Preparations

The atmosphere was more than just tense when Scar entered the rogues' temporary lair. In the voices and body language of the gathered lions he read all sorts of emotions. Fear, anger, outrage, confusion. In silence he admitted, that he wasn't totally sure how he himself felt about the situation. All of this was part of his plan and it felt great to see that it worked out just the way it had been intended, yet still, there was this… hint of pity somewhere deep in his mind. It wasn't much but enough to wake thoughts of remorse. Ruya had looked even worse than Lisha when Askari had carried her to Rafiki and only the great kings knew if she would survive. Maybe she was already dead by now. Quickly, he shook of the thought. Why did he even care? Why should he care? He hadn't done it himself, not directly at least and it had been a necessary step on his path to success. And now he had to make sure the next one would be taken.

In the middle of the cave, Ushindi stood, still covered in dirt and congealed blood, the face a mask out of fury. His tone of voice and especially the way he spoke of Mufasa was music in Scar's ears.

"Please!" One of the lionesses stepped forward. Tears were forming in her eyes and she looked close to a panic. "W-we have to obey him, or else… if… if we anger him anymore, he might tell his shaman not to save…"

"When I left him, the monkey was already doing his best and he won't stop. Not even at the king's command", Askari, the dark lion growled. "I made sure of that. And Mufasa would regret it…"

"You threatened him?", the girl nearly screamed. "Oh, great kings…"

"Calm down, Shauri!", Ushindi grunted, sounding everything but calm himself. "After he was done blaming me, this poor excuse of a king promised that no harm would come to her. Something about honor and responsibility he had thought I would possess too…" He spat. "He's a fine one to talk! He only sat around doing nothing while two lionesses were attacked by hyenas with the clear intention to kill and now he dares to call me a fool for actually trying to solve the issue!"

"Guys!" It was Chagina who tried to get the other's attention. "Shouting and cursing will get us nowhere! We have to plan our next steps!"

"She's right, Ushindi", Askari said. "They tried to kill one of us. We can't just let them get away with that! They have to bleed for it!"

"Some already did and the others will follow…" While Askari nodded and growled in approval, Ushindi finally noticed Scar standing in the cave's entrance. "You. Did your brother send you to keep an eye on us? To stop us from taking revenge?"

Slowly, Scar began to move. "You couldn't be more wrong", he calmly explained while walking towards the prince. "Actually, I came to do the exact opposite." With a dead serious face, he stopped right in front of him. "It has already begun. Your friend got mauled by the hyenas. Trying to save her, you shed their blood. No doubt they will call for revenge just like you do now. The question is not if, but when they will move. If I may give you an advice." He looked around into the faces of the lions surrounding him. "Do not waste your time. Prepare yourself… and strike first!"

"You mean… we should attack them?" It was Tekelea who spoke after a short moment of silence.

"Precisely." Scar gave her a grin, then he looked back at Ushindi. "If you're out for vengeance it is the matriarch, the queen herself you want. The one who gave the order to kill. The others were just following her commands. I guess you could compare your current situation with the one with this rogue guard member you told me about. If you wouldn't have finished that, he'd still be after you. Always waiting for an opportunity to strike. A constant threat. This is quite similar, only on a larger scale."

Ushindi nodded slowly. Scar could nearly see his mind working. Despite the anger now there was something else in his expression. Hesitation. "Right. It is a similar situation. But not entirely. Back then, it was Jino against Askari. It was an equal match. Now it's us all against a whole hyena clan. A really big hyena clan. I hardly managed to get Ruya out of the ambush today and although I'm quite sure some of the hyenas there won't attack anyone ever again… it was only an outpost at the border. The whole clan… they are five times more, maybe even ten! I hate to admit it, but we're not enough to face such numbers."

Understandingly, Scar nodded. "Well, I could tell you a trick or two to make up for that, numbers are not everything, you know? But if that's what concerns you the most, I guess I'm able to help you with that too."

The evening sun that hung low on the horizon covered the scenery in a reddish light. The smell of blood was in the air and the weeping of the wounded mixed with the crickets chirping that could usually be heard at this time of the day.

Deep scratches could be seen on the unmoving hyena's skin, the coat was soaked in blood. A fly sat on one of his open eyes and quickly flew off as a shadow fell on it. Judging by the wounds it was the blood loss that had killed him. The words Guma had concocted to scold him vanished from his mind, as he placed a paw on Chanzi's face to close his eyes. With him they counted four dead. He lifted his head, as Chege approached him. "And?"

"All three survivors are wounded, one badly", Chege reported. "And one is missing. Ran off when the lion charged at them."

"They all tell the same story?", Guma asked.

"Yeah, but… it makes no sense, right?"

"It doesn't." Guma nodded. Chege wasn't exactly the cleverest hyena around, but even he had enough brain to noticed something was off with the story the wounded guardians told. He stepped away from Chanzi and walked over to the three survivors. "This female, the one who chased the lioness, can you describe her?"

