him, but he was beginning to lose his fighting energy.

            Suddenly, a presence leapt out in front of him. "I'll defend his honor!" croaked Nomusa, her body clashing with Malka's. The pair fell aside.

            "Nomusa!" he heard Kesi cry out.

            Judas's eyes fell upon the pair, who were wrestling in the grass. Nomusa was struggling against the weight of Malka's jaws, which were pinned to her neck. Her own paws were stretched out, her claws digging into any part of Malka they could reach.

            Fire brewed within Judas, and his vigor to fight returned. He rushed at Malka before Kesi could, and tackled the orange lion off of the old lioness. Judas did not allow for Malka to recover from the assault before he tackled the lion again, and again, never allowing Malka to fully be on his paws long enough to realize what had happened. With one more tackle that left Malka on the ground for good, Judas stood over him, and pinned his enormous paw to Malka's neck, pressing down to leave the smaller lion gasping for breath.

            "Leader! Malka!" Around him, the fighting ceased, all eyes trained on Judas and Malka, who was left helpless underneath the gray lion's weight.

            Judas leaned in, his drawn blood dripping onto Malka's face. "Still want to keep this up?" he snarled. "If Nomusa dies, you'll die with her."

            He saw Malka's face pale, and smiled.

            "Judas, we have her!" cried Baako. With Baako's teeth trained into her neck, and with Eshe on her hind leg, Halla was trapped.

            "H-Halla!" cried Malka, but Judas silenced him with a rough shove to the throat.

            "Don't worry about me, love!" cried Halla. "We can win this!"

            "If you really want to try," snarled Judas, "we can keep on going, and you can watch your beloved mate disappear before your very eyes. Is that worth it?"

            Malka looked back and forth between his mate and Judas, conflicted. Finally he spat, "F...Fine, this fight is done with! I thought you would've been better than this, Judas!"

            "Oh I am. Just not with scum lions like yourselves. Now get out of my sight, before I really show you my power."

            He carefully lifted his paw off of Malka's throat. At first the orange lion stared back at him with contempt in his eyes. Halla was released and she ran to Malka. The smaller lion did not move for a moment, staring back at Judas with contempt full in his eyes. Finally, he slowly turned his back on the gray lion, and marched off. Halla and his pride mates followed after him, all retreating until the only things left behind them was Judas's pride, and their own fallen.

            Judas waited until they had completely disappeared behind the grassy hill they emerged from before falling onto his hindquarters, relief flowing through his body.

            Then he heard sobbing. "Nomusa! Wake up!" He snapped his head around, and saw a small circle beginning to form where Nomusa had been wrestled to the ground only moments ago.

            "Nomusa!" It was Kesi who was crying out. She had her face buried into Nomusa's fur. Jira was beside her, her paw resting on her daughter's backside.

            Judas joined them, eyeing each of the lionesses to see how much harm had been done. Besides their wounds, everyone looked to be in good condition for the most part.

            "Judas..?" He turned and found Tamu facing back at him, Jalena and Gwandoya by her side. Judas sighed with relief that the three had been unharmed. He moved aside, and allowed Tamu to see Nomusa. The pale lioness cried and slowly sidled up to her family, who had circled the body.

            "Sa...ssia?" he heard a croaked cry, and immediately his attention was garnered. Roughly making his way into the circle, Judas watched as Sassia approached her sister, her expression unreadable.

            "Yes?" she whispered, pressing her nose to Nomusa's.

            Nomusa lifted a paw up and placed it on her sister's crown. She was smiling, Judas noticed, looking almost peaceful. "Tak..e care of them..."

            Tears came to Sassia's eyes. "Oh Nomusa..."

            Judas had to avert his gaze. He had been through heartbreak, but it never stopped unsettling him to see his family break down before his eyes. Someone had to be strong for them.

            Everyone fell silent, the only thing they could hear was Nomusa's strangled breathing. Finally, it ceased. Kesi cried out while the lioness only dipped their heads in, quietly shedding their tears to their departed friend.

            Judas broke away from the group to stare at the sky. It had begun to cloud over. Rumbling began. It was going to rain tonight, shed away all the tears and blood that had been shed.

            "Judas..?" Baako sidled up to him, rubbing her face into his mane. Her face was stained with a mixture of blood and tears.

            He leaned into her, inhaling her scent. "She saved me."

            Baako didn't say anything in reply.

            "They'll accept her, wherever's she gone," he went on. "She was a hero tonight, Baako. We need to honor her before the storm comes."

            As he broke away to trot back to the circle, Baako stopped him. "Will it pass?" she asked, and when he cocked his head, she clarified, "This storm?"

            For a second he was unsure how to answer her. Then a smile broke out on his face. A genuine smile that had been forgotten for a long time. "They always pass," he answered.