didn’t see that one coming,” she said, a painful smirk on her face.

            Hasira growled, her blood boiled, and her eyes snapped, her expression heartless. She shivered, but not from the cold air, or the rain that drenched her fur. The shivers she felt were from rage and an unsuppressed anger. She looked up at the sky. Would the rain stop? Perhaps this wasn’t a fair fight… She turned her eyes to the ground, then at her bleeding enemy, but was Etana really her enemy? Hasira growled softly, and closed her eyes, forcing herself to be somewhere else.

            Kill…

            There was the word again. Her eyes snapped open and she remembered why she was here. Yes! The bleeding lioness before her was her enemy, the one thing standing in her way to gaining Baraka’s affection. She had to be rid of her! The very thought of Baraka with this lioness repulsed and sickened her.

            Hasira rose and prepared to attack again.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Baraka panted as he stopped. Behind him, he could hear Mabaki and Takata doing the same. “You two alright?” he asked.

            Takata nodded. “We’re fine, just a little tired. Running in rain is harder compared to running in dry weather. But we –”

            “But we have to keep going, yes, I know!” Baraka said softly, a sharp pang in his tone.

            Mabaki coughed. He wasn’t about to get sick when his king and friend needed him. “Then let’s go. We can’t wait.”

            “Neither can Etana…” Baraka agreed. His heart jumped as he moved to run, the two lions keeping up with his pace. She had to be alright! She just had to be, and if Hasira was in fact hurting her… His blood coursed through his body, heat flowing through him as well.

            Takata was having the same problem as Baraka. As far as he was concerned, Etana was his daughter. Dharau had no right neither here or in heaven to even be her father. So he hated blindness, but that didn’t give him the right to treat his own flesh and blood cruelly, stripping her of a royal title and status. Takata always thanked the spirits that he was raised in a good place, by a good lion and lioness, and never suffered cruelty at the paws of his parents, siblings, or friends. Like Baraka, if their thoughts were the same, the idea of Etana being beaten was too much to think about, even see. It had to be stopped, whatever the cost.

            And if Baraka doesn’t attack Hasira, I will!

            The promise of this thought burned in his normally peaceful red eyes which were now filled with worry and pain.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Etana fell on her back, Hasira’s forepaw on her throat choking her. She gagged.

            Hasira stared into her colorless eyes wearing a cold, merciless smile. “Not so tough anymore are you?” She lowered her head down to Etana’s neck.

            With the lioness on top of her, it gave Etana freedom to use a stripped ability. Hasira’s paws were on her chest. She felt Hasira’s heartbeat, and heard her own. She wondered if her hind legs were free to perform an action. She told herself to wriggle her back paws. They wriggled against nothing but air and rain drops which made her cringe. It didn’t matter. Her paws were free which meant her hind legs were too. Carefully, she moved her hind legs back until they slowly came in contact with Hasira’s belly.

            Hasira didn’t feel anything. All her attention was on the spot of Etana’s neck where her teeth would soon sink in.

            Etana waited a moment, mindfully aware that she couldn’t flip Hasira over her with the lioness’s head so close to her neck. She had to force the head away in order to make her move. She began moving her forepaws, hoping they weren’t immobile. She breathed out softly and moved them. They weren’t. She concentrated on using her left foreleg as a weapon to force Hasira’s head from her neck. She waited another moment and swung her left foreleg, claws out, hoping to hit Hasira in the face.

            The lioness screamed in pain, eyes closed.

            Etana pushed her back paws into Hasira’s belly and used her hind legs to flip Hasira over her head. She could hear Hasira groan as she hit the ground behind her. She painfully rolled to her paws, just as Hasira did the same. Etana was able to feel it in the wet ground. She snarled.

            “Apparently, I am still tough,” she said, snapping her teeth.

            Hasira shook her head. The flip and the land made her dizzy. Her back ached and she growled. “You won’t be for long!” she threatened, rushing at Etana again.

            This time, Etana didn’t think of an action. Impulsively, she stood on her hind legs. Seeing this, Hasira did the same and they clashed. They fought hard, Hasira fighting viciously giving countless and painful blows. Etana managed to block a few but Hasira wasn’t letting up. She bit into Etana’s shoulder, causing a roar of pain. But the bite, as painful as it was, was what Etana needed. With the physical contact, she was able to imagine in her mind where Hasira was and with the other upraised paw, she slammed it down onto Hasira’s head. The lioness pulled away roughly and let out a roar. Etana also roared when Hasira’s teeth tore away from her shoulder.

            The two lionesses groaned tiredly. Their bodies were covered in scars. Blood and mud ran down, staining their pelts.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Baraka’s mind was spinning. Were they even on the southern side of the Pridelands? And if they were, where were Hasira and Etana? Were they farther ahead? Baraka growled inwardly. He believed Njozi’s dream was true, but the dream itself bothered him. What was it really of Etana and Hasira? Njozi wasn’t that close to them. She hardly knew Hasira and only spent time with Etana twice, but was that enough to trigger a dream? Or was Etana’s healing Njozi of a broken heart over her parents fighting that made the dream come? How was that possible when the healing happened a month ago?

            He shook his head, trying to concentrate on the run. Mabaki and Takata were still behind him, and hopefully, more focused than he. His mind was almost a blur. Etana had to be alright, he kept telling himself over and over. His good sleep was thanks to her and her presence. He was still puzzled at the fact that whenever he was around Etana he was different… so calm, warm, caring, and slow to anger. Only when someone insulted her when he was there did he snap. Then there was that, his quickness to protect her when she could handle the insults with ease. How she did it, he would never know, but he so respected it he was frightened. What was it about her that had such an incredible hold on him?

            Before he could think on it more, his ears perked up and he stopped. He listened closely. What was that sound? Was it thunder? No. Thunder had a more powerful rumble. What reached his ears wasn’t a rumble.

            “Baraka, I think that was a roar,” said Mabaki.

            The king closed his eyes, his claws rubbing the dirt. He felt the earth. Though the ground was wet, there was some hard foundation underneath. He put himself in Etana’s place, imagining how she would handle this. He exhaled slowly, his mind reaching, searching, and hoping to grasp. He couldn’t just follow Njozi’s dream. She had gotten a vibe from Etana and in order to find her, he had to do the same, but with all the time he spent with her and lying at her side the night before… Surely he could get something!

            He opened his eyes. His heart thrummed. He knew where she was! “Follow me,” he said to the guardians without turning. He took off running, the two lions following in confusion. There was another flash of lightning in the distance, but the light that illuminated from the bolt filled the side of the lands in silver and light purples. They ran faster, leaping now.

            Baraka could hear the roars over the sounds of rain and thunder. His