Chu10: For this chapter, I owe a lot to Emerald dreamer, who composed so many parts for this giant of a chapter. We were both so busy - but hey we managed to do it. And for all of you sadists who predicted that bad things would happen this time round...well, guess you'll have to read to find out, won't you?
Emerald dreamer96: This is a long one sorry about that, we both put a lot into this one, sorry for the wait we'd have it up sooner, but life had other plans. Read, enjoy and of course review!
When he woke up, he knew that today was going to be an awesome. He had this special sense that told him that today was going to be really, really fun. His fur was tingling with the sense, his eyes were sparkling with the sense - even the tip of his tail was quivering with the sense! Today, boring was out, and an adventure was finally in sight - outside of the Pride Lands.
The very thought was enough to make his heart race with joy. His parents watched the border like hawks, well rather with hawks and eagles and Zazu as well as gophers and other creatures. Mufasa had explained how the network of animals fed the King vital information quickly so he could... do... something, Simba had been too busy pouncing on a lizard to really pay attention. The point was, he'd never set foot outside the border. His head was filled with visions of adventure and heroism, and one day he'd be a great explorer King like Mwezi generations before. Mufasa had mentioned dozens of other ancestors, but Simba only really remembered the heroic or interesting ones. His rambling thoughts were interrupted when Mchanga came quietly from the other side of the den gently calling his name.
"Psst, Simba...we have to be real quiet."
Simba nodded, excitedly trotting up to his older friend. On the other side of the den, a few cubs had already gathered for the adventure - mainly Malka, and his siblings Nala and Mheetu, and Mchanga's best friend Pepo.
"Alright, most of you are awake...hey Simba, go wake up the others over there." Mchanga pointed his nose towards the direction of some sleeping cubs next to their parents. As sneakily as he could, the golden cub started to creep towards their sleeping forms. One paw forward after the other - but all of a sudden, a Lioness gave a loud yawn, making Simba jump backwards.
Mchanga, looking on at the Lioness warily, beckoned Simba to come over. "Nah, forget about them, we have to get out of here before they wake up!"
Simba nodded his head excitedly.
"Alright!"
"Shut up!" Mchanga hissed looking nervously into the den.
"Oh...sorry." Simba apologised, skin going red under his fur.
Mchanga rolled his eyes and gave his friend an affectionate paw around the ear before moving towards the entrance.
Malka yawned and stretched out before turning to Pepo.
"So how do you plan to get past the look outs?" He asked with practical curiosity.
"That's for Mchanga to know and me to beat out of him if he hints at his brilliant idea one more time without any details." Pepo said glaring good naturedly at her friend.
"Well my curious friend, I just so happen to have found a most elegant solution to our diema." Mchanga said putting on an impression of Zazu's accent.
"Hey genius, it's dilemma." Nala pointed out.
"Really? Well anyway, as you may be aware any travel across the borders will inevitably lead to detection, so using my formidable intellect, I have discovered a way to avoid the issue."
"Would you stop dropping in big words and spill already?" Nala asked.
"Shush young one, this is worth the wait."
"Alright, that's it!" Pepo broke in, approaching Mchanga with mock aggression and real irritation.
"Fine, I'll tell you. It's a tunnel. Goes right under the great river and turns up somewhere on the other bank."
The cubs let out a series of gasps at this.
"For real?" Simba asked.
"Yep." Mchanga acknowledged.
"How do you know it isn't watched?" Nala asked.
"Simple, nobody knows about it. The Pride land side entrance was covered by a rotten log, I accidently put a paw through it a while ago and ended up exploring,"
"Can we go already?" Mheetu asked impatiently.
Everyone looked at the cub in surprise at his unusual outburst. He shrank slightly.
"What? Only Simba's allowed to be excited about an adventure around here?"
Mchanga laughed and gave the cream coloured cub a hard and loud pat on his shoulder. "Heh, little guy! Yeah, let's get going, everybody!"
In the cooling light of sunrise, the small group of cubs started heading to the borders of the Pride Lands. No Lion or Lioness was up at this time of day, but most of the animals, especially the hooved ones and the winged ones, were already up and ready for life.
