Invitation
Slash paused to tighten the straps of his backpack, specially designed for him by one of the lioness warriors. He guided the young lions towards their first destination at Hog Hill, home of the warthog clan. The Savannah grassland was not as tall as he had expected, he realized. It felt like they were walking through a golden seabed. The grass no longer reached their heads, instead only rising to their waists, leaving them exposed. Mazunga, one of the lion recruits, struggled to walk through the grassy seabed. Despite being slightly smaller than his two companions, he was having a tough time due to his unfamiliarity with his new feet. To clear a path, he used the food spear, but his noisy thrashing could be heard from miles away. Thankfully, they eventually emerged onto the cracked, dusty land. As they walked, they encountered an erratic ground squirrel and a dung beetle rolling a ball of animal feces.
Pausing and glancing back at Mazunga, he raised an eyebrow and grinned at the young lion. With a quiet chuckle, he was briefly entertained before continuing to lead them along a well-worn game trail towards a wooden border wall. As they approached, they were met by two local warthogs, serving as guardians of the clan's territory. The guards stood watch at the entrance to the kingdom of Hog Hill. The walls had been reinforced with wooden stakes and thorn tree bushes. Slash observed that the guards were dressed in new gear since he last saw them at the meeting with the King's. Leather sarongs encircled their waist, while old warthog tusks dangled as necklace-breastplates on their clavicles. Their dark skin was adorned with white chalk stripes and tribal symbols on their bellies, forearms, and beneath their eyes. Each tribute held a pointy wooden blade in each hand, making them an impenetrable force.
Before stepping forward, one of the warthogs grunted. "Greetings, I am tribute Marsolus from the Hog Hill clan. Please share your kingdom and purpose for being here," he stated.
He was a youthful hog and new to the tributes. Slash didn't recognize him. He approached with respect.
"Thank you! I am Warrior Slash, accompanied by Warriors Matiti and Mazunga from the White mane Lion Pride. We are here to deliver a coronation invitation to your king and queen. Unfortunately, we must move on to deliver to other kingdoms. This letter must reach the king immediately," replied Slash.
He handed over the letter to the warthog, who promptly took it and headed towards the king and queen. Slash expressed his gratitude to the elder warthog before setting off towards the west to meet with the leopard and cheetah kingdoms. With a two-day journey ahead, they needed to depart quickly. As they walked through the vast plains, the company remained quiet. Slash kept an eye on their surroundings, prepared for any potential ambush. Fortunately, there was no need for concern as the area was mostly inhabited by impala, ostrich, and zebra. It was strange to see these prey animals from a different perspective. While their lion instincts urged them to hunt, the group knew they had enough meat packed for the journey and wouldn't need to replenish until two days later. Mazunga's stomach rumbled loudly as he watched all the delicious food in the open field, causing hunger pains. Slash and Matiti both glanced at Mazunga as he awkwardly smiled and grabbed his stomach.
"Of all the lions, Zarda chose you to aid me in this task." Slash said, annoyed.
Mazunga couldn't shake the feeling of being a burden. Zarda reassured him that he believed in Mazunga and encouraged him to embark on the mission for his own good. In the end, Mazunga agreed. Slash pulled off his backpack and removed their evening meal.
"You two gather kindling while I set up the fire pit. Be on the lookout for local clans," he said.
The two immediately followed his instructions and began hunting for firewood. They discovered that the open plains of the Savannah did not offer as much as the jungle. Despite the difficulty in finding enough firewood, they eventually came across an old, dried-up bush. They collected its dead twigs for kindling and each gathered a bundle before returning to the fire pit. Mazunga dropped his bundle at slash's feet and sat down, while Matiti placed his bundle next to Mazunga's.
"Watch carefully." Said slash.
He started demonstrating how to create fire for the first time by grabbing two sticks, a large rectangular piece of wood, a vine, and a hand stone from his bag. With the one stick he formed a bow. The other he twisted it in the vine with the point down on the rectangular branch. Slash held the stone on top of the stick bow, applying pressure he began to twist the stick, and run it back and forth creating friction. Remarkably, the wood started smoking.
"If I were to pass away for any reason, it is crucial that you understand how to create fire in order to survive. Fire is essential for life in this world, providing warmth and protection. With fire, you can purify water and cook food," he emphasized.
The young lions eagerly soaked up every bit of knowledge they could. Slash worked tirelessly on the wood until a fire was finally ignited. Using some shavings from his bag, which he had saved from previous kindling, Slash carefully placed them on the smoldering embers. He slowly fed the fire more shavings and gently blew on it until it grew into a large blaze, big enough for cooking.
"Mazunga, grab the food spear and skewer the meat. I'll roast it once you're done. If you need water, use the coconut husks. Be cautious not to waste too much from the buck skins. We may need it for our journey if we can't find more water nearby," Slash instructed.
Matiti made sure to distribute an equal amount of water for everyone to drink. Slash had built a larger fire and was now roasting meat on a spear, cooking it evenly. Mazunga silently watched as Slash showed signs of aging and weariness. Hunched over, resting his elbows on his knees, Slash had spent a long life in his lion body before transforming into a hybrid human form, which now exhausted him. He felt the pain and fatigue from his past adventures, his long, gray mane left uncombed with braids woven throughout. His eyes were swollen slits, his face sunken and scarred. Slash was an old soul, patiently waiting for his time to come to an end. The lion party listened as the juices sizzled into the open flames, filling the air with a pleasant aroma. Slash was concerned that the smell might attract unwanted attention, but he trusted that he and his two companions could handle any potential threats that came their way. The meat was cooking quickly, changing from bright red to dark brown with a slight char. Slash removed it promptly before it burned.
"Matiti, please grab the palm leaves from my pack to use as a plate. We will wait for this to cool before eating," Slash said.
