National Park

Chapter 24

"We're home!" Maya and Meesha screamed.

The family car had just stopped in the driveway of their home and the girls had already opened the door and were running down the driveway. Dev and Bharti smiled, looking back at Raja, who lay on the back seat and had awakened at the girls' screams. Raja could still feel the pain coming from his tail. He slowly moved his legs and realised that his energy levels had definitely improved. Dev jumped out from the driver seat, bent inwards and lifted Raja out. Raja wiggled his body slightly, indicating to Dev that he would like be put down on the ground.

"Okay boy! I'm sure you need to stretch your legs a bit. Now don't strain yourself!" Dev commented.

Raja stood for a while and scanned the neighbourhood with joy. Everything still looked the same! He took a step forward and stopped, looking up to see Dev and Bharti watching him intently. Raja gave a soft bark and took a few more steps. He was still very tired and knew that he needed to rest to recover. He turned to head towards the house, but, from the corner of his eye, he saw Sam, Bradley's dog. The possible love of his life stood in the middle of the road watching him. Raja stopped, and stared back. He gave a soft smile, and decided that it was now or never. He would have a quick chat with her and promise that he would return once fully recovered.

I have lived past my fear of being killed by a lion, thought Raja. The last few days have been a whirlwind of excitement that no one is going to believe. He took his first step in Sam's direction. With each step, he thought about his new friends in the national park that he would probably never see again. He could only hope that the Patel family would make another family trip, which would involve him getting lost once again. He paused for a moment as the thought of not seeing Niol, Sqwee or Niya again began to sink in. He would never get to listen to Dhinoo retell the story of the formation of the council as promised by Niol. Raja could only imagine how Dhinoo and Niol's father, Panthera, had struggled to form the council and obtain the 'buy-in' of all the animals in the park. Raja shivered with excitement as he began to imagine the adventure of their journey and the battle that had followed.

Raja blinked quickly as he snapped out of his daydream.

He smiled again and walked more quickly towards Sam, and, as he did so, the events of the last few days flashed again through his mind. How lucky he was to have experienced what he had and to have lived to tell the tale, although he cringed at the thought of his stub of a tail.

Sam had begun walking towards him too, and she met him halfway.

"Hi. I'm Sam," she said before he could speak.

Raja grinned and wagged his stump. "I'm Raja. It is an honour to meet you."

Sam laughed, and Raja knew that this was the start of a new chapter in his life.