***Author's Note***

For those of you that have never read my work, thanks for looking in. For those of you have known me from before, thanks for rejoining me. This was my first story, and it recieved a decent amount of praise despite my lack of writing experience. Looking back at it though, it was pretty awful writing and I just feel it needs to be fixed; namely sentence fluency, paragraph structure, and basic plot line. (Don't expect huge changes to anything, but there may be a scene here and there that weren't in the original). So here, without any more introduction, is a rewritten and re-edited version of "Nala's Brother." Hope you all enjoy it you check out my other stories while you're at it.

***Nala's Brother***

***Chapter 1***

***A New World***

Alex opened his eyes and looked around what was left of the small plane. All of the windows in sight were broken in and there were heavy dents in the walls. He began to vaguely recall the night before; the lightning of the storm, the darkness, the noise. But now... It was too quiet. The piercing screams of terror that had filled the aircraft only hours earlier were gone; replaced only by the throbbing buzz of cicada outside. It was unsettling to say the least and Alex felt his heart begin to pound, only increasing the pain of his headache. He tried to remember more of the night before, but only vague and shadowy memories filled his head.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Alex called in vain for the others he had been flying with. It was obvious that none of the three other passengers were around, or at least conscious. He fumbled with his seat belt and got to his feet, ignoring the many bruises and cuts that ran along his arms and side. All his joints moved well and with little pain, despite the crash landing. Really, aside from his splitting headache, he was quite lucky.

CLACK! Alex nearly dropped to the ground at the sharp sound, and snapped to look to its source. A small brown and black bird had flown through the window and was staring at him from the headrest it was perched on. The young man and the small bird stared at each other for several moments before the creature returned its attention to the seat's exposed metal frame. It chirped at its own reflection and pecked at the metal again, producing that same clack. Alex just watched, somewhat in awe at the bird's casual attitude. Couldn't it see that this was a crash site; that they needed help?

Alex shook his head with exhaustion and tore his gaze from the bird. He knew it was just a bird... he was being irrational. He traced the ground with his eyes, eying the broken glass and torn fabric lying among bits of debris that he could only figure were part of the plane's more detailed workings. He continued scanning the ground, still only vaguely conscious of his situation.

More glass, shattered plastic, a pair of legs. His heart froze as his eyes locked onto the pair of legs protruding from a row of seats only a short distance away. He recognized the boots of the body to be those of his guide, the older man he had only met a few days earlier. He stepped towards the downed man with hesitation and fear of the unknown. In a way, not knowing was more settling to Alex than finding his guide to be dead.

Within a few steps however, it became clear to the him that the man had departed this life long ago; blood was pooled around his nose and mouth, staining his gray hair and running down to soak his shirt. With eyes wide with the blank stare of quiet intensity, the corpse stared up at the plane's ceiling, avoiding his observer's gaze.

Alex felt bile rise to his throat and dizziness sweep his skull. He had been around dead things before, he'd gone hunting, gutted his own animals, and eaten them. But a dead man was something he hadn't seen before. He turned around, grabbing a nearby seat to steady himself and focused on a single piece of glass that caught the sunlight, brilliantly painting the debris around it with a vibrant rainbow.

"HELP!" He called again once he regained his composure. "Is anybody there?", He could feel panic start to set in and fought it with every fiber of his being; he had taken enough safety courses to know that sometimes shock and panic could be more dangerous than the actual injury or situation.

With controlled breathing to stem the unease, Alex maneuvered up the aisle, only to find two more bodies sprawled against the sides of the fuselage with similar wounds to the head. These two, however... he had known them. They were his friends, very good friends at that. It broke his heart to see them lying in such a twisted position.

In a flash, the events of the previous night shot back into his head. He remembered how they were scrambling back to their seats as the plane flew entered the unseen storm; the turbulence knocking them to the ground every time they stood. In a matter of moments the lights went out, making it near impossible for them to find anything to hold onto, let alone their way back to their seats. He remembered how he had tried to unbuckle from his own seat in order to help them, but kept losing grip on the release lever every time the turbulence hit. The chaos was short-lived, though. they hit the ground after only a few short minutes.

