let out a sigh of relief when I realized it was just one of my dreams. I've been having strange dreams like that in the past few days, and it was driving me crazy.
I could tell it was already way past morning since the den was completely empty. I was used to being alone in the den when I woke up, like I've mentioned before, I always went to sleep late. I got up and stretched, a slight smile appearing on my muzzle as I heard two familiar voices coming closer towards the den.
It took a few more moments for my little brother and step dad to enter the den, my brother was busy talking about some story dad told us both yesterday. I don't believe in fairytales, but my brother can get really excited about those types of things. Then again, he was just a cub, so I figured that it was just his typical cubbish behaviour.
I mean come on! Stories about ancient spirits that keep the world in balance, of water, of fire, of wisdom, of other things I don't recognize and some mythical creatures. All of those sound like nonsense if you ask me. But I didn't say anything about it so to not upset my brother, even if he was really annoying when he talked about it.
"And can he like shoot thunder bolts out of his mouth?" My brother was taking that way too seriously, but I remembered I had such imagination as a cub. Before my step dad managed to say anything, my little brother caught sight of me. "Hatari!" he yelled, sounding even more excited than he usually did as he ran to greet me.
"Hey little guy." I said, grinning at my brother and rubbing his little head with my slightly larger paw. In case you haven't understood yet, my name's Hatari, my mother gave me that name. I then looked at my step father, ignoring my little brother who began wrestling my arm and biting it. "Morning Manu."
My step father smiled back at me, before lying down and watching his son 'play' with my finger. Don't get me wrong, the fact that I call my step dad by his name instead of naming him 'dad' does not mean I have anything against him. He was pretty much the only parent I had. My real father was never around for my birth, and my mother died when she gave birth to her second cub, the little thing that was hurting my fingers with his tiny teeth.
Yes, we don't have the same father, but he is my brother after all, and therefore I care about him more than anything else in the world. I can't really remember anything about my mom since I was very young when she died. He's my only relative, even if we look nothing alike. I had my small white mane and black fur while he was a golden furred, adorable and playful cub. I never told either Manu or my brother about my dreams. I didn't want the little cub to somehow relate them to Manu's bed-time story so that he could start talking about lions shooting thunder bolts again.
I then remembered that my brother was still busy with my arm, "How about we go outside so you can say hello to your friends?" I said as I used my free arm to grab my little brother, who struggled helplessly as I got hold of him. He was just outside with his father, but trust me, if he had seen any of his friends, he would have been busy playing outside.
Once my little brother calmed down, I placed him back down and looked at Manu, "If that's okay with dad?" I asked, receiving a silent nod from him as an answer. I then looked back down at my brother, and placed him on my back like I knew he enjoyed the most and I ran outside.
I saw the usual sight when me and my brother emerged from the den; A few lions and lionesses lying around, the usual group of adolescents who usually ignored and teased me, and then I caught of my brother's friends. I walked over with my brother still on my back to where they were talking and put him down there. His friends smiled at me and then my brother began to plan their daily adventure.
I hated to admit it, but the cubs in the pride were the ones I felt more comfortable to be around. It was then when I heard a familiar voice, "Yo Hat." I turned around and I saw my only friend coming towards me (He thinks 'Hat' is a cool nickname for me). He had the typical lion appearance; golden yellow fur and a reddish mane. He was the only adolescent in our pride I've managed to befriend with.
I smiled back at him, remembering the talk we had yesterday. "Hey J." I replied, (His name's Jasiri, but he likes it when I call him J.) Though my smile faded when I noticed he was carrying a rather troubled expression "Is something wrong? We said we were going to explore the woods today."
I expected him to be as excited as I was. The forest was quite far, it was past a few hills and a few minutes' walk, but I had the feeling that it would be really interesting. What made the place look even more awesome were the really tall trees, I wonder if I can climb one of these. It was then when Jasiri sighed and answered me, "I dunno man, I don't think this is such a good idea."
I rolled my eyes, "You were really excited about it yesterday." I said, using the I won't take 'no' for an answer tone, when he opened his mouth to protest again, I spoke before he did. "What could possibly go wrong?"
I was wrong.
