preface: so, yeah, I've been out of it for a while - kind of reflected in the opening of the chapter, and the title. No excuses that I can think of. If anyone's still out there reading, I do intend to finish this story (though intentions, like promises, are cheap). Thanks for sticking with me, I know I don't make it easy.
Lazy day
The zebra went about their day. They didn't seem to mind the heat as much, didn't bother to look for shade. One zebra would bring his head down to the grass, nibble a bit, pull his head back up, shuffle forward, and do it all over again. Dozens of them doing the same thing, an entire herd, slowly inching forward. Hard to tell them apart from a distance, just a great mass of ever shifting white and black stripes. Every time any of them moved, the combined pattern would change. And all the while, the entire picture would shimmer, distorted by the early morning heat. Almost hypnotic.
Kuzinga yawned. He felt like he could watch the zebra like that all day, comfortably perched in the shade of a low tree. And why not? He didn't have anything else to do. A quiet day. Lately, pretty much every day was a quiet day.
It was a nice change of pace. It had been about a year since Scar allowed the hyenas into the Pridelands, but it was only the last few days that Kuzinga had actually realized just how lucky he was to be living there. It's hard to enjoy the simple things if you have a lot of stuff on your mind, and are constantly having to watch your back.
That had ended abruptly, though – from one day to the next, Kuzinga's worries had all gone away. Not in the most pleasant way possible, mind you, but once he got over the shock of it all, everything seemed to come into perspective again.
He was young and healthy hyena, member of a large and powerful clan allied to the local lion pride, living in a land of unimaginable natural beauty and wealth. Plentiful food, little danger, good weather, nice enough folks. He could have done a lot worse for himself.
He yawned again.
A lot worse. He'd been out on his own and without a territory to call home twice before.
What he remembered most clearly from those times, was just how scary it was to go to sleep. If you don't have your own place, you're always at risk of intruding on someone else's, and there are close to no hiding spots that don't bear the markings of at least one former occupant. It's hard closing your eyes when you're harboring the suspicion that they might show up while you're sleeping. Never a moment's peace. And that's not even getting into the myriad troubles of food, drink, and all the borders crossed without permission.
Definitely a lot better now, no right to complain.
A fly crawled down Kuzinga's muzzle, drawn by some dried blood he'd missed while cleaning up after yesterday's meal. He ignored the insect, in stead choosing to reminisce about said meal.
It had been a day much like the present one, with Kuzinga having done, planning to do, and doing absolutely nothing. Then he'd spotted the vultures, three of them, circling rapidly in a tight circle – every hyena knows that's tell-tale sign of a meal, if you can get there in time.
He got there in time. Wherever death is afoot, there'll be vultures, so just going by them is a bit of a gamble; if you get lucky, they've eyed an easy meal, like a stillborn calf, or a mortally wounded grazer. Less lucky, and you end up right in the middle of a troupe of lions on the prowl. If it's the latter case, you might well end up being the one that's on the vultures' menu – though mercifully, the chance of that happening was much lessened now that he lived in the Pridelands.
Yesterday, tough, following the vultures had payed of handsomely. A young zebra buck, still a foal probably, suddenly found dead, with no other predators around. And fresh as fresh can be – none of the vultures had even moved in yet, probably not entirely sure their query was in fact deceased. Kuzinga wasn't entirely sure himself at first; no smell yet, no clear wounds, … like the zebra was sleeping – minus the breathing; the vultures really should have picked up on that one.
Finding a carcass like that, without having to hunt, without expending any energy... it doesn't get any better than that. And finding it first! That's usually the trickiest part; all hyenas know to watch the vultures, so more often than not, you get to the meal only to discover there's company. When you're only a lowly male like Kuzinga, that means getting in the back of the line, too. The girls get all the choice cuts, and he eats the scraps.
But not yesterday – with no-one else around, it was finally Kuzinga's turn; he tore open the taut skin of the zebra's belly and gorged himself on all the gooey goodness inside. The liver was exquisite. He eventually had to stop eating, not because others chased him off, but because he was close to throwing up. He still felt bloated the day after. Such was life in the Pridelands.
Kuzinga had no right to complain. Definitely not.
Still, he felt uneasy. Quietly eating and sleeping the days away was certainly a step up from a rogue, clanless existence. No longer needing to spy on the lions for Shenzi did wonders for his peace of mind.
Yet now that he was freed of all those troubles, he couldn't help like feeling he lost something important along the way. No sense of purpose, nowhere he needed to get to.
Kuzinga got up, annoyed with own thoughts. He needed a walk, midday heat be damned.
You're an idiot, he thought, Go back in time and try asking your old self what he would like best: purpose, or a full stomach. If he preferred living in constant fear, or ennui.
Valid points all, though it didn't do much for his mood. He resolved to check out a nearby watering hole; maybe a drink of water, or rolling around in the mud for a bit would cheer him up. As he walked by them, a few of the zebra looked up, but they paid him little heed. A lone, lethargic hyena wasn't much cause for concern.
