***Chapter 5***

***Fixing What is Broken***

Oh the power to be strong
And the wisdom to be wise
All these things will come to you in time.
On this journey that's your making,
There'll be answers that you seek
And it's you who climb the mountain,
It's you who reach the peak

In learning you will teach,
And in teaching you will learn,
You'll find your place beside the ones you love.

-Son of Man by Phil Collins

Alex's wounds were severe, but he doubted there would be any permanent damage. They were healing as expected, although slowly. Surprisingly, nothing had become infected and none of his muscles were damaged very badly. When he asked, he found out that the Shaman, Rafiki, had dressed the gashes and left the wooden bowl. Sarabi told him that the mandrill lived on the outskirts of the Pridelands in a large baobab tree. Alex made a note to thank him once he was better. After almost a week he was able to walk around, although he was too weak to venture far from his temporary cave. Nevertheless, he found it liberating.

Nala spent a lot of time with him. He wasn't leaving, but she clearly didn't want to take his presence for granted. The hyenas that had attacked him had been "punished" by Scar's definition. They were assigned to clean the royal throne room and were only allowed half portions at meal times. Alex knew that Scar didn't care that he almost died and also understood that the hyenas were not really being punished. He didn't press the issue though, he was just happy to be staying with the Pride.

Despite Nala's frequent company, Alex still had a ridiculous amount of time to himself. The hunts had always taken up most of his day and now he was too injured to partake in the outings. Many afternoons were spent staring at the stone walls of his temporary cave or watching the pride members move about in the common area. The fight had manifested itself into Alex's memory; he thought about it constantly. Yes it was traumatic, yes it was embarrassing, yes it was painful; but most of all it was puzzling. How had he lost the fight? He may have been outnumbered, but he had weapons. Sharp weapons. The fight on his first day was completely one sided in his favor, and he doubted that the hyenas he had lost to were really that much better than the ones he beat the first time. What was different? What had changed? The questions perplexed him for several days before he came to a conclusion. He had gotten lazy, plain and simple. Before he had come to the Pridelands, Alex was proficient in Kung Fu. Granted, he hadn't studied very strictly in recent years, but he had still made a point to practice at least once a week or so. He knew how to fight people and use a variety of weapons, especially the staff, but since he had arrived, he had not practiced his drills once, not even done simple kick or punch sets. No wonder his stance had felt awkward and foreign before he got mauled.

Furthermore, Alex felt weird about the whole kung fu thing in general. Kung fu was designed to be anti-human, not anti- animal. It was even criticized in the martial arts world as being too flashy and impractical. Alex didn't like the idea, but it seemed like he might have to adopt a new fighting style. What that was, he had no idea, but he needed to find it before he got into another fight. First priority: heal, and then get back his old skills.

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Another week later, Alex woke up early before the sun rose. Most of his wounds were sealed and only moderately painful. Now was as good a time as any to start, so and quietly walked outside, careful not to wake the lionesses. He passed Nala, who was sleeping soundly next to her mother. She was still growing at a remarkable rate, becoming more like a fully grown lioness every day. Now she stood a bit taller than almost all the hyenas except a few. Alex had been tempted to make a growth chart for her; to see if he was right by guessing that she was taking on nearly an inch per week now, and her appetite reflected that. He shook his head after a moment of contemplation; he needed to focus now.

He exited the cave and started up a less used trail towards a higher level of Priderock. He walked at a brisk pace, trying to warm up his body. He arrived on wide plateau type structure overlooking the eastern side of the massive stone. The flat surface extended for about forty feet and seemed like an ideal spot to practice. He looked across the plains, the blood red sun had begun its daily eruption from the horizon and slowly inched itself higher into the steadily lightening sky. He stood in the center of the level surface, feet together and arms at his side. The young man bowed as was customary in such sets, and stepped out to a wider stance. He moved slowly and methodically through his form, performing various techniques on unseen attackers. He stretched his stiff limbs and re-familiarized his muscles with the movements that he once could execute as easily as breathing. The form ended and he pulled his feet together to bow.

