The Safari by Pent Ghelsburg
Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. This work involves underaged characters and transformative content. You have been warned.
The Grand Safari awaits. A vast wilderness of untamed beasts of all sorts scatters across the flitting fields. Open grassy greens and earthen yellows sprawl the horizon. The vast disk of the sun gazes over the land, its fiery eternal fury burns brightly providing a scorching heat to the land below. Many of the same denizens find solace under large palm fronds or are otherwise bathing themselves in the small assortment of springs that dot the area.
An engine sputters. The otherwise serene environment scatters from their respite. Only a few birds remain ever vigilant, forever surveying the area to determine the cause of the ruckus. Another loud bang spurs the moment, and many of the remaining birds fly from the site. A small green truck with a canopy in the rear struggles through the area. Some people sit in the back, canvased over by a large canopy that protects them from the blazing sunlight above.
Inside, a few families sit within. Divided only by a small space between the rows of chairs. The few people within chatter with each other. One of them, the youngest of the bunch a small child looks out from within. His face gazes out into the vast beyond. The boy longs to see an animal. His thoughts focused only on the absence of where any signs a beast could be. The truck bumps up and down as it hits another rock, causing it to sputter out loudly again.
"Mom…where are the lions?" The small boy with shaggy brown hair tugs on his mother's shorts, pleading with her in hopes it would remedy the issue.
She rolled her eyes as it was the umpteenth time he had asked about it. "They are hiding…you will see them soon enough."
It was the child's birthday and he had been taken on a trip with his mother to a far-off land for a safari. She had taken him to both the Zoo and a wildlife refuge and neither had seemed to sate his desire to see more. Always focused on the big cats, wanting nothing more than to see more of them than the ones in captivity at his local habitat. However, as a world traveler, the mother knew from personal experience that nothing could beat the real thing and so she caved on an expensive endeavor to show him the real thing.
A roar echoed through the area, and the boy's face lit up as he looked around again. He was certain this time that he would see something. He panned his eyes back and forth as he scanned the area for signs of anything. Only the back of a small crocodile could be seen and immediately his heart sank again.
"Mom…where are they!?" He asked again even though he had only asked mere moments ago.
She huffed as she was getting frustrated with his nagging. "Nait…honey….you need to be more patient."
The woman leaned forward and tapped on the glass that looked into the driver's space inside the vehicle. The truck came to an abrupt stop and the person inside had to turn around to see what the distraction was about. The man from within slid open the small window separating them. He was a burly fellow with an overbearing bright red beard to boot.
"What is it?" The man said with a thick Australian accent.
She spoke sternly as if he was her child. "Do you think we could make a stop somewhere? My kid wants to see lions and I think the sound from the vehicle is scaring all the animals."
"Oy, that's the plan ma'am. We'll be stopping right up ahead." He winked at her and tipped his wide-brimmed hat at her before turning back around but not bothering to shut the glass separator.
She turned back to Nait who had fortunately become distracted again by looking into the beyond. His ever-vigilant gaze continued to look into the various shrubs and bushes in hopes of finding signs of anything. A few minutes passed with nothing and eventually the vehicle came to a stop. They had arrived at a small outcropping of palms that overlooked the area. The large canopy of trees provided the small truck a slight respite from the otherwise scorching daylight of the sun.
"Come on, Nait. We can go see what we can find." The boy's mother extended out her hand to him but before she could even do so her son had scattered and fled into the distance.
It wasn't the first time he had run off. She wasn't overly concerned about it despite it being an unfamiliar territory and very much foreign land. Every time she got worked up about it, he always had a knack for finding his way back. Instead, she decided to make the best of the time she had alone and decided to walk around and sightsee with the rest of the group.
Nait had found his way into an outcropping of bushes. Another roar sounded nearby and he was overly excited about the prospect of seeing a lion up close and personal. He continued to tread forward, making as little noise as possible as he entered one of the largest outcroppings of bushes that he could find in the area. The leaves of the foliage rustled as he entered into it, obscuring his vision as he made his way to the other side.
He made his way through, pushing his way through the tight space of branches that made up the shrub. Nait had to close his eyes as the branches twisted and turned, some of them snapping against his body as he forced his passage through the leafy barrier. He continued to make slow and methodical steps through the bush until his foot hit an unobstructed area where it no longer felt the opposing forces of the shrub.
Nait appeared on the other side and opened up his eyes again. It took a few moments for his eyes to regain focus as he had closed them for longer than he anticipated. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in an unfamiliar area. He looked around seeing what he believed to be an enclosure, with a small outcropping of broken twigs and dead leaves at the center of it that seemed to be like a makeshift bed.
The boy approached it and kneeled. Looking at the floor he could make out what he believed to be paw prints. He grazed his hand over the top of the closest two, one pair of larger paws, and one pair of smaller ones. It appeared to be an animal and it's young, of which sort he could not be certain. He held his hand on top of it, the surface of which seemed to permeate warmth as he touched it.
