Author's Notes:
Well, here we are! You're finally going to see the infamous strip scene that has inspired a similar dream like sequence with Lee Dumonde in my collaboration fic with Experiment632, "Revenge In Rendezvous". I think at the end of the author's notes in the Breakfast Club chapter I made some sort of reference to this chapter and I wondered to myself just how graphic was that strip scene. Turns out that Winda's was relatively nothing compared to Lee Dumonde's; I think hers was a lot more provocative and sexual.This chapter chronicles Winda and Kovu's misguided trip to a strip club where it is revealed that Winda is working as an underage stripper under the stage name "Sexy Queen".
Kovu is put off and abashed by Winda's sexy moves and he becomes very nervous and agitated throughout the whole performance until a police task force burst into the club and opened fire on its customers, prompting Winda and Kovu to escape.They are soon tracked down by Zalira's pride and Winda is cast out into the sewer as Kovu jumps in to save her. Meanwhile, Zalira finally makes her appearance with a significant change in her physical appearance but is still the same cruel, cold-hearted and contemptuous lioness who bullied Zira in her younger years. It is also revealed that the cubs that Team Legacy retrieved are related to Zalira and the young albino lioness has special interest in one lion cub in particular...
Meanwhile, Suzanne Carmichael, Zeniba, Dennis and Zira soon run into a gang of crack smoking prostitutes that were employed at Madame Aphrodite's Sexy Dancers and had not only witnessed the brutal massacre that took place but escaped it with their very lives. It turns out that each of the women have a very interesting story to tell and have led bizarre yet fascinating lives that somehow intertwined in a chance encounter that eventually developed a strong friendship. I think the prostitutes' life stories are very, very interesting and I wish now that perhaps I could have used them more in the story or at least write side stories about them.
****WARNING! Some mature content may be featured in this story, including one particular instance of drug use and several references to gore, violence, use of weapons, prostitution, destruction of property, child exploitation, child abuse, etc. You have been forewarned***
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Chapter 5: Winda & Kovu's Nocturnal Adventure
Winda and Kovu had been on the loose during the early morning hours in rush hour traffic for some time. They performed leapfrog over each other and both of them tried to outrun the other. They soon barged into traffic and the drivers started to honk their horns and swore at the youngsters. "Holy shocks! Margie, did you see those two lions running loose in the streets?" said an overweight man with a blue suit and a loose red tie. "Oh, Wilbur. You worry too much. We really need to get home. Our children might be worried sick about us," replied his wife, who was putting on eyeliner and applying blush to her cheek at the same time while a cigarette hung from her mouth and smoke drifted in the car. Winda and Kovu graced over cars and crawled under them. They soon reached the sidewalk and then trotted to a strip club. Kovu then looked up and then read the blinking fuchsia neon sign, "Madame Aphrodite's Sexy Dancers."
"What in the world…" gasped Kovu. He then turned his head to Winda. "Winda, do you have any idea what this place is?" he asked her suspiciously. "Yep. It's a strip club," chirped Winda. "No. I mean, do you know ANYTHING about this strip club?" Kovu empathized while enunciating his words carefully so Winda knows what he is talking about. Winda snickered and then cat walked her way into the strip club while brushing her tail against Kovu's nose. Nevertheless, Kovu decided to follow her into Madame Aphrodite's, and so he did. Once he entered the strip club, he couldn't believe what he saw. Most of the guests sitting around in tables were college freshmen, computer geeks, addicted video gamers, bums, slobs, bachelors, boxers, rich men, college graduates, restaurant workers, pool boys, waiters, and corporate executives. Some of the men had a harem of stripper girls around them. There were even sparse numbers of struggling actors or porn actors who were prepping up for their latest project.
