After a few hours, the jungle began to thin until Kiburi and Makuu reached a wide, open area with cliffs outlined in the distance. By now, the gorge has disappeared, the only remnant of it in the area being the giant hole that it carved in the earth over a very long period of time. Kiburi thought about going down to investigate the hole, but immediately changed his mind when something caught his and Makuu's attention.
"Makuu, did you hear that?" Kiburi asked.
"That should be obvious," Makuu replied.
"I think it came from over by those cliffs."
"Is it just me, or did it sound a little like an echo?"
"They must be down in a canyon or something like that."
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Without the need for further discussion, Kiburi and Makuu left the confines of the jungle and rushed over to the barren ledge that lined the side of the canyon. Out of curiosity, Kiburi looked over the edge to see how far the drop was. From his vantage point, he could easily tell that a fall off of this cliff would be deadly. It was steep and gritty, with even the slightest disturbance, such as Kiburi's claws lightly tearing at the ground, sending a small avalanche of dirt and loose rock down the slope. Kiburi realized that being on this ledge wasn't all that safe if even the slightest movement of his claws was enough to disturb the ground beneath him, so he decided to move away before something bad happened. Unfortunately, he underestimated the stability of the ground that he was walking on, and when he tried to back away from the ledge, it gave way under him. Kiburi thought he would follow the rubble down the slope, but was spared the trip when something grabbed his tail and prevented him from falling. He hung in place for a few seconds before he felt himself being dragged backwards until he was on safe ground once again.
"Kiburi, are you okay?" Makuu asked.
"Could be better," Kiburi breathed. "And I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I'm glad that you came along, Makuu."
"Is a 'thanks for saving my life' too much to ask for?"
"Don't push your luck. You may have saved me from falling to my death, but I still pretty much hate your guts."
"And there's the answer that I was expecting. If it's any consolation, Kiburi, I feel the exact same way about you."
"Really? If that's how you feel, then why have you been so nice to me recently?"
Makuu didn't say anything. He kept opening and closing his jaws, but couldn't form any words, and so just kept his jaws shut. Makuu's indecisiveness surprised Kiburi, but he didn't linger on the strange behavior for too long. He knew that pushing Makuu for answers would only waste the amount of time that they have to find Tuma before who knows what happens.
"I guess we can hold off on that until after we finish our objective," Kiburi suggested.
"Yeah, that sounds like a better plan," Makuu agreed, breathing a sigh of relief.
Kiburi rose to his feet and followed Makuu as they searched for a safer way down to the canyons. After a few minutes of scouting, they found a rocky ledge that formed a narrow and steep yet somewhat climbable path. Seeing no other way down, the crocodiles swallow their fear of heights and make their way down to the bottom as quickly yet carefully as possible.
Once they were back on solid ground, they tried to pinpoint the origin of the sounds while they caught their breaths. However, finding out where the sounds were coming from was easier said than done, since there were multiple paths that the crocodiles could take. Kiburi and Makuu didn't want to guess and risk getting lost, so they stayed quiet and really focused on the sounds. After a while, it became clear to them which sounds were echos, and which ones weren't. The ones that sounded less like actual echos came from a passageway off to the far left.
It was as if luck was on their side because when they reached a low-walled part of the canyon, the sounds became more and more clear.
Kiburi and Makuu rounded a bend near the cliff wall, having to squeeze through a narrow tunnel in order to get to the other side. It took a while, but both crocodiles managed to make it through, and once out, continued on for a few meters until they reached another part of the canyon. It looked like the one they just came from, except for its low-lying dirt cliffs and high-rising structures of rock, as well as a dust cloud forming in its barren center.
{Wait, a dust cloud? Down here? But, how?}
Kiburi had to do a double take to realize that the large amount of dust that was forming in the canyon was not from gusts of wind, but was rather being kicked-up by an ensuing fight.
"Makuu, I think we've found what we're looking for," Kiburi whispered.
"Yeah, no kidding," Makuu retorted. "What makes you say that?"
"Do you have to taunt me right now?"
"I was just being sarcastic, Kiburi. No need to be so sensitive about it."