*
We didn't speak to each other at all on the way, at least not until we were right in the middle of the woods. Even though I've never been there before, I felt like I did. "You see J, its fine." I said, nudging him in the shoulder when I saw he was still carrying his worrying look.
I felt really strange for a moment, it seemed like he felt something wrong was about to happen, but what exactly could have made him think that way? It's not like he was having a dream or something like… I caught sight of the hill we came from, and then quickly looked around us, it then hit me. I knew why this place seemed so familiar, I dreamed about it before I woke up half an hour ago. Then the same feeling I had in the dream came to me, something was coming towards us, something big. I'm not the type who believes in dreams, but I had a really bad feeling. I turned to Jasiri, whose thoughts were impossible to guess and the words just came out of my mouth "We have to get out of here, now."
Chapter 2
Spoiler: show
Let's say you have this dream; you're right in the middle of a forest, which is right in the middle of nowhere, and you get the feeling that something's about to kill you. You wake up the next day; all of a sudden you end up in the exact same place, and get the exact same feeling. Would you run and get the hell out of that forest?
I looked at my friend Jasiri, who was just standing in front of me with a blank expression. He must have been thinking that I was crazy, but then again, I could remember how hesitant he was before we got here. No way! Who am I kidding? There was no way he dreamed the dream I did, or was feeling the presence of another being like I was. I mean come on, what are the odds?
Something still felt wrong; I could still feel like something (or someone) was coming towards us, and I knew we were running out of time. Jasiri however was still standing perfectly still in front of me. By saying that I mean so still that even his pupils were still pointed at the same direction. I waved my paw in front of my friend's face, but that didn't seem to have any effect on him. It was then when I realized that he was looking at something, there was someone right behind me.
Out of pure instinct I leaped around, unsheathed my claws and bared my teeth. I was completely confused by what I saw. What I saw was a black figure, in the shape of a lion retreating to behind a tight group of some tall trees. Who the hell was this? And why did I get such a bad feeling by the fact that he was even near us?
By the time I decided to follow the stranger, he was already hidden behind the trees. When I got there, I could see no one, he was gone. He disappeared, just like that, as if the ground ate him or something. There was no way he could have gone somewhere else before I got sight of him, the spot I was at was quite far from any other tree to take cover behind. Was it just my imagination? No, it wasn't, and I was sure about that since I could tell that Jasiri saw the lion as well.
After almost a minute of searching for any sign of the lion that literally vanished, I walked back to Jasiri. I didn't think it was possible, but he seemed even more scared than he was a moment ago. And again I got the feeling that he knew something I didn't. "What was this all about?" I asked, looking at him in the eyes.
He tried to avoid looking back at me, which I found even more disturbing. That just proved that there WAS something he wasn't telling me. "Jasiri, answer me." I usually called him by his full name instead of just 'J' only when I was being serious, but that didn't seem to affect him this time.
After what seemed like forever, Jasiri finally broke the silence by answering me, but not with the type of answer I was hoping for. "We should get out of here quickly." He began walking back the way we came from, a rather serious expression crossing his face this time. The fact that he agreed with me did not make me even consider on letting him avoid my question.
I quickly ran and caught up, completely ignoring the bad feeling I still had I grabbed his tail. He stopped walking and looked around at me seriously, which I find annoying. "There's something you're not telling me. We're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on." I felt like I was going to lose my cool (which didn't really exist) if he avoided answering me again.
Jasiri looked at me for a few moments, and then he looked around us, as if checking to make sure no one was watching. I hate to admit that, but I still felt like we were still in danger. But I ignored it, and waited for Jasiri to finally tell me what was going on. "Look, right now we…" he slapped my paw, forcing me to let go of his tail. "It's dangerous for you to be here right now."
Wait just a minute. It's dangerous for ME? What about him? He was right where I was, what the hell was he talking about? He began walking, and I quickly moved to his side. "I don't get it. What's going on? What is this? And why am I in danger?" I had every right to be confused (which I was)
Jasiri was actually scaring me. I knew this had something to do with the black lion we saw a moment ago, but I was beginning to fear it was something much different and complicated. "I'll explain everything later. First we have to get back and find your dad." I didn't mind him calling Manu my dad, but what the hell did Manu have to do with this?
