The Pride Days (IC): Hurt

Gamba returned Snake's growl with his own, "Oh, I don't think you've ever known fear." He said, "It's clear that you are unaware that where you are standing, you present a perfect target." His muscles bunched, as though he were preparing to spring. "One last warning, you let Mira go, and walk away, and no blood will be shed here." Gamba then unsheathed his claws, which were somewhat larger than those belonging to a lion. Gamba then waited for a response, and tensed his muscles.

Snake leaped behind Mira and placed his claws around her neck. "Dare to attack and I'll cut her throat right open!" he shouted. Mira gave out a squeal of fear.
Var looked over at the lions and hung his head low. Barcal stood next to Snake and Mira with his own claws and muscles ready to strike.

Kal nearly passed out, but he stayed up. "Don't strike!" he shouted. Kal couldn't imagine what it would be like without Mira and didn't want anything bad to happen or anyone to harm her.

Gamba growled, "So you don't fear us? Then why are you shaming yourself?" He did not seem fazed by Snake's move. He knew that Snake wouldn't kill Mira, if he valued the cubs. In addition, if he killed her, he had nothing to prevent the lion's wrath. Gamba got out of a leaping position, seemingly backing off, but met Mira's eyes. She was scared, but in a situation like this, the attacker wouldn't expect a frightened victim to turn. He raised a paw in front of his face, and continued to speak. He seemed to be addressing Snake, but he was actually trying to send a message to Mira and the other lions, "You should know, I don't let things scare me, and neither should anyone else. I know fear when I see it, I can tell by the way you act. You might choose to flee, but you're cornered, so you probably no longer have any other choice but to fight." As he talked, he hoped that Mira would understand what he was trying to tell her. He didn't break her gaze, and when he had talked, it had looked as though he had been biting his paw. He hoped she saw the message. Bite his paw, he's not looking.

Mira saw the message.

"You're all so--GAH!" He growled as Mira suddenly bit his paw. He slashed her back and chest with his claws. Blood gashed from the cuts and she squealed in pain. He grabbed her by the neck once more and held her neck with his arm.

"Nice try" he said . Mira breathed heavily and closed her eyes. "Let her go!" Kal said.
"You probably all think I'm bluffing" Snake said and held his free claw to Mira's throat. He scratched the surface so that it bled horribly but did not endanger her.

"I'm not" he added. "And I'm not afraid to kill the cubs. I've done it a million times before"

Gamba growled, and his muscles coiled, "And now I intend to kill you." He said. In an instant, he had launched himself at Snake, tackling both him and Mira at the same time. He regretted that his weight would probably hurt Mira, but if he was fighting Snake, then there was a distraction, a way for her to escape. He wrapped one paw around the lion's throat, and locked his jaws around the one paw that was holding Mira, crushing down as tightly as he could, trying to squeeze between the two and break Snake's hold. Simultaneously, he used his other free paw to turn to the side, and swiped at Snake's face, putting as much force into the blow as he could muster. He had his father's strength, and a swipe from a tiger's paw had been known to break bones. Gamba was no longer trying to spare Snake. He was trying to cave in the lion's skull, as he dug his hind legs into the sensitive belly of his adversary.

Snake's lower arm and wrist snapped and he let go of Mira in a scream. Mira immediately escaped to stand with Kal who then held her behind him with his own body to ensure none of the others would try to snatch her.

Snake growled at Gamba. "You're going to regret that!" he said. Quickly Var and Barcal pushed Gamba over on his back as Snake stood up holding his wounded lower wrist in a limp.

Taru pushed Var off of Gamba and stood between him and the enemy lions. "There is no need for a fight!" He shouted. "However I'm going to warn you Snake, I'm becoming much less forgiving with you..."

Snake stood up and rolled his eyes. Var hung his head low, it was obvious he didn't like this or working with his father. He walked over to examine Snake's arm. "It's broke" he said.