"I've never been up so early before!" Simba exclaimed, hopping about in front of the group and swatting the dewdrops off the grass. As he neared a small tree, no taller than a young giraffe, he looked up, spotting a great deal of dewdrops on the leaves. His mind started to build up a sneaky little plan, and the cub grinned to himself, running up further to hide in the long, tall grass ahead, stealthily padding to the young tree.
"Where did Simba go?' Malka asked, looking around.
"Oh don't worry Malka, he's just ran off ahead of all of us," Pepo shrugged. She was pretty much used to Simba being the energetic one.
"He's going too get eaten by a rhinoceros if he keeps this up," Malka laughed to himself.
"Haha, very funny. That ferocious rhino is going to eat you first!" Nala teased, causing Malka to roll his eyes. "Aww come on Brother, are you always so grumpy?"
"Nope, but - "
Before Malka could finish his sentence, a shower of water descended upon the cubs like a sudden rainfall, causing all of them to scream and shout in surprise. The water was cold!
"Ahh, what in the world?!"
"No, no! I'm too young to die!"
"Is it raining already? No way!"
A loud laughter erupted from behind the tree, and Simba emerged, rolling on his back hysterically.
"Ha-ha, you should have seen all your faces!" He pointed to Mheetu. "Too young to die!" He mocked, imitating the voice of the other cub, and started to laugh all over again. Mheetu smiled embarrassingly.
"Oh Kings, thank you for giving us the blessing of this -" Malka glared at Simba while shaking his own fur dry - "dumb Prince."
Mchanga, although drenched, was laughing with the Prince. "Good one Simba!"
Pepo was laughing as well, but slightly less impressed. Shaking her head at Simba, she began solemnly, "Simba, come on...I thought you were a well behaved little cub. This is disappointing." Then, with a small, playful grin, "Surely you could have done better than that?"
Simba gave a toothy grin, proud of his own achievement of impressing the older cubs. However, his victory was extremely short-lived - a shower of water came thudding down onto him from the crown of the young tree.
"Gah!" Simba cried as he darted into the grass like a cat in hot water.
"Ha-ha, you should have seen your face!" Nala emerged from behind the tree, first imitating the cocky tone of her friend, but her eye twitched and she started to laugh at her friend's demise.
"Hey! No fair!" Simba frowned.
"Look who got the last laugh now Simba!" She playfully punched his shoulder.
"Nala!" Simba exclaimed, then reached up to feel his own tuft. It had flattened and clumped up due to the water. "No, not the mane!"
All of the cubs, including Malka, burst into a fresh wave of laughter.
"Here let me help." Mchanga said kindly.
He gently started to groom Simba with a paw, before roughly mussing up his fur, much to the outrage of the young Prince.
"Hey!" He yelled.
"Oh come on Simba, stop being so uptight about your 'mane'." Pepo chided.
"Whatever." Simba sulked.
"Can we get a move on?" Malka asked impatiently.
"Honestly if it isn't one thing it's another. And you aren't helping either Mchanga, grow up." Pepo sighed in frustration.
"Sorry. I'll be good I promise...Mom." Mchanga teased.
Pepo shot him a glare before an involuntary smile spread across her muzzle.
"Ok, ok. Let's just get moving again."
They soon picked up the pace, eager to cross the border. Quickly the irritation was forgotten... for the most part. Simba was hanging behind the group, feeling rather moody. Man, how he hated being humiliated by the other cubs! And that stupid Mchanga, too! This adventure sucks, he thought.
Nala, the prankster who had gave him a taste of his own medicine, was tagging along with the other cubs up front. Mheetu was chatting happily with her, when suddenly he gave her a small nudge. Simba had caught the corner of his eye, and there was no missing his frown.
"Nala...I think Simba's kinda angry," he whispered, and nodded towards the said cub. Nala raised her eyebrows in concern, and slowed down, turning around to go to the Prince.
"Hey Simba," she came to him, grinning.
"What?" Simba huffed.
"Mr Grumpy," Nala teased, "why're you so upset?"
