Well, it finally done. I've been meaning to get this in all week. Sorry, everyone. I've been busy the last two week, having my hands full. I promise I will get the chapters in weekly. To make up for not posting last week I made the chapter longer. ENJOY! :)

Chapter 4: Hunters and Prey

It's that time of the day again, the time of day where the need to take risks is greater than the need for continued preservation and safety, the time where someone is going to die and you had better hope it is not you, the time where the great Circle of Life takes hold again and urges you onward. It's the time where only the strong, the smart, and the lucky survive, where blood is spilled, and where someone gets what they need, the energy to ensure that they live another day. It's that time again. Time for the hunt.

Nala stood patiently, waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. She could see Pride Rock nearby, just a bit over to her right and in the distance, far enough away that it wasn't looming over her but not far enough away to be a small speck.

It was a calm day today. Nothing particularly unusual, no storm clouds, no fires, no swarming flocks of vultures in the air. As a matter of fact, there wasn't a single cloud in the expansive blue sky.

She saw her mother, Sarafina, as well as the former queen, Sarabi, sitting patiently, waiting as well. She saw her friend Tama, chatting with Kula and Shani. Tama was a young lioness, about Nala's age, that had a brown pelt, hazel eyes, and a strong, well-built body. She was Nala's second-best friend and had helped her get through the rough times of Scar's reign. The twins Kula and Shani, on the other hand, were slightly older than Nala.

Kula and Shani were very much alike, similar in strength, proportion, and size. They both had tan fur, muscular bodies, and smooth facial features. They both had the same voice, too, and sometimes, just for the fun of it, they would speak in unison just to tick someone off. The only way anyone could tell who was who was by looking closely at their eyes and their personalities. Kula has orange eyes and has a more positive, peaceful attitude. Shani, on the other hand, has crimson eyes and a slightly more aggressive personality compared to her sister. They were so alike in so many ways that the other lionesses got confused when the pride first met the twins. It took them months for everyone to tell the difference between the two.

As the rest of the lionesses arrived, Nala went through the procedure in her head one more time to make sure she didn't miss anything. She was preparing. Preparation was key in any hunt. From the first day of hunting onward Nala had been trained and drilled in the formations, patterns, and techniques the lionesses used in their hunt. They had different techniques for every type of animal, different formations for every type of geographic landscape, different patterns for every type of weather pattern. This made them ready for any situation they found themselves in.

After a few seconds of review, Nala was ready to announce the plan.

"Alright, are we all here? Good. Now here's the situation." The Pridelanders gathered around her, eager to know how they're going to approach their prey. "Our target is one of the three elder zebra located at the back of the herd, which should make them an easier target for us. Now, because the zebra herd is in the middle of the field, it will give us less cover to approach them. The wind is also relatively calm, which will make stealth even more vital. We will approach the zebra nice and slowly, making sure to not scare any of them off too early. We will also use a standard pincer formation this time. Spotty, Dotty, and Zira, you take the left side. Mom, take Kula, Shani, and Sarabi with you and sneak around on the right. Try to get as close to them as possible. Tama, Jasiri, and Uzuri, you will come with me and get at them from behind. We will move fast when the zebra are aware of our presence or if we are close enough, and only in those situations," she eyed Shani and Spotty. They were known for their eager nature, which had led to a few hunting problems, although that rarely happened anymore.

"Got it?" The lionesses nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's move."

The lionesses all got up and walked away, slowly disappeared into the grass.

10 Minutes Later…

Nala took it slow, one step at a time. Pressing her belly against the ground, she went a little at a time, sometimes not moving at all. She had gone so slow the advance had been reduced to a slow, very slow, crawl. Out of the corner of her eye she was barely able to make out Tama, Jasiri, and Uzuri. Though they were only a few feet away, they blended into the grass almost perfectly. The zebra were a good distance away, grazing the tall grass, unaware of their presence.

This was often the hardest part of hunting, the sneaking. It required steady focus, precision, and, most importantly, patience. Patience was the most important element in any surprise. It's the aspect that made the hunt possible. It helped control the suspense and prevented the surprise from being ruined.

