TLK 4; Seeds of goodness
Part one: The spotted lion cub
Legal note; Vitani and all other characters found in the TLK movies are © Disney.
All other characters are © Me Sigurd Engerström.
This story will be split up in parts, this is the first, and the rest will be finished soon.
(That will be when I have the time)
Comments and such are welcome to: S_the_spikeshark@hotmail.com
Drop dead notes and flames to: Thrashcan@unwantedmail.com
This story continues from TLK III “the legacy of Zira” you have to read it as well to fully understand this story…
Characters:
Old:
Dix: A weird demon
Zifa: Dix’s
mate.
Inkhobi: A black cheetah shaman
Watabi: A female cheetah, Timba’s former mate
Timba: The present king of the pride rock
Mazho: A meercat who helps Inkhobi
Vitani: The last living from Zira’s children
Khotz: Timba’s step brother
Cisa: Khotz’s father and Timba’s stepfather
Kehata: Khotz’s mother and Timba’s stepmother
New:
Rasawah: Timba and Watabi’s cub …
Ibihaza: Rasawah’s brother
Conhaba: Rasawah’s sister
Nokata: A lioness from the shattered Jaw pride
Toto: A hyena
Khabka: Another hyena
Amakahr: The shaman of the pride lands
Pinja: An outlander lioness
Grukboz: A hyena
Bubba: A crow, the best scout in the pride lands
Zikale: A lioness in the pride lands
Ajaba: A female cheetah
Kotoko: The leader of the hyenas
Character notes: Dix talks like Kerrigan in starcraft and Timba can for some reason not use the letter “s” he uses “z” instead…
Chapters:
Prologue:
C1: the birth
C2: neglected from birth
C3: a slight hope
C4: brother and sister
C5: raising a cub
C6: the lone king
C7: acceptance
C8: Khotz’s mantlement
C9: going east
C10: the battle of the pride lands
Epilogue
There is also a cheetah language that is used frequently…
This little dictionary might help a bit on it, ‘cause without it, it would be hard to understand what some characters say some times…
Zhiech = thanks
Yoah / Yobaduz = hi/hello
Mizhk / naklat = goodbye
Zibihi = lion
Kobto = little/small
Ninibi / ikaba / bathar = see you later
Nam = my
Nim = one
Aka = two
Zik = three
Mira = tail _
Ki = I \
Akh = am ==(used only when introducing themselves)
Kiah = I’m _/
Raka = poor
Buko = stupid/idiot
Azna = father/dad
Faha = mother/mom
Ban = yes
Cot = no
Kekaba = cheetah
Bitikibi = love/lover/mate
Ententa = spotted
Tekahn = human/terran
Rasaw = filthy / unclean (add a “ah” after and it means ”filthy one”)
Uzuk = evil / twisted (+ “ah” and it means “evil one”)
Foreword:
Just when I finished TLK3
I just thought that I was free from the curse of writing, …not… I got this idea, ‘what if Timba and Watabi had an offspring’, so there I was again, writing… but it was the only way to get it out of my head.
It will also be split up in parts like the previous story.
This is the beginning of TLK 4 “the seeds of goodness”
-=<Sigurd>=-
Enjoy it.
Prologue:
When Timba and Watabi was captured by the humans, there were a male cheetah in the same room as Watabi was, and he took advantage of her while she was tranquillized
Now, several months later, Watabi found out the truth about Timba, and left him.
When she came home she cursed her overlarge belly… because she knew that she carried his offspring…
Chapter I
The birth
It was a very dark and stormy night, lightings made the black sky lit up, in the heavy rain that followed, Watabi fell into labor, she smiled a tired smile when she saw that the first cub was a cheetah… then another cub came, that one also a cheetah, she cleaned both of them, while pushing a third cub into the world, to her horror it was a spotted lion cub, she had no choice that cleaning that one as well, but she hesitated on feeding it… but it found it’s way to her milk without the help the two cheetah cubs were given… Watabi gazed with joy on the two cheetah cubs, and with dismay on the third…
Watabi: you two will be the most beautiful kekaba’s the world have ever seen…
You [looking at a male cub] will be Conhaba, and you [looking on a female cub] will be known as Ibihaza… [A long silence] and you “zibihi” will be Rasawah the filthy…
She spat on the nursing lion cub and groomed the two others.
