Weapons and Alliances
Two quick months had passed by. It was hard to believe how quickly time had flown. Zarda and Natia had barely interacted since the day of the kiss, exchanging brief words in passing or during pride meetings. More pressing matters took precedence over their feelings. The pride had received several new eyewitness reports regarding the pale people. The rumors proved to be true as both the pale people and people of Africa started spreading news about the animal's transformation. The pride was unsure if the leak was a coincidence or if there was a traitor among them. A meeting was convened by King Zarda a month ago, where all the animals discussed the urgent need to defend and safeguard their territory. Upon discovering how powerful and cunning the creatures had become; the animals grew apprehensive of the intentions of the pale people who planned to exploit the situation for their own benefit. Some of the Kings had figured out the reason why the African wild dogs were absent from the coronation ceremony. King Mosiya revealed that a week before the invitations were sent out, their kingdom was attacked and some of their pack members were taken away by pale people in metal vehicles. Suddenly, Slash had a flashback about their journey.
He said to himself, "Now it is clear why the soldiers were patrolling on high alert that day and why Soldier Diji let us go without any trouble."
Despite the lack of acceptance from most animals the pack received, the other's recognized the importance of uniting to support the brotherhood. Regardless of size, temperament, or species, all animals needed to work together to defend their kingdom against humans. King Zarda sat with a heavy heart at the head of the long wooden table, surrounded by the other kings of the Savannah. On this particular day, ten tribes were gathered, ready to form an alliance to defend their kingdoms. Sitting next to Zarda's left, was the formidable King Ghakarhi, the head of the Congolese ape band, who maintained a rigid posture. The duo had developed a strong bond as close friends. Despite the gorilla's intimidating appearance, he was extremely intelligent and faithful. Recognizing the transformation in King Zarda, he made a solemn promise to support him wholeheartedly in any upcoming battles. Zarda admired him for his principles and appreciated having his positive influence nearby. Seated beside King Ghakarhi was King Tian, the acclaimed leader of the Adisa Crash Rhino clan.
Zarda relied on King Tian's herd for their immense power. They were known for their unbeatable strength and resilience. The rhinos were respected on the Savannah even before their transformation. Alongside King Tian, sat King Zawad the water buffalo, followed by King Kiama and King Jata of the Azung eagle colony. This strategic positioning of an aerial view allowed them to have a superior vantage point during battles, increasing their likelihood of success. King Mosiya, the Mawombie parade leader, sat comfortably between the eagle king and King Jarvius, opposite to King Zarda. He had been the kingdom's trusted advisor, also known ears," for quite some time, thanks to his wife Queen Ajanta, no pun intended. Her acquired gossip skills occasionally proved useful, but at times they simply stirred up unnecessary drama.
The elephant king sat quietly with his hands flat on a stack of large paper parchments, resembling maps. He intended to share his news later with the gathering, once everyone had their chance to speak. Sitting beside him, King Jarvius,he tried to appear taller next to a large beast,which wasn't an easy task. On the other side of the lion was seated, King Shani, the jovial whale shark. He listened and interjected with suggestions when he could. King Mapoza, the cheetah coalition leader, voiced his opinion more frequently, and his input was extremely valued. The last king to be present was at Zarda's right side. his friend, King Purk. The discussions were escalating, and Zarda sensed he was losing control. He reached for his gavel and struck the sound block several times forcefully. As a result, everyone hushed and focused their gaze back on the king.
"Thank you, yes silence, that's an improvement. I have listened to all of your concerns and ideas, but now I would like to give the floor to King Mosiya. Do you have something important to share with us, my friend?" King Zarda inquired. He received a smile and a nod of approval from the elephant lord.
"I realized that I had gained knowledge, and despite all the chaotic news, I was able to remain calm. My intuition told me that we needed better weapons. So, one night I stayed up late working on them," Mosiya said as he slid the large map-sized papers towards the center of the table.
One by one, each king laid down a map, until the entire table was blanketed with the expansive sheets of paper. Zarda, intrigued by the sight before him, looked up at Mosiya with eyes full of questions.
Zarda inquired of the elephant King, "What exactly are we looking at here, Mosiya?"
The old elephant beamed with joy at the proposal of the Kings question, he was thrilled to have the opportunity to explain.
"Your Majesty, that is an excellent question. These schematics contain plans for creating advanced weaponry. Although our current reliance on wooden spears and clubs has served us well, we risk being at a disadvantage against the humans. We need weapons that are durable, capable of penetrating defenses when necessary, and made from pure metals," King Mosiya shared.
