Outlawed In-laws (A TNC Novel)

Epilogue

Under the cover of darkness, Zane padded across the silent savanna, keeping as quiet as possible so as not to disturb the peace. He didn't know exactly where he was going; he just had a simple layout ingrained in his mind from the other night. After all that had transpired, he needed answers.

Soon, Zane spots a small, orange glow hidden among the black silhouettes of peaks.

That looks out of place, the lion thought. He picked-up the pace until he was running at nearly full speed. He nearly fell over the side of a hidden peak, but caught himself in the nick of time.

Woo! Got to be careful. I just got back to normal. I don't want whoever it was to do what they did last time, whatever that was.

Zane climbed down the rest of the way, carefully. Once back on flat ground, he shook his mane and continued onward. His paws hit cold, hard stone, with dirt and pebbles becoming lodged between his pads.

The light got bigger, and the air and stone became warmer as Zane got closer. He turned a corner and entered a small space surrounded mostly by steep highrises. Parts of the vertical sheet of rock stuck out, providing space for birds and small animals to perch or sleep. Vines and shrubbery grew wherever it could, although most of it was dead, dry, and brittle.

"Nice place to have a fire," Zane commented, prodding a leafless shrub with his paw.

"I don't hear anybody else complaining!"

A small, black and white monkey landed across from Zane. The lion was startled, but only for a second.

"Maybe because nobody else is here, yet . . . unless they are?"

A minute passed. Zane heard the fluttering of wings. Then, a small bird alighted on the ground, between Zane and the monkey.

"Not bad, Zane," Talib commented, sounding impressed. "Even the crocodiles I've practically lived with most of my life never notice me that quickly."

"You ever think they may not care?" Zane pointed out, settling down against the rock wall, keeping his distance from the fire.

"Oh, he knows!" The monkey piped, balancing himself on his head and chest, with his hindquarters and tail sticking-up in the air. "He just doesn't care that they don't care."

"Auni, shut up, before you say something important without thinking, again," Talib warned.

"You're still on about that? Seriously, Talib, you need to be less of a buzzkill, like, ninety-nine percent of the time."

"Why don't you take your own advice about being 'serious' and, you know, actually be serious!"

"I can't take or leave you guys anywhere..."

Talib and Auni stopped arguing and, along with Zane, turned their attention towards the new voice. There was nothing there, except for a black silhouette in the hunched shape of a hyena.

"Not without you being at each other's throats, anyway," the hyena said.

"Apologies, Delu, but..," Talib started.

"You know how Talib is!" Auni interrupted.

Talib lunged forward and tried to peck Auni, but the monkey was too agile for the small bird. He jumped out of the way and loped over to Zane.

This is the group I'm going to be spending the rest of my life with? Zane questioned, looking from the foolish monkey to the strict bird. Perfect.

Zane turned away from the quarrelers to focus on Delu, the mysterious hyena who healed him that night. The hyena who left him directions to find them. The hyena who was now fully present in the firelight. Whose dark brown and cream pelt, long mane, and striped legs appeared to envelop the warmth and power of the flames.

"Something you wish to know, Zane" Delu asked from her newly settled position right beside the fire. Her dark eyes were focused on the light, not on the lion whom she may have directed a question towards. However, Zane didn't take it so much as a question, but rather a statement.

"I don't think I need to answer that," Zane said. "I have the feeling you knew that already, so let's just get on with it."

Delu stared at Zane for a minute, then smirked.

"You may be new, but you are good," Delu said. She turned back to the fire and reached out her paw, swirled it around, then pulled back. A strand of flames flickered wildly on her paw and around her leg. Zane laid where he was, mesmerized.

"Let me start from the beginning..."