Lioness Tales
Tale 3: Jiwe's Freedom
By Niche Eenhoorn
Chapter 10: Payback Time
Jiwe had never felt this angry or betrayed in her life. She had been through many things, but nothing could be compared to the pain she felt, knowing that her mother was gone. Jiwe knew that Rahisi had many faults, but they still loved each other, and without her and Hanaa, Jiwe felt completely alone in the world.
Jiwe had hoped that Rahisi had passed away in her sleep, dreaming peacefully, or perhaps while doing an Oil-Leaf. But from the looks of it, Rahisi had been dragging her stiff body around in search for something to drink. This only served to fuel Jiwe's anger, and without stopping to think it over, she ran to find Shukrani and Kiume.
The two lions were at the den, looking quite chipper at having busted one of the Fang Gang's deals, capturing and killing the dealer. They were laughing and joking, until Kiume noticed Jiwe running towards them.
"Oh, look, the bonebag's back," he said, curious to hear how her deal had gone.
Jiwe stopped in front of them, foaming from her mouth and panting heavily. She looked deranged, and couldn't even begin to tell them just how mad she was.
"Wow, look at this one, looks like she needs an Oil-Leaf or two," Shukrani said chuckling, "But before that, how did it go? Did you deliver all the pouches?"
Jiwe only stared at them, growling deeply.
"You didn't catch the rabies, did you?" Kiume said, frowning slightly.
Without any warning, Jiwe jumped at Shukrani and tried to bite him, but the strong lion overpowered her easily.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked, his good mood quickly fading.
"Oh, don't you know?" Jiwe screamed between sobs, squirming under his grasp, trying to break free, "You left my mother to rot! She starved 'n died of thirst! You just discarded her like she was just some piece o' trash! How could you?"
Shukrani stared down at Jiwe, nonplussed. "Oh, that! I knew I had forgotten something. Didn't I tell you, Kiume? That I was forgetting something and I couldn't tell what it was?"
Kiume chuckled, playing along. They both had agreed that Rahisi was nothing but a waste of resources, and Jiwe would do better to occupy her time in other dealing-related matters, instead of spending time taking care of Rahisi and feeding her every day.
Jiwe couldn't contain herself and began calling them all the bad words she had learned through the years, to the amusement of the two lions, who found her anger all too funny. Jiwe had always been friendly and laid back, and to see her ranting at them like this was something new. They tolerated her insults for a while, but eventually Shukrani silenced her by pressing a paw to her throat.
"Okay, that's enough. You've had your time to vent, not let's move on to business. What recipes did you learn from the Kijani leader?"
Shukrani had loosened his grip on Jiwe's throat slightly, so as to let her talk, but Jiwe spat on his face and snarled, "I ain't tellin' ya nothin', ya piece o' shit!"
Shukrani slapped Jiwe hard on the face, with claws outstretched. "I'm getting tired of this game, bonebag. You're going to tell us what you learned, or you'll regret it!"
Jiwe snorted, as tears of pain and humiliation streamed down her face. "Whatcha gonna do that you ain't done already? Gonna sell my body? Done that! Gonna kill my family? Oh wait, ya just did that!"
"I can make it so that you never see an Oil-Leaf in your life, ever," Shukrani snarled very close to Jiwe's face, baring his teeth at her. "You're going to feel so bad, that you'll want to jump off a cliff..."
"Then maybe I'll go and jump! Shame them precious recipes of yours will die with me, innit?" Jiwe said triumphantly. She knew they could not kill her. They needed her alive, at least for now. Jiwe was sure that she had the winning hand, until she heard what Shukrani had to say next.
"Well if you don't care about your own pathetic life, I guess there's not much we can do. Although... We could try a more drastic approach. Maybe we'll just have to start cutting that pretty creamy lioness' claws, one by one, until you quit being such an idiot and tell us what you learned at Kijani territory. And if you still refuse to talk, maybe an ear or two will follow, or her nice, long and beautiful tail... Hanaa was her name, right? It would be a shame if she had to suffer all that pain, just because of your lack of cooperation."
Jiwe went very quiet, feeling all her courage leaving her within seconds. They couldn't possibly have Hanaa hostage, she hadn't done anything wrong! Or had she? Maybe she was part of the Fang Gang after all? Either way, Jiwe's will to fight faded completely, and she stopped trying to break free from the lion's grasp.
