Chapter 11: Heart Hurt
Jayden rose to her feet and moved to the center to face her sister. Dayya had an eager look in her yellow-green eyes. She readied herself, and tried not to look at Dark. Would he watch their match?
"Go girls!" Vitani shouted from the sidelines to her daughters.
Tempest let out a whoop to cheer them on. Jayden felt embarrassed. There was no way she could beat her sister. Dayya had become more muscular than her over the past few months, and she was a fast runner. The sisters had sparred in the past, and the red-cream lioness almost always won. It wasn't that Jayden was weak or lazy, she just didn't have that same spark or ambition that Dayya got from their mother.
The spar would begin weather she wanted it to or not, so she cleared her thoughts, I must at least try.
Dayya suddenly leaped at her sister. Jayden tried to dodge, but the red lioness wouldn't allow it. Dayya's paws landed on Jayden's back. The red lioness's fell on Jayden with her full weight. She struggled to be free. She could not be defeated already! The brown lioness tried to shove Dayya off. Her whole weight was holding her though, Jayden's stomach was flat on the ground. The weight suddenly lifted.
Wha? What happened? Jayden flung to her paws. She instantly looked at Dark. He sat in the same spot as when the match began. He was watching her. She shook her head, and looked away. Why had she suspected him to have jumped in?
Dayya interrupted her thoughts, "Come on, try harder! I wasn't going to let you lose that soon. But here's my warning now, sister, I won't let you up again!"
Jayden felt a fury inside her. Dayya had un-done her own pin. It was embarrassing. Jayden hadn't given up, her sister shouldn't have gone easy on her like that. It made her seem weak. Jayden threw herself into battle. She closed the distance between them and unleashed a bite onto Dayya's shoulder along with a hard bat to the head with a paw. Both attacks were a little harder than necessary, but this was her adult sister, after all. She knew her sister's limits more than anyone else in the Pride.
Dayya approved, "That's more like it!" And in turn she pushed Jayden away and attacked back with claws extended. Jayden met her with a loud snarl and open arms.
Jayden pushed her sister on the chest while Dayya's claws met her opponent's shoulder and neck. Typically, claws weren't allowed during the Pride Land's friendly spars, but Kovu usually makes it a rule that lions of similar size and age may use claws if both opponents agreed. Jayden knew her sister would have agreed. She was fierce when she wanted to be.
The brown lioness did her best to block her sister's blows. At times, Dayya would try to bite Jayden's arms or neck, but she nimbly ducked, dodged or simple batted her face to stop her.
In a moment of pause, when Dayya had pushed her away, Jayden accidentally looked at Dark again. He had continued conversing with Ahila. Jayden felt a fury in her chest. Ahila laughed out loud at something Dark said.
Such a stupid laugh! Jayden unleashed her anger on Dayya by lunging at her and wrapping her strong arms around her neck and shoulders. She had a great hold and flung Dayya to the side as hard as she could. The red lioness landed hard on her side with a thud. The crowd gasped, and some cheered. Jayden heard Mebala and Zula cheer something from the sidelines, but she didn't understand it.
Dayya moved to her paws not slowly, but not quickly either. The landing had hurt her. Jayden felt a rush of pride. I can do this! Jayden couldn't give her sister any time to recover. She leaped at her again. Dayya met her in the middle this time with a shallow bite to her neck. Jayden clawed at the red lioness's ears with both paws, then with a mighty roar, rammed her arm into Dayya's shoulder, hoping to knock her down again. The red lioness didn't fall, but she side stepped in the direction Jayden had swung because of the force behind the blow. Over the next few minutes, she continued to assault her sister and she could feel Dayya's confidence slipping with each blow and bite Jayden landed. She felt great! Never before had she felt powerful. She never knew she could battle well once she set her mind to it.
Maybe it's just because of Ahila that I have enough fury to fight well… she thought, then made the mistake of looking over at Ahila and Dark again. But no one was there! There was just two empty spaces between Clous and Mairu. Where did they go?
Jayden felt a slap to the face.
"Oof!" Jayden saw a few stars. Dayya had hit her hard. She forced herself back into the spar, but now she was distracted. She kept looking around the circle of lions to see if she could find Dark and Ahila, but they were no where to be seen. Jayden received blow after blow.
Why would they go off together like that? That's so rude! Well it's not exactly a rule that you have to stay to watch the spar…
Another blow to the neck.
But why'd they go together?
Jayden's heart was sinking and her head was hurting, not just because of Dayya's hard blows.
They're a couple.
Hard blow to the shoulder.
They must be.
Pinned. Jayden opened her eyes and there was Dayya pinning her down in the dirt. She was breathing hard and had a wild look in her eyes. She had really exerted herself.
Jayden was tired too and let her head fall to the side. Ahila is Dark's new girlfriend… I knew this would happen.
The crowd of lions and lionesses cheered.
"What a great spar!" someone shouted.
"Those two can really fight." Jayden recognized Zula's voice.
Dayya removed herself from the pin, knowing Jayden wouldn't continue the spar. "You did so well! I thought you had me there for a while."
