"Ugh!" Mato and Chuma's youngest son groaned. Nyota knew how restless the young cub was, and that he also was much more aware that something was wrong than the adults would let him in on. "Why can't I go home tonight? Why wouldn't you let us go with Kyabe and the others?!" Davu complained, and not helping was the fact that Jai backed up his friend despite looking so much like the blonde tyrant did, only in cub form.
"Yeah, Mom! What if something bad is happening and Dad needs our help? We can totally fit in places that you adults can't. Maybe we could set a trap for any danger that fighting can't solve." Jai was throwing out suggestions left and right, and if Nyota wasn't frenzied and stressed she might have considered these as genius plans. But right now, her annoyed tone made it obvious just how much she wanted to hear much of anything at the moment.
"Jai, Davu, go to sleep with the rest of the cubs. Everything will be fine." Nyota said, but it is very well known just how 'fine' everything actually was; that is, the two cubs who remained awake could see right through Nyota's façade. And perhaps felt their respective intellects were insulted by the motherly lioness's blatant attempt to shoo them away. Davu and Jai both didn't want to accept that, and might not have if not for seeing Lana and Ni appear over the horizon.
And both of them looked as though they had just witnessed some serious horrors. "Lana!" Nyota yelled out, completely forgetting about the two cubs at the entrance of the den. As she jumped from branch to branch with the sure-footedness that only an experienced huntress could possess, she was embracing Lana in no time whatsoever. "My baby! Are you okay?" Nyota asked, almost too quickly to be understood. Lana, still reeling from what she had been through, had to take a moment to process the question.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine. I don't know about Dad or the others though." Lana said, almost unconsciously as the thought of what Magnus said weighed heavily on her mind. So much so that she missed what her mother asked her. "Where is your father? And the boys?" It was a good five seconds before Ni realized that Lana didn't even so much as hear what her mother asked, and before she could ask again he chimed in, as though coming to her rescue again. "Nyota, Lana has just been through a lot in the past few hours. I… barely got there in time to save her." He explained, and what he said got Nyota's attention. "Saved her?" She repeated, prompting Ni to tell the story.
"Well, yeah. I happened to be on my way here, actually, when I saw those wild dogs, Othello and Kuendesha attack Lana and Masika. The four males fought valiantly, and for the most part defended them well enough, but then I saw Othello taking Lana away from the battlefield and knew something was really wrong. I followed him to that shaman's tree, and as soon as he left to do exactly what I expected him to do, I made my move and rescued her."
Nyota heard this, but one detail in particular stood out in her mind. "Kuendesha… was with them? She's siding with Iago?" She repeated, and Ni nodded. "Then that means… Kyabe's suspicions were right after all." Nyota knew what Kuendesha was capable of, how skilled she was in a fight and in a hunt. Even if her only advantage was simply the willingness to do anything to win, that alone would be more than enough to garner the victory for Iago's side. And Iago just could not have his way.
"I hope they get there in time." Nyota said, knowing that at this point the only thing she could do was place faith in her mate's ability to strategize and fight intelligently.
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN 'THEY GOT AWAY'?!" Iago roared at his loyalists. Although Penda was the one to deliver the news, it was Cobarte's face he was screaming in. The goliath of a canine didn't much appreciate it, but he also knew exactly what would happen if he so much as put a paw too far over the line. And yet he risked it by answering. "You heard what your feline slut said. The pussy-cats got away." He said calmly and forcefully, causing Iago to bare his teeth in anger.
"You would do well to remember who the hell you're talking to, you mutt. You owe me and my dad everything you got, do you understand me!" Iago roared again, and Cobarte simply rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I don't care about-" And the dog would never be able to finish his sentence, as Iago's paw collided with Cobarte's nose. Although the goliath did not budge too far, and though he was making to lunge at the scrappy king, he would never be able to complete his attack.
Just as soon as he tried to retaliate, he found himself pinned down on his back. Othello was rather quick on the draw, and his clawed paw was under Coberte's neck in no time. A plaintiff whine was forced out of the massive dog's body, as the much larger of Blood's sons was standing on his chest. "I'm the only creature in the world that is allowed to knock him on his ass, is that clear?" Othello had roared that last word at Cobarte, his teeth slavering as he did. Even the goliath was not so dumb as to test him, and fortunately for him Iago was simply content to scoff at the cowering dog as he turned his attention to Penda and her lionesses.
"Now, what was your lame-ass excuse for not being able to handle Lana's stupid father?" Iago demanded and Penda took a deep breath as she stood her full height and looked Iago in the eye. "Because, your highness, Malka and David, as well as the rest of Icarus' pride, showed up at the worst possible moment. It's not our fault that we aren't invincible or infallible." Now, Iago might have taken offense to her sarcastic tone, if not for one simple fact.
Iago would never admit this to anyone, least of all himself, but something changed in his mind at that moment. Seeing Penda standing up to him (and the fact that he was only two inches taller than her, if that), in front of his pride, had infuriated him to no end. Yet, he found himself unwilling to raise his paw to her, unlike the simpering canine that Othello was just now starting to allow to get up and dust his coat off. The look of fear, anger and defeat on Cobarte's muzzle said it all, too.
You're lucky I need your sorry asses, Iago thought, though perhaps even he was aware on some level just how true that was. And Othello stepping up was perhaps the last thing he needed as Cobarte and the wild dogs were dismissed. "Okay. Enough!" Othello said as soon as the dogs were no longer in earshot, with much more authority than Iago would like. "It couldn't be helped; Lana escapes on this night, and while Malka, Icarus and the others live. The Jungle Pride is much better trained than originally believed, and that is why…" Othello stepped between Iago and Penda, though he pointedly stared down his older, yet much smaller brother. And the way he positioned himself as a barrier, impeding Iago from striking Penda even if he wanted to, made the scrappy king's eyes light with jealous rage as he continued.
"We must not fight amongst ourselves. We are lions, Iago. And, at the end of the day, lions are all we've truly got. And yes, this includes our sister, Jezebel." Othello reminded, but unbeknownst to him Iago had very different plans for her. And those plans held similarities for his plans for Malka.