chapter 22: show
A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu
Chapter 22: Subtle Infiltration
"Hey! You!" the raspy voice of a lioness suddenly called Mohatu from across the river. "I don't think I've seen you before..."
The brown lion gazed up immediately, still trying to think of an explanation for his presence. "You haven't. I'm Mohatu... I'm a rogue. I've been traveling."
To the lion's pleasant surprise, he even managed to amaze himself with the smoothness of his voice, considering the chaos that had erupted within his mind only seconds prior.
"Oh," the tawny lioness replied simply. She stepped closer, carrying her body with a swift, silky motion. "Well..." she began, extending her claws right in front of the lion, "you might want to think twice before drinking from this waterhole."
Mohatu stepped back, trying to calm himself even further, despite the lioness's attitude. "Yeah, well I won't be here for long. I'm only looking for the wisdom of the great kings... to guide me on the rest of my journey."
It was a lie, of course, but it sounded believable and that was all that mattered.
"Let me tell you something," the tawny female continued. "The kingdom rules this land... and as the followers of our king, we do as we please. You would be wise to leave."
"I understand," Mohatu nodded passively.
The old king looked away, and proceeded to walk to the even calmer portion of the river, where he caught sight of several other lions approaching indifferently. Certainly, they weren't going to make this any easier for him.
While he did not necessarily want to speak to the rest of the native's pride, he did not want to appear to be avoiding all contact with other lions, either. He had to act natural if he was to prevent himself from looking suspicious, which meant being more confrontational than he wanted to be.
"I mean it," the lioness spat, clenching her teeth. "You better leave."
Mohatu exhaled heavily, completely ignoring the lioness's display of aggression. "Yeah, right," he whispered sarcastically to himself. To the former king, the lioness was not physically intimidating in the slightest. He was only looking to avoid a fight for much more practical reasons.
The former king focused his attention on the other lions, instead. There were three of them, all walking passively along the riverside. They seemed to be chatting about something, but as soon as Mohatu tried to listen in, the conversation stopped at once.
The three other lions paused, shifting their eyes over to Mohatu. A deep chill ran through his spine, as the forgotten king began to realize he had drawn attention to himself. They were all watching him from afar.
"I think I've just decided I don't like you," the lioness behind Mohatu spat.
Mohatu strafed over to the side, slightly, while turning his head around to meet the lioness again. As much as he did not want to start a fight, he was not going to be bossed around, either.
Leo scowled. "That's too bad."
One of the three spectators stepped over, closing in on the lioness's position. His shiny black mane and bright yellow fur began to illuminate in the sunlight, as he stepped out of the shade of a patch of trees and into the open grassland. "Hmmm..." he grinned. "It looks like another rogue lion is going to stand up to you, Zuria."
Mohatu remained silent, waiting for either of the two native lions to make their next move. He stood back, watching the situation unfold before him with a distinct, cat-like interest.
"Shut up," the tawny lioness demanded, scowling at the lion beside her. "I'm getting tired of all these rogues coming out here, thinking they're better than us!"
"He might be better than you," the other lion retorted. A smirk began to form across his muzzle, as he tilted his head to the side. "Heh! I bet he can take you!"
"No..." Mohatu replied. "I'm not actually looking for a fight."
"Yeah, yeah," the other male lion continued. "I know what you're looking for, rogue. But it isn't going to happen unless you get your paws dirty. This is Giza—if you want something, you have to work for it."
Could the lion really have known what Mohatu was looking for? The question festered in the old king's mind for a moment, as he began to wonder how obvious his intentions truly were. Surely, any lion to venture out into the Badlands was looking for something, but was it that obvious?
Zuria squinted her eyes at Mohatu, lowering her torso to the ground and throwing her tail up into the air, while her three nearby peers watched. "Let's go, Mohatu... unless you're afraid."
"Hey guys, come over here," the black-maned spectator called his other two buddies. "This guy is going to fight Zuria!"
"No, I'm not," Mohatu insisted. The more experienced lion was quite firm in his decision, keeping his head high above the lioness, and ignoring her two approaching comrades.
Yet, in the back of his mind, Mohatu began to consider his options. He could not think of a way to end the conflict peacefully, without running away.