Some days later she took all three cubs over to Kehata, she was overwhelmed with joy when she saw Watabi approach with the cubs…
Kehata: Yoah, Watabi, those cubs are cute…
Watabi: Yobaduz, Kehata, yes I know, I did my best…
Kehata: you didn’t have any success with THAT one, did you?
She pointed on Rasawah.
Watabi: that is not my son. He is Rasawah the filthy.
Kehata: oh, the son of “him”?
Watabi: yes him, I still don’t’ know what I was in him…
Kehata: well anyway, I was about to get myself some food, mizhk Watabi…
The cheetah padded out on the plains…
All the three cubs meowed of hunger, Watabi laid down and let the two “pure” cubs nurse, Rasawah was kicked away each time he came close, he began to cry, but Watabi ignored it…
First when all three of them had fallen asleep he could nurse, he drank what milk that was left, ten he also fell asleep.
Next day Watabi too the two “pure” cubs and headed towards Inkhobi’s cave, she left Rasawah behind…
She reached the mound and entered; inside she was greeter by Inkhobi…
Inkhobi: Yoah, new mother, and such beautiful children you have brought…
Watabi: yeah, I know…
Inkhobi: Weren’t there three cubs in this litter?
Watabi: no, there were only these two…
Kehata appeared in the entrance with Rasawah, she dropped him on the floor.
Kehata: hey, don’t dump your leavings on my territory. Keep it!
She disappeared again…
Inkhobi: there were three cubs then, why did you lie?
Watabi: he’s not my son… it’s “his” son.
Inkhobi: I don’t see anything wrong about him; he’s a perfectly healthy cub, why did you not bring him?
Watabi: I told you, he’s not my son.
Inkhobi: blood is thicker that water, Watabi… I can see that he is made out of the love you and Timba shared…
Watabi: don’t… even mention “him” in front of my children; bless them in the name of Madun.
Inkhobi: [speaks with a singing voice] hear me, grandmother, bless these children, keep them from the path of evil, and lead them to the path of goodness.
He touched each of the cub’s heads, but Watabi stopped him when he was about to touch Rasawah…
Watabi: no, not him, he’s not a child of Madun…
Inkhobi: nonsense…
He touched Rasawah’s head as well.
Inkhobi: now you will taste the life fluid of the earth, kobto cubs.
He took a bottle containing a yellow liquid, each cub had a sip of it, and again Watabi hindered him when
he reached Rasawah…
Watabi: no, he is not worthy…
Inkhobi: you gave birth to him, which makes him to your son. Now stop interfering…
He gave the last cub a sip of the liquid…
Inkhobi: you are now blessed in the name of Madun… go with your mother and grow strong…
Watabi picked up the two cheetah cubs, and walked out, the third cub ran after her… Inkhobi stared out
through the hole in the wall…
Inkhobi: [to himself] poor him…
He went over to a metal box that stood in a corner and spoke into a hole in it:
Inkhobi: [to the box] Mazho, get over here at once…
A minute later the meercat appeared in the entrance, he looked quite mad…
Mazho: what is it now? I had just caught the trace of a zibbab ((a bug))
Inkhobi: I want you to see to that Watabi don’t mistreats her cub… Rasawah….
Mazho: who’s Rasawah?
Inkhobi: he’s the son of Watabi and Timba Aka-mira…
Mazho: of the evil one? And you want ME to look after it?
Inkhobi: yes, he was created before he went to be evil…
Mazho: oho, I see, by the way, how can you call me over those distances?
Inkhobi: the necklace I gave you… and that box over there… are connected in some way, whatever I say to the box, the necklace say to you… I took both from a “green hawk”.
Mazho: Is this THING I wear made by humans?
Inkhobi: relax, it’s harmless, like other things I have taken from them, the bottles for instance…
Anyway, if you see her mistreating the cub, report to me immediately, just push the red thing on the necklace and speak… understood?
Mazho: yep!
