The Pride Days (IC): Hurt

Drula walked up the ridge and whispered something to Saber. With that he and three hyenas, including Scar, that witch of a hyena, came down to the rock. Saber was the only one to stand upon it. He gave a glimpse down to the waters with his red eyes.

"Hello dear crocodile. It is nice to meet you. I am King Saber, ruler of the River Pride of Lions and Hyenas"

"I'M OLD BUT I AM NOT BLIND." Gustave snapped, obviously not taking any interest in any form of flattery Saber had to say. "I ASSUME YOU KNOW WHO I AM, AND I DO NOT ALLY COWARDICE. I WANT YOU TO PROVE TO ME THAT YOU ARE NO COWARD, SO I WILL GIVE YOU THE CHOICE OF PICKING YOUR POISON. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DO TO PROVE TO ME THAT YOU ARE A WORTHY KING?" Gustave hissed, snaking his way closer to the rocks. He raised his head, going eye to eye with Saber. Moving his snout so that is was meer inches away. The smell of rotting flesh reeked from Gustave's breath.

The old brute was truly worth his legendary status of being a massive, elusive, and intelligent crocodile.

He would get a good deal out of Saber.

He new of it.

Saber smiled. He turned his head to the left to give Gustave a good view of the horrendous scar that scourged his entire right half of his face.

"I was in a battle in which I initiated" said Saber, he turned his head back to Gustave to look in his croc eyes. "I myself alone killed over thirteen lions and lionesses that night and suffered a mark I must live with for the rest of my life. One of the lions was leader of this pride. If that's not proof enough for you, my dear crocodile..." Saber said stepping off of the rock and wading into the water. A few smaller crocodiles came up to him but he snapped one of their heads down on a rock and held it shut. The others scattered since they were too small to take on Saber, however if he did not put up a valiant fight they would do some major damage to him.

"I'll wade into this river, I have before and I'll do it again" Saber said waving his back around to Gustave and revealing a horrible display of crocodile bite scars along his back and flank.

"Take me for a coward now?"

Waceera fights to keep the hairs on her neck from bristling. For a moment, she lies absolutely still, in hopes that the hyena will assume that what she heard was only the wind, or perhaps a small rodent.

The wind, however, begins to shift, and Waceera laments that if she does not move, her scent will carry to the hyena. She begins to crawl backwards, slowly, when another thought hits her. The hyena had mentioned a Tabari; there could be an entire pack close at hand. Her mind races.

Reasoning that she could easily become enclosed by such a gang, she opts to sneak by the lone hyena. Quickly crawling through the low grass, she attempts to circumnavigate it and its wildebeest carcass before breaking for open ground.

Zanita huffed, hearing something walking in the bushes, but now she was certain it was not Tabari. "Look, I'm not in the mood to fight or ague, so please, stop following me!" With this, she picked up her carcass again and started to walk away, heading back towards her home. She walked for quite a distance, before coming upon a tiny stream. The stream was too small for anything to swim in it. Not even a small fish could survive, and it was so shallow it only came up to the top of each paw. It was still clean, however, and it was safe to drink from the stream. She dragged the Wildebeest carcass across, and continued into scrub lands. Eventually, the sounds of other hyenas arrived. She knew she was home, as grey hyenas darted about her vision.

"MORE LIKE A FOOL... BUT YOU HAVE SHOWN EXPERIENCE IN FIGHTING, SO I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN YOU... BUT BE WARNED... IF YOU ATTEMPT TO DOUBLE CROSS ME, YOU WILL DIE OF THIRST, BECAUSE THE WATER WILL BE TO DANGEROUS FOR TO GO TO EVER AGIAN."

With that, Gustave turned and waded deeper into the water, disappearing under the surface like a ghost.

However, as he did so, he made sure that Saber got a good look at his vast variety of scars.

Upon Gustave's right shoulder was an ugly scar that must've been from either a hippo tusk or a human's spear. Along his left flank were bullet scars of assault rifle ammo that trailed all the way down to his hind legs. On the top of his skull was a faded bullet wound that had, supposedly, put an end to his reign of terror. His body armor was scratched and dented, most likely by knives that his victims held when he attacked.

And like that, the crocodile was once again gone.

