Jasiri P.O.V.
We all approached Makini to see what she had on her laptop.
"What did you find Makini?" I asked her.
"I found some entries in Rafiki's journals and passages from the book he was writing. And it has some stuff that both Simba and his dad really wanted to keep hidden…." Makini said.
"Okay, so we already know about Simba's infidelity and Zuri being his biological daughter, along with Mufasa's multiple illegitimate children and eight other lionesses that he matted with. I wonder what else the royal family has been hiding…" Beshte said.
"Look at this passage here…." Makini said, pointing to a section in the document on her screen.
"When regarding Mufasa's legacy as a ruler in the Pride Lands, most native Pride Landers tend to discuss mostly the positive aspects. But despite this, there were many negative aspects of his reign as well. For years I've been pretty much forced to keep this stuff secret. For example, even when he was a devoted father to King Simba during the latter's cub years, he was negligent with his extramarital children. Never acknowledging them as their father, never aiding their mothers with childcare in any form, or really acknowledgement of them outside of being random members of the lion pride. He didn't even consider giving any royal lessons to them such as advisors-in-training, lion guard, or whatnot. Among other things before and after Simba was born, including his generally stubborn attitude,
I would say that one of the worst things he has done happened early in his reign as king of the Pride Lands. He was part of the reason why hyena clans were long excluded from hunting in the Pride Lands. Before Mufasa took over as king, there were long-standing agreements between the Pride Lands royals and hyena clan leaders that allowed hyenas to hunt in the Pride Lands under mutual and peaceful terms. But near the end of Ahadi's reign and the beginning of Mufasa's reign, there was a change in sentiment and attitude of the royals regarding this agreement. Many lions, including Mufasa and Ahadi, were starting to see the hyena clans and their leaders as threats to their authority and influence in the region for some reason. So Ahadi started adding more restrictions to the hyenas' hunting permits on their trips to the Pride Lands, and these restrictions continued when Mufasa started his reign. I personally thought that the additional restrictions were going overboard and were unnecessarily harsh on the hyenas.
But then there was an incident where two or three hyenas broke the restrictions and hunted at a time and area that was not permitted under restrictions. Even when I recalled the hyena clan leader actually being very rational and was willing to reprimand the individuals who broke the rules. She was really willing to maintain peace between her clan and the Pride Lands, and seemed really earnest about it. But Mufasa used this incident as a way to strengthen his power and influence within the region. Instead of a diplomatic solution, Mufasa used it to ban hyena's from the Pride Lands entirely, and then began propagating negative stereotypes about hyenas, saying they were all nothing but 'bloodthirsty savages' and were trying to infect the Pride Lands with their 'gluttonous tendencies' and starve the Pride Lands' out of resources, or random crap of how they were trying to take over the Pride Lands. Many of these were stereotypes that existed long before Mufasa's reign, but the propagation of these stereotypes got worse when Mufasa took over. I voiced my opinions on how I thought what he was doing was wrong…..but he wouldn't listen. He just told me to shut up because 'he was king, and what he says goes'. At a couple points, he even threatened me with exile if I ever 'spoke out of term' any more times, and even threatened to kill me once if I ever tried to reverse any of my orders or made any direct attempts to disregard orders. Same would be said if I tried to tell other Pride Landers the truth about what went on.
A month or two after that ban was put in place, I decided to sneak into the Outlands to see if there was anything I could do to help the hyena clan while Mufasa was away on a diplomatic trip with another group. But when I got there, I found that there was a change in leadership in the hyena clan and neither me or most other people from the Pride Lands are particularly welcomed in the Outlands, whose resources and well-being have noticeably decreased because the previous hunting agreements played a large role in regards to safe food sources, which had since dwindled since Mufasa's bans took I did encounter one or two hyenas that were relatively friendly with me and told me about the struggles their clan faced since the hunting bans were implemented and how things for the Outlands hyena clans became chaotic and there has been both sudden changes in leadership and what many humans. I to this day feel immense guilt about staying silent all those years, all because I was afraid of potentially being killed or exiled for going against the king's orders. And unfortunately, this also continued for a portion of Simba's reign until meeting hyena allies.
I believe that this set of actions set the background that caused the animals of the Outlands to face the obstacles they did. Which in turn eventually led to a group of hyenas to be taken advantage by Scar and his plot, which caused Janja and other groups of individuals from the Outlands to attack the Pride Lands and it's residents before the truce made between the Pride Lands and Outlands, and potentially why the Outlands suffered from the drought at worse levels than the Pride Lands.
After finishing reading that section….we were all shocked and still trying to process what we read. With me, Kovu, and Kiara being shocked in particular. There was a whole mix of emotions.
"Yeah, I was shocked too when I first read it…" Makini said in a serious tone.
"So….so…we have been lied to…..ALL THIS TIME…about why the hyenas were not welcomed to the Pride Lands for that period of time….So it wasn't solely because of a bad group of hyenas?" Kiara said.
"And was continuing that ban until the whole Army of Scar dissolution…..some kinda twisted way of maintaining this twisted legacy of one lion's thirst for power and influence? I always thought it was some kinda of retaliation for the role that several hyenas played during Scar's reign…" Kovu said.
