The Lion King: A Quiet Agreement

The setting was pretty much as tranquil as they come. In the large open plains still untouched by man, only the sound gentle breeze and the occasional beetle even made an attempt to disrupt the silence, and with about as much success as a giraffe trying to disguise itself as a fish. The sky was awash with alternating steaks of red and honey that practically danced in the late afternoon light reflecting off the clouds, its soothing image being mirrored below by the slow and calm movements of the few creatures remaining outside at this time. One in fact wasn't even moving to begin with.

High above the shimmering golden grass that reflected the fading sunlight in a visual chorus for all to see, a lone, well-built male Lion sat comfortably atop the large structure he called home. His sleek golden-brown coat slightly ruffled in the small wind he received from his position right at the peak of the hard brown rock out-cropping that was renowned far and white along the great expanses beyond; it's very name instilled respect and awe in many, both for the majesty of the site itself, and for the wisdom and strength of its king whose rule was already far longer than the great crimson mane he sported.

Pride Rock.

It was late in the day now, that time of day where the almighty sun had fallen low enough in the sky that you could describe it as the evening, but still too early to be called sunset just yet. The shadows of even the smallest shrubs now extended like great grasping tendrils across the land to flow over whichever surfaces lay in their path without opposition. None of them even came close the sheer size and natural beauty of the formation that he and his pride called home, its own shadow casting almost as far as the eye could see. The lion king observed this with quiet admiration for the bounty he had been given in his land.

Even he, Mufasa the ruler of the pride lands, knew with stone-set certainty that he had very little real power over how rich his lands were. He could ensure that the creatures in his domain were never overhunted by his pride, were protected from unwanted predators that dared to intrude and were given shelter when they could find none; but he could not tell the rains to fall and expect a reply, or ask the grass to stop growing and witness it respond. This knowledge of his own limitations as well as his strengths was what had earned him his place as the leader of his family, and there wasn't a male he'd met since his ascension to power that he treated him with anything below the respect he deserved, such was the impact and reputation of this exceptional being. Well, with the one exception of his meek brother, Scar, but Scar had never treated anyone with respect in his lifetime, not even his mother.

One particular person that Scar found great pleasure in tormenting was now approaching him as it turned out, the lion catching a glimpse out of the corner of his eye and turning his head to appraise his soon-to-be guest. The distinctively blue, white and black feathers of the hornbill made the small bird easily distinguishable against the primarily yellow-ish backdrop in the near distance in front of the lion, and his bright orange beak did a good job of standing out against his feathers, but then again he had been chosen as he was clearly visible as well as patient. A few seconds later the flapping of his wings reached the lion's ears, a large warm smile growing on his muzzle as he watched his old friend gradually get closer and closer to him, until with a final fluttering of his wings and ruffle of his multi-coloured plumage he alighted on a free patch of stone just to the lion's right side.

"*Huff**Huff* Evening ....*Huff* Report sire.....no sign of Hyenas, Honey Badgers, Wolverines, or anything remotely threatening......*Huff**Huff*......apart from that stupid green bellied green viper that insists on trying to snap at my tail feathers every time I fly past. He knows he can't eat me if he wants to live so he can stop trying to be convincing; this majordodo is not a delivery meal."

"Good work Zazu", Mufasa replied in his deep rumbling tone while doing his best not to laugh at the little bird's misfortune. The avian had a habit of taking a rather 'superior' tone towards other animals if they disagreed with him, which mean that in some ways he earned a bit of ridicule now and then, "Any other problems that I should know about?"

"Not to my knowledge, all of the animals in the pride lands are either already turning in for the night or finding somewhere to sleep. All's quiet for a change, which suits me fine" said the blue bird.

"Thank you Zazu."

The small bird turned to fly away after having given his report, but then looked down at the rock he was perched on thoughtfully for a moment before looking back up at his king, re-folding his wings against his side as a gesture of courtesy.

"Erm, Sire, might I ask what it is that you asked me here for earlier today, usually you only want me to report to you in the mornings?" The small bird asked nervously. He wasn't exactly scared of Mufasa, as the two had known each other for years now, but he was still a little nervous of pushing subjects with him. Imagine trying to get a straight answer out of a guy who doesn't want to answer you, who's easily 20 times your size, has muscles bigger than your entire body and could easily have you as a side-dish in a flash if he wanted to, and you'll get the idea.

"Of course you can Zazu. My reason for bringing you here is quite simple. I wanted to give you a reward." The large lion answered with his warm smile staying firmly on his muzzle.

"Excuse me!" the blue bird exclaimed.

"You've been in my service for a long time now, and in that time you've never tried to escape your duties or find a way out of your work. You may have been let than quiet about it being hard sometimes, but you've always completed your work in the end. So here is my end of the bargain."

Mufasa paused here for a moment, bringing a hefty paw easily the size of a small armadillo up to his head and flicking off a dandelion bud that he decided to lodge itself in his ear while they had been talking, the minute plant fragment being scattered to the wind in an instant.

"You may have one wish, apart from becoming the next king, and no matter what it is I will personally see to it that it is fulfilled. As long as what you desire lies within the pride lands than you may have it."

Zazu's beak hung open in pure amazement at the scale of the reward he was being offered. Mufasa was a generous ruler by nature, but he'd never known him to give such a freedom to anyone else in his lands before now, not even to other pride rulers or even his mate Sarabi, and now that he had this freedom, what should he do with it?

He could use his wish to get Scar banished from the pride lands; that would be very satisfying to see that withered, conniving excuse for a lion thrown out of his life for good. The sour brained feline could hurl insults at him from miles away, and all the little bird would have to do is ignore them. Maybe use it to get the best nesting ground in the lands; the hornbill had been eyeing up a very nice looking fruit tree for some time now, but it was currently home to a troop of budgies who were incredibly noisy, but there was no doubt they would leave if a lioness or two chased them off. With the best nesting grounds his status would increase tenfold amongst the other birds, which would finally put him in his place as a respectable flyer.

How about an early retirement; he could spend the rest of his days sitting about and making conversation to the king and the other lions at pride rock without having to ever put himself in front of a Hyena's jaws again when he went out on patrol, and would get to watch the great events happening instead of having to help organise them all the time. It was really tough having to make sure that the scouts were organized around the borders, the bees pollinated the plants and the lionesses knew where to hunt for the best food.

"I know it's a lot to think over in just a few minutes," Mufasa said, bringing Zazu out of his thoughts for a moment, "Come back to me after two sunsets with your answer."

The small multi-colored bird nodded once in acceptance of his reward before beating his wings and taking to the air once again, heading away in a different direction to the one he came from. His head still buzzing with all the possibilities of what he could ask for, and what he actually wanted to ask for; this was a once in a lifetime offer, and if he wasted it then he'd never get it back.

In his wake, Mufasa got to his feet and made his way back down from the peak at a relaxed pace to join the rest of his pride inside pride rock itself. Just as reached the entrance he wondered briefly if he had thrown Zazu in too deep with his offer, but decided to wait for his friend's answer before he made up his mind. After all, what could a small bird need that would put himself at a disadvantage?

Mufasa has just promised Zazu anything his heart desires! What will Zazu ask for? Will he have Scar banished never to be seen nor heard from again!? Will he get the nesting spot he really wants? What will ask for from Mufasa whom can get him anything he wants?? To find out tune in in a few days when the next chapter will be uploaded :)