As soon as the bull had moved from her crushed body, all thoughts of hunting had left the lionesses' minds. Instead, the pride rushed towards the side of the sooty lioness, knowing instantly that she was dead. For his own part, the wildebeest stumbled off onto his own, having escaped with his life for the second time that day.
Bursting from her hiding place, a cracked and decayed log, Nala felt a painful moan escape her, Asabi echoing her noise. Tears stung Shakila's eyes, unable to understand what had gone wrong. Why the strongest of their pride had fallen to such a horrible death. Sarabi released a mournful cry, turning away painfully. No tears would be shed, thanks to her now hardened heart, but an empty space would remain forever within her.
The lionesses turned away from the fallen body of their companion, unable to do any more but allow her body to complete its cycle in the circle of life. Sadness seemed to linger in their very tread as they marched home. Nala rubbed against her mother, Sarafina steps were long and painfully slow. Uzuri lingered behind, her head dropped over the body of the fallen lioness. Tears rolling freely down her cheeks. Gzifa stayed near the young lioness, knowing how much she had looked up to Karasi, and knowing it was no time for the dusky shaded one to be left alone.
"Come along," she said at last. Stepping up against her companion and leaning against her to brace up the grief stricken Uzuri.
As the pride slowly padded into Priderock, they were greeting with a swarm of hyenas. Waiting for the kill to be delivered to them , or at the very least told where it lay.
A wave of disgust rose within Sarabi, and she swept right past the beggars. The other lionesses following right behind, not even giving the spotted canines so much as a second glance while they made their way to the back of Priderock.
The sun warmed the stones, but with the lack of condensation in the air they were no longer comforterable to lie upon. As there was no foliage to provide shade, the lionesses sought it out behind stones and under a few of the larger outcroppings. Each left to dwindle on painful thoughts of what had just befallen them.
Shenzi, Bonzi and Ed having appointed themselves as higher than the other hyenas, strode towards them. Ed the only one who didn't seem the least bit angry, although, he wasn't exactly all together in his head.
"Why aren't you out hunting?" Shenzi snapped, any humor she usual expressed instantly vanished with the hunger in her belly and the anger she had towards the pride.
The lionesses simply glowered in return, not answering her demand for some time. At last Sarabi spoke out, her voice bold and loud. "There is nothing left to hunt." She told them, knowing that perhaps somewhere out there something eatable might be left. Yet, with the death of her friend the tawny lioness finally decided that her pride was not going to be pushed around anymore. The queen wasn't about to continue risking her life and the lives of her pride to feed ungrateful beasts such as the canines before her. Instead of voicing this opinion, she said softly. "Why don't you do out and try it yourself," before turning her head away, dismissing them in a queenly manner.
"Scar will hear of this," the female hyena hissed coldly before disappearing, her companions at her tail.