(A/N: In this chapter, Tabari and Jeyluxhal spend time together as father and son, there's only one thing that comes up as trouble and it's the appearance of a elephant whose looking to in-his-words record his son's behavior so they can report to Simba about his health, because he was watching the kids at the playground like a pedophile waiting to strike and he was actually playing in the same area with them around. It don't sit right with the elephant. This however does not mean stalking his son from afar and writing down what he sees, but this is the only thing bad that really happens. No Inahakis, no animals causing trouble for him, nobody trying to start some shit with him. Nothing happens to Jeyluxhal at all. This is also where someone I have been waiting to introduce first appears, because she plays the most important role that is in this story; to help Jeyluxhal save himself from treading down that same dark road to self destruction, which is what Baridi and Pazia, at least the latter flamingo, are aiming towards to kill him when this hyena that Tabari had been talking to is first seen by them. Baridi believes he's training him to do the job and kill the lion himself, but has no idea that he's his son until the final chapter where he is killed by him for good. For now, this is a chapter that's supposed to act as a breather and introduce an important character who will interact with him in the next chapter; where the two will 'meet' for the 'first' time. Oh yes, I am implying that there's been an earlier encounter but until that information is revealed by this character; it will remain out of the picture. Given that I have "diarrhea of the pen" like Stephen King and for this case when it comes to me, diarrhea of the keyboard, meaning that the author goes on forever with a lot of overstuffed details; this is not going to be a short chapter since you know me. I don't even know the meaning of short chapters. I digress, this is just me going on with a description for the beginning. If you remember that I said that Jeyluxhal was going to have some changes to his appearance or more like some additions to how he really looks, this is the chapter where you will see him in his new look to make him stand out more; not to mention this is also the chapter where you will finally see Najira's fleshed out appearance for once and finally, it was really getting on my mind because I didn't know how to describe her outside of her red mane that Jeyluxhal had from his mother. Let's get on with the father and son moments shall we? Here we go)

Not too long ago, Jeyluxhal had been confiding in Fahari about a situation that happened for some time before Shenzi returned to retake her rightful place as leader of the clan; while his father Tabari had been speaking with a mistress he thought he could learn to love again, but was revealed to be someone who spoke ill of his own son because of his appearance and had tried to make him keep secrets from his father. The two later left the burrow den and set out on a long walk to all across the borders of the Backlands, explaining the situation that came of them before the two of them started to head towards a playground so his son can be himself even if it is just for a day; it was a reminder to show everyone that Jeyluxhal was no more as innocent than a child was since he wasn't always this brooding, violent and unstable hyena that many animals see him as. He was a pup once, even in Shenzi's Clan he was just a pup in a graveyard full of dead elephants who didn't feel like he grew up to be someone who was an mature and grown up hyena like the trio everyone knows; but even they had inner children which came out at times even if their leader had to make sure they focus on what was going on. Because of the passage of time that moved on even when he didn't feel like anything had changed, he grew into a larger hyena who could defend himself against bigger predators and became more scarred but no more of a mute than he was as a pup

Outside of the previously detailed descriptions that told others of what he looks like in the prior chapters, there was so much more to talk about his appearance. The readers have the right to know what he looks like now, but this doesn't mean his previous look is completely overwritten as he still retains the look as it was established in the chapters before this one; this is supposed to add onto his appearance as it is said before. This is what he looks like now with his time in the sun and his time being spent with his friends like before when he was young, although you might've not seen him do so on-screen; he has been seeing and hanging out with his friends nevertheless. He just has a lot on his plate, but here's his appearance just to point it out:

Jeyluxhal had a soya bean brown color to his fur with the shadows being a kabul brown, as his squishy and jiggly primordial pouch swaying underbelly carried a cement tan brown color; as the shadows of his underbelly was a coffee tan brown with his inner ears having a judge grey brown along with his ear shadows being a iroko brown, even his mane to his ears along with his socks to his lips and eyeshades being in a zeus brown color; but even the brown color did not overpower his red mane that he had inherited from his mother. His spots were also in an iroko brown color as the outer color of his fur was a mongoose tan with his eyebrows being a kilimanjaro brown color, even then there was more to his appearance than all this. His fur is also equipped with a pablo greyish tan color with a taupe brown to his spots, along with his underbelly having a sorrell brownish tan shade as his ears had a shingle fawn brown color too as well; bearing a cod greyish brown to his socks, tail, mane and lips which cannot overpower his red colored mane as his eyeshades to his paws were a birch brown too; the outlines of his nose was an armadillo brownish grey shade with the nose shine being a lunar greenish grey. Furthermore, his eyeshades to his red colored mane and his tail to his lips and the shadow of his socks were a rangoon green brown color; with a fuscous grey to the shadows of his fur as well as a libson brown to the shadow of his ears and a husk yellow tan to the shadows of his underbelly, as the shadow of his paws were a mikado brown color all in the end. This did not meant that his scars, his clawmarks or his bitemarks were silvery, signaling they were healed; neither is his wine and merlot to garnet and ruby red colored mauling styled stretch marks on his squishy underbelly, which were also shaped like tiger stripes that were sunken in deep by one meter that can be felt on the surface of his body; which were striae rubra stretch marks of which are a result of pregnancy, for him they were just naturally seen on his body as part of him growing up. That didn't mean he wasn't a true teenager at this age however, he was still a pup/cub and like it was said before; he didn't feel like he grew up. He remained all the more unchanged in both appearance and spirit as a young lad, coming off like his grandfather when he got married to the one he loved and who was the reluctant of the three out of them. One detail that was hard-to-see at first was his eyes, now sporting a rebel to a wood bark and a creole to a cioccolato as well as a brozne to a robin red tinted color in his eyes; to be exact it was the vibrantly but deeply saturated robin red shade as seen on their underbelly plumage, bearing a hint of pomegranate to milano and rustic cardinal red. Therefore, it confused other animals due to the lighting of his brown eyes that looked like solidified kino sap from inside a damage eucalyptus or southern blue gum log; regarding what color his eyes really were of course, just in case anyone who asks needed a fully detailed description on what he looked like but that's only for the really insane people. Though whether or not his eyes appeared to be red or brown was irrelevant. Finally, he's been looking better since getting his experience with Danguro off his chest and felt ready to list off more of what she had done to him; he had even tied his split mullet mane into a short hair knot that went exactly where he wanted it to be, right behind his ears just like he liked it as this wasn't the first time he had it like this way

