The Queens of Priderock

"I guess this calls for some sort of congratulation..."

"Please ma'am, don't bother. I'm merely following orders."

Shenya frowned, then looked at the Pridrock which was still only partially visible in the dark. She turned back to Shetani.

"Still... it is amazing, you getting us here whilst leaving 'them' clueless. The whole clan in the shadow of Priderock without getting spotted, who would have ever dared hope for that..." Shenya contemplated as she looked at the clan, scattered and ducked into cover behind her, "And all that in under three sunrises time, amazing... that reminds me, we got to get everyone ready before the sun comes up."

"About that..." Shetani kindly interrupted.

"What?"

"I'd like to alter battle plans a little, if I may?"

"Isn't it a bit late for that now? Besides, why would you want to do that, you came up with our battle plan..." Shenya noted.

"Indeed I did, but returning here made me aware of a small flaw in our plans. You do of course remember the layout of the Rock?"

Duh. One ramp to the central plaza, and on that a few ways up to the caves in front of the rock itself, which overshadowed the plaza. That meant no way in or out of the Priderock-complex, except for the ramp.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well... Remember how I said there was only one way in or out?"

"Yeah, I remember… it's a deathtrap… that's why so few of our predecessors made it out, six years ago, at the Battle of Priderock (or should I say massacre of Priderock?). Get to the point already," Shenya grumbled a bit annoyed. Where was she getting at?

"You see, ma'am, that wasn't entirely true. There is one other way out, a small passage directly connected to the caves, very narrow, but it is a passage in its own right still. I had hardly taken notice when I first got to the Rock, all those months ago, but coming back here I suddenly remembered."

"Ow Spirits... couldn't you tell me sooner?"

Shetani just stared at the ground. Yes, she could have. But she had forgotten. She felt disgraced; such mistakes were intolerable for the leader of the most elite unit in the clan, and they endangered the whole operation. Shenya, however, wasn't the least bit angry, as she considered Shetani's performance up to now had been more than exemplary already. It would be rather unfair to demand utter perfection, Shetani too was only hyena after all.

"Well, seeing as you got us this far already it'd be quite unfair to blame you for this... but what do you suggest we do then, we cut the clan in half, or what?"

"No, out of the question!" she quickly replied with vigor, "That'd be a waste of lives. We need a force strong enough to block that small exit I talked about, but small enough to leave the main force's fighting power intact."

"Oh, piece of cake! You go," Shenya suggested.

"Me?"

"Duh, small in numbers but out in force; sounds like the perfect job for the Graymanes."

"I don't know..." Shetani hesitated, "What if we encounter something unexpected?"

"I'm sure you'll be fit to handle any given situation better than the rest of the clan combined. The most important skill to handle situations like this is knowing how to improvise; making the best and taking advantage of any given situation. I can't think of anyone to fit that profile better than you," Shenya reassured her, "Just go out there and do whatever it takes to win, we're not out on a social call."

"That's an order?"

"No, more like a guideline… Of course it's an order! Get you're squad ready and just head for that back-entrance. And do whatever it takes to win this," Shenya replied, "And hurry up, will ya? If you would have wanted to reach the rock simultaneous with the rest of the clan, you ought to have left minutes ago..."

"Ma'am!" Shetani saluted, "We'll infiltrate the caves at daybreak, you can count on us."

"What are you still talking to me for? Get at it already!"

Shetani took of, as ordered. Shenya tried following her with her eyes, but even with night-vision she hardly saw more than a creeping shadow. It was actually amazing how Shetani managed to always keep her cool and professionalism, as Shenya for example was already beginning to feel very twitchy. And given the present situation, you couldn't really deem that unusual, seeing as how she was only minutes away from storming the Priderock.
She could hardly believe it herself, actually sitting in it's shadows, only at a five minute's walk from the pride. It sure gave a rush, and made her anxious too. Strange, come to think of it, feeling anxious to put your life on the line. But it just didn't feel like they were up to something dangerous, no, it had a rather exciting feel to it, she was actually longing for it.
And why should they not be longing, weren't they out to finally undo all wrongs ever inflicted on them, should they not be anxious to see justice done? Or at least, that's what every one had come to believe over time, including Shenya. Whether there lay any truth in those beliefs... no-one ever bothered to think about that, really. But that's what made them beliefs, the fact no-one was actually willing to try and falsify them. They sounded to good for that, too convenient to be double-checked. A whole bunch of convenient truths.
But that, of course, never crossed Shenya's mind, not now anyway. After giving the Priderock one last glance, she headed for the rest of the clan, for it was time to prepare the attack. Meanwhile, the Graymanes had already left for the back-entrance to Priderock; hideously efficient as ever: no-one recalled seeing or hearing them break away from the clan.

"You're nervous?"

"Like, what do you expect? 'Course I'm nervous... Now hush, pay attention..." Kim whispered as she turned back to Shenya, who was giving one last explanation before the final push.

"... and that's all there is to it, all right? Just remember, whatever you do, do not break formation, ever. You hold the line, no matter what. They're bigger, they're stronger, they're meaner, they're more vicious. The only way we can get them is if we stick together, we stand side by side. And don't forget what we're here for, remember what we're up against: they're thieves, murderers, savages, heartless brutes. If we can't stop them here and now, no-one will, ever... Now… See you all the Rock."

