Hello all, apologies for the wait. Thanks again for the encouraging reviews. Well, we come to it at last. You'll see what I mean when you read this chapter. It's very long so I hope you have the patience for it :P Enjoy, and please review!
Simba – Adult male lion, King of the Pride Lands
Nala – Adult lioness, Queen of the Pride Lands, wife of Simba
Kiara – Adult lioness, Princess of the Pride Lands, hunting party leader
Kovu – Adult lion, Prince Regent of the Pride Lands, husband of Kiara
Vitani – Adult lioness, half-sister of Kovu
Amaryllis – Adult lioness, foster mother of Amabi, former loner, wanderer
Nadhari – Adult lioness, mother of Alyssa and Kelt
Sharhal – Adult lioness, a member of Kiara's hunting party
Aetti – Adult lioness, a member of Kiara's hunting party
Tumai – Adult male lion, competitive, aggressive, mocking
Juvi – Adult male lion, quiet, thoughtful young male
Salama – Adult male lion, old and wise but not as wise as he thinks, condescending
Lokanneoro – Adult male lion, Tenzer's father, veteran survivor, powerful
Maradi – Adult male lion, attractive and pleased with his appearance
Haya – Adult male lion, young, curious about the world
Tenzer – Half grown male lion, loner, quiet character but gentle with cubs
Ryana – Half-grown lioness, talkative and besotted with Tenzer
Amabi – Male lion cub, adopted son of Amaryllis, cheeky, inquisitive cub
Alyssa – Lioness cub, daughter of Nadhari, more reserved and careful cub
Kelt – Male lion cub, son of Nadhari, slightly insecure cub
Zazu – Adult hornbill, Simba's majordomo
Timon – Adult meerkat, Simba's friend
Pumbaa – Adult warthog, Simba's friend
Rafiki – Adult baboon- Simba's friend, shaman and advisor
Shenzi – Adult female hyena, leader of Graveyard Clan
Banzai – Adult male hyena, leader of Graveyard Clan
Ed – Adult male hyena, leader of Graveyard Clan
Ridikill – Adult male hyena, hunting pack leader, extremely aggressive and antisocial
Burudi – Adult male hyena, scarred face, Ridikill's 'lieutenant', less vicious, member of Ridikill's pack
Groco – Adult male hyena, weakling, low-ranking scout trying to improve his social standing, member of Ridikill's pack
Agiza – Adult female hyena, hunting pack leader, one of Shenzi's favoured, high-ranking
Sarkil – Adult female hyena, sarcastic huntress, member of Ridikill's hunting pack
Kapungu – Adult male hyena, fearsome hunter with a lust for blood, member of Ridikill's pack
Babaka – Adult male hyena, always hungry, member of Ridikill's pack
Shungi – Adult female hyena, rookie leader of small hunting pack
Cauron – Adult female hyena, currently heavily pregnant
Mali – Adult male leopard
Mamacala – Adult male crocodile
Kachero – Adult male rock python
Oocheva – Adult male plover bird
Ridikill waited by the now overly-familiar pond. He was still nursing a few choice blows from the encounter with the lions the night before. That had been an interesting little scrap. Ridikill wouldn't have gone out of choice, but Shenzi, Banzai and Ed had insisted. He had been afraid of running into Amaryllis there, which would have been awkward. Not to mention he didn't really have it in him to fight lionesses anymore, not after his time spent with them the day before.
Thankfully Amaryllis hadn't been there, as far as he could tell, but he was pretty sure Vitani had been. Ridikill had taken care to avoid actually biting at any of the lionesses, only rushing towards them, but unfortunately the cats hadn't been as gentle to him.
So he sat there, licking a few scratches on his hide. They'd hadn't gone hungry in the end, as the pack had pulled down a wildebeest on the way home, but losing their prize to the crocodiles had been pretty tough to bear. Ridikill had seen Mamacala approaching Simba, but he hadn't made himself known to the crocodile. Best not to when he was about to feed.
Ridikill was worried. The unexpected encounter with the python Kachero had unnerved him. Why did Mamacala want to speak to him? Mamacala never sought him out – it was always the other way around. And why did he want to meet in such a remote location, so far from the river?
And what was up with that python? How did he know Mamacala? Ridikill was pretty certain Mamacala spoke to few other creatures besides himself. Why did the python call Mamacala "the Master"? And why had the python been 'watching him'? Was he spying on him for Mamacala's benefit? Why would Mamacala want him watched? The crocodile never showed any interest in his personal life.
The most likely explanation Ridikill could decide upon was that Mamacala was checking up on him to see if he was following his orders to avoid Amaryllis. Kachero had even mentioned Amaryllis and Amabi by name. That must be it.
In that case, Ridikill would be very wary when he went to meet Mamacala later on that day. Not going to meet him was out of the question – Mamacala would be wrathful enough as it was with his order to avoid Amaryllis ignored, and now Ridikill was being spied on, he couldn't risk defying Mamacala again.
All Ridikill knew was that twenty four hours ago his biggest worry in the world was whether or not he would be able to get along with Amaryllis' friends, and now he was nervously glancing around every few seconds, looking for any creature who looked remotely capable of being a spy. As he looked at the tiny pond he half-expected Mamacala himself to leap out and drag him into its watery depths.
