The Lion King III: Hidden Prophecy Part II
6
It was the middle of the day in the heart of the open remote grasslands of
There were a few clouds about in the sky but they were not enough to block out the sun for the entire day. There would be no signs of rainfall with the hot sun beating down on the savannah. This national park was almost right on the equator, so the tropical temperature always brought scorching heat, humidity and heavy rainfall. Even in winter time the heat would remain constant, averaging between 75-85 degrees Fahrenheit. It would not bother the animals of
On this fairly hot day in the south west of the reserve, many animals were scattering around the landscape, either socializing with their fellow kind or eating and drinking; but not quite aware of a certain stalking presence lurking near them in the high grass in the savannah. Several lionesses were hiding in the grass and attempting to be quiet by any means possible so as not to scare off their prey. There were six altogether, and they were all in the same spot in crouching positions, using all the necessary techniques that they knew about hunting. They sank low and watched several antelope about a hundred metres in front of them grazing in the open grass; who the antelope were completely unaware of what was around them; and started their hunting plan.
“Okay, we have them in our sights.” The lead lioness said to the others. “Now, remember; you all know the techniques that you have been taught to hunt. Remember to feel the earth beneath you so that it does not shift and make noise and you must lower your breathing, otherwise the prey will hear you. Plus, try and not make that ‘hup’ sound just as you jump. Keep it low or else the prey will know that you are there. Got it?”
The other lionesses nodded quietly.
“Okay, now we move to phase two: We must all spread separately to different hiding spots around the prey so that we can attack them from all different directions. This will ensure that we have them cornered and they cannot escape the ‘Cage of Death’; if you will; that we have created. If we all just attack them from one direction at once, they will have space to run away.”
All lionesses listened carefully to every instruction, and all put on very serious thinking faces to remember the detail of the plan. Finally, after giving looks of affirmation to the lead lioness, they all immediately spread quietly to their attacking locations. They had to give themselves some distance as well as keep quiet; because if they were too close to the prey when they snuck around, even if they were quiet enough the prey would still be able to notice just the slight snap in the grass and sense danger.
The lionesses continued quietly through the grass, being careful not to step on any twigs or push rocks so as to make noise. Finally, in a fifty metre radius around the prey, they were ready to make their move. They had two lionesses on the south side of the radius, another two on the north side, and one each on the east and west. The antelope did not seem to notice anything the whole time that the lionesses were moving as they continued to graze; and the lead lioness on the south side knew that the time was right to strike. She gave the strike signal to the others by slightly lifting her paw high enough for the others to see, and they all immediately charged out and towards the antelope. The antelope heard the running steps of paws and turned to see all six lionesses charging towards them. They tried quickly to escape in a diagonal direction through the ‘Cage of Death’, but the lionesses were too quick and the two from the north side spear-tackled one antelope on it side. That knocked the antelope straight onto the ground, almost out like a light. It had been winded from the impact of the tackle and could barely attempt to get up, but that would be stopped short by another attack right on the back of its neck by a lioness. The lioness squeezed its jaws very hard on its neck to make it suffocate, and the antelope could barely move as it held on very tight. Two other lionesses came up and held it down as the other one held its jaws tight. Finally, the antelope stopped moving through almost a minute of the struggle; it had been killed. The attacking lioness released her hold and looked at the corpse, with blood smeared around her mouth and dripping from her sharp teeth.
“Very nice job, Mwezi.” One of the two lioness, called Allia, said to her as they got off the antelope’s body. They were quite impressed by Mwezi’s hunting ability. “You got it down in three minutes flat.”
“Thanks, but it wasn’t all me,” Mwezi replied, quite flattered by the gesture. “I had some help from Sashi. She helped me spear-tackle it.” She gestured to the one who did not make the comment, and Sashi just smiled and nodded at her.
“Yeah, but you made the kill; very fast.” Sashi remarked. “Not many of us have done that. Your hunting skills have definitely improved faster than most of us. How did you learn so much?”
