Sun Rise Ch. 20

[I do not own the character Camazotz, he is owned by Chatu
aminoapps.com/p/4br4pp
I do not own the character Wazimu, he is owned by worldgovermentleader
www.deviantart.com/worldgoverm… ]
Wazimu crept through the underbrush with his team. Nabii had loaned him a couple of henchmen to help him get the job done a lot quicker and easier, and though he was more than prepared, he would still need all the help he could get for this. The hyenas silently made it through the night, slowly but surely sneaking closer to the volcano, and were almost ready to head to there positions. This was not an attack on the volcano but was instead a rescue mission. Their job was simple: get in, find answers, release Janja and Jasiri, then get the heck out of there. Wazimu was confident in his abilities, and with a team, there was no way he could fail. It had been a while since someone had ticked him off, and a while since he had seen some action. The veteran hyena was waiting for someone to come along and give him a reason to tear into them, and now he had a reason. Camazotz messed with his family, so he was going to hit Camazotz where it hurt and bring down that ego of his.
Wazimu had been studying the Backlands volcano for a long time now, years even. He paid attention to the routines, and Nabii's insects to got him descriptions of the inside of the volcano. They had snuck in and replaced Sly's spies, and not once did anyone suspect anything.
"Alright, group up." Wazimu spoke. His gargley deep voice could send shivers down anyone's spines. The group of spotted hyenas rounded in around the leader. The entire left side of his head was burned off, leaving a black and dark red charred crust all over it. He was blinded in his left eye, but it was still impossible to sneak up on him. They all gathered around a small patch of dirt.
"Alright, here's the plan."
Wazimu extended his paw, and drew a basic outline of the volcano in the dirt.
"There's the crater, inside is where ol' Batsy is hagin out. Stay away from there, he has a strange affect on your mind. He'll know we're there, that's what we don't need."
"Got it sir."
"Alright, you two."
Wazimu pointed at two hyenas to his right side.
"You two will come with me for the rescue mission. The holding dens are on the right side over here, deep underground, so I hope you like heat."
They both nodded. Wazimu pointed to the other two.
"You two, you'll sneak around the back area and head into the tunnel systems more over to the left. There is a pretty suspicious area back there, and a lot of guards. I was told you two were the best at stealth, so I trust you to be able to figure out what they're hiding."
They nodded their heads
"There'll be guards, lots of guards. If you see a skink, or anything that looks like one, kill it on sight. Good luck men, ready-"
The all said in unison, "Break!"
They split up, disappearing into the walls of leaves. Wazimu dawned his hyena skull mask.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Janja scratched at the wall. The dark mahogany walls of red stone condemned his soul, they incased and tortured him. Janja would not stay here, he willed it. By all the powers he had, Janja willed not to stay there. He would escape, he would free Jasiri. He continued to scrape at the rock walls, paws tied behind his back. He leaned his back against the rock boulder that was moved in the way of the only exit, scratching and pushing. His only source of light was a small hole left between the boulder and the frame of the exit, shining a red spotlight in on the wall.
"You're not going to be able to move it." A voice on the other side said. It was Ushari.
"Only the rhinos can move these. Maybe us crocs if we group up."
"Kiburi you backstabbing son of a lizard, let me out!"
"No chance Janja, no chance at all!"
He laughed a little. Janja grunted as he attempted to push the boulder some more. It wasn't moving, not even an inch, a centimeter.
"Wow, you sure are determined to get out of there, aren't you?"
"Yeah, because unlike you I actually have a life now!"
"What life!?" Kiburi exclaimed.
"All the time I've known you, you've only been a coward Janja!"
"Yeah I'm a coward, but you are as well Kiburi! We all were! We were all failures, I was the only one smart enough to get out of that sinking ship in time!"
"I actually was competent and faithful! You failed at everything you tried!"
"You think you're so big Kiburi, you think you're at the center of the universe! Have you ever thought that maybe there's a reason why everyone hates?!"
Kiburi stopped. What was Janja on about? Since when did Janja care if people liked him or not?
"I'm listening."
"Have you ever wondered why people hate us? Why I get made fun off, and why you get yelled at?"
