He did nothing as Kitwana ran off.
What could he do about it? He was probably the last animal the chick wanted nearby at the moment... At least that was what he thought.
But this way of thinking had cost him everything back then, when he was supposed to look after his younger siblings... If he had been more attentive, they would still be alive.
But this was the Pride lands. Nothing of that sorts could happen to Kitwana! Surely the Lion Guard would be around to save him if he got in trouble, right? That was what they did.
"Makuu?!" Akina ran over to him, looking worried. "What happened?! K-Kitwana just... he ran off...!"
"He didn't take it very well, as you can see." Makuu said, sighing.
"I told you not to be too hard on him!"
"Even if I wasn't, he still would have reacted the same way, don't you get it? He believed it for so long that he won't just abandon that belief no matter how many times we repeat the truth to him, or how many times we point out the plain obvious difference between us. And given that we have to take him to Pride Rock tomorrow to hand him over, that might prove to be a problem."
"R-Really? Is that all you care about?! How to hand him over?!"
The male croc snorted. "We already talked about this."
"Could you try and be a bit more considerate?!"
"Considerate?! It would have been considerate to tell him the truth from the beginning, but no! You insisted that the best for him would be to let him keep thinking he was a crocodile! Well, look how well that worked out!"
"Are you blaming me?!" Akina growled, incensed.
"We're both to blame, even if I have the lion's share of it!"
Realizing they were wasting time arguing while Kitwana was out, suffering and very upset, Akina turned her back on her mate. "Forget it, I have no time to argue with you! I'm going to make sure Kitwana is okay!"
He would have protested, but he'd just be digging himself a deeper grave. He let her go after the fledgling; he was probably far by now, anyway. Sighing, Makuu just made his way back towards the lake, and into the water. Before swimming off, however, he turned to Hodari, who had witnessed Kitwana running off in pain, but had no idea of what had happened. "Hodari."
"Yes, Makuu?"
"Do me a favor. Go tell King Simba I'll take Kitwana tomorrow."
Kitwana ran through the rain as fast as he could, panting. He had no idea of where he was heading, he just wanted to get away from it all, until finally he tripped and fell on top of the mood.
Once his body touched the ground, he started to weep, his tears mixing with the downpour.
It could not be true.
He couldn't be... He was a crocodile! Why would Makuu tell him such horrible things out of sudden...
The rational part in him, however, understood now why he was so different. Why he couldn't swim, why he stood on his hind legs, and why he lacked everything a crocodile should have.
But he stubbornly pushed those thoughts away. He was born in a crocodile float, so the logic thing was that he was a crocodile, and Makuu was just... messing with him. Sometimes he did it, though he had never done something as terrible as this. Or perhaps he was testing him out to see if he had what it took to be a proper member of the float.
Yes, it had to be that.
Maybe if he showed him he could be as much of a crocodile as he, or the others, he'd take back everything he said.
How to show him, though? He wasn't big enough to bring down any prey yet, and he had no teeth he could use anyway. However, crocodiles didn't just eat red meat, they also ate fish every now and then when there was no red meat around.
But smaller fish from the banks of the river wouldn't impress Makuu. He was all about 'the bigger, the better'. He had to catch a bigger fish from the deeper part of the lake if he wanted to earn his respect.
However, the climate was getting worse, and the normally calm lake was slightly wild, the wind brought forth by the storm was causing waves on its surface. The sight made Kitwana hesitate; he had never learned how to swim. If he couldn't even stay afloat in the bank of the river, how was he supposed to stay afloat in the lake where he'd have nowhere to lean into if he got tired.
No. He couldn't doubt of himself. He would show them, he would show Makuu!
Swallowing all of his fear, Kitwana ran into the water, and started swimming... or rather, tried to swim towards the center of the lake. He managed to stay afloat even though he frantically flapped his wings. Kitwana was pulled underwater momentarily by a small wave, but with some considerable effort he managed to get back to the surface, gasping desperately for breath.
