Chapter Four

The savanna sun began peeking through the clouds as it climbed higher into the skies, the golden glowing orb bathing the grasslands below in a sea of radiant, auspicious light that promised another glorious yet sweltering day. The few wisps of clouds floated away from the sun and climbed higher into the sapphire-blue sky, where an exhausted flying figure began descending from.

The hornbill sighed discontentedly as he perched himself atop a large boulder to take a quick rest stop. He had been flapping his wings for nearly an hour, collecting various complaints and worries from the African savanna, as was his primary job as majordomo. His deep blue feathers trembled as he stretched his wings, then quickly and neatly tucked his feathered appendages away. His brows furrowed as he recalled the ridiculous complaints of the zebras, who fretted that the semi-aquatic hippos were taking over their part of the grasslands, where they grazed each morning. Foolish creatures, Zazu thought with slight agitation, the heat must be getting to their heads.

Zazu raised a brow as he heard a disturbance past several acacia trees, growing before the boulder he was currently perched on. Curious, he silently lifted his wings and glided to the lowest branch of the nearest tree, concealed by the branches and leaves. His eyes widened in shock as his beady pupils landed on the sight before him.

Three hyenas had encircled and trapped a young bird, and, as she turned her head, Zazu realized her to be a hornbill, like himself. She had royal purple feathers, tipped with darker red and black feathers. She had a small crest of black and red feathers atop her head that curled up at the ends. She was a beautiful bird, but she was quite disgruntled and very distressed, as her feathers were mussed and her eyes wide with fear. Zazu narrowed his eyes. These hyenas hadn't trespassed into the Pride Lands for quite some time, but Shenzi, Banzai and Ed were common enemies of the lions, and were forbidden to enter the grasslands at anytime, as Mufasa himself had banished them many years ago.

Banzai nosed the young hornbill in the stomach, causing her to stumble a bit as the three hyenas forced her into the trunk of an acacia tree. Her back pressed against the thin trunk, Zazu couldn't help but wonder why she didn't fly away. Then he noticed her foot was caught in a vine that wrapped around the tree trunk; the hyenas had caught her.

"Not much of a meal, Shenzi," Banzai noted, his eyes watching the bird hungrily nonetheless.

"Who said anything about a meal? This little bird is perfectly snack-sized," Shenzi responded to her comrade, a grin overtaking her lips. "Right, Ed?"

As usual, Ed merely responded with a twisted laugh and a simple nod. His tongue hung out the side of his jaws as he advanced on the small hornbill. Banzai placed one paw against the female hornbill's wing, pressing it against the tree trunk, raising the other in preparation to strike the killing blow. The purple-feathered bird gasped in pain as his claws dug deep into her feathers. The hornbill closed her eyes, turning her head away from the three predators.

Zazu sucked in a sharp breath. He knew he had to do something to stop the ravenous animals, but what could he do to cease three hungry hyenas, with no lions around to assist him? Banzai drew back his paw, preparing to strike, when a brisk, familiarly sharp tone hit his ears.

"Aren't you impudent hyenas supposed to be rotting on the bottom of the food chain?"

A low growl escaped Shenzi's lips, and Banzai lifted his head to see the blue-feathered bird descending from the tree branch, while Ed looked for the bird in the complete opposite direction. Shenzi kicked Ed in the shoulder, and he quickly turned his head in the correct direction.

Banzai began to chuckle, while Ed and Shenzi began tittering as well. "Well, well, well," Shenzi said, "looks like we have another guest to brunch."

"On the contrary," Zazu snorted, "you putrid hyenas are banned from the Pride Lands!" he informed them, as if they had no understanding of the fact. The hyenas began advancing on him slowly, the female hornbill quickly forgotten by the rapacious hyenas. The hornbill retracted her wing from the tree trunk, but did not tuck it away. Instead, she favored it at her side and let it fall limp, displaying her injury.

Banzai laughed again, Shenzi and Ed following suit. "What, here to do the king's dirty work, little bird?" he pestered Zazu, shoving him back with a nudge of his paw.

As Zazu began opening his beak to respond, a heart-stopping roar filled the air, causing all three hyenas to jump in surprise. Simba and Kovu, the king and the prince, came racing toward the hyenas. Simba lunged, pinning down Shenzi and Ed, while Kovu held down Banzai. Simba's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the three low-lives.

