***Part 3***
***Chapter 3***
It is a common misconception that forests are quiet places. True, they can be, but most of the time they are deafening with the infinite calls and cries of the wildlife. Matrane, the strong, cold, and cunning leader of Toyo's Eastern Forces was ready to commit suicide out of sheer irritation.
"GET THOSE WORTHLESS PIECES OF SCUM MOVING!" he shouted at his subordinates, who cowered at the angry bellow. "I WANT TO GET OUT OF THIS PLACE, AND FAST!"
The outburst effectively sent the entourage of soldiers into a frenzy as they all began to push, strike and force the new recruits into moving faster.
"Tired of this place, Sir?" a leopard asked the officer with vague amusement.
"It's just too insanely NOISY! I wish these trees would all burn and the birds would be permanently silenced!"
The leopard snorted with vague amusement as he watched over the proceedings of the unit. "Well, once we get these new recruits to the training camp, we can leave the forests for a while. We haven't recruited from the Plains Prides in a while."
"I suppose… but these new fighters are terribly unmotivated! They won't even crawl without a little… provocation."
"But it is quite amusing, Sir."
Matrane chuckled sinisterly. "It is."
"SIR!" came a call from farther up the path.
Matrane turned with rage to the approaching team of soldiers. "I THOUGHT THAT I TOLD YOU TO GO MAKE CONTACT WITH THE CAMP! THERE IS NO WAY THAT YOU FINISHED SO QUICKLY!"
"But S-sir…"
"I DON'T WANT EXCUSES; I WANT YOU TO FOLLOW MY ORDERS!"
"The camp is gone sir…" he replied in a small voice.
Matrane froze. "What?"
"All the officers are dead… and the recruits are gone…"
Matrane swore angrily. "That's the fourth one this month! I thought that they were receiving reinforcements!"
"They did… they were dead too."
The leader was silent for several moments as he tried to plan his next move.
"There's something else, Sir."
"What is it?"
"We found them." He replied, gesturing to the still arriving troops. In the center of their team was a small grouping of lions and lionesses, clearly not part of Toyo's army.
"Who are they?" Matrane asked curiously.
"It's a pride from the other side of the mountains… they won't say why they're here."
"Stop the formation", he commanded the leopard. "I want to talk with our new friends…"
The leopard nodded and went off to halt the troops and their now burdensome prisoners. Matrane approached the captured pride slowly, examining them with vague curiosity. It was mostly made of lionesses and younger lions, who no doubt were soon to be sent to a training camp. They all shared a similar appearance; tired, weak, and scared. Even the few adult males were seemingly terrified of the surrounding soldiers.
"Why are you here?" Matrane asked them slowly.
Silence.
"I'm afraid that if you don't begin to speak, I will begin to kill you one by one." He stated bluntly with a tint of boredom, effectively widening a few eyes in the pride.
They still remained silent.
Matrane sighed irritably. "Fine." With that, he grabbed the nearest lioness aggressively and slammed her down onto the ground, drawing cries of fear from the younger lions. He raised his paw, claw unsheathed, over his head and took a moment to revel in the lionesses fear. It satisfied him deeply.
"We're here to find the rebellion!" cried a young lion, still a cub.
Matrane froze for a moment before releasing the terrified lioness. "What did you say?" he said slowly as he approached the now trembling cub.
"W-we… were trying to find Kiota's Army…" he squeaked in fear.
The officer was silent for a moment. "You were attempting to join forces with the rebellion?"
The cub was silent. "Please… we're sorry."
Some of the soldiers snickered in amusement and anticipation. In Toyo's empire, treachery was always punished by a slow death.
"What makes you think that Kiota's Army is this way? They already took out the training camp, what else would they want from here?"
One of the lionesses temporarily shed her fear and looked at the officer in the eye. "Maybe he was waiting for you." She replied icily.
Matrane laughed; an unpleasant sound to say the least. "Please! He wouldn't dare attack a force this size!"
"SIR!" came a stressed call.
The leopard approached his leader quickly. "Sir, we've got a problem."
"What now?" Matrane groaned.
"Some of the guards on the edges of the formation are missing."
"WHAT? How many?"
The leopard hesitated for a moment, clearly afraid of the lion's reaction. "Nine." He replied in a small voice.
"Send out search parties in the directions where they were last seen! I want them found!"
The leopard nodded and turned away. Suddenly he froze. "Sir…"
"WHAT NOW?"
"Listen!"
Matrane stopped for a moment. "I don't hear anything!"
"Exactly!"
The officer blinked in surprise. It was dead silent. All the deafening noises of the forest that had been driving him insane were now silent. It was as if the woods itself was anticipating something. "I changed my mind; don't send out the search parties. Keep everyone close and set up a perimeter; I do not want to be surprised by anything!"
"Too late." A low voice hissed.
All heads snapped to their rear. There stood an angry looking lion; his fur stained a dull red and his eyes full of focus. Behind him, a small army materialized from the foliage, each warrior sharing his expression.
