The tale of the lost brothers
Now this a story of how three leopards Badhili,Makucha and Mapigano learned a secret that changed their lives forever. One day Makucha was hunting a gazelle in a place known as the Outlands. It was his home since birth and,practically a barren land with very little food. Many of the animals were predators and few were prey so they had to fight over food and some predators even kill other predators for food. Makucha,sometimes,had to go for weeks without food but today was his lucky day for this gazelle would help him from starvation. He tracked the gazelle,hoping it would stop to eat or drink so he could attack but since there was little food or water for prey to eat he couldn't really depend on it. He tracked it from morning till midday. It finally stopped to nibble on some grass now is the time he thought he crept closer to the gazelle. Then stopped a short distance away,thinking of the best angle to attack. When he got in a good angle he jumped towards the gazelle. It raised it's head,saw Makucha and ran with lightning speed. Makucha knew that he couldn't run that fast especially in his half-starved state but he knew a way to slow it down. He put on a burst of speed. Once he got to the gazelle he slowed down and scratched it's back legs. It started to wobble and shake as it ran until it had no choice but to walk. As soon as it started to walk Makucha jumped on it,bit it's neck and held it until it stopped moving. Once it died he,immediately dragged it to his cave so it couldn't be stolen by predators. As soon as he got in his cave he went to the far back and ate his prey. When he finished he threw the remainings outside his cave for the scavengers. He,then after,curled into a ball and drifted to sleep with only one thought will I always have to starve and worry about food or will I find another place where I can eat to my content? Meanwhile in a place close to the Outlands known as the Pridelands Badhili was asleep in a the Pridelands things are different that in the Outlands. Food was plentiful with lots of animals and it even had a king and queen. Life in the Pridelands was peaceful and there was nowhere in the world where Badhili would rather be until Mapigano bullied him. He fell from his tree with a shake,wide awake and right before him was Mapigano. He had red-yellowish eyes and he was a bit scrawny but mean from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. "What do you want from me Mapigano?"he asked,annoyed. "Well I was thinking since I don't have my own territory I was thinking why not steal your territory?"he said,smirking. "You can try but you won't get it."Badhili said,boldly but in the inside he was scared. It was normal that if two leopards wanted the same territory they fight and Badhili never fought Mapigano in his life. Mapigano may be scrawny but he still could be a tough opponent. "We'll see about that,coward."Mapigano snarled. They circled each other for a while until Mapigano jumped and the fight began. He landed in front of Badhili and scratched him on his cheek,Badhili roared in pain and bit Mapigano's ear. Mapigano backed up a few steps then ran behind Badhili,bit his back and then ran in front of him. Badhili stopped moving to check himself. His wounds were bad but he still could fight,then Mapigano ran and jumped towards him instead of backing off he jumped towards Mapigano. When they were at a close distance Badhili lowered his head then raised it in time to bite Mapigano's neck and bring him down with a hard thud. He released Mapigano,who laid on the ground for a longtime,so long that he thought Mapigano was dead. Then Mapigano slowly raised to his feet,breathing heavily. "You put up a good fight Badhili,but soon I will have your territory!"he growled and walked away. Badhili only rolled his eyes. After awhile he started looking for some food and as he looked one thought swirled in his mind Why does Mapigano bully me? Is there a reason to all of this? Or is he doing this for fun? While with Mapigano things were really bad. After the fight with Badhili,his ear was almost torn off and his neck was open making it hard for him to breath. He knew that he needed a healer and he knew who to go ,the wisest and most terrific healer in all of the Pridelands,he lived in a tree near Pride Rock home to the king and queen. Mapigano walked in the direction of the tree,his steps getting slower and slower. Soon Badhili will know why I bully him then I will have my revenge. The reason he bullied Badhili was because he let the love of his life,Ivy die. He had met Ivy one day when he was trying to get some fish from a lake. It was love at first sight and it couldn't be better,then after a couple of days Badhili and Ivy met and they became good friends. Later they went somewhere together and when they were supposed to return only Badhili returned. When he asked where was Ivy he said that she died in a lake. He cried,then out of anger he swore