(Inspiration... la forza 11 oil on panel (THE STRENGTH)c by Alba2 Rossini)
Leo's wife was waiting for him when he got home. She was not a happy lioness. He didn't care. Whatever the owl gave him he felt good... for now. He smiled and waited.
And waited... and waited... and waited... Leo waited for 3 days and still no dentist from the owl. He was beginning to think the owl wouldn't keep his word... and he was getting angry. The medicine the owl had given him was almost gone and now his tooth ached even worse than before.
His wife was being so loving and caring. She even sent for her own dentists to try to help him with the aching tooth. But they all failed and paid the ultimate price. Leo stared at the two heads still smiling on the ground. They had each thought they could help but when they went to fix his tooth it had hurt badly. He got so angry he let out a grand roar extended his claws and cut off their heads. He hadn't meant to. It was an automatic reaction.
The next morning Leo woke to a throbbing in his mouth. The medicine was all gone and he didn't know how he would handle the day ahead. His wife gave him some warm tea and kissed him on the head. She purred and that seemed to comfort him for a few moments. Leo hoped the owl would show up today with the dentist.
Leo didn't want to eat any breakfast. His life was miserable and he wasn't hungry. Besides... it hurt his tooth to eat. His sons had kept out of his way the past few days and he was grateful. Now they came running into the cave with news of the owl. He was bringing the dentist... today. In a few hours to be exact. Hopefully his agony would be over soon.
A little past noon that day the owl arrived with a tall woman in a big red hat. She wore a long blue gown and her long flowing hair formed a cape over her shoulders. She didn't look like a dentist. The other two dentists had brought bags with them and tools. This new dentist did not. He wondered HOW she would take out his tooth with no instruments.
The dentist looked down at the two severed heads and shivered. If she didn't perform her duties correctly HER head would be the next to roll near the others.
She spoke... "Hello King Leo I hear you are in need of a dentist?" Leo nodded and she continued. "I will help you as best I can so that I don't end up like the others." She motioned to the two heads on the floor. "I have some medication to give you before I perform the operation."
Operation??? No one had mentioned an operation before. But Leo didn't care. ANYTHING was better than this agony. He nodded to her that it was ok and managed a groan of approval as well. If he was asleep he wouldn't feel the pain and he couldn't get angry and sever any heads before they could help him. His wife nodded to him her approval as she cuddled the two cubs in her arms.
Leo drank the medicine that the dentist gave him. It wasn't long before he fell fast asleep. He dreamt of eating steak!
With Leo asleep the dentist went right to work. She stood at Leo's back and pulled his jaw open to examine the tooth. The lioness stirred and watched as the dentist pulled some tools from beneath her apron. The tooth popped right out of its socket and she quickly sewed up the hole. She stuffed some gauze in his mouth and put the tooth in her pocket to show Leo later.
When Leo woke he didn't feel any pain. He opened his eyes and saw four tiny eyes peeping at him from above. It was his sons. They poked at the gauze and he growled. They jumped and scurried off to find their mother. She brought him some tea and had him drink. The dentist and owl were nowhere in sight. Even the two heads were gone.
"Good evening my king." His wife spoke softly. "You must be hungry... You have been asleep for 2 days."
"Two days????" His voice sounded muffled as he spoke through the gauze. He hadn't noticed it before. He spit out the gauze and realized his mouth felt better! There was no more pain. He stood up and smiled a crooked smile. "I feel better and I am hungry."
"The dentist left orders for you to take it easy for a few days," his wife said. "She and the owl left yesterday when they knew you were ok. She left you something." With that she held up his tooth hanging from the end of a long string.
"Is that my tooth?" She nodded and he smiled as he took it from her paws. "That little thing was causing all my problems?" He let out a laugh just as two cubs came running in the room to greet their father.
"Come boys... Your father has a little something to show you." When they were in his lap he showed them the tooth. "And when I am better... I want to take you to see some wonderful things in the forest." Leo smiled at his sons, happy to have his life back to normal.
Oh... And that night??? He had steak for dinner!
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