A Lion’s Courage (Dusty)
Dusty was lucky enough to be born into a loving family, giving him a chance to grow up with his best friend. Dawn was his older sister whom he looked up to every day. He aspired to be like her but always struggled to get up the courage to do the things she would do. Dawn…she was spontaneous and bold and unafraid if not impulsive. Everything the fearful, cautious little lion wished he could be. Dusty spent many days of his childhood tagging along with his big sister as she went out daring the gods against her mortality. He tried to actually join in on her activities more than once but could never push through. He would get right to the line but always a wall would rise up before he could take that step over.
Dusty was 13 when Dawn grabbed him one morning before the light of the sun could even peak over the horizon. He followed her through the streets and alleys, past all the sleeping shops, and out onto the cliff overlooking ocean. She never said anything to him, just pulled him along to the edge and then dropped his paw. She sat down with her legs dangly in the air, leaning back on her hands and giving Dusty a look to sit with her. He moved closer but couldn’t get right up to the edge, instead opting to sit a few feet back cross-legged. They sat in silence, watching the sunrise turning the sky from deep blues and purples into bright pinks and oranges. It didn’t take long for them to see the sea birds soaring through the wispy clouds and even spotted a merchant ship far in the distance, barely a spec on the ocean. The silence was comforting, allowing them to hear the world awakening. When the sun rose fully over the horizon, Dawn stood and started to walk away from the edge. Dusty twisted to watch her and was about to get up when she stopped and turned. She gave him a smirk and he knew she was about to do something insane. Before he could say anything, Dawn ran past Dusty and leapt off the cliff, casting a momentary silhouette against the sun.
“DAWN!” Dusty yelled out as he dropped to his stomach, pulling himself so he could peek his head over the edge and look down. He heard and saw the splash of Dawn hitting the water, but it was only a second before she popped her head out laughing and yelling at him to come down. How ridiculous! How was he supposed to get down to her? There was no way he could make that jump. Why would she do that? All those thoughts passed through Dusty’s mind, psyching himself out of the possibility of jumping off a cliff into the waters below. He paced for a moment, each set of strides taking him further from the cliff’s edge. When he was several yards away, he paused, pivoted, and sprinted, gaining just enough resolve to know his speed would stop him from having a chance to back out. The next thing he knew, the solid ground beneath his feet was replaced by rushing air. The beginnings of his mane whipped through the air, and he had just enough thought to take a deep breath before he hit the water. It stung more than he thought it would, but he scrambled for the surface, his head bursting out with a spray of ocean water. Dawn rushed over to him, giving him a big clap on the back with a giant smile on her face. Dusty coughed for a moment while treading water to stay afloat and then the moment finally hit him. He had done it…he jumped off a cliff! He never thought he would ever have enough courage to something so dangerous and crazy, but he had done it. It was a step in the direction towards the lion he always wanted to be. It took him a long time to build up the amount of courage that Dawn seemed to innately have but throughout the years, all he had to do was look back on that day and he knew he could do whatever he set his mind to. From that day, he had no qualms about following Dawn wherever she went.