There was so much I was going to force Jasiri and Manu into telling me once we got back. I sighed and decided to drop the questions, until I remembered the lion we saw. Jasiri probably knew who that was. "Say, who was this lion back there?" I hoped Jasiri would at least answer that one, but the same feeling I had in the dream grew stronger. I looked at Jasiri, who looked back at me; he was obviously having the same feeling as I was.
I turned around, ready to shout at the lion and ask him who the hell he thought he was, but what I saw wasn't a lion. What I did see was a furless, gigantic, four meters tall, two legged and one eyes thing. (Four meters for a lion is quite a lot) I was too stunned to turn away from the thing and run, what snapped me back into awareness was Jasiri who placed himself between me and the giant. "D-d-dude…" I mumbled (barely) "What are you doing?"
Jasiri glanced around at me. He was obviously trying not to show it, but he was scared. "My job." His tone was shaky but also stern, and I of course had no idea what he was talking about. His job? Was this some kind of a joke? Looking back at the giant, I realized that this was definitely not a joke.
I was about to protest, but I soon realized that it was a bad idea when. The giant thing sent what seemed to be his paw over Jasiri and straight at me. I would have jumped out of the way, but it moved too fast. It hit me so hard that I think it threw me farther than I could even attempt to guess. I think my back slammed into a tree before everything went black.
*
I didn't know whether I was dead or alive, but all of a sudden I was standing outside of our den. It was somewhere around the time where the pride was already asleep, and I saw myself, Manu and my little brother outside of the den. I recognized the scene, it was last night when Manu told his son that silly bed time story (I wouldn't have even been there unless my brother pleaded)
All I could remember from that story was the part with those spirits who controlled stuff, that's all, I think. Looking at myself (and seeing myself half-asleep), I could see it was a part of the story I slept through, and obviously missed. My little brother was sitting in Manu's paws, and he seemed to be enjoying the story. "Ohh, ooh! Can you tell me about the Cyclops again?"
Why the hell was I dreaming about this? But remembering the dream about the forest, and how it pretty much came true, I listened to Manu as he replied. "They are giant, ugly creatures. They have two legs, one eye, and they eat naughty little cubs like you for dinner!" he then tickled my little brother with his nose and my brother giggled. "Now it's time to go to back inside and get some sleep." My brother was about to protest, but Manu silenced him by threatening him with another tickle.
The scene faded, and I was standing in complete darkness. I couldn't believe what I just saw. I'm guessing that's what Manu had to do with this, those 'Cyclops' or whatever they are were real. What I did wonder was why did that 'Cyclopes' completely ignored Jasiri and just attacked me. Unless Jasiri turned out to have super powers, I probably wasn't going to find out either.
I looked at my friend Jasiri, who was just standing in front of me with a blank expression. He must have been thinking that I was crazy, but then again, I could remember how hesitant he was before we got here. No way! Who am I kidding? There was no way he dreamed the dream I did, or was feeling the presence of another being like I was. I mean come on, what are the odds?
Something still felt wrong; I could still feel like something (or someone) was coming towards us, and I knew we were running out of time. Jasiri however was still standing perfectly still in front of me. By saying that I mean so still that even his pupils were still pointed at the same direction. I waved my paw in front of my friend's face, but that didn't seem to have any effect on him. It was then when I realized that he was looking at something, there was someone right behind me.
Out of pure instinct I leaped around, unsheathed my claws and bared my teeth. I was completely confused by what I saw. What I saw was a black figure, in the shape of a lion retreating to behind a tight group of some tall trees. Who the hell was this? And why did I get such a bad feeling by the fact that he was even near us?
By the time I decided to follow the stranger, he was already hidden behind the trees. When I got there, I could see no one, he was gone. He disappeared, just like that, as if the ground ate him or something. There was no way he could have gone somewhere else before I got sight of him, the spot I was at was quite far from any other tree to take cover behind. Was it just my imagination? No, it wasn't, and I was sure about that since I could tell that Jasiri saw the lion as well.
After almost a minute of searching for any sign of the lion that literally vanished, I walked back to Jasiri. I didn't think it was possible, but he seemed even more scared than he was a moment ago. And again I got the feeling that he knew something I didn't. "What was this all about?" I asked, looking at him in the eyes.
