Author's notes: Well, what can I say. Once again this update is well overdue. And I apologize for keeping you all waiting. Thank you for your patience. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

In response to Elven Warrior Princess, yes I am a big LOTR fan, and yeah I did take those lines from TTT movie (I assume you mean the hyenas arguing over the kill in Chapter 6: Retribution). I used to be a fan of the movies, but these days I'm not, and much prefer the books. But I still have a kinda soft spot for some of the orcish dialogue in the movies, so I included this. Oh, by the way, the hyenic curse word 'garn' in this fic is actually an orcish curse word from the books. Thanks for asking!

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

Hush had descended on the lion and hyena army. They crowded about in the gorge as Shenzi, Banzai and Ed faced Ridikill. Everyone waited for a move to be made.

At last Banzai cocked his head, "Well?"

Ridikill looked at him, "Well what?"

"So what you got to say, buddy?"

He shrugged, "Nothin', I guess".

"Nothing?!" Banzai snarled, "You got any idea what you did?! What you put us through? How close things were, and how things were too close for some of us?" he gestured at the torn body of Burudi.

"Yeah, of course I do", Ridikill replied.

"…And?" Shenzi said.

"Well, what do you want me to say?" Ridikill, "You want me to say sorry? What good's that gonna do?"

Shenzi, Banzai and Ed exchanged confused looks, and so did many of the other onlookers, "Um…well…are you sorry?" Banzai asked.

Ridikill didn't answer right away. He licked his lips and shuddered as if in pain. He looked down at his paws and the dust settling on them.

"He is", Amaryllis spoke up.

"Let him do the talking", Shenzi snapped, "Do you regret your actions or not, Ridikill?"

"I don't see what difference it makes, in the scale of things", Ridikill answered slowly, "I mean, all things considered. We both know I'm gonna die for what I done".

"No! Not if…" Amaryllis began, but Ridikill cut her off.

"It's the way we do things, right Shenzi? I've accepted that. But, for what it's worth", he looked up, eyes glistening with the threat of tears, "Yeah, I am sorry for what I've done. More than you'll ever know".

Nobody moved or spoke.

"You'll never understand my reasons for doing what I've done", Ridikill shivered at the memory of Mamacala's ice-cold grip over his soul, "What drove me to betray you all. I have my reasons, but I ain't excusing myself. And I'm not in the mood to explain myself to you all. So if you're gonna kill me, hurry up and do it".

Shenzi hesitated. She was sorely tempted to rip the treacherous hyena limb-from-limb, but looking at him, either he was genuinely sorry for what he'd done or he was a very fine actor. Both would have seemed unlikely to her a few days ago.

But even if he was sorry, was that enough to atone for what he'd done? Burudi was dead and it was lucky that many more hadn't joined him. It was her duty to have Ridikill killed. But did she feel compelled to carry that order through? She wasn't sure.

"Perhaps you should wait until morning, when tempers will have calmed?" Simba suggested, suddenly appearing at her side.

"Back off, King-y", Shenzi snapped, "We may be allies now, but that don't mean we gotta take your advice on how we handle our own traitors".

"If you're going to kill Ridikill", Amaryllis growled suddenly, "You'll have to kill me too".

Ridikill perked up. There it was again: that soft menacing growl to her voice, the glint in her green eyes, the tensing of her supple body; it was that transformation that he had seen in her that had first intrigued him.

Shenzi looked from Amaryllis to Ridikill, from Ridikill to Amaryllis, and then to Banzai or Ed. The latter two gave her pathetic, pitying looks.

"Ohhh...for the love of…alright, fine!" Shenzi sighed, "Ridikill, your hide is safe for now. We'll hear your side of the story, and decide you fate, tomorrow".

There were no murmurs of dissatisfaction, no rebellious cries of outrage from the crowd. Ridikill was amazed, and looked it.

"But…" he began.

"No more arguing for now", Simba said, "We all should go home and get some sleep. It's been an exhausting day, for us all. We all have plenty to sleep on. I suggest that we meet again tomorrow, in the place where our battle very nearly took place. No-one's required to come but the leaders, but everyone else is welcome to. Agreed?"

The hyena leaders nodded.

"'Till tomorrow then, King-y", Shenzi said, but she bowed slightly as she said it.

