M'Baku sat still as a rock, his dark features betraying nothing of the turmoil running through his mind. His jaw flexed once then slid back into place, the only sign of his intense brain activity. He was alone in his throne room, as he often was when he needed to think. The simple space was completely silent apart from the howl of the mountain wind. Not even his trusted guards were present; he had sent them out for absolute privacy.
Night had fallen, cool and relaxing. Up in the mountains the cold bit hard, but M'Baku had been living there all his life and barely registered the chill. His thick fur cloak was soft against his skin, sealing the precious warmth within its comfortable folds.
Despite the simplicity of the problem he faced he could see no solution. He stood and began to pace up and down the long hall, deep in thought. Despite his bulk his movements were graceful and silent and he revelled for a moment in the accomplishment of skill, one that had been drilled into him since the day he'd turned ten, when his warrior training had begun, then his mind returned to the problem and his features withdrew once more into its brooding mask.
He had tried to dismiss the problem, to convince himself the Panther was wrong. Why should he help? What had Wakanda done for the Jabari, all these hundreds of years? Yet he knew there was truth in T'Challa's words.
He shuddered inwardly at the thought of the new king on Wakanda's throne. The new man, he'd been told, had beaten T'Challa in Ritual Combat, almost killed him. M'Baku himself had faced T'Challa before and even his strength had not been enough to beat the young king. A shiver went through him. With the power of the Black Panther coursing through the new king's veins he would be unstoppable.
He swore softly. The damned Panther was right. At least Wakanda had left the Jabari to their isolation all these generations. The new king was hungry for power. If T'Challa failed the new king might well decide he did not want a tribe of warriors nestled on his border and where would they be then? M'Baku imagined the hovercraft coming up from the plains, long vibranium spears hunting his people through the mountains. He shook his head. He could not allow it. He muttered a curse as he made his decision. His people had never ventured beyond the mountains in the history of Wakanda. He raised his head and looked to the heavens, wondering what his ancestors would think of such a move. Then he growled. His ancestors were not here. They did not have this problem.
Without turning towards the door he let out a loud hough, the sound of the gorilla that was his people's call. His voice was powerful and echoed in the room.
His guards entered at once, alert as always.
"Bring the chieftains to me," M'Baku said. "The leaders and elders, too. I want every warrior ready to move out before the light shines over those plains."
The guard rapped the butt of his spear on the floor to acknowledge the order and left.
"Are we going, then?" another guard asked.
M'Baku nodded slowly. "Our people have been ignored for too long. Tomorrow we will show them who we are."
"Why should we help?" The Elder was indignant, as M'Baku had expected him to be. "Wakanda has done nothing for us. We owe them nothing."
"We do not do it for them," M'Baku replied, his voice level and measured. "This new king has no intention of peace. He hungers for war, and who do you think he will come for first?"
"It may not come to that," another Elder said.
"I will not wait for fate to run its course," M'Baku growled. "I will act while we still can."
"Our people have never left the mountains, all these generations." One of the Leaders, his appointed magistrates, spoke. "It is not our way?"
"What is our way?" M'Baku demanded. "Isolation?"
The assembled officials muttered assent.
"And what has that brought us? Our children struggle in the cold just to bring in a night's meal. Our people die before they can grow old, while down there they feast in the sunshine." He stabbed a finger in the direction of the plains. "Who among us remembers what it is like to be warm? To be full and content without worrying about the next meal? Jobi? Huzar?" He gestured to two of the most senior Elders. "I have had enough of seeing my people suffer. I wasted an opportunity when I lost to the Black Panther. I will not see another slip away."
Barza, one of his warrior chieftains, stood slowly. "The men are with you. We will follow where you lead."
M'Baku nodded sharply. "Then tell every man to sharpen his spear. We move out before dawn.
Without another word he strode from the room.
