The Lion King

"I had a previous engagement," Myô said, light sarcasm underlying his tone.

I sigh with defeat and say, "No good, I'm just not good at this whole 'socializing' thing. Either tell me an answer or just say you aren't going to, cause this is just too much work on my part."

"I'm not going to."

Despite my words, I smile, "I don't believe I started that sentence with, 'if you please, Master ... I don't believe I ever caught your name."

"You may call me lord and master." No, Myô wasn't joking. It was actually the normal response he gave to that question. Normally.

I raise an eyebrow, "Ah-huh, okay then. Is M fine, then?"

Myô eyed her. Then, suddenly, he stopped. "We're at the praries," he said, his thoughts on Kita again, who couldn't have slept almost a whole day, "Get away from me." And he turned away, heading toward his den.

I release a held breath and put my hands on my hips, "Take care of yourself. And next time you get beaten up by the rouges, don't expect me or my pack to defend you."

Before he can answer, I drop to my hands and knees, and then turn my +anima on and speed towards my den. I was sure I'd hear about that comment if I ever saw him again, but I wasn't planning to, so I didn't really care. I reach my den and rejoin Rena's side, where I felt most comfortable. And no one questioned my right to be there.

I stare down at my arm in the sling, and sigh. This was going to be a pain ...

Myô reactivated his +anima and breathed a sigh of relief. He was sure that the moment he decativated it in his pride's vicinity they would turn on him. They were lions, what would you expect, not like the kittens that girl lived with. As he bounded on all fours to his dens, he opened his mouth to breathe in the scents of prey. One faint whiff he caught was one of the girl, moving in the opposite direction.

Myô's sides hurt like heck, but that wasn't stopping him; he had endured worse injuries before without being treated.

When he arrived at the mouth of the cave, Tooma slunk up to him and sniffed his chest, like a babysitter would do to her care.

I sigh and settle into the floor of the den. The females, the ones who didn't fight and thusly had never seen me fight, were staring at me. That's what they normally did, but this time there were more than the usual number. They didn't know what to think of me.

They obviously knew I wasn't fully a lion, as I didn't have my +anima activated all the time, but I had the experience and instincts of a lion. Plus, I smelled a lot like one. But now ... now I smelled like human. And that meant they didn't want me hanging around their cubs.

I grunt and roll onto my side as some of the cubs curl up to my side. Well, sucks for them, cause I was here when these cubs were born, so they hang out with me anyways. I would have to leave my +anima form on for another few days before the human scent would be gone.

I closed my eyes and thought about the events that happened recently. Namely, that guy. He obviously wasn't a people person, but according to the fact that he challenged the leader of the rouges when he was still just a human means he wasn't much of a lion person either. So then, what the heck was he doing here?

I hear a scratching sound and find one of the cubs to be scratching at my sling. Probably because it smelled weird, I'd have to let it sit in dirt for a little bit. I blewa puff of air on the little cub, coaxing it to lay down again. One of the females snorts, so I snort back. Wasn't my fault I could control their cubs better than they could.

I feel a new pair of eyes on me, so I crane my head and lock eyes with Zander. My expression softens and I simply break my gaze away from him and return it to the cubs at my side. I didn't need to see him now. I close my eyes for a nap, I would wake up just in time for the evening hunt.

Myô crawled up in his crawlspace to find that Kita was gone. Thank goodness. Myô was not a people person. He reached for his paper bag of stuff and pulled out a small, worn strip of cloth. This he put to his nose and smelled. The scent, already dull when he had it two years ago was only just there, and that was using his +anima skills. One fresh tear sprung from an eye, and he wiped it away.

Myô put the strip of cloth back in the bag and curled up into a ball. But as soon as his eyes were closed, there was a roar that signified hunting time.

Sighing, Myô jumped down and moved on all fours out of the den with the rest of his pride.

I wake up when warmth suddenly leaves my body. I open my eyes and see the cubs getting up and hopping around as they often did right before the hunt started. My eyes scanned for Rena, and were also met with Koren and Zander at her side. Well, Koren was at her side, Zander was facing her.

Rena stomps her paw on the ground and swings her head slightly. She was demanding something of Zander. And from Zander's tall and puffy appearance, he wasn't relinquishing. Koren releases a low growl of warning from deep within his throat, and Zander pauses a second and then let his head hang. He has yielded to the request.

Zander sadly begins walking towards the cubs that were roaming around, while the males passing by were snorting their mockery. He had been put on cub watching duty, a great disgrace for a male warrior. It was the equivalent to the person who stays behind on the ship while the other pirates scout for treasure. Only much more embarrassing.