There's wasn't much left of the watering hole: where the water had once reached to the roots of the trees surrounding it, now there was a flat expanse of bare earth, dark and cracked. By all accounts, the dry season should have ended nearly two months ago, but in stead the Pridelands were subjected to yet another day of scorching heat. It was starting to show; what little vegetation was left had turned dry and brittle, and a watering hole that normally provided clear water all year round had been reduced to a muddy dump. No cause for concern, though: the Pridelands were bountiful enough that it's inhabitants could weather a year of drought without much discomfort.
Kuzinga quickly skipped across the blistering outer layers of dried mud, and was relieved when his paws finally sank away in the cooler muck closer to the center. He plodded on towards the small puddle of miry water. He wasn't exactly thirsty, but couldn't think of anything better to do. Him lapping up the water was the only sound to be heard inside the small clearing.
"Kuzinga! There you are, you useless, lying sack of..."
Uh-oh.
Kuzinga turned towards the source of the shouting. Across from the onetime-watering hole stood another hyena, slightly bigger than him, squat nosed, with her tail and manes angrily upraised. She growled as he looked up.
Why do I keep running into her?
"Hasira? What are..."
Before he could even finish his question, she started charging at him. When that sort of thing happens, it's usually a good idea to just run away, rather than stick around to try and find out what all the fuss is about. So Kuzinga did - or tried to, anyway: he hadn't accounted for the terrain, and soon after turning around he stumbled when his paws got stuck in the mud. Hasira, meanwhile, had taken to moving forward in short hops. Very tiresome, and less than gracious, but she did quickly close in on on her query. Kuzinga was still fumbling to get up when she bumped into his backside, sending him face-first into the mud again.
Before he had time to react, Hasira jumped on top of him and clamped his neck between her jaws. In stead of biting down further, though, she angled his face back down into the dirt. Kuzinga struggled to breathe with his nose and mouth full of muck, but because she had a hold of his neck there was only so much he could do without further hurting himself. He desperately kicked and scrambled around with all fours. When he finally got hold of Hasira's legs with his left-paws, he quickly put all strength he had into sweeping at those, while kicking up with his right-paws.
A gulp of air, then a lot of coughing.
Hasira didn't have much energy left after her sprint through the mud, and she couldn't keep Kuzinga from tearing free of her jaws. She broke some skin in the process, though, and the shallow wound quickly filled up with dirt and hair as Kuzinga half-rolled, half-crawled away from Hasira.
Both hyenas ended up lying on their side in the mud some distance apart, panting heavily.
"Y-you're... you're insane! Madwoman! Coulda – coulda killed me!"
"You're a... lying... piece of trash," Hasira growled, still gasping for breath, "But you put up a good fight, I'll give you that."
"Ge... get bent," Kuzinga coughed.
They lay in silence for a while, catching their breath as the sun mercilessly beat down. Hasira was the first to get up, shakily.
"It's too damn hot for this, lets get out of the sun..."
Figuring this whole thing had been her maladroit way of telling him she wanted to have a little talk, Kuzinga got up too and followed. He was careful to keep his distance, though. They ambled over to the nearest tree that hadn't been picked clean of leaves yet. When Hasira settled down, Kuzinga did so too, a little bit further away.
"What's the matter, afraid I'll bite?"
"Yes."
Hasira grunted, not quite a laugh. After that, they sat in silence for a while, careful not to look at one another. Kuzinga was the first one to speak up again.
"So, what was that all about?"
"Humpf, like you don't know..."
Kuzinga sighed. Only a few days ago, he had confessed to a girl in Hasira's clique that he befriended them only to get close to a lion-acquaintance of theirs, and the confession had not gone over well.
"I guess Mizuri told you, then..."
"Of course not," Hasira snarled, "She knew that if she told me, I'd get so angry I'd want to rip your guts out..."
Kuzinga's heart skipped a beat when he heard. That meant Mizuri still had some regard for him, right? Then again, maybe she was just being a nice and decent hyena, like she always was...
"However, Nyeusi did tell me, for the same reason."
"Well it's good to know I have a friend in her."
"Don't get coy. You're the bad guy in all this, you don't get to make light of it."
"Sorry."
"So is it true? What Nyesui told me?"
"Dunno, what'd she tell you? That Shenzi wanted me to spy on the lions? That I though getting close to you guys would help with that? That I'm an opportunistic liar?" Kuzinga had started of sneeringly, but his tone became more repentant as he went: "'Cause... yeah... that sounds about right."
"Unbelievable..."
"Sorry."
"Disgusting! You lying piece of filth! You, you..."
Kuzinga looked down, frowning. Not much he could say to that.
"And to think I called you my friend!"
"What?" Kuzinga's ears perked up, "We weren't friends, you hated me all along!"
When he looked up, Hasira was suddenly in front of him, her paws wide apart in a fighting stance. But the look on her face belied that belligerent pose.
"Idiot! What do you know? You don't know anything! You lead us around like that, and now you act like it was nothing? All of it a lie, and none of it meant anything? What about last time, when you did me a solid and spent that evening with Noki? Don't tell me that was an act, too – I could tell there was something genuine there..."
He hadn't expected that from Hasira. The sudden realization that he managed to hurt even her made him, above all else, angry.