The meercat saluted and walked out through the cavern.
Chapter II
Neglected from birth
When Watabi came back to her territory with her cubs she laid down and let the cubs eat, when Rasawah
finally catched up with them there was no milk left, he began to cry when his nursing was effortless, and
instead of comforting him, Watabi kicked him away with her hind leg. She then began to groom the two
sated cubs, when the third one crept up to her head to be cleaned, she pushed him away with a forepaw.
Then he tried to snuggle up against her belly, but was immediately forced away. She simply refused to
help him. When they went to sleep, the cub desperately tried to lie at her side, but was kicked or pushed
away each time. Mazho saw this and pushed the button on the necklace…
Mazho: Yo! She’s doing it!
Inkhobi: [voice through the necklace] I’ll be there at once… stay where you are…
Mazho: got it!
A little while later the black cheetah appeared…
Inkhobi: ok, where is she?
Mazho: right over there
The meercat pointed at a couple of trees that stood alone.
Inkhobi went over there and saw the “filthy” cub lie and shiver all alone. Without hesitation he picked the
cub up in his mouth and carried it back to the cave, Mazho stayed to watch Watabi…
When Inkhobi came to the cave he did everything he could to feed the cub, but he had nothing to
supplement the milk with.
Inkhobi: oh Madun, hear me… help this poor cub… show your mercy… his mother neglects him… tell me what to do to help him…
Suddenly the cub began to hover over the ground, a pure white liquid flowed from nowhere into the cubs
mouth… then a gentle voice came out from it’s mouth, but it was not the cub’s own voice…
Voice: now I have helped him, Inkhobi, I gave him the same milk I once gave you and your sister…
Inkhobi: you gave him your own milk??
Voice: yes, now I will live in him too… I can see that he is destined to do great things… he will be Rasawah the pure…
Inkhobi: but… how can I keep him alive when his mother refuses to feed him?
Voice: you have taken things from the tekhans before… three days from now there will come a creature called Apc to the great mountain, there it will be slain by a flying creature called Apache… Inside the Apc you will find a flask… as long as Rasawah needs it, it will never drain, but use it only if his mother continues to refuse him her milk…
Inkhobi: thank you, great Madun, bless you…
The cub landed on the floor and fell to sleep; Inkhobi looked on the small body and sighed…
Inkhobi: poor you, kobto cub.
Then he also fell asleep.
Next day when Watabi woke up, she didn’t even notice that a cub was missing, she gave the two
remaining cubs some milk, then she went out to hunt, Mazho who had hid in a nearby tree reported
through the “necklace”
Mazho: Yo! She didn’t even notice that he was gone, what a heart of stone she has…
Inkhobi: [trough necklace] I’ll be right there, you can go now.
Mazho: thanks…
But the meercat waited until he showed up…
Mazho: ok, the field is yours, sir.
The meercat saluted and walked away…
Inkhobi: may Madun forever treasure your soul.
Inkhobi went over to the two cubs and put Rasawah down among them and waited for Watabi to return.
When she finally appeared she got a real telling-off by Inkhobi.
Inkhobi: why are you rejecting your own son?
Watabi: he’s not my SON!!!
Inkhobi: I found him half-dead yesterday; he had died if I hadn’t shown up…
You denied him his right to your milk and your warmth, you refuses him the motherly love he deserves… he is of your blood Watabi; he is your son as much as his siblings are your children…
Watabi: he is the son of Timba Aka-mira, the fallen one.
Inkhobi: is your heart made of stone? He was created before Timba became evil and twisted, there is no sign of evilness in his heart… but it can and will change if you continue as you does, sooner or later his love for you will turn to hate, and if that happens nothing can save you…
Watabi grunted back and let the “pure” cubs nurse…
Watabi: I won’t have anything to do with that monster, keep him if you want, I don’t care…
Inkhobi: you must, or else you have written your own epitaph, that decision will be your doom; this will be a heavy weight on Madun’s scales… on the bad side… Naklat Watabi…
Watabi saw as the black cheetah disappeared, she kicked Rasawah when he came near her, the two other
cubs fell purring asleep, the “filthy” cub also began to purr while trying to lie at her side, but a swing of
Watabi’s paw made him cry instead.