Just as his father said, they were going to explore all across the borders of their land and had no real destination in mind; but first, they were going to head over to a playground so that he could blow some steam off. But if you read the epilogue of the last chapter, then you know it will not truly be a day without anything going wrong; though this time around, it's nothing as serious as it one would expect after a onslaught of conflicts that threaten either Jeyluxhal or drive him to making bad decisions

There was a bull elephant, which was a male by the way as they're called bulls as Ono would tell you, who was watching Jeyluxhal in the distance as he fed on the leaves of the tree he's taking shelter under as the skin of elephants were dry but they do overheat on hot days. His kind can't sweat and have to depend on vasodilation, widening his blood vessels, flapping a pair of his floppy ears and moving to shade along with swimming and spraying their bodies in both mud and water to cool down. This elephant unfortunately had doused himself in a cool, refreshing deluge of water with his trunk; and this was unfortunate for the reason that he is a stalker given how he watched the hyena leave with his father

Foolishly choosing to tail them from a distance and not believing that Tabari would notice, he picked up a large but flat surfaced slab of rock along with some fruits to use as paint so he can record his son's behavior; hopefully so he can report this to Simba, the king in red mane and a gold fur body. It's important not to feel pity for when he gets caught, this criminal offense for this behavior should be filed under "What in God's Name Did He Hope to Accomplish There?"

Plenty of times did the elephant keep him in his sight and pretend to go off elsewhere when Tabari was suspecting something, or even hide amongst the herds that were roaming here. He was hoping to take note of any action that Jeyluxhal was going to attempt and use in his little observation of the hyena, using this as a way to help Simba or so he kept telling himself

In the meantime, Tabari went on explaining his wife Najira to his son and how he could only ever remember the mother figure that she was; but it was alright to see her as just that, she was never a hyena who had patience for the entitled and her ultimatums usually enough to send them off. To hear him describe her appearance gave further signs of how much he had missed her, and how much pain that Baridi had brought him; how much he wanted to plunge his claws into his cold black heart just as much as Jeyluxhal wanted. Much of her appearance applied to him, but her personality outside the relationship she was well known for was not made clear; he never witnessed her in confrontations much, but Tabari has and she is not a nice woman. Without further delay, here it is:

Najira was a hyena who bore a kabul to a roman coffee as well as a domino tan to a sand dune brownish grey and sandrift tan color to her fur, along with having that mongoose to a domino tan color for her underbelly; which also came from a millbrook to a iroko brown color, having a couple of aths special to pavlova cream as well as a teak tan colored shades to her fur which was no darker than her mate Tabari's fur as well as bearing a darker domino tan shade. There were some shades of a cameo cream color to her fur, with mongoose tan socks as she also had a leather brownish tan colored tail with her hairy heath reddish brown nose which also came with a burning sand orangish tan colored shine on her nose. Having a teak tannish and a kabul brownish muzzle as well as a cocoa brown colored eyeshade to a dark cocoa brown color that was for her eyelids. Some of the shades of this female hyena was a russet to a rock brown as well as a cement brownish tan and a thunder blackish brown color, as both her eyes had bore a crail orange to a fuzzy wuzzy orangish brown as well as a mona lisa to paarl brownish orange light; alongside a pharlap hippopotamus greyish purple shining light that only she could have as Tabari remembered from her the most. With many different shades of tan to her fur which included a mongoose to a domino tan color, as her ears included a rust orangish brown along with a bistre dark brown color as her fur also came in the form of a toast brownish tan with a merlin brown color as well. What made her more notorious than The Notorious B.I.G was her curly edged mane that was a reflective mahogany to a lipstick red color, something that could be seen in the sunlight and it's rays which also came in a shining aubergine to a temptress red shaded and tinted color as well; it's not that often for the witness to see someone being born with such beautiful mane. Jeyluxhal only ever knew her as the mother that he saw her as and someone who doesn't take someone's shit, like with the time another one took the swing she was about to use but won out by retaliating in response to her snooze-you-lose reply

This even brought up a time when Jeyluxhal was only a pup and was unaware of the looming threat that had changed the course of what his parents had hoped to be a good life that both his parents never had, in their earlier years of course. This was not a curse on the family, but it was just one bad day and a rather long one if there's anything to doubt; he allowed his eyes to flash and his mind to take him back to the paws of a pup that he once was, it mattered not if he was actually called a cub like a lion or a pup as they were no different to one another

He was at a younger age than what he commonly saw himself when thinking back to what his memories with his mom was like if he recalled...

Walking by Najira and never leaving her side was like how he never left Shenzi's side either when he first laid eyes on her, approaching a naturally built swingset that had two swings on the left and the right side respectively; though the right strap was broken and therefore only left the one on the left available for grabs by him. She turned to face him and asked

"Tajiuva, you want a swing?" She gestured to the one swing that was still intact

How could he say no to her? The young hyena nodded and brushed the side of his face up against her thigh as his tail was wagging from side to side, rearing back all fours to stretch right before the mother and son approached; but it seemed that a zebra and her daughter had taken the swing before them

Najira proceeded to tell her. "Excuse me, we were about to use that"

"You snooze, you lose, lady; if you want to argue with me, do so elsewhere like in the sand box" The rude zebra unkindly responded

She narrowed her eyes, she ain't having none of that pitted against her as she grabbed the strap of the swingset to stop her daughter. "We can do this one of two ways: my cub swings on this tree, or your body swings from another"

The rude zebra complied and left as quickly as the two could to another part of the natural playground, her threat was implying that she was going to swing from a noose on a branch just so you know what she meant for those who are confused. Najira helped her cub climb aboard while she began to push him from behind as he held on, though she wasn't any less calm as she started to vent out

"She saw me walking to the swing" She shook her head as she maintained restraint not to push him too hard

Tajiuva agreed on that, he didn't think he would want to see that rude zebra swing from a tree branch; she was fully aware that he knew what she was threatening to her, and she's not about to blame him for turning a little white for the food for thought

"No one walks over me, those days are over, we demand respect!" That time though, she didn't take it easy and pushed him a little higher than what was safe; but slowed down and returned to a consistent pace. "Listen to me, demanding respect for me and your father; you don't have anything to get worried
about; she's just being rude"

No, he didn't have anything to be worried about for his age and he didn't have much to think of but the fun he was enjoying for himself on a day out with mother at his age. Tajiuva went on and continued to swing with him feeling the wind rush through his fur, going higher and higher as the worries and frustrations from earlier were forgotten; replaced by pure joy and exhilaration

Najira just couldn't stop herself from laughing at her son. "Look at you, my little daredevil! You're soaring so high!"

