I'm in the same boat. I could not figure out how to get past the second screen. But I still remember those few minutes very clearly these decades later.
Ah, yes. Hard to time the jumps over the slugs. It helps that the beast trips and falls just as it's about to catch you. After that, you get "saved by the bell", so to speak ;)
I believe jumping over those slugs is possibly the hardest part of the whole game, it must be timed precisely and you're still learning to how to play.
It's not a lion, by the way ;) It's an alien beast, without a mane and looks like a cross between a gorilla and some giant black panther.