The strip club had a wall dividing the catwalk and a private reserved section for guests who specifically requested it. Not far from the catwalk was a bar where all of the bums and video game junkies were getting drunk. Security guards armed with tasers and .44 magnums were guarding the entrance. The walls were reflecting and wavy mirrors conveying a mixture of fuchsia, magenta, cardinal, ruby, chestnut, cinnamon, chocolate and auburn. The flashing, radiant, pearly disco ball released huge bursts of light and blinded Kovu momentarily. The floor was dark strawberry marble and when Kovu tried to brush his claw against it, friction occurred and the claw seemed to be pushed away. On both sides of the walk way was the west wing and the east wing. Kovu then cocked his head to a couple of johns on the west wing, one for boys and one for girls. Then just next to the bathrooms was a hallway.
Kovu then looked around and realized that Winda had vanished into thin air! Instinctively he then galloped for the hallway. Once he was in the hallway he then treaded through the ominous dark, scanning the narrow area for his companion. Kovu was deeply afraid. He had never felt this alone in his life. His body felt cold and he was sweating excessively. His ears rang relentlessly and his head pounded. Kovu imagined the walls closing in on him. His heartbeat went haywire and pumped erratically. The opaque darkness spiraled, twisted, and spun in his vision and Kovu was on the verge of screaming. He tried to roar to calm himself but his mouth was so dry and his voice hoarse from fear that he couldn't do it. Just then, he saw a shadowy figure advance towards him. Kovu froze. He couldn't move, for he was too petrified to even run. Right then and there he wished that he would die so his soul would fly and escape from the cruel and unforgiving world.
My God… This is the end. This is it. I'm going to die. Someone is coming towards me and I'm going to die. Please let Mother find me dead when my demise arrives, thought Kovu. Then, the lights were triggered one by one and then the mysterious figure was revealed. It was Winda, wearing a strapless, hourglass, sexy party dress and wearing light pink blush and mascara on her face. She even had lipstick on. Her curves were also showing, making her look more like a woman than a 10-year-old girl. Her tufts of hair covered her left eye and were thoroughly whipped and brushed. Kovu couldn't believe what he was seeing. He automatically ran off without a word. Winda seethed with anger. All she wanted to do was to wow Kovu with her sexuality but instead he dashed off at the sight of her. She was terribly frustrated. She had to impress Kovu somehow, someway.
Winda then noticed the spotlights moving alternately and making a circular motion on the walkway. "And now, ladies and gentlemen get ready to feast your eyes on the one, the only, Sexy Queen!" bellowed the announcer. And then Winda strolled to the walkway with her head high and her shoulders bouncing relaxingly. The men cheered and howled. Some of them whistled and growled in a horny way. This was too much for Kovu. Winda then got onto the walk way and then crossed her legs while walking back and forth. She then shook her hips and then threw back her head. Winda then came to a pole and then swung on it while sliding her leg up and down seductively. Kovu stared at her wordlessly and attentively. Winda then did a pivot and then a triple spin and then lay on the floor while crossing and uncrossing her legs.
Winda then ambled her way to another pole and then with her legs climbed all the way to the top. She then jumped from the pole and then did a Marilyn Monroe in midair. Winda then twirled and did a cha-cha step and then tap danced. She did a sidewalk while lifting up her dress and then did another spin in midair and flopped on the floor. Winda then started to unravel her dress while doing a little dance. It was a mind-boggling move. Kovu was now about to have a nervous breakdown. At first rate, he shouldn't even be here! Just then the cops barged into the strip club. The madam appeared and was horrified. "Land sakes! Ladies, you better scram!" she hollered. "Come on, Kovu. Let's jet," instructed Winda. Kovu agreed. He and Winda then galloped over two large tables before soaring through a glass window and disappearing farther into downtown. The guests were immediately angered and started to buffet the police with beer bottles and wine glasses. The madam was in a state of panic and retreated to her dressing room.
Then a riot broke out. The tables and chairs were overturned and the guests attempted to resist the authorities, but were met with stun guns, clubs, and shots of gunfire. There were screams of terror and glass shattering and machines humming. Blood spilled on the marble floor and stained it red. The guests then dropped dead from fatal gunshot wounds and even one cop struck a man to death with a club and cracked his skull. Dead bodies were multiplying and littering everywhere and another man had enough and then lunged at one of the cops and began to choke him. He then kicked the police officer in the groins and then smashed his head clean with a beer bottle, knocking him unconscious. Some of the brave men charged at a couple of officers and the officers fought back by thrusting knives into their chests. The men then fell back on top of the dead, slain. A shower of gunfire polluted the atmosphere and soon the strip club was dented with bullets.