The four remaining lions of the Ridge Pride watched in terror as their brother, their prince, plunged to his death. As he hyenas and lionesses watched this King Saber speak with the crocodile, they quickly made their escape. A few hyenas took after them but lost them in the forest.

They kept running and running, tears ran down their faces. "We have to tell Star!" one yelled. "We have to tell him!"

Several moments later...

After arriving in the Ridge Pride camp they found Star laying on a large rock. He looked down at a pond below him. They pushed their way through lionesses and made their way to him with quickness.

"Boys, where have you been? Where's Jali?" asked Star.

"My king! Jali is dead!"

Star's face was drained of color. "What."

Saber smiled and turned back to the shore. He looked at Nara whose eyes were like circles in terror. "Easy," he said. He began up the path and saw that his other prisoners were missing. "Where did the prisoners go?" asked Saber to Drula.

"They took off, they're gone!" Drula replied. "Great... just great!" Saber said scratching Drula hard in the face. The hyena yelped and fell back in fear. "Get my soldiers ready for battle, and get it done NOW!" Saber yelled.

"Y-yes, m-m-my king" Drula said scooting off and standing up and then taking off down the hill howling and assembling as many lions and hyenas as possible.

Unati had been running for so long, that she could barely remember where she had once been. She remembered a time when she didn't feel this way, when she hadn't lived her life in fear. But that life was a distant memory, and it faded, in comparison to the blinding truths she now knew to be real. She had been happy once, with a mate, and a chick on the way. But then, the wild dogs came, and took all of them away. Her mate, slaughtered, and their sole egg smashed. The memories that used to seem so sweet now tormented her, ripping her heart into a thousand fragments, made to scatter across the winds. All she knew was fear, and she knew that she had to keep running, or nobody would be left to remember.

The endless path that she lead was lonely, and filled with pain and misery. The worst things that could happen to an ostrich, to a mother, had occurred to her. Every shape was an enemy, and every darting shadow that lurked at the edge of her vision taunted her, cozy in the darkness. She could only wonder, when would it stop? Where did her sorrows end?

She just kept running, unsure where she was going.

"W-what d-do y-y-you mean? H-he's dead?" asked Star. The other lions had tears coming down their eyes. They said nothing. "W-what happened?" asked Star who broke down into tears as well.

"S-Saber, he killed him!"

Star's face which was of sadness suddenly turned into a fearsome snarl. His brown eyes narrowed with both anger and sorrow. He growled.

"They've been kidnapping our people and tossing them into the river to be eaten by crocodiles!" said one of the lions. Star's face lit up with even more surprise.

"Gather ALL of my soldiers, we're going over there and by dawn we will fight" said Star. "My son, my poor son has joined the Spirits" Star said looking up at the stars in the night sky. "I wonder which one is he... Tonight we repay him and make it so that his death was not in vain!" Star said glancing back at the lions with heavy tears.

"By dawn, by dawn will fight"

Jali was near dead, but he still lived. It must have been the will of the spirits that kept him alive. Surely a great prophecy was at work. Jali slowly crawled from the shallow water and made his way up into a patch of brush as the crocodiles were distracted by Saber. He was in dire pain, bleeding at nearly every point in his body.

He was well hidden and perhaps the water would drown away some of his scent. He found himself face to face with three skeletons under the brush, one of them was not even entirely bone, having a large amount of skin and meat left on it.

He kept crawling down the shore and found a point in the slope that narrowed into the forest behind the hill. As quickly as he possibly could, he tried his best to crawl there unnoticed by anyone.

Close to where Jali was crawling, some bushes began to rustle. A few moments later, a jackal emerged, drawn by the scent of his blood. He scanned the area for a moment, before spotting the injured lion. He trotted over, and began to sniff Jali's wounds, keeping clear of his claws and face, in case the creature did, in fact, still have the strength to attack. The jackal paused for a moment when he smelled a small clump of the lion's fur, but instead of biting Jali, he stepped back, recognition crossing his features. "You should be more careful, Mr. Lion, if you go near crocodile infested waters. You were lucky to escape them, and even luckier that I found you. Had it been another of my kind, you would be someone's kill by now. You smell like Zanita, but her blood is not there. You are a good soul, to show kindness to the leader of the Brushland Clan."

