‘’WHERE ARE THEY!?’’
‘’I-I don’t know!’’
‘’Shujaa, calm down..’’
I was choking the ever living life out of a hyena, who was downright shaking and terrified of my angered state with Vitani trying to calm me. We had been a few hundred feet into The Graveyard before we say a group of hyenas. The group ran off, but one was not too fast, allowing me to catch it.
Narrowing my eyes, I got right in his face. ‘’Stop lying to me…’’
Extending my claws, I smirked. ‘’Or you’ll have...facial reconstruction.’’
The hyena, terrified at my clear bluff, began to cave. ‘’Okay, okay! Tashi and Ni have them in the volcano! Where all the steam is!’’
I raised him up, paw around his throat. ‘’How do I know this isn’t a trick?’’
‘’Well..’’ He wheezed. ‘’Would someone lie when threatened with death?’’
‘’You never know.’’ I huffed before tossing him into a wall. ‘’Now go. Run off to whoever you want, it makes no difference to me.’’
Quickly nodding, the hyena scurried off as Vitani walked next to me. ‘’Don’t you think that was a bit much?’’
‘’We all have our own form of interrogation, Vitani, extensive time in The Outlands taught me that much.’’
‘’True…’’ She sighed. ‘’But be more cautious when interrogating. You never know what new enemies you will make.’’
‘’I don’t care how many enemies I make right now. All I want is to get Kiara and Zuri back.’’
‘’I guess so…’’
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We ran through the Graveyard, trying to find the volcano. Vitani said that she remembered where it was, since she and Nuka had went to it to enact Zira’s plan a week earlier….speaking of which, I have to go to that area sometime and check out all of the damage.
Get this done, then you can.
I know…
‘’I think I see it!’’ Vitani shouted as we neared it. ‘’Here it is!’’
But something caught my eye as I grabbed Vitani and pulled her to cover. ‘’Hold up.’’
‘’What is it?’’
‘’Hey! You hear about the kid?’’ A hyena asked his comrade, who scoffed and shrugged.
‘’Bits and pieces.’’ He replied. ‘’From what I was told, Ni and Tashi ambushed the former king of The Pridelands and took a newborn with them.’’
I snarled as Vitani put a paw on my shoulder.
‘’I think it’s all a story.’’ The 1st hyena raised an eyebrow. ‘’Why would they be crazy enough to ambush them? Doesn’t make too much sense.’’
‘’Oh, but it does…’’ I muttered. ‘’Attacking Sarabi to mess around with me...and taking Sara for whatever reason. Probably to lure me in. As if the capturing of Kiara and Zuri didn’t do that.’’
‘’He wants you further in so he can do something.’’ Vitani sighed. ‘’We have to hurry.’’
‘’Yeah. More we stay here, less likely we are to get them in time.’’
The two of us snuck around the hyena guards and through a hidden entrance Vitani knew.
Don’t worry…
I’m coming.
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We reached where Ni and Tashi are, me gasping in horror as I saw the state of Zuri, but sighed in relief when I saw nothing was major.
‘’Start it, Ni.’’ Tashi ordered and Ni grabbed Zuri. Looking around, Tashi smirked. ‘’I know you’re there, Shujaa. You think I wouldn’t come prepared for you? I am not stupid! I have heard of what you’re capable of...which is why I enlisted help.’’
Suddenly, I was pounced on, tumbling down the hill and crashing near a pool of lava. Turning around, my eyes widen.
‘’Kovu…?’’
‘’The one in only.’’ The brown and black male said as he pinned me down, Vitani being taken down by a large group of hyenas. ‘’Only reason why I bothered to help them is to get back at you.’’
‘’Ack.’’ I choked. ‘’Wouldn’t have to if you just stayed with us, Kovu.’’
‘’You ruined everything of mother’s plan...I won’t go with you even if my life depended on it...however…’’ He said, turning my head over as Ni began torturing Zuri. ‘’If I can’t kill you physically...why not emotionally?’’
Her screams caused me to close my eyes, tears beginning to come out as bones cracked. ‘’Stop.’’
