Lion Around ((Simba))

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Wart sat at an outdoor table in a shady courtyard of the inn. Although he appeared to be somewhat jumpy, as if impatient about something, he was not, as some might think, dissatisfied with the wait for his dinner. On the contrary, the boy felt uncomfortable any time he was waited on by someone else. Growing up as little more than a slave in the castle he called home, Wart was used to seeing to the needs of others. And now here he was in a luxurious inn chosen by that highly educated mouse Basil, where every time you turned around, somebody was asking if they could help you. It was enough to give you fits!

But a boy had to eat, even a boy king.

Soon the meal was served: pork ribs on the bone. Wart dug in thankfully, for though the sauce was a little too spicy, it was still very good. And if it wasn't, he was not one to complain easily.

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 Simba walked cautiously, through the corridors. He was lost, but still delighted. He never saw a human before. And now, was becoming difficult to don't see one.  He was trying  to don't be seen by anyone. And so far it worked. However, now he was getting hungry. After what he saw, he did not dare call it a hunger, but still was needing something for eat.
 
 Soon after he turned a corner, smelled some meat, and the origin wasn't far! Fallowing it, he walked through some halls, and saw a man and saw a man placing a plate on one of the many tables that existed on the end of this hall. Still trying to don't be seen, he approached of this table. Using a chair, he jumped on the table. Only when landed on the table, he noticed that a boy was eating the meat. He sat on the table, with the greatest possible distance from the boy. Maybe, if he wait, he is going to eat at least what the boy will leave on the plate.

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Eating with one's fingers was the norm back where he came from, and Wart happily gnawed the meat from the bones, unconscious of the few stares he received from some of the other patrons around him. This meal sure was messy, and he had no finger bowl, which was awkward; since becoming king, Wart had tried to learn the proper etiquette rules. Now, let's see...what would be the correct thing? he wondered.

Before the boy could make another move, the most unexpected thing happened: a lion jumped onto the table.

Wait...a lion?!?

Wart would've probably choked on his meal if he hadn't froze still as stone. A lion, only two feet away...if he reached for his sword, it would be on him in a second.

Except...the longer he stared at it, the cuter it became in his eyes. It was just a cub, though they could be dangerous, too. And what if the mother was around somewhere?

It was a knight's duty to slay lions as he found them, and so protect his people. But it would break his heart to have to kill this little guy. Every boyish instinct he possessed wanted to make a pet of it.

Taking up one of the bones from his plate, Wart gently tossed it at the cub's feet. "Here you go, little fella."

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 Simba's strategy worked. Now, the boy tossed a bone. Finally he got food. He was about to smile, but...

 Wait! He is a prince. How could he accept the leftovers? However, he was still hungry. And that if he still could be consider himself a prince after what he did...

 When he thought about the incident, it didn't let he smile. He laid down, and holding the bone in his pawns, he gnawed the bone with a sad face. The bone had a really strange taste. It was very spicy! When he bit for the first time, he was surprised by the strange taste. Yet he did not give up eating, just did it slowly. After the hungry that he felt in the desert... he could eat anything to don't stay in that state again. Even bugs. The bone could be very spicy, but still was meat. At every moment, Simba seemed to ignore the kid, and still seemed disinterested with the food. Think again about his father made ​​him feel bad again.

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<<Um...did you say "Lucas"? >>

Wart was pleased to see the little lion eating the food he'd offered. Maybe he could make a pet out of it yet. At any rate, it wouldn't hurt to have the lion feeling friendly toward him.

The boy had only one bone left on his plate, which he tossed to the cub. He could get by on half a meal; he'd done it many times before. besides, he still had those long yellowy things, whatever they were.

"Here you go," he murmured to the lion, trying to sound friendly. "You can have these, too, if you want them." He popped one of the things in his mouth before holding another out to the cub. "It's a potato!" he told himself with surprise.

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Off: Lucas? Oh, sorry! I have no idea how that got there! I have to stop writing sleepy  

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After some time, Simba realized that the bone wasn't spicy. But it was covered with a very spicy sauce. "What is this place?" He thought. Finishing the bone, he stood up and looked around. There weren't a lot of humans, but still he only saw humans. Why there weren't any other animals? 
 
 And why that boy shared food with him? The boy was planning something... Or just wanting to be friendly. When Simba looked back to the boy, he was offering something new. It has a smell of... What was that smell? Simba never felt something like that. The boy held that yellow thing in the direction of Simba, while eating other of it. It was something new for eat! the lion wan't hungry anymore, but was curious about it.

