The Hyena Lion
A/N: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Sorry for the late update, life has been tough and rougher. Also, no I haven't lost interest in TLK/TLG for it's a big part of my childhood but I'm starting other stories beside it.
Chapter 15
Watch and Observe
Usaliti went back to the outlands with Janja and Reirei. To be honest, things is starting to change and Kovu is going to surely killed the princess and the king. He would suffer to his claw one day.
When they gotten back, they had seen the angry form of Zira who is hacking away at a dead animal. Not budging, Usaliti begins to approached wondering what is wrong with her sister.
She had never seemed to be so angry and fumed with hatred. What had happened to Zira? She seems outrage and anger about something. Had something in plan went backtracked onto her?
Usaliti narrowed her eyes but bunched her shoulders. "Zira, what's wrong?" Usaliti interrogated, the tenderness in her tone. Utterly, she have cared for her but wasn't sure if Zira did in return.
Zira unsheathed her claws. "Kovu has betrayed us or so I think so!" the red-eyed lioness snapped. "He had an chance to kill Simba but yet feelings for the princess gotten ahead of him and held him back!"
"What is to happen now?" Usaliti demanded, wondering why Kovu would have developed a soft spot for that pathetic and native princess. Zuri wasn't as surprising in her betrayal because she always seemed to care for that lost prince.
"Tomorrow, you will lead an attack with hyena, jackals, and vultures," Zira demanded. "While we plan an attack on the king after he goes onto his patrol and kill him!"
She is suppose to start a fire at his home. That is going to be interesting because he have survived many things. But it's hard to survive a fire. Usaliti didn't want to burn her niece though because she had raised her and maybe developed a soft spot for her.
"What is to happen with Zuri?" Usaliti inquired, trying to hide some pain in her voice. She wasn't sure if Zira had noticed it but Janja had grimaced as well. Perhaps he didn't want to kill Jasiri because it's quite clear he finds her pretty and admirable.
Zira bared her teeth but smiled, clearly thinking of a plan. "You will take her from Kion in the miss of the flames and dragged her down to the volcano. When we gain control of the pride lands, we would force her into submission. But you must take her to a caldera not so far away from the pride lands. The evil lioness turned to the hyena and jackal leader. "Janja, Reirei," Zira said bitterly. "Leave us."
Both turned away and went back to their respectively home into the outlands. "Usaliti, have you notice changes in our certain hyena friend?" Zira inquired, gazing past her sister to check to see if the hyena were truly gone.
"Why, yes," Usaliti mused. "I have a feeling he's just doing this because he is outnumbered. But do you think that he grown a soft spot for Jasiri like Kovu with Kiara and Zuri with Kion? I believe we should dispose of him and his clan immediately with the others tomorrow."
Janja narrowed his eyes as he gathered his clan. Each passing day, he feels like he is a tool for Zira and Usaliti. To be honest, the hyena secretly didn't want to kill Jasiri... and maybe not Kion too, he just wanted higher power over them and at last defeat them, but defeat and killing are different words. Right? What would happen if the plan goes wrong and they gets defeated? Despite not being able to see Jasiri for so long... well not face-to-face, he can tell she have grown even softer than she was as an cub. She most likely have gotten even stronger than she was as well. After all, two years of having to survive in the shadows would make somebody stronger.
The leader of the hyenas shook his head. Should he just gather up his clan members and run? After all, many hyenas that served Scar died to protect him in pride rock. What if the same should happened to his clan and he and his entire clan is killed by the lionesses? Ever so slightly, the hyena dragged himself to move to the small watering hole due to taking the place from Janja.
He stared at himself. The once determination in his eyes were gone and now replaced by something else. Janja wanted to scold himself. How can he have a soft spot for her even after meeting her a couple of times? He seems to be growing more mature as every day passed.
"Hey, Janja," a familiar annoying voice said. Janja tensed up and went over towards his crew members, Cheezi and Chungu, the very ones he have worked with even as very young cubs. Cheezi was currently the one that was talking with Chungu flanking him. Giving an annoyed sigh, the hyena stood up and turned to face his crew members.
"What do you want?" Janja demanded, wanting to be left alone and not wanting to experience whatever they want to tell him. Why must he always handle things? Sure he is leader but sometimes hyenas need to not always look among him.
"Janja," Chungu said, his stomach growling lowly the clearly told the hyena what this was about. "We are hungry. I know we're going to attack the pride lands in two days-"
"One day," Janja corrected. "Zira had changed the plan, or so I have guessed." The lead hyena whispered that part out. What have been up with Zira and what had happened to her plan? Sighing, the hyena rubbed his head with confusion. He had wondered what would have happened had he been raised right like Jasiri was. She had good parent figures but yet Janja never really had anybody to guide him in his early stages of life and had to become an hunter to survive.
"That must mean they're plannin' somethin' big," Cheezi told him.
