Author: Daggermouth

Lion King 4
Chapter: V – Danger at the Oasis.

"You need to learn when not to swing in the jungle vines," Ma said sympathetically rubbing a meerkats arm, the poor meerkat had just fallen from the highest treetop. Apologetically the youngster rushes after being seen to. Giving a deep sigh Timon's mother named Ma, moves herself to sit on a large terrace overlooking most of the Oasis; she was kind and caring to all the meerkats, especially the younglings, like a mother to them all. The meerkats made this jungle their home, it was discovered by Timon and Pumbaa many years ago and they have all lived here in harmony for the years that followed. The Oasis sat in the centre of the Sunstar Desert so it frequently gets visitors who either lost their way in the desert or are just passing through to rest here in the perfect haven, anyone living here quickly take advantage of its perfect ecosystem. Minding her own business and humming lightly to herself, for many years now they have grown, learned and lived here Ma ponders for just how long their perfect ecosystem would last, Ma remembers before in the Oasis that a strange slivering snake attacked Max, Timon's Uncle, just so it could deliver a warning to them all, nobody understood that warning and none of the meerkats have seen Timon or his warthog friend since he left the Oasis to warn Priderock, although it pained her to do so, Ma realised she was very overprotective of her son and didn't worry too much for she knew Priderock was the safest place in all the Pridelands. Max had long since recovered from the snake's deadly attack and Ma heads off away from the terrace to go and see him. Ma bides her time she heads further down into the jungle still humming a memorable melody to meet the others. The meerkats were good at digging so across the Oasis the meerkats had dug an entire labyrinth of complex tunnels, they have had years to perfect the art and regularly they snooze inside the dens they create underground. Just recently however Max had discovered that they larger tunnels running underneath the entire Pridelands. They served as the Pridelands foundations, and this is the reason Ma is heading to see the others, a meeting had been declared to discuss the newly discovered tunnels. Blissfully feeling a sense of security Ma walks through the Oasis without trouble, they were the occasional hungry animals which hunt in the Oasis, but the meerkats were always on guard, there attuned senses a quick head movements able to detect danger and cry out if anything alerts them. But the creature following Ma had found a blind spot, it was quick to hide among the many large bushes of the Oasis, the undergrowth was the perfect hiding place, it runs hastily ahead of Ma still unseen, it jumps out of the bush and right infront of Ma, blocking her path. With a quick yelp Ma falls backwards looking up at the creature with fearful eyes, it was a very old grey furred Ethiopian wolf, with bright sea coloured blue eyes which looked down at her; the wolves' eyes seemed kind

"Be still, I mean you no harm," the wolf says with an old deep voice trying not to scare Ma anymore than she already is.
"What do you want with me?" Ma says but is surprised to see the wolf helping her up onto her small dainty golden paws.
"Forgive me for my intrusion but please head my words, my name is Unwami Sheppard—" As the wolf speaks kindly the Ma she realises the larger wolf is injured, his back right leg was wounded slightly and if anything she was good at mothering creatures back to full health. She rushes off the nearby path to collect a dotted leaf as he carefully sits down,

"Please little meerkat we do not have time to delay," The wolf pauses and grunts in pain as Ma places the leaf on the wolves' leg, Ma instructs the wolf not to put much weight on his back paw or leg she them wraps the leg up with some nearby grass carefully bandaging Unwami's.

"Something is heading here to tear down this entire oasis; my words are you must run from this place, if you go now you may just save everyone." Unwami speaks with grave seriousness. Ma understand the urgency of the situation, this was the second warning she had heard for a time, this time it was her chance to warn her friends and the other meerkats.
"Lets go, I'm going to a meeting the meerkat leaders now, you can tell everyone there," Ma singles the elder wolf to follow her as she jogs down the path toward the meeting place, but she stops as Unwami shakes his head
"Alas, I cannot go, for my presence would serve to only panic your species. My words rest on your shoulders alone." Unwami nods before darting off while not putting pressure on his wounded leg, Ma wastes no time and rushes down the path towards the waterfall where the meeting will begin.

