Greenlandress was about to enter the jungle and chase the males. “They are just waiting for that... Now...” she pointed on Theluji, sobbing from pain and grass. “Help me get her to the pride... Before they are back!”

All went wrong – Spotty was hearing the roars of fight before them, where Pili, Kisima, Kwini and Yakta were engaging the unknown enemy, but she was unable to just run to them – she had a pride to lead and now a wounded one with her. “Dad! I need help!” she pleaded in her mind. And louder she called.

“All are breaking through to the ambush! Jino, stay with me.”

“I’m here, ma’am.” Replied prince and they both ran to slowly retreating division of Ostasi.

*

Horen was running through the jungle as fast, as he could run on three paws. He didn’t know how much of his route he had done, but felt that it wasn’t enough. Full way to hunting team – four, maybe five kilometres he hoped to make in half an hour. After quarter of running, or hobbling with his injure thought dense forest, he understood that it was extremely optimistic presumption. Suddenly he noticed some silhouette before him. He stopped and it stopped too, but in the next moment a laughter sounded.

“Go on, Horen!” called Mshauri. “You have to get there and make them surrender now. I don’t want to lose my new pride in such a blind slaughter like that. So where we will meet? How about beach of that river?”

“Damn you!” gasped regent. “My paw is twisted!”

“Ow... how sad...” murmured rouge. “But I won’t carry you. Do it by yourself. I’m going make sure that boss won’t... damage our spoils too much. And you just think how to appease your ex-pride. So long!” and started to run with full speed.

Horen cried with pain, burning his paw and but then set off again. He had to get there for any cost, didn’t matter if he wanted to play a hero or just sell Green Pride. But in that moment he was trying to think about nothing. He cast out visions of dying Chanua and Spotty. But then a memory of dead Amini’s body came to his mind. Lion roared with rage into deserted jungle.

“Is this your vengeance?” cried into green, but no one answered him apart from distant roars of fight pain and calls for help. Horen clenched his jaws and ran further.

VII.  ....within

Yakta  - as he always - tried to analyse situation rationally and failed. There was no rational solution of that. He was fighting with strong lion, older and less agile than he, but for sure much more experienced in combat. Meanwhile, just behind his back, Kwini and Pili were desperately trying to defend knocked out Kisima. Epesi and Mahiri seemed to lost any scruples, seeing that the enemy was no longed helpless and even tried to counterattack. So they were jumping around two Greenlandresses, trying to exhausts them quickly and finish their job. Yakta knew that he had to help princess and her friend, but leaving Keme behind meant suicide.

“Help is on the way!” called with desperate hope he was right. “Hold on!” He also expected that rouges heard that and reconsider withdrawing.

“Death is on the way.” Keme smiled with vicious smile. “Hold on still and I’ll make it quick!”

Because Yakta considered himself as weaker fighter (and he was right), he was just shunning and steeping back, trying to exhaust adversary. When rouge leader noticed that, he suddenly changed his tactic. She pounced aside, on lionesses and inflicted a deadly blow to leg of Kwini. It was – the same as Fumo’s attack – leg wounding blow in order to cripple enemy. Princes yelled and fell on the grass.

“Back!” called Keme to fighting rouges. “Now!”

Although gerge’s chief was furious and mad, he still was smart fighter and commander. He did what he intended to as the first stage of plan, so now he could give himself a break.

“Roger!” panted Epesi and Mahiri then followed their boss.

“Kwini! Yakta!” called queen Chanua, who just had entered the clearing. “Ow, Stars! Are you...”

“Alive.” Replied princess. Although she was crying from pain, she was reporting with cold blood. “But Kisima is unconscious and I’m... partially disabled.” Finished with heavy effort.

Yakta scanned the area with careful stare but when he saw no sign of enemy, he ran to Kwini.

“Ma’am!” he cried with fear, seeing bleeding cut on her left-rear leg.

“Stay calm, Yakta.” Replied lioness. “You could do nothing to prevent that. And maybe...” she looked on him with pale face. Pain shock was overwhelming her. “...you find that injure interest addition to my beauty too?” she smiled and fell unconsciousness.

“Shaman!” called redmaned, holding princess’s head in his paws.

Spotty entered clearing with rest of forces. She was closing the cheerless conduct, securing Danti who was carrying wounded Thelui. Golden One came to senseless princess and looked on blood-red paw.