Inkhobi went to the great mountain instead of going home, a trip that took two days, when he got there he
saw an Apc come driving, not far behind it an Apache-chopper came, and before Inkhobi’s eyes it was
blown by the choppers missiles.
When the chopper was gone Inkhobi slowly walked towards the burning vehicle, he stopped when he
heard a noise from inside the Apc. Then suddenly the rear ramp on the vehicle fell out and a bleeding
soldier managed to crawl out, even though the human was foreign to him, he did not hesitate on helping
him. He saw the fear in the widened eyes of the soldier as he approached.
Inkhobi: calm down, tekahn, I will help you…
The soldier fumbled for his riffle, but it was too miss figured to be of any use, the soldier cursed heavily
and looked on Inkhobi, waiting for him to end his pain.
But instead Inkhobi cleaned his wounds and bandaged them with some herbs and weeds he found nearby.
The soldier was still suspicious about the black cheetah, but managed to get up on his feet, he limped
towards the still burning Apc and put the fire out, when that was done he went into the smoking interior
of the vehicle and came out a second later carrying a dead body, he laid it down on the ground and went
back into the vehicle and got a spade, he dug a hole, and gently he laid the corpse down in it, then he
buried it. Then he made a cross out of some wood and planted it on the grave. Inkhobi could see and hear
that soldier wept, so he laid a comforting paw on his shoulder…
Inkhobi: death is just another beginning…
The soldier looked on him and nodded, then he walked away, Inkhobi looked as the soldier disappeared
behind a hill.
Inkhobi: [thinking] I always thought that they were emotionless, but he proved me wrong…
He walked over to the Apc and looked in through the rear opening, he saw a feeding bottle lie at the burnt
remains of a human, he took it from the charred hand, he also saw a bag with batteries, and he took that as
well and departed for his home.
Chapter III
A slight hope
Somewhere on the burnt fields of the rim lands some years ago, Dix and Zifa bounced happily around,
high of each other, they became one in the black grass…
A while later.
Zifa: so that’s how a demon can get an offspring?
Dix: yes, dear…
Zifa: tell me, was Dunsj really so old as he said?
Dix: yip, he was, and I am even older…
Zifa: how old?
Dix: well, something around… more than a thousand years…
Zifa: more than one millennia?
Dix: yeah, my mother died right after our birth…
Zifa: our?
Dix: me and my brother Inkhobi, we were on the edge of starvation when the cheetah goddess Madun showed mercy upon us, she gave us of her own milk to drink, and I think that it made us immortal…
Zifa: oho, is this Inkhobi a demon too?
Dix: no, Madun made him into a shaman, and me into a demon…
Zifa: I see, who was Dunsj’s father?
Dix: Dunsj’s father was a lion that wanted to cross my territory… and instead of giving me his soul, he convinced me that he could give me a cub instead, and I was foolish to trust him, so I agreed, but the very next day he had disappeared, it was first many years later, when Dunsj asked about his father that it struck me, so I went after him, and to my surprise he was still alive and had a mate, so when I found him I did what I should have done, I killed him, his name was Umeme.
Zifa: aha, but weren’t you happy to have Dunsj?
Dix: I’m a demon, and demons can’t show the emotion “love”, only hate, but in the deepest corner of my black heart I could feel a slight motherly love, and that burnt me from inside when he died… but you won’t live long enough to see your cub grow…
Zifa: maybe not, but wait a minute, can’t your brother help us?
Dix: nah, I don’t know where he is anymore…
Zifa: then we’ll have to find him…
Dix: not a bad idea…
Zifa: let’s go then… where did you see him last time?
Dix: let’s see, that was at the base of Kilimanjaro, just when our paths separated…
Zifa: good, I’ll race you there…
The both of them departed to the distant mountain…
Hovering over his own burnt body, Dunsj’s soul peered down on it, the half open eye still gleamed like a
ruby that stared out in nothing, tears of pure light fell from the souls eyes, he could feel his soul be
ripped apart, then it disappeared in the air…
Chapter IV
Brother and sister
When Inkhobi came home Mazho met him…
Inkhobi: what is it, Mazho?
