The Lion King: Dawn Of The Nations
Episode 34: Quiescence
Jakir got into the little, mysterious forest, yet a strangely calm and peaceful place, the cold of the night was almost absent there, the trees, also rather small sized, embraced him with a warmth he was thankful to be receiving, comforting his numb legs and paws. Flying insects illuminated the place dimly yet adequately, glowing with a light blue, mixing with the green and brown tones of the trees and plants.
The little hyena cub had forgotten why he went there in the first place, delighted by the music that a hidden river performed along with the crickets´ singing, seeing how the light of the stars went through the leaves of the trees, in a way he had never experienced before. Jakir decided to sit down over the fresh ground, getting his front paws inside the cold soil, enjoying the peace he was having, while not feeling sleepy, he certainly felt like if he was having a deep rest, wondering how his family would react to the strange place he had found. There he remembered his intentions there, so he got onto his paws and kept walking while tilting his head occasionally, trying to hear some slight noise that could lead him to a prey.
The minutes passed and Jakir still couldn´t find any prey, but he didn´t feel impatient or upset, he just kept walking, avoiding laying branches and rocks, discovering new paths to follow, unexpected passages that led him to more beautiful spots inside that enigmatic forest. He stumbled upon a river, one of many as he had previously discovered. Jakir stood on the edge of the river, looking at its blue water, glowing by the stars above. He carefully got his paw inside the water, gasping as he thought it would feel cold, but on the contrary, it felt very warm, even warmer than the air around him. Hesitantly, Jakir jumped into the water, staying sunk for a long moment, with his eyes closed, enjoying the heat of the river´s quiet water.
Jakir finally stuck his head out of the water, taking a deep breath while laughing blissfully, even suspecting he could´ve been in a dream. He just swam casually in the tranquil blue water, just thinking and remembering, letting the thoughts join and lead to new ones, admiring the scene with his own words, in his mind or sometimes with whispers. Jakir didn´t feel alone, despite having no animals around him other than the bugs, every feeling but sadness, unrest or anguish was present there, now he was completely sure he would tell his mother, his brother and his new family about that fascinating forest.
After feeling tired, he swam towards the top of a rock that came out of the water, gently getting his paws over it and laying down, still incredibly close to the water. He got lost in the clearness of the river, looking at the beautifully distorted rocks and vegetation sunk in the bottom of it, then he just looked at his surroundings, resting his head over his front paws. He closed his eyes slowly, starting to get asleep, being softly lulled by the sound of the warm wind and the singing of different insects, getting embraced by the gentle darkness of a dream to come, one that revealed slowly, in the form of a song.
A new horizon shines for you,
One of love and lustrous feelings,
Set apart your hate and anger,
Care for those who live around you.
Take the mission, take this calling,
As no one can replace your deeds,
Feel brave, strong and confident,
By the heat your heart has received.
Know this is way more jubilant,
Something much greater than your pride,
As claws our words and actions can,
Injure the ones who share our fight.
The clouds are leaving for the sun,
To show its brightness once again,
Set apart your hate and anger,
Care for those who live around you.
Jakir opened his eyes slowly, gasping as he thought it would be daytime already, but the stars were still shining above and the darkness still covered the atmosphere of the place. Somehow, he felt as if he had rested for hours, invigorated, remembering the reason he had gone there. The little cub got onto his paws, stretching and breathing in and out, then he jumped from the rock to the ground next to the river and began to walk in look for the preys he wanted to get.
The minutes passed, Jakir remained confident, hoping to hear any suspicious sound at any moment, and then his patience finally paid off. He heard little rushed steps at the distance, his ear twitched right away and he started to head towards the possible source of the sound with the help of his instinct, passing by the foliage, running between the trees and jumping old, laying trunks. Jakir slowed down for a moment, taking each step with extreme silence, tilting his head while his ear twitched, he turned his gaze towards a large bush, managing to notice the brief movement of its leaves, not made by the wind but by something else, Jakir could even smell the rodent scent that was surely hiding inside the bush. He approached the bush carefully and quietly then he suddenly jumped into it, getting half of his body inside the bush, laughing with satisfaction and aggressiveness when spotting the pair of grass rats that hid there, he held one against the ground with his paw, making it squeak fearfully, while killing the other one with a quick bite, then he did the same with the one he had been holding.