"Shenzi, Banzai and Ed," Kovu said offhandedly, his black claws digging into Banzai's shoulders. "Should've known you three would be around," he said, finishing his sentence with a more menacing tone as he bared his teeth at the three trespassers.

"What? No," Shenzi said, waving her paw dismissively. "We were just... um... p-passing through-"

"Which is not allowed by you three," Simba interrupted, keeping a cool composure, his reddish mane drifting in the breeze. His claws pricked Ed and Shenzi's shoulders, causing them to squirm in discomfort. Simba lifted his head, his eyes landing on Zazu, who was still watching them in surprise, though his shoulders had relaxed, displaying his relief. Simba's eyes returned to the hyenas. He sighed heavily. "Go." He retracted his claws, stepping off of the two hyenas. With a nod to Kovu, the younger lion did the same, releasing Banzai.

The three hyenas got to their feet immediately. Banzai's eyes laid on Kovu for several moments, studying him. He couldn't help but realize his resemblance to Scar, including the claw mark that crossed over one of his eyes. His train of thought was broken as Kovu snarled at him, lunging forward to frighten him off. Banzai, Shenzi and Ed turned tail and fled.

"Follow them," Simba told Kovu, "and make sure they've gone. I'll meet you back at Pride Rock."

Kovu nodded briskly, his black mane flying behind him as he let out another viscous roar, digging his claws into the dry earth as he pursued the three hyenas. A screech was heard from Banzai as he saw the lion coming, and he quickly picked up his pace, Ed laughing hysterically as he fled with his companions.

After watching the four figures disappear, Simba turned to Zazu, who began babbling excitedly. "Thank goodness you arrived, Sire," the hornbill began. "This young bird and I would have surely been devoured by those mangy, flea-bitten carnivores."

Simba raised a brow at the mention of another bird, but Zazu had already flown to her side. The purple-feathered bird modestly dropped her eyes as the king and majordomo approached her. Her wing still fell limp at her side, but regardless, she hopped forward to thank the two.

"Thank you, Your Highness," the hornbill said gratefully. "Had you not arrived..." she trailed off, not wanting to complete her sentence.

Simba smiled warmly. "Luckily, Kovu and I were hunting nearby. I thought I heard a struggle of some sort." The lion unsheathed a single claw, snapping the vine that confined the lovely bird to the acacia tree. He set his paw back down, retracting his claw and looking to Zazu. "We should be going..." he began, hoping for the bird's name.

"Binti, Your Highness," the purple-feathered bird responded kindly.

"Binti," Simba said. "Zazu and I must return to Pride Rock." He spoke kindly, as usual, but there was a sense of urgency in his tone, suggesting that he had important things to do.

Binti was disappointed, but held herself well nonetheless. "I understand, Your Highness," she said warmly, bowing awkwardly, as she was still favoring her injured wing. "Again, I thank you for your graciousness." Simba dipped his head in farewell, and Zazu perched on the king's shoulder, watching Binti as Simba began to pad away. She held his gaze for several moments until she turned her head away, raising her wings in preparation to fly. As she began flapping her wings, Zazu noticed her face as it contorted with pain. She dropped her wing to her side, breathing heavily. She looked around warily, probably watching for predators. Hornbills tended to stay up high in the trees, where no ground hunters could catch them, but it seemed that Binti was out of luck.

"What are you looking at, Zazu?"

Simba's voice broke through the majordomo's thoughts. Flustered, Zazu turned himself around so he could acknowledge that the king had spoken to him. "Oh, nothing, Sire," Zazu said, tucking his wings away, hoping that he sounded nonchalant so the king wouldn't pry any further.

The king didn't buy the majordomo's fib for one moment. "Zazu, I hate to tell you this," Simba said, "but you're a terrible liar." A knowing smirk formed on the king's lips. "You're watching Binti." It wasn't a question.

"That is preposterous, Sire," Zazu said with a snort, regaining his composure.

Simba laughed goodnaturedly. "Hey, she's a nice bird, Zazu. Maybe you should... talk to her, or fly with her sometime."

"Well, that would be just lovely, Sire," Zazu said sarcastically, "if she were able to fly, that is."

"What are you talking about, Zazu?" Simba asked.