Alex shoved the hurtful memory aside and tore his stare from his friends' lifeless corpses. In a last ditch effort to find any survivor, Alex burst into the cockpit only to find the pilot skewered through the chest by an eight-inch branch from one of the many trees they had hit before skidding to a halt. The control panel was scorched from a small electrical fire, making any and all the equipment unusable and filling the small room with the stench of charred flesh. The smell was sickeningly overpowering and brought back his suppressed nausea. Breathing heavily and with trembling hands, Alex ducked out of the cockpit and moved as quickly as he could past his fallen friends towards the door. It was already partially bent outward and only took a single kick to open completely. The shaken teenager stumbled away from the wreck and fell into the dirt a few yards away, vomiting violently into the weeds.

He shakily lifted himself from the ground after a brief moment of recovery and looked at the plants he had just convulsed on. They were strange, very foreign to him. In fact, even the dirt was unusual, much more sandy and granulated than the dark rich soil of Midwestern America that he had grown up in.

Right... he thought silently and with slight cynicism, Africa. He had always wanted to be here, to camp in one of the last true wildernesses. He had wanted to experience what so few had felt and look upon the landscape of pure nature. Now, he only looked out at the stunning view that lay before him with distaste. Shining streams, lush vegetation, and protruding rock structures created a sight like none other, especially with the morning sun illuminating it all with its stunning light. He had come here to travel, to explore the wilderness with his friends and their guide... but not like this. He rolled over to sit on a small stone, placing his head in his hands.

As the sole survivor of the plane crash, and he knew he should feel relieved for his remarkable lack of injuries, but all Alex felt was immense guilt and sadness. There must have been something he could have done, something that could have saved them. Time became nonexistent as he sat there, lost in despair and self pity. On top of his loss, the situation seemed bleak; not only was he alone, but he was in the middle of Africa, one of the most brutal and unforgiving environments in the world. With the radio broken and the plane likely thrown off course from the storm, rescue would take an ungodly amount of time to find him, or more likely, they would never come.

No, he decided, he was on his own... and that thought stabbed his heart more deeply than any knife could have. His friends were dead, and he was alone. Time passed strangely, like in a dream. Soon though, Alex noticed the height of the sun and realized that he needed to start moving. He forced himself to rise and went to retrieve his stowed pack from the cargo hold. The following hours were spent burying the dead and taking inventory of his gear. He began to count his blessings as he spread out his equipment. He had come to Africa for some outdoors experience, so thankfully he had some helpful tools. Knife, cord, lighter, extra clothes; he was better prepared than most survivors were in similar circumstances. Normally these types of items would not be allowed anywhere near a plane, but the pilot was the owner and knew what they were planning on doing. He didn't mind as long as it wasn't in his carry-on bag. The night soon came and Alex laid down next to a small campfire.

He lay there for some time, unable to fall asleep amidst the strange noises of the savannah; growls, roars, buzzes, and yelps brought the land to life around him. He even had trouble closing his eyes; the sky was stunningly clear and the stars shone brilliantly as they twinkled in their eternal positions.

But yet... something was wrong. He could feel eyes on him, from all directions in the darkness around his fire. He rolled over and tried to ignore his uneasiness, but the feeling persisted; even grew in intensity. He just knew there was something there, something at his feet.

A nearly silent breath made Alex's eyes snap open and he sat up with a start, cold sweat running down his back. A dark cat-like stood hardly three feet from him, its black eyes staring at him with an unwavering glare. Alex didn't know much about the African cats, but frankly he didn't care what kind this was. Lion, cheetah, leopard, tiger, or housecat, he was more concerned about what this animal's intentions were. It looked like it weighed a couple hundred pounds... not something he wanted to fight. He struggled to control his breath as his heart raced, silently cursing himself for leaving his knife just slightly out of reach.

