Chapter 10 – Keeper of the Law
After Upesi's premature death, the members of the Lion Guard noted a radical increase of zeal in their leader. They considered that Taka felt obliged to pay a last service to his uncle by not failing him, and that was why, apart from getting his thoughts off the recent tragic event, he engaged fully in his work. And so, they followed him unquestioningly.
Not being able to complete their training, the four subordinate guardians relied on their boss' experience, which he had acquired during his years of living as a member of the royal family, in close proximity to the king himself. Taka became the interpreter of the laws that ruled the Circle of Life to them. That was why they didn't even notice that the young prince never actually bothered to ask his father for help.
In the mornings, Kilio, Mkali, Duma and Giza would usually wrestle and otherwise train with each other to wake and warm themselves up before work. Taka most of the time slept a bit longer than them (explaining that he needed his mind to be well-rested). But after he woke up and stretched, he would call everyone at once to discuss the day's schedule.
So it was today. After noticing that their leader was already awake on the tip of the rocky ledge in the middle of the lair, the four lions quit their exercises and sat underneath.
-"Good morning, Taka!" – said Duma, the most outgoing member of the team. He was still breathing deeply after a race with his brother Kilio, and still happy with himself for winning.
The prince turned his head toward the enthusiastic guardian, but didn't respond to the greeting.
-"Right. Let's get down to business, then" – he said, instead. – "Does anyone have any questions or comments that need to be voiced before we estimate which parts of the kingdom we will inspect during today's patrol?"
Immediately, a paw shot into the air.
-"Ooh! I got something!" – said Mkali. The brown cub looked as if he suddenly remembered a question he's been thinking of for a very long time.
-"Yes?" – Taka pointed at him.
-"I wanted to ask you about the jackals we kicked out of the kingdom yesterday, sir."
At once, the three other guardians began to nod their heads.
-"That's right! The jackals!"
-"So? What about the jackals?" – Taka looked and sounded increasingly impatient.
-"Well" – Mkali continued – "first of all, I wanted to know how you found out that there were actually more of them than just that one pup."
-"Uhh…" – the leader sighed, rolling his eyes. – "Have you been listening when my uncle told us that we should never trust those creatures?"
The keenest of sight looked a bit awkward.
-"Er, yeah, but… we just thought he was joking. Still, that doesn't exactly explain how you managed to find the pup's parents… and all of his siblings, too! There must have been half a dozen of them, and all were well hidden!"
Taka stood up and stretched again with a loud yawn.
-"There were seven pups, in total" – he stated. – "You may be the keenest of sight, Mkali, but you are not the keenest of smell. The one we saw first told us he was by himself. You all heard that. He lied, but that wasn't the main reason why we didn't let him and his family cross the border. Does anyone know why?"
The leader looked around, awaiting his subordinates to answer.
-"Well, he was cute and small by himself" – Kilio began – "but I suppose that whole family of jackals would make a huge mess as soon as they became hungry, I think."
-"That is correct" – Taka agreed with the athletic lion. – "And I assume you know well who would later have to clean that mess up, am I right?"
-"Yeah…" – the guardians admitted, reluctantly accepting the justice of their severe action.
-"Good" – continued the leader. – "In that case, if there's nothing more that's unclear, let us move on to planning out today's patrol, shall we? Walking all around the Pridelands and helping animals with their little problems has been a lot of fun, and we need to continue doing that. But we must also keep in mind the potential threats which had been pointed out to us. Namely, we must prepare to investigate the case of the rogue intruder."
Only the second part of this instruction was spoken with any real emotion, and it was also the only part which actually caught the other guardians' attention.
-"Oh yeah, we almost forgot about that!" – said Duma. The members of the Guard smiled, feeling the thrill of an upcoming adventure.
-"Are we going to go to the Elephant Graveyard, sir?" – Giza spoke for the first time that day, a curious spark in his bright, green eyes.
Taka snorted, seeing how exaggerated their fervor was. Then, skipping from rock to rock, he descended the platform on which he was standing, landing on the other cubs' level.
-"I don't know. Do you think you're ready for that?" – he stood in front of the one he himself chose as the bravest. The rogue's son didn't answer, seemingly waiting for his leader to continue. – "First, we need to ask around and look for clues. I'm sure that the animals whose friends that nomad had slaughtered will be more than eager to tell us a thing or two about him. We will therefore increase surveillance around the northern border, along with surveying the local population. In the meantime, the others must also have their eyes and ears open. And the first ones who will inspect that zone today will be…"
Taka didn't finish, as a sound suddenly entered the cave which was more than alarming. Naturally, the shouts of 'emergency, emergency!' immediately focused all of the Guard's attention, especially that they were rapidly increasing in volume.
Before long, a bird flew into their lair, making the long vines that hung from the ceiling scatter in a gush of wind. Then the purple arrow made a circle over their heads and landed on one of the rocks, still screaming.
-"Emergency! Emer…" – the bright-feathered hornbill only silenced when Taka literally grabbed her by the beak.