He tried to avoid looking back at me, which I found even more disturbing. That just proved that there WAS something he wasn't telling me. "Jasiri, answer me." I usually called him by his full name instead of just 'J' only when I was being serious, but that didn't seem to affect him this time.
After what seemed like forever, Jasiri finally broke the silence by answering me, but not with the type of answer I was hoping for. "We should get out of here quickly." He began walking back the way we came from, a rather serious expression crossing his face this time. The fact that he agreed with me did not make me even consider on letting him avoid my question.
I quickly ran and caught up, completely ignoring the bad feeling I still had I grabbed his tail. He stopped walking and looked around at me seriously, which I find annoying. "There's something you're not telling me. We're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on." I felt like I was going to lose my cool (which didn't really exist) if he avoided answering me again.
Jasiri looked at me for a few moments, and then he looked around us, as if checking to make sure no one was watching. I hate to admit that, but I still felt like we were still in danger. But I ignored it, and waited for Jasiri to finally tell me what was going on. "Look, right now we…" he slapped my paw, forcing me to let go of his tail. "It's dangerous for you to be here right now."
Wait just a minute. It's dangerous for ME? What about him? He was right where I was, what the hell was he talking about? He began walking, and I quickly moved to his side. "I don't get it. What's going on? What is this? And why am I in danger?" I had every right to be confused (which I was)
Jasiri was actually scaring me. I knew this had something to do with the black lion we saw a moment ago, but I was beginning to fear it was something much different and complicated. "I'll explain everything later. First we have to get back and find your dad." I didn't mind him calling Manu my dad, but what the hell did Manu have to do with this?
There was so much I was going to force Jasiri and Manu into telling me once we got back. I sighed and decided to drop the questions, until I remembered the lion we saw. Jasiri probably knew who that was. "Say, who was this lion back there?" I hoped Jasiri would at least answer that one, but the same feeling I had in the dream grew stronger. I looked at Jasiri, who looked back at me; he was obviously having the same feeling as I was.
I turned around, ready to shout at the lion and ask him who the hell he thought he was, but what I saw wasn't a lion. What I did see was a furless, gigantic, four meters tall, two legged and one eyes thing. (Four meters for a lion is quite a lot) I was too stunned to turn away from the thing and run, what snapped me back into awareness was Jasiri who placed himself between me and the giant. "D-d-dude…" I mumbled (barely) "What are you doing?"
Jasiri glanced around at me. He was obviously trying not to show it, but he was scared. "My job." His tone was shaky but also stern, and I of course had no idea what he was talking about. His job? Was this some kind of a joke? Looking back at the giant, I realized that this was definitely not a joke.
I was about to protest, but I soon realized that it was a bad idea when. The giant thing sent what seemed to be his paw over Jasiri and straight at me. I would have jumped out of the way, but it moved too fast. It hit me so hard that I think it threw me farther than I could even attempt to guess. I think my back slammed into a tree before everything went black.
*
I didn't know whether I was dead or alive, but all of a sudden I was standing outside of our den. It was somewhere around the time where the pride was already asleep, and I saw myself, Manu and my little brother outside of the den. I recognized the scene, it was last night when Manu told his son that silly bed time story (I wouldn't have even been there unless my brother pleaded)
All I could remember from that story was the part with those spirits who controlled stuff, that's all, I think. Looking at myself (and seeing myself half-asleep), I could see it was a part of the story I slept through, and obviously missed. My little brother was sitting in Manu's paws, and he seemed to be enjoying the story. "Ohh, ooh! Can you tell me about the Cyclops again?"
Why the hell was I dreaming about this? But remembering the dream about the forest, and how it pretty much came true, I listened to Manu as he replied. "They are giant, ugly creatures. They have two legs, one eye, and they eat naughty little cubs like you for dinner!" he then tickled my little brother with his nose and my brother giggled. "Now it's time to go to back inside and get some sleep." My brother was about to protest, but Manu silenced him by threatening him with another tickle.
The scene faded, and I was standing in complete darkness. I couldn't believe what I just saw. I'm guessing that's what Manu had to do with this, those 'Cyclops' or whatever they are were real. What I did wonder was why did that 'Cyclopes' completely ignored Jasiri and just attacked me. Unless Jasiri turned out to have super powers, I probably wasn't going to find out either.