Shouts of unbearable pain and agony echoed in the night and feminine screeches mingled with their male counterparts. Finally, one man was crawling on his knees, a knife stuck in his stomach and gasping for air. One of the police officers approached him and then stomped him to the ground, pinning him. Then with his other foot, he pushed the knife even further, producing more blood and rapidly sucking the life out of the victim. "Now listen, bub. This side of town belongs to us and if you disturb the peace again, I swear, next time the madam of this club will be the one to perish," he rasped threateningly. Then he stomped on the knife for the last time, and the man withered away instantly, with the life in his eyes fading away to nothing. Then, all of the officers reloaded their guns and then stored them in their holsters. They soon stormed out of Madame Aphrodite's Sexy Dancers while whistling the musical score from "Psycho".
...
Meanwhile, in the penthouse, Zira suddenly awoke with a start and then panted. She had a really bad nightmare that involved Winda brutally murdering Kovu on a cliff by stabbing him with a knife before finishing him off with gunshots. As Zira heard Kovu falling to his death and screaming, she remembered yelling, "KOVU NO!" Earlier in the dream Winda had taunted Kovu about his own family and team and also about he should be ashamed to be Zira's own son. Then, when she smirked, Zira thought she saw an image of Zalira flash in her eyes. That really spooked her. "Oh my God," Zira moaned. In the dark, she found a remote controller and then turned on the television while keeping the volume down so that everyone around her could sleep. That was when the 3 o' clock news reported on the strip club massacre.
Tom Foster then unraveled the events that led up to the massacre, and then the photos of Kovu and Winda were being displayed. Zira was dismayed and appalled and then soon realized that her son and the mysterious lioness cub had run off! She then raced to Kovu's bed and unrolled the covers and in her eyes Kovu's disappearance was confirmed. Zira then became enraged. "I knew that bitch should have never been trusted! I knew that from the moment I first saw her that she was trouble with a double T on it!" she spat out, indignant. Then she threw back her head and screamed, "FUCK YOU! GODDAMN IT!" Zira then broke down and wept.
Her angry outburst had woken up Dennis, and then when he noticed her crying, he got up from his bed and walked toward her and nuzzled her neck. Zira nearly snapped at him, but instead she could only look at him in furious tears. "Why, Dennis? Why is this fucking society crumbling right before my eyes?" she implored him. "It's the ways of the world nowadays, Zira. We just have to learn how to live with it," explained Dennis calmly. "You mean I'm going to have to let Winda screw my son?" Zira nearly exploded. "We'll deal with her, Zira, but that is not what I mean. What I mean is that we have to learn to survive in this ever-changing society and preserve our identity and ourselves. We have to learn how to be leaders in our own right and join together and cooperate in order to endure," continued Dennis. Zira made a nod to show Dennis that she was listening. Then she smiled and kissed Dennis lightly on the cheek. The two lions then had a brief make out session.
"What the fuck is going on here for Chrissakes?" moaned a voice and then Zira and Dennis were startled and then turned to see whom it was. It was Yubaba, and she was really high. Tremors rocked her body and she seemed to be shaking uncontrollably. "What the hell is going on with you, Yubaba? You look like you had too much caffeine in a café or something," commented Zira. "They… They… They… They… They… are… are… are… are… are… smoking… meth… meth… meth… meth…" stammered Yubaba like a broken record. Dennis gasped with horror as Zira rose to her feet. "Let me bust their asses right now. No one drugs up my girl like this," she decided. She then stormed out of the master bedroom with Dennis.
When Dennis and Zira stepped out of the master bedroom however, they were surprised to see a group of four prostitutes smoking meth just inches away from the doorway. The prostitutes then happened to notice the couple. Bastards, thought Zira. Yeah, agreed Dennis while thinking. "So what do you want?" riposted one of the prostitutes. "We would like to know why you have drugged our friend Yubaba," answered Dennis. "Oh that witch? Well, she wanted to try some and we let her have some," explained another one of the prostitutes.
