Author's note: Well, another chapter. Thanks for the reviews and encouragement with the story, it's been very helpful. I hope you all enjoy this (also very long) chapter. Please leave a review if you have a comment. Oh yeah, also, you may have noticed the lions and hyenas are somewhat more genuinely nocturnal in this fic than they are in the movies. But just like the real animals they're not restricted to sleeping in the day and hunting at night, so expect to see a bit of both. Thank you again.
Simba – Adult male lion, King of the Pride Lands
Nala – Adult lioness, Queen of the Pride Lands, wife of Simba
Kiara – Adult lioness, Princess of the Pride Lands, hunting party leader
Kovu – Adult lion, Prince Regent of the Pride Lands, husband of Kiara
Vitani – Adult lioness, half-sister of Kovu
Amaryllis – Adult lioness, foster mother of Amabi
Nadhari – Adult lioness, mother of Alyssa and Kelt
Sharhal – Adult lioness
Aetti – Adult lioness
Amabi – Male lion cub, adopted son of Amaryllis
Alyssa – Lioness cub, daughter of Nadhari
Kelt – Male lion cub, son of Nadhari
Zazu – Adult hornbill, Simba's majordomo
Timon – Adult meerkat, Simba's friend
Pumbaa – Adult warthog, Simba's friend
Ridikill – Adult male hyena, hunting pack leader
Burudi – Adult male hyena, Ridikill's 'lieutenant'
Groco – Adult male hyena
Sarkil – Adult female hyena
Kapungu – Adult male hyena
Babaka – Adult male hyena
Mali – Adult male leopard
The cubs and the lionesses walked home in silence. There was nothing more to say. The cubs had explained to their mothers what had happened about three times and the lionesses had yelled at their kids until their voices were hoarse. Most of the cubs had started to cry. But now all was at rest and they headed back for Pride Rock.
The youngsters didn't need reminding about how disappointed their mothers were with them. Especially Amabi. Once he had admitted to Amaryllis that is was his idea to lead the cubs out at night he had seen her tense up and her eyes narrow with fury. He knew he was in for another talking-to when they got back for putting his friends in danger as well as himself. Not to mention he'd probably got Tenzer and Ryana in trouble as well. He looked up at his angry adopted mother nervously.
Fifteen feet above them, undetected in the boughs of a baobab tree, a dark shadow said in a smooth voice, "Well, thank the stars that's over".
It was nearing dawn when the hyena hunting party crossed into the Elephant Graveyard. A sentry hyena perched on a rocky outcrop on the border stepped down to meet them.
"Hey. What's this Ridikill, no food?"
Ridikill didn't answer and marched straight past the sentry. His lieutenant Burudi stopped to briefly explain the night's events.
"Oh right. I guess you better go tell Shenzi and Banzai. They ain't gonna be pleased".
"Yeah, we know", Burudi muttered and headed off after Ridikill.
The other hyenas dispersed and headed for their own separate dens. The Elephant Graveyard always managed to look more or less the same despite the unstable geological conditions. Vents of steam suddenly shot up here and there, dark caves were littered with old bones and the mighty skeletons of giant elephants seemed even larger amongst the jagged rock walls and plateaus.
Ridikill and Burudi walked between erupting fissures and spouting geysers. Glinting eyes of other hyenas watched them go by from the shelter of ancient caves and manic cackling and whooping echoed off cavern walls. The pair paid no attention to any of these. In the greenish tint of the steam a large scar running down the left side of Burudi's face caught Ridikill's eye.
"How did you get that again?" he asked.
"Lioness slash about four years ago in the Outlands, remember? Anyway, you think Shenzi will send us out again in the afternoon or something?" Burundi wondered.
"I hope not", Ridikill grumbled, "There's more than enough hunting parties for them to send someone else out for a change. I'm tired and I want my sleep, garn!" he cursed angrily.
After a few minutes of walking they came to a cleared area with relatively few bones lying around. The rocky corridor ended in a spacious cavern with several large caves in the walls. They were the dens of the three highest-ranking hyenas.
"You'd better go", Ridikill said to Burudi. His scarred companion nodded and turned away.
Ridikill put his nose down low to the ground and called, "Oooooo-whup!"
Instantly there was a high-pitched squeal and an ungainly figure bounded out of one of the nearest caves. Ridikill turned to look at it and bowed. The other hyena grinned. It was a large male with a very undignified appearance. He had a messy mane and a few prominent wisps of hair on his forehead. His large ears were nicked with bites from…something.
