The Departure and Acceptance.

23


Higeoyaji arrived home just as it was getting dark still preoccupied with his thoughts and as he walked in he petted Leo lightly on his mane and just kept on walking. Leo realized immediately there was something wrong and followed Higeoyaji to the straw bed as he settled down to sleep, or at least to keep thinking about this situation. Leo then stood on the floor beside him staring at Higeoyaji’s face for several minutes without saying anything.
Higeoyaji had his eyes closed but he felt the weight of Leo’s stare and he opened his eyes and looked at him.
“What?” asked Higeoyaji.
“I have been told that you were at the waterfall today, all day, alone. Are you all right Higeo? Can I or can we do anything for you?” asked Leo.
“No Leo, this is completely my problem. But I’ll do my best to tell you tomorrow. But thank you anyway for asking.” he answered.
Leo accepted that, but he was worried about his friend and he jumped on the bed next to Higeoyaji and watched over him for a while, as he slept, until Leo fell asleep too.

In the Morning, Higeoyaji awoke from a long and difficult night. All during the night he had nightmare after nightmare about how Ofukurosan would end his life. Higeoyaji was afraid but he was equally full of resolve to fulfill his promise.
As he opened his eyes, he noticed Leo sitting upright on the bed in front of him looking right at him, no doubt eagerly awaiting the promised explanation.
“Alright Leo, I understand, you don’t have to say anything. I’ll tell you what’s bothering me.” he answered, “but can you wait ‘til after breakfast, please?” he asked, trying to avoid the inevitable explanation.
“I’m sorry Higeo, if it’s too painful or you just don’t want to share it with me, you don’t have to,” said Leo.
“No Leo, it’s alright. I want to tell you and I have to tell you.” he answered.
Higeoyaji and Leo were just sitting down to eat wondering where Mandy and the cubs were this morning for breakfast when a cry of urgency filled the air.
“Leo, Leo!” cried Coco in the usual way he announced news in the jungle, flying dangerously through the trees and vines right into Leo’s room.
Coco flapped to the floor almost losing control of his landing.
“What’s all this about Coco?” asked Leo.
Coco tried to contain himself so that he could be understood. “Leo, the mountain, it’s, it’s back again! Look!” he shouted pointing out the southern window with his wing.
“Big Mother!” said Leo excitedly, turning around to run out to the terrace to look.
Higeoyaji remained seated, he knew what this meant; it was time.
He had brought Leo home; he and Leo were both well again. There was nothing left to do but to leave paradise and fulfill his promise. A wave of cold fear traveled through him. Leo stood on the terrace wondering why the mountain had appeared, and he turned around expecting to see Higeoyaji at his side but he wasn’t there.