"Perhaps it was both…Rafiki eventually told me some time before he passed away that he always disagreed with the restrictions placed on ALL hyenas…but I am mad and shocked to learn that all the struggles…..all the suffering…all the persecution….all the food shortages that my grandparents and parents suffered during those hard years…and even that my clan and I experienced…was mostly because one lion just wanted a hold on power and influence. Just to satisfy his own need for power…..Mufasa put so many individuals in increasingly difficult situations that spanned two or sometimes three generations…..There was stuff that could have been avoided…Perhaps if the repercussions of these events never happened, I could have potentially had actually the time and memories with my birth parents that I never had." I said in an angry and solemn tone. I am doing my best to try to hold back tears.
"I never knew any of this…..Jasiri….I am SO incredibly sorry….I had no knowledge of this. I was never told any of these things…..I am so sorry about what my grandfather did and the repercussions that might have caused…" Kiara told me sympathetically.
"You don't need to apologize Kiara. You've been lied to about this as well…..But when thinking about it….but…perhaps this has a potential link with Rafiki's death…..Because just think guys…Information such as this could leave Simba and his father's legacy even deeper in question than it already is…" I replied.
Everyone suddenly had looks of realization on their faces.
"So that potentially means that if Simba found out that Rafiki is planning to spread this information…." Edwin said.
"Then that could potentially lead to Simba having a desire to try to inhibit Rafiki from distributing this information…or even get rid of him if it is that strong." Beshte said slowly.
"Yeah….because it said in that passage that Mufasa threatened to kill Rafiki at least once. And potentially Simba could have done it too….perhaps he might have actually decided to carry out either his or, by proxy, his father's threats…..especially when I read this other section here." Makini said, looking at her laptop.
"What other section are you reading?" I asked her.
"Actually…I'm not sure you want to read it because it mentions stuff about the drought and the Outlands and I'm not sure that-" Makini said before I interrupted her.
"MAKINI! JUST READ THE SECTION!" I yelled and then paused.
"Sorry Makini, just read the section…" I said more calmly.
"Okay….here it goes…" Makini replied.
In the early days of the drought, the Pride Lands noticeably started to dwindle in resources. The number of incidences of heatstroke, starvation, and dehydration have also increased, including the first couple of instances of deaths and abandonment. Even when the Pride Lands were starting to get bad, it was nothing compared to what Jasiri and others and the others of the Outlands have experienced. When I met up with Jasiri to see how she and her clan were doing, they had been affected by the drought for a few weeks earlier than the Pride Lands had been. They have told me about the lack of resources, the vultures abandoning them and the multiple deaths they have experienced over the weeks.
With this, we arranged a system where we give small rations every day to Jasiri and other residents of the Outlands to help them with their food supplies. It seemed to work fine at first, but then it was noticeable that the resources in the Outlands were dwindling at a faster rate than the Pride Lands. I remembered Jasiri asking Simba and Zazu if the rations could be increased due to the situation she and her clan were going through. For a little while, he did increase the rations we gave her by a fairly small portion, but little to no further increases occurred after that. I remembered asking Simba about potentially increasing our rations to the Outlands and Jasiri's clan, but he always dismissed me at every attempt, almost shutting me down before a definite conversation could be started. He always justified the lack of significant ration increase because of the Pride Lands' dwindling resources. Though a fair amount was true because our resources were dwindling…but again not as fast a rate as the Outlands so I think we could have potentially given them more resources compared to the small rations we gave them.
But eventually I should not have not taken Simba's words or reasoning at face-value. Around a day after what I believed was the second-to-last ration meeting between Simba and Jasiri, I overheard a conversation between two individuals. One I could clearly recognize as Simba, and the other I believe was a lioness who was a part of the Pride Lands hunting group at the time. They were having a conversation about the lionesses recent catches. The lioness was describing a hunt that went well and was plentiful compared to recent hunts, despite the hunt still being less plentiful compared to hunts before the drought. I remembered hearing the lioness suggesting that there were potentially enough portions to add to the rations that Simba was giving to Jasiri to provide for her and other Outlanders. But Simba denied the proposal first, starting with the whole spiel of making sure the Pride Lands' predators and royal family have enough to keep up their strength. But the next few lines of dialogue I heard from them were pretty telling of possible hidden motives behind Simba's division. For example, I overheard him say that 'the Outlands are pretty much doomed to collapse, might as well speed up the process through leaving the rations as is. Besides, Jasiri didn't seem that much of a leader anyways but I'll miss her when she completes her journey in the Circle of Life. But oh well, that's just life and I guess that just means that I will once again have more influence in the area and there might be more food for us.' I was surprised when I heard this, and to this day sometimes I debate whether or not he meant it or if it was a joke in really bad taste, but the tone I heard seemed pretty coded in a way. It pretty much seems he intended to keep the rations given to Jasiri small.