Simba was caught a bit speechless. Here she was, his prankster who had smoothly got back at him and outmatched him. He wanted to scold her for it, but somehow, when he looked at her, he didn't know what to say. So he stared at her for a while - and shrugged.
"Come on, don't sulk! Simbaaaa," she chuckled.
Simba smirked at her attempts to cheer him up. "Nalaaaaa," he mirrored.
"Hey! Don't say my name like that!"
"Heh, you asked for it!"
"Nalaaaaaaa." He dragged out the last syllable of her name playfully. Nala fixed her gaze on him.
"Say that again...!"
"Haha, Nalaaa - ARGH!" He cried out as the female cub ran at him, and started a chase with him, both cubs howling playfully. However, Nala was faster and more agile on her feet, and she caught up to Simba quickly, leaping onto him and causing both the cubs to roll over in the dust. Both cubs scuffled playfully until Nala suddenly got a hold of Simba's shoulders with both her front paws, and in a quick motion, she pressed him to the ground.
"Pinned ya!" She smirked, triumph evident in her eyes. Simba could only stare. He was just beaten...by a girl? No way! He only lay there, stunned for a moment, breath knocked out of him. But his senses came back very quickly.
"Eww, get off me!" He said, pushing Nala off him. He still couldn't believe himself - he was beaten by a girl. Impossible! That never happened!
"Don't think you've won just because you pinned me!" He challenged, but Nala was unfazed.
"I'll like to see you try, Simba!"
A voice interrupted the two. It was Pepo, and she winked at the both of them. "Hey, you two lovebirds over there, mind getting into the tunnel now?"
Simba and Nala turned to each other, looking quite surprised - but that surprise quickly turned into disgust.
Lovebirds? Both of them thought at the same time. Then, in unison, with exaggerated faces of digust, "Eww!"
It didn't look impressive, a rotten log with a hole in it on a small hill. Yet despite its rather uninspiring appearance Mchanga was proudly standing next to his discovery as if it was Pride Rock.
"The hole looks pretty small. How will we fit your head through it?" Malka asked with unusual good humour.
"It's big enough; now I'm going to go first just to check if it's safe on the other side."
"Why wouldn't it be?" Mheetu asked.
"King Mufasa always said to be careful across the river, he said that almost nothing lives out there and what does is nasty... still you cubs will be fine, after all you have me around to protect you." Mchanga boasted.
"Just go look already, if you get eaten, scream so we know to go to the waterhole instead." Pepo instructed impatiently.
Mchanga grinned before he began to push himself through the dead log and into the hole beneath it soon disappearing into the dark.
The cubs waited anxiously for several minutes before Mchanga returned with a triumphant grin, they soon followed him as he once more disappeared down the tunnel. Mheetu was the last one in, the tunnel was dark and damp and cold, he dragged himself through it as fast as he could and couldn't stop himself gasping when he was blinded by the streak of light that marked the exit. He immediately felt better upon emerging and was so caught up in the sensation that it took him several moments to begin looking around at his destination.
The cub let out a gasp as he looked around for the first time, the land couldn't have been more different than his home. Miles of badlands stretched out before them. Small twisted trees clung desperately to life over dead earth and harsh rocks. In the distance stood a citadel of earth, just as impressive as Pride Rock - but in its own twisted and deformed way.
"The caves are beneath the termite mounds." Mchanga informed them.
"How many times have you been here?"
"Zero actually." Mchanga admitted.
"What!" Malka demanded. "How do you know they even exist?!"
"My mother told me, she came through this place when she was on her way to the Pride Lands before I was born. She slept inside the mounds and found a cave, and she talked about it when I asked about these lands after I found the tunnel."
"Can we just get moving?" Simba asked exasperated.
"Fine. Come on, let's get going before a certain bratty Prince ruins my day for doing him a favour." Mchanga said shooting his impatient young friend a look of irritation. Simba had the good grace to look down a bit in embarrassment.
"Sorry Mchanga. Thank you for taking us out." Simba apologised with rare sincerity.
"It's fine, just be a bit more patient ok?" Mchanga said feeling slightly guilty.