Their eyes locked, and Alex suddenly felt calmed. Something about the predator just seemed to speak to him, and something about him seemed to calm the beast. It was strange, like some vague form of simple communication. Its only curious... Alex realized slowly, reading the meaning in the animal's eyes.

All he could see was the black orbs of the cat's consciousness, all he could feel was the animal's inquisitiveness. He understood it, and it understood him. It was almost like they were talking.

"You're just wondering what I'm doing here," he said slowly. "Aren't you?"

The cat just kept staring, not fazed by his words. After a moment of silence, it turned away, effectively breaking their connection. It headed towards the tree line, nearly disappearing in the llong shadows of the night.

"I don't have time for you."

Alex blinked in mild shock at the voice. "W-what?" It sounded like it had come from the cat itself, that didn't make any sense! He rose to his feet as quickly as he could, but by the time he was up, the cat was gone. He stared into the darkness for some time, trying to understand it all. The cat didn't talk... that wasn't possible. No, he decided, he was tired, shaken, and coping with a tragedy, he was just freaking himself out.

He slowly laid back down and tried to clear his thoughts, he wasn't going to lose himself on his first night, but then, maybe he already had.

((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))

The early sunrise made Alex cringe and roll over. He slowly got up, ran his fingers through his short brown hair, and made sure all his equipment was still there. It was, and he loaded it all up into his backpack before looking over at the wreckage and the not too distant shallow graves of his friends. A tear formed itself in his eye, but he wiped it away. He didn't have the luxury of sadness now; he needed to get to safety. The young man pulled the backpack onto his shoulders and looked out across the extensive terrain before him, the humid air creating a layer of haze over the brilliant sunrise. For a brief moment, he looked at the land with appreciation, both for its beauty and for its independence. But soon enough, reality and his situation set back in.

He figured that the nearest village couldn't be too far away, and he was better off just looking for help. He started walking; following a small stream that ran at a reasonable pace. Water, he had learned early on in the Midwest, almost always led to civilization. But the only way to get there was by walking. He rested periodically and ate some familiar plants to stave off his gnawing hunger. The land was reasonably flat and clear from any thick vegetation, but the summer heat and humidity soon began to wear on his seventeen year-old body.

As he walked he thought about his life back home. His parents would be worried out of their minds, as would his teachers, or at least the ones that liked him. His friends would care, as would most of his class, but ultimately it didn't matter if anyone cared. They couldn't help him, he was alone and he knew that he needed to come to terms with that.

Eventually, Alex made his way to the top of one of the only hills in the area and looked out at the stunning view of the lush valley before him. A herd of antelope grazed in the distance as the sun beat down on their golden backs. The sapphire sky was dotted with exotic birds that cried out to each other with their own unique calls. Suddenly Alex didn't feel so bad. His friends and family couldn't help him now, but maybe they already had. His dad taught him how to hunt and take care of himself. His teachers challenged his intelligence and made him build on his existing inventiveness. Hell, he had even gained a solid foundation in Kung Fu a few years back before he left the States; granted, there weren't many people to fight out here, but the knowledge comforted him nonetheless. Maybe he'd be alright.

As he was walking he picked up a stick and started whittling. In not too much time he had removed the bark and removed its defects. Alex started spinning his new staff, practicing a few nearly forgotten techniques as he walked. Its weight and balance became familiar in his hands and soon he held it like he had used it all his life. Truly, he had loved Kung Fu and the martial arts in general, but the past year of college-searching and grade management had steered him away from it all. Holding the staff in his hand again... it just felt right. Like it was something he had been missing in his life until now. Its familiarity was comforting, like a friendly handshake of sorts.

Despite his rising mood, Alex began to grow tired in the unforgiving environment. He wasn't used to the climate, it was just so different than what he was used to. He spotted a small patchwork of rocks, and decided to rest there for a few moments before continuing on into what looked like a thicker part of the land. Small trees dotted the savannah, hiding much of the nearby terrain. But he would figure that all out later, for now, he just needed to rest.

His body had just barely touched the nearest stone when a shriek split the calm morning from somewhere in the foliage. Alex froze and listened for it again.

