NALA

I left so quickly I couldn't tell who was following behind me. And to be truthful... I had no idea where the hell I should look to go after them. Evening would be closing in on us soon, the whole situation was just bad. Shit. I stopped suddenly, thinking for a moment. I turned to see who I had by my side. Limpo had followed me, and two other lionesses I wasn't too familiar with. I knew their names, Ama and Alix.

"Limpo, go get my mother, let everyone know what is happening. You all need to go back and rally behind Vitani before Nuka comes back."

"Nala...who were the other Nuka talked about?" asked Limpo. "What the hell is going on?!"

"Nuka wants to take this pride over- but I don't have explained! just go tell my mother. She'll know what to do."

"Right!"

" What about us, what do we do Nala?" asked Ama urgency in her voice. I looked to her and then to my surrounding. I knew what we needed to do, I just had no idea how we could do it...they'd gotten ahead of us.

"We need to get Roho back, and fast...but I have no idea where the hell-"

"Look!" Alix got our attention. " Blood, it has to be Nuka, we follow this, we find Roho." that was all I needed to hear.

"Let's go!" we sprinted down the dark trails. Setting sunlight, peaked through the cracks of tall dry brushes and curved top trees. As the seconds went by, I fought to keep my mind straight...not to let it think of the worst possible scenario. I think I hope, I pray this is Nuaks blood I'm following...but what if it's not? This was a lion who killed a newborn. What respect for life did he really have?

The droplets of blood were consistent. It went from a few scattered trickles of blood on the ground, to collected pools of red crimson. That means we're getting close...that means he's stopped."There!" I shouted, as my blue orbs spotted a lean figure leaning against a tree.

"Oh, about time someone showed up...ow!" He looked a mess, Vitani had fucked him up. His lip was busted, cheek bruised and his eye puffy. If it swelled anymore he would be blind until the swelling went down. "kings, I forgot how aggressive my sister can be-"

"How could you!" Ama and Alix came powering behind me.

"You monster!" Alix, " You deserve to die right here, like the pathetic lion you are!" Their boiling rage didn't scare him. He didn't even look their direction as they spoke to him, threaten his very life. He only focused on applying pressure on his eye.

"By all means, be my guest." he was to calm and to...secure, about his safety right now

"Ama, Alix!" I called before the two could take another step forward. "Don't he's tricking us." I turned to eye him. "Where are they?"

"phh, does it look like I know? I'm not exactly with them-"

"Don't patronize us! Where is the prince!"

"Testy, you won't get your way with that attitude." He truly played a dirty game. It didn't matter what I did, I would always be trapped in this lion's sticky web... and it made me sick. I can't beat him...

"You've won Nuka!... Vitani is down, Kijivu is gone. Just give us back Roho. You know he's not a threat to you..." I doubt my words would have any impact. In fact, I was likely wasting my energy...but it was worth a try. Then, the feeling of death started to creep into my bone. it was hard and cold... I had felt this feeling before. I felt it when they were around...

"Now Nala, you know I can't do that. He'll be right with his father soon, tumbling down some hillside any time now." that was it...

"BASTARD!" Ama and Alix had lost it, charging before I could stop them to warn them.

"NO!" whoop whoop! My limbs went stiff to the sound of bloodthirsty hyena laughter. Before my brain could register the when and the where of our situation. There were one...two ...three..four...five...hyenas standing in front of Nuka. As soon as I was able to count them all- or what I hoped was them all, Ama and Alix were down battling two hyenas each. " No...Stop them!"

Who was I stupidly cried out, I knew damn well this monster before me wouldn't. My legs slowly found their will to move. I raced over to help, but I was stopped by Ama's blood-curdling cry.

"NO! save Roho!" but... I knew if I let them, they would surely die... "Don't just stand there, GO, GO NOW!" They would die if I left. They will die... these lionesses are powerful, but we are outnumbered. My heart began to race and my subconscious took over my thoughts. The sounds of more echoing hyenas began to fill my ears in wave after wave. I smelled and tasted blood, my body felt broken and bruised, and I hadn't moved a muscle. It was just like before...just like before in every way. This can't be happening again "NALA GO!"

I was forced back into reality. Sickly met with the sound of laughter and roars of waring lionesses. My legs suddenly got the power to move and they did. I turned without a second thought and bolted. If I had spared a thought to think of those lionesses, I knew I wouldn't be able to keep going. I ran desperately trying to catch up with the sun. I felt teeth snapping at my heels. I didn't dare look back.