"Well, now that we have your attention, let's try this one more time," Kiume said, as if talking to a young cub, "How about you tell us what you learned?"
"Nah, that can't be. You guys are bluffin'..." Jiwe whispered, trying to persuade herself of the fact.
"Would you like to bet on that, Jiwe?" Kiume droned, "Will you be able to live with yourself knowing that your precious Hanaa will end up ugly and deformed, unable to hunt and defend herself, all because of you?"
Shukrani chuckled along. "Just bring her here already, Kiume. I could use a shag anyway. I think Jiwe might like to watch!"
Jiwe burst into tears again and shook her head. If what they were saying were true, Jiwe wouldn't be able to handle seeing Hanaa hurt because of her own mistakes. "Just... Leave her alone... I'll talk..."
"That's more like it," Shukrani said as he finally released his grip on Jiwe, allowing her to stand up. He knew that having learned about Jiwe's relationship with Hanaa would come in handy sooner or later.
Between sobs, the lioness began repeating the ingredients of the mind-altering substances she had memorized earlier, as well as the preparation methods. However, she kept to herself the fact that the Kijani leader had decided to share a third recipe with her.
She was forced to stick around while the dealers gathered the ingredients, and the lions attempted to recreate the substances. They were both powder-based, and the powders had to be dissolved in water and taken orally. The first powder consisted of a mixture of elephant nails and Grant gazelle horn, and was said to induce severe hallucinations, stronger ones and for a much longer period than the ones obtained through the Paka mushrooms. The users reported seeing weird things even several days later after taking the powder.
The other recipe was for an energetic beverage, made of dehydrated, powdered flowers, meant to boost the hunter's performance, although most of the users were using it for recreational purposes, running around for no reason other than it feeling good.
Once the two lions had recreated the two beverages, they gave samples to a few addicts. They reported similar results as to what was expected. Kiume and Shukrani looked satisfied, and until then, they finally allowed Jiwe to wander around the territory, under the threat that she was being closely watched, and they wouldn't tolerate any more stupidity from her side.
"Please... I'll do whatever ya want... Just let me see Hanaa..."
Shukrani gave Jiwe a cheeky grin and told her, "You were right! We were bluffing. We have no idea where that lioness is, to be honest. But I can see why she fled. Nobody in their sane mind would want to spend time with a smelly, ugly Oil-head like you. Get real, Jiwe. Just look at yourself. You're not even hyena-material when it comes to the looks department."
The Bosses turned around and left Jiwe seething. She crumbled to the ground in a heap of sobs. On one hand, she felt relieved to know that Hanaa wasn't locked up somewhere with little food or water. On the other hand, she didn't know whether to believe the two lions anymore. The little confidence she still had left in them was completely shattered now.
Jiwe was craving an Oil-Leaf like never before. Maybe she'd take two, or three... or all of her stash. She didn't care. But before getting lost in her imaginary world, maybe for forever, there was one task she wanted to do first.
With a heavy heart, the lioness headed to Rahisi's favorite resting place, with the intention of giving her mother a more dignified final place of rest. She was surprised to find Mwezi there, apparently waiting for Jiwe.
"I thought I'd find you here," Mwezi said, "Oh, man, Jiwe, I swear I had no clue!"
"I know, babe... Shukrani planned it all like this. They couldn't give her a quick death, no. They had to let it drag on for days..."
They fell silent for a moment, since Jiwe felt once again a knot in her throat and couldn't speak anymore.
Mwezi let out a deep sigh and nuzzled Jiwe gently. "Is there anything I can do for ya, sweetie? I can fetch ya somethin' to eat, or maybe some water from the pond. I got some herbs to share, if ya need that too..."
Jiwe wiped her moist face with a paw and shook her head. "I just want to get her out of here, take her somewhere nicer, ya know?"
Mwezi nodded. "Well, I can help ya with that, if ya want. But if ya rather be alone, I understand. I just wanted to make sure ya were okay, and that ya won't do anything crazy..."
Jiwe looked at her, appreciating her concern. "Anythin' crazy?"
"Yeah, I dunno, like tryin' to take on Shukrani and Kiume in their sleep or somethin', heh," Mwezi said, trying to lighten up the mood. The truth was that she was seriously worried about Jiwe, as she had no idea how she'd take the loss of her mother.
Jiwe's sad face broke into a smile and she said, "Stop puttin' ideas in me head, then."
Mwezi smiled back, sighing in relief, unaware of what was really going on through Jiwe's mind.