That would have been stupid. He knew fleeing would only make him look suspicious, and he wasn't going to have that. The other male lion was right: if he was to get what he wanted, he had to work for it. He had to face his new opponent.
Perhaps, he could just show Zuria a little something—a taste of his true power. Not enough to hurt her, but just enough to gain the respect of her peers. That, Mohatu decided, was the preferable solution.
"Giza is no place for a pacifist," Zuria inched toward Mohatu cautiously. "You already had your chance to flee. Now, you will fight or die."
Mohatu stepped back, not yet drawing out his natural leonine weapons burred beneath his pawtoes. However, he showed no sign of submission, either.
"What should I do, Buraya?" Zuria glanced over at the other male lion for a second, without showing a single hint of fear. "Should I rip his limbs apart with my bare claws... or should I push him into the river and let him drown to death? Will a little bit of humiliation suffice, instead?"
A snarky chuckle escaped from the lion's nose. "I'll let you decide," Buraya replied casually.
"Why don't you think about who you're messing with?" Mohatu taunted. Quickly, he tried to think of a few lies, so that he could impress the obvious wannabes around him. "I... fought beside Leo in the battle of Kivumba, before the siege of Pride Rock."
"There was no battle of Kivumba," Buraya retorted.
"It was due west of the Pridelands, three days before the rise of the kingdom," Mohatu lied, stepping back and pulling out his claws. "Lake Kivumba was the final staging ground for the attack."
"Yeah?" Zuria asked, unimpressed. "What did you kill? Rodents?"
"Scrubs like you," Mohatu retorted. Although he didn't want to provoke the lioness, she had set herself up for that retort.
"I'm not a scrub!" Zuria hissed.
As the dull-furred lioness began to rush in to attack, Mohatu strafed aside and grabbed the lioness by the paw. The other three lions watched carefully, never taking their sights away from the duel.
Zuria attempted to break free, but could not manage to pull her paw back. Her other forepaw dangled helplessly in the air, trying to scratch Mohatu's face to no avail.
Mohatu glanced over at the spectators for a moment, showing a slight grin. "Watch this," he taunted. "It's one of Leo's old favorites."
Buraya, especially, seemed rather interested to see what Mohatu had to offer.
Shifting his attention back to Zuria, Mohatu bent the lioness's forepaw backwards, and stepped back to sling it across the grasses. Likewise, the lioness's body followed, crashing into the ground on a whim. The brown lion's opposite shoulder acted like a fulcrum; he had strategically placed himself to launch the lioness anywhere he desired.
"Whoa! That was awesome!" Buraya called out.
Zuria shook her head for a moment, her jaw hanging open while she rested upside-down. Mohatu's prowess had caught her by surprise, no doubt about it. As she regained her breath, she found Buraya looking down at her, instead of Mohatu.
"Hah!" the male lion grinned down at his fallen peer, causing Zuria to blush. "Looks like you still need a bit of practice before you can call yourself a knight."
Mohatu stepped back even farther, eying all four of the lions in front of him. To the old king's surprise, proving his ability without starting a war was far easier than he originally thought it was going to be. "That was with my left paw..."
"You..." Buraya continued in amazement, this time speaking to Mohatu. "You have to teach me how to do that!"
Mohatu pondered the request for a moment. As he began to consider what it was that he did, the lion started to realize that explaining the process would not be easy.
Mohatu had forgotten most of his combat training. In fact, he was beginning to wonder how he was even able to fight at all, considering his lack of memories. The recollections of combat in his mind were gone entirely, but, oddly enough, that did not matter.
Mohatu still retained his muscle memory, even after being unconscious for a week. Flipping the lioness over onto her back was a natural reaction. He did not have to think about it—it just happened. He had trained himself to fight on instinct alone.
Regardless, he knew it wouldn't hurt to try. Befriending one of Zuria's peers didn't seem like half a bad idea.
"I... I guess I could show you again," Mohatu shrugged.
Before Mohatu began to demonstrate his skill a second time, the brown lion stepped forward, and placed one of his forepaws above Zuria, who continued to rest on the ground.