 Shyly he walked closer to the boy. Once more, he sniffed at it trying to identify ,again without success. So he decided to try. When chewed, realized it was extremely salty. But still... Tasty! Simba pulled the food from the boy's hand, and soon had eaten the whole thing.

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<<LOL!!>>

Startled, Wart jerked back a little bit when the lion snatched up the potato sticks. "They're pretty good, aren't they, boy?" he continued in a calm, gentle voice.

It probably wasn't a good idea, but the boy really wanted to pet it. He still had the idea of keeping the animal, taming it. He could just see himself with a full-grown lion at his side; what a picture it would make going into battle, or greeting visiting royalty!

Monarch though he ay be, Wart was still only a boy, and his judgement could be immature at times. So, he ventured his hand closer, slowly, so as not to startle the cub into doing anything rash.

"Good boy," he crooned, hand poised to stroke the tawny head.

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 Good? They were fantastic! Simba's never eaten something like that. But it didn't seem like meat. What was that? In fact, it wasn't important. He just needed to find more of that! Maybe the boy could have more of that. 

 When he finally looked to the boy, was too late. The boy's had was now next to Simba's head. Was everything a trap? And Simba fell straight into it. Now, there wasn't time enough to react. He can just low his head and close his eyes, prepared for the worst.

 Simba didn't believe what happened. When he closed his eyes, he was expecting something very bad. But the boy just stroked his head. He was surprised. The boy didn't want to hurt him. Simba can not move. Just stood there, looking at the boy as someone who had not understood what was happening.

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The boy gently scratched the tawny head of the young lion, half expecting to be attacked for it. But, no, the feline just sat still, allowing his touch. Realizing he had been holding his breath, Wart let it out carefully, not willing to startle the cub in any way.

"Oh, boy!" he couldn't help but whisper; this was going to work out better than Wart could've hoped! "I'll take really good care of you, boy. And I'll call you...let's see...how about "Stoutheart?' "

<<Do you know that Simba can talk to humans and understand them in this magical place? I'm not saying you have to make Simba talk; he can do whatever you choose. I just want to make sure you are aware of it.  >>

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 Yeah, I know it! I was just wait the right time for it. A sad person don't talk a lot...

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 Simba was listening well? He didn't know anymore. The boy was planning to... take care of him? Someone cared about him after what he did! But, the boy sin't know about his past. But, someone still cared abut him! 
 
 Someone that just wanted to make a new friend. And he was needing a new one. "If I do not tell about it, he won't know about it!" That thought made Simba smiling. He remained seated, but his tail was not moving happy behind him. 

 -Stoutheart? My name is Simba! -Simba spoke.

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Wart let out a yelp, pulling his hand away as if he'd been burned. "You can talk!"

Maybe that shouldn't have surprised him so much; after all, Wart had already met several talking animals. But Zummi and Mr. Basil wore clothes and walked around on two feet like people. This one looked just like an ordinary lion.

"Er...I'm sorry. I thought you were..." Anything he could think of to say would just make a bad situation worse. "Back home, the lions can't talk. So I just...um..."

Wart was nothing if not resilient. Now that the shock was over, the boy-king was even more thrilled. A talking lion! Unless...

"You are a real lion, aren't you? Not a wizard in lion's form?"

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 The human was now strange. "He thought i can not talk?" Simba was a little disgusted. Everyone can talk, why he could not? 

 But Simba kept listening. "He's from others lands too! A land where lions can't talk..." Now, paying more attention, Simba can see that the boy was wearing different clothes than any other human he saw before. But, why lions can't talk in his home? "Maybe they just don't have anything to say." This response quenched Simba's curiosity. 

 -I'm a lion, not a wizard!
  
 So, in his land, there are wizards! For simba, it was just a legend. Animals that can make magic. But, and his home? "How i will back home?" Again, he thought his father. But he didn't want to be sad anymore. He needed to think in other thing, and fast. When the boy back to his home, he could take Simba with him! "I won't back home!" Just thinking kept Simba smiling.







 

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Okay, he was a real lion, that was a relief. I mean, the last thing Wart needed was an evil witch like Madam Mim sneaking around disguised as an animal.

"I'm sorry...Simba," the boy apologized again; it was something of a habit with him. "My name is Wart. I'm glad you can talk." As if that would make everything all right.

Hmmm...maybe there was something that would. "Are you still hungry?" ventured Wart. "I can order you some more food." He glanced down at his plate; the only thing Wart had left was his dessert, a piece of pie. He really wanted that pie, but...

