Chapter 5

Capable of anything


At the waterhole, Nala and her twin brother Mheetu were in the middle of a heated debate.

"Well then proof it!" Demanded Nala.

"Alright I will!" Mheetu spat back.

"Now !" Demanded Nala

"Now ?" Asked Mheetu

"Yes Now." She stated with unwavering certainty.

"Alright" Mheetu replied, somewhat unsure of himself.

He stepped into the waterhole.

He knew that it could get deep rather quickly,having seen it during the dry season.

Once the water was up to his neck he stopped, turned back and asked his sister.

"You're gonna keep count, right?"

"Yap." She assured him.

Then Mheetu took a deep breath and submerged the rest of his body completely.

.

A moment later, Kuhisha ,Simba and Igunya walked into view over a ridge.

"Oh hey Nala." Said Simba, positively surprised to see her here.

"Happy to see your little girlfriend?" Mocked Kuhisha.

"She's not..." Simba started, getting cut of by Igunya.

"Hey Nala, how do you do?" She greeted Nala

" Hey Igunya. Are you babysitting Simba and Kuhisha or why are they with you?"

The young lioness inquired.

"We are not being babysat." Protested Simba.

"Something like that." Answered Igunya.

"Does it have something to do with the punishment the king has devised?" Nala asked.

Yet another chuckle escaped Igunya as she nodded.

"You are quite clever,Nala. Yes, this actually is the punishment. The indlela sa bazalwane, an ancient tradition, dating back many generations.

In essence, they have three days to talk things out." Igunya clarified.

"I see" Said Nala.

.

Nala was hesitant to approach Simba with a heartfelt hug.

They had ,(although thus far mostly in secret) confessed their love for one another.

Yet Simba had made it abundantly clear that he wasn't quite ready to display affection openly.

The only people who knew about it were their parents and Nala's Brother Mheetu.

.

"Hey Nala, where's your fruity Brother ?" Kuhisha just couldn't pull himself together it seemed.

Especially though when it came to his previous bullying targets.

"Kuhisha!" Igunya shot him a stern look implying things that only the two of them knew about.

"Eugh. I mean I'm sorry Nala. I was just wondering why your brother wasn't here."

He halfheartedly corrected himself.

Before Nala could answer and as if he had heart his name being spoken Mheetu resurfaced.

"Well, how long was I underwater?" He Asked while gasping for air.


Kuhishas motive for bullying Simba was a mix of jealousy and insecurity.

Mheetu on the other hand was very different.

Being mostly quiet and rather timid in nature, Mheetu had barely ever resisted any of the bullying.

He just wasn't a fighter, that was ok though, for what he lacked in fighting skills , he made wet in observational and communication skills.

A born diplomat, his mother Sarabi would often say. A born diplomat if given the chance to talk that was.

His Sister too had some good observational skills , but hers lay more in reading people's emotions and knowing when they were full of sh**.

Meanwhile Mhetuu could question the logic behind what someone was saying rather well.

Together, Simba knew better than anyone, they could be frighteningly investigative.

Maybe that was why Kuhisha had targeted Mheetu. A leader after all rarely like being undermined by a weakling.


Once Mheetu had caught sight of Kuhisha he stormed out of the water and hid behind his sister much to Kuhishas amusement.

"Seems like your boyfriend isn't happy to see me." Said Kuhisha, taunting Simba.

"Kuhisha !" Said Igunya yet again with the same tone of voice as before.

Yet again he apologised. "For F**** sake...Simba, even if you two were together ,which I don't know, it would be none of my business.

Mhetuu, I'm sorry about how I treated you. I was an a**."

Simba looked at Kuhisha in sheer disbelief.

"Did you castrate him ?" He asked Igunya.

"I don't even...Do you actually know what that means ?" Responded Igunya somewhat astounded by Simbas question.

"No" Said Simba, "but my uncle always asks my mom this question whenever my dad is agreeing with her." Simba answered truthfully.

"Alright, you two stay here. Nala! You'll make sure they don't do anything stupid. I gotta feeling they'll listen to you.