"No..."
"Maybe there's something about us we're not noticing. We're the bad guys Kiburi. I don't mean that in a good way this time."
"Of course we're the bad guys! That's what we live for! That's what I live for!"
"Then you don't live for anything Kiburi! You've been stuck in the same rut for years! Chasing your tail for revenge against Makuu!"
Janja was in an internal war. Everything he told the croc he was saying to himself. Kiburi looked away from the monstrous boulder and crawled over to the side.
"You've been stuck in the same place for years Kiburi. You've never changed. You're exactly the same person you were when I first met you. I don't even know who you are. I don't know where you're from or what your interests are. I don't even know what you're going to do if you win. Do you know any of those things?"
"Huh?"
"What is your end goal? What do you want? Honestly tell me."
Janja thought about that question a lot. He remembered that one time Jasiri asked him those questions, funny enough the same night they met Fikiria. Janja didn't even know what he had originally wanted out of that whole mess years ago. To eat everything? What then? Did he ever truly know what he wanted? He didn't even know what he wanted now.
Kiburi held his head down to think. He then looked back up and faced the boulder again.
"I want revenge that's what I want! To reclaim my lost pride!"
"And this is prideful to you? Is this really how crocs do things? Cheat and Lie, cowardly hide when they can?"
Kiburi paused again. He thought about what he was going to say. Janja was making him very angry, he always made Kiburi angry.
Janja remembered how badly he wanted those things, how he even sang songs about his desire for conquest and domination. Suddenly, Janja remembered something Fikiria said to Jasiri and him once.
"If you ask why to a lot of things, people can't lie to you."
Why did Janja want so badly for the Lion Guard to fall? So he could enter the Pridelands.
Why did he want to go to the Pridelands? So he could eat everything.
Why did he want to eat everything? Why did he want to take over the Pridelands? Why did he summon Scar? Why did he do what he did?
Janja realized that he had been lying to himself. He had always been lying to himself. In a weird way, his desire for more food was a gluttonous way of showing that he was empty, and wanted something to fill him, not physically, but emotionally.
He now believed Kiburi was going through the same change he was. Here they were. Stuck in a hole of their own design with no way to get out, other than one thing.
"Kiburi... that's a lie, and you know it. What do you really want?"
"Why do you care so much Janja? I've been waiting a long time for this moment to come around! The moment where I am finally the one talking down to you, and you're all of a suddenly calm and nice!?"
It was clear to Janja now what he had to do. For so long he had bowed to his own hunger. He bowed to Scar. No longer was he going to bow.
"You want to know something Kiburi? You're the first person I'm ever going to tell this to, and probably the last. The real reason why I tried to eat everything I could was because I felt empty inside. I felt like I was missing something, I felt like a part of me had been taken from me. I thought that just finding more food would take my mind off of it, or that Scar could fill that void, but it only ended up getting worse. I convinced myself that I didn't need anything eventually, I so strongly believed I didn't need anyone. I hated Jasiri so much because... she was what I needed."
Kiburi was taken back. Janja was really passionate about this, wasn't he?
"I was afraid of Jasiri because I liked her. I wanted to keep believing I was fine, and that I knew what I wanted. She challanged that."
"You've really thought about this a lot..." the croc said.
"I've grown up Kiburi. I'm not the same hyena. I realize that I want love, not war. Now, tell me Kiburi, what do you want?"
"I want... I want... I... I don't know anymore..."
Janja knew it. Kiburi wasn't a monster. He wasn't a madman hell bent on revenge. He was confused, just like him. Janja was ready, he believed he was finally strong enough to do what he needed to do. He was ready to finally change both of their lives forever.
"We're stuck Kiburi, but... maybe that isn't so bad. We could crawl out of this Kiburi, we're all waiting for you. Me, Mzingo, Reirei, we've all moved on, when are you?"
The croc was dumbfounded. Janja of all people was saying that, and he was right. He had let his lust for revenge drive his senses, and had distorted what it meant to be a crocodile to fit his agenda. This had gotten him nowhere, his search for Pride had given him nothing, and it was fine for a change. If Janja was being open and serious, then Kiburi had owed it to him to be open and serious as well.
