Oh what a busy week it has been, too much hot chocolate and only one machine. Any way I love the new reply button and if any body wants, feel free to private message me, I would be happy to chat. Well on to another depressing chapter and I believe I have less than five more chapters to go. Not sure though, I'm still trying to figure that out.
Two weeks passed and the first week was the worst week I had ever experienced in my entire life. For a very long time after Binti passed away in my arms I sat there with Conga and Dinari unable to say a word as all three of us cried our hearts out. We did not know how long time passed but it must have been a while because Simba went looking for me and found us in our mournful state.
Simba then ran to get Rafiki who was kind enough to take Binti and Tiki back to pride rock with him and bury them at the base of the old tree I used to live in before the fire. I did not sleep that night, I had been so used to Binti lying beside me that every position that I tried to be in just could not suit me. I finally just could not take it any more and just cried my heart out. Dinari and Conga could not sleep that night either and I found both of them curled up together shivering and wanting their mother, I tried to help them but I did not have the same motherly quality as Binti.
For a week I skipped my advisor duties which Simba kindly accepted and let Timon and Pumbaa do it who of course tried everything in their power to make me happy but nothing could cheer me up. I usually stood by the base of the old tree staring at the two mounds of dirt that held my wife and one of my children. Usually the tears would fall like rain and cover the earth until I was too tired to even cry any more and because of that I would often wake up to find that I had fallen asleep beside their bodies.
What was just as devastating though was when Dinari left. He wanted to stay but after a few days he told me that the pride lands held too many bad memories for his young heart to handle. He left one morning heading to the south to find a place to call his own and hopefully raise a family. To this day I don't know if he succeeded.
So for a week it was just me and Conga, but she did not spend much time with me. She was always on her own and I would not see her until late in the evening. I would ask her if she was alright but she would only nod and say nothing before curling up and going to sleep. I knew her mother's death was very traumatic to her.
A week after Dinari left I was sitting on a branch near the waterhole watching a family of zebras, the little foal was being quite a handful and the mother had to keep running after him in fear of loosing him or of a possible predator. I smiled at the little rambunctious child, the first time I smiled in a while probably, but of course that smile turned into a frown when I thought how my family should have been like that. I sighed and tried to swallow my tears back but of course one tear would not give up and trickled down my face.
"Dad?" said a voice beside me.
I looked over at Conga, the only member of my family that I knew of to call me that right now, the only one left.
"Yes Conga?" I asked.
"I'm ready," she said.
My eyes brightened a little, was she ready to train for advisor, something she had dreamed of doing since I told her of her succession.
"So you ready to follow me and learn about the pride lands? Simba said that he can't wait to see you train," I said.
"No Dad, I'm not ready for that, I won't be ready for that for a while," said Conga.
"Oh? Then what are you ready for?" I asked.
"Revenge," she said.
I gasped in shock; I did not know whether to take her seriously or consider it a joke, she was known to say silly things but this one came as a total shock.
"Revenge?" I asked shocked.
"I really want to follow in your footsteps Dad but I feel that the hawk who killed Mom deserves to be punished," she said.
"But Conga, your too young to think these things," I said.
"Dad, I'm not as young as you think, I know all about the birds and the bees, I know all about the circle of life and I know killing for pleasure when I see one," said Conga.
"He wasn't killing for pleasure, he was hungry," I said trying my hardest to get her to change her mind.
"You call laughing in my mothers dying face hunger, I saw the whole thing Dad, Mom even told him once that she had enough but he kept going at it," said Conga.
"But Conga, how are you going to kill a hawk that is at least three times bigger than you?" I asked.
"I don't know and I don't care, I just think he doesn't deserve to live," said Conga.
The fire that suddenly glinted in her eyes told me that she was not going to change her mind. But as a father I knew I had to try to keep her from leaving on that quest.
"But how are you going to find this hawk, you don't even know where he is, I have heard of hawks traveling thousands of miles. And how will you know which one he is, there are probably hundreds that look like him," I said.
"I can't forget that face, that face full of hate and no feeling of sympathy as he dug his talons into my mother. I remember that he had a patch of white on his shoulder, it wasn't too big but it was noticeable," said Conga.
"But I need you here, I need someone to carry on in my place," I said.
Conga looked at me with sadness in her face, it was a look of shock, like she was about to cry but she held back and shook her head before looking down at the grass for a few moments. We were both silent until Conga spoke up.
"That hawk took away something dear to me, and I bet she was to you too. I won't be able to feel her warmth during a cold night or a song from her to put me to sleep. I'll never hear her voice again and tell her of my problems. I watched the whole battle between her and the hawk. I heard her cry in pain when he first dug his talons in her. She was only pecking him to get him to go away but I don't know why he had to try and kill her. He should have known that she was only trying to protect us not fight to the death," said Conga who was now letting the tears stream down her face.
I let a few tears flow down myself but I held my posture of a father. "She was special to me too Conga, but its something we can't change, she died trying to save you guys and that was all that mattered to her in the last moments of her life," I said.
"I'm still going out there, I don't know how long it will take, or if I will ever return but if I do, it means I succeeded," said Conga.
"But I really need someone to take my place when I cannot be an advisor any more," I said.
"Will you get off of that Dad; I don't care about that job right now! I care about avenging my mother. I don't want to live the rest of my life knowing that there is a killer on the loose. He could do it again with those hate filled eyes while his gruff voice echoes all around those who watch the one he is killing suffer. And if I die trying then at least I tried," said Conga.
"But I will be so lonely without you," I said sadly.
"You have Simba to talk to every day, you and that special Morning Report of yours, no one gives a damn about it but you, I have watched Simba, he may look interested but he is only faking it, I can see it in his eyes," said Conga.
The words that came out of her mouth broke my heart, I wanted to yell back at her, strike her for saying such horrible things, but I couldn't. I did not want to end up like Binti's dad who had to be sedated before she could fly away from him. I knew I had to let her go.
"I love you Daddy, but you do take your job too seriously. Mom probably would have lived if you were there when it happened instead of chatting with Simba," said Conga.
"That's probably true," I said not knowing what else to say, she was winning the argument and I was lowering myself to her. Something I should not have done but I was still depressed right now and I just did not have the energy.
"I promise I will return if I succeed, it may be months, it may be years I promise to come back to you when the time is right," said Conga.
I nodded. "If you want to do so badly, then go right ahead, I won't stop you. I know if I hold you back you will keep trying and then our relationship would probably not be good," I said.
Conga looked at me and gave a small smile before giving me a quick hug. "I won't let you down Dad," she said.
"Be safe and if you can, try to get some messenger finches to send me information on you," I said.
"I'll try," said Conga.
We both stared at each other for a long time before Conga finally lifted herself out of the branch and gave a quick wave. She then headed to the west, toward the jungles first, the most dangerous place for a fledgling to be.
I watched her go until she was a mere speck in the distance. Once she was out of sight I looked around at the waterhole and noticed that I was the only one there, I had now returned to the lonely life of the bachelor again but this time it was with a heavy heart.
A/N: Yay I finished the chapter. Just a quick little one which kinda gives you a hint of another story. Hope you all liked that chapter and please review. I'll update when I can again. So see you all real soon.
Zorro: Oh my God I thought you turned into Pixie dust!
Narfgirl: No that was only a joke to confuse you.
Zorro: A joke! OMG! WTF! BBQ!
Narfgirl hits Zorro on the head. Good night everyone, I'm going to bed.