24


Leo looked back into the room and saw him still sitting there quite still and ran back to him suspecting something was wrong.
“Higeo, what’s wrong ?” asked Leo tilting his head a little and looking straight into Higeoyaji’s glassy eyes.
Higeoyaji’s mouth had suddenly gone dry, he swallowed what little saliva he had and turned to look at Leo.
“Higeo, you know something about this don’t you?” asked Leo, becoming concerned.
“Leo, I can’t keep this from you any longer.” he answered, while his tongue kept sticking to the roof of his mouth.
Higeoyaji had salvaged one of the expedition backpacks left at the base camp. One of the few things that wasn’t swept away by the flood.
He had filled it carefully and kept it ready for when this time eventually came.
Before leaving the room Higeoyaji took a good long drink from his bowl of water.
“Higeo! Tell me! What’s going on?” asked Leo forcefully, “What really happened up there on the mountain that night? Tell me!”
“Let me get down the stairs and then I’ll tell you.” answered Higeoyaji, still trying to stall wherever possible.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs many other animals had already gathered waiting for Leo so all of them could walk together to the clearing where Ofukurosan would make her usual appearance. Among the animals were those who had confronted Higeoyaji for an explanation for their family’s deaths. Haguura was also just arriving with several of his elephants. Mandy, Tomy and the cubs were also there.
As they both arrived at the bottom of the stairs Leo jumped in front of Higeoyaji and stood his ground aggressively, not prepared to let Higeoyaji go any further.
The animals had seen Leo and Higeoyaji coming down the stairs and then Leo’s aggressive move on Higeoyaji. They all turned their attention away from the mountain to watch what was going on with them.
Mandy was particularly interested since Leo had told him how much Higeoyaji had grown to mean to him. This aggressive posture was highly unexpected.
“Alright Leo, I give up,” said Higeoyaji, resigned to being unable to stall any longer, and sat down on the last step, “I’ll tell you.”
Leo dropped his aggressive stance and sat upright in front of him, deadly serious, still making sure that Higeoyaji had no where to go and no way to escape him and his explanation.
Higeoyaji breathed a long sigh and began. “That night on the mountain when I had dropped from exhaustion, I dreamt that I woke up and saw that you had gone. I shouted for joy hoping that you would make it back on your own, hoping that you might hear me where ever you were.” Higeoyaji was desperately trying to change the story as much as possible while still keeping it true, noticing that around him more animals were gathering and taking enormous interest in what he had to say.
“I remember, that in my dream, I was kneeling in the snow feeling ashamed of myself for having been foolish enough to get us both in that mess when Ofukurosan appeared to me. She told me that no human could ever trespass on the mountain and be allowed to leave. She had helped us before so I begged her to help you.

25


Then she told me to pick up the moonlight stone that I had thrown away, which was now strangely right at my feet again.
She said that I could save you by using the stone, but only if I promise to return the stone to her to that very same place. But that when I return I must give up my life. That was the only choice she gave me Leo and I took it gladly. If I hadn’t agreed we would both have frozen to death and I believe there would have been no value in that, nothing to be gained.”
Leo remained quiet and shocked, then it hit him.“ No, no, no, no no! That’s not…. fair! That’s not fair! No, no, no, no!” said Leo, shaking his head wildly and thinking that he had no sooner found a new human friend that he was just about to lose him.
He kept shaking his head wildly as the sadness that had left him began to stream in again. Lune was sitting with Mandy, Tomy and Coco as he felt the sadness rush into his father and he began to shiver. Lukio, who was as always next to her brother, whom she adored, felt it in Leo too and she rushed over to appease him by jumping in under his head as usual. In fact all of the animals sensed it, but Mandy knew why and they all became concerned for him.
Higeoyaji had walked down the stairs almost frozen with fear but his fear left him when he saw Leo’s despairing reaction to his leaving. Suddenly Higeoyaji’s only thought was to some how soothe his friend.
Leo stood up without having noticed Lukio and began to pace from left to right still shaking his head. Lukio became frightened and stood well back from him whimpering.
“That’s not fair, that’s just not fair! Why?” yelled Leo into the air.
Mandy stayed where he was, still watching as Higeoyaji jumped off his step and grabbed Leo’s head to stop him pacing and try to calm him down.
“Leo, Leo, please Leo stop, please. Please. Please Leo.” Screamed Higeoyaji over Leo’s yelling and found it difficult to slow down a very upset two hundred-kilogram lion.
Leo stopped pacing and shaking his head as Higeoyaji hugged him and began to cry.
Leo rested his head on Higeoyaji’s shoulder just as he had on the mountain.
As he looked over Higeoyaji’s shoulder it was then that he noticed a tiny frightened Lukio looking up at him trembling in fear.
Leo began to tremble too as he saw the frightened expression on Lukio’s face as he realized he had hurt her again. Every time he looked at Lukio he saw the spitting image of Liya and his heart went out to Lukio. He released himself from Higeoyaji’s embrace and walked over to her as Higeoyaji turned to watch, “I’m sorry, my little one. I’m alright, I’m alright.” he said calmly and kindly.
Leo then thought to himself, “These animals, my friends, regard me as their King, I must hold myself as such.”
Higeoyaji then spoke to him, “I’m so sorry Leo, I should have spoken to you sooner about this but I just didn’t know how. Yesterday at the waterfall I thought of many different lies I could tell you about why I was leaving. But in the end I just don’t want the last the thing I ever say to you to be a lie,” said Higeoyaji, still wiping his eyes.
Leo sighed and sat down looking at Higeoyaji with Lukio under his head again.
He just looked at Higeoyaji, while running options through his mind trying desperately to find a solution to the problem.

