(Author's note: I'm so sorry that it took a while to write this, but I had school and all that boring stuff. Anyways I was able to finish over the weekend and here it is! Enjoy!)

~Chapter Two: Within the mist~

"There's got to be a dumb animal around here some where"
Kaluwa muttered under her breath. Her body ached with every step she took. She hasn't had a single piece of food in days, and it's taking its toll.
In the distance the skies were darkening and the clouds blocked out the sun. Making it look as if it was night. Thunder roared in the sky. Kaluwa looked up and sighed

"Great. Another factor to keep me away from food"

She trudged on forward. The grass crunched under her feet. Her paws formed blisters and began to bleed. The wind would blow bit and pieces of leaves and debris in her eyes, making them watery. At times Kaluwa would have to rest against a tree because of the stinging pain. Finally, after searching for hours and hours on end she gave a loud cry, holding back more painful screams and tears yet to come.

"Can't something good happen for once in my life?!"
Suddenly a yell came from overhead.

"Hey! There's grub under this log!" The voice cheered happily.

Kaluwa's head looked in the direction from which the yell came from. She slowly creeped forward. Biting her tongue, keeping her from making the slightest noise. Her body lowered to the ground, taking slow and steady steps. The wind was gently tugging at the tall thin grass. Creating a slight whistling in her ears. The smell of meat began to rise in her nose. There was another smell, though it smelled disgusting. Kaluwa slowly creeped to the clearing. She could barley make out the meerkat and warthog happily enjoying some delicious looking bugs. She was hesitant at first but knew this would be the only time she could get any food. She was desperate. Kaluwa watched as the two innocent animals ate all of the bugs.

"Go on, get nice and plump for me" she sneered in her mind.
She got into position. Making the right placing of her paws and steadied her weight on each leg, ready to pounce at any given moment. Kaluwa began to count quietly to herself.

"One" she whispered

This was it.

"Two"

The time is now.

"Three!"

"Hey Timon did you hear-"

The warthog was cut off by a loud lioness roar. She leaped out from the tall grass and sprinted in the direction of the two animals. The two looke at each other in surprise. But it wasn't long before they were scrambling to get away from the hungry lioness. Both were screaming at the top of their lungs for help.

"Simba! Help! Some crazy lioness is trying to eat us!" The meerkat would yell.

"Simba? Where have I heard that before?" Kaluwa thought to herself. But there wasn't time to remember names now, she was about to get tasty pork with a side of meerkat. The thought if having meat made Kaluwa just oh so happy. But she couldn't help but think-

"No Kaluwa you can't think like that at a time like this!" She scolded herself," now is your chance to finally feast!"

The lioness kept creeping closer and closer to the future meal to be. The meerkat now, was riding on the warthog's back giving him directions to follow.

"Go left! No, your other left!"
The meerkat yelled.

"But Timon there is no other-"

"DON'T QUESTION ME! JUST KEEP RUNNING!" The panicky meerkat shouted.

The warthog galloped through out the grasslands. He began to lose his energy. His speed decreased with every step they took. And the lioness wasn't that far behind.

"Oh come on buddy" his friend pleaded," don't give up now"

"But my hooves hur-"

SLAM!

Next thing the two knew, they were lying on the ground, one unable to get up.

"Oh what now are you really that tired?" The meerkat madly questioned. He began to pull on his friend's tusks," come on now, we gotta get out of here before she catches up!" He eagerly pleaded.

"But I can't Timon, my hoof-" he guided his pal's vision towards his left hind leg, which was caught under a fairly large tree root," is stuck"
The meerkat heavily sighed, slapping his face with his hand. Not wasting any second the meerkat quickly got to work helping his buddy get out from under the root. They both tugged and pulled, but it just wouldn't budge.

"Gee, why do I always have to save your-"

Kaluwa had finally caught on to her prey. The two froze in horror as the lioness stepped closer and closer to them. A wide smile grew upon her face. She imagined her eating a fine piece of pork and meerkat. Licking her lips, imaging the sweet, delicious taste of meat. Her prey quivered in fear and grasped ahold of each other, unwilling to let go.