Alex analyzed his injuries; nothing had reopened from the exercise and his joints felt looser, more flexible. It felt good. He bowed, and began the form again. He moved faster, kicked higher and punched stronger than the first time. By the end he was breathing a bit harder. A smile spread across his face. His techniques may have been neglected, but they were still there, just waiting to be practiced. He continued through the morning; reviewing all the techniques, forms, and drills he had ever done. When he ran out of stuff to practice, he exercised. Pushups, situps, sprints, pull-ups, anything he could think of. As he progressed, he realized that his body wasn't stiff from his wounds, but from lying around doing nothing all day. Alex decided he would do the most complicated kick he knew. It required him to spin and throw himself horizontally towards the target, and strike with his rear heel. He knew that it had no real application value, but it was a feat that took a lot of skill. Skill that he wanted back.

Alex took up his stance and took a deep breath. If he could perform this, he was well on his way to where he was before the crash. He took the first step, then the second, his rear foot left the ground as he twisted his torso to the side. For a moment, he was airborne. His muscles moving in complete synchronism as he spun through the air. Then came the sharp pain in his side. Alex cringed and curled his body involuntarily, throwing himself off balance. He tripped and went sprawling across the plateau while gripping his side. Once he had lost momentum he rolled onto his back and groaned. His shirt was already lightly stained red from the reopened wound on his rib. It was bleeding, but not significantly; it would clot on its own.

He lay there for several minutes, staring the cloudless sky. Okay, so maybe the stiffness he felt was in part from his injuries, and maybe he was moving a little too fast for the first day back on the field. Alex sighed, rose to his feet, and headed back down the slopes of Priderock. He had done enough for one day.

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"Where have you been?" asked Nala crossly as Alex descended the hillside trail to the common area. "We've been looking all over for you."

"I was exercising." He responded concisely.

The young lioness glared at him. "Well would you at least tell us before you go next time?"

Alex laughed to himself and nodded. "You're just mad that I didn't take you."

Now it was Nala's turn to smile. "A little, but you really shouldn't be pushing yourself! You aren't completely better yet." She nodded to the blood on his shirt. "Is that from your exercise?"

"Yea..." Alex admitted. "But it's fine. Trust me." He walked past her down the slope, thinking he had ended the conversation. Nala clearly did not consider it over.

She caught up to him and cut him off. "Fine. But next time, you are taking me wherever it is you exercise. I don't want to find you unconscious on the side of Priderock because you reopened a cut and bled out."

Alex laughed. "What are you, my mother?"

"You're still getting better! Do you want to be stuck back in that cave again?"

Alex sighed, still smiling. "Alright, alright. Tomorrow morning I'll take you with me."

Nala seemed to be satisfied as she fell into step alongside him as he started off down the trail. "Good. 'Cause I won't let you go without me."

"Yes, of course, your highness." Alex replied sarcastically.

She grinned. "I kind of like the sound of that."

"Don't get used to it."

"Too late."

He looked down at her with a bit of confusion. "What?"

"I'm used to it already; from now on, I want you to address me as royalty."

Alex stared at her for a moment as she stared back at him with an expression of pure seriousness. Was she for real? he thought quietly to himself. He waited for a break in her expression; a blink, a wink, anything to give away the joke like she always did; Nala could never keep a straight face for long. She didn't even breathe.

"HAHA!" she burst suddenly, making Alex jump back in surprise. "Gotcha."

Alex only stared at her smug amusement as she continued down the trail. He shook his head slowly, reminding himself that she wasn't the cub that she once was she was growing up. She could control her laughter far better than she used to. It was strange really, he thought. He had been here for some time, nearly two months now. He had met her when she was only a small ball of fur, hardly the size of a cat. Now, she was nearing dog size and was almost as big as some of the hyenas.

"Are you coming?" she asked impatiently from afar. "I promise, it was just a joke!"

Alex laughed at the comment and nodded. "Yea... I'm coming."

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The rest of the day passed slowly. Alex hung around the main cave, having spent most of his energy that morning. He dressed his reopened cut with a handmade bandage left by Rafiki and took a short nap. By the time he awoke, the sun was beginning to set, reminding him of the evening hunt. The return of the hunting party was the only significantly interesting event that evening, so Alex went out to see how well they had fared.

