Many fierce predators roam the Pride lands. So many, that some even double as prey. But not the lion. Never the lion, rulers of the savannah, noblest of creatures. Nakita held her head up in pride, startling her intended prey. She growled to herself. That was what she deserved for forgetting herself while on the hunt. There would be hell to pay if she came back to Pride Rock without a kill. This in mind, she settled down in the grass to wait again. She wouldn't let her pride down.
The sun was just setting. Perfect. A low rumble of satisfaction escaped Nakita's throat. A herd was approaching, although she couldn't tell what of yet. Her eyes narrowed in an attempt to utilize her superior night vision, then widened in shock. How dare they return to the Pride lands? She'd put those scrawny dogs in their place.
Nakita was halfway through her leap towards the hyena pack when she noticed a larger, misty figure slightly off to the side. Her resolve faltered, but she completed the attack regardless. Catching a now-dead hyena in her mouth, she sprinted back towards home.
"He's back," Nakita panted after dropping the carcass at Simba's feet. "Scar."
Simba stared at her for a moment. "Nakita-" He paused. This wasn't Nakita's idea of a joke any more than it was his. But it also shouldn't be possible. "Where? When?" he asked finally.
"The northern end of the Pride lands. A large pack of hyenas is roaming around, and he's with them."
Simba nodded. "Nala, alert the lionesses. I'll handle Scar, but I want the hyenas found and taken care of. Don't let any of the children go. The last thing we need is them getting hurt." He frowned. "That includes you, Nakita."
"But- but!" She nudged the dead hyena at her feet. "I'm not a child."
"Do not disobey me." Simba let out a low roar, and Nakita bowed her head in submission. She stalked off to her own den, fuming.
Lying on the stone floor of her shared den, Nakita thought. Her den mates were out, hunting the hyenas. And here she was, doing nothing, when she was the one who had found out in the first place! She gnashed her teeth in frustration. All she wanted was to make her family proud. And she would. All of them. She sprinted out of her den towards where she had attacked the pack, determined to do something, if a little uncertain as to what.
The pack found her before she could figure it out. Snarling, she charged into their midst, for lack of a better plan. She tried to bite into one, inflicting maximum damage, only to realize that this was not a hyena. It looked like a hyena, but it certainly did not feel or taste like a hyena. Nakita spat out the dark purplish liquid that accumulated in her mouth. Out of the puddle swirled another of the shadow hyenas. They surrounded her. Buried her. She sank into the shadows.