Chapter 3
Spoiler: show
You'd think my life was an unmitigated pack of boredom and denseness which lacks even the smallest bit of joy or pleasure. Well, I didn't say you were wrong; all I'm saying is that I never thought my life could ever become worse than it already was. But no; it seemed like my life was decided into being the meaning of the word stupidity and the example of bad luck. I mean come on, name one being you know who has only one friend, lost his mother, never met his father plus suddenly runs into a gigantic one eyed creature and finds out that his step father's pointless fairytales are true. Did I do something bad? Were my minimum firm requests from life were too much?
I passed out. Perhaps a second or two after my back slammed into the tree. I don't think there's a point into saying that I thought every single bone in my body was broken, and you've probably already figured out that I was scared to death. I remember waking up and passing out a few times, but I was too dizzy in order to understand anything of what was going on. All I could see was that I was still lying down by the same tree, though I could see neither Jasiri nor the cyclops anywhere. The fact that the cyclops was nowhere to be seen was relieving, but the fact that Jasiri was also gone made me even more worried.
I do however remember one short, time limited 'recovery'. I was still on the floor in the exact same place, with Jasiri and the cyclops still gone. All of a sudden that black furred lion from before showed up out of nowhere. There was something which looked like a small black explosion, and when the explosion vanished, he was there. I didn't know whether to be glad or afraid. On one paw, maybe he was going to help me, and on the other, he was a complete stranger who had just appeared out of nothing but air! And to think that I thought the cyclops was weird.
I tried to move, or say something, but my body disobeyed my will. The adult stood there for a few seconds, before he began to slowly walk towards me. Despite of how scared I was, I took time to look at him and study him a little. His fur was black like mane, but unlike me his mane and eyes were also black, beside the white part of his eyeballs. He continued to slowly walk towards me, before finally coming into a stop at a feet's distance away from me. I didn't know what exactly was he doing, because he just stood there and stared at me without saying anything. It was kind of creepy, now that I think about it.
After a short while, which seemed like forever to me, he sat down and then bent over and looked at me closely, it was as if he was examining me. I was still unable to move, so all I could do was continue to lie there and stare at him, before he suddenly spoke up, "So much alike… yet so different." I don't think I'll ever forget that moment. It was just so… weird... This mysterious lion shows up out of nowhere, he examines me like I'm dead prey he just hunted, and what he said… Also the way he said it, with not a slight hint of emotion in his tone… Who and what was he talking about?
I didn’t have a lot of time to think about it, or try and ask the lion anything, because at that moment Jasiri showed up from behind a tree, but the cyclops was still gone. "Hatari, are you…" he froze when he saw the lion, and he looked like someone who just saw the devil (If only I knew…). The lion turned his head and looked at Jasiri, who was still frozen and looking at him with widened eyes. Again, I was getting the feeling that Jasiri knew something I didn't, which is a feeling I hate in case you haven't noticed.
There was silence for almost an entire minute, a rather awkward and terrifying silence. I couldn't see the black furred adult's expression, but I guessed that he was probably getting bored. Jasiri was the one to break the silence, "You! Y-, you better get away from him!" he seemed more afraid of that lion than he was of the cyclops a few minutes earlier. That was the point of my life in which I had one of those special moments of 'My life couldn't get more retarded and worse than that.'. Sure, Jasiri was probably afraid of facing an adult, but why would he be afraid if he tried to protect me from a giant cyclops? Any creature with common sense would have gotten confused over that.
It was about less than a second after Jasiri finished his 'threat' when the lion began laughing. He sounded as if he was just told the funniest joke, but his laughter held no emotion at all. "You, dare threaten me?" I think at that moment I finally began feeling my legs again, but along with that restricted ability to move, I also felt intense pain in my spine. I had no idea who he was, but Jasiri obviously knew, and I had a feeling that this lion was bad news. I began to slowly stand up as the lion spoke again, "Lucky for you, I am done with what I came here for."