Unfortunately, this outburst also drained most of his stamina, and soon he got tired. Realizing it was far too risky with this climate, Kitwana decided to try when the water calmed down. But when he turned around in the water with some difficulty, he realized the shore was farther than a few seconds ago. The current must have carried him further into the deeper part of the lake when he wasp pulled underwater.
Kitwana panicked and desperately tried to swim back to shore by moving his body like he had seen the other crocodiles do, but this only made him sink again.
"H-Help!" He cried out, but the water swallowed him up again, before he managed to lift his head above the water again, gasping. "Somebody! H-Help me!"
A large wave completely swallowed him, and it pulled him deep into the dark, stormy waters. Kitwana tried desperately to swim back to the surface, but his body was not made to move in the water, much less against currents.
Soon his lungs started running out of air, and his vision started fading into black.
A few seconds later, something touched his back from beneath and start pushing him towards the surface.
"I got him!" Beshte cried out as soon as his head was out of the water, carrying Kitwana in his snout. His large size prevented the waves from pulling him underneath, so he swam towards shore, making sure the little bird was above the water.
Thankfully, the Lion Guard had decided to make sure everyone was okay before the storm came, and Ono spotted Kitwana in the middle of the lake, drowning. Beshte immediately went into the water to save him, while the rest of the guard went to alert Makuu as to what was happening.
Once they were back on on shore, Beshte gently placed Kitwana back on the ground, and started nudging him. "Kitwana, wake up!"
Soon, the fledgling started coughing the water out of his lungs, trembling and panting heavily. A few seconds later, his vision started to clear up, and he realized he was back on shore. "What...?"
"Kitwana, are you alright?" Beshte asked concerned.
"What happened...?"
"You were drowning! How did you end up that far from shore?"
"I was..." Once the dizziness started fading away, Kitwana recalled what had happened. "I wanted to catch a big fish, but I sunk..."
"Why did you do it, Kitwana? It was very dangerous, and the climate just made it worse."
"I..."
"KITWANA!"
The chick froze. Beshte noted Makuu was approaching, and he didn't look happy, followed by Kion and the others. Kitwana would have gone to hide behind Beshte, but he imagined it would only make his father angrier.
Once he was close, Kitwana stuttered. "M-Makuu, I..."
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" the crocodile did yell this time.
"I'm sorry, I..."
"YOU WERE LUCKY THEY WERE AROUND TO HELP YOU, BOY! WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THEY WEREN'T?!"
"Hey, he just got saved from drowning and you yell at him?!" Bunga pointed out. "Could you be a bit more...?"
Makuu glared at him with the fury of a demon. "Cub, if you pronounce the word 'considerate', I'll throw you to the lake!"
"Bunga does have a point, Makuu!" Kion stated. "Don't be too hard on him, what he needs right now is some comfort!"
"Look, Kion, the chick is my responsibility, not yours! I will do as I see fit! You've done your part, thank you very much, now go away and let me handle this!"
"But-!"
"NOW!"
The tone of his voice and the enraged look on his face made Kion realize he wouldn't listen to reason. And unfortunately, he was right. Reluctantly, the guard took their leave, all the while glancing worriedly at Kitwana.
Once they were alone, Kitwana shivered when he was glared at again, and this time there would be no one to hide behind.
"What in tarnation were you thinking?!" Makuu repeated the question, growing irritated at the silence that followed. "ANSWER ME!"
"I wanted to catch one of the bigger fish!"
" Why?! What were you trying to prove?!"
"I wanted to show you I could be as much of a crocodile as you!"
That stung, but he pushed it aside. "You thought you'd prove anything by risking your life like this?! You could have DIED!"
"I'm sorry-!"
"Really?! Is that all you have to say?! 'I'm sorry'?! Do you even understand the risk of what you tried to do?! What could have happened to you?! A mere 'sorry' wouldn't have brought you back from the dead!"
