Chapter Seven: Jasiri's Plan

Chapter 7: The Plan

Kion walked out onto Pride Rock that morning and stretched. Kiara snuck up behind him. “So, little brother,” she said, “Whatcha gonna do today? Go play with hyenas again?”

Kion was startled. “Kiara!” he exclaimed. “W-what do you mean, ‘play with hyenas’?” “I can not believe you Kion,” Kiara continued. “Making friends with a hyena.” She sniffed into the air.

Kion tried to act like he didn’t know what she was talking about, but Kiara could sense it.

“You don’t have to play dumb,” she said. “Bunga told me all about it.”

“Bunga?” Kion asked. “What did Bunga tell you?”

“He told me that you helped a hyena yesterday in the Outlands,” said Kiara. “Don’t you know that it isn’t right for lions and hyenas to be friends?” "Well, I had always thought that,” said Kion, “But it just isn’t right. Just because Jasiri is a hyena, she’s just like me deep down inside. She helped me get home, she respects the Circle of Life, and she showed me that we’re the same. Sisi ni sawa.”

“''See see nee sawa'',” Kiara mocked. Then she paused. “Kion, do you ‘like’ this hyena?”

“No!” Kion exclaimed. “That’s weird!”

“Yes, it is, Kion,” said Kiara. “But you’re kind of weird sometimes.” “Am not!” Kion shouted.

“Are too!” Kiara shot back.

Then Simba came out of the den and said, “All right, kids, break it up. That’s enough for now. It’s time for me to get the morning report from Zazu.”

Kiara smiled deviously at Kion. “Have fun with your hyena,” she said. Then, she ran down Pride Rock and into the grasslands.

Simba looked confused. “Hyena?” he asked Kion. “What is Kiara talking about?”

There was no way Kion could weasel out of this one. “Dad, I-I made friends with a hyena yesterday in the Outlands,” he confessed.

“You did?” asked Simba. “Why didn’t you tell me?” “Well, I was afraid you’d be upset,” said Kion, “seeing as how lions and hyenas aren’t supposed to be, well, friends. But Jasiri is nice, honest!”

“Jasiri?” asked Simba. “Well, if you say she’s nice, I trust you Kion.” Simba placed his paw on Kion’s shoulder. “You’ve proven to be an excellent leader of the Guard, and if you can make peace with hyenas, then go for it. I always trust you to do what’s right.”

“Thanks Dad,” said Kion. Then, Kion headed out to meet up with the rest of the Guard.

Janja woke up hungry. But it wasn’t the first time he’d woken up hungry. By now, he was getting used to it. He got a whiff of something in the air that smelled…different.

“Janjaa!” Cheezi called. “You’d better come out here!”

Janja came out of his den to find a litter of jackal puppies running around in circles, smiling and yipping.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Janja shouted. “Get ‘em out of here!”

Cheezi and Chungu leapt into the middle of the jackal pups and tried to chase them away, but all they managed to do was run around with them and get dizzy.

Wajinga came around the corner and saw what was going on. “Ha-HAA!” he laughed ecstatically. “Look at ‘em run!”

“It’s not funny,” said Janja. “Jackals do NOT belong on our land. They steal our food and they tear up our territory. They need to leave.”

Wajinga ran up to the jackal pups and bit down on one of their tails. The young pup screamed loudly and the other pups stopped running. Wajinga laughed. “Well, what do you think?” he asked Janja. “Dinner?”

Janja shook his head. “Jackal tastes terrible,” he said. “It’s better if we just get ‘em outta here.”

“Okay,” said Wajinga. He snarled at the pup. “Get out,” he told the pup, “Or the next bite won’t feel too good.”

Janja lowered himself, ready to strike. “Move along, puppies!” he shouted.

Slowly but surely the puppies ran out of the hyena den, looking as sad as ever.

“Good riddance!” said Cheezi. “Those puppies were annoying!”

“You got that right,” said Janja. “Now who wants to-“

“Uh, Janja?” Wajinga asked. “I forgot to tell you. Jasiri was here early this morning before you were awake. She asked to see you, but I said you weren’t available.”

“Jasiri?” Janja asked, surprised. “What could she possibly want?”

“I don’t know,” said Wajinga. “But I told her that she’d better stay off our turf. When I said that, she told me that you were all right with her coming to our land. Are you guys, like friends now or what?”

“We’re not friends,” said Janja. “Just acquaintances, that’s all.”

“Oh I see,” said Wajinga. “Well any hyena from the Heshima Clan is bound to want to criticize us for anything we do. I ought to know, that was my clan when I was a cub.”

Janja headed out away from Wajinga.

“Hey!” Wajinga shouted. “Where you goin’?”

“To meet Jasiri,” said Janja. “Wajinga, you guard the den! Chungu and Cheezi, you stay with him! I’m going to the Heshima Clan!”

