Chapter VII The Land of The Lions

The Carnage

Rikki and Avíá headed into the village. They soon noticed with horror that everyone there was dead, including children. Several had been torn apart by the lions and several others had been pecked at by crows[1]. Some had been bitten by mongooses and others had died of snake venom. Avíá looked away, unable to take it in anymore. "We've got to stop them from claiming any more villages!" said Rikki, looking away from the carnage[2] as well. The lengths Nagasta and Karistan had gone to get revenge made him sick. His eyes glowed red with anger as he thought of all who had died, died needlessly, for Nag and Nagaina's deaths. In death, the two cobras had caused far more damage than they had hoped for in life. Rikki and Avíá spent the rest of the day in silence. Dusk fell and it gradually grew dark until it was pitch black. "Think it's safe to go out now?" said Avíá. They suddenly heard voices approaching, two of which belonged to Nagasta and Karistan. "Hide!" Rikki muttered. He and Avíá moved underneath a bed, blocked from view by the body of a dead child.

Kikatili and Apakarmi

"So, the humans have all gotten what they deserve!" said Nagasta, coming into view with Karistan and a male and female lion. So that's a lion! Rikki thought. "Yes, how I hate them!" said the male lion in a deep voice. "Have you seen that Rikki-tikki-tavi and his girlfriend Avíá-tía-tárá, Kikatili[3]?" hissed Karistan. "What harm could two weasels do us?" said the female lion in disgust. "Not weasels, Apakarmi[4]! Mongooses!" hissed Nagasta in annoyance. "We have other problems besides two pesky, er, mongooses." said Kíkatili. "Like what?" asked Karistan. "Like Bahaxur[5] and Shujaa[6]! They contest[7] my right to rule the pride![8]" said Kíkatili. "Well, we'll deal with them soon. But right now, we have to watch out for the mongooses. We don't want them getting past us. We'll get them at last!" hissed Nagasta. "Yes, I'll be glad to be rid of those four pests!" said Apakarmi. "Where can we find Bahaxur and Shujaa? We can bite them in their sleep, once the mongooses are dead!" asked Nagasta. "Three miles south of here. They live alone in a cave at the top of a large hill that is surrounded by trees. Some of the pride might join them if they are left alone for too long. They oppose our ideas to finish the humans." said Apakarmi. "Pity for them." hissed Karistan. The four left.

Bahaxur and Shujaa

"I think we should try and find this Bahaxur and Shujaa before they get to them." said Rikki. The two headed south, hiding in bushes and passing many sleeping lions. They at last reached the top of the hill. They came into the cave and noticed a pair of sleeping lions. "What if they attack us?" said Avíá. "We'll have to risk it. They're in danger." said Rikki. He gently prodded Bahaxur on the shoulder. "What?!" said Bahaxur, in a rather bass voice. He jumped up, fearing an attack, startling both Avíá and Shujaa. "It's the middle of the night, dear. Why are you…?" she pauses, noticing the two mongooses. "What are you two weasels doing here at this time of night?" said Shujaa in annoyance. "Mongooses actually." said Avíá. "Never mind that. You should know that Kíkatili and Apakarmi have teamed up with Nagasta and Karistan. It seems Kíkatili has told them that you oppose their plan to destroy the humans and so now the four are plotting to kill you. In fact, they'd have come this very night likely if they weren't on the lookout for us!" said Rikki.

"And how would you know that if you're on the run?" asked Bahaxur skeptically. "We hid in the village, which they killed everyone in it by the way, and overheard them." said Avíá. "They wouldn't be so cold![9] said Shujaa. "I wouldn't doubt Kíkatili of being so low[10], but who else would help him?" said Bahaxur. "Most of your pride it seems, and the snakes, and the Dark Mongooses, and the crows." said Rikki. "Come on. We need to get out of here anyway! They'll be coming for you soon! You can see for yourself in the village." said Avíá. The four headed to the village. The two lions gasped at the carnage. "Oh my word!" said Bahaxur in astonishment. "I had hoped that Kíkatili and Apakarmi were just full of hot air[11]!" said Shujaa sadly. "Now what?" "Now we have to stop them from attacking more villages. I'm sure this is just the beginning." said Rikki. "Let's go back home and plan what to do in the morning." said Shujaa. "No, they'll likely come for us soon. The mongooses, er, what are your names, are right. We're in danger." said Bahaxur. "I'm Rikki-tikki-tavi and this is my girlfriend Avíá-tía-tárá." said Rikki. "I suggest we hide in the Forest for the rest of the night. There's a part that goes southwest and lets us bypass the dragnet.[12]"