26


But the mountain was waiting and Ofukurosan was waiting and Higeoyaji could stall no longer.
“Leo, you know there’s just no way out of this.” began Higeoyaji, kneeling in front of Leo holding his head and looking into his eyes as he had done many times before.
Only this time Lukio listened to Higeoyaji keeping a constant watch on her father’s reaction, from under his head.
“I made that choice happily Leo, and if I were given a chance to do it again I would. I don’t have any regret at all. I have never done anything grand in my life.
Ofukurosan gave me a chance to do something wonderful.” Higeoyaji continued, beginning to cry again, “and a chance to spend a time with you in the most beautiful place in the whole world. I got a chance not just to talk to animals but to talk with them and I found out just what good people you all are. I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I was to help you down off the mountain, how happy I was to see the happiness that your return brought to your friends and your children.
For the first time in my life I was given the chance to do something so good that I could not refuse that opportunity. I was nobody before I met you Leo. You have changed my life so much that even if it were possible I could never go back to who I used to be.
One day I made a choice that, by the part I played, saved a king, and perhaps a whole kingdom. Leo I feel good. I’m all right. Ofukurosan knew what she was doing and this is what’s right.” said Higeoyaji.
Leo remembered that he had said to him that his own death was right.
Higeoyaji continued, “I’ve heard so many stories of how much humans have taken from this place, from the animals here and from you. It is time to give something back.
Leo, promise me that you will not let yourself be sad again like you were before, not for any reason, not even for me. I’m not sad, I’m happy. This is what I’m happy to do. Promise me Leo.”
Leo thought while Higeoyaji waited for an answer.
“Promise me Leo, please.” insisted Higeoyaji.
Leo looked down at Lukio looking up at him and answered, “I promise.”
Mandy stood in awe at the power of Higeoyaji’s words, “I never thought I would ever hear a human speak that way.” he thought. He was impressed and he was moved.
Even Haguura, who had a seemingly irreconcilable hatred for humans, was moved. Higeoyaji continued, satisfied with Leo’s promise,“ Leo, this place is what is because of the white lion, it is what it is because of you.”
Lune did not understand what Higeoyaji meant but he felt something in those words.
“There is much more at stake here than me, and you must consider that there is much more at stake here than you. What is at stake here Leo, is the fulfillment of your dream.
Without you, without the white lion this place will die, and the dream will die too.
A white lion must always rule here. Try to remember that Leo.
And also remember, as I told you on the mountain, I will remember you into the after life. I know we will meet there again sometime, my dear friend. I don’t want to say good bye Leo, just, I’ll see you again,” said Higeoyaji getting to his feet and straightening up his backpack wiping his face and eyes.

