Atop the sunlight clear peak of Pride Rock lied a very exerted and wounded Jeyluxhal as he's asleep as of now but previously he had committed something that although he has no regret in doing, what was once a hyena who showed off a lack of response to threats directed to his face like Scar has now transformed him into a state of being close to death by their tyrant and of course; the hyena trio once loyal to their ruler was beginning to doubt him. This is what all lionesses expected to happen because how much longer could their loyalty to Scar last? This is what happened previously that led him into a state of despair worse then when he swiped his claw against his own mother. Not even he was not aware of what Scar did to her on their first night in the Pride Lands, as he was going to settle the score right now. It was just two days before the return of Simba who came to reclaim the throne that was meant to be taken under his paw following the passing of his father he did not kill
Jeyluxhal's existence as Shenzi's son was not known to Scar as he wanted to keep it like that for as long as he could, if he found out he wouldn't be so happy and she'd suffer the worst out of the trio considering that he trusted her more than them; yet he attacked her just so he makes it clear to them about who's in charge around here. There was just one question that everyone had in mind for those that didn't witness it: What the hell happened? You're going to see the confrontation between the son of a father who vanished the night Najira died and the tyrant who murdered his brother to take the throne before his nephew, before Simba returned to take back what Mufasa wanted him to have when becoming one with the former kings of the past to look down on all no matter the species; he took him on himself due to the bombardments of Zira's gloating and total refusal to drop it here and now with him. Let's begin with how the confrontation started shall we?
Jeyluxhal entered the den of Pride Rock where Scar had gotten up as it appeared to him that he can't take a nap without having to deal with hearing a report from one of his hyenas, so he stood up and told him: "You better have reason to intrude here at this time" Scar told him but didn't know that he was mute, the hyena came closer as he walked towards a wall where the ribcage of an antelope lied in a spot. Zazu's blood ran cold during this behavior as he doesn't know too much about him, he spoke to his ruler against his will and swallowed his pride for once
"He sure is the rude one isn't he? Not answering when he's being talked to, that someone whose not to be mentioned in the Pride Lands would chase him off; if the two ever met in person once. I don't like this, sire" He told him as though he showed usual disgust towards behavior like this, like mentioned before there's not much he can find on him based off his appearance
Jeyluxhal finally ripped the sharp ribcage bone out from the scraps before turning to face the brother who refused the right to acknowledge the name of their former king, still carrying his filthy and violent look towards him which Zazu had to look away because though he's not the one to at least spare a few words out of his mouth; he can make some of the most disturbing faces. Coming over with a weapon held, Scar only responded with this: "Are you angry, do you want to hit me? Go and do what you need, anything happens you're out of these lands. Your actions don't mean a thing to me..." Scar sounded like he was gloating him which Zazu pointed out
"Not a good idea to gloat him, sire; he's not going to spare the two of us now" The hornbill silently told him out of desperation as he looked like he was going to strike at any moment
"I certainly don't recall gloating him into hitting me with that weapon in his mouth" Scar pretended not to make that earlier warning to him and knew that he wouldn't even if he was one of them, his species to be clear
Zazu expected him to hit their king with the sharp bone he's using as a weapon, but alas it did not and never did come to pass as he instead just left the den seemingly having change of his idea; still he cannot ever be too careful as he shook his head: "I do not like this at all" He held a firm grip onto his beliefs that he was planning something
Zazu was right. As soon as he left there was a explosively loud whipcrack sound from outside, Scar leapt outside to find Jeyluxhal breathing vocally against his victim. It was his Queen, Zira who was taking the full brunt of his force as he smacked the leader of the Outlanders across a few times with blood being drawn from her lower lip. He then bashed her in the front skull as she remained stubborn and knew that this was because of her comments directed toward his kind. After one last smack to the skull he leaped into the air and broke the bone as it echoed with a loud whipcrack that splintered the structure into a sharp point he used to cut her, she then admitted to him that she was wrong and he didn't deserve her thoughts on him. Though she didn't actually mean it, her words were empty as her care for her children that were to be arriving not soon enough and especially to Kovu; for our hyena share the similarities but they are not the same as while he was soft mannered towards his mother, Jeyluxhal is ruthless for the discrimination directed towards him. Scar came down to confront him
Jeyluxhal turned back to snarled at both him and Zira seeing the lack of sincerity that she had in her face, Scar however was not intimidated: "You attack a Queen devoted to me the most and proceed to snarl to yours truly, such crudeness for one who pretends not to know who I am. Tell me: what patrol group are you with?" He asked as Jeyluxhal just slowed his vocal breathing, not responding aside from that face that's become familiarized towards the tyrant
"Explain it your own way then..." The hyena just stood there, not intimidated under the lion who demanded to know who he was. "You know this individual?" He asked a few of them as at least two of the hunting parties sent to hunt in the lands replied
"No, he's not one of ours" The first one replied
"Had me fooled for thinking he was our matriarch, no I don't think so" The second one responded as Scar had enough of this silent fury and unsheathed his claws
"Identify yourself, now...!" Scar came closer before stabbing his claws into him, increasing the pain until he decided to talk. Jeyluxhal threw him off before uppercutting him in the jaw, his face spelt out a fight and it's one that he will be getting alright. "My dear departed brother and nephew would've wanted a steady alliance when he passed his reign onto me with his dying breath, but I knew everything would not be as simple with the likes of at least one who openly rebels towards their ruler. You are unfortunate enough to have by all means earned the wrath of your king, we will deal this fight between us privately in the den" Scar put on a charade of what the will of Mufasa and Simba would've wanted, taking Jeyluxhal with him through biting into the den where he slammed him against the wall; beginning their fight
Jeyluxhal took the first strike as he blocked his claw swipes and rammed into upperchest, with a upperclaw to follow up on. Scar reeled back to headbutt him in return, stunning the hyena as he stumbled back as he could see multi-colored flashes with his eyes closed; regaining his sight to avoid a shoulder ram but getting backpawed to the floor where he bit him in the back of his neck in order to draw blood from him
The hornbill only gave a disgusted look at this fighting and was even more so when a single spec of the nameless hyena's blood somehow got it's way into his mouth, making him spit out the taste of copper onto the floor. It was just as foul as was the real truth of what killed their former ruler. Nevertheless this will not end the way he wanted it to end because judging from what attitude he showed, Scar did warn the trio that they'll be more than sorry for not being on patrol in the following deadline
Scar leapt onto the hyena's stomach to whom Jeyluxhal threw off to the side, lunging in with his claws where he swiped one against his right arm and another to his left hind leg. Countering the third swipe with his own to take him by the snout where his face was then smashed with a rock, breaking to pebbles in order to escape his grasp. Kicking him away from him where he can get back into the brawl that this was becoming, taking him by the mane and jumping to knee him in the face; he sent the tyrant stumbling backwards where he stood a distance from the nearest of the walls in the den