"No, it obviously wasn't all a lie," Kuzinga shot back, "I did fess up, didn't I? Wouldn't have done that if it didn't mean anything. That's why I did what I did; Mizuri's friendship, and even the lionesses', it felt... precious. I dunno. Important enough that I felt I couldn't go on like I was. So I confessed... I already told you I'm sorry, all right? What more do you want from me?"
"Oh, shove it! Don't act like you care now!"
"But I do! I'm sorry I lied to Mizuri, and I'm sorry I lied to you."
"You sure don't act like it," Hasira snapped, "Telling me you're sorry – ha! Oh yeah, you fessed up all right – and then you up and disappear on us! Until I bumped into you just now, we hadn't heard from you in days! Is that what being sorry means to you, that you give a little heartfelt speech, and then cut us off? Go to hell!"
Kuzinga opened his mouth, but no sounds came out.
"What, nothing to say?"
"I... I just..." He struggled to come up with something to say, and eventually looked away, embarrassed: "I dunno, I just didn't think you wanted to have anything to do with me after, you know... that you all preferred I just stayed away."
"You're an idiot."
"Yeah, yeah..."
"And what's worse, you're a coward! Didn't think we wanted anything to do with you? What, you can read minds now? You don't get to decide that for us! Wanna know what I think? I think you were just scared to face us, and so you tried hiding. But guess what? You can't hide from me – not after you hurt my friends, after you hurt me."
Kuzinga said nothing, still looking away. Suddenly, Hasira put a paw on his head and pushed him. He stumbled backward a bit, without falling over, and gave her an annoyed glare.
"Idiot," she grinned, "So... if not hiding, what have you been up to, then?"
"Not much. Eating and sleeping, mostly."
"That all? Pretty pathetic."
"Obviously you've never been without a clan," Kuzinga grumbled, "For someone who's out in the wild, a full stomach and a safe place to sleep, it's what they imagine paradise is like."
"Whatever you say, loser. Sounds boring to me, just out here on your own, with no company. Good thing I showed up, before you became a lazy old recluse."
"I'm only a few years older than you are, you know..."
"Whatever. Right now, what you need to do, is to get back out there. I already kicked your ass just now, so don't worry – you've got out of the way now. But if you were really serious about all that touchy-feely stuff just now, you're gonna have to prove it."
"What does that even mean?"
"Why are you asking me for advice, it's your life. Here's a thought, though: you know who's been asking about you lately? Noki. Seems like the little guy is still as lonely as he was before. You obviously don't have anything better to do, so why don't you spend some more time with the little brat. You're both kinda pathetic, anyway – it's a great fit!"
"He hasn't made any new friends in the meantime, huh?" Kuzinga wondered.
Hasira shook her head. "No – and how could he have, anyway? There's not that many cubs in the clan at any one time, so no opportunities to make new acquaintances – once the others have decided you don't fit in, I don't think it's easy to come back from that."
Kuzinga looked at Hasira with a quizzical squint.
"What?"
"Dunno... I just didn't remember you being this... insightful."
"Oh, I'm just all brawn and no brains to you, then? You're a real charmer, you know that?"
"Sorry, it's just that I mostly remember the bullying..."
"Eh, you shouldn't take that too personally," Hasira shrugged, "When others hyenas are around, I have to show that I'm in charge... that's what my mom keeps telling me, anyway. When we're just chatting one-on-one, I don't lay it on as thick."
"Huh. Sounds tiresome."
"Whatever. Why is this suddenly about me, anyway? We were going to bring you back into clan-life, so don't try and distract me. Come one, let's see what the action is at the nest..."
In truth, Kuzinga would have been perfectly fine with a few more days alone out in the boonies, and he wasn't actually looking forward to interacting with other hyenas all that much. He still trotted after Hasira once she got up to leave, though. Part of it was just doing what he was told, yet he couldn't help but feel like some of her nervous energy was rubbing off on him, too.
Hasira was right about being a lot more tolerable of a companion in isolation; she kept chatting all the way to the nest, only sporadically insulting Kuzinga. He did get the impression at one point that she was trying to make him jealous: she wouldn't stop talking about how Mizuri and Nyeusi had been hanging out with a young male called Tatu. Doesn't ring a bell. It's that fellow with straw-colored manes. Oh yeah, him – blonde hyenas are a pretty rare sight. Whatever, they can do what they want with their time, hang out with whomever.
Kuzinga remembered being in a fight with him not too long ago.
As so often happens, Kuzinga bumped into some old acquaintances on the way to the den. Banzai and Ed were lying in the shade of a rock, only half awake, seemingly having their very own do-nothing-day. Kuzinga gave them a polite enough greeting, but Hasira only grunted dismissively. Seems like she'd put on he social-face again.
Banzai sprung awake and blurted out: "Hey Kuz', what's up with you?"
"Not much," Kuzinga yawned.
"Come, let's go on to the den - don't waste our time with these losers," Hasira interrupted. Kuzinga never did quite figure out what their status in the clan was, but Hasira sure didn't seem to think much of them.
"You go ahead - don't worry, I'll be right over!" he replied, much to Hasira's chagrin.
"I told you to pay a visit to Noki," she growled, "Are you trying to disappear on me again?"
