Nighttime adventures

The moon rose over the hills and its light fell onto Kenua's face. Comfortable he shook his mane and stretched his legs. As he had expected, with nightfall his thoughts had become clearer and now his decision was made. He had spent enough time laying around and transforming into a reclusive weirdo. Slowly, but speeding up, he left his spot on the ledge. With fast, but noiseless steps he started running, following the river downstream. At first, he had thought about paying Jua and her small pride a visit, maybe stealing some of their food or just playing tricks on them, but he had changed his mind. There was no fun at this anymore. The first time he had done so he had enjoyed the fear his visit had caused and the information it had given to him. But now he knew everything about those lionesses, how many of them had stayed, which one of them he knew from the past, who was a potential threat and who not. No, tonight he had chosen to leave the borders of his homeland. In no time he had found the track of the poachers and soon he stood at the place, where they had crossed the river.
Curious he looked around. After he was sure there was no trace of Njaa or others of his kind, he dipped into the water. Swimming wasn't exactly his favorite exercise, but there were worse things than getting wet. After he reached the other side, the Outland's rocky and dirty wasteland lay in front of him. So, this was where his guests had been coming from. No wonder they had went out poaching. He sniffed into the air. The smell of wet fur was weak, but still there and the pawprints made it even easier to follow their track. The path they had chosen lead him further into the web of canyons and gorges, before the land became wider and opener. Now withered bushes and occasionally small rocks shaped the landscape and in the distance he saw some termite mounds. The closer his way led him towards them, the bigger they turned out to be. Higher than most trees he knew, they reached into the sky and between them… yes, there had definitely been a movement. Silently he snuck closer until he had reached the first and smaller ones of the mounds. Just at the right moment he took cover, before a dark figure appeared from one of the bigger holes inside the mounds.

"Just wait your turn, Nuka. Stop complaining, Nuka. Of course, there will be something left for you Nuka. Oh, eat shit, something will be left!" Angrily the lion struck at a tiny bush, only to yelp in pain, for the plant's thorns had stung him.

It took Kenua some self-control not to laugh about that guy's clumsiness. He seemed to be a bit younger than he was but even skinnier and much scruffier. The black hair tufts on his head and the chin in combination with his hilarious facial expressions made it even worse.

"Hey, where are you going?" A second voice sounded through the night. A voice Kenua remembered.

"Well, what do you think, precious little sister?", the youngster growled at the little lioness who also climbed out of the hole. "Finding some food before mother starves me to death! How am I supposed to get stronger like that? What is she thinking?"

"Well, I guess she thinks that's not necessary. You don't have to fight Simba. We've got Kovu for that."

Simba… Kenua remembered that name. Last time he had been to the Pridelands its ruler had been an elderly lion called Scar, but he had heard that a few years ago his nephew Simba had returned from exile and overthrew him.

"Oh, leave me alone with that termite! I could do that as well, but no, I'm kept down! And worse, every time one of you makes a mistake, it is blamed on me! Kovu nearly gets eaten by a crocodile? My fault! You sneak away at night? My fault! It's a wonder I'm not blamed if of Kopesa's annoying brats gets into trouble!"

"Well, that would be mine actually", the cub laughed.

"And even if you'd confess it to mother, in the end it would be me getting shouted at." The young lion's anger turned into sadness as he sat down. "But do you know what is worse, Vitani? She is right in being disappointed in me. Oh, who am I even trying to fool… I'm useless…"

"Yeah", his sister agreed. "That pretty much sums it up."
Nuka's expressions became even more desperate. "Maybe I should simply leave, so I'm not a burden for mother and the rest of you…", he said quietly enough Kenua nearly couldn't hear it.

"Don't be an idiot, you'd die within a week without us!"

"So what?" He turned around what forced Kenua to pull his head back into his hiding place. "Mother would be glad and so would be the rest of you!" The sound of footsteps was heard. Quietly Kenua changed his position and risked another glance. Nuka had turned around and walked away from his sister, towards the canyons in the distance.
"You can't fool me!", Vitani mumbled and sat down. "A few more steps and you'll turn around." She watched her brother walking way further, without looking back. "You always do…" Slowly the lion became smaller and smaller and the further he got, the more nervous the young lioness became. "Turn around already!" She stood up. "Oh, damn it!" Scrutinizing she glanced back at the termite mound's entrance, then she started running after her brother.

