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The wind was knocked out of Zala from the impact of the current. She was disoriented at first but quickly recovered, remembering what she needed to do. Using her totem, she summoned a great white shark. T'Challa was bleeding, so a shark would help her locate and get to him faster. Instantly, she could smell him, not far away. Zala began swimming, moving faster than the current. She could tell she was getting closer, the smell of blood getting stronger.
T'Challa was motivating her to move faster. She just kept seeing the image of his bloody, battered body. She needed to get to him. He could still be alive and every second she wasted, he was nearing death. Yards in front of her, Zala could see T'Challa's lifeless body, floating and being knocked around by the waves. She increased her speed and grabbed onto him, wrapping her arm around his bare chest. The two were pushed into a calmer body of water with less of a current. Zala recognized it to be the River of Grace and Wisdom. And if they stayed in the water, they would arrive in Twisted Visions Lake and then Piranha Cove.
And Zala did not like Piranha's so as soon as she saw flat land, she took advantage of it. She dragged T'Challa out of the river and collapsed in the snow. They were in Jabari Territory. It wouldn't take them long to find the fallen King and Princess. They're always watching. Zala looked at her King. His wounds stopped bleeding, but she couldn't tell if he was breathing or not. She placed her head on his freezing chest and almost cried when she heard his heart beat. After minutes of CPR, he still had not woken up. He was in a coma. They only thing that could save him was the heart-shaped herb.
Zala wasn't surprised when she heard the signature bark of the Jabari. It was about damn time. She expected them to come faster. One by one they appeared on the hill before her. Zala stood next to T'Challa protectively. Finally, M'Baku came. "What are you doing so far from the Kingdom, Vixen? Don't you have a wedding to prepare for? Or did you finally grow tired of cat-boy?" He joked. "I need your help, M'Baku, please. An outsider has won the mantle of King. He threw T'Challa in the Falls and-" He cut her off. "This story is very boring, cut to the point" He crossed his arms.
It took everything in her not to roll her eyes, but she really needed his help. "He's dying and I need your help to save him" Zala said. "And why should I help you?" He asks. "Because T'Challa spared your life. He didn't have to, but he did. We weren't always enemies, M'Baku. We were kids once. And we never treated you differently, because we're not that different" Once again, Zala presses her totem. This time she summoned a gorilla, knowing it would appeal to him.
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One of the reasons the Jabari Tribe was cast out was because they worshipped the gorilla god, Ghekre. M'Baku, amazed by her power, uncrossed his arms and turned. "Grab him" He said and snapped his head at one of his men, "And give her your cloak". Within seconds, they were carrying T'Challa back to their Kingdom and Zala's soaking wet body was covered in a large, warm fur. M'Baku didn't speak much when they arrived. They placed T'Challa on a pallet of snow. And then they played the waiting game.
It was two or three hours before Nakia, Shuri, Ramonda, and Agent Ross arrived. Zala had forgot about Ross - so many things had happened in the past few hours. All four were wrapped in Wakandan blankets. Ramonda had her long, white-gray dread locs exposed. They all gasped when they saw T'Challa's near frozen body and Zala living and breathing. "Impossible" Nakia said, kneeling beside the woman. Ramonda did the same in the opposite side, touching her son's forehead. "Is he breathing?" Nakia asked. "Yes, he's in a coma, clinging to life. We found him and Zala by the river" M'Baku answered.
"Why do you have him in the snow?" Shuri asked. "Because it's the only thing keeping him from joining the ancestors" Zala spoke. "We need to get him to my lab, I can heal him there" Shuri said. "Take him, he'll be dead in seconds" M'Baku said. "Nakia, the herb?" Ramonda put her hand out. Nakia opened her satchel and pulled out the purple herb. The Queen grounded it into liquid before speaking, "I call upon the ancestors. I call upon Bast. I'm here with my son, T'Challa. Heal him". She then lured the liquid into his mouth. "We must burry him, quickly" All four women pushed the soft snow over T'Challa's body, completely covering him.
"Praise the Ancestors" Each said. "Wake up, T'Challa" Zala whispered. While waiting for him to come back from the ancestral plane, Zala found herself praying again. This is not how their story ended. Her mother told her she would be happy. They would have as many descendants as the stars. This could not be the end. They would not let evil win. This was the moment that Zala hoped T'Challa listened to what she said early. He could not let his father's mistakes define him. He was going to be a better man.
And then T'Challa sat up, instantly supported by his mother and fiancé. He wrapped his arm around Zala's head, pulling her close. She had never craved his touch so much. She looked to M'Baku who nodded at her. Zala could never express how thankful she was. "Do you have a blanket?" T'Challa laughed. His princess snatched off the cloak she was wearing and gave it to him as Shuri covered him in her blanket.
Before they knew it, the sun rose. T'Challa was warmed up and back to his old self. Zala was happy to have her King back. He asked her how he wound up in Jabari territory and she told him. He couldn't believe she dove in the water after him. She could have died, but she did it to save him. The definition of "Ride or Die". T'Challa sat, covered in brown cloths as he listened to Nakia speak.
"Killmonger burned the garden of the heart-shaped herb" She said. "Of course he did. That's what he was trained to do. His unit use to work with the CIA to destabilize foreign countries. They would always strike a transition of power, like an election. You were the death of a monarch. He's got control of government, the military" Ross said explained. "How are our sources?" T'Challa asked, "The Great Mound?". "All vibranium, all of my designs" Shuri said. "He will send our weapons all over the world. You must get them out of Wakanda safely" T'Challa said to Nakia, referencing his fiancé and family. "What?"Ramonda and Zala exclaimed.
"What about you?" Shuri asked. "The challenge will have to continue" T'Challa spoke. Queen Mother stood, "T'Challa, we will not leave Wakanda". "It is my duty to keep you safe" He replied. "If he gets control of our technology, nowhere would be safe" Shuri then pulled out the Panther necklace that she took from her lab before they left. She placed it around her brother's neck and pulled the cloth around it, "The Black Panther lives. And when he fights for the fate of Wakanda, I will be right there beside him".
"As will I" Zala grabbed his hand. It felt good to feel the warmth of his skin. "And I" Nakia stepped up. "I'm in too" Ross said as they all looked at him, "What? You're going to need all the help you can get". M'Baku interrupted the moment by yawning loudly. "Are you done? Are you - Are your done?" He asked. "Could you give me and M'Baku a moment?" T'Challa asked. The five were led outside by the Jabari. Zala knew her King was asking for the gorilla man's assistance in war. An army would definitely help their advantages. Zala also knew M'Baku would say no. But deep inside, under all that suede and fur, he was a softy so he'd probably come around. And when he would, it wouldn't be for T'Challa. It would be for Wakanda and the girl he now believed was a reincarnation of his god. And now, Zala Azikiwe had an army.
