Jedkin padded silently towards the Elephant Graveyard, snorting and bickering under his breath. His ebony nails scraped the soil softly as he trudged towards the edge, leaping over an idle tusk that blocked the entrance to the caverns. He trotted around until seeing a small opening, but big enough for him to get into. He only went halfway in, leaving his head in shadowed secrecy. He gazed around silently, trying to find the one thing he was looking for.
Moonlight and green shadows danced everywhere. At least 30 hyenas were scattered about, some lying on outcroppings that rose up the cavern's gorge and some lying on the ground sleeping. A few of them barked and grunted, attacking each other for a small scrap of zebra hide that lay behind them. The smell was putrid, seemingly burning Jedkin's nostrils as he grimaced. He slunk along the shadows in the corner, only one hyena scenting him. He coaxed it into the shadows by growling softly to peak the mutt's interest. As soon as it was in the darkness, he killed it and tossed it over to the side, hoping to distract the rest of them. But much to his surprise, and disgust, they raced over to actually eat one of their own. He grimaced and continued to trot forward, soon spotting what he'd been looking for….Jacobi's pups.
He lay in waiting for Leeana to rise from her place with them and trot off to see what all the commotion was. It was most likely because of the feeding frenzy they were having, but Jedkin didn't care. At this moment, all he cared about was those pups. He slunk over to the small, nest like structure silently and peered inside, eyes glittering. There were five of them in total, all snuggled up together. They looked nothing like their parents at all. They were just simple, tiny balls of gray fuzz. He'd previously wanted to kill them, but looking at them stumbling waywardly around made him decide to hold them hostage instead. But anymore than that, their helpless appearance did not soften his emotions any; he was too angry. Jedkin smiled as he gently picked one up, a little female, and smiled with malice as he trudged off. He slipped past the feeding frenzy and silently picked his way to the highest point in the cavern. It was on top of a large sliver of broken rock that rose jaggedly up about 63 feet above them all.
"Oh Jacobi!" he yelled in a wife-like manner. Jacobi looked around and then up, snarling as he spotted him. He went to climb to him, but froze in horror. "Ah ah ah," Jedkin said tauntingly, holding one of his pups by the scruff of it's neck over the edge of the rock, "I wouldn't do that Jakey-boy! It might end in consequences you definitely don't want!" Leeana began to cry, shaking helplessly. Every one of them was now looking upward, fretting for the small bundle. Jacobi backed up, Jedkin placing her back on the rock.
"Name your terms, Jedkin!" he yelled. Jedkin smiled evilly.
"That's better!" he said with a smile. "Your pack will help me take over Pride Rock, like previously known, and you will kill Nibanu…and my brother!" Leeana looked up.
"Your brother?!" she yelled, hot tears streaking down her face. "I thought you said he was taking over with you!" Jedkin snarled.
"All that's changed now! What I say goes without question, or little miss pup will meet a very unclean end!" Leeana gasped.
"No!" she wailed, "You can't do that!"
"Oh but I can!" he yelled triumphantly. "And that's the beauty of it! You will all work for me…work or both of them shall perish!" Jacobi snarled up at him.
"Get out of here you idiot!" he yelled angrily, teeth bared menacingly. "We'll do what you want, but just go!" Jedkin smiled down at him.
"I think not, Jacobi!" He snorted with another sinister smile. "I will be the one shouting out commands here, not you! We will attack at first light, when they are least suspecting it. We must first distract Navayu, the lioness, and then your men will take her by force. Next thing, we'll kill Nibanu. While you're at it, why don't you just slaughter my brother as well?" Leanna looked confused, but said nothing, her eyes never leaving from her tiny pup's figure. "Is that crystal?" He asked, all the hyenas nodding solemnly. He then smiled at them all. "Good…" He grabbed the two pups in his mouth and stalked towards their makeshift crib, but suddenly realized something. If he let them back, the hyena clan would rebel. But, if he kept them, they wouldn't touch him. His thoughts were cluttered to an untimely end by the chatter of various voices.
"But that Nibanu character," one of them shouted, "killed Shina and Damarius right?" Another gasped.
"That's right! What if he kills all of us, too?"