The lions picked themselves up and began to head south. The hyenas trudged away north. They departed quietly, too tired and rocked by the day's events to discuss anything further. But as the two parties moved away, Amaryllis placed her paw on Ridikill's shoulder.

"Ridikill, promise me you won't do anything stupid. I won't let them hurt you. Promise me you won't do anything crazy!"

Ridikill looked at her with sad eyes, then nodded, "I promise".

The lion pride walked home. Simba was at their head, and Nala by his side. Behind them were Kovu and Kiara, and between them they supported the stunned Vitani, who tottered and wavered like a wildebeest calf taking its first steps but vehemently insisted she was okay.

Night was coming in as they neared Pride Rock. Far away they could hear the yowl of jackals, but the usual whooping of hyenas that they had slowly become accustomed to was not heard.

Kovu spoke to Kiara after hours of silence, startling her, "You know, there's something we need to sort out".

"Huh? What?"

"Your Dad. He volunteered to stop down from the throne after the battle, remember? So what happens now? Is he going to abdicate?"

"No, he said only if the hyenas had betrayed us, remember? And they haven't. So…"

"Actually, I will still go into exile, if that's what the pride wants", Simba interrupted.

"You won't go alone", Nala said.

"But Daddy, the hyenas didn't betray us! So you've no need to leave!" Kiara protested.

By now most of the pride was listening. Simba stopped and turned to face them.

"Perhaps. But I still feel it's my fault that Mamacala got as far with his plans as he did. As King I'm supposed to watch out for dangers to the kingdom. And I missed this one.

"So I leave it up to you. I've served to the best of my ability for all my reign, and I've loved every mighty lion and every blade of grass as dearly as I could. But I led you to the brink of disaster. So: shall I continue my rule, or leave and allow a new line to establish itself?"

"You did lead us to the brink of disaster", Tumai replied in his gruff voice, "But…if we'd listened to other, less cautious voices, we'd have plunged over the edge long ago. I will follow you, my King", he bowed low.

One after the other the lions and lionesses bowed before Simba and Nala. Nala looked at her mate and grinned mischievously.

"Sorry, dear. It looks like you'll be stuck with this pack of hellions for quite some time".

Night had fallen. The hyena clan had settled down to rest. Scouts had already run on ahead to brief the members of the clan who had retreated to the Elephant Graveyard of the day's events, and the sick, the cubs, and the infirm had been joyfully reunited with their loved ones.

But not all was settled. In the dead of the night, one hyena stole away from the rest in secret and darted away north. He didn't get far.

Ridikill stopped suddenly with a growl, "What do you want?"

Ed barred his way. He cocked his head and his tongue lolled from between his teeth.

Ridikill glared at him, "Will you get out of my way? Look, if you're here to stop me escaping just so you can execute me in the morning, why not just get on with it here?"

Ed shook his head.

Sighing in exasperation, Ridikill went to walk past Ed. The clumsy hyena immediately skipped in front of him.

"What do you want?!" Ridikill barked, "I'm just trying to get outta here quietly, without causing a ruckus! So what do you want with me?"

Ed's wide-eyed, clueless expression didn't change, but suddenly he spoke, "You can't leave".

Surprised, Ridikill stared, "Why not?"

"You have a duty to remain here and see the consequences of your actions through".

"Maybe. But I was never one for following orders", he spat.

Ed shook his head again, "That's not the issue. You don't owe it to us to stay here. You owe it to yourself, and to Burudi".

Ridikill fell silent at the mention of Burudi.

"So what's the plan, Ridikill? Run north, leave all of this behind? Spend the rest of your life in exile? That'd be a coward's decision. The same kind of decision the despicable creature who made a deal with Mamacala would make".

Ridikill growled furiously and tensed. He bared his teeth and prepared to lunge forward.

"But", Ed went on, his goofy voice remarkably at odds with the words coming out of his mouth, "Not the decision of the creature who found a friend in an enemy, who faced up to his fears and his greatest nemesis, who was ready to sacrifice his life to save the lives of others".

Ridikill's eyes widened, "What are you saying?"

Ed smiled slightly, "You've changed, Ridikill. And you know it. I could see it in you when you told the clan everything that had happened, your reasons for your crimes. The choices you've made…some would have done the same in your situation, others would have resisted. But at the end of the day, you tried to atone for your actions".