The sand filtered through his fingers, its grainy nature breaking apart rather easily as he allowed his hand to stay sitting motionless in the sea of sand and dirt. The warmth seemed to spread the longer he kept his touch there, but it was by no means burning him to the point of discomfort. His hand seemed to have sunk a bit into the sand, the depth of which seemed to surround more of his hand than it had a moment ago. Soon he joined with his other hand, curious as to what was going on and whether he was imagining things or not.
Nait sunk his other hand into the sand. It was just as warm as before. The sauntering coarse ground settled around his palm and fingers as he put it there with the other one. Within moments the dirt began to pulsate and shake. He tried to move his hands and yet they remained stuck within the ground before him. Fear began to overtake him as his body started to tremble. Nait's heart began to beat rapidly as he was certain something odd was afoot.
Looking down once more at the hands on the ground. Both of them had been completely submerged by the sand. He could see neither of them. The warmth of the earthen crust encapsulated his appendage. He tried to lose them from their prison once again and still they would not budge. Within moments he watched as the sand began to creep up his arms and began to cover the lower length of his arms.
Nait tried using the strength of his legs to push himself up but found he was unable to move those either. Looking back he noticed that sand had also encased all of his feet in his shoes. He found he could feel warmth coursing through his legs. Nait struggled more intensely as the sand seemed to expand at an even quicker pace. The earthen substance continued to crawl up his arms and legs making him itch, and yet he could do not to lessen the desire to scratch himself.
Nait tried calling out, his mind wanting naught but assistance but instead of words, when his mouth opened nothing came out. He tried several more times, each time his mouth coming up with no sound. He was about to give up all hope of rescue as the sense of defeat and dread had now consumed his very being. Then he heard the sound of a snapping twig. Certain that his mother had come looking for him, so he tried to make whatever noise he could to attract attention.
The boy tried to mimic his favorite sound, making grunts and moans eventually crying out in a roar since it was the loudest audible noise he could make. The warmth that extended through his limbs began to pulsate through his body. It wasn't painful, instead, it made him feel at ease and he didn't feel as panicked as before. His formerly frightened state began to relax. The warmth takes a more prominent presence within his form.
Turning his gaze back down to his limbs, he could no longer see the sand. Instead a dark brown-yellowish fuzz now ran up and down the length of his arms. Looking back he saw much the same. There were no signs of the khaki cargo pants he had been wearing moment and his shoes appeared to have been torn to shred and laid scattered around on the floor. Where his feet should have been, instead he saw what appeared to look like paws.
Nait felt a fuzziness wash over his mind. An intense urge to roar once more. His mouth opened to let out a sound. A pathetic paltry squeak but it was his own and he tried it a second and then a third time. Each time he did so, his body's warmth began to grow ever more rampant. His mind throbbed with the same sensation, his teeth and nose began to ache a bit. His eyes began to flutter a bit as he sat there idly.
A sudden sense of fatigue came over him as he closed his eyes. Just for a bit, he told himself…his body sagging to the floor as if exhausted.
When he awoke sometime later, his eyes opened slowly to find himself in an unfamiliar area. It took a moment for his eyes to refocus as he tried to regain consciousness. Once he could finally see again he found himself in what looked like a cave.
He panned his head around to gauge his surroundings. The only light into the area came from the outside, the sunlight from outside had died down a bit as some time had likely passed. Looking around further and he saw what seemed to be a sleeping beast. A grand golden mane atop its head and a familiar stringy tail with a flourished tip laid crawled up nearby. He knew all too well, it was a lion and immediately sprang up from his resting position.
Nait slowly picked himself up, his body ached as he tried to move but with a little bit of effort he was able to fight through the small fits of pain his body was experiencing. Standing up, he found himself upright on four legs at a much lower perspective than he'd grown used to in his young life. Peering his head down, he looked at his limbs once again. Greeted by the sight of golden brown animal haunches.
His mind seemed torn in uncertainty. A throbbing of warmth pulsed through him again as he perked up again. The legs no longer seem as alien to him. He pranced over to where the sleeping animal was. Angling his head and elongated snout into the side of the resting beast, seeming somewhat familiar with its presence. Nait nudged it several times as the critter roused and came around.
The lion's eyes slowly opened up. The fur on its neck stood more upright, untamed, and longer than the rest of its fur. It stretched its head over nuzzling the cub and then licking it through its elongated snout. The sudden show of affection did not catch Nait off guard. It seemed all too natural for him. He nudged the larger beast with his paw several times, pawing at it several times to see if he could get it to move.
The larger lion groaned and put its head back down on the floor. Nait then felt something tugging on him from behind. Looking behind he could see his apparent tail being chewed on by another small lion cub. The lioness crouched on all fours as she flitted her head back and forth, in an attempt to be playful with him. Nait pounced forward, prancing his body right on top of the other cub who lost hold of the thin part of his tail in the process.