As they were still in hiding and undetected, everyone just bowed their heads to salute, in stead of a decent, pompous and noisy greeting; some cheering and hailing perhaps. But none of that, just a silent nod of the head. After those final words, everyone hurried to their respective lines.
Kim had been assigned to the left flank, along with about sixteen others. The one in charge of the squad was Kali. For the better: she was still, all in all, one of the better leaders available in the clan, a confident leader and able warrior. And she was good at shouting orders, that of course helped too. The central line was headed by Shenya herself, getting some backing from Banzaï (true, he wasn't the brightest bulb in the box, but at least he was reliable enough, not to mention life had forcefully bestowed a whole lot of experience upon him). Who led the right flank, Kim didn't really know nor did she care, as she kept a strict policy of minding her own business (unless instructed otherwise), which usually got her into enough trouble as it was. All she knew that the right flank was lead by a former Westclanner… probably Umwa, or at least someone within her family; they were pretty high-ranking. Unlike Kim. Not like that mattered; lions hardly ever take note of hierarchy within their enemies clan: they just try taking down as many as possible.

In under a minute, everyone had formed ranks, now they just had to wait for Shenya to give the order. She waited, looking in the opposite direction of the Rock: she was awaiting the sun to rise, so they'd have it behind them as they fought. Every little bit of advantage helped.
After about one minute, the sun appeared; huge, strangely reddish as if it were foreshadowing the bloodshed which would follow in its wake. But Shenya waited still, she'd only attack once the sun had become more blinding. It must've felt like an endless wait, even though it probably only compromised a few measly minutes. Waiting always seems to take longer, I guess.
Once the sun was at about two fifths of its regular size, Shenya finally signaled the clan in a silent motion, and they got on the move… well, at least those that were about to engage in combat. For a minute there, actually standing in the front line (literally, the line up-front), Kim wished she had been assigned to guard duty, staying behind to watch over the younglings until the fighting was over. Alas, she would have the 'privilege' of facing the enemy up close, of having to 'go over the top'.
The clan ventured forward, locked in silence, tightly maintaining formation. They quickly crossed the hill they'd be hiding behind, out of the dense vegetation that surrounded them (it was indeed the perfect hiding spot). They actually formed quite a compact mass, in spite of their numbers. Shenya had guessed they outnumbered the enemy about four to one, and seeing as they were at an advantage beginning at three or more to one, chances were good. But to prevent anyone from feeling the sting of hubris, public estimates were two to one. That was enough to get even the most inert of hyenas edgy, so imagine what it could do to anyone who already was more than edgy enough for her own good, like Kim. That's 'like', totally not cool. But with clanmates everywhere next to her and behind her, there was only one way she could go no matter what her mood was: forward. Being out of options really is the best substitute for being courageous... As they kept nearing the Rock, Kim could begin seeing shapes appearing in front of the Rock, and on it. So scout reports were accurate, all lions had indeed been present at the rock, none had ventured off. For some reason, that didn't really lift Kim's spirit: it just meant more lions to fight.

The first lions spotted them. For a moment, they just gazed in disbelief at the horde that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, or out of the rising sun maybe. But it didn't take the lions long to get over their initial shock, and the first rallying cries quickly reached the approaching clan. The lions outside of the den quickly made their way up the ramp, whilst others that had been relaxing on the plaza appeared both on the ramp and the Rock to get a look at the approaching onslaught.
Though it wasn't any of her business, Kim didn't really see a male lion, only lionesses. Wasn't there supposed to be at least one lion present, one king? But it seemed their lack of a king didn't hinder the enemy one bit, as one particular lioness quickly mustered all others at the ramp, and not one second too soon, seeing as only less than two-hundred meters now separated the lions from their eternal enemies.
And although vastly outnumbered and in a hopeless situation by all accounts, the dominant lioness still didn't hesitate one bit when she led her proud warriors down the ramp, surging forward in a seemingly desperate charge, crying various intimidating battleroars along the way. For a split second, Kim couldn't help but admire the lionesses, both the old ones that had been tempered by too many years, and the young ones of which some probably hadn't even seen their first hunt. She admired them because every last one of them stormed down the ramp without a second's doubt despite the tremendous odds they were facing. Now that their cover 'd been blown, the hyenas too broke out in howling and cackling in their bid to break the enemy's morale, albeit to little avail it seemed.
Closing in on the approaching enemy, Kim spotted a young lioness speeding towards her. Kim braced for the inevitable impact, while still running forward. For a moment there, it crossed her mind she couldn't even remember why they were out here picking a fight in the first place, probably because it mattered little now, in the face of death; no time to stop and ask 'why'.

"I wasn't sleeping," Kausha yawned, "I was just resting my eyes a bit."

Kani frowned with mild contempt, looking at her older companion lying casually stretched out on the cave floor. She'd about had it with Kausha's lax attitude, and she had already made that clear to her on numerous occasions. Of course, being younger, she had no real authority, but that didn't stop her from getting annoyed.

"No you weren't, you were sleeping! Again! That's all I ever see you do 'round here, sleep, doze of and goof around..."

Kausha nonchalantly rolled her eyes.

"Well pardon me, your 'highness', but last time I recalled, I was still the senior lioness 'round here, so I do as I please. Besides," she shrugged, "That's what babysitting 's all about: getting a decent nap whilst on duty, didn't anyone tell you by now?"

Kani took a quick glance at the cubs next to Kausha, all soundly asleep. Looking at those peaceful little bundles of joy, one could get the impression babysitting wasn't that tough a task. And indeed, it wasn't, at least not when the wee-ones were asleep. But what bothered Kani was that Kausha acted just as lazy when the cubs were awake, when they needed protection (mostly from their clumsy little selves). Such negligence was just unacceptable!