"Ok fine, you win Janja. A rescue team has infiltrated the volcano. They covered themselves in mud to disguise as brown hyenas. Three of them are on there way here right now to get you and Jasiri out."
"Wait, really?"
"Yes, I was going to tell Camazotz about it, but you're right. Camazotz is a liar and a coward. He hides behind us all the time. If he doesn't want to treat me with respect, then I won't treat him that way either."
Janja smiled. He felt oddly happy, like what he finally had won at something. It was Janja's first true victory, help Kiburi to be honest with his feelings.
"The other two are going to the far cave network to learn more about Camazotz, but they aren't going to make it back alive. Camazotz will discover them there and their cover will be blown. So I'll tell this to you now. Scar Snout is still alive. That's where he's at. Him and his followers are being kept there, frozen by some weird magic."
"Huh, how come?"
"Camazotz is still trapped here. He needs a host body to exist right now. He's using the entire Backlands population trapped down there as his hosts. He's frozen them because they freed him, so that means they are the only one's who can banish him again."
"Kiburi, you don't know how much that'll help."
"Alright, I've said my peace."
He began to crawl back down the corridor, that was before stopping and telling Janja, "Thanks."
He slithered out. Once Kiburi had rounded the corner, he saw three brown hyenas being escorted by a rhino.
"Come this way! Hurry! Janja escaped!" The leader yelled, wearing a hyena skull mask on his face. Ushari knew it was them, the rescue crew. He got out of there before they could see him.
The rhino rushed over, and pushed the boulder out of the way. Janja huddled up into a corner behind the boulder so he couldn't be seen.
"I do not see him."
The rhino walked in. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his side, then turned to see that he was stabbed on the side by the lead hyena. The rhino jerked around.
"You little! You lil- you y-y"
He fell over to the ground, unconscious.
Janja climbed out of the corner.
"What happened?"
The masked hyena had one of his henchmen pick up the carved knife and hang it back on his saddle.
"It's covered in neurotoxin. He'll be down long enough for us to do our job."
The two henchman came over and snapped the vines that tied up Janja, freeing him.
"We're here to get you out. Come on, we gotta go get Jasiri. Here, put these on."
The masked hyena threw down some different looking vines. These were brown rather than green.
"Why, you just untied me?"
"Yeah, we got the tough ones off of ya. Now put on these weaker ones so we don't look suspicious. If yah need to fight just break out of em'."
Janja was helped into them by the other two henchmen.
"Hey, what's your name?" Janja asked.
The masked hyena looked over at him with his one eye.
"Wazimu"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Two brown hyenas were brought down to the pit of fire. The large bat revealed his green and red head from the shadowy mass inside his wings. The fires around him swirled around the walls of the crater like a whirlpool, a maelstrom of orange flames.
Kiburi looked up at the demon.
"Camazotz, these little weasels were trying to spy on us. We caught them in your domain off in the back tunnel systems."
Camazotz pointed his claw at the two hyenas, and the mud that hid their true forms had vanished. The grey hyenas lay petrified by the giant monster.
"I see that we have let our guard down..."
He opened up his claw, and the two hyenas fell to the ground and screamed in agony.
"I see... they're here for the hostages. There's more as well..."
He put his claw like wing back around the other half of his darkened body.
"Go! Find the rest! We can't loose our upper hand again!"
The crocs scattered off to spread the news. Thimba had heard from up above, standing on another overhang that led out into the burning maw. He turned around and ran through the cave walls to alert his rhinos. The army of darkness swarmed around the volcano as Camazotz's sisneter laugh spread throughout the land. His grotesquely wide smile decorated with needle like sharp teeth showed as he readied for his next big meal.
"Go my pretties! Fly like the wind! Rise and cover the land in sorrow!"
