With incredible speed, he leaped at me, mouth wide open and claws extended. Faster than I thought I could, I swung my heavy backpack at him and hit him squarely in the head. He was knocked aside, flying into the hyena to my right. The hyenas all easily outran me. Soon, I was nearing the back of the stampede. I glanced back as I ran, and to my horror, six gray dog-like creatures were running at the back of the stampede. Hyenas!

As I looked back at them, I felt my foot hit something hard, and I fell forward. I groaned in pain as I lifted my head up from the ground. The stampede ran past me and soon was long gone into the distance. I started to get up, but stopped as, to my right, I heard a deep voice.

“Geez, what spooked them this time?”

I looked over and saw a small brown gopher peeking his head out of his hole. He looked at me, expecting a answer. Before I could say anything, six gray objects surrounded me with such intense speed, they might have materialized out of thin air.

The gopher gasped and disappeared into his hole.

I gulped and looked back up. The hyena in front of me was grinning evilly, drool dripping down from between his putrid yellow teeth. He was about the size of a Labrador retriever. On his head was a stripe of white fur that stuck up, like a Mohawk.

“Well look who it is boys!” he declared, “It’s the new member of Mufasa’s pride!”

Slowly, I stood up, looking back to see if I could run, but I was completely surrounded. The hyenas began to circle me, licking their lips as they did. I focused on the one with the stripe on his head. He seemed to be the leader of this pack. My hand slowly went to my pocket where my knife lay.

“My! You’re one tall fella! You sure you’re in the right pride?” he snickered menacingly. “You look nothing like a lion…”

“I’m a special exception.” I growled back. After all I had gone through, I would not let myself die so easily. I put my hand in my pocket and felt the knife. I grabbed onto it, ready for whatever was going to happen.

The hyenas circling me were growling low in their throats. A female hyena who was circling behind me spoke.

“Oh, you’re special alright! Right Banzai?” she said, grinning wickedly.

“Yeah! I’ll have the ‘special’ anytime Shenzi!” replied the hyena right behind her. The hyena behind Banzai started laughing insanely at Banzai’s lame joke.

“QUIET ED!!!” the one with the stripe yelled. He was suddenly much more serious. “We’ve got a job to do. We have orders from the boss to take care of this one. Then we can take these lands for ourselves!”

I slowly took off my backpack and tightly held onto it with my left hand. My right shot out of my pocket holding the knife. I stood in a stance, ready for the imminent fight.

“You may find that a harder job than you thought.” I snarled, “This is the kingdom of King Mufasa. And it’s going to stay that way as long as I remain here.”

He stopped in front of me, crouched low to the ground, and growled. I raised the knife and made a motion with it for him to come at me.

barked and growled, then jumped at me. Again, I whirled my backpack around me, and hit each and every one of them aside. Amazed at myself, I stopped and looked as each landed on the ground hard.

I heard a growl, and quickly turned to see the leader charging at me. I dropped my backpack, and held up my knife.

He jumped and pushed me back into the ground, landing on my chest. His claws dug into my chest, and I howled in pain. I grabbed his head with my free hand before he could bite my face. He struggled and dug his claws deeper into my chest. I gritted my teeth, and blinking back tears of pain, I raised my right arm, and plunged the knife into the center of his chest.

He yelled and staggered off of me, the hilt of the knife protruding from his sternum. He leaned down, groaning, and pulled out the knife. Blood began to seep out onto his ragged gray fur. He glared at me with a mix of pain and hatred as he tossed it aside and charged at me again.

I positioned myself for his attack, but instead I was jolted from the right side. The maniacal hyena called Ed had charged me before the leader could get to me. He was laughing so hard, however, that he only grazed me. The one with the striped head missed me completely, and tripped over his own feet.

 I regained my balance, and looked to my left to see that Ed had charged into two other hyenas, knocking them down. Behind me, Banzai and Shenzi were laying on the ground, apparently too dazed to even attempt to get up again. I guessed I hit them pretty hard with my backpack.

Wow, these guys are not very light on their feet, I thought as the leader struggled and got up to run at me again. The hate in his eyes was unmistakable. He was aiming to kill, and so was I. He jumped at me, and this time, he hit his mark. His jaw closed over my left wrist, and he bit hard. I yelled in agony as I landed on my back with him on top of me. He bit harder, and I screamed as his teeth broke into my flesh. Warm blood trickled from the wound.