When thinking about it now, I deeply regret not pressuring Simba enough to increase the rations we give Jasiri. I also should have called him out on that remark. I overheard that remark. I remembered that after the last ration discussion with Jasiri, I was walking around Pride Rock and came across a small cave that contained a fair amount of pieces of meat, which I then remembered as where the hunting party typically stored their extra pieces of kill. Again, even when the amount of meat was lower than what it typically was before the drought, there still looked to be more than enough to sustain the royal family and other predators for a while, and there was definitely enough to add to Jasiri's rations at least a little bit. Those incidents were the beginning of me becoming more distant with Simba to some extent. When the day came for our next two meetings to come, she didn't come. I began to grow concerned. And then, about a week after our last meeting, I saw her come to the Pride Lands and I came straight to her to make sure she was okay. And then she told me everything that happened in the Outlands. I immediately felt so much remorse and regret when she discussed the massacre of her clan that took place during our last meeting, and finding out that she is the only one left from the Outlands. I just gave her a long hug before I took her to the royal family for her to explain her situation, after which they granted her permission to stay in the Pride Lands since the Outlands were no longer inhabitable. Part of me suspected that Simba never expected Jasiri to survive. But unfortunately, that also around the same time that things in the Pride Lands grew worse than they currently were at the time.
As Makini finished reading that section, we were all just shocked. Though for me, there was some stuff I already suspected, but there was also stuff I was shocked and angered by.
"So wait…the rations Simba gave Jasiri and her clan…..they COULD have been larger…..but he chose not to!?" Kovu said.
"So….my father lied to us?….there was more food that we could have rationed to you and your clan….but essentially chose not too simply on the basis of his opinion on the clan not lasting that much longer?!..."Kiara said in a shocked manner.
"I've always suspected that Simba's rations to me and my clan were smaller than he could have given us. And Rafiki already told me that he did try to convince Simba to increase the rations he gave me and my clan and his requests being denied. But what really angers me was all the deception, all the potentially insincere wishes of good will, all the times he said that it was the 'best we can do'...He could have done more…..He chose NOT to provide more…..Do you know HOW much even just adding a little more could have helped us?!...It could have at least given us one more day to survive. One more day I could have had with my sister still in my life. One more day I could have had with my niece and nephew. One more day I could have had with members of my clan. But no…..he chose not to give us another day with each other….simply because he assumed I wouldn't be alive for much longer. If what Rafiki wrote was true, then Simba never really had any trust or real acknowledgements in my abilities as a leader and almost used the small rations as a way to get rid of me and the others in the Outlands because he might have seen me as some kind of 'inferior opposing influence' per say? So he indirectly almost tried to starve us to death?...all for that?" I said, mostly just trying to process what I just read.
"I just can't believe it…I guess we really knew less about the true nature of Mufasa and Simba than we thought." Beshte said to himself.
"With both of these passages…I felt like I have been living lies…sometimes I wonder what else was a lie regarding stuff my father told me, including the stories of Mufasa I was told. Did my father threaten Rafiki with death or exile the same way Mufasa did?...Again Jasiri, Kovu and I had zero idea that my father intentionally kept the rations for your clan small…I should have never just blindly believed him." Kiara said while looking at me.
"Yeah….and we always thought that he was being honest for the most part…..but now within recent years, now knowing the level of lies he has told us over the years….I can't believe I once considered that guy like the father I never had….that's pretty much ruined…Jasiri, we are incredibly sorry for any part we either directly or indirectly played in regards to what your clan and other hyenas went through." Kovu said.
"There's no need to apologize to you guys…you guys were lied to as well…Simba only seemed to truly care about power and whatever seems to boost his own ego or reputation from what I gather." I replied.
"Yeah….these recent revelations are now making me really rethink encounters or experiences involving Simba and the drought…" Beshte said.
"Yeah…same…" Makini said.
Then all of the sudden, I heard a notification from my phone and I checked to see what or who it was. I saw that it was a notification from a local news app that I have.
"Hey guys….I got a news notification ... .apparently a man was killed in a bombing in Rogers Park at around-" I was saying until I saw the name of the street where the incident took place.
"Wait…Edwin?...Doesn't your mom and Nala live on that street in Rogers Park?!" I asked as I showed him my phone.
Edwin's eyes opened within a second and he began looking towards Kiara who then had the same expression on her face.
"Oh no….Kiara, call Nala's number….like now!" Edwin said with a concerned tone of voice.
Both of them started to take out their phones when coincidentally, they both started to ring.
"It's my mom!" Kiara said.
"Mine too!" Edwin said as they both answered their phones.
They were talking with Julia and Nala, and to our relief it sounds like they are at least still alive. This is then followed by more dialogue and a course of "uh huh, uh huh. Okay, we'll see you there." Before they both hung up.
"Hey guys, we need to go on Zoom. There was a bombing in their neighborhood. They are fine but one of their neighbors died and now they are in some hotel room where they are under some kind of security parameters, but they are willing to talk to us through a Zoom meeting. She just e-mailed me the link and I am going to join the meeting on my laptop, if you want you can move near me." Edwin said.
We all moved near him and his laptop as he went to his email and pressed on the Zoom link. It opened up with a video showing him and all six of us surrounding the computer, while their video showed Julia and Nala sitting by a small desk in a hotel room.
"Mom…is everything okay?...Jasiri received a news notification of the incident on her phone." Edwin said.
"Yeah…apparently it was some kind of bombing!?" Kiara inquired.