The male opened his mouth and his tongue lolled out and drool dripped from his teeth. There was an absent look in his wild eyes. He suddenly laughed hysterically for seemingly absolutely no reason.
Ridkill did his best to keep his eyes level with the others', "Uh…hello Ed. Is Shenzi here?"
Ed answered by making a strange noise, "Aieeouu, ooh hahaha!" before laughing his unhinged laugh again.
Ed was a mystery to Ridikill and almost all of the other hyenas. He was one of the top three highest-ranking hyenas in the entire clan – yet he seemed mentally deficient. By all accounts he was a carefree lunatic.
"Hey, why you want to speak to just Shenzi, buddy?" an angry voice called out from behind Ridikill.
Ridkill turned to see another big male emerge from a different cave. He had thick eyebrows and large ears. A vicious scowl was on his face.
"Uh…sorry Banzai", Ridikill replied, bowing quickly, "Guess I just forgot".
"Huh. Whatever. And will you please stop bowing? Nobody else bothers. Except to the wonderful Shenzi".
Ridkill looked at Banzai and Ed. They were two parts of the trio that ruled over the Elephant Graveyard Clan. In all other hyena clans Ridikill had heard of several females ruled, led by one or two supreme matriarchs. For some reason in this clan this trio ruled. With Shenzi that was logical as she was a powerful and smart female. Banzai was strong and tough but he was male, so although in most other clans he may have been a high-ranking male or mate to one of the matriarchs he really shouldn't have been one of the top ten leaders.
And Ed…Ed just made no sense. He couldn't talk, and he drooled and giggled insanely at all times. But the other hyenas rarely questioned the high positions of Banzai and Ed as they had been in charge for as long as most could remember and they just accepted their rule, even if it was Shenzi who did most of the talking for them. And at any rate, judging by their combat skills, neither Banzai nor Ed were hyenas it was wise for even a vicious hunter like Ridikill to make angry with insulting questions.
"They bow to me, Banzai, because they recognize natural authority when they see it", Shenzi said as she yawned and crept out of her cave.
Shenzi was someone the rest of the clan could recognize easily as a leader. She was a big female with a cool, calm intellect and a biting wit. Her voice and manner of speech was smooth and somewhat condescending. As Ridkill bowed before her she shook herself, quivering her drooping topknot of hair that grew from her thick mane. She smirked, showing her black lips, red gums and white teeth.
"Looks like you didn't manage to bring dinner home with you tonight, eh Ridikill?" she drawled, with her eyes half-closed as usual; it gave off the impression she didn't really care about much at all.
"Oh yeah!" Banzai snapped to attention, "Where's our meal, meathead?"
Ed laughed.
"Well, I ran into some complications", Ridikill began, not liking how awkward the trio made him feel when they were angry; he was used to barking orders to his hunting party, not being reproached by his superiors, "See, we came across some lion cubs out on their own. I thought we should try and take them".
"Did you bring them back?" Shenzi asked, leaning on a rock pillar and scratching herself against it.
"Uh…no. They got away".
"Aww man! What's the use of you being a hunting chief if you can't bag a bunch of hairballs?" Banzai complained.
"Shut up", Shenzi snapped, thinking back to one or two occasions when her, Banzai and Ed had been unable to catch a certain little troublesome lion cub, "At any rate, their King Simba will know for sure we're back now".
After the defeat of Scar and the return of Simba the hyena clan had scattered across the Pride Lands, fleeing what they saw almost as the second coming of Mufasa, the dreaded Lion King. They had dispersed in all directions, wandering aimlessly but eventually forming their own little packs numbering anything from three to twenty individuals. Some had even struck out on their own.
Shenzi, Banzai and Ed had personally killed Scar along with some of their closest followers before heading north. They had returned to the Elephant Graveyard for a while before deciding to try their luck elsewhere, with the clan seemingly destroyed forever. They had been absent for the war between the Outlanders and the Pride Landers. During this time they had hunted in other lands and all they concluded was that all other hunting grounds paled in comparison to the Pride Lands. So they had returned to the Elephant Graveyard, picking up and recruiting more and more hyenas along the way until they had numbered about fifty.
After some months of hiding in the shadows and scavenging in the Graveyard the trio, who had reaffirmed their positions as clan leaders despite some controversy about their teaming up with Scar, had decided it was time to rebuild the clan back up to its old full strength. They had dispatched clan members north, south, east and west, sometimes going themselves, in an attempt to comb the lands and recruit old clan members and new ones. These had been very successful and the Elephant Graveyard clan was nearing its old strength again.
