by YFWE » April 28th, 2010, 8:57 am
Thanks for the feedback as always, everyone. Sorry this one took so long. I'm hoping it'll be updated much more quickly from here on out.
Wokovu: Kovu’s Journey
Chapter 7: Temptation
Days passed, though the sweltering conditions of the Serengeti did not let up even remotely. The drought that had troubled the plains had continued, with no signs of ceasing. What was more, Kovu had a feeling that they were merely getting lucky, having had bodies of water…small, but water all the same…that presented themselves throughout their journey.
But what worried Kovu was not the drought and the growing scarcity of water; rather, it was that, after many days of searching, still they had yet to find Jasusi. Granted, he had not exactly expected to catch up to her immediately, but all the same, paranoia had begun to creep in and Kovu wondered fleetingly if, just maybe, they were on the wrong path.
Surely that could not be so, though…Kovu continued to pound this ideal into his head. After all, they had been following the lioness’s scent the whole way. Koko had done the bulk of the tracking, but Kovu had even sniffed the ground a time or two to be sure they were still on her scent, and they definitely were…there was no mistaking Jasusi’s scent. What was more, Jasusi’s scent was still strong…she could not be more than a few days ahead, if even that.
And still Kovu was worried, due mainly to a decision he had made days prior. The first day, after Koko, Bidii and he had napped near the large rock edifice and Kovu had first experience the new (and now recurring) nightmare that now included Koko and Bidii, Kovu had come to a ”˜fork in the road’ of sorts. Jasusi’s scent had split; one trail continued to lead off deeper into the savanna, while the other had trailed off into a split in the large rock. The scent on the left had been stronger and so they had taken it, but it had still certainly caused Kovu some distress. He chalked it up, however, to Jasusi stopping for a short drink at the oasis that sat at the center of the split. After all, she had left alone…if she had gone down to find reinforcements, surely she would have left with them… right?
At least something had gone right, though…Kovu had, at long last, told Koko and Bidii of his plans and why he was following Jasusi. Although his dreams involving them had still not subsided by any means as a result, he certainly felt better for it, and had at least given them a chance to leave if they wanted. To his surprise (and, too, his delight), they had not decided to desert him…in fact, the prospect of helping appeared to be all the more enticing to the two young animals.
Kovu could not deny that this was slightly worrisome, nonetheless. Why were Koko and Bidii so eager to help him, so eager to stay by his side? Was it simply the fact that he was a lion and thus able to protect them? Not that Kovu minded…he enjoyed their company; if he were doing this alone, he would have gone insane eventually. He did wonder their reasons for being out on their own, as neither had even brought it up since they joined Kovu, but he certainly would not press the issue. Just as he had told them about his plight, perhaps in due time they would do the same.
The young lion sniffed long and low at the ground, his black mane falling over his eyes. Jasusi’s tracks were still there; Koko had done well. Kovu even reckoned they were making ground on the lioness; her scent seemed stronger and stronger each day. This gave Kovu an energized gait and only heightened his anticipation of catching the fleeing lioness, though he still had a tendency to let this hope become overwhelmed by pessimistic thoughts. At the very least, by that point there was a bit of a balance.
“Well, I think it’s awesome, Koko, I really do, don’t you? If that’s what they taught where you came from, I definitely wouldn’t mind stopping by and learning a thing or two, oh no, I wouldn’t, d’you think they’d mind, Koko? A little someone like me learnin’ from the greats? I don’t think they’d mind, d’you?”
And so begins the proverbial talking off of Koko’s ear, Kovu thought, chuckling quietly. Most morning’s started with this, Bidii finally becoming fully awake and settling into one of his moods during which if Kovu or Koko was able to get in so much as five words in, it was a personal triumph.
“Seeing as I’m a predator by nature and you’re more or less food to most…” Koko started.
“So you think they’d say yes? I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. That would be so exciting, learning from all the legends, just like you have, yeah, I would have so many great things to say to my family when I find them again! Oh wow, Koko, I can’t wait, it’ll be great!”
“What’re you two talking about anyway?” Kovu asked curiously, lowering his head so that he loomed directly above the small animals.
“Koko was just telling me an awesome story her elders told her when she was young, weren’t you, Koko? It was a great story, and…” started Bidii excitedly.