Mazho: yesterday I saw Watabi teach her cub’s to speak…
Inkhobi: sounds good, but?
Mazho: but each time Rasawah tried to say something, she cuffed him, when he said “mom” she hit him so hard that he started to bleed…
Inkhobi: it can’t continue like this…
Mazho: nope, and by the way, there came someone to see you…
Inkhobi: who could that be?
Mazho: well, she introduced herself as Dix…
Inkhobi: Dix? Here?
Suddenly she appeared out of thin air…
Dix: yep, brother, it’s me…
Inkhobi: what do you want?
Dix: I don’t want anything, but someone else wants something…
Inkhobi: and who could that be?
Dix: Zifa the unborn…
Zifa appeared next to Dix…
Zifa: and I am Zifa…
Inkhobi: I’ve heard of you, what do you what then?
Zifa: I want to become immortal so that I can see my cub grow…
Dix: our cub…
Inkhobi’s jaw fell…
Inkhobi: did I hear “cub”?
Dix: you sure did… his cub is growing inside me…
Inkhobi: but… you’re a demon, you can’t show love…
Dix: much can change over one millennia, the death of my first son moved my soul out from the darkness…
Inkhobi: but what make you think that I can make you immortal?
Dix: you were blessed by Madun herself…
Inkhobi: but I don’t possess the power to do that, only Madun herself can do that, and I doubt that she would do it…
Dix: I see, I will have to raise a cub alone… again… Zifa, you might live to see it grow from infant, but not much more…
Zifa: it will be a pleasure…
He sniffs…
Inkhobi: that won’t help a thing, I don’t have the powers to do that, besides, I already have someone to look after…
Dix: soo… what is her name?
Inkhobi: HIS name is Rasawah, he is a lion/cheetah cub, and his mother neglects him [to Mazho who stares on them] Mazho, go and see what they’re doing now… and report if you see something suspicious…
Mazho: Right away…
The meercat walked away…
Inkhobi: I can’t help you two, so if you excuse me…
He walked in trough the hole in the termite mound and put his newly acquired goods on its place.
Then he took a turtle shell that lied on the floor, he mixed some liquids in it and watched the patterns…
Inkhobi: [mumbled] nothing important as usual… pah, this is waste of time… here’s something… or maybe not… only those skirmishes… what’s this? The tekahn I saved will do something great later in his life…
The box gave some scratching noises…
Mazho: [voice from the box] Yo! You’d better come see this…
Inkhobi: I’m right there, just a sec’
He walked out of the cave and saw that Dix and Zifa sill stood there and waited for him…
Dix: so?
Inkhobi: are you still here?
Dix: yep, we’ll stay until you helped us…
Inkhobi: then you’ll have to wait until the sun stops to shine… I have a cub to rescue…
With that he walked away…
Dix and Zifa stood and gazed after him, then Dix walked off in the opposite direction…
When Inkhobi found Watabi, he saw two cubs play happily, but no sign of the third cub… he walked
towards Watabi in a quick pace…
Watabi: Inkhobi, what brings you here?
Inkhobi: you know well what I want, where is Rasawah?
Watabi: I don’t know, why should I care for him?
Inkhobi saw that there was blood on Watabi’s paws…
Inkhobi: what have you done to him?
The female cheetah only gave him a sharp-toothed grin in answer, then he heard a sobbing from a nearby
tree… when he went close to it, he saw blood dropping down from it, he looked up and saw the
bloodstained face of Rasawah, his right ear was missing.
Inkhobi: oh why? Come down here, kobto nim, I won’t hurt you…
The cub gazed on him with frightened eyes… then it fell down from the tree and hit the ground, Inkhobi
began immediately to clean his wounds, then he bandaged it with some leafs…
When that was done, he picked the incautious cub up and carried it home…
He took it inside and laid the cub down in the turtle shell…
Inkhobi: kobto nim, what pain you have endured, but it will be over now, I will take care of you from now on…
Zifa stuck his head in trough the hole in the wall…
Zifa: oh my… poor him… what is he?