Rikki-tikki Distracts the Bad Guys

The four headed into the Dark Forest and headed southwest past the dragnet. They reached the very southwestern-most edge of the Forest. "Let's spend the rest of the day in here and then try and go out at night. It won't do to be spotted in broad daylight." said Bahaxur. The four rested for the rest of the day. As soon as it was dark, they headed out into the tall grass. They happened to come upon Kikatili and Karistan, who didn't notice them in the grass and in the dark.

"I see the mongooses are smarter than we thought. They've gotten by our dragnet." said Kikatili. "They are getting quite well known for doing that." hissed Karistan. "What's worse, it seems Shujaa and Bahaxur have left their cave. We could have had them. We had 15 snakes and at least five lions when we came there this morning." said Kikatili in disgust. "We've been looking for them all day. Nothing! So when do we attack the next village?" "In an hour." said Karistan. "We want to be sure all the humans are asleep." "What if they spot us?" whispered Avíá. "I'll handle this. You three leave." said Rikki. "You can't take them both! You have no idea what Kikatili can…." said Shujaa. "I can't take either of them. But it's not going to be a fight. Just a distraction. You guys warn the village." said Rikki. "What if you get killed? How can we let you do this?" protested Avíá. "If I get killed, then I'll die knowing that you're out of harm's way.

She walked up to him and kissed him. "I love you, you know!" she said. The three left, leaving Rikki there, blushing. "Yes!" he muttered. "Hey Wrinkle Skin! Oversized cat! Nice night, isn't it?" Rikki shouted. Karistan and Kikatili turned around and moved toward him. "How kind of you to come to us so we can at last be rid of you!" hissed Karistan. "You'll have to catch me first!" Rikki said, running off. Kikatili and Karistan hotly pursued him.

Meanwhile, Avíá and the two lions entered a village. Everyone was asleep. Avíá entered the first house through an open window.

THE VILLAGE

Warning the Village

"Wake up!" yelled Avíá, trying to awaken a man and his wife. They didn't stir. "Hey you! Wake up!" she yelled louder. They still slept on. She slapped the man across the face. He jumped up, startled. "What is it dear?" said his wife. "A mongoose." he said, staring at Avíá. "Come on! You are in danger!" Avíá-tía-tárá shouted. She hopped up and down madly. "I think she's trying to tell us something." said the man's wife. "What?" said the man. Oh dear! How do I tell them? Avíá thought. "Come on!" Avíá yelled. She jumped out the window and hopped up and down madly outside. "I think she wants us to follow her." said the man's wife. They headed outside and noticed the lions. "Get your gun!" said the woman to her husband. "They aren't attacking us. That's weird." said the man. Avíá hopped up and down madly and the lions copied her. "I think they want us to follow them." said the man again. They followed the three to the village. "Oh my!" said the man. "How did this happen?" said his wife, shaking heavily at the sight of the carnage.

Rikki, meanwhile, was short of breath. He'd nearly been bitten by Kíkatili and was only just ahead of him. "I know you're around here somewhere!" Kíkatili roared. "Not today, oversized cat!" said Rikki, running across a stream. He noticed Avíá and the two lions and two humans. He ran toward them. "Hello." said Avíá, glad to see him alive. "Kíkatili is coming! He's…!" said Rikki. Kíkatili suddenly came into view. "Found you, you little…" said Kíkatili, noticing Avíá, Shujaa, Bahaxur, and the two humans. "Well, well, well. If it isn't my two least favorite lions!" The man and his wife picked up sticks and started swinging them at Kíkatili. "I can take you two apart!" he roared. "You won't have the chance!" yelled Shujaa and Bahaxur, charging at him. Kíkatili ran off,[13] yelling "We'll meet again!". "We sure showed him!" said Rikki. The others cheered. "But what about the attack?" said Shujaa.

