Sun Rise Ch. 14

[I do not own the character Camazotz, he is owned by Chatu
aminoapps.com/p/4br4pp ]
Kiburi actually liked the jungle. He felt like he was home. It was like this place was perfectly crafted, just for him. The thick shrubbery forming a wall of slender leaves. The tall spires of branches shot up and split out in the forms of tentacles, spreading in all directions, attempting to blot out any signs of a sky. A roof of foliage and plantlife was the sky, not covered, but was the sky. The entire scene was bathed and a myriad of different shades of green. The area was radiated with the soft blue glow of the moonlight, barely breaking through the leaves and shining spotlights down on the glittering landscape.
Kiburi loved twisting and turning and crawling through the Jungle. Deep down within him somewhere, it almost kind of humbled him. However, he could not dwell on menial tasks such as "enjoying the environment" though. He was sent there by Thimba on a very special mission.
Leopords were all over the place, and he had to try and be as quiet and sneaky as possible. Being a crocodile, this was pretty hard for him. Leopards were not his main concern though, he had to find a Tiger. Tigers were not quite native to the Pridelands, or anywhere near them, making them a very rare sight in this part of Africa.
This specific Tiger was a pretty notorious specimen. Rumors had spread across the land about an orange and black striped cat, one that could out-match any lion. This ferocious warrior would hunt down anyone you asked, as long as you paid him something in return. Those who didn't, were never heard from again.
Thimba wanted to find this Tiger and see if he could be hired for a special job. Kiburi got chills just thinking about it! Those chills were replaced with terror, when a pair off massive claws struck down on him. Kiburi was prepared to swing his tail, when a massive paw came down on top of it. Kiburi was met with the growling face of a massive orange cat. The Tiger.
"Wait!" Kiburi yelled at the tiger.
"I'm here to make a deal!"
The tiger let go of his tail.
"What is a croc doing all the way out here anyways?"
"I'm looking for you, sent by someone. Got a name?"
"Hatari"
"Hatari, Hatari, that's a great name!". He cackled. Recruiting was mostly Ushari's thing, before he...
Whatever, Kiburi could prove he was better than the others. He was a crocodile after all.
"What do you want croc?"
"Well for one, I would like for you to not attack me like that."
Hatari's face spoke volumes. It said without saying a word, "I don't care". Kiburi continued.
"Thats not the main thing I wanted to say though! I'm here because my boss is looking for someone like you. His name is Thimba."
"Let me guess, judging by his name, he wants me to hunt down some lions?"
"Yes. He would like to meet up with you somewhere and work things out."
Hatari thought about it for a moment.
"Why should I listen to you?"
"Imagine having anything you've ever wanted!"
Hatari laughed.
"Everyone gives me that speech, and then they never follow through."
"You didn't let me finish! We're going to de-throne that silly lion pride back at the pridelands! Once they're out of the way, we will literally be able to do anything we want!"
Hatari thought about it some more. He had heard about the Pridelands, and had purposefully chosen to stay away from there, hearing about how well protected the place was. Getting rid of their king would certainly allow him so much more freedom.
"You have a deal croc. Tell Thimba to meet me at the old temple ruins just west of here. We will work out the details there."
Quicker than he came, the Tiger disappeared. Kiburi crawled off into underbrush, vanishing into the night. The dark deed had been done.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Thimba patiently waited either of his two partners to return. Kiburi he had sent out into the world to find and bring back a hitman, and use him as an assassin on the royal family. Sly he sent out to kidnap Nabii, new leader of the Outlands, and bring her back here to keep as a slave. In two giant swoops, Thimba hoped to take out the two most powerful leaders in all the land. A lot could go wrong with this plan though, so he was worried if it would even work.
Thimba paced back and forth in front of the lair. A cave entrance deep within the Jungles of the Backlands, piercing the side of a sheer clifface. This cliff belonged to a volcano. This volcano was considered by many to be the twin of the one in the Outlands, though astronomically less active.
Eventually, Thimba did get some news.
Kiburi returned at the same time Sly's clan of brown hyenas had returned, having bumped into each other on the way back. They emerged from the underbrush.
"Good, you're all back. How did things go with Hatari?"
Kiburi was happy to speak up.
"He will want to meet with you at the temple ruins first, but he says he's excited to join!"
"That is good news."
"Yeah, however, these simpletons might not have the best of news for you."
None of them said anything. They all looked at each other, as if to tell each other, "I'm not doing it!"
They then shoved the one in the back up to Thimba. His ears dropped completely, and he spoke up quietly in a scratchy voice.
