When Maleficent appears in this chapter, play the two minutes and nine seconds of the track "Attack", from the film "Pearl Harbor" and listen to the track as it is played. Your mind, if this works, should wander on images with the scarred lions and lionesses. Stop playing the track, before you begin to read about a small group of heroes at the Evenshire Camp.

Chapter Twenty:

News and Flight

Zira returned to the Merswold Camp after dawn. She knew what she saw was beyond her beliefs. How could Kovu follow a group of beings and a flightless bird? She never thought he would betray her twice, but Maleficent's warning now made clearer sense. Zira's path to the entrance, leading into the underground chambers, was blocked by Scar and Nuka, the lions with dark fur, manes, and tails. Lara-Belle rushed through the villains' camp with her sister Coral, and the three scarred lions Morbid, Rash, and Thatcher, just to hear Zira's news.

Scar asked the gray-furred lioness, coolly, "Zira, what news have you brought us?"

"Kovu has betrayed us again – betrayed me, Scar. He is travelling this way with the beings, which includes that Ring-bearer Halfling Aslan brought to the Evenshire Camp." Zira growled, enraged. Then she said, "We must tell Maleficent now, before—"

Maleficent appeared out of a black mist. She spoke to Zira, solemnly, "Tell me what? The news you have brought, that I already know." She added, "Kovu has indeed betrayed you twice, but if you want to attack him and seek your vengeance, then you must wait for him to arrive at the Merswold Camp. He will come for the Halfling, and then you shall find and kill him."

"You cannot be serious," said Zira, tense.

"She is, Mother," admitted Nuka.

Zira snapped at her eldest son, "Hush, Nuka!"

Maleficent waited for silence, before telling the scarred lions and lionesses, "Send three battalions to the Silent Forest. Find the Halfling. Bring him before me – alive and unspoiled." She faced Lara-Belle now, as she told her, "You know what to do."

Lara-Belle chuckled, wickedly, "As you command, Maleficent." She snapped aggressively at her younger sister, "Come on, Coral! Let's move. It's time for payback, after what happened to our leaders."

"Lara-Belle, I really think we should…"

Lara-Belle interrupted, sharply, "Just come! No questions until after we're inside the Silent Forest! You have that clear, sister?" She answered, without giving Coral anytime to reply, "No, good." She was unaware that Coral was glaring tensely at her. Yet they followed the three battalions of scarred lions and lionesses away from the Merswold Camp, straight towards the Silent Forest.

In the Evenshire Camp, Reepicheep searched once more for Amor. Ever since Legolas and Annabeth's tie breaker challenge, Amor avoided speaking two words to the large mouse. That did not stop Reepicheep from attempting to engage in conversation with the hedgehog. A few hours after Frodo and his six companions fled inside the Silent Forest, Reepicheep found Amor hiding inside his tent, which was smaller than Frodo's tent.

From the exterior, Reepicheep saw it was like any other beige-colored curtained tent in the heroes' camp. The interior looked very technological, with small screens and very complex keyboards, embedded to wooden desks. Reepicheep looked around in awe and in disbelief, as he saw Amor the hedgehog watching, and laughing merrily, at a light screen, showing baby birds acting rude towards a large blue bird. Reepicheep did not understand what made these moving pictures of birds so hilarious, but neither was he about to put up with this erratic display.

As soon as the screen was black, Amor spun around in his cushioned chair. Now in a chipper mood, the hedgehog told the large mouse, with arms outstretched, "Welcome to the 21st century, Reep! I was wondering when you would find me again, this time inside my small, rather untidy abode."

"Yes, I can see that," said Reepicheep, in disgust. "What were those… moving… objects on that… that…"

"You mean pictures on a screen?" asked Amor, correcting him. "It was a short picture, or a short film. There wasn't much of a story, but the way those birds reacted to the situation was hilarious."

"What is the story's title?" asked Reepicheep.

Amor answered, immediately, "Oh, it's called 'For the Birds'. Of course, you wouldn't know that, seeing as how you did not adjust to Earth's 21st century, as some of my animal race did years ago." He explained, "You see, this all began with a rogue group of cats. They were the first to discover Earth's modern-day era, and they were the ones who told the hedgehog clans before any other animal. The dogs were next, but they did not exactly… trust a few cats at the time. One cat, a huge fan of Middle-earth, begged and pleaded for me to come to the Terrabay Camp, as well as the village of Prevale."