Taijuva looked back at his mother with a big smile, eyes shining with happiness and feeling safe and loved in her presence; knowing that she will always be here with him. Returning to the time that stood before him with his name being rechristened as Jeyluxhal, now aware of the looming threat that had long changed the course of what his parents had hoped to be; his mother was gone, but his father was here. Opening his eyes to see the present time with the two coming near the park

Tabari saw that look on his face as he told him. "Najira never had much time for the ones who tested her patience, fierce as her spirit and never backing off until she made you happy. They should've taken that rude zebra's example of backing down from her, she's willing to die on a hill as an old woman all for her cub. If she ever got to be a old woman, a silver mane and silver furred hyena with her affairs set in order and ready to let go; but Baridi took even that from her"

In the distance, there was a playground that they were approaching which had been naturally made. A large fallen tree being used as a balance beam across rocks. Tall grasses weaved to make a natural maze. A shallow pool of water used as a mini swimming area for some of the smaller animals, refreshing on hot days. Having some rocks built into natural caves using the logs and soil to grass used for hiding spots and tunnels to explore. Having a natural built tree with lots of sturdy branches to climb. Swings made of long vines with split log seats to swing from as they're secured and will hold even the heaviest set animals. Slopes and inclines that were formed from mud, rocks and smoothed out with ladders to climb up. Hollowed out logs and bushes to thick grasses being made into tubes to walk through as well as termite mounds that were tall, being carved out. Tree stumps in different sizes and heights for stepping stone platforms. Hippo blubber skinned ringed tubes for tire swings. Lots of the younger animals in the playground too which was to be expected, playing on the many structures and whatnot. Why wait now? Let's get started then shall we?

Jeyluxhal reminiscing on that time with his mother obviously led him to the same swing he hopped into as a cub, the hyena sat down and swung slowly by rearing in backwards and then thrusting himself forward as is the way of other animals who would swing by themselves. He was just here to spend some time with his father, feel like a cub again

Tabari on the otherhand was reminiscing on the time when he was with both his son and his father, who was named Abhjitkuveer, together. Like Jeyluxhal's original name, Tajiuva, it was a kind of name that was combined from two different names and in his case; it was from the Hindu-India names "Abhiveer" meaning one who commands; one who is surrounded by heroes and warriors, and "Ajitkumaar" meaning hero in the same language. Out of the three which make up himself, his father and Jeyluxhal; Abhjitkuveer was the most reluctant of the three hyenas and was like Christopher Belmont from the comic: "Castlevania: The Belmont Legacy" by Dark Horse Comics

Both were reluctant heroes when compared to both Tabari and Tajiuva as well as the ancestors of the Belmont Clan, both were anxiety and feared omens of their enemies; both are distressed by the knowledge of their enemies being capable of things they did and both hoped they never had to face those kinds of horrors that they were capable of. The former made sense because it was a part of the burden of his destiny as a Belmont. For Abhjitkuveer, it's about the same but it was the Circle of Life that he, like Tabari and Jeyluxhal, too believed is a kind of ideology that he doesn't have to follow; but he follows it nevertheless because as a hyena, he knows his role and follows it; just like how Jasiri had taught Kion when the two first met to dispel any thoughts of assuming they are all like Janja's Clan. Not to mention, both the most often forgotten member of the Belmont Clan, Christopher, in the Dark Horse comic at least as well as Abhjitkuveer wanted to live in peace with their newly wed loved ones. Christopher's wife being Illya Riktor and Abhjitkuveer's mate being a truly loving lass named Deepti

Deepti's name was Sanskrit for "the ray of hope" but it could also mean "a bright flame that blinds the eye" which couldn't be any more accurate to describe Tabari's mother, she loved Abhjitkuveer and she loved her son Tabari; but it has been some time since Abhjitkuveer is found to be with someone he loved the same way as Deepti. She got to meet Tajiuva when he was a newborn, but no further beyond as she seemed to be at peace that she got to see her grandson once before she passed away from natural causes. Abhjitkuveer has a lot more years to go on and he'll live like his beloved wanted from him. He wasn't always reluctant as when he realized his time to come and take up his destiny that burdened him, both him and Christopher overcame this fear and reluctance before fully accepting their destinies of their respective worlds. Christopher for passing down the Vampire Killer whip for generations to come, and Abhjitkuveer for raising his son Tabari the way that he wanted him to be raised so he could face any enemies that were made by fate that planned for great things

(A/N: Abhjitkuveer is voiced by Kelsey Grammer, because I like Stinky Pete from Toy Story 2 and his voice really does sound fatherly; at least before he was revealed to be the one who turned on the TV last night and not Jesse, and revealed his motives as the main antagonist. If I were to do a Castlevania: The Adventure and Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge kind of story featuring him who was recently married for the first one, and is trying to find his son Tabari; I would say that Young Abhjitkuveer would be voiced by Marcel Jeannin, the voice actor for the Prince of Perisa in the Warrior Within September 2004 Demo who sounds traumatized and angry; sounding a bit old for his age which sounds like he's in his early 40s or late 30s)

Abhjitkuveer at the time had visited both his son Tabari and his grandson Tajiuva, along with Najira whom he saw as his own daughter. The cub had spent some time with him as his father taught his grandson some things that there was to know about hyenas like himself and what he is, as Tajiuva's father in general he taught him as well with some lessons; which he did not sugarcoat his words in regard to his age. He was uncut, unapologetic and uncouth about how he worded his lessons. He can see it on this same bright day that it was when he sat down on a wide tree stump that acted as a bench at this park, he thought about himself as he did not have any shame in the way he spoke to his son

