The choice of the battleground
When the first rays of the rising sun toughed him, Guma was already awake. Sitting on a big rock on top of a hill he had a fantastic view over the surrounding territory. The dusty plains in front of him were carved with canyons and termite mounds and weird rock formations could be found everywhere. Apart from the few noises his sleeping companions made not a single sound could be heard. The only other living thing he could see was a lone vulture aimlessly drawing his circles in the distance. The land lay in silence, but he knew that the peaceful appearance was deceiving. This part of the Outlands was probably the most dangerous of it all and not only due to the harsh and unforgiving terrain. With thousands of possible hideouts and the fact that it shared a direct border with the Pridelands this place was a hotspot for outcasts, raiders and other scum trying to avoid authorities. No wonder the search for Masoka had led them here.
He stood up and walked up to his companions. "Wake up, sleepyheads", he said and poked them with a paw.
"Huh?" Yawning, Chege opened an eye and blinked. "My turn again?"
"No." Guma shook his head and kicked Chadi, who was still asleep. "No need for keeping watch anymore. It's morning. Urgh, damn, Chadi, wake up!"
Finally, the last of the trio jumped up. "Ouch! What was that?"
"We're moving on. Follow me and keep your mouth shut. We're not the only ones in this wasteland and I want to avoid as much unnecessary trouble as possible."
It was already late afternoon when they found the first sign of someone else's presence. It was Chadi who heard the laughter. Judging by the voice it was no one they knew, but definitely a hyena. Following the sound, they had reached another, deep and rocky canyon. A disgusting smell was in the air, strong enough to hide every other scent. Carefully, Guma crouched towards the edge and looked down.
The ground below was soot-blackened and covered in piles of giant bones. The opposite wall was as high as the one Guma was standing on, but there was a wide crack splitting it in half. It reached all the way down to the ground and by that gave access to the Pridelands. To the left, the canyon narrowed and ramified. He also noticed holes in the ground that smoldered in green and red. The steam that came out of them was probably the origin of the bad smell.
"We have to get down there", Guma said and looked back at his companions. "Spread out and find a way. But be careful. As I said, we better stay unnoticed for as long as we can."
Chadi gulped but then he and his brother nodded. It wasn't hard to see that neither of them was keen on entering that place, but they obeyed the order. A few moments later they found what they were looking for and began their way down.
Carefully, they snuck through the labyrinth the canyon formed on its left side. Another laughter had sounded from here and Guma was eager to find out, who it was. Probably he or she had seen Masoka or at least signs of him. They stopped at a junction and listened.
An insane giggle was heard from behind one of the corners, followed by a punch and a yelping.
"This isn't funny!", another voice growled angrily.
"Well, it is, Banzai", a third hyena giggled, a female as it sounded.
"Is not! If that jerk would have chewed on your butt you wouldn't be laughing right now! I won't be able to sit for days!"
Once more a nearly hysteretic laughter was heard, again followed by yelping and snarling.
"I'll show you how funny that is!"
"Well, if I were you, I wouldn't put my face near that ass", the female giggled.
"Why n… Bah!", Banzai shouted and began to retch in disgust.
"Enough!" Another, yet unheard voice sounded. It was male but definitely not the one of a hyena. Instantly the other three became silent. "Good", the voice said. It sounded both uninterested and uppish. "Could you now please stop wasting my time and tell me why I am here?"
"Well, we… I thought you could… you know… kick him out? Please?"
A short moment in silence went by before the question was answered. "No."
"What? Why not, Scar? You're bigger than him, you could do it with ease!"
"Because it would raise questions if I'd return to Pride Rock with wounds. I cannot risk that my brother finds out about our little… alliance. Or would you prefer to dispense with the little gifts I provide you with?"
"Urgh… well, of course not!", Banzai struggled.
"And if the three of you can't even handle a single intruder, maybe my generosity is wasted on you anyway."
"B… But… That's not…"
"Oh, shut up Banzai!", the female growled. "I'm sorry, Scar. If I had known that this was why he wanted to talk to you we would never have bothered you with this. Surely, we can deal with him! Just forget about it."
"Well, if you say so, Shenzi, who am I to distrust you?", Scar said in an ironic tone of voice. "But jokes aside, you better solve this… problem, before it out of hand. If your new friend causes trouble in the Pridelands you might attract the king's attention. You wouldn't want him to pay you a visit, would you?"
Steps were heard and Guma pushed his friends behind a big rock. Just in time they took cover, as a lion came around the corner.
"Darn fools", he muttered and made his way through the canyon until he reached the crack and vanished into the Pridelands.
"Phew, that was close", Guma heard Shenzi saying.
"Close? You backstabbed me!", Banzai growled. "You told me to ask him for help!"
"Yeah, so? It was a bad idea and I had to get out of it somehow."
"But we ain't out of it! Now we have to face him again!"
"Would you prefer Mufasa to come around to whup your ass? It'll be more than just days you won't be able to sit if he gets you!"
"Of course, not", Banzai reluctantly admitted. "But still our problem remains!"
"Not necessarily."
Surprised the three hyenas turned around.
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't miss hearing your discussion", Guma apologized as he walked up to them, Chadi and Chege right behind him. "But if you're interested, I'd be glad to offer my assistance."
Night was about to fall and Guma was laying on a rock in the middle of the elephant graveyard. He had spent the day getting familiar with this place. Now he knew every pile of bones and every rock, but the most important feature of the area were the glowing holes in the ground. Intently, he watched them and the hot steam that occasionally shot out of them. He already had noticed that some of them were more dangerous than others. The temperature and intensity of the outburst varied from hole to hole. Some weren't stronger than a summer wind but others had enough force to send large rocks flying through the air or where hot enough to set someone's fur on fire if he or she stood too close to the outburst. Another danger was, that some of them could be triggered by something as simple as someone stepping too firmly on the ground next to them.
"You really sure you want to do this?" Shenzi came walking from the hyenas' lair, climbed on the rock and sat down next to him. One of her friends was with her, but he stayed on the ground. "Nothing personal, you know, but I've seen this Masoka-guy… and he'll rip you into pieces if you fight him alone."
A weird giggle came from her friend.
"I know too well what he's capable of", Guma replied and looked back at the hole he currently inspected, just in time to see it releasing another gust of red steam.
"I was wondering", Shenzi continued. "Why are you doing this? What's the matter with you and him? The way you talk about him sounded like it's something personal to you."
"It is", Guma growled. "He murdered some people I liked and tried to kill me as well."
"Sorry to hear this", Shenzi said. Guma wasn't sure if she really cared, but it didn't matter anyway. "Friends of yours?"
He didn't answer. Instead he turned to the opening in the canyon wall and then to the path he had used to come here. Had Ifu and Kara really been his friends? What he had said was true, he had liked them, but friends? He pushed the thought aside. "Are these two the only entrances?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Can't risk being surprised by him." He got up. "Well, I think I'm ready. If you'd be so kind to tell him where he can find me?"
"If you really wish so." Shenzi jumped down from the rock and began walking. "Good luck and try not to bite the dust too quickly. At least weaken him for us, ok?"
Without responding, Guma looked at her. No, not this time. Today, he was the one who chose the battlefield and the one who set up the ruled for the fight. Today, he had the upper hand, even if Masoka wouldn't notice it. Today, justice would be done.
AN: Hey, some familiar faces from the movies! Hope I don't anger anyone with my depiction of them