“Calm down, Yakta. She will recover...” Then a mad laughter came from jungle and all lions on clearing shivered. “...from this one. Just...” she recalled all teachings about wounds and caring of injured ones that Zira once had told to all Outlanders. “Try to minimize the bloodlet. Use your mouth to clench and hold the cut.” Without any question lion gentle grabbed edges of wound by his teethes and clenched his jaw. “And stay this way, at least for the while.” Added Spotty.

“If Horen were here...” whispered Chanua. “He knows many of shamanic ways... Ow, Stars! HOREN!” cried queen. “They could...”

“No! I’m alive!” called voice from jungle. “I’ll be there in minute.”

Indeed – soon after regent exited dense forest and stood before group of survivors. In fact he was barely standing, that Chanua, who ran to greet and hug him, had to support his side before would have fallen.

“Hyenas tail!” yelled redmaned, looking on wounded, scarred and panicking pride. “It can’t be...”

“Dad! What should we do?” asked Spotty with helpless voice.

“Surrender!” thought regent. “That is the only way for us to save our souls...” But, of course, he didn’t say it aloud. He just took a look on remaining forces and said. “We can’t stay here. We must break through jungle to the river. We can’t march home, because it’s too far and forest on our way is too dense... a perfect place for ambushes. But River... There is beach wide enough to defend on open area. While we are in forest, they have us like on a plate. Get wounded ones on backs and go. Everybody intact, apart of carriers, circle around and stay sharp.” Then he added with quieter voice. “Chanua, Jino, Spotty... I must tell you something.”

While rest of pride was forming the ordered formation, Horen took queen, prince and daughter on side and said, almost whispering.

“I know what they are up to... and this looks bad. This is Keme’s vendetta, he wants all us dead... Wait, I haven’t finished... We need to take out that madlion and make a deal with his underlings. This is the only way to come alive from this.”

“Dad!” yelled amazed Spotty. “We will win with them. With all Green Pride...”

“In that condition...” finished regent. “Look, girl, we are standing against six killers with just three, or... if you ask about me... two and half males and nine lionesses whose are keeping three wounded ones.”

“We still outnumber them.”

“They exceed us, both in tactics and strength.” Noticed redmaned.

“We, lionesses, will fight as lions.” Called Spotty with emotion. “I’m Outlander, student of Zira the Great. I’m ready to fight them all.”

“You are still a lioness.” Murmured regent with grim tone. She came closer to him and whispered to his ear.

“But I act like lion and I expect the same from you, dad.”

“Listen, I’m open-minded.” Interrupted Horen. “I’m not any kind of sexist or some like that, but I guess the Mother Nature is. Such a slaughter is not a lionesses job. And even if... ugh!” he panted and fell down.

“Horen!” cried Chanua. They saw that a swelling on his paw suddenly broke and pus, gathered there started to flow away.

“Two and one-third of lion, baby.” Panted regent who was observing own injure like hypnotised.

“That’s enough!” said Spotty with decisive voice. “Dad you ordered us to go to the river, if I’m recalling right... Jino, help me!” She crouched down and waved her tail to encourage Horen to climb on her back. Regent stood a bit surprised but he was gentle pushed by price. Then he was lifted up and he found himself carrying by daughter and ward. “And now, go!” Golden One called to whole pride. “Yakta, will you make it?” she asked, seeing that lion was carrying Kwini alone.

“I have to.” Replied redmaned and whole convoy set off.

Wounded ones were in the centre of group. Two Greenlandresses, princess Kwini and Horen were been carrying on backs of companions. Remaining lionesses, commanded by Danti and Ostasi were cruising around, looking for eventual danger. Spotty was praying to Stars that Keme and his lot wasn’t at this moment sneaking to almost defenceless pride.

“Dad, we will make it.” Whispered Golden One to lion on her back.

“Listen to me...” interrupted her Horen with painful voice. “And you too, Jino. If something goes wrong... you have duties to your pride, I admit that... But in the first place you have duties to your family. Get your mother, sister and Spotty out of here if I’m not able too. Right?”

“Right!” nodded prince. “Then I will go back to continue fight.”

“No! stay with them, whatever happens!”

“Do not listen to him.” Said Spotty. “I won’t retreat under any condition.”

“Damn you all!” murmured Horen. But then he noticed a move in bushed on their way. “Right, twenty metres ahead! Alarm!”

From green wall jumped Keme and four rouges. But Danti managed to gather a hard rank of free lionesses just before him. After just few terrifying roars, gerge’s leader ordered to withdraw.

“We must reach river before the dusk.” Whispered Horen. “If they attack in darkness, we’re toasted!” Then he added