Janja arrived at the border where the two hyena guards were stationed, ready to dispose of any intruders into Chuki’s territory. “What is your name?” demanded one of the guards.

“My name’s Janja,” Janja replied. “I’m the leader of a clan that lives near the volcano. I’m here to see Jasiri.”

“No one from a rogue clan is allowed to see the future matriarch,” the guard continued. “So get lost.”

“That’s funny,” Janja laughed, “Cuz I just met with her last night.”

“I want to speak with your clan’s leader,” Janja continued. “Bring her out.”

The guard sniffed in disgust. “Fine,” he said, “But you’d better be careful. Chuki doesn’t like rogues.”  The guard motioned for the other hyena to go get Chuki.

Janja saw Chuki coming from a distance. The older female hyena dismissed the guards and lowered her eyes at Janja.

“Janja,” she growled, “What are you doing here?”

“I come in peace,” said Janja. “I only wish to see Jasiri.”

“What business is she of yours, Janja?” asked Chuki.

“She was on my territory this morning” said the hyena leader. “She left a message with one of my clan members who told me that she was to see me. I am only returning the favor.”

Chuki glared at Janja. “Jasiri should have never been in your territory. I am sorry that it happened, but it won’t happen again. But I’m afraid that Jasiri will not be talking with you today. Goodbye.”

Just as Chuki was about to turn around, she saw Jasiri walk up beside her.

“Mother, I must speak with Janja,” she said. “it is important.”

“Absolutely not,” said Chuki. “Get back to the den, Jasiri, and stay off their land.”

“No,” Jasiri said defiantly. “I have to speak with Janja. I can explain later.”

“Jasiri, if you-" Chuki started, but Jasiri was already blocking her out.

Jasiri walked up to Janja. “We must leave,” she whispered to him. “Run.”

Janja turned around and began to sprint in the other direction. “See ya!” he shouted at Chuki. He ran as fast as he could, laughing into the air as his legs carried him around all the many bends in the Outlands.

“Quick! In here!” Jasiri shouted. She ran into a small cave in the side of a rock. “Nobody knows about this cave. We’ll be safe in here. Janja, we need to talk.”

“What’s it about?” Janja asked.

“I have a plan, but I need you to help me with it,” said Jasiri.

“A plan? Jasiri, if this is one of your games-“

“I’m not playing any games, Janja!” Jasiri shouted. “Listen, I’m not on anyone’s side. All I want is for you to listen to what I have to say, and the rest is up to you.”

Janja kept a straight face. “I’m listening. Go on,” he said.

“I’ve been thinking a lot lately, and well, I know that we can make this work.”

“Make what work?” asked Janja.

“We have to unite the Pride Lands and the Outlands.” She said.

Janja laughed. “What? You can’t be serious!”

“Yes I am,” said Jasiri. “The feuding between hyenas and lions has got to stop. You’re right Janja. It’s not fair that Simba banished us simply because we were hyenas. We deserve a better life than what we have. But the problem is, hyenas like those in your clan have little to no respect for anyone. They march around like they own the place and feel like they should take whatever they want. That’s where everything goes wrong. That’s why we hyenas were banished-because of clans like yours. It’s not because you just ‘want a bite to eat’, it’s because of your attitude.”

“Ohhh,” said Janja, “Well, hunger makes a guy do crazy things, ya know?”

Jasiri laughed. “I know. I’m so hungry right now I’d do just about anything too. But listen, causing chaos in the Pride Lands is not going to help matters. We must approach the Lion Guard in peace and explain that we Outlander hyenas don’t want to cause trouble. We only want to live the life that we deserve-like all other creatures big and small. Will you help me Janja? Will you help me create a new era for peace between hyenas and lions?”

Janja lowered his head. “I don’t know,” he said. “They just don’t seem to understand. I don’t think it would ever work.”

Jasiri walked over to Janja and lifted up her paw to his chin, forcing his eyes to gaze into hers. “Janja, I understand that you’ve been hurt. I understand that it may be hard for you to forgive and forget. But think about your clan, think about all the hyenas out here starving. Janja, we have to do something before we’re all gone. I’m supposed to be the next matriarch of the Heshima Clan. My mother is old and won’t make it much longer. Janja, like you, I want a future for my clan. I want us to live long, happy lives. We deserve better than this.”

Janja nodded. “Yes, we do,” he said. “We do deserve better than this.”

“Will you help me?” asked Jasiri. “Will you help the hyenas?”

Janja nodded. “It’s worth a shot,” he said. “I mean, we really don’t have anything to lose.” He shrugged, and gave a little smile to Jasiri.

“I knew you had it in ya, Janja!” Jasiri shouted. “You tell your clan tonight, and I’ll tell mine. The next morning, we meet at Broken Rock with the Lion Guard.”

“Okay,” said Janja. “Tomorrow we meet at Broken Rock.”

They left the cave, each going their separate directions.