The jackal nudged his head under the lion, before awkwardly shifting the upper half of him onto his back. He gasped, under Jali's weight. "Kindness is rewarded, I know. Zanita would never forgive me, if I harmed you. Come on, I'm gonna get you some help. Name's Tabari, by the way." With this, Tabari began carrying the lion away.

"Th-th-thank y-you..." Jali said trying to grasp words. His right back leg was unharmed but bruised. He used it to help, but his left leg was broken and deathly wounded so it remained limp. His right front leg was alright but broken in the shoulder. His left arm was broken and injured just as bad as the leg. His head had hit a large rock on his way into the water. He gasped as he was dragged along. Drool and blood came from his lips as he tried his best to keep up. He was less focused on this Jackal, a notable enemy of the lion, and more focused on the hilltop in which Saber stood. He heard the howls and laughs of the hyenas and lions behind him. Saber was throwing some sort of celebration.

"Prince Jali is dead!" Saber shouted. The hyenas howled in rejoice and began to run around the camp. Nara approached Saber and licked his ear. "What a successful night" she said.

"Indeed" said Saber. "But don't get your hopes up, we might get into a nasty fight tomorrow. I am sure Star already is aware of his son's death, the enemy lions have more than likely made it back to their camp by now. Alert all of the patrols"
"Yes, my king" Nara said as she slipped over to a group of lions.

Jali had heard the shouts of joy, they thought he was dead. Saber's announcement was even more convincing. They think I'm dead. Jali thought.

As Tabari carried the lion, he stopped talking until they were far enough away where there was no risk of being heard. He was well aware of the powerful ears of the hyenas, and knew he would not have the power to fight them off if they were discovered. He knew their hearing range pretty well, as he frequently dealt with them. Eventually, though, he was certain that they were far enough from them to speak without risk of being found. At the mention of the name 'Prince Jali' questions were raised in the Jackal's head, but he did not say anything. It would be better to give the lion something positive to think about. As they crossed the shallow stream out of the savannah and into the scrub lands, he began to resume talking. "We're almost there. Smell that scent? The one that reminds you of the dirt-washing stuff humans use when it's burning? That's the Brushland scent, we're in their territory now. We should be finding their camp any minute now." Just as he finished, the sounds of hyenas began to fill the air. "We're here. Don't say anything, let me do the talking, for now."

The clan, although still a group of spotted hyenas like those that had attacked Jali, looked different, as a result of their fur color. Most hyenas had brownish fur, but the fur of the hyenas in the Brushland Clan was more of a greyish color. Regardless, they were all quite shocked by the sight of Tabari and Jali, a Jackal carrying a badly wounded lion into their camp. The Clan fell silent, but eventually, they began to whisper, "Where's Zanita? Someone go get her!" Eventually, the crowd parted, and Zanita walked over, her black fur standing out easily among the others. She stopped before the two, and Tabari set Jali down as gently as he could. Zanita gave the two a glance, before she looked back at Tabari, "Tabari, what happened?" The Jackal whimpered a little, "He was thrown to the crocodiles by an enemy pride! He was pushed over a cliff by a hyena who followed their king's orders!" This brought more murmurs from the other hyenas. Zanita nodded, "I see, thank you for bringing him here."

The hyena leader walked over, and took a single glance at Jali's wounds. She then began to give orders, directing hyenas to find things that would aid in saving the lion's life. "You, there, go fetch water from the stream, quickly!" She told one hyena. "Someone go fetch me some moss, cobwebs, too! Make sure there aren't any bugs! As the one hyena returned with a large leaf filled with water, another came with moss. The third hyena had cobwebs tangled around one paw. "Good! Now, help me get him into the shade!" The hyenas worked to move Jali into the shadow of a tall bush. Zanita then began cleaning Jali's wounds, using the moss and water to scrub the lion's wounds. The cobwebs were applied to stop bleeding. Eventually, Zanita was sure the lion was no longer in immediate risk of death.

"Okay, I think that's as good as I can do for now, you should be out of any immediate danger, but be careful when you move. If you aren't, the broken bones could get worse." With this, Zanita stopped rushing, and began working at a steadier pace.

(slight timeskip to dawn)

Jali was regaining strength to speak, but only barely. He whispered out "Thank you" and fell back to rest. He was then asleep.