Ridikill hunched over and whispered, "It doesn't matter. The penalty for treason is death. I know my fate if I stay here".

"Death won't be your fate. Perhaps you think Shenzi and Banzai hate you and wish to see you destroyed. Well, they did. But they can see your transformation as well. They're willing to live and let live. After all, no matter their magnitude, we all make mistakes. Do you think myself, Shenzi and Banzai do not regret every day our decision to ally ourselves with Scar?"

He shuddered at the mention and memory of Scar and fell silent. The midnight wind whirled and wailed about them, and the grass flowed like water. Eventually Ridikill looked up.

"You make pretty good speeches, Ed. Alright, you've made your point and made it well. I'll wait and take my chances here. Besides", he added, "I hate to imagine what Amaryllis would think of me if I broke my promise to her".

"After everything you two have gone through together I doubt she could hold you in contempt, even if you did leave and never see her again. But you have a life here now, Ridikill. We all do. It's time to start anew".

"I'd feel a lot better about starting anew if we knew for certain that Mamacala was dead", Ridikill answered, "Well, let's get back to the others then".

"Yes, I feel I shouldn't leave Shenzi and Ed alone together for too long at the moment", Ed said, "I sense the tension between them has increased greatly".

"Tension? What tension?" Ridikill asked, but Ed's only reply was to tilt his head to one side and let a line of drool drip from his molars. He giggled and galloped off, having reverted to his usual self in the blink of an eye.

Ridikill shrugged and managed a half-smile, "It'll be a long time before they ever figure you out, buddy". He returned to the hyena camp in silence.

Banzai woke with a start. He looked around. Shenzi was on her feet, glancing about. Ed was nowhere to be seen.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Shenzi looked down at him, "Dunno. I just woke up and noticed Ed's gone. What's he playing at?"

Banzai was about to ask what her problem was with Ed not remaining by her side for twenty four hours a day, when suddenly he realized why she didn't want to be left alone with him. Oh right, that thing…

Shenzi looked around anxiously, "Where the hell is he? Garn! I told him not to…"

She broke off. Banzai looked at her. She shot a look at him, then looked away and exhaled deeply.

"Shenz?" Banzai said meekly, "Are…are you alright?"

Shenzi sighed again, but softly this time, and she forced herself to look at him, "Banzai…back there. When we thought the battle with the lions was going to begin…you said something to me".

Banzai tried to look light-hearted and bemused, "Well, I said lots of things I guess. Mostly things like 'Let's get 'em!' and 'Lousy desert cats' and…"

He broke off, realizing he was just jabbering.

"Maybe…" Shenzi swallowed hard, "Maybe I didn't hear you right. I thought you said something…something about how…."

Banzai cringed and wished the ground would just come alive and swallow him up.

"…Something about how you felt about me".

Banzai did his best to look utterly confused, "Did I? Don't remember…I guess I might have said…something. But…you know…"

"Tensions", Shenzi said quickly, "Emotions running high. Pre-battle stress and all, right?"

"Yes! Exactly", Banzai nodded, "That's exactly what it was. Anything I may or may not have said…you can chalk it up to that".

"Right", Shenzi said in a shaky voice that betrayed her, "Right. Okay. Makes sense. That's that sorted".

Awful, stomach-churning silence fell between them. Banzai wished he could just roll over and fall back to sleep and forget about it until morning, but there was another voice speaking to him. A voice telling him that he was being foolish, and it was time to grow-up and stop acting like a stupid delinquent, because this might be the only chance he was going to get for a very long time…

"Shenzi, listen…" he began.

But then Ed crashed noisily through the scrub. Shenzi immediately hurled herself to the floor and feigned sleep. Banzai curled up and did the same. Ed trotted in and looked down at them.

"You'll work it out eventually", he said, knowing full well they could both hear him, "It'll have to happen one day", and with that he lay down between them and went to sleep.

Dawn rose on the Pride Lands as it had done for countless years over the Pride Lands. It was the time of day when nocturnal animals returned to their lairs to sleep after a night of hunting, and before the diurnal plains-dwellers stirred and awoke.

