Chapter 10

Rish'ut paced up and down along the grasslands. It still amazed him that Mortread had managed to spin his amazing failure to recapture the escaped slaves as a victory just because he had defeated a River Lord at the same time! The Emperor was right to be furious with them. The notion that a group of Pridelanders could attack his fortress and escape with their quarry beggared belief. It shouldn't have been possible. The thought of it almost crippled him with anger. Of all of the Shai'tan, he liked the young upstart the least. It was an affront to him. The Shai'tan were supposed to be the greatest warriors in the Imperium. The Law of the Strong, made manifest. Their very existence a challenge to all those who would propagate the myth of equality. Their might unquestionable. Mortread was a tiger, but an unexceptional one. Hardly the stuff of nightmares. Every time he spoke, Rish'ut wanted to crush him between his claws.

But the Emperor disapproved of infighting among the Shai'tan. Mortread had some victories, true. And his defeat of the Riverlord was impressive, even he had to admit. But it was nothing the other Shai'tan could not replicate. It was his manner that annoyed him. The way he held himself. Always in control. Always above it all. Mortread might have joined the Shai'tan at the appropriate juncture during the overthrow of the old Imperium, but once his usefulness had ended, the Emperor ought to have disposed of him. He would gladly have done the deed himself. But no. The Emperor had not seen fit to do so, and it was not for him to question. And so, he shared power. First with Sekhmet, and now with Mortread. Sekhmet, he had at least managed to have had sent out of his tower at the earliest opportunity but Mortread had persisted like an unwanted tick, and to his incredulity, now the same thing was happening to him. The irony of it was not lost on him. It made him furious. It made him murderous.

"No." He muttered to himself. He was not Sekhmet. He was more. Second only to the Emperor, and he knew it. As powerful as Sekhmet, as skilled as Amun and as cunning as Leviath.

"Vitani." He spat the words. She was the War-leader of the Pridelands if he understood her role correctly. Not the Pridelands ruler, but its chief strategist and warrior. He had interrogated the Oracle many times and though she had seemed curiously resistant to his methods when concerning Vitani or the Royal family at first, she had in the end broken rather quickly. The rest of the long litany of torments he had devised for her had simply been practice. Necessary to keep his own skills sharp. He looked forward to the day when he had the Oracle's daughter under his claws as well. It would be interesting to learn if she was made of the same inner stone as her mother. Or if she would break in different way. Zira had painted her as adaptable, one who changed sides when the opportunity presented it, at least at first after her ranting had stopped. Then she had instead spoken of a lioness trained and bred to follow. A solider. A warrior. Soldiers who became leaders were dangerous, he knew that better than anyone.

The Emperor had decreed no more games, but perhaps he would allow him one small indulgence upon his victory. When he brought him the head of the Prince of the Pridelands whom the other Shai'tan had so foolishly allowed to escape. He glanced up at the stars as he walked. The moon hung in the distance, a very slight crescent offering very little in the way of illumination. That was it. Clouds overhead concealed most of the stars. He preferred it that way. He didn't like the stars at the best of times, but they were strange in this foul land. The sky itself was wrong. But he was grateful for the darkness. It was always better to have the cloak of night, then to be without. Just in case.

As if to vindicate his thoughts, a stone nearby was dislodged and scattered to the ground. Rish'ut snarled and turned and glared at the tiger who had snuck up on him. There had been no need to do so. It was purely an attempt to irritate him, and in that endeavour it had worked masterfully. He was irritated.

Asamode grinned at him, his single eye fixed straight on him.

"Ah. You are still alive, my friend. Wonderful." He said cheerfully. Mortread snarled at him.

"You are hardly one to talk! People have been saying that you were dead ever since the collapse of Shien's Spear." He said as he looked at the multitude of scars and wounds that covered Asamode's body. Some of them were new. "I see you've discarded a few more non-essential pieces of your body. It's still no improvement." He said. It had been a blow to learn that the warring Shaman had destroyed the ancestral homeland of the Imperium's ruler. Rumours of Asamode's demise had been a faint silver lining to it all. Now that he knew the slimiest and most conniving of the Shai'tan still lived it hardly seemed worth it. Asamode growled and showed several cracked teeth. It wasn't the only thing that was missing: rippled scarred flesh ran down the side of his face to his back, and an entire chuck of his shoulder was gone. It had healed, but awkwardly, and when Asamode moved towards him, there was a pronounced limp. The tiger now walked with a clear and obvious hunch that, combined with his missing eye, gave him a decidedly lopsided and asymmetrical appearance.