Jiwe had seriously considered, for a brief moment, to end her life with an Oil-Leaf overdose. Who knew, she might still do it eventually, but she decided that if she was going down, she would somehow take the Bosses down with her.
In the meantime, the lioness accepted the cheetah's company for now, and reassured her that there were no crazy plans formulating in her head. Between the two of them, they dragged Rahisi's body away, outside of Paka territory. Jiwe found a good spot for Rahisi, right under an acacia tree that was in full bloom. Whenever the the wind blew, the breeze would dislodge some of the little, white petals. A few of them landed softly on top of Rahisi's remains.
"Ya couldn't have picked a more lovely spot for her," Mwezi said, wiping a tear off her face.
Jiwe and Mwezi kept a short, respectful, moment of silence. Jiwe bid farewell to her mother, surrendering her remains to the earth and any predators who would find her.
They finally returned back to Paka territory, feeling quite uncertain about what the future had in stock for the two of them.
"You're welcome to share my den, if ya get lonely," Mwezi told Jiwe, knowing that the skinny lioness always looked forward to a nap with her mom.
"Thanks, babe, but I'll be fine. Don't ya worry, okay?" Jiwe said, trying her best to be strong.
They head-butted each other affectionately, and parted ways.
Jiwe decided to look for a different resting spot, far away from where Rahisi used to sleep. She eventually found a comfortable place surrounded by rocks that would shelter her from the wind. The lioness then crushed an Oil-Leaf, and forgot all about her worries for a while, until the moment she touched earth again, and found herself trembling from head to tail. Jiwe could tell that this was not just as a side-effect from the Oil-Leaf. She realized now that without her mother to snuggle against, Jiwe's emaciated body just couldn't generate enough body heat to keep herself warm.
Feeling extremely stiff and cold, the lioness stood up and slowly made her way to Mwezi's den. Through chattering teeth, she asked, "Can I still take ya on that offer, babe?"
Mwezi, who had already lay down and was ready to sleep, scooted over and made room for Jiwe. Once the lioness lay down and made herself comfortable, Mwezi wrapped her legs around Jiwe and held her close. Little by little, the lioness started warming up.
Mwezi smiled as she slowly drifted into a calm sleep. She was glad that Jiwe had come to her. The cheetah definitely had a soft spot for the lioness, after having watched her grow up. In some ways, Jiwe had been the cub she never had.
Jiwe's shivering had now been reduced to the usual trembling left after taking an Oil-Leaf. She felt warm and comfortable, and snuggled closer to Mwezi, glad that she still was around. Jiwe would have fallen asleep by then, but her mind was preoccupied with other thoughts, mainly, the whole idea of taking Shukrani and Kiume down in their sleep. She would need to thank Mwezi for that, if she could pull her plan through.
Jiwe kept a low profile after the incident, and continued to carry out the orders from the Bosses without complaints. Besides having to uproot plants, and selling the usual herbs, she had now been given a new task: luring thirsty animals lost in the western desert by means of a pouch full of tempting, powder-spiked water. Nobody could resist being offered the refreshing liquid, and as such, Jiwe still managed to turn many more innocent and naive animals into addicts. She even managed to recruit a lion or two, who decided to stay and work as a dealer for the Paka Pride, forgetting all about their previous lives. Whether they had a family or a mate, it didn't matter. The herbs were much stronger than their family ties.
Jiwe wasn't too bothered by this; she did what she had to do to get by, without getting into trouble. Her plan depended on the Bosses not paying any attention to her, and if she had to use a few animals for the purpose, then so be it. Her comfort thought was that it was not like she was chugging the spiked-water down their throats by force. They took it willingly. And they were the ones who kept looking for Jiwe to get more. She became slightly popular once again, and even had a few heated, herb-induced encounters with the new lions. But once Jiwe sobered up, and the lions left her looking disgusted at having gotten carried away with the likes of her, she still felt rather empty inside.
Finally, the day came in which Jiwe could tell that the Bosses no longer saw her as a threat. They had decided to ease their security measures on her. The birds that had been circling her from above, and all those animals casually following her wherever she went, were put to better use by being sent to search for ingredients to improve the current formulas of the Fang Gang's concoctions.