“Kufuzu taught me a few little tricks.” Mwezi replied. “He told me that a good strategy is not to go directly for the throat or snout because there is a chance that you will completely miss and that will give the prey time to get away. He said that you have to get it down with a tackle, a swipe to its body or anything useful to weaken it; and once you have got it down, then you go for the fatal parts. Very simple but effective strategy, if you ask me.”
“Yes, very much so. Well done, Mwezi.” Allia said, still inspired. She then heard steps behind her. She turned around and saw the other three lionesses carrying another corpse. They had also managed to kill another antelope by attacking its body to weaken it and then bite the snout to kill it quickly.
As the other three dropped the corpse, the lead lioness; called Tanya; came over to Mwezi, Sashi, and Allia. She was also impressed by their killing job as they told her about Mwezi’s kill.
“Okay, good job everyone.” Tanya said to them all, “We now have enough for the entire pride to last us for a couple of days at least. Let’s take the kill back to the pride and begin the midday feast.”
With that said, Mwezi, Sashi and Allia dragged their kill; and Tanya, Fikira, and Kamili dragged their kill back to where their pride’s den was located.
7
Several miles west of the reserve laid a fairly large rock cave that was shaped like a dome. This cave stood around 3 metres high and 25 metres squared, and it was big enough to fit a large pride of lions in as a means of shelter. The cave consisted of very ancient volcanic rock, which may have evolved due to volcanic activity somewhere around the Mesozoic age.
Around the cave lay a pride of around 8 lions; all lionesses. They had been allowed to rest and sleep while the other 6 lionesses took their turn in hunting for the day. They all preferred to sleep in the sun on this particular day because there had been rain the previous day and it made the day seem colder than usual. Therefore they wanted to expose themselves to the warm weather so as to make up for the previous day’s coolness. They were all used to the heat and the sunlight in this particular climate.
Meanwhile, inside the den, two male lions lay inside sleeping. One was slightly larger than the other. He had an impressive build with bright golden skin, a large golden mane and hazel eyes. The other was only slightly smaller with dark skin, a long mane and blue eyes. They kept a small distance from each other with the dark lion sleeping almost directly next to the den walls on the east side; and the golden lion sleeping near the south side of the den.
Suddenly a lioness walked into the den and slowly towards the sleeping lions; but she didn’t have to do anything before the dark lion slowly awoke at the sound of her paws hitting the ground. The golden lion, however, did not wake up. The dark lion sleepily groaned and stretched for a minute before looking at the lioness in the eyes. She jumped in surprise at the sudden awake, but she quickly stood her ground to deliver her message.
“I’m sorry to wake you, Kufuzu.” The lioness remarked.
“No, it’s alright, Nabila.” Kufuzu replied, yawning; with a slightly quiet voice so as not to wake up the golden lion; “What do you have to report?”
“Mwezi and the other lionesses have informed me that they have made two antelope kills and they have just brought the carcasses here. They also say that this amount of food will be enough to last us for a few days.”
“Excellent news, Nabila.” Kufuzu replied with a satisfying tone in his voice and a small smile on his face, “Please tell Mwezi and the others to leave the kill outside the den so that everyone can start eating. Hekima and I will come out in just a moment.”
“Yes, sir.”
And with that, Nabila exited the den to join the pride.
Kufuzu then walked over to Hekima, the golden lion, who was still fast asleep.
“Hekima?” Kufuzu uttered quietly to his friend.
Hekima just continued to snore in his sleep without even hearing Kufuzu speak.
“Hekima.” Kufuzu spoke louder this time, but he still could not get him to wake up. All he heard was a very sleepy groan. That was when Kufuzu decided to use force.
“Hekima! Wake up you lazybones!”
Hekima jumped in surprise at the raised voice from Kufuzu and immediately opened his eyes and raised his head to look in directly in front of Kufuzu, who was looking stern at Hekima’s lack of attention. Hekima looked at Kufuzu apologetically and in embarrassment.
