Mbali finally got food: a loaf of bread, some butter, a bottle of milk, a bottle of water, goat cheese, a needle and thread, and a tiny oil lamp. She went down to the river and found a boat that would take her to the mountains.

The world around her seemed to come alive. Mbali saw squirrels behind the trees instead of the sharp-toothed, feral monsters she’d seen the first time she came to the city. She saw fish beneath the crystal-clear water and heard the wind cheering her on as the boat meandered down the river.

Her stomach rumbled with hunger, so she took out the bread and cheese, offering some to her new chameleon friend. As they ate, something bumped into them. Mbali peeked into the water and jumped back when she saw an alligator looking up at her, a sinister smile full of sharp teeth on its face.

“I am very hungry,” it said more to itself. “If only I had a loaf of bread and some butter.” Mbali looked down at her meal, then at the animal. She was very hungry too, but she broke the loaf in half, buttered it, and offered it to the alligator. The alligator ate it all at once before Mbali could finish buttering her own half.

“I am very hungry,” it repeated. “If only I had a loaf of bread and some butter.”

Mbali was still hungry but thought, "At least I have milk and cheese that I can eat when this alligator leaves." So she gave the rest of the bread and butter to the alligator.

“I’m full now,” the animal declared. It faced Mbali and asked, “Where are you headed?”

“The Quartz Mountains,” she answered, pointing to the mountain range in the distance.

“Hmm... You will never reach them before sundown at the rate you are going. Because you were kind to me when I was starving, I will get you across,” it told her.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

So Mbali and the chameleon hopped on its back, and the alligator swam across the river. Mbali screamed in joy as the wind and water whipped at her face. The girl thanked the creature and began her journey up the middle mountain.

She wasn’t even halfway up the mountain when she felt her legs and lungs burn with exhaustion. “I can’t go any further!” she huffed, collapsing to the ground.

“You must, if you wish to save Navi,” the chameleon reminded her, and so Mbali continued on despite feeling blisters form on her feet.

As they came around a bend in the mountains, she spotted a mountain lion resting beneath a tree. When it yawned, displaying its wide gape and teeth, Mbali thought that this animal could swallow her whole in one gulp. Mbali had meant to back away before she saw that the lion looked unhappy. Swallowing down her fear, she approached it.

“Hello, Mr. Lion, would you like some milk?” she asked, holding out the bottle.

“Oh, my dear girl, I no longer desire food.”

“Why? To grow big and healthy, everybody needs to eat.”

“I once had a beautiful mane that made other lions envy me. I was the proudest lion of all the land until the day it fell off. While I was sleeping, those who envied me cut off my mane. A lion without his mane is no lion at all, and so I left the pride. Now I sit under this tree all day, hoping there is a way I can get my magnificent mane back.”

“I can fix that for you,” Mbali informed the lion. She took out the needle and thread and sewed back the lion’s mane. The lion was so happy when he saw his reflection in Mbali’s glasses that his appetite came back.

“Little one, I can tell you are far from home,” he said, drinking the milk as Mbali ate the cheese. “Are you in search of something?”

“Yes, the witch who lives up the peak. But I am afraid I’ll never make it at this rate; my legs are too heavy to move,” she told him.

“Because you restored my pride, I’ll carry you there.” With Mbali on its back, the lion climbed up the mountain, moving with graceful ease from one rock face to the next until they came to where the land leveled out and three paths branched out, disappearing behind the trees and bushes.

“This is as far as I can carry you. Follow the middle path; it will take you directly to the witch's cave. Stay safe, little one.” They bid farewell, and the lion hurried back to his pride, ready to show off his mane again.

Mbali continued on her journey, getting more excited with each step. The closer she got, the more her determination grew. Without stopping once, she walked the path until she found the entrance to the cave.