It had been a tough period, but Jiwe knew that persistence had paid off. Away from prying eyes, she began a search on her own, trying to locate a plant they knew as Chew-Leaf. It was not an unfamiliar herb for the Paka Pride; its properties of somewhat improving one's mood were well known by them. But the Bosses already had herbs that did a much better job at that, and which were far more addictive, so they forgot all about the Chew-Leaf in the meantime. However, the third recipe that Jiwe had learned from the Kijani leader involved the use of Chew-Leaf, a lot of it. It seemed that in very high doses, the herb also worked as a very good sedative. Enough torn Chew-leaves left to soak in water for a couple of days could knock a full-grown lion out.
Jiwe figured this was the stuff she had been given to drink the day of her flopped party. As such, she had been busy collecting as many Chew-leaves as possible, keeping them in water inside an old coconut-half that she left by Rahisi's old resting place. That place was full of used coconut halves, which Jiwe had piled up neatly after moving her mother's body. One more coconut half hidden between the rest wouldn't attract anyone's attention.
In time, she had managed to produce a rather good Chew-Leaf concentrate that she could now add to someone's meat, or drink. The Kijani leader advised that using liquids worked better, so all Jiwe needed now was a chance to spike Kiume and Shukrani's share of fermented fruit juice. Once they were unconscious, Jiwe would rip their throats out. At least that was her plan.
Jiwe bid her time, waiting for the right moment. Meanwhile, she spent her free time searching the Paka territory for any signs of Hanaa, just in case she was a hostage after all. Jiwe also held back her tongue whenever the Bosses threw derogatory remarks at her. She did her best to keep them satisfied. Jiwe also began saving as much herbs as she could, knowing that once the Bosses were dead, getting her paws on the stuff might be more complicated. She also hinted to Mwezi that she should do the same, making the cheetah wonder what Jiwe might be up to.
It was during a lovely, sunny day, that Jiwe's idea of killing the Bosses was put to the test. She had been digging out Blackroot bulbs along with Mwezi and a few others, when they heard loud, happy roaring all the way from the lions' den. It was Shukrani, summoning Kiume and anyone else near enough to hear him.
"Hmm... I wonder what's up," Mwezi said, stopping her work and shaking herself to dislodge soil and dirt from her pelt.
"Okay, everyone, just stop what you're doing and follow me to the den," Kiume said. He had been supervising them as they worked, but he seemed very eager to go back. "Hurry now, chop-chop!"
The addicts picked up the bulbs they had managed to find and followed Kiume with curious expressions. Jiwe remained silent most of the way, and sat down next to Mwezi to wait for Shukrani's announcement. He was standing between his elephant bodyguards, looking smug and proud.
"Listen up, everyone! I have great news! Today is a great day for our Pride. Not only have we created a much better version of one of the Fang's potions, but also, we managed to capture one of their leaders today!"
Everyone gasped as Shukrani waved with his paw, and one of the elephants knelt over slightly. Something rolled off his back and onto the ground with a loud thud.
Jiwe craned her neck to see better, and found out that it was battered-up and wounded lion, barely breathing.
Everyone tried to get closer to take a better look, while Shukrani smiled proudly. Kiume joined his side and mumbled a few words of praise for his good work in tracing at least one of the bastard competitors down.
Jiwe quickly lost interest, while her mind and body began to remind her that her next fix should be coming up soon. But she was forced to stop day-dreaming and pay attention when she heard Shukrani calling her name.
"Jiwe, come here," he said, motioning with his paw to come closer.
The crowd that had gathered made way for the lioness, who approached Shukrani nervously, wondering if she had done something wrong. But Shukrani still appeared content, and he pointed down at the agonizing lion, saying, "Recognize this guy?"
Jiwe looked down at the wounded lion, whose face was bloody and swollen. But even through the wounds, Jiwe could tell who it was. It was the lion that came together with his mate and with Hanaa. It was the guy who had taken advantage of her in the most cowardly fashion. She felt her rage building up at the sight of him. He gave no sign of having recognized her, he was probably too weak to apologize to her and to plead for his life.
Jiwe looked away and nodded. "I do, Shuk." She didn't feel like elaborating more in front of all the curious onlookers.
Shukrani gave her a little, wicked grin. "Since you've finally learned your place in this Pride, and you've been behaving like a proper, well-trained dealer, I've decided to give you a little gift."
Shukrani pushed the wounded lion towards Jiwe, chuckling slightly. "He's all yours, Bonebag. You can finish him off if you want."
Jiwe pricked her ears, not believing what she had just heard. "Huh? Ya want me to snuff this guy? For real?" she blurted out.