“Oh! S-sorry Kufuzu.” Hekima said with a guilty tone in his voice.
“You really know how to sleep a little too well, eh, partner?” Kufuzu joked. “Well, I didn’t hire you as a friend to become a professional sleep agent.”
“Would you just leave me alone?!” Hekima forced back, “I was just trying to get some rest. What about you? You were asleep.”
“Until I stood to my duties when Nabila came in to report.” Kufuzu replied back, seemingly playing mind games with Hekima. “As co-leader you must know when to wake up when there is a call.”
“Okay, I’m sorry.” Hekima replied with a slight twinge of guilt. “I just didn’t sleep very much yesterday. There was so much hunting to do; it was raining; and I couldn’t even…”
“Hey, hey, hey, relax. Relax, buddy. I was just teasing. You know I would never be that harsh with you. It was just a bit of friendly mind games.” Kufuzu smiled and lowered his voice to become gentle with his friend. Hekima was still not amused at Kufuzu’s actions, but he still smiled back and breathed out in relief. They both chuckled.
“Okay, okay; very funny.” Hekima therefore remarked. He then remembered about Kufuzu mentioning a report from a lioness. “Oh, um, what did that reporting lioness have to say?”
“Nabila informed me that Mwezi and the others have successfully made two kills to last us for a few days. So I just wanted to inform you of that. We are free to eat if you want to.”
Hekima was excited about the successful kills, but at the same time was still a bit more sleepy than hungry, and let out a big yawn to show it. “That’s excellent, buddy.” He said through the yawn. Kufuzu could tell very well that the yawn was from tiredness, not boredom. “You go on ahead. I am still a bit sleepy and I would like some more rest.”
“That’s fine, buddy.” Kufuzu replied in an understanding tone, “Do whatever you want. You go back to sleep and come out to eat later on when you feel like it. Take your time as it is no hurry.”
“Thanks, Kufuzu.”
And with that, Hekima went back to near the walls of the den and lay down again to sleep; while Kufuzu just smiled at his friend and co-leader of the pride and then turned around to step out of the den where the big meal was awaiting.
As Kufuzu stepped out of the den, he spotted his whole pride feasting on the two antelope carcasses that had been caught and killed earlier. He smiled in approval at the success of the kills and went over to the pride to join in. The entire pride caught sight of him as he appeared to them, and they all stopped briefly to greet him with a bow.
“Good afternoon, sir.” Tanya said to Kufuzu with a greeting smile.
“Good afternoon.” Kufuzu said to them all.
“Where is Hekima?” Asked Sashi, seemingly surprised at the lack of their co-leader’s presence.
“He needs some more rest; he didn’t get very much sleep last night.” Kufuzu replied. “We are to leave him alone while he catches up on his sleep. I must ask you not to wake him up.”
“Yes, sir.” Said most of his pride all at once; then continued to feast on the dead flesh.
Kufuzu nodded in satisfaction. He then turned to Mwezi, Tanya and the other lionesses that made the kills. “Very well done, all of you. I am very impressed by the vast improvement in your hunting skills.”
“Thank you, but we owe most of this kill to Mwezi.” Allia remarked; smiling at who she had just mentioned in approval, “She managed to spear-tackle and kill one antelope by breaking its throat. She killed it in less than a minute.”
“Mwezi? Really?” Kufuzu looked at Mwezi in awe and surprise; but he was also somehow very proud of her. Mwezi just blushed slightly and smiled at him. He smiled back. “Well, I think that you have just about reached professional standards, Mwezi. I told you that you could do it some day.”
“Oh, please stop!” Mwezi replied in a shy and loving tone. She had always had a soft spot for Kufuzu and she felt like he meant the world to her. They had known each other ever since Kufuzu ran away from his original place of birth and resided with this pride at
Kufuzu wanted to join in with everyone on the feast, but something came up in his mind. He wanted to speak to Mwezi about something. So he walked up to her. “May I speak to you in private for a moment, Mwezi?”