"As you can see, I live. Still." He murmured.

"I am most relieved to hear that." Mortread lied. "Our Master cannot have been pleased to have heard of your failure." He said. Asamode grimaced.

"Nor yours." He smirked. "At least none of my prisoners escaped the devastation." He said. Mortread winced at the barb.

"At least my lair is still standing." He retorted. It was infantile, but he couldn't help himself. Asamode hissed.

"We both remain here. In spite our mutual… failures." He said. Rish'ut gave a snort of dissatisfaction as Asamode continued. "In actual fact, I wished to extend my… sympathies. Am I correct in assuming that it was the youngest of our comrades whose efforts prevented the recapture of the attackers?" He asked him. Rish'ut growled at that.

"Of course it was. The whelp got himself caught up in a fight with a gargantuan River Lord. He managed to escape with his life, and just like that all is forgiven!" He sneered. Asamode chuckled mirthlessly.

"Dearie me. How unfortunate. And now you find yourself pressed to prove your own worth." He said. His sympathies were about as sincere as a river lord's tears, and Rish'ut was rapidly tiring of his company.

"The Emperor is well aware of my worth and of my loyalty to the Imperium and to him! What did you want of me, to ask me here? I am leaving with the dawn. Along with a grouping of cheetahs and our fastest wilddogs and jackals. The escaped slaves will be slow, especially with the cubs. I am not stalking them or hunting them. I am going to run them down into the dirt like antelope until they drop dead in front of me and bare their necks themselves. Death shall come as a relief!" He proclaimed. Asamode didn't appear impressed. He let out a sound of annoyance.

"Is he? Aware of your loyalty? You must be relieved." He said. Rish'ut paused at that. He didn't feel relieved. It weighed on him. Like a heavy stone. "In that case." Asamode said, "You shall not require my assistance." He said.

"Assistance?" His interest was piqued and he hated how it made him sound. He hated more the way Asamode's eye glinted, knowing he had his attention. It always made him feel exposed. Vulnerable.

"Indeed. My efforts have been dedicated recently to a… personal project of mine. I would like to see them in action before I unveil them to our master." He said.

"The Emperor is unaware of your efforts?" Rish'ut found that hard to believe. There was very little the Emperor didn't know or wasn't aware of. And of that which escaped his notice, nothing of any consequence.

"Indeed. They are a… surprise… for him." He said, in a sinister tone. He lifted up a clawed paw, and snapped his clawtips. From the shadows loomed a colossal creature that had only escaped Rish'uts notice by being too large to register as a feline. He took a step back and let out an audible gasp. What manner of abomination had Asamode concocted with the wayward Shaman? He gasped in recognition. There was something familiar about the beasts. Something perversely horrible.

"These are your…"

"My pride and joy. Yes. Down." He snapped the command, and the creatures obeyed. Their eyes were lazy, unfocused. They had the look of a creature that had recently been beaten around the head with a heavy rock. But they didn't appear stupid. Their gaze was focused and intelligent and cruel. Monstrous felines that looked very much like lions, but built like tigers.

"Are they…?" He couldn't finish the question.

"Halfforms. Tiger and lion. And a few other bits and pieces – you'd need to speak to Marsade for the specifics." Asamode said casually, as if it was perfectly natural or normal.

"I've heard stories…" Rish'ut muttered. They hadn't seemed credible though. It would take years for such a creature to grow to maturity. Unless… He had seen the Shaman heal injured wounds before, allowing the body to regrow itself at an astonishing rate. If the Shaman had been able to do something similar… the possibilities excited him. How could the Emperor be unaware of this? His thoughts were a jumbled mess. He shook his head.

"You know, Asamode… I've always frowned upon your fascination with different predators of the realm and your fixation with the pleasures of the flesh. But you seem to have brought them together in a way that will silence all doubters. They obey you?" He asked him.

"Without a thought." Asamode said confidently. Rish'ut felt something like excitement in his gut. They would slaughter their way through the Pridelanders with Asamode's abominations. Like tearing through grass. The Emperor would have to see sense then, wouldn't he? If not… The thought brought him up sharply.

"And you said the Emperor was unaware you have created these?" He asked. There was an edge to his words.