Taru looked behind him at Kal and Mira. "Take her back to camp and have Chavisa look at her" Kal nodded. He slung half of Mira's body on his back because she was badly bleeding from the cut skin and could barely walk from being dragged through the forest so hard. They slowly made their way down the trail. Taru gave a thankful and respectful nod to Gamba and then turned back to Snake.

"I suggest you leave while you have a chance" he said. Snake sneered and made an appalled face. He and his sons then slipped slowly back into the bushes and were gone...

Gamba did not stop growling until Snake and his followers were long gone. He was not severely hurt, the only injury he had was a cut on his belly that had already stopped bleeding. However, it did not change his view on the matter. "I apologize if my actions hurt Mira. I didn't know what else to do. I was hoping she would get away when she bit him, but he was too fast. And then he said he didn't care if he killed her, and I knew he would hurt her, even if he got away." He relaxed his muscles, and took a deep breath, letting it out. "I shouldn't have intervened, but I couldn't stand seeing it, how they treated her. Nobody deserves that treatment."

Taru gave a calmed look to Gamba. "Mira is fine. You did well. I am proud to have you as a part of this pride. Snake and I go back a long way. He was a member of this pride once, but we banished him for terrible things he did to some of us and his sons were very abusive to the females... He went about joining other prides, they banished him as well. Now he's just gotten desperate and is tired of hiding in the forest with his sons" said Taru.

"I agree with you, nobody should ever be treated like that. It is a good thing you did what you did. With Kal here, I don't think any of us would have had the guts to chance that" he said.

Gamba sighed, "I know that it was risky to intervene in an argument over matters such as cubs and who the father is. Kal could just have easily turned on me for becoming involved. I don't know him very well, but I know he is a good lion, and he deserves to have a family. I couldn't let him be the one to face Snake, though, because who can focus, when their loved ones are at stake? If he had lost Mira, he would have likely been unable to forgive himself. If that had happened, I would have blamed myself for not trying to do more." He then looked at Taru, "But Mira's courage was greater than mine. Anyone can intervene in an argument, but to be in a headlock, with the knowledge that your attacker may kill you at any moment? For her to fight Snake, that took courage. If every lion in the Pride could overcome their fear, like she did, then there is no obstacle that we could not face."

With this, Gamba turned and started to follow after the other lions.

Taru nodded, thinking Gamba would make an excellent addition to the pride and was happy he came. He followed the lions as they began to walk back to camp. It wasn't long before all of them eventually made it back to the camp. Taru reported to Jali who was patrolling every path for ambushes. He finally found the king in the fruit tree clearing.

"We're back. We secured Mira, I think she's alright" said Taru. "Good" Jali replied. "Did you find out who the kidnappers were?"

"It appears Snake is still alive" said Taru. Jali looked up and glared his brother in the eye. "No" he said. Taru nodded. "I thought he died off. Nope, he's still out there. And he's even more insane than before. He thinks Mira's cubs are his and wanted access back to the pride"

"So he kidnapped her? Are you serious?"

Taru nodded. "Gamba also has proved to be a very favorable warrior of mine. He has proven me very helpful lately"

"What did he do?" asked Jali. "He saved Mira. None of us would have had the guts to cut between her and Snake and his sons. If he wouldn't have done that... I don't know what we would have done"

Sira entered the clearing. "It's getting late, Jali, you need to rest" she said. Jali looked from Taru to her. "I'll rest tomorrow. I need to stay up and watch the camp for a little while"

Sira nodded and turned back to the bramble.

Upon returning to camp, Gamba immediately went to his den. Although he was used to physical exertion, the stress of the situation was always found to be taxing. He collapsed, grateful to be able to rest in a den, instead of out in the open, where there was the fear of being found and killed. With the knowledge that for now, the Pride was safe, he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Chavisa examined the wounds on Mira's back. "The cuts aren't too deep. She should be alright"
Kal gave out a sight of relief and licked Mira's head. "Good... good..."

