Fuli... isn't the same cheetah she was when I met her. Now she's so... distant.
She used to be so lively and determined. Now her spirit seems... dead.
I know that her and Kion were very close, but I didn't think they were THIS close. Now, Fuli has cut herself off from her friends in her grief and sadness. I'm trying everything I possibly can to cheer her up, but it isn't working.
I hate to see her like this. She's like a sister to me. She protected me whenever I was in danger and comforted me whenever I was sad.
But the gravity of her love for Kion is becoming too strong for her to fight.
I know exactly how she feels. I felt the same way when Kupenda died.
"Gozi!" A voice shouted. Gozi quickly snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at Fuli. "We need to keep moving. Tree of Life, remember?"
"Yes, Fuli," Gozi stammered. She was already going through so much and he didn't want to upset her further. They and the rest of the Lion Guard kept walking.
Suddenly, Fuli perked her ears up, eyes scanning the open grasslands. "Fuli, what is it?" Gozi asked. Fuli's ears hung low. "Nothing. I just thought I heard... something."Gozi pitied both Fuli and Kion. Kion had died very young. Even worse, his death was very slow and painful due to his scar constantly causing pain and illness. As for Fuli, she was lost in her own despair and grief for Kion.
"Oh Kion... I wish things didn't turn out the way it did," Gozi heard Fuli mutter loudly. He didn't know how she would get through this. She has to. Gozi told himself. He didn't want to think the worse, but dark thoughts kept entering his mind. Please get through this, Fuli. Gozi made up his mind. No matter what happened, he'd always believe in her.
[FLASHBACK]
Gozi opened his eyes. Dawn was here. Another long day. He thought to himself negatively. He got to his paws and sighed. Kupenda was sleeping next to him. "Kupenda, wake up." He nudged her awake. The pretty cheetah blinked open her eyes and rose to her paws. "It's gonna be another long day," she sighed. The two cheetahs often thought alike.
"Hey Kupenda, what do you say we have a break from all this?" Gozi asked. "Sneak out tonight, return by dawn."
"Are you sure Gozi?"
"Sure I'm sure," he told her. "What could go wrong?"
"Uh, a lot of things," Kupenda replied. "Like-" She was cut off by Gozi.
"C'mon Kupenda, we might not get a chance like this again. For just one night, we can have some freedom! We can freely run around the fields and play!"
"I don't know. What will happen if we're caught?" Kupenda asked.
"We won't be caught," Gozi reassured her. "How do you know?" She asked. "C'mon Kupenda, don't you want a taste of freedom?" He asked. Kupenda slowly nodded. "O-okay, let's do it."
XXXX
Mwepesi stood before Gozi and Kupenda, snarling. "Which one of you did it?!" He screamed at them. Gozi was shaking in fear. "I asked you a question! Answer it!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. Gozi froze in fear, unable to move or speak.
"WHO DID IT?!" He screeched. Gozi was frozen. "WHO'S IDEA WAS IT?!" Gozi was wide-eyed, still frozen in place.
"If no one admits to it, I will kill both of you. It's only safe that I kill whoever almost successfully escaped, so they don't share the idea," Mwepesi told them calmly. Gozi was wide-eyed. It's this my last day? What's going to happen?!
Kupenda inhaled a deep breath. "I did." Gozi was bewildered. Kupenda just admitted that for me?! What's going to happen to her?!
"Very well then," Mwepesi hissed. "Endensha! Muuaji! Come, now!" Two other cheetahs ran out of the cave and stood on the outside.
"Kill her," Mwepesi told the other cheetahs dryly. The other cheetahs slowly walked towards Kupenda, eyes shining in the darkness of the night. Fear pulsed through Gozi's veins. "Kupenda, no!" Gozi cried out. Kupenda glanced back at him, fear glimmering in her blue eyes.
The two cheetahs pounced on Kupenda, pinning her. "Gozi!" She screamed as the cheetahs slowly ran their claws down her fur and skin. "AAHHHHHHHH," she screeched in pain. "No! Stop please!" Gozi begged the other cheetahs through tears.
"I have made sure that your death is very... painful," Mwepesi told her slyly. Kupenda stared back up at him, her body bleeding uncontrollably. She glared at Mwepesi with a look that held many emotions. "I might die today, but you'll never win. Justice will be served to everyone, I guarantee you." Kupenda spoke those words loud and clear. Mwepesi snarled and growled at her, also pouncing onto her and slowly raking his claws through her fur and skin.
"Wait!" Gozi called. He didn't know why, but the cheetahs stopped and Mwepesi looked back up at him. "What is it, flea-bag?" "Please, just let me say goodbye," Gozi begged. Mwepesi rolled his eyes. "Fine, just don't make it into some emotional pity party," he snarled.