They left an hour before first light, the trecherous mountain descent made easy by their years of experience scaling the heights. By the time the morning fog burned away they were breasting through fields of wheat, moving quickly and without fear. A thrill went through M'Baku at the sight of rhino pens, the first sign of how close they were. The Gorilla had come down from the mountains. They would show Wakanda what they could do.
The tall ultra-modern building appeared on the horizon, standing out from the grassy landscape like a rhino horn. It marked the entrance to the vibranium mines and M'Baku felt a frission of excitement tinged with fear as he realised just how far they had come.
Then the sounds of battle reached their ears. M'Baku saw two aircraft fall out of the sky, heard explosions, then a loud cheer.
"Faster," he barked at his men. "The fighting has begun!"
The Jabari broke into a fast run, moving fast for men of their size. Raised in the thin mountain air and toughened by the harsh climate, they had trained through it all to build their bull-like strength. They were broad and muscled and there was no weakness among their ranks.
The clash of metal-on-metal grew in the distance, punctuated by screams and yells. A tremor went through the ground as the sound of some kind of energy burst reached their ears. M'Baku saw two warriors in long blue robes flung into the air by purple energy and laughed out loud. Those cattle-herder fools had tried to take on the Black Panther.
Then the sounds of battle died down. A shout rang out. "You have three seconds to lay down your weapons!" M'Baku guessed that the Panther's allies had been defeated and were being offered a chance.
Up ahead the ground rose to form a rocky knoll. M'Baku guessed that there was a slope dropping down the other side, which was where the fighting had begun. That would explain why he could not see the combatants despite being clearly being so close.
"Hough!" M'Baku judged the time for stealth was over. "Hough!"
"Hough! Hough! Hough!" The other Jabari took up the call until the air was filled with a cacophony that drowned all other sound.
M'Baku raced towards the knoll, muscular legs propelling him effortlessly up onto a rock the size of a bunk bed. Bounding to the top, he took in the scene.
Around fifty Border Tribe warriors had surrounded a few Royal Guards in a shield wall, but instead of fighting each other they had lowered their weapons and were glancing around confusedly. M'Baku reacted without hesitation, grabbing the nearest Border Tribe warrior by the top of his robe and lifting him into the air.
"Witness the might of the Jabari first hand!" he roared, throwing the unfortunate warrior to one side with a single arm. The warrior thumped into the ground like a sack of rice and lay still.
The Jabari surged out from behind the rocky outcrop. The closest cattle-herders were beaten to the ground by a rush of clubs. The shield wall dissolved in the chaos and the Royal Guards howled as they charged into battle.
M'Baku jumped down and was faced by two wide-eyed Border Tribe warriors who were at least a head shorter than he was. They lunged at him and he backhanded the first so hard that he staggered backwards, then smacked the other with his club. "Amviar!" he roared, glaring around as if daring others to approach. He marched doggedly across the short, dry grass, smashing all who stood against him with tireless strength.
Then the thunder of hooves reached his ears. M'Baku spun around to see a battle rhino coming straight for him. He gaped wide-eyed at the horned beast, then just as it was about to reach him a Royal Guard jumped in front of him. A futile gesture, since the rhino could smash two people as easily as one, but before M'Baku could consider this the rhino shuddered to a halt. Suddenly docile, it licked the side of the Royal Guard's face.
M'Baku blinked, astonished, then recovered his wits and sprinted away.
Then all of a sudden the battle was over and the cattle-herders were dropping their weapons and kneeling on the ground. M'Baku took no chances, kicking the closest Border Tribe warrior to the ground and backhanding another with his club, but the threat was over. Royal Guards and his Jabari stood over the blue-robed men. The Guards General caught his eye, nodded. "Thank you. For your help."
M'Baku gave a slight smile. "It was nothing. Give us a real enemy and we will show you what we can do."
Border Tribe warriors glared up at the leader of the Jabari, but M'Baku ignored them, smiling at the cattle-herders' impotent fury while savouring his triumph.
A new chapter had begun in the history of his people. For the first time, all five tribes were united as one. Wakanda forever.