"This is too easy." said Nagasta. The group stared at the humans that the snakes had poisoned to death in their sleep. "Where is Kíkatili?" she said. "I believe he was chasing…er….Him[14]….when we last met. Hopefully he'll put an end to him at last!" said Karistan. "No. He'll come in and tell us how He got away!" said Nagasta in disgust. "He is quite an excellent hunter. I'm sure he can kill Rikki-tikki-tavi!" said Apakarmi. "You have no idea what Rikki-tikki-tavi, that infernal pest, can do!" said Nagasta. Kíkatili came in. "So is he dead?" asked Apakarmi hopefully. "Not only is he not dead, but he and his female friend, what's her name, are in league with Bahaxur and Shujaa. They're all in this together now! They've warned some humans it seems." said Kíkatili. "We should all leave here immediately. Our attack is over." said Nagasta. "But we've already taken care of several families." said a lion in annoyance. "I said let's go!" said Nagasta angrily. She turned and fled with Karistan, Kíkatili, Apakarmi, and all of the snakes and most of the lions. A few, including the lion who questioned her, remained. Those that remain were suddenly attacked by humans with guns. They managed to pick off one or two of the men but were all killed by gunfire soon thereafter.

"There. We got them to warn the others in time. I hope they got Nagasta." said Avíá. "No, Kíkatili probably told them about us warning the humans. She'll have left." said Bahaxur. The four hid in a cave five miles southwest of the village. "Well, that went well." said Rikki. "Too bad Kikatili's now onto you guys." "Like we care? We know he's a monster now. We consider it a good thing that he doesn't like it and is making it known." laughed Shujaa. "He can run really fast. I wouldn't dismiss him too easily." said Rikki.

"You were really brave back there." said Shujaa to Rikki. "Yes, he sure is wonderful!" said Avíá, hugging him. Rikki grinned stupidly. "I think she likes you." whispered Shujaa to Rikki. "Ï think we should rest. We have to plan what to do next in the morning." said Bahaxur, yawning. "Goodnight." said Shujaa. The two lions fell asleep. "Goodnight sweetie." said Avíá, and she kissed him goodnight and fell asleep. Rikki fell asleep with a grin on his face.

The Cruelty of Nagasta and Kikatili

"This is getting out of hand. Now they're working together!" said Kíkatili. A lion came in, very tired. "We've searched everywhere Master. Nothing. We need to rest!" he panted. "You can rest all you want when they're dead!" said Kíkatili angrily. "We need to rest. Just a little…" panted the lion. "Your Highness. Give our friend here 'some rest'!" said Apakarmi to Nagasta. "With pleasure." hissed Nagasta. She quickly moved up to the exhausted lion. "What are you going to do…?" he panted. He was cut off as Nagasta suddenly lashed out and bit him on the neck. She continued to sink her teeth into him and moved out of reach and bit him again as he tried to attack her. He fell down and gasped for air. "Help me!" he gasped to Kíkatili. "She's poisoned me!" "That's not my problem." said Kíkatili ruthlessly. "Help me!" he cried. "There's nothing they can do. Nothing[15] can stop our poison!" said Karistan. "Help. I'm dying. Help I'm…." he gasped, falling over dead from the poison. "Anyone else want to rest?" said Kíkatili. The others quickly scampered out of the room. "Thank you, Nagasta." said Kíkatili. "Anytime." said Nagasta. "Send out the loyal birds. Get them to report the treachery of Bahaxur and Shujaa to the public. We want them found now as much as the mongooses." said Karistan.

Rikki and Shujaa Talk about Avíá

Rikki awoke the next morning, somewhat sore from sleeping on the rocky floor of the cave. He moved gently, so as not to wake the others, to get up to go relieve himself. When he came back, he saw that Avíá and Bahaxur were still asleep. He noticed Shujaa stir slightly. Rikki glanced at the sleeping Avíá. She's so very beautiful! he thought. "You're in love, aren't you?" Rikki turned around. Shujaa was staring at him. "What?" he said sleepily. "You love her, don't you?" she said again. "What gives you that idea?" he said. "Anyone can see that." she laughed. "Is it really that obvious?" he said. "Why don't you tell her?" she said. "Tell her what?" said Rikki-tikki. "How you feel about her." said Shujaa. "I can't describe in words how I feel about her." he said. "I've never felt this way about anyone before. She makes me feel strong, and at the same time, weak. Brave, and at the same time, afraid. Her blue eyes seem to be staring right into my soul." "Yes, you are most definitely in love." said Shujaa. "What makes you so sure?" said Rikki. "It could easily just be a silly attraction that will end after our mission is over." "It couldn't hurt to tell her." said Shujaa. "What if she doesn't really care for me other than as a friend?" he said. "Only one way to find out." she said. Avíá and Bahaxur woke up. "Morning already?" Avíá said. "Good morning…er…dear." he said. "Hello, Rikki." she said.