"Yes, there was a bombing. Don't worry we are both alright, neither of us got our house does have some shattered windows and our cars received damage… Nala said.
"But Edwin…..unfortunately…..Tom Hendricks was killed in the blast…." Julia said solemnly as Nala developed a saddened expression on their face.
"Oh no…." Edwin said sadly.
"Wait? Who's Tom Hendricks?" Beshte asked him.
"Oh Mr. Hendricks lived in the house next door to them. He was also my neighbor growing up. He was a friendly face in the neighborhood, with his wife and kids who were slightly older than me." Edwin said.
"I'm sorry for your loss Edwin…" Makini said.
"I appreciate Makini…" Edwin said.
"We cannot imagine the pain Michelle is going through because she saw part of the incident and last time I knew, she was at the police station for witness statements. I also cannot imagine how their kids will react when they receive the phone call." Julia said.
"But why would anyone kill Mr. Hendricks? He was one of the nicest people on our block. He volunteered at a homeless shelter and was a school counselor. Who would have done this to him? I'm not sure who would have done this to him, and in such a brutal manner?!" Edwin said.
"Well actually….sometime after we have been questioned and provide witness statements….some investigators told us that they found pieces of the box the bomb was in….including a label to whom the package was supposed to be sent to….though there was no return address, but that's obvious…..anyway…they told me that they found my name listed on the piece of the package listed as 'To: Nala Furahi' and then my address listed…so the package with the bomb in it was supposed to go to me but it somehow ended up on Tom's doorstep….and I guess Tom triggered the bomb when he picked up the package…..And since this means that the bomber knows my name and address, Julia and I are now temporarily staying at a hotel for protection until they catch the perpetrator." Nala said.
We were all shocked when we heard this….so it seems that the package bomb was actually supposed to go to Nala, and Tom Hendricks was killed instead because it ended up on his doorstep for some reason.
"Wait…WHAT?!" Kiara said.
"Did you say that the police told you that the package….with the bomb in it…..was actually supposed to go to YOU?! And not this Tom Hendricks guy?!" Kovu said.
"Yes…I guess Tom was just trying to be a good neighbor to bring the package, not knowing what was inside it, and accidentally triggered the bomb….." Nala said.
"I can't believe it…." Beshte said.
"This just confirms EVERY suspicion I have had throughout the last two months!" Makini said.
"Yeah, ANY doubt I previously had about who or what caused the previous deaths are gone…this is definitely a pattern!" Edwin said.
"Wait?...What are you guys talking about?" Julia asked.
"Well, we had our suspicions that Simba, Kion, and possibly Bunga were involved in Rafiki, Zazu, Timon, and Gary's death. And here is what we gathered…." I said.
We all began to discuss our suspicions regarding the strange manner of their deaths, the odd behavior of Simba and his associates regarding the deaths and other matters, and our recent revelations regarding the memorial videos and Rafiki's journal entries.
"So wait…..Mufasa lied to us all about the situation with the hyenas during that time?! Just when I thought that Simba couldn't get even more dishonest and arrogant…..this pushes the bar even lower….And with the food cave….he lied to me too! He always told me that he was planning to give more extra food to you the day or two after I bring my hunting party's latest catch….But from what you guys told me and what Rafiki wrote, that clearly wasn't the case and those ration increases for you he told me he was going to promise never happened that much at all despite us having enough food to do so…..I just can't believe that motherfucker made me and other lionesses in my hunting party accessories before-the-fact to the suffering of the Outlands during the drought. Jasiri, I am incredibly sorry for the role I have played in that." Nala said.
"It's okay Nala, we were ALL lied to in regard to this….but to be honest, though I still miss him, I'm also a little mad at Rafiki for being silent about some of those details for so long. But to be fair, he was also threatened with death by Mufasa and Simba if he divulged the information…..perhaps Rafiki grew tired of staying silent….and Simba decided to 'conveniently' get Rafiki out of the way with an 'accidental' fall down the stairs…" I replied.
"Just to think, today started out like a normal day. I went to work, came home, wanted to have a special evening with my fiance, and then all this happened." Julia said.
"I know, it wa-...Wait? What did you just say after you came home?..." I asked everyone else about the sudden realization.
"Having a special evening with my fi- Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you about that! So yeah, right before the bombing, I proposed to Nala!" Julia said as she started to get giddy.
"And I said yes…so we're engaged now!" Nala said.
All of us were delightfully surprised with the news.
"Oh, my goodness Mom! That's amazing!" Kiara said enthusiastically.
"Yeah, congratulations Mom!" Edwin said.
"This is really beautiful you guys! I wish you nothing but the best for you two!" Beshte said.
"Thank you, we really appreciate it!" Nala said.
"Likewise!" Julia said.
"This is great news you guys!" I said.
"I really love moments like this!" Makini said.
"Same, and also, I guess this means that after you guys marry, Kiara and Edwin will become step-siblings." Kovu said.
"Oh yeah, that's right, and I guess Edwin will also become your step-brother-in-law." Makini said.
"Looks like it, though I wish that we could have told you under better circumstances." Nala said.
We continued to talk with them for a little bit before we all logged off the meeting, then resumed talking with each other for another 45 minutes before we said our goodbyes to each other and Edwin, me, Beshte and Makini left Kiara and Kovu's apartment.