After a while of nightfall, the moon had moved almost completely across the sky and a scarlet shade was cast over the plains. After the sun had risen more, the sky was gray and the clouds were dark as if about to rain. Thunder clapped on and off.

Ridge Pride lions, they swallowed a huge portion of the plains. They moved to the west near the river. Ahead of them was a forest in which they would cross and find themselves in a savanna and then into a small orchard formed by River Pride. Inside of the orchard was the camp of River Pride and the River itself.
The River Pride Lions moved to the east, and were heading towards the Ridge Pride lions.

Zanita sighed, and walked outside of the den where Jali was resting. She began speaking with two male hyenas who had helped fetch medical supplies. "I hate to say it, but even though we stopped the bleeding, he's in bad shape. His bones are broken, and he can't survive if they don't heal right. The best way to make them heal is to keep them from moving, but if he doesn't move, then he could grow weak from lack of movement. This isn't even considering the risk of infection. Those bite marks are really deep." She pricked back her ears with disappointment, "It looks really hopeless right now, but I can't just give up. I told him I'd help him, if he needed it." She seemed really upset, "Worse, he's not just a dominant lion. He's a prince. If he dies, how are we going to explain it to his father? We can't move him until he's recovered."

One of the female hyenas heard and walked up to her, "Zanita, in all my life, I have never known a hyena more reckless or brave than you. You faced lions, even though they might have tried to kill you. Nobody can doubt you, or when you tell the truth. You take risks to be honest."

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLnqd707Fnw&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

The two prides met in the middle of the large field. Standing in front of the line of River Pride warriors was Saber. In front of the Ridge Pride warriors was Star, with heavy tears in his eyes. Sira walked up next to him, but a ways behind him with tears in her eyes as well. From what she had heard, her mate was dead.

Saber smiled as he saw the tears. He laughed slightly and narrowed his eyes in a wicked fashion. "Miss your boy do you Star?" he yelled across the field. Scar laughed a terrible hyena laugh.

"You're going to pay for his death today" said Star. "You're going to regret every lion you threw into that river."

Saber laughed abruptly. "Oh really?"
The sky began to thunder and the gray clouds suddenly cried and released a light rain that dashed amongst the ground. Star's tears blended with them as they strolled down his face. Saber only smiled and laughed.

"Is this how you want to die?" asked Star. "You can't kill me" said Saber.
"I know I can" said Star. With that Saber growled and his warriors burst forward. Star gave a battle cry and his warriors dashed forward as well.

The two leaders met in the middle of the crowd and met each other with quick slashes and bites on the body. Star tackled Saber with fury and the kings rolled as they bit and fanged each other.

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Jali awoke. The sky was gray. He glanced over at Zanita. "You, what is your name?" he asked. He was curious to know who his saver was and felt a need to find out about these people.

==

Zanita looked over at Jali, "My name is Zanita, Prince Jali. Remember that we met when I was searching for carrion in your territory? You allowed me to take a carcass, and as such, did me and my entire clan a kind gesture. I did not tell you back then, but I am actually the leader of the clan that I said I came from. When you escaped the crocodiles, an old friend of mine, Tabari, found you. Normally, being a jackal, he would have killed you for food, but when he was inspecting your wounds, he discovered my scent on your fur. As such, he knew that we had met, but had not fought. As such, he was aware that we could have only reached a friendly agreement. Therefore, he brought you here, to receive medical treatment." Israh paused for a breath, "I told you, that if you needed my clan's help, we would assist you. I keep my word, for a good leader should be honest."

"I thank you for your help" he said. "But I cannot stay here, there's probably a battle going on as we speak. My father probably thinks I'm dead if the other lions told him so... My mate Sira, I have to get to her..." he said trying to sit up but got a pain in his back and was forced to lay back down. "I have to find them, Saber will kill them all!"

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Saber bit down on Star's back and the king of Ridge Pride screamed. He swiftly gave a powerful claw to Saber's jaw and tackled him over. Lions and hyenas all fought in a huge circle across the field. Star bit Saber right in the neck but did not pierce his skin deep enough to cause a terrible wound. Saber jerked away and managed to bit Star in the forehead. Saber pinned Star down and was ready for the killing blow. But suddenly he was pushed off of Star by an unknown assailant. He found himself face to face with a lioness that had angry tears coming from her eyes.