"No, I mean it, I'll be right over! Besides, you wanted to get me talking to other hyenas again, right? Well, that's what I'm doing."
"Humpf! Well don't take too long – if you don't show, I'll kill you for real next time." With those reassuring words, Hasira ambled off towards the den.
"Man, you got some nerve standing up to that bossy brat," Banzai commented as soon as she was out of earshot.
"It's not a big deal, we're on friendly terms – kinda," Kuzinga shrugged.
"Really? Don't look that way to me. Still, it's cool you'd do that just to have a chat with us!"
"Yeah, well, I was feeling a bit guilty, to be honest. I remember blowing you off a couple of days back, when you asked me if I wanted to hang out. So it didn't feel right just walking by without as much as a word."
"Oh yeah, I remember that," Banzi frowned, "What was up with that, huh?"
"Was a having a really bad day then. I'd gotten into a nasty fight, and then a girl that was, you know, into me, became angry after I confessed something. All of that had just happened, so I wasn't feeling especially generous..."
"Oh. That makes sense – it's like a heartache kinda thing!"
"I wouldn't exactly go that far..."
"Nah, man, don't worry, I totally get it!" Banzai nodded with startling sincerity, "Love hurts. Just let it all out – it's just us guys here, no need to hide your feelings or anything."
Ed had gotten up in the meantime, too, and was listening with his head cocked to one side. Judging by the vacant stare in his eyes, Kuzinga didn't think the other hyena understood much if anything of what was being said.
"Yeah... 'fraid I'll have to pass on that one. Though I have to say, Banzai, I didn't have you pegged as a romantic kinda guy like that..."
"Shows you how little you know! So what was up with you and Hasira? Rejected by one girl and on to the next? That's pretty cold, man."
Kuzinga made a disgusted face. "Heavens forbid! She was actually out to hunt me down, or near enough..."
He regaled his two new companions with a quick rundown of his violent encounter with Hasira earlier, and then tried to repeat all the things she'd tried to explain to him about friendship and repentance and whatnot. Naturally, he butchered the more poignant second half, but Banzai and Ed were so entertained by the tale of the farcical mud-fight that they didn't mind.
"... so now I'm on my way to keep Noki company for a bit, under slight duress."
After having explained to them just who Noki was and why he might need some company, Banzai asked if he and Ed might come along. Why not, the more the merrier. They weren't exactly the brightest stars at the firmament, but after a little chat Kuzinga pegged them as pleasant enough company. Very enthusiastic, if nothing else.
As they were walking, Banzai couldn't help but notice Kuzinga's scars, and the way one of his backpaws dragged ever so slightly, "Kuz', I gotta ask you something: why is it that every time we meet, it seems like you just got out of a fight? I mean, I've met worse hyenas, so why are you always the one getting into trouble?"
"Beats me – ask the other guys..."
"That how you got all those scars, fighting all the time?"
"Didn't Shenzi ask that already, the first time we met?" Kuzinga recalled, annoyed, "You know, when you guys were threatening me and all..."
"I don't remember ever doing that – do you, Ed?" The dopey hyena shook his head. "Come on, tell us again!"
Their convenient amnesia should have angered Kuzinga, but he was in a forgiving mood. It actually felt kinda nice, having the duo listening attentively as he dug up old war stories from his time in the wilderness, and with the other clan. It feels good when others listen to what you have to say. Going like that, it felt like their voyage over to the den - which was actually quite a ways away - flew by in an instant.
They arrived to find Hasira in a foul mood – she resented having to wait for them, even if only for a little while. It was hardly a fair complaint; the trio had strutted along at a decent enough pace, and never stopped along the way. But she still chewed them out for being useless lazybones. Recalling her earlier confession that her public chagrin was mostly an act, Kuzinga took it in stride.
As Noki was once again preoccupied with hiding in the deep recesses of the den, Hasira went inside to go try and find him, while the others waited outside. There were few other hyenas around at this hour, all of them either half or fully asleep. Noontime was too hot for doing much of anything, be it hunting or intensive socializing, so there was no real need for anyone to be at the den. The other members of the clan were all spread out over the Pridelands, alone or with close friends or relatives.
The only real activity came from a gaggle of cubs playfighting nearby, under the not-so-watchful eye of a drowsy older matron. The little ones were going at it pretty hard, and Kuzinga wouldn't be surprised if they drew blood at some point. He remembered vanishingly little from his own cubhood, but was pretty sure they'd never played quite that rough. It was just Noki's luck to be born as a gentle cub amid a particularity wild batch...
Kuzinga got distracted from watching the cubs by a particularity bad itch on his neck. Instinctively, he started scratching with one of his backpaws, remembering too late that was where Hasira's teeth had broken skin. He grunted from the pain of accidentally opening up the wound again.
Ed, quicker on the uptake from a life of being relegated to the realm of nonverbal communication, noticed immediately, and in turn nudged Banzai.
"You all right, Kuz'?"
"It's fine. Just hurts a bit where Hasira bit me, 's all."
Unbidden, Banzai moved in to get a closer look.
"Gross, it's all full of hair and dirt! No wonder it hurts, you didn't even clean it!"