"And what if one of them woke up and took off? You're just irresponsible! I was always told wisdom comes with age, but quite frankly, ma'am, after meeting you I've really had to adjust my viewpoint on that one..." Kani noted, not quite as mean as she had intended it to be, as she had a habit of being polite, towards superiors that was.

"And you're way to smug, up-tight and full of yourself! Get a life..."

Kani sighed ostentatiously. That did it! She was out of here, that lioness was just hopeless! With a muted snarl, Kani turned her back on a yawning Kausha and headed for the main den. The main den being the cave directly in front of the Priderock. The babysitting used to take place there, but Nala had recently moved the kids further back, deeper into the caves, so the adults wouldn't have to mind their language too much when around the main den.
For what Kani was concerned, that had been just another fine example of the ever deteriorating discipline within the pride that had probably set in around the time when the unification took place (though she wouldn't really know as she hadn't been a full-fledged lioness back then). If they couldn't even keep their manners 'round the young ones, what could they do? There's decadence for you, the Pridelanders turning into their own stereotypes. Being rather authoritarian in nature, Kani was of course a bit harsh for her pridemates (she herself being about the purest Pridelander the pride had to offer), not to mention she was an fervent supporter of the Outlander-lifestyle (harsh and uncompromising, but with a strong sense of community and pride). But despite her obvious bias, she probably had a point nonetheless; the attitudes within the pride were getting lax: guard duty, for one, had been cut back to a bare minimum, something the Pridelanders would soon come to regret.

As Kani entered the den, she noticed it was practically empty, as everyone awaited the sunrise for a quick nap outside.

"And this is what the Kings of Old have all bled and died for?" she mumbled to no-one in particular, "Everyone spending the better part of their lifetimes basking in the sun? It's about time Simba got back here and straightened things out again... and again... and again... Stupid Kausha... if I were queen, I'd give her a real good trashing in stead of just turning a blind eye..."

Not that Nala wasn't a strong enough queen, far from it: she knew life didn't come cheap, she had still lived to know greatness incarnated in Mufasa. And Nala had lived through the years of darkness, through the years of Terror; she knew the price you paid when just sitting by idly, letting evil (both within the pride and outside) run it's course unhindered. But Nala couldn't be everywhere at once, of course, she couldn't explain the finesses and lessons to be drawn from their great history to everyone at once. And this lead to ignorance in the likes of Kausha, who forgot what being a Pridelander was all about. But not Kani, she knew her heritage, she still realized what pure blood went through her veins. And she was proud of it, even despite her relatively young age, an age at which most other lions can't even tell the difference between an Outlander and a Pridelander, let alone tell laxness from discipline. But I'd take one big king to get that through the skulls of the likes of Kausha, maybe an even bigger king than they had now. Of course, Simba too was great, sure, near legendary even. Freeing the Priderock from the clutches of Terror, reuniting the prides... those are acts that echo through eternity. Come to think of it, Kani realized kings probably didn't got any greater than Simba... but what was it they needed then, to shake of the fat accumulating 'round everyone's neck?

Maybe a decent drought?
Too drastic...
A new split with the outlanders?
No, they are about the only good influence around...
Maybe a real nasty king, a murderous brute...
And that would help how?
A two years forced vacation in the Outlands, that ought to keep everyone vigilant enough.

That reminded her: she should be applying for a stay with the outlanders as soon as possible, now that she was old enough. Kani had always wanted to know what life in the Outlands was like: it could only provide her with new, possibly important experiences which could make her an even better lioness in sevice of the pride. Best she addressed that issue first thing after she'd completed her babysitting duty (indeed, Kani regarded it as a duty, much to Kausha's amusement, as she regarded it as a favor, a cushy job), which was of course her number one priority for the time being. She wanted to head back to the cubs, not being able to bear the thought Kausha was the only one around to watch them, but suddenly heard some ruckus outside. Sounded a bit like roars... another lioness that had been dazing in the den briefly looked at Kani, but she gave her the 'I know nothing'-expression, so they both ventured outside to have a look. Everyone seemed to be panicking all of a sudden. Kani of course wasn't impressed (she suspected a lot of ado about nothing), but as she was always ready to do her part for the pride, even in the face of futility, she ran down towards the plaza either way so she could report to Nala, who by now seemed to be franticly issuing orders to everyone and anyone at once.

That's odd... Can't imagine anything...

Suddenly, her ears caught, out of all the noise and roaring 'round her, one word: hyenas.

Now why didn't I think of that! Those glorified punching bags make great scarecrows to keep everyone vigilant, to shape up the likes of Kausha. If they're around, I doubt anyone would want to get caught having traded discipline for decadence. But those hyenas shouldn't overdo it, of course, they just have to keep everyone on their toes... but taking a stab in the dark here, I'd say they are grossly overdoing it. Not good. Not good at all...

As she was just about to storm over the plaza to defend the ramp, Kani was caught in Nala's sight. She stared at the young lioness for 'bout one second, like she was trying to remember her name, but then, out of the blue, shouted at her.

"Kani, get the cubs out of here, now! Use the passage!"

for the blink of an eye, Kani just stood there, processing the command, but that still took too long judging by Nala's second shout.

"NOW!"

After that second directive, Kani rushed back up the path towards the Rock, and the caves, passing the (much slower) lioness that had been in the den with her, but Kani didn't acknowledge her; her mind was making overtime in trying to come up with the best way to efficiently execute her orders. She received orders on a daily basis, sure, and some even came with an elevated responsibility. But this was definitely out of her league... securing the cubs?

Hey Kani, when you're out fetching a drink, would you mind securing the pride's future while you're at it? Thanks!