Shukrani raised an eyebrow at her reaction. "What, aren't you mad at him? I would be if he had done to me what he did to you."
Jiwe looked down at the wounded lion again and replied softly, "I am mad... No, not mad, I'm friggin' pissed, yo! I hate his guts!" Jiwe said, as tears of rage began building up in her tears. She had wished for this lion's death many times. She had wished him all sorts of illnesses and misfortunes. And now it was up to her to send him packing. But Jiwe just couldn't bring herself to do it.
She had never killed anything in her life, all the food she had eaten was thanks to the herbs she sold and carried. She found herself staring at the exposed throat of her rapist, not knowing exactly where to bite, how much pressure to administer... Jiwe was actually feeling terrified at the thought.
"Well?" Shukrani said, visibly impatient, "Either you do it or I do it, so make up your mind."
Jiwe became more and more hesitant. Fantasizing about killing someone had been so easy and yet, now that she had the chance, Jiwe realized that she was no killer. It might have been different if she was killing for her sustenance, but she knew very well that this was not the case. This was killing for fun. And Jiwe, always calm and peaceful, couldn't see any joy in it.
She finally shook her head and said, "Sorry, Shuk... I can't do it."
Shukrani let out a mocking laugh and pushed Jiwe aside. "Psh, a lioness who can't kill. You're useless."
Without further ado, Shukrani bit on the Fang Leader's throat, until the lion stopped moving and thrashing with his paws.
Jiwe watched as the life got extinguished out of him, and more than ever she felt completely sure that she wouldn't have had the guts to do it, not even if she hated the lion and wished he were death. This certainly put a damper in Jiwe's plans. She might wish Shukrani and Kiume were carrion for the hyenas, but would she be able to give the killing bite? She was not so sure anymore.
The lioness got distracted from her thoughts when a random addict started cheering, and the rest followed. Kiume and Shukrani stood together, side by side, looking very satisfied. Jiwe couldn't stand the sight and looked away, feeling defeated. Mwezi padded to her side and gave her a gentle nuzzle, sensing that something was troubling her greatly.
"I declare a party today," Shukrani said, "Anyone is welcome to feed from this guy here, and just because I'm so happy, I might give you guys extra herbs! Call the whores and bring them here too!"
Everyone else cheered again, and several animals rushed to start eating, making Jiwe's stomach turn. She turned around with the intention of going back to her resting spot, but Mwezi stood in front of her.
"Care for a walk?" she asked.
Jiwe, who desperately needed someone to confide into, accepted her invitation, and as they walked the borders of the Paka Pride, Jiwe poured her heart out to Mwezi, telling her all about the recipe she had learned, and how she had been planning to use it to kill Kiume and Shukrani while they were defenceless. She was not worried about being overheard, mostly everyone had rushed to the Bosses' den when they heard about the possibility of extra herbs, so Jiwe didn't hold back and told Mwezi every little detail of her plan.
"I knew you were up to something, just knew it!" Mwezi said, "It's a good plan, they'll never see it comin' from ya..."
"Yeah, well, only it looks like I won't be able to go through with it, innit? I don't have what it takes to take someone in me mouth and choke 'em to death. I hated that guy and even then I just couldn't do it."
"How about ya slice 'em open, huh? It's easy, ya just go like this," Mwezi added helpfully, making a slicing motion with her claws.
Jiwe extended her blunt and damaged claws, destroyed by the Oil-Leaf. She showed them to the cheetah, sighing. "Meh, with these, I'll be lucky if I can take off a few clumps of their mane."
Mwezi had to agree, Jiwe's claws were useless. The cheetah sighed and sat down, and invited Jiwe to join her. "What if ya don't kill them?"
Jiwe looked at her, listening and taking in any suggestions. "Then what?"
"Well," Mwezi added, looking thoughtful, "Ya just herb 'em up, and ya leave."
Jiwe blinked a couple of times. "Huh? Leave? Where would I go?"
"Anywhere! Go find some other Pride to join, far away from these guys who won't hesitate to snuff us if we get in their way, like they did with that lion."
"Like they did with my mom..." Jiwe added softly, staring into the horizon, pondering her options.
Mwezi looked at Jiwe and told her, "You're still young, I'm sure ya can make a fresh start somewhere else. I know you're strong. Ya can do it."
"What about my herbs? What if I can't find them anywhere else?"