"HELP!" came the voice a second time, it sounded like a young girl. He didn't spend hardly a second planning his actions; Alex just bolted towards the noise as fast as he could. He sprinted through the savannah brush, not caring as the branches and leaves struck his body. It wasn't long before he burst into a small clearing; freezing with shock and surprise. A small lion cub was backing up against a small set of rocks as a group of four hyenas advanced towards her.

Alex just stood there with confusion at the scene as the small cub looked at him with desperate eyes, seeming to beg him for help.

Then, to his amazement, she spoke. "Help, please!" she squeaked in a timid voice.

He looked to the hyenas, eying their bared teeth with apprehension.

"What buddy?" asked one of the hyenas with a devious grin. "You got somtin ta say?"

"Back Off!" demanded Alex. He had no idea what in hell was going on, but he wasn't about to let a bunch of dogs kill a cub. He dropped his bag and tightened his grip on the staff. God he hoped that they didn't have much fight in them.

"Okay tough guy, I'll play wit ya!" said another hyena it turned towards the teenager.

Alex watched with dread as the it lunged towards him. He was surprised at how clumsy the beast was, but still quite afraid of the jaw-full of teeth that was flying towards him. Alex only did what he knew to do; he brought his staff up, sharply swinging the end of it outwards and making contact with the hyena's side. The blow sent him sprawling to the side and caught the attention of the other three, clearly surprising them all. In a flash, they were on him, growling and lunging with the ferocity that was to be expected of wild animals. Alex struck out at them with powerful strikes, each movement flowing into the next, just as he had been taught. They fell away easy enough, but they kept getting up! The first stricken Hyena got back up and charged him from behind, making enough noise to catch the teenager's attention. Alex turned and got his staff up to block, but was still knocked to the ground by the animal's weight. He kept its jaws away from his exposed throat with the staff, barely keeping his face away from the beast's snapping jaws.

After a brief moment of struggle, Alex managed to bring his foot up into the hyena's underside and forcefully kicked the dog over his head. Unfortunately, the hyena didn't relax its grip on Alex's staff and pulled it out of his hands. Realizing his sudden disadvantage, Alex quickly got to his feet to meet the next attacker that was coming at him. He threw his bodyweight forward behind his fist and punched the hyena with enough force to drop it to the ground. The two others that were not reeling in pain charged. He was able to kick the first one away, but the second hyena bit into his left forearm and held on tightly. He quickly drew his knife from his belt and thrust it into the creature's shoulder as strongly as he could. It wasn't a mortal wound by any means, but it was enough pain to make the Hyena release his arm. Wanting his longer weapon back, Alex leapt towards his staff and rolled to avoid an attack from one of the returning hyenas. He grabbed it off the ground and went on guard facing the four assailants, each of which looked at the stick with fear. They now knew the damage it could inflict, and wanted nothing more to do with it. The teenager watched with vague amusement as they slowly began to back up towards the shrubbery, sneering at him as they went.

Once he was sure that they were gone and he had caught his breath, Alex turned to the young cub who was still huddling under the boulders.

"A-are you okay?" he asked feeling a bit ridiculous for addressing a lion cub. He prayed that she wouldn't answer, that he hallucinated the whole dialogue from before

"Are… are you going to hurt me?" asked the little thing as she looked up at him with fearful eyes.

"What? No, of course not." Alex said softly. "What's your name? Do you live around here?" He slowly walked towards her and knelt down to meet her gaze.

"I'm N-nala… I live that way." she responded timidly as she pointed shakily off to into the distance.

"Well Nala, my name's Alex. How about we go find your parents and get you home?"

She smiled a quietly. "I think that's a good idea." she said as and started walking the way she pointed. With each step she seemed to regain her confidence. "That was pretty cool how you beat them up...I can't wait to tell Simba!"

Alex laughed to himself at how easily she shook of her fear and followed her down what seemed to be a narrow foot trail. He winced as he wrapped his bleeding forearm with some scrap cloth; it didn't look too bad, but he didn't want an infection. As they walked, Nala told Alex all about the Pridelands, which he assumed to be her home. in exchange, he told her about his home, and fascinated her with the stories of cities and lights.