Jeyluxhal ran and leapt into a flying kick to send him slamming towards the west wall, claws gliding across his fur deeply after punching him directly in the snout to reveal his skin underneath. He launched him off and lunged toward his fallen body to land a series of maulings until he was stopped when he blinded him in the eyes with some pebbles
Jeyluxhal lunged after him with his fangs bared and claws extended out to tackle him down to the floor, spraying a few droplets of blood when he dug his fangs into his skin; pouncing on him further to hack up a bleeding mucus in his throat and spitting in his scarred eye as if it was some kind of taunt aimed towards his namesake scar on his eye. He took him by the throat and pinned him where he left some of his own wounds on his upperchest
Jeyluxhal struggled to breathe under his strength but learning that his brain was his most powerful weapon, he sought to break himself free of his crushing grip that was strangulating him. Pushing his hind legs into his body and kicking to take him off, Scar increased the pressure on his throat until he finally built up the strength to launch him off with one kick combined with a dump truck move to the abdomen; it was one that sent him to the floor on his left side. He and Scar were evenly matched but it's no use at this point, he made a run for the exit of the den
Scar ran after the hyena towards the exit before Jeyluxhal elbowed him in the snout to send him tripping on the floor, that was not enough to stop him from roaring as he lunged with his claws fully unsheathed and took him down to the floor; taking him back inside where he showed off just what a lion like him can do to a hyena. Smacking him to the floor on one side before doing the same to a wall with his torso in his mouth and ending it with a throw towards the outside, a moment of walking towards him as he took him by the head and threw his paw off; giving off a headbutt to the skull
All throughout this fight the two lost some blood and because of though the two were evenly matched, he was no match for the king of the Pride Lands and threw him to the overhang. Jeyluxhal was not giving up as he caught him off guard and threw him backwards, kicking him to the floor where he started to pound on him multiple times; even as Scar held his throat to strangulate him. He launched him off to a hard impact on the stone floor, where he's now coughing droplets of blood and letting out a short but painfully harsh yelp that sounded like his vocal cords were being shredded in a short matter of time. He let out a vicious snarl to him
"Disappointing to see that you remain as stubborn as he was before his misfortune led to death that's as untimely as your birth, evenly matched but I say so otherwise. Just as foolish enough to take on one such as myself and this is the result, you're no condition to fight me further. I had learned all about you of course during our skirmish, I did say that I don't trust the lionesses just as much as I don't trust your leader's clan. But don't worry about what I'll do to your matriarch if it comes to it that she's planning behind my back, I kept some things that I learned about you judging from the look in your eyes untold. Adieu" Scar bid him as he left the den of Pride Rock and strided off into what was once the savannah in the distance, needing to tend to his wounds
Jeyluxhal's skin was now drenched in sweat, cuts streaming with blood to replace his tsunami of slobber that went down from below his lips and having a bit of dirt in addition to weak breaths that vocally left his mouth and a hoarse tone to the air he took into his lungs. Taking this time to stand with a limp, he refused to meet the other lionesses in the face as all of them spelled the combination of both confusion and reprimanding his actions. Thinking that he came to take the throne had he defeated Scar because at this point they're desperate for a new king, one of them took the pleasure of scolding him directly in his face. A hyena would be no better as one than a pawn to Scar, which Jeyluxhal refused to be as he threw her off and walked off alone; throwing a few rocks to the ones who shook their lowered heads in disappointment. Having the trio come to approach and stop him in his tracks, Jeyluxhal only walked past them feeling remorseful and humiliated under the dirty looks he was given and it was all because of Zira's disrespect to him. To him this wasn't his fault, it was never his fault to start with and Shenzi understood that; even Banzai and Ed looked back on him as he just laid down on the top of Pride Rock steadily, he just wanted to be alone
Both he and Banzai seemed to have felt remorse for something, his actions being misinterpreted as being a failed attempt to arrogate the throne from Scar without reason and his rivalry with a hyena that he's continuously fought with and how he refused to call himself a father to him. It's just one bad day because he lived a hard life that he doesn't know about, no one but his father knows of the truth. Not even Rafiki as the following events in the Pride Lands overshadowed his existence as the son of one hyena respected even by lions abandoned and left his clan for dead to live out a life with his mate and child. Jeyluxhal has always been alone, he has no one to love and his one motherly figure cannot raise him the way that Najira did; he just wants to go back to sleep next to his mother and die as if he was a child that both Tabari and Najira could never have for themselves. Even then that's not stopping him from being born and turning into what they've wanted him to become, a hyena who will not let himself die like a mindless slobbering poacher in the eyes of the lions
All he could do now was sleep his wounds off as he's doesn't feel so well, truth be told he's been acting paranoid and moody these days. It's not because of Scar's reign influencing him, it's the second thing that's worse than that and it's about to make it's presence known to him
Jeyluxhal, the Hyena Prince of the Shadowlands had returned to his former self but in his dreams filled with repressed memories; there came a youthful but husk filled voice toned in the clear but authoritative as well as the gruff and the droning, all too sober fatherly type of voice that made him feel the same kind of warmth from within during a time when Mufasa reigned before the downfall of his brother's betrayal. He called out to his son as he wanted him to return back home to where he belonged. His mother's lullaby was heard which of course he was just a pup during that time and all of a sudden, his world was shaken by this tune and of course deep down inside his spirit he couldn't help but think that there was just always something wrong; something amiss that couldn't made it's presence known to him earlier and a little question that he had. It was about to alter his view on the Pride Lands for all time but it's not like it already has from the beginning thanks to the rise of Scar as their king and there being more to his rise that conspired with the blatant favoritism of his father towards the brother before him. The hallucination of his doppelganger was in fact his father that replaced the corpse of Mufasa back at the Wildebeest Gorge, uncovering one of the secrets that he wanted him to know. Wanting him to know that his father is alive, he was watching over him from the start of his new life with them and he was seeing it all when he grew into a great warrior like him. He felt his breath telling him to go back home, he needed to; not under his will nor his command but under the spirit that guided him
Awakening late in the night that was still young, he felt highly disturbed under the dreams that called out to him and walked down from the top of Pride Rock; a hallucination of Najira looking at him one last time before fading away into dust stood there. Fuck the silence, he started to run no matter if a hyena's hind legs were not fast; he needed to run. Past the lionesses and without control over himself smacked into Sarabi, looking as if he was pinning her down to the floor for her thinning patience of Scar's reign just when he got up; she saw the urgency in his face just as he saw the confusion in hers and helped her up before leaving without a word, paranoia seemed to have dominate his mind. She didn't even get the chance to ask him what was wrong, the trio had their own way of communicating with him just as the two of them had their way with their buddy Ed but not to him the others knew what went on. Seems like he's having some kind of inner meltdown of himself, Sarabi couldn't help but feel pitiful and just awful to whatever it was that's tormenting him in the inside; she looked back on where he last ran out towards. She was out here to give her respects to both her husband and son she assumed to have lost in the Wildebeest Gorge when he happened to run into her before speeding off ahead into what was once a lushful savannah. Sarabi returned to where she was paying her respects and prayed that he would not meet the same fate no matter the opposing species between a lion and a hyena like the two of them