"You can have this, if you want it. It's peach." And he slid the plate closer to the cub.

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 "His name is Wart." It was a strange name. But for a strange creature from a strange land that eats strange food, it was acceptable. 

 Simba wasn't hungry anymore, but if he got another one of those yellow things... Wart said he could ask for more food, but still offered something new. He pushed a plate toward the lion, who approached and sniffed what was inside.

You can have this, if you want it. It's peach.

 That was peach? What was a peach? Simba only knew that it had a great smell! Why don't taste it too? Last time, he was surprised with something really good! The boy seemed to like that food, but still was sharing with him. Simba bit the tip by placing a tiny piece into his mouth. It was very, very sweet! It was hard to swallow, but Simba did it. Still, the taste did not come out of your mouth completely. He ignored the plate, and walked even closer to the boy, sitting near the edge of the table. If he was not hungry, he should not eat. That's what his... they taught to him.

 -Can you order water too?

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"Water? Sure I can." In fact, water was what the young king had been drinking. Out of all the drinks available in this place, it was the only one he recognized. But that was all right; water was fine with him.

It took some time before he was able to get the attention of one of the servants, not because they were inattentive, but because he was too backward to ask for help. "Um...excuse me...?" he ventured several times, but much too timidly to be noticed.

Finally a serving girl came near the table. How strange that she didn't bat an eyelash at the lion on the table. Wart asked, with many 'please's and 'thank you's, if he might have some water for his friend the lion. The girl smiled as though lions joining a dinner party were the most common thing in the world, but she brought the water in a bowl, placing it before Simba.

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Water? Sure I can.

 Wart could as for water and food? And only need to wait, sitting without having to do anything? That was a life for k... That was a good life! 

 Simba stood still, waiting Wart ask the water he wanted. But He was starting to get impatient. Why the boy didn't ask for the water? Was that so difficult? Maybe wasn't a easy life. But still seemed like a good one!

 Finally, a woman come to the table, and promised to bring the water. "This will take much!" Why? "She will need to go to the river and back. But with only two legs, she can not do that so fast ..." But Simba was wrong. Before he finished thinking, the woman was already coming to the table with a bowl in her hands.
 
 She placed the bowl in front of Simba. The bowl was filled with water! "Humans are fast!" He drank some water not only quenches his thirst as taking that sweet taste away. The taste of the peach... He looked to the plate, and after to the boy.

 -Won't you  eat that peach?

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Wart watched as the cub satisfied his thirst. Feeling the need to say something, he, as usually happens in such cases, said something rather lame and unnecessary. "The water here is very good." As banal as that comment was, it was certainly true; in Wart's time, good drinking water was a lot harder to come by.

Won't you eat that peach?

He glanced down at the plate. Eat something that an animal had taken a bite of first? Most people wouldn't think of it, but Wart's century was not known for its cleanliness. "Thank you. As long as you don't want it..."

The boy-king made short work of the dessert, wipping his mouth on the back of his hand. He began to wonder how Simba was fixed for accommodations. "I guess you haven't been here long, have you? Do you have a place to stay yet?"

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 Definitely the water was good! It was so pure and crystalline! Only the water from the water hole was so crystalline. 

 -No... It's yours!

 As he spoke, Simba made ​​a disgusted face toward the plate. But the human but didn't  worry about the bite that Simba did in the dessert, and then devoured it. It really seemed that the boy had liked that peach! Maybe he had a different palate... But still was difficulty to imagine how someone can like something too sweet. 

I guess you haven't been here long, have you? Do you have a place to stay yet?

 Now was the chance for Simba! Maybe he could stay together with the boy ... but for that he would have to ask.

 -Well... No. Can I stay with you? Pleeease?

 Simba finished his sentence with the biggest smile he could do. 

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-Well... No. Can I stay with you? Pleeease?

Wart was a little taken aback at the suddenness of that request. But the kind-hearted lad would be more than happy to share his accommodations. "Well...of course you can. I have a whole suite of rooms at one of the local inns. There's plenty of room for you." There was room for an army, if only Wart had one.

"Should we go there now? Maybe you'd like to rest for a while." Wart fished out a gold coin from the bag tied to his belt and looked around once again for the serving wench. It was nothing short of amazing how quickly she appeared this time.

The young king pushed back his chair and waited for Simba's response.

