Chapter 20: Competition

Jayden swallowed. Meet his gaze, don't look away. She told herself. That would be just like running, like you always do. But also say something!

"What do you think about that?" Drayden asked patiently.

"Well Um…" Jayden began, looking down for an instant, then back up. "Well I appreciate that you want to help me."

"I want to take care of you and be around you." he correctly. He nuzzled the side of her cheek with his. "We're a good team. We're good friends."

"Yeah we are good friends Drayden." She said.

"Come on, you don't have any other sort of feelings for me?" he looked at her with a smile. She hesitated, although she knew the answer was no but she didn't want to hurt his feelings. Drayden took this hesitation as admission of guilt, or in this case, admission of having feelings for him.

He smiled, "So maybe a little, but I haven't won you over completely yet. Well alright, I can wait."

"But Drayden, I like being just friends."

"How do you know you won't like dating? Have you ever dated anyone?"

Jayden hesitated, "No." she lied.

"Well there. You might like it."

I'd love it… just not with you. Jayden thought sadly. She could never say it outloud. She didn't want to hurt his feelings like that. But she had to make sure he knew where she stood.

"As of right now, it's a no." she said gently, making sure to look in his eyes. "I'm sorry Drayden. I just need time to… I guess think about it."

"Okay!" he seemed excited.

"That doesn't mean after I think about it, I'll say yes." she dared to say, but with a smile. She did enjoy his spirit.

He smiled and Jayden thought he would shout, "Challenge accepted!"

The two walked back toward Pride Rock, both feeling okay. Jayden didn't feel too freaked out, somehow. She had let him down without hurting his feelings. She didn't think she could ever come to love Drayden, but she could at least try to think about it as she promised she would.

Thinking about being with Drayden wasn't terrible. He really was a nice guy, and good looking too. It would be alright if they were together. They would even have cute cubs someday if they wanted and they were ready. But Jayden was too in love… with Dark. But the problem was it was unfair to Drayden and herself if she was unwilling to love Drayden because she loved Dark and at the same time unwilling to admit her feelings to Dark and try to re-kindle their love.

Should I try to love Drayden? Or tell Dark how I feel?

When they got back to Pride Rock's base, Jayden saw Dayya resting in the sunlight. She thought now would be a good time to practice their sparing. Jayden approached her sister and she opened her eyes.

"What's up?" She asked.

"Hey, fighting that leopard made me think I need to practice more with sparring. Will you be my partner?"

Dayya leaped up, "Of course!"

Toni, who had been laying nearby, lifted her head. "This ought to be good." And propped her head on her paws. Drayden sat near her to watch the sisters too.

"I hope we don't draw a crowd." Jayden murmured. "I don't really want a lot of lions watching."

"That's the least of your worries right now!" Dayya taunted, and leaped at Jayden. Their spar began. That was Jayden's first note to herself, when fighting, think of nothing else.

Jayden did well to block everything out of her mind, and found her groove. She fought well, sometimes it seemed like Jayden was in the lead, but Dayya would bring it back. This happened several times before the sisters broke apart, both panting heavily.

A few cheers went out for the both of them and Jayden realized for the first time a small crowd had gathered. It was just Clous, Zuna, Zula, Toni, Kanai and Drayden was still there of course. She felt a small hint of embarassment that they'd all been watching, but she was grateful there wasn't more. She felt good about her moves, and with more practices like that more often, she would grow to be a great fighter.

"Phew, I'm beat!" Dayya admitted, laying down to rest.

"Yes, that's enough for now. Thanks, Dayya. I hope we can do that more often."

"Definitely!"

Drayden dropped down from the rock he had settled on and came over to Jayden, "Good job, but maybe you should see Tali again about your wound."

"Good idea, thanks!" Jayden said and hurriedly hopped up the stairs before he could try to lick her wounds again. She could hear some footsteps following her, and when she turned to look, she was glad to see it was Zula. Jayden had wanted to talk to her, and it looked like the feeling was mutual with the extreme urgent look in her eyes.

The two went together to Tali who was inside the den. She reapplied the medicine that was left over in the large leaf from the day before. Tali said she was glad Jayden had a workout. She said it was a good sign that no infection had set in, otherwise the infection would have sapped her strength and she wouldn't have been able to fight at all.

When Tali was done, Zula practically pushed Jayden into the farthest corner of the den. Jayden thought Zula probably would have dragged her by the tail if she had protested.

"Something happened between you two!" Zula hissed.

"Drayden? Yes I guess."

"You didn't TELL ME?!"

"It just happened! Before I sparred with Dayya."

"You still didn't tell me!"

"I'm telling you now!"

"So you're a couple now?"

"No!"

"What then?"

"I'm trying to tell you, but you keep interrupting." Jayden said, and Zula stared at her as if to say "I'm close lipped now!"

Jayden was beginning to enjoy this. She had never felt desired before, so telling this story might be pretty fun. "Drayden asked me to be his girlfriend."

Zula squealed.

"Shh!" Jayden hissed.

"You're so cool!" she said.

"Cool?"

"Yeah! I mean, wow, he does like you! He admitted it! Wait- did he said he liked you or loved you?"