"But how do you get the light into the glass ball?" she asked.

"It's really complicated" he struggled, "I don't really understand it myself, but it works and it keeps it light at night." His answer seemed to satisfy her because she quickly changed the subject.

"HEY! Let's play tag!"

Alex blinked. "What?"

She clearly didn't care much for his confusion. "You're it!" Without another word Nala jumped into the bushes and vanished.

Alex sighed reluctantly, but dropped his pack and ran in after her. It was a bit harder for him to navigate the bushes than the smaller cub, but managed. After a few minutes of searching he found under a small tree holding perfectly still as she stared out at the grass. He was impressed by her discipline and paused a moment before running at her. Nala saw him burst from the grass and yelped in excitement. Nala tried to run but slipped on the dirt and fell at the teenager's feet.

Alex laughed quietly and tapped her forehead. "Now you're it!" She grinned as he started walking back towards his backpack. She ran close to his legs, made him trip as he bumped into her. They both went sprawling into the soft grass, rolling a short distance before coming to a stop. They looked at each other briefly with surprise before bursting into laughter.

((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))

Nala had apparently wandered quite far from her home because even after an hour of walking did she point out the still distant spire of stone she called home. It was a stunning sight, seeming to touch the sky in some incredible monument to the gods. Much to Alex's amusement, the young lion kept coming up with new games to occupy their time with. After some time however, the physical toll of the trip began to wear on her.

"Hey Alex?" she said softly. "Could you carry me?"

Alex blinked in a moment of pause. "You want me to carry you?"

She nodded hopefully. "Pleeeeaaaaase? I'm tired."

Alex just grinned widely and suppressed a chuckle at the young cub. "Alright, alright."

Nala smiled as he leaned down to scoop her up in his arms. She seemed quite content and awake in his arms for a while, but she soon fell asleep from exhaustion. He fell into step with her rhythmic breathing and soft purrs. Her soft fur felt pleasant on Alex's neck, and he smiled to himself at how quickly she had crashed from her previous state of excitement. After about an hour Nala awoke and got down, rejuvenated from her nap.

Her timing was good, they were just nearing the base of Priderock and where her family supposedly was. Alex trailed slightly behind his new friend as she started walking faster and began calling for her parents excitedly. The teenager felt his heart start to beat a bit faster and noticed his palms starting to sweat. He liked Nala, but he wasn't sure if her parents would feel the same way. He had heard too many stories of people getting killed by animals for getting in between them and their young.

"MOM!...MOM!" she called like a young human child.

"I guess a kid's a kid no matter the species." muttered Alex to himself in amusement. An adult lioness trotted over towards them from the direction of the rock, and Alex became aware of multiple others lying in the shade of nearby trees.

"Nala! There you are! We were looking all over for yo…." Nala's apparent mother froze as she made contact with Alex. Her eyes narrowed and her ears folded tight to her head. Alex tightened his grip on his staff, growing more nervous as more of the nearby lionesses noticed the unwanted human in their presence.

"Mom!" started Nala, talking far too fast to be understood, "Iwaswalkingonthetrailand …

"Woah Nala, slow down." demanded her mother, never breaking eye contact with Alex, who was beginning to question the wisdom of taking Nala home. Nala took a deep breath and started again.

"Okay. I was walking on the trail by the waterhole and a bunch of Hyenas started chasing me. They almost got me, but Alex came out and beat them up! They were gonnaattack me buthenhecame! It was awesome!" She paused to catch her breath again and Alex took the opportunity to explain himself.

"I just wanted to uh…. make sure she got home safely. If you…uh…. could point me towards the nearest human village, I'll head out."

Nala's mother relaxed slightly, seeing the nervousness in the young man's eyes. "My name is Sarafina... thank you for helping my daughter." she began slowly. "As far as villages go, I don't know of any very nearby. Perhaps you could talk to our queen, Sarabi. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to her."

