"And here comes Chapter 10. This continues directly following where we last left Sara and Inti. The Chronology isn't always clear – but all the three main Storylines – The Twins, The Exiles and The Asiatics can be seen as happening at the same time. The Shaman – which will be told in Book 3, is also going on at the same time. If there are any questions regarding the Chronology, ask in a PM, or in addition to your review. As always, I did screen for typos, grammars, spellings and continuities, but if I missed a few, please, bare with me. One day it will all be fixed.

Thanks very much, and enjoy.

Cheers: Haradion"

Chapter 10: Koron

"Stop your sniveling and whimpering… I should be able to sleep without having to listen to your whining." Said a voice. Instantly, both the cubs went deadly silent and whirled around in fright, as a pair of dark red eyes stared at them out of the darkness.

The pair of eyes moved slowly towards them, and as their own eyes adjusted to the darkness. Inti flinched back. Sara stared. The voice came again, clearly belonging to the same owner as the pair of eyes.

"Since you've already woke me up, mind telling me just who you are?" The creature asked. Inti remained silent, but Sara, after glancing at her brother finally spoke.

"Ummm… I am Sara… and this is my brother Inti…" She said, unsure about this creature. Who was he? One of the Shai'tan's creatures? Why would he be down here in this hole?

"Huh. You must have done something pretty big to bug the Shai'tan if they sent you down here… Your too young to be here by choice. The ones they like tend to die quicker…" The voice said. Inti, gaining some courage from the distain of the Shai'tan in the creature's voice, spoke up.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" He ordered, trying to show some authority in his voice. The eyes moved closer, and a flash of silver revealed a set of teeth – a grin, smiling in the darkness. Sara pressed her paws to her eyes, trying to make them adjust faster. When she opened her eyes, she gasped.

"You're… a cub?" She said in confusion. The cub smiled in amusement.

"How ever did you see through my disguise?" It said. Inti saw that she was right.

It was a lion cub. Small by lion standards, but not unusually so. His fur was a dark, caramel brown and he boasted a tuft od hair on his head the same colour. At least it might have been brown, but the fur was matted with dried blood, dust, sand and generic dirt that it was hard to tell. It was ragged, filthy even – not groomed in the slightest. His eyes were a chilling scarlet and the only colour that showed in the dark. As they stared at him, so did he loon at the two of them.

He gave a quick snort, unimpressed.

"So. A girl and a weakling. Typical…" He said with contempt, and then turned away from them. He sulked back to where he had been sleeping earlier. Sara was momentarily too shocked to say anything, but Inti's pride was instantly stung and he snapped his teeth.

"Who are you calling weak? I bet I am twice the lion you are!" he snapped angrily. For a heartbeat, the lion cub paused, and then he whirled around – his own pride stung and for a moment, Sara thought he would attack her brother. Instead, he only glared at his opponent.

"You were the one bawling just a moment earlier! Crying like a baby! How do you think that you'll survive here like that? You'll be dead in less than a week!" He said. Inti stopped. Then he slowly slunk to the ground. He had no response to that.

"Who are you?" Sara asked hesitantly. "What are you doing here?" The cub didn't even bother to look at her.

"My name is Koron. Will that shut you up? I am trying to sleep." Koron said. Sara paused, but her own curiosity got the better of her.

"We're not weak you know. I am not. And neither is my brother. We've endured worse than this already – and we've survived that." She said, trying to sound confident, hoping that it was true. In answer the Cub gave a cynical chuckle.

"You might survive for a while then. If you've survived worse, than I pity you, but I don't think for a moment you have…" He said. Sara gulped, and Inti managed to work up a response, putting on false bravado.

"Why? It's not too bad? Sure, it's dark – and full of bugs – but –" He didn't finish. He was interrupted by a strange sound. His eyes widened, as he realized that Koron wasn't just smirking. He was laughing. He giggled in mirth that Inti didn't understand.

"You bloody fool…" Koron whispered.

"You don't understand… You are in Golgorath! This tower isn't a prison! It's a tomb! This place… is your sanctuary, not a Cell! You have nothing to be frightened of here… Out there… Is where the true terror lies..." He said. As he spoke, his eyes flinched, as if haunted by a memory, or a group of memories. Then it was gone. They hardened into red sheets of steel. Blocks of the hardest granite, showing nothing, telling nothing.

"You don't understand…" He whispered again, staring at the two young cubs. He was right – they would not last a week.

Inti and Sara stared at him in shock.

"Then explain it to us… please… if it's as bad you say…" Sara pleaded. Koron glanced at here then he sighed.

"You are not going to let me get any sleep are you?" He asked, not expecting an answer. When the cubs remained silent, he sighed.

"The Shai'tan have an… arrangement… in the area to maintain control of the local population. Since the scavengers culled half of the herds, there is a huge competition for food. The Shai'tan give food in exchange for loyalty. Those who can't serve the Shai'tan or won't. Find themselves in the Fight pits. You fight and you get fed. If you don't die anyway. The Shai'tan's cronies satisfy their lust for blood – and get given their food without giving to hunt at the same time. Sloth, Gluttony, and a Lust for blood… the perfect combination to control a degenerate population of traitors and cutthroats…" he said.

That sounded like what Harrin had told here. Had it been Harrin? Or was it one of the other Wilddogs? To Inti, one was almost indistinguishable from the other. Either way, it seemed that with a year to consolidate their power, the Shai'tan had maintained a tight grip on the population. Vitani had been right – there would be next to no help from the other subjects of the Pridelands. They had already moved on – either sided with the Shai'tan, or accepted their defeat. Eitherway, it left no place for the Lions to remain free,

"How did you end up here?" Sara asked him.

Which one are you? Traitor or Cutthroat? He doesn't seem like either… Inti thought.

Koron's eyes narrowed.

"I don't trust you. I don't like you. Why would I tell you my life's story? Its none of your business." he asked. Sara bowed her head.

"Sorry…" She said. Koron nodded, accepting the apology.

"What do they want with us?" Inti asked, instead. Koron gazed at them.

"Hell if I know. For some reason they have kept you alive. I guess that means either you are of use to them, or you did something to particularly displease them… Either way, they want your death to be slow. Othwise they would have killed you outright…" He said. Sara shivered. Inti, seeing her rounded on Koron.

"Stop it! You are scaring her!" He said angrily, bearing his teeth at Koron. The other cub wasn't threatened.

"The world is a scary place now. Get used to it." Koron snapped in response. Inti growled. Suddenly, a small chink of light appeared in the cave behind him. Koron smiled.

"Ah… You might want to look at this. The games are about to begin." he said, moving over to where the light came from. It dazzled Inti, but Koro stared through unflinchingly. Inti scowled at him, but moved over to see through. The crack in the cell wall opened out onto the pit.

"I won a bet with Tythes. He's a snake that patrols the pit for runaways. I got him to move a rock, so I could see the fights. He replaces it when it's over, but I get to see through. I suggest you make use of it." Koron explained.

Inside the pit there was a huge creature. Great, grey, and each step caused dust to spin in the air around each beat. Each step boomed through the tiny outlet into the constricting cave, makig it feel as though the ground shook with each of the creature's step. Inti edged closer to see what it was.

A Rhino!

The great tank of a creature stomped into the area, a few wounds on each rear leg showed telltale snake bites. Extremely painful. With only one way to move that didn't result in pain, it moved forward. Facing him, where three Panthers. All where young - one barley more than a cub, the others, Adolescents. Inti watched for a few moments, as the Rhinoceros was pushed forwards and charged towards the trio of cats. They split apart in different directions, as the rhinos own momentum carried is forward. As it did so, one of the Cats latched onto its back, driving its claws deep into the grey pelt. The panther cub struck as well, aiming for the venom-infected injuries which must have sent waves of pain through the Rhino. Its shrieked, and spun, its horn catching one of the cats in the side, sending it flying through the air. The other panther took advantage of its awkward position to strike at the now exposed neck, spraying more blood into the air. Then all three cats retreated and gathered again as a trio on the opposite side of the arena, in anticipation of the next charge. Inti looked away in disgust.

"That's horrible." He said. Koron didn't look away.

"It's you soon. You'll be out there. Or your sister. Or me. One of us."

"Against that Rhino?" Inti said in shock.

"Not by yourself you won't – they like to keep their matchups fair. It makes for more entertaining viewing. That might keep your sister safe for a while… But trust me – they have creatures to pit male cubs against…" Koron said, clearly speaking from experience.

"You'd have better luck against the Panthers… If you could work up the stomach to even look at them…" Koron said. Inti listened again. For the roars of anguish, and elation of the crowd. It repelled him.

"This is wrong…" He muttered. Koron glared at him.

"Well then you better get used to eating dirt, because the fights are the only way you are going to get fed! There are no parents here to feed you warm milk! Do you think ignoring it will make it go away? You really are weak!" Inti roared.

"I will not die!" He almost shouted. Koron looked at him.

"You'll have your chance to decide one way or the other…" He said and left Inti alone. Sara moved over to him, and paid her head against his shoulder.

"We'll be okay. Harrin said the fights aren't usually… you know… they don't usually get killed." She said, looking over to the cub. That was true. Death fights would be bad for the whole system. Some people might risk skipping a meal if the alternative was to starve anyway, but very few would risk their lives on a single fight from which there would be no escape. As brutal as life on the Savanaah could be – there was almost always the option to flee – and fight another day. In the pits, there was nowhere to run. No way to retreat.

"How often have you fought in the Pits?" Sara asked him. Koron shrugged.

"I don't know… About… what? Two Hundred fights? Give or take? The first fight is always the hardest. They like to break you first." He said, motioning slightly to the white lines that ran across his cheek – dangerously near his neck. His throat. The twins stared at him aghast.

"How long have you been here?" Sara asked in shock. Koron shrugged.

"I guess it's been about a year? Since Golgorath was taken over I guess…" he said, and din't say more as to how he had ended up on in this blasted place.

"You've survived for that long? How?" Sara asked. Koron didn't even look at her.

"By winning the fights – and not waiting until I am weakened by hunger to fight again. Fight when you're your strongest, even if that means going back out there. Because I like living – and I intend to remain alive. Even in a place like this, a cesspit of the world, life is still just too sweet for me to abandon it. I have seen dozens of people die in the past year, and I will not follow them. I won't."

Sara looked around with new hope in her eyes.

"See Inti! A whole Year! If we can survive for just a little while by ourselves, just until the others come for us…" She said. Inti said nothing. He stared down at the ground, not looking at his sister.

"What's the matter Inti?" Sara asked, fearfully. It was Koron who answered.

"No one is coming for you. And even if they did, they would die before they got into the Tower. If your family isn't already dead, then they are either going to die very soon, or else they have abandoned you. That's the way life is in the Imperium."

"That's not true." Sara said confidently.

"Mother wouldn't abandon me. Danyal wouldn't abandon me, neither would the others!" She said. Koron raised an eyebrow. Then he sighed.

"Fine. Believe what you like. But you might spare yourself more pain in the long run if you just accept it. Forget about surviving until rescue. I focus on surviving until tomorrow." He said.

"Right. Introductions out of the way, let me set a few things straight. This corner, is where I sleep. You can sleep wherever you want, but not here. That corner is where you should do your muck – its nearest to a few cracks in the wall, so the smell doesn't get too bad. Before you bother looking, there is one exit, the one you came through, and its sealed by a boulder that normally takes the strength of two grown Wilddogs to move – so don't bother. Food is whatever you win in the fights, or whatever you are given. If anyone tries to steal mine, I will make them wish they hadn't. Also, don't resist the guards, don't look the snakes in the eye, and never, ever, do anything to attract attention. Ok? After that, your survival depends on how well you fight. Class dismissed." Koron said.

Inti stared at him.

"I've never fought before, I don't even hunt!" Inti protested. Koron shrugged.

"Then you had better learn, or pray to whatever spirits or kings you believe in because you'll starve long before you get chopped to pieces out there. Trust me." Koron said. Then his ears twitched. Inti heard it to – footsteps.

"And you had better learn fast…" he said. As suddenly, the boulder that blocked the enterence was ripped out of its place, casting light into the tiny cave.

"Get out here… Intum?… Inik? You are up… there's a trio of Panthers waiting to meet you…" The Wilddog said, grinning. Inti's face filled with Horror. Sara face became one of total panic. Numb with fright, Inti turned, and stepped outside. His stomach knotted. He felt sick. They wanted him to fight… He thought back to the trio of Panthers. To the Rhinoceros. This couldn't be happening. But it was. As if realizing it at the same time, Sara darted towards him.

"No!" Sara shrieked, and thrashed, trying to get past the wilddogs.

"Shut it!" A Wilddog snapped, and slashed at her. Sara cried out and shrank back, cuts visible on her face. Inti couldn't move. He willed his body to move on, but he physically could not move.

"No! Kings No! Let me fight with his at least!" She protested again. Koron surveyed the pair impassively. Then he nodded making a decision. He darted under a Wilddog, and barged into the one that was half leading, half dragging Inti.

"The Youngest Panther – the other pair always move to protect it! And the male panther has a broken rip from the Rhino's horn!" He said quickly. The other Wilddog turned around sharply and snapped at Koron who darted to the back of the cave an disappeared from sight.

Inti managed to force himself to move forward, and the Willdogs sealed the cave behind him. He could still hear Sara's screams.

"What did you tell him!" Sara demanded of Koron, when they had gone. Koron nursed a bruise gingerly.

"I took note of where the panthers were injured. If he fights them, then he knows who to attack and where. If he has the guts to make use of it." Koron said. Sara stared at him.

"Thank you…" She said. Koron didn't reply. This time, he didn't move to the Crack in the wall, and Sara stared through it alone, watching as her brother was lead out to the Pits. The head snake addressed the gathered onlookers who chattered excitedly. He introduced the four fighters – the three panthers and Inti, the odds weighed heavily against him.

At the edge of the outlands, three shapes made their way through the dusty plains. They crested the dunes, keeping close the ground. It was similar to the desert. But no sand eased between their paws as they made their way through it. It was dust. Ash. Fine to the point of near invisibility. A thin layer dusted the hard ground. And though the sun didn't seem as harsh here, the dust seemed to leach the water from her pours, making the trek dehydrating, dusty, and uncomfortable. They didn't stop though. they eased passed the first black tower without batting an eyelid. A Vulture circled overhead, but saw nothing unusual. A Small pride? A collection of rouges? Golgorath had become neutral ground as far as personal disputes stood. Hyenas, outcasts from a hundred different clans, and a multitude of different packs of Wilddogs and jackals moved and interacted with friction, but without infighting.

So the three lionesses made their way into the outskirts of Golgorath without detection.

Vitani, Damu and Almasi eased together behind a rock, taking shelter from the sun. Vitani surveyed the barren wasteland with contempt.

"Home sweet home…" She muttered.

"It's more crowded than I remember it…" Damu said looking around.

"It's the Wilddogs. Mother had an almost genocidal hatred of the filthy things." Vitani observed. She could count at least fifteen of them here. A few eyed her cautiously, but most ignored her, assuming her to be one of the Shai'tan's lackeys.

"Mind you, she didn't trust Hyenas much either, – not after Scar's death - she never knew that they were responsible for her mates death, she certainly didn't love them for not preventing it." Damu commented.

"I don't care much for Hyenas, but as far as Wilddogs go, I am starting to come round to her way of thinking." Vitani spat.

The trio stared at the multitude of Towers. If the cubs were still alive, they could be in any of them. Or they could be dead.

"It could take weeks to even find them… Let alone free them." Damu said, stating what they were all thinking. Vitani nodded.

"I know a cave nearby. Actually, it's more of a tunnel into one of the lesser spires. if it isn't already inhabited, then we can stay there for now, and try to find the cubs… I just hope that they are still alive… I have heard nasty rumors about these pits…" Vitani said. Almasi nodded. If Vitani thought that this would discourage her she was wrong. The mother of the twins only seemed more determined.

"Let's get started." Almasi said.

AN:

There we go. A Long chapter.

What do you think of Koron? Probably not who you were expecting!

Will Inti be alright? I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions… and wonder on his fate… He faces three Panthers. Despite Koron's claims, the fight is clearly stacked against him.

And although the Lionesses are near Golgorath, they are no closer to rescuing the cubs any time soon…

I hope everyone has had a good Summer – though mine is now effectively over, some peoples are just starting! So congratulations!

Also, good news! Chu10 and I are working on a selection of Covers for the series to replace the proxies I have been using. And by "Chu10 and I" I mean she will be doing all the artwork, and I will likely as not just end up bossing her around, whilst she patiently assimilates my suggestions.

So that's good news.

Goodnight everyone!

As always, please, leave a review if you enjoyed it.