"Oh Pumbaa buddy, it was nice knowing you" the meerkat wailed.

"It was nice knowing you too, Timon" he replied. Tears filled both their eyes. Suddenly Kaluwa froze in her path. As she was about to strike her paw, Kaluwa thought she had heard the name "Pumbaa" before.

"Pumbaa Pumbaa Pumbaa, where have I heard that name before?" She pondered.

"Hey! If you're gonna eat us, stop standing around, and just cut to the chase" the tiny one pleaded," besides I've got a low thresh hold for pain" he added.

"Give me a second would ya? I'm trying to think here!" She yelled back.

"Thinking of what? Ways to make our deaths slow and painful?" he ranted.

She groaned under her breath. Trying not to let the tiny animal make her go mad. Then she remembered.

Kaluwa raised her paw and was about to strike. The meerkat and warthog hid them selfs, as if that would help them from the pain if her sharp claws.

WACK!

The friends opened their eyes, only to find that the crazy lioness was using her claws to set the warthog two stood there in confusion. They would look at each other and back at her. At her then back to each other and so fourth.

In the distance, two men, one white and one black, were watching the action from afar, the white one filming it while the other just sat with him and watched in their beaten up jeep.

"Looks like number 1004 has found herself some food" the man holding the camera stated," and she's going for the kill"
However, the his companion noticed something.
"Wait, she's isn't doing anything" he observed sitting up," 1004 isn't eating the hog or meerkat."

The man zoomed in on the lioness. They both watched in amazement as number 1004 actually freed the pig from the root.

"Tom, I don't think she's gonna eat them" he quietly concluded.

The other scientist , Tom, angrily unfastened his seat belt, and almost jumped out the car. Before he could however, his assistant grabbed ahold of his shirt collar and pulled him back in the dusty old jeep.

"What in the world are you doing?!" He asked angrily," do you want us to get caught?!"
-

Kaluwa had helped the warthog, Pumbaa, escape the clutches of the tree root. When she cut the last bit of the root, Timon grabbed his friend's tail, eagerly pulling away from the direction of the carnivore.

"Come on Pumbaa, lets make a run for it!" He blurted.

"Tsk tsk tsk" Pumbaa shook his head, disappointed in his friend's behavior," Timon don't you think we should at least say thank you, she did free me after all"
Timon glared back at the lioness. He couldn't shake off this weird feeling that something was off about this girl.

"At first she wanted to eat us, now she won't even lay a claw on either one of us" Timon thought to himself," something is definitely wrong with this chick"

But he knew that Pumbaa was right, he usually was, though Timon hated to admit it.

"Alright fine" Timon sighed," Thanks for letting us live and whatever "

After a slight pause the warthog spoke.
"I have a question" Pumbaa began," how do you know who I am, I've never seen you before"

"Yeah why don't you tell us? Just how do you, a carnivore who eats guys like us, know the name of your entrée?" Timon questioned.

Kaluwa froze. Her mind began to fumble and crash. How could she explain how she knew his name? She couldn't possibly tell the truth.

"Well you see, I uh, have this...this"

Suddenly the thunder roared louder than it had ever before. Little sprinkles of rain poured down on the savanna. The trio of animals looked up to the sky. The ground beneath them became wet and slippery.

"I think we'd better get out of this rain" Pumbaa suggested," hey since you're all alone, why don't you follow us to Priderock?"

"Pumbaa have you gone mad?!" Timon roared," she tried to-"

"But she didn't end up-"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"

The friends bickered on and on what seemed like forever. Timon waved his arms in protest and Pumbaa got right up in Timon's face.

"She might not even want to come!"
Timon screeched
"But you don't know that!" Pumbaa harshly replied.
"Then ask her!"
"Alright fine!"

Pumbaa turned to ask, but when he looked, she was no where to be found. Kaluwa had disappeared in the mist of the rain.