The major problem with more hyenas was a need for more food. Hence the recent incursions into the Pride Lands. Hunting expeditions had been sent to the barren lands to the north traditionally but now the leading trio was ordering trips to the south as well in an attempt to test the Pride Lands and see how much resistance they encountered.
"How did the cubs get away?" Shenzi asked Ridikill curiously.
"Well…" Ridikill was going to mention how the lion cubs had seemingly vanished in the gorge and then reappeared up an un-climbable acacia tree a few minutes later but he decided it didn't make him look very good so he decided to cut to the chase, "Some lionesses showed up and took us by surprise. They chased us away before we could kill any of them, but I had one of them in my mouth, if you can believe it! Garn!"
"Lionesses? Oh boy, they're on to us quick!" Banzai yelled angrily. He wasn't noted for his ability to say anything quietly.
"Don't shout bark-breath, I have a headache", Shenzi muttered as she rubbed one paw across her forehead wearily, "Anyway, it doesn't matter. We figured they'd be on alert after that kill you and your buddies stole from that cheetah, Ridikill".
Ridikill nodded. He remembered the sight of the cheetah walking away, head hanging low. It had made the gazelle taste that little bit juicier. Saliva hung from his mouth at the memory of it. Ed laughed even though he was drooling too.
Banzai sat down on his haunches, "Well, what happens now? Do we send out another hunting party to the Pride Lands tomorrow? Or will the lions be out in force looking for us?"
Shenzi shrugged her sloped shoulders, "I don't know. Unlike those lions we don't have the benefit of stupid little birdie and mole-rat scouts and whatever else they use as spies, those big, pushy…"
"And hairy!" Banzai interjected loudly.
"And stinky!" Shenzi grinned.
"And man are they…"
"Uuuuugly!" the pair of them said together and collapsed in peals of laughter along with Ed, apparently at some in-joke.
Ridikill stared, "Uh…"
"Oh, don't ask honey", Shenzi said, waving her paw dismissively, "Anyway, I guess you can have a rest tomorrow. We got another idea for how to deal with the lions for now".
"We do? Since when? What is it? Don't me and Ed get a say in this?" Banzai snapped.
"Nope", Shenzi said without missing a beat, "You can go and chow down if you want to, Ridikill. There should be some meat left on this waterbuck carcass that Gushu and her party dragged in a few hours ago from a few miles north, although I'd hurry up if I were you. It's in the feasting area".
Ridikill bowed, turned and left.
He kept his head high as he marched to the feasting area, a more open area than the rest of the Elephant Graveyard. Only fresh bones littered the floor – the hyenas kept this area clear of older carcasses. In the middle of the clearing about ten hyenas were crowded around the barely recognizable remains of a waterbuck.
Ridkill bounded forward and shoved his way to the kill, snarling and snapping at the other hyenas who grudgingly made way for him – Ridikill was within the top twenty highest-ranking hyenas. He sank his teeth into the scraps of fresh meat and chewed them up eagerly. The night may have been unsuccessful but it rarely took more than a meal to keep a hyena eager for retribution.
Midday on Pride Rock. Vitani lay dozing in a clearing, drifting in and out of sleep. Amaryllis padded in quietly and slumped down next to her, sighing. Vitani's eyes flicked wide open and she looked at Amaryllis.
"Hey Amy. Had a rough night?"
Amaryllis yawned, "Yeah, that's right. Some of the cubs sneaked away from Tenzer and Ryana and ran out into the plains. They ran into some hyenas. So did we eventually".
"Hyenas", Vitani growled in the back of her throat, "How many were there?"
The grey lioness shrugged, "I couldn't tell you. Two dozen or so, I suppose".
"Did you get into a fight?"
"Yup".
"Anyone hurt?"
"No. The cubs are all fine and we all got out okay. The hyenas must be a bit sore this morning though".
Vitani shook her head, "You have all the luck! We didn't see a single hyena on my hunt! Argh, what I wouldn't give for a chance to test my strength against a few of them!"
"There wasn't much fighting really. They had the cubs up a tree and were waiting for them to fall out. Nadhari's little son Kelt did, but he's okay. We got there in the nick of time. The hyenas ran pretty quick".
"But still! That's a lot more exciting than anything that's happened to me on any of my recent hunts. You go and join Kiara's hunt for one night and look what happens!"
