Word spread out when Akina, Hodari and the others returned from the Outlands... without Makuu.
When Simba went to ask what happened, Hodari was the one to explain the whole thing. Akina was unresponsive, she didn't talk with anybody, she just stood at the edge of the lake, staring into the distance. Hodari himself could barely talk in between sobs, and when he was done he started to weep.
Given the circumstances, Simba could only assume what had happened to Makuu when they left; he had probably been killed by the two-legs, and this left the crocodiles leaderless. He didn't know what they did under these circumstances, but he didn't dare ask immediately; with one look he could tell they were mourning their leader their own way.
As days passed, Akina didn't move from her spot, and she still did not speak to anybody. She didn't sleep, barely ate, she just continued to stare at the distance, as if waiting for her mate to return, almost as if she believed she'd see a green spot coming from the Outlands. Many of the other leaders came to offer their condolences over her loss, but she paid them no heed.
She did react, however, when Simba came to discuss who would lead the crocodiles with Makuu gone. Akina gave him a glare that would have sent shivers down Zira's spine.
"He's not gone. He will come back. I know it. Until then, you may name whoever you want to act as a temporal substitute. But don't dare repeating that he's gone in front of me, your majesty."
Although Simba didn't lost his composure, he was internally freaked out by the hostility; not Makuu's raging fire, but his mate's 'calm before the storm' demeanor. He now knew why all the other animals respected her. When he left, he made a mental note to never cross her.
The float mourned for an entire week. Ghubari blamed himself, because he had sprung that trap that caught their leader. Hodari thought similarly of himself, in his case for not being strong enough to cut through those ropes to free him. Bakshi also blamed herself in a way; if she hadn't left Kitwana behind, he would have never gone to the Outlands in the first place.
The rest of the float discussed about their current leaderless status. Makuu was never challenged and defeated in the Mashindano before his... disappearance, so they decided to name a substitute, like Akina had told Simba. They didn't like the idea, but given the circumstances, they had no other choice. Most wanted Akina to be the substitute, but she was in no emotional condition to lead the float, and none of the other crocodiles dared to offer themselves for the position.
Which left only one option.
....
Akina stood there, watching over to towards the mountains, pondering over her mate's fate. Everyone thought he had been killed by those monsters, but she didn't. Her Makuu wouldn't go down without a fight; he never gave up so easily. She knew he'd find a way to return to her. He had to. She couldn't imagine life without him anymore.
She was also worried about Kitwana. Where had the little one gone? Was he alright? Was he even alive? If he weren't, Makuu would never forgive himself.
Again.
She heard paw steps of someone approaching behind her, but she didn't turn around, even though there was something familiar about them. Even though she didn't bother to give a glance of acknowledgement despite her evident surprise, Akina spoke. "Pua."
Pua did not live with the float anymore, but it didn't mean he didn't keep his tabs on it; naturally, he was surprised when he heard Makuu had been playing mother to a bird, but what did it was the recent news that Makuu was... gone, presumably captured and killed by the two-legs when he tried to go save his surrogate son. The news struck a hard blow on the old crocodile, but he had no time to mourn him.
The float had reluctantly agreed that Pua substitute their missing leader, under the condition that he takes Akina into consideration in whatever choices he made. Makuu might be dead, but his mate was not. Of course, Pua agreed without a doubt. He would never disregard Akina's feelings on the matter.
Pua made his way to Akina, looking concerned. "The others said I'd find you here."
Akina looked down at the spot in the water just in front of her. "...This is where he proposed..."
"Ah, yes, I remember it." Pua responded, gently. "The final proposal he made when you finally said yes, right?"
Akina nodded. "That day I knew another side of him. Underneath that arrogance and bad attitude, there was tenderness and love... He was not the same jerk that had been harassing me for years."
Pua couldn't help but chuckle. "How many times did he ask you after winning the Upenduwa?"
"He didn't exactly ask me. Rather, he tried to demand that I be his mate."