"Of course I didn't, how am I even supposed to get at it – look!" Kuzinga grumbled, illustrating his point by fruitlessly turning his head and trying to reach the cut with his tongue, all the while making a dumb face and ditto sound.
"Say no more!" Banzai interrupted him, "I mean, what else are guyfriends for, right? Ed, help a brother out!"
Before Kuzinga could register what was going on, the dopey hyena was already slobbering all over his neck. He quickly backed away: "Wow, buddy, no offense, but..."
"Don't worry, Kuz'," Banzai was quick to reassure him, while suddenly popping up on the other side, effectively sandwiching Kuzinga between him and Ed, "Ed's as clean as they come – just look at those teeth! All sparkly... yellow... Anyway, he might not be good for much, but if you want something licked, Ed's your man!"
All of that, not least Banzai's choice of words, made Kuzinga rather uncomfortable. That subsided once he felt Ed's raspy tongue starting to clean out the wound, though: he went about his task firmly, yet with surprising finesse, and the pain and itch were quickly subsumed by a pleasant numbness. Kuzinga let out a relieved sigh.
"Well you losers sure seem to be enjoying each others' company – you're already that desperate about replacing Mizu, Kuzinga?"
Hasira had reappeared in front of him, grinning widely. Hiding between her paws was Noki, wide-eyed as ever, looking up at the trio with something approaching awe.
"Well, if it's between you and him, I know whom I would pick," Kuzinga shot back.
"Keep dreaming, idiot, I'm way out of your league. Anyway, here's Noki – keep him entertained for the rest of the day, and stay out of trouble. I can't stick around, though; I heard my mom was looking for me, so you can make it a guys' day out, or whatever."
Without further ado, and without as much as acknowledging Banzai and Ed, Hasira trotted off again, leaving Noki standing a bit forlorn by himself.
"Yeah, that's right, walk away!" Banzai commented as soon as she was out of earshot, "What's her problem, huh?"
"She's all right, I'm pretty sure it's mostly just for show," Kuzinga yawned, "So... Noki, little buddy! How've you been?"
He tussled the cub's paltry mane unbidden. Noki shied away.
"F-fine..."
"You're not worried about these two bozos, are you? Don't worry, they're harmless enough – I think. Truth be told, I don't know them all that well myself yet. But we've still got a whole afternoon to get acquainted."
He quickly introduced everyone, trying to be as confident and enthusiastic as possible, hoping some of it would rub off on Noki. That seemed to work well enough; the cub ventured a shy smile when all was said and done. Kuzinga figured there was little point in asking if there was anything in particular he wanted to do that afternoon, as the cub would probably be too timid to propose anything out loud. In stead, he immediately ventured his own suggestion: taking a plunge in the watering hole – the big one, that is, which never ran dry.
Banzai and Ed signed off on the idea immediately and enthusiastically, while Noki's silence was taken for consent. So off the merry band went.
Hoping to get there as quickly as possible, Kuzinga offered Noki a ride on his back; it wouldn't do for the cub to have to try and keep up on those stumpy little legs of his. When he bowed down so Noki could get on, though, Ed became agitated. In his own inscrutable way, he made it clear that Noki should hitch a ride with him in stead. Although the cub was understandably hesitant, Kuzinga just shrugged, picked Noki up by the scruff of his neck, and deposited him on Ed's shoulders. Though the youngster looked quite anxious, Ed himself seemed overjoyed. And whatever his misgivings about the dopey hyena might be, Kuzinga thought the pair looked adorable.
With the one cub in the party riding desant, it wasn't long before they reached the watering hole. What's more, Banzai had managed to keep on chatting throughout the trip, cracking one joke after another. None of those were particularly funny or smart, but it still served to generate a very positive vibe; even Noki eventually joined the conversation, interrogating the adults about whatever they happened to be passing by or talking about at the time, prompting some creative - though not necessarily truthful - answers.
Why do leopards spend so much time in the trees? Because the ground hurts their paws; it gets too hot. Tree trunks meanwhile are always shaded by leaves.
The watering hole was particularly crowded that day, a common occurrence now that the rainy season took so long to arrive. A variety of prey-animals were there, and two elephants, towering above all.
Upon spying all the grazers that were lapping at the water or simply wandering around the clearing surrounding the pool, Ed suddenly went into a frenzy. Seeming to momentarily forget about the passenger he was carrying, he bolted forward, sprinting towards a nearby gaggle of antelope. Noki was taken by surprise, and tumbled backwards off Ed's back with a yelp. The antelope, meanwhile, panicked and started running every which way, in turn spooking other nearby animals, who the also broke into a run without really knowing why they should.
The scene around the watering hole almost immediately turned into a chaotic fracas, with dozens of fleeing prey kicking up a dust cloud, only adding to the confusion.
"Hey, what the hell?" Kuzinga shouted, bounding over to Noki, to make sure he wasn't hurt. The cub was fine, however, having landed safely, if slightly ignominiously, on his butt.
"Woohoo! Yeah! Go get 'em, Ed!" Banzai encouraged his friend, after which he too started chasing after an errant Zebra, "Come on, Kuz, let's have some fun!"