Star came to Sira's aid as they scratched and pawed at Saber and bit him until he could barely stand. Suddenly Nara came up from the behind and tackled Sira. She hissed and the two began to toss around and fight as well.

"You're going to regret everything!" Star roared. "Never! I'll always treasure what I did! Jali is dead!"

Star tackled Saber again and pushed him over a large creek as the two rolled near the woods. Saber picked himself up and leapt back out, he caught Star by the face with his paws in midair and brought him backward. With that he delivered a powerful swipe to the lion's chest and Star fell back, nearly dead. Saber decided he would let Star suffer instead of end his life quickly. "Good luck, little kitty" Saber said and spat on Star.

Zanita sighed and shook her head, "There is only so much that my clan and I can do, Jali. I wish I could help you, but if your pride is fighting, then there is too much risk that we will be mistaken for the enemy, and killed. You are not yet strong enough to move, and it may be many moons before your bones mend. I can only urge you not to despair. You are a prince, and when you return, I cannot be sure that your pride will still be as strong as it was before. However, no matter how dark it may seem, you will someday be their king, and what a king must do, is give his people hope. A good leader is obeyed, because his followers believe in him. If you fall victim to sadness, then what hope is there for those that look up to you? A prince is born into his role, but among hyenas, the role of leadership is an earned right."

She began changing out the cobwebs that sealed his wounds, exchanging stained webs for fresh ones, "In my time as leader of my Clan, I have learned many things. One thing I know for certain, is that my followers do not expect me to be perfect. I am still a hyena, and you are still a lion. It is not your fault that this occurred. I do not blame you, and your pride should not, either. It is a miracle that you are still alive, thank the spirits for that. It is a story similar to mine, perhaps you would like to hear it?"

"Sure, I'd like to know more about you and your clan" said Jali. He laid down and rested and heeded every word of the hyena, Zanita.

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Taru, Jali's brother, spotted his father fall and in anger he charged at Saber. Taru had a long haired black mane and bluish eyes. He was much, much more muscular than his father and was able to tackle Saber with ease. The two of them began to claw and bite each other with ferocity. Meanwhile, Sira and Nara were fighting even harder.

Nara was a monster of combat, she was quick as lightning and had overly long claws and fangs. They both pawed each other and tried to bite. Sira did her best to stay far from the fang's reach. Then Sira managed to tackle Nara. With tears in her eyes, she bit Nara in the face so hard that a gash of blood splattered everywhere from the lioness's eyes and she fell dead.

Taru and Saber quit fighting. Saber saw his mate dead and his evil smile left his face. It was replaced with a terrible, evil snarl and he charged at Taru even harder. The two of them fought hard and rolled around, tackling each other. When Taru finally made it on top, he screamed down at Saber, the rain wetted his mane as it slicked down in front of his face.

"THIS IS FOR JALI, AND FOR MY FATHER!!" he shouted and bit down on Saber's eyes. Saber screamed with great pain and terror and then he fell silent as his head was impaled and he tossed to his side.... dead....

Taru got up and gave a nod to Sira. She nodded back.

Scar was fighting a lioness when she spotted the scene. When she saw her leaders die, all hope in her heart shattered. She turned around and ran into the forest, so fast that no one could follow and she did not return or look back...

Zanita nodded, and began to tell her story, "When I was first born, it was the night of a Lunar Eclipse. I was the third cub in a litter of three. As my mother delivered me and my sisters, the hyenas watched as a shadow spread over the moon. When I was born, it was the moment when the moon had vanished completely from the sky. We believed it was an omen from the spirits, and it seemed to come with a message of death. When I was born, I was very small, and my cries had been shrill and feeble. Everyone was convinced that I would die. They tried not to say it around me, but my ears were just as sensitive as my siblings'. Indeed, it seemed that way. I was weak, and could not seem to fend of my sisters. I hardly received enough milk to sustain myself."