Zazu flew from Simba's shoulder and landed on the dry, dusty ground, his eyes watching the lovely young bird from a distance as she tried to fly, to no avail. Simba turned around to watch the bird, and finally, it seemed that she had given up. She stood on the ground, breathing heavily, her wing limp at her side.

"It would seem that the hyenas harmed her wing, Sire." Zazu watched the female hornbill worriedly. "She will not have any way of staying off the ground and avoiding predators."

Simba opened his jaws to reply, but when he saw Zazu's dismayed expression, he quickly clamped his mouth shut. Normally, Zazu would agree with him that this was the way of life- that injured or sickly animals would provide nutrition for others and strengthen their population. But there was something about this bird that seemed to have caught Zazu's interest, and his as well. She could be a useful animal to know in the future. Simba knew that the right decision in this instance would be to assist the young Binti and help her heal.

"I'll get Rafiki," Simba said after some time. "Bring Binti back to Pride Rock; we'll meet you there."

Zazu opened his beak to argue that he would be much more comfortable retrieving Rafiki, even though at times he resented the crazy old baboon, but Simba was already sprinting through the grasslands toward Rafiki's baobab tree. Zazu stifled a sigh as he flew towards Binti, landing several feet away from her and approaching her on foot.

"Binti." Zazu spoke with his usual authoritative air, but tried to offer sympathy. The purple-feathered bird raised her head to lock eyes with Zazu, and suddenly, she looked very embarrassed. "The king has ordered me to escort you to Pride Rock," he informed her. "I-"

"That will not be necessary, though I appreciate your concern, Zazu," Binti said quietly, though Zazu now noticed that her wing was a bit crooked and looked awkward. She put on quite a brave face, he had to admit, but she was simply being foolish if she thought she would be able to fare on her own.

"Binti, you are unable to fly," Zazu said. "It is the king's order that I take you to Pride Rock so your wing can heal. You aren't safe out here if you cannot fly!" The blue-feathered bird had prepared a retort, but decided against being so harsh and kept quiet, waiting for her response.

The female hornbill lifted her injured wing to examine it briefly, then lowered it slowly, as the pain was too great. "Alright," she murmured, her voice barely a whisper. "Thank you."

"You're quite welcome, Miss Binti," Zazu responded warmly, glad that she had agreed to join him. The two birds made idle chat as they walked back to Pride Rock, Zazu offering to lift Binti's injured wing to temporarily lessen her pain. She politely declined his offer, but the two hornbills continued making conversation nonetheless, even sharing a laugh now and then. The warm African sun peered through the acacia trees, bathing Binti in a golden glow. Zazu's eyes watched the female bird intently as she spoke; she asked many questions about his life as majordomo, and he answered completely and honestly.

Although they had only spoken with each other for a short amount of time, Binti began to feel a bond forming between them, and the pain in her wing was temporarily put out of her mind. As Zazu began getting into life on Pride Rock, Binti became more and more excited to see where the king lived with his pride.


You may never be able to fly again.
I am sorry.

Binti stood on the edge of Pride Rock looking over the grasslands. The sun was low in the sky, hanging directly before the young hornbill as it began to set, bathing the valley in an orange aura. Her injured wing was stuck to her side, being held in place carefully by several vines and leaves. Rafiki had been very kind to the young bird and was careful when treating her, but even his shaman powers could not heal her broken wing. He set the wing in hopes that it would heal correctly, but even then, she would have to practice flying all over again after the bone mended... if it mended. The female hornbill lowered her eyes from the sky, where other birds were soaring through the clouds... where she should be. Where she wanted to be.

The purple-feathered hornbill sighed. The king had been nice enough to offer her a place to stay on Pride Rock, and Zazu kindly agreed to bring her berries and other fruits for eating, since she would be unable to retrieve them herself. He said it would simply become part of his daily morning routine while he compiled his morning report for Simba and Kovu.

Binti felt a bit guilty, while deep down, she knew it wasn't her fault her wing had been broken. She felt guilty for causing trouble for Simba and Zazu and interfering with their daily lives. Zazu and Simba should have left me. The thought kept creeping into the back of her mind, and it nearly made her cringe every time. If Zazu had not distracted those hyenas... I would have been killed. For this, she was thankful and owed the hornbill her life, but she felt undeserving of the care she was being given.

The shaman, Rafiki, promised to do everything in his power to help her, and told her to come by his baobab tree later in the evening. She promised she would, though she had no idea how she would be able to get into the tree's higher branches. She said nothing on the issue and simply thanked him.

