Spike (ostrich)

Spike is a male ostrich. He was the brief adoptive son of Pumbaa.
Spike hatched in the jungle and imprinted on a warthog named Pumbaa. Along with his friends, Simba and Timon, Pumbaa cared for the ostrich and attempted to raise him as his own son. However, when Spike failed to replicate Pumbaa's warthog-like behavior, Pumbaa found the ostrich's real family and left him to be raised like a proper bird.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Spike was born to an unnamed female ostrich. He had many siblings. His egg got lost before he hatched.
===Adopted by Pumbaa===
While searching for grubs, Pumbaa came across a peculiar white object. Mistaking it for a stone, he started to kick it toward Simba, but the lion cub stopped him and explained that the object was, in fact, an egg. Timon came up to join his friends, and the three wondered what kind of animal could be inside the egg. The three agreed to fetch breakfast, and Timon left the egg in a patch of sunlight atop a tree stump.
Pumbaa's thoughts kept drifting back to the egg as he hunted, to the point that he eventually abandoned breakfast in order to keep the egg safe from potential predators. When Simba and Timon returned to the tree stump, they found Pumbaa perched atop the egg like a mother bird. No sooner had the friends reunited when the egg hatched into a newborn ostrich chick, who mistakenly referred to Pumbaa as his mother.
As the ostrich chick attempted to take his first step, Pumbaa steadied him and warned him to be careful, to the amusement of his friends. They were sent even further into hysterics when Pumbaa referred to himself as "Mummy Pumbaa" and led his newfound son, Spike, to an ant mound. Spike watched Pumbaa take a bite and attempted to eat just as much, but he ended up spluttering on too much food, and Pumbaa urged him to take smaller bites.
After Spike's first meal, Pumbaa led the way to a mud hole, with Spike hitching a ride on Simba. Once they arrived, Pumbaa jumped right in, and Spike moved to follow. However, he soon got trapped in the oozing mud. Simba quickly pulled him out, though Pumbaa reacted with confusion, as he was unsure what all the fuss was about. Nevertheless, he came with Simba and Timon as they led Spike to the river and washed him off.
After Spike's bath, the four friends collapsed in a heap and fell into a deep sleep. In the middle of their nap, Pumbaa was awoken by Spike, who insisted that he was still hungry, but Pumbaa grumpily told the little ostrich to leave him alone. He then flopped back over and fell asleep once more. The friends continued to sleep, but when they woke up, Spike was nowhere to be found.
Immediately, the three set out in search of Spike. As they searched, Pumbaa began to cry, as he worried that Spike would get eaten by a hungry predator. Soon afterward, the friends heard a faint singing voice in the distance and followed it to where Spike was stuck in a thorny bush. Timon volunteered to help the chick out, and Pumbaa greeted his adoptive son with relief. Spike merely curled up in Pumbaa's mane and fell asleep.
The next morning, Pumbaa attempted to teach Spike how to hunt and dance, but Spike was no good at activities that were more suited to warthogs. Despite this, Pumbaa kept encouraging him. However, he admitted his misgivings to his friends and worried that Spike did not realize that he was a bird. The three then agreed to find him a real ostrich family so that he would not grow up not knowing how to behave like a bird.
The friends set out for the place where they had found Spike's egg and encountered a family of ostriches, who recognized Spike as their long-lost family member. Spike's mother thanked Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa profusely, and the three went on their way, leaving Spike in the care of his family. As the trio walked away, Pumbaa expressed joy that Spike had found his real family, but he thought to himself that he was going to miss being called "Mummy."
==Physical appearance==
Spike is a small ostrich. He has purple feathers, with a pale pink neck. His legs are deep pink, his beak is orange, and his eyes are black with yellow sclerae.
==Personality and traits==
Spike is innocent and oblivious, with a knack for getting in trouble. Despite this, he does his best to learn and always follows the instructions of his adoptive father, Pumbaa.
==Appearances==
* Hakuna Matata
** Mummy Pumbaa
==Trivia==
* Spike is similar to Pumbaa Jr.; both get adopted by Pumbaa but end up leaving him so they can live with their own kind.
* Another character named Spike appears in Prickly Problems.
==References==
Category:Characters
Category:Males
Category:Ostriches