The Cub Who Was Born

The Cub Who Was Born:


As the morning came and the sun decided to rise, something very important was happening in the Hidden Valley. Animals of all sorts were standing, walking, running, sitting, laughing, crying, jumping, falling, and so many other things but all in the same place. The Hidden Valley! It was the sanctuary for animals, it was the perfect place to stand, walk, run, sit, laugh, cry, jump, fall, and so many other things. It also was the perfect place for a banquet to honor the newest cub in the royal family. King Leon and Queen Louness (l-OW-ness) had given birth to a healthy young boy, whose name was to be found out at this very banquet at which many of the animals in the king’s kingdom came to see and vote.
As you can tell from their very wonderful and heroic names, the king and queen were lions, and it was expected that their son should be one too. That being said, it was a tragic surprise that when the king’s right-hand-man Tigron (tEE-gr-on) held up a little tiger just like himself, the world was astounded and had to hold its breath for a few minutes. Then came shouts of anger and sorrow from the crowd gathered beneath the large ledge on which Tigron was standing: “It’s a TIGER!” “How can this be?!” “SABOTAGE, SABOTAGE I tell you! The tiger holding him must have SWITCHED THE CUBS!” That last remark caused a great murmur, and then the crowd went wild(er). “I WILL NOT STAND THIS!” “I would rather DIE, than have a non-royal lead us!” “Death to TIGERS!” Again, the last remark caused quite a scene, a spectacle and no less. King Leon raced out of his den and roared with a ferocity found only in those with thoughts to kill. The animals were STUNNED. King Leon had never ever roared like that to his own people. He did it at war and when another king entered his land, but never had he done it to his own subjects. He said in a bone-chilling, low, scary-quiet voice, “Those who wish this young cub to die due to his stripes, may leave now, for though I know you deserve to die, I want the world to see what it has created, what monsters it has created. This cub cannot help that he has stripes, he cannot help that he was born differently than all the others.” Then the voice changed to sorrow, “He should not have to pay for a mistake which others made. I ask you, those loyal and kind-hearted, those mean and cruel. I ask you if you would kindly accept the Cub Who Was Born.” Tears were dripping down. Tears from the king. Tears were dropping into the crowd, and then a kind voice spoke up, “I shall live, and I shall stay, so that I may see the day when the Cub Who Was Born leads and makes our land the most beautiful!”
Tears. Tears. More were falling from the king into the crowd, but for joy of hearing a voice so kind and willing. “Anyone else? Say ‘Aye’ if thou agree!”
“AYE!”
“Aye.”
“Aye!”
“AYE!”
Aye.”
“Aye.”
“AYE!!”
“AYE!”
“AYE.”
And so many more. Then King Leon said, “And I think that you are not doing tigers justice.” And he eyed Tigron and said, “I want to name you caregiver and lover of Byorn (bee-yourn)!” This was so great an honor that the group gasped and cried and hugged and said through a great blob of salty tears that they agreed.

Years past. So many years past that though King Leon and Queen Louness were still alive, but the elderly Tigron was on the Flat Stone, the Dying Bed. He knew his time was coming to an end, and he also knew that his young friend needed help... Byorn was a tall, slim tiger with beautiful black streaks down his sides. Though many used to think tigers the opposite of lions, they changed and now tigers and lions were equal. Byorn was envied by every male, wanted by every female, and of course he was loved by all. In the morning he would walk around his kingdom, and answered any questions, helped those who needed help, and would do anything for the young cubs and other animals who needed a little bit of advice. Thus his life went...
Then he learned that Tigron, his caregiver, his best friend, was on the Flat Stone and wished to see him. And off he raced. He stayed with Tigron day and night. He stopped going around the kingdom. He just stopped. Rumors spread that he had caught the deadly illness and was also on the Flat Stone. Rumors spread that he had run away. Rumors spread that he was killed. But none were true. He sat there, with his friend, wishing that he would live...
“Brother!” Oh, and Byorn now had a perfect little sister, who was a lion. She squeaked and pawed and could barely say much but managed to grasp that the world was falling to an end, at least to her brother... “Brother! I wus sad... u sad...” And she let her own tear fall down on top of Tigron.
“Sweetie, go out, Tigg is sick and he doesn’t want you to get sick too,” rasped the VERY SICK tiger. “You go out now, and Brother will be there shortly,” and in response the little cub tumbled out the room, trying to walk on her own.
She, nor anyone else saw Tigron again. Byorn went out and talked to her, letting himself cry all over her fur, but no, he did not see Tigron again. When the boy sulked in, the Flat Stone was bare, without a hair on it....




Days, weeks, months, and slowly slowly years passed and nobody knew where Tigron had gone. Then animals started to forget. When asked what Tigron looked like, many simply said, “He was a tiger, thus he had stripes and was a bright orange,” which was crazy because Tigron was of the dullest of oranges with the darkest or blacks. The animal started bragging off of the poor tiger, too. They would say, “I was always very... kind to Tigron...I taught him everything he ever learned” then they pretended that they truly missed him by bowing their heads which contained nothing but the hot air of a fool.
Then, a single slate was delivered to Byorn. And it was from Tigron.



To be continued...




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