"SILENCE!" All the hyenas fell quiet as Jacobi snarled at them. "We are going to work for Jedkin, like it or not!" He ordered. "I will not let my pups die because of your fear!" Jedkin smiled warmly at him for a brief second. Jacobi had a heart, after all. But Jedkin soon just kept going, on towards his den. He then froze, and thought otherwise. Instead, he headed towards the sausage tree and, after setting the pups down, lit a small fire. He grabbed dry grass with his mouth and made another nest-like structure for them, setting them in it gently. He then, seeing that they were asleep, slunk off towards his den.
Kinau, The Lionesses, Nibanu, Navayu, and Damitra were outside the den, wrestling, chatting, and having a great time. Kinau was cuddled up with Navayu in a corner, both just smiling and flirting. Navayu smiled at her brother, who was doing the same with Damitra.
"Wow," she said softly, smiling at him. "I think he likes her." Kinau rolled his eyes.
"Durr!" He said jokingly, nuzzling her. She giggled.
"No, but it's a great thing! He's been a little mistrusting since Misha did what she did." Kinau looked at her.
"Speaking of which, you never told me who this 'Misha' was." He said to her. "You simply ignored my question." Navayu's warm expression turned colder than ice in a split second.
"It was Nibanu's old mate," she began, occasionally glancing over at him, "before we came here. She was part of a large pride, but decided to run away and join us. She was really nice, at first, but then she gradually became cranky, mean, and downright spiteful. We'd noticed she'd been slipping off lately, and I found her with another lion. I heard them talking, and found out that she'd been planning to use Nibanu for a while and, while he was busy, kill off the rest of her old pride for the other lion. He was the alpha of another pride, and was planning to keep her as his mate after killing the other pride for their land. She'd also already had cubs with the other lion, and was planning to kill me and Nibanu. I was furious! I ran to tell him, but he didn't believe me. He loved her so much, he was oblivious to her intentions. But I warned the other lions, and they put up a good fight. A few days later, she cornered him and tried to kill him. He told her that he loved her and didn't want to hurt her, and kept repeating this even after she'd beaten him bloody and had him half-dead. He simply refused to hurt her. She was above him, paw on his throat, when I found them. I was shifting, ready to pounce when I heard him talk. He tried to tell her again, and this time she laughed out loud. 'You idiot!', she screamed with malice, 'I never loved you! I used you for a distraction, that's all! You're simply an insignificant little cretin who got in my way!' Nibanu shook his head, crying and not believing her. That's when I pounced…" A tear rolled down her cheek from her flooded eyes. Kinau licked it off and nuzzled her affectionately, gripped by her story.
"So what happened?" he asked, quite interested. Navayu sniffled once, and looked up at him.
"I hit her in the side, and we went rolling. I didn't even let her get up. I simply mauled her, not looking down, or at the horrified expression on my brother's face. She screamed and roared, but I just kept ripping. I eventually ended up making her look like that zebra over there." Kinau looked at the zebra they'd killed earlier, and grimaced. The zebra itself had no entrails, and was mutilated to the point where it didn't even look like an animal…or anything that had ever lived, for that matter. "After she stopped wriggling, I pushed her off the edge of the cliff we were on, and then nosed her insides off after. I turned to look at Nibanu, but he stopped breathing. He said I was unlike anything he'd ever seen. He told me, later on, that I was covered in blood, and it was dripping off of me in rivers…he said he'd never seen me like that before." She wriggled out of Kinau's grasp and stepped over to a corner, looking out over the desolate savannah. Only a few creatures stirred as the sun became blocked by a multitude of dark gray clouds, the land under it blurry due to the falling rain. A small streak of lightening flashed across the sky, and she hung her head. "I'm such a brutal killer!" She began, starting to cry and whine. "I doubt you'd want to start a family anytime soon, due to my past. But I understand totally if you don't want to be with…"
"WHOA!" Kinau stopped her short, trotting to her side. "Your past means nothing to me! Well, it does, but I mean what you did wrong has no effect on my feelings. I love you, Navayu; that's all there is to it." She smiled at him as He snuggled up again to her, licking her once between the eyes. She sniffled and sighed, licking his cheek. She glanced over at Damitra and Nibanu, who seemed to like each other. She smiled; he was giving her the look he gave Misha.