Gozi slowly walked over to Kupenda and laid down next to her, Mwepesi snarling at them the whole time. "I'm so so sorry," he told her, tears streaming down his cheeks. "It's not fair. You don't deserve this." Kupenda looked back up at him, her eyes holding a thousand different emotions. "It's okay Gozi. And... can you promise me something?" She asked him, her eyes struggling to hold back tears. "Anything," Gozi told her. She leaned over to his ear and whispered so the other cheetahs wouldn't hear.
"Promise me that one day, you'll escape from this place and live the life you deserve. Live the life that I couldn't. Just please... promise me that." Kupenda licked Gozi's cheek. Gozi buried his face in her fur. "Please don't go," he begged her. "I need you."
"No..." Kupenda mummered. "You'll be okay. Just promise me you'll escape. For me." She was interrupted by a cough. "For yourself." Gozi couldn't bear these words. "Kupenda, please don't leave me."
"I'm sorry Gozi." She then coughed again. "But you'll have to do this on your own..."
"I-I can't," Gozi whimpered. "I can't do this without you." Kupenda started up at him. "I know you can," she told him. That time her voice was as clear and strong as it had ever been. "I believe in you."
"I... I'm so sorry," Gozi told her, though he could barely get the words out through his tears. "Don't be," Kupenda told him. "I chose this." "But you're dying because you saved me. It's my fault," Gozi argued.
"No, it's not your fault," Kupenda told him tenderly. "I chose to save you. And I chose to give my life in doing so. Don't you see? I love you, and I'd throw away my life for yours." Gozi was touched by these words, but it only made him cry even more. He hugged Kupenda and she hugged him back. "Gozi, let me tell you something that you should remember. Believe in yourself, it can get you very far." Kupenda's eyes then began to close. No! "Remember Gozi... believe in yourself."
Kupenda's head then dropped to the ground, dead. Gozi's whole world came crashing down. His heart stopped. Kupenda! His parents were already dead, Kupenda was all he had left. Kupenda was the world to him. Kupenda was his one true love, and when she told him that she loved him back, she was dying right in front of him "Why did you do this?!" Gozi screamed to the cheetahs who killed Kupenda. "She didn't deserve this! It isn't fair!"
"Life's not fair," Mwepesi told Gozi calmly. "While some are born to live in happiness, others spend their lives wishing for it in their dreams."
Gozi stood there, shaking. Mwepesi glared down at him. "You didn't think I'd let you get out of this without a punishment, did you?" Gozi froze up again as Mwepesi raised a massive paw. The other cheetahs pinned him down, claws digging into his fur.
"If you're lucky, you'll still see out of one eye."
"AAHH!"
XXXX
A few days had passed since Kupenda was killed. Gozi was miserable. Mwepesi punished him by striking him hard in the eye, causing him to become half-blind. He struggled to adjust to life this way and often struggled with clan duties. My parents are gone. Kupenda is gone. Everyone I ever cared about left me.
A voice boomed into the small den he was in. "Fuli, meet Gozi." It was Mwepesi. Gozi was both terrified and angry at the same time. He turned around to see Mwepesi standing next to a cheetah who looked very much like him, except she had green eyes instead of the blue ones that Mwepesi had.
"Gozi," Mwepesi called. Gozi scrambled to his paws. The last thing he wanted was to get punished again. He looked up at Mwepesi with wide and fearful eyes.
"Yes, Swift Mwepesi!" Gozi exclaimed then dipped his head in respect. Not real respect, but fake respect. Mwepesi motioned to the cheetah standing next to him. "Fuli will be your new Battle Trainer and Hunting Teacher," he told Gozi. Gozi's heart leaped. Battle Trainer and Hunt Teacher?! His eyes sparkled with delight. He snapped back to reality when he remembered that Mwepesi was still standing in front of him. "Yes Swift Mwepesi, thank you."
"Also, start immediately," Mwepesi ordered. "Yes Swift Mwepesi!" Gozi replied quickly then dipped his head in respect. Mwepesi shot a wicked smile at Gozi. He knew that he had complete control over Gozi now. Gozi and the so-called 'Fuli' walked out of the cave.
"Gozi, what was that about?" Fuli asked. "Why were you so nervous around my father?" Gozi froze in fear the moment she said that.
"He's your father?!" He exclaimed then dipped his head. He'd have to give double the respect for Mwepesi so he wouldn't get punished. "Gozi? What's going on? Why are you bowing to my father and me?"
"Because he's the leader of Swift's Clan! And you're his daughter, so you're his successor," Gozi told her.
"Wait, what?! I can't stay here in Swift's Clan! I have to find my friend Kion!" Fuli blurted out. Gozi was shocked. I guess she isn't aware of everything her father is doing. "But you swore your loyalty, that means you have to stay," Gozi said solemnly. Fuli was bewildered.
"Gozi, I want you to sit down, and tell me everything." Fuli told him. Gozi was nervous. What if Mwepesi finds out? And what if she really is on her father's side already?
"I-I might get punished if we get caught," Gozi told her nervously. Fuli looked shocked.