"Are any bones broken? Anything else?" asked Kal. "No" Chavisa said. "She's fine. But I suggest she rests for a while, she's been badly beaten"

Kal nodded. He helped Mira get up and they both walked down the path to their den. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again..." he said. Mira both was concerned about this and was glad that she'd be protected more thoroughly in case Snake tried to attack again.

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Moral stood upon the banks of a small creek. A dark dead tree was behind him. A female cheetah approached him. "The Ridge Pride Lions managed to save their female Mira. We saw the Brothers go back into the woods near the Blessed Tree"

"They have no business around that tree. Keep a close eye on them, I want to make sure they don't destroy that gift from the Spirits" Moral hissed. The female nodded and skipped back down the banks. Moral stood with his kingly pelt bristling in the breeze. He feared not the dark and would stay out there until he no longer could.

(There isn't much to do, so forgive me if I god-mod and timeskip to the next morning)

From a dense grove of acacia trees that grew past the river, and the Brushland Clan, a large grey-brown stone jutted from the ground like a pillar. With its polished appearance, and being finely pointed at the top, the stone appeared to be making an effort to reach towards the cloudless sky above. This was the Skystone, for which the cheetah pride that lived in its shadow were named. The Skystone Pride was a secretive group, wary of outsiders, but only for the sake of their own protection. The issue of borders set aside, the cheetahs that were born to the group were noble creatures. The females were virtuous and beautiful, and the males were brave and chivalrous. All of these wonderful gifts in character stemmed from the strong guidance of their leader, King Kadir.

Kadir was unique and distinguished in appearance, compared to the rest of those in his pride. His fur boasted a 'King Cheetah' pattern, which in reality, had nothing to do with his royalty status at all. It was merely a coincidence. However, this pattern made him easy to recognize from a distance, due to having stripes on his back, and thicker, darker spots. The scruff of Kadir's neck was completely black. In personality, Kadir was known to be wise, yet reserved. Despite his age, he had yet to take a mate, and it had soon become apparent that he might never do so, and have an heir of his own. He was known to isolate himself, and these strange mannerisms all seemed to stem from the day illness killed his father.

Today, however, Kadir emerged from his den, a concerned look on his face. "Kadir, sir! We have a problem!" A warrior ran up to him. "What is it, Sagar?" He asked. His deep, bass voice had an effect that seemed to naturally demand obedience, although this was just another natural asset. "Sir, the river has gone dry, and the lake is almost completely evaporated! We're in a full-scale drought!" Kadir's eyes narrowed, "And why was I not notified of this sooner? Are you not my right hand in this Pride? I am relying on you to be accurate in your news." Sagar looked down at his paws, "Sir, we believed that it would rain soon, but there is not a cloud in the sky!" Kadir nodded slowly, "Very well, keep me notified. For now, we still have water, but if it does not rain soon, desperate action must be taken.

Snake reached a large tree that stood higher and thicker than any other in the forest and a large crack was in the middle of the bottom. Into the crack was a large hole that lead to an empty underground chasm formed by the curvage of the tree's huge roots.

Snake paced in front of the tree angrily as his brothers sat around awaiting a reply from their father.

"That didn't work" Var said rolling his eyes. "I told you father, it never would"
Snake growled at his son's attitude. "Quiet yourself Var, put your attitude away! We must think of another way to force King Jali's decision into allowing us back into the Ridge Pride and after that... I will take over and be king!" Var's eyes rolled once more. "I'm telling you father, stop it before you get hurt!"

"I already am hurt!" Snake said lifting up his arm which he was limping on. Var simply stared at his father. "And what would happen if Jali killed you? You might be a little bigger than him but he's got far more lions and lionesses than this group altogether!"

"We'll figure out a way... and I want that tiglon's carcass under my paws! What was his name? Did you hear them call him?" Snake asked.

"If they did I can't remember what it was" said Barcal. Snake growled and slashed part of the tree. This would surely make the spirits angry, if they really did exist. This was the oldest, tallest, and most proud tree in the known pridelands and if it was shown violence, the sinner would meet dark ends.

