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Mufasa tumbled like a leaf caught in the rapids of a raging river, falling beneath the water's surface. The water was cloudy, full of murky earth, and for a moment, Mufasa just drifted through it.
But slowly the water calmed and cleared, and eventually a branch miraculously floated up from the depths. Mufasa quickly grasped on to it, and it carried him upward until he finally broke the surface.
After Mufasa emerged above water into a starry night, he looked around in confusion. Though the rain had cleared up, and the air was only slightly windy, the water had flushed him far away, beyond where he’d come from. Where were the other animals? Where were his parents?
He desperately scanned the vast expanse of water for any sign of rescue or hope. As he clung to the branch to stay afloat , panic rose within him. Would he ever see his parents again?
A faint line of light appeared on the horizon, and eventually day broke. Mufasa continued to drift with the current as strange, unfamiliar sounds roared in his ears. He felt fear course through him.
“Hello!” someone called.
Whirling around, Mufasa saw him: a small lion cub, perched on the high bank of the river in a regal posture that belied his youth. Mufasa swam closer, his heart pounding with a mixture of fear and excitement: a creature his own age! The cub watched him with a steady gaze, his tiny ears angled forward as if listening to some distant sound.
“I’m Taka—son of Obasi,” the cub yelled from the shore, his tail twitching . “What's your name?”
“Mufasa!” he shouted back.
The river drifted leisurely now, and Mufasa bobbed gently in front of Taka.
“I’m not allowed to talk to outsiders—but I have a secret I really want to tell you,” Taka said.
“What's the secret?” Mufasa asked.
“I’ll get in trouble,” Taka said playfully.
Tired of floating aimlessly, Mufasa begged, “Please, just tell me.”
“Ah. I don’t know,” Taka said, glancing around to confuse Mufasa even more.
“Just tell me,” Mufasa insisted.
Taka sighed and with a snort said, “Okay. You’re about to be eaten!”
Mufasa glanced to his left and then his right and shuddered : two crocodiles approached, submerged halfway in the water.
“I hate secrets!” he yelled.
He took a big gulp of air and flailed toward the shore. But he was uncoordinated and fell off his branch, paws flapping about in the middle of the river.
“Swim!” Taka called out from the water's edge.
“But I can’t!” Mufasa shouted, trying to stay afloat.
“You have to swim!” Taka repeated.
“I don’t know how!”
As the crocodiles neared, Mufasa froze, panic and alarm rising through his body. He couldn’t find his breath, and blood rushed to his face.
“All right, chin up,” Taka said encouragingly. “Then walk underwater really fast!”
“I can’t!” Mufasa yelled once more.
Taka replied, “Come on, Mufasa! Faster!”
Mufasa's heart squeezed with terror as the two crocodiles surged toward him. He flailed his paws frantically, trying to swim away from the looming jaws that seemed to be closing in on him from all sides.
He tore his eyes away from the approaching doom and gazed at the shore. Although only a few feet away, it might as well have been miles. As he swam toward it, some water splashed into his mouth, making him cough and sputter. His lungs burned with exertion , and his strength ebbed away with every passing second.
Finally, Mufasa made it to the edge of the river and began to climb up toward dryland. He struggled as he got higher, and now he could see Taka up close.
“Help me, Taka!” he called. “Help me!”
For a moment, Mufasa thought that Taka might ignore him and let him be eaten by the crocodiles for his own entertainment. But then Taka reached out and grabbed the back of Mufasa's head with a small paw and pulled him to safety.
Another lion, this one an adult, charged in. She pounced and roared at the two crocodiles, sending them scurrying back into the river. Mufasa's weak legs barely held him up as he panted. The lioness rounded toward both him and Taka, her eyes showing a mixture of fury and worry that reminded Mufasa of his own mother.
“I told you to wait for me,” she told Taka sternly .
“It's not my fault, Mom. I came down for a drink and saw him floating by.” Taka pointed at the drenched Mufasa and shrugged. “I’d like you to meet Mufasa.”
Taka's mother sighed, some tension leaving her body. “Oh, you’re lucky those crocs were young and afraid to fight. Let's go!”
Taka didn’t budge , staying staunchly at Mufasa's side. Shaking off some of the water from his soaking wet fur, Mufasa stretched his limbs in various ways, trying to get out all the kinks that had built up in his body while he’d been flung around in the water.