How had things come to this? Despite the fact that neither of them had ever openly acknowledged it, Mamacala had been the closest thing he had ever had to a father.
Ridikill didn't remember much about his time as a cub, but he knew he came from somewhere far away from the Elephant Graveyard and the Pride Lands. He had vague memories of huddling close to his mother in a warm, cosy den, but they were fleeting. Then he remembered being alone, abandoned or separated from her for some reason one day. He recalled being chased on different occasions, by other hyenas, by lions, by leopards, by jackals, by hunting dogs, and he remembered narrow escapes that had left him as a frightened, sobbing ball of fur tucked up in a burrow, wallowing in self-pity because he had no-one to turn to.
Those memories hurt. Why had there been no-one to look after him? Why had no-one nuzzled him and held him close and told him everything was going to be okay now? He didn't know. He was just a little cub.
Somehow he managed to avoid being eaten and starving to death, resorting to scavenging to survive, but because of the bigger carnivores present at a carcass he had always had to wait until there was only a little gristle and fat left on the bones, and even less meat.
One night, on the prowl for rodents in the long grass, he had come across a creature he had never seen before. It had lunged at him when it saw him, but it had been slow and he managed to scamper away. The beast muttered something and began to plod off.
Curious, Ridikill had followed and began asking it questions. Eventually it introduced itself as Mamacala, and suddenly it became very interested in him. It began asking why such a young hyena cub was all alone at night, and when Ridikill had replied that he didn't know and began to sob the crocodile had said something that had stayed with him for the rest of his life.
"Grow up, kid. You're never going to make it when you're so weak and fragile. Harden your heart until you care about nothing more than yourself and your own personal gain, then just when you think you can't get any tougher, redouble your efforts. Become as cold as stone and as cruel as fire, and when you realize that you like it that way, come and seek me out".
And so Ridikill had: to survive at first, his new killer instinct helping him cope with the trials of life, but soon he was positively revelling in his newfound villainy. He used it to force his way into a small local hyena clan when he was still young, and before long he was leading hunting packs out on expeditions and gorging himself on bloody chunks of zebra, wildebeest, impala, gazelle…
He began looking for the strange crocodile, and one day he found him lurking in some marshes. The reptile had recognized him immediately, and their strange relationship was forged. Ridikill would seek the old titan out and listen to his advice, his old stories and criticism. Soon he began to think of Mamacala as, if not a father figure, then a guiding figure. In fact it was Mamacala who one day had suggested to him that he leave his clan and head south to find the bountiful Pride Lands; a place Mamacala was familiar with himself.
Now Ridikill found himself torn between two worlds. On one side Mamacala beckoned, encouraging him to become stronger, pitiless and emotionally alone. On the other side Amaryllis gently encouraged him to step into the light, make friends, accept that others had rights too and to stop trying to prove to everyone how fierce he was.
Who would he follow? Logic suggested following the crocodile, his age-old adviser who'd seen much of the world and had aided him since he was young. But his heart told him to follow Amaryllis, a lioness he had only met recently, an enemy, and to lead a simpler, less twisted life.
A stork squawked nearby. It interrupted Ridikill's rumination. He looked at the sun on the horizon and glowered. Amaryllis was late. By at least an hour. Why was she keeping him waiting? Did she have better things to do all of a sudden? Ridikill was annoyed.
Eventually she appeared, rushing through the elephant grass. She stopped at the pond's edge, panting.
"Hey", she gasped, "Sorry I'm late".
"Damn right", Ridikill growled, "What took you so long?"
She looked at him, "Hunting, actually".
"So that's more important than me sitting here and wasting half my damn day waiting for you?"
Amaryllis looked hurt, "Yes, actually. Kiara insisted after we lost our kill last night, which was pretty much your pack's fault. Otherwise we'd all have gone hungry".
"Oh. Sorry", Ridikill said, feeling guilty.
"It's okay, forget about it", Amaryllis smiled; she was pleased Ridikill was able to swallow his pride and apologise these days, "Now, let's go, shall we?"
"Go? Go where?" Ridikill looked confused.
"To meet your clan, of course".
Ridikill stared, "What? I said no, didn't I? I said I didn't have no real friends there".
"Yeah, I know, but I still think I should go see for myself. Come on, let's move", she stood up and began to walk on.
"Amaryllis, no!" Ridikill barked, "My comrades aren't as friendly as yours! They'll kill you!"
"I don't think so", Amaryllis replied.
Ridikill was angry; angry that Amaryllis refused to listen to him and angry that she presumed to know so much about his clan when he had told her so little, "And what makes you so sure?" he snarled.
"Well, you've never tried to kill me, and from what you've told me, you're by far the nastiest piece of work in your clan".
Ridikill didn't have an answer to that. He watched as Amaryllis walked away, and with an irritated sigh he followed her.
Ed was licking one of the bones of the previous night's meal with his rasp-like tongue. A small puddle of drool gathered on the floor around him. He watched as Shenzi paced up and down, scowling.
"Typical. Just typical. I finally get the strength to go on a hunt and we run into not just the lions, but crocodiles as well!" she was saying, "Can't anything run smooth for once?"
Banzai sat on his haunches and watched her, "I still say you shouldn'ta gone last night. You're still limpin' bad".
She glared at him, "If I say I'm fit to go, baldie, I'm fit to go".