The Snakes' News

Two cobras moved outside. "I hope we can get them in their sleep. They can't have gone far. It will be excellent news for our King and Queen and also the new King and Queen of the Lions." hissed one of the cobras to the other. "New King and Queen?!" said Bahaxur. "Ah, snakes. Oh dear." said Shujaa. "I'm not very good against those." "On it." said Avíá, charging out the cave mouth before Rikki could stop her. "Hey you!" hissed one of the cobras at her. "Who are you, mongoose? Are you friend or enemy?" said the other cobra. "I'm your worst nightmare!" said Avíá. "Avi-Tia-Taday!" she cried, running at them. "It's the companion of the Terrible One!" the two snakes hissed in horror.

"Oh dear." said Rikki. "What was that about a new King and Queen?" said Avíá, jumping into the air to avoid being bitten. "Apakarmi and Kíkatili are going to be the new King and Queen of the Lions. They've taken over all the prides with the help of our King and Queen! It's going to be held tomorrow in a valley…." said one of the cobras. "Shut up!" said the other cobra to the first. "Your death will make an excellent event for the coronation day!" she hissed at Avíá, failing to bite her. "I don't think so." said Avíá, grabbing the snake and biting into her heart. "Ut oh!" said the remaining cobra as Avíá suddenly attacked him in the back and paralyzed him. She bit his head off and brought the dead snake to Rikki. "I brought you some breakfast." she said, dropping the dead cobra next to Rikki. "Thank you, Avíá." he said, starting to eat the dead cobra as Avíá headed over to the other dead cobra and started eating it. "Ick!" said Shujaa, staring at the pair of mongooses. "Want some?" said Rikki with his mouth full. "I think I'll pass." said Bahaxur. "I prefer antelope." "As soon as you two are done with your…er…breakfast, I'd like to see this coronation. I can't see Kíkatili and Apakarmi getting all the lions to make them King and Queen." said Shujaa. "I think Nagasta and Karistan may have bullied some of the lions into doing it." said Rikki, swallowing the last of his cobra. "I don't think lions are immune to cobra venom, are they? Nagasta and Karistan would surely use that to their advantage." said Avíá, finishing her meal and licking her lips. "No, we aren't. I doubt there's anything that can counteract that venom." said Bahaxur. "I've heard of the Magical Herb of Kalindo. It supposedly can. That's what brings us here in the first place." said Rikki. "What's that?" said Shujaa. "We'll explain soon. First we have to figure out where this coronation is being held." said Avíá.

Sadára

Darzee noticed a female mongoose signaling to him. "It's ok." she said, "I'm not one of the Dark Mongooses. I'm looking for Rímíra. I'm afraid I have some bad news." "It seems that's pretty much the only kind of news we hear now that Nagasta has taken over." said Darzee. "I'll get her." A while later, Rímíra, dripping wet from swimming across the water, came to her friend. "You called, Sadára." "I'm afraid the old general, your old owner, he was found dead of a cobra bite this morning. It appears his new pet mongoose was one of the Dark Mongooses." said Sadára. "No!" wailed Rímíra. "I'm so sorry. I know that he once took care of you." said Sadára. "If only Rédari and I had stayed there rather than trying to raise Rikki in the wild." moaned Rímíra. "Oh goodness! I'd forgotten that Rikki was your son!" said Sadára. "Yes, I'm very proud of him!" beamed Rímíra. "Yes, he's gotten quite a reputation." said Sadára. "Sadára" said Rímíra, "I was wondering….you live a few miles southwest of here. Do you know anything about Avíá-tía-tárá?" she said.