"Kidnapping and threatening Mira will not get us anywhere. We're going to have to strike the heart of the pride" said Snake with a low growl piercing his voice. "I once heard that Jali has a mate..."

Var looked up at his father again. "No father" he said. Snake turned his head sharply and darkly to view Var. "No, what?" he asked.

"We can't do that. For one Jali would surely kill us, for another I used to know Sira. Please don't do this to her" Var pleaded. Snake gave a low growl and slashed Var across the face, leaving a blood mark across his left cheek.

"You'll do what I say, we'll strike next after Jali's paranoia and watchfulness has died down. Now go fetch something to eat, and make it quickly!"

The sons split up and went in their own directions as Snake sat down in front of the tree and eyed his broken arm. Snake had no medical knowledge and neither did his sons. They had no medical lioness and in time, this would make Snake regret kidnapping Mira and messing with Gamba.

Gamba emerged from his den, feeling refreshed after a good night's sleep. After yesterday's stressful events, it was nice to start the day over. However, other problems, he thought, would soon emerge. In his idea of a perfect morning, the sun would be rising, and a cool breeze would ruffle his fur, the plants rustling, and covered with lush green leaves. But this was not the sight that greeted him. The sun did rise, but a hot, dry gust swept up dirt on the ground into a fine powder, and the plants around him cracked, brittle from lack of rain. A severe drought was coming, and Gamba could see it, in the sky's lack of clouds, and in the drying rivers and water sources. He paused, thinking about this, before shaking some dust out of his short mane and leaving his small cave.

He trotted out to around the center of the camp, where a few lions were milling about. Now that he looked around, he wasn't really sure what he should do. He supposed he could talk to someone, but he didn't think any of the lions he was already familiar with would be in any position to chat. Kal and Mira were probably busy trying to overcome the memories of yesterday, and Taru and Jali were probably discussing the affairs of the Pride. Gamba could go and try to start a conversation, but he was poor with greetings, and uneasy around most strangers, out of a force of habit. Should he go hunting? Would there even be any antelope out there?

Cheetahs approached Moral who was laying flat on a rock protruding from the dried up and dead earth of the deathly lands that were Kenya.

"Sir, it's getting worse. The Second Lake has gone completely dry" said one. Moral stood up and growled. "And what about the lions?"

"They made it to the Blessed Tree, then they split up. That's all we know" another said. Moral turned to look over the dawning horizon. "Find out what they're up to!"

The cheetahs nodded and left him.

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Everyone in the camp noticed Jali going into the brushes that led to Mira and Kal's den. Taru stood outside and waited. Sira laid down outside of the large cave that was their den. Kal and Mira's heads bobbed up when they saw Jali come in. Kal stood up.

"Yes, my king?" he asked. "I wanted to talk to you" said Jali giving a broad look to Kal, "about the events of last night..."

"Go on..." Kal said wearily. Jali continued.

Gamba sighed, "I guess I'll go hunting, then." He said to himself, as he began to leave the edge of the pride. He didn't think anyone needed to know he was going hunting, since there were few other reasons for leaving. However, lions typically hunted in groups, and Gamba often hunted alone. It would be nice to do something normal for a change, and a kill was one thing that often stayed the same. It would be nice to bring in something large, like wildebeest or an antelope, that he could share.

Taru sat at the edge of the bushes. He saw Gamba up ahead leaving. Of course he knew it was probably only hunting, but he felt that Gamba shouldn't be an outcast in the pride and should be quite respected and made into a friend.

"Gamba!" Taru called. "Where are you going?" although he already knew the answer.

Gamba stopped and looked over at Taru. "I am going hunting, sir." When he did this, he withdrew slightly, and did not look him in the eyes. Although he was respectful, and listened to the words of others, he often struggled to make eye contact. Once more, it was a force of habit that made him do this. Gamba was more comfortable speaking with Taru than a complete stranger, but they were still acquaintances, and neither really knew that much about the other, aside from what had been told to the entire pride. Although they were not enemies, Gamba felt a sense of awkwardness when speaking with Taru, Jali, or any of the others. Adjusting to living in a pride was very difficult, more so than he had originally thought.