Not that it was a bad thing, responsibility usually means acknowledgment, and getting this kind of acknowledgment at her age? 'Hierarchy, here I come!' There were, however, a few gaps in that theory, number one being she probably got the job coincidentally, and second, she'd have to fulfill it or she'd spell the doom of an entire pride. And she'd have to do it with Kausha, as no one else was around by the time she reached the den. The prospect of having to bear responsibility for Kausha was in a way a perfect illustration of just how much responsibility is a two edged sword. But she'd try and pull through either way: she had always been convinced she embodied what being a Pridelander was all about, and now she was going to prove it, even if she had to do it all on her own. Well, that's how it worked in theory anyway...
Kani rushed to the den, into the babysitting hall. Then, things suddenly went awkward.

First thing she saw was Kausha, still lying on the floor. But she wasn't where Kani had left her, and she wasn't sleeping either. Whether she was breathing, Kani couldn't really tell, but one thing she did see was that Kausha was bleeding, badly, and in a lot of places simultaneously... she kinda looked like she had been grabbed by eight pairs of yaws at a time, who then all took off in opposite directions, tearing Kausha to shreds. It wasn't too far from the truth.
Second thing she saw were the cubs. They were about where Kani had left them, though they were awake by now and one was missing. And they looked less at ease, not to say they were terrified, and if they hadn't been cubs, they'd probably all have gone cuckoo by now (as cubs usually don't really know what they are seeing, though they can already give certain emotional appreciations). At least, Kani knew she would have certainly lost it as a cub, as the third thing she noticed allowed her to puzzle up what had happened earlier.
The third thing she noticed was actually more of a composition. The smell took an important place in it, that's for sure, as it was something she had never really smelt before: a mixture of rotten carcass (which wasn't even half bad, taking into account that was the smell of dinner if need be), and a particularly awful stench she couldn't really point out.
And eh, oh yeah, she also found herself surrounded by about eight (might have been more, might have been less) hyenas all of a sudden, but she only noticed those last. Seriously, I kid you not. The mind works in mysterious ways.
Anyway, that information allowed her to sketch out the events that had presumably taken place prior to her storming in: Kausha had, as usual, fallen asleep again, and by the time the noise outside woke her up, she'd have probably been surrounded by the previously mentioned hyenas. Given the shocking nature of such event, any resistance she could have put up would have had to been minimal. That explained why no hyena's were out bleeding alongside her. Yet. And now, Kani had probably interrupted the murderers as they were about to put their teeth in the cubs (who had watched the preview of their fate played out on Kausha). And even if Kani had been exceptionally strong (which she was not), experienced (nope) and of course fast as lightning (not quite), she would never be able to stop them.

Having realized all that in a split-second, Kani felt a bit proud, of course, having such an organized an efficient mind, but that wouldn't help her now. The only fitting thing she could do was try and take as much of those smelly savages with her as possible, maybe giving one or two cubs the chance to get out. Sounded good enough, any self respecting Pridelander would sign for that kind heroism and self-sacrifice.
The despicable scavengers, however, denied her such heroic fate as they decided to play foul. How fitting… The biggest hyena, probably the one in charge, pointed at her companion just before Kani tried to jump her. The second hyena was caring a cub between her murderous, still blood-sipped yaws. The cub had certainly seen better days, as it now hung dangling between cruelly efficient teeth, crying franticly, with only the sick whims of a murderer separating it from a certain death. Red drool dripped from the hyena's mouth all over the highly unfortunate and painfully innocent little cub.

Kani now found herself out of options, really out of options: she had nowhere to turn, no acceptable option whatsoever, as she was faced with an impossible choice: either she'd pounce the enemy anyway, effectively killing the cub, but maybe saving a few others in the confusion. Or she'd remain inert, after which the cubs' fate would depend on a group of killers that had not shown any hesitation to kill a lone, helpless, sleeping foe. Should she sacrifice the one cub for the possible benefit of a few others, if any? Tasted a lot like moral monstrosity, a choice you can never make, not in life nor in death, not while you've got any speck of decency left in you. And the fact of her opponents presenting such dilemma to her actually went a far way in depicting to what low they had descended to.

Thus, Kani did nothing, which clearly appeased her opponents, as all they grinned viciously (but they didn't utter one sound, maintaining their discipline still). Eight pairs of yellowish fangs now glanced at Kani, but she denied them the pleasure of even hinting any form of panic, fear or despair. The last thing they'd ever get was her pride, not while any drop of Pridelander-blood was still left in her body.

