Emmanuel_Capricorn
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TLK : Chapter 29
🕑 Added 2025-05-25 15:19:55 +0000 UTC[1st POV]
Opportunity comes to those who wait.
SPLASH!!!
My ears perked up and my body also postured upright upon hearing the sound. A small smile graced my face as I looked at the scene unfolding in the watering hole.
While a herd of zebras were taking turns drinking, the water suddenly came alive and a reptilian jaw clamped down on the front leg of one of the zebras.
Chaos ensued as every other animal nearby ran far away from the water. Even the zebras did not try to save their friend — they ran away. Every creature only lives for themselves.
The zebra released an agonizing sound. It sounded similar to the neigh of horses but with more shrillness and pauses. The closest thing I could compare the sound to was a broken engine that wouldn't start properly.
The prey struggled fiercely, kicking up dust and splashing water simultaneously. But the crocodile was just as determined to not let go of its hold. The jaws of crocs were designed to hold prey and never let go.
I watched with tight and ready muscles as the two animals struggled against each other. It was like watching life and death compete in a tug of war. Nature dictates that for one to live, the other must die.
The crocodile just hung on to the zebra, using his body weight to make sure the prey never escaped. Therefore, after two minutes of struggling, the zebra got tired.
Right then, the crocodile started using its strength and tugged the zebra into the water. It was not a swift pull — the crocodile could not overpower a full-grown zebra that easily. It was more like persistent tugging. Inch by inch, the zebra was getting pulled into the water.
And when one of its feet was in the water, the tugging war immediately became favorable for the crocodile. The zebra slipped on the mud and started losing himself. It was going to die — you could see that it was inevitable.
It was at this exact moment that I decided to move. I shot out from under the shade and ran towards the crocodile.
I released a rugged roar. Two of my feet went into the water and created splashes upon my wake. When I reached the scene, I slammed my paw at the head of the crocodile.
The attack exploded in the water. I felt the tough armor of the prehistoric lizard, but the sheer force behind my attack was enough to send the crocodile reeling. It released the hold it had on the zebra, letting the prey run away.
"Thanks for the food," I said and ran out of the shallow water as well.
The zebra ran, but with its exhaustion from the crocodile fight and the injury in its leg, it was even slower than a newborn. I allowed it to run far away from the watering hole. If I had killed it instantly, it would be a hassle to move the dead body.
So I drove the injured zebra to the place where I wanted it to be. I moved to the left to make him go to the right, and I ran to his right to drive him to the left.
I did this for a few seconds until the zebra was exactly where I wanted it to be. Then I put him out of his misery.
It was a swift kill. I swung my arm at its hind legs, making it collapse on the ground, and I lunged at its neck. My canines sank into the neck, anchoring themselves and giving me a firm hold of the prey.
The zebra struggled under me for a while. The final life of any animal always leaves with extreme resistance. A dying animal is always the strongest. But I used my paws to press it down.
A few seconds later, the zebra went still.
I did not even take a moment to rest, as it was such an easy kill. I stood up, the zebra still in my jaw, and I dragged the carcass into the nearby shade.
I ate my meal under the tree. It was my first real meal in over a week, so my instinct quickly took over and I started devouring the meat.
Nature built me to go without food for even longer periods, but with my lifestyle of abundance back in the Pride Lands, it had been rough for me to go without eating for a week.
When I tore into the gut of the zebra, a thick warm aroma hit me. The smell was intense and pungent — a human would vomit upon taking a whiff. But that was the smell of fresh meat for me.
"How I missed this," I said, and like a king, I feasted on the organs first. I left the intestines and stomach, but I ate the rest.
The liver was the best part. It was juicy and tender like tofu. Next was the heart, which was like a sponge cake with thick cream inside. The lungs, kidneys, and spleen came after that, all offering different textures to the meal.
You might think eating meat every time could get boring, but each part of the body offers different types of flavor — like a Thanksgiving meal.
"You are a good one, aren't you? I think I might've gotten the wrong impression, seeing that you have aaaaaa unique back," the vulture said while flapping its long wings.
But while it was flapping its wings, it was running towards me like a chicken. It did not come too close nor did it stay too far — close enough to observe, far enough to run away when attacked.
That behaviour said a lot without saying a word. Animals may be able to speak with each other, but a huge part of communication was based on body language.
In fact, lions were quite the exception. We were social creatures, and among the pride, there was a lot of talking. But you wouldn’t see that much in other animals — even those living in a herd.
So you should be able to understand my feelings when the damn vulture kept talking to me. It was quite talkative.
"What do you want?" I asked while lapping up the blood inside of the zebra. The blood was thick, and it was so red it almost looked black. This kind of blood was also one of my favorites.