In this memory, it was exactly as stated before as it was a bright day and it was just him and Tajiuva as a cub when he was teaching him outside their den while Najira was out hunting in the Backlands. What he said to him was this:

"Don't let those animals of the Pride Lands or the serengeti tell you that we have no purpose here beyond being seen as scavengers who threaten the Circle of Life, that is not in their own power to judge us on another clan because we are the ones who are keeping their lands alive by keeping the zebras and wildebeest from overgrazing; we are the ones who are keeping all of them in line, and we are the one who keep the soil from eroding and the land turning to a desert like the Pharaoh's lands far away from here" Tabari was firm in his stance

Tajiuva, being a cub at his age, didn't understand what the stigma against his kind was all about; there wasn't anything wrong with them. They can get hungry like them, and it's not like they don't get greedy either yet they don't get punished. His facial expression was torn between confusion and ignorant denial with his eyes narrowed, his eyebrows tilted down a little bit and his lips sealed with his head facing down. Tabari had a paw on his back as he stroked his son

"We all have our roles to play that the animals seem to forget until they have to be reminded and called out by Rafiki in order to ensure they don't forget this time, and our role goes more than ridding these lands of the remains of the kills that the lions leave behind. We return the nutrients to the desert soil, it's what I was taught by my father long before your mother and I came to the Backlands. And there's more to this than you know" Tajiuva's father gripped the cub's back, with Tajiuva looking up in interest

Tabari looked out ahead to see the zebras in the distance and brings his son closer to him with his arm.

"Our jaws are the strongest in the serengeti, not even a hippopotamus with their thick skin and extremely territorial aggressiveness can withstand us. Only the crocodiles are greater than us, like your friend Zuberi for example but even he and another crocodile float can take one down without too much struggle; and so can you because you have to remember this: no one rules over anyone, not in the Pride Lands and not here in the Backlands either. But there are some other things I should teach you about: our jaws aren't just for proving that not even deadliest animals can walk away from clans like us without getting unscathed or without any mortal injuries that would most likely prove to be fatal. They're like nutrient blenders, since we can grind out calcium and phosphorus from bones, which are actually porous themselves as they can be easily bleached by the sun or take on the color of what they're buried with, as what comes afterwards; you should know the full answer: we shit them out back into the soil, preferably the relatively poor soil of the Kalahari Desert"

That one got Tajiuva giggling like the cub that he is and Tabari could only smile

"Laugh it up, you little daredevil; it's all apart of what we are, eating prey like wild dogs and cheetahs do which were going to be meat of course as to be expected since we're carnivores, to let them spread iron in our blood around the kill site; shitting out other nutrients while we are at it too. But we also crunch bones like none other to get at the marrow too. Then, there's the white blobs of shit that you've seen; another feature of our kind really. That's for marking the edges of our territories, making sure they're in latrine areas that mark the edges that is of course. Believe it or not, I find it funny that they also use this white butter-like shit to tell an hyena apart from another just by the smell of it; that shouldn't make us different because we are both like musk deer, their musk is for drying and making medicine for strokes, coma, let's see here eh... nerve problems, seizures, heart and circulation problems, tumors and injuries; I've heard them say the white blobs of shit smell like cheap soap, for me it smells like mulch, another way of making sure the grass stays green. Best part of this? I heard the Watu use it for their torches in the eastern parts of the Pride Lands" Tabari chuckled to himself, like it was established before; he has no shame in describing this nor has any shame in having his son laugh at this

The spotted hyena father isn't wrong about that fact. It's exactly what the role of hyenas are as they're more than clean up crews, every animals has their ways of communication and the ways of lifestyle; but as Tabari and his father said: no one rules anybody, other animals best remember that if they want to judge and dictate how hyenas should live because they aren't the ones who make up the rules. As for the Watu, they're a mysterious species who're native to the jungles of Hakuna Matata and are considered legends by the animals of the savannah; they are only known to walk on two legs. It's not like you don't already know what the Watu really are because Simba, Timon and Pumbaa once visited a cave that displayed drawings of these species as well as the tools that were left behind; which overnight had been taken back and done so without waking anyone up. Essentially speaking, that's where Baridi is making his next move to: a Watu camp where medicine for breathing trouble supplies are. As one can already guess, Watu translates to "people" or "population" and this term is referring to humans

Abhjitkuveer, as it was said before, had taught Tajiuva the basic parts of what it meant to be a hyena but they were no less important to teach him as he was a cub at the time. Such as them being related more to cats and mongooses, as well as meerkats which makes Jeyluxhal feel a strange kinship to Timon given that knowledge of his kind being close relatives to both kinds of species. This next fact was proven true as hyenas are not scavengers, they eat carrion and carcasses but they are not strictly scavengers, they are all predators; very efficient and damn good hunters who can kill seventy to ninety percent of their prey. They're able to count, they are able to solve puzzles and use tools as well like the makeshift weapons that Jeyluxhal had built in the earlier chapters. Because they're spotted hyenas, they're the largest species that make up their entire kind; weighing up to a hundred thirty pounds and growing up to six feet long. The previous fact was about how very intelligent they are, by the way. Jeyluxhal wasn't very vocal in speech but he was very vocal nonetheless in terms of making sounds like barks, growls, screams and other sounds; that and clans like Shenzi's could be made up of eighty of his kind. Running up to speeds up to forty miles per hour is useful, smelling food from up to ten miles away is great; going for long periods of time without drinking, you bet it helps. The adaptability in habitats like deserts, forests and grasslands makes sure no part of their turf is going unmarked by them. Then there's some facts that Abhjitkuveer taught him that as a cub he never knew himself

In hot weather, hyenas like him cooled down by sweating through their paws and they have a third eyelid that protects their eyes from dust and dirt. That's pretty unique, oh and this was also due to be brought up here but their intelligence also includes using sticks to dig up some termites; which was related to using tools. They're excellent swimmers too as they can swim across rivers and lakes in search of food, very good at climbing trees like both leopards and of course cheetahs as they can either escape predators or get a better view of their surrounding area. Think of it like synchronizing with one's environment and surveying their surroundings, letting their eyes drink in as much detail as one could so they can know where to set and plan their strategies; knowing where to ambush their prey who remains unaware of them as of yet as such before they struck. Being that Jeyluxhal was a cub and even now as what he was, this is no surprise that his kind is very playful since they enjoy playing games with each other like chasing and wrestling. Among his vocalizations were grunts and snorts, which was something he knew of course, a lot of these things were as the first two were something he didn't know as a cub. They know what they look like in mirrors, of course unlike roosters who believe that their reflections are rivals and they get very aggressive against them; as do monkeys who are unhappy with competition along with squirrels because they too are territorial as well, and to think hyenas like him know what their reflections are but not octopuses who are one of the smartest creatures. Two things that Jeyluxhal can appreciate about his kind was the fact he's got a special bone in his neck that helps them break the necks of his prey and the fact they're very affectionate, often grooming each other

