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I looked up at the cloud of dust that was rising about fifty feet away. In and out of the dust cloud moved the pride. Roars and growls were coming from the cloud. Then the movement stopped, and the dust began to settle. The wildebeest lay dead in the middle of the circle the lionesses created. This sight eased my feelings, but they were by no means gone. At least we had food now.
Failure…
The word reverberated in my mind. I told myself that I was not a failure, but had merely experienced a moment of weakness…of distraction. The thought of overthrowing Scar and becoming king had distracted me at the least opportune time of all. At a time when my focus needed to be here and now. My mind flashed back to the day Scar had killed all of the pride’s cubs, to the moment when I did not kill him when I had the chance. I had failed then too, just as I had failed here. I knew I was not ready to face Scar yet, and I told myself this over and over again.
Failure…
I fell to my knees and groaned. I buried my face in my hands, screwing up my thoughts, trying not to think of the hardships. But it was an impossible task. For the last eight months I had been waiting for the right time to take on Scar. But the thought that I would get better, stronger, and wiser in the months to come made me wait. And look where I was now. I knew nothing more than I did eight months ago. I was defiantly not stronger; in fact, I was getting weaker and weaker from barely scrounging enough food and water to survive. Therefore, it was relevant to say that, because of my weakness, I was by no means better than Scar.
I felt something brush my side and looked up to see Sarafina standing there. Her kind face was smiling at me.
“Ayden, why do you act this way?” she asked curiously. “You act as if we failed! We have killed our prey, and have food to eat now! This is a victory!”
I looked over to see Sarabi and Sanjo carrying the dead wildebeest on their backs. I saw my knife protruding from the back of its neck. I stood up, still shaking, and pulled out the knife. Blood oozed from the wound, and it wet my blade. I sighed and wiped it on a dry patch of fur on the creature. I switched it back and stuffed it in my pocket.
I looked over at Sarafina and smiled. How could I stay upset at myself when she was so happy? Her smile was always something that I liked. There was just something so natural about it. It fit her happy face exceptionally well, and it was undoubtedly contagious.
She and Sarabi were so close, you would have thought they were sisters, and I loved her like an aunt. For the last few months, I had stayed in our small group that consisted of only Sarabi, Sarafina, Nala, and I. We all became very close, and acted as a family. I trusted every one of them with my life.
We walked back to the Pride Lands. Off in the distance loomed the dark silhouette of Pride Rock. Its’ majesty and wonder had diminished incredibly with the coming of the drought. Very little water remained in the waterhole and stream. I permitted myself to have only one handful of water per day. It sustained me, but it did not satisfy me.
When we were about a mile from Pride Rock, we saw a small group of hyenas rush forward to us, licking their lips, their greedy little eyes fixated on the kill on Sarabi’s and Sanjo’s backs. My hand flashed down and disappeared in my pocket. Not now. They would not take this kill. Not today.
Faster than I knew they could run, the hyenas flew past me before I could react and flung themselves on the kill. The pride did not even have time to react either. Within seconds, the hyenas had the carcass stripped of flesh, muscle, and tendon. Laughing maliciously, they mock thanked us and turned to leave.
Pure rage and hatred boiled in my blood. All the work we put into getting this food, all the pain I put myself through at my failure, and now it was all to waste. We would go hungry for even longer now.
Fury pulsing through my veins, my hand flew out of my pocket, my knife gripped tightly and unswitched. I ran at the nearest hyena, an unbearable desire for vengeance pumping through every fiber of my being. I raised the knife and, with all of my strength, brought it swinging down straight into the top of the hyena’s head. I felt the knife penetrate through his skull with a dull crack. Not satisfied, I twisted the knife viciously, making his head twist slightly with a loud crunch. He made a very strange, brief, yet same wait. And look where I was now. I knew nothing more than I did eight months ago. I was defiantly not stronger; in fact, I was getting weaker and weaker from barely scrounging enough food and water to survive. Therefore, it was relevant to say that, because of my weakness, I was by no means better than Scar.