revenge for Ivy and from that day forward he bullied Badhili. By the time he got to the tree he was exhausted,the tree was huge on the inside and outside. "Rafiki?Rafiki where are you?"he yelled looking around. Rafiki had many fruits and healing herbs all over the place and paintings the he claimed tell stories on the sides of his tree. There was a painting that caught his attention. It was with three leopards fighting with some ghostly aura over them but before he could look at it more closely Rafiki appeared right in front of him. He had a white fur around his head like a lion's mane,he was blue all over with orange stripes on his nose. "Whee-he what brings you here Mapigano?"he asked in a high-pitched mix squeal and shriek. "I need my wounds healed now."he told Rafiki as if it weren't obvious just by looking at him. "Oh well step into the platform over there and relax while I mix-up the herbs and fruits. "Mapigano went on the platform and decided that he should go to sleep. Soon Badhili,soon I will have my revenge and you will die. He thought,happily falling asleep and dreaming of his beloved Ivy. It was morning in the Outlands where Makucha was just waking up he yawned and stretched. "Maybe I should pay those hyenas a visit,after all they do always have a good food supply to take."he whispered to himself. So he ran from his cave and into the deeper parts of the Outlands. It was about an half an hour when he finally made it to the den of the hyenas,he stopped to sniff the air. He,mostly smelled hyenas but he caught a faint whiff of food Not much food they have. He sniffed again They must be inside guarding the food he guessed. He pushed a rock from in front the entrance and walked inside. It was warm and filthy with half-eaten carcasses everywhere. There was very little light but enough to see who and what was in the den. Then he focused on the hyenas,there was three Ezuclaw,Clawza and Malumclaw,mostly known as the claw pack. Clawza was the leader of the clan he was black with red eyes and extremely deadly. Ezuclaw was light brown with yellow eyes and his left ear was torn off. Malumclaw was dark grey with black spots,his eyes were a mix of orange and red but he also was a bit dumb. They all glared at him. Last time he came he had stole all their food so this visit was probably going to get them mad. "What brings you here,Makucha?"Clawza asked,coldly. "Just here for a visit."he replied his eyes stopped on a small pile of food in the middle of the den. "A visit huh."Clawza said. He looked at Ezuclaw then tilted his head sideways,Ezuclaw nodded and slowly walked towards the food pile. He stopped near the left side of it. At first he couldn't understand why Clawza did that,but then he took note of the stance Ezuclaw was in the realization hit him like a bullet they're trying to protect the food. "Yes a visit is it not allowed?"he asked. "Ha a visit is not crime but you and I know why you're here."Clawza said. He looked at Malumclaw then tilted his chin upward. Malumclaw nodded and slowly walked towards the food pile and stopped near right side of it. Oh boy it's now or never Makucha thought and ran towards the food. "Get him!"Clawza yelled. Ezuclaw and Malumclaw ran to him. Malumclaw tried to bite his flank,he dodged it and hit him in the snout hard. He hit him so hard that he barreled into Ezuclaw and his tail tripped Clawza while he was running towards Makucha. Makucha ran to the food,took as much as he could then ran out of the den. "Stand up you idiots and get him!"Clawza roared. They got up,quickly and ran after him. Makucha ran faster than he ever ran before. The hyenas weren't close which was good but he knew he slowed down eventually. "You won't get away this time Makucha!"Clawza shouted. Ezuclaw was gaining speed on him he tried zigzagging but Ezuclaw followed him perfectly. Their prey must do this often he thought. He kept running but his legs started to ache and burn I need to get away fast I can't go to my cave they'll break in and attack me. Just as he was thinking now to escape he saw a cliff,about three feet taller than him. He had good jumping skills but with the food he was carrying it would make his jump very low. So he dropped some of the food and ran to the cliff. Clawza must have figured out his plan because he was yelling like a maniac. "Faster you worthless furballs he's getting away!"Ezuclaw and Malumclaw started running faster but it was too late. Makucha ran,jumped to the cliff and landed on the wall he looked back,saw the hyenas gaining and climbed the wall hastily. Once he pulled himself up,dropped the remainings of food then looked over the edge of the hyenas were near the edge but weren't trying to jump which they knew they couldn't make. "I thought you said I wouldn't get away."Makucha said to Clawza,mockingly. Clawza growled. "You better watch your back Makucha." Then he turned to his clan. "Let's go retrieve the bits of food he dropped." And then ran away. Once