Zira didn't buy that story one little bit. "I have come to believe that you fucked up Yubaba on purpose," she argued. "Oh really? Are you her sister?" countered the third prostitute. "No, but close," was Zira's reply. Zeniba then materialized into the scene. "Hey what's up g… Holy crap! Prostitutes are smoking crack in our territory?" she said casually and then flipped out when she spotted the prostitutes. "Actually, it's meth, and we think that your sister might have dappled into some of that stuff," Dennis corrected her. "You wanna fight about it?" challenged the first prostitute defiantly. "Bring it on, bitch," complied Zira boldly. Just then, Finn came mewing into the scene and then rubbed her head against Zira's leg. Zira then looked over her shoulder and then peered at the young kitten. "Well, well, well. Looks like Miss Finn here wants to see the commotion. Aren't you adorable!" she purred. Suzanne then woke up and yawned. She then righted herself and then gracefully strolled out of the master bedroom.
Payton rolled on his right side and creaked his eyes open. Once he noticed the unrolled and wrinkled covers and the big lump in the bed, he then hopped out of the bed and then disappeared into thin air. "Okay, what is the big deal giving Yubaba meth?" Suzanne demanded, upset. "We just wanted her to try some meth, that's all. It helps you lose weight," explained the first prostitute, who then fluffed up her wild, wavy, black hair. "But it also gives you a lot of health problems, especially if you're pregnant," Suzanne argued. "Okay, bitch. We got some info that might interest you, and listen carefully as I say it," informed the first prostitute. Suzanne, Dennis, Zira, and Zeniba then huddled over the prostitutes and then the prostitute leaned over to Suzanne's ear. "Them cops busted our strip club joint and knocked off everybody. Huge massacre man. Bodies were piling up on each other and the madam was going bonkers. She was desperate to get out alive and hid in the dressing room. I saw one guy who had his skull cracked like an egg. There were also some officers that stabbed a few men that charged at them. There were unspeakable sounds of painful and agonizing screaming."
"It was too surreal to even be real. The club was infested with gunpowder, smoke, and bullets. I saw some men ridden with bullets fall in slow motion as blood gushed and seeped out of their wounds. I also heard cries for help but there was nothing we could do. However, Ally did try to help a woman who tried to escape. But a cop confronted the woman and with his malicious and nasty smirk he says to her, 'You're not going anywhere, missy, because this is the end of you.' And with his Tommy gun, he cocked, aimed at the poor bitch, and them pelted and blasted her with stinging bullets before she crumpled on the floor, dead. I also saw a dark brown lion cub with black hair and a yellow lioness cub with yellow whippy tufts on her head and sensual eyes run with their lives through a glass window. You better find them, before them cops catch them and skin them for their fur coats," she whispered with her breath tickling her ear.
"Who's Ally?" asked Dennis quizzically with his eyebrow up. "She's the second prostitute in this group. Ally is an Italian New Yorker who grew up in a working class family. She majored in law and psychology in high school and college and then when she graduated she became a criminologist and a lawyer in a prestigious law firm that dealt with murder, financial scams, fraud, sex crimes, religious cults, police corruption, celebrity scandals, and drug busts. But the big stock market crash of '87 caused the law firm business to go broke and eventually close down. It devastated Ally very much, for it was her life work."
"She enjoyed being a prosecuting lawyer, but another blow rolled in when her older sister Lea got killed in a freak scuba diving accident off the coast of Oahu while on vacation. She was swimming not far from shore when suddenly a shark just darted in and devoured her to pieces. The worst part was that they never found her body except for a scarred femur. Just two days before she sliced her leg open when she accidentally slipped on a knife while preparing salad."