"She… she just looked like one of us", one of them replied and looked at him in fear. "Brown fur and all, but I only saw her from afar."

"She stayed out of the fight when you attacked?"

"Yes… I mean… I think so. She was gone when the lion appeared."

"Did you recognize her? Her voice maybe?"

"N-no", he stammered. Since he had been told that there had never been an attempt on the queen's life, he seemed to be close to a panic and so where the other two. "But, please understand! She was a female, so we just… how should we have known…"

Sighing, Guma sat down. He could understand and even relate with this poor fella. He and his comrades had simply acted the way it was expected of common males. From early on they had learned to trust and follow the words of the clan's females without asking questions. He couldn't blame them for their actions, yet still the consequences were terrible. "Go", he said and nodded at the one who was hurt the worst. "Help him to our lair and get your wounds treated."

"Yes, sir." The relief in the hyena's voice couldn't be overheard. "Thank you, sir."

"What now?", Chadi asked, as he, Guma and his brother watched the three limping away.

"You two deal with our dead. I'll report to the queen and find someone to replace this guard. We'll try to send a message to these lions and to the Pridelands to tell them all this was a horrible misunderstanding. And we'll double the guards. I'm afraid this Ushindi won't listen to reason. This will get even uglier than it already is…"

The cry of a vulture sounded and made him look up. Fupa was circling above him. "Guma! I know this is important, but you have to follow me! Now, and quick!"

"More bad news?", he asked.

"It depends", the bird replied. "Siyo is in labor."

It was already getting dark when the lions arrived at the elephant graveyard. After Scar had left them, they had continued to discuss their next move and decided that they should follow his advice. Before risking another attempt on one of their friends' lives, Ushindi and Askari would take the fight to the hyenas. Tekelea had instantly offered to join them – probably to impress Askari, as Ushindi guessed – and Chagina and Shindana had followed her example, eager to deliver justice to their friend's tormentors. Although there were some examples from history and legends it wasn't exactly considered as common for lionesses to be warriors, but the three insisted they would feel weak and useless if they weren't allowed to aid the two males. Besides, Chagina argued, that ancient rule would only apply to fights lion versus lion, where the males' strength and body mass usually made them superior to females, what wouldn't be the case in a confrontation with the hyenas. Both Ushindi and Askari saw the reason behind the girls' arguments. In fact, they approved their offer. The more fighters their group counted, the better, so the decision was quickly made. Only Shauri and Heba would stay in the Pridelands while the others ventured out on their quest, the first because she didn't want to leave her wounded half-sister, afraid she could find her dead when she returned and the latter because the others considered her too young to join the upcoming confrontations. No one was surprised when she agreed without any complains, gentle and easily to be scared as she was.

Like that it was five of them, against a whole hyena clan counting at least ten times more members. According to a vague calculation Scar had offered them it was relatively save for a grown lion to hold his ground against up to three adult hyenas at once, maybe even four in Askari's case, for a lioness around two. Intimidation and group coordination would increase those numbers, but still Ushindi wasn't satisfied with their current strength. He was very aware of the dangers that lay on the path he had chosen and wouldn't waste an opportunity to raise their chances and prepare as good as possible before he would strike, so he followed one more of Scar's advises. None of his followers said something against it, they knew they needed all the additional jaws and claws they could get. And with a possible ally this close by it was definitely worth the try.

In watchful silence they walked through the piles of bones and smoldering wholes, searching for a sign of those they hoped to find. The stench of whatever burned beneath the ground made it impossible to rely on scent, and the smoke and the countless possible hiding places made this place perfect for an ambush. Suddenly, somewhere on their right they heard a growl that made the lionesses flinch. Askari on the other hand remained calm and squinted in search for the sound's origin.

Between two large rocks a true giant of a lion emerged and slowly moved towards them. With his dark brown fur and the black mane, he blended in perfectly with the smoke and the scorched stones of the canyon. His fangs were bared and he crouched down a little, as he stopped in pouncing distance, ready to strike. Something cracked and all eyes went to the other side. From the left another lion had approached them. He wasn't as big as the first one, but comparable with Ushindi's height.

Askari steadied himself. Although he knew it wasn't the purpose of their visit, he felt excitement for the possible fight rushing through his body. The left one was closer. He would aim for him first and let the others hold off the right one while he finished him. It was as if he could already taste the blood on his tongue…

He looked up, away from his target, as a third voice sounded from a sharp-edged ledge. "You must be either brave or stupid to come here. Surrender now and maybe I'll tell my friends to go easy on you!"

AN: Ok, to be honest: I hate this one's headline but I simply couldn't think of something better! I'm open for suggestions for a better title.

Anyways, finally another chapter! Woohoo!