Chapter 14, Outsiders in the PrideLands
Jay and Nala raced to the sight of the rising smoke in the distance. Coming up over the edge of the cliff overlooking the plains below. They then paused. Overhead, they could see the smoke rising up from below. Coming from what looked to be some strange shapes gathered around it.
"It looks like it's coming from there." Jay insisted to her.
Jay kneeled down over the cliffs edge. Squinting his eyes in suspision at the sight which almost looked familiar to him. There were three tanned colored square-like shapes with a triangle shaped top. Along with what looked to be a large jeep of some kind. The sight alone looked almost like...
Jay's expression turned stern at the realization. As a deep seeded anger had come to take hold of him.
"Oh no." Jay suddenly said.
Nala glanced to him, curiously.
"What is it?" Nala asked.
"Outsiders!" He said, standing up over the ledge.
Nala glanced up at the Jay, curiously.
"Outsiders?" Nala said.
"Their back!" Jay insisted to her.
Jay continued to gaze below with that same stern glance. One that Nala knew all too well, having seen it before in the past. It was the one he usually had whenever Man was brought up amongst the pride. It was no secret to her and the rest of the Pride of the resentment Jay had for his own kind. Since their encounter with the poachers and with what had happened to his mother, he had become hostile whenever he was reminded of his people.
Though despite that, the hate he had for his people was not unfounded. Nala the threat that man had posed to their pride. And with them now here in the Pridelands, the Pride and all the other animals were in grave danger.
Jay continued to look on upon the Outsiders. He then stood up over the ledge. Reaching down, he grabbed hold of the handle of his dagger. Remembering the day when they had encountered those poachers. The ones who had killed his mother.
He wouldn't let the same happen to the Pride. Not again.
It was at that moment that Jay leaped down from the edge, proceeding to slide down the hillside. Much to the dismay of Nala, who glanced down to him.
"Jay, what are you doing?" Nala asked.
"Come on, we should go check this out." Jay insisted, before continuing down the hillside.
"Jay, wait..." Nala called to him.
Nala paused for a moment. First glancing back to the direction they had came. She had thought that they should go and warn Mufasa and the rest of the Pride that Man had returned to the Pridelands. But she had remembered what Sarabi had told her. As the Future queen, she needed to help guide him in his times of need. And Jay was certainly in need of that.
Especially in times like this. If there was once thing that hadn't changed from their time as Cubs, Jay was still as hard headed as before.
Leaping down from the ledge, she proceeded to follow Jay down the hill. Upon reaching the bottom, they came into the tall grass as they made their way toward the campsite.
Efia was sitting in his chair overlooking the camp fire, reading through her notes. She then glanced up as she looked over the Serengeti. A view that was nothing that she hadn't seen before. But was one that would never fail to take her breath away. Especially now, with her now being back with her.
This was going to be the first research trip with her. The first of many to come. And with her daughter intending to do her thesis on the local lion pride, she intended to make this be a special one.
Jamari emerged from one of the tents as she walked over to her.
"Well, everything is set up. The Girls are just getting settle into their tent." Jamari insisted, coming to take a seat next to her.
"That's great. It will be a big day for the both of them." Efia insisted to him.
"Especially with Tabia's new thesis."
"New thesis?" Jamari asked.
Efia nodded her head.
"Tabia is hoping to do her thesis on the lion pride in this region." She insisted to her.
"I thought she was going to do her thesis on the Bomani and his herd." Jamari asked.
"That was before I mentioned to her that we were doing a research trip on the lion pride." Efia proclaimed to her.
"She now seems really eager to do it on lions."
Jamari suddenly paused. His shifted his eyes to the side hearing her say that her thesis would be on lions.
"What?" Efia asked, curiously.
Jamari shook his head.
"It's just... that was the same thesis of..." Jamari said, pausing as he hesitant to say who it was.
Jamari didn't needed to finish that sentence. She knew who he was talking about. She turned forward before uttering a sigh of contempt.
"I know." Efia insisted to him.
Jamari sighed, shaking his head.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up." He insisted to her.
Efia sighed, shaking her head to him.
"Its fine, Jamari." Efia said.
Efia turned back to gazed over the Serengeti. She couldn't help but think of what might have been. Sarah and Jay would have loved a trip such as this. Especially now with this strange mountain ledge where the lions roamed. Jay would probably be excited and eager to find it. He would probably be so eager to see it for himself.
Efia chuckled to herself.
"In some ways, I feel that they are still here with us." Efia insisted to him.
"Somewhere..."
Though as she continued to gazed over the Serengeti, she then frowned as she narrowed her gaze. Gone were the thoughts of happiness she had of her daughter. Replaced with the sadness she felt over her friends death. The guilt she felt for Jay's death as well.