"Ally had never forgotten that accident, and to this very day, she still keeps that scarred femur bone in a chocolate French jewelry box. Eventually however, she applied for a job at a small law firm that dealt with child issues, which was fine with her. And the day before her interview, she caught me and my girlfriends stealing gemstones from a jewelry store. And when them cops came in, she was mistaken for one of us and all four of us were arrested. That first night in the big house, we all got to know each other. Ally told us about her life story, about how she worked hard in school to get to where she was now and how she managed her family's pastry shop while weathering her parents' financial and social difficulties, especially with discrimination, unsatisfactory jobs, low wages and mounting debt."
"She also explained how she graduated from high school with high honors and #1 in her class and also how in college she fought to resist the bad influences around her such as drugs and sex and on how she narrowly escaped from intruders in her home twice and on how one night during her freshman year she was almost murdered in her sleep by a burglar that happened to find her in her room while scavenging for jewelry, drugs, and cash."
"Fortunately she awoke to discover that he was hovering over her with a pistol in hand. Ally then swiped a 4.4 magnum from her night counter and cocked it before blowing his brains out right on the spot. This incident threatened not only expulsion from school but also 60 consecutive life sentences, eviction from her apartment, and also the recording of that incident in her permanent record. However, all that was resolved when the judge declared the case justifiable homicide and ordered Ally to perform 72 hours of community service for the murder and one day in jail after that. Despite of the outcome of that particular episode, this event would haunt Ally for many years to come, even in her years as a criminologist and a high profile lawyer."
"She then graduated from college cum laude and with a Bachelor's Degree in Law and Criminology. Ally is a very affable person to be around, and she is also gracious and well mannered. But she is very tough and audacious, and what keeps her going is her pride. That's right. Her pride. It keeps her levelheaded and it also keeps her dignity intact. She is also a brilliant genius and knows the justice system inside and out."
"As for me, I was born in Atlanta in a disgusting slum. My parents were peddlers who were struggling to make ends meet. I grew up in the ghetto, where only the strong survive and where you can die if you're not careful. Actually, I was a child streetwalker well before my teens. I worked for a drug kingpin who would assign me to clients that lived in our turf and sometimes he would send me to members of rival gangs just to con them of valuables, usually hard, cold cash. By the time I was ten, I was a full blown scam artist, call girl, and jewel thief. I hardly went to school and when I enrolled for 10th grade, I did so poorly that I eventually dropped out. I'm not scholar material, if you ask me."
"Then, when I was on business in Chicago, I met up with Scottish twins Cora and Cadha. Cora is the brunette one and Cadha is the auburn/chestnut haired one. Coincidentally, they were career criminals like me, but Cora was a con artist and Cadha was a small time thief who would steal anything that caught her eye and who had kleptomaniac tendencies. Cora, however, was a pyromaniac and would set neighborhood stores on fire regardless of whether or not she had just swindled the owner of a token. Soon my pimp hired them to join me on jewel swiping sprees."
"Now back to the jail cell episode. Ally walked out of the joint a free woman after the judge discovered that she shouldn't have been arrested in the first place, and we got six months in prison and along with 85 hours of community service. Just like with the burglar incident, the accidental arrest was exempt from her record. But the law firm she worked with ran into a lot of work and staff-related problems, and when they got themselves into a quagmire disaster that involved a Jewish boy being taken advantage of by his British foster parents and the fact that the parents organized a baby black market to sell children that acquaintances and friends placed in their care in exchange for illegal weapons and 200 million dollars. To make matters worse, the boy was being forced to steal funds and savings from the state to finance his caretakers' shady dealings. Consequently, the boy was relocated from New York by his foster parents and was heading to Canada and would've crossed the border had we not intervened. It was a mess."
"The mom was threatening to murder the child in front of the FBI agents and I personally had to confront her right there. Because Ally had treated us so courteously in the cell that night, we decided that to pay her back we would attempt to help her in the case. Me and that bitch had a fist fight that resulted in the handgun going off, killing her instantly. The dad took out his own musket and then slain all of the FBI agents that were present. He then turned the gun on us and shot us 12 times and took off just like that. Last time I heard, he's in the Witness Protection Program along with the kid. 10 years now it's been."