Kova was one of the senior huntresses and had been directing this outing. As he approached, Alex identified her darker coat from the other lighter pelts that had already begun to disband. She nodded to Alex as he approached.

"How'd the hunt go?" he asked.

Kova shrugged. "It went fine I guess, not fantastic though." She looked at the carcasses lying on the side of the common area. The hyenas were already starting to consume the meat at a fantastic rate. "Two wildebeests and a zebra."

"That's better than usual." commented Alex.

Kova rolled her eyes. "It is, but it doesn't matter. We will get the same amount as usual and the hyenas will get more than they usually do. Why we provide for them I'll never know, they do absolutely nothing all day except for the occasional hunt that they ruin."

Alex knew exactly what she was saying. Hunts were very long, difficult and exhausting. When the hunters didn't get to keep their kills it could get pretty irritating very fast. "Well what can you do?" he shrugged hopelessly.

"Nothing, and that's the worst part." Kova lowered her head and carried herself back to the main cave past Alex. After a few steps she turned a lighter expression on her face. "On a lighter note, we're all looking forward to you rejoining us when you're better."

Alex smiled. "Thanks, I'm looking forward to it too."

She nodded and turned away, leaving Alex alone in the darkening lands. He looked out at the surrounding landscape and felt a distinct pull towards it all. It was a feeling he had always felt as a child, but hadn't felt much since his arrival in Africa. Now it was back; he wanted to be among the wilderness.

He grinned and looked back towards Priderock; no one would miss him for a while. He had time for a walk. He started off There were two times in the day that Alex loved: sunrise, and twilight. He liked the sunrise for the obvious reasons that are well known by anyone who had witnessed the event. Twilight however, was different. Its beauty was subtle, and not necessarily visual. Alex walked through the long grass that brushed the tips of his fingers, breathing very lightly. Something about twilight stopped his breathing. Maybe it was the lack of animal noises, or maybe it was the abruptly cool air that became so abundant after the sun went below the horizon. Whatever it was, Alex loved it. It was a perfect conclusion to any day.

By the time he returned to Priderock, night had fully fallen and most of the lionesses, including Nala, had retired to their usual sleeping area. Alex found his way through the cave of unconscious bodies to his temporary cave and went to bed. He still was a bit too weak to return to his old cave.

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The next morning Alex woke before the sun again, and carefully woke Nala before exiting the cave. Nala was clearly exhausted and still unawake from her sleep. Alex smiled as she complained.

"Why are we up so early?" she asked. "The sun isn't even up yet!"

"It's good to get up early." Alex replied simply as he maintained a fast pace up the side Priderock. He broke into a run as he neared the plateau, his heart pumping from the uphill exertion. Nala kept up with him, and was slightly out of breath by the time they reached the level ground.

Nala glared at him. "Okay, you go do your exercises or whatever, I'm going back to sleep."

Alex laughed and gestured to a shady tree to the side of the area. As the young lioness got comfortable, he bowed towards the horizon and began the same workout he had done the day before. Alex practiced all his drills and reviewed all his techniques. The sun soon rose and Alex continued to practice. Within an hour he was nearly finished and Nala was starting to wake. She watched him with curiosity as he performed the various moves to the air.

"What exactly are you doing?" she finally asked.

Alex finished his routine and turned to answer her question. "It's called Kung Fu." he said. "I used to be good at it."

"But what is it?" she asked, still confused.

"Humans made up a bunch of different ways to fight each other, and this is one of them."

Nala looked at him blankly. "Why do you want to fight each other so much?"

"We don't want to, it just happens. People fight just like lions and other animals do."

"Well it looks kind of silly." She said, lowering her head to her paws. "It's like dancing."

Alex wiped the sweat off his brow and sat down beside her. "It may look kind of odd, and maybe it is, but it's very good against people." He laid down in the shade before adding, "And it worked pretty well on those hyenas that first day I found you."

"Well it didn't work so great the second time now did it?" He couldn't see her face, but Alex could tell from the sound of her voice that she was smiling.

