A Hyena's Tale Ch. 13

Janja rubbed his stomach as he laid on his back. The Waterbuck he and his clan had for dinner was the best meal they had in such a long time. He made sure to thank his Leopard hosts for their hospitality. He watched as the Leopard Queen, Katali walked into her den with all six of her cubs. It puzzled Janja how a Leopard could love a Hyena the way she did. He watched as the other Hyenas around him began to head to their respective territories to get some rest. He spotted Tombie being carried by two of his Striped Hyenas to a small den.

Janja approached him and his clan-mates. "Hey, Tombie."

"Oh, hey, Janja." Tombie smiled and waved at him. "Have a good meal?"

"Yeah. I haven't had a Dinner that fresh for a few months." Janja felt so good to have fresh meat instead of rotten Carrion for a change. "How's your leg?"

Tombie's injured leg was covered in some dry mud that covered his whole leg. "Well, I've got no reason to complain. These Leopards sure know how to help heal a broken leg."

Janja felt very reassured as he gave him a piece of Waterbuck. "Here ya go."

Tombie looked down at the meat with widened eyes. "Wait- you saved me some Waterbuck? No, no, you should have it, Janja. You need your strength."

"Nah, I had plenty tonight." Janja pushed the meat closer to him. "Besides, I don't have a broken leg."

Tombie did not have any words to argue. Over the course of the week he had found him again, he never did lose an argument with Janja. He had always been the slower witted of the two. The two of them seemed to be polar opposites, when in reality, they were the same as Lions and Hyenas were. All Tombie could do was smiled and say a very sincere "Thank you" Before eating the small helping of Waterbuck his brother had gotten him.

"Say, did you hear what I heard earlier?' Janja asked him.

"Depends." Tombie had waited to finished the food that was in his mouth before speaking. Tombie had a few things he needed to teach Janja, and one of them were table manners. "I hear a lot of things now and then. Are you talking about those Brown Hyenas Makucha brought to the Backlands? I actually met them. Their Leader, Rookus, she's actually an old friend of mine. She's the one who taught me all those jokes."

"No kiddin'?" Janja tilted his head. "Man, you sure made a lotta friends out here, Tombie."

"Well, you did too, Janja."

Janja blinked several times before raising his eyebrow. "Huh, what're you talkin' about? Most of the animals I met wanna either kill me or take my Territory."

"I mean your clan." Tombie pointed out. "Why do you think you did not rip them to pieces every time they annoyed you? Why do you think that after every time they messed up, you kept them around? Well, it may be just a theory, Janja, but from my perspective, I think you consider them a family more than a clan."

This was something Janja had not thought about. Why DID he keep those fur-brains around? All they ever did for him was to mess up all his plans and complain that they were hungry. If he was slow witted, these Hyenas were worse. Cheezi and Chungu were the ones he used the most. Was there a reson for this? Maybe. Did he think of them all as family? Possibly. But, they weren't even related. So how could they be family? It was then Janja had a theory of his own. Maybe, just maybe, fammily wasn't just being related. Maybe Family was about how he felt about Tombie as a while. What was it Jasiri said?

Sisi Ni Sawa.

"W-well..." Ever since he had found his brother again, Janja had been feeling things. New things. Things he hadn't felt in years. And never once in his years on his own did he say that another animal was right about him. "I guess you're right." He stood up and turned to go to his clans new territory. "Good night, Tombie." As he walked off, he stopped in his tracks, as he had something else to say.

"Madoa's lucky to have someone like you."

As Janja walked away, Tombie smiled as he said a "Good night" right back at him. This was the brotherly time he had yearned for ever since they were pups. Tombie now knew he could sleep with an absolutely clear mind, now.

But neither Janja or Tombie could imagine what would take place the next day.

--

Badili snored as he laid on the thickest branch of his tree. He had once needed to defend his turf from a marauding Leopard in the past. Over the course of time, Mapigano had apologized to him and asked to be his ally, on account of them being in the same Pride, under Katali's rule. Yes, Mirihi forest was a nice place for any Leopard to live.

That was, until he smelt the smoke.

Badili rose with a start and looked in the direction the scent was coming from. He saw that a fire was starting just a few feet away from his tree. In horror, the Leopard jumped down and raced off to get help, unaware of the Army of evil animals secretly following him.

