"Come on Momma, I don't want to miss out on anything," said Kifaa's calf Matari. He was now a month old. In the past month, Matari watched as his mother relayed messages to Conga and would often hear about Kijani and his story telling. After a week of begging, Kifaa finally gave in and decided that now was the perfect time for him to meet the famous story teller.
"Matari, Kijani is probably not even awake yet, and I haven't even seen Conga, I think it might be a little too early," said Kifaa as she caught up to her calf and gave him a quick lick on his face since there was some leftover milk.
"Then when can we go, I really want to hear a story," said Matari while his mother licked his face.
"Soon enough, let's wait for Conga first, she can lead us, I don't want the lions to think you are breakfast," said Kifaa.
"But I thought we were friends with them," said Matari.
"We are, but they only saw you for a few hours after you were born, you have changed a little you know," said Kifaa.
"Oh yeah, I was very wet wasn't I?" asked Matari with a smirk.
Kifaa only smiled at him before looking toward Pride Rock, the sun had risen only a half an hour ago and Conga would be making her way toward them very shortly. Matari watched her for a moment before deciding that he needed to behave, it was a hard thing to do when you were so excited. For a few moments, he kicked the ground around him stirring up a few bugs in the process which he watched with curiosity.
Matari did not know how long he was waiting, all he knew was that Conga was taking forever and he was getting very bored.
"Oh you're in luck Matari, look who's coming," said Kifaa with a smile.
Matari lifted his head and gave an excited smile as he saw the majordomo make her way toward the two giraffes. With great happiness he ran in circles, kicking up dust and snorting very loudly. Kifaa quickly put a stop to that by standing in front of him, causing Matari to land on his rump and look at his mother with a sheepish grin.
"My goodness what is he so happy about?" asked Conga.
"He wants to meet Kijani today and I told him we could not see him until you arrived," said Kifaa.
"Oh I see, though last time I checked, Kijani was snoring like a baby with all four cubs and Hondo sleeping on top of him. You should have seen it," said Conga with a chuckle.
"So he's not even up yet?" asked Matari who now seemed a little annoyed by how his mother made him excited for no reason.
"Oh I bet he is now, those cubs don't sleep forever like him," said Conga.
Matari then let out a huge grin, he knew he was like the cubs and usually woke Kifaa on a number of occasions. Matari was a very excited little giraffe and Kifaa was not sure who he took after. She was more quiet and calm and Mazi was stern and tough. Mazi said that he was a very shy calf before he became an adult. It made Kifaa wonder if he got it from his grandparents or other relative she didn't know about.
"Can we go then Momma?" asked Matari.
"Shhhhh, patience Matari, I still have to relay information to Conga," said Kifaa.
"Oh can't you do that while we are walking?" asked Matari.
"Matari, Kijani will not leave, the cubs probably want to hear a story too, now please be good or you will not be going at all," said Kifaa in a stern but calm voice.
Matari let out a huff while Kifaa discussed the nights events with Conga, not much had gone on but it was important for Conga to know so she could relay it to Kiara or Kovu. Since Matari had nothing else to do, he listened to their gossip. Kifaa would tell Conga all about it while Conga would usually respond with what Kiara or Kovu would say. To him it was very interesting.
After a few minutes, both bird and giraffe had finished talking and Kifaa looked down at her calf with a satisfied grin.
"Are you ready?" asked Kifaa.
Matari only nodded as he started to run, but Kifaa quickly stopped him. Matari looked up at his mother curiously while Conga watched from Kifaa's head.
"Remember what I said a few minutes ago?" asked Kifaa.
"Oh yeah the lions won't know who I am, so Conga should lead," said Matari a little embarrassed.
"That's right," said Kifaa.
"If you want, I can lead Matari, I know he will get excited as he gets closer," said Conga.
Kifaa only nodded while Conga perched herself on Matari's head, between the barely visible oscicones that had yet to grow. Matari then led the way while Conga held on, hoping she would not fall off as Matari began to make a run toward Pride Rock. For such a little calf, he sure could run.