The fading darkness, penetrated by the brilliant rays of the rising sun, tinted the lands below purple-grey. Underneath a canopy of trees, the waxing sunlight barely reached a small, backwater lagoon. The surface of the water was coated with white-flowered lilies, forming a green and white carpet over the sluggish waters below. The lagoon was fed by the main river of the Pride Lands, but it was remote, poorly-known and a thankless destination that provided no reason for any creature to seek it out.

Unless the creature wanted to hide. The green carpet shifted slightly and something rose to the surface. Three small bony nodules, two equidistant from each other, the other more than a meter away, were all that was visible to any onlooker from the land or the air, but in fact they were the armoured eyes and nose of a crocodile lurking below.

Mamacala might have been nearly invisible in the lagoon, but he could see all around him from his hiding place. There was no sign of another creature. That was good. He needed to lie low and being spotted would mean having to move on again. Every last miserable creature in the Pride Lands, from the lowliest hyrax to mightiest elephant, from the most docile gazelle to the most savage hyena, lacked the resolve to challenge Simba and if he was spotted he was certain he would be reported and hunting parties would come looking for him.

The great crocodile had survived the attempt on his life by Simba and his lackeys without serious injury. Oh, certainly, he now had some interesting new scars decorating his hide, but his kind recovered quickly and totally from the most severe of wounds. It was going to take a lot more than a few miserable lions and hyenas pecking at his hide to end the life of the mighty Mamacala.

But if had remained there he would have been killed, he was forced to admit that to himself. Eventually they would have overpowered him, swarming over him and gnawing open chunks in his armour, like driver ants devouring a spider.

So he had fled downstream, following the frustratingly slow current and ignoring the confused looks of hippos and other crocs on the way as blood flowed from his gashes and cuts. He swam long and at first aimlessly, but he didn't despair. Soon he had collected his thoughts and realized he needed a place in solitude to recuperate, somewhere he could hide from spies. He had remembered this backwater lagoon, connected by a thin stream to the main river but not leading anywhere. The sickly coating of lilies made it unlikely, even in the dry season, that anyone would visit it to drink when the river was close by, and even if they did Mamacala could hide effectively. Providing he was alert. All in all, the lagoon was a perfect place for him to rest, recover and brood.

Mamacala was angry. He had never been so angry for such an extended period of time in his life. Even now, hours after he had escaped the lions and hyenas, he still couldn't silence the rage threatening to overwhelm his logical, detached mind. He felt like bellowing and thrashing from side to side, like smashing the overhanging trees with his tail and biting at their trunks and toppling them into the water. He felt like rending the landscape, like taking out his fury on it.

But his cold mind prevailed; as satisfying as that might be, it would waste energy and possibly attract attention. So he simply floated and fumed silently.

He thought he had been so close to victory. But apparently he had never even been close. The lions and hyenas had not attacked each other, despite the evidence he had provided that should have motivated them to do so. Why hadn't they risen to the bait? His plan had been going like clockwork; he and Kachero and the pythons had made quick progress towards Pride Rock, and the lions and hyenas had marched on each other. Ridikill's betrayal and the resistance group had surprised him; in retrospect killing Oocheva was a poor decision. He could have monitored enemy activities more efficiently if the plover bird had still been alive. Ah well, such was the benefit of hindsight.

But why hadn't the main lion pride and hyena clan given battle? While Ridikill and Amaryllis had told him they'd dispatched a scout to warn Simba of the plot, he had calculated that there was no chance of her arriving in time to stop the battle.

So what had stopped it? For what reason could the lions and hyenas refuse to fight each other? Everything had been arranged perfectly, and the bad blood between lion and hyena ran as strongly today as it did a hundred years ago. So what had happened? Mamacala just could not figure it out.

The puzzle frustrated him further, and he nearly lashed his tail in anger. But he restrained himself. There was going to be plenty of time for thought and reflection. He was going to come across a lot of unwelcome thoughts in that time and he couldn't lose his temper every time he encountered one. No, he would not give Ridikill the satisfaction of that. He refused to accept that some of the hyena's bad temper had rubbed off on him, as a nagging voice kept telling him it had. That was impossible. Mamacala molded Ridikill; not the other way around.

Ridikill. That putrid traitor. What he had done to him, Mamacala would repay tenfold…a thousand fold! He was going to make that hyena suffer for betraying him. And betraying him for what? The friendship of a gormless lioness and the normal life of a boring, uninspired pack animal.

