A Crocodile's Journey

The Humans

"Psst. Hey, are you awake?"

A voice was calling out in the darkness. Who is it? Did someone find him? 

Or is he with his Ancestors now?

"Wake up, kiddo!"

Kitwana cracked his eyelids open but shielded them with his wing when he was met with blinding light. It took him a while to get used to it. "W-Where... where am I?"

"You're in the Serengeti National Park. More specifically, you're in the rehabilitation area."

Kitwana tried to move, but his wing broken wing was completely stiff, and he couldn't bend it. When he looked at it, he saw a wooden stick of sorts tied to it. What is that thing? 

"No, no, don't take it off! It'll help heal your wing!" the voice said when he pecked at it.

This time, Kitwana looked around for the voice. He spotted a black shape outside this place. It reminded him of a cheetah, but it was way smaller and had black fur—except for the white tip of its tail and chest. Its green eyes were curiously staring at him.

"Who are you...?" Kitwana asked. His head was still hurting.

"My name is Jiji, kiddo, and I'll be your guide during your stay." The feline said cheerfully.

"Are you a cheetah?"

Jiji laughed heartily. "No, kiddo, I'm not a cheetah. But you could say I'm distantly related to them. I'm a domestic cat."

Domestic...? What is that word? 

Kitwana's head hurt, but he could vaguely remember what had happened. He'd collapsed from exhaustion and dehydration. "Is this the afterlife?"

"Nop. You're pretty much alive, and you're lucky for that! If the rangers hadn't found you, you'd be in a vulture's stomach!"

"R-Rangers...? What? What are you talking about...?"

That's when he noticed the cold, hard sticks between Jiji and himself. In a panic, Kitwana realized he was in a very enclosed space, similar to the one Dalilah and the other animals had been put in. 

Nononono!

Jiji jumped back as Kitwana started banging against the cage bars, yelling and crying out in fright. "Whoa, calm down, kiddo! You're going to hurt your wing even more!"

"LET ME OUT OF HERE! THEY'LL BE BACK AT ANY MINUTE!"

"Who?!"

"THE TWO LEGS! THEY WILL KILL ME!"

"Kiddo–!"

"PLEASE HELP ME!"

"Boy–!"

"LET ME OUT!"

Out of patience, Jiji smacked the chick's head with his paw."Listen to me, kid! You're not in danger! I'll explain everything, but I need you to calm down!" Caught off guard, Kitwana retreated to the corner of his cage. Satisfied, Jiji lay down. "First of all, the 'two legs' are Men."

"M-Men?" Kitwana repeated.

"Yeah, or 'Humans' if you prefer. They live all over the world, and they occupy most of it. As you've probably seen, they walk on two legs, their backs are completely erect, and they have an uncanny resemblance to... primates, but they aren't covered completely in fur. You could say they're distantly related."

"All over the world? What do you mean? There are more of those creatures?"

"Millions of them distributed over the globe. And like animals, there are different human types, or 'species' if you wish to call it that."