The sun rose up against the glimmering river and the water and sand warmed in its bright orange tint.

Mitch was up already, leaning against a rock, he was blinking and coming accustomed to the morning sun glare. Cascy was lying with his eyes closed, he was suggestably awake, just letting the sun warm up his skin. Mitch stared into the dissapearing sky line, he concentrated on his thoughts, trying to recall what had happened to them in the past few weeks. They had been travelling, walking in awe through this new and undiscovered world. Sometimes they felt alone, just the two of them, and guided by the lioness, Sukari.

On remembering the lioness, Mitch looked around, he recalled where she had gone to sleep the night before. She was in the shade, higher on the rocks than the two. She lay with her head resting on her front paws, her eyes opened and closed in a slow and dilliberate manner. Her sleeping behaviour reminded Mitch of that of a domestic cat. He shuddered; nothing about this world was domestic. He and Cascy still had much ahead of them he thought.

Cascy felt warm and protected, he was content, at last in a peaceful home, he had never thought of it before, but never had he been this happy in a long time.

"The two of you have to forget everyhting, you know that?" Said Sukari. Mitch looked at her sharply and thought.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You can't go back now, ever. If you think about the past for too long it will only make things worse." Sukari raised her head, her eyes fully concentrated on Mitch. Mitch cleared his throat, "Yes. We'd best prepare for what's to come." He got up and crouched by the edge of the river, then he started to wash his face in the water. Sukari continued to watch him, "You have to forget everything." She repeated, "Except for one thing..." Mitch turned around now,

"...And what's that?"

"...Eachother" Sukari finished. "Everything, espescially your family ...your old home, you need to forget, but your friendship, eachother, you mustn't ever forget."

Mitch stood up and stared, he stroked his chin as he held Sukari's gaze, "My family...who are they? Weird, seems I don't feel I remember them already!" He laughed.

"Yeah you can laugh, Mitch but it's real. You're forgetting some things which aren't important anymore. It's what happens when you stay isolated and in a different world. Not many people can argue with that because not many people have had the opportunity to stay in a different world." Sukari explained, "But promise me one thing Mitch, don't ever go off on your own, ever. Because you need a friend to stay alive. Not just physically, but mentally alive." Mitch nodded, "Well..." He was about th mention that Sukari was beginning to sound like his mother when he remembered waht he was supposed to forget. He looked down, "I've never really had a proper family. Noone was ever there. I guess I never thought that I had anyone when I was down. My wife...I was beginning to suspect bad things about her. I think she only married me to get to my money...Ah yes money, won't be needing money anymore!" Mitch took his wallet out of his pocket and threw it across the river without looking back, then he walked back to the river's edge and sat down with his hands behind his back looking up at the sky. He was humming a tune, I think I'm gonna lose it, lose it, lose it. I think I'm gonna lose it...yeah!

Sukari sighed and looked down. She seemed to be staring into nothing.

Soon Cascy got up, he saw Mitch by the river and walked over to join him. When he sat down he was smiling, "Mitch! Where do you think we're going next? What do you think is going to happen to us?" He was excited and restless, trying to put together things in his head, "Because what will happen? I have the stone, but will they find us, what do you think, Mitch?" Mitch turned and looked at him, he suddenly smiled,

"Cascy, I don't know what will happen or where we will end up, but let me tell you one thing I know for sure. We don't need nobody no more, because we got eachother!" Cascy smiled. "And it doesn't even matter what happens anymore, because we got somebody. Some people, they don't even have nobody, but we do Casc!"

Cascy laughed, "I was kinda hoping you'd say that, Mitch. I don't care about nothing no more!"

Then Sukari appeared behind them, "You do care about something though, besides eachother that is."

"What?" Asked Mitch.

"The stone, remember? I hate to bring it up but, it is something you guys need to do." Mitch and Cascy looked to the ground at the memory. "You have to stay away from trouble or somebody's gonna try to kill you, Cascy." Cascy stared, "Will anyone find us in this world?" He asked.

"I don't know..." said Sukari, "...this world is new to me too."

"I wish we could get the Stone out of me without me having to die...then we wouldn't have no problems...Cascy said." Mitch put his hand on Cascy's shoulder,

"Yeah Cascy, and I damn well wish it too...but that's just the way it is. If anyone finds us, you can fight them off Cascy, with your new power!"

Cascy looked saddened, "I don't want to have a power. I want to be the same as I was, like a human. I don't want to be any more powerful than you are, Mitch." Mitch pushed Cascy's shoulder encouragingly,

"Yeah..." He didn't know what more to say and had begun to look down again. "It doesn't make me feel any different, Casc. except that I have a big strong friend on my side to protect me." Cascy tried not to look into Mitch's eyes. He felt ashamed at himself. Ashamed for having a power inside him which has the capability of putting Mitch in danger. Ashamed of having put the two of them on this world, as if it were all of his fault to begin with.