The scent of the cooked meat made Mazunga's stomach growl even louder. He couldn't resist the temptation to grab his portion while it was still hot, even if it meant risking burning his fingers. His hunger had reached a point where he no longer cared about the consequences. Matiti set the palm leaf down, allowing Slash to place the fiery stick on top to cool the heat. The meat sizzled and smoked, tempting Mazunga to reach out and grab it. Angered by Mazunga's impatience, Slash swatted across the back of his head. Mazunga flinched and dropped the meat back onto the leaf, narrowly avoiding it rolling onto the ground. Despite his embarrassment, he was not too proud to eat it from the dirt as he had once did.
"IF YOU, EVER! " Growled, slash. "DO THAT AGAIN, I will cut your arms off and roast them over the fire."
The young lion showed no fear in challenging his leader, but he would soon realize that he still had much to learn as a student.
Mazunga was angry. "I'm starving and my stomach is in pain!" He shouted in response.
Slash responded, "WE'RE ALL HUNGRY! You will wait like the rest of us, or you can starve, you idiot."
Mazunga remained silent, having been reprimanded by his elder and understanding it was not wise to confront him. Slash waited a little while longer before gesturing for the lions to join in. Without hesitation, Mazunga picked up his piece and moved to the other side of the fire, choosing to distance himself from Slash. He devoured the meat voraciously, taking huge bites as his teeth cut through the tender steak like knives. He made sure to leave no morsel behind, not even the succulent juices that clung to his fingers. After devouring every last piece, he drank the remaining liquid with a swig from his coconut husk. Wiping his mouth with his forearm, he glanced across the fire at Mazunga, who had just finished his own meal. Disgust was evident on Slash's face as he looked at the young lion. There was something about this lion that bothered him. It could have been his immature attitude, the way he spoke, or even his inability to function properly in his hybrid human form. Whatever it was, Slash couldn't pinpoint the exact reason - he was just constantly irritated by the lion. He shook his head and looked around him.
"It is time to extinguish the fire with dust and leave. I will gather the husks and leaves. Matiti, you carry the food spear this time. We don't want Mazunga to injure his eye or anything else," he said, laughing quietly.
Matiti chuckled, unfazed by Mazunga like his old leader. They had been inseparable since the tragic day at Pride Rock, forming a strong bond. Matiti the second recruit, also aimed to impress slash. This was not difficult as slash favored him over Mazunga. Mazunga obediently followed behind the two lions, keeping his head down and obeying instructions. Their smoke and solitary meals went unnoticed by anyone. Quietly, they made their way towards the first kingdom's territory, the coalition of cheetahs in Zimbabwe. Slash always kept a hand on his wooden blade handle, similar to the one he had made for Zarda. None of them had swords when they attended the meeting with the kings. It wasn't until everyone had departed that some of the kingdoms noticed the gifts and crafted makeshift weapons at home. The group was still a day's journey away, with the sun setting on the horizon. In the distance, the lions could hear the laughter of hyenas and the roars of rogue male lions.
Slash stopped and scanned the area for a suitable shelter to rest for the night. Not far from where he stood, he spotted a large, smooth rock accompanied by a small, bushy tree providing ample shade from the elements. With determination, he made his way towards the rock and slowly lowered his backpack to the ground. Stretching his tired muscles, he began unpacking his essentials - two zebra hides, vines, and bamboo rods. Matiti stepped in to assist Slash in setting up camp, while Mazunga ventured off to gather stones and kindling for a fire. As the minutes ticked by, Matiti grew increasingly quiet, signaling that something was amiss.
"Should I go follow him?" asked Matiti.
Slash glanced upwards to see what he was referring to. "Where's Mazunga?" He asked, looking frantically around.
"He went in that direction," he said, indicating towards the cheetah territory.
Slash was in disbelief as he felt like he was watching over cubs with this lion. Frustrated and shaking his head, he was tempted to give up, but he was not one to quit easily. Taking a deep breath, he decided to continue. Looking sternly into matiti's eyes he began to reply.
"Yes, please go find him before he gets lost. I can set up camp on my own. He's such a fool."
Mazunga was focused on collecting stones, his eyes fixed on the ground as he worked diligently. Unbeknownst to him, a young male cheetah elite was stealthily approaching from behind. The cheetah was slender and smaller than Mazunga, but his agile and flexible movements suggested he was a formidable predator. Covered in striking black spots, the cheetah had a leather strap tied around his midsection, presumably to hold his spear when not in use. He wore a tanned animal hide around his waist with slits and a cord serving as a belt. Leather straps protected his toe pads, indicating he was dressed like a true warrior. With golden blond hair styled into a Mohawk, the cheetah's face was framed by a leather headband tied at the back. The creature observed Mazunga collecting rocks for a brief moment, intrigued by why a lone lion was gathering worthless objects in their domain. Growing tired of the monotony, it quickly moved on. Silently, the cheetah crept up behind him and placed his spear against Mazunga's throat.
"Stay still, or I will pierce your neck with my spear," threatened the cheetah. Mazunga gulped nervously and released the handful of stones, letting them fall to the ground.
His heart was pounding loudly in his ears. Throughout the whole ordeal, he had felt secure, never imagining he would be in danger now. Matiti lagged behind, tracing his friend's footsteps through the dirt. They had meandered all over the place, with no signs of a struggle until he spotted a cheetah elite holding his friend hostage with a spear at his neck. Matiti's heart sank, and rage consumed him. Without hesitation, he moved stealthily toward the cheetah, preparing to strike and save his friend. Meanwhile, Mazunga stood frozen in fear as Matiti closed in on the cheetah. Just a foot away, Matiti grasped a sharp spear and made ready to attack. Back at camp, Slash realized the two young lions had not returned and immediately set out to find them.