Inkhobi: he is the fruit of the love between a lion and a cheetah…
Zifa: is that possible?
Inkhobi: you mated with Dix, didn’t you?
Zifa: yeah?
Inkhobi: and she’s not a lion… she was a leopard once…
Zifa: leop… OW!!!
Mazho had kicked Zifa in a very sensitive place because he blocked the entrance… Zifa laid squirming on
the ground while Mazho jumped over him, and into the cave…
Mazho: so, now I don’t have to look after him, do I?
Inkhobi: nope, now I got another task for you, go get me some of the tiba roots, I’m all out of them.
Mazho: sure, you know, you’d better give that guy outside a painkiller… I think I hit too well, hee…hee…
Inkhobi: why you little, now you go get what I need…
Mazho: yep…
The meercat walked out trough the hole in the wall…
When the meercat had gone, Rasawah slowly woke up…
Inkhobi: yoah, kobto nim…
Rasawah: [stammering] m…gh…ech…
Inkhobi: gods, you can’t talk…
Rasawah: [stammering] ech… gh… rk…
Inkhobi: don’t worry, I’ll teach you how to speak…
The cub began to cry, when Inkhobi laid his paw on its shoulder, it covered its head with its large paws.
Inkhobi embraced the crying cub…
Inkhobi: it’s all right, she will never hurt you again, I promise.
He hugged the cub and licked its face…
Chapter V
Raising a cub
Mazho did get the roots Inkhobi bargained for and returned with them, and gave them to Inkhobi.
He was surprised when Mazho didn’t require his payment…
Inkhobi: what is it my friend? Are you sick?
Mazho: What’s the matter?
Inkhobi: you don’t want any payment…
Mazho: aw… I forgot… where’s my payment?
Inkhobi: as usual, you don’t get anything; I gave you that necklace, didn’t I?
Mazho: it was only because you could find me faster…
Inkhobi: and it works…
Mazho: too good, now if you excuse me…
Inkhobi: sure, by the way, can you give these to Zifa out there? [hands over some weeds]
Mazho: yep!
The meercat jumped out of the cavern and gave Zifa the pain killers, Zifa moaned and swallowed them,
then he gazed after Mazho as he disappeared, in much pain, he went inside the termite mound…
Inkhobi: feeling better now?
Zifa: not entirely, he hit too good…
Inkhobi: [sarcastically] I only employ the best…
Zifa: bah… you know, I’ve been wondering something…
Inkhobi: if you don’t ask, you’ll never know…
Zifa: if you and Dix are siblings, how to come that you look so darn different?
Inkhobi: that is because we were both born as leopards very long ago, but our mother died right after our birth, the cheetah goddess Madun showed her mercy upon us, and took us to her home on the top of Kilimanjaro, there she made us both immortal, and gave us a gift each, I got healing powers and goodness, but Dix’s soul was already polluted, so her gift was evilness… and to match her evil nature, she got reshaped, and because that Madun was a cheetah, she reshaped me as well, that’s why we are so damn different.
Rasawah moaned…
Inkhobi: just a minute, I’ll have a son to attend…
The cheetah took the feeding bottle he had taken from the Apc and fed the cub with it, out from nowhere,
the whitest milk in the world appeared inside the bottle, Zifa dropped his jaw when he saw it…
Zifa: what in the name of the god is that?
Inkhobi: it’s just an item I “burrowed”
Zifa: I can see that, I’m not stupid, but… where does the milk come from?
Inkhobi: I think it’s the milk of Madun…
Zifa thinks for a moment…
Zifa: it was her milk that made you immortal, wasn’t it?
Inkhobi: it only makes those who are truly good, or truly evil immortal… and forget it!
Zifa: who said anything of “begging”? Give that to me…
Zifa snatched the bottle out of Inkhobi’s paw and drank of the milk, and then suddenly he gripped his
stomach with a paw and dropped the bottle, Inkhobi managed to save it before it hit the ground, he looked
up on Zifa and saw how his eyes changed from brown to entirely yellow…
Zifa: whoa, what an experience… am I immortal now?