She recalled it, even then. When they were hatchlings Makuu didn't pay much attention to her despite her attempts at being friendly. It wasn't until they became adults, and old enough to mate, that Makuu finally vied for her attention, though by then she had lost any desire of interacting with him at all due to his selfish, disrespectful and arrogant nature.
Then he became leader. Things seemed to turn for the worse as power quickly got to his head, but she did not care if he led the float, he would not force her to be his mate even if he threatened her with banishment from the float (which he never carried out, which let her know he was only trying to frighten her).
Instead, she was closer to Kiburi, whom she had met since they were hatchlings. However, when two males desired the same female as a mate, they took part in the Upenduwa to determine who was stronger and worthier of said female.
Unfortunately for her, Makuu won.
Despite Kiburi doing his best to win the right for Akina, Makuu had always been stronger than him, no matter how many times they sparred he could never beat him.
When his threats failed to persuade her, Makuu had resorted to doing reckless things in an attempt to impress her. The Flood Plains, Big Springs, the Hippo Lanes... those were desperate attempts on his part to win her over.
When even that failed, he finally lost his patience and asked straight out what she wanted from him to accept him; she didn't know it then, but the answer she gave him would change everything.
For a few days afterwards, he isolated himself from the float, and Akina didn't see him for quite a while. He didn't bother her anymore and made no more attempts to woo her, which made her wonder if he had finally given up. Soon after, she learned of the reasons he was the way he was, and felt compassion for him.
However, when the period of isolation was over, he was not the same... not exactly. He was still a bit dry, grumpy and standoffish, but he was... kinder, if only slightly. He was willing to listen, he was more respectful, and overall he now took his responsibility more seriously.
Akina hadn't understood what happened that changed him so, but a part of her liked it. He'd often start a casual chat with her, and she came to enjoy his company. After the events in the Savannah Summit, she was certain that the change was genuine, and it didn't pass long before she started to fall for him, and he started to genuinely love her for herself. When he finally proposed again, properly this time, she accepted (ironically, he had actually expected her to reject him again).
Unfortunately, it was a bittersweet memory, since her marriage to Makuu drove her away from Kiburi, who felt utterly betrayed now not only by Makuu himself, but also by her.
Akina felt partly responsible for his fall to evil, wondering if she could have helped him somehow, but she was mad at him for attempting to kill her mate at every chance he got, like the whole issue with Hodari.
"He really has come a long way from when he beat me in the Mashindano." Pua said, sighing sadly. Despite all he had done, he knew that deep down, Makuu was not a bad person; he had lost so much at such a tender age that he lost faith in the Circle of Life, and Pua himself.
This saddened the former leader, since he had come to see his successor as a son of a sort.
"Do you think he is gone...?" Akina whispered.
"...I knew him since he hatched, and if there's something I'm certain of, it's that he doesn't give up so easily. If he did survive, he will return to us or die trying."
"He wanted to save Kitwana... He tried to hide it, but he did care for him. I understand why he didn't want to get attached to him, but in the end he did."
"In a way, he saw himself in that chick." Pua explained. "Both lost their mothers, both were alone in the world at a young age. But I cannot deny that his decision was in part selfish; he also wanted to make up for his guilt for being unable to fulfill the promise he made to his mother."
"You knew her, right?"
"She was a good friend of mine and my mate before both..."
When Pua couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence, Akina looked at him compassionately. "Oh, Pua... I heard you lost your mate, right...? What happened to her?"
"..." A part of him did not want to remember, but he knew better than to bottle up emotions, a mistake which was partly responsible for Makuu's character. "When Scar the Usurper rose to the throne, his new law of accepting the hyenas into the Pride Lands brought ruin and famine to the land. When the Wet Season didn't arrive, and the plantlife withered, the herbivores left, and Endana tried to convince me to follow suit; if we stayed, we would eventually starve and dehydrate."