"Well, neither." she told her word for word what Drayden said, enjoying the conversation. She could tell Zula was enjoying it too, even when she got to the part where she turned Drayden down. Jayden was glad Zula didn't seem like she cared that she turn down the peach lion. She was just excited for her and excited for some drama in general. Typical Zula.

"So I'm just supposed to be thinkingabout being with Drayden. And I actually am thinking."

Zula gasped.

"But just thinking." Jayden warned.

She squealed again, "This is so exciting!"

"Just don't go around telling everyone."

"Everyone already thinks you're a couple."

"They do?" Jayden flushed, "I don't want that…"

"Well then you need to make a decision quickly! The more time you spend thinking' about it is more time everyone assumes you're a couple. Even Drayden. So if you're gonna let him down for real, you should do it soon."

"Yeah, you're right." Jayden said, and again wished she could tell Zula the reason why she didn't want to date Drayden right now. Maybe I should tell Dark about how I feel. She began picturing herself going to him, and she tried to think of what words she would use. As Jayden and Zula walked out of the cave and down the steps, Jayden tried to think of the different reactions he would have and what his replies would be.

When they got to the bottom of the steps, and Zula trotted off, Jayden saw Dayya talking with Dark, who must have just walked up. Dayya was talking about the practice spar he missed. Dark nodded, listening well. Then she made a joke and he laughed loudly. Jayden was thinking about walking over and joining the conversation as any friend and sister would do, when suddenly Dayya licked Dark on the cheek and said, "So Dark, it's totally time for us to be together, don't you think? Remember when we were cubs and we talked about it? We've waited long enough." Dayya batted her eyes at him.

"Um.. Well…" Dark said, caught off guard. Jayden's heart beat fast.

"Come on…" Dayya said softly, and wound herself around Dark. His eyes followed her as she showed off her legs. Jayden had never seen her sister do this before; she was trying extremely hard.

"Well, I'm sorry but I can't." Dark said quietly, yet firmly. Dayya stopped in front of him, and their eyes met again. Jayden couldn't see her expression, but her body language looked defeated as her shoulders and tail drooped.

"Why?" The light red lioness asked quietly.

Dark didn't reply, so Dayya asked, "Is it that Ahila? I wasn't sure if you two…" she trailed off.

"Um…" Dark looked embarrassed and looked away.

Dayya's demeanor and tactic changed. "I'm better than her. Come on, we have history!"

"I've got to go." he said. "I'm sorry, Dayya."

"Fine." she picked up her paw to turn and walk away, but she stopped and met eyes with him once again. "I still care about you, and… no hard feelings."

Dark smiled, "No hard feelings." and he trotted off.

Dayya sighed heavily, and turned toward Jayden's direction. The brown lioness paniced, not wanting her sister to realize she had watched the whole thing. Jayden backed up. Her back foot rammed into one of the stone steps above her. She had forgotten she was standing in the middle of the stairs. She picked up the other foot and put it on the step, and fortunately when Dayya saw her, it looked as if Jayden had just come down the stairs from the den.

"Oh, Jayden…" Dayya said sadly, and nuzzled her sister.

"What's wrong?" the brown lioness asked. There was a huge lump in her throat and her hear felt like it could give out at any moment.

Dayya gave her sister the long version of what just conspired between her and the black lion. Jayden was glad to have actually seen the real thing so she knew what parts were exaggerations and which were factual. For instance, Dayya said Dark had said, yes he and Ahila were a couple, when actually he neither denied it or certified that claim.

Jayden had never seen her twin jealous before. It concerned her because it meant Dayya really was in love with Dark. It wasn't just a silly crush or anything else. Real love. She didn't know her heart could sink lower than it was already, but it did.

"I don't know why he likes that Ahila. She's not pretty. Her ears are too big." Dayya said, getting angry. "She was really insensitive that one day at the gorge when she blurted something about all black lions being bad. How could she just blurt out crap like that? She has no filter. And she's way too young for him. Don't you think?"

"Um, maybe." Jayden weakly replied.

"Well Dark is younger than me, but at least we're both adults. She's an adolescent. Do you think I'm too old for Dark?"

"No. He's really not that much younger than us." Jayden supplied. What am I saying! she thought.

Dayya sighed, "I want to be with him, I just gotta try harder. He'll see I'm better than her. I've never felt like this with anyone else before, I just gotta beat her! Nothing will stand in my way." and with hat, the light red lioness trotted away with a determined look on her face.

Oh no. Jayden thought, standing still where Dayya left her. I have way too much competition. There's no way I can tell Dark anything. This is hopeless, maybe I should just be with Drayden. I could learn to like him… maybe even love him. I could be happy instead of this… jealous, angry and heart broken all the time. I'm going to tell him yes.

But she felt too emotionally exhausted to go find him now. She told herself she'd do it later, and went to the right side of Pride Rock to the sunning rocks. She lay down on one and tried to nap. She didn't fall asleep at first. She touched some of the puncture wounds at her neck with a delicate paw. They were scabbing over. She moved some of the medicine over them.

They'll heal soon. I could heal too.