I felt something brush my side and looked up to see Sarafina standing there. Her kind face was smiling at me.
“Ayden, why do you act this way?” she asked curiously. “You act as if we failed! We have killed our prey, and have food to eat now! This is a victory!”
I looked over to see Sarabi and Sanjo carrying the dead wildebeest on their backs. I saw my knife protruding from the back of its neck. I stood up, still shaking, and pulled out the knife. Blood oozed from the wound, and it wet my blade. I sighed and wiped it on a dry patch of fur on the creature. I switched it back and stuffed it in my pocket.
I looked over at Sarafina and smiled. How could I stay upset at myself when she was so happy? Her smile was always something that I liked. There was just something so natural about it. It fit her happy face exceptionally well, and it was undoubtedly contagious.
She and Sarabi were so close, you would have thought they were sisters, and I loved her like an aunt. For the last few months, I had stayed in our small group that consisted of only Sarabi, Sarafina, Nala, and I. We all became very close, and acted as a family. I trusted every one of them with my life.
We walked back to the Pride Lands. Off in the distance loomed the dark silhouette of Pride Rock. Its’ majesty and wonder had diminished incredibly with the coming of the drought. Very little water remained in the waterhole and stream. I permitted myself to have only one handful of water per day. It sustained me, but it did not satisfy me.
tisfying groaning sound, and then he slumped to the ground. Blood oozed from the grisly wound and pooled on the ground where he lay unmoving. My knife, still gripped in my hand, dripped with the fiend’s blood.All of this happened in a mere moment.
The pack of hyenas all turned their heads at the sounds of this attack. They took a moment to realize what had happened, and that was all the time I needed. Quickly as possible, I flung myself to the next closest hyena and in another flash of silver, slit his throat. The blood gushed from the wound, and he gasped and choked while trying to breath. His body fell to the ground, as he shuddered and gasped. Then his body relaxed and stayed perfectly still.
The pack reacted instantly. They growled and barked as they rushed towards me. I stood up and threw my knife at one who jumped at me. It thudded in his left cheek, and he fell to the ground whimpering. I looked down, then back up as many roars echoed from around me. The pride had followed my example, and were now mercilessly clawing and mauling every hyena within range.
The wounded hyena stood up and faced me, the hilt of my knife protruding from his face. The left half was completely drenched in red, while the right bore a look of the utmost pain and hatred. As he ran at me, a tan paw came crashing down on his head, claws unsheathed. He was pinned to the ground, but he made no effort to get up. The blow to the head had killed him instantly.
I looked up to see who saved me, and saw Sarafina, teeth bared, and pure malice in her eyes. Without a look at me, she turned and faced yet another hyena. I leaned down, tore the knife from the dead monster’s face, and proceeded to help my pride.
Within minutes, every last hyena lay dead around us. Not one had a peaceful or painless death. We had seen to that.
Teeth bared, and catching my breath, I looked up at Pride Rock. When I got back, I certainly would have some choice word for Scar. He was the reason for all of this. He was the reason for our pain, our starvation, the reason we had to hunt far outside the Pride Lands, and for the hyenas being here.
As I thought of the hyenas, I saw them. Hundreds of them were standing there behind us. They had seen the merciless battle, and had witnessed the death of every hyena that was within our range. Rage was etched into every one of their faces, and as one, the began to rush towards our small group.
My heart plummeted into my stomach, and I heard Sarabi yell “GO!!!”
Without thinking, I turned and dashed towards Pride Rock. It was the one place that Scar had forbidden the hyenas to go. I looked back in horror as I heard roars of pain. Several of the lionesses had disappeared in the sea of gray that was pursuing us. I couldn’t make out their faces, but I knew they would not survive.
My breathing grew heavy as I started to run out of energy and breath. I started slowing down, and hated myself for it. I was too close now, far too close, to allow myself to die like this.
Suddenly, I felt something large rush between my legs and sweep me off my feet. Sarabi was carrying me on
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