Mwezi knew very well how Jiwe felt. She also felt tied to this territory for fear of not being able to get her next fix. "I ain't got the solution to that, but the way I see it, If ya end up leaving, ya got two choices: Either ya end up findin' herbs somewhere else, or ya gonna end up gettin' clean."
"Scary thought," Jiwe said, sincerely terrified of what her life would be like without her trusted herbs. No, getting clean was definitely not on her priorities, and instead, her devious mind was already coming up with alternative solutions to that problem.
"It makes sense, girl," Mwezi went on, "If ya walk away, ya won't even need to use your Chew-leaf potion. Ya can just leave now, while everyone's distracted.
Jiwe remained silent for a moment. It was a tempting idea, but Jiwe knew that the birds would quickly notify the Bosses if she was seen crossing borders when she wasn't meant to be. No, she had to do something about Shukrani and Kiume first. They needed to be out of the game before she could safely plan an escape. She liked Mwezi's idea of running away. It would be tough, but she had had enough of her life in this Pride.
Jiwe's face broke into a little grin and she finally shook her head at Mwezi. "I didn't gather all them Chew-Leaves for nothin', babe. I'll put 'em to good use. Besides, I could use a bit of fun at the Bosses' expense, for a change."
"Ow, Jiwe... You ain't seeing the bigger picture here! So you have your bit of fun. Then what? Will ya stick around for them to punish ya, or worse, have 'em send ya packin' to meet yer mom in the afterlife?"
Jiwe shook her head. "No way, I'm takin' yer advice and do as you say. I'll leave after that. I ain't sticking around, but neither will ya. Ya comin' with me!"
Mwezi's ears drooped slightly. "What?"
Jiwe turned to Mwezi and said softly, "C'mon, we both know this place is goin' to the wild dogs, and trust me, ya don't wanna be here when it happens. The Fang Gang will surely want revenge for their dead leader. A war's just startin', babe. Why get caught in the middle? Say ya'll come with me, please..."
Mwezi looked away uneasily. "I dunno, Jiwe, ya might be ready to give up on them herbs but I don't think I wanna do that just yet..."
"Ya won't have to, and neither will I! We'll take as many pouches as we can with us, and then find a place to grow our own gear."
"Jiwe! Are you friggin' insane?" Mwezi hissed, "We'll never get past their bodyguards! Ya know there's a rhino or two guarding the pouches ever since ya broke into the hideout!" The cheetah shook her head and added, "This is crazy. Count me out, hun. If ya wanna leave, go ahead, I'll cover up for ya and erase your tracks as best as I can, but leave me out of this."
Jiwe rolled her eyes and faced Mwezi, looking very determined all of a sudden. "Look, if I manage to sort out them bodyguards too, will ya help me steal the gear, and leave with me? Please?"
Mwezi grunted, knowing she would be getting in deep trouble if they got caught. She eventually looked at Jiwe, who was staring back at her, her ears perked up, looking hopeful.
"Fine..." Mwezi sighed, admitting defeat. She liked the idea of starting a new life somewhere else, together with Jiwe, but the sound of Jiwe's crazy plan put her on edge. "Do I need to do anything?"
Jiwe nodded. "Yeah, whatever happens, don't eat or drink anything offered at Shuk's party. No water, no fermented fruit juice, no nothin'. And when I shake my tail at ya, like this, ya go and distract them bodyguards with a question or somethin'. Ya got that?" she said, swishing her tail several times in a snake-like movement.
Mwezi nodded, feeling rather nervous about what they were about to do.
When they returned to the lions' den, nobody acknowledged their presence, it was as if they hadn't even noticed they were gone. Mwezi mingled with the rest of the addicts, who were all excited after receiving an extra set of herbs from the Bosses. Everyone was in a great mood, and nobody paid attention when they saw Jiwe carrying a coconut half in her mouth. It contained the Chew-Leaf extract, so she was extra careful not to take an accidental sip.
Jiwe waited until Kiume and Shukrani began showing obvious effects of having drunk too much fermented fruit juice. Once they started holding each other close, singing loudly about revenge and victory, Jiwe knew the time was right. The body guards were standing nearby, casting longing glances at the empty coconut halves scattered around them.
Jiwe placed her Chew-Leaf extract somewhere safe, and padded casually to the two lions.
"Hey, lookee here, if it isn't that excuse for a lioness who can't kill," Shukrani slurred, pointing his paw uncoordinatedly at Jiwe.
