Chapter 19: The last encounter.
Tiku looked back only once before heading off. He led the way, Kiki helping Bailey to keep up. Tiku really had no idea where the river was; all he knew was that he had to get to it. Somehow he felt he as though he was being guided. So he walked on, holding himself proudly, glad to have escaped the humans twice now.
"So when we reach the river, how will we know if we're in your lands or not?" Kiki asked, leaving Bailey for the moment to walk beside Tiku. Tiku sighed. He had not really thought of that. "Well," he said, thinking. "I don't know for sure, but somehow I think I'll just know. I guess it's just one of those things, you just don't know till you get there." He finished. Kiki nodded.
Tiku's stomach growled loudly, reminding him once again that he had not eaten anything for at least twenty-four hours. Kiki laughed and Tiku tucked his ears in embarrassment. "Don't worry," she said, "I'm hungry too." Tiku smiled. Bailey made a rasping sound to say he was too was hungry. Kiki scanned the skies, but saw nothing. She sighed and dropped back behind Tiku.
Tiku looked up at the sky and saw the lioness from his dream forming in the clouds. He cocked his head just a bit and saw the lioness smile at him and then point. With his eyes he looked to the spot where she was pointing. Sure enough, there in the sky were two to three vultures, circling. He smiled and looked back, but the lioness was gone.
"Over there!" he yelled, racing off in the direction the vultures were. Kiki and Bailey smiled and ran after him, Kiki yelling, "No fair you got a head start!"
Tiku pounced over a patch of tall grass and stopped, staring at the carcass of a wildebeest. He smiled and then gasped. There just behind the wildebeest was the river. The river they needed to cross! He smiled once more as Kiki and Bailey appeared. "Well, I guess we get dinner and a way home." Kiki smiled. They growled and gave little cub-adolescence like roars and then scared the vultures away. Kiki pounced up to the wildebeest. Suddenly she stopped. "Wait a second." she said. "What?" Tiku asked, looking at her curiously.
"This was freshly killed, no one gives up a freshly killed wildebeest or any food for that matter." She said, walking around the dead animal. Suddenly she gasped and the hair on the back of her neck stood straight up. "It's a trap!" she yelled. "What?" Tiku exclaimed. "Never mind! Just cross the river!" Kiki pounced over the wildebeest and grabbed Bailey. "Hang on tight!" she yelled, heaving him up onto her back. Bailey did his best to hold on as Kiki plunged into the river. Tiku heard a low growl and without further hesitation jumped into the river after Kiki.
"NO! You're not getting away this time!" he heard Tanu yell from behind him. Tiku paddled hard, trying to cross the river as fast as he could. The water seemed to stretch on and on. He could see the shore but it never seemed to get any closer. He glanced back, Tanu was pacing the shoreline, going in and then coming back out. He smiled, Tanu was afraid of the water! Tanu roared. Frank came out and cursed at Tanu for not going after them. "Joe!" he yelled, "Bring a net, a big one!" Tiku gasped. A net!
"Swim faster Kiki! We have to reach the other side!" he yelled. "As if I didn't already know that!" Kiki retorted. From behind they heard a loud bang and Tiku gasped, "Swim!" he yelled. But it was too late; the net was overtop of them. Tiku felt the pressure of the net pulling him down. "Swim under and away from it!" he heard Kiki yell. Tiku ducked under water and saw that the net was not underneath them; it was just sort of floating. They could escape once more! He swam under it and then emerged on the other side, gasping for air. He took one final look back before swimming to the opposite shore, shaking and taking off after Kiki and Bailey, leaving the humans and Tanu dumbfounded and raging in anger..
Ok, end of chapter, don't forget to leave a review. Oh and C.a.b, sorry to disappoint you but Tanu is gonna stay w/ the humans. He's been w/ them since a cub and becuz of that he wouldn't know how to act in a pride, so it's better if he just stays w/ the humans.as bad as that sounds.. well, g2g, will update again soon!