"That's why I'm doing this!" he chuckled quietly. "I don't want to get mauled again." He stood again and walked out to the center of the plateau. Having finished his practice, Alex dropped and began a set of pushups. He had completed at least twenty when he felt a sudden weight on his shoulders. "Nala! Get off me!" he shouted through a grin. He tried to keep going with the added burden, but collapsed into the dust before he could perform another pushup.

"I thought you wanted to get better." She said sarcastically.

"This isn't helping!"

She cocked her head and glanced at the human. "I kind of prefer you from this angle, I don't have to look at your face! "

Alex laughed at her insult, and shifted his shoulders under her paws. He slipped out from under her grasp and pushed her onto her side. "Let's find out what you look like when you're shoved into the dirt!"

She yelled in surprise as Alex jumped onto her. They twisted around each other for several moments, each trying to get leverage on the other.

Alex was surprised at how well Nala was doing. She weighed a bit less than Alex, but she knew how to use her weight. They were both panting when Alex pulled the lioness's legs out from under her and pinned her to the ground.

"HA!" He cried in victory as Nala squirmed under his weight, but it was no use. He had her down and finished.

"Fine! You win." She conceded grudgingly. Alex sat back and they both stared at each other for a moment, still breathing hard. Suddenly the whole situation seemed hilarious and Alex burst out laughing. Nala joined in quickly and playfully pushed Alex down before returning to her spot under the tree.

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Alex and Nala quickly turned their morning outings into a rigid routine. They would climb the slopes together, Alex would practice his Kung Fu, and they would wrestle before he started his harder exercises. As the weeks passed, Alex spent more time on more difficult exercises and the wrestling matches with Nala slowly evolved into sparring matches. The terrain that made up the backside of Priderock proved to be a natural obstacle course. The duo spent a decent amount of time each morning just running across the patchwork of boulders, trees, and grasses. Alex gradually modified his techniques and cut out the useless stuff that was useless in real fights. He refined the moves to be balanced, simple, and effective. Over time he felt the effects of the workouts; at first it was subtle, but soon it became obvious. He lost most of his excess body fat and his muscles became more toned than they ever had been while he was there. Alex felt fantastic and Nala seemed to like the workouts as well. His wounds healed completely within another week and soon he rejoined the evening hunts. The mornings, however, were sacred.

Soon, Alex was recovered enough to return to his cave. He changed the now dry grasses that made up his bed and easily returned it to the way it was before he left it. He looked around his small cave, smiling at its simplicity. Most of mankind lived with far more, but he didn't need it. And really, he didn't want it. This was a simple life; not easy, but simple and rewarding.

He was about to lie down on his newly lined bed when a small object caught his eye; a small wooden bowl. He bent down to pick it up, instantly remembering that it had belonged to Rafiki. He had expected the shaman to return for his bowl, but so far he had not. It reminded him that he still needed to thank him for the help. Tomorrow, he resolved, he would go and find him. Surely Zazu would be able to give him directions.

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After the following morning's routine, Alex departed for the great tree with Nala. The lioness didn't need to go, but she seemed to want an excuse to get out of Priderock. They walked and talked for over an hour, making sure to keep Priderock in their sights. Alex was pretty comfortable with the layout of the Pridelands from all the hunts he had partaken in, but he still was well aware how easy it was to get turned around in the vast savannah. Zazu's directions were easy enough to follow, but Alex soon found himself relying more heavily on Nala than the bird. Soon a massive tree appeared on the horizon. It stood alone in a field of short grass and dwarfed the usual Acias that were so common in the African wild. It didn't take much figuring to guess who lived there.

"Have you ever met Rafiki?" He asked Nala.

She shrugged. "No, he's been around Priderock before, but I've never really met him."

"Do you know at all what he's like?"

Nala smiled. "My mom always sent me off to do something else when he was around. She said he would scare me…"

"Great" Alex remarked, not really pleased with her explanation. "I'll expect a monster."

"I don't think he was scary like that, just... weird." Nala's expression fell as she came across another memory. "Rafiki… he was the one that crowned Simba as the prince when he was born."