The elephant king was excited to keep elaborating, saying, "Notice our abilities from the gifts we received, the creator gave us the blueprint already. It was under our proboscis the entire time. See our incredible strength, how we effortlessly cut and break things. This is the inspiration for how I want my weapons to be made," declared the elephant king.
Zarda concurred, acknowledging that the elephant was correct in every aspect. He lifted his staff and carefully inspected it. The other kings followed suit, examining their own weapons. King Shani winced in pain as he pricked his finger on the end of his spear, causing a small drop of blood to appear.
"Oh, yeah, these are definitely sharp," Shani said, placing his finger in his mouth to stop the bleeding.
All eyes turned to the whale shark as he sucked on the tip of his finger. They then shifted their focus back to Zarda as he addressed the group,
"Where will we produce these? Who will be responsible for the production? Will it be us? Some lack the necessary skills, but perhaps a few of my warriors do. My brother, in particular, but one individual cannot create them all. We will need a significant amount." Zarda responded.
The elephant raised both his hand to signal that he understood the king's concerns. Seeing the elephant had an answer Zarda gave him permission to respond.
"King, no need to worry. I have already resolved that issue as well. You are correct, one animal alone cannot accomplish everything, but a team can. I am opening up my kingdom to contribute. We have access to rich metal resources in and around our land, making excavation easy. This is why we are gathered here, is it not? To share ideas, offer our time and resources. I am willing to offer two of my best to start, and if the other tribes here today do the same, we will have a total of twenty-two individuals and forty-four extra hands to help with construction," replied Mosiya.
Zarda remained silent, contemplating the information as he chewed on it for a minute. He wasn't sure how it would work, but he trusted Mosiya in his line of expertise. He gave the elephant King his full-on trust in the area of weaponry.
With no more hesitation Zarda spoke up, "Alright, I believe it's a fantastic idea. Everyone, choose your two representatives today and send them to King Mosiya's territory. We will begin weapon production right away," Zarda directed.
He raised the gavel and struck the sound block twice to signal the end of the meeting. Everyone was glad to be done with the meeting. The kings shook hands and assisted in gathering up the weapon designs for King Mosiya. Without another word to anyone present, Zarda quickly departed out of the room, needing to inform his mother and brother of the plans. The journey back to Saharrah's hut seemed farther than usual, but it was actually quite close. Perhaps his anticipation to share the upcoming news caused a great time lap between them.
Upon reaching his mother's tent, he discovered only Natia inside painting a vase, instead of looking upon his mother. He looked in with a disdained glower. Natia on the other hand, unbothered, glanced up at him briefly with a gentle smile, she then returned to painting her craft. Despite searching, Zarda glanced around the space for his mother, but had no luck finding her. He was still in a hurry.
"Just so you know, she isn't here at the moment," Natia remarked, pointing out the obvious.
'That's clear to see' thought Zarda to himself. He was already annoyed by her reply for some reason and ready to be far away form as quickly as possible.
"Yeah, I can see that she's not here. It's pretty obvious, even a blind man could see it," he replied in a rude manner.
She paused her painting and narrowed her eyes at him. Natia was extremely confused at his response; she was becoming frustrated. Despite her attempts to be nice to him, he inexplicably chose to respond rudely.
"Then why are you still here? searching for her as if she will magically appear out of nowhere won't help, you find her any better." she snapped back.
She didn't mind being considered rude back, since she believed he was the one being rude first. Zarda was confident in her correctness, but he didn't have the time or energy to argue with her. Instead, he stayed silent and left the tent. Zarda couldn't distance himself from Natia fast enough. His emotions were all over the place - from daydreaming about their kiss to feeling irritated by her words. Although he loved her, he felt like his love was trapped inside. Zarda didn't know how to free it or accept it.
After searching for a few minutes outside, he realized he was now on a hide and seek mission to locate his family. They were not with the others in the main part of camp, nor in her tent. so, he suspected they might be at the waterfall, where his father's headstone was located.
He pursued the path that guided him further towards the stunning waterfall. The noise of the flowing water intensified as he approached closer to the vicinity. The mist enveloped him in a soft and refreshing spray, covering his white hair.
Ahead of him, as he had suspected earlier, Zarda saw two familiar figures replacing old flowers with fresh ones at the grave. It was a touching and beautiful scene. He watched intently as they meticulously tended to his father's gravestone. A wave of joy and sadness washed over him simultaneously. He approached just in time to take the final bouquet of flowers. Without exchanging a word, the three of them watched as he placed the blossoms gently on the stone's front side.