WRHITLK Chapter 4: A new cut scene

I called out a thanks as my spiky friend disappears into the green forage. I give the area a wide birth just in case of a stray quill and make my way back to the entrance of the jungle and wait...

 

I end up not wait long at all when I hear voices approaching.

 

"Ow! Oh! Ow!" Timon.

 

"Oooo OW!" Pumba.

 

The voice getting louder and I realize I overlooked something. I need a place to hide... I look around then I look up. Lions can climb trees, right?

 

A few minutes later, I'm sitting on a sturdy branch panting.

 

"That.. Was.. A unique experience..."

 

I glance out into the desert to see the buzzards starting to land surrounding Simba and a moment later, Timon and Pumba stumble out from behind a tree. I work to keep myself from laughing as they Lean against my tree and start removing the quills. There are so many quills in Timon that he looks like a porcupine himself. Pumba spits out a couple more quills from Timon's back.

 

"Maybe bowling for porcupines wasn't such a good idea.."

 

Timon howls in pain as Pumba pulls out two more.

 

"Yeah Pumba, no kidding! let's not do that..ever again."

 

Pumba pulls out the last quills and mutters something to himself. By now the buzzards have all landed around Simba and Pumba finally notices the Buzzards, he seems to get really excited.

 

"Ooh, ooh! Timon, let's go buzzard bowling! I love it!" Yes!..

 

Timon stretches and cracks his back.

 

"Naw, pumba I think I'm going to turn in early. Go on by yourself." No!...

 

Pumba gets his sad eyes and looks to at Timon.

 

"But it's no fun all alone..."

 

Timon turns away for a moment then looks back at the dejected looking warthog. He sighs and hops onto Pumba's back with a smile.

 

"Alright, one more run won't change our lives!"

 

I chuckle to myself watching them run out. If only you knew, Timon...

 

The Buzzards go flying off when the two arrive and I'm relived to see Simba still laying there in one piece. After a few minutes I watch them walk past carrying the still unconscious lion cub. They go out of sight then I reach my next problem... Getting down. I look down and my stomach flips, it's a long way down. I shake my head in disbelief. I'm a cat stuck in a tree.. This has got to be by far the lowest point for me... I then realize I need to follow them so I know where Simba is. I look across to the tree with a study looking branch that stretches out a foot or two below mine. If I jump there then... I take a deep breath and jump the small gap to the lower brach then I cling on to it for dear life as the branch shakes.

 

Just when I think it will shake me loose, the branch stops shaking for the most part. My heart is still hammering when I hear a rush paws enter the jungle below. I look down and my jaw drops again for the second time today. For below me was a pack of five hyenas, and they looked looked like they were sniffing something out. One of them who seems dustier than the others sneezes looking at the rest of his group.

 

"Hey are we sure the kid came this way? I mean, I hear he's sort of a weakling."

 

the biggest Hyena of the group sniffs the ground then shrugs.

 

"I will admit, I doubt he would make it this far out alive but his scent is here. Plus Scar said not to come back without a cub. Dead or alive, depending how we find him."

 

I shift my paws nervously. Scar?! He sent hyenas after Simba? I don't recall that in the movie... I need to stop them, I can't let them find Simba! Just then, I hear a cracking sound so quiet I almost think I am imagining it when I look at the tree my branch is attached to, the branch has termites near the base of it. I quickly look for another branch near by but I only make the branch crack more. Three hyenas are under the branch I'm on and I get an idea. I start to shake the branch knowing this is probably suicidal, till the branch breaks free and I feel myself falling with the branch.

 

I leap off the branch right before it makes contact with the hyena, and I go tumbling into the trunk of a bigger tree. Ow... I shakily get up feel dizzy as well as relived to be alive. Of course that feeling is short lived as I come face to face with the biggest hyena here. He growls into my face with saliva dripping from his muzzle.

 

"You have some nerve to do that!"

 

I tear my eyes from his very sharp looking teeth and look behind him to see two knocked out hyenas and one holding a injured paw. I swallow hard. Well, if I'm going to die I want to die fighting... I growl back at him with my fur bristled, my growl is very lacking compared to his though.

 

"I want to know what a pack of mangy mutts are doing here, in my jungle?!"

 

Thankfully my voice sounded stronger than I felt. The hyena's eyes widen in surprise then he starts laughing.

 

"Your jungle? Ha! Listen pipsqueak, I'm going to rip you to shreds in two seconds unless you can tell us about another cub who came here. Well?!"

 

I'm about to respond with a snide remake when I decide to play the scared kid card. I press my ears back and look down with a crushed look on my face.

 

"Simba? He..."

 

The hyenas surround me as the big one snaps his teeth in front of me.

 

"He what?!"

 

I force out a tear.

 

"Simba is dead. A Animal attacked us and dragged off his body. I was hiding."

 

The hyena covered in dust looked back at the tree.

 

"So is that why you were in a tree?"

 

I nodded. The big one growls after sniffing the ground again.

 

"I don't smell blood."

 

I swallow. "He broke his neck."

 

The hyenas are silent for a moment till the injured one shrugs. The dusty one nods in agreement.

 

"I agree with Long, It sounds plausible since after he's just teeny cub."

 

After a moment or two the big one breaths out heavily, the stench of his breath is of rotting flesh making me almost gag.

 

"Fine. So now the question is what to do with this one?"

 

The dusty one puts on huge grin while licking his chaps.

 

"I know, lets eat him!"

 

he goes to charge me when the quiet injured one jumps in between us shaking his head. The big one nods his head.

 

" Dusty, he's right. We can't kill the cub..."

 

he glares at me.

 

" as much as I want to."

 

I look back to the quiet one feeling a mix of gratitude and suspicion. Maybe he's not so bad... The Dusty approaches me looking disappointed.

 

"Alright then. We better be going I guess."

 

He bends down with his mouth open at my neck. I jump away and almost instinctually I scratch him across the nose, he jumps back howling and the other two who I guess had been trying to wake the other two snapped to look back at us. The big one growls looking at me.

 

"What happened?"

 

Dusty is sitting back rubbing his nose.

"The little brat scratched me! Just let me have one bite and-"

 

The big one gets into his face and growls.

 

"No! We don't have time for games, let me handle this."

 

The big one blocks my path shooting daggers with his eyes. I back away.

 

"Where are you trying to take me?"

 

He looks back at the quiet one they called Long.

 

"You will carry the cub."

 

Long just nods as always and the big one turns back to me.

 

"We're taking you to Scar."

 

The before I can react, he uses his strength to hit me into a tree hard. The world fades to black.