Alex sighed and set a hand on her back in an attempt to comfort her.

Nala shook it off "No, its fine. Really." She looked up at Alex, the sadness in her eyes now gone. "I just still miss him sometimes."

"Yea... I do too."

The two Pridelanders continued on in silence for a while until they approached the great tree and stood at its base, slightly in awe at the sheer size of it. They looked at each other, unsure as to how to proceed.

"Should we just yell?" asked Nala.

Alex shrugged and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hello? Rafiki, are you up there?" he called.

He was about to call up again, but a sharp answer fell down to them. "SHHHHHH! Dis is Rafiki's quiet time!"

"What?" Alex and Nala responded simultaneously.

A deep sigh came from the high branches and a rustling followed. A figure dropped to the ground behind Alex, making him whirl around out of surprise. The mandrill was about half Alex's height, but only because of his bent posture that was so common in primates.

"AHAA!" yelled Rafiki excitedly, poking Alex in the chest. "Yo dat man I treated a month ago! Yes yes, vedy good recovery it looks like." He grabbed Alex's arm and held it close to his face to analyze the scars that had only recently healed.

Alex didn't know what to make of this creature. He glanced at Nala, but she was equally stunned. "Uh, yea… I just wanted to thank you for the help and return your bowl."

"Yes yes, it was no problem, Rafiki is glad to help de lions." He looked over at Nala. "AND YOU! You ah Sarafina's girl! How is yo mada?"

"Um… she's fine, thank you." replied Nala politely.

"You ah getting much bigger, yes you ah. Soon to be a huntah I dink?"

Nala's face lit up at the hint of a hunt. "Yea, I'm going out on either this full moon or the next."

"Wandaful! Just be careful not ta take too much. De herds ah hurting." Rafiki said solemnly.

"Why?" asked Nala curiously.

Alex looked down at the confused lioness. "We're overhunting," he told her. "The herds can't repopulate fast enough to keep up with us."

"Yes yes." Concurred Rafiki. "De ah hurting.

"Why doesn't anybody talk about it?" she asked with confusion. "How come you haven't told me before?"

Alex shrugged. "Scar doesn't care. I only get mad when I think about it."

"Angah will make yo strong!" Rafiki said loudly, raising his arms over his head. "...And also weak. Be careful of dat, young man."

Alex nodded softly, slightly surprised by Rafiki's change in demeanor. Clearly there was more to this guy than he had initially guessed.

"Someone should have told me." she insisted with a tinge of resentment.

"Sorry." Alex replied, trying to keep a smile off his face. You'll be the first to know next time something happens."

She nodded, "I'll be in the loop soon enough I guess."

"Soon."

Rafiki eyed her carefully, then looked back to Alex with the same expression. "You two..."

"What?" Alex asked.

Rafiki shook his head, a small smile on his face. "Oh nuting... Just remembering sumtin dat Mufasa told me not too long ago."

"Mufasa?" Nala asked with confusion.

"Yep. De good old king himself."

"The... the dead one." Alex said softly, hoping that he wasn't being too blunt.

Rafiki laughed aloud at the stunned duo. "No, de one dat has moved on."

Alex blinked; that was an interesting way to look at it. He had never been very religious, but he was a strong believer in the afterlife, heaven, or whatever you wanted to call it.

"He is among de stahs now, and still vedy much alive."

Nala looked at the shaman quizzically, the gears in her head turning. "So you're saying that Mufasa and Simba... they're still around?"

Rafiki nodded. "Not like you or me, but yes. Dey are still around."

Alex smiled; he liked Rafiki, even if he was a little odd. He wasn't so sure about him being able to talk to the deceased, but he wasn't going to question it. The message wasn't something that he wanted to undermine.

The continued to talk for a long while, and although his dialect and train of thought was incredibly difficult to follow, Alex found the mandrill fascinating. They spent almost an hour talking with the shaman before they decided it was time to head home.

"Ah, one last ting." Said Rafiki, just as they were beginning to walk away. "If you fight de hyenas again, do not play!"