Simba nodded and the group began the trek towards the distant spires. His mood slowly picked up as they got closer. They were definitely an impressive sight, and as they walked, he and Nala soon had an informal war going on, ambushing and pranking each other. Much to Malka's amusement, Simba was getting the worst of it. Taking advantage of Simba's slip-ups with his own sister, Malka started to taunt and make fun of his friend. His taunts were really starting to irritate Simba and even Nala was growing sick of his constant needling before Mchanga took him aside.
Listen Malka, I brought you out as a treat. So can't you just drop the stupid rivalry and have fun?" Mchanga said in a serious tone of voice
"What fun is there in being an idiot?"
"Ask Simba."
"Hey!" Simba called out indignantly
Malka laughed at the joke but with a little less bite than usual.
"Can you promise to be less of a pain? Relax, play with the others. Heck play with me if you want, I promise to only kick your butt a little bit."
Malka took on a calculating look as he nodded.
"I guess I could - there would be one condition of course."
"What?"
"You scream like a girl when Pepo pours those termites on your head!"
"Wha-ARGH!" Mchanga screamed as Pepo did exactly that,
Leaping around, and literally screaming like a girl, Mchanga ran as if he got scalded by fire.
"ARGH! Get these off me! Get them off get them off!" He cried, desperately brushing off the little creatures that clung persistently to his fur.
"Hah! Mchanga, I thought you were more of a lion than a lioness!" Pepo yelled, and roared with laughter, the other cubs following suit.
"Grr...I'll get you all back! YARGH!" Mchanga yelled a war cry, charging at the others and making them run away, still shrieking with laughter. Pouncing and grabbing Pepo by her waist, he pinned her down, shaking off his termites.
"Eat some bugs!" He laughed, getting his payback. Pepo struggled, trying to push him off, both the cubs wrestling on the bone-dry ground.
"No! Eww! Mchanga that's GROSS!"
"Attack!" Simba cried, and the rest of the cubs pounced on to Mchanga, playfully pinning him down.
"No fair!" Mchanga yelled, but the cubs 'attacked' him relentlessly, thoroughly enjoying their little game of bullying their leader.
After a short while of rolling about and trying to assault one another, Nala shouted to all of them from the front of a cave entrance. The cave was dark, and it led into the spire. "Hey guys! Look what I found!"
Looking up from the pile of cubs that were stacked on top of him, Mchanga nodded. "It would be cool...if all of you weren't getting my termites!"
"Ahh!" The cubs screamed and exclaimed in disgust, immediately getting off Mchanga.
Simba trotted up to her. "Cool," he said, and he heard his own voice reverberate through the cave, coming back out as an echo. "Cool!" He said loudly, enjoying this little game of echoing.
"Don't do that Simba, it may be dangerous!" Nala urged.
"Danger? Hah. I laugh in the face of danger! Ha-ha-ha-ha!"
After a brief echo, a loud silence reigned once more. Mchanga got up with a helpful paw from Pepo. The group assembled around the cave entrance. Mheetu looked into the dark, slightly nervous.
"They're empty right?"
Mchanga nodded, scratching the last remaining fleas away.
"Yeah, I mean who'd want to live in a place like this?"
Malka looked unusually excited. He seemed to have enjoyed the little tussle.
"So are we going in, or what?"
"I'll go first." Simba said jutting his head out proudly and puffing up his chest.
"Why?" Malka asked.
"Because I'm the Prince." Simba said as if it was obvious.
"I'm the oldest." Mchanga said.
"Well you're both idiots, so I should go first."
Pepo shook her head disapprovingly at their immaturity.
"I'm heir to the throne, so I get to go first."
"I'm the smartest."
"I'm the leader."
"And I'm the fastest." Nala called out from inside the cave.
The three cubs looked at each other in surprise before scurrying after her and entering the forbidding structure.
The Termite mounds if anything were even more impressive on the inside. Arches and pillars broke up the cavernous space, and shafts of light illuminated the scene in a golden haze as dust mixed floated around gently, given visibility for only the briefest moments before floating back into obscurity. The cubs were suitably impressed.
"Whoa!"
"It's huge."
"How could termites build this?"
