Makuu was... unresponsive for some time when Dalila said Kitwana had probably been taken by the two-legs. A few moments later, however, he nearly attacked Bakshi out of frustration and grief, which was only prevented by Simba's timely arrival. Still, the crocodile refused to even look at him, and swam away into the depths of the water to, both literally and figuratively, cool himself down.

By the time he finally re-emerged to the surface, most of the herds had left, except for Thurston's and Twiga's herds, who asked to stay for the night, still too nervous to consider going back to their own places at night with the two legs around. He also spotted Bakshi's flock on the reeds, which was all gathered around Dalila, who was seemingly recovering form her injury.

It was nighttime already, so most of them were already asleep, his own float included.

Makuu glanced in the direction of the water hole that had been the flock's home. What had happened to Kitwana? If he was captured, then what would become of him? A meal? Or did those creatures have more insidious things in mind?

Part of him blamed himself for this. If he hadn't let him go that easily, if he just had... Great, he was thinking on 'what ifs' again. The worst part? He didn't even share a proper goodbye in his haste to just be done with it. Even if Kitwana hadn't said anything, he should have. He just repeated the same mistake that led him to lose his siblings in a similar manner.

The only difference? On this occasion he still had a chance to do something to save him.

And this time, he wouldn't 'let it slip'.

Silently, he swam towards the shore, and started heading towards the watering hole. Surely the beast's prints were still there, right? If he could only follow them to the two-legs' den and save Kitwana before he was eaten...

Makuu stopped when he heard the bushes nearby rustling despite not being a single breeze tonight. He stopped in his tracks, and spoke without turning around. "Come out, I know you are there."

A few seconds later, Hodari peeked his head out of the bushes. "Are you going to look for Kitwana?"

"I am. Don't you dare trying to stop me."

"I don't want to stop you, Makuu. I want to go with you."

The crocodile looked back at him in surprise. "What?"

"I don't want to stay here crossing my arms while Kitwana is in danger! I want to help you!"

"Hodari, I... appreciate the gesture, but those two-legged animals are apparently more dangerous than hyenas, jackals and Kiburi's float together. I don't want you to get squashed."

"They won't be able to detect me as easily, I might be able to infiltrate their lair and find Kitwana. Sides, even if they do I still got my moves!" the little gecko did another attempt of the tail spin, and his tail ended up hitting his head again. "Ow!"

Makuu rolled his eyes. However, Hodari did have a point. A crocodile wasn't precisely good at hiding in non-watery places, and he could be easily spotted because of his green scales. A gecko, however, at the very least could hide behind a rock or in the shadows.

Suddenly, he heard more bushes rustling, but this time it was easier to spot the perpetrators. Ghubari, Balozi, Bayana and... Akina?!

"What are you doing here?!" he hissed in a low voice.

"You didn't think we'd let you go against those animals all by yourself, did you?" Balozi pointed out matter-of-factly.

"It's too dangerous! I cannot ask you to come with me when this is something I must do alone!"

Bayana snorted. "How curious, since judging by what just transpired a few seconds ago, Hodari was going to join you. And he's tiny."

"Well, yeah, but that means he wouldn't be as easily spotted by the two-legs!"

"But he won't be able to help you if you decide to confront them directly."

"Besides, we're not just going to sit while little Kitwana is in trouble!" Ghubari stated. "He might not be a crocodile, but he's still part of the float!"

Makuu was partly moved at how much loyalty they were showing, but he was still worried about their wellbeing. Before he could say anything else, this time it was Akina who spoke, stepping forward.

"Let's go ahead while Makuu considers his options." She said, indirectly teasing her mate.

As she expected, he reacted almost instantly. "In case you forgot, Akina, I'm the leader around here. Let's go before anyone else decides to join unexpectedly."

She almost giggled at the last part, but she was content with a small smile, knowing she had won. Again.

The group of crocodiles (and a gecko) headed over towards the now-deserted watering hole. A few spots were stained with blood from the animals that had been injured or killed, though in the latter cases the bodies were gone, probably taken by the two-legs as well.

The footprints weren't that hard to find, though, since they were always continuous and there weren't any spaces between the steps. Following them was the issue. They followed the train of snake-like prints throughout the savannah and the fields, eventually coming to the edge of the Pride Lands.