Taru smiled. Naturally he would have gone hunting with Gamba himself, which would have made a good bonding time, however he had to stay back with Jali on the case of Mira and Kal. "Alone? Wouldn't you rather have someone go with you?" he said giving an approving glance to one of the females sitting on a rock who happened to catch the conversation. She leaped off the rock and approached Taru.

"Would you like Layla to come with you?" Taru asked.

Gamba thought about this for a moment, carefully choosing the words of his reply. Eventually, he ultimately decided that it would be better if he hunted with someone else. "I have not hunted in a group for a very long time. Normally I do so alone, but now that I am in a pride, I suppose it would be better if I did. I would be honored to have Layla come with me." He said, giving her an acknowledging bow of his head. He didn't really care if among lions males were dominant over females. He had grown up with creatures that believed females were dominant, so his upbringing was perhaps the most unusual in the pride currently. Gamba didn't question the male's dominance, but felt it was proper to acknowledge a lioness in such a way. It was now common courtesy that made him speak as though Layla was of a higher rank or importance than him. He didn't really know where he stood socially among the lions, but as long as he was respectful to everyone, he was highly unlikely to get off on the wrong paw. In addition, humility was an important virtue, and Gamba, no matter how great his deeds, was determined to keep it.

Layla moved across the dried soil to take a stand next to Gamba. She smiled as she greeted him. "Be back by sunset, Jali's orders. Nobody's to be outside the camp by nightfall" Taru shouted back.

"We'll be back" Layla said. She then turned to Gamba. "I'm Layla. You must be Gamba. I've heard a lot about you from the pride members that are in Taru's hunting team. They say you're very brave" Layla said with a flick of her tail over the dried up grass. The sun was scorching and the water was going dry.
Jali came out from the bushes followed by Mira and Kal, Taru followed the group of three until they had entered Jali's large cave. Sira sat at the entrance, expecting that Jali was going to have an important discussion with the couple.

Gamba's tail flicked with amusement; it seemed that the news of Mira's rescue had spread throughout the Pride like wildfire. "It depends on what one's definition of brave is. I was not the hostage who bit her captor's leg, despite being terrified that it would be the last action she ever took." He said, as they began to leave the camp. He then tried to change the subject. It was a bit too serious, and somewhat too personal for Gamba to be comfortable with it. "Let's see if we can find anything out here. It worries me, though, the recent weather. Antelope, Wildebeest, and countless others rely on rain to support their food source. If there is no green grass to be found, we may have to search much further than what is normally required."

"That might be hard, especially with the rogue cheetah prides on the outskirts" said Layla as she kept walking, eyeing a few patches of trees and shrub not far ahead. There were no animals except birds and vultures in sight. No Gazelle, not antelope, no zebras, no wildebeest, nothing.

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Moral stood on the banks of a dried up pond. A female cheetah approached him. "Moral, the ponds are all gone now. We have to move!" she pleaded. Moral gazed at her with his crimson eyes and then back at the dried pond which housed not a single ounce of water. "Indeed. Go and gather the others, we leave the camp at dawn"

Gamba nodded thoughtfully, "It does not matter what the predator is, if the prey leaves in search of better places to graze, we will all suffer. Although I might hunt those that eat plants, I want nothing more for them to be happy while they live. Plants need water, and so do creatures. Predators do not need plants, but their prey often do. Even the crocodiles will soon share our blight. They will have water, but even if a few creatures are brave enough to try to take it from them, they will not have enough food." He looked up and squinted, trying to track the sun's movement. "Now, let's hurry, we must try to find something quickly. We have until dusk to make a kill, and we will probably be forced to take shelter at noon. The heat is smoldering during that part of the day."