Chapter 7, The Kill part II

Kovu crept silently through the tall grass as he approached Nyeti's herd, who remained unsuspecting of the young male. He had made sure to stay down wind so that they would not catch whiff of his scent. He couldn't afford to attract their attention of the other buffalo. Not until he could be sure where Nyati was. Though he had not far too look.

As he came several feet from the herd, Kovu then hunkered down. Peering ahead through the tall grass. he saw Nyati himself standing at the very heart of the herd. The sight alone of the Large buffalo was enough to intimidated the young male. While the years which passed had certainly come to age the mighty leader of the cape buffalos, he still looked just as mincing as when they were cubs. One wrong move and he would surely be crushed him beneath his hooves.

Nyati turned his head forward, snorting as he stomped his hove over the ground. Kovu could see the buffalo's right eye which had been gorged out by Jay all those years ago. Kovu paused for a moment, pondering what he was about to do. He then hook his head, pushing aside whatever worry he might have felt. Remembering what Zira had told him. This was for destiny. To claim his and Taka's true place in the pridelands.

He then hunkered down beneath the grass as he readied to strike.


Zira and Taka continued to watch from atop the hill. Zira stepped forward to the edge of the hill. grinning with anticipation.

"That's it, Kovu," Zira proclaimed.

"That's it!"

Shenzi, Banzai and Ed came up to Taka, who continued to peer down at Kovu. Shenzi glanced up to him.

"He's seriously doing this?" Shenzi said.

Banzai let out a chuckle.

"That kids more crazy then us." He insisted to her.

Ed let out a laugh.


Kovu continued to hunkered down beneath the grass as he prepared to pounce. But as he was to make his move, Kovu suddenly paused. He narrowed his head, thinking about what he was about to do. While he wished not to go against the wishes of his mother and father, Nala was a part of the hunting party. Which mean that he would be leading Nyeti to her.

He couldn't bear the thought of putting Nala in danger. Nor the rest of the pride for that matter.

Not even Jay...

"What am I doing?" He said to himself.

He glanced back up at the Buffalos. While he understood his destiny was to be the next King, he wished those that he grown to care for. Regardless of what Zira and Taka have told him.

Kovu slowly hid back down behind the tall grass before slowly backing away. He then turned and made his way back to the hunting party.


Seeing Kovu moving away from the heard, Zira glanced down sternly.

"What are you doing, Kovu?" Zira said.

"Get back there!"

Shenzi, Banzai and ed erupted in laughter.

"Looks like he's chickening out!" Shenzi proclaimed.

Zira turned back to the three hyenas, uttering a growl to them. The three hyenas fell silent as they stepped back from the lioness, whimpering in fear. Taka stood up as he came to the edge of the hill. He gazed at Kovu, who had disappeared into the tall grass. He then glanced back down at the herd below. Though disappointed with the actions of his own son, there was more then one way to lure the Buffalo to the hunting party.

Glancing back to the three hyenas, he then grinned as an idea came to him. He then turned and approached the three hyenas, who stepped back from a growling Zira.

"Zira, relax," he insisted to her.

"I think we might have another opportunity to lure Nyati to the others."

"But how?" Zira asked.

Taka turned to the three hyenas with his scheming grin. A look which did not go unnoticed by Shenzi or Banzai, who glanced to each other.

"Why is he looking at us like that?" Banzai asked.


Jay and the rest of the hunting party followed Sarabi as they tracked the addaxes through the Serengeti. Sarabi and Nala both paused as they gazed down to hove prints that were embedded in the dirt. Jay came up next to them, glancing down at them.

"Mother?" He asked, curiously.

"The tracks are still fresh." she insisted to both her son and Nala.

"They passed through here just recently."

The queen then gazed forward as she peered ahead to where the tracks were leading.

"They may be heading toward the eastern plains." She insisted to them.

"Let me have a look!" Jay said.

Jay scurried ahead toward one of the nearby trees. He then leaped up and grabbed hold of the branch above, pulling himself into the tree. He the proceeded to climbed up to the highest branch of the tree, where he stood perched, gazing out over the eastern plains ahead. Nala glanced to Sarabi, smirking.

"He can never stay on the ground, can he?" Nala remarked to the queen.

Sarabi smirked, nodding her head in agreement.

"Yes, he most certainly cannot." she agreed.

Though that was not to say she did not see the benefit in Jay's differences. Especially one capability of his in particular.

Jay continued to scan the horizon overhead. When he then noticed the group of addaxes, grazing in the fields.

"I see them." he called, glancing down at the Sarabi, Nala and the others.

"You right, mother, they're in the Eastern plains."

Sarabi turned to Nala.

