Chapter 2: Fate's Cruel and Unforgiving Hand

A/N 1: Update 7/4/2016: Fixed this chapter to improve the reading experience like I did with chapter 1.

"Wow...Talk about a letdown…"

I grumbled as I leaned against the back passenger door of our jeep. Our safari trip began a couple hours ago, and yet the only things that we could see during the whole drive were tall grass, acacia trees and more tall grass.

"Ah, cheer up Connor." My dad called to me from the front passenger's seat with hopeful optimism. "It's not like we didn't see ANY animals on our first day out here, and I'll proudly call that a success."

Too bad I couldn't share my dad's optimism for the moment.

"No offense dad, but spotting a couple of lone zebra grazing isn't really what I'd call "a success"." I retorted as I rolled my eyes and returned to gazing out at the dry grassland out of boredom.

"I liked looking at the zebras." TJ said, putting in his two cents in as he leaned against our mom on her side of the jeep. I knew he meant well in trying to lighten the mood, but unfortunately my own foul mood was doing a good job of shooting it down for me.

"Hmph, of course you would, you little kiss up." I muttered the last part as I responded to my little brother's comment.

And then, it was my mom's turn to speak: "Connor honey, I know you're upset, but that doesn't mean you should take your frustrations out on TJ. He's only trying to help lighten the moment up a bit, aren't you honey?" she rubbed TJ's shoulder as he nodded and rested against her.

I know I should still feel angry, or at least upset with how our first day was turning out, but jeez did my mom know how to douse the flames of anger. She was right, and I hated that she was right, but nonetheless I was able to take a deep breath and calm down so I could turn my attention over to my little brother.

"Sorry TJ, I shouldn't have been acting like such a jerk towards you…Think you can forgive me?" Instead of answering right away, TJ scooted over and pulled me into a hug, which I gratefully returned.

"I do Connor, and don't worry. I bet we'll be seeing plenty more animals in no time!" Man, did I love that upbeat attitude of his.

"Your brother is actually right about that last part, young Connor." That was Busara, our personal guide for our safari and the man currently at the wheel of our vehicle.

He knew all the best spots for where animals graze, hunt, and even gather for a drink of water. That however paled in comparison to the knowledge he bore about the land, its inhabitants, and stories that were generated from them. He was a man in his late thirties and of African descent which was made obvious through his dark skin tone and thick, Swahili accent. Aside from that, he was a man who carried an air of wisdom and respect about him with a hint of kindness. To sum it all up, he was just the man we needed to be our guide.

"So how much longer till we reach this place Busara?" My dad was conversing with him about the arrival time to our current destination. Busara knew of a large watering hole, easily the size of a large park pond, where a majority of the local wildlife would come to either slake their thirst or cool off from the heat.

"Three more hours at least Mr. Geigns, but it's already getting late. We should stop and rest for the night and then we can continue in the morning." When I heard Busara say this, I looked up at the sky and noticed that it was already dusk. We must've driven for quite some time and I didn't even notice it.

By the time we finally finished setting up camp, night had officially fallen and the sky was now covered with thousands upon thousands of stars. I could only gaze up at them in awe as I took a bite out of a roasted marshmallow from my spot next to my dad as we all sat close to a well-built fire.

"Certainly puts the nights at home to shame, huh bud?" My dad chuckled as he nudged me, leading me to laugh lightly in response.

"It certainly is amazing though." I stared back up at the sky in wonder. "I never thought I'd see so many stars in one place… It's breathtaking." I couldn't help but smile at the sight as my dad rubbed my shoulder, smiling as well.

"Indeed it is, young Connor, but you should know that the stars are believed to have their secrets as well." Busara spoke as he leaned forward, hoping his words would get my attention, and boy did they.

"What kind of secrets?" TJ and I both asked at the same time. I guess I wasn't the only one who was curious.

Busara simply chuckled before he began to speak to us once more. "It is believed by many elders, and even our ancestors, that the stars were the home of many great spirits. These spirits had the power to share wisdom, offer guidance and provide protection to those who would need it most, for their power was the will of nature itself and the cycle of life it adheres to."

