The Pride Days (IC): Hurt

Barcal growled and came forward. He spotted his father's body and though he was dead. His mouth dropped open and then clenched into a vicious snarl. He looked at Jali and moved away from Ammon so the white lion could not stop him. He pounced, leaping onto Jali and the king quickly snatched the son with his paws and bit him around the neck, eventually killing him. Barcal fell dead...

Jali got up and turned around to see Ammon in the eyes. "Thank you," he said, though this did not make his feelings towards the white lion improve. Sira was standing at the entrance of the cave and glanced over the corner to see the white lion. She gasped in horror remembering the thing Gamba had told her earlier. But she didn't interfere.

"So, who are you exactly?"

Ammon's tail flicked, and he harumphed, "I am Ammon, and that is all that you must know. Don't think I did this out of the kindness of my heart. I simply have no time to deal with a pride of lions thinking I am a fugitive to be hunted down. Besides, that lion would have interfered with my own plans, and that is not tolerable. I have no intentions of harming your pride, or being a friend, either," he flashed a glare in Gamba's direction. "My intentions are none of your concern, but I assure you, I have no enemies here except one." Ammon looked at the tiglon, "Gamba, you and I, we will fight, and when we do, you'd better not disappoint me like last time, and hold back. I do not call you my rival for having a soft heart, and you know very well why." Gamba growled at him.

"Ammon, why must you be so bitter and cruel? Do not lie to me, that you have a different reason for returning that lion to be punished alongside his father and brothers!" The white lion's dark eyes glinted, but there was a flash of anger in them that was unmistakable, "He was going to bring harm to cubs, do not think I was not watching. You, of all creatures, know my past the best, and why I opposed them. Go ahead now and tell everyone, since you have forced me to confess such things. But not while I am present. I refuse to listen to you preach about those who fight together being brothers. We are not brothers, Gamba, and we are still adversaries. Never forget that, because otherwise, I'll have to remind you." His tone remained the same, chilling as ice. With this, the white lion turned and vanished into the trees, becoming invisible, even his scent seeming to fade, as though he were a phantom.


Gamba looked after the white lion as he vanished, shaking his head and sighing, "Still, he refuses to accept anyone as a friend. He's too stubborn and proud of his own power for that, even me." He turned to Jali, "I apologize, he is always like that, but as he said a few moments ago, he does not approve of abusing cubs, which is why he brought our escaped attacker to be punished. For all his cruelty, he hates anyone that tries to hurt a cub. He's like that, because he knows what it's like to be helpless and abused by someone you can't fight against. His entire life is a battle, and he still thinks that to this day, if he is not the strongest, that he will lose."

Jali gave an understanding not to Gamba. "I see. I suppose I'd better let you finish this conflict with him on your own. But I will not refuse to aid you if you are hurt in a critical way and if you are put in a life threatening position I will not take no for an answer and I will help you."

Sira came down from the hill and saw that everyone was alright, except for Barcal. But she barely even noticed his body. "Oh thank goodness, are you alright Gamba?" she asked, worried. "He's fine. You need to stop worrying, that can seriously harm the cubs," Jali said. He suddenly noticed he had spoken of it in front of Gamba and he gave a worried glance to Sira. "He knows already" she said. He relaxed. "Okay, good. Did you tell him?"

"Well, he kinda figured it out on his own. He's smart."
"I cannot deny that," Jali said turning to Gamba. He gave another glance to Sira. "I hope our children turn out to be smart like him."

Jali then remembered something. "Ah, Gamba. As for the punishment for Snake and Urathi. I have an idea, and it's a little sick and cruel. But they deserve every bit of it. Do you know of any crocodile gangs nearby?"