Never again would Mamacala undertake an experiment with an animal as unpredictable as Ridikill. From now on he would place his faith only in himself and in those he could utterly brainwash, like the pythons and Oocheva. There were to be no more risks. Everything would run like clockwork until he was where he wanted to be: firmly in the seat of power.

He was not done with the Pride Lands. No, he had plans for this miserable land that had held him captivated for so long. He would rise up once more and…

Something struck Mamacala's snout, halfway between his eyes and his nose. He grunted audibly in surprise, something that he would have been annoyed with himself for doing later on. Unwilling to betray his position further, he did not move but his eyes looked back and forth, wondering what had hit him.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a stone come whistling towards him. Again it struck his snout and bounced harmlessly into the water. At that moment Mamacala heard something he hadn't heard in many years.

A quirky voice chanted, "Asante sana, squash banana! We we nugu, mi mi apana!" and repeated it. Again. And again.

Mamacala's head and neck rose out of the water and looked around, "Come on then, don't delay. I haven't the patience".

As if from nowhere a disheveled baboon landed on a large, flat rock peeking out from the water lilies. Rafiki sat down, stick in hand and faced the crocodile and grinned, goblin-like. He drew his knees up against his chest and rocked back and forth, smiling cheerfully at Mamacala.

"'Don't have the patience', Mamacala?" Rafiki said, "That's most unlike you. As I remember you pride yourself on your patience".

The fearsome, tooth-laden head of Mamacala was mere meters from him, and the crocodile was capable of closing that difference in a second, but he showed no signs of fear or indeed apprehension. He was as carefree and chirpy as he would be addressing a newborn cub. And indeed Mamacala made no move towards him, just stared at him with his green eyes as he lowered his chin to rest on the disturbed surface.

"True", Mamacala sighed, "But recent events have tested even my resolve. And I am not accustomed to having missiles hurled at me like I'm a common viper".

In response another pebble struck him between the eyes. He glared.

"There", Rafiki chuckled, "You should be quite used to it by now".

"Do not taunt me", Mamacala warned, "Although I suppose that is what you've come here for, to mock me in my defeat? For what other reason would you come seeking your old student?"

"For a chat!" Rafiki declared, raising his staff in the air enthusiastically, "It's been a long time since we had a chance to talk, isn't it, young one?"

Mamacala ignored that remark, "A chat, hm? And what is it you wish to discuss?"

"You, of course!" Rafiki pointed the stick in the crocodile's direction, "You, and what you've been doing with your life".

"I'm afraid it's still nothing you would approve of, although I daresay you know perfectly well what I've been up to for the last thirty years of my life".

"Ah, yes", Rafiki nodded, grave all of a sudden, "Yes, this is true. The signs of your movement are easy to recognize. Always there is someone hurt, wherever you go, always, always. Always someone must suffer to satisfy your appetites".

"I'm a predator. It's what we do", Mamacala snorted.

"Do not tease me, young one!" Rafiki smiled gaily, "You know full what I mean. Not your appetite for dinner, no no no. Your appetite for power".

"True. It's the way of the world. The strong and wise must always brush the weak and foolish aside, and to worry over their fate is a wasted thought. You know the saying, 'When the elephant and the lion are fighting, the grass is going to suffer'".

"Indeed yes, I taught you that saying", Rafiki replied, "When you were small, small, so small you could fit into the palm of my hand", he held out one brown, wrinkled old hand, "When you were so very young, and carefree, and eager to learn everything Rafiki had to teach. But you did not learn that lesson well. To focus on the warring lion and elephant is the thought of a foolish tyrant; to focus on the all-important grass, the rich, the beautiful, life-giving grass being crushed beneath the feet of the warring ones is the thought of a wise man".

"Or one who has become so like the grass, having tended to it so blindly for the years, that he feels more kinship with it than he does with the warring ones", snarled Mamacala, "You always encouraged me to seek my own answers in life's riddles. And I found them. I realized the gifts nature had bestowed upon me, my great size and strength, and the gifts you had bestowed upon me, wisdom and knowledge, could work in tandem. For a greater goal than being merely an eccentric, wandering visitor to lands, a fleeting guest bringing gifts and skills to the ignorant.