She paused for a breath, "But then, when I was three moons old, something changed. When hyenas are three moons old, our teeth come in, although we continue to feed on milk for a long time afterward. We also change color, we lose our black coats, and develop the spotted pattern that you lions are familiar with today." Her ears flattened at the memory, as though it were somewhat unpleasant. "I did not conform to these. When my teeth grew in, I stopped relying on my mother, and no longer squabbled with my sisters for food. I ate meat, like the adults, and my fur, although it gained spots, darkened until it was as black as night." She took another breath, "There was also more than just this. When I stopped relying on my mother's milk, I became independent, and grew stronger, until my size and power exceeded that of all others. When I was old enough, I was made to be the leader of this clan."

She sighed, "My survival is a miracle, and so is yours. Do not think that it means nothing. When the other hyenas see me, they see their leader, who will venture into the territory of the lion's pride for her followers; but they also see the cub, who sat at the edge of Death's Den. It gives them hope, because that cub walked away, and found a way to survive. I am far from perfect, but my story gives them hope, because they know, that if I can do something, somewhere, deep down in their hearts, they have the strength to do the same." She met the lion's eyes, a serious look on her face, "You were tossed from a high cliff, into waters that had taken so many others. The crocodiles took you in their jaws, and tried to pry away your life, but you still held on. You found the strength to escape from them, and was rescued by Hyenas and a Jackal, two creatures that lions have despised since the beginning. Death held you in its grasp, but you never allowed yourself to submit to its cold embrace. You fought it, and broke free. When your pride sees this, and when you show them the power that they truly possess, they will no longer be afraid to face their enemy, because your enemy forfeited his strength, when he chose to murder the innocent."

"That is beautiful" said Jali. "I will remember these words for a long time to come. You are much wiser than one would think," he commented.

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Taru and Sira met in the middle of the battlefield. After the very few remaining enemy lions and lionesses had seen he murder of their leaders, many decided to run like cowards. The Ridge Pride lions had won before the battle even started.

"I'll go find Jali's body and bring it back for a burial" said Taru. At the mention of this Sira poured tears. Taru noticed Star on the ground, still alive, but only hanging on by a thread. "Go help Star!" he said. Sira with quickness turned and crouched next to Star. She roared and called others over to her.

Taru leapt through the bushes and the trees. It took little time until he was on the swampy hill with the orchard. He reached what must have been the camp of the River Pride. It was completely deserted except for two cubs laying asleep in a bush. Taru decided to let them live. He walked down to the shore and was haunted by the sight of skeletons. He passed many crocodiles and stood up on the huge shore, far from them.

Suddenly four Ridge Pride lionesses emerged from the hillside. "What are you doing here?" asked Taru. "We came to help you find the body of the prince" said one lioness.

"Alright" said Taru. "But keep away from the water, and be careful" he added and they passed by. They kept going down the river and found traces of blood, and large puddles of it in one spot. It looked as if it were dragged away, they found no body of the prince.

"I smell him" said one lioness. "So do I" said Taru. "Let's follow this blood trail and sniff him out. A jackal or something must have took the body away" he added as he smelled a faint scent of Jackal in the air.

--- A Few Minutes Later ---

Scar arrived at the river. She sat down on the large in which Saber had once stood when he first spoke to Gustave. Her entire body was terribly bloodied and the entire right side of her flank was scratched and torn. Her face was coated in a thick layer of scarlet liquid, the mask of death so be it.

"It's all... over..." she said to herself.

They finally arrived at the inner territory of the Brushland Clan. They were well aware that it was inhabited by hyenas, the stench of the soapy smell was everywhere. They finally found the entrance to the camp. When they first came into sight, many hyenas began to panic. Taru heard many shrieks and growls.

"I smell him, he is close now" said one of the lionesses. "This is not good" she added. Since they were in a hyena clan's camp they assumed they would have nearly consumed the body or something far worse. Taru nodded and stepped in front of the lioness crowd.

"Excuse me, I am Taru, warrior of the Ridge Pride of lions. I would like to speak to this clan's leader" he said and paused, waiting for a response.

The hyenas in the crowd parted, and Zanita walked out of the burrow from where she had been speaking to Jali. She walked up and stood before the lions, her black fur standing out starkly in contrast to the grey speckled pelts of the others. "I am Zanita, leader of the Brushland Clan. What has brought you here?" She asked. She did not bare her teeth, or show any signs of hostility, and neither did the others, once they saw that she did not threaten to attack them. The lions would know better than to try to fight an entire hyena clan.