Even Jeyluxhal's mother Najira had a few things to teach him such as their sloping back stance coming from their longer front legs which helps them with their powerful and efficient stride while running, and the fact that they rely more on their stamina and endurance during chases rather than sheer speed which followed to the heart. Their paws weren't the only thing that helped them dissipate heat, they had specialized blood vessels in their ears too and the neck muscles on them helped out with maintaining a firm grip on prey even while it struggled; the others predators better start backing off because they are not giving them up no matter what they do. And even though Jeyluxhal hunted alone by himself, he strategized, he coordinated and he executed his attacks on prey as if he were leading a band of hyenas

All three of them had a role in teaching Jeyluxhal about what it means to be a hyena, all as a cub in that same era when his mate was here. Tabari returned to reality to see his son coming out of his own moment of reminiscing as he was watching the younger animals play, sitting down as he thought about his own cubhood; his facial expression said it all. His drooped ears, his eyebrows were tilted downwards slightly, his eyes were diagonally slanted down, his lips were half sealed with his teeth being opened at the front and the floppy tip of his tongue was peeking through. His sparse huffs being vented out of his nose every eight seconds right in between proved Tabari's belief that his son was thinking about his childhood when he saw him watching the other younger animals

The fatherly hyena knew something else as well with his right ear leaning inward to the side, listening in to the stalking elephant writing down something on a rock slab. He let out a huff of his own through his snout before he told his son. "I'll be back... they just couldn't leave us alone"

Jeyluxhal broke away from his thoughts and put a paw on his father's right shoulder with his left paw, nodding to indicate he understood as his father then left to confront the stalker. This is what he heard from his father:

"Why don't you put it down?" Tabari walked down over to the stalking elephant who was writing about the hyena that was watching the children at the playground, his voice coming off as concerned

"How you doin' Tabby?" The stalking elephant nonchalantly asked, acting like nothing was wrong, now that he got his attention

"Why don't you put it down?" He barked again assertively

"Why?" The elephant questioned curiously

"'Cause, because I asked you nicely to" The fatherly hyena answered

"N- nah, listen, I was just doin' my job though, writing the truth on that hyena watching childre-" The elephant tried explaining himself while defending his actions

"No, no no, no you're not doing your job" He interrupted the elephant and defended his son

"Naw listen, you- your son is by no means bad and I'm not a hyena hating rac-" The confused elephant tried bullshitting his way out of the warning that Tarbari was giving him

"I- put the fucking slab down bro, put the fucking slab down" He firmly demanded

"Why?" Yet again the elephant questions him stubbornly

"Because I'm- 'cause I'm tellin' ya man, he's not in the mood to talk to Simba about sharing his confidential health records with Rafiki" Tabari further defended his son

"Nah you're me-" The elephant started again, still questioning, but was interrupted

"Put the slab down, alright?" The father interrupted and ordered

"No, no don't insult me" The offending elephant took that as a insult

"You're insulting me bro, and you're insulting my son whose undergoing the same shit as The Prince from The Warrior's Throne Within at the beginning" Tabari delved a bit into the story using how their main protagonist lost his childhood after being hunted down for seven long years to seven months and seven days where he grew into the man they know him as now

"I was just doin' my job man" The offending elephant defended himself

"No you're not, you're- you're not doin' a fucking job at all. This isn't a fuckin' job that Rafiki sent you on, this is stalking a family made of the two of us; me and my son" Tabari firmly ended it there and walked off

"You don't think so?" He was far off by the time he said that two minutes later. "Thanks for taking your time out of your schedule" The elephant called over to the fatherly hyena

"Fuck you..." Tabari turned back briefly under his breath as he then came over to Jeyluxhal who felt his left shoulder touched by his father's right paw, softly talking to him. "Son, this ain't the right playground for us if there's gonna be some elephant fanboy looking to write a false story about us just so they can report this to Simba; he's not in the fuckin' mood to deal with stalkers 'round here"

Jeyluxhal understood, he's had enough harassment for one day. Mind you if one needed a reminder: this hyena had dealt with a lioness who tried to make him do favors for her and in the midst of that, keep it a secret between them and he refused because people who keep secrets can't be trusted. Tabari spoke again to him

"Let me get us something to grab a bite on, your skeleton's starting to show underneath your skin" He then took him away from the playground, searching for something good to eat while leaving behind this crap that happened. "For the record, I know what you told her: adults who tend to keep secrets can't be trusted, and I know about her remark about your scars and bites; I meant what I said to Huenda, she will be listed as a sex offender after what she tried to do"

With that said, the two hyenas left as Jeyluxhal nuzzled his father with him returning the affection. If that was the end of the chapter, it would've been too quick. There's more to see and it's about this individual who will meet our hero and come together in time


In another part of the Pride Lands, a wildcat performs in collaboration with a leopard named Shoka (Axe) who spoke with a Irish accent and was known for his bass voice, alongside a band of bards such as a red fox, a skunk, a chamois and surprisingly Kuplinka who is Irish himself; it wouldn't be wrong to assume this was the same wildcat that a drunk Jeyluxhal, Timon and of course Pumbaa joined in on her street performance two chapters back in Chapter 9: "Timon and Pumbaa" which featured the duo of course (A/N: Shoka is voiced by Colm McGuinness who is known for his bass voice, you can find him on YouTube)