The two rolled into a tumble for a moment. The larger lion in the bac lifted its head for a moment and set it back down after a slight moment of investigating the issue. The cubs rolled into the side of the cave, coming to an abrupt stop. They took a few moments to recover but once they did they began prancing outside into the open area beyond the cave. Nait and his friend began to walk through some bushes, causing the leaves to rustle.
They walked next to each other, pushing their way through the thick shrubs that surrounded the area. Some birds overhead watched as they made their way from the safety of the canopy of the trees. Soon they could overhear the sound of rushing water. The lioness rushed forward as she knew they were close to the watering hole and Nait followed without delay. The two rushed forward at peak speed, with only a few obstructions delaying their otherwise non-stop progress.
Eventually, they arrived at the watering hole. The nearby animals that were already present in the small body of water ran away at the sight of the two lion cubs. Only a few larger beasts remained but kept a wary watch on them, maintaining their entire focus on their presence. The lioness slowed down once they were within eyesight of the lake. Nait continued to rush forward and plowed right into her, knocking her right into the water in front of them.
The lioness quickly kicked herself to the surface, spitting out some of the water that she had almost swallowed by mistake. Nait began distinctively doggy paddling, his body rising to the surface after plopping belly first into the otherwise still water. The two swam around aimlessly for a bit, neither of them having much difficulty in maintaining treading water. Eventually, the lioness found her way under the waterfall and allowed the streaming liquid to flow over her.
Nait soon swam his way back to shore. The boy shook off the water that had collected on his fur. Casually he began trotting off towards the wall of rocks that stood at the base of the waterfall. He angled his head upward and looked up toward the peak of the cliff and noticed that the rocks led up toward the top of it. He stood there idly looking at it for a moment and after considering it for a moment he decided to climb to the top.
The cub began walking again towards the mound of rocks and angled himself so he could make an easier to scale the side of it. One by one the lion kitten hopped on each of the rocks that took him ever higher towards the top of the miniature mountain. It didn't take that long to reach the pinnacle but when he did he stood there a moment, his paws shuffling on the unsteady rocks that crumbled to the floor below.
Nait hopped off the rock he was standing on and into the stream that ran towards the waterfall. He could feel the rushing of the water push beyond his paws. He stood atop it and overlooked the bottom. The lion cub could see the water below and the lioness who was now paddling around the perimeter of the lake. Within seconds he made a second leap, allowing his body to catapult to the pond beneath him.
His body crashed into the lake, and a plume of water exploded all around him as the waves created by his entrance resonated around him. The disruption in the water caused the lioness's own body to rise a few times and then settle after a few moments of bobbing in place. Nait soon emerged from where his body had sunk beneath the waves. Gleefully smiling, showing off his pointy teeth to no one in particular as he seemed rather proud of himself.
The lioness soon got out of the water and shook off, staring intently at Nait for a moment. The boy hesitated a moment before joining her out of the water. Nait shook immediately, causing the girl to get wet again. She snorted at him before nipping the side of his cheek and running off in the opposite direction from which they came. The two of them kept low to the ground to not attract any unwanted attention.
As they flitted through the trees that surrounded them, the lioness jumped from stump to stump. Nait followed suit, having no issue in maintaining traction using the tiny claws that seemed to protract of their own volition. Some birds flew overhead, seeming to keep tabs on them by keeping the same track that they were. Soon they came out of the wooded area and into a more wide open one.
Nait stopped as the lioness entered a huge area dominated by grassy reads and thick stalks. The lioness soon popped her head back checking to see where he had gone. She hissed at him as if annoyed he had not joined him. The boy cub sprinted forward and she reeled back toward the direction in which she headed. The swaying of the grassy fronds brushed against their fur as they blazed their way through the thick greenery.
Soon they broke out from within the mass of untended pasture. When they emerged Nait found himself before a vast field. The wind was causing the thick grass to push back enough that he could see through it but they had settled in an area where the sun could break through. The lioness soon came to a stop and settled near the center of the grassy enclosure. She laid herself down in the clearest part of the meadow.
Nait joined her, and side by side they sat. The two lion cubs angled their head so they could gaze toward the sun. The glaring sun had been blocked out somewhat by the presence of clouds. The sun was beginning to set and so the darker yellow light was omnipresent all around them. The two soon rested their eyes and allowed their bodies to rest in the basking warmth of the daylight. Nait allowed himself to doze a bit.
"So…what did you think Nait? Was it worth it?" A familiar voice called out to Nait.
It took a second for Nait to come around. "Um…"
"You've been asleep for a while. We're on our way back to the hotel. I'm glad you finally got to see the lions." His mother brushed back the unkempt hair on his head before putting his head back on his head.
Nait nodded softly, uncertain of what was going on. "Yeah…"
"Good, I'm glad to hear." The mother rested back in her chair.
Nait rubbed his eyes. It had all seemed so real. Had it all been a dream? He examined the length of his arms. His scrawny and skinny limbs were in front of him. He began to long. He wanted to go back to sleep. A dreamworld he could hold entirely of his own. Allowing himself to slumber once again before finding himself in solace under the night sky. Easing his head back…and letting out a roar as the moon soared above.
