“Banzaï, my friend, I'll tell you what I'll tell anyone else, for I'm about to make an announcement for all the clan to hear,” Vincent sighed, seemingly not to enthusiast, “It's show-time...”

Without further explanation, he leaped forward, towards a small ledge on the left side of the Rock. Although it gave a great view over the Plaza, the right side was obscured by the Rock. Vincent's original intent had been to speak to his clan from atop the Rock itself, but faced with it's sheer size and height, he decided it'd be better if he just deliver his little come-back-speech from a ledge. The crowd below (except for the guards), of whom most weren't even aware of Vincent's return, turned away from what happened in the middle of the Plaza to look up, as more and more individuals started shouting Vincent's name, or simply patting on each-others shoulder and then pointing at Vincent. He didn't even need words to draw the crowd's attention, though words did come in handy to calm it down.

“All right, all right, easy now... No, your eyes didn't deceive you. Yes,  it's me and yes, I know most of you are surprised to see me,” Vincent began of with surprising ease and confidence. Then again, speeching was something he was fairly good at, when compared to his sister for example.

“My good friend Shetani has already brought me up-to-speed; I am aware that most, if not all of you, thought of me as dead. And given the circumstances, you had no reason whatsoever to even suspect the opposite. But still, I am here, I am standing here before you today, alive! Why? That, my friends, is a question not easily answered. But I will try answering it nonetheless, for it concerns each and every one of you; it explains how each and every one of you, each one of us, was shamefully and wickedly betrayed, to dramatic if not disastrous consequences...”

As Vincent's words echoed down the Plaza, they also reached the cave containing the imprisoned lions and their keepers. Hearing that something concerning the whole clan was going on outside, most of the hyenas guarding the lions had the urge to go outside, or at least turn to pay attention to the speech. The Graymane now in command of the squad could of course not allow that, and immediately made that clear to her fellow guardsmen.

“Sorry, but you have your duties to attend to: the lions have to stay under tight surveillance. As a matter of fact, I don't even want you listening in: you have to stay focused. Besides, once you're relieved by the day-shift, you'll probably receive a personal debriefing from Shetani or even Vincent himself...”the Graymane perorated in monotone voice.

“So Vincent's alive? He's here?”

“Yes. Now turn your head back to those lions,” she snapped, “That reminds me: lions, listen up! I can imagine you might consider this a good time for a breakout, but let me assure you, it is not: our whole clan is gathered just outside, and your cubs are still but one command away from termination. Any attempts at a breakout will end in a bloodbath.”

“Don't worry, we weren't actually planning on going anywhere anyhow,” a limping lioness replied sneeringly, signing at her wounded paw which would make an escape nearly impossible, “Besides, we'd hate to miss out on your company, not to mention hospitality.”

The Graymane didn't as much as blink at that last remark, being trained to ignoring insults and other nonessential distractions completely. Most of the lionesses in the cave considered that rather annoying as it meant the hyena would never let her guard down, except for Kani: without wanting to admit it to herself, she actually admired the Graymane's discipline. The more Kani thought about it, the more she realized it: in a way, the hyenas' accomplishments could be admired. Of course, Kani argued, they lacked any sort of style, dignity, nobleness, grace, courage and finesse, not to mention the fact their whole race was a disgusting abomination of the most impure-nature imaginable (especially when compared to a Pridelander of pure blood like herself), but still: they were gruelingly efficient, something the lions should consider plagiarizing. Taking that into consideration, Kani figured it might not be a bad idea to just tune in for a moment and listen to whatever it was the self-proclaimed big-shot hyena outside had to say: she could only learn, to the benefit of her pride. She had missed the introduction and the first part, though.

“... and therefore, I salute you, I salute each and everyone of you: it was by your courage alone that our clan could have ever amounted to such a historic and even heroic victory on the field of battle. I myself can only wither in shame not to have been a direct participant.. And I also salute all those to have fallen or to have bled so our victory could be achieved; I salute all those who gave their lives and limbs, not for personal gain, food or stature, but for the greater good; for you, me and all generations of the past, present and future. For the clan!”

“He sure is pompous,” Nala yawned, “If you consider he is, in effect applauding the biggest theft, not to mention slaughter, in decades...”

“Shsss, I'm trying to listen here...”

“But even though their sacrifice was noble, let us not forget they fought and died not because of justice or vengeance, as all of them presumed, but because of a lie, a most despicable, treacherous lie! Because, as I explained before, it were no lions to try and kill me, but it were our own: we have, all of us, been betrayed. Betrayed in an act of selfish greed for stature, misplaced nostalgia for times of division, and plain stupidity. The fact of us sitting here now, on Priderock, the fact that our comrades have so heroically fallen, were but byproducts for these traitors; it would have been all the same for them if we had not been victorious, for that was the least of their concerns. They thought but of themselves, as traitors do. And I will not stand it! I will not sit by and watch as those filthy rats prosper while many good hyenas now lay dead because of them! No, too many times has our beautiful clan been plagued by treason and division; I say no more! It ends here, today we deal with treason the way it ought to be dealt with: it has to be dealt with as the worst of crimes imaginable, for can you imagine anything worse than to conspire against one's own clan and Matriarch? No, today we rid ourselves of all traitors, we purge the clan of all betrayal to fester within certain individuals. And when it is all over, we will be able to start anew, our clan cleansed and ready to face it's most glorious future.
Oh, and do not pity these treacherous worms to have been assembled here before you, do not even grace them with uplifting and friendly words: they deserve no compassion of any sort, for a traitor is the lowest of all life imaginable. As such, they will meet the fate that becomes the likes of them. Goodnight.”

“Ah, so that's why you and that mangy scavenger got along so great: one traitor seeks another. Like likes like,” Kani sneered at Anana immediately after the end of Vincent's speech, “For it is pretty obvious she was in fact one of the traitors our scruffy little fiend outside was talking about.”

“Kani!” Nala shouted out in frustration, sick and tired of Kani's constant poisonous remarks: their pride was supposed to stick together, not make life a living hell onto one-another, “You end it now, or I will!”

“I'm shaking already,” Kani frowned in contempt, “Nala, I'd never thought I'd have to say this, but... maybe you ought to take example to that hyena outside. At least he knows how to deal with backstabbing rats...”

Needles to say the argument between Nala and Kani raged on for some time still, while outside, Vincent turned his back to the crowd so he could, as Kani had put it, 'deal with the backstabbing rats'. First of all, he addressed Shetani.

“That's that. And now to get rid of those enemies of our clan,” he yawned, “Shetani, you wouldn't happen to know