Amaryllis smiled. Vitani had an unquenchable thirst for excitement, like her half-brother Kovu. All their lives they had desired to live in the bountiful Pride Lands. Now that they did they were content but somewhat restless. There was very little conflict for them to test their skills in. Kovu did have the luxury of other male lions to train and mock-fight with, but it was limited.
As for Amaryllis, she had endured a difficult few years before coming to Pride Rock. A lone lioness struggled to bring down typical prey animals and Amaryllis had found herself often scavenging or hunting down small, insufficient prey.
She had often come into conflict with other lions and hyenas, although she rarely stopped to fight them as injury to a lone hunter could very easily lead to death. Hunting in the Pride Rock group with no conflict was a luxury for her, one that she needed with Amabi to support now. She wasn't sure whether or not she was going to stay at Pride Rock for the rest of her life or just until Amabi could support himself, but that was a long way off for now.
"Anyway, I'm glad all the cubs are okay", Vitani was saying, "And I guess that little scuffle explains why there's no meat this morning. Hey, are you going to go and have a word with Tenzer and Ryana? After all, they were entrusted to look after the cubs and they messed up big time",
"I guess so", Amaryllis replied, "I kinda like those kids, but they need to be spoken to. We were lucky none of the cubs were killed last night".
"I'll do it", a voice said, and the two lionesses turned to see Kovu approaching with his mate Kiara behind him, "I'll talk to them", the male was saying, "From one young male to another, I can show that Tenzer kid some responsibility. Plus I can sympathize with him, being such a magnet to females myself".
Kiara, Vitani and Amaryllis all threw him sour looks. He grinned roguishly. Like most young males Kovu was a bit of a show-off, even if he was only joking. Kiara stepped forward and elbowed him viciously in the ribs. Kovu winced.
"You are not a female magnet, okay dearie?" Kiara laughed, "The only female you have is me".
Kovu smiled sweetly, "And that's all I could ever want…"
"Oh, please no, spare me!" Vitani groaned in disgust as Amaryllis made gagging noises. The two of them turned and began to leave.
"What's the matter, sis?" Kovu called after Vitani, "Jealous you haven't found the love of your life yet?"
Vitani looked over her shoulder at her half-brother, "Oh please. If this is what falling in love does to you, I'm going to do everything in my power to never fall in love myself".
Amaryllis laughed, "Well said Vitani".
"Anyway, you can go ahead and talk to Tenzer and Ryana", Vitani said to Kovu, "The sooner the better".
The two lionesses wandered down one of the many winding paths of Pride Rock. On the way they ran into a few other lionesses and nodded in greeting. Vitani and Amaryllis had become fast friends when Amaryllis had first arrived in the Pride Lands. They shared a love of independence, hunting and playful cynicism. While Amaryllis was still not a particularly influential member of the pride her friendship with Vitani, the half-sister of the King's son-in-law, had somewhat elevated her standing.
"Are you sure it's a good idea to let your brother Kovu talk to Ryana and Tenzer? He's not exactly known for his subtlety", Amaryllis mused as they neared the foot of Pride Rock that opened out onto the plains.
"Oh he'll do fine", Vitani answered, "You're going soft on those two kids Amy. They need some sense talked into them".
"Tenzer's a good kid", replied Amaryllis.
"Uh-huh. But he still screwed up, regardless of how much Ryana may have distracted him. Kovu will give them a good talking-to. Let's just leave it at that".
Amaryllis nodded, "I guess you're right. Anyway, I'm heading out for a few hours".
"You are? Where? And what for?"
"I'm just going for a wander. I could do with clearing my head before I get some sleep. Like you said before I had a rough night. I won't be too long. Make sure Amabi's watched for me. He's likely to be a bit quiet, I really had to yell at him last night and this morning after what he got himself and everyone else into".
Vitani looked at her friend and nodded, "Okay, I'll watch Amabi for you. You okay?"
"Yup, I'm fine".
"Sure?"
Amaryllis turned and grinned at her friend, "Trust me Vitani, I'm fine. You know me. I just like to be on my own for a bit once in a while".
Vitani grinned back, "True enough. Not natural for us social creatures, Amy. You're becoming a real worry to everyone".
The grey lioness laughed and turned away, flicking Vitani's nose playfully with the tuft of her tail before stepping onto the soft grass and wandering away north.