Gamba thought for a moment, "In the highlands, no, but there's another good alternative. Remember the bats I told you about? There's a chasm a little ways from here that they wouldn't be able to exit easily, and it's swarming with bats. They are ridden with a horrible disease, and if they are bitten, they will get it. However, there is the risk of startling the creatures, so we should do it while the sun is still up, before the bats awaken at dusk. The disease is slow and terrible, though. It literally eats away at the mind. First, the infected walk about confused, their thoughts clouded, before the second stage." He drifted off, not saying what the second stage was. "You really do not want to know what the second stage is. Just know that if we choose that as a punishment, there is no escape for them, but we must be extremely careful not to get bit, if we disturb the bats."

Jali and Taru glanced at each other and then back at Gamba. They nodded. "Sounds good. How long with the Khat stay in affect? Just so I know if we need to force some more down their throats" the king said.

The sun was beginning to rise on the horizon and the nightly breeze would soon be over. It was all bad luck for Layla, the rising of the golden sun struck her right in the eyes. She made an annoyed huff and turned to a side to try to avoid the sun's light until it had passed from that angle.

Gamba looked at the two, and poked one of Urathi's paws, checking to see if he would react. He didn't even twitch, and Gamba tilted his head to one side thoughtfully, "No, if you want to go through with this punishment, then we cannot give them anymore. If we do, their hearts will arrest long before we reach the chasm. We shouldn't give them any unless they start to react, but even then, they will be horribly dehydrated and weak, and their responses will be delayed, so I suppose it would not matter, either way. They won't be able to struggle at all when they wake up, to begin with." He then turned to Jali, "I should warn you before we get near the cave, however, that bats aren't merely disease ridden. They are, in a nutshell, tiny flying creatures with sharp teeth, and enormous ears. They have terrible eyesight, but they have those big ears for a reason. They can hear, better than any creature, even an elephant. We must be very quiet, stealth must be used whenever going near a cave containing them."

"Alright. Should we go now, or wait until later?" asked the king. Taru rolled Snake's body down the hill until it stopped slowly next to his son's. They were completely taken over by the stimulant and Taru obviously felt like picking them up and shaking them like a human would a rag doll. But that would be childish of him. He slightly wanted to just roll them into the pond to drown with Nithili, but he knew that this bat trap would be much more painful.

Gamba, before responding, glanced up at the sky, scanning it, as though he were looking for something. A dark shape flew above, but it was not yet bright enough for it to be identified by anyone, except for the tiglon. "We could go now, if we wanted to, it's a long walk, but right now, the bats are still active." He gestured at the dark form in the sky with a paw. "They are probably returning to their caves right now, as they usually do at sunrise, and they would probably be asleep by the time we got there. They do not have to dodge any trees or rocks on the ground." He said. "Also, you must know to recognize them when you see one, so you know to stay away. They will fly over our pride every night, but they are harmless on such occasions. Bats are beneficial, in that they feed on biting insects. However, on the ground or near a cave, you should not get close enough to be bit."

"Alright then, let's go" Jali said hoisting Snake's limp body onto his back. Taru did the same with Urathi's and they began to follow Gamba. Sira went back to the cave to rest, she sat down deep inside, and then laid down to a sleeping position, though it were morning.

After about two hours of walking, when the sun had risen into the sky, they arrived in a location with a very different feel than the forest that surrounded the Sunset Pride's lake. The foliage here was a darker shade of green, and strange plants, covered in dangling clusters of smooth black berries surrounded them. There was almost something malevolent about this place, and the smells were unusual, as well. It was a misty smell, like cold, fresh water, but something about the scent mixed with the black berries, and the fact that the trees seemed to block out a large degree of sunlight, left an eerie aura about the whole area. "Black nightshade," Gamba said quietly, nodding at the black berries, "very toxic." He noted. Even the name of the plant alone was enough to send chills down the spine, and it was obvious from the strange, lingering quiet that most creatures, even prey, might keep their distance from this place.