"I was reluctant, because at that time Endana and I were expecting out first clutch. However, as leader of the float, I had to think of my crocodiles before anything, so we made plans to leave as soon as the little ones hatched."
"I didn't count on the hyenas coming to raid the nesting grounds that night. At the lack of herbivores to eat, they resorted to eating other things, including crocodile eggs. Edana did her best to defend the nests, but she was outnumbered, and she was already weakened by the lack of food and water... By the time I got there, there was nothing I could do but avenge her..."
"Oh, Pua..." by then, Akina's eyes were moist from tears. "I'm sorry..."
"Thankfully, some of the nests survived the raid, though only a few hatched because of the poor conditions the land was in."
"Makuu among them..."
"Yes. We left the Pride Lands soon after, and we didn't return until King Simba claimed his rightful place. You and Kiburi had joined the float by then, if you recall."
Akina nodded, blinking her tears away. "Yes, I remember. At that age, I noted how lonely Makuu was, but he wouldn't let us get close to him. I initially thought it was because he was a jerk."
"He did give that impression. But the truth was that he was afraid of getting attached to anyone and suffering for the loss again; he bottled up so many feelings he didn't know how to handle at that age that eventually the heart his mother gave him hardened."
"I noted it, but I didn't know the reasons he had for being the way he was."
Both crocodiles stared at the mountains for a while, before Pua spoke again. "...Did he ever tell you where he went before his... change?"
"I tried asking him, but he always avoided the topic, as if it embarrassed him or he didn't want to talk about it."
Pua did chuckle this time. Typical. "He came to see me."
Akina turned to him in surprise.
"I imagined it had to do with you, and I was right. He didn't know what to do anymore so you'd notice him, and he came to me for guidance, rather reluctantly I might add."
"And what did you tell him?"
"I asked him what he wanted; a mate to love, or just a trophy to brag about. You were the most desired female in the float when he got interested in you, and naturally he wanted to prove he was better."
"What did he say?"
"He didn't have an answer for that, clearly he wasn't prepared for such a question. He himself didn't know what he wanted, so I told him to first figure that out before trying to figure out how to obtain it. Afterwards he left to think about everything, and I'd like to think my words did have their effect; he matured, and became a better crocodile his own way."
No wonder he didn't want to talk about it; he must have swallowed up his pride greatly, and been really desperate, to go seek advice from Pua of all animals.
"Mind if I join you...?"
Pua turned to see Bakshi, but Akina did not. In fact, she seemed to look in the opposite direction, like she didn't want to see the bird. Unfortunately for her, Pua knew they would eventually have to talk about this, and the sooner the better before whatever resentment Akina had festered. "Of course."
Bakshi had been reluctant to come, she knew Akina probably blamed her in part for her mate's demise. If she had not left Kitwana behind, they would have never gone to the Outlands in the first place; it was another point to add to her list of things she felt guilty of. She approached warily, but Pua acted as a sort of barrier between them in case Akina's currently volatile mood triggered.
"Akina, I don't even know where to begin..." Bakshi whispered, closing her eyes shut. "I know you probably blame me for what happened to Makuu, and I can't say you're completely wrong... If I had been more attentive of Kitwana, if I had noticed he was missing, if I hadn't left him behind... That's another thing I regret... I'm aware I promised you Kitwana would be in good wings, but I couldn't help him as much as I wished I could..."
Akina said nothing.
"I know saying I'm sorry won't bring either of them back, but... I want you to know that I'm truly sorry for... everything..."
Again, there was no reply. Pua glanced at Bakshi sadly and gave her a thankful nod, but then said. "I think you should go for now... Perhaps it is too soon..."
Devastated, Bakshi nodded, turned around and started to walk away, her gaze cast downwards, holding back some tears.
Seeing Akina still hadn't reacted, Pua worriedly took a few steps forward to have a better look at her face, and he saw the tears trickling down her cheeks. He now know why she didn't look at Bakshi, she didn't want to show she was weeping. Tentatively, he gently placed his head over hears in a comforting gesture.