Kovu poked his head into yet another cave of Pride Rock, "Where the heck are those two?" he muttered.
He wandered over to another set of catacombs and peered inside. Instantly a clawed paw swept out of the darkness, aiming for his eyes. Kovu's instincts kicked in and he leaped back. The claws slashed inches away from his face and a deep growl sounded from within the cave.
Kovu threw his head back and laughed, "Nice try".
Another male lion stepped out of the darkness, grinning, "Looks like your reaction times are slowing Kovu. I could have really smacked you there".
Kovu smirked, "Not if you move like that, Tumai".
The other lion grunted disdainfully and yawned, stretching his muscular body. His brown mane covered his big shoulders and he bared his canine teeth as a conscious show of his prowess. He had a somewhat sly sneer on his low snout as he looked at Kovu.
"So, I heard you say you were looking for someone. If you're after Timon and Pumbaa, I swear this time we don't have them. You should have seen the look on that meerkat's face when I surprised him last. Absolutely priceless".
Kovu frowned, "You've really got to stop teasing those two, you know".
"It's just a way to pass the time", another male lion said, stepping up from behind Tumai.
The male was young, although still perhaps a little older than Kovu. He looked somewhat meek compared to the other two lions but he was a big, strong specimen is his own right.
"Juvi", Kovu nodded to the lion in acknowledgment, "Have either of you two seen Tenzer or Ryana?"
"Ryana? That the young girl, always follows Tenzer around?" Tumai asked casually.
"Yeah, they're both in trouble. They were supposed to watch the cubs last night and a bunch of them went out and ran into some hyenas".
"Oh yeah, I heard about that", Juvi said.
"Yeah! They ran into a pack of hunting hyenas! Talk about luck!" Tumai flexed his claws as if he could imagine tearing at a hyena and actually testing his abilities in a real battle.
"Well, the two of them got to be held responsible anyway", Kovu went on, "And I'm gonna sort them out".
"You? Don't you think someone with a little more subtlety like me or Salama should handle this? You'll probably just yell at them", Juvi said sceptically. Salama was another male lion, somewhat elderly. As was typical of male lions Juvi didn't seen much further than other males for authority figures or companionship.
"Oh please. Give me some credit", Kovu said, a little put out that his cunning was being called into question, "Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"
Amaryllis wandered over the plains, her head down. A sea of animals roamed across the lush grass alongside her, scattered in herds and small groups. Massive elephants, striking zebras, comical wildebeest, graceful impala, stately topi, imposing cape buffalo, handsome giraffes, skittish Thompson's gazelle; all these and countless more roamed across the Pride Lands before the lioness.
The chatter of the herbivores went quiet when Amaryllis swished past them. Wary grazers turned to look at the lone lioness that was pacing her way through the long grass, slinking low to avoid attracting too much attention. However, the fact the herd animals had seen her at all reassured them she was not hunting today, and merely passing by at a respectful distance. They resumed their browsing once she moved on.
As Amaryllis walked she mused on life in the Pride Lands. At times it was a little crowded for her. She wondered as she had hundreds of times before how long she would stay in the Pride Lands. She could raise Amabi to adulthood and then leave him, happy and secure in Simba's Pride. Or she could leave sooner: Amabi was certainly happy enough as it was at Pride Rock.
Or she could just stay. Permanently. The idea was tempting. She had made some good friends during her stay so far and there were certainly no better hunting grounds that she could imagine.
She sighed as she wandered further north; she'd need to really think long and hard before she made a decision. It was all about what was best for Amabi. Was it right for him to be raised to adulthood by someone who wasn't even his biological mother? She couldn't say.
A splash to her right alerted her to a water source and a commotion. A group of Marabou storks took to the wing, croaking and screeching in protest about something. She decided to investigate, and also the heat of the day was making her thirsty and she wanted at least a few laps of water.
Upon approaching the source of the commotion, she discovered a water hole a few meters in diameter surrounded by sharp elephant grass. A secluded spot, and deserted. She eagerly stepped forward and stooped to lap water from the pool.
The water was cool and refreshing, and she lost her senses to it for a moment, but suddenly they jarred back, and she smelt something that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She tensed and looked in every direction, doing her best to remain silent.
"Get lost!" a voice barked.
Amaryllis swung about to see a hyena staring at her, standing between two elephant grass fronds. It was crouched in an aggressive posture, its tail was pricked up, and its lips were curled back in a threat display. A throaty growl came from the creature.