"No, I could use the gifts to rule, not merely teach. I could – and I shall – have kingdoms of my own, kingdoms that I will bless with knowledge and lead with wisdom. The powerful and wise do not deserve to serve but rule, and for you to allow, even encourage, those revolting felines to reign supreme is an insult".

Rafiki sighed, "All this and more, I have heard of you many years ago, Mamacala. How many years old were you, when you first spoke to me of your ambitions? Forty, was it? Fifty seasons?"

"Thirty four", Mamacala replied tersely.

"Thirty four, thirty four", Rafiki waved one hand dismissively, "So for thirty four years I raised you, from that time I found your helpless little self clutched in the jaws of that hungry monitor lizard, to the time when you told me you thought your own teacher was misguided and deluded".

The crocodile's eyes narrowed in displeasure. He did not like being reminded that he had ever been little or helpless, or that he had ever needed rescuing. Least of all by the flea-bitten, haggard old monkey hunched over before him.

"Such a shame", Rafiki said quietly, "I had great hopes for you, Mamacala. I hoped you would become wise enough to achieve humility, and to begin on the path of teaching and sharing".

"I did" Mamacala answered, "For my own amusement, more than anything else. A hyena. I taught him only a little of my own wisdom, of the right of the strong to look down on the weak, and he learned well. But, at this last, most critical moment…he turned away from me. Turned his back on me and my wisdom…"

"A pain I know all too well", Rafiki said sadly.

"I did not say it pained me!" Mamacala shot back, "I am above emotional pain; or indeed any emotion at all. I have become that which cannot feel for another creature, that that desires only …"

Rafiki looked up and met Mamacala's eyes with a look of such infinite, distant boredom that the crocodile's speech staggered to a halt, "Do not go through the motions here and now, Mamacala. I've heard this far too many times in all our little encounters, and though the years between those encounters lengthen, your speeches do not change. Do you think I've come to find you after all these years only to have you tell me of your superiority and strength and your views again?"

Rafiki laughed. It was a bitter, tired laugh and deeply unpleasant to Mamacala's ears. He shuddered.

"You think that you are above feelings?" Rafiki grunted, "You think that is the goal of the wise? Even here and now, looking at what you have become, I still love you, my student. And somewhere, in your cold heart, you still love your old mentor".

Mamacala opened his mouth to object but, unusually for him, he could not think of a counter-argument.

"It was not entirely selfless of me when I took you under my wing, Mamacala", Rafiki extended one hairy toe and inspected it, "I had high hopes for you, yes. I hoped you would follow in my footsteps and enlighten the world around you, as I have done and as my mentor did before me. I wanted you to spread my work. But also", he smiled sadly, "I wanted companionship. The life of a pilgrim is a lonely one, and whether I realized it or not I wanted someone who understood me and my work and kept my company on my darkest and farthest journeys. But it was not to be. Not for long away".

"I was twelve seasons old", Mamacala muttered, not completely sure why he was stopping to reminisce about old times, "When I journeyed with you for the last time".

"That's right, and then you told me you had found a land you wished to remain in and protect, and that pleased me at the time. By the time I realized your true ambitions it was too late to convince you otherwise. A great shame".

"You should never have trusted a crocodile with your teachings".

"Oh, it is not the fault of your blood that you become who you are today. It is your own doing, and perhaps mine, for perhaps I did not teach you well. Why I remember saying to you once, 'It's an animal city, my son, a cannibal world, so be obedient, don't argue, some are ready to bite you…'"

"Have you come here just to tell old tales?" Mamacala demanded to know, "We have gone our separate ways, and ever you attempt to stop me from achieving my goals. Ever you steal victory from me at the last moment. But each time my victory draws nearer".

"'Til this time, when I did not stop you at all, and it was your own underling and his friends who had to come between you and your prize?" Rafiki chuckled, lighthearted again all of a sudden, "How embarrassing; for you and for me".

"So you did come here to stop me?"

"Well in a way, but I realized I would probably be too late, as soon as I discovered your presence in the Pride Lands. If only I had known you were here earlier, if only by chance Simba had mentioned your name to me…" he shook his bearded head sadly, "Something could have been done".

"You knew I was here already?" Mamacala stared, "Then why did you not do as you've done before and warn the peoples of this land to see me off? You left the Pride Lands even though you knew I was here? And you return now? Why?"