"What?" asked Alex, unsure what he was trying to say.

"If dey ah going to attack, attack dem first! If dey want to fight, fight dem harder den dey want to fight you."

"Scar would kill me if I attacked them first." he replied with a smile.

Rafiki smiled right back at him. "Either dat, or end up wit me at your side again."

The dark promise dug its way into Alex's mind, reminding him of how close he had been to death. Rafiki was right, the hyenas weren't playing around, and neither should he. He nodded towards the shaman. "Point taken... thanks."

"No problem."

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Alex and Nala headed towards the towering stone structure that they called home, just as the afternoon was beginning to really sink in. The morning dew was fully evaporated and the mind-numbing hums of the countless bugs were as solid as ever. By Alex's calculations they would be back by late afternoon, plenty of time before he needed to go on the evening hunt. The two of them walked and talked and joked, with little to be concerned about in the carefree wilderness; here there was no Scar, no hyenas, and no risk of overhunting. Alex always appreciated moments like these: when nothing needed to be done and everyone was satisfied. It was an extremely relaxing feeling, but as much as he liked the feeling, he knew that it wouldn't last long. Inevitably, their conversation returned to the woes of the pride.

"So what if you rotate which herds you hunt from?" Nala suggested.

"We do, but we always end up rotating through them too fast."

She sighed in frustration for what seemed like the thousandth time. "Then let's just get rid of the hyenas! Then we won't have to worry about overhunting!"

"And while we're at it," Alex agreed, "we'll de-throne Scar too!"

She looked up at him irritably. "You know I'd like to."

He chuckled quietly. "I know you would, but you can't. Try to relax, Nala. We're out in the middle of nowhere. Don't let Scar ruin your day without him even being here."

"He just bothers me so much!"

"I know, but let it go. We don't have anything to worry about out here."

As if on cue, a sudden cackle of shrill laughter sounded from over a hill to their left, making Alex and Nala freeze in mid-step, their eyes glued to the direction of the noise.

Nala eyed Alex nervously."Was that what I think it was?"

"It sounded like a hyena." Alex nodded darkly. So much for being away from the troubles at home.

"This far away from Priderock?"

He nodded again. "Whatever they're doing, they must not want anyone to see."

Her ears flattened to the back of her head. "That can't be good."

The two Pridelanders climbed the hill slowly and looked out to the land only short distance away. A large rock protruded from the dry ground, and against it stood a small antelope with a frightened look in its eye. It couldn't have been more than a month old, butAround it stood a handful of hyenas, their sight making Alex's stomach drop instantly. They all had the poor animal cornered against the stone, snapping at its feet every time it tried to escape. Their demonic cackling saturated the air and put panic into the step of the young antelope.

"Oh god..." Nala whispered softly. "This... This is wrong."

Alex felt rage fill him as he watched the hyena's torturous hunt, if it could even be called that. Nala was right, this was completely and utterly wrong; it violated the unwritten code of the predator. This was just cruel!

Alex turned to Nala. "Stay here!" he told her as he rose from the ground, his mind wishing that he had brought his spear with him.

"What? No!" she replied, making him look at her with surprise.

"Nala, you could get really hurt from them, I'm…"

She cut him off before he could finish "No, you could get really hurt again!"

"I can handle it! Besides, your mom would kill me if you got hurt!"

"My mom would kill me if you got hurt!"

"Nala…"

"Don't Nala me! I'm a lot bigger than I was last time, I can handle myself!"

Alex sighed angrily at the lioness's stubbornness and stole a glance back down the hill only to see that the hyenas were advancing on the antelope. He knew that there wasn't any way to avoid her involvement, better to just accept it. "Fine! Let's go."

The two of them descended the hillside quickly and Alex grabbed a sturdy stick about the size of his spear. He decided to try Rafiki's advice: attack them first. Instead of trying to talk them out of killing the antelope, he charged the closest hyena and struck him across the face with the stick. His victim barely had enough time to look at its attacker before it was sent sprawling across the grass. The other hyenas turned to face the new arrivals, clearly confused at the reason for this interruption.

