The Lion King: Dawn Of The Nations

Episode 29: Bloom

Javara was running rushedly over the vast and dry grass, chasing her newly found prey, a zebra that stood no chance against her quick paws. She forced the zebra to run more closely to the cave, as she wouldn´t have been able to drag him all the way there. Right when she had her prey right where she wanted, Javara jumped and bit his neck strongly, the zebra brayed loudly and fell to the ground, the hyena´s jaws didn´t stop biting, she strengthened the pressure of her teeth against the neck of the agonizing zebra, staying that way for a few moments, until her prey finally died. Javara got onto her paws, munching and swallowing the chunk of meat she had ripped out, walking into the cave.

Juzare was laying on the same spot he always used, on the cave´s furthest corner, Javara let out a sigh of pity and made up a heartwarming smile while approaching him. The elitas under and over his legs had been renewed. "Sleepy..." She got next to him and slid under him then straightened, carrying him over her back. "It´s meal time already." Javara spoke with a motherly tone.

Juzare groaned. "Won´t you let me sleep until dinner?" He was slowly opening his eyes.

Javara chuckled. "I don´t want lazies in our cave."

"Our cave, huh?" Juzare replied, then they went outside.

Javara walked towards the dead zebra and gently crouched before it, laying Juzare over the grass. "It took me a while to find this…" She sighed. "But it should be enough for two days."

"Maybe more." Juzare was glancing at the zebra. "I´m not hungry."

"Oh no, dear." Javara approached the zebra´s side and bit it strongly then ripped out a huge chunk of meat, she then went with Juzare and dropped the piece of meat in front of him. "Eat, you are not getting better without energy."

"My legs don´t hurt anymore." Juzare argued.

"That´s not what I mean." Javara responded, moving the meat with her snout, getting it closer to his. "Please, Juzare..." She insisted. "...please."

Juzare was looking into her pleading eyes, getting lost in their blissfulness for a long moment, managing to see the effort that she had gone through to get that meal. He switched his gaze to the piece of meat and after briefly looking at her again, he took a small bit, munching it slowly, closing his eyes and sighing with enjoyment. Javara smirked at him then she turned to have her own piece of meat. "More." Juzare suddenly said, making her to look over her back, her eyes widened when seeing Juzare had already eaten the entire chunk of meat she had given to him. Javara chuckled and replied with a serviceable nod, walking towards the zebra and ripping out another piece of meat, then she held it out to Juzare, leaving it gently over the grassy ground. Juzare looked into her eyes and smirked subtly, then he began to eat the new piece of meat, with big munches and expressions of delight.

After they got fully satiated, the two hyenas stayed outside, laying over the ground. "How do you fell now?" Javara asked.

Juzare´s eyes now showed a more hopeful hue as he glared at the horizon. "Better." He replied with a little smirk.

Javara smiled at him. "I´m so glad to hear that, Juzare."

Juzare got thoughtful, he slowly lowered down his gaze, adopting a glare of intrigue. "Javara." He was glancing at the dry blood that stained the grass. "Why did you save me?"

"Well..." Javara wasn´t entirely sure about her answer. "...I felt I had to."

Juzare tried to figure it out himself. "Because I was your captain?" He straightened his head and looked at her with a rather straight face. "Subordination?"

Javara tried to speak out her mind instead of giving more thought to her next response. "I just saw you suffering...slowly dying." She got closer to him. "Defeated..." Javara put her paw over his. "That´s..." She sighed and caressed his face with hers. "...that´s it." Javara lowered down her head and gently rested it over her paws, closing her eyes, feeling the heaviness of the meal taking her to a sudden exhaustion.

Juzare was meditating on her words, locking his gaze on her face, not paying attention to the nothingness he sensed on his crippled legs, nor the satiety he felt in his stomach, but just focusing in her, seeing the last days as if they were clear, strong memories, knowing Javara´s unique features, watching her fur getting gently moved by the air, illuminated by the sun. He got his head over her neck quite effortfully, then slowly closed his eyes, still unsure of what he was doing. After a few peaceful moments, they both fell deeply asleep.

Jakir, Jenuk, Jaye and Jara were just passing the time in a rough terrain not so far from their cave. "Guys...wanna go back?" Jenuk said, he laid over the lowest spot of the rocky and grassy place.

"Why? Is even lamer there." Jakir yawned.

Jara sighed and got into her paws. "Come on, there´s gotta be something fun to do." She looked at the male cubs. "...other than sleeping."

"I don´t have a problem with that, actually." Jaye replied, getting himself comfortable over the grass.