They reached Pride Rock in a long enough time that would hopefully give Kijani some time to wake up and stretch his tired paws. Conga had to quickly stop Matari from going any further so she could warn the pride who were now standing about under a tree getting ready to start the day. They had seen the young giraffe make his way toward them and they watched with curiosity wondering if it was lost until they saw Conga appear. She flew toward them and quickly landed in front of Kiara with a heavy huff, beating a young giraffe was hard work now that she was older.
"Please do not hurt the giraffe, they are friends and the little one wants to hear a story from Kijani," said Conga.
Kiara looked at Conga and then up at Matari who was standing nearby waiting to be invited over by Conga. Kifaa soon caught up with Matari huffing and puffing like Conga and waiting for introductions.
Kiara stared back at the two giraffes trying to get a good look at them until she let out a surprised gasp.
"Is that the little one who was born behind Pride Rock a little over a month ago?" asked Kiara.
"That's sure is, his name is Matari now," said Conga.
"Wow looks like he grew like a weed since I last saw him," said Kijani as he moved forward while at the same time trying to groom a paw, he was still trying to wake up.
"Yup, and he wants to hear a story from you," said Conga.
Kijani smiled before finishing up his paw and then looking toward Matari with a smile. "Come on over, I would love to tell you one," he said as he motioned him over.
Matari grinned from ear to ear before running full speed toward the pride and stopping just in time in front of the cubs who had just arrived to investigate the newcomer. Kifaa knew the lions well and only walked with grace toward the pride to listen to Conga tell Kiara any news.
"What the heck are these things any way, they only seem to be nothing but legs," said Asha.
"Yeah and that neck, did he stretch it too far?" asked Kali who craned her neck to look up before Matari bent his head down and gave them a goofy smile.
"Matari is a giraffe, they have long legs and necks so they can reach the top most trees and look out for predators like us," said Kijani with a chuckle.
"Yeah but not only do I have long legs and neck but I got this long tongue too," said Matari who stuck out his tongue as far as he could. Jelani quickly swatted at it before he pulled it back in.
"So we eat these things, how do we even kill it, I mean shouldn't it breathe no matter where we bite on that neck?" asked Asha.
Matari looked at the cubs nervously before Kijani quickly interrupted. "That's why we only prey on the old or sick, these guys can knock your heads off if they want to," he said with a wink to Matari who quickly nodded in agreement.
The cubs all stared back wide eyed while Kijani quickly leapt up on a nearby rock under a tree and watched as they all introduced themselves. He would have a few more minutes to wake up and tell a tale and he began to sort through his memory for any good tales to tell the young giraffe, the first one he would remember.
Once introductions were made, Kijani quickly cleared his throat, getting the youngsters attention and soon they were all around him ready to hear a story.
"So Matari, since it's your first real story do you have anything in mind that you want to hear?" asked Kijani.
"Hmmmmm, well I'm up for anything really, I was told you were really good by Conga, so you pick one you think I and my new friends will like," said Matari with a grin as he started to lie down next to the cubs. The cubs were more mesmerized by how long it took him to fold his legs down and lie there. Kijani laughed at this for a moment before responding.
"Well then let's see, how about a story about cheetahs?" asked Kijani.
"Oh yay I love those kinds, which one is this one?" asked Zuri.
"Well have you ever noticed that when animals have stripes or spots the ones with stripes have stripes like the zebra and the ones that have spots just have spots like Matari there?" asked Kijani.
"Yeah, it helps us blend in," said Matari.
"Very true but have you noticed that cheetahs also have two stripes?" asked Kijani.
The cubs all searched through their memory boxes as they tried to remember if this was true, Matari only watched them, he had not met a cheetah yet but he knew he would one day.
"They have two stripes on each side of their faces and there is a story about how those face stripes came to be," said Kijani.
"Oh now this story sounds interesting," said Matari.
"Ah good so I can continue?" asked Kijani.
Matari only nodded his head while the cubs leaned up against him ready to hear their morning story.