"What did you tell her?" asked Reepicheep, stunned to hear Amor tell some of his past for the first time, since they had been to the Evenshire Camp.

"I said 'no', but that didn't give her any grief. So, I made a deal with her. She could meet the Ring-bearer and his Dwarf companion, as long as I get half her share of rewards," said Amor, sternly. He admitted, crossing his furry forelegs, "That cat has some serious issues." He paused. Then he snapped, furious now, "What are you doing here, Reepicheep? I thought you were off searching for that furry – furry – what's his face!"

"I beg – your – pardon," said Reepicheep, emphasizing each word with a sharp tone. He heard, from the open curtains, Simba call Kovu's name; it seemed, after all, the lion with the red mane was not too far away from Amor's tent. He gestured towards one of the tent's curtains, as he said, "Shall we, Amor?"

"Gladly," said Amor, sarcastically. He stormed out of his tent after Reepicheep.

"Pardon me, Simba. Hello? Excuse me?" asked Reepicheep. When he finally had Simba's attention, Reepicheep asked him, "Yes, hello. Are you looking for Kovu?"

"Yes," said Simba, suspicious, "Why?"

Amor sneered in Reepicheep's ear. "Reep, what are you doing?"

Reepicheep silenced the hedgehog with a paw. Turning to Simba, Reepicheep replied, "I haven't seen him all morning. He must be with Frodo and his new friends, or so the rumors around the Camp have said."

"I knew it. Where did they go?" asked Simba, in a serious tone. He was startled when Amor decided to roll himself up in a tight quill ball.

Reepicheep shook his head in disbelief. Facing the ball with quills, Reepicheep asked, "Is this necessary at this hour, Amor? Really, I have never seen such…" He heard a muffled male voice from inside the quill ball. "What was that? I didn't hear you."

Amor flung himself out of the ball. Though his belly was covered in soft salty-white fur, his face showed anger and frustration. The hedgehog snapped at Reepicheep, "I said we should throw you into a river and chuck away the anchor!" He faced Simba and said, hotly, "I was on my rounds when…"

"You don't have any rounds to do, Amor," said Reepicheep, truthfully.

Amor glared back at the large mouse. "Do you mind? I'm having an intervention with a very close, personal lion friend."

Reepicheep mouthed to Simba. "Just go with it."

Amor told Simba, speedily, "Your son-in-law Kovu, the last time I looked, left the food pavilion hours ago." He added with a sob, but no tears showed in his eyes, "I have never seen any animal, particularly a lion, travel with a bunch of humans and a flightless bird before, in all my life…"

Ignoring the hedgehog, Reepicheep told the red mane lion, "What he says is true. Aslan watched the seven heroes leave the Evenshire Camp before dawn. Now we have a witness here who doesn't know when to sleep at normal hours and…"

"Normal?" asked Amor, back to his typical angry response. "Who said I was normal?"

"I was not talking about you, you no good hedgehog. I don't know why Aslan sent you to this Camp, but I will find out soon," said Reepicheep, testy.

Amor watched Reepicheep take off with Simba. He protested aloud against Reepicheep's statements. "You think that way all the time, Reep? One day, you will see my side is better. One day, Reep!" He said to himself, "I will look forward to when that happens."

Shortly after Reepicheep saw Amor head back inside the smaller tent, the large mouse chased after Simba. As the two animals walked across the green grass, they spotted a set of tracks, headed straight for the Silent Forest.

Reepicheep gave Simba a knowing expression, as he told the lion, "These tracks are fresh. Not a day old." He smelt the tracks. Recognizing the scent, Reepicheep spoke up in frustration, "Gurgi."

"Gurgi did what this time?" asked Simba.

Reepicheep corrected him. "No, no Simba. I mean these are Gurgi's tracks. See how they head straight through the Evenshire Camp, and do not vanish after breaching the edge of the forest."

"What does it mean?" asked Simba, now confused.

"This means our furry friend tore off through the Evenshire Camp around the same time as our seven heroes. This also means that Gurgi will follow them, hoping to be their guide." Reepicheep sighed, "I hope Frodo is in a good mood when they meet."