A lion could spend his whole life lying in the sun while everyone else does the work. It is sort of the arrangement. The lion in the Lion collection turned that deal down, put on a uniform and started answering calls. Medic Lion the Lifesaver is royalty with a first aid kit, framed in bold yellow banners that read I've Got This… Hold My Beer, and he wears the job the way other lions wear a crown: like it was always meant for him.
A mane under a medic's helmet
Start with the helmet, white with a bright red cross on the front, sitting on top of a mane so big and golden it spills out on every side. Below it is a broad, calm face with the steady eyes of someone who does not panic, because panicking is for animals lower on the food chain. He wears a green medic's jacket covered in patches, reflective stripes and a little flag at the shoulder, all zipped up and ready to go. Nothing about him looks rushed. He looks like the last person you would want to argue with and the first person you would want to see after a fall.
One paw for the patient, one for the pint
In one paw he holds up a bottle with a red cross label, which may or may not be medicine. In the other is a tall golden beer with foam spilling over the top, raised like a toast to a shift that went better than expected. The whole design sits on black inside that frame of yellow ribbon, which makes it read like a unit patch for the bravest ambulance crew on the savanna. The roar is implied. The bedside manner is excellent.
For the one who leads the pride and still takes the call
This design is for the paramedic who drives toward the sirens, the ER nurse who runs the whole floor without raising her voice, the EMT who keeps a granola bar in every pocket, and the volunteer who answers the pager at dinner and apologizes for nothing. It is for the lion lovers, too, and for anyone whose family calls them the head of the pride with only a little bit of teasing. Picture your person walking calmly into a messy situation, taking charge in about four seconds, and cracking a joke on the way out. You already have a name in mind. Out on the savanna, the rest of the pride is napping in the shade and the lion is on call, which is exactly how he likes it.
Written by Liam. Thanks for reading.
