am.â
âWell, itâs certainly not me,â muttered the donkey.
Â
Â
A group of monkeys gathered in the trees to watch the argument.
The lion cub sprang at Ezra.
Â
Â
Ezra and the lion cub wrestled on the ground. The monkeys were thrilled.
The donkey looked on. âSeems like a fair contest,â said the donkey.
âTwo bananas on the cub,â said one of the monkeys.
âIâll take that bet,â said the other monkey.
Ezra and the lion cub continued to roll around.
Â
Â
Ezra and the lion cub kept wrestling.
The monkeys clapped.
The donkey became bored.
Â
Â
The monkeys were terrified. They forgot all about the bet.
The donkey was surprised.
Ezra and the cub stopped wrestling.
âWhatâs that?â asked Ezra.
âI could be wrong butâ¦the queen of the forest?â mused the donkey. âMama!â exclaimed the cub.
Â
Â
A fierce looking lioness bounded into view.
The monkeys scattered. The donkey hid.
The cub was delighted. Ezra was scared.
Â
Â
The lioness leapt into the air toward Ezra. He cringed in fear.
âWhat are you doing to my son, human?
You had better be careful about what you say,â said the Lioness.
âWe were just playing,â Ezra stammered.
âThatâs right, Mama,â said the lion cub.
âIt was just play, thatâs all.â
Â
Â
The Lioness was not convinced.
âHumans cannot be trusted my son. They are devious and cruel.
They say they are fond of us but then we are hunted and end up as trophies on a wall.â
âIâm not like that,â Ezra protested.
âSo you say,â said the Lioness. âWhat are you doing here?
Why arenât you with your family?â âI ran away,â Ezra said.
âYou ran away and came to this dangerous place?â
âIt isnât dangerous for me,â Ezra said. âI like it here.â
Â
Â
âWhy did you run away?â asked the Lioness.
âSo I could become king of the forest,â Ezra replied.
âBut everyone knows the lion is the king of the forest, not humans,â said the Lioness.
âYes, that is true,â Ezra admitted. âBut perhaps it is time for a change?â
âYou see, my son?â the Lioness said. âYou see how devious the human is?
He wants to take our place.â
âThatâs not what I meantâ¦not really,â Ezra protested.
Â
Â
âYou must go home now,â the Lioness said. âPlaytime is over.â
âIâm lost,â Ezra said. âI ran into the forest and donât know how to find my way back.â
âFine,â said the Lioness. âWe will take you.â
Â
Â
The lion cub and Ezra rode on the Lionessâ back as she marched through the forest.
The Lioness walked for a very long time until they reached a clearing.
âIt isnât far now,â the Lioness said.
Â
Â
Ezra and the lion cub had fallen asleep.
Without warning, they were surrounded by a group of hunters.
âRun my son, run,â the Lioness shouted.
Â
Â
Ezra and the lion cub were groggy with sleep.
The lioness reared up on her hind legs and roared.
Ezra and the lion cub tumbled on to the ground.
Â
Â
âMamaâ¦no!â screamed the cub. The hunters raised their rifles.
Before they had the chance to shoot, Ezra leapt in front of the Lioness.
âDonât shoot!â he yelled. âAs king of the forest, I command you.â
Â
Â
The hunters were confused.
They hadnât seen the young boy before and now he was blocking their view.
âOut of the way,â yelled the hunters.
âWe must shoot. Now.â
Â
Â
âNo,â roared Ezra and spread his arms as wide as he could.
He began to back up with the Lioness and her cub shielded behind him.
The hunters advanced slowly keeping their weapons level.
âStand back,â Ezra