"She's dead." said Sadára. "Died weeks ago. Along with Avála, Arda, Alanda, and Amíra. They were such decent mongooses. Heard they died for refusing to help catch Rikki." "I'm so sorry. But I know Avíá is still alive at any rate." said Rímíra. "How can that be?" said Sadára. "She's with Rikki. She's the female companion of Rikki. The one that Nagasta banned her name." "You're joking! The same Avíá? That name is pretty common." said Sadára. "Yes, the Coppersmith told me. He met her." said Rímíra. "Well, she's well brought up if that's what you're wondering then." said Sadára. "Well, what's her personality like?" said Rímíra. "Typical teenager." said Sadára. Rímíra sighed. "She's very well mannered, don't worry!" said Sadára. "Is she a good hunter?" said Rímíra. "She hadn't been on a hunt before. Not that they've told me. I last talked to Amíra a few hours before she was killed. They hadn't then. Actually, how did Avíá survive?" said Sadára. "Apparently she'd gone to relieve herself. Came back in time to witness the deaths of her family from a distance but wasn't seen, except by her sister, Arda, who refused to betray her." said Rímíra. "Also, the Coppersmith had told me that she pinned him down, thinking he was a crow. She apparently saw crows betray her family to the cobras. She later ate one of them, Arknác. The Coppersmith says that Rikki and Avíá work really well together. Which makes me wonder…." said Rímíra thoughtfully. "Makes you wonder what?" said Sadára. "Rikki and Avíá?" said Rímíra. "What about them?" said Sadára. "Will they get married?" said Rímíra. "Why would you think that?" said Sadára. "The Coppersmith says that Rikki really seems to fancy her. And that she really likes him too." said Rímíra. "You don't say. Still, they've only met, what, about three or so weeks ago? Don't you think it's a little soon?" said Sadára. "Rikki has never had a girlfriend before." said Rímíra. "He hasn't?" said Sadára, startled. "No, he's always been shy around girls. Seemed more interested in fighting snakes. Always preferred to work alone." said Rímíra. "What about Avíá? Did she ever have any boyfriends?" said Rímíra. "Actually, she did." said Sadára. "Undelli-dav-karsid, though I doubt that relationship continued, as he became one of the Dark Mongooses. That and he's dead." "Undelli? A Dark Mongoose? We're friends with his family. How could that be? And how'd he die?" said Rímíra in shock. "He ran away from home. He joined…er…Her!" said Sadára. "Call her 'Nagasta'. She loves it when others are afraid to say her name." said Rímíra. "The official version of the cobras is that Rikki murdered Undelli in cold blood, which of course, I've never believed." said Sadára. "I'll bet it was self-defense." Three cobras suddenly approached them. "Well, well. What do we have here?" hissed the nearest. "We're tired of playing games! You've been messing with the bull! Now here comes the horns!" said Rímíra as she and Sadára charged at the snakes.[16]

