Circle of Life Ch. 11

Kito led the two Hybrids through a small cave where they could barely fit. Askari walked ahead, closer to the purple python, smiling kindly. "So, Kito, have you lived here long?"

"You could Sssssay that." Kito kept slithering forward, not looking Askari in the face. "Assss you can tell, my kind of Ssssnake isssn't very common in the modern timessss. I did usssse to live in the Pridelandsssss."

"You did?" Askari tilted his head. "Well, why did you leave?"

"Sssscar."

Askari shuddered at the name of his great-great-uncle. He heard much of him from his parents, and it was never anything good. "W-what about Scar made you go into hiding?"

"It wasssss our sssscales." Kito answered. "He thought that such unusually colored creatures could not be in his 'Kingdom.'" He shook his head, seemingly depressed. "Sssso he pushed ussss away from the land, forcing ussss into hiding."

"Gosh, that's terrible." Askari spoke low, sympathizing with his new scaly friend. "Well, you're not alone now, Kito. You've got me and Ahadi."

'What?" Came Ahadi's echoing, aghast reaction to Askari's proposal to the snake.

Askari seemed to ignore his older brother. "Why don't you come with us? We're going to the Wildlands."

"The wildlandssss?" Kito seemed to ponder this for a brief matter of seconds. "Why are you gong there?"

"A bunch of Gorillas took it over and we're going to try and reason with them>

Now Kito was the kind of snake who liked to think on things as important as this before rushing into it. unlike regularly colored snakes, Kito was quite the serious thinker. He stroked his chin with his tail as he followed close to Askari. He knew these heirs could not have known the way, so they would need a guide. And since Kito had already been there once before....

"Assskari, you have yourssself a deal."

"Alright!" Askari jumped up in delight.

After some conversing and grumbling from a distrusting Ahadi, the trio finally made their way to the exit Kito had intended to lead them to. "Here we are." He raised his tail to the exit cave. "it'ssss been sssso long ssssinccce I had reasssson to leave the cave."

"It's great, isn't it?" Askari looked down to him. "So, which way, Kito?"

The Snake pointed in the direction in which the gorge winded through the Outlands. "Assss long asss we ssstay true to the gorge, we will be on the right track."

"Great." Askari nodded before beginning to walk. "Let's get a move on."

With that, the small party had set out again, their sights on the horizon before them. The Snake, however, had eyes that not only blinked, but swirled into different colors, as if it were a sort of hypnotizing motion.

Illusions were truly in the snake's nature.