they left he ate the food then check the surroundings and as soon as he did he gasped. He thought that he was going to be in a different part of the Outlands but he wasn't. The surrounding was completely different. The sky was blue there was grass and trees everywhere and the prey plentiful. Maybe this is the place for me he thought. But when he saw a huge herd of zebras he roared with pure delight. This is where I belong and I will live here until the end of time and he chased the zebras then let out one more happy roar. Badhili thought he was going crazy when he heard a roar but once he heard it a second time he decided to follow it. He got of a tree and ran in the direction of the roar when he didn't hear it anymore he used his sense of smell. After ten minutes he finally found out who was doing the roars. Chasing a herd of zebras was a leopard. At first he thought that was Mapigano but with his sharp vision he was able to see the lining of muscle and,unless Mapigano was working out or something that was not him. He roared,loud enough for the leopard to hear him. The leopard skidded to a halt,looked directly at Badhili and,for no reason charged towards him. He screamed while the leopard tackled him down. "Hey quit tackling me will ya?"Badhili asked. The leopard got off him. "Now that you're off me I can properly introduce myself my name's Badhili,what's yours?" "Names Makucha,can you kindly tell me where am I?"he asked,confused. "This place here my friend is the Pridelands."Badhili said,extending a paw toward the Pridelands. "Where is your home?"Badhili asked when he saw Makucha staring at the Pridelands in wonder. Must be his first time here. "My home is in the Outlands."Makucha said. Badhili felt like he just got stabbed in the chest,this was not good news. Outlanders were not allowed in the Pridelands due to the king's past. Long ago the king's son was killed by an Outlander so he made a rule that all Outlanders were forbidden to enter the Pridelands. "Your from the Outlands?"he asked,making sure he heard correctly. "Yes I am,what is there a problem?"he said seeing the look on Badhili"s face. "N-no"he stammered. "I just never saw an Outlander in the Pridelands before." "Oh good I thought I was going to be in trouble for being here."Makucha said then laughed as if the idea itself was hilarious. Badhili forced a fake laugh and pretended to laugh along he won't know what the word trouble means once the king is done with him Badhili thought,nervously. "Anyway,do you know a good place to call my territory?"Makucha asked Badhili."How about you stay with me for now and later when you get use to the Pridelands i'll find you your own territory?"Badhili said to Makucha. He thought about it for a while then answered. "Looks like a deal,brother."Badhili was about to tell him to not call him brother but then having someone calling him that,even if they weren't related was comforting. "Well then let's go,also if anyone ask where you're from don't say you're from the Outlands."Makucha raised his eyebrow. "Why?"he asked. "Because...Because you'll scare them and that would be bad."he said nervously,thinking about how mean he was being. "Alright then."Makucha said and walked off. "Hey wait up!"Badhili shouted and walked Makucha towards his territory. Rafiki had just healed Mapigano's wounds and he was feeling much better. "Now before you leave Mapigano I have one question."Rafiki said. "What's that?"Mapigano asked. "Were you fighting Badhili again?"Rafiki asked him. Mapigano knew he couldn't lie to Rafiki,since he was the wisest in the Pridelands but if he told Rafiki the truth he would ask him hundreds of question. So he just told him the most simplest lie he could think of. "No I was just hunting some prey and,instead of running away it fought back."Rafiki eyed him up and down a few times before answering. "Alright."he said,unconvinced by his lie,then turned around to arrange his fruits and herbs. Mapigano turned to leave when he saw the painting with the three leopards. "Rafiki."Mapigano called. "Yes Mapigano?"he said,back still turned to him. "What does this painting mean?"he asked,pointing at it. Rafiki slowly turned to face Mapigano,then looked at the painting. "Wait here."he said then went to the far back of the tree. A few minutes later he came back with a stick. It was as tall as Rafiki with two fruits tied to it. "Watch the painting while I explain."he instructed Mapigano. Mapigano stood still and looked at the painting,Rafiki touched it with the stick and it glowed the animals moved as Rafiki told the story. "Long ago two leopards met and fell in love. They wanted to start a family and had their first cub."He moved his stick a bit to the left. "While he was hunting he befriend a leopard and they both,later on,fell in love and had a cub together. Later he realised his mistake and tried to keep it a secret. But that secret did not last for long."Rafiki turned the stick around then tapped the