As Edwin and I drive home, we continue to talk and discuss our investigation of these deaths, and what we found tonight alongside the recent death has solidified what all of us had thought for the last two months.
Third Person P.O.V.:
A day after the bombing, Simba, Kion, Tiifu, and Bunga were in Simba's apartment watching news coverage of the incident. Kion changes his hair back to red but it also has thin black highlights.
"Investigators are looking into potential leads in the bombing that took place in the Rogers Park neighborhood last night. The victim was identified as sixty-eight year old Thomas Hendricks, who witnesses reported that the package bomb went off when he picked up the package and…" A news reporter from the television said.
"I still cannot believe you put the bomb at the WRONG HOUSE BUNGA!" Simba yelled at Bunga while giving him a sneer.
"How was I supposed to know that wasn't Nala and her lady friend's house!? They were right next to each other!" Bunga said defensively.
"Are you kidding me?! After I followed her car to her house that one time, I TOLD YOU that their house has TWO NOTICEABLE FLAGS! An Italian flag and a Pride flag! HOW DID YOU STILL MANAGE TO FUCK THAT UP?!" Kion yelled.
"Okay…sorry I made a mistake…" Bunga said.
"Okay guys, so it looks like we need to postpone the getting rid of Nala plan for a while. For now, we really need to keep a low profile for a while so that we can continue towards our long-term goals efficiently." Tiifu said.
"Yeah, we need to avoid making more Bunga-level mistakes, so we need to avoid doing anything big." Simba said.
"Oh, like impulsively pushing Rafiki down some stairs during an argument was a moment of pure genius." Bunga said sarcastically.
"I had to do it; he was threatening to reveal information that could ruin my campaign, and ruin us all at once!" Simba said defensively.
"Exactly, that's similar to when I threw that gun in the lake after I took care of Zazu and washed our knives in Timon's kitchen sink." Kion said.
"Yeah, so for now let's not do anything major until everything settles down and investigators begin labeling the deaths as cold cases." Tiifu replied.
Edwin P.O.V.:
It has been two days since Tom Hendrick's death and the last investigation meeting with the others.
It was a typical Sunday; Jasiri and I were just doing some nightly chores before we head into bed. I was cleaning the kitchen counters, while Jasiri dusted around the living room.
"So, anything interesting going on at work for you this week?" I asked Jasiri.
"Not much, just the same stuff as last week. You?" Jasiri replied.
"Yeah, pretty much the same as me as well." I said as both of us put stuff away and headed into our bedroom.
"Also, can you believe that how many people we know have either gotten engaged or married recently?" Jasiri asked.
"I know, first Kendall and Jamal got engaged last month, then your old college roommate got married two weeks ago, and my mom and Nala got engaged two days ago. So much stuff has happened recently." I replied as we both got into bed.
"You can say that again. Anyway, good night, Ed." Jasiri said calmly.
"Good night honey." I replied before both of us fell asleep.
Third Person P.O.V:
Edwin fell asleep and began to have a dream that ended up being a random flashback to a moment in his past.
Flashback: Late July, 1998, Chicago, Illinois
Walking towards the corner of Albion Avenue and Newgard Avenue in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, a woman in her late thirties with long-brown hair and a black shirt and a matching skirt, was walking with two children. One, a seven-year old boy with short brown hair with bangs, was wearing a blue T-shirt and black shorts. The other was a five year old girl with shoulder-length brownish-blond hair, wearing a purple sundress with neon-green palm leaf patterns on it. The hair of both children was wet as the three are recently returning home from the beach.
They then walked left to go on Newgard Avenue to go towards a house with concrete steps with reddish-brown bricks and a dark brown wooden door. They then entered the house into a living room, where they found a tall male in his mid-forties present within the room.
"Hey…..Edwin…..Katrina, how was your day?" The man said nonchalantly.
"It was great, dad!" Young Edwin replied.
"Yeah daddy! First, we went to the park, and I went on the swing, and mommy was able to push me so high that I almost touched the sky!" Young Katrina said.
"And then we got ice cream before we took the bus to the beach. We played in the lake and I found so many cool rocks and algae. I brought some home with me and I want to look up if I can find the types and species they are. I even think I saw some tiny fish swimming nearby." Young Edwin said.
"And mommy and I built a sandcastle with a pond and I dug a hole that could reach the other side of the world if I had more time!" Young Katrina said.
"Yep, all three of us had quite an active day today. We went all over the place." Julia said.
"That's…good to hear, nice to hear you had a good time.." Their father said calmly as Edwin and Katrina soon went into their bedrooms.
Several hours had passed and it was now evening just past sunset. Younger Edwin was reading a book about animal species and their related flora and fauna in his room on his bed while a small black radio on the nightstand next to the bed was discussing news stories of the day.
Now moving world news, there have been reports of extreme weather in regions of Eastern Africa. With sources indicating that there have been reports of extremely high temperatures and dry weather in western regions of Tanzania, Burundi, Malawi, and Zambia….
As Edwin was reading his book, he soon heard the sounds of his parents arguing.
"Julia, how many times do I have to tell you?! Why do you constantly have to constantly drain money out of this house and my bank account?!" Sabino yelled.