Now, this performance was nothing like Sienna Mae's shitty non-apology video interpretive dance where she takes no responsibility for what she did to a unconscious man. To those who were out of the loop and need some context to what this woman did, she was videotaped by the unconscious man's twin to be straddling groping him; she's not in a relationship with him and he expressed that he held no feelings for her. Both twins feel he was sexually assaulted by her. Her non-apology for the allegations includes Sam Smith's "Young" which deliberately has the lyrics: "I did nothing wrong, I'm young". For the longest time, this was the worst and it was no contest, at least before Colleen Ballinger managed to usurp it with her garbage ukalele "toxic gossip train" song that showed that she was not sorry for anything she did. No, this was nothing like Sienna Mae's dance, this one was done for the purpose of entertainment and out of earning something for her skills

This street performance was more like showing off the embodiment of the spirit of a festival of foolishness that was upcoming soon, but maintaining that seriousness in the work of art. The overall dance came off as more Arabic than African especially with her usage of a curved and fanged falchion-styled scimitar in her dance, it wasn't real mind you but it did shone off light like the sun's rays so it did give a convincing appearance; she brought it out of nowhere later in her performance to give her that mystique. Using her hips to create a sinuous rhythm like waves crashing on the shore with her tail swishing behind her on fire, spinning and twirls as her tail was a blur of motion; her leaps arching perfectly as her body, her poses were taut as were her muscles and her eyes were sparkling with joy with a smirk at the audience of those who passed by; rewarding her with praise and physical rewards

Finishing it off with movements as fluid and unpredictable as the wind, leaping with her tail being a blur of black and gold as her eyes were closed with her face being a mask of focus as well as concentration; lost in the music as she's a wild creature, free and untamed but had a good heart nevertheless. She ended it all by throwing the false scimitar in a straight line that struck her target dead on, though that doesn't mean it has to be dead center. Once finished, she thanked Shoka and his merry band of kinsmen and headed on her way. Her name was Hatima and to describe her appearance... Jesus Christ, there is a LOT of details to go over and this one isn't for those who think it's a simple walk in the park. Hatima herself does has a reason for her different looks, and it's her reason so you'd better respect what she has to say

Hatima (fate) was a wildcat who greatly resembled that of a ocelot as she had the black spots to stripes of a queen cheetah on her back, a serval's white lower jaw to round topped ventral backside that was bordered in the middle of her white underbelly all with an fat and squishy primordial pouch; her long fur being very, very, very soft as well. Having facial and bodily details of a giant forest genet, she was known to have the rosettes of a bengal cat as her eyes consisted of juniper to seaweed and crocodile to shamrock outer rings; a lime to chartreuse and lawn green inner ring to pupil that shined with white to make them known as though this made her look like a nocturnal beast, she was far from that in fact. Broadened but slim build for a wildcat such as her, she did happen to base her traits off of at least three role models which was Esmeralda whom others hold a stereotyped image of hyenas based on the role that they're following in the Circle of Life rather than seeing them for whom they are; at least there are those who are like them such as Janja but most do not like Jasiri for example. Being outspoken she does not take discrimination against others and neither herself, endure recycled hardships but still fighting onward made her a spirited one just as she was a strongly defiant one who was mysterious; capturing the attention of everyone around her as readily it would take a few words to set these stubborn animals straight that they're bullying an hyena whose father is voiced by Ron Perlman, and you don't dare to bully that hyena with a voice of that man. Her second role model was Mulan as she plays the roles offered but her personality is too powerful to be contained, being respectful of and loving to those she cares for means little as she must be true to herself in the end. She's not a strong independent female whose so powerful with zero training that she thinks that she can do things better than others and what happens next? Blind praise! No, she's more of an action-player who does not back down once she has her mind set on something; but one thing to note about her was that she was an extremely stylized wildcat with many features to her, standing out to be recognizable as the one who performed for the crowd like if she was a dancer for a feast of fools festival that was held in the Pride Lands. Her third role model was Megara as she's got the sassiness which had shown that she's not afraid to speak her mind, taking after her wit to confidence and ability to stand up for herself. She was marked with large, black ovals like a leopard

There were two solid black bars that ran from behind her ears along the back of her neck down to her shoulder blades while her bushy, thick tail was ringed in black. Her tail was varied with different patterns but had three overlaying rounded edged and left to the right horizontal rectangular shapes going from the front to the center and to the back, while having a ringed border that then became a white color that sloped down into a spiral; the second one which was thicker sloping downwards to the lower right side on the left side of the tail, while continuing the same pattern up to the black tip that ended with a white cap at the end Her paw prints acting as the pads for all four paws themselves featured a split inverted rain drop shape that was a solid ravenna brown color bordered with a old philadelphia to soccer golden color stripe going around, there was a third one which went overhead to form a kind of three-way DVD disc hub which holds the discs themselves inside DVD cases; all three were large in shape and bordered with the old golden colored stripes, all four were solidly straight just as they were flat against the ground. Both her shoulders down to her biceps had three horizontal stripes that curved upward to the upper right side, and with two back stripes that slanted downwards to the lower right side towards her spots; the first one at the front splitting off to the sides and going up towards the back of her neck and the one at the back going down to the start of her ringed tail. She had an water to fondant white mouth with a black stripe around as it bridged over to ring around her eyes, forming a rectangular edge on the top as both ends were tipped off with a upper curving tip that had two on both sides even; her sclera was a parmesan tan and flax yellow color as her pupils were a caramel to tawny brown color, some parts around her eye had white markings as well

The center of her forehead was a downwards arrow tipped rectangular shaped stripe. Going downward above her shoulders were two thick stripes that ran down the back of her neck, sloping downwards for the first one into a rounded edged fang shape at the top while the second was slanting downwards into a inverted inward facing scalene triangular shape as well; the back stripe continuing down even with a outward scalene triangular shaped barb on either side in the middle where the halfway point was. Her lower collarbone had two black slightly underhand curving horizontal stripes that had a upwards barbed tip on either side, being a slanted inverted scalene triangular shape which faced forwards toward the left and right sides respectively while slanting downwards; being longer on the top and shorter on the bottom but never being out of line in the center, as they were always situated in the middle. Around the lower sides of her left and right eyes were three short horizontal lines which had then sloped downwards into vertical dropping lines, curving off into long stripes that started to wave up slightly before ending it off with a sharp tip at the ends. Her ears from behind also seemed to have a singular white stripe in the halfway point of her triangular shaped floppy ears that too folded halfway like a dog, ringing around her eyes with a rounded stripe that curved downwards from her lower cheek further down to her jawline in the back; and even having a forward facing line that also curved downwards into a fang shape, the bridge of her snout having a thin black stripe running down from the arrow shaped stripe on her head