Jakir decided to leave the two rats inside the bush, not fearing anyone would steal them. There were five left to go, as he calculated, he certainly wouldn´t leave himself without a snack to enjoy. The hunt became frolic for him, he ran, jumped and climbed in order to get more preys, patiently managing to hunt more grass rats, arranging them together in the bush. When the hunt was over, Jakir had seven dead rats inside the bush, waiting to be eaten and enjoyed by his new family. He was smiling proudly by seeing the amount of snacks he had gathered, all on his own. "Nguvu." He murmured.
All of a sudden, the sun showed up above and the stars vanished, confusing him a bit. Jakir shrugged and took three rats with his jaws, getting the other four rats over his back. The little cub started to walk home, looking around him with nostalgia, knowing he would miss the place but also feeling comforted by knowing it was rather close to the cave he and his family now lived in. Jakir savored the rats he had in his mouth but resisted to take even a single bite as he walked under the welcoming sun of the morning, stepping on the dry grass with enjoyment.
After a few minutes, he spotted the cave, smiling when imagining the reactions of his mother, Jenuk, Jaye, Jara, Jasiri and Janja. Jakir finally approached the cave, shyly entering, finding out everyone was still asleep. He gently put the grass rats over the ground, then he kept looking at the sleeping hyenas. With a lot of hesitation, he let out a strong, noisy laugh, waking everyone up, alarming some of them.
"What?! What´s going on?!" Janja got onto his paws immediately, looking around him, same as Jasiri, only that she looked a bit calmer. "Oh..." He sighed. "It´s you, Jakir."
Jasiri coudln´t help but laugh by Janja´s reaction. "What?! Wha..." She imitated him while chuckling.
"Son, what´s going on?" Jaira yawned while standing up.
"Grass rats!" Jaye exclaimed with emotion.
Jakir chuckled. "Those are for you all..." He lowered down his gaze. "I´m sorry...for everything." Jakir walked towards his little brother, nudging his forehead, he then approached Jaye and Jara, doing the same thing. He sat down among them while looking at his mother. "I know it´s not enough..." He gestured at the grass rats. "...but it´s all I can offer."
"Oh, son..." Jaira was moved, she walked towards him and stroked him gently with her snout, going from his head to his back. "Thank you. It´s a noble gesture." She smirked at him. "I´ve forgiven you already, Jakir. But still...you must fulfill your punishment."
Jakir nodded while lowering down his gaze. "I know, mom."
"Yet, I can´t speak for our hosts." Jaira looked at Jasiri and his mate then turned her gaze at their two cubs.
"Oh, I...I forgive you, Jakir." Jaye said firmly.
Jara hesitated to speak, looking at Jakir with resentment. She glanced down for a moment and let out a long sigh. "Don´t worry, Jakir." Jara looked at him with a subtle smirk. "I forgive you too."
"It´s fine, buddy." Janja said. "Those things happen, you know?"
Jasiri looked at Jakir with a calm look, one that reflected esteem and comprehension. "Thanks, Jakir. I really appreciate this." She looked at his mate then at her two cubs. "We all do."
"Can we eat now?" Jenuk asked.
Jaira chuckled, as well as Jasiri and Janja. "Sure, that looks delicious."
"Go ahead, kids." Jasiri said.
Jaye and Jara hurried towards the rats followed by Jenuk and Jakir. They chose their rat from the heap and began to eat it with delight. Janja took a step towards them then looked at Jasiri as if he needed permission. "Uhm, my stomach is growling a bit, sweetheart."
Jasiri smirked at him while raising her eyebrow and chuckling. "Go have yours, love." With that, Janja nodded at her and rushed rapidly towards the rats, picking one and munching it right away. Jasiri chuckled while shaking her head and looking at the scene. "He is so like a cub sometimes, you know?" She told Jaira who had just sat down next to her.
Jaira laughed a bit as well. "Same as my Jaz..." She stopped talking all of a sudden, glaring down with shame.
Jasiri looked at her compassionately. "It´s okay, Jaira."
Jaira looked at her two cubs, feeling a knot in her throat. "My...Jazanu." She sighed with sadness. "Sometimes he behaved the same way." Jaira chuckled. "Cute and...rather...innocent."
Jasiri noticed she couldn´t keep speaking as the sadness she beared was too strong, so she nudged her friendlily, calming her sorrow a bit.