Ed laughed.
Banzai looked bewildered, "'Baldie'?..."
Shenzi ignored him, "Well, at least it did some good for me to get out there, stretch my muscles and remind the pack whose in charge, but I was hoping we wouldn't come to blows with Simba's crew. That's gonna make things awkward tomorrow".
"You still wanna go ahead and talk to King Kitty Cat tomorrow? What's to stop Simba from ripping us apart after what we did last night?" Banzai argued.
"Nothin', I guess. But I don't think he will. He don't seem to be that kind of guy".
"Still a big risk. It's gonna be difficult to sweet-talk him into letting us stay here when he's going hungry 'cos of us…"
"I know, for crying out loud! That's why I need to think very, very carefully. I'm sure I'll think of something as long as I'm not disturbed…"
At that instant there was a loud yammering of harsh voices and whooping. It was coming from off to the right, through some thicket. Shenzi rolled her eyes.
"Great. Just great".
Banzai groaned, "We better go see what that's about".
The trio walked through the dusty scrub, flicking their tails idly. It was probably a brawl causing the commotion, and it needed breaking up. But they were in no real hurry – the longer a fight went on the more entertaining it generally became, and they each had half a mind to just sit back and watch for the hell of it.
But as they rounded a corner in the scrub they saw something they would never have been prepared for.
Two score of hyenas, young and adult alike, were darting around in agitation, snarling and shrieking. They were all reacting to something off to the right. Shenzi looked, and to her disbelief she saw a lioness, standing there, bold as brass.
To complicate matters further, standing next to her was a hyena. Not just any hyena, but Ridikill.
Shenzi stood and stared dumbly, trying to understand what she was seeing. When that failed she closed her eyes to clear her vision, opened them and stared again. She still couldn't figure it out.
Eventually she walked forward, cautiously, keeping her eyes on the lioness and Ridikill. Banzai and Ed followed. They sauntered over to stand in front of the baying hyena mob, never averting their eyes.
The lioness was nervous. She was trying to mask it with a calm, reassured look, but judging by the slightest way her back leg was twitching and the anxious swish of her tail she was ready to take flight at a moment's notice.
Ridikill, on the other hand, was looking incredibly sulky. He brushed one leg against the other in a remarkably awkward fashion, something Shenzi had never seen in him. He looked very much like an embarrassed yet sullen cub.
Shenzi tried to work out was she was seeing here again, gave up, and then decided to find out for herself.
She raised her voice above the ruckus of the hysterical pack and yelled, "Shut up!"
Gradually the riot died down, subsiding into muffled yelps and whines.
Shenzi looked at Ridikill, "So? What's going on here?"
Ridikill looked up at her with dark eyes, "Long story".
"We ain't goin' nowhere in a hurry", she replied, "Start explaining".
He licked his lips anxiously; that was certainly something Shenzi had never seen before, "This is Amaryllis".
There was a long pause. He didn't seem willing to explain any further beyond that.
"And…?" Banzai said impatiently.
Ridikill didn't answer.
Eventually the lioness spoke, trying to keep the waver out of her voice, "I'm a friend of Ridikill's. He brought me here to meet you all".
Ridikill shot a furious look at her, "I did not bring you here. You insisted on coming".
"Whatever", Amaryllis said, and continued to talk in a diplomatic fashion to the assembled hyenas, "I realize this might be a bit of a shock, but please don't be alarmed. I don't wish any of you any harm, despite the differences our two species have".
Shenzi ran her tongue along the inside of her mouth, mulling over the lioness' words. She found it hard to believe Ridikill had a friend, let alone a lion, let alone a female at that. But there was currently no other satisfactory explanation. The pack listened, struck dumb with amazement.
"I've only come to become acquainted with my good friend's pack mates, and I hope you can tolerate having me around for at least a few minutes", Amaryllis was saying, "I can assure you my intentions are honest".
Of course, there was every chance she had come simply to gather intelligence for her pride, but to Shenzi it seemed like a ridiculously elaborate scheme for such a simple task. To have a lioness trick and befriend Ridikill, a seemingly impossible task in itself, just to spy on them was ludicrous: a mole rat in a burrow or a hornbill in a tree would have done just as well.
Perhaps the lioness was on some other mission, a personal quest for vengeance on the hyenas for example by killing a cub or one of the leaders. After the recent attempt on her life Shenzi was all too aware of that unpleasant possibility, but there was something so painfully genuine about the lioness' plea that Shenzi couldn't believe this was a suicide mission by a fanatical psychopath.
This could be a potential diplomatic victory, showing a member of Simba's Pride that her clan could live side-by-side with the lions. Relations could do with some mending after last night's tussle over the eland carcass. Besides, any attempt at anything untoward by the lioness could be easily quashed, with so many edgy hyenas at her command.
She shrugged, fighting back the urge to wince at the pain from her scars as she did, "Eh, what the hell. As long as there's no mischief it's fine by me", she yawned deliberately, exaggerating the casualness of the action to reassure her clan.
She sat down. Ed and Banzai swiftly followed her lead and she began grooming herself.
Confidence was contagious: gradually the other hyenas began to calm down and lower their guard, although they kept their wary eyes on Amaryllis as she followed Ridikill to stand uncertainly at the edge of the group.