They walked for a bit, and it was obvious that they were going up a hill. Eventually, there came a sound like running water, and the air seemed cooler. There was also a strange series of echoing clicks, as well as the flapping of leathery wings. They soon arrived at the mouth of a cave, with sharp stalagmites, and a stream pouring from its opening. Next to this cave containing the spring, was another, smaller opening, a chasm so deep that one could barely make out the bottom. The way it was, it could not be connected to the one producing the water, nor could anyone climb out of it. The sounds were coming from inside of it. Gamba spoke, but he was barely above a whisper, "Here, throw them in here." He said, backing away from the hole, "And then hide behind something, just in case." There came another echoing sound from within, no doubt produced by bats.

Jali and Taru quickly cast the two bodies into the cave and made a hasty move for a spot behind a few bushes and large rocks that had detached from the sides of the mouth of the cave. They kept low and quiet and awaited any that would occur. Jali was anxious to see what would happen. He didn't enjoy seeing people suffer, but he actually felt a bit of entertainment watching Snake suffer. Snake did after all deserve it for what he had done to lionesses and cubs alike. Taru seemed to have the same feeling.

After a few moments, the sounds and flapping of wings increased, before finally, it sounded as though the cave were alive with noise. Just as Gamba had thought, dropping Snake and Urathi into the cavern had disturbed the bats, and a few moments later, one of them even flew out of the cavern, and went over to a stalagmite hanging from the cave from which the spring originated. It gripped the stone with its small feet, and hung there, upside-down, and folding its wings about its body. It was by no means a cute thing. Its nose was squashed and pink, and its ears were gigantic, tracing onto its ugly snout. Its eyes were clearly weak, two beady black dots that were now blinking sleepily against the morning light. This bat did not appear to be one of the diseased among its number, but looks could deceive. A few more moments passed, and more left the cavern to join it, most looking healthy, save for two or three, who had smudges of blood on their faces. Unlike the others, these bats moved restlessly, small amounts of foam coming from their mouths, although the other bats seemed oblivious to the strange appearance of their brethren.

Gamba, hunkered down next to Taru and Jali, noted this, and saw that these few strange bats had the disease, and, judging by the blood around their muzzles, had already bitten the two lions dumped into their home. Gamba quietly whispered in Jali's ear, glancing cautiously to make sure his voice did not disturb the bats, "See the few with froth and blood around their mouths. They are diseased, and have already bitten Snake and Urathi, most likely. We must leave, it is too dangerous for us here. If we stay we risk being bitten by a rabid bat and contracting what they have." He advised. It was amazing, how even though they were small, and almost cute in their hideous appearance, that a few bats, with foaming mouths, coated slightly with blood, could seem more menacing than the thought of being thrown to a crocodile.

Jali nodded. "Let's go" he whispered. "But I want to see them in their infected state!" Taru whispered back. "I don't want to end up like them, sorry. They'll die soon, I assure you. But we'd better move!" Jali protested in a small voice. They quickly followed Gamba out in the other direction. They moved for a few hours and arrived back at the camp where it was afternoon, coming around to evening.

Layla got up from her well needed nap and got a bite to eat from the prey stack. Sira had come up to her and sat down, getting her own piece of meat. "So Layla, you never did tell me what happened when I left you two," Sira grinned. Layla slightly giggled.

"Well, basically I got really nervous, said a few things that ruined the mood, and we both didn't mention it to each other afterwards."

"What did you say?" Sira chuckled. Layla laughed a bit at the thought. "Well I mentioned how he saved me in the drought from the heatstroke and that just made me seem like I just liked him because he saved me--which isn't true. I like him for several reasons. Then when he switched the subject to making my den, I got really nervous and shaky again. He had to come in and give me an exact yes to me. Even though I kinda wanted to tell him more about how I felt, I made myself move onto another subject, heh. I got really nervous, but thanks again for helping me out there. Without that, I don't think I ever would have told him."

Sira smiled. "You're welcome. But on that note of you being nervous, loosen up. Don't be so shy, and you really can't be shy anymore. Especially to Gamba. On occasion males like to know that they're loved. I even have to tell Jali ever so often, 'I love you.' Sure he knows it anyways, but they like to hear it."