“Uhh…sure, Kufuzu.” Mwezi replied, who turned towards the others. “We will be back in a moment.”
“Not a problem; go ahead.” Sashi said with a mouthful of antelope meat; and the others continued to eat as Kufuzu and Mwezi walked away from the feasting pride to speak to each other alone.
8
Kufuzu and Mwezi walked several miles north away from the pride into the long grass within the open canopy. The grass rose to just above the line of their bellies; and this savannah grass was long enough for lions to hide and camouflage themselves in when either hiding or hunting. This grass was also highly flammable due to excess rainfall and extra fuel loads as a result; and so savannah fires would not be uncommon within this landscape.
The two lions lay low in the long grass so that they could have some private time with each other. Kufuzu believed that hiding in the long grass was not just good for camouflage, but also provided privacy.
“Well done today on your catch,” Kufuzu began, looking into Mwezi’s eyes as she was blushing at his charm, “I suppose all of that training that we did together finally paid off.”
“I think that it was mainly out of pure instinct; but I’m very flattered by the gesture.” Mwezi replied, smiling proudly at him.
“Oh, come on. This is what us lions were built for,” Kufuzu replied, “It just takes a few simple lessons: courage, confidence, determination, agility, ability, strength, and endurance. And you have developed all seven in such short time. I’m very proud of you for what you have accomplished.”
“You are?” Mwezi replied.
“Of course I am. I have always been proud of you; even before you started hunting. You have always been someone very special to me, and it doesn’t matter what or whom you are.”
At this moment, Mwezi was looking deep into Kufuzu’s eyes as though he was trying to tell her something important.
“Let me tell you something, Mwezi;” Kufuzu began, “You and I have been together ever since childhood. Ever since joining this pride, I had hoped for a better life and a loving family than what I previously had. I knew at the time that it would be hard to find; but you have helped me to find it, because you took me in as a friend. I have never forgotten what we went through together during childhood: The games we used to play; the nights that we went stargazing; the great feasts: We had everything. But more than anything, you showed me the ways of family connection, and how that helps everyone survive in this world. What I see in you is great wisdom and nobility; and that is why…” He found it hard to get the next words out of his mouth, because this was one of the hardest things to say. “That is why…uh…uh…” But he was still struggling.
“Yes?” Mwezi replied with a hopeful and somewhat nervous tone in her voice.
Kufuzu then decided to break it down into detail to deliver what he was saying more clearly.
“Well… I remember how our friendship was great when we were just cubs; and I do remember one time when someone once said that we were going to be married one day, and we thought that since we were friends it just couldn’t happen because it would be too weird.”
Mwezi nodded at Kufuzu and smiled as if she knew what was coming.
“Well, that was a long time ago, now; and I think that we have both seen past that. The truth is, Mwezi, you are everything to me. You are the reason that I am still here and why I am leading this pride. There are not many other lions like you that I know. And that is why I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“You really mean that?” Mwezi replied, completely lost for words and immediately warm-hearted at her long-time friend’s proposal to her.
“Mwezi,” Kufuzu began nervously and lovingly, “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Kufuzu!” Mwezi immediately replied, jumping towards Kufuzu and giving him a loving nuzzle, which he returned gratefully. He was feeling so much love for her and she felt the same way for him. They both shed tears of happiness and joy at the fact that they were going to be official mates.
After a few minutes of embracing, they were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a lioness’ voice calling Kufuzu’s name. From near the den, Kamili was running towards the long grass, unsure of where Kufuzu and Mwezi had gone because of the length of the grass in the savannah. Kufuzu grumbled at the interruption of his first loving moment with his now mate, but quickly stood to his duty as he rose up from beneath the grass to let Kamili know that he was there. Mwezi soon followed.
“Oh, there you are you two.” Kamili said to them both, “I’m so sorry to interrupt.” It was as if she knew what was going on.
“Worry not.” Kufuzu replied softly, “Shoot.”