Ridikill appeared to be at a loss, staring dumbly at the throng of hyenas doing their best to ignore him and Amaryllis, and for one horrible moment Amaryllis realized Ridikill had been telling the truth: he really didn't have any friends in his own clan. Not true friends who would make an effort to make him and his strange companion welcome, as Vitani had done for her. Nobody was going to move to make room for them and no-one was going to try and spark up a conversation with Amaryllis. The realization both saddened and shamed her: she had taken it for granted that Ridikill had been exaggerating about his social life in an attempt to avoid forced communal interaction.
Ridikill had his own solution to the problem however.
"Move over, maggots!" he snarled, "Get out of my way, Burudi! Move it, Sarkil! Come on, move your hides!"
At the familiar abusive bellowing of Ridikill general chatter started to resume, although Amaryllis was well aware that everybody was keeping an eye on her. Ridikill forced a way through his comrades, bullying them out of his way. Amaryllis followed meekly in his path, smiling apologetically at the hyenas who had to step aside. They didn't seem bothered: apparently they were used to such treatment.
At last Ridikill seemed to have reached a spot he was happy with in the midst of a small group and sat down on his haunches. Amaryllis followed suit. The group of hyenas, numbering about two dozen, seemed to accept their subservience to Ridikill, albeit grudgingly, and Amaryllis supposed they were his hunting party.
"So this is where you been running off to, eh Ridikill?" one female hyena crooned, "To hang with a lion?"
Amaryllis was almost glad the pack was going to confront this directly as opposed to letting everything boil down to awkward silences. But that seemed to be the hyena way – they said what they wanted and if it offended another they settled it with a scrap.
Ridikill raised his broad head, "Shut up Sarkil. That's none of your business".
"Obviously it is our business otherwise you wouldn't have forced us all to meet her", the hyena bitch snorted.
Ridikill cast a sidelong look at Amaryllis – he was annoyed with her for having forced him into this humiliating situation but was unwilling to blame it all on her in front of anyone else. So he said nothing.
Amaryllis decided to take responsibility for the matter, "Actually it was my idea. I thought it was only fair since I made him meet my pride".
She expected some form of muted gratitude from Ridikill, but she got nothing.
One scruffy little dog hyena almost crawled towards the lioness, "Uh-huh. Silly question though, what's our resident 'tough guy' doin' consortin' with the enemy, anyway? Not thinkin' of betraying us are ya, Ridikill?"
"I'd gladly sell your stinking hide for a scrap of rotten warthog meat, Groco", Ridikill growled, "But no. I got better things to worry about than any stupid grudge against the lions".
"Is that really you, Ridikill?" Babaka said, rapping on the chief's skull with his paw, annoying him, "You hate lions".
Ridikill shrugged, "I hate everything".
"…True enough".
"But if ya hate everything, why you making the effort to hang out with a lioness?" Kapungu pointed out.
Amaryllis was aware of one hyena in particular staring at her. It was a skinny male hyena with a long scar running from his right temple across his face to end at the left side of his lower jaw. He was gazing at her as if she was an unfathomable mystery. It bothered her slightly; she wished the hyena would just come out and say what was so interesting him but he seemed content just to stare.
Apparently unaware of this dynamic, Ridikill was snapping at Kapungu, "Like I said, it's none of your business! I can bring whoever I damn well please here, so long as I have Shenzi's, Banzai's and Ed's approval. And you heard 'em, I do, so shut your faces!"
The pack seemed to accept they were going to get no more answers out of Ridikill and so they turned their attention to Amaryllis. They began bombarding her with questions.
Was she a lion spy? How could she prove she wasn't? Was she native to the Pride Lands? How close was she to King Simba? What did Simba think of the hyena presence in the Pride Lands? What did the rest of the pride think? Why? Did she have a mate? Did she have any cubs? What was his name? What kind of dumb name was that? How did she know Ridikill? Why were they friends? Didn't she know Ridikill was a vicious psychopath? Were the lions finding the dry season difficult? Were they mad at them for stealing their kill the night before? How mad? How old was she? Why was her fur a weird grey colour? Did she know about the attack on Shenzi? What was her opinion on it?
Amaryllis was busy answering all these and many more for over two hours. They positively swamped her with questions, and since different hyenas kept wandering in and out of the conversation (sometimes she had an audience of thirty or more and sometimes less than ten) she was often asked the same question more than once and forced to repeat her answer. Ridikill sat off to one side, looking miserable.
The lioness answered all the hyenas' questions to the best of her ability, and for the most part they seemed satisfied with her answers, although they had difficulty accepting the fact that she was Ridikill's friend. She was still aware of the one scarred hyena staring at her however. He hadn't spoken up once. Ridikill had stalked over to him at one point and they had shared a muttered conversation, but Amaryllis hadn't been able to hear any of it over the intense questioning.
Once or twice the leader trio attended the impromptu mass interview. The sly-looking female, Amaryllis remembered she was called Shenzi, took more interest than her two male colleagues.
Eventually the frenzied questions began to die down and Amaryllis, feeling exhausted, was allowed to engage in more casual conversation with the hyenas. Satisfied she wasn't a threat, they relaxed and just accepted her presence. They talked of usual things: hunting, the herds, water supplies, the benefits of scavenging over hunting and vice versa. Amaryllis kept up and participated as best as she could, and the hyenas seemed interested enough by her contributions.
