Daicar: I'm not sure about that. I don't know of you.

INeedAUsername8: Yeah, I wasn't sure of what animal spirit to give him. But I believe the horse represents him well.

Chapter 30: Wild Spirits

(The Ancient Cave, present)

Spider-Man knew that voice. After he had found the totem, an unknown voice warned him. He realized now it was telling him not to believe Kraven and M'Baku's word on their (his and Tiger's) lives. The four heroes turned to see a shining light of a multiple colors. From the aura appeared a large figure. It began walking towards them.

(Whoa.)

Soon the light disappeared to reveal the figure and owner of the voice. Before them, surrounded by a small yet stunning aura, stood a great lion. The beast is larger than any they'd ever seen. Its eyes stood level with Peter's. His fur is a stunning golden hue, while his flowing mane is a mix of gold & dark brownish-black. The lion's eyes are a fiery orange that shined like two suns. The paws of the beast looked big enough to crush the Hulk's skull. He is incredibly muscular (as a lion is), his body rippling with powerful muscles. His gaze made it hard for the four of them to keep. He was terrifying, magnificent, and beautiful all at the same time.

"W-Who are you?" Peter asked. "I am one of the wild spirits, one of many. But I am Mfalme, king of the wild spirits." His voice was as magnificent and powerful as he is.

Peter had a hard time believing his eyes.

"You four have done great things this day. The totem was created to be used for only good. The power within it drawing upon the most inner being of humans. The supernatural forces tied within the mystical item draw on the essence of nature's creatures." Mfalme continued.

The four looked at each other, contemplating the lion spirit's words.

"It was the king's lesson that one man couldn't use the power of the totem." The Panther said. "Our power is hard to understand. The mystic energy of this world is ancient and complex. One cannot simply call upon the forces of nature to do their bidding. One cannot cage a beast and tame it." The spirit replied.

Tiger sighed and looked down in shame. For generations, her family had wielded the jade tiger amulet. Each White Tiger fighting the control the tiger within. They believed the animal inside to be too dangerous and unpredictable to be set free.

"The young lady here has learned that lesson." Mfalme added. "But the spirit once took control of her! It acted crazy and nearly…." Peter didn't finish his sentence.

The lion spirit narrowed his eyes and revealed some of his massive fangs as he let out a low rumbling growl. The shrieking monkey sound shouted out in his mind.

"*Gulp* G-Got it! Sorry!" Peter nervously chuckled. "But why did it do that?" Tiger asked. "To teach you a lesson that you only now understand. It tried to show you what it is like to be made a tool…a slave. The tiger wouldn't be tamed and caged…for it can't be. It didn't want to control you; it just wished to show you the ideal of freedom and equality." Mfalme answered.

(…Uh by why did it attack me?...)

"How come she had her hair when she transformed? Just curious." Spidey asked. "Two show they were part of one another, two halves made whole." The lion spirit answered. "What is this place? I've heard of certain places in the Domain of the White Gorilla, but not this cave." Panther asked. "This is where the totem was created." Mfalme answered.

The four's eyes widened in shock and wonder. The turned to look at the ancient paintings. They then saw it: the sorcerers drawing upon the powers of the animals into the totem. Atop the object stood a great lion, it mane flowing as it roared towards the heavens. The group turned to look at Mfalme.

"Your ancestor, Bashenga, wasn't truly there to witness the creation of the Wild Totem." The spirit informed the Black Panther.

Mfalme looked at the two fallen, his eyes narrowed. The beast walked over to them until he stood over them.

"The spirits' also gain their strength from the individual's drive. For these two, those drives were of greed and the desire to kill innocents." The lion spirit continued. "What about us?" Tony asked. "For you with the stallion spirit, your drive was to defeat the evil. Your unwavering need to defeat such villainy is admirable. For you, panther king. Your drive was to avenge your father and brother, and protect the daughter of your brother. That responsibility depicts the strength of your character." The lion spirit replied, looking at the two men.

Mfalme turned to Tiger and Spidey. He moved closer to them, Peter almost took a step back. The sight of the approaching Mfalme utterly terrified him.

"For you, young tigress, one of your drives was to make peace with your tiger spirit. You wished to develop balance between human and animal. Don't worry, you have achieved that. That purpose was the reason the tiger spirit allowed for a part of your physical self to remain once you transformed." Mfalme continued. "One?" Tiger asked. "Ah yes. The other drive is what you and the spider share: your love for one another. Some humans deny this truth: but love is felt by all beings. Love is a complicated thing yet it is what defined the reason you two care for one another so much." Mfalme answered.

Tiger and Spidey gazed into one another's eyes, and blushed heavily under their masks.

"It is time." The lion spirit said.

From Kraven and M'Baku's bodies came the spirits of the white gorilla and honey badger, surrounded by the auras of the men. They walked over to the lion spirit, then bowed. Mfalme smiled and nodded.

"What's going on?" Spidey asked. "They did no wrong, the men did. Their drives were not shared by their spirits. It is strange, but those men were not in balance with their animal nature." The lion spirit answered."Ohhh…" The masked teen replied.

(Did you guys get any of that?)

From the four came their spirits, and they bowed to Mfalme. Like with the white gorilla and ratel, he nodded with a smile. The spirits turned to face those of whom they embody. Behind them appeared the shining aura, but not as great or bright as before.

"What are you doing?" Spidey gasped. "It is time for us to return. We are not truly within the totem, but our essence is linked with it. We come when someone calls." Mfalme said.

The spirits, except for Mfalme and the white tiger entered the aura. The lion spirt looked to the white tiger, whose eyes are locked with Ava's. It nodded and smiled. Tiger took off her mask and smiled at the tiger. The white tiger spirit nodded and turned away to enter the aura. It then disappeared. Mfalme smiled at the group.

"Kwaheri (Goodbye)." Mfalme said, before entering the aura.

They saw his figure turn to face them once again. Then, Mfalme let out a roar mighty enough to shake both the earth and sky. As the aura disappeared, so did the roar end. Tony let out a huge gasp before he fell to the ground.

"Well…it's over." Stark sighed. "Indeed, for now we have to take these two back to the palace." The king said. "Fury will let you deal with them." Tony said. "They will meet Wakandan justice, but I would like SHIELD here to add to Kraven's charges. I don't want anything left out." The Panther said as he helped Tony off his feet. "Oh wonderful…Sp…" The Iron Knight was about to say, but the king interjected, "The two of us can handle it. They need some time alone. We shall wait for them outside the cave."

Black Panther carried Kraven on his shoulders. Since Iron Man still had his armor mostly (the transformation didn't get rid of it), he hauled M'Baku.

"You two should talk, we shall wait for you outside." The king said. "What about the…" Spidey started to say, but Iron Man blasted it apart with his repulsor.

(Oh you've got to be shitting me!)

"You seriously couldn't have done that earlier?" Spider-Man growled. "Sorry, heat of the moment back then." Iron Man replied, shrugging apologetically.

They exited the cave. Tiger and Spidey stood there awkwardly.

"It's still hard for me to believe you came all the way here for me." She chuckled. "Well um…why wouldn't I?" He replied.

Tiger saw something on the other side of the cave shining. She walked over and picked it up. It was her half of the split keychain.

"I still have the other half." He said.

The young hero walked over and opened his pack. He pulled out his half and walked over to her. They pieced them together. Spidey took off his mask.

"We make a great team." He chuckled. "Indeed we do. But do me a favor: stop talking." She said. "…Oh…am I ruing the moment?..." He grunted in despair. "No." She replied. "Than for what?" He asked. "For this." She answered.

Then she kissed him, with a deep & great passion.

To be continued…