"No figures, furbrains," Janja said bluntly. "Of course they're planning something big. Beside Zira had seemed pretty furious when we'd reported to her." Not far from him, a vulture laid against an ledge, his eyes closed. "Hey! Mzingo! Wake up!" Janja shouted, alerting his old vulture friend who he relied upon surviving the outlands.
Janja had thought about how barely Mzingo is used anymore by Zira or Usaliti. Ever since Zira had introduced new pairs of vultures leaded by a vulture named Akili who is seemingly 'better' and more 'resourceful' she had treated Mzingo like he was just an backup plan for what is to come.
"What's up, Janja?" Mzingo demanded boredly and thirdly, opening his eyes to stare at his long-time friend and companion since he was young.
"Think Zira would use us during this next mission?" Janja asked his vulture friend who blinked but shrugged.
"I don't know," Mzingo said honestly. "Zira just seems to avoid us now and days for that is why I don't sometimes show up to these meetings. To be honest, Zira must feels like she don't need us and rather have them."
Janja simply laid down against an small ledge while the vulture sighed and decided to went to get some water, another character perched onto an higher ledge while snapping of his teeth were heard. This was an experience vulture who clearly have been through much more than Mzingo.
He had black fur with some whiteness in his feathers that shined his appearance out. Janja immediately found him unique because of how he carried scars of past encounters and still manage to force it past him. The vulture had some scars and scratches on his stomach while his ear were half-torn off, giving a sense of irony by Zira from a few.
"Well! Well! Well!" A annoying voice said. It was Akili, the new vulture of the group, who really was an pest on their - mainly Mzingo side. Behind him were his group.
"What is it now?" Mzingo spat, narrowing his eyes at the other vulture. He couldn't believe Zira would replace him with younger, more stronger, vultures just because mistakes were made in the past. Zira treats them like the black sheep and really ignored them these days. By now, Janja is surprise that she didn't replace him like with Mzingo but she clearly sees the jackals as much more than him and his clan.
"Coming to see my favorite vulture," he said sarcastically. "You know Zira is going to have enough of you fools being a thorn to her side and is likely going to kill you fools because for one thing Janja and his stupid hyenas never succeed in a plan. And when they do, it always mess up just because they are pathetic forms of the hyenas my mother had shown me to once Scar was alive. Now those hyenas are real hyenas, unlike Janja's pathetic pack. Hell, I won't even be surprise should Zira kill you all after winning the pride lands."
That statement strucked Janja to the core and made him fall back slightly. It also made the hyena questioning himself: once Zira has the pride lands, what is their fate? He had seen Kion leading clans of hyenas as a cub when they took over the watering hole. Easily, Kion have a mutual respect for hyenas and doesn't seemed to see them as replacements; he treats them like friends and family and boldly fought Zira off for his love-ones. Unlike Zira who would throw them out, Kion seems like he would sacrifice himself for his clan. Maybe he can have a dawning of a new era where hyenas and lion come together again and never be separated. Even way before Scar he have heard tales about lions and hyenas being friends and allies.
Maybe Kion can bring out that new era because he doesn't see his hyenas as objects but as ones who would fight as an team. No doubt Kion gotten more allies from abandoned clans as the years gone by. If he have that devotion to not only hyenas, but to his family who seemingly abandoned him, than maybe Janja should go to him and begged for him to accept him. Kion is a firm believer of a Circle Of Life and would likely accept him. Maybe, he should sneak away and try to track Kion down and tell him the truth. After all, since Kion fought Zira for his family's life, is around the same time Janja started doubting this path he was on. Most had said he's evil but maybe Kion is who he needs as a leader. Still in hiding, he kept him and his gang safe and hunt for them even though he's very young. Kion doesn't seemed to be a fan of killing nonstop unless he has to and can maybe even lead his own pride with that lioness; only for it to be different and with hyenas and other animals as well. Beside, the outlands territory may be better and connect with the pride lands should Kion lead. If the pride landers and Kion's hyenas come together, they would be a remarkable unstoppable group utterly.
Still though, Janja knew he would have to act tough more-so that he's surrounded by his crew members and allies. He let out a growl and glared up to her. "I would show you how I can fight if you don't shut up, you insignificant oaf! Because all you do is spy whereas I have fought Kion before! I know his tactics more than you know, little pipsqueak. To be honest, I don't even know why Zira allowed you to even be here because when war comes, you would get brutalized because a strength in a vulture such as yourself has no power to lions! Now, since you like to laugh at us, go challenge Kion then and we'll see how you can do against him!" Silence is what followed beside the tension still cleared in the air. "Now get out of my sight!"
The vulture glared at the hyena but flew out. Janja smirked upon realizing that he have won this case. He heard Mzingo shouting a thanks to him in his chipper tone but ignored it as he sat back down and curled himself up. Still in thought though, he couldn't sleep because of pain. Even after his crew called it a night, he still couldn't just sleep. Janja felt the thoughts in his mind getting only stronger and stronger.