The hunting trial began smoothly enough.
"Hunting at night is an important skill for all young lions to learn," Nala had said. "Although it provides much more stealth than daylight, hunting in the dark comes with its own unique challenges. So tonight, you will learn to overcome these challenges and make the night your own."
They had been given their task; to track down and capture specific herbivores that had each been marked by the Queen and sent off to hide across the Pridelands. And without much further ado, the three cubs walked away from the towering Priderock and into the moonlit savanna.
Zuri yawned loudly. "I'm so sleepy," she mumbled. "Did we really have to do this in the middle of night?"
"Well," began Kiara, stifling her own yawn, "it wouldn't be very effective night training if we did it during the day. It's not like we have much choice."
Tiifu padded along behind her companions, peering into the long grass around them nervously. "The other lions are watching us, right?" she asked. "If not, this'd be really dangerous. Like, just going off hunting all by ourselves in the middle of the night?"
"Don't worry, we should be pretty safe in the Pridelands," Kiara reassured her friend. "Besides, the Lion Guard is standing by in case anything goes wrong. Not that they're much happier at being woken up than we were..."
The other cub still looked unconvinced. "But how would they be able to find us in the dark? I mean, if something attacked us..."
"Aw, are you afraid Tiifu?" Zuri teased, brushing her tail against her friends' fur.
Tiifu blushed. "No I'm not," she grumbled.
"Oh I bet you are! I bet you're scared that some big ugly hyena is going to jump out and eat you up, fur and all."
"I'm not scared of some dumb old hyena," Tiifu insisted.
"Oh reeeeeeally?"
"Hey you two, do you think maybe we could focus on the tracking please?" Kiara tried to cut in, to no avail.
Zuri was now prancing around Tiifu playfully. "You may say you're not scared of hyenas," she whispered cheekily, "but you were always plenty scared of the spooky stories my mom used to tell us. Remember? The ones with the monsters?"
Tiifu's fur bristled and her eyes widened. "Oh no, please don't bring up those stories now, I'm begging you!"
"What, you mean the stories with the big, fanged beast that prowled through the long grass at night, sniffing the air for any poor stray cub that it could grab, and rip, and-"
"I said DON'T!" Tiifu shrieked. Her scream echoed across the silent night, frightening a flock of birds out of their tree and sending small animals running. For a moment, all three cubs were stunned into silence. Then Kiara sighed.
"I think we'd do a better job being stealthy if we split up," she said.
"Split up?" repeated Zuri.
"Oh no WAY am I going off on my own now," yowled Tiifu, clearly still shaken.
"Well you two can stay together, if you want," said Kiara. "For now though, I think I'm better off hunting alone. Besides, the trail splits here, and we'll cover more ground much quicker if we separate. It just makes sense, really."
The other two cubs exchanged a searching look. "Alright, if you say so Kiara," said Zuri after a while. "Just stay safe out there, okay?"
"Will do," said Kiara with a smile, and she turned to follow one of the scent trails away. Zuri nodded, then abruptly took off at full speed in a different direction.
"Come on Tiifu, the sooner we finish this task, the sooner we can get back to bed!"
For a moment, Tiifu sat where she was, glancing from one of her quickly disappearing companions to the other. When it started to sink in how alone she was however, she was up and running as fast as her paws could carry her.
"Zuri, wait for meeeee!"
...
The aardvark Kiara was tracking had put in some real work trying not to be found. Its trail zigzagged across the Pridelands, frequently doubling back on itself and running through water to try and hide itself. The princess nearly lost the scent a couple of times, but she always found it again without too much fuss. She made a mental note to praise the aardvark on its stealth after she took it back to Priderock.
Eventually Kiara crested a small rise and paused to catch her breath. The full moon floating in the sky cast a weak light over the land, and ahead of her she could see the rocks of the Outlands, looming menacing against the stars. Her pursuit had led her right to the edge of the Pridelands, far away from the safety of Priderock, and for the first time that night she felt a little nervous. Don't be a scaredy cat, she scolded herself.
She started to move once more, shaking off her trepidation. She was getting close now, she could tell from how much fresher the aardvark's scent was. Soon Kiara would close the distance and complete the challenge. But it wasn't long before she started to pick up another scent.
Blood.
The princess stopped in her tracks, suddenly very unsure of what to do. On one hand, the smell of fresh blood could have just been caused by an owl or some other nocturnal bird making a kill. But on the other hand, it could mean real danger. She was close to the Outlands, Kiara reminded herself. What if she was about to walk into an Outlander's trap?