27


Leo stood up gently, being careful not to knock Lukio. Leo stood up on his hind legs and rested his front paws on Higeoyaji as he had done before only this time Higeoyaji lost his balance and fell backwards onto his backpack.
Leo ended up on top of him supporting himself so as not to crush his friend and ran a long and raspy cat tongue along Higeoyaji’s face, then caressed his face with his head, up and down and left to right. Higeoyaji held up his arms and hugged Leo as hard as he could for the last time. Leo spoke gently and quietly into Higeoyaji’s ear, “I love you, Higeoyaji. I love you, I hope you know how much, I love you,” as close to crying as a lion could get.
“I love you too Leo, more than any human words can say.” answered Higeoyaji knowing that human words were no longer important here. His spirit and Leo’s had touched and words were no longer relevant.
Higeoyaji and Leo lay in each other’s embrace for several minutes while the other animals looked on.
“Higeo, how can one living being thank another for having done so much for me and for us all? Asked Leo.
“Thank me Leo? Thank me by taking care of this jungle, thank me by taking care of your friends and family but above all, thank me by taking care of yourself as well.”
Lune and Lukio approached them and stood beside them both.
Both cubs had been saved by Higeoyaji, both had felt a human touch and embrace and both had seen him take loving care of their father. Lune wanted to be held again and so did Lukio, they were both saddened deeply by what Higeoyaji had to do and neither of them wanted him to go. Finally Leo found the strength to let his friend go and stood up off him and sat down next to him.
The cubs seized the opportunity to jump on Higeoyaji while he was still on his back.
Lune climbed onto to his chest first, “Higeo, why do you have to go?”
“Lune, the only choice I was given to save your father’s life was to keep a promise that I can not break. One of the most important things in this world, Lune, is that you do your best to honor a promise when you make it.” Said Higeoyaji.
Lune had crouched down flat on his chest and Higeoyaji stroked him with both hands just like a big house cat.
“Higeo, I’m going to miss you,” said Lune beginning to whimper.
“Lune, I will miss you too as I wait until the day we meet again. Let me just tell you one more thing,” said Higeoyaji, noticing that Lukio was becoming impatient for her turn with him. “One day you will be king here, when ever you meet a human, don’t trust him. Give him a chance, but never, never, just think he’s good. Don’t give of yourself until you know who and what he is. There are many good humans out there in the world but there are many more that will want to hurt you. Be a great king Lune, just like your father.” Said Higeoyaji. Lune remembered that some of what Higeoyaji had just said was almost like the advice his father had given him not so long ago. Lukio’s impatience finally over took her and Lune moved aside graciously while she climbed onto his chest just as Lune did. So Higeoyaji stroked her in the same way, but she was far less concerned about showing her sadness than Lune.
“Higeo?” asked Lukio, looking right into his eyes with her undeniably sad little face.

28


“Are you going to die?” as Higeoyaji began to answer Leo looked at her and tilted his head and smiled a little smile of sympathy for her as a tear welled into his eye.
Liya’s death had been so hard on her too. Higeoyaji lost control of himself again and began to wipe the tears from his face.
“Oh Lukio, don’t be sad for me. When someone dies it’s not the end. I believe one day you and I, Lune and Leo and all of the animals here will be together again in a place that’s even more beautiful than this.”
“Will my, mother be there?” she asked.
“Oh yes, she will be, I know she will be. When I see her I’ll tell her that you miss her. Now Lukio, promise me that you will take care of Lune, and Leo. They both need you very much. You are such a brave girl and I know you can do it. Will you promise me?” asked Higeoyaji. “Yes, Higeo. I promise.”
Higeoyaji decided it was time to make a move. He knew his destiny was on that mountain. He had escaped it for a while but his time was almost at an end.
He stroked her one last time then gently placed her on the ground and stood up with difficulty because of the weight of his sadness and his backpack.
All of the animals knew that someone special had been among them for a while but now they were all going to lose him. They were sad; he had become one of them in the short time he was there. They looked at him preparing himself to leave but no one said anything. Coco sat on Tomy’s hat and, just as quietly as Tomy, Coco realized that for the first time, he just couldn’t say anything.
“Lune, I have something for you, I almost forgot.” Higeoyaji ran as fast as he could up the stairs. When he came back down Leo and Lukio, but especially Lune, were wondering what it could be. “Lune, I found this in the forest. I works fine now.” Higeoyaji had Lune’s music box wrapped in one of his shirts and presented it to him.
Lune was so excited to have his treasure back again. Leo never knew about the music box and instantly he remembered the one he’d had on the ship and he remembered his mother.
“I hope you’ll remember me Lune.” Said Higeoyaji. And then showed Lune how to wind the large key on the side.
Mandy approached Higeoyaji. “You are truly our friend Higeo, you are one of us. I’m sure that I speak for everyone here when I say that we will all miss you. I will miss you, Higeo.” Said Mandy.
Mandy held up both of his arms motioning Higeoyaji to pick him up.
Mandy had only ever shaken his hand as he had seen other humans doing it. But now he wanted the same closeness that Leo and the cubs sought and as Higeoyaji hugged him; he too understood.
“Well my dearest friends, Ofukurosan is waiting. I wish this was not the way it had to be but it is and I must go and keep my promise.” Said Higeoyaji, letting Mandy down.
“We will accompany you down to the clearing to meet Big Mother.” Said Leo.
“Oh Leo, it’s hard enough as it is. Just let me go. Please?” said Higeoyaji.
“I understand. Good b.. I’ll see you again some time. My friend, Higeo.” Said Leo.
“I will see you again, sometime, Leo. I will see all of you again sometime.” answered Higeoyaji turning sharply around and beginning his march towards the mountain.

