The hunter corners his pray ... slowly, he approaches it with dripping fangs and sharp claws ... and then...!
------------------------------------------------
"YEEOW!"
Nala grabbed the tip of her tail and cradled it dearly in her paws, glaring at the creature who attacked her with rage.
"Mheetu, what did I tell you about using my tail as practice? You know, that really hurts ..." Leaving no time at all for the cub to answer, she dropped her tail and swiped up the male to her chest. Menacingly, she nipped at his tail.
"Ow, ow! Sis', I'm sorry! I won't do it again! AHAHA! STOP!"
Snorting, she let the cub that was her brother back on the ground and smoothed out the tuft of fur atop his head after placing a paw on him. He'd grown into a bouncy, yet mischievous cub – much to Nala's dismay. He was always around where she was, excluding hunts. It'd take an army of Hyenas to keep that one in his place. Yet, he was handsome, and his innocent and endearing visage often got him out of the trouble he caused. His adoring emerald eyes and signature beard-esque fur wooed the lionesses of the pride; far more than what Nuka, also the son of Scar and of Zira, could obtain.
Mheetu purred as his fur was rummaged with, closing in the distance between him and Nala by curling up into her belly. She smiled softly ... even if he was a bit of an annoyance and a troublemaker, he was still a sweetheart. If anything, he reminded her most of Simba.
"So what're you doing today, Mheetu? And leave my tail out of the many possibilities, please," the lioness chuckled as she poked the cub gently on the nose with the tip of an unsheathed claw.
"Oh nothing. Probably just stick around here with you, Nala."
Joy.
"I'd rather you stay here anyway, Mheetu. The Pridelands are no place for you to go in these conditions. You should wait until the rains come again ..." she halted and sighed, before whispering the completion of her statement. "If they ever do."
"I know, I know. Sheesh, Nala." The male cub sighed and rolled his eyes before taking a place beside Nala in the cave and sprawling out with no care in the world. He looked around the cave and just stared with indifference. His mother and sister always talked about the way the Pridelands were prior to his birth. Lush green fields, food as far as the eye can see, love in every stitch of the Serengeti.
Yet, he was witness to not this paradise the elders spoke about, but a gloomy cave with two sets of lionesses at war with one another. He was born where Hyenas were placed on a higher pedestal than lions, and where night and day were no different; it was always dark and depressing.
He let out a small growl out of irritation, before he was distracted by a whisper from the cave entry.
"Psst! Nala, you there?"
-----------------------------------------------------------
Confused as to who would call her from secrecy, Nala tilted her head upright and saw a familiar face – one she and Simba had long seen before, and was a friend among many of Nala's pridesisters; including Mheetu, himself.
"Bhati--"
Nala's exclamation would cease shortly as Mheetu tackled her head into the floor, clamping her muzzle shut with his own paws.
"Quiet, sis! The Hyenas'll eat her for sure if you blow her cover like that ..." the young cub whispered carefully into the ear of the pinned lioness. With her strength regained from being startled, Nala pushed off the cub and glared at him with disdain. Cupping his chin with her paw, she softly whispered in his ear as well.
"You ever pin me like that again, and I'll pulverize you. Do you comprehend that?"
Gulping softly, he nodded. "Yes, Nala."
"Good," she smirked, before turning her attention towards the bat-eared fox that lingered behind a random boulder within the cave now. "Bhati, come out, old-friend. The pride is out on the hunt."
Quickly, and slyly, the fox came forth from her shadows and hopped behind Mheetu's body; although she was far taller than what she used to be when Nala and she were mere young ones. Mheetu bared no protection from the Hyenas that were lingering about, and giggled at her attempt.
"Bhati! It's good to see ya'!"
"Vice versa, Mheetu. You're growing to be so handsome; did anyone ever tell you that?"
"Oh you know, here and there." The cub gestured the directions with his paws and laughed, before Nala cleared her throat to interrupt the two.
"My apologies, Nala. How have you been?"
"Survivng, Bhati. If you don't mind me asking, how did you get by all those mangy Hyenas, anyway? Not to contradict your excellent and keen secrecy skills."
Bhati frowned slightly as she swiped Nala's face with her tail in attempts to stop her mockery. The two couldn't contain themselves and burst out in to a fit of laughter, with Mheetu right at heel. He certainly didn't know what the two females were cackling about, but to see them laugh made him as well.
The fox wiped her eye before diverting her attention back towards the entrance of the cave. There stood Kula, beaming in all her glory for a reason Nala and Mheetu were unaware of.
"If it weren't for Kula, I'd probably be a snack right now."
The lioness who bared resemblance closely of that to Sarabi, inched her way in; bowing her head to an imaginary audience in recognition of her "astounding tactics of sneaking someone in to the cave."
"Thank you, thank you, you're all far too kind."
Mheetu was in stitches afterwards. Did he love Kula – she was always one to make him laugh. And it seemed he had developed a sort of childish infatuation over the lioness in the time he knew her.
"Kula, you devil you! Scar could have your head for this!" Nala snickered as she and Kula exchanged devious glances along with Bhati. It seemed that the trio never truly matured.
"I know, but I ran in to Bhati while I was out with the pride. I raced back here so she could tell you the news herself!"