She paced back and forth for a few minutes before she came to a decision. She began to move again, but this time much slower and more stealthily. She figured she should at least try to see what the cause of the scent was before calling for help. After all, it was probably nothing. Animals were killed on the Pridelands all the time, such was the circle of life. Still, as she crawled through the grass towards the scent, Kiara hoped that the Lion Guard wasn't too far away.
It wasn't long before the scent of blood became overpowering, and soon thereafter the cause of the scent became apparent. There wasn't much left of the aardvark. Kiara could only identify it as the same one by a few bloody scraps of fur that were coated in the special clay that Nala had used to mark their targets. Other than that, the remains were unrecognisable, barely more than a red smear in the grass.
Kiara didn't know what to make of it. At first she wondered if Tiifu or Zuri had gotten here before her, and somehow forgotten that they were supposed to be capturing their prey instead of killing it. But no, she didn't think that either of her friends would have made that mistake. Besides, this messy kill site didn't look like the work of any lion. And as she paced gingerly around the area, she picked up a recognisable scent.
Hyena!
Kiara's fur bristled. Of course the outlanders would pick tonight of all nights for one of their raids. Still, something about this whole thing didn't add up. The hyena scent didn't belong to Janja, or any of the hyenas she'd encountered before. And then there was the body... it had been completely devoured, bones included. There was something very unnatural about that, something that made Kiara's skin crawl with unease.
Suddenly, a noise! Kiara instinctively flattened herself into the grass, heart racing. She could hear something moving just ahead of her, towards the Outlands. With extreme caution, she crawled a little closer. Just a little ways across the field, she could make out a dark shape moving. The hyena, or one of them anyway, was still here. To her relief, it seemed like it hadn't seen her yet, so she had an opportunity to escape unseen.
Or to launch a surprise attack, said a little voice in her head. Kiara tried to shake away that reckless thought instantly, but it kept niggling at her mind. True, she was only a cub, but she'd seen Kion take on hyenas in single combat before. And this hyena was trespassing, and stealing food. Surely she, as future queen, shouldn't stand for such a thing?
The cub's tail twitched rapidly as she weighed up her options. She scanned the sky behind her, but all she could see was blackness, dotted with stars. If Ono was keeping watch up there, she wouldn't see him unless he flew flush against the moon. Still though, she had a hunch that the Lion Guard was close by. If she could get a signal out to them somehow, then she could at least have some backup. She glanced back towards the dark shape of the hyena, which was slowly shuffling back towards the Outlands. If she was going to do something, she would have do it now, before it got too far away.
Kiara gulped. It's just one hyena, she reminded herself, then she started to crawl towards her target. Just one hyena. Hyenas are cowards. All I have to do is frighten it, and it'll probably run away. Probably. If worst comes to worst, I can always run away. I can outrun a hyena.
All these affirmations raced through her mind as she crawled towards the hyena. She was now close enough to make out the hyenas spotted hide. She could smell much better too, and the smell was... strange. Mostly like an ordinary hyena, but different. And yet, strangely familiar. Kiara felt like it almost reminded her of another scent, something she'd smelled before, but she couldn't quite place it. All that she knew was that the closer she got to this creature, the more she was filled with fear.
This is a bad idea, she realised suddenly. Whatever she'd thought a moment ago, she now felt much less prepared to take on this other predator in the middle of the night, so very far from home. Slowly as she had come, the princess began to back away, keeping her eyes fixed on the hyena as she went. One step. Two steps. Three...
Crack! A twig beneath her paw snapped. The hyena's ears pricked up. There was no time to think, so Kiara took a deep breath and leaped.
As she pounced, she let out the loudest roar she could muster. It was more of a yowl really, but as she collided with hyena fur she hoped and begged that it had been enough to draw the attention of the Guard. There was no time to dwell on it though, as she sank her claws in her foe's back, she felt it buck beneath her. A yelp of pain and surprise split the air, and suddenly Kiara lost her grip and was thrown off with enormous force. She landed on her feet and quickly turned to face her opponent. What she saw next almost made her wish she hadn't.
The first thing she noticed was that this hyena was big. Bigger than it had seemed at a distance, bigger than Janja, bigger than any hyena she'd seen before. And as it turned to face her, Kiara felt dread welling up inside. The hyena's muzzle was twisted into a grim snarl, showing off huge fangs of unnatural size. A pair of cold, piercing blue eye's locked with Kiara's, fixing her in place with fear. And then, when things seemed like they couldn't get any worse, it stood up.
It stood up out of the long grass, onto its hind legs, and suddenly seemed even bigger, impossibly huge. It loomed over Kiara, blotting out the moon, the long claws on its from paws glinting in the starlight. A low growl rumbles from its throat, before it threw back its head at let out guttural roar, a nightmarish sound that seemed to shake the very ground beneath them.