Just another day, not peculiar nor exciting it seemed. Watching the sunrise for a while, then probably a quick nap, and another, and another, … Then, maybe checking up on the cubs again, somewhere past midday, as the heat began to dim down a bit. Then probably sleeping 'till nightfall again. Nala wasn't really sure what she'd be doing after that. No hunting, that's for sure, they didn't need any new food for at least another two days. Probably just chatting up a bit, that was productive enough, certainly at her age. Not that she felt all that old, or looked it as a matter of fact, but still going out hunting at her age was considered a bit unusual.
Then again, Nala wasn't your everyday lioness; being the queen and mother to the future queen was an achievement in it's own right, but she managed to combine it with an ever vibrant, active and even slightly unruly lifestyle, making her contrast pretty obviously to her predecessor Sarabi, who had always retained a life in the shadows of both her husband and her son. But Nala wasn't really the 'silent workhorse'-type, she preferred her opinion being heard (and enforced if need be) and her freedom retained, an attitude which had of course radiated onto her daughter Kiara (and with what magnificent results indeed!).
But her bold and adventurous nature prevented her in no way from enjoying a life of ease (in relative terms, of course, a predators life is never really easy), a life in perfect comfort and balance; what else could she have ever wished for? A caring (not to mention ravishingly handsome, even as he got older) husband, a bright, cute and loving daughter engaged to one fine son in law, plentiful friends and spare time, bountiful supply of food…
At least, that's what Nala ceaselessly told herself. That's what she told herself in spite of how she really felt. But life wasn't perfect, it never is, to no-one, and certainly not to Nala. There was one thing missing, one thing so essential its lacking cast a grim shadow over her entire life. She had never had a son, she had never been able to give Simba a true, male heir. That could, of course, not be blamed on Nala, as no-one seemed to be able to present Simba with a male heir, leading to the persistent rumor Simba had one way or another evoked the Kings of Old's wrath (though it could also imply the Kings preferred Kovu to follow in Simba's footsteps, which Simba perceived to be the case).
But it wasn't just her being unable to give birth to a son. It was her inability to give birth to any cub ever since she'd been expecting Kiara; she had seemingly lost her ability to have children. The difficult aftermath of Kiara's birth had undoubtedly played a part in that, but Nala didn't knew that, and thus blamed herself in ignorance. And living through that, let alone blaming it on yourself, is a fate that no-one should ever have to endure. But life isn't fair, now is it? So Nala did have to endure it, and she did so with astonishing dignity, which was only fitting to a queen of her standing. Because if her years as the life-partner of Priderock's ruler had thought her one thing, it was that queens do not weep, nor do they ever bow the knee to whatever fate is beset upon them, a matter that stretched beyond pride.
But not even the strongest queen does not know moments of weakness, short flashes of sincerity, for being queen did not nullify she was, in the end, just any other lioness, life-partner to her king, daughter to her mother, mother to her own daughter. It's hard to understand the events that were to follow without realizing that, as it is with all things in life.

Nala was just about to settle down for a prorogued nap on the edge of the plaza below the Rock, probably 'till way past noon, maybe moving to a cooler location like the den halfway if need be, as a panicking roar suddenly echoed down the plaza, freezing everyone in it's wake.
Nala immediately jumped to her paws, trying to localize the origin of the roar, when the pride was again startled by a second, third and fourth warning coming from a bunch of lionesses who had been chilling out on the Rock. It didn't take a genius to find out something was going awkward, though she still wondered what it might be as she rushed towards he ramp connecting the plaza to the rest of the Pridelands.
Maybe Simba had returned from his social call already? Not likely: he normally wouldn't come back for another sunrise or two, and she also doubted the likelihood of her pridemates roaring in panic as he returned. Before she had the chance to guess some more as to the origin of the arising panic, however, the three lionesses who had been loafing just outside Priderock climbed over the ramp.

"Hyenas!" two of them shouted, whilst the third one was still gasping for air, apparently a bit shocked.
'Hyenas?!' Nala asked herself, as it had been a long time since she ever heard anyone mention them outside of the usual bedtime story of the Battle of Priderock. As she clearly was still lacking in information, and the lionesses who sounded the alarm in credibility, Nala rushed towards the ramp herself to take look, followed by the larger part of the pride present at the plaza. Even before she had the chance to confirm the rapport, the pride had already broke out in exceptionally noisy panic, everyone shouting back and forth in increasing volume without actually knowing what was going on. Nala peeked over the ramp. First thing she saw was a blood-red sunrise. But as she looked closer, she indeed noticed an approaching horde. Quite shocking actually, seeing your eternal enemy appearing out of nowhere, literally at your doorstep. Nala checked again, still hoping she was only seeing a mirage. Alas, the approaching onslaught was as real as it gets. Having recognized the threat (as the hyenas obviously hadn't come over for a polite chat about the latest fun-facts concerning scavenger-lifestyle), the first thing Nala had to do was set priorities.

Where did they came from? No priority.
Why were they there? As of present irrelevant.
Why didn't the lionesses notice sooner? Too late for that now.

Only thing that mattered now was: how many, what are they up to, how to stop them.
Nala estimated there were certainly no less than fifty, probably even sixty or more adversaries, advancing in tight formation.

And we add up to… twenty-five max, cubs included… twenty lionesses at best… tight call, very tight call.

It was obvious the hyenas were heading for Priderock, and they weren't out sightseeing. Were they intent on conquering Priderock? Or were they after the lions themselves?

Irrelevant. We're not letting 'em have Pridrock either way. No scavenger sets foot in here while I still draw breath, not on the ground our forefathers fought and died for. Not again.

But how to stop them? The lions were obviously outnumbered, and Nala had no idea whatsoever concerning the enemy's capabilities. But seeing as they had snuck up to Priderock undetected, she feared the worst. Plus, the enemy appeared oddly disciplined. A numerous enemy was already problematic – but a numerous, stealthy and disciplined foe?

This is going to hurt… they caught us by surprise… best we can hope for is returning the favor by trying a surprise breakout. But we can't let them surround us, or their numbers will start paying off. We have to prevent them from pouring onto the plaza.

"Everyone, get here now! Hurry, rally to me!" Nala cried to the lionesses who were still dazed, just sitting on the Rock or the plaza, "Get up here, and do exactly as you're told! Don't think, run!"

Suddenly, she spotted a lone lioness descending from the den. In the blink of an eye, she identified her.

Kani, young, proud, obedient, reliable. Babysitting duty 'till nightfall… Babysitting duty!