Layla nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. Here they come," she said as the three males approached. Jali walked over to Sira, leading her back near the lake where they both stooped over side-by-side and drank from the waters. Taru took to his den where he sat alone and laid down.

Layla licked some of the Kudu blood off of her lips, though there was a little bit left on her chin. She glanced over her shoulder at Gamba and smiled. "So how was it?" she asked.

Gamba did not return Layla's smile, troubled by the events of the day. "The dark executions of Snake and Urathi are being carried out as we speak, and though I should think they deserve it, what was found suitable still haunts me. I do not think I can truly wish such a death upon anyone, not even lions such as them. These next few days, they will be plagued by a terrible disease, and while Jali and Taru support it, I cannot. They have not seen it, Layla, what the disease can do." He seemed, uncharacteristically, deeply disturbed, and as though thinking he could be attacked, he glanced over his shoulder with alarm. The entire walk back to the Sunset Pride, he had been convinced that he was in terrible danger, and he couldn't be sure if it was in his head or not. "I refuse to lose anyone else..." He muttered, unaware that he said the words aloud. Memories flooded back, and it was almost impossible to suppress them as they came. He should have never suggested the cavern, or the bats.

Layla's joy became crushed. She walked up to Gamba with a sad look. "It's alright... I know that you know things that we don't... But you never saw Snake and the sons before. Snake would drag so many lionesses into his forests and do terrible things to them... I overheard Var and Kal speaking earlier and Var was talking about one of the incidents Snake created. He tried to have cubs with one of the lionesses, but she was barren and couldn't have children... in return, Snake shoved her into a river, banging her head on rocks, stabbing her with his claws and eventually made the brothers eat her alive. They all became cannibals and they did this to nine lionesses who could not have children with Snake. Snake killed so many of our cubs and he tried to assassinate Jali and Star so many times..." she replied. She came up to him and gave him a sort of "hug" by pressing her flank up on his and laying her head on his shoulder. She gave a deep breath, sadness swelling up inside her. "It might not sound as terrible as the disease, but I actually witnessed one of the nine murders when I was hunting... I assure you, it was far worse than it sounds..." she said. Then she remembered his words... I refuse to lose anyone else...

She got confused and looked up into his eyes. "What do you mean, lose anyone else? Has something like this happened before to you?"

Gamba's eyes gained a distant looked, and he was quiet for a very long time, "Yes, and it is a failure that still haunts me to this day. It was Tanya, a wolf, whom was loved by everyone she met. Even Ammon cared deeply about her, though he never said so, and everyone wanted to keep her and her pack safe and sound. Then, one fateful day, one of her cubs wandered astray, and unaware of the danger, fell into a crevice. I told her not to go, but I didn't urge her enough. She tried to rescue her son, and then, she slipped and fell, and I was too far away to save her. She landed in that cavern, and the bats swarmed over her. I was unable to free her without being trapped myself, and for five days, I sat by that pit, watching as Tanya and her little boy Ken fell victim to the disease. I tried to hold on, as long as I could, but after the first day, she had already forgotten me, and the pup that was hers. Her son died, and she did not know his name, no matter how many times I tried to tell her. The fourth day, she was no longer Tanya, but a beast, driven mad by the disease." His face remained stricken, but a tear streaked from one eye. "I had to watch as the one creature who offered shelter to me when I was alone, slowly forget everything she cared about, and then transform into something that was not her."

Layla almost cried. The story made her sorrowful, and this sorrow was almost like the kind she experienced when she had seen Dyna's mauled body on the shores of Saber's River. Though she couldn't let it disturb her too much, it was Gamba's turn to be comforted. She licked around his face and ear, trying to comfort him as much as she could but she felt that she wasn't doing enough.

"I'm sorry... I... I couldn't imagine what that's like..." she said. A few tears escaped her own eyes, though she didn't sob or wail but kept a straight face. He laid her head back on his shoulder and neck and sighed. "It'll be alright, Gamba... Snake deserves it, it's not like Tanya... I promise you..."