-"I see you're ready to deliver your morning report, Zuzu" – he said to the royal messenger, letting her go. – "Would you mind telling us why you decided to come to us first, before alerting my father?"
The bird, sending everyone around an offended look, pointed a wind at Taka's nose.
-"I wouldn't have come if the case did not require the attention of the Lion Guard, young master!" – she stated. – "In case you forgot, it so happens that today is the day of the marula fruit harvest."
Zuzu put her wings on her hips, cocking a brow as if what she just said was extremely meaningful. The guardians, however, shared a look of astonishment.
-"… and that should bother us because… ?" – Taka inquired.
-"Hmf!" – the hornbill snorted. – "Oh Great King, where's Upesi when we need him… I see that your experience is as large as your mane, sir!" – she fixed her eyes at the short tuft of slick, pitch-black hair on top of the lion's head. Both her comment and the mentioning of his uncle's name made him extremely angry.
-"Careful, bird. To me it looks like you're the one who lacks experience. After so many years in our service, you ought to know that it is not wise to insult a lion in his own lair."
The leader assumed an aggressive pose and bared his fangs, his subordinates immediately following suit. The surrounded Zuzu flinched.
-"Well, I-I…" – she stammered, losing all of her sass, and then stood upright. – "I apologize, sir! Allow me to explain, then. Each year, as soon as the marula trees ripen, an age-old conflict between herbivores is revived. Right on the border of the territory of two species of apes, there is a huge marula tree with lots of fruit on it. The monkeys have been incapable of figuring out who has the right to that food, but until recently, they were able to somehow share it. Today, however, it looks like both groups are about to start fighting each other! The situation is getting really tense as we speak! Please, Taka- you and the Guard have to do something!"
After hearing her report, Taka sighed.
-"And yet, here you are, babbling away. What's wrong with you?! Lead us to these apes! Right now!"
-"Uh, y-yes, certainly, sir… But maybe I should go inform the king first…?"
-"No! It's too late for that! Show us the way!"
-"Well, perhaps you could send Duma to run to Pride Rock while we…"
But Taka was relentless.
-"I want all of you to follow me" – he ordered, addressing the fastest one in their ranks.
Duma nodded and smiled.
-"Hey, whatever you say, sir!" – he agreed along with the others. – "As the saying goes- till the Pridelands end…"
-"Oh, shut your mouth and hurry up, already!" – the prince threw them a final rebuke, running toward the exit. The stupefied Zuzu rapidly took off, following him.
-"Young master, wait for me! You don't know which way to go!" – she cried.
Having the hornbill as their guide, the five lions ran through the savannah until they reached a lone marula tree. Indeed, the plant was huge, branchy and old, with bunches of ripe, greenish fruit ready for the picking.
-"There! Look there!" – Mkali pointed at something in the distance.
As the guardians approached the tree, they noticed that it was being guarded by a whole herd of gorillas. An enormous silverback, the group's leader, snorted with dissatisfaction as soon as he saw them coming.
A little to the side, there sat a bunch of sad-looking chimpanzees. It was obvious that the gorillas have recently chased them away from the food. Zuzu landed in front of one particularly aged chimp, and greeted him with a bow.
-"Karibu!" – said she, assuming a grave expression.
-"Karibu, my friends…" – the old ape answered with a sigh. But when the five young lions approached him, he looked at the marks on their shoulders a bit more kindly. – "I see you've brought the new Lion Guard with you. Your timing couldn't have been better."
Now all of the primates, both the chimpanzees and gorillas, started gazing at the new arrivals curiously. Some of the bigger monkeys exchanged whispers.
Taka stood before the old chimp and Zuzu stretched out one of her wings, pointing at him.
-"Wiston, this is Taka- Ahadi's younger son. He is the leader of the guardians. You're safe with him, and you can tell him everything about your problems. Speaking of the king, however, I better go get him. I'll leave you to it, then. See you soon!"
The hornbill flew off, leaving the prince with Winston the monkey.
-"Well" – began the lion, looking at the marula tree. – "Let me guess. This is a conflict about resources, isn't it? Ninety-nine percent of the time, it's all about your stomachs."
The chimpanzee smiled gloomily.
-"I can't deny that. We may not all have opposable thumbs and a dens neuron structure, but we all need to eat. Trouble is, everyone tends to be the more protective of their food the more they like it. And believe me, sir- us primates really like that marula fruit!"
Taka only responded with a snort of disregard to the herbivore's problem, but the other guardians who gathered around the chimps also had a few questions.
-"How long has your conflict with the gorillas lasted?" – asked Duma.
Winston shrugged.
-"Probably about… fifty years."
-"Fifty years?" – the astonished lions gasped in unison. Even Taka was amazed with such an answer.
-"How's it even possible?" – inquired Kilio.