We all listened and watched Busara with wonder and amazement. To think that spirits could have such an influence on the natural world was baffling to say the least.

"That is quite the story Busara, and truly something to give thought to." My mom spoke, pretty much speaking for the majority of us.

"Indeed Mrs. Geigns. However, I do believe this next part will appeal to young Connor the most." Busara looked at me, and I proceeded to lean forward, intent on hearing what would be said next.

"Now, amongst all these spirits, there was one in particular who bore wisdom and power above all others, and his name…was Aiehu." I looked at Busara curiously as he mentioned the name of this supposedly almighty spirit. Figuring my questions would be answered soon enough, I kept silent as I let him continue with the story.

"Said to be one of the very first spirits, Aiehu had many forms, but the form he was most well-known for taking," he looked at me with a smirk. "Was that of a mighty lion."

I knew there was more to lions than I would have thought. The fact that a great spirit took the form of one nearly made me fall forward on my face.

"Really? A lion? That's…incredible!" To this, Busara nodded and picked up where he left off.

"Yes, and what a lion he was, with a mane that shone like the sun and fur as white as the clouds. It was Aiehu who helped forge the land for nature to control. With every step he took, the earth would rise and fall, with every sweep of his tail, the seas would ebb and flow, and with every roar…he would breathe life into all creatures, from the very plants, to the animals themselves." Busara took a moment to pause.

"So, in a way, he's kind of like what God is to Christians." My dad inquired to Busara, who nodded to him.

"What happened to him?" My brother asked.

"Well, after his work was done with the land, he returned to the stars where he would share his own wisdom and guidance alongside his fellow spirits from afar. So remember my friends, whenever you feel lost or troubled, the great spirits will be there to show you the correct path."

With the story over and everyone feeling tired, we all turned in for the night, with me smiling as I fell asleep, thinking about the Great Spirit.

"Aiehu…"

The following day, around noon, we finally reached the waterhole hoping to see the wildlife our guide told us about. But something about the sight before was unexpected…if not troubling.

"Where are all of the animals, mom?" TJ asked our mother while I looked around curiously.

"Are you sure this is the right place Busara?" My dad asked as he stood up from his seat, followed by our guide.

"Very sure Mr. Geigns, but this doesn't seem right. Normally this place is teeming with wildlife. What could have happened?" As he asked this, my eyes fell upon something I did not expect to see out here with us.

Something that gave me the shivers.

"Uh… Dad?" I tugged at my dad's shirt, pointing at what I saw once I had his attention: a lone jeep, covered in mud and dirt, parked under an acacia tree just a few yards away from the watering hole. In it were three men, who like Busara, were of African descent but seemed to have more muscular builds, and were carrying what appeared to be hunting rifles.

"Marie, stay down and keep the kids close. Busara, we have a problem." My mom did as my dad said while I got back down myself and stayed close to her.

"Poachers? Out here? This is not good… Mr. Geigns, we need to get you and your family back to the sanctuary and-"

BANG!

A sound like thunder filled our eardrums as we all got down and covered our heads. Slowly looking up as I tried to get my hearing back, I saw with horror that one of the poachers had aimed his rifle toward us as they slowly made their way over to our jeep in their own.

"Everyone alright?" My dad asked with worry as he turned around in his seat to check on us. "Honey? Are you alright?" He asked my mom while holding her shoulders.

"I'm… I'm fine dear…but Busara…" I looked over at Busara, and my eyes widened in shock: Our guide was shot in the shoulder and blood was soaking into his shirt.

"Oh God…Hang on my friend." My dad quickly joined Busara, covering the hole in his shoulder to put pressure on the wound. "We're getting you out of here." However, our chances of leavin' left with the sound of a click, and the barrel of a rifle pointed at my father's head.

"Stand up…slowly…" The poacher demanded as my dad slowly rose to his feet, his hands up in surrender.

"P-please…we're just visitors here…we don't want any trouble, I swear." My dad tried to reason with the man as his two companions entered our jeep, their own rifles aimed at my mom, TJ and myself.