Jeyluxhal slowed down into a short walk as he came to approach the Elephant Graveyard as it was there that he lived, he wanted to forget everything that happened and leave behind the troubles so he can replace them with happier memories. He continued running after walking for a short time and was just a moment away from reaching his personal den. Climbing up on several rocks to bumps as well as skidding across the bones on puddles with the sides turning to sprouting waves that drifted off to the sides and splashed on the reflective ground. Never stopping as he continued to run in the ravine and eventually running towards a six pillar rock formation where he passed through the small natural formation, climbing a few steps before running one last time towards the corner pillar rock at the wall; grasping it with his paws just as he stopped himself. Looking up at the sky and stroking the pillar he held onto, he decided to walk the rest of the way to his den
The sweetening perfumes of exhaust from the geysers that pumped throughout the district of the Elephant Graveyard filled his snout, soothing him as he returned to his den; everything is just as it was with him. Looking around with the lake, the overhang arch where he slept and a moment of softly stroking the animal skin over himself as if it was the comfort of his clan that awaited his return. Taking a bone from the ribcage as he held it in his mouth and pointed it to the paintings he drew on his wall, just like a true prince who would go into battle in Egypt. He felt a force of unease become a growing pain within him and backed up against the wall until he laid down against his back, he dug his head in himself and rested his forehead against his two knees; just needed time to think for himself on what to do next
He found himself in a tall field of bladed grass that grazed against the cold wind, swirling dark prussian to royal and independence blue clouds swirled overhead as if this was some kind of illusion. When it was mentioned that he found himself, he did mean it literally as he was just a faded ghost of the real one who was back at the graveyard. Having the abilities of flight, he headed towards Pride Rock where no time passed between his leave and his time to think to himself
On the horizon just behind the Pride Lands were a expansive landscape that housed the source of the voice calling out to him thanks to the frequency becoming clearer as he got closer to the north of Pride Rock. What treacherous and infernal trap awaited him there? This was not something he was prepared to discover and find out as he followed the frequency of the soothing voice. Leading him over to what looked like an abandoned home for whatever is the animal that lived, but it felt so nostalgic to him when he entered inside the dark shadows
Knowing that this was a illusion and that nothing was revealed out in the real world, he could feel limitless power that would give him the ability to forge speech to create his voice; it did not matter if he lacked one because as mentioned before this dream revealed nothing to the outer lands of Africa. So he started with his mind as he felt the most comfortable doing it that way rather than speaking directly:
"Here I am..." A soft spoken voice came out of him just as the one from before revealed to be a little more altered and raspy gave him instructions
"Take the cobra fangs from your ears, for the shrouded den on which you were lured towards is of sacred ground to the both of us" The voice told him as Jeyluxhal wanted to know who he was when the pebbles rolled towards his direction and asked him
"Who are you...?" Igniting as a hot flame but not consuming whatever it was that set on fire, it sprouted colors of mauve, violet, amethyst and heather with orchid and lilac purple; having the shades of tangerine, marmalade, tiger, fire and apricot orange added to the scene. Liquid flowing motion that impacted a wave of warm wind toward the hyena
"I am everything that I am... I am the mate of the mother who bared the fruit that would with turn become the husk given life standing before me. You were born of her, Najira. You are a son who deserved better than this" Jeyluxhal recalled when the voice of his father called for him to come back home and look where he was now, he removed his earrings as told
"What do you ask of me?" The voice responded with a few moments of breathing before it continued to talk to him
"I have seen the oppression of the son I watched over in the shadows and have seen the kind of burden placed on him. It's time for me to come from out of the shadows and deliver him out of the repression of his memories and onto a good land, one that flows with the silk as well as the soft feeling of honey coursing in your blood. Thus unto the man who has watched over his son from behind the shadows throughout his childhood up until his earliest teenage years, I shall send you"
"You choose the unlikeliest of animals in the Pride Lands with repressed memories like mine to guide them don't you, who am I to know the truth? It's been long after I was taken by her" Jeyluxhal's childhood felt like a eternity and even then he was still in his teenage years, he hasn't reached juvenile as of now and becoming an adolescent was just a waste of his time now
"I chose yourself alone now and forever to aid the retribution that your mother needs as her final words spoke out to you, no one else can hear the two of us as this reveals nothing to the residents of the Backlands. Where you were given life to be clear, none of the lions there are upset nor feel that hyenas like you have no business living in this region of the serengetti" The voice told him as the fires began to branch out into multiple flares slowly
"That makes no difference because I hate myself, I was one of them in Scar's reign; I was the self-proclaimed Hyena Prince of the Shadowlands; the son of a woman who leads a clan that caused the stampede. I hate being a hyena now and I would've desired to be something else that none of the other lions discriminate because of their overhunting in the lands. You had chosen the wrong animal for my father and mother to give birth to me, Zira got away with it no thanks to Scar and the others thinking I was arrogating the throne so I can rule without a reason as to-" Jeyluxhal was interrupted as the fires of the voice erupted into a burning red, orange, golden and purple flare that engulfed the darkness of the den to reveal how large it was compared to the outside
"Who made the mouth of a man?! Who has given birth to the hardest of hearing thanks to the likes of deafness, the silence of a man because of their unwilling muteness, the seeing of the surroundings around them and the blinded to substitute their eyes for their senses? If not I, then WHO?!" The voice boomed with a louder tone as if he was questioning his power and authority
Jeyluxhal was forced back into grasping the steps that led to the exit of the den, startled and frightened as the fury vanished from the voice before returning the den to it's shrouded state albeit now a little more brightened up. Though the fires engulfed this source it was not truly consumed as the flares branched out to become a hand, clasping around the sizzling fur that soothed the semi-rapid breathing hyena of his own anger that questioned his power and his authority; the voice had no intentions on leaving him alone to endure the further scorn of the lions who knew little to nothing about him. He was then carried to the center as the fires had surrounded everything, blowing past and through him
"Jeyluxhal, know that there's nothing that you've done to anger I. Your father will be with you when you return to the Backlands, but much has passed since that night ago. So I shall extend a paw to you and smite those who have wronged you in the Outlands, take off with your own leave and farewell to the trio who doubt the brother of Mufasa; with your discovery of what conspired on that night, you shall begin to do create my wonders for the name of retribution. Though this will be the one time I meet with you directly, know that the final words of your mother will not be the burden carried on your shoulders; I shall forever scriven the destiny you choose with your newfound independence learned from your adopted mother. Always be brave in the darkest of hours, Jeyluxhal"