Hesitantly, the defeated lioness grabbed Mohatu's paw, and used it to lift herself back up. Her cheeks blushed slightly with a hint of embarrassment, although she now knew that none of her peers could have fared any better against the rogue.
The four lions all watched Mohatu carefully, as he slowly began to demonstrate the technique on an invisible, imaginary opponent.
"It's simple, really," Mohatu explained. "You see, all you have to do is step to the side, like this..."
"Hmm?" one of the unfamiliar lions mumbled, stepping closer to get a better look. "But how did you-"
Mohatu paused, shifting his weight back into a natural, more comfortable stance. "Let me see your paw," he asked.
"Okay," Buraya volunteered first, sticking his forepaw out so that Mohatu could bend it.
The former king grabbed his faux opponent's paw, holding it by the wrist. "You have to get the grip just right..." Mohatu continued, "like this." The lion demonstrated his grip slowly, making it very clear where he grabbed his opponent.
"Huh," Buraya raised his brows in disbelief, slightly confused by Mohatu's strange technique. "How does that help?"
"I used this grip to bend the paw back against the shoulder," Mohatu added. "My shoulder acts as a fulcrum. The paw locks in place, and the body goes wherever my paw goes. I could also use my claws to tighten the grip, and add a bit of pain as a distraction."
Mohatu demonstrated his technique slowly on the other lion, pushing the entire forepaw back the way it wasn't meant to go. In consequence, Buraya moved forward and down to the ground, to alleviate the pain.
"That's ridiculous," Zuria spat. "You can't just... do that!"
"Yes, I can," Mohatu smirked, releasing his grip on Buraya's forepaw. "Any lion can. It's just a combat technique. There are many more I could show you..."
"But... you..." Zuria tried to argue, still in disbelief that such a passive lion could be such a proficient warrior.
"Being a badass doesn't mean you go looking for trouble," Mohatu replied, lending a paw to help Buraya rise off the ground as well. "It means you can get yourself out of it."
Buraya dusted himself off with his paw, after regaining his balance. "What's your name?" he asked the rogue lion.
"Mohatu."
"I'm Buraya," he greeted the rogue formally. "I assume you're planning on sticking around here?" the young lion asked.
"Possibly," Mohatu answered. "It depends."
"You're pretty good," Buraya commented on the lion's skill. "You definitely know a thing or two about fighting... you should speak to Minerva. She's the leader of the academy here at Giza. We could use a lion around here, like you."
Mohatu grinned. Apparently, with a little bit of effort, he could even pretend to be one of them. It would allow him free access to any part of the lands that he desired, without any worry of being caught. It was a pleasant thought, with the only difficult part being convincing Mari of the brilliance of such an idea.
But he would worry about that later. For now, it was time to get back to business. Mohatu focused his attention back on the group of lions in front of him. It was all he could do, trying not to imagine them turning into giant pieces of meat with his grumbling stomach.
Zuria scowled, rolling her eyes with annoyance. "The least we need is another arrogant fool around here thinking he's better than the rest of us."
"The only fool around here is you, Zuria," the other lion retorted, before shifting his focus back onto Mohatu. "Don't worry about her, she's just upset because you put her in her place."
"I am not!" the lioness yelled with flattened ears and a twitchy tail.
"Calm down," Mohatu replied easily. Quickly, he tried to think of something wise to say while he held in his laughter. "You'll get better in time, with practice. Just have some patience."
"Pfft," the lioness rolled her eyes again, before walking away in frustration. As she left, her paws stomped through the grass, in an obvious display of agitation.
The remaining two unfamiliar lions walked off as well, leaving only Mohatu and Buraya at the bank of the waterhole. A slight breeze split the air between them, as the situation began to die down.
"So..." Mohatu continued, speaking to Buraya once again. "What's the academy? And what's Giza?"
"This is Giza," Buraya answered. "It means darkness. That's what Leo and Rex called this land, when they first came out here."
"I see... but I thought this was Lea Halalela?"
"Lea Halalela is the ancient name for this place," the younger lion explained. "It's the holy land of the ancient kings. It's called that because of the pyramids... they're like burial grounds. Apparently, the land is infused with spirits or... I don't know."
"Interesting," Mohatu muttered. "And the academy?"