“I was just taking a break from eating to explore, when I saw an entire pack of hyenas some distance north-west of the den. They have trespassed into our land!”
Kufuzu and Mwezi looked at each other for a moment in shock and surprise. It was a greater surprise to Kufuzu as the mention of the hyenas gave him a flashback of certain childhood memories. He then turned back towards Kamili.
“How many of them are in sight?” He asked.
“Must be more than twenty, according to what I saw.” Kamili replied.
Kufuzu then gave it a bit of thought before speaking to her again.
“Then assemble several lions to go after them; but I do not want you to kill them or chase them out just yet. I want them surrounded so that they cannot escape. I assume that you know how?”
“Yes, sir; with the Cage of Death.”
“Good; then after they are surrounded, keep them held so that I can speak to them myself.”
“But, sir,” Kamili protested with extreme perplexity, “They are hyenas. They don’t belong here. Why would you want to…”
“Please, Kamili; you have to trust me on this.” Kufuzu interrupted, “You and the pride have the training and experience as well as numbers; so they will be no match for our standards; and I must know why they are trespassing onto our land.”
Kamili thought about what had been said for a minute, then nodded confidently at Kufuzu and turned to run back towards the pride.
“What are you trying to do, Kufuzu?” Mwezi asked in confusion.
“If there is one thing that I have learned about being a leader, it is that all trespassers must be brought to judgment; because they are either trespassing or seeking a request and we cannot make any rash decisions or jump to conclusions before knowing their business first.” Kufuzu replied, “But there is more: I developed a kinship with hyenas when I was just a cub, so I understand them very well.”
“Kinship?” Mwezi asked, “What do you mean?”
“It is a long story. I will explain later as soon as we get this situation sorted out first. Now, come on, we must join the pride in this operation.”
With that said, Kufuzu and Mwezi ran towards the pride, which had started to travel north towards the hyena pack and get reading to carry out their operation.
9
Several miles north-west of the savannah, a pack of 28 hyenas had just crossed into the
“Ohhh!” The second male hyena groaned in fatigue, “I am sick and tired of all this ‘migration’! How hard can it be to find suitable territory?”
“Hey! Would you stop complainin’?!” The female hyena shot back at him, “It ain’t helpin’ nothin’. There are plenty of savannahs all over this entire continent. The right one for us is bound to be out there somewhere. Now come on, we can’t give up now.” With that said slowly they continued their journey to the south.
But before they could go on any further, six lionesses suddenly shot out from the long grass; jumping right in front of the hyenas and blocking their walking path. They had their teeth bared, supposedly ready to strike at any moment. At the same time the other six lionesses, including Tanya, Kamili, Allia, Nabila, Fikira, and Sashi came running from the northern side and towards the pack. They stopped just before the pack and began forming a circle. The other four lionesses did the same on their own side; and soon the Cage of Death was formed; trapping the entire hyena pack inside with no gap to escape from.
The hyenas started to huddle together inside the Cage of Death; quivering with fear at the same time, knowing that they were only a few seconds away from all being killed; because they were no match for this many lions as they were not as powerful as they were. They waited nervously for the first strike, but after a few minutes it never came. Then the leading female hyena dared to speak to them on Tanya’s side, anxiously wanting to know what was going on.
“Wh…Wh…What d…d…d…do you w…want from us?” She asked nervously, shaking uncontrollably in fear.
“You have trespassed onto our land.” Tanya replied to her. “We do not allow scavenging predators like you roaming around here. You had better be lost, or else you will not last more than five minutes before you all take a dirt nap.”
“Please listen!” The leading male hyena spoke up in a merciful voice, “We really meant no harm. We were just looking for…”
“RROOOOOAAAAARRRRRRRR!” Kufuzu suddenly jumped right into the Cage and let out a roar that could have been heard over the entire National Park. It made the hyenas jump out of their skin, but they still stayed exactly where they were; knowing that they could not find a way to escape the Cage. They became even more afraid when they realized that this lion was the alpha of the pride.