It took me a few seconds to finally get up, and I could barely stay on my feet because of the strong pain in my back. I looked at Jasiri, who tried to silently tell me not to do anything, but I've had enough of his secrets, and I was feeling too dizzy to actually lie back down without hurting myself (Or so it felt like). I opened my mouth in an attempt to speak, but all that came out of my throat was a cough, causing the lion to turn around and notice that I was awake. Before he could do anything, Jasiri spoke up again, this time his tone almost a terrified yell, "Don't come any closer! If you dare t-, touch him-"
He was however again interrupted by the stranger before he had managed to finish his sentence, "Relax." The lion said, though his tone was scary and absolutely not relaxing. "You and I both know I'm not going to hurt him." he said, his tone sending a few unpleasant shivers down my spine. The lion just approved the suspicion I had about Jasiri knowing something I didn't, but I still couldn't say anything even if I tried.
What he said caused Jasiri to look even more shocked than he already was, and he was now barely stuttering the words that were coming out of his mouth. "You… You're hi-…" Again, the lion didn't wait to hear the rest of the sentence. But this time he didn't interrupt my friend by saying something, instead of that the lion disappeared in the exact way he showed up at. There was a cloud of black smoke which seemed to have puffed out of the lion's body, once the smoke was all cleared the lion was gone. This makes absolutely no sense, does it?
This time I'm telling you this because I'm a hundred percent sure; I have gone completely insane. Before I could think over my insanity some more Jasiri rushed over to my side. "Are you alright?" he asked, circling and in a rather disturbing way examining my body, probably trying to determine how was I feeling. Needless it is to remind that I felt terrible and right then my poor and exhausted mind was still trying to understand what just happened. I tried to walk, but it was too difficult and I would have probably tripped if Jasiri hadn't let me lean against his side for support
Leaning against my friend's side, the two of us slowly began walking back towards where our pride lived. There were so many questions that had no answers. Where this cyclops did come from, why did he show up all of a sudden, who and what was this lion, why was he there and what did he have to do with that giant thing that had almost killed me? Jasiri seemed to know the answer to all of those questions, and the first thing I was going to do once I felt better was finally getting some answers, whether Jasiri wanted to tell them to me or not.
We continued walking silently, until I lost the feeling in my legs again and fell down. "Hatari!" I heard Jasiri yell, but I felt too dizzy to do anything. Again, Jasiri showed how concerned he was about me, I just wish that he showed his concerned by finally telling me what was happening all around me and all of a sudden. The next thing I remember, Jasiri placed me on his back, and to my surprise carried me as if there was no weight on his back. I remember being carried on his back for a few moments before passing out again.
I passed out. Perhaps a second or two after my back slammed into the tree. I don't think there's a point into saying that I thought every single bone in my body was broken, and you've probably already figured out that I was scared to death. I remember waking up and passing out a few times, but I was too dizzy in order to understand anything of what was going on. All I could see was that I was still lying down by the same tree, though I could see neither Jasiri nor the cyclops anywhere. The fact that the cyclops was nowhere to be seen was relieving, but the fact that Jasiri was also gone made me even more worried.
I do however remember one short, time limited 'recovery'. I was still on the floor in the exact same place, with Jasiri and the cyclops still gone. All of a sudden that black furred lion from before showed up out of nowhere. There was something which looked like a small black explosion, and when the explosion vanished, he was there. I didn't know whether to be glad or afraid. On one paw, maybe he was going to help me, and on the other, he was a complete stranger who had just appeared out of nothing but air! And to think that I thought the cyclops was weird.
I tried to move, or say something, but my body disobeyed my will. The adult stood there for a few seconds, before he began to slowly walk towards me. Despite of how scared I was, I took time to look at him and study him a little. His fur was black like mane, but unlike me his mane and eyes were also black, beside the white part of his eyeballs. He continued to slowly walk towards me, before finally coming into a stop at a feet's distance away from me. I didn't know what exactly was he doing, because he just stood there and stared at me without saying anything. It was kind of creepy, now that I think about it.
After a short while, which seemed like forever to me, he sat down and then bent over and looked at me closely, it was as if he was examining me. I was still unable to move, so all I could do was continue to lie there and stare at him, before he suddenly spoke up, "So much alike… yet so different." I don't think I'll ever forget that moment. It was just so… weird... This mysterious lion shows up out of nowhere, he examines me like I'm dead prey he just hunted, and what he said… Also the way he said it, with not a slight hint of emotion in his tone… Who and what was he talking about?
