XXIII

A Hunt

That night, Meersha and Zarazu had slept side by side upon a flat rock near the northwestern borders. It was in the morning, that a lioness had come to them, swishing her tail just a bit as she grinned.

"Time to wake up, half-cub." she said.

"Huh?" Meersha muttered with a yawn as she opened her eyes and stretched. "What do you want, Yawnda?"

"C'mon, we have important business to embark on." Yawnda exclaimed, turning around.

Kikaru asked as he got up with a yawn as well, "Where are you going?"

"Across the southern borders, now hurry up, Izegbe. It'll take us forever, and once we've done our job in the Outlands, you still have your lessons."

"Wait," growled the male. "You're going outside the territory? Why?"

"Mother's orders." growled the older lioness, now facing him. "And I thank you for not sticking your nose into our business." and then she smirked. "If you know what's good for you, you'll go with your brothers to your lessons."

"Yeah, yeah, calm down, sister." he said casually, stretching. "I haven't even had breakfast yet."

"Then maybe you should wake up earlier." Yawnda suggested irritably.

"The sun has just risen!" he called as he stalked off. "Bye my sisters! Good luck!"

Meersha sighed, not having had a proper goodbye from him. "Wait, it has just risen," she suddenly noticed. "By the time we're done...doing whatever out there-"

"You'll be in time for your lessons," Yawnda finished flatly.

"But, when those are done, then the sun will be gone!"

Yawnda shrugged in response. "Not my problem. Now hurry up."

And the dark lioness began to run. Meersha quickly caught up.

"So, what are we doing anyway?" asked Meersha as they stepped over the invisible borders of the Broken-Claw Empire.

"We're going...on a special hunt." Yawnda replied, almost cheekily as she smiled.

"Oh! A hunt? I haven't been on one of those for the longest time!" the naive adolescent exclaimed, delightedly as she extended her claws for a moment. "I'll show 'em what I got."

Yawnda stopped and turned to Meersha, her smile growing. "I'm sure you will, Izegbe..."

And she turned back around. For several minutes they padded through the savannah, scenting the air occasionally. The atmosphere seemed drier than usually, and soon Meersha began to pant.

"OK, how much further?" she finally asked after an hour or so.

But Yawnda halted in her tracks atop a large hill. Meersha stopped, too, and blinked, looking down and gasping as she saw other lions.

"Lions! I mean, a pride...How come we didn't scent their territory's borders?" Meersha questioned with surprise.

"The pride has actually been moving...A rogue his been stalking them."

Meersha muttered, "Oh crap."

Then her eyes fell upon little fur balls in the distance.

"Cubs!" she exclaimed. "They have cubs! If the rogue-"

"I know." growled Yawnda, not taking her eyes of the lions. "Now, shh...This is why we hate males..."

For a few minutes, they continued to spy, when suddenly, a lone, young lion came stalking over to the pride. Meersha pondered as she took her eyes from them, and she took a deep breath. Suddenly, a roar broke into the savannah air, causing her to jerk her head back to the scene, where the two lions began to quarrel.

"No!" she gasped.

Yawnda shook her head.

The lionesses in the pride watched, horrified, trying to keep the cubs away. It didn't last long, and soon, the old leader was running off.

"What's he doing?!" snarled Meersha.

"He's too old, so he is being a coward, leaving his lionesses and cubs." Yawnda whispered coldly.

The new rogue roared so loudly, that a flock of birds resting in a tree nearby, fluttered off, leaving stray feathers to gently drop to the ground. And then, he began to move forward, towards the vulnerable pride.

"No! They have cubs!" Meersha cried, but not loud enough for any from the pride to hear.

"This is exactly what males do."

"But the father-!"

"The father had done the same exact thing, Izegbe, when he became the new leader; he chased the father off and killed the cubs...just like this one is going to do to his...just like every lion does...except ours..."

Meersha shook her head in a jerky motion, before leaping back. "I can't watch this!" she choked, memories flashing back.

"But you have to, Izegbe."