"I'm not being sensitive!"
"Could've fooled me."
Kiburi only growled in response, not wanting to waste his time or breath in a petty argument with Makuu. Instead, the crocodiles kept their attentions on the dust cloud. Thankfully, their patience pays off, and soon, two crocodiles stumble out of the fading dust cloud, which eventually reveals two other crocodiles. All of them were Crescent Valley crocodiles, but Kiburi and Makuu only cared about the one that they recognized.
{Tuma.}
"Ah, thank goodness," Kiburi breathed out a sigh of relief. "We finally found him."
"Yeah, and he unfortunately has company," Makuu whispered.
The leaders turned their attentions back to the scene. Tuma was facing off against the largest of the opposing three crocodiles, while its two companions stood nearby. Kiburi didn't see something like this happen very often, but he's seen this strategy used before, often with outlawed crocodile gangs. If there's one thing he knows that those gangs and the Crescent Valley float have in common, it's that they enjoy a dirty fight. In other words, a completely unfair one with loads of tricks.
"Makuu, we have to keep the attentions of those other two off of Tuma before they decide to make a move," Kiburi stated.
"Usually I would ask 'why', but considering the circumstances, I'm pretty sure I know the answer," Makuu replied.
Moving as quickly and quietly as possible, Kiburi and Makuu skirted the edges of the canyon, trying to stay out of sight. While they sneaked into position, they kept their eyes on Tuma. He was wounded and breathing heavily, but a fierce fire was alight in his eyes.
Soon, Tuma and the other crocodile were back to fighting, but it was only when Tuma managed to get the upper claw and pin his opponent that the other two crocodiles began to move closer and closer. Of course, they didn't get very far before Kiburi and Makuu intercepted them, with Kiburi taking on the leaner and most likely faster one while Makuu took on the other, whose build seemed to be more suited for strength rather than speed.
"Kiburi? Makuu? What are you two doing here?" Tuma asked.
"What do you think?" Kiburi snapped. "Zula told us what happened, and after spending the entire evening, night, and possibly early morning looking for you, we finally found you."
"Not that I don't appreciate you two looking for me, but you shouldn't have tried to come after me at all!"
"Why not?" Makuu asked.
"The canyon, it's..."
That was as far as Tuma got before he was abruptly cut-off when the crocodile that he had pinned down retaliated. Once he was back on his feet, he slammed Tuma against the cliff side.
And that's when it began.
A loud sound reverberated throughout the area before pieces of rock became dislodged and fell from the cliff side. Not wanting to be crushed, the lead crocodile released Tuma and retreated to a safer distance. Tuma didn't hesitate to follow suit, but he more or less stumbled since he was still dazed from the attack. Kiburi, Makuu, and the other two crocodiles stopped fighting and turned their attentions to the commotion nearby.
"What just happened?" Makuu asked, nervousness peaking in his voice.
"That's what I was trying to warn you about before I was interrupted!" Tuma exclaimed. "The canyon is very unstable! Even the smallest disturbance will mean certain disaster, no matter how careful you are!"
"If it's so dangerous to be here, then why did you come here in the first place?" Kiburi yelled, now that the fighting had restarted.
"Why don't you try asking these three, since they're the ones who chased me all the way here!"
Since Tuma was still recovering from being slammed into the side of the cliff, and is now only partially paying attention, this gave his attacker an opportunity. The other crocodile tackled Tuma and flung him straight into a large rock near the dirt cliff side, knocking him not completely unconscious, but close enough.
Distracted by Tuma's situation, Kiburi and Makuu accidentally left themselves vulnerable to attack.
Kiburi felt the crocodile that he had pinned down arch its back and fling him off. He wasn't at all happy about being caught off guard like that, but as soon as he got back on his feet, he felt something land on top of him and force his body back down to the ground. Kiburi tried getting the crocodile off of his back, but couldn't because his attacker was putting pressure on and digging their claws into his shoulders. He soon realized that his attacker was using the impenetrable claw grip on him, preventing him from being able to do much of anything, even if he does end up becoming free of it.
