Timon, Pumbaa, Sarafina and the rest of the Pridelanders watched as the field stepped out onto the track. Pumbaa looked down next to him and found a large stick lying on the ground. He picked it up and held it up high in the air.

"Pumbaa, what are you doing?" asked Timon.

"Flagging a score reporter down, Timon. Don't you remember? We hold these up in the air and a bird will come down and tell us how many points each of the competitors has."

"Yes, but Pumbaa…the game hasn't started yet. No one has any points."

"I know that," replied Pumbaa, "but I'm trying to get Zazu down to watch the start with us."

Suddenly, a red hornbill flew down in front of them and landed in front of Pumbaa's feet.

"Can I help you gents?" it asked.

"Sorry," replied Pumbaa, "not Zazu."

The red hornbill flew off and Pumbaa lifted the stick up again.

"How may I be of service?"

"Sorry, not Zazu."

And again.

"What is it that you would wish to know?"

"Not Zazu either."

And again.

"Could I assist you all with anything?"

"Nope."

"Pumbaa!" exclaimed Sarafina, "that was Zazu!" she pointed out as the blue hornbill flew off.

"Oh…right…Zazu! Come back!" called Pumbaa.

The blue hornbill continued to fly off.

"Oh well," said Timon, shrugging, "we don't need him to watch this with us. I'm sure he's got plenty of stuff to do." Timon looked back down at the circuit. "Hey," he said, "looks like everything's ready. Once they get a zebra and a buffalo out there they should be good to go."

"They don't need to," replied Sarafina, getting up on her feet, "remember? They don't release the zebra and buffalo until later. The event starts with everyone chasing the antelope."

Sarafina looked back out across the circuit. All the competitors were lining up behind the starting line and facing themselves ready to run in the counterclockwise direction. Towards the inside of the circuit were those who were planning on chasing down the antelope. Towards the middle of the circuit were those who planned on running, but not necessarily after the antelope. Then, towards the outside of the circuit were those who were planning on trotting or walking their way around the first lap and getting off to an easy start.

"Simba and Nala are towards the outside," commented Pumbaa. "Do you think they can hear us?"

"They could if we called them," replied Sarafina, "but don't. I'm sure they're doing a lot of concentrating right now."

Simba was planning on walking from the start. He knew that the daytime wasn't the best time for hunting, so why waste his energy now? He knew why the fast ones would want to get the first antelope though: bragging rights. Simba sometimes had difficulty remembering who had finished second when Sarafina had won the Siku Choka, but he could always remember who had taken the first piece of prey down. It had been Uku, the most successful Siku Choka competitor of all time. She had made her final appearance in the Siku Choka two years ago at the age of 16. Unfortunately, she was never able to make it to the end as she passed away during the event in her sleep.

Simba's thoughts were interrupted as he heard a lioness sigh next to him. He looked over to see if he recognized her. He didn't, but at a guess he thought it was either Bilauri or Linda.

"Nervous?" he asked.

"I am," admitted the lioness, "but I don't see why I should be. Every time I watch this game it seems that a bunch of the competitors are idiots."

"Really?" asked Simba. "What makes you say that?"

"Only one time during the past ten years has the lion that caught the first piece of prey actually gone on to win the event…I don't see why that crowd over there is so obsessed with that antelope."

Simba raised his eyebrows. This lioness seemed to know a lot about the history of this game…perhaps she could help him?

"Mind me asking you…um…"

"Bilauri."

"Bilauri…but do you know what the least amount of points a competitor has scored? You know, one that has actually completed the whole game?"

"73," replied the lioness. "Amy. Siku Choka 3. She finished 18th of 20 that day."

Simba smiled. This lioness could really be of use to him. Now he knew that, as long as he got 74 points or more, he would not go down as the worst Siku Choka competitor in history!

A cheer began to pick up on the hills.

"Kanafa must be picking up the loudspeaker," said Bilauri, "I guess it's time."

Sure enough, the next thing that Simba heard was the cheetah's voice coming through the loudspeaker.

"Competitors…ready!" he exclaimed. "…set…and…the twenty-seventh running of the Siku Choka is – GO!"

Peponi led Eboni, Shairi, Linda, Winda and Tumaini as they chased after the antelope. Lenny was also running but was far behind the lead pack of six while Nala and Juveda had started off on a trot. The rest all began sluggishly walking behind them.

An echo bounced off the hills as the crowd's cheers grew in the first of the two long turns. Peponi was quick and, consequently, it was almost inevitable that she would catch the first antelope. Thus, Eboni began to back off. She could now try and conserve her energy before she raced after the next antelope. However, Peponi stumbled. She made her move on the antelope too early and his hoof caught her in the shoulder blade. It wasn't enough to hurt Peponi, but it was enough to cause her to fall over.

Eboni would've been the next in line to make a charge on the antelope but, since she had already slowed, she had been passed by Shairi. The golden lioness was now right on the antelope's heels and, soon afterwards, on his back. Shairi brought the antelope down and picked up the first ten points of the event.

The crowd congratulated her with hoots, hollers and cheers that could be heard from outside the Prideland borders.