29


After a short time in the forest Higeoyaji began to hear the shuffling of many feet and the rustling of grass and he knew he was being followed.
He decided not to look around, he had a feeling they would follow him, and Leo and the cubs were probably among them. But as long as they made no contact with him, it would make his final departure much easier to bear.
After about an hour of walking Higeoyaji reached the clearing and walked out towards the place where he and Leo had emerged from the rocky path out of the mountain.
“Higeoyaji!”
“Hmm, that’s a familiar voice but…no…it couldn’t be.” Thought Higeoyaji, as he turned to look.
Haguura was standing right behind him and Higeoyaji was suddenly startled by his quiet appearance.
Higeoyaji was surprised to hear Haguura calling him by name as he had always called him “human”.
Haguura had always kept a respectable distance from him during his time in the jungle. The speech he made to him and Leo when they first arrived was the only concession he had been willing to make. And then only because he had saved his son from the Purpura. But during the time Higeoyaji had been in the jungle Haguura had heard many good things about him and only a short while ago while Higeoyaji said his good byes to Leo and the cubs and every one, he too had been moved by all that had to say to Leo.
“Higeoyaji,” began Haguura, “it seems that I, have misjudged you. You are certainly a rare human indeed. You come here and save us from the Purpura, you save my son, and you save Leo from the mountain by giving up your own life for him. I have thought that this does not agree with my understanding of humans. Leo dreamed of uniting animals and humans and I did not agree. Then a time came when humans did terrible things to us all. I had more than enough distrust and hatred for every human in the world after that time, including you. After the fire, when the rain came, my elephants and I set out to kill the humans for what they had done. But Leo fought with me to protect me and all of you but I did not understand why.
Today, I understand. Perhaps there is yet hope for Leo’s dream.
Yes, if even I, can begin to understand then there is hope.
I honor you Higeoyaji.” Said Haguura, bowing his head low to him.
Higeoyaji was moved by Haguura’s speech and didn’t know what to say. He had found his huge presence so forbidding and Haguura seemed never to allow anyone to get too close, either physically or socially. “Thank you Haguura.” He answered bowing to him in return and then turning his back to the jungle for the last time.
In the bushes out of sight Leo smiled and thought, “finally; he understands.”
Higeoyaji had walked only a couple of hundred meters and Leo could stand it no more. He jumped from his hiding place in the bushes and stood proudly in the clearing as he roared his loudest roar. Lune and Lukio ran out right behind him and joined in the roaring. Then slowly all of the animals walked out into the clearing including Haguura’s elephants and they all made the loudest noise they could. Higeoyaji heard Leo’s roar and then all of the noise that followed. He stopped, turned around and gave them all a long, slow and wide wave. This would give him the strength to go on a little further.




Part 6