Jakir was between dream and reality, his eyes were partially opened, but then they opened widely. "Hey...yeah..." He stood up all of a sudden, making the rest to look at him with their eyebrows raised.

"What?" Jara said with excitement.

"Mashindano!" Jakir looked at Jaye. "What you think?" He jumped from his spot and approached him. "Come on, we´ll be first. The winner goes against the next one."

"Mashi-what?" Jaye inquired, cautiously getting into his paws.

"Mashindano, competition." Jakir adopted a daring look. "Fight."

"Yes!" Jenuk exclaimed with acceptance.

"No!" Jara opined, looking at the three males with scolding eyes. "My parents wouldn´t let us. Nor your mother." She glared at Jakir and Jenuk.

"They don´t have to find out, do they?" Jakir said.

"I´ll tell them, I don´t care." Jara warned, sitting down while keeping her glance at them.

Jakir sighed. "Jara, if you don´t want to fight, it´s okay, this will be between u..."

"It´s not that, Jakir!" Jara exclaimed. "I just won´t let you do this, you could all get severely hurt."

"So? That´s our business." Jakir replied with a frown, growling subtly at her.

Jara grunted and looked at her brother. "Jaye, come." She gestured backwards, waiting for her little brother to follow her. "Jaye!"

"Uhm..." Jaye stood up, looking at both Jakir and Jenuk. "This mashin-thing...it sounds fun to me." He looked at Jara with unsure eyes.

Jara growled. "Jaye...if you don´t go with me, I´ll just tell mom. You want that?"

"No." Jaye responded.

"Then, come." Jara gestured back again.

"He wants to stay, Jara." Jakir approached her menacingly. "Let him stay." He gestured frontwards. "Go away."

"Oh, are you trying to give me orders?" Jara got into her paws.

"Yes, that´s exactly what I´m doing." Jakir frowned and growled at her.

Jenuk noticed his brother´s front paw moving slowly towards her. "Jakir..." He went down a brief path to approach the two cubs, getting next to his brother. "Just let her go." Jenuk could see the rage in Jakir´s eyes.

"She´ll get us in trouble." Jakir kept his gaze locked on hers.

"Be sure I will." Jara began to adopt a firmer position.

Jakir grunted and took a pair of steps towards her. "Promise you won´t tell them...and I will let you go."

"No." Jara sentenced.

"Jara, just go." Jaye pleaded. "We only want to play."

"I won´t let them hurt you, brother." Jara replied.

Jakir sighed with frustration and mockery. "Girls..." All of a sudden, Jakir´s brutal blow scratched Jara´s snout, making her to groan by the pain. She fell over the ground, already tasting the drips of blood that rapidly traveled down from the wound. "You won´t tell them! Say it!" He got closer to her.

"Jakir..." Jenuk tried to approach him but Jakir looked at him rapidly over his back, with a menacing look, growling with warning.

"Still feeling brave?!" Jakir shouted at her and threw another blow at her face, scratching her again. "Huh!"

Jara started to cry. "Jaye!" At his sister´s plead, Jaye took a couple steps forward, but Jakir gave him the same look he had given to his brother. He just stood there, looking at the wounds on Jara´s face, with a lump in his throat. "I don´t want to play anymore." He said and surrounded Jakir then tried to approach his sister. "Come on, Jar..." He got suddenly tackled by Jakir.

"Running away from me?!" Jakir was holding Jaye by pressing his paws over his chest. "Do you fear me!"

Jaye gasped, trying to get Jakir off him. "This is not funny! She is hurt!"

"Duh! It´s a fight you moron!" Jakir bit his neck strongly then let go in a blink.

"Gah!" Jaye rolled over the grass while rubbing his wound with a paw. Jakir walked towards him and threw a blow at his face, making him to let out a scream of pain. "Get up and fight!" He turned and saw that Jara was standing up, so he ran rapidly towards her and jumped, but right at that moment Jenuk tackled him. The two brothers fell to the ground and Jenuk stood up faster than Jakir, who looked at him with a widened glare of anger and intrigue. "What are you doing?"

Jenuk took a few steps backwards. Jara and Jaye managed to recover without Jakir noticing as he was too focused in his brother´s eyes. The cubs of Janja and Jasiri ran away from the scene the fastest they could. "This is too much, Jakir." Jenuk was trembling, unable to hide his fear as he know his brother was way stronger and agile than him. "Let´s go home."

Jakir stood silent but maintained his daringly enraged face. "We´ll go home..." He began to ran towards Jenuk. "...when I´m done with you, little brother!"