Shairi got back up onto her feet to find her sister standing next to her.

"Nice catch," said Winda.

Shairi looked back down at the antelope, proud of what she'd been able to accomplish.

"Lost the nerve, eh?" she said to Winda. "I don't think so."

"Is that guy a rookie?" Bilauri asked, looking back over her shoulder.

"Uh…that guy? Yeah…that's Tonka…he's a rookie."

"I can tell," Bilauri replied.

"Why?" Simba asked back.

"Well he's waiting in ambush for the next antelope. It's not going to work this early in the game. The field is spread out. Someone will come and chase that antelope down before it passes him."

Simba understood what Bilauri was saying. 'Ambushing' was a common strategy used in the Siku Choka. The predators and the prey could only walk in one direction around the circuit: counterclockwise. Therefore, if there wasn't any prey in front of you, you could actually stop on the circuit and just wait until the next piece of prey came walking around. The problem with that strategy now, as Bilauri had pointed out, was that the prey was never in a hurry unless it was being chased. It would take several minutes for the second antelope, which was casually biding his time, to make his way on by Tonka. However, time had passed and Eboni, Linda and Tumaini were already making their way out of the final of the two long left turns. Once one of them had brought the antelope down, a new one would be released, and chances are that that one would be brought down by Lenny, Peponi or Winda, who were also all still running around the circuit. It was simply too early in the game for the ambushing strategy to work.

Simba and Bilauri continued to walk together while Nala and Juveda continued their trot farther up the track. Neither of them was making alliances with each other. It was too early for that. They just happened to be walking at the same pace as each other.

Meanwhile, Tonka was slowly beginning to work out why his strategy wasn't going to work. That was…until Eboni, Linda and Tumaini slowed down. The crowd grew silent behind him. Tonka knew what was going on.

The crowd could certainly have an influence on the outcome of the game. You wanted to have them on your side. If they liked you, they'd be quiet when you were trying to hunt down a piece of prey. If they didn't, which, in the past, usually meant your name was Wamariri, they would make a lot of noise which, consequently, would startle the prey and cause it to spring out into a run. But for now the crowd didn't really know who they liked and thus they were quiet whenever anyone was beginning a hunt.

Eboni, Linda and Tumaini were now all lined up side-to-side, slowly creeping their way towards the antelope. They would wait until each of them thought that the moment was right. They didn't want to go too early because they wanted to get as close to the prey as they could, yet they couldn't leave it too late either or else one of the other competitors could break out into a run first. Or, worse, if they left it too late the antelope might sense their presence, go off into a run, and be ambushed by Tonka instead.

Everyone within the four hills knew how this strategy was played.

Well…thought Tumaini…everyone except for…she heard a lion running from behind her.

She gasped quietly. "Lenny," she whispered to herself. Faintly, she could hear him approaching. She checked back over at Eboni and Linda to see if either of them had heard her. They were both giving her strange looks, trying to work out what she had just said.

Tumaini smiled. "Bye bye," she said, and she sprinted off into a run.

Eboni and Linda were confused. Why had she started the run now? It was too ear…

Lenny ran on by them.

…ly.

The crowd began to cheer as Tumaini led Lenny as they both began to charge after the galloping antelope.

Tumaini was faster, lighter and in front though. It wasn't much of a challenge for her. Ten points for the antelope and one point for the lap she had just completed gave her a grand total of eleven points, putting her in the lead.

The lioness she had taken the lead from, Shairi, had found her pride sitting on the hills on the backstretch. She lied down on the outside of the track right in front of them. She was away from where all the competitors would be running and thus she was safe. She already had ten points and, until they released the zebra and the buffalo out onto the track, there wasn't a whole lot more she could get. Now, she could drift off to sleep knowing that, when a zebra and a buffalo were released out onto the circuit, her pride would be there on the hillside to wake her.

Shairi's sister, Winda, was in a chase with Peponi after the new antelope that had been released. After suffering defeat on the first antelope, Peponi was determined to get this one, and thus she was the first on the antelope's back. However, Winda had been playing this game for a slight bit longer than Peponi had. She knew all the tricks now.

Peponi was on the antelope's back and was beginning to drag him down, but she hadn't been able to reach up towards his neck and kill him yet.

Perhaps she needs help with that part, Winda thought. Winda jumped up onto the antelope's back herself and delivered the fatal bite on the neck. The antelope collapsed and Winda scored her first ten points of the game.

"Hmm," said Peponi, looking down at the dead carcass, "now, I've lost both of my kills to you Lionrock sisters."

Winda smiled. "Get used to it," she replied.

Peponi smiled back. "Oh," she said, "I don't plan on that."

Nala looked up. A new antelope was being released out onto the circuit. She checked over her shoulder. Juveda was trotting behind her, still not taking her eyes off the ground much. Nala tried to look around for any sign of a lion that was about to pass her.

There was none.

Finally, she understood. Butterflies filled her chest.

I'm next…

Her Siku Choka was about to start…

(A/N: Don't worry, I'm sure Simba and Nala will find each other on the course at some point during the game. Reviews appreciated!)