Tiku looked back only once before heading off. He led the way, Kiki helping Bailey to keep up. Tiku really had no idea where the river was; all he knew was that he had to get to it. Somehow he felt he as though he was being guided. So he walked on, holding himself proudly, glad to have escaped the humans twice now.
"So when we reach the river, how will we know if we're in your lands or not?" Kiki asked, leaving Bailey for the moment to walk beside Tiku. Tiku sighed. He had not really thought of that. "Well," he said, thinking. "I don't know for sure, but somehow I think I'll just know. I guess it's just one of those things, you just don't know till you get there." He finished. Kiki nodded.
Tiku's stomach growled loudly, reminding him once again that he had not eaten anything for at least twenty-four hours. Kiki laughed and Tiku tucked his ears in embarrassment. "Don't worry," she said, "I'm hungry too." Tiku smiled. Bailey made a rasping sound to say he was too was hungry. Kiki scanned the skies, but saw nothing. She sighed and dropped back behind Tiku.
Tiku looked up at the sky and saw the lioness from his dream forming in the clouds. He cocked his head just a bit and saw the lioness smile at him and then point. With his eyes he looked to the spot where she was pointing. Sure enough, there in the sky were two to three vultures, circling. He smiled and looked back, but the lioness was gone.
"Over there!" he yelled, racing off in the direction the vultures were. Kiki and Bailey smiled and ran after him, Kiki yelling, "No fair you got a head start!"
Tiku pounced over a patch of tall grass and stopped, staring at the carcass of a wildebeest. He smiled and then gasped. There just behind the wildebeest was the river. The river they needed to cross! He smiled once more as Kiki and Bailey appeared. "Well, I guess we get dinner and a way home." Kiki smiled. They growled and gave little cub-adolescence like roars and then scared the vultures away. Kiki pounced up to the wildebeest. Suddenly she stopped. "Wait a second." she said. "What?" Tiku asked, looking at her curiously.
"This was freshly killed, no one gives up a freshly killed wildebeest or any food for that matter." She said, walking around the dead animal. Suddenly she gasped and the hair on the back of her neck stood straight up. "It's a trap!" she yelled. "What?" Tiku exclaimed. "Never mind! Just cross the river!" Kiki pounced over the wildebeest and grabbed Bailey. "Hang on tight!" she yelled, heaving him up onto her back. Bailey did his best to hold on as Kiki plunged into the river. Tiku heard a low growl and without further hesitation jumped into the river after Kiki.
"NO! You're not getting away this time!" he heard Tanu yell from behind him. Tiku paddled hard, trying to cross the river as fast as he could. The water seemed to stretch on and on. He could see the shore but it never seemed to get any closer. He glanced back, Tanu was pacing the shoreline, going in and then coming back out. He smiled, Tanu was afraid of the water! Tanu roared. Frank came out and cursed at Tanu for not going after them. "Joe!" he yelled, "Bring a net, a big one!" Tiku gasped. A net!
"Swim faster Kiki! We have to reach the other side!" he yelled. "As if I didn't already know that!" Kiki retorted. From behind they heard a loud bang and Tiku gasped, "Swim!" he yelled. But it was too late; the net was overtop of them. Tiku felt the pressure of the net pulling him down. "Swim under and away from it!" he heard Kiki yell. Tiku ducked under water and saw that the net was not underneath them; it was just sort of floating. They could escape once more! He swam under it and then emerged on the other side, gasping for air. He took one final look back before swimming to the opposite shore, shaking and taking off after Kiki and Bailey, leaving the humans and Tanu dumbfounded and raging in anger..
Ok, end of chapter, don't forget to leave a review. Oh and C.a.b, sorry to disappoint you but Tanu is gonna stay w/ the humans. He's been w/ them since a cub and becuz of that he wouldn't know how to act in a pride, so it's better if he just stays w/ the humans.as bad as that sounds.. well, g2g, will update again soon!