When i first wrote this it was a homework assignment for Mythology. I kept going and going....and going as we all do. and I couldn't stop. so I thoguht you'd all like to read this. The first chapter is where our hero has to get ready to go on a quest, hence, "The great quest". She is no going to meet her escort. and future...well u get the picture. again i must remind my readers of previous stories that this is entirely seperate version where some of the characters are the same. Different name, defiantly different story but some how same bad guy but different name. (did anyone follow that cause I just lost myself)

so now we get some action...other than getting attacked by a sake.

Chapter 5

The next morning Kiji found Sumi sleeping on her back. Cradling the capuchin in her arms she sat up and leaned against a tree breathing deeply of the dewy, foggy morning. Nuku stirred and smiled at her, "Good morning." he yawned.

"You too," she said looking across the river. She smiled over joyed at the sight she saw. "Look! We're almost out."

"Awesome!" Nuku leaped up and hurried to the sunlight, "Let's go."

Kiji gathered her things and put Sumi on her shoulder. Nuku was about to say something but he shook his head and continued on. "What are we looking for exactly?"

"A group of thin huts," she said.

"Thin huts?" he cocked an eyebrow.

"There!" she whispered, "Hurry."

They snuck toward the camp as quietly as possible. The mist and fog helped as well to conceal them. Kiji stopped near a big canvas tent and some large crates. Hiding in between the boxes she softly nudged Sumi awake.

"Sumi, could you crawl in and find out what they're doing? I can hear voices but I can't understand them."Kiji asked hopefully.

"Sweet!" she said doing a back-flip, "I get to play spy!" Climbing up a pole she disappeared inside. The tent had two men around a table. One of them looked very much like Kijanjwie but the other was alien in dress and appearance. He had a greenish brown sort of chest and brown legs. Sumi crept closer to hear their conversation. Great Mathee had be right about animals understanding human speech. For most animals, human languages are not blocked by a language barrier. These two men were speaking in English; one with a heavy thick British accent and the other in broken English. The odd man said, "I can bring my men here in four days."

"Sooner the better," the other man growled.

"Are there many trophy worthy beasts?" Odd asked.

The man smiled wickedly, "Many pelts," he said nodding.

"Good," Odd nodded and shook the man's hand, "The sooner we open up the slave trade in tis area, the better."

Sumi's eyes widened. That can't be good, she thought. Climbing back out to Kiji and Nuku after the men left, she made sure they didn't see her. When she had told Kiji about the conversation, Nuku was angered to a fury. He immediately let it lift when he saw Kiji's face.

"What am I doing?" she asked aloud sitting down and holding her head in her arms, "I'm just a child. I can't stop a bunch of men."

"Yes you can," he encouraged her, "and you won't be alone."

"Even if we had a hundred simbas we still wouldn't be able to fight them and win," she said despairingly.

"Why not?" Nuku asked almost insulted.

"They have weapons more accurate than bows and arrows," she said, "They're deadly. One bang could kill you."

"We've got try," Nuku said worried for his family, "We can't let this guy past the jungle. Come on, just try."

"How can we stop them in four days?" she asked.

"I've got one idea," Nuku said grinning mischievously, "We could take him hostage and kill his guide. Make him send his men home."

"That might work," she grinned but faltered, "How do we get him alone? There might be more people here."

"We can take 'em," Sumi nodded folding her arms.

"We may need a little more help than that Sumi," Nuku said rolling his eyes, "But we have a whole jungle of full of friends. Literally." he grinned.

* * *

Sumi ran around the encampment looking for the white man's tent. Kiji and Nuku stayed on the forest line keeping out of sight of the camp. Sumi was the only one small enough to go around unnoticed. Noting where all the men were and how many, she went back to her friends to report. The group only had five men who all seemed to be recruits but the other man. Sumi had named the white man Odd, for now, and the other man, who seemed to be in charge, Hunter.

"So Odd's hut is on the edge of the group but Hunter's is towards the middle." Sumi explained, "But if we wait till tonight we could try to get at him."

"That might work," Nuku nodded. He looked toward Kiji, "Couldn't it?"

She didn't reply.

"Kiji?" he nudged her gently.

"Huh?" she finally registered, "Sorry what?"

"Are you alright?" he asked, "What's wrong?"

Kiji shook her head, "I'm just a little hungry.

"No problem," Sumi said jumping into a tree and disappearing.

"You still scared?" the simba asked.

"Not as much but, yeah," she sighed.

"Don't worry. We'll protect each other," he smiled nuzzling her head.

Kiji smiled and rubbed his head gently, but would not feel any better for a while.

They spent most of the rest of the day gathering food and practicing their plan. Kiji also practiced her aiming and speed with the bow and arrows. Nuku marveled as she shot a circle on the tree directly in the middle three times.

"For being absolutely at a loss of natural weapons," he said admiringly, "You're pretty good."

"I'll take that as a compliment," she laughed putting her weapons down. Cautioning for him to step back, she took up her knife. Holding the blade in her hand, she placed the hilt near her ear. She then threw the knife at the tree just barely hitting the bullseye.

Nuku was in delighted surprise as he said, "Note to self: Let's not make Kijanjwie really mad."

Kiji laughed, "You're such a dork." she pulled the knife and arrows from the trunk and put the weapons away. The arrows in the quiver and the knife on her belt. "Got any more stories to pass the time?" she asked sitting down.

"Well," he said stretching, "I could tell you about..." he paused and sniffed the air, "What the..?"

"What?" Kiji asked standing her hand on her knife hilt.

"I don't...OW!" he flinched picking up his hind paw.

Kiji's eyes widened in horror and recognized the feather immediately. "Run!" she hissed, bolting for the jungle. Seeing the dart still in his paw she yelled, "Take it out!"

The simba stopped to yank it out and continued running. The bark of dogs and a voice commanding them on began to drift in the air.

"Don't...stop," he shouted to her as he slowed and finally stumbled to the ground. Fear pumped her legs as she ran, tears starting to blear her vision. She realized to late that the tears were not from the sorrow but from the dart in back. Stumbling, she tripped and fell. Just before her vision went black, a terrifying sound filled her ears. The simba, whom she had grown to care for so much more than brotherhood, let out an anguished roar of pain.

and this is where I put To Be Continued... on my paper and turned in the other half a week later. Can we say that roudy is a procrastinator? si!