Chapter 6: Collision Course

Mamello rolled over and hit something cool and hard. Yawning, her mouth dry and her eyelids heavy, she rolled the other way and hit something warm and squishy. Kneading her paw into the surface, she purred slightly and licked the top of her nose.

"Hey, ah, Mamello?" Danso's muffled voice came from underneath her paw. "You're – squishing me…"

Giving a start, Mamello sprang up, knocking her head against the hard surface of their prison. "Oh! Sorry Danso…I'm used to sleeping next to Mama and Naki…" she trailed off sadly, averting her eyes. The shadow that was her friend in the dusky light of the oilcloth thrown over the cage nodded. "Yeah, I understand."

Danso glanced upwards. "Meanwhile, how are we going to get out of here?"

Mamello held back the choke in her voice. "I – I don't know. I don't even know where we are, it's so dark…"

As soon as the words left her, the cloth was yanked off the cage, and bright sunlight in a cloudy sky shone through. The cubs squinted in the sudden light. One of the strange creatures was staring down at them, his blue eyes crinkled in what looked like amusement.

Hey kitties! Sorry for the trip, driving from the Savannah to the Zoo can take a toll on a body, eh?

Mamello and Danso stared dumbly back at him, communication between the two species severed. The creature sighed heavily and held a paw lightly dusted in bristly black hair to his head.

Look at yourself Mac. Reduced to talking to dumb animals. Gabriel better hurry up with those hyenas.

Finished muttering, 'Mac' picked up the cage the cubs were in, making them ruthlessly slam against the far end of the cage and hauled it over to a strange stone structure.

& & &

"Hello?" Pamoja's voice echoed forlornly against the bones of the Elephant's Graveyard.

"Shomari? Rukiya? Obioma?" Pamoja's voice wavered.

"Mama?"

A crunch was heard, the sound of a splintering bone. Pamoja whipped around, fearful.

"Shomari, if this is your idea of a joke…" Pamoja warned, eyes wide with fright.

Another crunch was heard, as if the thing 'sneaking' up on her had never in their life heard of the art of subtlety.

All images of a brave matriarch forgotten, Pamoja turned on her tail and scattered. She could hear an explosion of strange, cutting sounds, a bundle of harsh-sounding exclamations from behind a small elephant's skull, and the crunching became more insistent, as whatever it was gave chase.

Looking over her shoulder in fright, Pamoja was unaware of the environment in front of her until she slammed head on into two larger bodies.

"OOF!"

Pamoja went tumbling down a hill, landing with an un-dignified thump on her behind.

"Pamoja?" Rukiya asked her worriedly, peering over the edge of the cliff. Shomari's leering face soon joined his sister's.

"Well! So the squirt finally caught up!" he snickered

"Shut up Shomari!" Pamoja cried tearfully over her brother's mocking laughter.

"There's – something out there. It…it chased me here."

Shomari rolled his eyes unkindly. "It was probably just another hyena."

"But, it – " Pamoja's protests were interrupted by another crunch, signifying the arrival of her pursuer.

"There it is!" Pamoja whispered fearfully as she scrambled up the hill.

Shomari stood tall as he addressed the pile of bones from behind the sounds originated.

"Who goes?" he barked sharply, drawing up his chest.

"I am Shomari, eldest son of Jaha the Matriarch, and I order you to show yourself!"

Pamoja caught a glint of light reflecting off an abnormally smooth, shiny bone protruding from the pile.

It didn't look much like a bone…

Pamoja gasped, her hackles raised. "Shomari! Look out – "

There was a bang and Shomari reeled back, a small needle sticking out from his foreleg. He swayed precariously on his feet before collapsing on his side, eyes lidded and whimpering softly. Rukiya stood over him, horrified.

"Shomari!"

"Go," Shomari urged her, his voice drowsy. "Take Pamoja and run. Don't worry about me!"

"Shomari…" Rukiya's eyes were full.

"Hurry!" Shomari urged. "Mama's dead, and if the pack loses both you and Pamoja, who will lead them?"

A thing was unfolding from behind its hiding place, stretching up into the sky, horribly tall with pale, naked skin…

"Rukiya!" Shomari snapped at his younger sister. He nodded towards Pamoja. "Hey squirt. Tell your stupid sister to run before she ends up like me."

He offered a smirk, but then his eyelids drooped and Shomari fell unconscious.

Howling in agony, Rukiya pulled on Pamoja's ear skin, causing her little sister to yelp in protest.

"Rukiya…" Pamoja whimpered, but Rukiya snarled at her in insistence, and the sisters ran from the limp form of their brother, up to where the shadows of the Graveyard coincided with the heat of the Savannah.

& & &

"Mamello, what are you doing?"

Mamello gazed around their new home. There were a few plants in the corner of the large room with bars in the front.

"Look Danso!" Mamello gestured to the far wall. In the distance, there was a beautiful Savannah, where lions were prowling. Excited, Mamello leapt towards them, only to smack her body against the wall.

"It's…fake?" Mamello yelped, rubbing her head with her paw.

Danso was staring forlornly out from the bars at multiple other boxes with bars situated along a winding path of hard white material, along which colourful flowers grew in beds of soil. Most of the boxes with bars were occupied with animals, some familiar like cheetahs lazily staring back at the cubs and flicking their tails in boredom, but some were unfamiliar, like chubby fish-like mammals with tails in a pool.

However, the box to the right of them, almost touching their box, was empty, save for a piece of meat, looking as if someone were expecting something.

& & &

A/N: Oh, booyah! My sixth chapter is finally up! Thank goodness! And you thought I had given up. Hah! Oh, and those weird symbols and everything? Yeah, they're gone now! (does victory dance). Yeah, I'm really pathetic…and I know I haven't answered any reviews except for two at the beginning, so here are my review answers!

REVIEWS:

Riverwood: I think my computer just hates me, but I fixed it! For good this time, hopefully! (crosses fingers)

SunRise19: Poetry format? Huh, that's a good idea! Thanks!

ClearGreenWater: Thank you so much! Hopefully, this chapter will make up for all the short and evilly hacked chapters so far…

Lady-X-Nova: Creepy? That's good. I was afraid to add more stuff because it might have come off all weird or just plain awkward…yeah…anyways, thanks for your review!

Bambi (1 review answer for three reviews, because I procrastinate, I'm lazy and…meh, I need a hobby): Omigosh, I'm so glad you like it! I love your story, your writing's amazing, thanks so much for taking the time to review!

K9: Yeah, paragraphs are not my strong point…thanks for the comment (oh, and by the way, they're chocolate chip cookies…)

Lady Battousai: Poor Naki and Jaha…thanks for reviewing though!

Bambi: Luckily, you haven't seen me at my descriptive worst…no seriously, I tend to over-describe EVERYTHING!

SunRise19: All in good time my dear… (evil laughter) …oh dear…

BRI: (hides from the fact that her friend is on knows about her story…and is reviewing it) yeah…o'course you're not a stalker…(walks away slowly) Thanks Bri-Bri!

Next chapter will be up…soon! Promise! Yes! Unless I die…(dies) mwa-ha-ha! I have stalled! (runs away)

Mamello: Yeah. She'll come back.

Danso: Soon.