Are they just chasing after those animals for their amusement? Kuzinga briefly wondered, gaping at the others. Yes, they were. And they seemed to be having a ball of a time of it, too – they made it seem positively thrilling. Kuzinga quickly led Noki over to a nearby tree, reasoning he'd be safe from trampling hooves there – prey generally avoid running into trees – before he himself too set out to chase after the first grazer he could find.
It was an utterly pointless endeavor if there ever was one; chasing just for the sake of chasing, causing a stir just for the heck of it, kicking up dust just because you can. And it was fun, in a naive, carefree kind of way. Who cares if the prey gets away, who cares if you get tired, or slip and stumble? That's the point, tiring yourself out for the heck of it!
After nearly all other animals had fled the scene, the three hyenas teamed up and chased the last, deathly frightened wildebeest straight towards the steepest edge of the pond. By the time the massive beast figured out where it was heading, it was already too late to make a complete stop, and it skidded right over the edge, into the water. It went under with an incredible splash, drenching Banzai, who'd come to a stop closest to the water. Both Kuzinga and Ed burst out laughing at the pitiable sight of him, and soon found themselves on the ground gasping for breath.
"Oh man," Kuzinga sighed once he'd come to a bit again, "You were right, Banzai. That was fun!"
Banzai shook himself dry. "Told ya... Hey, Ed, where are you off to?"
Ed promptly returned, carrying Noki in his jaws and depositing the cub in front of the others.
"Oh yeah – sorry I left you out there for a bit, bud," Kuzinga apologized, "I guess I got a bit carried away... Say, do you know how to swim yet?"
Much of the rest of the afternoon was spent variously getting Noki accustomed to the water, rolling around in the mud, and jumping off the highest rock they could find, trying to make as big a splash as possible, or striking a silly pose while doing it. Although it took the cub a while to get into the groove, anxious as he was about pretty much everything, he turned out yo be a natural swimmer, and was soon chirping joyously while paddling around in the water.
Of the three adults, Ed was the most enthusiastic about playing with Noki, exhibiting an almost childlike enthusiasm for whatever silly game they came up with between them. At some point, while the two of them seemed to be having the time of their life in the water, Banzai and Kuzinga ended up back on dry land together, having a breather while watching the others.
"Ed really seems to be enjoying himself," Kuzinga yawned, just to make conversation.
"No kidding! Makes sense though, he's basically just a cub that's grown a couple o' sizes too big. He's always been like that."
"Oh? You've know each other for a long time, then?"
"You bet; Ed's been with me since we were cubs! We're cousins, you know..."
"Phew, that's pretty remarkable," Kuzinga whistled, "So you guys stuck together after leaving your birth-clan? Don't hear about that every day..."
Banzai, however, started to shift around uncomfortably. "No, man it's not like that. We, eh... we never left, you know? Born and bred in the Elephant Graveyard, the both of us."
Kuzinga stared at Banzai incredulously; that was one of the strangest things he'd ever heard. When a male hyena grows up, he has to go looking for a new clan. That's just how it is, every place and every age – everyone knows that!
But not these two, it seemed.
"Man, you don't have to stare like that..."
"Oh – sorry. It's just... I didn't know that was, eh, a thing, with you guys. So in this clan, you're not supposed to... you know, leave when you grow up?"
Banzai looked away. "No, man, you got it wrong. You are supposed to leave – the other guys we grew up with did – but it's just that we didn't, you know? Just me and Ed..."
"Right... But then, mind me asking why you two...?"
In reply, Banzai nodded towards Ed. "Come on, Kuz, don't tell me you can't figure that one out on your own. Just look him, will ya? You think there's a clan out there that's going to bother taking in Ed? Be real. You keep telling me yourself how bad it is to be out there, when you're on your own. He wouldn't last, and no-one ain't taking him in just out of kindness..."
Kuzinga swallowed. The conversation had taken an unexpectedly serious turn, and it made him slightly nervous.
"I didn't think about it like that. Apologies."
"'s Fine."
"So has Ed always... been like that?"
"Ever since I've known him. The elders told us it's because Ed was a difficult birth, only barely made it... I don't care, though – we've always been palls. That's why I stayed with this clan, too; so I can look out for him, ya know? A lot of hyenas opposed it – pigheaded sticklers like Kato – but Shenzi's always had our back."
"It's good to have friends in high places." Nothing like a good platitude to ease tensions, Kuzinga reasoned.
"You don't have to tell me! Like being friends with Scar – that turned out pretty good for us, too."
"What, really?" Kuzinga exclaimed, "Damn, I didn't know you were a friend of the King's!"
"Oh yeah, ever since he was still a cub and everyone still called him Taka. Man, the stories I got about him..."
The things Banzai told were not that remarkable in of themselves: he led with a story of four youngsters visiting the watering hole and causing mischief, much like they were doing now. But it was nonetheless extraordinary owning to the starring characters, namely a trio of hyenas and a lion named Taka. It's an extraordinary thing, a lion and hyenas just hanging out and having fun. Unheard of, even. As was two male hyenas being allowed to stay in their birth clan. Remarkable.
A lot of remarkable things in these Pridelands.