After she left, Kenua came out of the cover. He walked closer towards the hole and listened. The voices he was sure, he had heard coming from down there had disappeared and instead he could hear the quiet breathing of sleeping lionesses. Carefully he stuck his head into the mound to confirm his guess. And right. Below the insect created structure he found a roomy cave in which a bunch of lions had laid down around three halve-eaten gazelle carcasses, to sleep. Except for one cub laying in the arms of his mother they all were female and some of them he recognized as the poachers he saw roaming Jua's territory. He stepped back from the hole and turned into the direction Vitani and her brother had disappeared. He had given the girl enough of a head start. In no time he had spotted the cub running after the young lion and began following her in safe distance.

. . .

"Nuka?" Nervously the cub looked around, as its words echoed from the walls. "Come back!", she added even quieter. "We're not supposed to be here all alone. It's hyena territory!" The noise of a small rock falling down somewhere in front of her made Vitani flinch. Maybe going after Nuka hadn't been her best idea. But she wouldn't turn back now. Even though he was older, her brother would never stand a chance surviving out here. She had to bring him back home, otherwise… With a quick jump she took cover behind a thorny bush, as five dark figures came around a corner of the maze, she had dared to enter.

"Three gazelles! They managed to steal three gazelles!", one of them said with a weirdly giggling voice. "Man, I don't even know how those things taste anymore!"

"I don't care how often you tell me. The answer is no!", another voice growled back. "We're not going near that territory! Boy, those lionesses can be so glad they are still alive! There is a reason most hyenas rather steal from the Pridelanders than from those crazy killers!"

"Well, I heard those crazy killers ended up killing each other", the giggling voice replied. "Just imagine it. Lions slaying each other… what could be more satisfying to watch?"

"Me finally getting something else than tiny lizards to eat?", a third hyena entered the conversation.

"Oh, shut up! Nobody asked you, dumbass!"
One more hyena tried to get the other one's attention. "Wait, I know! Watching old Banzai killing another lion! That would be most satisfying! Oh, that must have been a glorious day, am I right?"

"It depends", the second voice said angrily. "If you call the day on which you lose a great number of friends to lions' claws, a great fire and finally to your own fangs glorious, yeah, sure."

"Uhm… sorry to interrupt, but speaking of lions… do you smell that?", another hyena asked into the silence following Banzai's words.

Fearsome Vitani's eyes widened and quickly she checked the wind. She was relieved to discover, it was coming from the hyenas' direction. But if it wasn't her, they had smelled, who… Nuka!

. . .

Standing on the rocks above, Kenua watched the hyenas running off. He was glad they hadn't discovered the cub, giving him no reason to interfere, but he knew where they were heading to. Balancing over the fissured cliffs he sped up and passed the hyenas beneath him. From up here it was no big deal for him to spot the young lion, who just had noticed he was chased. Unfortunately for him, he was heading straight into the darkest of dead ends around.
After all he had witnessed, Kenua felt sorry for that guy. He didn't deserve to die that way and neither he wished the cub to see what was about to happen. With a final jump he brought himself into position and pounced. The youngster yelped, as out of nowhere Kenua landed right in front of him. With retracted claws he struck at Nuka's head, who instantly twisted his eyes and sank to the ground. As good as possible Kenua hid the motionless lion behind some rocks and prepared himself for the fight.

"Got you!" With a crazy laughter the first pursuer rushed around the corner. "Hold still and I promise I'll do it…" The lion's paw muted the male hyena before he could finish his threat. Motionless and without another sound the dumb creature fell to the ground. With a soft crack Kenua rolled his head from one side to the other. It seemed, he hadn't lost any accuracy despite his laziness in the last time. A grim smile appeared on his face, as he greeted the next two hyenas. Again, the moment of surprise was on his side. The hyenas screamed in pain, as he started slashing at them. He felt his claws digging through their fur and skin, then he let loose on them and pounced at the next one.