"Why must I watch murder?!" she snarled, glaring at Yawnda through teary eyes. "I've already gone through this. Why must I watch it refold in front of my very eyes once more?"

"So that you will understand and learn! So that you will see things our way! The right way!" Yawnda hissed as her fur bristled.

"No! I can't!" Meersha growled again, but suddenly, she was forced to the ground, and dragged upwards. There, right on top of the hill once more, someone grabbed her scruff and held her head above the ground. Another bit her ears to keep her in place. As she lie there, on her stomach, too shocked to struggle, she could only watch, and reflect on her own past.

There, in the grass, was one dead body. A cub. The lion had already gotten one. Now, he was padding towards the others, who huddled under their mothers fearfully. Meersha gasped for breath, tears streaking her yellow coat as she pawed the ground and extended her claws into the dirt. She was a cub again, back with the White-Feather pride. Her mother was hurrying her, Gatu and Banjija away from their father's dead body.

"No," she snarled, snapping back to the present.

But now two more carcasses were added. The lion wasn't finished. He roared out again and pounced a cub, and there, Meersha watched the murder. He quickly dug his teeth into its neck, and there was the sound of a snap. The baby was dead.

Every ounce of energy Meersha had left, was being drained by the physical struggle to get free, as well as the emotional one. Just push the thoughts out of your head, she told herself. She endeavored to keep to the present, but every so often, a picture of her mother fighting Chasak came into her mind, or of her brother dying. Finally, Meersha snarled and managed to roll over and kick whoever had her trapped off of her. She leapt up and yelled, "No! Stop!" to the pride below.

Just as the rogue finished killing another cub, he and the others looked up. He roared and quickly took off up the hill, which left the lionesses to gather any cubs left and find a place for them to hide.

"You idiot!" Yawnda yelled and smacked Meersha across the face. "Now c'mon!"

Yawnda turned, as did Meersha, and they took off, back to the north. It was OK, though. As Meersha watched the other lionesses from the Broken-Claw flee in front of her - the ones who had some how followed without any notice and forced her to watch the bloodshed - Meersha exhaled, watching her breath disapear quickly into the dawn. Her legs carried her and her heart raced, yet she did not care. As long as she could get away from the murder, as long as she could escape her past...

"Turn!" someone then called.

Meersha was abruptly knocked over into the grass as the lionesses had turned around and were now moving back to the pride.

"Get up!" Yawnda hissed in her ear and bit her pelt.

Meersha obeyed and watched, crestfallen as the four lionesses from the Broken-Claw had leapt on the new leader. They coerced him onto the ground, and even with all his struggle, they managed to keep him there. Yawnda turned to Meersha and nodded, and the adolescent carefully, slowly, silently, padded up over to the male. She glared, watching him expose his teeth to the females in challenge.

"Now...you know what to do...Izegbe," Yawnda whispered. "Go...kill him."

Meersha gasped and jerked her head to look at her. Yet neither said anything. As she looked back at the lion, she couldn't help but pity fill her heart, as well as shock. Shaking her head and taking awkward steps back, despite the rage that she still held for this male, she turned and fled.

"No!" Yawnda snarled.

It was all the lionesses could take, and the lion had freed himself from their grip. Yet they were faster, and followed Meersha into the distance. A roar could be heard as they sprinted, though. It filled their ears and minds as it cracked the evening.

"She didn't kill him?" Ahadgna asked with her silky voice.

Yawnda shook her head. "No..."

"I was afraid of this, but as long as we have the cub...You do have the cub, right?"

"Of course, Mother." Yawnda replied quickly.

"Good. I knew I could count on you."

Yawnda smiled proudly, though she hadn't actually been the one who had gotten it.

"Now, when you give her the cub, make sure she gets attached." Ahadgna exclaimed.

"How long should we wait?"

"Give it thirty suns and thirty moons. She gets attached too easily...That will change. It will all change for her..."

Yawnda nodded. "And on the thirty first moon..." she said, extending her claws and chuckling to herself.

Ahadgna just sat there in the grass, staring up at the night sky calmly.