I'll go hunt a gazell. I'll be back in half an hour" With these words Igunya ran off.

.

Simba looked at Nala with nervous eyes and went over to her.

"So what have you been up to today.?" He asked trying not to have Kuhicha realize what was going on between them.

" Not much. I hung out with Mheetu and then you came by." Said Nala, smiling with the kind of warmth that made Simba always feel whoozie.

"Cool, cool." A moment of awkward silence flew by.

"Are you two now gonna huggy wuggy or some sh**" Mocked Kuhisha.

"God, do you ever shut up!?" Barked Simba ,red in the face.

"Do you ever not get wound up over a bit of teasing like . you're such a baby." Parried Kuhisha.

"Uh the big meany Kuhisha made fun of me. He is a doodoo head. I'll show him. " Kuhisha kept on making fun of Simba, who once again became enraged.

"Please tell me this isn't what you two have done for the last few hours" Sighed Nala being baffled by the sheer display of immaturity on both sides.

Simba didn't listen to her and mentally prepared himself to fight Kuhisha.

"You cut that out now Kuhisha or I will tear you a new one." He growled.

"Come and get some bi*** boy." Taunted Kuhisha.

Simba was about to charge towards Kuhish when Nala jumped in front of him. "Simba, stop. This isn't gonna accomplish anything.

I want you too look me in the eyes and then tell me how you thought this was gonna end."She said

Simba opened his mouth just to close it again. Then he opened it again."I..."

Nala gave him a smug smile and a lick on the muzzle. "Yes you were saying?" She said with a chuckle.

Nala knew that physical affection was still a mindblower for Simba. So much so that it could help distract him.

.

"I.." he started again.

"Are you two done making out ?" Said Kuhisha as he approached.

Simba was about to be riled up again. However before he could even get one word out, Nala addressed Kuhisha.

"Jealous?" She said , putting on a mocking smile.

It wasn't hard for Nala to pick up the figurative playing figures of the verbal game Kuhisha had kept Simba in check with.

She knew how it worked, why it worked and how to beat him.

"Hey Simba, you scared, or why is your Girlfriend talking for you ?" Kuhisha said, trying to get Simba back into the conversation but Nala didn't let go.

She slowly started to walk towards Kuhisha."I asked you a question Kuhisha. Mind answering it? Or are you scared?"

.

Implications were significant moves in the verbal competition. The one who asks questions is the one who can make an implication about the opponent,

thereby making them assume a defensive state of mind.

With Simba, all Kuhisha needed to do was Simply put implication after implication and wait for Simba to be out of verbal defenses at which point the prince was probable to either attack or run.

Both options would make Kuhisha look like the winner.

With Nala however things would be complicated.

Her pride wasn't easily wounded and she couldn't care less about what Kuhisha thought about her.

.

"Who would be scared of you? " Kuhisha retorted.

"Last time we meet you weren't too happy about me getting near you, in fact you started to stutter. A-a-a-am I w-w-wrong?" Nala shot back with mockery, as she kept walking towards him.

"Bah, nonsense. You were annoying me. Plus you got all touchy, did you perhaps have a thing for me?" He answered.

Nala was still approaching. "You are a bit too cowardly for my taste." She responded, now only a few feet away from Kuhisha, who himself was getting nervous.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked.

Now Nala knew that the hunter had become the hunted. The game was hers to win.

"Simba is brave and strong but is easily wound up. Mheetu is smart and observant, however averted to conflict. They are both easy to bully" Nala said.

"Yeah so?" Asked Kuhisha growing more weary.

Nala was now face to face with Kuhisha. "No wonder you managed to establish yourself as a leader to a bunch of the other cubs. They must think you are capable of anything.

Yet the truth is you are scared. I don't know why, but you are scared of me. Now why is that?" She said , her eyes reduced to slits as she stared into Kuhishas eyes with unwavering observation.

In her eyes, Kuhisha had become prey, now she only needed to proceed with enough subtlety and he would undoubtedly falter under the stress.

She knew excactly what to ask next.


End of Chapter 5

Next chapter 6:The secrets you reveal