Alex nodded, still visibly uncomfortable, and started off towards a small path leading up Priderock, frequently looking over her shoulder at Alex in an attempt to figure him out.

Alex followed Sarafina and Nala who was entertaining herself by running in between both her mother's and Alex's legs, periodically making them stumble over her. Alex was very aware of the many lionesses staring at him as he walked toward the base of the massive rock. He was stunned by its many caves that ringed the base and was amazed at the depth of some of them. They seemed to sink into the stone like the remnants of some prehistoric worm of sorts. A quickening of light feet made Alex look up ahead in time to see Nala running ahead towards an older lioness sunbathing on one of the larger rocks.

"Hey, Mrs. Sarabi?" asked Nala politely, "Is Simba back from the thing with his dad yet?"

"Not yet my dear." She responded just as politely. "And where have you been all morning?"

"Fighting hyenas!" Sarabi chuckled in amusement, not having noticed Alex yet.

"Did you get a bunch of the mangy things?"

"No, they were trying to eat me, Alex fought them all!" Nala gestured towards Alex, causing Sarabi's face to pale a bit, despite the fur, as she realized that Nala was not playing pretend.

"Sarabi, this is Alex," Sarafina introduced. "He fought off the hyenas that were attacking Nala." Sarabi's expression softened as she rose from her spot on the rock.

"Well then in that case, you have our thanks Alex."

"It was no problem," he said, gaining confidence with her praise. "I was looking for a nearby human settlement if you could direct me to one." Sarabi frowned and looked towards the horizon.

"I think you may be out of luck young man. There was a small tribe of Swahili towards the sunrise, but they left many years ago. The closest village is over a week away and it isn't accessible this time of year. The River has swollen and is too wild to cross. I'm sorry." Alex's hopes sunk with her words and he struggled to find the proper thanks.

"Uh…. Okay. Thank you…. I'll… I'll just go I guess."

"Mom? Why can't he stay here?" piped up Nala. "He did save my life!" Sarabi and Sarafina smiled at Nala and then at each other. Sarabi turned to Alex.

"I don't see why he couldn't. After all, he is our guest. However, it's not up to me, it's up to Mufasa. We'll ask him when he gets back."

"Thank you very much... I really aprec…"

"Can Alex come play with me? PLEEEEAAAASE?" Nala interrupted.

"You are very welcome Alex, and yes Nala, you can go play." Sarabi smiled with the patience only a mother could possess. Alex followed Nala towards a shady group of trees and started thinking. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about staying with a pride of lion; they all seemed nice enough, but it just seemed downright dangerous. What if they got hungry in the middle of the night and wanted a snack? Would he stay the honored guest that he was now? Or would he become an entrée? One or two hyenas was fine, but he doubted he could even injure a single lion if it came down to a fight for survival.

But then, he had to address the issue he had been shoving to the back of his mind; they could talk! If this was a dream or hallucination, it was more vivid and realistic than anything he had experienced before. No, he decided, this was real life and though it seemed impossible, he was here and it was happening. Better to just accept it and move on than to drive himself crazy trying to rationalize it. For now, he was going to enjoy himself as best he could. Nala was just too funny to keep a smile off his face.

The two of them played for some time under the trees, Nala pouncing on Alex's hand and repeatedly beating him in tag. Her bottomless pool of energy reminded him of his late friends and sent a wave of grief over him. He didn't cry when they died, he realized suddenly. But he couldn't do it now, not in front of Nala.

Still, his sudden sadness was too much to hide altogether.

"Why are so sad all of a sudden? Are you crying?" she asked with confusion.

"It's nothing," he lied while regaining control, "M-my eyes just aren't used to the air around here. Lots of p-pollen and stuff." Although the memories were so close to the surface, Alex chose to avoid them for Nala's sake. He didn't want to upset her with stories of the dead; this was his problem. It took him a moment, to fully recover, but after a moment he was able to insist with confidence that he was alright, and the two resumed their playing. They continued at it for almost an hour until Sarafina called down to them.

