The many adventures of Iskandar and Coronaria

The plight of the ivory poachers

"You're telling me,Your Majesty...W-We are heading off to the Kenyan savanna?" Coronaria stammered.

"Of course,Coronaria," chuckled Iskandar, "Imagine being surrounded by numerous animals like springboks,African elephants,meerkats and most importantly...the lions,the kings and queens of the jungle." 

"B-but...what if they attack us?" 

"Don't worry,with me at your side,this trip will be completely safe!"

The two of them find themselves on the edge of the grassland, gazing out across the huge, wide expanse of open terrain. The huge man - Iskandar - stood with his hands on his hips, taking in a deep breath of the air, his chest expanding. He glanced down at his royal gardener with a grin, his eyes twinkling at the wonder and awe that the nymph seems to be experiencing at the sights around them.

"Magnificent, isn't it? We have not seen anything yet, though! Come! Let us go forth! I want to see the might of these lions for myself!"

Still a bit scared,Coronaria flew nervously alongside him as he hid in some bushes. They saw a lioness hunting an impala.The impala was quick,but the lioness was faster.Soon,it pinned the impala to the ground,killing it.Coronaria covered her eyes with her wings,as the scene was quite bloody.Iskandar watched the whole scene with a smirk on his lips. It was just as his eyes had told him, the queen of the jungle was powerful, fast, and strong. His smirk grew into a grin, the thrill of the hunt coursing through his veins. He glanced over at the flower nymph next to him, noticing how she covered her eyes at such a sight. He chuckled, and playfully patted her on the head.

"Not used to such sights, are you?" he asked.

"Not at all,Your Majesty," mumbled Coronaria, "I have never been in battle,especially when you didn't let me step out of the palace out of fatherly protection because some enemy soldier tried to rip off my wings a long,long time ago.Besides, if my mother,Mother Nature,found out that something bad happened to me, she'll punish you severely!"

Iskandar chuckled again, his laugh deep and booming. It was cute when she pouted like that, like a child. He shook his head fondly at her words, his hand resting firmly on her head, stroking her hair softly.

"If any one attempted any such thing once more, I wouldn't need your mother to punish them. They would be dead before they knew what had struck them. You are well protected under my wing," he said, the last part with a hint of pride in his voice.They were about to move on further when suddenly...

BANG!BANG!BANG!

The sound of gunfire filled the air,and it came from where the elephants were.Iskandar's expression turned dark within seconds. The sound of gunfire was an incredibly out of place one within nature, and in such a beautiful place as this, it was an insult to the eye, ear, and to every sense of the word 'nature'. He snarled lowly, his muscles tensing.

"Poachers..." he growled.

In the distance,Iskandar and Coronaria could see three men standing under a tree. The first one, who was tall and stocky,spoke up.

"Good,our guns are working,boys. To be honest,when I was seven,I killed my first puppy,flushed my goldfish and punched a canary. Now,I am going to do something much better than that. I am going to hunt down an elephant and get its tusks!"

Coronaria's lavender eyes widened in shock as she peeked out from Iskandar's hood.These humans have gone too far!Iskandar's expression darkened further with every word the poacher spoke. How dare these mortals speak in such a way, with so much disdain for nature. To even think of harming one of the gentle giants of the animal kingdom, to rip of it's tusks, and for ivory, no less! He growled lowly, clenching his strong jaw. His hands clenched into fists, almost shaking with suppressed anger.