Ridikill didn't join in, and after a while Amaryllis caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye. He was standing off to side on his own. He looked just as out-of-place as he had when he had met her friends previously. These were his kin but he felt no kinship with them, Amaryllis realized, or if he did he didn't show it. To his comrades he was a bully, a figure of fear and hate. Judging by their disbelief in Ridikill's and Amaryllis' friendship not one of them seemed aware of the affectionate side he had shown her. That saddened her.
It also made her uncomfortable. After what seemed like a polite amount of time to sit and listen to the pack chatter, squabble and gossip she stood up and walked over to Ridikill. The hyenas watched her go.
"Well, it's been great meeting you all, but I think I'd better get home to Amabi now".
"Whose Amabi?" one hyena asked.
"Her adopted son, you idiot", little Groco squealed.
"Oh yeah, that's right".
"You didn't know that! You weren't even listenin'!"
"I was too!"
"Were not!"
Before a scuffle could break out Amaryllis spoke, lowering her head courteously as she did, "Thank you all for making me welcome. Hope to see you again soon".
There was a general chorus of mostly pleasant farewells. Amaryllis turned to leave. Ridikill came to her side.
"I'll walk with you", he said quietly, "I gotta go somewhere after anyway".
"Alright".
They head south in the warm glow of the afternoon sun. The pack watched them go.
"Well, she wasn't so bad", Babaka mused, "For a scum-sucking lion, I mean. She seemed nice enough".
"Weird though, eh?" Kapungu growled, "What's he doing hanging out with a lioness?"
Burudi the scarred hyena spoke up for the first time in the whole afternoon, "Dunno. This explains a lot though. Like why's he's been acting so strange lately…well stranger than usual anyway".
"He must have finally lost it", Groco piped up, "Maybe he's gone cuckoo and he thinks he's a lion now".
"I doubt it", Sarkil sneered, "I don't like that big lug but he's no moron. He always has his own agenda".
"As do I", Burudi said, and he picked himself up and began heading in the direction Amaryllis and Ridikill had gone.
"Hey, where ya going?" yelped Groco.
Burudi didn't answer.
"Sorry if that was uncomfortable for you", Amaryllis said.
Ridikill looked at her, "Don't sweat it".
"Your pack seemed pretty nice".
He rolled his eyes, "Insufferable, useless little whiners".
Amaryllis sighed, "Oh Ridikill, you really have got to learn to tolerate others".
He stopped, and when she looked at him she was surprised to see him smiling. It was a warm, genuine, if a little weary, smile.
"I am learning", he said, "I gotta run. You take care. I'll see you tomorrow?"
She nodded, taken aback by his apparent good mood, "Yeah. Sometime in the morning, okay?"
"Good", he stepped forward awkwardly and placed one foreleg around her neck and squeezed briefly: it was an embarrassed attempt at a hug. She returned it.
He turned and walked away to the west. She watched him go for a moment, wondering where he was heading. Perhaps he just wanted to be alone. He was certainly in an odd mood. While the meeting with his clan had obviously displeased him he was being good enough not to make a fuss. There was also something heart-wrenchingly painful about the way he had hugged her in a comradely fashion; it was as if he was a soldier going off to die in war, saying farewell to a friend for the last time.
A little unsettled, Amaryllis began to walk home. It was a pleasant, warm afternoon, and the herds were out in force on the plains: they were thick on the savannah like a shifting, furry blanket.
After a while Amaryllis began to feel uneasy. Without her even noticing it, her hair stood on end and her senses sharpened. She had the sense that she wasn't alone: although that seemed obvious with the herds of hundreds nearby, this was different. It was the unmistakable sense of being followed, but when she glanced back she saw nothing.
She went on for a while without looking back, then just as the electric jolts of adrenaline began to dart through her nervous system again, she switched about and charged forward a few pieces.
A hyena darted back through the long, dead grass, yowling and giggling in a moment of pure instinctive reaction. After Amaryllis stopped charging however, it drew to a halt a safe distance away and stared at her.
Amaryllis recognized it immediately, "I know you! Still can't quit staring, eh?"
It was the scarred hyena who had glared at her throughout the entire meeting. He gave her a foul look, and then spat.
"Garn! Us hyenas really aren't built for stealth. Oh well. I was going to have to break cover eventually", Burudi growled.
"Who are you, and what do you want?"
"I'm Burudi, and I want to talk to you".
Burudi. The name was familiar. Ridikill had mentioned him a few times when discussing his hunting pack. She recalled that Burudi was Ridikill's chosen lieutenant on hunts, and was, in his words 'the closest thing we have to a halfway decent hunter in that rabble besides myself'.
She simply said, "If you wanted to talk to me you should have done it back there in the scrub with everyone else".
"This is a little more private", he took a few steps closer, apparently convinced she wasn't a danger, "I understand you're friendly with Ridikill, my hunting pack leader".
"You noticed. How remarkably perceptive of you".
"You're making a mistake".
"Oh? What's that?"
"Assuming you can befriend Ridikill. You can't get close to him".
"How do you know?"
"Because I've spent years trying to become pals with that thug and it's not gotten me anywhere!" Burudi snapped, looking both embarrassed and outraged.
"Oh", Amaryllis gazed at him with her cool green eyes, wondering what to say, "Um…well I hate to break this to you but me and Ridikill are already friends".