"Nala! Bring Alex up here, Mufasa and Simba are back!

The cub took off at a speedy pace while Alex climbed the rocks slowly, getting more nervous as he gained elevation. Nala's parents were nice, but Mufasa was a male lion who might feel threatened by another male in the area, even if the other male wasn't of the same species. He remembered reading how lions were extremely territorial and trespassing into one's domain could easily lead to the violator's death. He really hoped he was wrong. As he pulled his body over the last ledge he became aware of Sarabi's voice.

"…was looking for a nearby human village but I told him there wasn't any for quite a ways. Nala was hoping he could stay with us." Alex realized she must have just finished relaying the day's events to Mufasa. As he rose to his feet, his eyes met those of a massive red-maned lion. The beast was incredible, towering over him with paws the size of dinner plates. Alex had no doubt that it could easily decapitate him with a single swing of his cunning claws. Mufasa stared at Alex for a moment, studying him slowly, and Alex did likewise. After he got over the sheer size of the lion, he noticed the subtle softness of his deep brown eyes that seemed to peer into his soul. Despite his tremendous size, there was a distinct lack of hostility in his demeanor.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Alex, welcome to our kingdom." began Mufasa with a deep and commanding voice that reminded Alex of Darth Vader.

"Likewise, Sir." answered Alex, unsure of how to address the lion king. It must have been appropriate because Mufasa smiled gently at the gesture.

"This is my son, Simba." he said, looking down at the cub at his feet.

Alex smiled and nodded to the cub; he couldn't have been much older than Nala. "Nice to meet you, Simba."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Alex." Simba replied with forced politeness. Clearly he had other things on his mind. "Now can I go find Nala, Dad?"

Mufasa chuckled with amusement. "Yes, yes. You've been very patient all day, go ahead."

Alex watched as Simba ran off, quickly being ambushed by a hiding Nala. The two went rolling out of sight as they wrestled each other.

"Let's take a walk." Mufasa stated simply to Alex, waking him from his brief focus.

The teenager paused for a moment before starting after Mufasa into the savannah while the sun was still high.

After several minutes of walking, the two were far out in the grass and free from any distractions. "I really don't mean to intrude;" Alex started. "I just was looking for some sort of direction."

The king shook his head. "Don't be apologetic, you saved my future daughter in-law and kicked out those poachers. If anyone is to be gracious it should be me." Mufasa's logic was hard to refute so Alex didn't press it further. "What I'm really curious about is how you got here. There aren't any villages nearby, so where exactly did you come from?" The painful memories resurfaced as Alex contemplated the question. He took a deep breath and began.

"I was traveling with some friends…. and we were in an accident. I was the only one left, and I shouldn't have been." He shut his eyes in an effort to prevent the flow of tears. "I should have helped them… but I wasn't able too." Despite his efforts, tears began to well up in his eyes.

"I'm sorry. It's always difficult losing someone you care about." Mufasa gazed far off into the distance as if remembering some long ago event. "Always thinking of how you could have done something differently, something to change, something to fix. But in the end there's nothing you can do except pray for them and accept that you did your best under the circumstances and move on."

Alex was surprised by the lion's words. "I guess you guys deal with death a lot out here."

"More than we'd like too, but it's a part of our lives. We couldn't live if we didn't kill the antelope, nor could they live without killing the grass. We live in a careful balance of life and death; living to kill other creatures, and dying to keep them alive. If any one species in the kingdom becomes too large, or takes in too much, it compromises the well being of the entire Pridelands. We have to keep the balance, or let the kingdom die."

Alex was interested in Mufasa's philosophy and waited for him to tell more, but he didn't. Instead he steered the conversation back towards Alex.

"What do you think about life and death Alex? You fought those hyenas without mercy and risked your life to save a little cub. How do you explain that?"

Alex was silent for a while before he answered. He wasn't used to people asking him about his core beliefs on life and death.