"Binti."

The female hornbill turned her head as her name was spoken. Zazu hopped over to her, folding his wings at his sides. "Simba has asked me to escort you to Rafiki," he informed her in his usual authoritative air. Glancing at the setting sun, he asked, "Are you ready to leave?"

"Actually, Zazu," Binti said, "I... I think I would like to go alone." Her eyes remained on the ground, waiting for his response.

Zazu paused for a moment. How to respond? Considering her condition, Binti would be unable to defend herself and unable to escape danger. But perhaps all she wanted to hear was that she was capable of doing things on her own, despite her wing.

The usually unflappable Zazu relented. "Fine," he huffed, turning away to hide the worry on his face. He had already become quite fond of the young Binti, as they had shared several laughs and held conversation well, and there was something about her... she was a bit reckless at times, unnecessarily, but she was a smart bird. She didn't pester him or others, and she often acted as if she were unimportant, unneeded. This was precisely why Zazu allowed her to leave on her own- perhaps she would think higher of herself if she managed to complete a task alone.

"Wait, Zazu."

Zazu stifled a sigh as he turned around to face Binti once more. "Yes, Madam?" he asked, an edge of annoyance in his tone.

If Binti had caught his discontent, she did not regard it. "Could you help me off of Pride Rock?" she asked quietly. "I'm afraid that I'll trip or fall..."

Zazu sympathetically obliged. "Of course, Miss Binti." It was a rational fear, without both of her wings to help balance her. If she tripped and landed on her wing, it could be further damaged beyond repair. Because there were many large rocks sloping downward against Pride Rock, it made it easier for the lions to climb up, and it would make a much safer way for the injured hornbill to climb down. "This way."

Irrevocably, Binti was nervous about her solo journey to Rafiki's, Zazu could tell, but she was willing to go on her own, and that was saying something about her will. As they stood atop the downward slope, Zazu offered Binti a wing to steady herself. A smile unfurled on her beak as she finally accepted his help, resting her only good wing on top of his.

When the two finally reached the bottom, relief washed over Binti, as the rest of her journey was level ground, according to Zazu.

"You had best be on your way if you are to return before dark, Madam," Zazu informed the lovely bird. "I will watch for your arrival. If you haven't returned by sunset, I will come find you myself."

"Very well, Zazu." Binti tucked her wing at her side. "I appreciate your help." She turned to walk on her way, seeing the baobab tree far away in the distance, almost obscured by the haze of the hot savanna. She knew it would be a long walk, but she would move as quickly as she could manage.

"Miss Binti," Zazu called after a few moments. There was a bit of hesitance in his voice, as if he were wary about Binti leaving on her own. Binti stifled a groan as she looked over her shoulder.

"Yes, Zazu?"

"Be careful," he said after a few moments. Binti smiled and nodded, continuing on her way.

Zazu watched Binti as she bravely walked, injured, into the savanna, away from Pride Rock. Rafiki was not far, but Zazu had a strange feeling about this. He thought for a moment. Was it the situation, or was it Binti herself? He couldn't be sure. She was brave, he had to admit, but was she being foolish by traveling alone? Perhaps she wishes to prove something to herself, he decided.

But what could she possibly be trying to prove?


A/N: Hello, everyone! I'm sorry I haven't posted any chapters in so long, I was caught up in school, and I have a job now and a lot of other things are going on in my life. To make it up to you guys, I thought I would put a different aspect of this story into play, one that includes a bond between Zazu and Binti. Does the name 'Binti' sound familiar to you? If you're a TLK fanatic, it might. Binti was the name of a female hornbill that was going to play a minor role in The Lion King: Simba's Pride as Zazu's wife. I love the name, and I was disappointed that she never got a spot in TLK, so I decided to bring her to life myself, with my own design and personality planned for her.
Also, I would like to ask that you please leave a review commenting on Zazu. I would like to know if I am keeping him well in character in the opinions of my readers. I have to admit, I tweaked his personality and responses here and there
only because I figured he could/would change his attitude around someone he cares for. Furthermore, I have already begun the next chapter, which will include another glimpse into the adventures of Timon, Pumbaa, and Adia. I will plan to update soon.

Again, my apologies for the long wait, and thank you for your patience!

~ ViolaViolette