Kikatili and Apakarmi's Coronation

Rikki walked beside Avíá. He couldn't believe it had only been four weeks since he'd first met her. He seemed to have known her all of his life. He thought that maybe later, after the coronation of Kíkatili and Apakarmi, he'd go on a walk alone with her and then tell her how he felt about her. Shujaa and Bahaxur would surely understand his need to be left alone. They heard several voices down in the valley ahead. "Why should he be King?" complained a lion. "Because I'll tear you apart if you don't give me the respect I deserve[17]!" growled Kíkatili. "Now with our new alliance with the cobras, we can do together what we couldn't by ourselves, rid the land of these pesky humans. They killed my Mother. I've never forgiven them." said Apakarmi. "Her mother was trying to hunt human children. She deserved what she got!" Shujaa growled softly. "Let's not forget how the humans killed my parents! But I want their pet mongoose, Rikki-tikki-peski[18] to see them die, or at least know he's dead before I mess with them!" "The humans didn't kill her parents. I did." whispered Rikki. "They were trying to murder innocent people in an attempt to get rid of me." "You killed…?!" said Bahaxur. "Quiet!" said Shujaa. "It is of the opinion of the prides that Kíkatili be the new King and his wife Apakarmi the new Queen!" said a lion next to Kíkatili and Apakarmi. "I wonder how much Nagasta and Kíkatili had to threaten them to….?" said Bahaxur. "Quiet!" said Avíá. "Long like King Kíkatili!" said the crowd of lions. "Long live Queen Apakarmi!" "As my first act as King I'd like to make a new policy toward humans and all who support them!" said Kíkatili. "I've had enough!" said Bahaxur. He came out onto a ledge overlooking the crowd in the valley below. "He lies! The humans may sometimes hunt us, but we've hunted them too! Kíkatili and Karistan are just using you to help kill the humans for their own vile blood quest! All who are reasonable should leave now and go into hiding!" "No, he's helping the humans! He'd have us all die! Or have you forgotten Bahaxur how the humans shot my Father….?!" said Kíkatili. "That's not true. You killed him and disposed of the body and blamed it on the humans. You killed him to gain control of the pride. It wasn't humans at all!" said Bahaxur. "Liar!" growled Kíkatili. "Kill him!" hissed Karistan. Rikki and the others ran as fast as they could and managed to get away. "Did you have to speak out like that?" said Shujaa. "He's a murderer! It's time somebody exposed the death of Kindali[19]!" said Bahaxur. "So Kíkatili murdered the King of the Pride, his own father no less?" said Shujaa. "Yes. I saw it happen. He killed him four days ago and is using his death as a lie to turn the pride against humans and also to help Nagasta and Karistan, no doubt all to help grab power for him and Apakarmi. What's more, he killed a human, who happened to have a gun, and was heading home from a hunt and was unaware, as proof for his little lie. It was too hard, especially with him around as the new leader, to tell anyone. I don't think he saw me. Otherwise he'd have tried to kill us before now." said Bahaxur. "Why didn't you tell me at least?" asked Shujaa. "Didn't want to worry you." said her husband. "So, Kíkatili murdered his own father. So, what's he been doing since then? Has he always been friendly toward the snakes or did it take a while for him to trust them?" asked Rikki. "He joined them at once. He was so pleased for an excuse to vent his hatred for humans, which is genuine, despite the fact that he was using it as an excuse to blame on the murder of the King. Apakarmi has been wounded once by humans. Unfortunately, they only had sharp stones as she caught them off guard, but she killed one of them as well. They're dangerous. They bullied the others and with a lot of smooth talk convinced them I guess to attack the village. Most of them have had problems with people, but I haven't had much. I think they fear Kíkatili and Apakarmi." said Shujaa. "I wonder what went wrong with Karistan and Nagasta to turn them against people. You said that it was you who killed them." said Bahaxur to Rikki. Rikki quickly told them his story. "Well, Nagasta may indeed believe that humans are evil, but she's taking it way too far. Why haven't you told her?" Bahaxur asked when he finished. "Didn't want her coming after my family and friends." said Rikki-tikki. "Well, I'm going on a walk with Avíá. I want to talk to her about something." said Rikki, trying to catch Shujaa's eye. She noticed and winked at him.

Rikki Confesses His Love to Avíá

"You wanted to see me?" said Avíá to Rikki, once they had walked for about a mile. "Er…yes." said Rikki. "Avíá I….I…I"" he said nervously. "You're what?" she said. "I….I…I…" he said very nervously, sweat dripping profusely from his forehead. "Out with it Rikki!" she said. "I'm in love with you. Serious love. Not just a casual boyfriend/girlfriend relationship." he said. "Well. I must admit that I'm not so sure about a very serious relationship. I mean, we've only known each other for what, a month? Also, I need time to decide if you're the right guy for me." she said. Rikki frowned but nodded. "But we'll be best friends forever, whatever else may happen." she said. Rikki smiled.

Enemy Attack

"Isn't that sweet?" said a voice nearby. The two turned and stared and noticed a lion and a cobra. "Finally we have you!" hissed the cobra. "What are we going to do?" said Rikki. "I've got an idea." whispered Avíá. "Catch me if you can Wrinkle Skin!" she yelled at the snake, poking at him with her paws and managing to avoid his fangs. "Nobody calls me 'Wrinkle Skin' and gets away with it!" hissed the snake angrily, slithering after her. Avíá ran up a hill with the snake behind her. Behind her was a sheer drop off. "Cornered!" hissed the snake happily. Avíá jumped. The snake looked over and was grabbed by Avíá, who had landed in a tall tree and had been waiting for him to look over. She snapped his neck and ate his head, except the fangs. The lion meanwhile was chasing Rikki up the same hill. "Cornered!" said the lion. "Rikki, catch!" yelled Avíá, throwing the snake fangs to him. Rikki caught them in his mouth and managed to puncture the skin of the lion with them. "See ya chump!" he said, jumping down off the cliff to a branch next to Avíá. Rikki and Avíá hopped down the tree to the bottom. The lion ran down but collapsed and fell dead from the cobra venom before he could come a step closer toward them. "Much appreciated." said Rikki. "Anytime." said Avíá, still carrying the dead snake in her mouth. "You know," she said, "we work pretty well together." "I've noticed." Rikki said. "It might work out between you and me." she said. Rikki grinned. "But don't you dare try anything funny. And don't you dare go chasing another girl!" she said, starting to tear into the snake, "Or you'll end up like him[20]."

