Change of Plans
Matiti held his spear unsteadily as he prepared to throw it, but before he could release it, a familiar hand reached over and seized it. Startled, Matiti turned to see Slash standing behind him. Slash shook his head, signaling for Matiti to lower the spear. With alarm, Slash glanced towards the cheetah and mazunga.
Slash shouted, "Stop! We are friends, not enemies. We have invitations for King Mapoza."
The elites position remained unchanged despite the words, as he continued to hold his weapon raised, sneering back at Slash over his shoulder.
"How are you acquainted with King Mapoza? He has never spoken of you," he replied curtly.
The cheetah swiftly turned to face the other two lions, brandishing his sharp spear as he positioned mazunga between them. With a menacing hiss, he prepared to strike.
"Do not make any foolish moves. I will be escorting your lion to the king for judgment on whether you are a friend or foe. If you attempt to use that feeble weapon, I will not hesitate to kill this beast." the cheetah responded.
Slash remained silent, bowing his head and agreeing with a nod. As he gazed back at Mazunga, there was a new sense of empathy in his eyes. Slash believed that Mazunga deserved everything that was happening to him. He was also aware that returning to Zarda with bad news was not an option. Following the cheetah was the only way to rescue the young lion and offer an invitation to the king.
Slash replied, "We will accompany you willingly and without any hassle."
The cheetah initially felt satisfied, but his contentment was fleeting. Mazunga, on the other hand, was extremely anxious, to the point that he accidentally urinated in his sarong. As the cheetah recoiled in disgust, keeping a safe distance away from Mazunga, who was still holding the spear threateningly towards the lion. The cheetah growled angrily at Mazunga.
"You, repulsive filth. You have disgraced yourself. Go ahead of me and remain in your putrid state." He said, grinding his teeth.
He prodded Mazunga in the back with the spear, urging him to advance toward the territory of the cheetahs. The sun had set, the stars were shining brightly in the sky, and a half crescent moon peeked out in the darkness. Matiti and Slash followed closely behind their companion.
Slash whispered to Matiti, "If this is how every delivery to a kingdom will be, then we have a long mission ahead of us."
With his mind preoccupied with other thoughts, Matiti turned to his mentor and inquired, "What about camp?"
"What about it? My only concern is proving our innocence with the invitation. I have it safely stored in my kilt. Camp will be fine," he responded.
Still worried, Matiti questioned his leader. "What happens if someone steals the other invitations and all of our supplies? Our mission for Zarda would be a complete failure."
The lion warrior didn't reply right off He chose his response carefully, "We'll leave them behind and return to our Kingdom with nothing."
The chilly night was illuminated by the countless stars, which shone like flashlights to guide the group of four travelers on their journey. They continued through the night, knowing that they would reach the cheetahs' territory before the sun rose again. Mazunga shivered in his damp loincloth, unable to escape the cold and the overpowering scent of urine. Every step sent shivers through his body, his lower half numb and burning at the same time. He felt the discomfort of chafing for the first time, with his wet inner thighs rubbing together and causing the skin to heat up. He longed for morning to arrive. The sun began to peek over the horizon, signaling the start of a new morning. It was a promising sign that the day would soon warm up. The company had reached their destination without any hitches. As they neared the territory of the cheetahs, Matiti could see a bustling city filled with mounds. Two male elites stood guard at the entrance, eyeing him with caution. The cheetah who had captured him prodded Matiti even harder, urging him towards the watchful guards. They observed him with a sense of worry.
"Wazingu, what is happening here?" inquired one of the cheetahs. "Why are you keeping these lions' captive?" he asked next.
Wazingu, turning to his superior, explained, "During my patrol, I discovered this individual collecting stones, which raised suspicions. Then two others came up behind me, catching me by surprise. They said they were here to deliver an invitation to our father, King Mapoza."
"His father?" Slash whispered. The cheetahs appeared even more confused.
The first cheetah, part of the superior elite, expressed disgust towards his brother. "Wazingu, leave immediately or I will inform Father myself!" he shouted. The tall and slender elite approached with purpose.
"I apologize for my foolish younger brother who believes he is superior to everyone. I constantly remind him of his delusions. My name is Dimitar, the first Elite guard of the king and his eldest son. On my left is Elite Quamee. You must have encountered my younger brother, unfortunately. He mentioned you have an invitation for the king; is that correct?" he inquired.
Slash took out a rolled-up letter secured with dried vine. The names of each king were written on the outside, just like all the others. He passed it to Dimitar, who promptly untied the letter to uncover the lion's truth. Feeling ashamed of his brother's inappropriate actions, he glanced over at him immediately.