The sudden arrival of two lionesses broke Kuzinga's train of thought. He noticed them right as they entered the clearing, and his first impulse was to be on guard. He quickly signaled for Ed and Noki to get out of the water and join him and Banzai. By now the lionesses seemed to have noticed the hyenas in turn, and they made a beeline towards them. Kuzinga sized up their chances – two lionesses against three hyenas, so not good at all – and started looking for a good avenue of escape. He could conceivably carry Noki, if he had to...
Such was the reality of encountering lions even now, regardless of whatever yarn Banzai might spin about him and Scar.
As the lionesses got closer, Banzai stepped out in front of the group, posturing aggressively, with Ed following his lead. Kuzinga meanwhile took position in front of Noki, shielding him, though the cub kept trying to careen his head around the older hyena, to get a view of the lionesses, now in front of them. Looking at them up close, Kuzinga realized he recognized the smaller of the two lionesses: it was Tuli. She seemed to recognize him as well, though they only exchanged wondering glances, and no greetings.
"We got word that a gaggle of hyenas were causing trouble at the watering hole," the other lioness suddenly growled. She looked about her ostentatiously, "Well, you're the only hyenas here, so you're obviously to blame – delinquents, the lot of you"
"Hey, watch who you're calling deli-whatevers, lady. We ain't done nothing anyhow," Banzai shot back.
"Oh? Then where are all the other animals? It's a hot day, seems strange you would be the only ones at the watering hole – unless you chased everyone off, made 'em too scared to come back."
"Bah, we were just having some fun, you ain't gotta come here and be all, you know, lion-ey about it. What's the big deal?"
The big lioness squinted, not bothering to conceal her contempt, and Kuzinga noticed her digging her claws into the dirt.
"The watering hole is protected ground, protected by the law of the King. If you want to live in the Pridelands, you should know this. Often time, it's the only place where animals can come to get a drink when there's a drought, and if idiots like you were to scare everyone away, the Pridelands would be emptied of herds eventually. So there is to be no hunting, no fighting, no violence of any kind here!"
"But it was just a harmless chase, no hunting, no violence!"
"It wasn't harmless in the least! You interfered with other animals using the watering hole..."
"Hey, wait just a minute – who are you to tell us what to do?" Banzai interrupted, "Scar wouldn't give us such a hard time. If it's the king's law or whatever, then where's the king, huh? Certainly ain't you... not unless Scar's lost all his manes and gained a whole lot o' ugly!"
Banzai burst out laughing at his own joke, and Ed immediately joined in, cackling wildly.
The big lioness suddenly let out a growl, and before Kuzinga had the time to blink, she had Banzai on his back, one paw pressed down on his throat.
"Gah! I... was... just … having... a... laugh," Banzai managed, with some difficulty.
"You should think twice about what you want to say next, or I might have some laughs at your expense." The lioness hissed through bared teeth. "I can already think of a few side-splitters."
Banzai wisely held his tongue – not that he had much breath left to speak up with. Kuzinga intervened, but not before shoving a far too curious Noki back behind him.
"Look, ma'am, please, we didn't mean to offend! We just came out here for a swim, and if you need us to go, we'll be right on or way..."
The lioness' glare immediately passed from Banzai to him. "Just having a swim? If you were just having a swim, I doubt we'd have animals coming over to the king to complain."
"We might have chased a few animals around – but it wasn't serious, we weren't hunting them or anything!"
The two groups were left at an impasse, regarding each other with hostility, the only sound coming from Banzi, who struggled to breathe as the lioness still held him down. Kuzinga, meanwhile, was having some trouble keeping Noki safely out of sight.
Tuli, who hadn't said or done anything yet, eventually seemed to notice the hyena cub, and used that as an opportunity to try and break the tension.
"Hey, Kuzinga, who's your little friend over there?"
When Noki realized the lioness' gaze was on him, he immediately lost all curiosity and scurried back safely behind Kuzinga. The adult hyena, meanwhile, breathed a silent sigh of relief. Tuli's silence, more than the other lioness' violence, had made him worry for their safety – what if she'd developed some kind of grudge following Kuzinga's deception, and had come along to extract a measure of revenge?
"It's Mizuri's little brother, Noki. It's a funny thing, first time I met him, he told me he'd love to meet a lion up close, but now he seems to be having second thoughts..."
"Be careful what you wish for, huh?" Tuli grinned sheepishly, before lying down on the ground with her paws outstretched in front of her, "Hey, little buddy, don't be afraid, I won't bite. I'm a friend of your sister's, hadn't she told you about me yet?"
Noki hesitatingly came out of cover, then started slowly stalking forward until he was face-to-face with the prone lioness. As the cub sniffed around curiously, Tuli remained motionless, with only her ears flickering when Noki put his snout up against them.
Then the bigger lioness growled, and the cub scurried back in a panic.
"Awww, Sarafina, why'd you have to go and do that?"
"I should ask you – these scum are lawbreakers, what the hell do you think you're doing?"
Tuli got up with a groan, "It's just a little kid. What am I supposed to do, huh?"
"We're here to uphold the law! It's what the king..."
Tuli snorted dismissively, interrupting Sarafina. "The king? Ha! Now there's a laugh for ya. He couldn't even be bothered to come over here and deal with this himself – I mean, you'd think it's the least he could do... He's the one that invited the hyenas in, after all. He should deal with them when they cause trouble, don't ya think?"