"Oh come on Sab, so I spent some money on ice cream. It wasn't even expensive ice cream. Plus I used MY OWN MONEY that I EARNED from MY JOB at the bank!" Julia yelled.
"As a TELLER. You're fully aware that my job is the one that pays the bills around here, woman." Sabino said derisively.
"Are you kidding me? I have paid some bills around here too! I paid the water bill, internet/computer bill, my credit card bill, half the car bill and our health and other insurance bills. And how dare you try to accuse me of unnecessary spending when you drain at least $50-$75 a week on alcohol!? Or your $500 investment in their company that failed within only a month!?" Julia replied.
"Well he was just unlucky. He misjudged his target market. And I drink so I don't have to listen to drain out all your yapping. Why do you think the romance in our marriage is dead, Julia?! I swear, you haven't shown me any kind of thanks for my husbandly duties since before Katrina was born!" Sabino said.
"Seriously?!...You are refusing to have any resemblance to a rational conversation ..." Julia said.
Edwin soon got up from bed, walked to the radio and turned the volume high to drain out the sound of his parents arguing as he has done many times before.
"Why do they always have to fight?" Young Edwin said solemnly as he went back to read his book.
A minute later, he heard knocking on his bedroom door.
"Who's there?" He asked.
"It's me, Kat. Can I come in?" His sister's voice said through the door.
Edwin stood up and opened the door for his younger sister who had a distressed look on her face and was carrying a blanket and stuffed kangaroo. Edwin developed a sympathetic gaze as he knows the drill of what's going on.
"Is mom and dad's fighting bothering you again?" Young Edwin said sympathetically.
"Yeah, I tried to hide my ears in my pillow but I can still hear it. Can I play with you in your room for a little?" Young Katrina asked.
"Sure, help yourself." Young Edwin replied, after which she came in and started laying her blanket and stuffed animal on the floor.
"Ed…is it okay if I turn on some music on your radio?" Young Katrina asked.
"Sure, the news just finished talking about stuff in the world, and now just talking about some boring money and financial stuff." Young Edwin said.
Katrina then went to the radio and started turning the knob of the radio before she landed on a station that turned to a radio station playing rock music. Edwin soon placed a bookmark on the page he was reading from his book, and he and Katrina started to dance to the music.
They enjoyed dancing around for a minute or two before they heard loud knocking on the bedroom door.
"CAN YOU KIDS TURN DOWN THAT GODDAMN RACKET FROM YOUR ROOM! Your mother and I are trying to have a discussion and if you don't do so in the count of ten, both of you will have NO TV and NO COMPUTER time for a week! 10…..9….8….." Their father yelled.
Edwin quickly went over to his radio to turn down the volume to a quieter setting.
"Much better…" Sabino said through the door.
"Seriously Sab?! You are yelling at the children because they played a radio too loud?! They are only seven and five, give them a break!" Julia yelled.
"Oh come on Julia, you enable that boy to be a social outcast. Though he got straight A's, he only has like three, maybe four friends at school. That's what you get for letting him get so interested in science and all that other stuff. I already let you give him your father's name as his middle name, why continue to lead him further down to make his life more difficult. He should be learning to take over my business as a grateful son should! And it doesn't help that he practically has no friends, or at least none that seem to be worthwhile." Sabino said.
"You have no business in deciding his path in life, that is for him to decide on his own. Plus he doesn't seem to have any interest in any path related to your furniture cleaning business. And another thing…" Julia said as her and Sabino's voices started to fade out as they moved their 'conversation' to another room.
Edwin was trying to hold back tears as Katrina began to loudly cry with tears streaming down her face as she sat on Edwin's bed. Edwin walked up to Katrina and started hugging and comforting her.
"It's okay Kat…..It's…It's…going to be okay….E…Ev..Everything is gon-...going to be oh….okay…" Edwin said before he himself broke into tears while hugging Katrina.
After five or ten minutes of crying, Edwin and Katrina's tears soon began to dry. Edwin soon began to grab a pillow and blanket.
"Hey Kat, want to make a blanket fort?" Young Edwin asked.
"Yes, that sounds fun." Young Katrina said with slightly more enthusiasm.
The two children started using pillows and blankets from Edwin's room to build a blanket fort structure by Edwin's bead with a flashlight to provide light inside.
Within the fort, they began talking with each other about a variety of topics both in and outside of their lives.
"It's okay to be nervous about starting kindergarten in September. I remembered that I was scared when I did it two years ago. But once I did it, I ended up having a good time. I learned a lot of new things and it gave me many chances to learn interesting new things. And you are pretty smart, and from what I heard, you did well at preschool, and I am sure you will do great in kindergarten. Also remember, I'll be at the school as well and I will be in 2nd grade in September, and since I've been at Morris since I was in kindergarten, so if you have questions about the school, you can ask me anytime you want." Young Edwin said in a comforting tone.
"Thank you, Ed, you are the best big brother I know! Now I am excited for kindergarten." Young Katrina said.
"But before you start kindergarten, why don't we prepare you to impress your new future friends with some new words. How about we play the Dictionary game?" Young Edwin said.
"Sounds great!" Young Katrina said.