painting and it changed. The light shades of colors that surrounded the painting turned dark and,so did the story. "Since he had two cubs he had to take care of two families,so he would have to go back and forth. They got suspicious soon after one of the mothers found out and told the other mother and they decided to confront him."Mapigano could sense that this wasn't going to end well. "When he came to visit one of the cubs the two mothers got together to confront him. When he finally confessed the two mothers were angry,he tried to explain but it only got them angry. Blind with rage,they threatened to kill him. He ran and they chased him,he ran and ran until he got to the edge of a cliff,knowing the mothers were still chasing him he jumped off,not caring if he lived or died in a place we all know as the Outlands." The painting stopped moving as Rafiki removed the stick he placed his hand on it,and his face turned sad. Mapigano shot him a look that only someone with half a brain would know. Did he die?Rafiki saw his look,instead of answering he just said. "The story will tell."He took his hand off and put the stick on the painting and it started moving again. "He woke up after a few hours in a cave and standing before him was a female leopard. She look like she was close to old age. He thanked her for the shelter,out of gratefulness he asked her the one thing she wanted. She thought about it then said she wanted a cub so the next day she had a cub. They raised the cub but the father was soon killed,the mother was heartbroken but she still raised the cub so he could defend himself and find food. Once he was old enough to do so the mother mysteriously died. With no one to adopt him he was forced to survive in the wild all alone,and that my friend is the end."Rafiki finished with a slight bow. Mapigano was awestruck. "How were you able to give so much detail from a story as old as time?"he asked. "I am as old as time,Mapigano. I've seen things people will never be able to see and things that people will die within seconds if seen. The stick,in a way,gives me the power to remember things in the past and,very rarely,predict the future."Rafiki explained. "And if I recall correctly I think I know who your father is."Mapigano turned to face him. "Who?"he asked. "His name was Kawani. He was strong,smart and a good friend but he had one problem his curiosity always got the best of him. It would sometimes even get him into death traps! Thank the kings he was smart. But now that i'm thinking about him I might be wrong because he never kept a secret from family,friends or a loved one. No matter how bad it was. So I might be wrong."Mapigano recited the story once more in his head then asked. "Were the first two cubs born in the Pridelands?"he asked. "Yes,indeed they were."Rafiki replied. As soon as he said that Mapigano froze. There were only two leopards in the Pridelands,from what he knew. Him and...Badhili. "You ok?"Rafiki asked,seeing him freeze all of a sudden. "Yeah i'm just a little light-headed,I think I should get some rest."Mapigano fibbed,pretending to de dizzy. "Yes you probably should that story must have you overwhelmed."Rafiki laughed then helped Mapigano out of the tree. "Thanks again Rafiki for your time."Mapigano said to him. "Your most welcome Mapigano."Rafiki said,then suddenly disappeared. Mapigano turned and ran to Badhili's territory. No I won't have Badhili as a brother he thought looks like i'll have to pay him a visit and this time it'll be his last! It was nighttime and Badhili was explaining the laws of the Pridelands to Makucha. "Law number one:Always find a way to resolve conflict before fighting."Makucha nodded. "Law number two:Always respect the king and queen." "You have a king and queen?!"Makucha asked,so surprised that it looked as if Badhili ripped off his skin and revealed a hippo underneath. "Yes we do. Anymore questions?"he asked,looking at Makucha when there was none he continued. "Law number three:Try to be respectful to one another. Law number four:Never steal food from anyone."He looked at Makucha for a while after saying that. "And last but not least,law number five:Never take more than enough food."A few seconds later Makucha started laughing. "What's so funny?"Badhili asked. "That joke you said 'never take more than enough food.'"Badhili looked confused. "That wasn't a joke."he said,almost immediately Makucha became silent. "I'm sorry what?"he said. "That wasn't a joke it was a law."he replied. "Why can't we take more than enough food?"he asked Badhili. "Because it would damage the circle of life."he said. "The circle of who now?"Makucha said Badhili sighed. This was going to take longer than I thought. "Ok so the circle of life is important here,in the Pridelands. If you take more than enough there will be less and less food and then everyone will have to fight for food. The circle of life is to keep peace,kindness and balance and breaking it would cause chaos!"