Camazotz looked down at the terrified hyenas. He cackled as his eyes began to glow a crimson red. He opened up is mouth, and a long frog like tongue with sets of grabbers and claws shot out of his mouth. The two hyenas were grabbed in the blink if an eye and zipped back into the giant titan's mouth. He gulped them up whole, loud crunching sounds were heard as he clamped his jaws down on them. Blood had shot out of his teeth and lips.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Jasiri lay quiet. Hating. Silently hating. She had never felt hatred before, and she didn't like it. Hatred was a burning emotion, though a bit misunderstood at times. She was worked to the bone by Nabii, sleep deprived and hungry. Her one chance at a big break to relax and get to know Janja some more, and she was kidnapped and brought to the lair of evil. Her divine anger seared away at her broken soul. This couldn't be the end. Her story could not end here.
She heard the boulder behind her begin to move, and she turned around to see what was happening.
Jamal walked in, the traitor. A rhino moved the boulder out of the way for the Zebra. His sick smile and sparkling blue eyes came up to her, his stride oozed confidence.
He said to the rhino,
"Thank you darling~"
Jamal trotted over to Jasiri, and undid the gag on her mouth.
"Hello my sweet~<3"
She growled and snapped her jaws at him. Jamal jumped back.
"Woah. No need for that now, I'm not going to hurt you darling~<3"
"You backstabbing horse!"
"Hey now. Be a bit more careful with what you say around others, you might offend someone."
"I don't give a crap what you think!"
"Oh my! And here I am, just trying to show my love for you!"
"You're love for me?! You kidnapped me!" Jasiri yelled. Was this guy a lunatic?
"I brought you to a safe place. Listen, you're going to have to get used to this place. You're friends aren't coming at all. They've left you here because they think you're unimportant. I however, see you as very important~<3"
Jasiri glared at him. Her gaze could pierce through the boiling mountain.
"You are the most delusional psychopath a have ever met."
"Oh please, I'll protect you darling. Won't you enjoy having someone who actually cares about you?"
He walked up closer to her. Jasiri tried to scoot away. The backed herself up into a corner though, and Jamal came closer and closer. He put his hooves on the wall, his strong legs blocking her from escape.
"Someone who would shower you with love and affection. I fell in love with you since I first saw you."
His head got closer to hers. Jasiri was sweating. This really couldn't be happening right now. This couldn't be the ending. Jamal began playing with her hair.
"You are perfect in every way. You're charming accent, you're giggly laugh, you're beautiful eyes and you're amazingly soft hair."
They both heard a gargley voice from the cave entrance.
"You're not gonna be conquering anything you sick twisted bastard."
Jamal and Jasiri looked up to see Wazimu and Janja walking in. Their teeth were bared, both growling furiously. The rhino guard outside was knocked over, passed out. Jamal put on a nervous smile.
"Heh heh... hey now, there's a price of her to go around-"
Janja replied, "When we're done there won't be a piece of you left."
"Step away from my younger sister." Wazimu ordered the zebra. It was then that Jasiri recognized who it was under the mask.
"Wazimu! I haven't seen you in so long! It's been years!"
"Don't worry little sister, big brother's got your back. Now as I said, get off of the girl!"
Wazimu snapped his mighty jaws at Jamal. Jamal immediately jumped off and ran to the other end of the room. Janja ran over to Jasiri and used his hyena jaw strength to bite the vines off of her.
"Thank you so much Janja. I knew you had all this in you, I just knew you did!"
She hugged him tightly and pressed her head against his, cuddling with him.
"Uh... no problem Jasiri. It's my fault you're in this mess, so I'm gonna get you out of it. Also I met your brother over here."
"I see." She chuckled again. Janja was glad to hear her laugh again. Her sweet bubbly life was like heaven to his ears. For once he didn't hate Jasiri, now he wanted to be with her forever. It had only been about a weak, but it felt like an eternity to Janja.
Jamal nervously laughed.
"Ok now mister bitey hyena. Y-y-you've made your p-point."
"You never touch a woman's body without their approval. And you never touch my sister without my approval."
Jamal bolted out of the cave. Wazimu gave chase, and Janja hugged Jasiri tightly. They heard what sounded like Wazimu snapping his teeth together, and Jamal getting slammed up against the wall. Jamal's screams filled the cave tunnels, and they just barely masked the sounds of tearing flesh. Jamal's blood curdling shrieks of pain mixed with the ripping of bone and fragile tissue. They both saw a pool of blood begin to start spilling into the cave where they sat holding each other. Finally the screaming had stopped with a loud snap of bone. Wazimu slowly walked back into the cave, covered in dark red metallic liquid.