"We're all students of the academy," Buraya replied. "This is where all lions come to learn the ways of our ancestors, and hopefully become respected knights of the kingdom. Minerva is the lead instructor. She's also the queen."
"Hmm..." Mohatu cocked his brow. It would be a dangerous move, revealing his presence in front of the lion queen, but he knew the reward would be worth seeking.
If Mohatu could show Rex's followers his true worth, in time they would respect him. They would tell him everything they knew about the ancient kings, and he would be able to learn so much more, in a much shorter time frame.
"I'm interested," Mohatu finally responded. "Can you take me to Minerva?"
"She should be back from the afternoon hunt, soon," Buraya informed Mohatu. "You'll have to pass an entry test before you can become a student like us... but I'm sure you won't find it too difficult."
"That's okay," Mohatu stepped away, looking around to explore his surroundings a bit more. Without a doubt, he was beginning to like where the situation was going.
"If you want, I can show you around until she gets here..." Buraya offered. The lion stood up, beginning to examine his surroundings in greater detail.
"Sure," Mohatu accepted. To the lion's pleasant surprise, his new plan seemed to be working almost flawlessly. It was almost too good to be true.
Before Mohatu began following the native lion, he glanced over at the tree that Mari hid under. She had been watching, waiting, and hearing everything, no doubt.
As Mohatu's eyes met the tip of the lioness's head, standing out amidst the grasses, Mohatu gave her a suggestive wink of the eye. "Don't worry," he mouthed silently to his stealthy companion. "It'll be fine."
--- --- ---
Buraya stopped walking and gazed out at the vast landscape ahead of him, scratching his chin with his forepaw. The three massive pyramids of Giza loomed in the foreground, with equally enormous shadows covering the ground below them.
"That back there is the Nial River delta," Buraya explained to Mohatu. "All the water we get comes from that river, and eventually goes out into the sea, all the way to the northeast. There's many different streams and waterholes back there... it's mostly just marshland."
"I see," Mohatu nodded casually. "So... what's with the pyramids? I was actually wondering about that."
Buraya glanced at the faux rogue lion for a moment before speaking. "The pyramids? So that's what you want to know about, huh?"
"Yes..."
"No one really knows for sure," Buraya replied. "It's a bit of a mystery, to be honest."
Mohatu cocked his head to the side. "Mhm?"
"Well... you see that big one there? The one in the center?" Buraya asked rhetorically. "That's the great pyramid. You're not going to believe how old that thing is..."
"Yeah, I can imagine it's pretty old," Mohatu agreed. "But what is it?"
"It's a tomb, basically. It has three chambers: an upper chamber, a lower chamber, and an unfinished chamber deep into the ground. I don't know what they're for, actually... I don't think any lion knows. Some say the sarcophagi of the ancient kings were hidden in there, but I've heard stranger theories..."
Mohatu planted his rump down onto the ground, allowing himself to sit and rest for a moment, while his mind absorbed all the information. "So... how hard is it to walk inside?" Mohatu asked.
"I've been in there before," the other lion answered. "You have to climb up a bit to get to the entrance, but it's pretty easy to get in."
"But what about the other two?"
"The one on the left isn't built as well as the others. Some believe it's because that king died before his pyramid was finished completely. It's also possible that some lion tried to demolish the pyramid."
"But is there anything inside it?" Leo inquired.
"It's completely locked down... only Leo and Rex were ever able to get inside. Don't ask me how they were able to do it; I have no idea," Buraya shrugged lackadaisically. "I'm pretty sure Minerva can get in too, but you'd have to ask her about that."
"And the one on the right?" Mohatu asked.
"That one is used as the living quarters... the den, basically," the other lion answered. "There are several smaller rooms, plus many other chambers for gathering purposes and rituals. There are several entrances... and they're all open."
Mohatu nodded. "I see."
"Anything else you want to know about the pyramids?" Buraya asked. Although he knew he did not know as much as Mohatu wanted to hear, the lion's knowledge wasn't totally useless.
"I'm actually looking for a very specific tomb," Mohatu admitted. "Does the tomb of Regulus sound familiar to you?"
Buraya squinted his eyes, scowling slightly. "You're looking for that? Hah! Good luck!"