The voice told him as he reached out the earrings on the ground to place back on his ears and stroked everywhere on him with it's warn hand, leaving sizzling entrails of smoke left on his fur. Slowly putting him down on the soft ground before vanishing with a echo of his name in the process, entering his snout to have him pass out on the same ground where he slept near Najira when he was just a pup. Jeyluxhal still knew that his real self was back at the graveyard and so, he'd awaken back in no time
With a few prolonged yawns as speaking with his mind had actually caused his throat to start engulfing itself in a storm of compressed steam in his lungs, being released as if he did start speaking when in reality he did not. Truth be told though it's not a speech disorder that he's had, it was something else that's better off being mentioned for another time. He went back into his thinking position with his head dug into his legs and returned to deep thought
Coming out from his deep thoughts and laying back on a wall where he rested his head on, he thought back to the mental conversation between the voice and himself before he came to a moment of wondering weather or not this did happen. He knew what needed to be done and so he took a branch with him before leaving, coating it in honey before setting it ablaze with the geyser vents that sprouted. Running out of the Elephant Graveyard so that he can return to Pride Rock
In the darkness where the lionesses were all asleep no one heard the hyena return with even worse paranoia than before, looking over to the den where he found the trio asleep; running off afterwards upon finding nothing at Pride Rock. He followed the path in front of him, a fork in the road that led him onto greater despair than what he had prior to his talk during his deep thinking. Finding a tall and thick baobab tree in the distance he could feel the blood within in the veins of his body run hotter until the greasy sweat started bathing him once more, that is where the source of knowing the truth was
Upon approaching however it was hollowed out as he headed inside the expansive tree, this is where he ran down a hall like room before stopping to look around; continuing on when he then ran through along the pillars as the only source of light that was the torch branch ignited his path. Lighting the way through the darkest of the night's cold air, it came to the point that he reached the narrow rectangular hole in the wall; throughout this time he was heaving out vocally as mentally talking in his mind didn't count as him speaking, that didn't come as close to what he believed he would sound like once. Nevertheless he entered the hallway that led him into a darker horizontally shaped but still expansive room, looking around before having been startled at the view that confirmed his suspicions
It was a graphic depiction of the night that Najira was gruesomely ripped apart by a pride who were exiled by Mufasa, the Outlanders led under the command of Baridi who was just as evil as he was ruthless. This art style known as Amarna were basic shapes used to form the hyena and lions in this picture, as well as the environment surrounding it all as he could remember that it was a sunset during that time. Seeing a group of animals that consisted of a jackal, a bat, a genet, a crocodile and a monitor lizard on the left side as they all looked upset while on the right there was his doppelganger who watched on in the shadows to the pup that ran off over to the Wildebeest Gorge that he lived in for six days until he was adopted by Shenzi. Jeyluxhal looked on for a few more moments before dropping the torch and dropping to his knees, placing his head against the painting while his eyes were closed; straining himself as well as his arm against the wall and vocally struggling to breathe
Moses had to face this hell of the inner demons back at Egypt, but he was no different than a hyena who experienced the same trauma of having his mother be ripped apart while he was still young. While he grew to know his mother even if he was still a pup at that time, all she would see is a haughty prince who would've dismissed her as a elderly woman who lost just an little more than her pottery; she lost her sanity as well. Nevermind the similarities of the two men alike, no matter be it Hebrew or Hyena; this moment in time is what mattered the most to the ones who've learned the hard life of this animal denied of a life he was supposed to live. He still felt alone when he was living with Shenzi's Clan
Sounds of footsteps echoed in a pitter and patter cycle before slowly stopping altogether, it's Bakora staff was then laid against the wall of the painting before a hand was placed on his top spinal cord; where he then moved a bit as if he was startled by his presence: "Our king exiled these evil and sacrilegious pantheras in his reign before Ahadi became one with the circle long ago, their actions were as treacherous as they were accursed; showing open defiance towards the great king Mufasa. They can have their laugh now that he has died, but our hope will not" He knew that voice as it was Rafiki, the mandrill who had come this way to soothe him of what's giving him stress
Jeyluxhal had nothing to say judging from how he didn't turn to face him, he let the mandrill continue on as Rafiki saw his response; having repressed all that trauma into nightmares and it's all resurfacing. He would not be as easy as it was for Simba to come to terms with the past since this hyena wasn't responsible for what happened back then, he was confronting those inner demons from within himself. He moved on to tell him this next
"Altered are some of the flashes that occurred in your sleep they were, but it was all just one futile attempt to keep you out of the truth. I will not act like I know the events transpired as your father that claimed to have been watching you grow from the dark shadows confirmed that he is alive and awaiting you in the Backlands. As I once told our now young adult heir a few several days of traveling to where he's taken refuge, the past can hurt but from the way I see it; you can either run or learn from it" Rafiki recalled the same words he told Simba just as Jeyluxhal slightly turned to face him
His face comprised of narrowed eyes, a mouth that was a little more closed but still opened just up at the front and still looking defeated with both his head down like he hated himself; as well as his body shifting a little more into his usual position but not looking anywhere his surroundings. He could be heard breathing from his nose and that expression translated to a face that looked like he didn't know what to do now. Rafiki had one more thing to tell him as he took him away from the painting so that he can remove him from those painful memories
"I know little of the life buried under the sands of time that he and Najira he called her that's better off turned to dust, but what I know of now will clear the troubled self you've grown to show loathing and contempt because of the treatment towards your species. While it is one ideology that though I will not force the Circle of Life unto you and it's one that you do not in your mind wish to follow under your paws, just know that the both of us are all connected no matter the principles. There's no business in wishing that you came from a different family of those whom the Pridelanders would respect, throw their judgment of your species away like how they threw away their chance to respect your kind and let them know that you and them live in the same land; differences do not matter to you, it's what your father asked me to tell you should we meet in person" Rafiki taught him as Jeyluxhal stood up, head still down but it looked less frightened before turning to face him
His expression was bolder but not smiling as his eyes looked a little more narrower, nodding at him as he understood the mandrill's words; hell he came close to curl his neck around for a quick nuzzling stroke as if he was grateful for him. Turning back to leave the cave as Rafiki had left afterwards. Jeyluxhal knew that it was time for him to leave the Pride Lands, he could not stay with Shenzi's Clan anymore as Simba's destiny was coming to a end; it was here that he's remembered his place and came to take back the throne from Pride Rock. Scar's judgment is how it starts and should he attempt to shift the chaos unto the work of the hyenas, that's how it will end. A great fire down to the wasteland caused by the storms of the sky will ignite and thus, the Battle of Pride Rock begins!