"Ummm... well the way I see it, we all have a responsibility to help each other no matter the risk…. I mean, no one wants to die, but sometimes someone has to sacrifice for the good of others. I'm not afraid to die, and I'm not afraid to stop someone who wants to hurt someone else…." Alex sighed, carefully piecing together his next words. "I guess I'm okay with being the guy who's called on to do the more dangerous stuff because I know that I can handle it better than most.

Mufasa smiled. "You would have made a very good lion, had your parents been a bit furrier." His comment made Alex grin softly.

"You're a lot more... social than most other humans." the king added with careful wording. "Most of your kind avoid us at all cost."

Alex snorted quietly. "Most people aren't able to talk to lions... frankly, I haven't a clue as to what's going on here."

Mufasa nodded understandingly. "It's no secret that humans have detached themselves from the more natural world."

"Yea, but it's still pretty ridiculous... I mean, this is something straight out of a Disney movie."

Mufasa frowned. "Disney?"

"Never mind... it's not important." Alex sighed. "What I mean is that I just wish I knew how I can understand you all."

"Maybe you just learned how to listen." the king replied softly, turning his gaze to the gently flowing river that they were walking along.

Alex nodded softly at his remark. Really though, he didn't care all that much. The vast beauty of the Pridelands was stunning to the foreigner, forcing his thoughts to the more immediate landscape.

It wasn't long before the conversation shifted to the kingdom. Alex had many questions regarding the animals and the land that Mufasa was pleased to answer. Alex would have thought that the king would have grown irritable with all the conversation, but instead he was very patient and even seemed to be enjoying himself as the sun started to set. The human and lion duo were on their way back to Priderock deep in conversation when Zazu showed up.

"Sire! I've been looking all over for you!" exclaimed the bird with stressed impatience.

"What's the matter Zazu? Is everyone alright?" Mufasa's casual attitude had been replaced with a new authoritative demeanor that reminded Alex of the lion's distinct position of leadership.

"They're fine for the moment sire, but the elephants are waiting for your decision regarding their new trail! You need to get back to them immediately!" Mufasa sighed irritably, clearly annoyed by Zazu's unnecessary urgency.

Alex suppressed his laughter at the horbill's fretting for fear of insulting the bird.

"I'll deal with that tomorrow; right now we're heading home."

"But sire!"

"Not now Zazu, I'm tired. Fly back to Priderock and tell Sarabi to prepare a spot for Alex tonight." He turned to face the teenager and continued. "You can sleep in the main cave with the pride tonight; tomorrow we'll find you an unoccupied cave for you to have a more permanent residence." Zazu flew away reluctantly and soon disappeared into the dimming light that painted the grassland a deep hue of orange.

"Thanks Mufasa, but really I can't stay long; I need to find a village or somewhere to contact my family."

"When the west river calms at the end of the season I'll show you to the village, but until then I insist that you stay with us. It's too dangerous to do anything else." It was obvious that Mufasa had made up his mind about the matter, so Alex simply accepted the terms. After all, this was his land; if he said it was too dangerous, Alex would be a fool to challenge it.

It didn't take long for the two of them to arrive back at Priderock where they found Sarabi and the cubs waiting for them. Nala jumped to her feet at the sight of Alex and pranced towards her new friend. Simba followed a little behind her, though clearly more interested with his father than in Alex.

"My mom said he can sleep next to us! This is gonna be soooooo much fun!" Nala exclaimed, obviously ecstatic over having gained a new playmate.

"Go ahead and follow her, she knows where to go." smiled Mufasa. "And goodnight."

"Thank you," Alex responded. "I'll see you in the morning." and turned to follow Nala. She led him to the main cave in the massive spire of rock and showed him where she and Sarafina slept. It was surprisingly warm among the other bodies and Alex began to relax his tensions as he lay on the smooth stone not too far away from the rest of the pride. Clearly, these lions were not the bloodthirsty beasts that he had feared them to be. In fact, they were a bit more decent than a lot of people he had met back home.

For being stranded in the middle of Africa, he thought as he began to drift off to sleep, this wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been.

***End of Chapter 1***