"I t-thought that if I p-proved to you that I was a crocodile, y-you wouldn't send me away...!"
"That's the issue here, Kitwana! No matter how much you want believe it, you're not a crocodile! You can deny it all you want, but the truth will never change! What just happened just confirmed that Simba is right! The best thing for you is to put you in a bird flock!"
"No..." Kitwana stepped back, his sobs echoing his broken heart.
"Hate me all you want for this, but one day you'll thank us for it." Makuu finished coldly, turning around. He didn't look back at his... charge. "Tomorrow I'm taking you to Pride Rock so King Simba puts you under Bakshi's care."
Kitwana didn't dare to argue back, he was in too much emotional pain, and he didn't want to provoke Makuu into yelling at him again. No matter what he did, he would not change his mind.
Sniffling, he followed Makuu at a distance back towards the float.
For the first time in his life, he was dreading the next day.
But it came, and with it, the end of the deadline. He knew what would happen: he would be taken to King Simba, given to Bakshi, and Makuu would leave him. He didn't want to, but he had figured out he had no say in the matter, so he didn't protest.
There was an air of sorrow in the float. Hodari and Akina, in particular, suffered greatly at what was to happen, but the others were sad.
Although impatient, Makuu opted to let Kitwana say his goodbyes, in part because he unconsciously still wished to prolong it. The chick hugged some of the other crocs with whom he'd grown a bit close, Ghubari among them, and when he pulled back they made attempts to keep their sadness in check.
Akina did no such thing, however. She openly wept when he hugged her, and she hugged him back. "T-Take care of yourself, okay...?"
Kitwana sniffled. "I will try..."
When he pulled back from her, he headed over to Hodari, who was in an even sadder state, and both hugged each other, sobbing.
"You can visit, you know..." Hodari whispered. "It won't be the same without you... You were the best sparring partner I could ever ask for."
"You too, Hodari..." Kitwana said. "I'll miss you.."
"Kitwana. It's time." Makuu said emotionlessly.
Reluctantly, Kitwana let go of Hodari, and followed his surrogate father away from the float, and through the savannah in direction towards Pride Rock. None said anything the whole way, they had nothing more to say to each other, even though Makuu wished the chick would say anything to him. He'd lie to himself if he said he didn't care if his charge left him without saying at least a goodbye.
A while later, they finally arrived. Just like he thought, Simba was already there, talking with Bakshi.
"We're here, your majesty." Makuu said, announcing their arrival.
"Ah, Makuu, good timing." Simba said, turning to the crocodile. "I've been talking with Bakshi here, and she agreed to let Kitwana join her flock."
Kitwana said nothing.
"I assure you, Makuu, he will be in good wings. I'll make sure to take good care of him" Bakshi said.
"I expect so." The crocodile say. He was getting worried that Kitwana hadn't said a single word. He was just standing there with a blank expression.
Simba noticed, and approached the young fledgling. "Kitwana, since you already know Bakshi an introduction won't be necessary. From now on, you'll be part of her flock and she'll teach you the bird way."
Again, no reply. Only a slight, almost unnoticeable nod.
"Well, your majesty, I think it's time I take my leave." Makuu said, turning around.
"Aren't you going to say goodbye?" Bakshi inquired, surprised.
He just glanced at Kitwana, who had not reacted to what he said. A part of him did want to say goodbye, or hear any farewell words from him, but... he was no longer his problem. "I think we've already said what we had to say to each other."
With that, he walked away, not noticing Kitwana had slightly turned his head to glance back at him.
But the further the crocodile walked from Pride Rock, the worst the aching in his chest became. And this time he could just not ignore it, because it was too strong. By the time he arrived back to Lake Matope, the feeling was overwhelming him, triggering the painful memories he had been trying to repress for so long.
He ignored Hodari, Akina and the other crocodiles as he went into the water and swam away from them, towards one of the solitary parts of the lake.
He wanted to be alone.
He didn't want anyone to see him weep if it came to it.