The last action that Scar would ever commit against Simba was to strike her mother Sarabi, all for the fact that she called him inferior to his brother. With the hyenas aiding him on his side, the Battle of Pride Rock began with a swarm of both them and the lionesses attacking while it was here that Simba went after his uncle. Leading to the top peak of the rock as Jeyluxhal just walked on through, not afraid of the fire that began to consume the dried out flora around his vicinity. He needed to talk to his mother right now, he needed to fix the errors that thanks to him were what caused his rivalry with Banzai; the hyena who refused to call him his son after being taken in
Nala confronted Jeyluxhal as she stood in his path, swiping her claw against his cheek just as he was running which stopped him as he spiraled to the ground; having leapt out of nowhere to ambush him. "End of the line, hyen- Jeyluxhal was it? Couldn't pick a better name that's not a pain to remember correctly" She stopped for a brief moment before remembering his name as she heard a few of the hyenas mention his name couple of times, when it was not him who gave himself that name
Jeyluxhal just bared his fangs and kicked her off, giving off his expression that told her off as he did her no wrong. During her time in the Pride Lands, she like the other lionesses started to understand whatever expressions he made translated to; Nala just shook her head when he read him. His face also told her that he's not coming for either of them, but that to her it didn't matter one way or another. Though when she saw Jeyluxhal step up with another face that called her a tough lioness and told her to kill him then, she stopped herself from continuing on as she had to admit something to him before breathing out; she wanted to tell him awhile back during the years when he did nothing but keep to himself and stayed the hell out of their way, relenting for a brief moment
"No... I don't hate you anymore but there's no law in the Pride Lands that forces me into having to like you, I'll admit you've done nothing wrong to me over the endless days and nights of this famine. But I have to stop you, even if that means Simba doesn't win this battle" Nala showed some regret in her voice as this hyena had done nothing to upset her, but she remained firm that Simba will defeat Scar as she had full faith in him
Jeyluxhal knew that there was just no way out of this before having to take on the full force of the lioness before him, but perhaps not as she moved in to attack; with him dodging this lunge. Leaving her to stop herself from skidding further as she turned, only to find that he's moving on ahead; "It's not worth it..." She let him go for now and went to help Sarabi in the battle as it was coming to quite the end sooner than expected, the battle continued on as it would only be a matter of time before Scar's fate was sealed
Dodging the chaos and ignoring all kinds of burning fires around him, he focused on ahead as he could see that Shenzi and her comrades had corned both Timon and Pumbaa; apparently it was here that the duo were stalling them until the tunnel was completed. He stood behind at that time and snuck around to find a better place where he was close to them, not spotted at all through the burning bushes or the raging infernos that were devouring Pride Rock itself. A few moments passed as he finally came out but with horrible timing on his side, when our all lovable but desperate meekrat had come to no other choice but to propose to her
"Shenzi Marie Predatora Veldetta Jacquelina Hyena - would you do me the honor of becoming... my bride?" Timon looked genuine but his voice spoke otherwise as the trio reacted with shock before the matriarch replied
"I don't think so!" Her voice was still in shock
"Shenzi-Marie, please I know what you're thinking: 'We're too different/It'll never work/What will the children look like?" Timon
"Ooh that violates so many laws of nature!" Now she was just utterly disgusted though Banzai snuck himself a split second lenny face for a moment
"Listen to me, the problems of a couple of wacky kids like us don't amount to a hill of termites in this nutty circle of life thing. And so I ask you: If not now, when? If not me, then who? I'm lonely" Banzai realized that this was an attempt to stall them, so he suggested to skip the wedding and go straight for the buffet at the aftermath
Jeyluxhal can't listen in to another second anymore, his blood ran the coldest through his veins and sweat once again greased all over him before dripping onto the ground. He still held feelings towards her even as he understood that she was too old for him, and he had felt like he was betrayed the one that he thought he fell in love with. His expression was of little shock and more sorrowful anger, heaving heavily with the weight on his chest bringing him down slightly. He then became consumed by jealousy, coursing through his skin and the worst had come to him when he became ever so devoured under the megalomania of the one feeling he did not want to show. Overwhelming jealousy took control of his emotions and it's spelt out right in front of his face, he wanted to rush out and confront Timon but what good is that meaningful to him? It was not worth it in the slightest, he turned away and headed back to where the hyenas were; fighting back the tears as he still loved her and he can't resist this passionate lust drive anymore. Though he looked more angry towards him than saddened that she would choose the meekrat over him
Soon the hyenas fell into the trap set up by Ma and Uncle Max as that was the last they'd see of them for now. "Argh!" Shenzi slid through the tunnel followed by her comrades. "Shit!" Banzai yelled while also hearing Ed's hysterical laughter
"I bet that he's enjoying this right now, damn that meekrat!" Shenzi thought bitterly to herself
Soon landing as Banzai hit rock bottom, he waited behind looking for the others; finding Ed running up to him as most of the hyenas were off fighting the lionesses, Shenzi found them as she limped a little bit towards them. Throwing her leg off a little bit before she heading up to the peak of Pride Rock, tail wagging back and forth
"Look, there he is and fighting Simba already" Banzai hissed at the sight
"Better stay back until it looks like he needs us, then we'll attack from behind" Shenzi gave the order as the three of them peered through the smoke, grinning maliciously until this happened
Scar attempted to scapegoat the trio into having his nephew believe that they were the true enemies while he was family, leaving them to growl angrily as they backed off; running down to the area where the others were tending to their wounds and taking cover. Shenzi informed them all that their king has betrayed them, shifting the blame onto them for the state of the Pride Lands and using them as pawns. All reacted disgust and others wanted a little more than payback. Jeyluxhal was among them as he just sat there buried with his head in his knees, still overcome with jealousy to which she could see in his eyes. This must've been because of Timon's proposal to her, no matter as she approached him
"I know you heard that meekrat try to propose to me as his bride, guess you've tried but couldn't put your feelings towards me to rest huh?" Shenzi told him as Jeyluxhal looked betrayed but nodded to her, standing up to face her with a expression that told the matriarch that came back to fix some things that happened because of him; most notably his rivalry with Banzai. She couldn't ask him what happened as he walked past her to approach him, still steaming with fury over working with Scar only to be stabbed in the back as a reward to the amount. All those years of friendship were in vain, he heard one of the hyenas approaching him and knew who it was. Banzai bared his fangs against him as he was past the point of giving a damn anymore about what happens. "Go ahead and shove it in our faces that Scar was a traitor to the clan, but I will bite that neck and tear out those veins if it's the last thing I do for him" His voice sounded like he wasn't going to attack him but as soon as he moved closer, his actions spoke otherwise
When he rushed in he took him at the paw and threw it off to the side, shoulder ramming his back. Banzai tried to lunge at him but Jeyluxhal took him closer where he simply wrapped his arms around him, just curling his neck around his while his breathing was rattling a little more clearer than before. His face told him to let go of his rivalry, he's not here to fight him; they're through with the reign of Scar. All he could do now is to throw aside their years of fighting, so the two of them can have their revenge on him together. It took several minutes until he was calm enough to return the favor, softening up on Jeyluxhal and admitting this to him: "I could never bear to see you dead along with Shenzi and Ed all because he found out Simba is alive the entire time" Jeyluxhal let go of his body before coming over to Ed, giving his farewell to him while he simply returned the favor; not laughing at all but still absent of the reality that surrounded him
Shenzi had then led the clan just below Pride Rock after witnessing Simba throwing Scar atop from the peak, landing with a hard impact as the trio arrived in time; the clan were waiting in the smoke on her orders. Feeling the most betrayed out of them all, the trio moved forwards first hand as Scar struggled to his hind paws; upon seeing them he had to smile smoothly. "Ah, my friends..."
