Written by: Caldafox
Story[]
After Kion blasted Makucha's Army away from the Tree of Life, the tornado that the Roar had created moved slowly through the biomes nearby. One by one, it dropped Ora, Mama Binturong, Smun, the Komodo Dragon, and everyone else back at their natural habitats.
Except for the leopards. The twister finally reached the end of a lush forest and then dropped Fahari, Jiona, Makucha and Chuluun on the ground, then disbanded. They landed hard on the ground.
"OOF!" The leopards landed in a pile, then scrambled off each other quickly. "Ugh, my head..." Fahari muttered, rubbing his forehead. "Thought we'd never get out of that one alive." Jiona said.
Makucha growled as he pulled himself up. He looked up and around, the calls of tropical birds echoing in the forest. "Does anyone have any idea where we are?" he asked grimly, frustration written all over his face.
"Beats me," said Chuluun, also getting up. "All I know is that it's hot."
"It's not that bad," Fahari replied. "It's just humidity." "Easy for you to say," Chuluun growled. Fahari lunged at her, but then Makucha turned around and leapt in front of him.
"Lay off, Fahari." Makucha said blankly. "The rest of the army is gone. Let's not bicker with the last members left."
"It wouldn't have even existed if you hadn't dragged us all the way to the Tree of Life," Jiona remined Makucha. "Or disbanded."
"Enough!" Makucha suddenly yelled. "Let's just focus on getting home."
"Home?" Chuluun asked. "Where is home?"
"We'll find a place where we can settle." Makucha told her. "Let's get a move on."
Jiona and Fahari looked at each other in suspicion, and Makucha looked back at them as he walked away. "I said let's go!"
"Alright, we're coming." Jiona griped. Chuluun followed ahead of them, while Makucha led the group.
And so the long journey began, with the leopards traveling across several biomes, several places, complaining all the way. They never seemed to find a spot where they could agree was suitable. Night after night, day after day. Sometimes they would come across a place that was cold, Chuluun's preference, but was too freezing for the African leopards. Then they would find one that was lush and green, but too humid for Chuluun.
About halfway through, Fahari and Jiona, who had done most of the complaining, ganged up on Chuluun.
"Why'd you have to stay with us this whole time?" Fahari asked. "You're slowing us down even more!" "Yeah, how come you couldn't have just turned back?" Jiona added. "Back to your own home!"
"Hey, lay off of her!" Makucha said, coming over by the others. "We stick together. We're the last of the army and I won't let us succumb to failure now."
"What if we want don't want to be the army anymore?" Fahari muttered, with an eye roll. Jiona looked at him in surprise.
"What was that?" Makucha threatened, with a growl. Fahari and Jiona didn't say anything.
"C'mon," Makucha urged. The leopards followed behind him, Chuluun looking at Makucha intently as she silently walked alongside him.
The complaining and griping amongst the group continued on for weeks, while Makucha grew even more angry and bitter. Finally, after another endless trek across countless lands, the group arrived a few miles away from Pride Rock.
"The Pride Lands, finally!" Makucha said in utter desperation, upon crossing the border. "I thought we'd never make it back here, or that I'd escape from your complaining!" He turned around and targetted this at Fahari and Jiona, who just rolled their eyes.
"But, Makucha..." Chuluun started, looking at the hot afternoon sun. "It's too hot for me here."
"Of course it is!" Jiona snapped. "Just like every other place we've traveled across!"
"SHUT UP!" Makucha spat. He looked around, then spotted an area that was heavily shaded. Some citris fruits grew nearby.
"There!" He shouted. "Huh?" Fahari and Jiona said. "That section! Let's go over there!" Makucha urged, clarifying better this time.
When the leopards got there, they found the area was very suitable. The lush leaves and trees almost completely blocked out the sun, and fruits grew everywhere.
"How do you like this, Chuluun?" Makucha asked, turning to the female snow leopard. She looked around in satisfaction, with a small smile. "I like it here," she said, laying down in the shade. Makucha smiled, finally satisfied.
