Zira hadn't even noticed that she had made it back to the royal den. Her thoughts were occupied with the fact that she had left her mate, his brother and the rest of her loyal pridesisters on the battlefield to contend with the invasion. Zira, as she has come to realize, didn't much like it when she couldn't be in the thick of things; be it a hunt or a fight, she was never truly at peace unless there was something for her to do. She wouldn't stop worrying until she could do something about it; perhaps that was just something she inherited from her father.
"Aunt Zira?" A cub's voice broke her train of thought, and when she looked down, she could see her nephew trotting up to her. The white cub's blue eyes were mixed with the worry of a loving family member, but at the same time were innocently insensitive of the danger he was in. "Mefaru." Zira said, and then looked up to see Sina also approaching. "Sina, we need to get out of here!" Zira stated with urgency. Her pregnant belly rumbled as she spoke, and the cubs probably could feel her stress and worry, but Mefaru had to ask.
"What's happening out there? Did Uncle Scar… did he…?" Mefaru didn't want to say it, and Zira noted the solemnity that the 3 month old cub approached this subject with. "No, Scar didn't lose. And that's why Mheetu has done what he's done. He's sought an alliance with the Goldlander Pride to the south, and they are now upon us." Zira explained, and at that Sina's eyes went wide. "So… It's true then. Iago hasn't lost his power yet, and he's still a danger to us all. I didn't think he'd be able to organize an invasion." Sina admitted as she picked up Mefaru, and allowed him to climb on her back. And in that time, that she had taken her eyes from a level point of view, the lion spoken of made his presence known.
"And you lionesses are fucking idiots for not taking me seriously. But you will soon enough." Sina and Zira jerked their heads in the direction of the voice, with Mefaru nearly losing his balance with Sina's movements. Iago stared daggers at the white cub, and Mefaru swore the room had gotten 10 degrees cooler. "Cute kid you got there." Iago said, his claws unsheathed and making an audible scraping sound on the ground. "He has the same eyes as Mato, but has Kumari's cum-colored fur. So, he had it in him after all." As Iago said this, he got closer to the two lionesses, danger in his eyes as he took note of the cub on Sina's shoulders. If Zira wasn't pregnant and Sina didn't have a cub to look after, perhaps the two of them on their own could have easily handled the scrappy king. But right now?
"I tell you two what. You do everything I say, and the cub lives to tell my cubs all about their father. I like the sound of that; don't you?" Iago bared his teeth, and flexed what little muscle he actually possessed. However, he failed to intimidate his two would be victims, and especially failed to intimidate the cub upon his mother's shoulders. So much so that said cub jumped down from his mother's protection to confront him.
"I don't much care for bullies like you, and your cubs won't either!" Mefaru said defiantly, and if he hadn't gotten much too close to the diminutive tyrant, Iago might have taken much more offense to that act of defiance. However, Mefaru had made the mistake of facing up to the scrawny lion, and Iago made him pay for it with one quick movement of his clawed paw. To the cub's credit, he did attempt to dodge it, and might have even sunk his teeth into Iago's hand if he had managed it.
But he did not manage it; at least, not completely. Iago's paw shattered the cub's left leg, his claws tearing the flesh like paper. Mefaru screamed, prompting Sina and Zira to act. It would seem that Iago either underestimated his two would-be victims or otherwise didn't expect a reaction, because Sina and Zira were upon him much quicker than he could react. At least, this was the case initially.
And in that initial attack, Zira and Sina both managed to tackle Iago away from the cub, and sink their claws into Iago's sides and back. They both attempted to close their jaws on Iago's neck, but unfortunately for the both of them they only managed to get a mouthful of mane between the both of them. And then the scrappy lion retaliated.
With skill that he no doubt honed extensively for this very day, Iago lashed out with absolutely puissant force. Although their jaws simply tightened on their adversary's neck, they were nonetheless thrown right off. Zira's belly rumbled as she let out a plaintiff wail of pain, even if it was barely audible over Sina's angry roar and Iago's cackle. Mefaru, despite only having three working legs, hobbled and crawled to his aunt as fast as he could. He did not know what he was going to do, besides comfort her and attempt to 'protect' her to the best of his ability.
Meanwhile, Sina brought her claws and teeth to bear. For about two minutes, the wispy king fought with the ex-princess of the jungle, neither able to make much headway over the other. Iago swiped and clawed while Sina attempted to bite; when Sina was unable to bite through Iago's mane, she landed some blows on the scrappy lion that stunned him for a few moments. And might have beat him then and there if not for Iago rolling out of the way on pure instinct alone. But, unfortunately, what Iago lacked in size and strength he more than made up for in speed and smarts. He grabbed Sina's hind-legs during her landing, overextending and disrupting her balance as he did. With one final kick to the head, Iago had beaten Sina into unconsciousness.
"Mom!" Mefaru yelled out, his concerned voice etched with a jolting pain that he remembered he had when he set his broken leg down on the floor. In any case, he had succeeded in diverting Iago's attention to the cub and his fallen aunt. "Don't worry, she's still alive. Now, I ask you once again, kid. Do everything I say, and your whore-mother and your aunt will live, as will you." As Iago said this, he placed his clawed paw on Zira's belly, earning a gasp of pain and worry from the pregnant lioness. "So, what'll it be, kid?"
"Don't hurt her!" Iago knew Mefaru had said these words, a sign of his decision to comply. However, what took the marauding king by surprise was the fact that two voices had exclaimed these words, and one of them did not belong to the cub with the maimed leg. As Iago turned around, his eyes were as pleasantly surprised as his ears were.
Before Iago had a chance to uphold or betray his words to the white cub, Lana had arrived. Her violet eyes showed just what Iago had wished for his entire life: vulnerability.