I glance at my arm and slowly try to stretch it out. A fresh new wave of pain shooting through my arm tells me it wasn't ready to hunt yet. I begin to gather up the cubs, out of the departing crowds way, and suddenly lock eyes with Rena. Her slightly narrowed eyes show reluctance. I simply bow my head and then bring it back up, in a slow nod, and continue to herd the cubs.

I would stay behind for this hunt. The females who aren't hunting retreat to the back of the den, while I lead the cubs to the front of the den to join with the few males who stayed behind to guard the den. A decent position, that was somewhat an honor. The cubs begin running around and attacking each other playfully, as they normally do.

I look at Zander. He's eyeing the horizon with eyes that clearly displayed longing. Whether to hunt, to fight, or to just be included, I did not know. I look at the horizon too, but what meets me does not bring me good feelings. Something was heading in the direction of our den.

The pride moved swiftly through the long, yellow grass. Only a faint rustling could be heard. Myô moved on all fours, keeping up with the pride and doing what they did too. Tooma had trained him well for another life-form who couldn't speak his language.

As soon as they reached the center of their territory, the pack split up into five groups; to cover the corners of their pentagon-shaped territory. Myô moved with the third group, only slightly hindered by his bandages. Another lion, Iyeb, the leader, brushed his fur against Myô's shirt. A question. Myô glanced at him, but paused at the same time to breathe in the same scent the rest of his group was getting, too.

They were lions from our pack. Most people would be relieved at this news, but for someone who actually knew what that meant, it was bad. Very bad. It meant something had gone wrong in the scouting.

I nudge Zander forcefully and take off towards the hunters. As I approach them, I growl low enough so that only their animal ears could hear it. They turn and seem to relax when they see it is just me. I join their side and gently scratch one of the front legs of one of them, an inquiry.

They both turn to their right, about half a mile north-east of our den. I turn as well, and then the smell hits me like a pile of bricks. A large, no huge, herd of gazelles was going by. It was too good to be true. But another smell told me it was in fact that very thing. There was the smell of foreign lions, ones from the next pack over. The guy's pack.

The most disturbing fact was what I discovered next. Five years with the lions let me be able to pin point where the prey was by how distant its scent was. And either I was going crazy, or those idiotic, four-legged preys were prancing right over the borderline between our territories.

Tooma, Iyeb, and the rest of the lions growled at this mishap. Myô's brow furrowed, but did nothing. He looked at Iyeb, who looked at him. He nudged his head slightly. The rest of the lions copied him.

Myô's group began to stalk the gazelles on their side of the border.

This wasn't good. Want to know why? Because this glorious free for all invovled contact with another group. The other pride appeared to be already hunting on their side of the border, but their more denser lions would come to blows with ours soon.

Which was bad. Because that, along with several other things, could also lead to a war between packs, if things turned really bad. I scan the horizon, and find Rena, joining her side in seconds. We meet gazes.

Years at her side gave us a sort of telepathic connection. Not words, lions found no need in words. But feelings. We could get the jist of each other's thoughts. Which came in handy for times like this. And just like that our plan was formed.

She trotted over to Koren, obviously going to let him on the plan. I began to search for the lions of our pack, more thoroughly hidden for scouting purposes. Two by two (as we scouted in pairs) the male lions were sent back to the den, until only Koren's most mature and trusted males remained on the hunt. The females we had no worries with, for they naturally had the minds to avoid contact with the other pack.

We were being over cautious, but this just showed all the thought we put into our pack. I trusted Rena's intelligence enough to know that this was the only way we could get through this event unscathed. I would not be here to witness the hunt, for the cubs would not survive too long under Zander's care, and my arm was still in no condition to hunt.

I return to the den, but not before catching eyes with the guy as I left. My eyes automatically drift to his chest as I wonder how he is doing, but I quickly head off with the retreating males of our pack. I would learn about this hunt when they returned.

Myô knew he shouldn't have caught her eye the moment before he did. As soon as he looked away (which was in about a half-second) he leaped up nd caught hold of a gazelle by his claws on its back. It bucked, and his bandaged side twinged horribly.

Unwittingly, Myô let go of the animal, and tumbled away. When he opened his eyes again, he was laying at the feet of a lion - one not from his own pack.

One by one, the lions from our pack returned to our den. But Koren seemed to be a little on edge, despite how much Rena was trying to calm him down. I walk up to Rena and scratch her leg slightly in question.