"This place is fantastic… last one to the top wants to kiss Rafiki!"
Mchanga was just as awed as his companions but he felt that he had to at least try and act responsible, after all unauthorised trip or not, Mufasa would expect him to make sure that his charges were unharmed.
"Wait, no messing around on those ledges, stay on the ground." He ordered, earning a chorus of groans.
Pepo backed him up. "He's right, this place is fun enough without any danger, besides we need to start looking for the caves."
"You two used to be fun." Simba muttered bitterly.
"And you used to be such a sweet little baby."
"He still is, just look at that tuft... sorry mane of his. So cute!" Mchanga teased.
"Shut up!" Simba growled.
"Calm down Simba, don't be a brat, stop acting like a baby and we won't make fun of you for being one." Pepo said sternly.
"Fine mom." Simba retorted gaining a chuckle from Nala.
Malka snorted.
"Come on, let's just find the caves," Mchanga said irritably. He was fed up with their antics
Simba and Nala shared a conspiratorial wink as Mchanga and Pepo walked deeper into the mound peering into the corners and looking for the promised entrance. The two cubs waited until their elders had a wall between them before making their way up to the top.
Simba couldn't resist yelling down.
"You all look like bugs from up here!"
Mchanga looked up in surprise and instantly became worried and enraged.
"Simba, Nala, get down here now!"
"Make me," Simba taunted, sticking out his tongue, with Nala doing the same.
Pepo and Mchanga began climbing up themselves, Simba waited until they were almost at his level before leaping onto a narrow ledge. Pepo reached Nala before she could do the same.
"Get down here you little brat, before I skin you!" She threatened furiously.
Mchanga began following Simba calling out to him.
"Get back here, this ledge looks weak it co - ARRRGGHH!" He screamed as the narrow ledge literally crumbled beneath his feet sending him falling down below, fortunately hitting a pillar only feet below before rolling onto another ledge. Simba stared down in shock which turned to fear as Mchanga rolled of that ledge and fell down a blessedly gentle slope landing hard - but not dangerously so - on the floor of the mound.
However the ordeal wasn't over as the ground broke away again and Mchanga fell into a dark hole. The other cubs soon rushed to the scene, with Simba arriving slightly behind the others.
"Mchanga!" at least three voices sounded out at once, uniform in their panic if not tenor.
"Kings! Mchanga are you ok? Please be ok!" Pepo called down anxiously.
The frightened cubs nearly let out a cheer when they heard a groan come from down below.
"Mchanga?"
"Owww..."
"Mchanga! Are you hurt?"
"I think... owww I'm alive." A voice called out weakly followed by a rasping cough.
"What's down there?" Malka asked staring into the darkness.
"I think it's the caves we were looking for."
Mchanga painfully pulled himself out of the hole with help from Pepo. He showed signs of being in pain and some hints of tiredness, but when he caught sight of Simba who was edging away, his face turned into a snarl.
"You nearly got me killed! You stupid little piece of-" Mchanga began marching forward menacingly.
Simba looked absolutely terrified; he'd never seen his friend so angry before, he stammered an apology, tripping over slightly. For a minute he thought Mchanga would attack him, but Pepo got between them.
"Stop!" She ordered.
Mchanga hesitated, but slowly calmed down.
"Let's just get home. I've had enough of these brats today."
"What? But we haven't done anything!" Malka protested.
"Shut up," Mchanga said harshly.
"But we came all this way, " Nala began before a glare silenced her.
Simba remained on the floor looking over Mchanga's injuries in shock. Cuts and bruises covered him and dust had besmirched his sandy fur.
"I'm sorry." He said weakly, Mchanga snorted in contempt.
"I was such an idiot, I thought I'd take you brats out as a favour, sure me and Pepo could go ourselves and enjoy this awesome place but I knew that you lot would be bored and probably be jealous, so why not? You know what? Mufasa can find a new babysitter. I'm through with you brats!"
Stunned silence met this announcement.
"Mchanga... I didn't mean to..."
"Just shut up."
Pepo was worried about her friend's mood and decided to intervene.