-"Well, when my father was our boss, this tree was still just a little sapling" – explained the ape. – "When it grew a bit, us and the gorillas agreed that we would use it as a post that marked the border between our territories. That worked for a few years… But then, when the tree produced its first fruit, we kinda started having trouble with figuring out who gets to eat it… Usually, we would wait for the fruit to fall, and then pick it from the ground depending on which side of the border it landed on. But this year, the gorillas came and decided that they also wanted to claim the fruit that was still on the tree for themselves! Of course, we opposed, but just look at 'em! There's no way we can win a fight with those guys!"
Taka took another look at the huge wall of gorilla muscle that separated them from the marula tree.
-"Kilio. Giza. Go and try to talk some reason into that silverback" – he ordered.
The two guardians- the strongest and the bravest- gave their leader a look of surprise. Obviously, this was meant to be a test of their skills. Feeling a bit insecure, they nodded and obediently headed toward the group of dangerous primates.
-"Uh, sir, you sure this is safe? These things are twenty times bigger than any of us!" – protested Mkali, seeing as the two slowly made their way to the gorilla herd.
-"Don't you trust me, my faithful comrade?" – Taka asked with an audible note of sarcasm. Then he addressed Winston again. – "So what you're saying is that the tree is directly on the border of your territory. That means that the fruit falls both on the gorillas' turf, and your. Am I right?"
-"Yup. That is correct" – responded the monkey.
-"Why, then, are you sitting over here, while they basically seized the whole load for themselves?"
Confused, Winston looked at the other chimpanzees.
-"The gorillas are much stronger than us, we told you!" – they whimpered.
-"Ah, this means that they simply took all of the food by force, although both of you have the same right to share it" – Taka thought aloud. – "Don't they know that this is a violation of the Circle of Life?"
-"Well, let's see what they have to say for themselves" – said the chimp, pointing at Kilio and Giza, who just came back from their negotiations with the gorillas.
-"They won't budge" – said the strongest one. – "Actually, they didn't even want to speak to us."
-"Tsk-tsk. Not good…" – said the prince. – "But, then again, I suppose it's easy to think of yourself as being more privileged than the creatures that are inferior to you. If you had their strength, I doubt you would abstain from taking what you want from them!"
Completely astounded, the chips didn't know what to say. Then, surprisingly, Taka started walking over toward the gorillas, his companions following him at once.
-"Do you know who I am?" – he addressed the silverback, seemingly unafraid.
-"Some feline whelp" – answered the gorilla.
-"I am the son of your king, and the leader of the Lion Guard. See this?" – he exposed to him the mark on his shoulder.
The ape snorted.
-"Puh! You've got a mud stain on your fur. So what? I know king Ahadi and I've heard of the Lion Guard. But I will not answer before a band of cubs. Run along and find some grown-ups I can speak to, kid. Like that Upesi guy, for example."
-"Upesi is dead, you fool!" – Taka shouted back, surprising everyone around with his audacity.
The gorilla scratched his head. Some of the members of his herd started whispering something to him.
-"Oh yeah. Well then, go get your father! Or Mufasa, or anyone! What's the matter, are you stupid or somethin'?"
Now that was the last straw. Baring his fangs in a silent growl, Taka said:
-"I do not need them to execute judgement".
Then he turned to the rest of the Lion Guard.
-"Step aside."
-"Sir, what are you going to do?" – Duma asked him with concern.
-"Out of my way, do you hear me?! All of you! I may not be my uncle, but I am his successor. And I will show you the authority which the Lion Guard holds!"
Somehow, the gorillas understood what he was about to do... And when they did, they all ran away.
Taka roared, and at that moment everyone knew that Upesi may have not been present personally, but he was there in spirit. They heard his voice in the young prince's howl, and if anyone had the courage to lift up their eyes toward the sky, at that moment, for a brief while, they could see the image of his head in the clouds. Along with those of the Great Kings of the past.
The gorillas flew in the nick of time. No one was hurt by the Roar, but right after the mighty echoing noise, all the animals could hear another sound. It came from under the earth somewhere, and sounded like the cracking of broken bones. All the primates felt a shiver running down their spines…
Then, suddenly, the great marula tree leaned over unnaturally and came crashing to the ground, collapsing in a cloud of dust and kicking clods of dirt high into the air with its shattered roots. A carpet of squished ripe fruit appeared all around it.
As the echo of the roar and the collapsing tree died down, all the spectators stood in silence, completely shocked.
Finally, Taka, still amazed with the power he controlled and that his plan actually worked, turned around, addressing both the gorillas and the chimpanzees.
-"There. No reason for you to fight anymore. Now you can feast on the leftover fruit, and then go your own ways. In peace!"
AN: Respect my authoritah! XD
Hey, a harsh rule is better than no rule, right? Well, we still need to see the consequences of Taka's Salomon-like judgment.
Sorry it took so long to actually show the guardians at work... Oh, and the case with the jackals is a clear reference to the 'Lion Guard' episode, 'The Kupatana Celebration'. I mean, seriously, who would have trusted a jackal just because he looks cute? Pfff...