The formation erupted into chaos around them, swarms of lions bursting from the forest from all directions, catching the soldiers completely off guard. Some were killed before they could even stand up, others managed to put up a fight only to be defeated by the countless rebels. The silence of the forest had been abruptly ended, being effectively replaced by the roars, growls, and screams of combat. It didn't take long for the reluctant recruits to take advantage of the situation and turn on their captors. There was nothing that the soldiers could do. They were all dead, and they all knew it.
Matrane roared angrily. "YOU DARE ATTACK US? WE ARE THE KING'S PRIMARY FORCES!"
The red lion just grinned. "Yea, I can see how well that's working out for you guys."
"DON'T MOCK ME, SCUM! I WILL TEAR YOU TO PIECES!"
"Yea, you just try."
"I AM MATRANE; I HAVE BEEN TRAINED BY THE GREATEST FIGHTERS IN THE KINGDOM!"
"I am Ralon," the red lion replied, seemingly taking extreme pleasure in the officer's unyielding rage. "And I have been trained by Kiota."
Matrane frowned, temporarily stunned. Maybe he wasn't as well off as he thought he was.
"Chances are, he's probably killed a few of your teachers."
The comment enraged Matrane, and he growled dangerously. Without much planning, he lunged out at the Ralon with his claws outstretched. He was going to punish this piece of slime! Just as he was ready to close his talons around the red-furred lion, he disappeared. Matrane blinked in surprise as he grabbed open air and almost fell flat on his face before he regained his balance. He whirled around, ready to strike at Ralon.
'Whap!' He reeled back, stung by the sharp blow. A small trickle of warm blood made its way down his cheek. The officer roared in defiance and lunged out at his opponent; he was a bit more conservative with his blows, wary of being thrown off guard again.
Despite his more careful attacks, Ralon still had no problem with the fight. He ducked under swipes and blocked solid blows that were easily strong enough to knock an inexperienced fighter to the ground. Try as Matrane might, he simply could not land a blow on the younger and apparently better-trained rebel. Suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere, a paw tripped his own and he fell flat on his back, effectively knocking the wind out of him. He gasped for air, expecting a finishing blow, but it never came.
"Don't get up." Ralon said quietly. "It's over."
"It is not over!" Matrane hissed as he slowly rose to his feet, glaring furiously at Ralon.
The fire in the Rebel's eye was gone as he looked over Toyo's Officer. "Don't, Matrane. Look around you." His voice had lost the bite that it had held only a few moments before.
Despite his rage, Matrane obeyed his opponent. He glanced around warily, expecting an attack from one of the surrounding rebels. Surely one of his subordinates would step in if he was suddenly mobbed. He blinked in surprise as he realized the truth. They weren't there. None of them were there. He gazed across the forest floor with a stunned gaze. His soldiers were gone; all of them. The new recruits were milling about, mixing with the rebels as if they were long time friends. The wounded were being cared for and food was being distributed. Upon closer inspection, he noticed some of his own troops, who had seemingly joined forces with the rebels. Those TRAITORS! He thought furiously.
"It's over, Matrane." Ralon said quietly. "Surrender and you will be treated well."
The officer growled in defiance. "I… will… NEVER… surrender."
Ralon attempted to try to reason further, but it was to no avail. He was only barely able to dodge the next few attacks that Matrane launched. The officer was getting tired and sloppy as a result. Despite this, however, it was clear that he meant what he had said. He wasn't going to give up.
The younger lion ducked under a swing and spun sharply with his claws extended before leaping away from the older's attacks.
Matrane gasped at a sharp stinging sensation before he blinked in confusion at Ralon's movement. He looked down, to see a small cut on the inside of his arm near the ribs. It was tiny.
He chuckled slightly. "And what was that, kid?"
Ralon didn't blink. "I'm sorry… I wish you hadn't made me do that…"
Matrane just stared incredulously at the rebel before replying sarcastically. "If that was your interpretation of finishing me off, then I'd just love to what the mighty Kiota is teaching you all."
It was strange, he thought. Everyone looked so…solemn. It was as if they all thought that it was over! Matrane knew it wasn't, he still had plenty of fight left in him! He growled and took a step forward to begin his next barrage of attacks.
As soon as he moved his arm, a wave of dizziness and nausea swept over him. The spell was so powerful that he struggled to stand. Ralon just watched with slight pity as the Officer looked down at his wounded arm which was now bleeding profusely. The blood came out in waves, no doubt corresponding with his slowing heartbeat.
"W-what did… y-you do…" he said with difficulty, clearly disoriented by the blood loss. He staggered forward, but his balance was gone.
"I sliced your artery… sometimes you don't feel its effects until you try to move."
Matrane just stared blankly, his eyes focusing in and out as the wound began to take its toll. "Y-you… I'll… you…" he mumbled incoherently as he teetered back and forth. As Ralon was expecting, his legs suddenly collapsed from underneath him, and the officer fell onto the hard ground with a resounding 'thud', kicking up a significant amount of dust into the air. His eyes slowly lost their focs completely and his breathing slowed to a stop. Aside from a few muscle twitches and spasms, it was clear that the beast was dead.
The surrounding lions and lionesses were silent for a moment as the corpse lay motionless on the ground. It was funny how the officer quickly lost significance as a dead body. There were plenty of casualties all over the place; this one was no different from anyone else. After a few moments passed, the crowd of observers began to disperse. Only the renegade pride remained.