"That can't be right", he growled.
"Why not?"
"Because Ridikill doesn't care for anyone but himself. All he's concerned with is making himself feel good. And he only feels good when acts bad, by terrorizing others. That's the way he is".
"Was, maybe. I think he's changed".
"What, in the short time you've known him? How long is that? A few weeks?"
Refusing to be ashamed, Amaryllis replied, "Not even that long".
"Ha! And it's all because of you? You think you can just show up and befriend that miserable swine? Do you have any idea how much paw-licking I had to go through just to become his most trusted lieutenant? And that's still far short of 'friend'!"
There was some obvious pain in his stricken voice. Amaryllis listened to him, then cocked her head to one side.
"I'm sorry if it annoys you, but Ridikill and I are friends. Why else would he be being me to meet you all today?"
"He always has his own agenda".
"Like what?"
There was no answer. Burudi stared at her evenly for a while, and then lowered his eyes.
"How did you do it?" he mumbled eventually.
"What?"
"I said how did you do it? How did you get him to open up? I've tried to become his friend for so long…"
He trailed off. Amaryllis said, "Did you ever stand up to him?"
"Eh?"
"Did you ever stand up to him and his bluster and threats and tell him to shut up, or did you accept it and keep crawling by his side?"
"Why you…" but there was no real anger in Burudi's voice.
"I mean it. It wasn't until I told him I wasn't about to be intimidated by his bullying that he began to respect me, and eventually like me. Also, why do you want to be pals with him? Is it because you think there's someone fragile and decent under all that aggression, or because you just want to be in his good books?"
Burudi was silent, head bowed. At last he looked up and smiled, "I can see why he likes you, lioness. You're good at this kinda thing".
"I try", she said, but the hyena was leaving.
"Farewell", she called.
He looked over his shoulder at her and nodded. Amaryllis continued on her way home. She wondered whether or not she'd made not only a new friend for herself, but one for Ridikill as well.
Ridikill could feel his heart sink a little more with every step he took. He was picking his way through Grant Gazelle thicket, heading west. The sky was all but black and the sun had slipped behind the horizon. He was late. Amaryllis' insisted meeting with the clan had delayed him.
He picked up the pace, although he was just as tempted to turn tail and flee. He had only the strange python's word that he was in fact heading towards a rendezvous with Mamacala, but he believed it. Not only did the python have the manner of someone who'd spent far too long in the crocodile's company, but the very presence of Mamacala was like a blight on the Pride Lands' clean soil, a stain on the earth. Ridikill could sense him.
It was a feeling Ridikill had previously revelled in, but no more. While he was still drawn to the crocodile's mysterious ways he was no longer convinced that Mamacala was the only source of wisdom in this world; nor was he his only possible companion. Amaryllis offered him advice and friendship, and he coveted it in a different way to how he had had desired the cunning guidance of the ancient reptile.
But he couldn't turn back, not now. As Kachero the python had said, Mamacala got what he wanted, sapping the free will of others. Ridikill would not have been able to find the resolve to turn aside now even if he had wanted to. Mamacala had obviously been watching him and his liaisons with the lions: if he were to disobey now, the crocodile would find him and kill him, possibly along with Amaryllis and Amabi. How, Ridikill was not sure, but he would. If Mamacala was to kill him at this meeting, then best to get it over with quickly and not endanger anyone else.
It had nearly broken Ridikill's heart to say goodbye to Amaryllis for what he suspected was the last time, but he had managed to keep a straight face and not whimper like a cub. He couldn't let her or anyone else know he was going to his death. And he couldn't let them know how pathetic he really was – unable to resist the summons of an insane old croc for fear of retribution. They wouldn't understand: they didn't know Mamacala.
Both disgusted with himself for obeying the crocodile to the letter and proud of himself for marching boldly to meet his fate, he neared the termite mounds. They were towering structures about twelve feet tall, and they were awfully imposing, casting massive shadows even in the failing light – night had fallen with surprising swiftness. At least he wasn't late.
He looked up at the nearest mound. He found it hard to believe that they were insect-made. The ground near the red towers was barren, with wisps of short dead grass; the mounds were long-abandoned, for whatever reason. Ridikill didn't pretend to understand the lives of insects.
As he gazed up at the first one, sillheoueted against the dark sky, the top of the mound suddenly shifted. Ridikill started. A large portion of the rock-hard mountain seemed to break off and slowly ooze down its slope towards him.
His eyes focused in the moonlight and he saw it for what it was – a large python crawling towards him. He assumed it was Kachero, but when it reached out with its small head towards him he saw it had different markings.
"Come", it hissed in a higher-pitched voice than Kachero's voice, "The Master is waiting".
It slipped to the floor and led the way through the termite mounds. Ridikill followed, listening to the awful sound of the snake's dry underbelly scales scraping on the dried earth beneath it.
He found himself in a ring of surrounding mounds, leaning over him like trees in a forest. As he looked about, to his horror he saw more and more giant pythons. Some were wrapped around the peak of the termite mounds, others were slithering down them, some were coiled on the floor, some were lying with the upper third of their body standing stiff as a pole in the air.