"Um... Sly... got captured..."
Thimba stomped on the ground as hard as he could.
"WHAT?!"
The Brown hyenas trembled to the ground in fear of the larger mammal.
"YOU'RE FIRST MISSION AND YOU SCREW UP THIS BAD?!"
Thimba paused. He took some deep breaths, trying to keep himself from getting more angry. Despite them being incompetent, he still needed them.
When he opened his eyes back up, he saw the most peculiar thing. The hyenas were practically frozen in place. Stuck permanently in time. In fact, it wasn't just them, but everything had stopped. What was happening? The entire world had halted into one, giant statue. Everyone except Kiburi.
"What's going on?" The croc asked.
As if things couldn't get any more weird, the color began to fade from everything. Once the world had turned completely grey, Thimba walked forward, wondering what was happening.
A voice called out to him.
"Well hello me little blue friend."
Thimba turned around, the voice having came from behind him.
"Who's there?"
A massive boulder was sitting on top of the cliff face above him. This was not there before, and Thimba wondered how it had gotten there. It wasn't until the boulder began to move, did he realize it was not a boulder. Out stretched the massive, leathery wings of a bat. It stood tall above him, very dominating and powerful in physical stature. With a necklace of bones that hung from his neck, the brown and yellow bat, laced with hints of green and red, revealed himself to Thimba. He looked down upon him with his yellow and red eyes.
Suddenly, a top hat appeared above his head as he grabbed it and tipped it in his greeting.
"Hello, it's very nice to meet you my dear good sir."
"Who are you, what are you?"
Thimba stomped his foot on on the ground.
"And what are you doing on my turf?"
The massive bat suddenly was not on top of the cliff looking down on him anymore. Instead, he was now smaller in size, about the size of Thimba, and leaning up against him.
"It is you who are mistaken" he said in a scratchy and sandpaper like voice. Now wearing a black robe and hood, his face now shriveled and grey.
"I am, the Senate."
Thimba jumped back.
"What is this?"
The bat popped back to his original form (though the size not changing) and said, "I believe you are in MY territory."
This was it. Thimba and Kiburi had finally gone insane. This had to be some kind of hallucination, or some kind of dream. They studied how flawlessly still the brown hyena next to them stood. Frozen in fear.
The bat, now lighting a cigarette, spoke once again.
"Relax honey they'll be fine. For now."
"What are you?"
"You're a very observant rhino aren't you? I'm a bat you dunce!"
He appeared tinier over Thimba's head, knocking on his skull.
"Helllllooooo is anyone in there?"
He reverted back to his original large stature, now in a white, green, and purple space suit, speaking into some sort of com on his wrist.
"There seems to be no sign of intelligent life anywhere."
Kiburi got fed up and yelled, "Hold still you little scut!"
The bat had stopped, once again in his normal form.
"Geez Kiburi, I'm just trying to have a bit of fun."
"How do you know my name?"
"Oh I know lots of Names! Even my own name!"
He gestured his claw like wing towards a Name Tag that had mysteriously appeared on his chest. It read, "Camazotz"
Thimba read it out loud to see if he had the pronunciation correctly.
"Ca-ma-zotz?"
"Technically, no mortal can pronounce my name correctly with your limited tongues, but close enough."
He shrugged his shoulders.
"What is it you want with us Camazotz?"
His eyes flashed red as his voice grew scratchy and demonic.
"I want, freedom."
Thimba spoke up, clearly not threatened by the demon.
"Elaborate apparition."
Camazotz pointed up towards the volcano peak, Thimba and Kiburi now noticing that the red glow coming from the crater was the only other thing with color. It was more active than ever, the red fiery glow spewing out fumes and ash, firing it all into toxic cannonballs as if it was at war with the sky itself. The mountain had never done that before.
"That is my prison. In his house at the mountain of fire, dead Camazotz lies dreaming."
Thimba and Kiburi turned back to the demon, now noticing shackles and chains from his wrists.
"Once I had arrived in this world, my only desire was to liven up the place! Bring a bit of excitement and terror! Oh I remember the glory days, when those stories about the boogeyman were all true. Innocent children would be so scared of going to sleep at night, in fear that the boogeyman might get them!"
He licked his lips with his grotesquely large tongue.
"I can still hear their screaming! It was all music to my ears!"
Then he did a dramatic faint onto a fainting couch that appeared out of no where.
"But woe is me! Those spirits that belonged to the kings of old used their combined magic and knowledge to seal me away in this forsaken mountain!"