"Don't celebrate now ladies, we're not out of this yet. We gotta get the heck out of here."
"Right." Jasiri said.
Both Janja and Jasiri followed Wazimu out, the other two henchmen escorting the crew. They tried not to look at the horrific sight that was Jamal's twisted and deformed body.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Camazotz peered out of his wings again to see Kiburi and Thimba walking up towards him.
"The hyenas escaped!"
"Jamal is also dead. They took him out." Kiburi added.
The Dark Lord's face turned to that of disgust and anger.
"I am surrounded by Incompetence! Go you idiots! Find them and stop the rescue team from escaping!"
The two rushed off to go find the trespassers.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The five hyenas rushed through the halls, trying to make their way up to the exit. They climbed up chasms and squeezed through narrow tunnels of red mountain rock.
"This way! The exit should be up here!" Waimu yelled to them.
They rounded the corner suddenly came face to face with the hulking blue rhino. Thimba, standing at the other end of a long hall way peered at them with his yellow eyes. His head bowed down and faced his long sharp horn at them.
"Not quite little man."
Thimba barreled down the hallway at top speed. His thick body and hulking muscles blocked any way of going around him. The hyenas quickly turned back around the corner and ran back down the pathway they came. Thimba smashed into the rock wall, hitting his head on it. He shook it off, and ran down the path after the escapees.
They ran and ran to escape Thimba's wrath, none of them stopping to look back in fear that he would be right there. They pumped their legs like their life depended on it, because it did. It seemed like there was no such thing as exhaustion for them, running through loops, twists, and turns. Finally, they rounded another corner and came into a larger room with pools of smoking lava in it. They caught a break to see if Thimba was still on their tails, but luckily they outran him.
Wazimu pulled out some sticks he had brought with him on his saddle.
"I brought us a couple of these. Hatari is here too, ol' stripes and I go way back. Used to be partners before he killed a clan of striped hyenas after I told him not too. He's afraid of fire, so take these and light em' up."
They each took their own branches in their jaws and held them close to the magma to catch them on fire.
"We're not gonna wait for the other two, there's no time. There's another way out that'll put us in the direction of the Pridelands. Once we get out there, we just need to make a mad dash there. Understood?"
Jasiri nodded her head in response.
Wazimu took his burning wood and they all went out.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
They climbed out of the pits of hades, flames still carried in their mouths. Each one of them stepped into the soft blue glow of the moonlight, finally emerging from the red pits and crimson glow of the underworld. They all remembered what Wazimu had told them, and started heading straight for the Pridelands.
One hyena henchman looked back to see Hatari glaring at them, seeing the crew leave into the bushes and thick trees. The hyena desperately shoved at Wazimu for attention. Wazimu looked back to see an orange blur dash off into the shrubbery.
He's out there. Hatari is out there all right. If they didn't stay vigilant, that mad tiger would pick them all off one by one like they were some kind of herd of buffalo. Wazimu quickly shoved everyone forward. Him and the other two hyenas formed a triangle around Janja and Jasiri, watching everything from all sides.
Creeping through the various shades of green had to be the hardest thing they all had ever done up until that point. The darkness was hiding a monster, a vicious monster somewhere. An evil creature with vile intent was waiting for them, stalking them, ready to snatch them up and chow down on their insides. The follower, the greeter, and the waiter. They could not see him, but he could most certainly see them. They all waved their torches around, trying to spot the crawling darkness in the act. They could not find anything though, and while normally that would be taken as a sign of safety, now it only meant he was there, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
[Song: youtu.be/TIORXomwCcE ]
Hatari's orange, black, and white head slowly descended back into the darkness and dived into the shadows. The tiger starred at everyone with his big golden eyes, and he spoke out to them, his voice echoed throughout the Jungle, still keeping his location hidden. A song was heard by the hyenas. An omen that sang about their inevitable demise.
"Pay attention dear friend.