Kiara wanted to run. Every fibre of her being was telling her to run. But she knew that to turn her back on her foe when it was this close would leave her vulnerable. And despite her fear, part of her felt strangely calm. If this was going to come down to a life or death struggle, then so be it. So, taking a deep breath, she met her foe's piercing blue gaze with own.
"You don't scare me," she yelled, bluffing as hard and as fast as she could. "I am the future queen of the Pridelands. Whatever you are, you don't belong here. So turn around and leave now, or face the consequences!"
The beast lunged. A massive clawed paw swung towards her, but Kiara was ready and dodged to the side. She leaped low, aiming for the hyena's hind legs. It roared as she sunk her teeth into its calf, and violently kicked her away. But this moves caused it to teeter off balanced for a moment, and that was all the time Kiara needed. She took off at full speed as another clawed hand swung at her. She felt it graze he back but she didn't stop, she kept running at full speed, making for Priderock as fast as she could.
Heavy paws pounded the earth behind her, getting closer by the second. With dread, Kiara realised that she wasn't going to make it. She wasn't going to outrun this thing. In one last desperate move, she threw herself to the side, trying to confuse her pursuer with a sudden change of direction. Instead, she found herself leaping right into a clawed paw.
She was grabbed and thrown to the ground, and she felt the wind getting knocked out of her lungs. Momentarily stunned, she tried to scramble back to her feet. But then a dark shadow fell over her, and she looked up to see rows of sharp white teeth lunging for her. She cried out as the hyena sunk its fangs into the scruff of her neck, and she felt intense pain as the teeth pierced her skin, drawing blood.
"Help!" she yelled desperately as she was lifted off the ground. She tried to claw her attacker, tried to break free, tried to do anything at all. But she was completely powerless. With an awful growl, the hyena began to shake the young cub, and Kiara lost track of all time and space as she was thrown around. Everything was a whirling blur, she felt like her brain was going to explode. Then she slammed against something hard, and everything faded to black.
...
"Kiara? Kiara! Wake up!"
"Is she breathing? Oh no, that's a lot of blood..."
"What happened to her?"
"She's breathing! Somebody go get Rafiki!"
"C'mon Kiara, hang it there, it'll be okay!"
"Bunga, help me lift her! We need to get her back to Priderock."
"Who did this to her? Do you think it was Janja?"
"I don't know, but if it was he's going to pay, big time!"
"Oh Kiara, please be okay..."
...
When Kiara finally opened her eyes, she could only make out fuzzy grey shapes at first. She blinked in confusion, and tried to stand up, but for some reason it felt harder than usual. Then she was hit with a wave of pain and she sunk back to the floor with a gasp. Her head and legs were aching, and the back of her neck felt sore and strangely tingly. She tried to wrack her foggy brain for an explanation for her situation, but came up with nothing but a bad headache.
In no hurry to try standing up again, Kiara lay back and tried to get a grip on her surroundings. Slowly, her vision cleared, and the fuzzy greyness became the familiar stone walls of the inside of Priderock. She realised that she was lying on a soft bed of grass, which was strange, as the lions usually just slept on the cool stone floor. The sound of gentle breathing came to her attention, and she turned her head to see her mother lying behind her, asleep.
"Mom?" she whispered, causing her Nala to stir. The lioness' blue eyes shot open, and her face shifted into a weary smile of relief.
"Oh Kiara, you're awake!" she said, leaning forward to give her daughter a gentle lick on the head. "Thank goodness, I was so worried... How are you feeling?"
"Um, not great," mumbled Kiara. "My head really hurts, but mostly I just feel kind of confused. What... what happened?"
Nala tilted her head, clearly concerned. "Sweetie, don't you remember? You were attacked... by a hyena."
Frowning, Kiara wracked her brain again. She remembered waking up way past sun down for the hunting test. She remembered Tiifu and Zuri bickering, then she remembered splitting off from them to follow her own trail. And then...
Blood. The scent of hyena. Full moon, beaming down on a hulking, furry shape. Blue eyes, huge claws raking at her. A guttural howl, fangs sinking into her skin...
The cub gasped, and her fur stood on end as the memories flooded back to her. Slowly, gingerly, she reached up a paw to touch the back of her neck. What she felt there wasn't a wound, but some kind of goopy substance, held in place by a few broad leaves.
"Ah ah ah ah! No touching!" Into the cave came Rafiki, who was carrying a few gourds. "You just let Rafiki's medicine do its work now, okay?"
The mandrill laughed and laid the gourd at Kiara's feet. It was full to the brim with fresh water, and was suddenly aware of how dry her mouth was. Forgetting her pain momentarily, she struggled to a sitting position and eagerly shoved her muzzle into the cool liquid.