A Plan to Defeat Kikatili and Apakarmi

"So where have you been?" said Bahaxur once they got back. "Out." said Rikki and Avíá together. "Some of Kíkatili's and Nagasta's goons tried to attack us but we got them. It appears lions aren't immune to snake venom. This gives me an idea. I'll discuss our plan to deal with this new King and Queen." said Rikki. A few hours later, they finished their discussion in a cave which was accessible only by a narrow path that ran behind a waterfall. "Brilliant!" said Shujaa. "It might even start a war between the lions and snakes!" said Bahaxur. "It's not going to be easy." said Rikki. "I can't win in a fight against a lion. I'll have to outwit them." "I think I'd better be the one to poison them with the fangs, once you two have gotten them." said Bahaxur. "I don't know about this." said Shujaa. "It's the best plan we've got yet dear. Do you have a better one?" said Bahaxur. "We could get the other lions to help us." she said. "I doubt any will, though if they do, I don't see what a few lions will be able to do against that lot." he said. "Well, Nagasta and her crowd are surprised that two mongooses can cause all the damage Rikki and I did. I'm sure you're better than you think." said Avíá, trying to cheer him up.

Rikki-tikki's Dream

"Well, we should get some rest." said Bahaxur. He and his wife quickly fell asleep. "Well goodnight Rikki." said Avíá, falling asleep next to him. Rikki put his paws around her and fell asleep too. He dreamt he is with his family. "Hello Rikki." said his mother. "How do you know when you've found your true love?" he said. "Why do you ask?" she said. "There's this girl, Avíá-tía-tárá, that I've been with for the last month. I'm really falling for her I think." said Rikki-tikki-tavi. "How does she make you feel?" said Rédari. He spent the next several hours trying to tell them how Avíá made him feel. "Why don't you tell her then?" said Rikíla. "I've tried, though I'm too shy to explain it all. What if she doesn't feel the same way about me as I feel about her?" he said. "Rikki, you're strange. You've always wanted to work alone. Since when did you start caring about females?" said Ravánti. "Since I met Avíá. She's different from any of the other girls I've met. I can tell her anything, and I mean anything." said Rikki. "Except how you feel about her apparently." chuckled Ravánti. "She makes me feel as though I could fight the Cobra Queen, as long as she was there with me, even if I didn't have the Magical Herb of Kalindo." said Rikki. "You hadn't mentioned that about her. Is there anything else you're keeping from us, Rikki? Rikki. Rikki. Rikki." Ravánti said. "You're voice is getting deeper Ravánti." said Rikki in surprise. "I'm not Ravánti." said Bahaxur, and Rikki woke up.

[1] After they were dead.

[2] Widespread and indiscriminate slaughter or massacre, especially of human beings

[3] Swahili for "Cruel".

[4] Romanized Hindi for "wicked".

[5] Romanized Hindi for "Heroic".

[6] Swahili for "Brave".

[7] challenge something: to challenge or question something

[8] group of lions: a group of lions, usually consisting of up to a dozen related adult females, their cubs and juveniles, plus from one to six adult males

[9] Cruel. wicked.

[10] wicked. Immoral.

[11] empty statements or promises: impressive or boastful talk about achievements or intentions that has no substance (Or most of the stuff Obama promises.) (informal)

[12] police hunt for criminal: a systematic and coordinated search for a wanted person made by police (or an evil cobra government)

[13] He is rather a coward.

[14] They're actually not only still not using his name, but they're kind of afraid of him too. JJJ

[15] Except perhaps the Magical Herb of Kalindo. JJJJJ

[16] The mongooses will win that fight. JJJ

[17] So he should give him none so he doesn't get torn apart. JJJJ

[18] Nagasta has a sense of humor, albeit a rather sick one, at times.

[19] Kíkatili's father, the last leader of the pride. Kíkatili is like Scar and doesn't mind murder if it gains him power.

[20] She means the snake.