"Then we won't get caught," Fuli said determinedly. "O-okay." Came Gozi's reply. They then laid down in the tall grass and Gozi started to speak.
"Before your father, Mwepesi, arrived in Swift's Clan, this clan wasn't named 'Swift's Clan.' It was named 'Cheetah's Clan,' for all opinions and voices were heard and everyone in the clan was equal. No cheetah was above another. Then, one day, you're father and mother arrived in the clan with a few other cheetahs with them. They proposed to the cheetahs in Cheetah's Clan that decisions would be made quicker and easier if a single cheetah decided it, instead of the arguing that would happen amongst making a group decision." Gozi paused. Fuli urged him to continue with a gentle nudge.
"The cheetahs in Cheetah's Clan were hesitant at first, they thought it was better to be equal, even though they would fight sometimes. In the end, with all the group making a decision, they turned Mwepesi's proposal down. But Mwepesi, your mother Endesha, and all of their followers, which were all very well trained at fighting and very skilled at it, instead of accepting that Cheetah's Clan refused to live under one single leader making all the decisions for them, they attacked Cheetah's Clan. They were better trained then Cheetah's Clan, so in the end they won. Mwepesi, his name meaning 'Swift,' changed the clan's name to 'Swift's Clan,' emphasizing that the clan belonged to him now." Gozi paused again. He was afraid to continue. Nevertheless, he did.
"He then ordered his followers to keep a very strong grip on the clan. There are laws about who can hunt, and when. There are laws about when you can play freely in the fields, if you ever get to play at all. There are even laws about what trespassers on our territory live or die. Even the ones who didn't mean to trespass!" Fuli looked shocked. A gasp was audible.
"And..." Gozi began once more. "If you ever break one rule, or you follow all the rules but don't meet all of Mwepesi's expectations, then you get punished. Or... sometimes he just does it for fun." Gozi rolled over to show Fuli what Mwepesi had done to him. Scars were everywhere. Fuli looked horrified.
"And his mate, your mother, supports him every time he does that to someone," Gozi told her and shuddered. He was struggling to hold back tears. He didn't wan to breakdown in front of someone he's never met before. Regardless, Fuli pulled him into a hug. Gozi was shocked at this.
"It's okay Gozi. Everything's okay," she said, comforting him. "But it isn't okay!" Gozi wailed quietly. "It'll happen again, and many more times!" He sobbed into her fur. "It's sometimes so bad that... that one can die from it. Including my mom and dad." The memory of his parents' deaths was fresh in his mind. He continued sobbing uncontrollably. Fuli looked horrified and shocked once more.
"Don't worry Gozi, I'll protect you. And that is a promise."
XXXX
The following morning, Gozi woke up. It was still dark. He looked around the den, expecting to see Kupenda sleeping next to him. But then he remembered. She's dead. He glanced over to the den Fuli was sleeping in. Battle training would start early by Mwepesi's orders. Gozi didn't know what to do. He lost everything and life was about to get a lot harder.
Life
Is nothing but strife
And sometimes
I wonder about my purpose, why was I born?
Just to be torn
Apart
By my heart
All I want
Is to be free
Where I can be me
The bonds with my family
Were strong
Now they're gone
And now I'm lost
And the cost... of being lost
Is very high
If I'm gonna survive
There's so much I've went through
And now I'm torn in two
But it doesn't end here
But my greatest fear
Wasn't about me, it was about all of you
Lots of souls I loved
Are not here anymore
They say they will always be
Watching over me
Or
That they have never left and are still here like before
If this is true
Then I ask you all, my family
What do I do...?
Silence (silence, silence)
And defiance... (defiance, defiance)
Looks like I'm gonna do this on my own
Alone
But I know
That I'm...
Gonna do whatever it takes to survive!
Because I know I have
The strength of the tiger!
Like raging fire
The ferociousness of the lion!
And no, I'm not lyin'
The bravery of the leopard!
Many storms I've weathered
The speed of the cheetah!
Any time I'd beat ya
In a race
Or a chase!
And I'm gonna survive
'Cause I know that I'm strong!
I'm gonna survive
And I'm gonna find where I belong!
And I don't care if they all say it's a fantasy
I'm gonna still have big dreams
And I'm gonna achieve it
No matter how hard it might seem!
I know they all think I'm gonna die...
And I'm not just gonna survive.
I'm gonna thrive
And find a happy life
[END OF FLASHBACK]
"I can't watch this," a voice said. "Please let me go!" Two other animals stood in front of the one in distress. They shook their heads.
"We have both discovered that watching this young cheetah struggle to her demise is the worst punishment for you. This is why we have chosen it," one replied menacingly.
"Please! I'll do anything!" The voice cried.
"Anything, you say? Hmm... I will let you go, on one condition," one of the other animals stated.
"What is it?" The voice asked eagerly.
"Your spirit is under my control. And you will not be allowed to return to your own body," the other animal said. The distressed animal pondered it's thoughts. Eventually, it nodded. "O-okay. I'll do it."