"Mchanga maybe me and you could still explore together, I'm sure that the cubs will behave themselves. Simba can wait up here, I'm sure he'll know better than to cause any more trouble. We came all this way after all - no need to ruin the day."
Mchanga snorted again but nodded his assent before turning to Simba.
"Wait outside, I swear that if you mess up again... just go already." A shaken Simba made his way outside as the others began climbing into the hole. Malka was second last in line, he noticed his brother was standing back looking into the hole.
"What's wrong?"
"I just... I don't want to go in there."
Malka looked down into the hole, and he heard wet and dark echoing strange moaning noises from somewhere that he hadn't noticed before.
"Wait with Simba." He said before noticing the look of shame on his brother's face. He realised that he'd be in for a rough time once the bitter Prince found out why he wasn't with the others.
"What's taking so long up there?" Pepo asked as she climbed back up, obviously irritated at yet another setback.
"I don't want to go down there... it looks lame." Malka lied.
"Are you scared?" Pepo asked doubtfully.
"What no...I just err, don't feel like it."
"Really? Because if you are that's fine."
"I'm not scared! M - I just don't want to go down there ok?"
"Yeah... ok, well Mheetu are you coming?"
"Actually... is it alright if... you stay up here with me?" Malka asked giving his brother an almost unnoticeable nod.
Mheetu caught on to what his brother was doing, he sent him a grateful look.
"Yeah, sure. I don't mind staying up here with you. I mean, it's just a hole in the ground."
Pepo didn't want to embarrass Malka so merely nodded and started climbing down. Not like Malka to be scared of the dark, she mused. Nice of Mheetu to be so nice to his brother.
The creatures that dwelled in the dark knew that food was coming. Food, lots of food; endless food.
Without the big cat hanging around, they had suffered quite a lot. Promises and hopes of food had been dashed, the possibility cancelled, like meat being stripped off a bone. Ooh, thinking about that just made them so hungry. So hungry that they were willing to try their paws at some young, fresh meat. Hold on, what was that smell? Were those...cubs? Lion cubs? Cubs of the big cats?
And their voices were echoing loudly and rudely through the cavern - but who would complain about there being a free meal served up right to their doorstep?
I like myself some meat, delivered, one thought, licking its lips.
Food! Ehehehehe, food! Another one thought, drooling.
Dinner is served, boys, one thought, crouching and prowling in anticipation.
"Bravest one gets to be the leader for one day!" They heard a loud, boyish voice call.
Snickering and howling with laughter, the hyenas emerged from the shadows, their heads tilted menacingly and their eyes glinting with malice.
"Hey small little kid, what do I get if I am the bravest?" A hyena asked, a taunting undertone to his voice. This sent the cubs scuttling backwards, eyes wide and fixed on the hyenas.
"Ooh I smell a lot of fear Banzai. Do you smell the fear?" A female, seemingly the pack leader, slunk up to the cubs, snapping her teeth and making one of them flinch.
"Yes I smell the fear Shenzi, do you smell the fear, Ed?"
"EHEHEHEHE!" A third hyena giggled madly, emerging out of the shadows. In the darkest corners of the cave, many pairs of glowing eyes slowly faded into view.
Food, endless food. The cubs were going to be food. This was good.
The cubs were going to be food. This was bad.
Mchanga wasn't scared, only little cubs got scared. He was in control, calmly assessing the situation. He knew that every detail was important; yep that was definitely urine running down his leg...they probably wouldn't be fast enough to get out and the Hyena's teeth were jagged and yellow. The razor sharp points filled his vision, and he knew that they would soon be tearing chunks out of him without effort.. he wasn't sure how this information was meant to help him but counting each individual tooth was the only plan he could come up with
"Mchanga, what do we do?!" Nala asked, frightened. She was backing away from the approaching Hyenas, flinching at their demonic laughter.
Mchanga stirred at her words, why was she asking him? He wanted to run, he'd never been more terrified in his life, oh Kings was he going to die in a dark hole in the ground, oh kings, oh kings, oh- the curse/prayer was rebounding in his head as he saw a large brute of a male Hyena closing in for the kill, but he was rooted to the spot.
He heard a familiar growl.