"Oh, come on, Shuk, gimme a break, I was just in shock," Jiwe said, making the best out of the fake confidence remnants from the last Oil-Leaf she had taken. "Besides, I'm really good at other things, innit? Like, my parties were always a blast. Unlike yours, by the way. This party's so boring it looks more like a friggin' wake. Should we start havin' a minute o' silence for that lion ya killed?"
"What are you talking about?" Kiume said, looking around, "Everyone's having a good time."
"No. You guys are having a good time. The rest is watching how you get drunker 'n drunker and makin' asses of yourselves. How about you share some of the juice? That would totally liven up this party."
The two lions looked around, and found themselves the center of attention, after their loud and atrocious singing. All the guests had stopped what they were doing to look at the Bosses and make fun of them in secret.
"Hmm, what the hell, you could be right, this party's dead. Where's the monkeys with their music?" Kiume slurred.
"Nah, no need for that." Jiwe said reassuringly, "I always livened my parties up by givin' away shots of happy juice. Whadayyasay? I can run the bar if ya want. I just need three or four coconuts from your share, that should be enough shots for all the guests present."
Jiwe already knew that whenever the Bosses got drunk, they became easier to manipulate and persuade, and were more willing to share their goods in that state. And just as Jiwe had expected, the two drunken lions seemed to think the idea had merit.
"All right, listen up everyone! Bonebag here will arrange shots of fermented juice for everyone!" Shukrani yelled, to a chorus of cheers from the animals around them, inflating his ego even more.
"Fine, I'll set everythin' up!" Jiwe replied, and with the Bosses' permission, she was allowed to fetch more coconut halves from their secret underground hideout. She passed the herb pouches along the way and whispered jokingly, "I'll be seeing you girls pretty soon," and blew them a playful kiss.
She made several trips to and fro until she had enough coconuts, and she finally gave the tail signal to Mwezi, who acknowledged it with a bow of her head.
Jiwe carefully began mixing her own potion with the juice. Nobody paid her any attention, and Mwezi had been successful in distracting the bodyguards while Jiwe mixed in the stuff. She reserved a few coconuts with larger dosage of Chew-Leaf extract, intended for the Bosses, the elephants and rhinos. The bodyguards might not pass out completely, but the Kijani leader had told Jiwe that such bulky animals would still be affected by the potion, and wouldn't be able to walk in a straight line for a few hours.
Jiwe handed two coconuts to Kiume and Shukrani, who gobbled up the drink in one go. The lioness then quickly offered drinks to the bodyguards, who thought that one little shot of juice couldn't do much harm. They drank it all quickly before the bosses noticed them drinking on the job.
Jiwe then began handing shots to the addicts, until one by one, the animals starting falling asleep. Shukrani and Kiume were the first ones to pass out, and the rest of the addicts followed. The bodyguards were still standing, but Jiwe could tell that they were having a lot of problems keeping their own balance, and their speech wasn't all quite controlled.
Mwezi approached Jiwe. "Okay, so they're all heading into lala land... How much time have we got?"
Judging by the animals around her, Jiwe could tell that a lot of them were not knocked out, just acting extremely drunk.
"I dunno, babe... when they gave it to me, I was out in seconds and it lasted the whole night until midday. But these guys are still awake... I guess I needed more Chew-leaves to herb-up all this lot..."
Mwezi glanced at the bosses. "Well, the Bosses seem to be out and that's what matters. Let's make a run for it now."
"Not without the pouches, come on!" Jiwe said, and broke into a sprint, until she reached the underground hideout. The lioness was panting heavily but she didn't slow to catch her breath, Instead, she began swallowing one pouch after another, as many as her belly could carry without making her terribly sick.
Mwezi had done her share of pouch-swallowing in the past, so she began following Jiwe's example without any questions. When they both were full, Jiwe looked at the cheetah and said, "This is it... Where do we go now?"
Mwezi, who was already drooling slightly from the discomfort caused by the pouches, shook her head. "No friggin' clue... I thought you knew! Um, where did Hanaa come from? Maybe we can head there and see if her Pride can help?"
Jiwe grinned at Mwezi. "Yeah, she said her Pride loved to help and stuff. But I dunno where they are, all I know is she came from the East."
"Then East it is. We'll figure things out later, come on!" Mwezi said, and climbed out of the underground hideout as fast as she could with her body full of pouches dragging her down.