He was uncomfortably aware they were all staring at him with dark, bulging eyes. They flicked their forked pink tongues in his direction, tasting his scent. There were seven or eight of them - Ridikill wasn't certain because their long, undulating bodies linked in a mass of coils here and there and it was impossible to tell where one snake ended and one snake started. They were all astonishingly huge. None were as big as the twenty-foot-plus Kachero, who glared at Ridikill with his paralyzing eyes, but they were all over twelve feet long and some were very nearly as large as their apparent leader. Right there and then, Ridikill decided that large snakes were the most terrifying creatures on the planet.
"Ah, there you are, Ridikill".
With one exception.
The crocodile rose out of the darkness, surpassing the pythons and it even seemed like some of the termite mounds with his formidable bulk. How he had hidden from Ridikill's view the hyena didn't know, but now Mamacala was mere inches from his face, the long teeth of his lower jaw far too close for comfort.
Thankfully the crocodile shifted a little with apparent great exertion, although Ridikill suspected the old reptile to be capable of far greater feats of athleticism than he demonstrated. The great ancient head moved slowly from left to right, pointed snout aiming just a little higher than Ridikill's head. As he did so often, Mamacala was engaging in the pure reptilian habit of talking to someone while not actually looking at them. Previously Ridikill had found it fascinating: now it seemed more than a little disconcerting.
"Perhaps you're alarmed by my associates. Don't be. They will do you no harm. They're loyal followers of my wisdom, just as you are, Ridikill".
Ridikill said nothing. He was in no hurry to mention his defiance of Mamacala in meeting Amaryllis again. He might have been brave but he didn't have a death wish.
"You've already met my first lieutenant, Kachero", the crocodile continued.
"Lieutenant?" that aroused Ridikill's curiosity, "You talk as if you're the leader of a pack of some kind, Mamacala".
Scattered hisses broke out among the pythons at the hyena's discourteous words and Ridikill could see they really were subjects of Mamacala's will, whether blindly loyal or opportunistic boot-lickers. It was strange. He would never have guessed the strange old croc to have any associates, let alone a seemingly organized group of them.
"Not pack, no", Mamacala ignored the protesting pythons, "The leader of a group of like-minded individuals who have come together to discuss how the world may be better shaped. Under the supervision of my wisdom, of course".
"'How the world may be better shaped?' You never told me you were interested in politics. In fact you seemed just the opposite. You told me…"
"I also told you, for many years, that I had no real comrades apart from you, Ridikill. As you can see, that's not true. One thing you must understand about me Ridikill: I am a superb liar.
"My loyal followers came to me through my first associate Kachero, after my own kind, alas, rejected my wisdom. I educated him in much the same fashion as I did you, Ridikill. But instead of encouraging him to keep my teachings a secret, as I did with you, I instructed him to persuade more of his kind to meet with me and to learn from me. All those worthy, at least".
At a look from Mamacala Kachero spoke up, "We are all kin, brothers and sisters, students of the Lord of the Rivers, the ancient and glorious Devourer. Only those whose strength, wisdom and loyalty suitably impressed the Master were allowed to proceed down this path. The rest were destroyed. You stand at the fateful fork on just such a path, hyena. Choose your words wisely".
Ridikill could say nothing but glared defiantly at Kachero for no other reason than he didn't really like the python. This was all too much for him. He was seeing Mamacala in an entirely new light, and it revealed him to be even more sinister and disturbing than he already was.
Mamacala seemed to grow bored with the fanatical preaching, even if it was himself being worshipped, "But this is all besides the point. I have summoned you here for a purpose. You've been meeting with the lioness Amaryllis again".
Ridikill could feel all the blood draining from his face. So he did know. He regretted his cocky words. The crocodile was looking directly at him, and there was the glint of murder in those green eyes.
He opened his mouth to answer. He stuttered. There was no point in lying. Mamacala knew. He knew he had questioned his wisdom, had defied him. As unimportant as the event might have seemed to some, Ridikill knew Mamacala's pride would not allow it to continue.
"Calm yourself. You're shaking", the crocodile said, staring, emotionless, "How positively mammalian of you. You need not be alarmed. You have done exactly as I knew you would".
Ridikill closed his mouth and gazed at Mamacala.
The crocodile went on, "You're easy to manipulate, Ridikill. Largely due to your anger, your greatest weakness. I knew you were angry with me for denouncing the lioness, even if you yourself did not. It was the quickest and most reliable method to ensure that you went crawling back to the lioness, desiring her company".
"But…" Ridikill gawked, lost and confused, "But why…?"
"Why did I need you meet with the lioness again? Simple, my devoted Ridikill. I needed both of you to bond. I needed her to trust you, above all.
"Don't ask any questions. All will be revealed. To you too, my faithful pythons. The reason for my decades of deception, the reason for my training of you all in the arts of cruelty and cunning and the fruition of my century of crawling in the mud, plotting and scheming whilst others have the gall to claim the right to rule these lands!"
He slammed his tail into the earth, and the ground quaked and the termite mounds trembled. The pythons recoiled.
Mamacala mastered his brief flash of anger and went on in slow, drawling tones, "The final plot on this fateful day is absurdly simple, really, laughably straightforward. But then the best plans always are.
"As all present but Ridikill are aware, I am not content to live a life of subservience to any creature. That includes the lions, the 'mighty Kings of the Pride Lands'. I have seen many of them come and go, and what might seem like the Kings of generations ago to the short-lived mammals is but last season's vulture fodder to this old crocodile.