"Okay, let me get the dictionary out of the closet." Young Edwin said.
"I really enjoyed the last time we played. Learning words like 'turgor', 'hantavirus', 'sonsy', and fu-" Young Katrina said before being interrupted by Edwin.
"Shhhhh! Be careful not to use that word too much. Especially not in public, especially not at school and definitely not near mom and dad. Remember we got in trouble for using that word the last time we used it with mom and dad. I got grounded for a week for teaching you the word, and you got both put on timeout and sent to your room for saying the word. We don't want that to happen again, do we?" Young Edwin said.
"No! I promise I won't say that word either in public or in front of mom and dad." Young Katrina said as Edwin opened the large blue-covered dictionary and moved a notepad closer to them.
"Okay, let's start with this word…'undernourished'...what do you think it means, and this is how it is spelled…" Young Edwin said as he wrote the word on the notepad.
Edwin P.O.V:
I suddenly woke up from the dream I recently had. I was wondering why I suddenly had a dream about a random day when I was seven years old.
But when thinking about it, I think it took place around July of that year, which would have been around the same time as either the last days of the Pride Lands drought and…when they became hybrids….Wait, in the dream, I remember that there was a radio news story discussing extreme weather in parts of East Africa….That probably would have matched the times in which those things have occurred.
"So, you decided to wake up, huh?" A sarcastic male voice said.
I recognized the voice almost immediately, I turned around to see my father standing in the door frame to me and Jasiri's bedroom. He looked as if he was the last time I ever saw him before I cut contact with him last year.
I turned towards the area of my bed next to me to find that Jasiri was nowhere to be seen for some reason.
"You thought you could cut me out so easily, Edwin? Well like many other times, you were wrong and I need to once again try to knock some sense into you, you freaking wimp. So I….." He continued to say, after which I began to grow annoyed, angry, and confused.
But then I realized….I was just seeing and hearing things….because the figure then just started to fade away along with its sound.
With this, I decided to get a glass of water, and Jasiri probably went to the bathroom or something.
I was walking towards the kitchen to see the bathroom light on, confirming that Jasiri was in there.
I went to the kitchen, grabbed a clean glass from the nearby cabinet and poured water into it. As I turned around towards the direction of our living room, I was started by two figures that almost looked like two hyenas. One that has black fur running across their head and back with a notch in their ear with dark spots in their grayish fur. The other had a smaller fur tuft on their head and their fur kinda looked similar to Jasiri's when she was in her anthro hyena form. And I'm not sure if it was just me but it almost appears as if they were…smiling at me for some reason.
I then shook my head to find that the figures disappeared, so I guess that I was just seeing things again. Perhaps the images I saw came from Jasiri's sketches in the hallway of her former clanmates and it manifested in my mind somehow.
I then walked in the direction back to the bedroom to find Jasiri just getting back to the bed.
"Hi sweetheart, what were you doing up?" Jasiri calmly asked.
"Yeah Jas, I went to get a glass of water. Had a weird dream. Had a flashback to when I was seven and was remembering a day I went to the beach, and then my parents started fighting at some point and my sister and I comforted each other before we started playing games in my childhood room. I don't know why I had that flashback, and funny to think about it, I think it might have been around the time you and the others became hybrids, because I remember the dream having a news story about extreme temperatures in regions in eastern Africa." I told her as I got back in bed.
"Wow, that is interesting. I guess part of your mind might have been curious about what you were doing around the same time as me and the other former Pride Landers became hybrids, and you flashed back to that memory. I've also had my fair share of flashback dreams, both from before, during, and after my transition to the human world. I remember one time randomly having a flashback dream where I was in my seventh grade social studies class presenting my history fair project. And another night where I flashed back to a time where I had a flashback of a time I was fighting Janja at a time when we were still enemies. Sometimes those dreams occur just randomly." Jasiri said.
"Interesting, and funny thing, that wasn't all. I then woke up and had a brief hallucination that my dad was lecturing me, which then faded after a few seconds. And then for some reason, when I was getting a glass of water, I thought I saw two hyenas in the living room before they disappeared. Perhaps I had an image in my mind of the hyenas in one of your sketches and it manifested in my mind somehow." I replied.
"Really? Two hyenas? It's funny because remember two years ago, I told you that one time I had some kind of 'encounter' with Janja and Madoa. Sometimes I still debate whether it was a dream, hallucination, or something else. I guess we both had visions of hyenas at one point or another." Jasiri said before letting out a light laugh.
"Yeah, I guess so." I replied.
"Also, why do you think you got the vision of your father out of the blue, considering that you cut off contact with him last year." Jasiri asked.
"I don't know, but since it was paired with a flashback where he was arguing with my mom and criticized me for not meeting his expectations of what 'his son' would be like….But I guess probably it is just a reminder of how toxic of a person he is…..both during childhood and adult year…..But long story short, I have ZERO regrets cutting him out of my life. I'm just surprised I didn't do it earlier." I said calmly.
"Oh I just remembered, with your mom and Nala getting married, that means that Nala will become your stepmother. How do you feel about gaining a new parent in your life?" Jasiri asked me.