There was a thick diagonally downwards slanting stripe in the middle that sloped off forward into a thinning and inner facing scalene triangular shaped tip, the back side was in a rounded kind of edge which was in the exact same tint and shade as Jeyluxhal's mullet for a mane; it's no coincidence because of what her name meant but the two weren't related as in siblings or relatives, fate herself has come to the Pride Lands and has set forth on her journey to bring a hyena to this jaguar who will save him from his inner demons that threaten to turn him away from the light that never burns out just as it did before to the main anti-hero protagonist of The Hyena Prince of the Shadowlands: The Warrior's Throne Within. Going down in front of her inner eye tips was a black stripe that ran down from the front before sloping downward and off to the outer sides with a rounded edged corner, vertically going downwards to either side of the lips in front of the outer oval shaped tips of them respectively; as the outlines of her ears were black as well. Even having a similarly red colored inverted scalene and inward facing triangular shape that bordered the outer sides of her eyes, going around to her faintly similarly red tainted ears with a second stripe below a forward slanted square shaped gap in the center; as the first one slanted downwards at the back, bordering her fox muzzle fluff of fur that was a creamy and chantilly lace to a snowy and tibetan jasmine white. Like Jeyluxhal she had a mane formed hairstyle and while his was based on a mullet, having four diagonally upper and sloping curving spikes at least for the forth one with the first three facing forward; and the lower three facing downwards to her triangular shaped ears, the back of her mane is identical to Jonathan Turner's haircut from Boy Meets World combined with a 80s short shag by Jayne Matthews, also known as jayne_edosalon on Instagram to be specific for that fact, it didn't have a feathered front point in the middle though. On her first date with Jeyluxhal, he applied three rings with a cobra fang curving around the back of her ear on the second ring; as well as wrapping a thread around the lowest third ring that connected to a medallion bearing the same hyena shoulder mark from him on his shoulders, while the fang was connected on a circular shaped base that had the fang itself situated in the middle and the medallion at least had two outer facing oval shaped holes that looked like opposite halves facing the left to the right side respectively

Her shoulder had a greek psi-letter that was shaped like a trident as the lower half had three thin lines that formed into a vertical but slimmed diamond shape at the bottom tip, with the left and the right sides also having the same tip that were horizontal of course while directly at the center it was shaped like a dual ringed circular shape; the second to top side having an horizontal oval shape with a vertical slim diamond shaped tip that looked like a teardrop, and the sides forming a slightly wide U-letter shape whose halves sloped upwards into a forward facing scalene triangular shape. She had inner facing upwards curving teardrop shapes with the outer ones being thick as they formed into a rounded shaped top as the bottom curved downwards underneath like a lower crescent shaped tip, the inner ones being thinner with a flat top that sloped downwards into a curve but the bottom went a little more inwards. There was a black line vertically sloping diagonally upwards with the tip curving off inwards into a short lined tip from the top of her lips found underneath her eyes, her thighs had a inner facing upper quarter half shaped ring that went overhead and curved over to the shoulder, bordering her fluffy underbelly; the stripe that ran along the lower sides of her underbelly's side borders was a mule fawn to a pickled bean as well as a jambalaya and a derby to a sambuca along with a wood bark and an zeus brown color, and her underbelly was a taupe brown to a coffee tan as well as a bison hide creamish tan along with a celeste to mercury silver as well as a catskill white to a tibetan jasmine and chantilly lace ivory with a ice mist to a wedding veil white color. Finally, Hatima was a cacophony of different features that made her stand out, but that's because Hatima thought that she should stand out for the purpose of being different; there's no reason she should only have one style for her looks, and she chose this mix of different spots, rosaries and different styles for herself on her accord but she isn't too overly obsessed over her appearance

Hatima's personality was like a perky goth, which means enjoying the style but lacking the more maudlin or darker personality traits associated with those types of individuals, but she was not a goth herself. Her temper has a short fuse when it comes to confrontations, and her tongue was sharp as she was fierce as well, but compassionate too. Her heart is all in the right place. She would be chaotic good for alignment were to be discussed as doing whatever was right is more important than following the laws set in place, she was strong willed but not an overly zealous feminist, she was headstrong but not overly powerful or having an stubbornly independent attitude. She was cheeky especially, pretty snarky too and she had a distinctive sense of humor; distinctively inappropriate just so the others know. She's not afraid to do what's necessary either to make ends meet, she's also outspoken and a conqueror to anything that comes her way. Either way, she cares about the ones she loves and uses humor to deal with any unfamiliar situations; she grunts and shrieks with a wild fury when she attacks, rather than gasping and moaning. Girl looks like she can tear you to pieces and it's awesome, spunky yet always ready to crack a joke; can be somewhat cynical of the notions presented but immediately latches onto an ideal that concerns her loved ones and by the time she learns from those who teach her, she's well and truly caught up in the cause just like Jen Tate was in Primal (2003)

(A/N: There's one more thing about Hatima... she's voiced by Hudson Leick. Yep, Calypso from Xena: Warrior Princess although if you were to ask me, she's more like Jen Tate from Primal; a PS2 game you REALLY need to play. Completely underrated classic if you ask me. Like Hatima, Jen Tate, who is one of the two playable characters alongside Scree whose voiced by the late Andreas Katsulas from Babylon 5, is a perky goth herself and is a goth herself but she was also short tempered, sharp tongued, compassionate, wild but her heart is good, snarky, cheeky, as well as having a distinctive inappropriate sense of humor. But Jen cares about her boyfriend Lewis and wants nothing more than to find him and go home to her realm, Mortalis)

Hatima walked through the savannah like no one else, coming over to the water hole with a lot of bushes, lot of palm trees and a lot of acacia trees around as the native animals roamed with quite the lot of rhinos and giraffes to leaping antelope alike. Nothing wrong, nothing of interest going on here

There were two younger animals who were tusseling and merely playing, though one of them had stolen a Watu doll from a third animal who got up and began to chase them; though Hatima merely took back the doll without the one who stole it knowing and returned it to the third animal who originally played with it which pleased her. Hatima can be a nice gal too, something that "strong, independent women" stereotypes can't be