"But it would seem he can see more from up there." The queen proclaimed to them.

Jay climbed down the tree, where he leaped down and landed on all fours. He then glanced up to Nala and Sarabi, where he then noticed Kovu emerging from the grass behind the others.

"Kovu, where did you go?" He asked, curiously.

Kovu paused for a moment, glancing to the side.

"Uh... nowhere." he insisted to them.

"I was... just following a trail."

"Did you find anything?" Jay asked, curiously.

Kovu shook his head.

"Uh... no, turns out the trail was a few days old." He insisted to him.

"Any luck on your end?'

Jay nodded his head.

"We found a group of addaxes earlier," Nala insisted, glancing back in the direction of the tracks.

"But they managed to get away. We were just following the trail."

"Their off grazing in the eastern plains." Jay claimed to him.

"We're headed their now."

Three glanced back at Sarabi and the other lionesses, who had already began making their way toward the eastern plains.

"Right, then lets get moving." Kovu insisted.

Kovu then turned forward as he followed after the hunting party, passing both Jay and Nala who glanced back at him. Nala turned back to Kovu, squinting her eyes, curiously. Having to noticed the look of distraught he had. She had seen that same look from him before. It was normally whenever he would come back after talking with Taka and Zira.

Jay glanced back to her.

"Did he seem a bit...?" Jay asked, curiously.

Nala nodded her head, sensing something was off.


Nyati continued to gazed out over the herd as they grazed over the friends. He then uttered a groan, shaking his head as flicked away the fly's swarming around his ear. Unannounced to him of the three hyena's which lurked through the nearby tall grass. Banzai glanced up from the tall grass, where he saw Nyati standing overhead. He then whimpered as he hid back behind the tall grass.

"Will you knock it off!" Shenzi whispered to him.

"They'll hear you!"

"Can't help it." Bonzai said, glancing to Shenzi.

"He's just so... big!"

He then glanced back over at Nyati, who moaned as he stomped his hooves over the ground. Causing Banzai to quiver in fear.

"Oh, relax," she said.

"Just stick to the plan."

Banzai nodded his head.

"Right, the plan," he said.

"Just follow the plan. What was the plan again?"

Shenzi rolled her eyes to him. She then glanced back at the top of the hill, where Taka and Zira were watching from above. Even from this distance, she could see Taka's stern gazed directed toward them. She turned back to Banzai and Ed

"Come on. we got a job to do." she

Shenzi turned forward as she made his way toward the herd. Banzai gulped, nervously. Causing Ed to Chuckle. Banzi glanced to him and kicked him with his back leg.

"Oh, shut it!" He said.

He then followed after Shenzi, moving toward the herd.


Zazu flew overhead, peering down over the Pridelands. He leaned his head forward, squinting his eyes. Her peered down over the trees below, where he saw a small group of giraffes feasting on the leaves of the acacia tree above.

"Hmm, giraffes are in their usual spots." He said.

He then cocked his head, glancing toward the nearby fields where he saw Zebras grazing.

"Zebras are grazing in the fields." he said.

Zazu then smirked, nodding his head.

"Everything seems to be in order here." he said, glancing to the side.

There was a sudden moaning sound from off in the distance. Zazu paused as he peered ahead. It sounded like the buffaloes. He then flew ahead to fields where the buffalo were grazing. As he came over the herds, he then gasped in shock and awe to see hyenas attacking the herd. Scurrying though the herd, the three hyena's bit and snapped at the buffalo, who either moved out of the way or tried to respond. Only for the hyenas to scurry before they could react.

"Hyenas!" He exclaimed.

"I must tell Mufassa!"

Zau hen turned and flew back to Pride Rock.


Nyati cocked his head, glancing around at the other herd members. They were all scattered about, galloping in opposite directions as the tried to escape the hyenas. He peering through his scattering herd members and saw one of the hyenas chasing after one of his herd members, snapping at them. Stomping his left hove over the ground, Nyati uttered a loud moaning sound. Shenzi glanced to the herd leader, smirking.

She then slid to a stop, turning to face Nyati. He then charged forward toward the hyena, only for her to leap out of the way in the nick of time. Nyati then slid to a stop, turning back to face her.

It was right at that moment, Banzai and ed each emerged from the herd surrounding Nyati from all around. Nyati glanced back at the other hyenas, who came up to him, growling and snapping their jaws at the buffalo. Nyati snorted. He turned to Banzai, bucking his horns at the three. Only for them to leap back from the buffalo.

"Over here, big guy!" Shenzi proclaimed.

Nyati turned forward toward Shenzi, snorting.

"Come and get me!" she exclaimed.