It was also Zuri’s favorite, because she would lick the red mess on my face after feeding. It was one of her favorite things about feeding.
"Nothing much. It’s just that seeing you are alone and it’s a full-grown adult zebra that you are eating there, I was thinking that there would certainly be leftovers for me," the vulture said with an expectant tone.
The zebra I was eating was full-grown. It could weigh roughly around 300 kg — that was enough to feed a whole pride, much less one lion. It was too much even for me.
"I don’t feed those that do not belong to me," I said. "I’d rather let it rot away than give it to you."
"That is unfortunate. But still, rotting food will do for me," it said, awfully optimistic.
"I will throw the remains into the water for the crocodile," I said — and that finally left him speechless.
Crocodiles were known to eat everything — even bones. It was said that their stomach acid could even dissolve iron nails.
But the vulture did not move away from his place. It simply stayed there, watching me feast on the prime meat. The silence went on for a long time until I decided to speak again and finally throw the proposal I’d had in my mind all along.
"Tell you what, I will let you eat as much as you want. Not only that, I will let you have all the remains of my kills going forward. You will never be hungry again," I said and paused a little.
"But only if you become my subject," I said.
The vulture blinked, clearly interested, "What do you mean become your subject?"
"It just means that you will be a part of my pride, so you will do as I ask and serve me," I said, and that seemed to surprise it for some reason.
"And what is it that you will make me do?" it asked with an incredulous tone.
"Well, I will ask you to scout for me. I am unfamiliar with this region and its terrain so you will report to me where prey animals are so that I can go and hunt them. Or in other cases, you will report to me if you notice a weak or injured animal so that I can hunt them. And when I bring them down, I will give you a portion," I said.
"......." the vulture looked at me with wide eyes for a while before it screamed.
"I'm in. I'm so in. I am one hundred, thousand, million percent in!!" the vulture said and started jumping in its place.
I smiled at his giddy excitement. It was easier to bring him under me than I ever expected.
I bit off a huge chunk of meat and spit it out. The meat fell in front of him and he immediately came forward and devoured the meat with its sharp beak.
After it was done, it released a content croak and spread its wings. Perhaps it was the first fresh meat that he ever had. Vultures were only scavengers after all.
My main problem with the new region was my lack of knowledge. I did not know where the prey animals would be, and I was ignorant of their routes. I was unfamiliar with the region as well so having a bird in the sky to help me could be a huge help and a solution to my problem.
"How did you come up with such an amazing idea?" it asked while wiping its beak with its wings.
I paused for a second before I answered, "My father, the king Mufasa, used to have a bird subject as well. We called him Zazu and he worked and thrived under my father."
"Speaking of which, what is your name?" I asked.
"The name is Grim," he answered, "Grim the Scavenger."
I hummed in acknowledgement. I swallowed a chunk of meat and introduced myself as well.
"And I am Leo."
After that, I enjoyed my meal in silence. Grim became comfortable quickly around me seeing that I wouldn't harm him. At one point he came beside me and ate the back of the zebra along with me. His sharp beak stabbed and tore off pieces of meat.
The sun was beginning to make its descent in the sky. The colour of the world shifted from bright to dull orange. I'd already had my fill at that point and I was laying with the carcass.
My eyes were closed but my ears were twitching, seemingly having a consciousness of their own. They were listening for any threats while I fell into a shallow sleep.
And that was when it happened.
A thunderous roar tore through the sky. My eyes snapped open almost immediately and I sat upright.
ROAR!!!!
I waited and listened to the world carefully and it came again.
ROAR!!!!
And again.
ROAR!!!!
I could almost see the lion that produced such a roar. The things I could deduce from the sound alone might stump others. I could tell the general size of the lion, the state of his health, the pride he had cultivated, his age, and even his mood.
Each roar of a lion was distinct.
I smiled.
I was hoping that there would be a lion pride in the Serengeti. I needed to raise an army to fight Scar and his hyenas. That meant I had to conquer another pride first before I could even hope to return.
The roar continued, it was the sound of warning and a declaration of authority. But to my ears, it was a begging sound. The lion was literally begging to be defeated and his pride conquered.
But that was when my smile turned upside down.
ROAR!!!!
Another roar split the air. But this time it was different. I've said it before, each lion had a distinct roar so I could tell immediately that this roar came from another lion.
A different one.
But that was not even the worst of it.
ROAR!!
Another roar came, this time it was yet again from a different lion. At that point I was frowning and concern started emerging in my heart. Suddenly I was not at peace anymore.
Three different lions, three different roars, thundered from the distance. They were different yet they rang in sync, as if they were instruments playing the same song.
Of course.
Of course.
Things were never that easy.
The pride I was planning to conquer was not ruled by one king. Instead, it was ruled by a coalition of three lions or more.
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Revised.
