(A/N: Have a good weekend. Reviews appreciated.)
Fedha, the African Grey Parrot that had been the advisor to King Hunter and Queen Amani, was now looking for any signs of any survivors from the pride. She had been hovering in front of the basking sun for hours, just trying to find a sign, any sign, that anyone was left alive.
She was a good half-day's walk, if not a day's walk at a lion's pace, south of their lands when she finally caught a glimpse of a lion and a lioness drinking from a waterhole below. She swooped down to get a better look. She couldn't risk it; this just might be someone she knew!
Finally, she was low enough to the ground that she could see that, sure enough, it was none other than King Hunter and Queen Amani slurping up water from the waterhole.
"Your majesties!" called Fedha from above.
Hunter and Amani both looked up.
"I found you! Thank heavens I found you. I saw the state of your lands…it's all so awful! What happened?" she asked, as she landed on the ground.
Hunter and Amani exchanged glances. They weren't sure how they should respond.
"Look…" began Hunter calmly, "we're not really sure how you know us. We're sure you do but…we're not allowed to talk to strangers. Ulaga's rules."
"Ulaga? Pfbt! Whose Ulaga? It's me, your advisor, Fedha! Come on, I'm your most trusted advisor. How can you not remember me?"
"Ulaga says we lost our memories when we knocked out during the fight," replied Amani.
"Amani!" snapped Hunter.
"Hey," replied Amani, "I trust this bird. I don't think she's a spy."
"A spy?" asked Fedha. "For who?"
"For Simba," replied Amani.
"Oh great," snapped Hunter. "Give away everything, why don't you Amani?"
"Simba?" asked Fedha. "But Simba lives far away. What would he want with your pride? He's one of the most trusted lions in the whole of Africa!"
"He murdered our pride!" exclaimed Hunter. "At least, that's what Ulaga told us. Amani and I don't remember a thing. Anyhow, that's not the point! The point is that Simba's going to suffer for what he did! Ulaga's leading us and we're out to get him!"
Amani gave out a huge sigh of relief. "Just thank goodness Simba never found those two helpless cubs. I really hope that their parents are around somewhere."
Fedha's lower beak dropped.
"What?" asked Hunter.
Fedha finally shook herself out of it and began to shriek at them.
"Are you guys serious? Do you realize you're being fed nothing but li—"
"Hey, what's going on over there?" came Ulaga's voice.
Hunter and Amani gasped.
"Go on, shoo!" exclaimed Amani, waving her paw in front of Fedha's face. "We could get in big trouble if Ulaga found out we were speaking to strangers."
Fedha didn't need telling twice. She took off into the sky, but soon found a place to rest on a nearby tree branch.
Finally, Ulaga appeared from out of a thicket and he made his way towards Amani and Hunter.
"You two weren't talking to anyone, were you?" he asked.
"Not at all," replied Amani.
"Nope," replied Hunter.
Ulaga frowned. He didn't quite believe them.
"W—we were just talking to each other, getting to know each other," explained Amani. "After all," she added, "you did say we were mates."
"Yes," replied Ulaga, "you are." He scanned the waterhole, scanning for any sight of a potential threat. "Well," he said, after not seeing one, "I guess I was just hearing things. Just remember…don't talk to anyone. Simba is very crafty…you never know what tricks he might just have up his sleeve."