"Ah, all in good time", Rafiki tapped the side of his nose with one bony finger and gave a conspiratorial wink, "But I come to you now for one purpose, mainly".

"What is that?"

"To affect a more…permanent resolution, for better or for worse. I ask you this: give it up".

Mamacala started, "Give what up?"

Rafiki pointed at him, "This life you lead. Plotting, betraying, lying, manipulating, murdering and aspiring to be more than what you are. I taught you many things but the one thing I hoped never to have to teach you was the lesson of forgiveness. I forgive you, my son. For all that you have done and are still planning to do. I forgive you".

The crocodile was astonished, "Forgive me? Why would you want to do that?"

"So you can turn your back on the life that you have led thus far and join me again, in spreading our message of knowledge and healing to the peoples of the great kingdoms. There is still a great deal of good you can do, and many hurts that you can heal. What say you?"

Mamacala did not answer at first. The lilies rippled as the rest of his body rose to the surface and they slipped from his armoured sides as he demonstrated his great size and strength.

Then he laughed, loud and harsh, not caring who heard him, and it was Rafiki's turn to shudder, "Old fool! Old fool! You come here talking of forgiveness and friendship! Do I ask for either? The strong do not heed the call of the meek when it prays for mercy. By what right do you come here and insult me with talk of love and regret? Do you honestly believe I feel anything but hatred for you, you revolting old hermit?!"

"Yes, I do…"

"Silence! It is your turn to listen to me, old fool! Old Rafiki still thinks he has tricks to play, does he? Well they will not work on Mamacala! Mamacala is too clever…yes, too clever! You appoint yourself protector of this ancient knowledge yet you have no concept of its true power, as I have come to discover!"

He roared, a horrific noise, and thrashed violently from side to side, flashing his teeth to the rising sun in defiance of the world. Rafiki shut his eyes as a wave of filthy water crashed over him; he was left dripping wet with lilies stuck in his fur.

"You, who would serve all of his long life", Mamacala spat, "Your time has ended! My time is here! Why would I turn my back on all that I have become?"

"So you will attempt to take this land again, and the lands of others, no doubt bloodily?"

"Oh yes", Mamacala grinned, "I have been merciful until now! Now I will drench these lands in blood until I reign supreme! Reptiles ruled once, long before you and I ever existed! You have seen it in the bones, Rafiki! You know this to be true. I will claim my rightful place as Master of Beasts, the Game Lord, The Envy of the Rivers! I am a crocodile; a creature older than Africa itself! I will take what I please!

"And as for you, old fool…what can you possibly do to stop me? Will you trick the lions and hyenas into swimming in pursuit of me? Will you try to convince the hippos, or perhaps my crocodile brethren to hunt me down? They will all refuse, for they know my name and the terror that goes with it! You", he laughed cruelly, "You barely stopped me in the Fresh Delta, and you shall not stop me here!"

Rafiki bowed low, looking crushed, "Then…I can do nothing more? So be it".

"Yes, indeed. Perhaps…"

"Let me ask you something, Mamacala", Rafiki interrupted, "You told your hyena pupil much, yes? Did you ever tell him how you lost your toes on your left leg?"

Mamacala froze; his eyes widened and his jaws hung open, "What?"

"Because I know, my son. And let me ask you: do you not think that one advantage one such as I might have over one such as you is that I might make more friends? Perhaps powerful friends?" he nodded grimly at something behind Mamacala.

Mamacala turned, saying again, "What?"

Facing him was the one thing Mamacala had feared since he came to adulthood. The only creature to best him in combat, having maimed his left forefoot many years ago, giving Mamacala a profoundly alien experience: inferiority.

That same feeling of insecurity and fear came flooding back to Mamacala as he stared into the eyes of Gorlash, a giant male crocodile in the prime of his life. And larger than Mamacala.

Gorlash lunged, twenty five foot and two tones of unstoppable power. Mamacala did not stop to test his strength against Gorlash's again. He slashed the water with his tail in a hurried attempt to turn around, and then bolted away, gouging a trail through the lilies as he fled for his life. Gorlash was after him in a heartbeat.

Rafiki watched sadly as Mamacala fled upstream, heading back towards the river. Gorlash had caught up with him. The baboon sighed as the two crocodiles rounded a bend in the stream and disappeared from view. That was the last anyone in the Pride Lands ever saw of Mamacala.