"The case was so disastrous that not only did Ally quit her job, but she also checked herself into the Witness Protection Program and relocated to Germany a year later. We did the same and Cora and Cadha moved to Iceland while I went to Australia. 8 years later we reunited in Washington, D.C. and now we are prostitutes working for Madame Fiona at Madame Aphrodite's Sexy Dancers because we needed work after our lives had been disrupted for so long. And yes we're still in the Witness Protection Program and that is why we registered with aliases," answered the first prostitute.
"What's your name?" interrogated Zeniba. "Sawyer. But call me Precious Jennings, Ally Marmora Rogers, Cora Haley Georgeson and Cadha Helen Georgeson. At least in public," replied the first prostitute with a drag of marijuana after her remark. Sawyer herself had a dark completion and had chocolate, olive skin and flashy eyebrows. She had an hourglass figure and ostrich-like legs and monkey-like arms. Sawyer also had an oval-shaped face with a short, narrow nose and low, thick cheekbones. On her left shoulder was a tattoo of a panther's head. Speaking of shoulders, her shoulders were slender and smooth. Her smile made her look like a teenager again, even though she was in her mid to late 30's. As for Ally, her hair was chocolate brown with a hint of cinnamon and honey and she is 46-years-old. With icy blue eyes, a slightly crooked nose, medium cheekbones, a muscular, skinny body, powerful, enormous legs, angular, double jointed arms, a short, slim neck, thin, ruby lips, and black, crooked, furrowed eyebrows, she was quite an astonishing sight to look at.
Cora and Cadha both have catty, surreal, cloudy aquamarine eyes, fin-like ears, narrow, pointy, sharp noses, 5-foot necks, bony legs and arms, sturdy, strong bodies, pale white, surprised yet alert and ghostly faces and short, cropped hair. The only differences between them besides their hair color are their voices, the birthmarks on their forehead, and the color jewelry they wear. Cora has a deep raspy and growly voice while Cadha has a whispery, scratchy and breathy voice. Cora also has an eagle tattoo on her forehead while Cadha has a falcon tattoo on her forehead. Cora prefers diamond jewelry while Cadha prefers rubies.
Finn then perked up her head to glance at Zira and gazed at her wonderingly. Zira then nuzzled the young cub on her head while purring lovingly. Just then, a loud snarl was heard. Zira then motioned to the banisters and peered down from above along with Sawyer, Ally, Cora, Cadha, Zeniba, Dennis, and Suzanne. The door was kicked down and then jackals and Tsavo lions poured out from within. They separated immediately and lined up in formation for their leader to arrive.
Then, a lioness stepped in. Her fur was silky, smooth crème white and was completely neat, groomed and untangled, almost in a ghostly way, and had a black beehive hairdo. She had a bold, crooked unibrow and her jackal-like visage was still present, but she also had a new prosthetic leg. Her eyelashes were plucky and as curly as the jaws of a Venus fly trap. Her tail was still wriggly but otherwise it vibrated with life. But now she has an indestructible, left eye transplant that had an eye color that matched the color of her right eye. Zira felt her hair standing up and goose bumps erupting from her skin. Her heart was banging in a volatile way. She was about to black out from shock. Despite her complete makeover, she was still initially recognizable. It was none other than Zalira! Zalira then cocked her head up and spotted Zira, and then a smirk emerged on her face. Zira then fainted and fell on Suzanne's arms. Then the cops lashed out of the walls and drew their guns while cocking them. Zalira then laughed maniacally while one of the cops brought in Kovu, who was hanging by the tail and protesting. "Let me go right now! Let me go!" he growled angrily.
Another cop ushered in Winda, pointing a semi automatic pistol and muzzling and blindfolding her. She was struggling and wrestling to break free from his grasp. "What in Sam Hill is this?" thundered Zira as she stormed down the stairs cautiously. "Answer me Zalira! What have you done to my SON?" she also added as she walked up to Zalira and looked at her straight in the eye. "My minions had caught up with these two fugitives on an intersection in the dead of night. No cars were even out during that time. They chased them to a canal where they have managed to corner the cubs. Winda slashed Maluku, (who was the head Tsavo lion of his pride), in the eye and then he grabbed her and tossed her into the water."