Alex decided he should probably help their small brains understand. "Leave the antelope alone!" he demanded. Nala growled at his side, her fur was bristled. He did have to admit, she was quite intimidating despite her youth.

"Hey!" protested one of the hyenas. "You're a hunter; you kill these things all the time!"

"No, I hunt the old and sick so you mangy beasts can eat! You don't kill the young just for the fun of it!"

The hyenas were clearly becoming irritated; all their focus was on the human and lioness.

Nala decided to speak up, her voice dangerous. "Leave right now, or we'll make you."

Alex wished she hadn't used those words, a quick headcount put them at six to two; clearly the advantage belonged to the hyenas. The hyenas seemed to know this too, and they chuckled to each other as they walked closer to the duo.

Alex saw behind them that the antelope had managed to climb over the rock formation to safety. At least it was out of the picture, but now they had to deal with all of the hyenas themselves. If he waited any longer, the hyenas would surround them; something he desperately wanted to avoid, the sharp memories of his last fight still stuck in his head. Rafiki's advice had worked so far, why not again?

Alex leapt towards the hyena on his left, swinging his improvised staff directly down on its head just as Nala leapt at the hyena on her right. Alex managed to knock his animal unconscious and he moved quickly to meet the next two creatures who were already moving towards him. Nala quickly overwhelmed her hyena and threw him to the side before raking her claws across the face of the next attacker. She ducked to avoid a third hyena's paw and tackled him to the ground when he missed.

Alex elbowed one of the hyenas as it lunged at him, making it reel from the blow. The second came in just as fast, but he managed to swat it down with a sharp strike of his stick. Both fell to the ground, disoriented and Alex stepped back to regain his balance.

Seeing their fallen comrades on the ground, the two remaining hyenas exchanged concerned glances before moving towards the young man and his dangerous chunk of wood. Alex grinned at their apprehension and looked over to make sure Nala was still alright. To his surprise, Nala had beaten two hyenas into a bloody unconsciousness and was now battling her third. She sidestepped his aggressive lunge and launched herself into his side, knocking him to the ground in a pile of dust. She jumped onto his torso and placed her clawed paw on the beast's throat, drawing an instinctual gag when she pressed her claws down on the soft tissue.

"Blink, and you'll die in the dark." she warned the hyena, her voice dangerous.

Alex turned back to the final two hyenas and swung his staff closer to them, forcing them to retreat back against the rock face. One of the creatures must have had enough, because he leapt at the human in a panicked, desperate attempt to . Alex easily struck him to the side with enough force to keep him down, and set himself into a strong stance against the uninjured hyena.

"You done?" he asked threateningly.

"Yea yea, no problem, we're done!" responded the hyena frantically. "We get it, you win!"

"Good. Get out of here." He demanded coldly as he stepped to the side. He turned to Nala and nodded. She nodded back and removed her paw from the hyena's throat. Both beasts ran past the duo and disappeared behind a pile of rocks, leaving behind all of their unconcious teammates on the ground where they had fallen.

Nala looked over to Alex, a bright fire in her eye that screamed to be released. Alex grinned, but didn't speak. Instead, he just walked over her quickly and nudged her back towards Priderock.

"Come on, let's get out of here before we start talking."

She nodded, still slightly in a daze from the fight and walked in silence for a while, almost unsure if the events they had just partaken in had actually happened. After a short while, Alex broke the silence.

"How did you feel about that?"

She looked up at him with the same fire as before. "That was awesome! We beat the living snot out of them!"

He laughed openly at her enthusiasm, glad that she wasn't at all traumatized by the event. "You did really good by yourself."

She looked up at him and smiled in appreciation. "You too, I guess the morning practices have really paid off." A small bead of blood ran down her nose from a small cut on her forehead and Alex leaned down to wip it off with his shirt.

"Yea, I think they have." He replied, now grinning as well.

The young man and lioness walked side by side back to Priderock. The feeling of relaxation was gone, now replaced with a strong sense of accomplishment. The two of them had taken on a pack three times their size and come out without a problem. It was certainly something to be proud of.

***Author's Note***

Another chapter done, moving right along! Please comment!

-Ben