"Frie-he-hends? Heh, I thought he said we were the enemy!" Shenzi snarled viciously as Ed had a very angry look on his face
"Yeah, that's what I heard..." Banzai agreed through clenched fangs
"Ed?" Shenzi/Banzai both chorused
Ed had not been smiling nor laughing throughout this time as he remained silent, but when it came down to what the trio heard Scar say about them; he was smart enough to give off a hell on earth sinister chuckle that was a far departure from his insane but benevolent giggles that gave off the signs of a mentally impaired hyena to all the young cubs who come to enter their territory. Licking his chops as Scar realized that his attempts to shift the blame and scapegoat the others would be his downfall, Jeyluxhal looked at Simba who witnessed the scene before turning back to Scar as he was being cornered from by the clan who followed Ed's example. A greater time of his cold blooded dark side shined on through when he gave out one hell of an sinister smirk that only he could pull off. Mirthless and starving, he could hear Shenzi tell her comrades: "Look at that boys, a king fit for a meal!" Those were the same words she said after Simba and Nala had fell through the weakened strip of flesh, cornered with Zazu when under her breath so the victims couldn't hear what she told both them both
"No. L-L-L-Le-Le-Le-Let me explain. No. You don't understand, no! I didn't mean for... no; no! Look, I'm sorry I called you.. no! NO!" Although nervous as Scar was as the hyenas cornered all sides to block his escape, he fought a few of them off as a last resort; taking one after another before being dogpiled on as Shenzi leapt first to rip out his windpipe, throwing it to feed the flames while Banzai took him at the back and Ed shattered his right hind leg to cripple him. All throughout the massacre Jeyluxhal jammed both eyes out with his claws before ripping out a large chunk of his flesh with his fangs, now stained with the blood of the king before ripping his back open for him to devour; joined by Shenzi, Banzai and Ed along with the rest of the clan
The inferno engulfed the gruesome death that echoed with cries of protest that have fallen unto deafened ears and blinded eyes, rising with the fury of his betrayal towards them; this must be how revenge feels to Jeyluxhal but it was as cold as Scar was to them. Shenzi took all hyenas out from the fires to escape while the skies remained scarlet until the rain started to douse the lands and rejuvenate the lush green fields that have since become a barren land of lost hope. The hyenas had fled the Pride Lands as Shenzi took her clan in search of better hunting grounds, though the others knew that this was not the last they'd see of them
Breathing out with a rattle that had gotten worse in his vocal cords, Jeyluxhal turned to face Shenzi who stood in front of him; his nose touching hers in that instant as if she knew that it was time for him to leave. It was the hardest choice he had to make and thus, he told her all of the events that transpired with him beginning with his dreams that startled him awake to the point of being overwhelmed with a megalomania of jealousy upon seeing Timon make a futile proposal to his enemy. Shenzi listened to it all in the silence and understood him with the expressions he made, adding in his language the acts he played out to help further let her know everything
Paled and letting the humiliation cloud how he felt, he tried to turn away until she took him by the collar; giving off a narrowed eye smirk that she mimicked from him. Fully closing the distance between him and herself as Banzai and Ed watched from behind a rock, former had an smile on his face while Ed returned to his usual self now that their revenge is completed. Jeyluxhal gave her a expression that told Shenzi that he will miss her, which she returned in response: "I knew a time like this would come, but that doesn't mean I won't miss you either; thanks again for listening to everything I told you about myself all this time" Jeyluxhal gave a nod in return as he moved away
Jeyluxhal's next expression told her that no matter where he takes himself off through the direction of the road branched with forked pathways, she will always be his mother as he let himself wrap his arms around her as a farewell. Slowly licking his cheek while he did it to her in return, he then did it towards both Banzai and Ed as his farewell; even leaning into her ear whispering to deliver what he showed using his facial expressions. It was time for him to get going as he started heading in the direction of the northwest of Pride Rock in the distance, a short moment with him turning back to face the trio who watched on; unfortunately he could not stop himself from shedding a crystal clear tear that streamed down on his face, which the trio could see with his back turned. About six droplets fell to the ground as well at that time
"Hey, come on take it easy; I'm not letting a son of mine get all sappy on us like this" Banzai comforted him to which Jeyluxhal nodded one last time, walking out of the Pride Lands as the hyena began shutting out the events that transpired such as the ascension of Simba as the true king and his roar of courageous triumph that allowed the sun to shine down on his drenched mane. The voice of his father's words to remember echoed towards him while the words of Jeyluxhal's father echoed in his mind
Shenzi, Banzai and Ed looked back on Jeyluxhal's departure in the coming rain that calmed all of the flares as well as even the most ferocious infernos of the barren landscape region in the seregetti. Breathing one out and leaving with the rest of them as she knew that though she is undoubtful to her that she didn't think it would come to this, she loved him like a real son as if he was born to them and returned his feelings of love towards her to have remember the mother that raised him. But that's just her and she's become quite the mother to him if she's not dealing with having to accept the shit thrown at them by Scar overtime, she's glad to have had him in the clan. "Goodbye, Jeyluxhal..."