"They were telling the truth. You have captured soldiers from the queen of White mane pride as hostages. If our father, the king, or their queen discovers this, it will lead to war. You idiot," Dimitar said angrily.
Wazingu lowered his head in shame he had been embarrassed once again by his brother. Wazingu lived a life under his brothers shadow constantly.
He ordered, "Return to mother immediately, or I will personally place your head on a spear."
"I'm sorry once again for this misunderstanding. Could you please refrain from mentioning it to your queen? I will personally escort you to my king right away. You can follow me," Dimitar said.
Slash grinned with satisfaction knowing they would come to no harm, but he couldn't bring himself to agree with the suggestion.
"Regrettably, we are unable to deliver this to the king personally. However, if you are willing to take it to him, we promise not to breathe a word of this to our queen. I give you, my word. We have many more invitations to send out. Our next destination is to the Jazmine Leap tribe," said Slash.
Dimitar recognized that as the Leopards Kingdom, he was very familiar with the surroundings. The leopard clan wasn't far from their territory.
"I support this plan, and the Leopard kingdom is just nearby. I will personally take this letter to the king. As a punishment for my foolish brother, he will accompany you through our land to ensure your safe passage," the cheetah declared.
Out of nowhere, a strange smell wafted through the air. The cheetah wrinkled his nose in disgust as the gentle breeze carried the scent of urine towards him.
"What is that wretched odor?" He asked.
Slash and Matiti were both laughing, while Mazunga remained quiet. Hesitant to join in, Mazunga finally decided to speak up.
Mazunga admitted, "I'm sorry, but that was me. I got scared and wet myself when your brother held me captive. Is there any chance of finding a body of water where I could wash up?"
The cheetahs closed their nostrils tightly. The smell was overwhelming. The scent of ammonia was being carried by the breeze, strong and pungent.
"Please come with me, you can use it right away. While you bathe, I'll go get my brother," he said with a tone of disgust. Dimitar led them to a spacious pond.
"Here we are, enjoy. It was a pleasure meeting all of you," he said. He went to turn away, then paused for a second before turning back to ask another important question.
Dimitar replied, "I'm sorry I didn't catch your names,"
Slash had come to the realization that he had never had the opportunity to share them. Therefore, he politely introduced the three of them in the proper manner.
"I am Slash, the head warrior to Queen Saharrah of the White mane Pride. These two are young warriors in training: Matiti and Mazunga, the smelly one," he replied with a big smile on his face.
Mazunga was unamused, giving a glare to Slash as he entered the icy water. His body shivered intensely as he undid the fabric around his waist and rinsed it out several times in the water before putting it back on. Exiting the chilly pond, he still felt cold and couldn't stop shivering, the cold seemingly reaching deep into his bones. Shortly after he finished cleaning up, Dimitar and Wazingu returned, the lions having waited patiently for their arrival. Despite his dislike for Mazunga, Slash still felt responsible for his well-being and made sure he didn't freeze to death.
"Dimitar, do you happen to have a warm hide for my friend? He's been shivering all night in the cold because of your brother. I'm worried he might catch a cold if he doesn't warm up soon," Matiti said.
Dimitar nodded and held up a finger, signaling for them to wait as he stepped away briefly. The elite quickly brought back a cozy kudu skin. Dimitar draped the blanket around Mazunga's wide shoulders. It was a perfect fit. The young lion was already starting to feel warmer.
"I am looking forward to seeing you soon. Wazingu, please safely escort our guest to the borders of the leopards. They have more invitations to deliver. Once they are done, come back right away," orders Dimitar.
Slash was glad to depart, but then he suddenly remembered that the other invitations were still in his pack at camp. He interrupted the cheetah brother's conversation.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but the invitations are back at base camp, where we were working on them the night before everything happened. We'll need to go back there first before heading to their borders. Thanks again for the blanket Mazunga." He stated.
Dimitar made it clear to his brother that he had to stay with the group for the entire trip until their goal was achieved. After saying their goodbyes, they all went their separate ways. Dimitar headed towards the king, while Slash and his companions began their journey back to base camp, which they didn't have the chance to use. The lack of sleep was starting to take its toll, with hallucinations becoming a real possibility. Slash prayed that they would reach their destination faster than they did the night before, as he didn't want any more problems with the group and didn't completely trust the young brother, Wazingu. After all, would anyone after his stunt? I think not, thought slash.