Jiwe followed, but she stopped just to take one last glance at the Paka territory, the place she had called home all this time. As she looked over her shoulder, she could see that the animals that were still standing, had begun staggering and stumbling out of control. One of the elephants was on its knees, trying desperately to stand up. A rhino seemed to be very intrigued by his own horn and couldn't stop crossing his eyes to stare at it. Her potion had done the trick,and she felt proud of herself. She would have thanked the Fang Gang, if it weren't for the fact that they used that potion on her to get a message across to the Bosses.
Kiume and Shukrani lay together, peacefully asleep. More than ever Jiwe was sure that, despite what her feelings towards those two could be, she could have never given them the killing bite. She was not a murderer.
"Jiwe, come on!" Mwezi urged her.
The lioness took a deep breath, and whispered, "Farewell."
Nobody saw them leave, and the two addicts crossed the borders without anyone noticing.
As they walked away as fast as their herb-stuffed stomachs would allow them, Mwezi began becoming more and more insecure about the whole plan.
"Ya know they will follow our trail, right? Ya know they'll send Kuwasi flyin' around till they notice us! Let's just go back and pretend this never happened, please?" the cheetah said.
"Don't be silly, babe! So what if they follow? We'll be miles away by the time they all come back to their senses!"
"Not at this speed, we won't! Ya know how vindictive they are, they'll chase us down forever! Man, why did I ever agree to this in the first place?"
"Cause I'm awesome and ya can't live without me, innit," Jiwe said, laughing brightly.
"Shut up, Jiwe, I'm bein' serious!"
The lioness slowed down for a moment and faced Mwezi. "Look, all jokin' aside, if ya don't wanna go through with this, that's fine, I won't force ya to come with me into the unknown. Only... well, you're kinda my only friend in this dump and I was really hopin' we could stick together."
"Then let's go back... We'll tell them that someone slipped us all a sleeping potion again."
Jiwe shook her head. "They'll know it was me. They'll find the soaked chew-leaves by the party scene."
"Ow, Jiwe, you stupid cow! How could you leave those there?" Mwezi groaned, cursing out loud.
"I dunno! We were in such a rush to leave that I kinda forgot! But ya see why I cannot go back. So if ya wanna do it, then this is where we part ways. What's it gonna be, babe? Whatever ya choose, it's fine by me. I won't be mad, I promise," Jiwe said, but Mwezi appeared not to be listening to her.
"Babe?" Jiwe asked, but Mwezi silenced her with a warning glare, her nostrils flaring as she tried to pick up scents around her.
"They can't be after us already, ya saw them lying unconscious-" Jiwe whispered, but Mwezi put her paw on Jiwe's mouth and scanned the area around them.
"Jiwe, we're screwed," Mwezi said through clenched teeth, her ears pinned down in fear, "We're surrounded!"
Jiwe's senses went into overdrive as she attempted to pick up smells and sounds. She finally became fully aware of their surroundings and realized that they were indeed not alone. There were several cheetahs surrounding them. They were well groomed and well fed, without any signs of herb usage. These were Rangers.
Jiwe and Mwezi looked into each others eyes, wondering what to do.
"Did ya have any back up plan?" Mwezi whispered.
"Run like hell?"
The cheetah shook her head and couldn't hold back a chuckle. "And outrun all those cheetahs? Even if we weren't fulla pouches we'd never stand a chance. I guess this is where we both die. I never told ya just how much ya meant to me. Ya were like my daughter sometimes..."
It was Jiwe's turn to silence Mwezi with her paw and told her, "Don't say yer good-byes yet, babe. A back-up plan's just occurred to me. I got no time to explain so you'll just have to trust me."
Mwezi looked at Jiwe, and nodded in approval, putting all her trust and faith in the lioness.
Jiwe looked around, took a deep breath, and said out loud, for everyone around her to hear, "Oi, Rangers! We know you're here. We surrender, all right? We won't try to fight, and we won't try 'n escape. We're more than willin' to cooperate, yo. I got a proposal for ya: I'll tell you everything I know about the Paka Pride, every single little detail. I will answer every question ya may have, as long as you let me and my adoptive cheetah-mom here go when you're done questionin' us. The reason we're here is that we had fled the Paka pride in search for a better life. Please don't cut our new beginning short, we beg ya!"
There was a brief moment of silence, that seemed eternal to the two addicts, but eventually they heard the plants rustling around them and the Rangers finally showed themselves, looking very interested in what Jiwe had to say.