Hello again, C:
Yet anoher chapter of my TLK3 series... hope you like it, :D
I'm actually thinking of changing the name of this story to: "The Lion King 3: ..."
I just don't know what to call it. :) So, leave a review on what YOU think it should be called, or if I should keep the current name after you've read this chap.
Oh, and sorry about the last chapter. I was short on time, and too lazy to come part 1 and 2. :P
Anyway, without further ado, chapter 5! :D
"Yo, Kitendo, what was the little Prince talking about earlier?" one of the Jengas, Ona, asked the leader as they traveled across a sandy desert, the sun high in the sky.
The dogs were quite far from the Pridelands by now, and high mountains and hills decorated the land all the way to the horizon.
Kitendo, the largest of them all, laughed menacingly, "Oh, yeah. He was talking about his bratty little sister…turns out she's missing," he said.
Angalia, the smaller female, snickered too. "And he thinks we took her? What a retard." But Kitendo didn't laugh, and only looked at her oddly.
She stopped laughing, and grew suspicious. "Oh no, Ki, you've got that look in your eye…" she said pointedly. Kitendo only quietly chuckled and said,
"What look?" but the other two only rolled their eyes.
"The look you get when you get a plan, but it never works, so Uawa kicks the fur outta us, then he banishes us for a while, then you get another plan, then—" Ona was cut off.
"Okay! Okay, we get it! I mess up sometimes, we all do, Kings," he growled loudly to shut up Ona. He cleared his throat as the smaller male yelped, and continued, "But this time, it's going to work. We just have to find the little kitty, hold her hostage, and ask for the lions' cooperation..."
"But what if she's dead? Or they already found her?" Angalia inquired, more of a pessimist, unlike Kitendo. The leader stopped dead in his tracks and whipped around to face her, snout to snout, their eyes only a whisker away.
"Then we won't let that happen, will we?" he hissed, every word filled with menace.
But Angalia only bravely lowered her eyes and snorted, bumping him in the shoulder before walking forward. Just to bug him, she whipped her little tail right in his face.
Usually, Kitendo didn't let this slide, but he just gave up, and got in front of her. "Whatever, we're still going through with my plan." With that, all three of them bent their necks down to the ground, and began sniffing for Uzuri…
Dead or alive, they didn't care.
"Oh, look! He's waking up! Shh, shh, give the little guy some space…" a voice whispered, obviously excited.
The cub opened her eyes, and saw that there were many gazelles surrounding her, all of their eyes wide with curiosity. She blinked, and they all neighed nervously and backed away.
She sat up, but she felt queasy and fell back down on her stomach. Some of the creatures giggled and one of them, the youngest of them all, clumsily trotted up to her.
Its mother, a larger female gasped and yelled, "No, Zuzu! Stay back, he might eat you!" but the tiny calf only giggled again and turned around to his mother, "It's okay! He's just a baby, he won't hurt me, mother."
The cub's eyes widened as the calf got closer, and stuck its snout right into her muzzle curiously. She fell on her back, appalled. This made the calf giggle some more. "See? He's harmless, mother!"
Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, the cub began to speak, "I…I'm not a he…I am a girl." Her voice was shaky, as if it took everything in her just to say one word. The herd gasped nervously.
The calf, Zuzu, however laughed and pushed her up off her back with his dull, stubby horns. "Oh, we thought you were a boy! Your fur is really long and dark, usually females are much lighter!" he smiled widely, and shoved his snout towards her face again, curious. "What's your name? Where are you from? Why won't you talk? What—"
"Zuzu!" his mother snapped, and he widened his eyes and timidly turned his head to her. "That is enough. She just woke up, don't bash her with questions."
The calf's ears lowered and he goofily ran back to his mother, standing obediently behind her front leg.
Then, a much larger gazelle entered the circle. The entire herd bowed respectively and he nodded in appreciation. The large stag had a dark, reddish brown coat, unlike the other cream-golden colored female. He had long, curved horns that would scare any beast away.
But there was something different about him… he wasn't as thin and nimble like other gazelle; he had an unusual yet flattering stocky, muscular build.
"What is going on here? I heard…" Suddenly, he spotted the cub. "Oh. Oh my. Woga, who is this?" The mother of Zuzu spoke up, "She's a cub we found by the river. She was about to die, and we couldn't just leave her there. But she just woke up, sir."