So many things could go wrong if done incorrectly during a hunt. It could vary from as simple as losing the prey to as traumatizing as someone dying. Nala hoped it wouldn't be the latter today, but you never know.

They were now only a few meters away, perfect pouncing distance. But she needed to make sure everyone else was in position first. They moved closer, closer, closer…

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a twig snapped. The zebra bolted their heads up, scanning the grass, looking for the source of the noise. Deciding the time was right, Nala tensed her muscles and dashed out of her hiding spot, roaring as she did. Soon the others followed suit, revealing themselves and sprinting full force at the zebra. Tama was behind her and Jasiri was right next to her. Zira, Spotty, and Dotty charged along the left side and Sarafina, Sarabi, Kula, and Shani did the same on the right, keeping formation.

A split second later, the herd began to run, rushing in a panicked frenzy. Nala kept her eyes firmly fixated on the three older zebra. The lionesses managed to box in the three zebra, separating them from the rest of the herd. They kept on them, waiting for the right moment to move in for the kill.

And then she saw it. One of the zebra was lagging behind, a good 5 meters behind the rest. The others saw it as well and drove forward. Shani, being the hothead she was, made the first go at the zebra. She got close to it, jumped and…

Missed. Her jump was a bit too long and she went flying over the back of the striped animal. She went tumbling, rolling over and over again. But this only added resolve to the others. Soon Tama leaped into the air and landed on its back, only to be knocked off by the zebra's momentum.

Finally, Spotty jumped and landed on the zebra, this time grasping the animal's back. Under the weight of the lioness, the zebra slowed down, trying as hard as it could to run away, but failing. Soon Nala, Sarafina, and Zira all leapt at the hooved creature and sank their claws into its back. The zebra screeched in pain. Unable to bear the struggle, the African horse collapsed onto the hard, unforgiving ground.

The lionesses got off of the dying animal, staring at it in its death throes. Deciding it was enough, Nala moved up to the animal, extended her jaw, and, with crushing force, closed her mouth around the zebra's neck.

The zebra gasped at it breathed its last and, with one last stare, closed its eyes and exhaled. Death was the natural, yet painful, course of action Nala had to perform. All life experienced it in the end and, eventually, everyone had to witness it. It was not easy to experience it, much less perform it, but Nala got used to it after a while. She would have to.

She moved her mouth away from the dead animal's neck. Now it was time to eat. As part of tradition, the one who killed the prey chose the cut of meat they would eat first before everyone else, so Nala chose the first part of the carcass she would eat. She saw a foreleg that was already bitten into. It was still bleeding but the legs always had nutrition and muscle, so she chose it. She grabbed around where the leg was bitten into and tore a chunk off. She savored the flesh, the meat still warm in her mouth. She chewed a few times and swallowed.

She then turned back to Pride Rock. From out of the grass came the rest of the pride. She saw eight other lionesses and Simba approach. So, he finally made it, she smiled to herself.

"Go ahead and eat, girls," she told the others as she went to greet Simba. He was finished with his midday patrol and looked headstrong, just the way she liked. He was so handsome. The light gleamed off his fur as he approached her.

"Hey, Nala," he smiled to her. "Nice work. You did well, honey. Did you have any problems this time?"

She laughed at the question. "No, we did fine. Now stop worrying. Let's eat."

They turned and walked toward the others, now tearing into the dead animal.

She smiled as she saw her mate, his strong, muscular body, his flowing mane, his…

Something caught the corner of her eye. She turned her head and saw a black figure out in the distance. No. It couldn't be. It couldn't be, she thought. She turned her head and blinked.

The figure wasn't there anymore. Almost as if it wasn't really there.

Simba noticed her move her head. "Nala, are you alright?"

He turned his head towards where Nala was looking. "What are you looking at?"

The young queen turned back to face her mate. "Huh? What?" She realized he was talking to her. "Oh, nothing. Nothing."

"Well, quit looking at 'nothing.' Let's go eat."

"Alright," she said. She turned her head one last time. Nothing. There was nothing there.

Nice and long, just like I said. I felt that this chapter just needed to be longer.

How was the hunt? Did you like it? Was there really something there or was it just in Nala's head. READ & REVIEW.