"I travelled far and wide for some years, seeking a land free of the oppressive stench of mammalian rule, but there is none. Everywhere the lions laze in the shade, the hyenas lope across the plains, the leopards skulk in the trees, the cheetahs cower in the shade and the wild dogs loiter in their burrows".
As bizarre as the crocodile was Ridikill was still stunned to hear such words from him. Every single time Ridikill had complained about the injustice of lion rule Mamacala had claimed disinterest and brushed the matter aside. To know that he hated not only lion but mammalian domination with such fanatical zeal frightened Ridikill. It left him wondering where he fitted into Mamacala's plans.
"But now is the time for reptiles to overthrow their mammalian suppressors. We will no longer lurk in the shadows and feign resigned satisfaction", Mamacala was saying, "We will purge the Pride Lands.
"Have no fear, Ridikill. You are excepted from my hatred of the mammalian carnivores. After all, you are a loyal student of my reptilian ruthlessness. You are crucial to my plans.
"We will crush the only other two real contenders for the rule of the Pride Lands: the lions and the hyenas. And to do so we must play on the hatred the two species have for each other. There are far too many of them for us to fight. We shall have them destroy each other".
The pythons craned their sleek necks forward, eager to hear more. Ridikill didn't know what to say or even what to think. All he knew was he felt sick. He wished Amaryllis was around.
The crocodile continued, giving no indication of his emotions, "Tomorrow evening the King of the Pride Lands, Simba, is scheduled to meet with the leaders of the Elephant Graveyard, Shenzi, Banzai and…Ed", he said the last name as if it was unfamiliar and absurd to him, "Don't ask how I know, Ridikill. As I'm sure you're aware by now, I have spies.
"And this is where your little friendship with Amaryllis will come into play. You will meet with her tomorrow and tell her that you have received instructions from your clan leaders to march out in the afternoon. You will make her believe that the entire hyena clan is assembling for an attack on the lion pride, with the intent of first claiming the life of Simba while he is isolated and unprotected, and then marching on to destroy a disheartened pride and claim rule over the Pride Lands.
"She will return to Pride Rock and report this information to Simba who, despite his attempts to keep peace with the hyenas so far, will see no choice but to lead the lion pride in an attempt to defeat the hyena army in open battle. He will not risk the slaughter of his people for his principles.
"Meanwhile you will return to your clan and inform your leaders that you have learned from Amaryllis that Simba intends to do much the same – to lead his pride in an attempt to terminate first them, then the rest of the clan. They will believe this; I'm sure, because as of a few hours ago I believe your friendship with the lioness was revealed to them".
It wasn't a question. He knew.
"And so what do we have? The end result will be two armies, lion and hyena, marching out to meet one another on the plains in glorious battle, a bloody fight to the finish. And when each army is aware of the other, it will merely confirm their suspicions. They will attack one another and destroy each other".
Some of the pythons reared up and flung their jaws open, apparently in a form of celebration, but Mamacala interrupted, "That's not all. I am aware, of course, that both sides will probably not be utterly vanquished in the battle. One side will triumph, although very much weakened. I have contingency plans for this.
"While both armies march to their doom we, my loyal pythons, shall make our own way to an all-but-deserted Pride Rock. If the lions should triumph, we will take the stragglers they will surely have left behind, the old, the very young, the infirm, and hold them hostage. With such valuable detainees we will be able to blackmail the lions into abandoning their home, if their numbers are not so few that we decide to merely terminate them.
"And if the hyenas should triumph…well we will kill the worthless lion hostages and rely instead on you, Ridikill. You must see to it that you survive the battle: stay out of harm's way if you must. And see to it that your leaders do not survive, although I doubt that will be necessary; they will be the first targets for any determined lions in the melee.
"With your leaders dead, the clan all but destroyed and you fit and strong, you will assert leadership over your fellows. You will lead them to Pride Rock to claim lordship over the Pride Lands. Of course, myself and my python followers will be there. You will hand over your leadership to me, and we will kill any of the exhausted who are foolish enough to protest.
"Then the Pride Lands will be under my command, and we will begin a new age of reptilian domination. Have no fear, Ridikill, you will have a prominent place in our new order. But you will be the exception, as lion and hyena will be both be obliterated, and I will be in control at last".
"And the world will rejoice!" Kachero shrieked, unable to hold back any longer, "All hail your grand and glorious rise to power!"
The pythons began swaying back and forth, hissing and screeching in an unearthly fashion. Ridikill stood in the midst of it all, unable to comprehend what was unfolding before him.
"Remember your part well, Ridikill", Mamacala said over the din of the pythons, and Ridikill turned to look into his deep green eyes, "You must make Amaryllis believe your every word when you meet her tomorrow. She must believe that there is nothing that she can do but crawl home to Simba and report the tragic news of the imminent hyena attack.
"And the same with your clan leaders. All that is needed is to get both armies on the move: when both are, rumour of the oncoming war will spread and it will become a reality for both sides.
"Join the hyena force but do not get too involved with the battle: you must survive. When it is all over, your efforts will be repaid tenfold. Will you obey my orders?"
Ridikill opened his trembling jaw; he was sure that he was going to scream but to his everlasting horror and shock he found himself reciting, "As you command, Mamacala".