"Let me go... let me go!" Roho... I went in the direction of his frightened voice. "My mom will get you!" There, I could see them! Roho digging his small claws into the ground to escape Shanti's grip as she placed a grown sized paw on his tail. keeping him firmly next to her. She was facing the other way. " What's the big idea- Auntie!" without stopping I rammed into Shanti.

"Arghh!...Why you-" I held Shanti to the ground while my eyes searched frantically to find Roho. I knew a hyena was following me, he's sure to be right behind.

"Run Roho! Run-" the wind flew out of me, as my back smacked into the ground. Fuck!

"Don't get in my way!" Her teeth were just inched from my face, her claws digging into my fur. My head wiped to the side, from her backhand. My eyes, brain... the world was spinning out of my control. I bit down on my tongue until it bled trying to get my head straight. I saw she was going after Roho, he must have squeezed himself in between the cliff rocks.

"Shanti Stop! what are you doing?!" she turned to face me, she looked crazed. The redness and puffy discharge from her eye made it known she had been crying. "Shanti..."

"Stay away!"

"Why...why are you doing this?" maybe if I could talk to her, I could get her to trust me. I could see what the hell was going on in her head- why would she side with Nuka. What sense did that make, has heartbreak made her hopeless in seeing what the actual truth is?

"Why...what do you mean, why?!...you know why. She lied to me! She lied to all of us and now Kijuvi is DEAD!"

"...you're right...she lied to you. But is hurting her son going to fix that?" I made eye contact with Roho, if I could distract her enough, he could run for the hills, and get away. I leaned my head in the direction that I needed him to go and prayed Shanti didn't catch on. " Being mad at her is fine, she betrayed you...but Nuka...he's the one that killed Kijivu-"

"That's a lie! And he told me YOU would be the one to say that to me. You think he did it, but none of us were there to be there for him!" then I remembered.

"...You loved him, didn't you."

"...More than anything!"

"You're hurt he's done-"

"I'm devastated!" she roared. "I was fine with him not choosing me to be queen, I was fine when I had to play second to Vitani, as long as he was happy! That's all I cared about!" angry tears flowed down her face like a river. Her emotions were a damn...just waiting to explode, from years of built-up pressure. I had to be careful...but I didn't have the time. I eyed Roho again. He slowly started to squeeze his way from between the grey rocks. Tiny paws tip-toeing lightly not to make a sound-

Snap! a twig snapped under his small weight. Roho froze, I froze and Shanti turned.

"YOU!" I watched her claws extend from her paws, digging feverishly into the dirt. I saw the fear in Roho little eyes. His body paralyzed by fear. I felt my past replay itself in the back of my mind again. Nukas jaws, oozing with Kopa's blood as he passed by me. The image was so perfectly seared into my memory. Right in front of me. No...not again. I won't fail this time.

I charged at her with full speed, hoping Roho had enough time to get out of the way. Shanti was rammed into the tall rock by my body. I felt the cracks in her body as if it were my own. The snapping sound of bone on unmoveable terrain. I stumbled back to catch myself as Shanti coughed up blood.

"...y...you bitc-" I had handed her the same backhand she had given me. It was satisfying to hear the sound of her head snap. When she fell to the ground, I nearly collapsed myself. but I knew I had no time to rest.

" Auntie auntie, are you okay?!"

"...come on..we have to get go-" whoop whoop! "Dammit." 5 black shadows started to grow from around the corner. They found us. I snatch Roho by the base of his neck and kept moving. The whole left side of my body was screaming, as I limped us away to some safety.

"Go in here, in here!" this cave was enormous... as tall as I could see. Not have any other option, I went inside. It was pitch black, the air was dry. The smell of blood and hyena followed me. I ran until I saw a small light at the back of the cave...a clearing. I ran to the light, desperate to find a hopeful opportunity to escape as I heard dirty dogs howling after me.

The great kings of the past have a way of fucking with me. there was no clearing at the end of this cave...no more options. Just the end of a steep ridge. I put Roho down, looking to see if there was anything I could climb...

"There's nowhere else to go!" Heart stop racing! Please not racing... "Auntie!" Roho ducked behind my back leg as the hyenas came into view. They were drenched in blood...Ama and Alix blood.

"Looks like your out of lucky...here kitty kitty kitty..." Could I fight them all? could I take some down with me? and hope Roho can get away to safety no... I had no other option. I turned to Roho, grabbed his little body in between my arms, and jumped.

* Damn I said no one would be dying...well to be fair, it was characters we knew and it helped the story progress.

RyanSquad , you and me both lol, it's the only thing keeping me going.

KawaiiCutie12, yea the wicked deserve their own special treatment. Yea poor baby, he didn't need to see any of that, now he's literally in the middle of it.

Nuka is daddy issues gone crazy, parents acknowledge your kids!