Nala suddenly remembered the cubs. If the hyenas reached the plaza, the cubs would be defenseless! But she couldn't just divert half of her force to the den, she had too few lionesses at her disposal to do that… and the enemy was to close to get everyone a the den in time…

But we can't just hope for the frontline to hold… damn, why did those mongrels have to sneak up on us… well, it sure seems to have worked for them. Or wait, the back-passage! We could get the cubs out via the back-passage! Kani couldn't possibly pull that all on her own though… but there's always a second baby-sit; she probably stayed with the cubs while Kani came to check out the noise. Well, I sure hope Kani proves to be the promising lioness I've taken her for… Damn, this is all so improvisatory… but it's our only shot at securing the cubs…

"Kani, get the cubs out of here, now! Use the passage!"

The young lioness stopped and stayed motionless for a moment.

Damn, girl, hurry up already! This ain't no time for fancy explanations.

"NOW!"

Finally, Kani took off, now swift and determined. But Nala didn't have time to see her disappear into the den, as the enemy was already at the figurative arm's length. Luckily, all lionesses had already assembled behind Nala. Most of 'em looked confused, stunned or not yet awake even.
Well, as Nala didn't have time for a fancy speech, she'd just have to hope they'd be able to charge the enemy before all those emotions turned to fear.

Time for the Prindelanders to show what we're made of! Damn, this is starting to look bleak… I just hope…

Nala's own thoughts, however, was interrupted by the sound of her own voice shouting the final order, and the rush of her body leaping forward. She just hoped everyone else would follow.

"Charge! Don't let them reach the rock, drive 'em back!"

And much to her own satisfaction, or whatever was left of it after adrenaline had turned her into a frenzied, three-hundred pound fighting machine, she could hear enthusiast, enraged, deafening and overly encouraging battleroars originating from her pridemates as they all stormed down the ramp, onto the approaching mass of opponents.

It was immediately crystal-clear the lioness had singled her out from the start, so as they raced towards each other, Kim mentally braced for impact. She had however, better braced physically, as the sudden leap of the lioness still caught her by surprise, in spite of any training or common sense.
She felt the enemy's paws hit her hard as they threw her back onto the clanmate behind her. Kim hit the ground with a hard thump, being stunned from the ensuing blow of her head onto the ground. Unable to move for a split second, all she could do was stare at the lioness who was already standing over her, paw pressed down on Kim's chest so she couldn't breathe, intent at finishing the job.
Fearing it be the last thing she'd ever see as she was still unable to move, Kim took a last good look at the enemy's face. The lioness actually looked rather young and pretty (for a lioness), being unscratched, pretty sleek and with a darker fur, not to mention a certain latent… innocence? But more important than her innocent look was the fact she acted innocent too, as in stead of going for Kim's throat like any slightly experienced lion would do, she hesitated, like a youngling out on her first hunt, a mistake you usually pay for dearly when dealing with an eternal enemy. But she did, she hesitated, unable to make the kill, just staring back at Kim who felt both too scarred and too astonished to react. The young lioness, however, was suddenly swept aside as the massive yaws of Kali bit her in the shoulder whilst stomping her back by sheer impulse. As she had been standing atop Kim with one paw, the lioness immediately lost balance and tripped over onto the ground. Finding herself thrown back into battle again all of a sudden, Kim jumped up again, just in time to see how Kali readied herself to gut the young lioness. The lioness put up a last effort, violently kicking Kali in the chest with her back-paws (maybe breaking, or at least bruising one of Kali's ribs), to no avail: Kali relentlessly gnawed at the lioness' belly.

This is probably like, the stupidest thing I've ever done, if not the last thing… Kim, you stupid, stupid girl!

But as only inches separated Kali's teeth from the lioness, Kim suddenly pounced at Kali, pushing her back and making her miss the young lioness by an arm's length. The lioness briefly stared at Kim with a mixture of fear, relief and confusion, and of course gratitude. But then, she suddenly tried saying something, or shouting something in a rather desperate manner. Of course, Kim couldn't hear her over all the background-noises that came with a full scale battle, but as the look in the lioness' eyes more or less spoke for itself (and it said 'behind you!'), Kim tried looking behind her. She was greeted by two massive claws, violently hammering down on her face, smashing her to the ground again. But before she even got a chance to hit the ground, another volley of blows came along, the first blow pretty much tearing off her ear, the second seemingly missing her, going through under her chin. She felt the paw passing by her throat, but luckily, the mauling didn't reach far enough to hit (and break) Kim's vulnerable neck, which meant she wasn't dead yet.
But closing her eyes as she hit the ground right next to the young lioness she was now facing again, and opening her eyes again when she had come to a stop, now looking at the lioness whose life she had effectively saved for the time being, it became clear that war does never reward kindness. The young lioness had impressive splats of blood all over her, still fresh and fluent. But it wasn't the lioness' blood, however.
Trying to look down at her own chest, Kim noticed she too was soiled by fresh blood, and she was fast to notice a small, red puddle was forming where her head lay down. A cold shiver sled down Kim's spine as the puddle kept getting bigger, while the young lioness still looked at her unlikely savior with a mixture of fear, compassion and confusion.