As you all know, cheetahs are the world's fastest animals, able to run past even the fastest gazelle as it tries to rescue its youngster. Their sleek bodies are able to help them be stealthy in the long grass and capture the food that they want, and they move with careful pawsteps, barely making any sound as they pursue their prey.
But they were not always sleek and fast, oh no sir! Thousands of years ago the cheetah was the slowest animal in Africa and the laziest. So lazy that they were in danger of going extinct because they rarely moved and only scavenged. As the years went by the cheetahs were dwindling in number and all were dying because they would not move around.
Kya, the most mystical of all shaman in history noticed this problem. She consulted the spirits and the gods of Africa about this problem and all of them warned that cheetahs would become extinct if nothing was to be done. Kya loved cheetahs though, they always fascinated her when they were actually doing something and she liked how small they were compared to the lion and the leopard.
It was then that she got an idea; she would ask one of every carnivore to come to an important meeting saying that it was a matter of life and death. She told a friendly hornbill to let those in the land know of the meeting and in a few days, one of every carnivore arrived. First it was the lion, then the leopard, then the hyena, the mongoose, the painted wolf and several others but she did not see the cheetah. Concerned, she asked the animals around her.
"Where is the cheetah?" asked Kya once the animals had settled.
"Bah what are your chances of getting that lazy creature to come to something," said the leopard with a sneer.
"Yeah, all they'll do is listen and complain about small details like we don't help them in any way, I say if this is a matter of life and death, then let them die," said the hyena.
"I would but I am more sensitive than that, if they won't come to me then I will come to them and bring them here," said Kya who then jumped off her rock and ran off to find the nearest cheetah.
It was not long before she found one, sleeping in the grass, she would have most likely missed it if it wasn't snoring louder than thunder.
Kya quickly went over and knocked it on the head with her cane. The cheetah woke up with a start but didn't move very much, only enough to show that he was awake and not very happy about it.
"What, can't you see I am trying to sleep," said the cheetah. He was still young but as Kya could see, he wasn't in the best shape, his stomach was very bulgy from eating nothing but the scraps he found that the other carnivores left behind and the fact that he never did anything but lie around.
"Yes I do see that, but I think a meeting that involves life or death is more important," said Kya who then started dragging the cheetah toward her meeting spot. The cheetah, whose name was Kitwana only growled but stayed put, there really was no point in arguing with the great shaman.
Once Kya had brought Kitwana into the group she began to speak.
"Now I have a reason for this meeting, the gods have told me that there are too many carnivores in Africa and that they need to eliminate one of you to suit the needs of these gods. Now I know this is a terrible thing to do but you can't win with the gods they have the power to do anything they want," said Kya with a small lie.
The carnivores suddenly went into an uproar, angry that the gods would even do this.
"But we have done nothing wrong, we have only made the land well by keeping the herbivores in check," said a mongoose.
"And we don't lash out at the gods if we have a problem, we know it is their plan and we respect that," said a lion.
"Yeah if it weren't for us carnivores then I would never be able to find food easily," said Kitwana.
At the sound of his voice, every carnivore turned to him, angry with how the cheetahs had rarely hunted. Suddenly their was a huge uproar as all the carnivores turned on Kitwana calling him names that I dare not repeat and telling him how useless his species was. The argument would have probably gone on for a good millennium if Kya did not stop the fight by yelling as loud as she could. Everyone knew how she yelled; it could be heard as far away as the jungles which were actually very far from where she was.
"I know you all have had your anger issues with Kitwana and his species but I know he can change all that if he and you all can make the test I am about to give you. I want you all to run to Hercules point before sunset and if you make it then your species is spared. The last creature to reach the gates will pass on as the years go by," said Kya.
Now Hercules Point was part of a rock formation and many called it that because it was a huge boulder that was split down the middle and everyone believed that only a strong creature could ever do such a thing like that. From where they were standing, it was three miles away and it was already late afternoon. Several of the carnivores grumbled including Kitwana who quickly sank down in the dust and began to sob a little. He didn't really want to show that he was upset and instead began to lick his paw while doing so. Of course the lion and the leopard were very interested in this idea and were ready to go whenever Kya gave the word.
