Chapter Eleven: Moto Ndani

Askari spotted Jasiri
approaching from a distance, with a wounded Janja following behind her.
“Jasiri is approaching the
camp!” Askari shouted to the clan of hyenas, “Clear the way!”
The nearby hyenas cleared a
straight path and bowed to the future matriarch as she walked into the clan’s
territory.
“Janja is hurt,” Jasiri
announced. “He needs care.”
Askari looked at Janja,
lowering his eyebrows. “Janja will be treated outside the clan’s territory,” he
replied. “He is not a member of this clan and therefore does not have the
rights to enter into our land. I will send a healer from within the clan beyond
the border to treat your mate.”
Jasiri felt herself blush. Mate? Technically Janja wasn’t her mate..yet.
After a few minutes had passed,
an older male hyena came from within the clan’s territory and approached Jasiri
and the wounded Janja. He was elderly, and although  Jasiri had lived with the Heshima Clan her
entire life, she couldn’t remember ever seeing this hyena.
“Aahh,” murmured the
strange hyena, “he looks badly injured.”
“Yes, sir,” said Jasiri,
“Can you clean him up a little?”
“ A little,” replied the
stranger. “But there may be some scars that wont go away. It appears that he
has been in a serious battle.”
“Yes, he has,” said Jasiri.
“He was protecting me from Wajinga.”
“Wajinga? Aaah…I see...he
is very brave,” the hyena continued. “I will lead him to the river to clean up
his wounds. You, Jasiri, must go and prepare for the big evening tonight, your majesty.”
“Yes, sir, I will,” said
Jasiri. “Thank you.”
She smiled at Janja, and
then walked away as the older hyena led Janja to the stream.
~THAT
EVENING AT SUNSET~
The Pride Lands had not
experienced the Ceremony of Succession for a female hyena ever in history. The
first matriarch hyena in the Pride Lands-Jasiri- was about to begin her journey
as the clan leader.
This momentous occasion had
brought animals from near and far, including the royal lions and Rafiki the
shaman. The Lion Guard stood at a distance; ready to defend should any
confrontation arise. Simba told Kion that the rising of a new leader within the
Pride Lands was very important, as this leader would continue to uphold the
treaty of peace and ensure that hyenas and lions were able to live together in
harmony.
Janja stood near the back
of a long line of hyenas, flanked by Askari and Ukuya, Chuki’s honorary guards.
The matriarch herself would be the only one engaging in the ceremony. The members
of the Heshima Clan gathered around in a large circle, with Jasiri in the
middle. The young female felt as if all the eyes in the Pride Lands were on
her, and although she knew it wasn’t appropriate to continually stare at the
ground, she hated all the attention. Suddenly, a loud chant rang out, calling
the animals to attention.      
“Kusikiiia!!!!!
Kuinua masikio yako!!!”
The scream cut through the air as the
clan members and royal lions lifted their eyes to Chukiana, the leader of the clan,
who stood atop a large rock formation above them.      
“Pride Landers, I welcome you to the ceremony of succession for
the next leader of my clan. Today is a momentous occassion for all of us,
because today we will make history. As the current matriarch, it is an honor to
be part of this great movement within our clan, the era of peace and harmony
within the Pride Lands between lions and hyenas. And tonight, I will be
stepping down to anoint a new leader for this clan. I present my daughter,
Jasiri as my successor.”
The animals bowed as Chuki descended the ledge and walked
into the middle of the circle, where Jasiri was.
There was a moment of silence before Chuki began to
speak.
“Jasiri,” Chuki asked, “As
my successor, do you swear to uphold the Heshima Clan’s values of honor and
respect?”
“Yes,” Jasiri replied.
“Will you stand by your
fellow clan members, uplift them and guide them, and provide them with wisdom?”
"I will do it to the best of my
ability,” Jasiri asserted.
“And will you strive to
maintain the bond between hyenas and lions that has existed since the treaty
began?”
“Yes,” Jasiri said.
“Then I hereby proclaim, to
the members of the Heshima Clan, to the King and Queen of the Pride Lands, and to everyone gathered here today to acknowledge this momentous occasion, that
Jasiri is now the matriarch and leader of the Heshima Clan!”
The hyenas and lions bowed
in honor of the newly elected clan leader.
“Askari!” Chuki shouted.
“It is time for the next step!”  
“Fellow Pridelanders, we
will now proceed to the Isokan, the
unification ceremony of the matriarch and her mate,” said Askari. He nudged Janja forward in the direction of Jasiri and Chuki. 
The hyenas parted to let
Janja and Askari enter the circle. Some of them gasped, recognizing the hyena who had
been a vicious rogue for as long as they could remember. Janja looked into the
eyes of the clan members. He would soon be a part of this clan. Janja
approached Jasiri and stared into the newly elected leader’s eyes. She was
powerful…and beautiful.
“Jasiri has chosen Janja of
the former Mashenzi Clan as her mate,” said Askari. “Janja is the descendant of
Shenzi and Kuishia. For many years, Janja has lived as a rogue, the leader of a
clan who once resided deep within the Outlands. Together with Jasiri, the two
leaders have united the Outlands and the Pridelands and created the new era of
peace that has never before existed until now. Janja has been proven to be a
loyal defender of your matriarch, willing to give his life in exchange for
hers.”
Askari paused before
speaking yet again. “Chuki will now begin the oaths.”
Chuki stepped in between
the two-hyena leaders-Janja and Jasiri.
“Janja, son of Shenzi and
Kuishia, do you accept Jasiri, daughter of Chukiana and Heshima, to be your
mate for better or worse, to devote your love only to her and be her protector
as long as she is the matriarch of the Heshima Clan?”
“Mimi ahadi,” replied
Janja. “I promise. Until the Pride Lands’ end.”
“Jasiri, daughter of
Chukiana and Heshima, do you accept Janja, the son of Shenzi and Kuishia to be
your mate for better or worse, to devote your love only to him and be his
guiding light and protector as long as he lives?”
“Mimi ahadi,” replied
Jasiri. “Until the Pride Lands’ end.”
Chuki nodded, then turned
to face the clan. “The promises have been given. Janja is now a member of the
Heshima Clan. Let us acknowledge our clan leaders.”
The hyenas bowed to Janja
and Jasiri.
“It is finished!” Askari
shouted. “Kumaliza!”
“KUMALIZA!” the
Pridelanders shouted in unison as confirmation.
The hyenas and lions began
to disperse as the ceremony concluded, leaving Jasiri and Janja alone as the
sun began to dip over the horizon. The first stars could be seen in the sky as
the animals across the savannah were retreating to their homes for the night.
Jasiri walked toward Janja
and touched the mane ruffled on his head. She ran her paws over the scars he
had received from Wajinga. “I love you Janja,” she said. “I always have, always
will.”
Janja lifted up his paw and
took her paw into his. “Jasiri, you’ve always been the Moto Ndani inside me.
You’ve given me a reason to look beyond what I see in this life, given me a
greater purpose, a sense of belonging. I no longer need to run from my past.”
Janja:
~Sometimes you don’t need
to understand
What’s wrong and what is
right?
To know what you feel
inside~
Jasiri:
~All I ever wanted was
To make you realize that
you and I
Could be the same
And now we’re here together~
Together:
Moto
Ndani,
Janja
na Jasiri
Tu
wewe na mimi
This
is our moment
Moto
Ndani,
Janja
na Jasiri
Our
love will not die
As
long as we’re alive
No
one can break us
Nor
can the span of time
No force
can destroy us
As
long as I am yours
And
you are mine
They
say that we’re different
This
would never happen
But
here we are
Yes,
here we are
Moto
Ndani,
Janja
na Jasiri
Katika
Akili
Let
your dreams take flight
Moto
Ndani
Janja
na Jasiri
Only
you and I tonight
 