"Kiara!" The princess looked up to see Kion rushing towards her. He was panting, as if he had just run a long distance, but that didn't deter the big smile on his muzzle. Upon reach her, the young lion nuzzled his sister warmly, getting a big glob of medicine stuck to his ear as he did. "You okay, sis?" he asked.
"I'm okay," she said wearily, nuzzling him back. Her brother's eyes were tired and brimming with concern, and for a moment his gaze lingered on the bandaged wound on her neck. He didn't comment on it though, choosing instead to get right down to business.
"The Guard's been patrolling the border since before dawn," he informed her. "So far there's been no more signs of any intruders, but everyone is on high alert. All herds grazing near the Outlands have been moved until further notice."
Kiara nodded. All standard Guard procedure for the aftermath of an outsider attack. Kion had done a good job. But there was still something she needed to know.
"Kion," she began, "what… happened? When you found me, I mean. Did… did you see it? The… thing that attacked me?"
Kion's tail twitched. "No…" he said slowly. "We didn't see whoever attacked you. Not long after we heard you scream, the moon was covered by a cloud. It took us a while to find you in the dark, and by then…" The young cub sighed, then met his sister's gaze. "You were in a bad way Kiara. We thought… well, we knew we had to get you to Rafiki quickly. After that, Fuli followed the hyena's trail, but she lost it by the river. I should've sent her out sooner, then maybe we could have caught them, but I… I wasn't thinking." He hung his head.
"It's not your fault Kion," Nala reassured her son, leaning over to give his head a gentle lick. "You put your sister's wellbeing first, and that was the best decision you could have made in that situation."
"Yeah," agreed Kiara. "Don't beat yourself up over it. It was probably long gone by the time you found me anyway." And if she had caught up to it, Fuli wouldn't have stood a chance. She didn't say that last part aloud, though the thought sent a chill through her bones.
Kion seemed reassured though. He gave a small smile, then turned to look at his sister again, a new intensity to his gaze. "Kiara," he said seriously. "We couldn't identify the hyena by smell. I know this might be hard for you, but… do you remember anything, anything at all, about your attacker? Was… was it Janja?"
Kiara's heart started to drum faster in her chest. "No," she answered quickly. It hadn't been Janja, that much was certain.
"Then… was it Cheezi or Chungu?" pressed Kion. "Or-"
"No, it wasn't anyone from Janja's clan. It was…" The events of the night flashed in her mind once again, and her paws began to tremble. Kion sat there, ears pricked, waiting for her response. She could have told him right then, should have told him. But the words stuck in her throat. The Guard hadn't seen it. There was no way they'd believe her. She wasn't sure if she believed it herself.
Kiara shook her head to clear it, regretting the movement as pain shot through her neck again. "It was someone else," she said finally. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember any more details. It just… happened so fast."
"That's okay sis," said Kion, but Kiara had known him long enough to spot when he was hiding his disappointment. Across the room, Rafiki looked up from the new herbal salve he was mixing. For a moment it looked as if he was about to say something, but he just peered at the three lions, expression unreadable. Then he turned back to his work, muttering to himself. Neither Kion nor Nala noticed, and Kiara was too tired to worry about whatever had bothered the old ape.
"In any case," continued Kion, "we still need to be prepared in case there's another attack. I should get back to patrolling."
"Oh no you don't," said Nala firmly. "You've been up all night and you look exhausted, and I bet the rest of the Guard is too. I'll send some lionesses to take over the border patrol. In the meantime, you can go tell your father that Kiara's okay, but after that I want you to go straight to bed."
Kion protested, but his mother was insistent. After he left to go find Simba, everything was quiet in the cave once more. Rafiki came over with his new mixture, and began to reapply it to the bite wound. Kiara winced as this treatment caused her neck to ache again, but once it was done she found the pain had eased significantly, and she began to drift off once more. But even as sleep took over, the thought of what she hadn't told Kion lingered in her mind. The Guard were searching the Pridelands for a hyena, but Kiara knew they wouldn't find what they were looking for. After all, it wasn't a hyena that attacked her.
It was a monster.
...
Thanks for reading! This story started out as a silly little thing to help me get back in the practice of writing, but it ended up getting bigger than I was expecting. Ain't that just the way it goes though? Anyway, please leave a review if you made it this far. I don't know when the next chapter will be finished, but I do have plans to continue it. Eagle-eyed readers may be able to guess where this story is going already, if so you can give yourself a pat on the back whenever the next part come out. Either way, I hope you enjoyed this story, and whatever comes next! :3