Jay and Nala continued to move through the tallgrass as they made their way over to the campsite. Peering up from the cover of the plains, Jay looked ahead at the camp, which was now several feet from where they stood. Overhead, he saw several figures sitting around the fire in a narrow space between the tents. Though it was hard to make out what they looked like.
"Do you see them?" Nala asked, curiously.
Jay shook his head.
"I can't see anything from here. We need to get a better look." Jay insisted to her.
Jay then turned and spotted a nearby Acacia tree. The tree itself looked like it towered over the camp. It would give them a good look as to what lied on the other end of the tents.
"Over there!" He said, whispering to her.
Jay and Nala crept over to the tree, moving silently through the cover of the tall grass. They then leaped up and began to climb the tree. Coming up over the tree, it was there they saw the two figures sitting around a fire. Jay squinted his eyes to the two, peering down at the two. One man and the other women. Neither one of them resembling the poachers from before.
There was no sign of any guns or cages. No piles of elephant tusks or the hides of the other animals either.
Nala leaped up over the branch he stood upon.
"Do you see them? Are they...?" Nala asked, curiously.
He shook hie head to her.
"I don't see any elephant tusks or animal skins. Maybe they haven't hunted yet." Jay insisted to her.
The two then heard voices from below.
"Mama."
Turning to gazed back down over the campsite, they noticed another female walking up from one of the tents. Coming up to the man and woman, who were sitting at the fire.
Efia stood up from her chair as she turned to face her daughter.
"Tabia, have you and Zahara gotten settled in to your tent?" Efia asked, curiously.
Tabia nodded her head.
"Yeah, we just finished unpacking. Zahara is having a nap." Tabia said to her mother.
"I was just going to get some shots of some of the animals."
Tabia held up her camera, which hung from over her neck.
"Oh, okay. Just try to stay near the campsite." She advised her daughter.
"These animals probably haven't had much contact with people."
Tabia smiled to her mother, gesturing a nod of her head. She was well aware of the risks her mother was referring to. Being that this land had been untouched by people for the longest time, the animals were probably had little experience with them. That would mean they would certainly be hostile and fearful of them.
Having studies zoology for the longest time, she was well informed of such risks. But also what to do in the situation if she was to encounter any predatory animal. Or any animal that was pose a danger.
"I know, mama. Don't worry, I won't go far." She insisted to her.
"I'll be back later."
Efia watched on as her daughter made her way into the Serengeti. Both worried but also filled with much pride to see her daughter, who bared her adventurous spirit. Trusting that her daughter would be safe. Though at the same time, worried as to what dangers may lay in this unexplored savannah.
From atop the tree, Jay and Nala continued to watch on at the young woman going off into the Serengeti. Jay squinted his eyes, having a grave feeling of where the human was going. Both of them with the suspecting that they were off to hunt. Though it bore no weapon that neither of them recognized as a gun. Except for the strange thing she that hung around her neck.
Regardless, Jay was still suspicious of the human in the pride's territory. Nor would he allow any of the other animals to be poached for their furs or anything they would want.
"Come on, we have to go after them!" Jay insisted to Nala.
Nala paused for a moment, looking back toward the woman below. While she had the same suspicions as Jay, she couldn't help but feel there was something off about the woman. She didn't appear to be like the humans from before
She turned back down to Jay.
"Jay, wait." Nala called out to him.
Jay paused as he glanced up to him, curiously.
"What?" Jay asked, curiously.
"Somethings off about this. We shouldn't be so hasty." Nala insisted to him.
Jay glanced to her, curiously.
"What are you talking about?" Jay asked.
"This human doesn't look like the ones from before. There's something off about them." Nala insisted to her future King.
"What if they are not a threat?"
Jay paused for a moment Nala's instance was one that Jay had as well. Having noticed that there was also something off about them. Yet despite that, he wasn't willing to take that chance. Not after everything that had happened.
"We don't know that, Nala. We can't take that risk." Jay insisted to her.
"I'm not saying we do. But we should first let them prove if they are or not." Nala insisted to her.
"We should follow them and see for ourselves."
The idea of following the human female was unsettling to Jay. But at the same time, he knew that Nala was right. Despite the hate that he might have felt to his own kind, it wouldn't be wise to assume they were like the poachers from before. Not when they hadn't proven to be so. Perhaps it would be fair to give them the chance to prove themselves.
Though a part of him was still skeptical of the idea, he would give them the benefit of the doubt.
Jay looked back up to her with a nod of his head.
"Alright." he said.
With that, the two made their way down the tree, where they pursued the woman through cover of the tall grass.