Before Kufuzu could break into interrogation, co-leader Hekima suddenly appeared with Mwezi beside him and they joined the circle behind Kufuzu. Kufuzu turned around and had them both in his sights. He was quite surprised to see Hekima; considering that he told Kufuzu that he wanted to continue sleeping not twenty minutes ago; but he wasted very little time and turned back to face the hyenas, who were all still huddled together and shaking so hard as if they had just climbed out of icy waters.
“As alpha male of this pride, I preserve the right to question exactly what your business is by stepping onto our territory.” Kufuzu said sternly but quietly to the hyenas.
“I’ll handle this.” The female hyena whispered to the two leading males, then turned to face Kufuzu, “We meant no harm, sir. We did not come to trespass or steal your territory. We have simply been travelin’ over the middle of the continent for the past three days. We recently got kicked out of our last territory by a pride of lions, who attacked and killed some of us in the process. Since then we have been searchin’ non-stop for a new home.”
At this point, Kufuzu was paying more attention to the faces of the three leading hyenas than what the female was saying. He was staring at them in a curious way as if they looked familiar to him.
“I see.” Kufuzu remarked, then immediately changed the subject to get whatever was on his mind off of his chest. “What are your names; the three of you?” He gestured to the leaders.
“I am Shenzi; this is Banzai;” She gestured towards the male leading hyena, then to the other male with the cuts on his ears and his tongue sticking out, “and this is Ed.”
Kufuzu then wore this really surprised look on his face as he was immediately taken aback at the mention of their names. His brain then brought up some of his childhood memories.
“Wait a minute!” Kufuzu said, with his voice slightly raised in a somewhat excited and awed tone, “I know who you three are. Do you remember me?”
“Uhhh….” Banzai began in slight confusion, not entirely recognizing who was speaking to them, “…should we?”
“It’s me, Kufuzu.”
At this point the hyenas stop shivering and looked at Kufuzu in awe and surprise. The other lionesses just looked at each other with confused expressions, not knowing where on earth this conversation was going.
“Kufuzu?!” Shenzi and Banzai said at the same time, then just simply became extremely pleased to see an old friend again; “Oh my gosh, you’re alive!” Shenzi added as she, Banzai, and Ed suddenly jumped towards him and embraced him in a friendly fashion. He did the same as he was completely overjoyed to see old friends whom he had not seen since his childhood.
The other lionesses just looked even more confused as they saw the strange behaviour from who they thought were supposed to be enemies. Then Mwezi decided to step up.
“Excuse me!” She yelled loudly and stern enough to stop what was going on, “May I please ask what on earth is going on here?”
“Oh!” Kufuzu replied, slightly embarrassed as he turned back to face his mate, “I’m so sorry. I have a short history with them. I have known them ever since I was just a cub.”
“What?” Mwezi asked curiously.
“It’s a long story. Just let me…”
“You already said that to me not ten minutes ago!” Mwezi cheekily interrupted.
“I know, I know!” Kufuzu forced back, slightly irritated at what she just said. “But can you please just let me speak to them first?” Mwezi reluctantly obeyed and stood her ground. She just wanted to know why her mate had this sort of strange relationship with HYENAS; of all animals.
Kufuzu turned back to the hyenas. “You must all have a lot to tell.”
“Well… yyyyeah we do; sorta.” Banzai said; thinking for a moment of all the things that happened since Kufuzu left them. The other hyenas started to light up, thinking that things could turn around for the better now that they had come across their old friend again.
“Do you have anywhere to stay at the moment?” Kufuzu asked.
“Not to our likin’.” Shenzi replied.
Kufuzu then thought for a moment; and then came up with an idea for his friends.
“Well, why don’t you come back with us and stay for a while; and then you can tell me everything that has happened?”
The hyenas brightened even more at his offer. “Do…do you really mean that?” Banzai asked in a hopeful and somehow excitable tone.