Outside of the Oasis, gusts of desert winds spin violently, small cyclones of sand twirl in the Sunstar Desert. Walking tirelessly through the biggest desert in all the Pridelands, a small bat-eared fox, she growls as the heavy winds bash against her light fur, she had dark patched of fur on the tips of her ears and bushy tail; she had blue eyes which squinted to avoid getting dust in her eyes as she walked. The blazing sun seemed extra powerful in the sandy desert, every step she took the heated sand burned her four paws but she continued nevertheless, she had orders to complete. She snarled and pondered as to why she always got the harder jobs to complete. Her gaze was fixated upon the large Oasis in the distance, she wasn't far from it now, she grins her white teeth the bat-eared fox gives slight nervous giggle as she continues onwards through the harsh desert. It is not long before she marching right into the Oasis, the smell of fresh grass fills the air, the bat-eared fox grins before heading inside to complete her duty.

The huge waterfall of the Oasis blast gallons of water into the lake, gathered around the lake were the two of the three leaders of the meerkats troop. Sat at the front of the waterfall was the leader of the troop named Buzz, he is said to be the greatest meerkat which ever lived. One dark fateful night when a group of grey hyenas were digging up the dens, Buzz was said to of took on three hyenas all by himself, but he was almost eaten when the rest of the hyena pack, it was said in rhyme he became a hyena snack, but magically Buzz survived, while in the jaws of a hyena he escaped but never found the meerkats again until he stumbled by chance at the Oasis. Buzz still bares the scares of his encounter which he will keep all his life; he wears a makeshift eye patch and he is rather eccentric now. Next to him sat Timon's Uncle Max who became a leader after Scar was defeated at Priderock, the pessimistic meerkat taps his foot paw waiting for his sister Ma. Quickly enough she came running down towards the waterfall as fast as she could, stopping just before falling into the lake she places her hands on her knees and takes a few deep breathes,

"Well it's about time," Uncle Max complains still tapping his foot paw impatiently,
"You guys have to listen to me, we're in danger here," Ma blurts out and explains her encounter with the grey furred wolf.
"Wait, look there!" Buzz suddenly interrupts with his wheezing voice and quickly points with his small finger in the distance. Uncle Max and Ma both turn to look simultaneously seeing the danger, smoke in the distance, black smoke suggesting a fire has broken out in the Oasis. Ma mumbles under her breathe, knowing its starting.
"We get to everyone out of here, now!" She orders, as the three leader's spring into action, Uncle Max immediately digs down into the tunnels, shouting at the top of his voice, but he only serves to panic the meerkats, as everyone rushes around, digging upwards, the younglings stay with their mothers.

"Everyone go with Buzz, he will lead you out!" Ma greets everyone as they reach the surface of the Oasis, pointing everyone into theright directions and looking nervously on the horizon as the smoke grows thicker with every fleeting moment, without knowing much herself she helps the younglings who are inexperienced in digging out into the open, together the ones who dug to the surface first now follow in a line as Buzz leads the way out of the Oasis in the quickest route possible. Digging underground Uncle Max looks up one of the larger tunnels to see his sister,
"Get out of here!" He shouts up at Ma,
"I'm not leaving anyone behind!" She shouts back directing another meerkat towards the group. Most of the meerkats were calling out, alerting the others to escape. While helping everyone Ma remembers the grey wolfs words just moment before but Ma wonders how the wolf knew this would happen. Unwami was right.

Unwami himself runs through the many forests of the Oasis, with lightning speed he dodges the many trees and their lower branches. He approaches the edge of the fire, the raging red flames were consuming everything and the tree's and other foliage were quickly burning and only serving as fuel for the fiery monster. It spread quickly, the canopy of trees burned above the grey wolf as entire burning branches fell around him. The smoke was quickly filling the elder wolves lungs, any creatures trapped in the heart of the fire were surely goners. Unwami was looking something or rather someone. He bravely jumps over a burning branch and into the heart of the fire. Flames raged around him but the Ethiopian wolf was quick, he didn't let the flames touch his fur, he kept his head down to avoid the thick smoke. He pounces up onto an untouched tree and up higher and higher from tree to tree until he reaches the very top of the highest canopy, looking around he can see the devastation below, although most of the Oasis was hidden under a sea of black smoke below. Looking around frantically, he couldn't stop the fire but he could stop who started it, it was the same creature that wounded his back leg. But funnily enough, she finds him.