"She was being dragged to a sewer, and Kovu dove into the canal to save her. He swam and swam with all his strength, and by the time I arrived, he was just getting to her. It took five breaststrokes to latch his teeth onto her neck and carry her to shore on his back. The moment he climbed on to the sidewalk and laid my little girl on the ground, I flipped him on his back and pinned him with my paw. I told him, 'My name is Zalira Demur and the young lioness YOU'RE running around with is…" explained Zalira briskly.
"Your daughter," hissed Zira. "You're correct. You do remember my sister Nia, don't you?" remarked Zalira in an almost sweet and singsong way. "Yes, I do. She ran off with her boyfriend at 16 and has never been seen since," retorted Zira coolly. "And I have reason to believe that her cubs are somewhere in this penthouse," Zalira informed her childhood nemesis. "Cubs? Since when did she have cubs?" stammered Zira, perplexed. "She gave birth on the 23rd of March, two weeks ago," was Zalira's answer. Zira shook. Zalira's mystical and mystifying ability to calculate exact days, months, years, and even time of any given event spooked her sometimes. Most horrifying of all, she can even predict exactly when someone is going to die. This is why she never needs a clock to tell time.
Finn then plopped to the ground and landed on the old mattress. Zalira then focused on the young cub. "Well, that's Nia's daughter all right. My own little niece," she declared affirmatively. Winda muffled her surprise and astonishment. "Don't you dare touch her, Zalira," warned Zira while blocking her way. "Why am I going to hurt my own kin? I kill other people's cubs but not this one," argued Zalira. "I said don't you dare…" Zira admonished her again and then Zalira struck her in the face, silencing her.
Then she kicked her in the stomach and then shoved her to the ground and made her way to see Finn for the first time. Finn was mewing while kneading the mattress in anticipation of the stranger. Zalira then sat in front of her and then picked her up with her paws. Finn giggled naïvely at the sight of her. "Aren't you a lively one? Wouldn't you like to stay over with your Aunt Zalira and your cousin Winda?" cooed Zalira in awe. Finn nodded. She liked her already. Zalira then grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and approached Zira. After nudging her up, she then pushed her head against hers in aggression. "Listen up, Zira. I'm taking this cub for a few days. I think she might be a very special creature. A saffron cub has to be worth a lot of money, in fact, 200 million dollars," Zalira told Zira. "What are you planning to do with the cub?" spat out Zira, incensed. "Not much for the time being. But soon, I'll use her for an important business transaction," answered Zalira with an ominous tone in her voice. Payton then materialized suddenly while banging on the floor.
Zalira then whizzed her head around to see him. "What is your name, boy?" she demanded. "Payton. Payton Jonathan Gilbert German-Zion," was Payton's reply. "Hmm. That name rings a bell," commented Zalira. "You know my mother?" inquired Payton excitedly. "I've never met her in my life. She abandoned me with Papa when I was a baby." "Nope, never heard of her. But I did meet your father. Come closer boy, so that I may examine your scent. I want to make sure," replied Zalira positively. Payton then ambled to Zalira and started petting her behind her head while she whiffed on his neck. She immediately drew back in disgust. "Ugh! Your father has never bathed you! But I think there is a tinge of your father's scent somewhere. You're coming with me too and out of this penthouse," Zalira flinched while sticking out her tongue in grimace.
"Let me guess. If you clean him up the scent is clearer to identify," Zira said to her. "The cleaner he gets the better. Now, Payton. Follow me," commanded Zalira and then the cops dumped Kovu on the floor and exited with Winda in their clutches and Zalira was about to leave with her lions when she remembered she almost forgot something. "Taska! Bring in Finn's sister Mackenzie," she ordered one of the Tsavo lions. "Yes, Madame Zalira," complied the Tsavo lion and then he brought a dog carrier to Zira and set it in front of her and went away.