Inkhobi: your eyes have changed; look in that… thing in the wall…
Zifa stared into the mirror on the wall…
Zifa: i...s that me?
Inkhobi: yes, that is you, you’re immortal now, go, or I’ll have to punish you…
Zifa: yes [hiss] sir…
The lion walked outside and met Dix…
Dix: Zifa… your eyes…
Zifa: now, we’ll both live to see our cub grow…
Dix: yes we will…
Zifa: but we cannot stay here, your brother is furious…
Dix: I know the best place, come on…
The demon and the lion walked away to the south, inside the mound, Inkhobi continued to feed Rasawah.
Chapter VI
The lone king
In the pride lands everyone still grieved over their former rulers deaths, and feared their new king, Timba
Aka-mira, they knew that he had conquered the land trough force, and that made him evil in their eyes.
Timba himself felt a large black hole inside his soul, his reason of living was fulfilled, he had revenged
Zira, but at what cost, the ones who loved him had turned their backs at him… he often sat alone and
watched the stars, sometimes he even wept… one of the former outlanders began to get curious over the
mystic that surrounded their king, so one night she decided to speak to him, she found him watching the
stars…
Lioness: do I disturb you, my king?
Timba: [sad] no, not at all, Pinja…
Pinja: may I ask what you are doing?
Timba: I’m watching the ztarz…
Pinja: oh, do you see any constellations?
Timba: no, I never learnt any…
Pinja sat down beside him…
Pinja: I can teach you some… if you want…
Timba: thankz… go on…
Pinja began to point out some stars…
Pinja: those stars are called the tree brothers, and those [pointing out the stars] are the leopard…
Timba: why did I never learn them?
Pinja: that’s a good question… you know, you remind me of someone…
Timba: Whom do I remind of?
Pinja: some months back a guy named Zifa got his mantlement; he had a ring similar to yours in his left ear…
Timba: zo… Zifa you zay, who waz hiz parrentz?
Pinja: no one knows, I don’t think that he knows himself…
Timba looks on the stars…
Timba: I wonder what thoze ztarz are, don’t you?
She gives him a confused look…
Pinja: they are the great kings of the past that looks down on us from them, didn’t you know that?
Timba: no… I didn’t, I waz raized by cheetahz…
Pinja: you WHAT?
Timba: I waz adopted by Kehata, a cheetah, that’z why I didn’t know that…
Pinja: then it’s about time someone teaches you… come; I know the one who can help you… your highness…
Timba: you can call me Timba, I don’t mind…
Pinja: sure Timba, come on now…
Timba followed the lioness to the shamans baobab tree, that now were inhabited by Rafiki’s nephew,
Amakahr… and he was asleep when the two lions reached his home…
Pinja: [shouting] HEY AMAKAHR!!!
A light muttering about “come back tomorrow” was heard from the tree…
Pinja: it’s your king down here…
A curse was heard from the tree and the mandrill jumped down from the tree and bowed in front of them
Amakahr: my king…
The mandrill touched the beard like tufts of Timba’s chin…
Amakahr: [continuing] …what can I do for you?
Timba: well, you can ztop acting like that, and teach me the leonine cuztomz and lore
Amakahr: ok, tell me were to begin…
Pinja: begin from the start…
Timba: cauze I don’t know anything…
Amakahr: [gasping] didn’t your mother teach you that?
Timba: no, I lozt my mother when I waz born, and the few dayz I lived in a pride did not teach me anything, and zince then, I’ve been raized by a cheetah…
Amakahr: that makes it all a bit difficult, because cheetahs and lions are very different, both in the way they think, they way they live and their religion, tell me, what god do you pray to?
Timba: I pray to Madun, the cheetah goddezz.
Amakahr: and your pride believes in the lion god, that makes it even more difficult, but I’ll give it a try, come back tomorrow, when we all had a good nights sleep… see you tomorrow then…
Timba: yez, tomorrow…
The two lions headed back towards the pride rock and the shaman went back to sleep…
Next day when the pride woke up, they saw that Pinja slept alongside with Timba… he himself was
surprised when he woke up and felt a warm body lie next to him…
He shacked her gently:
Timba: hey, Pinja… wake up…
She replied with closed eyes…
Pinja: what is it?