"For now. Yes." He said. There was a chill in the air. A moment of tension. Rish'ut thought to himself at the way the Emperor had stripped him of Golgorath. Struck him in front of all his underlings. Threatened him as if he were some mere peon and not the second mightiest creature in the entirety of existence. It was like a piece of flint being driven under his claws into his pawtips.

"Hmm. Interesting. I would like to be present when you… tell him." He said delicately. Asamode grinned.

"I thought that you might."

Uchungu marched up and down in front of his troops. His troops. It felt strange to think of them as his troops. For most of his existence, and for most of his time serving the Shai'tan, he had done little more than follow orders. But Harrin had apparently recommended him to Rish'ut personally, and he was not about to disappoint. He grunted to himself, satisfied with what he saw. His eyes glinted in the darkness. The dawn was coming but he didn't need it. He had excellent darkvision. He would have preferred to have a force made entirely of fellow wilddogs. Most of the other wilddogs moved out of his way as soon as they saw his approach and kept their gaze away from his. He still wasn't as used to his position as he would have liked to have been. He stopped and looked up and down at the group of the cheetahs that was accompanying them. Rish'ut had insisted that the fasted of their troops accompany them. It was tiring trying to keep up with the cheetahs, and it made his troops irritable. There were three of the families and they each kept themselves to themselves. Cheetahs were solitary creatures most of the time and only really aligned themselves to cheetahs of the same dynasty and bloodline. He found it a rather lurid existence. To wilddogs the pack was everything and he couldn't help distrusting the creatures. Especially the way they lingered together apart from the rest of Rish'ut's forces. They were at the edge of the Outlands now. Or at least the river that traditionally marked the boundaries of the Outlands. Nowadays the border was less clear. The dirty rust brown earth of the outlands seemed to spill out into the Pridelands over the river, and the water wasn't as high as it might have been. He sniffed the air. Technically he could have ordered one of his underlings to do it, but he did it himself. Tracking was one of the wilddogs skills that the Shai'tan used them for. It was something the cheetahs couldn't do to the extent they could. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. To his mind's eye, the scents were a cacophony of creatures. Blood and faeces made up the majority of the pictures that came to him. Lionesses, rhinos, jaguars, and all the rest of the assorted creatures that had fled the prison of the Shai'tan. He looked over his shoulder at one of the other wilddogs, who was looking at him questioningly. He nodded in agreement.

"They were here." He confirmed, agreeing with the dog's assessment. "Fleeing into the Pridelands."

"We thought as much."

"Nowhere is safe for them." Uchungu said, grimly. "They can't get far with their numbers. Not without leaving a lot of their wounded behind." And some of them had been viciously wounded. The other wilddog nodded.

"Should I send out further scouts?" He asked him. Uchungu paused, considering.

"Not for now. If Lord Rish'ut decides we should then do so. But I don't see much point in splitting our forces. Scouts won't tell us anything we don't already know, and we will need our numbers. Don't try to engage Vitani yourself." He cautioned him. The wilddog nodded. Uchungu had seen them in action. They had left several wilddogs dead and even more badly wounded: which in the service of the Shai'tan was usually the same thing.

"Pack Leader Uchungu!" One of the other wilddogs called out to him. Uchungu recognised a member of his own pack of wilddogs. The individual in question was a veteran of Harrin's pack, and covered in many scars, even before joining the Imperium.

"Kaji. What do you want?" Uchungu asked him. He didn't like Kaji, and was certain the Kaji had been angling for promotion as well, and was rather upset that he hadn't been made Pack-Leader in Harrin's absence. He was the senior of the two after all.

"I just wanted to know when we are leaving. I don't like all this malingering around." The wilddog said to him. He was twitching, anxious before the battle.

"As soon as the Lord Rish'ut returns to lead us. If that suits you?" He asked him, and the younger wilddog opened his mouth for a moment, then thought better of it and closed it before he could say anything else he might regret. Uchungu nodded. His thoughts were consumed by the lions and their attack on the Imperium's stronghold there. He didn't like waiting around for the Shai'tan either, but he was hardly going to tell him to hurry up. He paced the ground and checked in on his troops again. The leader of one of the cheetahs was staring at him again. It made him uncomfortable and set his hackles on edge.

"What are you staring at?" He snapped, glaring at the cheetah. "What's your name?"

"Jahi, commander." Jahi told him. He looked away, not meeting his gaze. The rest of the wilddogs were chatting among themselves. One of them was even recounting some tale of martial heroics. He couldn't remember seeing him perform any of those in the battle when Vitani had struck at them. Jahi looked nervous, furtive.