Soon Zalira and her posse departed from the penthouse with Finn and Payton. Zira had no choice but to take the dog carrier upstairs and carry it she did. When she met up with the gang they walked back inside the master bedroom and then Suzanne turned to the four prostitutes. "Um, would you care to stay in the master bedroom with us?" she offered. "Sure yeah, man. We are sick of sleeping outside. Outside is for dogs, and we ain't no dogs," accepted Sawyer. The four women then pushed their way inside and locked out Suzanne. Suzanne was offended and then banged her fists on the door and hollered to get inside until the door was unlocked and Thomas opened the door for her, appeasing his wife's anger. Suzanne then stepped into the master bedroom gaily.
While everyone was once more in his or her slumber, Zira was tucking the cubs into bed and the dog carrier was already opened. The cubs were on top of a zebra rug spread on the old mattress. A red comforter was on top of them and their heads rested on a pillow. Zira was nudging little Henrietta into the blanket and watched the four cubs snore and purr in their sleep. Henrietta brushed her tiny paw against the zebra rug and mewed. Then she unexpectedly started making swipes rapidly and with quick precision.
Henrietta then yowled and hissed and fought and struggled in her sleep. Zira then licked Henrietta's face and kissed her goodnight. Then she prowled to Kovu, who was on his right side, thinking about what had just happened. "Kovu, what's wrong?" inquired Zira. "I cannot believe this, Mother. Winda lured me into a strip club, and she was performing in front of all those guys out there… It was too much. She terrified me and made me uncomfortable and anxious. And yet… when she fell into the canal on the intersection at 0770 SW 90th Edgar Post Avenue and Sawyer Lane, I just couldn't abandon her. No matter how vile or nefarious or treacherous she may be, especially if she is anything like her mother, I just couldn't leave her. I can't," Kovu confessed to her.
"You know something, Kovu? I think you're getting attached to her. However, I'm advising you to be careful around her. She may be one of those femme fatale women. When you're least expecting it, she'll betray you to the wolves. She can charm you and gain your sympathy, but someday she'll turn her back on you. You'll see Kovu. You'll see," Zira informed him. Kovu had a vague dreadful feeling that his mother may be right. "But don't worry about it. In the morning, we're getting the hell out of here. We will check into a motel and breakfast at a fast food restaurant and try to find Payton's mother. If not, we're going to Zalira's lair to check on Payton and Finn, and if something screwy is going on, we will launch a rescue mission on the spot," she instructed. "But if we do find her, will we still go to Zalira's house?" piped in Kovu.
"If nothing sidetracks us, yes. But… We have to go to Montgomery County to talk to Mrs. Vright at the police station. They might be planning to interrogate her some more in the morning. And I think she might have some information on Payton's mother," answered Zira. Then she pecked Kovu on the head and then tucked him in. Then she drifted to her bed and then climbed in. Zira lowered her eyes and then fell asleep. Mackenzie was snuggling against Henrietta and purring contentedly. The long night was finally nearing its end, and Winda wasn't aware of it, but now Kovu was getting attached to her, more than ever.
Author's Notes:
So you didn't see this coming, did you? I think the nightmare Zira had at the beginning of the story was a little foreshadowing if you think about it, kind of like a hint of Zalira's relation to Winda. I think Zalira is one of the most uniquely looking lionesses that have ever existed and already she is displaying her nasty and snide personality to Zira, just like she did when they were cubs. I think Zalira might be seeking profitable gain from selling Finn, since she seems to have some sort of financial value due to her fur color. I think Winda and Zalira have very similar personalities since the Tsavo lions stood in military formation to let her walk by just like they did for Winda in Chapter 3; there is definitely some sort of resemblance right there. Funny thing is, Finn is based on a baby Nala plush animal I got from a garage sale a couple of years ago and I thought she looked a lot like Simba. Not that I think about it, the toy I have looks a lot more like Nala, especially since I saw a picture on the Internet that looks exactly like the toy I have.
I looked up Winda's name and it means huntress or hunt in Swahili; Zalira means flower in Swahili also. I guess I wanted to give them names with a Swahili meaning and it took some doing but I found the perfect names for them; besides, Zira does mean hate in Swahili. I don't know what Payton means but I'll give the meaning in another chapter if I can.
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