Kayto's journey: Revenge of the fallen

Chapter 6: The king's skull

Chapter song: Po finds the truth- Kung fu panda 2 soundtrack

Kayto shrinks into herself at the sight of the Mchawi. They had never met personally. "Right this way." The Mchawi steps towards the mouth of the elephant skull, crawling inside to the abyss it holds. Kayto follows hesitantly, the hyenas looking at her with new found boredom and silence. Inside, the cave goes deep underground, with the walls lined with skulls of all species. This is the place she dreamed about. The red aura of fire leads her to the exact pool she fell into before. The Mchawi is waiting, laying on the rock. "Welcome Kayto. You must be here for my offer." "...Yes." Kayto agrees hesitantly. "It has occurred to me that you must not know my name. Rafiki never told you. That old monkey treats it like a curse, as if I'll appear in his nightmares to "hex" him. It's almost like he WISHES for that to happen." The Mchawi extends herself dramatically on her rock. "But if we are to make a personal relationship: My name is Akuji." Kayto feels an involuntary shiver. How powerful is she really? Kayto notices a chip in her ear. This sort of marking is customary to banished lionesses. "Were you banished for your practices?" Kayto asks, hoping the question isn't too personal. "Oh this? This was not given to me by the tyrannical deathlord. I banished myself. The pridelands weren't ready for my practices. And it seems they aren't ready for you either." Kayto looks to the ground. Akuji slides off her stone. "You know suffering more than any other lion. No one there will ever understand your pain. I can turn the odds in your favour, Kayto. All you need to do is say what you need." Akuji smiles. "...What I need.." Kayto thinks to herself. Kiara's cubs are not due for another month... "...Could you...cause a birth to happen earlier?" Kayto asks again hesitantly. Akuji grins. "Of course I can- for a favour of course." Of course. "But don't cause danger to Kiara or her cubs. She doesn't deserve that. I just need the day to be here sooner." Kayto clarifies strictly. "Why of course..." Akuji sways over towards Kayto. "I'd NEVER do something like that." Akuji pinches Kaytos cheek like an aunt embarrassing her cub. "Now for that favour. It's quite simple really." Akuji turns away to her wall full of skulls. Kayto rubs her aching cheek. "What do you want?" She asks. Akuji grabs her bakora staff and beckons Kayto over to the pool. Kayto carefully walks over to peer inside. Akuji taps the surface of the water. A vision of a canyon. "Within this canyon, lies a trophy I've wanted my paws on for quite some time. It's in the pridelands just north of here." The vision switches to an unusually large tree in the center of the canyon. Wrapped within its roots is a skull. "I'd get it myself if I wasn't bound to the elephant graveyard." Akuji explains. But since you are strong and willing, this will be an easy task for you." The vision fades. "But Kayto. I must warn you as customary. This is not the only price you need to pay. That price will.... Slither in later. After all, this spell is life changing, and the forces I use are...unusual. Are you sure you want this?" Akuji asks. "Yes." Kayto approves. Akuji grins. "Excellent. It's a deal." Akuji walks back to her walk to lie down "What's so important about this skull?" Kayto questions. Akuji laughs.

"Why, it's only a skull collectors dream! The ultimate prize. The skull of king Mufasa."

Kayto struggles through the mountains of bones until reaching a flat plateau. Up ahead, a clear crevice coming from a steep hill. She slides down with ease, creating her own trail in the process, partially erasing parts of the ancient wildebeest hoofprints from all that time ago. She walks through the haunting ravine until she spots the abundant tree up ahead. She picks up her pace. The tree is significantly larger than Kayto expected. It stands tall and wide, its roots extending to the walls of the gorge. Kayto spots the skull deep in the roots, and as she tries to break it out: "You must think this is a very good idea Kayto." A familiar voice calls out. Kayto turns around spooked. A red lioness stands there with a worried look on her face. Mende. "...It's the only way." Kayto turns back to her work. "It isn't and you know it." Mende presses further. Kayto sighs. "I'll guess this means I'm no longer your chosen one." Kayto guesses to her. "No. You're still the one." Mende reassures. "That will never change, even if you don't consider your consequences." Kayto rips at the roots with her teeth. "You can't stop me. I'm sorry but this is the only choice I have." Kayto explains. Mende sighs. "I won't try to stop you. I can't always see how things turn out, but at least face me for this question Kayto." Kayto stops her actions to look to Mende. "Do you really think you can do it?" Kayto knows what she's referring to. "Yes." She says. "He deserves to die and I'll be the one to avenge everyone." Mende looks down. "I was afraid you would say that. It'll make everything a lot harder. But if you're so confident in Akuji's ways, I'm sure you'll face that second price with your usual stubbornness. You're strong. But this is stronger." Mende begins to walk away. "Mende?" Kayto calls out to her. Mende looks back. "I worry for you. But I'm always here. Even if you'll live to regret this." Mende bows her head and changes into her leaf form. She blows apart in the wind. Kayto bows her head and closes her eyes. She regains her focus and frees the skull from its root prison. The roots break and Kayto is left with a large skull in her mouth. She probably shouldn't be touching it. She doesn't have a choice at this point.

Kayto enters the barren lands of the elephant graveyard, the hyenas gone from the elephant skull lair. She crawls into the deep hole, Akuji working on some obscure ritual. "Oh you're here! How wonderful~" Akuji says, noticing the skull. She is clearly not referring to Kayto. Akuji holds the skull in her paws, cooing at it like a newborn and sets it on the edge of her rock pausing trying to remember something. "Right. The deal." She groans a little, grabbing her staff and setting it by the pool. She grabs her preset ingredients of red powder, a dried up bundle of plants and a gourd full of a mystery liquid. She pours each ingredient in the pool and it begins to smoulder a deep red colour. Kayto watches from a distance in curious fear. Slowly, Akuji dips her paw into the pool, closing her eyes. She appears to be trying to grab something within the water and with a closed grimace yanks her hand out of the water to look at it in wide eyed horror. "...What?!?!??!" Kayto screams fearful of what she did. "...You need to go to Kiara. Now." Akuji states as calmly as you can. Kayto's heart starts racing. "What did you DO?!!?" She charges at the Mchawi with anger and looking for answers. "I did EXACTLY what you told me to. But she's initiated labour. "I TOLD YOU TO MAKE IT SOONER NOT NOW!! KIARA HAD A MONTH IN HER TERM!!" Kayto roars in a horrible panic. "...Kiara must have lied to you." Akuji explains shakily. "She thought she could change you in time..and now you have to go see her...but be careful." Akuji forces eye contact with Kayto. "Remember the price. It isn't something you can avoid, but it is something you can brace yourself for. NOW GO!!" Kayto begins to run. She hopes she won't be too late. She hopes Kiara is ok on her first birth.

 She hopes she can be ready for tomorrow's Mashindano.