Jeyluxhal left behind the only family he ever had, where he was going he did not know just as the voice that never was in his mental borders conjured another tune sung by him:
(A/N: Following the death of Chester Bennington that haunts fans like us, I decided to use Jared Halley's Acapella cover of Linkin Park's Shadow of the Day as that seemed like most appropriate song to use in his self-exile and departure from Shenzi's Clan. I'm also using the Arsenal-Fox's clear and unaltered voice as the basis of Jeyluxhal's voice that never was, I will explain who the Arsenal-Fox is at the end of the long chapter)
(Beat: Doodoodoo, doodoodoo, doodoodoo, dooodoodoo)
I close both locks below the window
(Ahhhh, ahhhh, ahhhh... ahhhh)
I close both blinds and turn away
((Ahhhh, ahhhh, ahhhh... ahhhh))
Sometimes solutions aren't so simple
((Ahhhh, ahhhh, ahhhh... ahhhh))
Sometimes goodbye's the only way
((Ohhhh, ohhhh, ohhhh... ohhhh!))
And the sun will set for you
(((Ahhhh, ahhhh, ahhhh...!)))
The sun will set for you
(((Ahhhh, ahhhh, ahhhh...!)))
And the shadow of the day
Will embrace the world in grey
(((Ahhhh, ahhh...!)))
And the sun will set for you
(((Ahhhh, ahhhh, ahhhh...!)))
...
...
In cards and flowers on your window
((Ahhhh, ahhhh, ahhhh... ahhhh))
Your friends all plead for you to stay
((Ahhhh, ahhhh, ahhhh... ahhhh))
Sometimes beginnings aren't so simple
((Ahhhh, ahhhh, ahhhh... ahhhh))
Sometimes goodbye's the only way
((Ohhhh, ohhhh, ohhhh... ohhhh!))
And the sun will set for you
(((Ahhhh, ahhhh, ahhhh...!)))
The sun will set for you
(((Ahhhh, ahhhh, ahhhh...!)))
And the shadow of the day
Will embrace the world in grey
(((Ahhhh, ahhh...!)))
And the sun will set for you
(((Ahhhh, ahhhh, ahhhh...!)))
...
...
And the shadow of the day
Will embrace the world in grey
((Ohhhh, ohhhh, ohhhh... ohhhh!))
And the sun will set for you
(((Ahhhh, ahhhh, ahhhh...!)))
...
...
And the shadow of the day
Will embrace the world in grey
((Ohhhh, ohhhh, ohhhh... ohhhh!))
And the sun will set for you
(((Ahhhh, ahhhh, ahhhh...!)))
(Fading Beat: Doodoodoo, doodoodoo, doodoodoo, dooodoodoo...)
All throughout the Pride Lands everything rained down on him like the day that Najira suffered through the pain of labor, his father was there when she needed him of the most desperate of times; in the aftermath he was given life and once the time of him first opening both eyes that was when he met her loving face. It stopped on the rain's end right there and right now. Jeyluxhal never looked ahead of him as he just headed behind Pride Rock and out towards the darkest of the night, clouds of the same color as when he first conversed with the voice that would be referred to as God taking on the impression of his father's voice to soothe him of the fears that cornered him in what he felt like his darkest hour. Simba took the throne as his and was now in control of the Pride Lands as King just like he was anticipating when he was just a cub, that mattered little to the hyena known as Jeyluxhal for as he roamed the seasonally live sprouting raining lands; he came to lower his head and let his sleep guide him to a new horizon beyond the borders of the land
Later that morning as the rain was lighter on him than the burden of leaving behind the family he lived with, Jeyluxhal's sparrow attention struck him harder as he was left in a state of confusion of where he was; a common trait of him when he mindlessly roams without the context of wherever he goes. That battle had taken a toll on him by stripping him of sleep as his awakening about 4 hours later when the moon came down left him in such a state, at last he stopped himself when he fully woke up; spewing the tsunami of slobber built up from his mouth onto the ground
Where he stood was the home he had come to grow with his father and mother he loved out of all the animals who lived here, everything felt so unfamiliar with him but it felt consumed under the impression of nostalgia; his repressed memories were leading him here. He went on ahead to enter the borders of what was known as: the Backlands, the birth of Jeyluxhal is where the burrow den that had been kept intact but as not seemed to be inhabited for the longest time that he first saw this place. It's ruined structure lured him there. He felt a great sensation of both nostalgia and pain that he cannot put a paw on, faded childhood drawings and remnants of toys built by paw were next to the walls inside
This burrow den that had stood since Jeyluxhal had been born was walled off with rocks, laid against them was sticks and leaves that had been plastered with mud to fill in the cracks; the fallen logs were used as supports on the outside as there were two on the sides of the entry way while one was laid atop of the rectangular shaped entrance that led down a ramp and a pair of two long and wide steps into the actually bigger den in the inside than outside. Even the rooftop was covered in leaves, sticks and a large rock to place over to shield them from a unfavorable weather in the Backlands. However the logs had also grown moss on them with mossy vines that had long streams of them bleeding downwards, the age was questionable but it seemed to have been built when his parents left behind their lives to be buried under the sands of time. This den was reinforced further when heated mud formed a protective to durable shell underneath the grass that planted it's roots underneath to absorb the water, it was here that a few tall blades of them grew around as well and the burrow was now apart of the earth itself. Just like Pride Rock, this would not go down even in the hardest of blows by ballistic frontal forces
Jeyluxhal looked inside before coming into the burrow den, a shine of the peacock to ocean and teal blue sky peered down towards the spot where his mother sat near him when he first woke to see her beautiful face. Looking at the wall he found that some of the stains of time did not go as there were still splinters of china berry red and three year old oxidized copper brown colored blood from his mother. Looking at the washed out paintings he made when he was young as well that made him smile, shedding a tear onto the stone ground that dried as it made contact with it. Yeah, he did draw this as a pup and at last the Shadow of Moses that has come to him which was a sign that the best has yet to come had arrived when he turned back; finding the doppelganger that revealed itself to him with the rise of the sun in the horizon, it was peaking out faintly so it wasn't there just yet
The raining sky remained as dark as ever with it's dark space and yale edged blue colored clouds, the coldness of the peaking light that was a teal and prussian as well as turkish blue while in the distance was a sky and maya blue color. Everything else was shrouded in the shadows. Jeyluxhal's doppelganger revealed himself as his father, the hyena who came to be known as Tabari; showing a more matured but youthful and experienced stature. He had the looks and his distinctive traits
Tabari was the long haired father of Jeyluxhal, appearing as taller with a stubble fade around his muzzle along with self-groomed whiskers that quilled out downwards to the sides as well as curved down horizontally to the left and right respectively. Like his son there were scars of his fights and battles that bathed him, scufflings between his enemies with his fangs stained with their blood; both spots and stripes all over him as he was the son between a spotted and striped hyena. Living up to his name he was a historian of tales that he would tell to anyone be it his or another kind. His mane was slicked downwards while his ears were smoother as opposed to his son's curled tipped ears, which he still had on the ends but that's not what it was that mattered to him. Having the same features he had while his son had his mother's faint red tinted mane, his eyes were much more narrower while his brown eyes were fiercer and showed some muscle to his body. He sat across from his son who looked relieved but had instead collapsed to his knees while looking up into the sky light that peaked through on the roof. Finally, it was his voice that was like that of God which is what he was hearing all this time; soothing and fearsome like he believed back then with the barbs of his fur spiked backwards and adorning a unbroken spirit even after the death of his beloved mate