She cast a quick sideways glance at Sarafina, and was pleased to see her words hit the mark perfectly. It was no secret there was little love lost between Nala's mother and Scar. The big lioness ground her teeth, and her eyes shifted around uncomfortably.
"Maybe... but still, Sarabi asked us to deal with this... I don't want to let her down."
"She also asked for me to come along, didn't she? I'm pretty sure it's 'cause she knows I have a few hyena acquittance. So we both did our part, and I'm pretty sure they learned their lesson by now - especially him," Tuli nodded towards Banzai, whom Sarafina was still holding by the throat. The hyena seemed like he was about to pass out.
Finally, the big lioness just shrugged, and let him go. He quickly scurried off, coughing and wheezing.
Kuzinga saw an opening to try and settle things: "Look, eh, Sarafina..." The lioness trained her gaze on him again, "I mean, ma'am! We get that we shouldn't have done what we did, okay? I mean, we didn't know it was wrong, but now we do, so, eh, we won't do it again. We won't, right?" He looked back at his companions.
Ed nodded manically, and Banzai hoarsely reassured the lioness that he had indeed got the message: "Yeah, definitely, I promise you won't see any more trouble from me – I'll even swear on Ed's life, if you don't believe me! And we'll tell everyone else: 'Don't go around causing trouble at the watering hole,' and that way you won't have to do this again some other day, come over here and be all righteous. Deal?"
Sarafina didn't reply, but only stared at the hyenas for a while, narrowing her eyes. Finally, she turned to Tuli again: "Why did you have to go and make things difficult?"
"What? I think we handled it pretty well."
"I guess," Sarafina sighed. She turned back to the hyenas, "All right, I'll let you off this time. The next hyena I catch breaking the law won't be so lucky, though. If it had been just me out here, you'd have been in real trouble; I would have loved nothing more than to beat you all to a pulp. Be sure to tell your friends that, too."
Then she turned around and trotted off without another word, save for a few grumbled curses.
"It's a good thing I showed up and not some other lioness – Sarafina would have had your necks if I hadn't interrupted her."
"Fat chance!" Banzai snorted, "Me and Ed would have turned her into mincemeat, easy! She's the lucky one for getting to walk away in one piece."
"Oh yeah? Think you can take me, then?" Tuli flashed a toothy grin, and took a step towards the hyena, who duly staggered back. "That's what I thought. You were a lot less wordy when she had you under her paw."
"I was just kidding! A joke!"
"Yeah, yeah..."
"Give it rest, Banzai," Kuzinga growled, still shaken from the encounter with Sarafina, and now quite annoyed at the other hyena's antics, "And Tuli, thank you – I mean it. You're right, things might have gone very badly if not for you."
"Don't sweat it," the lioness shrugged, "That's what friends are for, right?" Then she eyed Kuzinga suspiciously, "Though, from what I've been hearing I'm not sure you qualify for the title anymore. Friends don't spy on one another, you know."
Kuzinga looked away embarrassed. So much for a whole day's merriment. At a loss for anything profound to say, he in stead belched another pointless platitude: "I guess word travels fast..."
"Not really – Mizu told me in person just the other day. Seemed like she felt I needed to know."
"Oh... How... I mean, was she... did she seem mad to you?"
"No, just disappointed. Or disillusioned, I wasn't sure. But hey, cheer up, you still got me! I won't hold it against you too much; when it comes to betrayal, I've had way worse – what you did honestly doesn't even register."
The hyena managed a wry smile, "Thanks for that, it's more than I deserve. And, for what it's worth, I'm sorry."
"I'm sure you are," Tuli yawned, "Talk like that is cheap, thugh. I just saved your butt, so now you owe me one. Anyways, back to more important maters – you were introducing me to Mizu's little brother, before Sarafina got all prissy..."
Noki took to Tuli surprisingly well, after some initial hesitation. It wasn't long before before he was climbing on the lioness' back, or tugging at her ears and tail, all the while interrogating her about whatever came to mind. Why don't you have spots? Why aren't your claws out all the time? Where did you get this or that scar?
She truthfully answered that she didn't know, most of the time, rather than try and make stuff up, as Kuzinga and Banzai had been ought to do.
"You sure do ask a lot of questions – sure didn't seem so talkative at first. How about I ask you something, huh? Why are you out here with these guys, in stead of your friends? Seems pretty dangerous for a cub, what with the kinds of trouble these dummies get themselves in..."
Noki didn't answer for the longest time. Eventually, it was Kuzinga who offered up an explanation, speaking softly: "He doesn't have many friends..."
Tuli made a questioning face. Kuzinga shrugged. Banzai looked away. Ed snickered.
"Well that just won't do!" the lioness suddenly exclaimed, "Everyone should have at least a couple of playmates their own age!"
"Well they don't exactly grow on trees," Kuzinga sneered, "There's only so many cubs in the clan, and..."
"You're being too narrow-minded; you have to think outside the clan. I know just where to find some new friends for little Noki."
Well what do you know, Tuli thought to herself, smiling, seems like Zira's new-found habit of minding the cubs will prove useful after all!