Chomp...one of Zuri’s legs were instantly broken by a strong bite from Ni, her crying reaching my ears and causing me to growl.
‘’I said stop…’’
‘’That’s enough, Ni.’’ Tashi frowned, walking to me. ‘’I think we can end it here.’’
‘’No…’’
Tashi then walked over to Zuri, extended a claw and putting it to her throat. ‘’Your choice, Shujaa. Her or the cub? Pick one.’’
Seeing Sara being carried by a hyena to Tashi, I narrowed my eyes. ‘’You lay even a hair on her and I will have your head!’’
‘’Oh, so scary.’’ He said sarcastically. ‘’Look, since you can’t make the choice, i’ll make it for you.’’
...A slit of the throat...and Zuri...my friend...my sister from another world...fell..
‘’ZURI!!!’’ I screamed in horror as she fell, lifeless. ‘’NO!!’’
Tashi laughed as tears came down my face, seeing one of my closest friends die right in front of me.
‘’Get off…’’
‘’Hm?’’ Kovu blinked at my low tone. ‘’Aw, are you sad?’’
‘’I said...GET OFF!!’’ I roared before springing up, taking Kovu down and slashing at him constantly, the surprised lion doing his best to defend himself, but I quickly bit both of his paws and pinned him down. But as I was about to kill him, I knew I couldn’t. If I killed Kovu, Vitani would be without a sibling...so I simply broke his legs. ‘’Now stay down!’’
But then my attention was turned to Tashi and Ni, who was both stunned by my burst of anger. But Tashi suddenly laughed. ‘’Ah, look at you. Did we hit a nerve?’’
I suddenly grinned madly. ‘’Oh, you did more than that…’’
Instantly I sprung at them, taking them both down at once. As I jumped back, Ni got up and tried to pounce me, but I did a monkey flip, sending him careening into a pile of bones.
The hyena holding Sara dropped the newborn sadly, fearing for his own life as I stared down Tashi.
‘’I did it...I finally broke you!’’ Tashi cackled. ‘’For ages, nobody thought you could break. You could never look to fully kill and yet I managed to break you mentally and emotionally.’’
‘’You heartless...piece of…’’ My eyes burned with the fire of rage. ‘’Killing innocents just to lure me. Killing those closest to me. You’re really obsessed with me.’’
I heard bones land on the ground as I looked behind me, grabbing Ni and throwing him into Tashi, sending both tumbling down. Walking to them, I smacked Ni into a wall, then grabbed Tashi and knocked him into a large rock.
‘’You want suffering…?’’ I asked darkly as I began choking the life out of Tashi. ‘’THIS IS SUFFERING FOR YOU!’’
Wheezing, Tashi tried to break free, but the more he broke free, the more I increased the pressure. ‘’No more will you do harm to Africa!’’
He stopped struggling, causing me to toss him off a cliff leading to a large pile of bones, burying him under it. ‘’Still a more honorable death than you deserved.’’
Looking to Ni, the lion getting up, I coughed. ‘’You want to be next?’’
Ni, knowing all too well and being quite smart, ran off, not wanting to take further punishment.
Quickly, I ran over to Zuri’s body and shook her. ‘’Zuri! Zuri, talk to me! SIS! TALK!’’
But she wouldn’t.
I buried my face into her fur, my tears causing the fur to be wet, dampening it as I sobbed.
I failed…
Sure, Kiara was safe, as Vitani managed to get her out of The Graveyard as I later found it, but…
I still failed..
Grabbing the meowing Sara, who put her paws on my face, I smiled ever so slowly and walked out of The Graveyard, not even wanting to see the body of one I called a sister…
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Returning to The Pridelands, I gave Sara to Kiara, who smiled with tears and nuzzled me, also devastated over the death of Zuri. I nuzzled her back, looking for some form of comfort….but there was none.
...I wasn’t fast enough…
And because of that…
Zuri was gone…
OOF! The Series Finale of ‘Like Water and Rain’! Sure, this was a bittersweet ending, but there will be more explained in the next fic: Children of Light!