However without warning the hyena rushed in to attack as Jeyluxhal was ready to defend, but instead he hugged him with the same feeling that Banzai had when he did the same to him before leaving; releasing his paws on his back before having them on his shoulders. He breathed a few seconds until he spoke to him: "Tajiuva... or as I should rechristen you as the split mirror image of myself, Jeyluxhal. Son, it all started with a bunch of old fools who roam the Outlands; this is the time that I must tell you of the clouded truth behind who you are. I have watched over you as Rafiki said and have missed you so much, come out of the shadows and join your father to roam the once barren lands plagued under the fallen brother's rule" Tabari asked him as Jeyluxhal nodded, walking close to him like he did when he was young
The weather started to slowly stop the soaking thirst that the seregetti was in deep need of as the two of them walked through, passing by the animals who took shelter and were asleep as of this time. "At the time of her sacrifice I have been absent, knowing that I come to take a risk in hunting down the one responsible for informing him of where we lived out the rest of our lives in an state of peace. His name was Baridi who as cold as the meaning of his name suggested all for others to know, his lustful drive for having me pay for a betrayal I myself had committed has brought nothing but a fate that saved the innocence of our son that now I can raise as a father that you never had. There's not much I can tell about at this moment but I am willing to speak about the truth next thing in the morning" Tabari told of his absence and the fate of the true mother who loved him as Jeyluxhal looked away shamefully, remembering the night she had been ripped apart. Just as the two of them passed the group of where the residents slept, though no sign of them were seen
"She never wanted you to worry of the consequences that came with the abandonment of an clan that's better off to be left buried in the dust where the wind blows it away, I loved her as much as the youthful pup you once were did. So much for I to let her spirit share the same as her body to be cut and ripped to pieces under the claws of the lion, falsifying their delusional lies that he and the pride were sent to deal with rogue hyenas such as I and her; all under the commanding presence of Mufasa. A bitter aftertaste of cold served apathy is what was left to stay with that night when the sun was coming down to await a new dawn. Neither of us were one of them and that should've been a sign that I held this feeling from the start of our time, the tales of her being left for dead were true as we hyenas know that we have no business in intruding upon the affairs of the Pridelanders and thus we keep to ourselves. The Circle's did us no favors in tipping the scale to their side and leave us with the worst of the brunt forces, even as we may respect it our own way. Know that she has not left you behind and neither I will do the same, she and I are always with you; son" Tabari recalled and assured his son that this was never their fault because the Outlanders had did this, Baridi gave the order to the pride and he was going to face her wrath
Tabari and his son Jeyluxhal passed the watering hole where he first met Kuplinka, a jackal in his childhood whom he hasn't seen since he bid him a farewell when the two went off in the separate directions where their respective parents were taking them back home. Tabari saw that distant look in his eyes when he couldn't stop himself from focusing on the same place he made his first friend. His son turned to him with a expression that asked him about if he ever made friends with the children of his age there, the father nodded in response:
"That's right I took you myself to the Backlands watering hole so that you can find someone to play with, that was just to keep the routine of the various days passing by in Mufasa's reign at bay; thinning to the edge of taking hazardous risks to where one act of disobedience would in return come to a time when death was just a slip away. There's a thin line between being like a brave lion like his father and bravado like he truly showed in the face of danger, he walked that line back in the Elephant Graveyard with Nala; he was as blind to the assassination plots masterminded by his fallen uncle just as he was a fool to step beyond the borders into where the shadows lie. Your friends however saw the fate of my beloved but there's no sign that in conclusion that you followed her to the grave, I remained silent when asked about you and it came down to the thin iced line where I told them that you're out there somewhere where a fruitless battle began; having to take my place and contact help for the heaviest losses so that they can turn the tide of their battle" Tabari revealed the truth to his friends, Jeyluxhal had to tell them something of course so he had nothing to hide from them
Exploring the few areas of the Backlands to know where everything and the residents were, a long moment of silence stalled them as they stopped at the bluff of the canyons, Tabari saw a look in his son's eyes that appeared as if he was ready to continue moving on but fell over; he caught him with his paws. Telling him this next:
"You can go no further than I son, there is still time to rest fully before the rise of a new dawn in where Simba can start the beginning of his new rule. Kuplinka's father is still in contact and I never stopped talking to him over the time that went on without seeing you in person, until the point comes where the real fate to be revealed to the friends you've played and stood up for in your childhood; rest assured knowing that I will tell them whenever you're ready to go out there and out from the shadows of the land, come back with me at the den and rest your head against my torso as you've done in your years as our pup" Tabari asked of him as his son looked up to nod, though was too exerted in his condition to respond well
Jeyluxhal understood everything now: Najira's gruesome fate, his father's absence and Baridi leading a pride of Outlanders against them. This was that lion's bitter grudge that brought his family a message that states there's no peace for the hyenas of the Backlands, he didn't think it would come to this. Once the father brought back his son to the burrow den, he looked up at him with near reflective glassy like eyes that looked as if he was about to beg for him not to be left alone; not again since he lost his mother no thanks to that lion of the Outlands. He slowly came down to his knees before burying himself in his father's underbelly, his father knew that expression before and placed a paw on his back to tell him this in a soft spoken tone: "It's why I'm here..."
The father and the son curled around each other too exhausted for one another to lap both of their tongues against their cheeks more than once, Jeyluxhal stood tall with determination as he slept; because if he is to ever have his nemesis Baridi pay with the blood of his mother on his paws, then he will need to lure the Outlander out of the safe comforts of his home by making himself be infamously known in the Pride Lands
The retribution for the Hyena Prince of the Shadowlands starts right now...