Akina did not protest. Instead, she leaned closer to the comfort, finally breaking down into a heap of silent sobs.
XXXXX
Ever since Kitwana's talk with Zumberi, and the revelation that he was one like him, Kitwana was speechless. A part of him still wanted to cling to the conviction that he was a crocodile, but the more time he spent with Zumberi's flock, the more that conviction started to disappear. This flock was actually warm, attentive and patient, Zumberi gladly taught him how to keep his balance on one foot, preen feathers (only body plumage, though, since sacred ibises lacked any in their heads), and a few other tiny behavioral things.
Kitwana felt right at home, but he started to miss the Pride Lands. He missed Akina, Hodari, Ono, Dalila...
He missed Makuu.
After being put back in his 'temporal cage' for the day, Kitwana pondered over what had happened. He wondered about his mother, how she was like... he wondered if Makuu could have told him about her, though judging by what he said, perhaps he didn't get to know her much.
He also wondered how Makuu was doing, still wondering if the crocodile missed him, or had gone ahead with his life without a care in the world. However, he'd be lying if he thought he had never acted like he cared. His... adoptive father was standoffish and easily irritated, but he'd teach him things, and he had tried his best to do what was best for Kitwana; even if some of his decisions were wrong, he had meant well.
Kitwana still resented him for handing him over so easily without even trying to fight to keep him, though.
Still, that was not the only thing that bothered Kitwana. He was still haunted by what had happened in the water hole, the animals in the cages he had failed to set free. He didn't know if they were still alive, or if they had been 'sold' to other humans, taken to lands unknown to never be seen again.
"Humans don't follow the Circle of Life, do they?" he had asked Jiji a few days ago, during his first days.
"No, most humans don't even know about it, or if they do they don't care. They believe they own everything, including other living things." Was the reply.
But if he could at the very least find their lair, maybe it wasn't too late, right? Perhaps he could still save whoever was trapped with the poachers before they were taken away. If only he could figure out how to open those locks, as Jiji called them...
Wait, Jiji... He probably knew how to open them if he had lived with humans his whole life, or at least knew how the humans opened them. Kitwana stood up and went to the door of his cage, sticking his head out to look for Jiji. He was sleeping on a strange, colorful type of bedding on the floor.
"Hey, Jiji!" Kitwana called out.
Jiji's ear twitched, but he didn't move, and instead rolled over, exposing his belly.
"Jiji!" Kitwana called out again, but once more he didn't hear him. "Man, he sleeps just like a lion. Perhaps he'd get along with them just fine."
Kitwana went to his plate and then picked up a few of the food pellets in his beak, then went back to his door. He put them on the floor and picked them one by one to throw them at Jiji. The pellets usually missed, but a few fell on the cat's face, making him snort and crunch up his face in irritation.
"What the...?" he said, and proceeded to stretch out while letting out a yawn. He saw the pellets of food on the ground, and looked up at Kitwana, still half-asleep.
"What the hell, Kitwana?" Jiji hissed as he jumped into the metal platform and lazily sulked over to the cage. "What do you want at this hour?"
"Do you know how to open these cages?"
"You mean pick the lock? Yeah, when I was younger I used to-"
"And how about the locks on the... how did you call those rocks with holes humans use to lock doors?"
"The padlock?"
"Yeah, can you open the locks on those things?"
"Yes, the mechanism is the same on both types of locks. Why?" Jiji asked, yawning. "Did you wake me up just to ask me that?"
"Think you could teach me how to open those locks?"
Jiji twitched his tail and took a look at Kitwana's beak with narrowed eyes. "Mmm." He pondered for a few seconds. "Maybe. Though you'd have to use your beak, since you don't have as much maneuverability with your claws..." a few seconds later he finished processing the question. "Wait.... Why do you want to learn how to pick those locks?"
"Because I want to free the animals in the poachers' hands." Kitwana said decidedly. "That's why."