“We can’t just leave him here,” said Taka.
“Rules are rules, Taka.” The female lion looked toward Mufasa unforgivingly . “Obasi will never accept a stray .”
Hearing the word stray raised Mufasa's hackles. “I’m not a stray. I’m just lost.”
“See?” Taka agreed. “He's just lost!”
Mufasa's big eyes watered. “There was a flood. My parents—they tried to save me. Do you know which way is home?”
Taka's mother moved in closer to Mufasa. She searched his face and stared down at the tiny wet pile of courage.
“Home?” she repeated. “To be lost is to learn the way. Call me Eshe.”
“I’m tired, Eshe,” Mufasa told her.
“Come on!” said Taka. “It's this way!”
As Eshe and Taka started to walk off, Mufasa looked back toward the river—toward the faint light of a distant horizon. He sniffed the air, smelling nothing familiar. His heart clenched at the thought of home.
Taka looked back at him. “Come on, Mufasa!”
Mufasa joined them, and Taka bounced up to Eshe and asked her, “Mom, what's a stray?”
“Oh, Taka,” Eshe said gently.
As Mufasa traipsed along with Eshe and Taka, he could not contain his curiosity. His eyes scanned the landscape around him: verdant wetlands and grass covered hills stretching for miles. Trees abundantly dotted the expansive plains with plenty of glistening leaves. The birds sang peacefully as the sun shone through the dense foliage that covered them.
A question slipped from Mufasa's mouth subconsciously . “Is this... Milele?”
Eshe threw a curious look behind her. “No, my love.”
As they made their way up toward the den, the grass grew taller and the trees became scarce. Taka and Eshe had been headed to the river for a catch, but they’d found Mufasa instead. The lions guarding the entrance to the den watched as the trio approached.
He seemed like a strong king but past his prime, with his mane tousled and his eyes a little red-rimmed, like he’d just woken up from a deep slumber .
He walked toward Eshe with steady steps. “I was trying to nap, Eshe, the all-important nap of kings! Only to be awoken by the disgusting stench of a stray! When we come upon an outsider—tell me, what do we do?”
Eshe did not back down. “Obasi—I know—”
His roar echoed throughout the land as he said, “Eat it!”
“But I found him, Dad,” Taka chimed in, only a little bit scared. “I saved his life.”
Obasi turned his nose up at his words. “Taka, we do not associate with outsiders! The only true bond is blood! I’ve heard stories of lions twice our size! These outsiders will devour everything in their path.”
“Does he look like he's going to devour you?” Eshe asked, gesturing to Mufasa.
Obasi leaned down toward Mufasa, who shivered and cowered under his massive frame. Obasi sniffed Mufasa and reared his head back. “Well, that smell is disgusting! I’m not even sure I can eat this kibeti !”
Mufasa frowned. “I’m not a kibeti. I’m a Mufasa.”
Obasi turned to Mufasa as his anger built up. “Do you even know what Mufasa means?”
Confused, Mufasa said, “No.”
Obasi snorted. “It means ‘king’. And that's me! You better start running, little Mufasa—for your life!”
“If I run, you’ll never catch me,” Mufasa snapped back. “I’m the fastest cub that ever lived. My father told me so.”
Obasi cast a disdainful look at the small cub. “And how big was your father's pride?”
Mufasa's body puffed up. “It was me. And my mom.”
Obasi lapped up Mufasa's words, laughing hysterically with his pride of lions.
“The son of a worthless nomad ,” the old king said. “Hey, perhaps you’d like to race my son? Because he has my blood—which makes him the fastest cub in the world. Taka—you have a challenge!”
Taka felt a knot form in his stomach. He had never challenged another young cub before. He’d only wanted Mufasa to join the pride, and now he had no idea what was happening.
Mufasa had also never faced a challenge, and he only wanted a home. But if this was what he had to do to be accepted, Mufasa knew he could run.
“They will race to the Dead Tree and back!” said Obasi. He pointed out a tall, withering tree in the distance. “And when the prince defeats him, I will finish him in one bite!”
“What if Mufasa wins?” Eshe interrupted. “If he wins, he lives, Obasi. He stays with me.”
Obasi contemplated the question for a second, staring Mufasa down while doing so. Then he finally came to a decision and announced in front of everyone, “You have my word.”