Timba: why aren’t you zleeping where you uze to?
Pinja: well, I was kinda tired, and it got late yesterday…
Some of the half awake lionesses nearby burst out in laughter…
Pinja: no… I didn’t mean it that way, idiots…
The lionesses laughed even harder.
Pinja: pah… idiots…[to Timba] let’s go and wake Amakahr up…
Timba: zure…
Both of them went outside and walked towards the baobab tree, when they arrived, the shaman came
down and greeted them…
Amakahr: greetings, my king… hi Pinja…
Again he touched the “beard”
Timba: good morning, Amakahr…
Amakahr: are you ready?
Timba nods…
Amakahr: good, follow me…
Pinja: well… see you later, Timba…
She turned around and disappeared in the high grass, Timba followed the shaman out on the savannah…
When Pinja came back to the Pride rock, she noticed that everyone there gazed on her… one of them
came forth to her and poked her in the side…
Lioness: so… what have you been up to?
Pinja: nothing.
She pushed the lioness away…
Lioness: nothing you say, [teasing] is that really true?
Pinja: yes… I’m not up to anything…
Other lionesses begin to speak…
Lioness2: aint it seductive Pinja who strikes again?
Pinja blushed…
Lioness3: first it was Simba, and then you tried on Kovu… and now Timba?
Lioness4: she must be attracted to royalties…
Pinja: no, it’s not like that at all, you nuts…
Lioness: we saw how you gazed after him yesterday… sisters; I think I can see a romance unfold…
Pinja: you… your just jealous!
She turned around and stomped angrily towards the waterhole, trying her best to ignore her pride sisters
laughter behind her…
The day passed by, and the stars began to lit up one by one…
Somewhere at the eastern border a lone lioness ran as possessed towards a small grove, some meters
behind her a lot of hyenas came. The lioness managed to get into the grove and crept into an abandoned
den… she could hear the laughers of the hyenas outside, she waited until it had ceased, then she crept out
again, two hyenas jumped down behind her, more came out of the bushes…
The lioness began to growl
Lioness: [growling] what do you want me?
The hyenas laughed as an answer….
Hyena: you murdered some of our pups… and we’d like to kill you for that, sweetie…
Lioness: I’d never killed any pups…
Hyena: let their father be the judge of that…
Another hyena stepped forward…
Hyena2: I saw her commit the terrible crime, I saw how she slaughtered them and their mother in cold-blood…
Lioness: liar! I haven’t done that…
The hyenas began to come closer…
Hyena: that’s proof enough, kill her…
The pack began to bare their fangs at her…
Lioness: no… please don’t kill me…
Hyena: too late, sweetie…
Lioness: I’d do anything…
Hyena3: anything?
Lioness: anything, please don’t kill me…
The hyena began to grin an evil grin…
Hyena3: Toto [whispers something to a nearby hyena] go tell this to the others
The hyena grinned and told the plan to the others… then he walked up to the lioness and put his fangs
around her throat, then the first hyena whispered in her ear:
Hyena: [whispers] you just lay still, or else…
Then the hyena went behind the lioness, which closed her eyes and gritted her teeth…
Somewhere else on the savannah, Timba was doing a little patrol in the eastern parts of his land, he went
by a small grove and heard a cry of agony from it…
Timba: [thinking] what the heck can that be?
He heard the cry again, and without any further hesitation he entered the grove, be slowly pulled some
branches aside and saw seven hyenas stand in a ring around a whimpering lioness…
Then one of them began to laugh:
Hyena: hee… hee… be here tomorrow, and then we maybe let you go…
Lioness: [sobbing] go… to hell…
Hyena2: aw, how cute… see you tomorrow sweetie [laughs] we’ll bring some friends…
The hyena touched her back with his paw and laughed…
Hyena2: next time you can lie still…
That was enough for Timba, he barked loudly, all the hyenas turned their heads in his direction, and saw
Timba come charging, before they could react, two of them where dead, the rest scattered in all
directions, with his enormous speed he catched one of them and pinned it to the ground: