Be Prepared
So Prepare for the Chance of a Lifetime
Be Prepared for Sensational News
A Shining New Era
Is Tiptoeing Nearer
A dark lion led the four cubs out to a canyon the following morning, explaining that Gibbs had business to attend to as the King and couldn't be disturbed until later in the day. They were to play here, far from trouble. Then, he left them behind with the promise that Gibbs would join them soon.
McGee, Abby and Ziva chased each other around in the middle of the gorge while Tony sat on a rock beneath an Acacia tree. He watched his friends with a vacant look on his face. His jaw was set, rendering his face unreadable. Even when the others began to playfully practice their roars, he remained distant, turning his eyes to the cliffs hovering over them like evil, ant burning children.
He laid his head on his paws and sighed. "Guys…that's not a good idea."
"Why not?" McGee asked. "You just don't want to show us your real roar, do you?"
"Come on, Tony. Just one!" Abby begged.
Ziva exchanged a look with Tony. "You look ill, DiNozzo."
"Have you lost your roar?" McGee teased.
"I have not." Tony filled up his lungs and screamed at McGee with all the fury a child could muster. "If I told you what the problem was, you wouldn't listen to me anyway! None of you ever do! We should not be here! I don't trust that guy! He is going to kill Gibbs!"
"Who?" Ziva tilted her head. "Vance?"
Tony's eyes dilated. "His name is Vance?"
"Ironic, considering the director's name is Vance." Ziva nodded. "We thought you knew."
"What's that?" McGee jolted as the ground began to shake. "Earthquake?"
"No." Tony whipped around to face the cliffs, gritting his teeth. "Wildebeest."
The others gasped at the sight of the herd rushing down toward them like a river breaking free of a dam. Tony broke free of the shock first. He snapped up McGee, turned tail and ran. Ziva was only a moment slower in scooping up Abby. The two smaller cubs fought the urge to wiggle free and run on their own. Tony and Ziva were much larger and could run faster, even when slowed by the weight of their smaller comrades. But it was hard not to struggle, especially when the larger lions leap over obstacles and landed too heavily, jarring their charges. On one particularly nasty maneuver, Ziva's teeth tore Abby's nape and a thin trickle of blood began to seep down the cub's back. The taste startled Ziva enough to make her drop her precious cargo. McGee saw Abby fall and ripped free of Tony's grasp to run after her.
Tony cried out and charged back toward the oncoming wildebeests to save the others. He soared past Ziva, straight into the herd. She screamed at him but he paid no heed to the warning. He had always felt like a big brother to them both, the thought of failing them in their hour of need was unbearable.
He was within inches of the two small cubs when the Wildebeests converged on their location. Too terrified to pay any mind to the children beneath their feet, the stampeding animals ran straight at them. A wildebeests hoof landed on Abby's soft skull, crushing it like an over-ripe melon. McGee wailed for her. Even Ziva let out a long mournful peal. But Tony did not allow himself the luxury. He ran straight to McGee, intent on saving whoever he still could. With Probie in his mouth again, Tony resumed his flight. He ran past Ziva. He shouted a muffled command to follow him but didn't pause to see it she would obey. Tony had to rely on her to be as strong as she had always been, even when limited by a childish form.
A wildebeest bashed into Tony as he ran, rolling him back into the danger zone. McGee tumbled away. Hooves rained down upon the little cub, crushing his rib cage with a careless step. Tony flipped upright again, tears now stinging his eyes as he fought his way through the herd. He called for Ziva but she didn't hear him. With no time to worry, Tony weaved his wave to the side of the cliffs and pounced on the rocky wall. Thanking Jeanne for all that rock-climbing experience, Tony scaled the cliff one step at a time. As soon as he found a little ledge that would support his bulk, he collapsed, panting. He stared over the edge and searched for Ziva. The herd was nearly past them now. If she could hold on for a few more minutes…there!
Tony spotted her toward the rear of the now thinning group. Then…disaster. A hoof struck her in the forehead and she fell to the ground. She did not get back up. Horrified, Tony turned his eyes to the cliffs around him, searching for Vance. The dark lion had Gibbs pinned against the edge of a higher cliff.
The two titans clashed in a flurry of fangs and fur. Gibbs sank his teeth into the darker lion. Vance slashed with his monstrous claws. The silver lion exclaimed as the weakened rock under his feet slipped and he fell off the edge only to catch himself a few feet below. Vance climbed down to him and grasped Gibbs' paws with his. Gibbs roared. For a moment, the dark lion simply stared at him, as if considering mercy. Then, with a whispered word, Vance released Gibbs and the silver lion fell to his death.
"Boss!" Tony charged back down the cliff, where no more wildebeest ran. The herd had left the scene of carnage behind them. Tony's keening intensified whenever he passed the corpse of a friend. McGee…Abby…then, Gibbs. "No!" Tony roared, slamming his paws against the ground. "This is all wrong! All of it!"
"So it would seem." Vance growled as he appeared out of the dust, flanked by the hyenas. "Both the king…and the prince…are gone. And the princess as well?" He shook his head, still snarling. "You have a great deal to answer for, young one."
"This was not my fault." Tony asserted. "It was you! You split the team apart, you destroyed our family! You!"
"You're wrong, Tony." Vance's eyes darkened. "It is your fault Jenny is dead. You abandoned her when she was most in need, and she lost her life because of it. In return, I have taken away all that is dear to you. It is no less than you deserve."
Tony took a step back, his eyes to the ground. Guilt rushed through him, trampling him from the inside out like the wildebeests had trampled his friends. "What am I going to do?" he asked himself.
Vance, of course, had the answer. "Run away, DiNozzo. And never return."
Tony looked at the hyenas with tears running down his cheeks. "You're going to kill me if I run."
"And I will kill you if you do not. Make your choice." Vance sneered. "I shall count to three." Behind him, the hyenas licked their lips. "One…two…"
Tony bolted toward the side canyon, ignoring the snapping jaws just behind him. He could feel their hot breath on his tail, it was all he could do to stay one step ahead of them. Seeing the thorn bushes and safety just ahead, he poured on the steam and ran as hard and fast as he could. Just as the hyenas were upon him, he dove into the brambles, cutting himself on their twisted thorns and branches. Even though he knew he was safe, he kept running until he'd cleared the thorns and crossed into the desert. Behind him, he heard the hyena's cry out their deadly threat.