"You are bold for thinking you could escape…and foolish for thinking we would let you leave after spotting us." The man spoke with a heavy Swahili accent, just like Busara, but his tone held something dark and deceitful within it.

"Look, we won't tell anyone you were here; just let us leave in peace so our friend can get the help he needs." My dad pleaded as he returned his attention to Busara.

However, the poacher didn't give him the chance to do much else as he pulled out a pistol from a back pocket, aimed it at our guide, and pulled the trigger.

BANG!

The bullet went right through Busara's head, and he fell lifelessly against the steering wheel. Our guide was dead.

"There. I helped put him out of his misery." The poacher stated as he soon directed his pistol at my father. As all of this transpired, TJ screamed in terror while my mom hid his face and held him close, while I watched on, my face turning pale at the sight of such a horrifying act.

"Now, who should I put down next, hm?" He spoke with venom in his voice as he looked at all of us, before his eyes settled on TJ.

"Perhaps your youngest son?" he then proceeds to speak Swahili to the man closest to my mother, who in turn grabs TJ by the arm forcefully, pulling him away from our panic-stricken mother.

"NO! NOT MY BABY! PLEASE NOT MY BABY!" My mom pleaded with the poachers desperately, only to receive a backhand to the face and a rifle aimed at her once again.

"Worry not…" The man by my dad walks over and brings his pistol down towards TJ's head. "You will all be reunited very soon."

I looked on in sheer terror at what was happening. It seemed as though time slowed down, forcing me to watch every single moment pass by before my brother would meet his demise. And yet, something within me came to life, like a small spark which slowly grew into a roaring flame. With a look of anger in my eyes, I pulled back my right leg and with all the force I could muster, I drove the heel of my foot into the nearest poacher's knee, causing it to bend inward and for him to cry out in pain as he collapsed to the floor and drop his rifle.

The next few minutes seemed to transpire in a blur with the events that followed: The poacher by my dad looked over at what happened in surprise, giving my father the opportunity to grab him by the wrists and try to remove the pistol from his hand, leading shots to be fired all over the place. This in turn led to the other man by my mom to turn and try to shoot my dad off of his comrade.

"TREVOR!" My mom quickly got up and wrapped her arms around the man's neck to try and strangle him.

"BOYS, LISTEN TO ME!" My dad called to us as TJ scrambled to my side. "YOU NEED GET OUT OF HERE, NOW!" I have never heard my dad with such a demanding tone, it scared TJ AND myself.

"But dad-" I tried to speak to him.

"DO AS I SAY, AND PROMISE ME THAT YOU'LL STAY ALIVE!" Although hesitant at first, I finally nodded to him before helping TJ up.

"C'mon TJ, let's go!" Before he had time to respond, I leapt out of the jeep, rolling along the ground and kicking up dust. "Alright TJ, we need to get out here." I said as I slowly got back to my feet.

"CONNOR! HELP ME!" I felt my heart skip as I looked back and saw that TJ was still in the jeep, seemingly stuck on something.

"TJ! HANG ON BUDDY! I'M COMING!" With all the strength I could muster, I rushed back to the jeep to try and save my little brother.

Had I known to check that TJ was with me when I jumped…

Had I known that the poacher I kicked in the knee would grab TJ by the leg…

Had I known that during dad's struggle, a few bullets would hit the jeep's still running engine…

Had I known that this would be the last time I would ever see my family…

Maybe I could have done things differently…

Just as I was within reach of TJ's hand, the jeep erupted in a torrent of flames, burning my arm and sending me flying through the air before landing back on the ground with a thud, hitting the back of my head as I was finally met with darkness.

A/N: And there you have it, Chapter 2. And boy is it a long one. Just so you all know, SimbaFan's Pride Trilogy was a big inspiration for me when I did this, alongside Kurtwilde42's "Into the Pride" and SharksPotter's "Pride of Humanity". So with that said, what will happen to Connor next? You'll have to wait until Chapter 3. Bear in mind all my chapters may be different in length, but I can assure you all, that NONE of them will be short. Don't forget to review, and I'll see you all soon.

Oh yeah, Busara= Wisdom in Swahili…At least I hope it does.