--

Katali drank from the water as her young ones followed suit, her mate standing next to them. The children were all her Pride and Joy. Haraka, the Red male, was the oldest of the cubs, Matata, the Yellow male with the long, black ears, was along the same age as his twin sister, Vita, the yellow female, Radi was the dark red furred eldest of the sisters, Jino was almost identical as Matata and Vita, and last, but not least, Giza, youngest of the litter, looked more like a Striped Hyena than any of her siblings. As odd as this family was, it was a very happy family.

"Dear?" Norok craned his neck down to his wife's face, his face full of concern. "I think we have a problem."He motioned to what he saw in the distance. Smoke flew to the skies above them in the distance as orange embers crept their way alongside them. Smoke could normally mean one thing.

Fire.

And judging by the position it was in, it was coming from Mirihi Forest.

As if on cue, her ally Badili came from the bushes, rushing towards her. "Katali! Katali! Mirihi Forest, it's on fire!"

"I see it, Badili." Katali turned to several of her Leopards, "All of you come with me, we need to put out that fire."

'Well you're not alone on that."

Katali turned to see her childhood friend, Jasiri, approaching with Several of her clan, along with the Brown Hyenas that had been recently discovered. Katali smiled at her friend warmly, "I can always count on you, Jasiri."

Nodding, Jasiri turned to her clan and the Brown ones. "Everyone, we have walked so far to earn our new home, now we must fight to keep it." She leapt onto a rock. "One Hyena clan by itself is one thing, but united, We're unstoppable. Let's go!"

The Hyenas cheered as they followed Jasiri in the direction of Mirihi Forest. Norok followed as well, As he looked down, he saw a small cub was following as well. "Giza, go back!" He commanded his youngest daughter.

"No!" Giza replied to her father. "I want to help!"

"You can help by being safe at the den." Norok glanced down at her. "Gunge!" He called into the air for his Cuckoo bird scribe. The bird flew down to him to listen to his king. "Escort Giza and the other cubs to safety, quickly!"

"Oh, uh, right away, King Norok!" Gunge saluted and lightly pushed Giza in the direction of her siblings. "Come on, Princess Giza. Won't get in the fire if we avoid the Frying Pan." Giza merely let out a small groan as she reluctantly complied with the small bird.

--

From atop the hill that was in their territory, Janja watched as the Leopards and Hyenas began to form Fire breaks in the dirt. Concerned about why they were not rushing to help, Cheezi approached his leader alongside his fellow Clan-mates. "Uh, Janja?" He asked the older Hyena. "Ain't we gonna go help put out that fire?"

But there wasn't a very good answer. Janja's eyes did not leave the fire. The Hyenas that followed him did not have any idea what went on in their leaders head, other than the emotions of Anger. But Janaj did have emotions going through his mind, but there was one that stood out among them all.

Fear.

' ''What if Scars in that Fire? He could see me and know I'm alive. He could send the whole Army after me. And they'd probably get Tombie, too. We wouldn't stand a Chance!'''

As Tombie stood still, absorbed in his thoughts, he did not hear Tano trying to get his attention. "Boss! Hey Boss!" The deviant Hyena yelled at his leader. "Janja! Look! It's a bunch of Lions!"

Now these words were what got Janja back to earth. Lions were a word that Janja did not really like to hear. But what Janja saw in the Background of the fire, apparently sneaking towards The Leopards and other Hyenas, were, indeed, Lions. The one in front Janja could barely recognize. It was that Lioness Kion was chasing in the Outlands! And she was accompanied by... wait, was this right? The Jackal who he had a bitter rivalry with, and Kiburi, that no-good Crocodile who tried to do him in over a week ago. To Janja's horror, he realized this Lioness was the friend Scar had spoken of the day he 'Fired' him.

Chungu did not know what to do either. Such a big head housed a small mind, one that did not function without the "Knowledge" of his leader. He was so worried about what to do about the ordeal he could feel water on his paws.

Wait, was that--?

He looked down and saw clear blue water at his Paws, a trickle of Dry season relief was pouring down the Mountain before them Small streams were flowing from a section far above them.

And Chungu was not the only one who noticed this.

Janja could see the small, flowing water as well. He did not see it a lot in the Outlands, but he knew enough to figure that in the large Mountain before them, there was an A cavern lake that was busting to be released. He now knew what to do to help. "Come on, fur-" He stopped mid sentence as he did not even feel like saying his usual insult to his clan. "Uh... come on.... guys!" He led his clan up the mountain, hoping that this water could be enough to extinguish these flames and send those Outlanders running.

None of them saw the Three Lions and two Crocodiles that were headed to Katali's den.