Kiburi and Thimba looked at each other, realizing what they were getting in to if the story was true. Camazotz's response was almost as though he read what they were thinking.
"Why do you think no other king before Mufasa has showed up as a ghost yet? They used up all they're power dealing with me! Along with a bunch of other powerful spirits they met in the realms beyond"
"That's a complete load of crap." Kiburi hissed.
"You don't know how wrong you are!" Camazotz exclaimed back.
"My power is stronger than their's! Their's is waning, mine is growing! I can overpower them, all I need is your help!"
[Song: https://youtu.be/yZAY-78zhmw ]
Kiburi leaned closer to Thimba and began whispering to him.
"I don't think we can trust this man. I mean look at hi-"
Camazotz interrupted.
"Don't you disrespect me little man!
Don't you derogate or deride!
You're in my world now
Not your world
And I got friends on the other side!"
A red glow came from the cave behind them as voices spoke from within.
"He's got friends on the other side."
Camazotz began to guide Thimba and Kiburi deep into the cave.
"That's an echo, gentlemen.
Just a little something we have here in
the Backlands, a little parlor trick. Don't worry..."
Shadows and cryptic faces appeared all over the cave walls as they descended deeper, the red glow seemingly coming from nowhere.
"Sit down at my table
Put your minds at ease
If you relax it will enable me to do anything I please
I can read your future
I can change it 'round some, too
I'll look deep into your heart and soul
(you do have a soul, don't you, Kiburi?)
Make your wildest dreams come true!
I got voodoo
I got hoodoo
I got things I ain't even tried!
And I got friends on the other side."
The faces and shadows spoke, "He's got friends on the other side."
Playing cards suddenly appeared in his claws.
"The cards, the cards, the cards will tell
The past, the present, and the future as well!
The cards, the cards, just take three
Take a little trip into your future with me!"
He turned to Thimba.
"Now you, young man, are from across the sea.
You come from two long lines of royalty.
(I'm a royal myself on my mother's side)
Your lifestyle's high!
But your funds are low.
You need to usurp a lil' kingdom whose leader's got dough!"
The cards displayed a land ruled by a family of blue rhinos, until a Pride of lions killed them all off, except for one calf.
"Those lions' cut you off, huh playboy?
Now you've gotta place to fill, but that place ties you down.
You just wanna be free.
Hop from place to place."
Now that blue calf had grown into a fully grown blue rhino, now practicing his place in the circle of life.
"But freedom... takes a green!
It's the green,
it's the green,
it's the green you need!
And when I looked into your future
It's the green that I see!"
It showed the blue rhino living in a beautiful green pasture.
Camazotz then turned to Kiburi, presenting some cards to him.
"On you little man, I don't want to waste much time
You been pushed around all your life
You been pushed around by your
mother and your sister and your brother.
And if you was married...
You'd be pushed around by your wife
But in your future, the you I see
Is exactly the man you always wanted to be!"
They showed Kiburi usurping Makuu and his control reining over the Pridelands, seemingly winning the croc over.
The large bat then extended his claws for Kiburi and Thimba.
"Shake my hand.
Come on boys.
Won't you shake the poor sinner's hand?"
Thimba reluctantly met Camazotz's hand with his his foot. Kiburi excitedly grabbed the bat's claw with his tail and shook it.
The walls dissolved into ash, revealing a world of fire and brimstone so terrifying and horrible that it could barely be described with words. A massive upside down pentagram was in the far distances, shining it's red glow as thousands of voices screamed out for help. Demons of twisted design danced and contorted across the smoke filled skies, singing along with the psychotic bat of chaos.
"Yes... it begins! *Laughter*
Are you ready?
(Are You Ready!)"
Two contracts appeared in air along with a feather. It pricked Thimba and wrote his name down on the paper with his blood. It then did the same with Kiburi on the other contract.
"Are you ready?
(Are You Ready!)
Transformation central!
(Transformation central!)
Reformation central!
(Reformation central!)
Transmogrification central!"
Camazotz rose above the two before him, sitting on a throne made from the bones of his victims.
"Can you feel it?
You're changin',
You're changin',
You're changin', all right!
I hope you're satisfied.
But if you ain't
Don't blame me!!
You can blame my friends on the other side!
(You got what you wanted!
But you lost what you had!)"
He quietly shushed the demons, blowing out the fires and leaving the place dark and empty.
Thimba and Kiburi woke up outside, the bat no where to be seen, and Sly's clan of brown hyenas still quivering in fear before them.
Category:Sun Rise
Category:Fanfiction
Category:Chapters
Category:Jack Krueger