"Okay now as soon as I wave my paw, you all may run toward the rocks, I will see you there shortly," said Kya while the carnivores began to stand in position. A few seconds later, Kya waved her paw and all the carnivores took a run toward the rocks all except for Kitwana who was still lying in the dust looking upset about the whole thing.
"Kitwana, why are you not running?" asked Kya.
"Because I will loose no matter how hard I try, this was a very unfair race you made up," said Kitwana.
"Unfair or not you still need to try, life isn't about being lazy, it's about going for your obstacles and you need to go for it. I think your species are amazing; you guys just need to learn to hunt on your own and not rely on others for food. You guys can do amazing things if you believe in yourself, you have the coloring to hide in the bush and you have the teeth to bring down anything," said Kya who was holding Kitwana by the chin and petting his soft head. Kitwana moaned for a moment thinking about how hard it would be for him until he thought about Kya's words.
"You know you are right, I will try my hardest even if it kills me," said Kitwana who slowly got up and without looking back at Kya began to run as fast as his chubby legs could carry him.
Now you four remember when I told you about Homer and how he raced to save Lisa's life in that one story I told you a few months back. Well imagine a cheetah with the girth a little bigger than Homer's running as fast as he can to save the life of his own species. Only this time it was much farther and there was no evil lion out to destroy anything in particular only the gods upset over what will become of the noble cheetah.
Poor Kitwana, the last time he had run before was when he was only five months old, he had run from a hawk who had tried to eat his siblings. He was the lucky one but his brother was not quick enough and he was caught before he could even try to follow his brother. His mother had been snoring in the grass when it happened and she did not act sad when she found out later what had happened to him. Of course that was the usual reaction to the death of a loved one.
When he was five months, he was not as fat as he was now, he was actually only a little pudgy but enough to make him want to explore and be like a young cub should. Once he left his mother though, things changed and he began to be what he is now. (Why am I suddenly thinking of Wall*e?)
The sun was getting lower in the sky when he was halfway there, but Kitwana could feel that he was slowing down, all the energy that he started with was now draining out of him. Kitwana couldn't even see his competitors in front of him and he knew that they had probably reached the rock by now, he suddenly felt hopeless and he wanted to quit. He slowed down and began to go into a trot breathing heavily while his stomach moved back and forth from running so far. He looked down at the dust, ready to collapse into a heap and just give up until Kya's words came to him. He remembered them for a moment thinking about how much she loved to watch his species for what they did, they were capable of doing great things, they just had to work harder for it.
Kitwana let out a growl and stamped his foot down before deciding that he needed to do what Kya wanted him to. Finally he let out a big puff of air which sounded like a very bad wheeze because he was still catching his breath from last time; this caused him to cough heavily for a moment. Once he got his breath back though, he tried again and took off without a second thought.
As he raced toward Hercules Rock, he thought about his species and what would become of them if he made it. Perhaps Kya could teach them about running fast and for them to hunt like a real carnivore should. They needed to stop being lazy. Kitwana though was also getting nervous, the sun was starting to set and he knew he had a long way to go. He wanted to beat the sun, he wanted to win he did not want to give up.
Then with as much strength as he could muster, he began to run faster than he had ever run before. He ran so hard that he could barely feel his feet moving and he could feel the wind hitting his face causing him to shed heavy tears that kept falling near the bridge of his nose leaving a dark mark behind. But Kitwana did not care any more, he kept going, he was not going to give up.
The sun was now just a sliver over the horizon and Hercules Rock was in sight, was he going to make it? He believed he would as he started to make his way closer, tears falling down his face and his vision getting blurry from it. He was almost there he could sense it, his legs now numb from running and his heart pumping faster than it had ever pumped before.