She looks at me, then looks towards the horizon they had returned from. Something had gone wrong in the hunt? She scratches my stomach a little harder, her way of saying she knew what I was thinking and I was wrong. I look at her, and she sniffs the air. I sniff too, and I catch it.

Koren had the guy's scent on him. Even just a glimpse of it. Had they come in contact? I walk up to Koren and sniff his mane, waiting for a reaction. He locks eyes with me, and looks completely over my person, as if just seeing it for the first time.

What had the guy done to make Koren question my form? Was it because he smelled of human like I did? Or was it because ... he smelt like me? That was it! He had my scent on him, and it obviously threw him off.

Speaking of throwing him off, Koren had not brought in any game. Had he not been able to catch one? Or the right one? All of these questions rang in my head as I picked out a gazelle and split it with several other cubs. What had happened?

Myô's pack had a wonderful, plentiful feast in store for them. There was a huge pile of gazelles stacked up in the corner; almost every lion out hunting had been able to catch at least one. All of the female lions grouped up together to watch the males eat first, but today they didn't have to worry about not getting to eat thier fill; they'd have their fill for another week.

The only problem was Myô. Lion after lion kept coming up to him, curious about the smell on him. The tiniest cub actually leaped on him and tried to rip the bandages off of him. He had to wrestle the hyper-active cub for a good minute before he left. Even Iyeb approached him after his dinner. He leaned forward and growled. Myô wasn't certain what that meant, but no good could come from the tone of it. He bent down so that the whole of his foreams were on the dirt ground and his neck was utterly exposed. This was a sign of complete submission; the only other pose was rolling on his back. Myô had only ever seen other, more submissive lions bow like this; he had worked hard to not get in this position.

Iyeb sniffed the nape of his neck. Myô was more scared than he had been in a long time; his tail kept settling to the ground and leaping back up again; his left heel was rocking back and forth uncontrollably. Iyeb lifted his paw, and the decision was made: Myô was going to die. No incompetent lion stayed alive in their pack for long; it was either be strong and smart or be dead. And even though Iyeb barely knew the scent of human, he could not mistake the smell of freshly shed blood.

Myô closed his eyes; he didn't want to see himself die. As the paw came rushing down he felt a great brush of coarse fur against his side, and more pressing firmly and warmly against his head. He chanced a glance; Tooma had ran to his side. Iyeb paused, placed his paw on the ground, and growled sofly at her. She growled back, lower and angrier. Then the pack leader roared, and it became a contest to see who would win. Every lion was staring at them.

Finally Iyeb snorted and walked away. Tooma turned and pressed her head against Myô's. She had won, she had cared for his life enough to risk hers for his. That was a pretty nice feeling.

Natsumi cursed to herself for the millionth time that night. Darn it all, she can't sleep! She just rolls and fidgets on the floor of their cave, trying not to wake up the sleeping cubs snuggled against her, but doing a poor job. The worse part is she can't figure out why she can't sleep: she's full, she's tired, and she's never had trouble sleeping before. There just seems to be a miscommunication between her brain and her subconcious, because she can't fall asleep and it is really starting to bug her.

With a quiet growl, she sits up and stealthily picks her way between the sleeping lions, and to the entrance/exit of the cave. The lions standing guard regard her warily, but she simply plots her butt down in the entrance of the cave and stares ahead at the horizon. Though they seem a little put off, the guard to her left gives a simple snort before rising and making his way back into the cave. It is soundly understood that she has taken over his guard shift.

Before she can even realize it, a cold nose is nudging the nape of her neck softly. She turns to find the next guard is here for his shift. Instead of returning to the cave, Natsumi makes her way down from the rocks at the base of the cave, and begins wandering around their territory. Today's events replay in her head, and she is so confused. Too many things are happening, and now she can't sleep to help sort it all out. Is that boy ok? And she really wonders about what is wrong with Koren.

It hits her then - the boy's smell. It's faint, and mixed with something else, but her mind ignores all else but the scent of him as she turns her head in the direction it is coming from. He is outside of her pride's territory, but close enough so that she might not confront any other lions from other prides, if she is careful in meeting him. With a firm resolve, she takes off in the direction of the scent. What she finds, though, isn't something she wanted to see.

The leader of what she believes is the boy's pride - what's his face? - is plodding along, angry about something. How indignant for a leader to be seen having a miny tantrum. The thought makes Natsumi give a slight chuckle.

Big mistake. The lion looks up at her, ears pricked, and she watches in slow motion as his lips draw back, teeth are bared, hackles raised, and a low pitched, shiver inducing roar is released. She realizes now that his tantrum is going to be directed at her. Which, by the way, is not good. Not good at all.