"Get away from him!" Pepo yelled charging forwards.
The Hyena laughed right until she ploughed into him, sharp claws raking at his chest. He fell back screaming in pain, before swiping Pepo of with an enraged paw. She landed hard.
Suddenly Mchanga felt a surge of pure rage, blasting aside his fear, nobody, nobody hurt his friends, especially that friend. He barely noticed the roar that passed his lips, he barely noticed leaping forwards, he dimly recalled landing hard and only later would he associate the blood on his muzzle with the Hyena's missing ear.
By this point the other Hyenas were surging forward he backed away warily knowing that he was almost certainly dead.
"Pepo, Nala, run! I'll hold them!" He shouted, gaining more demented laughter from the Hyenas.
Outside the Termite mounds and completely unaware of the danger their friends faced, three unhappy cubs stood around in unhappy silence.
Simba felt a strange mixture of guilt for his actions and anger at his punishment. Why did Nala get to go down to the caves and not him? She had been right there with him and would have also jumped if Pepo hadn't caught her. Still he couldn't get the look of fury on Mchanga's face out of his mind; he was terrified that he may have lost a friend.
Malka also longed to explore the caves with the others but had no intention of leaving his brother with Simba. He knew that the bratty Prince would be utterly merciless in teasing Mheetu for being scared of the caves. So he stood in brooding silence.
Mheetu was feeling pretty down, he was bored, both his companions were in a bad mood and he felt ashamed of being so afraid of a hole in the ground.
"Maybe we could play tag?" He suggested, uncomfortably aware at just how lame that sounded.
Simba didn't deign to reply and Malka snorted slightly. Mheetu's spirits dropped further but he was sick of boredom.
"Maybe hide and seek, wrestling, dares… bird watching?" He asked, the last suggestion being a frustrated joke.
Malka smiled slightly at the lame attempt. Simba however seemed angry.
"How about you play go away and stop being annoying."
"Hey!" Malka growled, coming to his brother's defence.
"What?" Simba asked turning to his rival.
Both frustrated cubs began coiling up.
"Stop picking on my brother, he's just trying to help."
"Well he's pretty bad at it, isn't he?" Simba retorted.
"Well you're pretty bad at being a Prince yet I don't see him complaining about you!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I thought it was pretty clear, you're a selfish, arrogant, bullying brat."
If Pepo hadn't come barrelling out of the cave entrance at just that moment there would have been a fight, as it was she found the two of them squaring off with a worried looking Mheetu standing off to the side.
"We have to go! Now!"
"What?" The cubs asked simultaneously.
"Hyenas, in the cave!"
"Mchanga's still in there! We have to get help!" Nala said urgently.
Simba went cold; no way would Mchanga last long enough for help to arrive. Pepo and Nala looked absolutely terrified. He knew instantly somehow that they weren't able to think about anything other than escape. He watched with a strange fascination as awareness returned to Pepo's face and she took on a look of horror.
Simba pushed past them sprinting towards the entrance.
"What are you doing?" Someone called out.
"Saving Mchanga!" Simba called back.
He sprinted inside, ignoring their calls, he may not have paid much attention to his father's lessons, neither had he really any interest in the bazillions of duties, traditions and protocols that Zazu on occasion tried to drum into him, but one thing Simba knew without a doubt was that no King worthy of the name left their friends in the lurch. He'd leaped straight into the hole in the ground landing on the hard ground below, letting out a defiant roar.
The Hyenas had knocked Mchanga down and were in the process of licking him and talking loudly about how tasty he was, he struggled but his muscles were still those of a cub so he could not shift the female crushing his lungs. He couldn't breathe, he hurt all over and he was old enough to know that he was almost certainly in for a very painful death.
He heard a scratchy weak sound come from the entrance, it was soon replaced by gales of laughter from the Hyenas, twisting his head Mchanga could just about Simba illuminated by the weak shaft of light from the hole, looking even younger and smaller than ever faced by the three killing machines. Mchanga gut went cold, the thought of his friend... his charge being torn apart by the Hyenas was horrific.
"Simba...run!" He ordered as he struggled even harder, knowing it was futile.