Nakala

Chapter 17

Amana was dead set on tracking down Enzi for what he did. She asked around to other hyneas and they pointed him out for without hesitation. He was in a den, looking for any leftover bones.

"Enzi! I've heard you've been spying on others!" Amana yelled at the guilty hyena. He let out a scream and stood there in place before turning around to meet her face-to-face. He trembled once again under the gaze of one of the best in the clan.

"Amana! I'm just doing what Janja told me to do, honest!" the hyena yelped as the elite drew closer to him. Amana looked him up and down. As it looked he was already clearing out bones from all the dens. And she was sure he was telling the truth.

"Alright...But don't I better not hear about you doing something like this ever again!" She threatened the cowering hyena. He nodded and she left him to continue his punishment by himself. As she was returning to her friend she hear the conversations and whispers about the new couple. She could hear them occasionally whisper one of our both of their names. She would have hoped the hyenas round her would be better than that but she understood all the same.

She returned to the group and gave the new couple a sly grin. "Well, you guys got really popular really quick."

"Yep, Enzi told everyone about us and now we're the topic of everyone's conversation," Nakala sighed. "But I guess on the bright side we don't have to worry about how we we're eventually let the clan know."

"Well, I guess that is one way to look at it," Amana nodded.

"I think it'll be best if we all just continue on like nothing's changed," Janja suggested.

"If you think that'll work," Nakala sort of agreed. The two left the rest of the group to return to Nakala's den.

"We really gotta come up with a clear cut plan on how we're gonna stick it to the Lion Guard," Janja said to the lion. Nakala himself noticed that as they were walking a few hyenas, mostly girls were giving him a kind of death glare.

"Uh, Janja? You think they're mad at me or something?" Nakala whispered to Janja, gesturing to the leering hyenas.

"Yeah, they pretty much are," Janja explained. "I don't think you know but for the longest time they tried to pair me up with some girl I've never met before. I wouldn't go for it and eventually another one would try. Heck, one time the other elites even tried to hook me up Amana. That went about as well as you expected."

"But you're the clan leader? Couldn't you just choose your mate?" Nakala asked.

"Yeah that's just the thing. I never chose a mate. And I guess others got antsy about it. I don't know if I ever told you this but clan leader ain't something you're chosen to do. It's something you're born into. My mother Shenzi was the leader before me so when I was born I was next in line. When I grew up they wanted to find me a mate to make the next clan leader. But there was a problem with all that: I don't really like girls in that way," Janja continued.

Nakala nodded in understanding. "It kinda reminds of the Pride Lands. But I was the second born so it doesn't really matter what I do."

"But there's another thing about it," Janja sighed. "The whole pairing thing made me feel used."

"Used?" Nakala repeated.

"There's a lot good stuff you get from being the mate of a clan leader. I feel like they don't actually like me, they like what they can get from me," Janja sighed.

"Well, I like you." Nakala smiled at Janja. Nearby hyenas hushed up to watch the moment between the couple. "We kind of have the same thing going on. You're the clan leader and I'm a prince. But I don't care about what you are, I like you for you."