Makuu was reluctant to let the other crocodiles, especially Akina, follow him into the Outlands. Kiburi was somewhere in these desolate places, and he had no idea of how he'd react if he saw Akina... what was he saying? Of course he knew how he'd react. He'd sweet talk to her while being aggressive to the others, especially Makuu himself; Kiburi was still sore that Akina chose the crocodile leader over him.

As they advanced into the Outlands, Makuu recalled when he once passed through this place before, as a hatchling, when Pua had no choice but to lead the float out of the Pride Lands when the hyenas invaded, following the fleeing herds.

The tyrant, Scar, allowed those hyenas to overhunt and overbreed, forcing many out of their homes for their own survival, the crocodiles included, especially when the hyenas preyed on countless hatchlings despite the law that forbad the killing of young. And when Pua went to Scar to complain, he was turned down, and ordered to keep the herds inside the Pride Lands by positioning his crocodiles in all the river areas that led out of the Pride Lands. And of course, Pua refused and led the float on an exodus to find a new home.

As they advanced, the tracks were less and less noticeable when they passed through rocky paths, or there were areas where the wind had already blown them away. It was only thanks to Hodari's close examination and Makuu's previous knowledge of this area that they didn't end up getting lost.

"So, where do you think they live?" Ghubari asked casually after a long, uncomfortable time of silence.

"Maybe in a cave." Balozi said. "They'd need space for those other beasts they use as transport."

"Judging by their physiology, maybe they're related to primates. Maybe they live in trees."

Bayana shook his head. "Trees? In the Outlands? I highly doubt it."

"Well, they have to come from somewhere. Maybe from another kingdom?"

"If they do, they must have come from a far away one if nobody's seen those animals around here before. Not even Rafiki knew about them!"

"Would you lower your voices?" Makuu hissed. "Or do you want to attract all the Outlanders in about five kilometers around?!"

"Speaking of Outlanders, do you think... they are fine?" Hodari asked, procuring not to mention Kiburi's name directly. "I mean, it's been a while since we last saw them."

Makuu knew who he was talking about. "They're fine. They're crocodiles."

Akina caught a smell in the air. "Hey, do you smell that?"

Bayana sniffed the air. "You mean the scent of fresh fish?"

Makuu sniffed the air and, indeed, felt the aroma of fish. Following the trail of the odor, they came across an unusual sight: a fish on top of a bunch of leaves underneath an old, withered tree.

"Well, would you look at that?" Ghubari said, licking his chops as he walked forward to get it. "Who wants some fish? I'm starving!"

"Wait, don't you think it's a bit... suspicious?" Hodari pointed out. "I mean, how did a fish get so far from the water? And who left it there?"

"Maybe a stupid hyena forgot it there. Well, it's their loss."

Makuu had a bad feeling about this. Hodari was right, a fish in the middle of nowhere, far from the water and just laid on the ground as if expecting somebody to come and grab it that easily was suspicious. If living in the Outlands was hard, the hyenas wouldn't just leave some potential meal lying around for anyone to steal it.

Unless...

"GHUBARI, NO! IT'S A TRAP!"

He quickly galloped over to Ghubari before he could grab the fish, and pushed him out of the way just as something came from beneath him and pulled him up.

"MAKUU!"

Once he recovered from the shock, Makuu found himself trapped in a sort of hanging web. It looked like a spider's web, but thicker, and it was completely closed from above, trapping him in it. It was hanging from the branches of the withered tree.

"Makuu, are you okay?!" Hodari asked when he and the others ran towards their trapped leader.

"Does it look like I'm okay?!" was the annoyed reply.

"Think this trap belongs to the two-legs?!" Bayana said.

"Unless the hyenas became smarter, probably yes!" Balozi retorted.

"We have to get him down before they come back!" Akina snapped, trying to grab the net with her jaws, but it was out of their reach. Hodari climbed on the tree towards the rope from which the web hung, but it was too thick for his teeth. Balozi, Ghubari and Bayana tried with all their might to make the tree bend a bit, at least enough for Akina to grab unto the web, but the trunk was far too thick and hard to even move an inch.