"Jahi. How long have you been serving the Shai'tan?" He asked him.

"Since the fall of the Lion Kings." Jahi told him. Uchungu nodded. Him as well. Some of the wilddogs had joined up with even before and had participated in the attack on the Outlands, but the Shai'tan had been trying to keep their presence in the Pridelands something of a secret back then.

"Not long to go now." Uchungu said. "Just a few last vestiges to wipe out." He said. Jahi didn't look encouraged. Instead, his face twisted in a badly concealed attempt at a grimace.

"Cubs." He said.

"What?"

"Cubs. Children. That's why they attacked Golgorath." He said. He remembered what Harrin had told him about the ones they hunted.

"Vitani is the King's sister. They used to call her the fiercest. Don't underestimate them." Uchungu warned him. Jahi shook his head.

"I won't. What will happen to them, do you think? We aren't recapturing them. The Emperor had all the Prisoners back at Golgorath killed." He said. He looked at Uchungu in the eye.

"I don't expect it will end well for them." Uchungu said. "But that is up to Lord Rish'ut." He said. He shivered, and tried not to think of the memory of Rish'ut dangling the girl from the edge of his parapet over the pits. Or his brutal denouement of the cub Inti in the bowls of the tower. "That is what happens when you challenge the Imperium. Now their parents have endangered them and they'll suffer the consequences. Whatever Rish'ut decides those are." He said. "Nothing to do with me, or you. They had their choice. Like we all did. Its final." He said, his eyes narrowing. Jahi shook his head.

"We did make our choice." He met his gaze and there was fire in his eyes. "I hope it isn't final." He said. Uchungu felt a chill.

"Wh –"

"Now Sadaka!" Jahi cried out. With a surprised gasp, Uchungu felt a pair of claws strike into his side and knocked the air from him. It was the other cheetah. He hadn't heard him approach, or even noticed him circling around. One of the wilddogs leapt up in shock, but he didn't move fast enough. One of the females clawed him so hard he was sent flying by the force of the blow, and she bolted past him, a blur of speed.

"Argh!" He gasped in shock. Sadaka loomed over him and Uchungu acted purely on instinct, kicking away and rolling back. Sadaka struck again, and Uchungu hauled himself to his feet.

"To me!" Uchungu called out, and a pair of other wilddogs moved in to back him. Across the line, other cheetahs were similarly striking at the wilddogs they had moments ago been marching besides.

"Traitors!" Uchungu sneered, and bit down savagely. Jahi rolled backwards.

"Yes. We are. So are you." He said and clawed at the leader, shouting out as he did so. Most of the cheetahs were making a break for it. Uchungu ducked under the blow and cut him off. He moved unexpectedly, and bit again at his foe with surprising force. Jahi was quick. Astonishingly quick. And with the element of surprise, they had killed and wounded several of the dogs but it didn't last long. The dogs were moving together, the other families of cheetahs were shocked by what they saw apparently not clued into this little rebellion. To the shock of Jahi, one of them launched himself at the other female in his group, clawing at her.

"No!" He shouted.

Uchungu roared in fury and let loose an outraged bark. Rish'ut would want them alive! Jahi claws and snarled at him but missed. Uchungu was could. Not the size of a hyena or a lioness but twice as ferocious.

"Jahi, run!" It was Sadaka, the other of the two males that had attacked first, sending the others into action. He swiped at Uchungu. But Uchungu moved. He had only pretended not to notice him. The same trick wouldn't work twice. He turned unexpectedly even as Jahi pulled away and seized the second cheetah by the throat. He gasped for air and tried to pull free but his jaws held fast and filled with dark metallic blood.

Then Jahi was gone as were the rest of the cheetahs in his little family. The other cheetahs looked around, aghast, still shocked.

"You stay where you are!" Kaji bellowed at the others. Sadaka stopped struggling. He fell to the ground dead. It was a small mercy. Rish'ut would have wanted him alive. He seethed. He turned to the others, ready order their seizure but stopped himself. They had every opportunity to turn on them with the others. In fact, it was readily apparent that Jahi and his family had expected then to. They hadn't. If they had any treacherous treasonous private thoughts, they hadn't acted upon them. He let out a breath. He spat out the blood.