Since he and Tuma were currently of no use, Kiburi decided to see how Makuu was faring. A stone seemed to form in Kiburi's stomach when he saw his rival being forced to back up closer and closer to the side of the canyon where the falling rocks were. Kiburi let go of an aggravated sigh and laid his head on the ground, then closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing.
{Calm down, Kiburi. It's fine. It is all going to be fine. But, how? We are in such a bad place right now: Tuma is down and out - Makuu is cornered and waiting to be crushed at any moment - and it doesn't even matter whether I get free anytime soon or not because I won't be of any use for the rest of the fight! Is there any way that things could possibly get any worse, or for even the great lions of the past, hopefully get better? Or something along those lines?!}
Cries of pain and the loud thud of a large rock that just crashed snapped Kiburi out of his thoughts and brought him back to reality. He felt the weight of his attacker leave his body, almost as if they were in a hurry to get off and away. Kiburi, unable to get up due to the effects of the claw grip, looked over to see the crocodile that had him pinned wildly running around and swinging their head back and forth as a small, sunset-colored bird mercilessly pecked at its eyes.
{Talib?}
"Hey! Kiburi! Why are you just lying down over there? You okay?"
Kiburi turned his attention away from Talib's surprise attack and focused on the rocky cliffs, where he could have sworn that was where the voices were coming from. He noticed that Makuu was no longer backed-up against the cliff side, but he was still near it, standing in one spot and looking down at something. Upon closer inspection, Kiburi realized that the large rock crashed into Makuu's attacker. The crocodile was limp, most likely killed on impact.
"Kiburi! Are you deaf or something? We're over here! Just look up!"
Following the voice's instructions, Kiburi raised his head to see who was trying to get his attention. Sure enough, on a small ledge attached to the cliff side, was a pair of small crocodiles.
{Oh great. The twins. Why am I not surprised? I should have guessed it was them.}
"Aziza! Azizi! What in the world are you two doing here?" Kiburi shouted.
"Saving your tails!" Azizi answered.
"I can see that! Besides, I thought..."
"Honestly, Kiburi, did you actually think that we would listen to you?" Aziza interrupted.
"Not really, but I wished you would have!"
"Well, we're here now!" Azizi yelled.
"Yeah, and you can thank us later, too!" Aziza added.
"How the hell did you guys even get here?" Kiburi yelled.
"Why do you think Talib's here, too? We would have gotten lost if he didn't show-up to help us find you guys!"
"Not to mention that I know a few tricks that would help if things weren't in your favor," Talib said, flying over to join Kiburi. "So, the effects of that claw grip wearing off yet?"
"How do you know about the impenetrable claw grip?" Kiburi asked.
"You know, it's amazing how much you can learn once you step outside of your comfort zone."
"That wouldn't happen to include pecking your way out of things, now would it?"
"You can say whatever you want about it, but my tricks are very effective, sometimes painful, and not to mention the fact that I just saved your life."
"How are you so calm right now? Don't you feel anything at all?"
"Eh, not really. I mean, I've had my fair share of interesting experiences, so trust me when I say that I'm quite used to all of this."
Kiburi wasn't sure if he wanted to continue the conversation, but was thankfully saved the burden of doing so. An interruption, yes, but not a good one. The ground and the cliff side, or more specifically, the rocky cliff side, were shaking and rumbling and cracking.
"Uh...what's going on?" Kiburi asked.
"Oh no," Talib muttered.
"Talib, what is happening?"
"We have to get out of here, now! The area is caving-in on itself!"
"It's what?!"
"Hey, guys, what's going on?" Makuu shouted, trying to be heard above the noise.
"The entire place is falling apart!" Talib repeated, much louder this time. "If you don't want to fall and get crushed to your deaths, I highly suggest we all get moving!"
"Aziza! Azizi! Get off that ledge immediately!"
The twins didn't even bother responding to Makuu as they bolted for safety. Soon, they completely retreated from the rocky cliff side and made it back to flat, solid ground.
"Kiburi, you might want to get moving sooner rather than later!" Makuu suggested.