I didn’t have a lot of time to think about it, or try and ask the lion anything, because at that moment Jasiri showed up from behind a tree, but the cyclops was still gone. "Hatari, are you…" he froze when he saw the lion, and he looked like someone who just saw the devil (If only I knew…). The lion turned his head and looked at Jasiri, who was still frozen and looking at him with widened eyes. Again, I was getting the feeling that Jasiri knew something I didn't, which is a feeling I hate in case you haven't noticed.
There was silence for almost an entire minute, a rather awkward and terrifying silence. I couldn't see the black furred adult's expression, but I guessed that he was probably getting bored. Jasiri was the one to break the silence, "You! Y-, you better get away from him!" he seemed more afraid of that lion than he was of the cyclops a few minutes earlier. That was the point of my life in which I had one of those special moments of 'My life couldn't get more retarded and worse than that.'. Sure, Jasiri was probably afraid of facing an adult, but why would he be afraid if he tried to protect me from a giant cyclops? Any creature with common sense would have gotten confused over that.
It was about less than a second after Jasiri finished his 'threat' when the lion began laughing. He sounded as if he was just told the funniest joke, but his laughter held no emotion at all. "You, dare threaten me?" I think at that moment I finally began feeling my legs again, but along with that restricted ability to move, I also felt intense pain in my spine. I had no idea who he was, but Jasiri obviously knew, and I had a feeling that this lion was bad news. I began to slowly stand up as the lion spoke again, "Lucky for you, I am done with what I came here for."
It took me a few seconds to finally get up, and I could barely stay on my feet because of the strong pain in my back. I looked at Jasiri, who tried to silently tell me not to do anything, but I've had enough of his secrets, and I was feeling too dizzy to actually lie back down without hurting myself (Or so it felt like). I opened my mouth in an attempt to speak, but all that came out of my throat was a cough, causing the lion to turn around and notice that I was awake. Before he could do anything, Jasiri spoke up again, this time his tone almost a terrified yell, "Don't come any closer! If you dare t-, touch him-"
He was however again interrupted by the stranger before he had managed to finish his sentence, "Relax." The lion said, though his tone was scary and absolutely not relaxing. "You and I both know I'm not going to hurt him." he said, his tone sending a few unpleasant shivers down my spine. The lion just approved the suspicion I had about Jasiri knowing something I didn't, but I still couldn't say anything even if I tried.
What he said caused Jasiri to look even more shocked than he already was, and he was now barely stuttering the words that were coming out of his mouth. "You… You're hi-…" Again, the lion didn't wait to hear the rest of the sentence. But this time he didn't interrupt my friend by saying something, instead of that the lion disappeared in the exact way he showed up at. There was a cloud of black smoke which seemed to have puffed out of the lion's body, once the smoke was all cleared the lion was gone. This makes absolutely no sense, does it?
This time I'm telling you this because I'm a hundred percent sure; I have gone completely insane. Before I could think over my insanity some more Jasiri rushed over to my side. "Are you alright?" he asked, circling and in a rather disturbing way examining my body, probably trying to determine how was I feeling. Needless it is to remind that I felt terrible and right then my poor and exhausted mind was still trying to understand what just happened. I tried to walk, but it was too difficult and I would have probably tripped if Jasiri hadn't let me lean against his side for support
Leaning against my friend's side, the two of us slowly began walking back towards where our pride lived. There were so many questions that had no answers. Where this cyclops did come from, why did he show up all of a sudden, who and what was this lion, why was he there and what did he have to do with that giant thing that had almost killed me? Jasiri seemed to know the answer to all of those questions, and the first thing I was going to do once I felt better was finally getting some answers, whether Jasiri wanted to tell them to me or not.
We continued walking silently, until I lost the feeling in my legs again and fell down. "Hatari!" I heard Jasiri yell, but I felt too dizzy to do anything. Again, Jasiri showed how concerned he was about me, I just wish that he showed his concerned by finally telling me what was happening all around me and all of a sudden. The next thing I remember, Jasiri placed me on his back, and to my surprise carried me as if there was no weight on his back. I remember being carried on his back for a few moments before passing out again.