"I know it's here," Mohatu insisted. "It has to be here, somewhere."
"Oh, it's here," the black-maned lion answered. "But you'll never get inside. The entrance is locked shut. It's completely sealed off... not even the king can get in there."
"I could have guessed," Mohatu replied. Of course he wouldn't be able to get in; that much was obvious. He didn't have the keys.
Regardless, he still wanted to find the tomb, just to acquire a greater understanding of it. More than likely, it would help him discover the truth, in relation to what happened to his former self. "But do you have any idea where it is?" Mohatu asked.
"Look to the right of the pyramids, out there," Buraya pointed his paw across the horizon. "That big shape out there is a lion made of stone... it's a monument. According to legend, the tomb of Regulus is inside and beneath the stone lion."
"A stone lion?" Mohatu asked, seeking clarification that he had heard Buraya's words correctly. He couldn't see much of it, as a foggy cloud of dust cast a layer of haze over his distant vision. It blurred the horizon and sky into one inseparable entity, blocking out most of the landscape's more intricate features.
"Yeah," the other lion added. "It's a giant sculpture of a lion... carved from the ground itself."
"Hmm..." Mohatu mumbled, thinking quietly to himself. It was odd to imagine, no doubt, but it did make sense. More than likely, the stone lion was a monument of the last lion king. Perhaps it was a symbol of Regulus's power... but perhaps it was something else—something even greater.
Although, to be fair, Mohatu had no idea what that greater purpose could have been.
Meanwhile, Buraya continued to ramble. "I know... I couldn't believe it either, the first time I saw it. The ancient kings were capable of things far greater than we ever will be. It's amazing when you look at it, but it's even more amazing when you think about it..."
Buraya looked down and licked his paw for a moment, before continuing. "There's also a few other temples and monuments, on the far side of the pyramids. Sometimes, if you dig around out there, you might be able to find some artifacts left behind from the builders."
"Is there anything else I should know about?" Mohatu asked.
"Not that I can think of," Buraya replied. "We're basically just waiting on Minerva to get back, now. She should be here any minute."
"Alright," Leo nodded. As the other lion began to pace around, Mohatu decided to ask yet another question to break the silence. "So... what do you guys usually do out here?"
"We're students," Buraya explained. "No lion really knows anything about this stuff... that's why we're here. We're training to be the future leaders of the kingdom, like our ancestors before us."
"So..." Mohatu smirked, beginning to consider what that meant. "If I get accepted into the academy, that means I could be the next king?"
Mohatu did not want to be the next king, of course, but the idea brought him a great amount of amusement. It seemed almost too strange to be true: a former king, learning how to be a king. No lion could have predicted the ridiculous absurdity of it.
"Possibly," Buraya retorted. The lion looked down, kicking his paw through the grass angrily. "Hell, with the way things have been going, I wouldn't be surprised. There's been all sorts of leadership changes going on, recently."
"What do you mean?" Mohatu asked.
"Leo was assassinated about a month ago," the younger lion explained. "I'm sure you know about that... but since then, we've lost two knights in battle. First it was Usama and all his subordinates, and now it's Ganji and half the academy. Everyone is getting killed..."
"Ganji is dead now? What happened to him?" Mohatu inquired, pretending to be far more ignorant than he actually was. The entire situation was beginning to provide a bit of entertainment for the former king, in a strange, sadistic way.
Buraya seemed rather surprised by Mohatu's lack of knowledge. "You really haven't heard about that?" the younger lion asked. "You must have been under a rock all this time!"
To tell the truth, Leo had been living underground for the past few days, after all. That was close enough. "No... I haven't," Mohatu scratched his mane, hiding his obvious lie. "I'm serious. I've been traveling."
Buraya breathed out a deep sigh. "Just the other day, two lions killed him out here. Several others died in the attack, in the valley to the south. The murderers managed to escape... and Leo's assassin was with them."
"That's awful," Mohatu replied. Although, truth be told, the old king was actually a bit better at feigning sympathy than he originally thought he would be.
"When Leo was king, the only knights to die were the ones he killed. But now, two knights have died in the past week. I don't know if it's just bad luck, or..."
"Who knows," Mohatu lied sarcastically. "Could be anything."
"Yeah..."