Suddenly, the sound of talking could be heard outside the lush area. "What's that?" Jiona asked.
Makucha growled, and pure anger was written on his face. "We've finally found some peace and quiet, and now it's being taken away from us?!"
Immediately, Makucha leaped from the thicket and into a nearby bush. The other leopards naturally followed their leader.
The interruptions turned out to be a lion named Kopa talking with his hyena friend, Asante. Kopa had recently returned to the Pride Lands, so he didn't know he was trespassing on the leopards' new territory.
Makucha growled, then laughed evilly as he prepared to leap out at the two friends, and Chuluun snickered. The four jumped out of the bushes and startled Kopa and Asante.
"What have we got here, Makucha?" Chuluun asked, as she and the other leopards began surrounding the lion and hyena. "I'm not sure, Chuluun." Makucha answered. "Looks like a couple of trespassers to me!"
"We didn't know this was your territory, honest!" Kopa explained. "Yes, we're awfully sorry." Asante tried to reason. "We're not finished with you yet!" Fahari exclaimed. "Think you can get away that easily?!"
With that, the leopards began to attack the lion and hyena. Right away, Makucha leapt onto Kopa and scratched him hard on the jaw and nose, causing a deep and permanent scar. The lion roared as Fahari jumped onto his back, while Chuluun and Jiona wrestled with Asante fiercely.
Kopa thrust Makucha off of him, causing the leopard to land with a thud. But he leapt right back on the lion again and continued to claw and bite at him.
Eventually, Chuluun and Jiona overwhelmed Asante, causing her to collapse. Kopa, after his friend bid him farewell, ran off towards the Pride Lands, not as injured as his friend had been.
Kopa and the leopards both thought Asante was dead. But she was alive. "That was easy," Fahari smiled sinisterly, his legs all scratched up.
"Yeah," Chuluun smiled, just as beat up. But then, behind her, Asante attacked! She leapt onto the leopard and began to claw and wrestle with her again.
Shocked, Makucha shouted "HEY!" and watched in horror as Asante swiftly kicked Chuluun a few feet away. She landed hard, and was now covered in more scratches and bruises.
With one more growl, Asante fell unconscious again. This time she would be out for a few hours.
"Chuluun!" Makucha rushed over. "Are you OK?"
Chuluun got up slowly, in obvious pain. "I'll live," she replied, observing her various wounds.
"We have to find a better spot to live," Makucha said. "There's plenty of territories on the Pride Lands to choose from."
"Screw the Pride Lands!" Fahari yelled. "I'm goin' home! To the Back Lands!"
"Yeah, count me out." Jiona said. And with that, him and Fahari turned away and started towards the Back Lands.
"You're both cowards for walking out!" Makucha shouted in vain. "We're not cowards - we're right!" Fahari shouted back. Him and Jiona ran off.
Makucha did a low growl as he watched the other leopards leave. He didn't have anything or anyone to lead now.
Except, Chuluun spoke up. "Makucha?"
"Yes?" Makucha turned toward her. She sighed. "Look, there's something I've gotta tell you..."
Chuluun then confessed that, in the past few weeks, she had started seeing Makucha in a whole new light. Before, she had been annoyed by him and his frequent habit of taking charge. But now, she had started admiring his skills, his character, really looking up to him. A different feeling had arose inside towards the rough and tough leopard, and she now knew what it was.
With widened eyes, Makucha listened. Then he confessed that he had started feeling the same way for her, too. That's why he had defended her so fiercely from Fahari and Jiona, and Kopa and Asante.
"What do we do now?" Chuluun asked, with another sigh.
"We'll find a place where we can settle." Makucha said, reaffirming his earlier promise. "Together".
"Yeah, together." Chuluun said. She smiled at Makucha, and he smiled back with confidence.
Thus, they started on their journey to an unknown destination.
THE END.