“It was just a story. Something they told the young before we went to bed,” interrupted Koko, shrugging. She had lost most of her stutter now when she was around Kovu, at least compared to her state when they first met. Kovu was glad that she seemed to be warming up to him; she seemed like an easily intimidated individual, so the less intimidating that made him sound, the better.
“Well, we probably still have a ways to walk. Why don’t you fill me in?” Kovu smiled warmly. Idle chatter to pass the time was nary a bad thing, and he was marginally interested in the teachings and culture of a species not his own. He had only lived among other lions, after all.
“W-well, okay,” started Koko, pausing then as if to think how to best start the story she was about to tell. “My kind can be a spiritual group, or at least the clan I come from can be. Much of what we believe is based on myths and past teachings of the mystics. I could go on for days about all of the different stories they told, b-but… well, the one that I was telling Bidii about, it’s about… spirit guardians.”
“Spirit guardians?” asked Kovu, intrigued. “I’ve never heard of anything like that.” And it was true; he had not. He had been taught of the Great Kings and how they watched over the Pride Lands, and had a weird feeling that Rafiki was somehow omnipresent, but he had never heard of anything along the lines of a spirit guardian.
Koko continued, “What we’ve been told is that every being in this land has a guardian that watches over them and protects them from bad decisions and from evil. Like… like our conscience.” She paused before continuing to explain. “Our guardian is always present, even if we can’t see it, and we are never without it. But there are times, it is said, that our guardians appear to us when we really need guidance.”
“Yeah, and tell him what you were thinking, Koko! Tell Kovu what you were thinking about the spirit guardians, and about Kovu! Oh, he’ll be so surprised, won’t he, won’t he? Please tell him!” Koko could barely contain his excitement.
“Yeah, tell me, Koko!” Kovu laughed, flashing an amicable grin at the small wild dog.
“Koko thinks maybe you’re our spirit guardian!” Bidii blurted out before Koko had a chance to answer.
“Does she now?” Kovu grinned warmly at the canine. Koko returned a slightly abashed grin and nodded.
“I said ”˜maybe.’ I just think… it’d be c-cool, you know? Like maybe it wasn’t an accident that we met you. Maybe there was a reason you decided not to eat us and let us follow you on this quest. Maybe it’s fate.”
Kovu chuckled as he continued to walk along. He was quite flattered that his newfound friends thought of him in such an alluring light, whether there was truth to Koko’s theory or not.
“Well, in that case, let’s say that I am.”
He paused for a moment, of course causing Koko and Bidii to stop in their tracks as well. Straightening his mane, Kovu sat back on his haunches and put on his most regal-like expression as he patted both animals…first Bidii, and then Koko, lingering upon her for a brief moment longer.
“Then by the power vested in me by the Great Kings of the Past, or whatever gods might be out there, I hereby reveal myself to be Koko and Bidii’s spirit guardian, and as such, I promise to protect them always and to defend them from all evil they might come across. I promise also to shut up Bidii if he ever gets too talkative for Koko’s liking.”
“And with that he patted both on the head again, and rather unceremoniously for that matter, grinning as he did so. “And for my first official act as your spirit guardian, I propose that we find some food. Any ideas?”
Koko reached a paw up to her crown as soon as Kovu’s own paw had left it, smoothing out the fur atop her head. She glanced around the arena that they had been treading across, which had transitioned from a barren savanna to what appeared to be a more fruitful area. At the very least, they would be able to find vegetation in the area, that much was for sure.
On the horizon, and to their left, stood a series of trees. Tall trees, at that, and quite plentiful. Koko squinted. There was something familiar about those trees, though she was at that point unaware of what that was exactly. She sensed that Kovu had followed her gaze and thus knew that visiting the forest was only imminent. Still, the feeling in the pit of her stomach, that there was something not quite right about this place, persisted.
“What about…” Kovu started.
“Hey, Kovu! What about over there? See those trees? I’ll bet there’s something over there! Things live in trees, don’t they?!” Bidii shouted, almost beside himself at having found something he deemed of use to them.
Kovu rolled his eyes. “Yes, Bidii, I see it. There’ll be water at the very least. What do you think, Koko?”