So
let us be joined now
Our
love be as one
The
fire within us
Can
now take control
If
you will decide that
I am
no one but yours
And
yours alone
 
Moto
Ndani…
Jasiri:
Janja?
Janja:
Jasiri
Janja:
Accept only me
Jasiri:
Let us be joined
 
Together:
Moto
Ndani
Janja
na Jasiri
Together
in Unity
 
Moto
Ndani
Moto
Ndani…
Chuki and Askari stood
above, unbeknownst to both Janja and Jasiri. “It’s crazy how things turn out,”
Askari said. “Jasiri, our matriarch, with..Janja..heh
heh. Wow. Sometimes I feel like slapping myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.” 
“I never would have thought
that things would turn out this way either,” said Chuki, “but I guess that love
really does conquer all.”
Askari shrugged. “I
wouldn’t know anything about this love stuff. I’m basically a loner myself.”
“Yeah! You never did have a
mate, did you?” Chuki asked him, laughing softly.
“No, but I envied you and
your mate Heshima,” Askari said. “The two of you shared a bond like I’ve never
seen.”
“That we did,” said Chuki.
“He was my soul mate.”
Chuki lifted herself up from
the sitting position and began to walk away. “Askari,” she said, stopping. “It’s
getting late. Let’s go back to the den.”
“But what about Jasiri and
Janja?” Askari asked. “Should I stay here to ensure that they’re all right?”
Chuki raised her eyebrows
at Askari and smiled. “They’ll be fine, Askari. All is well within the Pride Lands
tonight.”
Category:Fanfiction
Category:Janja-Hodari's fanfics
Category:The Lion Guard: A New Era chapters
Category:Chapters