Chapter 27 27: Journey and discovery

[1st POV] I have explored the entirety of the Pride Lands throughout the years; I knew the geography very well. The climate, the scent, and the scenery—from the smallest bushes to the biggest trees—were all familiar to me. They felt like home. But never have I ever gone past the Pride Lands. I've gone to the ends of the kingdom and gazed from the unforgiving cliffs that marked our land to find out how big the kingdom was. But I never went further; I always returned. But today was different. Today, I finally went past that line. I left the place I called home for two years and ventured into the outside world—a world that was definitely not covered or explored enough in the Disney movie. The Pride Land was an elevated region, almost like a huge plateau that sustained a whole different ecosystem on top, like a small paradise hidden from the rest of the world. You could not simply leave the kingdom by running in a straight line, it was not as easy as covering plain ground. There were specific routes to follow if you wish to venture into the outside world. I was familiar with such routes from my explorations, so it was not hard to leave the Pride Lands. After I was in the outside world, the difference in the landscape was almost immediate. The trees, the hills, and even the earth no longer felt familiar to me. But I pushed on. I was not exactly running or in a hurry since I knew no one would follow me outside of the kingdom. I was also extremely tired and fatigued, so the initial days of my journey were slow. As much as I would like to pretend otherwise, it was not easy to stand on business against twenty hyenas. Say even if they did not attack, it took great effort to tear apart twenty of them. The journey took me a little over a week to complete. During that time, I covered a massive distance, travelling through different landscapes and challenges that were not nearly life-threatening but annoying nonetheless. One other thing to note was that the place where I was headed was completely different from that of Simba. I knew this because, throughout my journey, I never went past a desert or any dry land. Most of the region I went past could be described as treacherous. There were hills, and the vegetation was sparse. They were often vastly different from each other, but they all shared something in common—and that was that life could not thrive in such places. I caught the scent of animals and saw a few of them myself, which was rare since most animals flee on instinct upon seeing me. But the prey there was not nearly enough to sustain a huge feline like me. So I travelled until I found the perfect region where life could thrive. And I came upon such a region roughly after one week of travelling. ..... (1 week later) "This seems familiar," I said to myself while gazing upon the plain that spread before me. The land was flat for the most part, stretching out in every direction with low, dry grass that reached just past my ankles. It was yellow in color with patches of green where the soil held more moisture. Scattered acacia trees dotted the area, providing just enough shade to cool a body from the heat. I could already see some life in this region; there were ant nests on some branches as well. There was a breeze and I took in the smell of the world. The air was warm and carried dust. The air smelled familiar in a way; I could smell distant dung, prey, and other animals that I was familiar with. I walked through the plains and carefully observed my new surroundings. I followed the tracks on the ground and the trail of scents. They led me to a small cluster of wildebeest grazing on the greener side of the horizon. I continued and came upon a number of zebras and gazelles as well. Indeed, the place was abundant with life, which means more food for me. It would seem the place could sustain a predator like me. It was the perfect place to settle for a while. In fact, the place oddly reminded me of the Pride Lands. The difference was minimal; it was just that this place could not compare in terms of sheer greenery and abundance with my home. The animals looked at me with knowing eyes as I walked under the sunlight. They seemed familiar with lions and knew that if they saw me, it meant I was not trying to hunt. The heat was one of the things I noticed as well. Pride Land was warm but not unbearably hot. You could see heat rising off the ground in faint, visible waves. It made me slow my pace, whether I liked it or not. My first priority was finding the watering hole of this place. There was always life where there was water. Who knows, I might even start hunting there because I was starving. Lions could go several weeks without eating, but that didn't mean we were not starving. The most I did over the week was scavenge some scraps while I travelled, so I needed food, real food. My nose led the way as I followed the scent of water and mud that came frequently with the breeze. I followed the source and knew I would reach there soon. After almost an hour of walking, I could see the watering hole on the horizon. The surroundings were also greener and livelier than any other place. Seeing it made me eager, so I quickened my pace and started slow running towards it. But then.... I saw something weird while I was on the way. I saw four weird rocks in the distance. The size was large enough to call them boulders, but they were almost triangular in shape. They also seemed to be moving with the wind upon a closer look. "What is that?" I asked myself and slowed down. I could not even look at the watering hole in the distance anymore. I was completely focused on this new weird thing I saw in the environment. When I got even closer, I finally saw something that completely baffled me. It was a strange, rectangular creature the size of a rhino. It had big black round things for legs. Then it clicked. The memories of my past life that were slowly fading with time came back and hit me like a truck. It was a powerful nostalgia. Those were not rocks, they were tents. And the rectangular creature was none other than a car. Holy shit, I found humans. .. .. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author : Perhaps some people don't read the authors note so I'll say it again. NO NTR!!! NO NTR!!! FOR BOTH ZURI AND NALA. The explanation could me anything. Lioness don't mature sexutally until 3-4 years old by which time Leo will return. Lions don't rape, literally why they have to kill cubs to make the female in heat and want to mate etc Whatever the explanation is, I will address it when the time comes. So just rest assured fr and chill with the negative reviews talking about ntr. Let's not do this again. Whatever the reason will be I will address it when the time comes. Just know Leo is not coming back to a pregnant Zuri or with kids.