Koko, however, did not seem nearly as enticed about the idea. She squinted her eyes at the tree formation once more, an expression of doubt formed across her muzzle. It was clear that she had reason not to trust the place. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “Something doesn’t feel right. Maybe we s-should keep moving…”
Kovu grinned and pulled the small canine into an affable hug. “Aw, c’mon, Koko. Who knows when we’ll get another chance like this!”
“I thought you were worried about catching Jasusi.”
The lion’s face scrunched in slight frustration. “I…well…” He could not deny that Koko had a point. And yet, they had not eaten in so long. They would not be able to go on for much longer.
“It’ll just be a quick stop. We have Jasusi’s scent, after all; we just need to come right back out here. If we keep going, we’ll be unable to go on in a few days’ time.”
Feeling as if his reasoning was reason enough to convince Koko that a stop in the nearby jungle would not be adverse to their well-being and instead beneficial, Kovu turned toward the jungle and set off in its direction, Bidii in tow.
“Coming, Koko?”
Koko had remained rooted to the spot, still eying the large forest with an untrusting leer. Something did not feel right to her just looking at the place, though she could still not place a paw on what it was. Begrudgingly, she finally began to follow behind, her countenance sullen as she continued to stare forward, still untrusting of Kovu’s decision. She was hungry; that much was true. Their last meal had came two nights prior in the form of a few small bugs…revolting, of course, but Koko had become well accustomed to those sorts of meals since she left home.
And then it hit her.
“Guys. G-guys! I really can’t g-go in. I won’t!”
Kovu stopped again, sighing as he turned to face the wild dog. “What is it this time, Koko? We’re almost there now.”
Bidii’s attention, however, remained fixed upon the jungle. Something seemed to dawn on him, and he began to jump up and down excitedly, turning to his friend.
“Hey, Koko, see it? See that place? That’s where you grew up, isn’t it? It’s where we met and where your family lives! Remember it? Oh, wow, I thought it looked familiar. Isn’t this great, Koko? You can see your family again!”
xXxXxXx
Jasusi had not expected this.
A low flame burned near her, giving a tiny amount of light to the forest floor she stood upon. At the least, it was light enough for Jasusi to realize that she was surrounded on all sides, preventing an escape on her part. The lions that surrounded her, like silhouettes against the dark backdrop of the forest, occasionally glanced at her, speaking in low voices to one another. The sun was setting in the distance, though this was a bit difficult to view from their position deep in the forest, as the trees were so plenteous and voluminous that the sky was barely even visible among them.
“I must say,” spoke Jasusi, addressing any of the lions who might listen, “your pride doesn’t have the best customs when it comes to welcoming your guests. I’d have expected more… what’s the word… class from the Mwituni pride.”
“You are no guest, outsider,” grumbled one of the nearby lions, a burly male. “You are trespassing. You are lucky we have not killed you. Most are not as lucky.”
“Charming. Then, brother, why have you spared me if I am such an unruly, sinful trespasser?”
Through the darkness, Jasusi could see the lion look over at one of his acquaintances, give a firm nod, and turn to face Jasusi. The male padded toward her quietly, his paws making nary a sound on the soft forest floor, his acquaintance moving over slightly to fill the gap that had been left. Jasusi stood, holding her ground,staring forward as the lion came into full view for the first time. He was a pale being, though his fur seemed considerably darker due to the dim conditions. A light brown mane rippled idly as he walked.
But what Jasusi found to be most interesting were the foreign markings that dotted the lion’s fur. Brown, green, yellow, black…they covered the lion’s body in a pattern of swirls and symbols. Jasusi had heard of war paint being especially persistent in certain prides. She hoped that this was not one of those prides; war was certainly not on her agenda…at least not just yet, anyway.
Continuing until he was not even a paw’s length from Jasusi’s muzzle, the lion sent her a cold sneer. “If it were my decision,” he said as he began to slowly pace circles around the lioness, keeping his head close to hers in truly intimidating fashion, “you’d be dead already. However, if you are who you claim to be, it would not be in my best interest to kill you, trespasser or not.”
“Wise move,” retorted the lioness.
“But,” the lion continued, “should your story prove to be false,” he lowered his muzzle so that it was directly against Jasusi’s ears, his final words whispered so that the lions surrounding them would need to strain to her them, “I shall take great pleasure in murdering you in front of the entire pride.”
“Luteni!”