"The trap's sprung! Let's go!"

The crocodiles grew alarmed when they heard a new voices, and various steps. Hodari went to the highest point in the tree, and saw the two-legs were approaching on foot, all of them holding the mortal black branches. "The two-legs are coming!"

Realizing they were running out of time, Akina turned towards Ghubari and the others. "Balozi, Bayana, lend me a paw to reach the net! Hurry up!"

However, the two-legs were just running downhill, they would be there in a matter of seconds. Makuu realized they would not make it alive if they wasted precious time by trying to free him... They wouldn't stand a chance against so many black branches...

He knew what he had to do.

"All of you! Forget about me and flee!"

Akina, Hodari and the others looked at him in shock.

"What?! Are you insane?!" Akina snapped.

"There's no time to argue, Akina! Take Hodari and the others to safety! I'll be fine!"

"I'm not leaving you!"

"Yes, you will! That's an order!" he said sternly.

"B-But, Makuu...!"

"NOW!"

Akina was frozen in shock for a few seconds, but when she finally reacted, she was close to weeping. With no other choice, she turned around and ran back the way they came, followed closely by Hodari and the others, who stared regretfully at their leader before disappearing through the dry canyons.

It hurt Makuu to speak to her like that. It hurt in the depths of his being, but what mattered was that she and the others were safe. As they left, the two-legs arrived, and he was momentarily mortified when a few were going the same way Akina and the others had left. However, the apparent leader lifted his arm, before they could do so, instead motioning at Makuu with his head.

As this creature approached, Makuu could examine it more closely. It was just like the other animals who managed to see them from afar said, but its face was flat and brown, and had no fur except on its head and around its rather tiny mouth.

"Wait until I get down, you furless monkey!" he snarled, struggling in the net. "I'll make you wish you never set a foot around here!"

Much to his confusion, however, the animal didn't reply. Instead, it was staring at him as if he were an insect, and chuckled humorlessly as it stared at the other members of its pack. "Well, boys, looks like we got ourselves a 'fighter'," His voice was deep and with a dark echo. "It has a good size too and it looks healthy."

"Indeed. Perhaps he'll be of more profit alive than dead. That buyer wanted two crocodiles, didn't he?"

"Yeah."

"Excellent. Since we already have one in our possession, this one will suffice for the buyer." The two-legs in charge stepped back and turned around. "You know what to do."

The pack of two-legs approached, holding up their black weapons. Try as he might, Makuu could not free himself from the web; but he would not give up without a fight. One of the two-legs cut the rope that held the web up, and he fell to the ground with a painful thud. Before he could even react and defend himself, however, something fell on top of his eyes, blocking his view, and then he felt the two-legs all coming on top of and putting all their weight to pin him down. They forcefully closed his jaws and used something sticky to bind them shut. And with his eyes covered, he couldn't do anything against them.

Few seconds later, he felt a stinging sensation on his neck, and struggled to get free, but soon he felt weak, and sleepy. Was this another of their tricks? He did his best to stay awake, but whatever they used to make him sleepy was winning out his will to fight...

Eventually, he was forced into a long sleep.

...

When he started regaining consciousness, he felt dizzy and his head hurt. His vision was blurry, but he could tell he was in a dark place. Was this the two-legs' den? With a great deal of effort, he managed to get back on his feet, even though his legs were shaking. He also had a strain sensation on his throat, as if something was clutching his neck tightly.

Once he got a bit more used to the dark and his vision cleared a bit, he noted there were some strange objects ahead of him, and there seemed to be animals inside them. Wait, animals...?

Makuu tried to move forward, but after a few steps something prevented him from going any further, and the choking sensation intensified. Confused, he tried again, only to have the same result; the harder he tried to walk forward, the stronger the choking sensation became. He turned around to see what was the problem, and saw a strange rope made of a dark, hard material, mostly made up of rings conjoined with each other, and it was apparently attached to... him?

"What the hell is this...?" he asked to no one in particular.

"Well, look who is finally awake."

That voice... No, it couldn't be. Makuu turned his head to see who had talk, and his pupils shrunk when he was met by a pair of deep brown eyes.

"Kiburi?"