"I'm actually looking forward to it. My mom is really happy with Nala and from what it looks like, it is a stable and healthy relationship. I'm looking forward to her becoming my stepmom. Even though I technically already have a stepmother with Melissa, my dad's new wife, I was never close with either her or her children from her previous marriage. In fact, I know it was at least two years since I last saw Melissa. So overall, I am looking forward to Nala becoming related to me. Plus, Kiara will also become my stepsister, so it will be interesting what it will be like to have an older sibling." I said light-heartedly.
We then soon went quietly back to sleep.
Third Person P.O.V.:
The work week passed by as usual and for most, nothing out of the ordinary was a foot. On Friday, Kiara was finishing some emails and virtual paperwork that was required to do for the day.
She was heading to a nearby lounge to get some more coffee. But as she was approaching the lounge, she overheard a conversation between her father and another employee from the business sector. Kiara decided to lean against a nearby wall to avoid being spotted while trying to hear
"So, Merrill, I want you to inform the rest of the business sector and start a group email to all museum faculty and staff that I will be taking a week's vacation with my son starting Monday." Simba said.
"Will do, sir. I will do it as soon as possible. Hope you have a good time away." Merrill replied.
Kiara then heard the sound of footsteps exiting the lounge and decided to not look suspicious, so she decided to lean her back against the wall and pretended to be busy on her phone by reading random text messages and emails.
Soon she saw her father and a female with long blonde hair, who she presumed was Merrill, walked out of the lounge and walked down the hallway in the opposite direction from Kiara.
Kiara looked in their direction until they were no longer visible.
"So, dad and Kion are going on vacation next week? I need to tell Kovu about this! This could be the opportunity we have been waiting for! With them being away next week, this could be a good opportunity to sneak in their offices or desks to see if there is any concrete evidence of their guilt in the killings" Kiara thought to herself.
The next day was the day of Timon and Gary's funeral, all the hybrids were there in their human forms. And there were even a couple of humans there, mostly people that knew Gary and Timon to some capacity. And unlike the funerals of Rafiki and Zazu, there were actually a couple of humans from the museum there. In fact, Jasiri brought Edwin as a plus one.
The service lasted about two hours, which then moved to a cemetery where Gary and Timon were buried next to each other in adjacent plots.
After the service, Jasiri, Edwin, Kiara, Kovu, Beshte, Makini, Makuu, Ma Tembo, Vuruga, Pete, Bupu, Muhimu, Vitani, Fuli, Anga, Ono, and a couple of human colleagues from the museum all met up at Jasiri and Edwin's apartment.
Jasiri and Edwin prepared a fair amount of food for their guests, there were moments where they relaxed, ate food and conversed. Then the event turned to an impromptu meeting regarding their own investigation regarding the string of deaths. Jasiri, Edwin, Beshte, Makini, Kiara and Kovu discussed their findings with the group. Then Anga and her boyfriend Fabian discussed what they learned when they met one of Timon and Gary's neighbors who saw some of the crime scene, and others added additional information regarding the Tom Hendricks death and that Nala and Julia are now under protective surveillance. Kiara and Kovu also used this time to discuss their plan to sneak into Simba and Kion's desk and offices that coming Friday. After they finished, there were mixed reactions regarding their plan.
"Uhhhh…..I don't know…..Though I appreciate the potential opportunity of gaining concrete evidence…..I'm just not sure if it's the best plan…." Pete said in an uncertain tone.
"Yeah, perhaps it just needs some slight refinements to execute it more efficiently." Makini said.
"Okay, noted, we can talk about potential refinements later. But outside that Kovu and I think it could potentially work." Kiara replied enthusiastically.
"Yeah, this could be one of limited opportunities where we can get actual evidence to bring justice to our deceased friends and victims." Kovu said in a similar tone.
"I'm not so sure…..for Simba to suddenly go on vacation at the last minute ... .I don't know, something just seems off in my mind…" Makuu said slowly.
"Yeah, because I never heard once from anyone about this supposed vacation…" Vitani said cautiously.
"Honestly, I think it's a terrible idea, and if Simba and/or Kion find out that it's you in the security camera footage in others around the museum, he could get you guys arrested!" Bupu firmly said.
"Yeah, or even worse, potentially even get killed considering the nature of the previous deaths and the attempt with Nala and her partner." Ma Tembo said with a concerned tone.
"Yeah, what if this is a trap or something?" Beshte asked.
"Relax guys, we totally understand your concerns, and we will make sure to conduct proper precautions and plan for anything regarding this. And if there are any substantial factors that will put a major obstacle to our plan, we will abort and abandon the plan and potentially go back to the drawing board." Kiara said.
"Yeah, don't worry too much, I think everything will be fine. We will let you know as soon as possible if we need help or anything regarding the carrying out of our plan." Kovu said calmly.
"Okay…we are not stopping you from you guys carrying out this plan…Though like the others I have potential concerns…..but if you need help, you are more than welcome to message or contact us." Edwin said.
"Yeah, you can talk with us anytime…but I would advise you to be careful about it….because even though we can't stop you from doing what you guys want to do….I just don't want anything to happen to you both considering the nature of the people we are dealing with." Jasiri said calmly.
They soon continued their discussion amongst themselves before everyone left and began cleaning their apartment.