Pretty much at random, acting mostly on instincts, Nala picked her first target, a small male in front of her. Common sense dictated she should identify the leader of the enemy clan and take her out first, but seeing as her pride had been caught totally off-guard, they had no time for such fancy-crap. Besides, in the chaos which would soon ensue, and the ever increasing noise-levels accompanying it, shouting any order was pretty much a waste of time. They'd have to rely on a pre-coordinated battle plan. A plan which they lacked, so it just came down to try knocking the enemies out, taking them down and holding them back altogether. Starting with the little mud in front of her.
A quick bash to the yaw sent him falling sideward, and a second smash on the chest made sure he'd have to do with a few less ribs. But before Nala got any decent chance at gnawing the enemy's spine, the female behind her first target counterattacked, effectively using her larger weight to put Nala out of balance.
It was only now Nala noticed why the hyena's had actually chosen to attack in a two-line formation: a first one was to take the initial beating, leaving it to the second one to counterattack, in hopes of giving the first one a better chance of surviving the initial charge.
The hyenas weren't only sneaky, smelly and noisy, but also seemingly clever. Of course, such little tricks didn't put an experienced combatant like Nala off, who managed to block all bites intended at her by three hyena's which were by now attacking her, punching one of her opponents square in the face (braking one of the hyena's fangs) and grabbing another by the neck as she leapt sideways to escape from the persistent attacks. As she jumped sideways, one hyena still firmly locked between her yaws, another lioness jumped in to handle the attackers left behind by Nala, who could then focus on her target. Feeling it's end was near, the hyena Nala still had between her teeth put up an incredible fight, not cutting back on desperate cackles and whoops, not to mention her persistently kicking in all directions at once in the hopes of escaping Nala's iron grip. But after Nala pushed her opponent down on the ground with her paws, the hyena's fate was sealed, as Nala now needed only to tighten her bite and violently jerk her head sideways. In a single shiver going down her whole body, the hyena almost instantly stopped moving, now dangling limply between Nala's teeth.

Although Nala fared pretty well, thanks to experience gathered the previous time hyenas had been omnipresent near the rock, the overall situation didn't look good for her pride: the hyenas' dedicated formation-fighting had buffered the first lion charge and had prevented them from withdrawing afterwards, allowing bitter close-combat to take it's course which was not at all to the hyenas' liking, as they preferred to gnaw-run-gnaw-run, nor did it benefit the lions as they had no room to charge and profit from their massive weight.
But a more serious problem came to the attention of Nala right after her first kill: the hyena flanking-formations were beginning to box the lions in, not to mention their right flank was getting dangerously close to the ramp. Realizing they would not be able to hold out that much longer when surrounded, Nala put all efforts on trying to buy Kani more time to evacuate the cubs. To that end, she made her way to the enemy's right flank, whilst shouting directives on the way.

"Watch the flanks, they're boxing us in! And keep 'em from reaching the plaza!"

Of course, most of what she said went lost in the pandemonium all around her, so she herself was about the only reinforcement to combat the enemy's right flank. Nala was quick to single out the leader of that particular flank (though probably not the hyena matriarch), as that tall hyena actually seemed to be doing a good job at leading her spot-faced company. They were about to break through to the plaza, having taken out about three lionesses already. But they weren't going anywhere with Nala around; she threw herself in the middle of the enemy formation, hammering down on the leader who had her back turned to Nala (as she had been ready to run up the ramp to the plaza). The unfortunate female's back couldn't possibly stand such onslaught, and she collapsed as Nala's battering paws shifted fractions of her spinal column out of place.
The other hyena's who had been about to storm the plaza now turned around of course, enraged by the slaughter of their squad-leader. Finding herself surrounded from all possible angles, Nala was unable to counter the barrage of bites which ensued, and not before long she was covered in bite-wounds, although she still managed to deflect the lethal ones with great skill.
Although she'd had loved to stay around, she noticed her services were needed elsewhere again, more notably the at the center of the battle, where the lion-defense had entirely collapsed: a determined, long-maned, even imposing hyena female was leading her force forward with the skill of an experienced tactician, followed in her wake by a peculiarly mutilated male (who seemed vaguely familiar despite missing about half his face).
With the courage brought on by despair, Nala managed to create an opening by grabbing an unsuspecting enemy by the throat as he briefly glanced at what was happening in the center. Just before reaching apparent enemy leader, however, already looking her straight in the eyes (as Nala's actions didn't go unnoticed), a shrill scream arising far above her cut her attack short.

Shenya spotted the enemy just as she carelessly tossed aside the slack body of yet another slain foe: an impressive, determined, not exceptionally big but certainly very dangerous lioness with a undeniable regal air, even in the midst of battle. Shenya was unable to guess her age, as she combined the agility of a lioness in her prime with the skill of a lioness near retirement. An exceptional foe altogether, that's why Shenya immediately signaled a few remaining members of her company to cover her, as she was certainly not up to the task of dealing with this foe alone.
Then suddenly, before Shenya had the chance to confront the lioness with the now grim gaze, a familiar cry echoed over the battlefield, originating from a destination unknown, seemingly from the sky (which was, by all accounts, impossible). Was it… Shetani?
The fighting almost instantly paused, as friend and foe alike gazed up to asses the possible additional threat to have arisen. Everyone stared at a small crowd that had gathered at the very top of the Rock, above the plaza, perfectly visible from the battlefield.

Atop the Rock sat Shetani, along with three of her henchmen and one crippled, wounded and battered lioness of whom the only part not to have been broken seemed to be her pride, as she kept sitting up firm and proud, even though sitting upright in her condition seemed a torment in its own right. More important, however, were Shetani and the hyena sitting next to her. Shetani spoke up again to the seemingly distressed crowd below her.

"Enough! This battle is over; lions, accept your defeat…" she yelled with soar though content voice, after which the hyena next to her stepped up, still holding a franticly crying lion cub between her teeth, letting it dangle over the abyss in front of her, "… or face the consequences!"