The male hmm'd with curiosity. He walked up to the cub, whose eyes were the size of saucers now. The male laughed with a deep, rumbling voice like thunder. He bent his long neck down to the cub's level.
"What is your name, young one?" he said patiently. The kitten brunched her eyebrows together in concentration, obviously thinking hard. After a while, she said loudly, "I honestly can't remember...all I can think of is rushing water and someone screaming a name… um, sir."
The buck raised his head, and chuckled another deep, manly laugh to match his voice. "Please," he insisted politely, "call me Shujaa. I am the leader of this herd."
The cub sighed and relief and cleared her throat. "Shujaa." She added.
Shujaa looked thoughtful for a minute, observing the cub closely. "Hmm…you look quite familiar, little one. I just… can't put my hoof on it. Anyone else?" he said after a moment, looking around at the other females.
The other gazelles cocked their heads. One of them, closest to the cub gasped, "Oh, yes! I've been thinking the exact thing, sir. Very familiar, yes indeed." She seemed to be very jumpy, and her voice was higher than the others'.
Shujaa looked at her a bit oddly as she cocked her head innocently and batted her big eyes at him. The cub noticed how angry Zuzu's mother, Woga, looked and the mother rolled her eyes. But she shook it off and looked back at Shujaa, who was now observing the confused cub again.
"Maybe… you're from the Pridelands? Does Kovu, Kiara, Mlenzi, or Uzuri ring a bell to you?" he rumbled, suddenly realizing she might be a Pride Lander.
The cub gasped, and her eyes widened. "That's it! Yes, I know three of those people…" Her memory came rushing back into her, like a strong current in a river. She gasped again and got to her feet. Like a river…oh my Kings! I know what happened!
"Oh, no, Shujaa! No, I'm Uzuri!" she confessed, and the gazelles gasped with more emotion than before. Shujaa nodded slowly. "Ah, that's why you looked familiar. But your coat…ah! The river and mud must've just gotten you dirty. Well, let's get you home. Woga, Finya, and Mzee, please escort Princess Uzuri home." He ordered to his herd.
Finya was the gazelle Woga was shooting daggers at earlier, and Mzee was a very old-looking female, but also had a sense of willpower and wisdom swirling around her like smoke. This intimidated Uzuri, and she lowered her ears. Mzee only lowered her eyes warningly and moved forward.
As Uzuri followed Finya and Mzee, she looked back for Woga. She caught Woga and Shujaa nuzzling each other shortly before she departed. Zuzu stayed with Shujaa. Then Uzuri smiled, and realized Shujaa looked just like Zuzu.
Woga pushed the Princess's tush with her forward gently. "Come along, Princess, your Pride must be worried sick about you." Uzuri giggled and ran forward.
Woga followed respectively in the back, with Finya and Mzee guarding the front, heads together, whispering.
Silently, Uzuri got closer and eavesdropped; her curiosity couldn't take it anymore.
"…why we have to take the brat home, those lions will probably devour us, Mzee!" she heard Finya whisper-yell.
Mzee scoffed and whispered back, "I know, Finya, but she was stupid enough to fall into a river…so we have to."
Uzuri didn't want to hear them insult her anymore, and she lowered her ears sadly. Woga walked faster, and began to trot beside her. They were halfway there.
"Are you okay, Princess? You look a little sad." She asked, actually seeming to care about the cub, unlike the others.
Uzuri sighed and looked at the slowly passing ground. "No, not really…" a memory crossed her mind, and she looked up at Woga. "Um, d-did you see another cub by the river? Near me?"
The thin female sighed sadly. "No, I'm sorry. I only found you…but you were very, very, very far away from your home. I'm surprised you're alive; you were so cold when we found you…we thought you were dead." Woga confessed, and Uzuri sighed again, "Oh. Okay…"
Then, before she knew it, they were nearing home, at Pride Rock.
Uzuri gulped and prepared herself for what was about to happen.
I wonder what they think happened…and what about Cheshi? she thought as tilted her head all the way up, gazing at a distant lion standing at the edge of the Rock, who suddenly jumped with surprise and ran down, other lions following him.
Uzuri sighed and braced herself.