"Wait for me, you idiots! We should attack him all at once, or he will…" the last hyena stumbled around the corner, a male, like the others, but way older. The poor guy stopped immediately, as he witnessed the young lion standing between three whining hyenas on the ground, the neck of a fourth still in his fangs.

"Banzai, help me!", the unfortunate one groaned, as Kenua shut his mouth a bit further.
For a second Banzai stood there motionless. "Oh, screw this!" Followed by the surprised looks of his companions he turned around and ran off.

"No, oh, please no!", the picture of misery left in Kenua's fangs wined. If his mouth wouldn't have been overfilled, he would have laughed about how quickly this tough playing guy had turned into a crybaby. With a loud flump, he let the hyena down onto its back and placed his claws at its throat. "P-please, please, y-you d-don't have do this…", the pitifully creature begged. Slowly Kenua licked some blood of his lips, enjoying his victim's desperation. Then he started sinking down his head closer towards the hyena.

"Fine", he whispered into his ear and took a step backwards, relieving the pressure from the poor guy's throat. "You're free to go", he added loud enough for the other to hear. With a quick glance at the spot where he had hidden the young lion a thought came to his mind. It was too dark and the fight had been too quick for the hyenas to actually see him clearly. So, why not? "But don't you dare approaching me again, or else, I, Nuka, will squish you like bugs!", he growled at them, as they roused themselves and ran after Banzai. After they vanished, he walked up to the real Nuka and shook him. "Wake up!", he quietly demanded.

"W-what…?"

"Look into my eyes and listen to me. You've chased off five hyenas all by your own! I guess you aren't that weak after all. But you took a blow to the head, and went unconsciousness, before your sister found you here."

"I… hyenas…? What blow?"

"This one." Grinning, Kenua rose his paw and send Nuka back to sleep.

. . .

A yelping sounded in some distance and lured Vitani out of hiding. That definitely had been Nuka! Struggling with herself she stood there, unsure what to do. Her brother was in danger, no doubts, but what was she abled to do? She wouldn't stand a chance against five full grown hyenas, even if she tried. Just rushing after them would be nothing but suicide. On the other hand, she couldn't just stand here, while her brother was ripped apart by those dirty mutts. Desperately thinking about a plan, she slowly started to move, just to freeze again, as more screams echoed from the walls. But that wasn't Nuka's voice. Of course, she didn't know, how her brother's death-cry would sound like, but she had tormented him often enough to know the noises he made, when he was in pain. And she was sure, even he wasn't able to cry with multiple voices at the same time.

"Screw this!", she heard someone shouting, as she snuck further into the direction of the screams and had barely enough time to retreat behind a corner, before a hyena passed her. "I'm sorry, but I want to live!"

Just, as Vitani had recovered from the shock, the other hyenas followed. Now she had no time to take cover, but none of the four even noticed her standing in their way. Surprised she gazed after the fleeing mob.

"Ouch…"
The dazed sounding voice drew her attention back in the other direction. This was how Nuka sounded. Relieved, she took a deep breath. He was alive. "Nuka?", she asked and walked around the corner, now sure it wasn't risky anymore. "Are you ok?"

"Huh? Vitani?" As he stumbled out of the darkness, Nuka looked a bit groggy and scruffier than usual, but seemingly he had no serious injuries. "What are you doing here? Oh, my poor head…" He struggled to focus on his sister's face. "Wait… you're not supposed to be here! It's dangerous with all those hyenas around!"

"I know…" Slowly Vitani nodded. "They ran, like a herd of mad rhinos was after them." She leaned to the side to look past Nuka. Except for some rocks she couldn't spot anything else. "You… Alone… How? Was it you who chased them away?"

"I… chased them away?", confused he turned his head around. "I…" On his face confusion turned to excitement. "I chased them away! I did it!" As if he had forgotten his dizziness he jumped into the air, only to regret it a second later. "I did it…", he mumbled, as he lost balance and fell over. "I… I have to tell mother!" He spit out some dirt and forced himself back on his legs. Than he began stumbling back the way he came.

Still not sure, how to handle the situation, Vitani followed him. She couldn't belief, what had apparently happened, but she was sure to know, what would happen, if Nuka came home like this, waking up their mother to tell her about it.