Next, as she approached a nearby game being played by two other animals such as a smug giraffe and a sable antelope who was at a disadvantage; she stopped in her tracks and examined the playing field with a paw resting on her chin, as she then moved a rock pebble piece to another place on the dirt drawn playing board which seemed to have the sable antelope surprised with joy while the smug giraffe at first shocked at his apparent loss. Though that didn't please the giraffe as he frowned at his opponent, Hatima seemed pleased with herself and continued on her way

"Yeah, just another beautiful day in the serengeti. Let's see how long it can stay beautiful before some Inahaki comes along..." Hatima remarked, striding in her outlook as she came to the water hole

The wildcat, who was a jaguar by the way, stopped before the lake surface of the water hole and leaned down to drink with visible ripples coming out from her lapping barbed tongue

Behind her, a Inahaki, which was a large lioness with a haughty attitude, was about to get her attention until Hatima looked up and called her out without ever turning to face her

"Arguing with me is not going to make me move away from this water hole that no one can own themselves" The wildcat wiped her mouth with her arm and groomed it afterwards, she is a cat after all and she is wild

"Listen, you little tramp! This water hole is mine, and I'll have you know that I'm the Inahaki of this pride; it has been my family's watering hole for generations and that means I own everything here including you, and I'll be damned if I let some interloper come in and take it away from us. So if you don't want to get into trouble, you can either move your lazy ass out of here right now or I'm going to make you move it for you"

"Too bad the king's majordomo, Zazu, doesn't recognize your pride as owning this water hole for generations..."

"The king's majordomo may not recognize our claim, but I'm sure he'll change his tune when I tell him how you've been harassing me. So get out of here, and don't come back. And don't think you can just hide behind your pride either. I know who you are. You're the one who's been stealing food from my cubs. I'm going to make you pay for that, one way or another." The Inahaki's face was red with anger, and her nostrils flared. She was clearly not someone to be trifled with

"Go ahead and tell Zazu" Hatima tempted the Inahaki, knowing that the hornbill has heard a library of excuses from other entitled animals before. "I'm sure he'll be very interested to hear about how you're trying to bully a lone jaguar out of her rightful place. And if you want to fight, bring it on, little kitten; I ain't afraid to scratch"

There is no point in arguing like Hatima said, the Inahaki only gave her a death glare and told the wildcat

"You better be gone by the time I return" The Inahaki left sputtering in rage, long after that entitled lioness left, Hatima looked up and breathed

"Own a water hole, just wait 'til Simba enforces that law in the Pride Lands and makes it especially clear to the Inahakis" Her sarcasm

With that spoken, Hatima turned and walked away, having been hydrated enough to satisfy her thirst

Hatima was far away from the water hole and decided to prowl along the savannah to hunt as she's got an appetite that's calling for her from within her stomach

She already has a idea on what to go for, and she's dead set on it


Like I said, this is a short chapter so there wasn't all that much to go into

I never gave Kuplinka an proper appearance like his other friends, did I? No matter, that's why I'm here to write it all down for him, though I can't write his personality:

Kuplinka (bleed) was a camarone green eyed jackal with pebble grey markings on his oat tan fur with a yellow metal to kabul desert tan colored underbelly, his mane is a mineshaft grey and furthermore, his mane was a floppy hairstyle which was long, floppy and parted right down the middle like Stephen Gately from Boyzone; which had short curving bangs on the forehead parted from the middle, while also adorning Seth Green's short straight haristyle which is a soft and sexy look for Seth as his hair was kept at one length all over and slightly parted to one side as well as styled messily and wispy. His ears were tipped with an lower half circular shaped scooped cut on the top along with another facing inwards in the middle, his brows being a russet brown color with his eyemarks being a camel tannish brown color as well his mouth being the same color; his arms and legs to both paws up front and back were a taupe brown color. His tail was tipped in the same color as his mane with the pattern below it curving downwards into a lower half left side curving crescent shape, the left side was more of the same with a lower half right side curving crescent shape that was longer than the one on the right; going down a little more. As to be expected he was a black-backed jackal which are known for being more aggressive than other jackal species as they'll take on animals that are much larger than themselves, they're said to be smarter than other animals though they tend to use this attribute for cheating and decieving others; Kuplinka however is geniune in regards to his friendship with Jeyluxhal the hyena, even if hyenas are supposed to be their predators as Tod and Copper are friends even when they didn't know they were supposed to be enemies so why can't these two? Jackals like Kuplinka fed on both meat and fruit, they're especially known to like eating aardwolves and they do eat elephants, as the trunks were all but tasty according to Reirei; it should be noted Kuplinka has no affiliation with her. And their intelligence were highly possible, meaning they're one of the smartest of the Outlands as her pack do come up with ideas of trickery to use against the Lion Guard. But their resilience and strength wasn't as strong like hyenas, they are able to give up easily unless they've got their chance of winning with larger numbers on their side. Mind you, that's all Reirei's Pack, this is Jeyluxhal's friend and he's here for him all the way with no trickery involved unless it's all up against their bullies. Kuplinka made good on the meaning of his name as he's got two leopard clawmarks underneath his light grease black nose on his snout, he did mean it when he said he tended to bleed alot when he first met Fahari; his underbelly also had some heron white that ran down underside in between his inner thighs and also on his back, which looked like horizontal tiger stripes that ran across which was just layers of fur that ran across. Either way, he still looked like any other regular jackal such as his arms and legs to both paws up front as well as down back, brown spots on his body, muzzle, underbelly, eyemarks and ear outlines; his three black spikes on his forehead were combed up and backwards, which was the top half as the bottom half remained facing downwards. There's no real personality that I can give him, but I can say that Kuplinka is loyal to the end and loves Fahari; charming, good friend and great trickster too given that he's a jackal. Finally, Kuplinka mourned Najira as did his father Kujali because she was a really nice hyena and a even better mother to Jeyluxhal; his own mother Onyesha (clear) was devastated by her murder and even more so when her and Tabari's son disappeared following that night, she was a real sweetheart and she too had followed her beliefs that neither of their sons should be denied what they wanted to do with them on a day out such as that time when Najira got that rude zebra to back off