Before Kitwana knew it, the sky was dark and hundreds of stars were shining above him. Kitwana suddenly panicked he noticed that he was lying on the ground. He jumped up but quickly fell back to the ground; his legs were still very sore and numb.
"Oh good you survived," said Kya who was actually sitting on a nearby rock not far away.
"I didn't make it did I?" asked Kitwana with a sad voice while Kya made her way toward the exhausted cheetah.
"Actually you made it with one second to spare, you weren't looking where you were going and just fainted right here between the split of the rock," said Kya.
"Did the carnivores see it?" asked Kitwana hoping that what he did proved his strength and tenacity against the others.
"They did and they are proud of you for it and I talked to the gods," said Kya.
"What did they say?" asked Kitwana.
"They liked your willingness to keep going, in fact they liked it so much they have a plan for your species now," said Kya.
Kitwana stared at Kya with curiosity, she had not heard of the gods bestowing anything on his species. The last time they did so they had given the mane to the lion for his bravery.
"They have given your species two things, one the ability to run faster than any other land mammal. But first your species needs to be told that they have to go out and get their own dinner. And secondly I have to show you what you have received," said Kya.
Kya quickly helped Kitwana up and led him to a small water hole next to one of the rocks. Water had been collecting there for years and it was now a sacred place for the shaman to go and think. For a cheetah to join a shaman at that place, it was surely special.
"Now look at your face, what do you see that is different?" asked Kya.
Kitwana stared at his face for a moment unsure of what was different. He rarely looked back at himself at a waterhole so trying to figure it out now was going to take a moment. Once he figured it out though, he let out a gasp of surprise.
"I have stripes on my face," he finally said.
Kya nodded. "They are the marks of what you went through to help your species out. You ran so hard that you cried and left dark fur behind from them. I liked it so much I asked the gods to give all cheetahs that mark from now on."
Kitwana stared at Kya and then launched himself at the shaman hugging him in the way a cheetah could. Kya hugged him back and then pushed him off so they can start heading back from where they came.
"Now you promise that you will run and catch your own prey now?" asked Kya.
"Oh I will, I promise, running is not that bad, I guess one of my ancestors did not want to compete with any one," said Kitwana.
"Perhaps, everything has a history behind it. Now I am going to tell other cheetahs this, you may as well and pretty soon your species will prosper," said Kya.
Kitwana only smiled back at her before parting ways and running back to his den, he had a new purpose in life and he wanted to make sure he lived that purpose.
Kijani stared back at Matari whose mouth was wide open listening to it with awe. Jelani decided it would be fun to swat at his jaw bringing Matari back from his trance.
"That's it?" asked the young giraffe.
"Yup that's it," said Kijani.
"But I want to hear more, that was amazing," said Matari as he jumped up, Asha still on his back.
"I bet it was," said Kijani as he let out a stretch.
"Will you tell me another one, how about one you told the cubs already, I don't care what!" said Matari with still very excited. Kijani only smiled back at him.
"Okay calm down, and I will tell you another one, how about I tell you about Amari the giraffe?" asked Kijani.
"Yes please!" said Matari who then bounced up and down again finally sending Asha back down to earth with a thump.
Kijani only laughed before finally starting the story while Matari stood nearby listening as best he could.
A/N: See I told you I would come back every two months. Though I am debating about the next two months, I am currently doing that Simpson's story and I had to literally pry myself away from that just to give you guys this story. So we will see, it will be the 20th chapter too so maybe I should give you guys a really good one. I just need to decide on what.
Any way about this story, this one has been in my mind for probably a good ten years. I remember learning about fables in I think either 7th or 8th grade and one day while reading one of Aesops fables I wondered to myself if there was ever a story about cheetahs and their black stripes. So yeah this story finally got off the ground. Hooray for me! And here are the name meanings:
Matari: Rainy season
Kya: Diamond in the sky
Kitwana: Pledged to live
So yeah there you go, hope you all enjoyed that and please review when you can. I'll be back in about two months or whenever my Simpson's story is over. Either way that story will probably be done in about two months any way. Eh you never know with me. I have weird schedules.