Stomping his hove over the ground, Nyati then charged forward toward the Hyena, who the turned and ran out toward in the direction of the hunting party. The buffalo followed quickly after with Banzai and Ed chasing after him. They came up next to Nyati, snapping at him. Nyati swayed his head in an effort to knock them back. But Banzai and Ed were too quick. They quickly leaped to aside to avoid being trampled by the hooves of the Buffalo.

They were now far from the herd. But even still, Nyati continued to pursue the hyenas, intending to crush them under his large hooves. Shenzi glanced back at Nyati and saw that he was still following her. She then smirked.

"That's right, just keep following me." she said.


Taka and Zira continued watching from atop the hill. Taka gestured a smirk, seeing that his plan was coming together as he had envisioned. He would soon be a step closer to reclaiming what rightfully his.


The hunting party crept quietly through the tall grass, making their way toward the unsuspecting herd of Addaxes. Sarabi hunkered down behind the long grass, peering ahead toward the horned grazers. She then glanced back to the others, where she saw Jay, Nala and Kovu hunkered down behind her.

"Stay close to me." she advised her.

Sarabi turned back to the others, gesturing for them to circle around as the usually did. The other lionesses nodded as they began making their way around through the grass. The Queen then turned back to Kovu and Nala and gestured for them to follow. The four of them then made their way through the tall grass. They were now fifteen feet from where the herd were grazing. The addaxes remained unsuspecting of the approaching lions.

Sarabi then paused.

The three young lions stopped behind her, hunkered down within the long grass. They glanced to Sarabi. She then glanced back at Jay, gesturing to her son to approach. Jay crept quietly on all fours through the grass as he came next to his nodded his head to his side. Sarabi glanced to her adopted son.

"Be swift this time, my son," she said.

"May your claw make a good kill."

Jay nodded his head. He reached down to his side, drawing his knife. This time he wouldn't miss. He was determined to make the kill.

Slowly, Jay began to crept forward with his dagger in hand. Brushing stealthy through the tall grass, careful not to make any sound that would alerted the herd. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes this time. The Pride were relying on him to make this kill. Not just for survival but to prove his worth as the next king.

He wasn't about to let any of them down. Regardless how many times he must try.

Jay came to the edge of the long grass, peering forward at the long Addax grazing along the outskirts of the herd. He Hunkered behind the grass, holding up his dagger as he prepared to pounce upon his quarry.

When suddenly, there was a sudden groaning sound from off in the distance. Jay suddenly paused. Behind the prince, Sarabi, Nala and Kovu could hear the loud moaning. Followed by the sudden vibrations from under foot. The addax raised it's head, it's ears erects atop it's head. The other antelopes followed suit, raising their head as they glanced around. Jay paused. He remained narrowed down behind the grass, peering up at the antelopes.

"What is that?" Nala asked, curiously.

Kovu glanced down to the ground, where he saw three small rocks jittering over the ground. Slowly, the realization came to him.

"Oh no." he said

The addaxes cocked their heads, glancing around the plains. There was then a sudden groaning from overhead. They then cocked their heads forward, where they saw a large cape Buffalo galloping toward them.

Scurrying through the grass, Shenzi caught whiff of several of the lionesses nearby. She glanced back toward Banzai and Ed.

"Now!" she called to them.

Just as Nyati had caught up to her and was about to throw her into the air, Shenzi quickly leaped out of the way as the three scurried off into the grass. Nyati however kept on forward, plowing through the long grass as he made his way toward the other lionesses hiding in the brush.

The lioness glanced back through the tall grass, where they saw the buffalo making it's way toward them. Desperately, they quickly leaped out of the way as the buffalo stormed passed them. Upon emerging from the tall grass, the antelope quickly scattered. One of them leaped over Jay who hunkered down as it passed over head. He glanced back and saw the antelope gallop passed Sarabi, Nala and Kovu.

Jay glanced back into the clearing. He saw the buffalo slid to a stop, where he stood for a moment, panting. The right eye of the Buffalo which appeared gorged out. Jay suddenly froze.

It was him. It was the buffalo that had attacked him and Sarabi.

From behind, Sarabi, Nala and Kovu were equally shocked at the sight of Nyati. Kovu shook his head.

"No.." he said to himself.

"No."

Nyati raised his head, his large nostrils flaring. He then cocked his head, gazing toward the long grass where Jay was hiding. Peering through the grass, their eyes met. Jay stood motionless, like an antelope caught within the headlights of a jeep. He was looking right at him.

Nyati turned to face his direction, stomping his hove over the ground as he moaned. There was little doubt in Jay's mind. He knew he was there. He knew it was him. And now he would finish what he had started all those years ago.