Deep in the African Savannah, there is a mystical jungle hidden in the depths of the grasslands.
In that jungle, there lives a family of lions - father and mother Kiburi and Ua, their son Mazuza, their daughters Kilele and Furaha and their adoptive Trollan wizard son, Orko.
Although he is considered different by the other animals, Orko enjoys being in the company of his lion family all the time.
Kiburi and Ua are very kind to him, and Mazuza, Kilele and especially Furaha think of him as their brother.
Long ago, he was dropped from the skies out of Eternia and landed in Africa. He was lost, alone and frightened, until he came upon the lions’ cave. Furaha wasn’t the least bit scared by him, and instantly took a liking to him, leading him to become accepted into the family.
Since he can float upright, Orko has to hold onto Furaha’s tail so he doesn’t get left behind.
Orko always joins in when Ua brings back fresh meat for the cubs to chow down on.
The cubs love to play with him, and tickle him in unison.
Wheras Kiburi, Ua, Kilele and Mazuza like to sleep on the ground in their cave, Furaha and Orko like to sleep in a little leafy nest they’ve made for themselves, and Orko has even conjured a duvet so they can get comfy.
One morning, Furaha and Orko are asleep while the other cubs are playing and scampering around, with Ua trying to chase them for their morning bath - which consists of her washing the cubs the same way all lions do.
Furaha and Orko instead head to the forest pool for a bath, and enjoy splashing each other and relaxing in the deep water. Furaha spots a frog on one of the lily pads and tries to chase it, ala Roo in ‘Pooh’s Heffalump Movie’.
As Furaha is about to catch the frog, Kilele and Mazuza jump into the water and splash about with her and her brother.
They even shower under the waterfall, and Orko absolutely loves to get his cloak wet.
After their bath, the cubs and Orko relax in the shade of a tree. Mazuza and Kilele fall fast asleep, but Furaha and Orko spend all the time conversing with one another about how beautiful the day is.
Later, the cubs head to ‘Juzini Rock’, a place where the whole family relaxes and watches everything that goes on. Furaha and her siblings like to play there, and so does Orko, who conjures up six floating feathers so he can tickle the cubs.
As sunset approaches, Furaha and Orko watch the beautiful sky from atop a hill, and Furaha rolls down it in delight. She encourages Orko to do the same, and soon Orko is rolling downhill with his very best friend. The two keep doing it until Kiburi calls them back into the jungle for bed.
As Furaha and Orko sleep in their nest, Furaha looks up out of the hole in the ceiling of the cave at the stars. She wishes Orko could see them, and gently holds his bony-fingered hand, snuggling right up next to him.
The next day, the family returns to Jizuni Rock to relax while Ua goes off hunting. Mazuza and Kilele play happily together, while Furaha and Orko hop from one rock to the next, pretending to be frogs.
The frog from Furaha’s yesterday bath returns and hops about. Furaha once again tries to chase it, but it is too fast and Furaha loses sight of it.
Ua returns with a slab of zebra meat for all the cubs to share, and Orko pulls out an extra big chunk to eat using his magic. He is only too glad to share it with Furaha.
The two are so full and tired that they are carried home on Ua’s back, and settled into their leafy nest while Mazuza and Kilele sleep beside their mother and father.
The next day at sunrise, the family heads off to the Meeting Point to meet up with other lion prides and their cubs. Furaha, Kilele and Mazuza have fun playing with the other cubs, but Orko feels left out because the cubs bully him for being different.
Sad and upset, Orko wanders into the Savannah alone, and sits to take time to think about why other cubs would bully him.
Furaha arrives and cheers up her brother, who tells her all that happened. Furaha tells her brother that in her family, they accept anyone who looks, feels and sounds different than anyone else, and that he’s unique and one of a kind.
Suddenly, a loud thundercrack causes it to rain heavily. Furaha and Orko are overjoyed. The dry season is over!
The two friends play and frolic about in the rain, sometimes drinking it, until they wander off into the distance.
Back home, Kiburi and Ua are shocked to find that Furaha and Orko are gone. They search round frantically for their youngsters, but they are nowhere to be seen. They decide to organise a family search party and head out to find them.
Furaha and Orko wander through the desert searching for water. Furaha couldn’t walk any further and collapses, falling into her brother’s arms. Furaha has shaky legs and is getting tired.
That night, Orko nestles by Furaha’s side and prays to the stars that he’ll find water soon, with Furaha slowly getting thirstier and thirstier.
However, the next morning their prayers are answered - they find a huge lake of water, which Furaha drinks out of and shares with Orko. Furaha is too weak to play with Orko at the moment, so she is carried around on Orko’s shoulders for the time being.
Kiburi and the others search high and low for Furaha and her brother, until Mazuza sees Furaha’s pawprints in the sand. The family instantly decide to follow them.
No comments:
Post a Comment