A Crocodile's Journey

The Ultimatum

"Dalilah!"

When she was about to give up, Kitwana ran up the hill. He arrived just in time as the sun poked from behind the mountains.

"Kitwana, you made it!" Dalilah chirped happily. "So Makuu let you?"

"You were right! Since this hill is practically within Lake Matope's boundaries, I'm not disobeying."

"To think everyone in my flock thinks he's an unreasonable brute."

"That's because they don't know him. Makuu's really nice in his own way."

The sky began to clear up into a passionate red as the sun rose, bathing the Pride Lands in its warm light. Kitwana gasped in awe. He'd seen the sunrise a few times but never like this.

"One of Rafiki's stories says that many years ago, the sun and water were great friends, and both lived on the earth together. The sun often visited the water, but it never visited him back. When the sun asked her why, the water said the sun's house wasn't big enough, so the sun promised to make his house bigger. When it was finished, the water—flowing with fish and aquatic animals—came to visit. But he took up so much space that the sun and his wife, the moon, had to go up into the sky, where they have remained ever since." 

"Rafiki knows lots of stories, doesn't he?"

Dalilah nodded. "Yeah, and he's a very good storyteller! We should go see him sometime."

"Dalilah, can I ask you something?"

 "What is it?"

"Well... Why are you so nice to me? I mean, I'm a crocodile, and you're an egret. My kind eats yours, and I wouldn't want to... you know..."

The egret smiled. "Because you're my friend, Kitwana.".

Kitwana blushed deeply. "Dalilah... Thank you."

—OOO—

"It was nice on your part, you know."

Makuu stirred awake again, this time by his mate. With an annoyed grunt, he half-opened his right eye. Akina was looking at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Letting Kitwana go see that girl even though he was grounded."

"I just wanted him to let me sleep," Makuu said simply. "Now, could you be so kind as to let me go back to sleep?"

"Right." Akina chuckled and lay her head back on the ground. "Good night, sleepy head."

Makuu merely grunted in response and closed his eyes. Sadly, this only lasted for a few minutes as he was called for a third time. The crocodile lifted his head and snarled at the perpetrator: Ghubari.

"What now?!" he snapped.

Ghubari gulped. "Zazu wishes to have a word with you."

The majordomo? That brought Makuu out of his sleepy state. "What for?"

"He said it's a matter he can only speak with you, but I think it has to do with Kitwana."

Begrudgingly, Makuu walked past Ghubari and to a secluded spot a good distance away from their resting spot. Zazu was perched on the lowest branch of a tree. 

"Good morning, Makuu." 

"It was a good morning until you showed up to wake me up," Makuu growled bitterly. "What was so urgent that you came this early?"

"It's about your... charge."

"What about Kitwana?"

"Well, as I'm sure you have noticed, he's growing up quite fast. King Simba believes it's time for him to be put with his own kind."