“What?! Hyenas?! Staying with us?! Are you insane?! They don’t belong here! They are the enemy! Who do you think you are?!” Said the many voices of Kufuzu’s pride; who were in shock and disbelief at what he had just suggested.
“Quite, everyone, please!” Kufuzu yelled firmly, “These hyenas are my friends. You have to trust me on this. Please just give me a moment.” His pride then went quiet but in strict observation at Kufuzu’s next words or actions. Kufuzu then turned back to the hyenas. “We have a den that is should be large enough for both you and my pride; we have plenty of prey to feed on and water to drink; and the climate and condition of this land is close to perfect. Plus I can see that you must all be extremely tired, exhausted, and hungry after your journey through the continent. You are welcome to stay with us.”
The hyenas became flattered and excited by their old friend’s offer, and they started talking amongst each other. They eventually left it up to their three leaders, who, oddly enough to them, began to get nervous.
“Can we really trust him?” Banzai whispered to Shenzi.
“What are you talkin’ about?” Shenzi replied quietly, “He was our friend when he was young. He always looked up to us as a part of his family. He said so back then, remember?”
Teen Kufuzu was just about to leave the Pride Lands for good. The lands had started to go barren and they were turning into what appeared to be a wasteland. Kufuzu could not bear the site of living here any longer, so he decided that the time had come to make his own decision. But before he could get going, Shenzi, Banzai and Ed appeared to him.
“Where are you going, Kufuzu?” Banzai asked, hoping that it wasn’t what he expected to happen.
“There is much more for me than this place.” Kufuzu replied. “I have my own life to live out there; and I am going to find it; no matter what it takes. This land is becoming nothing more than a barren battlefield after a bloody war. Plus I cannot stay here and have my life lived for me by my father. I have to leave. I’m really sorry to be leaving you three, but I have no choice.”
The three looked at each other and felt sad that their friend was going to leave them, but at the same time felt that he had a point. This land was being destroyed and Kufuzu despised his king father, Scar, for being evil and telling Kufuzu how to live the way that he wanted him to. Therefore they understandably nodded to him.
“Then we wish you luck on your journey, my friend.” Shenzi said to him.
“Thank you.” Kufuzu replied, also sad to leave his friends. He then thought about them and decided to leave them with one more thing. “Just before I go, I want to thank you three for being such great friends to me, along with the rest of your kind. You have been the real family to me; not my own father. You have helped me in tough situations; you have played games with me; you have been there for me when I have been sad or lonely; and you have taught me many things about living. You’re friendship has meant so much to me all this time. Therefore I wish to make you my extended family.”
The three of them just looked at him in astonishment after his sweet words to them. They then came forward and embraced him in a friendly fashion.
Both them and Kufuzu smiled in appreciation after the embrace was finished; then Kufuzu turned around toward the east side and started running. “I hope that we will see each other again, soon!” Kufuzu finally yelled before continuing on towards his destiny, where he eventually became just a small dot in the far landscape. The three turned around and headed back towards Pride Rock.
“I am really gonna miss him.” Shenzi remarked sadly.
“Yeah, me too.” Banzai replied in a low and mellow voice.
Ed just mumbled sadly instead of laughing for no reason as he always did.
“But our memories with him will never die; that’s for sure.” She added.
“I remember now;” Banzai replied, taking the short flashback of Kufuzu’s words to them some time ago into his mind, “but the thing is, we have already slaved for one lion before, and looked what happened to us: Our land became a wasteland; we lost our food and water; Scar treated us badly; and then he betrayed the trust that we put into him, so we had no choice but the get back at him for lying to us and using us to his advantage. I do not want to have to go through this again.”
Shenzi thought that through. They had already risked their lives working for a treacherous lion, and she knew that if they chose that same path again, they would be doomed. But then she had second thoughts considering that Kufuzu was gentle and kind and was nothing like his father at all. Therefore she decided to make sure of something, just to be on the safe side. “I see what you mean, but let me handle something. I know what to do” She then approached Kufuzu.
