The Lion King: Break Free

Old Times

"Two lions, over there!" Said another voice.

"Get them!" Said a third voice.

Uh oh...

"Son, I think we have been found by someone. We should start running like now!" I said, worried.

I run but notice that Heru did not follow behind which is very odd to me. Is he trying to get himself killed or what?!

"Heru!" I called.

I stopped running and stood on top of a grassy hill. Below I can see Heru surrounded by 3 pissed off hyenas. Just great! I roll my eyes and rush back to Heru. I can not let my son get hurt.

"Son, what are you doing?! Move it!" I ordered.

"Yeah, listen to your mother and move it!" Said one of the hyenas, teasing.

"No. I know these guys!" Heru simply says.

"What?" I question confused.

"Do we know him guys?" The middle hyena asked.

The hyena on the left shook his head. "Nah, I don't recognize this lion at all."

The hyena on the right shrugged. "Me either. It doesn't ring a bell!"

"Well then, that simply proves you and your mother are not from this land. You guys are trespassers and have eaten majority of our food! We were going to bring it back to our clan and you imbeciles clearly have enjoyed yourselves. Now your going to pay!" Said the middle hyena growling.

She takes a step forward to us. I hide behind Heru afraid.

"Heru, what do we do? They are closing in on us! There is no where to run. I knew it was a bad idea to mess with that carcass..." I said, nervous and tensed.

"Relax mom, I know how to get out of this!" Heru said, calmly.

The hyenas come even closer to us but then had stopped as they heard the name "Heru".

"Did she just called him Heru?" The left hyena asked.

The right hyena nodded his head. "Yeah, yeah, she did! That name sounds kinda familiar...."

"Indeed, it does. I think I remember a Heru. But I am not sure if he was a lion..." Said the middle hyena. She tries to remember a memory.

"It is I, Prince Heru. I am Ashur's son, you must remember me. I had given you life before!" Heru says. He takes one step forward to the hyenas.

I look dazed at what is going on right now. How does Heru know these hyenas and what does his father Ashur (my ex-mate) have to do with this? Hmmm....

The hyenas stopped growling and now have widen their eyes with pure shock. They stare at Heru for a few moments finally realizing who he is. The 3 hyenas immediately bow down onto the ground showing their respects.

"My apologies Prince Heru! We had no idea it was you all along." Said the middle hyena.

"Yeah, you look so much older now with a bigger mane. Last time we've saw you, you were just a teenager." Said the left hyena.

"Please, forgive us!" The right hyena begs.

Heru nodded. "Yes, I do forgive! It has been a long time since we have came across each other."

"Prince, what are you doing out here away far from home? We've heard from vultures long ago that you had abandoned your father King Ashur. May I ask, why?" The female hyena asked. She looks very curious and in suspense.

"I didn't belong there. It was not the type of life that I wanted to stay in. When I left, I was alone most of my teen-hood traveling as a rouge until I had reached adult hood and was able to build up my own pride. I am no longer a Prince, I am now a King...King of the Chewa Pride. I have a wife and two daughters now!" Heru explains.

The left hyena nod his head slowly. "Oooooh, I see!"

"Is this lioness behind you your mother?" The right hyena asks.

Heru nodded with a smile. "Yes! I haven't seen my mother since I was a cub. When she left my father and I, life at that pride wasn't the same anymore. I had to leave and find my own happiness and freedom like my mother did. One day, we've reunited and I allowed her to stay at my pride. There was no hard feelings. My mother left for a good cause. It was nothing bad. She would have taken me with her if she could. But the Queen didn't allow it. She wanted me to stay with her and Ashur to grow up to become a very powerful, strong King."

The middle hyena look stunned. "Wow...what an amazing story!"

Heru and I both looked at each other with warm smiles.

"Thank you! My name is Zawadi." I kindly introduced. "How do you 3 know my son? What has he done that owed you your lives?"

"He saved us from being killed by King Ashur back then. We were being accused of stealing food and it almost had cost us our lives!" The left hyena replied.

"Yeah, Heru was brave to stand up to his father like that. We were shocked that a lion had even cared about us!" Said the right hyena.

"Every since then, we have been loyal to only Heru. We trust that he wouldn't harm us and see he has still kept his word." Said the middle hyena. She smiles at Heru with a nod.

"That is very kind of you Heru!" I said to him, smiling proud. I have always taught my son to be nice and respectful to other creatures, even if it's our enemy such as the hyenas.

"We are so sorry for eating you guys breakfast. We had no idea! Please, let us hunt you something else. It is the least we can do and give back!" I offered.

The middle hyena shakes her head "no". "No miss Zawadi, that won't be necessary!"

"But you guys said you needed it for your clan!"

"It's okay. We can always hunt again! There's plenty of food to go around here in this land. You guys are travelers, you needed the food more than us. Who knows when your next meal will be. So it's okay! Me, my brothers, and clan will be fine. I promise!"

I didn't say anything back but smile at her. I have never met a hyena so gentle and kind like her before. This is all so surprising and new to me.

"It was good to see you again Heru and nice to meet your mom! You two are just alike. I see clearly why you don't have Ashur's personality." Said the right hyena. He ended his sentence with a cackle.

Heru laughs. "It was great to see you 3 too! Try to be safe and stay out of harms way. Thank you for allowing us to have the meal without any violence."

"No problem! You're technically our friend. We owe you anyway for saving our lives that day. We will never forget!" Said the middle hyena. She placed her paw on top of Heru's.

"Come on guys, lets go hunt again!" Said the left hyena running away across the tall grasses. The right hyena follows behind him.

The middle hyena was the last to follow. Before running away to join her brothers, she gave Heru a hug and then waved goodbye to me.

"That was very nice of them!" I said.

Heru nodded. "Yeah, they are the only hyenas that I am cool with. They mean no trouble!"

"I see..."

"Well, now that our bellies are full we should try to walk it off and find some water before we leave this land. I meant to ask them what is the name of this place."

"Maybe we can ask the next animal we see along the way!" I suggested.

"Good idea!"

Heru and I walk away leaving our empty buffalo carcass behind. Only a few small pieces of meat still remain. I am pretty sure later a scavenger like an vulture or jackal will come by and eat the rest.

Pride Lands, we will be there soon!