"Unwami!" The bat-eared fox yells, the elder wolf turns and growls lowly to see his nemesis.
"Bhat! Why are you working for the snake! You're better than this!" Unwami shouts over the sound of the roaring flames below them both.
"Because it's fun, silly!" Bhat mumbles she is holding a fiery tree branch in her mouth; she chucks it to one side letting it fall below the canopy and into the flames below.
"I love fire," She giggles and winks at the elder wolf which only serves to anger him. Suddenly the two old rivals rush toward eachother, all their claws drawn. They meet together in the middle of the canopy both of the creatures clawing at eachother, Bhat growling loudly, with a snort she bites the elder wolfs neck with her sharp fox teeth, Unwami struggles to fight the fox, she was quick and agile, another strike, this time Bhat's sharp claws scratch the wolfs face.
"I should've finished the last time we fought, but alas, I only wounded your leg," Bhat snarls pushing the weaker and older Unwami closer to the edge of the canopy. With a loud battle cry Unwami springs into action kicking the female fox off him.
"It's rude to hit a girl you know?" Bhat teases before the two meet in the middle again, this time Unwami strikes first trying not to fall into the flames below as the fire makes it way up higher and higher, striking Bhat's body lightly. The female fox grunts only slightly in pain as she quickly jumps over the wolf and behind him and she claws Unwami's already wounded leg causes his makeshift bandage to fall off. Suddenly both of them stop fighting as the canopy begins to crack beneath them, the trees start to crumble the fire causes them to shake and snap. Unwami deals the final blow grabbing Bhat as the tree they're on break beneath them and they twist while falling into the flames below.

Ma and Uncle Max run for their lives as the Oasis burns down around them, losing their home was the last of their worries, Ma was carrying a small baby meerkat in her arms as she runs, the fire was too quick for the small creatures, smoke engulfs the area around them making it impossible to see anything, Uncle Max leads the way brushing a nearby large bush out of the way, looking in all directions to see flames. They had lingered too long helping the others and became trapped themselves.
"Max, what do we do now?" Ma looks over to her brother worryingly. But now even Max had no idea what do to, he suddenly realises they were going to die here. But then he suddenly feels so stupid, they had forgotten their roots, they can dig! Together Max, Ma and the little baby she carries dig underground just in time as a large tree collapses above them. Digging through the ground in the claustrophobic tunnels Max digs for his life, the roaring flames could still be heard above, they couldn't stay underground for long for worry of suffocation, Max digs until the flames above seem less noisy and powerful, emerging with Ma who follows they arrive above ground in the Sunstar desert. Brushing through the sand they have made it. Both of gather their thoughts and breathe heavily before looking back at their home, now the entire Oasis was completely engulfed with deadly flames. It had taken just minutes for their home to burn, the once green and lush Oasis now burning brightly with dazzling red and yellow flames.

"What happened to Buzz, where are the others?" Ma says looking frantically around holding the baby meerkat in her arms tightly,
"They...They must have got trapped." Max says with great sadness. The two siblings stood silently side by side with only the crackling burning of wood was all what could be heard. The thick smoke rose up into the blue sky like nothing before seen. The beauty of the Oasis was gone, the waterfall no longer ran, everything the meerkats knew as a home was gone. While watching their home burn there was a sudden familiar grunt of a wolf. Ma turned to see Unwami seriously wounded she rushes towards the larger creature as he collapses in the sand infront of her.
"I've failed you little meerkat, Bhat got away, she did this, the meerkats, she killed them. You must listen now, there is a dark lioness, she is named Solta and her fur is extraordinarily grey in colour from being in the Shadowland. You must find her because... because she knows the key to saving the Pridelands from the snake." Unwami lays there for a moment, coughing slightly; his fur was burned off in some places. Unwami slowly shuts his blue faded eyes, the burning flames of the Oasis was the last thing he could see.

The Oasis is lost...

End of Episode V.