The lion jerked around, backing away from Jasusi.
“That’s enough. I shall deal with her.”
A new lion-like figure had appeared at the outside of the circle of lions. Its silhouette was even darker against the flickering flames that flitted around the forest ground. An opening was created in the crowd so that the lion could step through. Jasusi, squinting, noticed a large headdress of various treasures atop the lion’s head, along with the familiar multi-colored pastes that covered his body. A jet black mane flowered regally beneath the headdress and against an equally dark pelt.
The lion known as Luteni stole a begrudged glance at Jasusi before retreating back to the outside of the circle. Once there, he slowly ran a claw against his throat once he caught Jasusi’s eye once more, a fang-bearing grin splayed across his muzzle.
Jasusi felt the new lion’s gaze resting upon her, his emerald eyes seeming to glow in the dark as they bore into her. Fleetingly she felt like cowering, of showing complete and total fear and subservience to the lion in hopes of being spared from a possible, untimely death. But she stood firm. If she was to satisfy any of her own interests, it was the least she could do.
“State your name,” said the lion in a deep voice.
“Jasusi.”
“What is your business here, Jasusi?”
“To gather support for a cause.”
The lion studied her for a few moments. His gaze did not waver, his expression static as his eyes burned holes through the lioness. Finally he spoke, “My name is Dhambi. You are in the land of the Mwituni.” He nodded curtly. “I hope you are aware that the punishment for trespassing within our bounds is often death. Are you carrying a cub at this time?”
Jasusi shook her head. “I come alone.”
“Pity. Saying yes would have no doubt spared you.”
Jasusi could feel Dhambi’s leer continuing to go over nearly every facet of her body, as if he was a hungry cub sitting before the first wildebeest kill he would ever devour. It was at that point that Jasusi had a feeling that, regardless of whether or not she was able to convince the lion to lead his pride into battle against Simba, she would not be killed. The look in Dhambi’s eye told her all she needed to know.
“You claim you are a friend of Zira,” continued Dhambi. “I do not recall her mentioning you. Tell me, how is she?” He licked his lips at the memory of the elder lioness.
“Oh, she’s fine, just lying in the bottom of a gorge dead,” growled Jasusi.
Dhambi’s eyes widened. “Zira… dead?”
“This is why I came to see you, my good lion. Zira left her dream, her vengeance in my paws. She instructed me to find help and to return to take the Pride Lands. She had spoken highly of you in the past, so I came to humbly ask for the help of your pride,” Jasusi took a cautious step toward the lion.
Dhambi continued to run his eyes across Jasusi’s slender frame. “Yes? And what would be in it for the Mwituni, hm?”
Sensing that an opportunity had finally begun to present itself, Jasusi sauntered forward, rubbing devilishly close to Dhambi as she encircled him. “I know that you know of the prestige of the Pride Lands, Dhambi.” Her tail blithely brushed against his pelt. “And… well, if I am to be Queen when we succeed… I will need a King…”
The lion’s cheeks flushed, though it was unnoticeable in the dimly light opening of the forest. Jasusi brushed against Dhambi once more, pausing briefly to check the heart rate of the lion, which to her pleasure, had quickened.
“I will…” Dhambi began, seeming to fumble over his words, “I will h-help you, my sweet. But first,” he glanced down at Jasusi, a ravenous glint in his eye, “I require… proof that you are true to your word. Do you understand?”
Jasusi smiled sweetly, though internally she protested her morals. The things I do for you, Zira, she cursed herself before complying with the old lion’s request. “Ah, yes. Show me, Dhambi, you beast, you. Show me what I have to look forward to.
With a loud roar, Dhambi demanded that a path be cleared for the two lions as he stepped forward, beckoning for Jasusi to follow him deeper into the forest. Jasusi complied without hesitation, a bit annoyed at the terms of their help and what it would entail. Regardless, it appeared as if she had added a second pride to her ranks. She could return to the Matapeli and then to the Pride Lands very soon.
As Dhambi and Jasusi passed Luteni, the lioness sent a haughty sneer at the lion, as if to mock him for the turn of events that had unfolded. Luteni glared back, his fangs gritted against one another as he watched the lion and lioness amble off into the night.
He had never appreciated Dhambi’s rule, but this was simply unbearable. Something would have to be done.
END CHAPTER