“If we are to join you, is there anything that you want us to do for you and your pride in return?” She asked.
Kufuzu just smiled at their offer. “You already did.” He said, remembering how they had been great friends to him years ago. He also felt that it should really be him to return them the favour. “You were some of the best friends that I ever had, and so I am offering this to you in exchange for what you have done for me.”
The hyenas looked at each other in approval, feeling like they had become some of the luckiest animals in the world. After all the traveling to find a new home after being kicked out of their own, they were finally going to get what they had been looking for. Not just that, but it might now be easier for them to live now that they were going to have lions covering their back in case something might go wrong.
“Thank you very much, old friend!” Exclaimed Banzai, “You have no idea how much we appreciate this from you.”
“That’s exactly what friends are for, right?” Kufuzu replied.
“Yeah!” Said most of the hyenas, who all came to embrace Kufuzu once again. It didn’t last that long before Kufuzu broke away to speak to his pride.
“Listen up, everyone! They are going to stay with us.” When he said this, the lionesses began to look at each other in slight concern and disapproval, but continued to listen in on what their leader had to say. “I am in their debt, and the protocol demands that all debts must be paid no matter what. I trust them because they trusted me as a friend back at the time when I needed it most. I will not have you treat them any differently. Plus they need as much of the vital resources such as food, water and shelter as we do. So when in need I want you to help them along. Do I make myself clear?”
Before his pride could give their answer, Hekima stepped forward and looked his friend in the eye sternly. “As co-leader of this pride; and as your friend; I will accept on one condition: They must ask permission from us first when going on about their own business; such as hunting for food, resting times, and taking leave when necessary. Plus our assistance to them must be returned as a means of debt to be paid.”
Kufuzu thought about that for a minute, and knew that this was a fair enough decision. He knew that his friend was very good at standing up to his duty as leader, and his strict rules stood out only to be fair to everyone. Plus Hekima knew a lot about the old bad interrelationships between lions and hyenas, and he was not going to let this get through so easily.
Kufuzu was just about to approve to the co-leader, when the Shenzi and Banzai almost immediately answered for him: “We accept.” Then Shenzi added; “And we promise not to cause any trouble for you. If we are to break any rules, you have the legal authority to exile us from this land.”
Kufuzu then looked at Hekima, who lightly smiled in acceptance at the hyena’s words of wisdom and nobility. They both then turned to his pride again, who still had the Cage of Death formed around them. Only their leaders and hunting leaders were allowed to tell them if and when to break the Cage.
“You may all break the Cage of Death now.” Hekima said in his loud and strict commander’s voice, “Let us head back to the den. Our meal is still available to eat and there is plenty to go around. Oh, and Tanya;” He turned to their hunting leader, who looked at Hekima; ready to take his order; “please make sure that there is enough for our guests. If there isn’t, please find some more with your hunters. The hyenas may also be able to help you out if you need extra assistance.”
“Yes, sir.” Tanya immediately replied.
With that said, the 14 lions and the 28 hyenas walked together back towards the south-east of the reserve.
As they were walking, Kufuzu walked up to Mwezi and Hekima, who were walking side by side. They caught sight of him and looked at him to listen in to what he was saying, while still walking at the same time.
“Hey, you two.” He began, “Look, as soon as we get back to the den, I will explain everything about my history with them. I am sorry that I left it for a bit, but you will soon know.”
“Sure thing, baby.” Mwezi replied, smiling lovingly at her now mate. Hekima seemed surprised at Mwezi calling Kufuzu ‘baby’. He then suspected that they were now officially mates, and he just grinned at Kufuzu, who blushed in slight embarrassment when he caught sight of that. They all then continued on back towards the south-east and towards the den; where their feast was waiting to be finished.
…To be continued in Part III.
Scar, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed © Walt Disney
Kufuzu, Tanya, Sashi, Allia, Fikira, Kamili, Mwezi, Hekima, and Nabila © BlackJack16.
© May 2010.