I reached up with my right hand, and gouged at his eyes. He released my left arm, and backed up, whimpering and rubbing at his face. I quickly jumped up and ran at him, knowing exactly what I needed to do. I leaped with such agility, I surprised myself, and landed on his back. He was pinned under my weight, but he would not stay that way. He began writhe and wiggle wildly, turning his head to snap at me. With a quick thinking that I never knew I had, my arms flashed to his head and grabbed each side. I twisted my arms hard and felt his neck snap. He went limp underneath me, and moved no more.

Behind me, I heard a loud roar, and I jumped up, ready to attack the remaining hyenas. Instead of seeing them charge at me, I saw Mufasa, teeth bared, swiping at the two hyenas that Ed had run into. His claws tore into their flesh as easily as a knife into butter. They instantly fell and moved no more, blood seeping onto the ground.

Shenzi and Banzai jumped up, afraid for their lives, and ran after Ed, who had already taken off towards the shadowy lands to the southeast.

Mufasa was still growling as he sat down, looking at me as he did.

“Are you ok, Ayden?” he asked, his face relaxing.

Panting, I nodded. I examined my wounds. There were a few punctures in my left hand that were seeping blood, and a few deep scratches in my shirt where the hyena’s claws had dug, but none of the wounds were irreversible.

I caught my breath for a moment, and then asked him, “How did you know where to find me?”

“I was with Simba and Zazu rned to see the leader charging at me. I dropped my backpack, and held up my knife.

He jumped and pushed me back into the ground, landing on my chest. His claws dug into my chest, and I howled in pain. I grabbed his head with my free hand before he could bite my face. He struggled and dug his claws deeper into my chest. I gritted my teeth, and blinking back tears of pain, I raised my right arm, and plunged the knife into the center of his chest.

He yelled and staggered off of me, the hilt of the knife protruding from his sternum. He leaned down, groaning, and pulled out the knife. Blood began to seep out onto his ragged gray fur. He glared at me with a mix of pain and hatred as he tossed it aside and charged at me again.

I positioned myself for his attack, but instead I was jolted from the right side. The maniacal hyena called Ed had charged me before the leader could get to me. He was laughing so hard, however, that he only grazed me. The one with the striped head missed me completely, and tripped over his own feet.

 I regained my balance, and looked to my left to see that Ed had charged into two other hyenas, knocking them down. Behind me, Banzai and Shenzi were laying on the ground, apparently too dazed to even attempt to get up again. I guessed I hit them pretty hard with my backpack.

Wow, these guys are not very light on their feet, I thought as the leader struggled and got up to run at me again. The hate in his eyes was unmistakable. He was aiming to kill, and so was I. He jumped at me, and this time, he hit his mark. His jaw closed over my left wrist, and he bit hard. I yelled in agony as I landed on my back with him on top of me. He bit harder, and I screamed as his teeth broke into my flesh. Warm blood trickled from the wound.

I reached up with my right hand, and gouged at his eyes. He released my left arm, and backed up, whimpering and rubbing at his face. I quickly jumped up and ran at him, knowing exactly what I needed to do. I leaped with such agility, I surprised myself, and landed on his back. He was pinned under my weight, but he would not stay that way. He began writhe and wiggle wildly, turning his head to snap at me. With a quick thinking that I never knew I had, my arms flashed to his head and grabbed each side. I twisted my arms hard and felt his neck snap. He went limp underneath me, and moved no more.

Behind me, I heard a loud roar, and I jumped up, ready to attack the remaining hyenas. Instead of seeing them charge at me, I saw Mufasa, teeth bared, swiping at the two hyenas that Ed had run into. His claws tore into their flesh as easily as a knife into butter. They instantly fell and moved no more, blood seeping onto the ground.

Shenzi and Banzai jumped up, afraid for their lives, and ran after Ed, who had already taken off towards the shadowy lands to the southeast.

Mufasa was still growling as he sat down, looking at me as he did.

“Are you ok, Ayden?” he asked, his face relaxing.

when a gopher came and relayed the information back to us. I rushed off to get the hyenas out of the Pride Lands.” He explained.

            I was confused. “If they live here, then why did they attack me? If I’m part of the pride, doesn’t

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