Confused yet again, Nala quirked a brow and stared at Bhati. "News? What news?"
"I saw them, out on the border of the Pridelands."
--------------------------------------------------------
"... Saw who, Bhati?"
"Chumvi and Tojo! They're alive and well, and ask of you and Kula." She grinned. Bhati felt so warm inside to deliver the other lioness the delightful news that her friends were okay.
"Don't toy with me, Bhati! Are they really alive?"
"Yes, yes, yes! And I'll lead you and Kula over there right now to see them."
Kula suddenly dropped to the floor and held Nala's paw in her own.
"PLEASE, Nala! I would give anything to see Chumvi and ... Tojo, again!" Her cheeks were warm at the mentioning of Simba's cousin. "But I don't have anything to give, so that's why I'm asking you get off your lazy hind and come with me and Bhati to see them! Pleaaaase, Nala?"
Mheetu snickered at Kula. "Hey, she's graveling!"
"Mheetu, shh," the cub's sister silenced him before agreeing to both the fox and lioness that she would accompany them to see how their childhood friends and pridemates were doing on their own since the banishment. But that left the lioness with one thing to worry about.
Turning her head back to face her brother, Nala stared in silence.
The cub was turned backwards with his head between his hind-legs. He gave Nala a sheepish little grin, before flipping on to his back accidentally. Real smooth, Mheetu, the cub thought as he lay facing his sister's face directly from the floor. Cowardly, he twiddled his claws.
Nala simply sighed.
"Mheetu, I'm going to ask a very big favor of you, okay?"
"Uh, alright, sis. What is it?"
She was a bit apprehensive about her favor, but had already made the decision to go through with it.
"I'm going to need you to stay here by yourself for a little bit. And please, Mheetu – don't give me a reason to not trust you. Just stay here and don't make a sound. I'll be back before you can say ..." she thought. "Hippopotamus."
"Hip- ... hoppo ... hipopotatamus ..." The poor cub strained to say the word.
"As I said. I'll be back as soon as you can say it. Just don't leave the cave, Mheetu. Do you understand?"
"Clear as rain, sis'! And if mom comes back before you do, I'll cover!" He gave off an encouraging wink and fixed himself so he'd be sitting facing the females. Nala smiled and turned back to her two friends who were eagerly ready to set trail.
"Alright, it's settled then. Lets go."
Each giving the male words of departure, both lionesses and the fox were gone.
Mheetu sat in the darkness, blowing raspberries at the females who were far from Pride Rock given their speed. But his taunting would be cut short as a trio of insane laughter filled the cave.
"Hey, boss. They left the little squirt here alone," said one of the canines.
"Oh, a cub-sandwich!" said another.
"Hoo-hah ... hahaha!" the last managed to let out.
---------------------------------------------------
"There will be no eating here, my friends." The slender frame of the King slinked on in the cave followed by his three henchmen of Hyenas, closing in on the cub.
Mheetu looked as if he were a deer in headlights – paralyzed with complete fear.
"Ah, Mheetu ... why are you here alone?"
"M-mom is out hunting."
The tiny cub looked behind the towering lion for a quick moment, and gasped at the ravenous and violent canines that were behind him. They were Mheetu's problem, not so much Scar.
"I see, but dear lad, I could have sworn by the stars that your sister was supposed to be protecting you?"
"She was watching me, sir. She just went to ... go."
Scar paused and arched a brow. "Go?"
Mheetu pushed on with his cover. "Yeah, you know ... go?"
Scar shook his head as he had gotten exactly what his son had said. His son ... he'd often forget that he had any offspring after the disappointment with Nuka. He had high hopes for Mheetu, but Sarafina made it difficult from day one for Scar to influence the cub in to becoming his heir. As he glared at Mheetu beside his paws, he couldn't help to deviously smirk inside ... he did bare a resemblance to him most definitely.
"I see ... I'll be leaving you then, lad." The King turned to exit but not before whispering in the ear of the one they called Shenzi. "Make sure he never gets left alone again."
With that, Scar was gone ... yet the three Hyenas remained.
--------------------------------------
"W-what are you still doing here?" Mheetu asked with great fear, as he backed farther and father away from the three hyenas, until he completely backed himself into the back-wall.
"Oh, don't worry ... we're just here to make sure your precious little sister doesn't leave you hanging like this anymore ..."
---------------------------------------
Minutes later, the three Hyenas came rushing out of the cave with full speed; one bearing claw-marks across their nose. Shenzi stopped at the entrance quickly to get Scar's attention who was sitting atop the promontory. Nodding to signify that the job was done, she scrambled off Priderock and into the Hyena-crowding below.
Inside the cave, Mheetu had his head buried in his paws, whimpering. Several bite marks and slashes lied across his entire body; areas still blessed with fresh blood.
Scar could hear the whimpering inside as he departed the promontory and bypassed the cave. Halting, he whispered to himself.
"If she will not allow you to be my heir, then I will not allow her to keep you as a son."
He then continued his descent down towards the lionesses who were now coming back from their hunt.
-------------------------------------
Mheetu was left crying in the dark.
"H-H-Hippo..potamus ... "
Yet Nala was not back home.