<<Ick! What a dull post that turned out to be  >>

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It's better than mine! XD

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The boy let the lion stay with him! But, still was exactly what Simba wanted. "He isn't coming back to his house now?" Stay with him was a good beginning. 
 
 The boy took a bright object in a small bag, and again looked at the woman. This time she came to them quickly! What was that object? If the boy could call the woman quickly so, why did not it last time? Probably, he had his reasons.
 
 Simba took advantage of the chair that the boy pushed into the table to get off the table. He was now in the boy, hoping that it would indicate a direction. However, now that was safer, dared to ask a question.
 
 -What was that shiny thing, that made the woman come fast?

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<<Sorry to take so long to answer>>

What was that shiny thing

"That?" answered Wart, "That was money. Gold." Money was something he'd never had to explain before, something he took for granted. REaching into his pouch again, he pulled out another coin and held it out to the cub. "See? You can buy things with it."

"Let's go to my rooms. I can show you where you'll sleep. If you like it, that is."

Leading the way to the lobby, Wart stepped up to the big glass doors, which opened, as they always did, all by themselves. "They're magic," he explained, that being the only possible conclusion a medieval lad could come to.

"And this," he continued, pointing to a tiny, square room, "Is the magic portal that takes us to my suite." Wart stepped inside and touched the number 4.

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 -You can... buy things with that?

 Simba could eat with the fam... the lionesses, but had to go to the river to drink water. What more could he want? Even if he wanted anything, he would only need to go there and get it. Things were there simply. Why would he have to give satisfaction to anyone? But it was better not to ask again. For the boy, it seemed to make sense. "The world is strange ..."
   
 Simba realized they were walking towards a wall and stopped. But the boy kept walking. Had he not realized that there was a wall of a transparent
material? But the boy kept walking, and when approached, the walls moved, showing a passage.

They're magic,

 So really exists magic! The boy had spoken of witches, but Simba did not believe completely. But now, the walls were moving alone! "Magic exists!" He followed Wart to a quarter, and when they entered, the doors shut by themselves. Simba suspected. They were trapped!

And this... Is the magic portal that takes us to my suite.

 -But the doors are closed! How do we get out?

In a short time after the doors closed, Simba felt a strange sensation. He felt the room shaking! He ran to the front of the boy. Always looking at the door, asked:

 What is happening?!

 

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"It's all right," Wart hastened to assure his new friend. "I know it's kind of scary. It scared me, too, the first time. but that's just how the portal works. Watch."

There was a, to Wart, familiar odd feeling in his stomach as the magic did its job. Then the doors slid open to reveal their destination. "See? Here's my room." The boy led the way to a nearby door, slid a tiny square something into a slot, and opened the door wide.

The room was really a suite consisting of a huge sitting room with a sort of scullery and 3 separate bedrooms adjoining. There were also two baths and a wide balcony overlooking a garden far below. Everything was opulent and tasteful, and, though smaller, actually much more comortable than his castle back home.

"What do you think of it?"

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Sorry for taking too long to reply... I had some problems to get time enough to post ^^'

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 I. .. I'm not scared!

 Instantly Simba defended himself, looking up at the boy's face. He was not afraid, no! He could not be. In fact, he was starting to get dizzy. The ground was shaking, and was making his stomach weird. 

 Luckily, the magic quickly stopped and the doors opened. He followed the boy down a hallway full of doors. Until the boy stopped in front of one of the doors, and with a strange object, was able to open it. Even if it had with the object, Simba doubted he could put it there. It was very loud! Maybe if he jumped ...

 Simba saw a big hall inside the door. And how beautiful it was! Looked like he had seen inside the building, but very different from Pride Rock. He did not respond Wart, and without wasting time, climbed the sofa that was there. Began sniffing it and test it. It was so soft! Only after lie upon it spoke again.

 I like your room!

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<<Hope you don't mind Zummi joining the thread, but he lives here now, too, so...>>

At that moment, one of the inner doors opened and out stepped a small purple bear in Medieval clothes. "Oh, Wart, I hot it...er, thought it was you. I wanted to tell you that I..." It was then his eyes fell upon the divan, or more precisely, on the occupant of the divan. "Is that...a lion?!?" It most certainly was a lion!

With a cry of fear, Zummi jumped backward, bumping into an overstuffed chair.

Now this particular chair happened to have a lever on the side, which Zummi struck as he stumbled. Which lever, when moved, caused a foot rest to pop out of the chair. This foot rest caught the bear in what would've been the seat of his pants, if he wore any pants, and catapulted him into the air!

Zummi landed hard on a low table across the room.