Jayden forced herself to her paws. "Yeah…"
Dayya clapped Jayden lightly on the shoulder. "I hope I didn't hurt you!"
Jayden hesitated, "No I'm fine." You didn't hurt me, she thought.
The sisters returned to the sidelines with more cheers and words of amazement from the Pride. Zula, Drayden, Mebala and Taeliss were all there to congratulate them both, but Jayden hardly heard them.
The spar went on. The heart-hurt lioness made herself focus on the battles instead of dwelling on the fact that Dark and Ahila were a couple. She tried to appear normal, or come off as tired from her spar.
The spar went on until the night was growing late. More lions than just little Afia were tired. (Afia had long ago fallen asleep in Kiara's arms.)
The spar was breaking up. Lions were going their separate ways for the night. Some went into the cave, some went to the sunning rocks. Vitani and Tome went under Pride Rock's peak as they had always liked to do in the past.
Jayden overheard some lionesses talking and her and Dayya's spar had been deemed the most exciting battle of the night. Next was Kivu and Kovu's. Their battle, which was several spars after Jayden's, had been pretty long too. But now that Kivu was in his top physical form, he had the upper hand and was able to tire his old man quickly, then go in for the pin. Jayden had to admit it was a fun spar to watch, it had even distracted her from her feelings for a while. But she couldn't believe the lionesses thought her spar had been better.
"Hey," Zula was calling to her now. "Come on, let's sleep in the den."
Jayden followed her friends, once again feeling so relieved she had Zula. Her light gray friend was really good at making her feel liked and wanted and that was exactly what she needed right now. They found a suitable place to sleep in the den and got comfortable. Jayden's mind was still racing and she knew there was no way she's be able to fall asleep.
"You're a great fighter." Came Zula's whisper.
Jayden was surprised. "Oh, you think so?"
"Yes, if you hadn't lost your concentration near the end you would have won."
"Oh, come on, Dayya's stronger than me." Jayden whispered. "And better than me."
"No way."
"Yes way. You were pretty good yourself." Jayden said. Zula had sparred shortly after Jayden had, with Nundi. They were of similar sizes, but Nundi had beat the older lioness.
"Nah, I sucked."
"No you didn't. Nundi's just fat. He sat on you." Jayden joked. She heard Zula's laugh in the dark.
"That's not it."
"Yes it is! How did you breathe when he did that?"
Zula laughed again. Somewhere from another part of the cave came a loud, "SHHH!"
Jayden and Zula ducked their heads and giggled quietly. Then they put their heads on their paws and closed their eyes. Jayden's thoughts were still swimming, but she was in a better mood than before.
I think I can get through this Dark and Ahila thing if I have a good friend like Zula.
The brown lioness thought about her spar for a while, a little excited she had maybe discovered a new talent in herself. She did believe if she learned to concentrate better, she could be a better fighter.
Her thoughts soon wandered to Dark and Ahila. Where did they go during the spar? Where were they now? Jayden wished she could ask Zula if Dark slept next to her or anyone. She might know, she's his sister after all. But that would arouse suspicion, so she didn't do it. Besides, Zula was breathing deeply now, so she was probably asleep.
I never really slept well here. Jayden remembered. I slept better outside. Under Pride Rock where my mom likes to sleep. She quietly rose to her paws and made her way to the den exit. Her paws led her not to the underside of the peak, but in the other direction, to the side of Pride Rock. Her paws stopped in the location where a young Jayden and Dark met late at night when their parents slept. She could almost imagine the black cub and the slightly bigger brown cub run through here with smiles on their lips.
The tall grass in the area only came up to Jayden's arms when it used to almost come above her head. And the lioness-shaped rock actually wasn't lioness sized at all. Jayden stood by it in the darkness.
It's smaller than I remember. More like an adolescent.
Jayden felt calm here though a little bit sad when she remembered the fun times she used to have with Dark. They had played tag in the grass, and scared each other by hiding in it. Sometimes they'd lay in the nearby clearing and watched the stars. She could remember looking at those stars and wishing their time together would never end.
A tear stung her eye. It has ended though. It ended a long time ago, and I just have to deal with that.
Instead of leaving the place full of memories, she lay down. It felt good here. And maybe this would help her get used to the final "Ended" feeling. She closed her eyes, and soon she went to sleep.
Jayden was slowly coming awake, but she didn't open her eyes yet. It was dawn. As she came closer to consciousness, she began to wonder what woke her. She could pick up a smell. A familiar scent. Did that wake her? What scent could wake her? It was soft like rain and grass. It felt nearby and all around her. She breathed deeply with eyes still closed.
It's Dark's scent. She suddenly realized. It had to be him. Was he standing over her right now? What was he doing? Watching her sleep? But wouldn't that mean he had some sort of feelings for her?
What doI do? Do I pretend to be asleep? Or do I confront him? Her heart pounded.
The scent didn't go away. She was glad. Maybe he just wants to stay and talk? Okay I'm opening my eyes….
Jayden opened them, but saw no one. She quickly looked around, but no one was there. Then her heart hurt again when the source of the scent became clear. It started to pour rain.