You're far too high
To be jumping off the building and to die.
That exit draws you near,
But the smiles in the room say
We've come to play,
Run away."
They all crawled deeper into the jungle, following Wazimu as he lead the way.
"So be ready for your time.
Your heart beats faster as you're gone in the blink of an eye,
But you have no worry or fray,
'Cus the end of the day we feed on dismay, you're the prey."
Wazimu knew Hatari would have something like a song prepared, he always loved to toy with his prey.
"We are puppets, created by
Madness, Painting a canvas darker than life
(Follow, Greet, Wait, Repeat)
Look around, can you see the dismay.
We are creations, developing
Salvation, your own demise will cry.
(Follow, Greet, Wait, Repeat)
Take a moment to decide do you run or hide?
Your heart rate plummets tonight
Are you ready for the time of life!"
Hatari bolted out of the dense plants and snatched up one of the screaming henchmen. He carried the hyena back into the bushes as the shrieking faded.
"Walk down the corridor!
You shine your light through the lasting night!
You walk through this bloody floor!
We follow!
We greet!
We wait
And repeat!"
The remaining four hyenas began running through the trees and leaves snacking them in the faces.
"Now forward through this linear path!
Peer past the doors that hold your wrath!
How long can hope keep you on your seat!
We follow!
We greet!
We wait
And repeat!"
Hatari seemed like he was everywhere, his face appearing and vanishing into the shadows.
"Now I know we scare you an awful lot,
But you're broken torch,
It pisses me off!
So gamble your life with one last shot,
But we know of the price
You'll pay.
You're afraid,
You'll decay."
They all stopped, Wazimu calming them all down. Hatari wanted them to loose control of themselves.
"Look down through the fear inside.
You ask these questions.
Where am I?
Will I die?
Can I hide?
But you overlook one little thought.
You were caught for a reason you dispicable demonical scums."
He was talking about Janja now, they all knew it.
"You are a criminal encaved by sadness, your own life is doomed with fright.
(Follow, Greet, Wait, Repeat)
Can't you see you will bow to your knees for your forgiveness,
Dependant on defamation we choose your fate tonight.
(Follow, Greet, Wait, Repeat)
Take a moment to decide do you run or hide?"
The other henchman fell back, frozen in fear by this point.
"Your heart rate plummets tonight
Are you ready
For the time of life!"
He was soon snatched up by the orange and black blur as well.
"Walk down the corridor!
You shine your light through the lasting night!
You walk through this bloody floor!
We follow!
We greet!
We wait
And repeat!
Now forward through this linear path!
Peer past the doors that hold your wrath!
How long can hope keep you on your seat?
We follow!
We greet!
We wait
And repeat!"
They all turned to see that the last henchman was gone. They all immediately knew what had happened and continued making their way through the jungle.
"I am the follower run with me, and you will see what is coming thee.
I am the greeter, i'm out the door. Don't be shy or i'll kill you more.
I am the waiter. Look at me, turn away from me, bare bones you will be!
We're three of a kind really hope you don't mind
just understand
Your blood is mine!"
They heard his roaring and screeching. The screams of the fallen hyenas filled the Jungle as the three left began bolting through the Jungle once more, trying to make one last made dash to the Pridelands.
"Take a moment to decide do you run or hide
Your heart rate plummets tonight,
Are you ready
For the time of life!
Walk down the corridor!
You shine your light through the lasting night!
You walk through this bloody floor!
We follow!
We greet!
We wait
And repeat!
Now forward through this linear path!
Peer past the doors that hold your wrath!
How long can hope keep you on your seat?
We follow!
We greet!
We wait
And Repeat!"
The three had finally busted out of the underbrush and made it to a large field of grass. The savanna, the Pridelands! Hatari jumped out of the leaves, his massive teeth bared, as Wazimu smacked him across the face with his burning branch. The fur in the side of the tiger's face lit up in an orange blaze of glory and Hatari screeched in pain. He ran back off into the Jungle, the orange glow vanishing with him.
They all collapsed to the ground, finally being able to catch their breath.
Category:Sun Rise
Category:Jack Krueger
Category:Fanfiction
Category:Chapters