Leo
The Brave One
The lion has vitiligo in his fur and after rescuing Daria, a beautiful and dynamic lioness, from a forest fire, he realises that his defining characteristic is his decisiveness and his courage.
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Once upon a time, in a vast savannah full of tropical palm trees and trees with thick trunks, lived Leo, a lion. He was big and strong with one small difference from the others, he had vitiligo! From a very young age, he had white spots on his fur which looked like soft pieces of cotton that had been scattered on him by the wind. They were like little clouds that had fallen from the sky and found shelter in his fur, there, as if asking for a warm hug. Even though his friends told him how unique he was, he felt different in a way that made him feel ashamed.
Leo was very much in love with Daria, a beautiful and dynamic lioness who loved adventures. She loved to run and was always up to discovering remote parts of the savannah. She loved to smell all the different kinds of flowers she came across and always wanted to make new friends. She had already met Pete, arguably the most colorful parrot in the whole area, and Mia, the giraffe who was always nibbling on the soft leaves of the tall trees of the savannah. Daria also had a particular fondness for the lake, where hippos sank up to their nostrils, while colourful birds danced among the reeds.
Leo admired Daria from afar, and whenever she happened to approach him, he would hide. "What will she think of me?" he wondered. "I am so different from the other lions! Surely she would rather play with them than with me."
And that’s how the days went by...
One afternoon, when Leo was playing carefree with some of his friends, something strange happened. Suddenly, thick smoke rose and darkened the sky. At the same time, a strong and unpleasant smell reached the noses of all the animals. And then they understood: A fire had broken out on the savannah!
"Fire! Fire!" Leo began to shout, not knowing what to do.
"A big part of the savannah near the lake is burning," said a parrot who had flown as close as he could to the fire to see what was happening.
"We have friends of ours trapped there too. I think I saw Mia and Pete," added a hippo who had just arrived.
"Daria!" shouted Leo immediately. "Daria's with them, too. We have to go rescue them!"
Without wasting time, all the animals quickly gathered and ran towards the place where the fire had broken out! The closer they got, the harder it was to see or hear anything. The flames were everywhere.
"We're in danger too! We have to get away. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do," said the parakeet in a shaky voice.
At that moment, however, Mia and Kit appeared out of the smoke.
"Cough, cough!" they coughed, looking quite distressed.
"Are you all right? Was Daria with you?" asked Leo, his eyes wide with anxiety.
"Guh! Unfortunately, yes. We were playing together and suddenly the place was filled with smoke, we got scared and in the panic we lost her. We don't know where she is." replied Mia, crying.
"We can’t waste any more time. Kit, can you fly up high and try to locate her? You, Mia, stretch your neck and see if you can see anything that might be useful to us." Leo said firmly and rushed off into the smokes.
"Leo, what are you doing? Where are you going?" shouted Mia.
"Don't be afraid. I'll be careful! I'll be fine! We have to find Daria!" came Leo's voice from the distance.
Kit did everything he could. He flew high and wherever the smoke allowed him, he descended so he could spot Daria. And he did it! He saw her trapped among some trees, luckily quite far from the large fire's source. He alerted Leo directly. Leo, without second thoughts, traversed the flames and reached Daria's side.
"I'm here. It's going to be okay!" Leo told her tenderly and began to forcefully push the tree trunks with his mouth to free her.
She, looking at him, dumbfounded, chanted "Leo! Thank you!"
Before she had even finished her sentence, Leo managed to free her legs and helped her escape together from the rough place. Free now, they began to run away from the fire until they reached safety. Kit, who was watching the scene from above, ran to inform his other friends that Leo and Daria had made it.
"Leo, look at your fur! The fumes have now given you black spots too. You are very handsome, although I preferred you with just your white spots" Daria said and the two burst out laughing.
"I don't know what I would do without you. You're my hero! Thank you so much" Daria added and gave him a sweet kiss on his cheek.
Leo couldn't believe it! Daria kissed him!
"Um, um, you know Daria, just the thought of something happening to you made me crazy. I couldn't imagine that there was a chance I wouldn't see you again" Leo said lowering his gaze.
Daria moved closer to him and resting her head tenderly against his replied, "Leo and I would like from now on to spend more time together."
Leo bowed his head and in turn caressed Daria. "I would love that," he told her excitedly!
This tender moment was interrupted by their friends who had just arrived.
"We almost lost our minds!" said Mia and Kit added "Leo you are a real hero! You know, we all have something that makes us unique. Your characteristic is not your white spots, but your courage and determination!"
The friends hugged each other in joy, letting their laughter echo across the savannah. Nature would be reborn! New trees would grow where the fire had passed. And in this rebirth of nature, Leo and Daria's beautiful new relationship was born, full of love, respect and acceptance! Well... and a little adventure as well!!!