"As much as I would love to, Makuu, I can't!" Kiburi snapped.
At least, that's what Kiburi thought. By now, the effects of the claw grip have almost completely wore off, but he didn't know that, until Makuu misplaced his footing.
With all of the occurring disturbances, large cracks began to form in the ground, eventually turning into pits of darkness. It was enough for Kiburi to have his heart in his stomach. Makuu managed to avoid some cracks, but when a large rock dislodged from the cliff side and fell, the shock of the impact opened up more of the ground. A long crack continued to spread near Makuu, and when he placed his weight on it after it got in his way, the crack widened. He would have fallen in, too, if Kiburi hadn't reacted in time. Without thinking, Kiburi rushed forward and grabbed the area of Makuu's collar bone with his jaws and pulled the other crocodile to currently less destroyed ground.
"That was certainly close," Kiburi commented, releasing Makuu from his grip. "You okay?"
"Definitely could be better, but thank you, Kiburi, for saving my life," Makuu replied.
"Not that it's not great that you two are still alive, but it won't be that way for long if you continue to sit around instead of getting out of here!" Talib pointed out.
Kiburi and Makuu didn't need to be told twice, and with Talib in the lead, quickly moved over to a rather sturdy looking path on the dirt cliff side that led up and out of the canyon.
"Kiburi! Watch out!" Azizi yelled.
No one had time to process what Azizi was saying before something large slammed into Kiburi's side, sending him rolling through the dust, closer to the rocky cliff side, and closer to the holes. Recovering from the surprise attack, Kiburi lifted his head to see the lead crocodile standing right in front of him, cutting off his only escape route. The other ways were blocked by either large rocks or continuously expanding holes. Kiburi got back on his feet and looked at the dirt cliff side, where everyone else was, and should be since it's safer up there than down in the canyon. Well, almost everyone, that is.
{Where's Tuma? He was here. Where did he go? He wouldn't have run away. That's not his style. That's not something he would do.}
Kiburi nearly jumped out of his scales when the lead crocodile lunged forward and snapped at him, breaking him from his thoughts and forcing him backwards, which meant forcing him closer to the holes. He was scared. Really really scared. Practically terrified. He could sense fear radiating from his own scales. With holes behind him, rocks on either side of him, and the lead crocodile in front of him, Kiburi had nowhere to go, except down, and it was only a matter of time before that happened.
"Hey! Big guy! Over here! You looking for me?"
The lead crocodile turned around, giving Kiburi some space to see who it was. To his absolute relief, it was Tuma. The lead crocodile grinned a wicked grin and went after Tuma. With his escape route wide open, Kiburi immediately took it. He was quick yet careful not to get himself killed while trying to get out of the collapsing canyon. By the time he reached the path, ran up the dirt cliff side, and collapsed on solid ground at the top, Kiburi felt like he was going to have a heart attack.
{Thank gods that I'm on safe, solid ground, and not stuck down there with that crocodile and...}
"Tuma, what are you doing?!" Makuu yelled.
Snapped back into the reality of the situation, Kiburi staggered to his feet and went to go stand beside Makuu and the others, who were all looking down into the canyon. Tuma was trying to hold off the lead crocodile - standard - and continued to purposefully speed-up the collapsing process in the, well, process - far from standard.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Tuma yelled. "I am making sure that the remnants of Nkiru's tyranny die along with her, which includes getting rid of her followers that most certainly would destroy the float at any chance they got! I'm doing what I think is right in order to keep the float safe, and there's nothing any of you can say or do that will change my mind!"
"What about your sons and Zula?" Kiburi asked. "What are they supposed to do if you're gone?"
"Aside from the heartbreak that's going to follow, I'm sure they'll be fine! The three of them are strong, so trust me when I say that they will find a way to make it through! Besides, it's about time that they choose their own paths without me around. Nonetheless, Kiburi, do you promise to keep them safe for me?"
"But..."
"Please, Kiburi! Protect them! Protect Zula! Please! Just do this one thing for me! That's all I ask of you!"
"I...promise."
A second later, a smile crosses Tuma's face.
A minute later, the damage is done.