Jedkin was hiding in the grasses, watching Kinau and Navayu with hateful eyes. How could his brother do such a thing?! His green eyes glittered as he took a step forward, crunching a small piece of dry grass. Kinau's ears perked up and he looked over at the brush, straight into his brother's eyes. He gasped quietly, and then looked around in a panic. He knew Jedkin would be angry, and he knew for sure there would be a fight. He soon froze and looked at the tip of his nose as a single raindrop hit it. Then another, and another, until it was pouring down rain. He sighed, relieved.
"Let's go inside, everyone," he said loudly, everyone nodding and trekking into the cave. Navayu looked up at him, and he smiled. "That means you too, love." She nodded and wandered to Nibanu's side, and both went in together. Kinau then turned to say something to his brother, but he was already in the air.
Jedkin landed hard against Kinau, knocking his bother back and watching him roll. Kinau stood up dizzily and shook off, Jedkin again lunging on him. He dug his claws into his brother's shoulder blades, pulling hard on the scruff of his neck. Kinau, gasping for air, roared and somersaulted, crushing his bother under his weight. Jedkin groaned, and Kinau cuffed him across the face. Jedkin roared in pain, cheek bloodied a bit, and leapt up, the two rolling again. He managed to tear a cut in the bridge of Kinau's nose, but that was the only damage done before they broke free of each other. They circled each other, both glaring and panting. Jedkin broke the silence.
"How could you betray me, brother?!" He demanded harshly. Kinau bared his teeth, especially sharp canines glistening.
"Betray you?!" he yelled, snarling a bit. "Navayu loves me, and I love her! There is nothing you can do to stop that!" Jedkin growled lowly.
"I already claimed her for my queen, Kinau!" he yelled back, matching his brother's tone and pitch almost perfect. "You knew that!" Kinau snorted.
"You claimed her like a piece of property, brother! She is one of us, not something you can buy!" Jedkin roared.
"That means nothing! I love her!"
"No! You love her beauty!" Jedkin glared at him.
"How could anything love such a wretched, disgraceful creature like you, anyway?! You're pitiful; A weakling!" Kinau smiled sinisterly at him.
"She loves me for me, brother. But you'll never know what it's like, now will you? That is, Considering you have to force all the females you have an eye for into loving such an idiot!" Jedkin snarled and leapt at him again, this time actually delivering a wound as he tore open his shoulder. Both fought with extreme viciousness and persistence, until both were too weak to go on. Kinau glared at him, limbs quivering, as he tried to stay standing. He was soaked in blood and rain, most coming from the gigantic gash in his shoulder. Jedkin was standing with some difficulty, babying his front left leg to which Kinau had delivered a cut quite like the one on his shoulder. Both were also covered in other small cuts, and were extremely sore. Jedkin, gathering all his strength, went to charge, but froze as Nibanu appeared beside Kinau. He too bared his teeth and snarled.
"Get out of here, you rat!" he roared, snapping at him. Jedkin glared at the two. He tried to resist by swiping at him, but Nibanu caught Jedkin's arm in his mouth and bit down. Jedkin howled in pain, but backed away a bit.
"This isn't over, Kinau!" he yelled sternly, turning to retreat into the grass. He slunk off, limping a bit, and the two watched until he was out of sight. Nibanu turned to Kinau and smiled.
"You alright?" he asked, smiling compassionately. Kinau smiled back.
"I…I guess so," he muttered. Nibanu trotted past him a bit.
"Let's go inside," he said softly, "And get you cleaned up." Kinau nodded and went to follow, but collapsed after his first step. Nibanu helped him up and gave him support until they were inside. All the lionesses were chatting happily when they got inside, Navayu breaking the mood.
"Oh my God! Kinau!" She rushed over to him, concerned. She began to lick his wounds, trying not to cry. "What happened?!" she demanded between licks. Damitra and the others were at his side within and instant. All of them were asking questions and Kinau again collapsed. Navayu snarled. "Give him some room!" she demanded fiercely, the rest of the lionesses backing away. She lay down next to him, nuzzling him and licking him affectionately. He smiled at her, using what little strength he had left.
"I'm fine…" he whispered between scattered breaths. "It's gonna be okay…" Navayu laid her head on his paws, crying, and he rested his head on hers . Tears stained her cheeks as they flooded from her eyes. Then, without notice, Kinau passed out.