"Send that scout out after all." He said. "They didn't flee in the direction Vitani and those escaped slaves went, but if they circle back to join up with them, I want to know!" He roared. "And I'll have my second chance at him." He committed the name Jahi to memory. Between Jahi and that wretched hyena who had snuck close to Rish'ut during their attack on the tower treachery within the ranks of the Imperium was becoming entirely too frequent for his liking.

"Yes Commander." He said. The other cheetahs looked relieved when he didn't mention any orders regarding them. He would need to report this to Rish'ut. Fortunately, the dead cheetah to his side should go some way to alleviating his concerns.

He didn't rest for the entire hour it took for Rish'ut to return. When he did, he stamped his foot at attention.

"My Lord. I have good news. We rooted out –" His words died in his throat as he beheld Rish'ut, his companion Shai'tan, and the monstrosities that walked with him. Rish'ut smirked at his expression as he beheld the dead cheetah and the two killed wilddogs dispassionately.

"My my my." Asamode said, cheerfully. "What has happened here?" He asked. The other wilddogs back to edge way from Uchungu. Rish'ut looked around at the rest of the carnage.

"My Lords!" Uchungu said. "There… was a difference of opinion." He said. "Disloyalty from a small number of dissidents who questioned your orders. Doubtlessly taking advantage of your absence. It… It has been dealt with." He said, trying to sound confident. Rish'ut looked around.

"Is that so?" He asked, his eyes narrowing. Uchungu quickly told him everything that had happened. The entire time, one of the Tigons was staring at him. He had never known a creature so monstrous. It was larger even than some of the Shai'tan, and still had the look of a youth to its features!" One of them even still had spots! The spots that were common to lion cubs! He did his best not look at the monsters that loomed next to them, though the other wilddogs could not help but stare agog in shock and terror. When Uchungu finished speaking, Rish'ut was glaring at him, and Asamode's one good eye was flickering between them in amusement. Uchungu licked his lips. Eventually Rish'ut spoke.

"Good." He said at last. "You did well." And it was all that Uchungu could do not to sag in relief.

"Not to worry, Commander. By happy chance, I have procured suitable replacements." Asamode said, looking at the monstrous creatures, proudly. Uchungu finally tore worked up the courage to ask.

"What are they?" He asked. Asmaode chuckled.

"They, Commander Uchungu, are the future of the Imperium."

Rish'ut looked at the rest of the cheetahs, the ones who had remained steadfast and loyal. They didn't seem to regret their decision. Especially after laying eyes on the great beasts that were now joining in chasing after the Pridelanders.

"Come." He said. "Dawn approaches." He turned, leading the way in the pursuit of Vitani and her minions, as a red sun rose over the Pridelands.

"Jahi! Jahi! Did we make it?" The cheetahs ran and they kept running. They didn't stop running for hours even as they looked about each other, counting. The fierce noise of the battle fading from his ears.

"Sadaka! Where is Sadaka? Where is my brother!?" He asked, looking around. There was no sign of him. Talib looked aghast.

"Jahi, I… I am so sorry."

"No! No! He was right behind me!" Jahi was stunned. Too shocked to even feel much. He just felt numb. Most cheetahs were solitary creature. Coalitions only formed when especially close siblings – usually brothers – decided that sticking together was safer than living a life as too separate rogues. For Jahi and Sadaka, it had never even been an option. Neither had ever dreamed of being alone. Neither had ever so much as considered the possibility of splitting off from the other. It was unthinkable.

"Jahi…" It was his mate. Olinta. She rubbed himself against him, and he fell into her embrace. Talib was looking between them for some reassurance and found none. Jahi tried not to stumble. The other cheetahs in their band didn't look at him. They all looked devasted.

"I can't believe it. Sadaka…"

"What do we do now?" Talib asked him.

"We aren't going to lose anyone else." Jahi said softly. Even though his heart hurt. "We need to get somewhere safe." He looked up at the sky. The last stars of the morning were fading from sight now in the early dawn light. They didn't have much time to get their bearings. Talib looked up and followed his gaze. He knew exactly what their leader was looking for.

"My mother used to tell me stories. About a place of safety. Where animals could go to hide and live in peace, no matter what came for them." Talib said, searching. "There."

High in the sky above them, beginning to fade in the dawn he saw them. Four stars. Lighting the way. He knew the constellation well. He fixed the direction in his head before they faded from view entire. The other cheetahs looked at each other. Jahi swallowed.

"The Tree of Life." He said.