"T-thank you…" one of the older lionesses said as she stepped forward. "We were looking for you…"
Ralon forced a weak smile. "I'm glad that you found us."
The younger lion looked up at him with wide and eager eyes. "We want to fight with you!"
"I thought as much…" he looked across the land for a moment, scanning the many faces in the rebellion. "There's a lioness over there with the black muzzle; her name is Ifa. She can help you get adjusted into our family."
"Family?"
Ralon nodded. "We don't fight alongside strangers. We are all one family, for better or worse."
The newly accepted pride gleamed with happiness. "Thank you…" they said again before heading towards Ifa.
The red-furred lion nodded in acknowledgement and watched them go. As soon as they left, however, his attention returned to Matrane. The fact that he had not been killed in the heat of battle troubled Ralon greatly. Ralon sighed deeply as he stared at the still bleeding corpse. It was remarkable how much blood had been spilled by that one simple slice. He lifted his head slowly as he sensed a familiar presence alongside him.
"What do you want, Kiota?" he said dryly.
"Just observing is all…" the rogue said softly. "You did well, Ralon."
"I killed him… And I didn't need to."
"Yes, you did, he wasn't going to surrender. I'm glad that you feel bad though."
"Why?"
Kiota looked up at the sky. "It shows that you haven't lost your morality… it's an easy thing to lose in war. You did well."
"Yea, I'm sure that you could see just great from where you were standing all the way back there!"
Kiota shrugged. "We talked about this already… You need more experience on the front lines."
The red-furred lion growled and spun around to face his father's killer with a fire in his eyes. "Yea, but YOU are the leader here; YOU are the heart of this rebellion, and YOU should be the one at the front of the attack!"
A lioness approached the pair at a brisk pace. "Sir," she began hurriedly. "We've got a bunch of fighters that need more urgent care than we can give them here."
Kiota carefully hid a smile as Ralon took over the issue.
Ralon nodded. "There's a small pride not too far from here; I'm sure that they will be able to offer us some help. Get them mobilized and we'll head out as soon as we can."
She nodded and turned to go prepare the wounded.
Ralon turned back to Kiota with the anger back in his eyes. "There's a reason why they're calling it Kiota's Rebellion." With that, he stormed off to occupy himself with some of the many important matters that had arisen during the battle.
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The night had fallen quickly over the savannah and Kiota's army was busy recouping from the conflict. Though they had suffered some casualties, their numbers had still swollen significantly from the renegade pride as well as from the liberated recruits. Those who were not tending to the wounded or planning the army's next move were celebrating yet another victory. The local pride had been more than willing to provide assistance to their forces; Toyo had made an enemy out of nearly all of the lions who had heard his name.
Kiota watched the celebration intently with vague amusement. He remembered back to his travels with the Vita mercenaries and Shinmen. They had celebrated often and with little restraint. There had been fights and craziness and drama and unbelievable noise. He smiled as he looked over his rebellion's celebration; it was nothing like the mercenaries'. There were no fights or arguments or eve much noise. It was just a bunch of friends and teammates that had gathered together to enjoy each other's company. Unlike the mercenaries who celebrated because they might die the next day, the fighters before him celebrated because they had all made it through another fight together. They celebrated because they were all doing what they wanted to do to fight what they knew was wrong. Where the mercs had fought for their own self indulgence, these noble warriors were fighting for each other, their families, and those who could not fight for themselves.
It made the veteran fighter smile, but nothing more. He did not engage in the joyfulness or the laughter. He only watched for a few minutes longer before pulling away and walking off on his own. The stars shone crisply in the black canopy that they hung in, their brightness unhindered by the humidity.
"I'm pretty sure that you're watching me, Kya…" he said to the heavens. "I don't have much else to explain how well we've been doing. Thanks for the help…"
He sighed deeply as he considered his next words. "I wish you were here… I really don't know what I'm doing, and you were always so good at dealing with others. Ralon is doing well in running things, but I don't think that he understands what I'm doing yet. He still hates me and can't see much beyond that."
A gentle breeze rustled his fur. "Something's coming, Kya…" he whispered softly. "I can sense it. Toyo has left us alone up until now, but he won't for much longer. We're becoming too dangerous; he's going to try something aggressive."
He paused a moment as he thought about the prospect of a direct confrontation with Toyo's Army. "I have faith in my troops… in Ralon… in you… but I still feel uneasy. Something's coming and I want them to be ready… ready in case something happens… to me."
***Author's Note***
Like I said before, this story is coming to a close within the next couple of chapters and I want to thank all of you for sticking through this story. To all of you who reply anonymously, thanks for your support, it really means a lot to me.
My sympathies go out to NalaNay and the whole issue surrounding her. A loss of a great contributor to this site, and I hope she returns.
At this time, I'd like to direct your attention to my newest story, "In need of a Hero." Whenever I near the end of a story, I like to start the next one to draw a little bit of attention to it, (you all know how it can take a while for new stories to get off the ground.) Visit my profile for a brief summary, or go right to the story.
Thanks for reading!
-Ben