Something snapped; in a split second, the relentless fighting machine Nala had been only moments before broke down into a million pieces, leaving only a fragile, scared and helpless lioness.
That at least was how Nala felt the moment she saw the poor little cub dangling overhead, with only a hyena's fangs keeping it from tumbling down in a seemingly endless depth, towards a certain death. This of course seems strange, as by any account, being confronted with foul play to that extent in the middle of a battle would normally just enrage the defenders some more. But not Nala, not any mother worthy of that name. Not a queen whose only dream to visit in her sleep is the vision of a son she never had, being lifted up towards the sun for all animals to walk the planes to behold, only to see him falling down in a never ending fall time and time again, after which Nala would each and every time wake up in agony, mourning the son she never had. She could not just ignore such prophecy, nor could she put aside her deepest and darkest emotions which had by now washed her combativeness away like a flood.
In a matter of seconds, Nala, who had only moments ago been a cold-blooded killing machine, broke out in tears and desperate crying, rushing forward shoving aside friend and foe alike.

"No! Please don't! Don't hurt her! I'm begging you!" she ceaselessly cried, desperate, hopeless, broken. Whilst Shenya had previously stared at her in contempt, awe and fear at her enemy, now she just couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

Shenya stared up, much as everyone else was doing, at Shetani. She stared up at the helpless cub, still in between the Graymane's bloody yaws.

So this is the sight of victory?

Everyone had become silent, until suddenly, the cub on the Rock burst out in tears again, leading to another stream of pleas from the now obviously broken Nala. The cub's actual mother was nowhere to be heard, probably one of the countless casutlties the battle had claimed.
Staring up, Shenya felt her stomach turning. Cubs had never crossed her mind… and seeing their fate foreshadowed, she couldn't help but considerer it awfully wrong.

Upon Nala's new pleas, a single hyena suddenly broke out into laughter, whilst another one started shouting encouragements towards Shetani telling her to... 'drop the cub'?!
To Shenya's shock, it wasn't long before the entire clan joined in cheers, seemingly celebrating their victory at the expense of one unsuspecting little cub, whilst the hyena's around her started hailing both Shenya and victory with appalling satisfaction. The surviving lions started in shock. And so did Shenya. But it wasn't just the cub, it were her clanmates: trusted friends, bright younglings and even caring mothers, all of them cheering at the sight of one defenseless, innocent, harmless young lion being subjected to such a grim fate. She looked at the cub again, still dangling above the abyss.

They're thieves, murderers, savages, heartless brutes…

Remembering her own words, she looked at the still cheering clan, cheering at the impending doom of a harmless little being guilty of nothing but being born.

…savages, heartless brutes.

"No! stop this! For Spirits' sake, Shetani, put it down!" Shenya suddenly found herself shouting. But her plea was lost in the ever swelling laughing, cheering, shouting and hailing. It took her another attempt to draw attention. As one, the whole clan turned to her in disbelief and ignorance, the by now ecstatic Banzaï most of all. 'What had gotten into her all of a sudden?' they collectively seemed to ask themselves, 'Why doesn't she shout 'Hail to victory!' for all to hear?'

"Put it down, now!"

More stares of disbelief, most of all from Shetani, who eventually, but reluctantly, ordered her subordinate with the cub to back away from the edge of the Rock a bit. The clan kept staring, now confused. No cheers nor hails were to be heard. But the silence wasn't absolute, though: in the wake of the awkward atmosphere following her command, Shenya began hearing some noise to her left. In the aftermath of the fight, a small circle had formed there, consisting of silently whispering hyenas and one, badly hurt lioness (though she still sat upright, staring into the circle as well). Shenya couldn't really see what was going on in the circle, so she moved closer to take a peek, and so did most others, even the now slightly calmed down Nala.

Within the circle lay one hyena, seemingly just one of the many corpses now scattered at the base of Priderock, and one lioness. The hyena, however, was still breathing, albeit not regular nor easy. At first, Shenya thought that to be because of the young lioness, whose paws were firmly pressed to the hyena's neck. But just before she was about to order the lioness to back of immediately, she noticed a gulp of blood welling up through the lioness' paws. Then, she realized what the lioness was doing: she was trying to ease the hyena's bleeding, as its artery seemed to have been slashed. In spite of the ever increasing mumbling rising up from the crowd around her, the young lioness just kept staring forward, a single tear regularly dripping down onto the blood stained ground, desperately trying to postpone the inevitable fate awaiting the wounded hyena. As Shenya moved closer, she suddenly recognized the casualty: Kim, the messenger.
She seemed to be trying to say something, but even as Shenya mover her ear right next to Kim, she couldn't understand her. Did she want them to help her, to prolong her life by mere minutes at best? Or to end her suffering?

Unable to further look at but one of the countless tragedy's to have taken place that dawn, Shenya did all she could; she put her paw on the lioness', gently pushing hers aside, allowing Kim's blood to flow freely, letting the mangled hyena pass into eternal slumber, just one of the many lives to have been lost that day.
The lioness resisted a bit at first, but after one or two comforting words from Shenya, she gave in, and collapsed in tears. But lion nor hyena stepped up to provide any comfort, everyone just stared, locked in a dreadful, tormenting silence. For a moment, Shenya looked at the young lioness who, it seemed, had been desperately attempting to save Kim's life for reasons unclear to her.

…murderers…

She looked at the Rock, at the by now famous lion cub that had ended the battle in the hyenas' favour. The cub was still under a Graymane's control, seemingly only just saved from a certain and undeserved demise.

…savages, heartless brutes.

She looked around her, around the battlefield at Priderock's base, now covered in lion and hyena bodies alike, in death side by side. She didn't have the hearth to count them.

What have I done?