The lioness stared back, not sure what to do. Although she had wandered a little further north than she had intended, she was still in the Pride Lands, and so the hyena was an intruder. And it looked a fierce one too. Its teeth were sharp and thick, and its bristling mane added to its imposing outline. The powerful muscles of the carnivore were taught, ready to launch it into a vicious attack. As last night's encounter had shown no single hyena was a match for a lioness one-on-one, but this one looked oddly unafraid and at any rate in a fight it could still badly hurt her with those jaws
She weighed up her options. The hyena was an intruder and an enemy. She was within her rights to lunge and attack – go for the neck and end it all quickly. However she didn't feel particularly compelled to. Despite the desperate battle and near murder of her precious Amabi she didn't really think any animal, even hyenas, deserved death on sight.
Her adversary was still snarling in its throat, foaming at the mouth. She would have expected a lone hyena to run. Why it was standing its ground she couldn't determine.
She decided to take a chance, and cocked her head and peered at the hyena curiously, "Hello", she said amiably.
The hyena didn't flinch and just maintained the stance that plainly meant 'I'm going to tear you apart'.
She tried again, "What are you doing so far south?"
The manic snarling intensified.
Amaryllis sighed, "Okay, fine. What's your name?"
The hyena stopped growling and stared at her. It looked perplexed but judging by the way its lips were quivering it still seemed consumed with rage.
"None of your business!" it eventually roared.
"Alright, fine. My name's Amaryllis".
The hyena looked at her incredulously, "Like I care!"
Semi-consciously Amaryllis lied down in the foliage next to the waterhole. The savage threat display instantly resumed.
"What?" the lioness asked.
"I told you to get lost!" it snapped.
"You don't have the authority to do that. These are the Pride Lands. I'm a member of King Simba's pride. You're the intruder here".
"Oh, am I? Hahahaha!" it chuckled evilly, "Times are changing, my dear! I'm gonna go ahead and assume you haven't heard about what happened last night?"
Amaryllis' eyes narrowed, "The attack a bunch of you guys led on the Pride Lands?"
That provoked a nod, "Yeah. You should have been there, lioness. It was intense".
She tensed up, "I was there".
The hyena peered closely at her, "I see. Well, I am the one who led the attack. I am Ridikill, a mighty hunting chief of the Elephant Graveyard Clan".
"Oh, that was you in charge, was it?" Amaryllis didn't know what do. Now she could directly link this hyena to the attack that nearly claimed the lives of a half a dozen of the pride's precious children it was tempting to attack.
Vitani would have done it. Kovu would have done it. Kiara…Amaryllis wasn't sure. She had really toughened up since Amaryllis had first met her, maturing fast, but she was still a gentle soul, like her mother Nala and father Simba. As for the other male lions in the pride…the hyena would have been either halfway back to the Graveyard or dead by now.
"Yes, that was me", Ridikill snorted arrogantly, "You lions sure weren't so proud last night, huh?"
"Oh yeah?" Amaryllis snapped, suddenly driven to anger by the cocky invader, "Last time I checked it was you guys who ran off with your tails between your legs".
"Garn!" the hyena spat and took a step forward, "You'll eat those words soon, I promise you! Now get lost! I like my privacy".
"Well, I do too", she shot back, "I just want a drink and then I'll be on my way".
"If we both like our privacy, then what are you doing here bothering me?"
"Like I said, I want to drink. Plus I saw those storks take to wing. Was that your work?"
Ridikill suddenly grinned foully, "That's right. Nearly had them too".
"Not much food on a stork".
"Not for a meat-picking lion", he grunted and bared his bone-crushing teeth.
Amaryllis decided to take another chance and stepped forward and put her muzzle to the pond and lapped up the water. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the hyena glaring venomously at her.
After a moment of deliberate, defiant drinking she raised her dripping muzzle and looked at Ridikill. Her instincts were starting to scream to her to attack, but with caution. She had once seen a hyena take a wildebeest leg bone in its jaws and reduce it to splinters in a single bite. The thought was quite unnerving.
"Are you going to hurry up and leave now?" Ridikill demanded.
"Who are you to tell me to go?" she challenged once more.
He shrugged, "I'm your enemy. And I've decided that this is my drinking spot, therefore it's enemy territory. So either you go now or…it's war".
Amaryllis turned and walked away, subdued by the sheer ferocity of the hyena's threat. The smaller carnivore unnerved her. As she headed back towards Pride Rock she could hear him chuckling quietly to himself.