Everyone was sure glad to see Mjinja go and not try to hurt anyone anymore. Now the rock python will think twice before wandering the home turf of the Emela-Ntouka. That snake was almost as big as an anaconda, but not big or strong enough to take on even one full-grown Emela-Ntouka head-on in a fight. But, the kids were just happy that they didn't get trapped from Mjinja's coils of death as his next meal. Yes, it would have been very unpleasant if the snake would have... finished off Chris, if not for his father and his friends coming to save him.

Alas, that was behind him and Chris decided not to fixate on it so much. As of now, he was having a talk with Adewale, along with the human family.

"So, how have you guys been so rare?" asked Tara

"Well, we weren't always that way." Adewale admitted. "Before, we have been able to grow for over millions of years, but then, when I was a little calf, something terrible happened."

"What happened?" asked Joel.

"Well, some terrible disease, or a plague erupted like wildfire and wiped out countless members of my kind, and this plague, whatever it was," Adewale continued explaining, "Somewhere around the thousands, or maybe even more than that. Of course, there were lucky ones, including me."

"What caused this disease to happen?" asked Persephone.

"I still don't know after all these years." Adewale sighed. "We try to bring our species back to its former glory. I don't know when exactly when we can bring our population back."

"At least you still have your family." said Kion.

Adewale smiled. "Yes. That is true. They are as strong as I am and I don't know what I would do without them."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," said Limali. "These events can happen out of nowhere."

"True." Adewale said. "It wasn't my fault, and I was only a child when it happened. All that matters is that I'm still alive and there are others out there. I always keep telling myself that 'at least me and my kind are not extinct', or affected by this mysterious disease today."

"Well that's just weird." said Rani

"It is weird." the leader of the Emela-Ntouka agreed with her. "It caught me and the remaining Emela-Ntouka of old off-guard."

"We can't change the past." said Kion.

"Right. All we have is here and now." said the leader's son.

"So enough of that," said Adewale. "How would you all like to take a little tour of our jungle we call home?"

"I thought this part of the jungle was your home?" asked Chris.

"Oh we have been to many parts of this jungle many, many times before, kid." said another male Emela-Ntouka. "So it's safe to say: we can call this whole jungle our home."

"That makes sense." said Kion. "Are you guys the rulers here?"

"Us Elephant Killers have a different view of how leadership should be. After all, we never view ourselves as rulers over a bery piece of land." said a female Emela-Ntouka.

"That makes sense." said Rani.

"We can allow any other animal from another species to visit or cross paths, as long as they mean no harm at all." said Adewale. "It's an open country. So we know a good place you should look upon in this rainforest."

"I'll be needing my mosquito bite repellent with me." Persephone pulled out some kind of bottle and lightly sprayed it on some parts of her skin. "Whew, that's better."

The other animals took notice of the smell, and it didn't seem rather... pleasant to them.

"Gah, what is that?" asked Kion

"This is what we humans use to keep mosquitos from biting us." said Joel. "Mosquito bites are so annoying to a humans skin."

"Sounds like you have fragile skin." said Rani

"Yeah, very fragile." said Chris. "We're not as strong as other animals."

"And our skin is not as thick as an elephant or a rhino would he like." Joel added. "We humans always have to be prepared for anything out here at any given moment."

"You should still watch your step." said the leader of these large mammals. "After what happened with Mjinja, there is nothing wrong with taking a little more... precautions."

"I get that." said Chris.

The group all followed Adewale with his family while the other members of his herd stayed behind. It was a very interesting walk in this tour, and it still felt humid out here in the rainforest.

If it's the Congo rainforest, anything is possible. There were some large roots from the ground and there was some roots peaking from the ground, big or small, but those were just minor setbacks. Of course, in many humid, tropical areas like this one, there were bugs like mosquitos and gnats and other kinds of flying pests.

There were a couple of quicksand piles that Kion almost fell in, but Rani saved him by grabbing his tail (much to the discomfort of the poor male cub). Still, he was happy that Rani would help him like this, being the perfect girlfriend that she was to her lover.

Of course, it might not happen, but she still wish he would be her king for ruling her own pride one day.



over the course of thirty minutes, the humans stopped for a rest, taking a drink of water from their bottles and sitting on a large log that fell down on the ground for reasons unknown.
"Are you ok, Tara?" asked Chris
"Yeah, it just feels uncomfortable out here in this humidity. It's like... being in a steam room while having your clothes on."
"It's ok, you'll get used to it." said Joel. "You're strong. Just stay strong and drink plenty of water."
They were all in front of a large waterfall roaring and Kion and Rani were sitting next to their human friends. Despite the humidity, they were happy on this little trip. The Emela-Ntouka were more than happy to get some water from the lake.
Admittely, the human family wished that they can drink from that water, but they know that it probably wasn't clean. Suddenly, a loud croaking voice erupted from above the sky and a large bird was hovering overhead. "Kion! I have finally found you!" said the bird.
It was Mzingo, the nasty vulture that was a thorn on Kion's side.
"Face me like a real lion!" the vulture taunted.
"Oh great." said Kion. "That's all we need."