Gamba just looked at Layla, his tears already having dried, perhaps because crying never fixed anything, or perhaps because he no longer had any left. "Layla, the cavern in which I showed to Jali and Taru was the very same one in which Tanya and Ken met their fate. I cannot go to that place without being forced to relive the entire memory. Some things you see are too much to handle, and then you cannot sleep. Nightmares plague your dreams, and you cannot rest." Gamba seldom slept, and though he had been in the pride for several days, nobody seemed to notice this. Already, he had gone almost two days without any rest, and only now was that lack of sleep catching up to him. His shoulders sagged, "I am tired, from this. I am going to my den. It has been two days..." He said. With this he slowly walked off to his den beneath the bush, and went inside. Although he dreaded it now, he inevitably felt the dark tendrils of sleep pull him under into a dream filled with uneasy memories.

Layla's eyes had widened at Gamba's words. Her draw had slightly dropped open. She seemed to have starred at him as he walked away. Her jaw was brought back up. She sniffled. Sira had departed Jali and was walking up to the cave when she saw Layla crying. "Layla, what's wrong?" she asked. Layla didn't think it was her place to spread Gamba's story along and even if she thought differently she couldn't speak.

"N-nothing, I... I-I-I need to b-be alone r-right now..." she said and then ran into her den and buried her head into her front legs as she laid down. She squalled. She wasn't mad at Gamba or even thought he was cruel. The story just had upset her so bad, almost as bad at the incident with Dyna. Perhaps just as much even. Though she wouldn't lay in bed for weeks only to get up to eat, drink, etc. She could only think of what else Gamba had gone through that she didn't know about. What else had happened to him? It broke her heart and now that cave had become a chasm of transformation--creating evil beasts in its hearth. Corrupting minds and destroying love. Ripping families and making things... die.

She laid down on her side as tears dripped down onto the ground below her. Sira came into the den. "Layla, what happened?"

"I don't think he'd want me to tell. Just something he told me he had gone through, that's all" Layla sniffed. Sira made a sympathetic face. "Well. What brought it up?"

"...The cavern he showed Jali and Taru."

"Something from the past?" Sira asked, relentlessly. "I'm not saying anything! Ask him yourself if you want to know!" Layla squalled shoving her face into her paws. "I can't do that!" Sira said. "I'll look so nosy!" she then realized that she was being nosy right now. "Ugh, sorry. I just hate seeing you so upset."

She came into the den and laid down next to Layla. Jali poked his head into the den. "Dear, are you coming?" he asked. He noticed Layla crying, but didn't say anything. "I'll be along later, Jali" she said. He nodded and left.

Sira wiped some of the kudu blood off of Layla's chin with her paw. "You had a messy lunch," she said. Layla didn't reply. The queen sighed. "Layla, was it really that disturbing?" she asked. Layla just glanced at Sira. "It's just so terrible imagining it... imagining him going through it..."

"You really get worked up about some of the smallest things. Are you sure it was really that bad?" Sira asked. Layla shot her a slightly nasty look, but understood. "I know, I know. I overreact a lot and I might be getting a bit worked up now. But to me... this was a lot. Gamba seems so sweet and happy and joyful sometimes and so willing to help, and... I don't think I could ever feel happiness after witnessing something like that, ever..."

Sira sighed. "You know, I could really comfort you a lot better if you just told me what happened."

"I can't tell you, not unless he says it's okay and I don't feel like asking him." She glanced at Sira. "But make sure no one here ever goes to those caverns ever again," Layla had a very serious face and her eyes made it seem a little hostile. Sira hadn't seen this, nearly ever. Her eyes widened and she nodded. "Alright, I'll make sure nothing happens, nobody goes..."

The next morning, Gamba woke up in a cold sweat, his heart beating slightly too fast. The night had been awful for him, with the Lost Chasm being fresh in his mind. However, he couldn't let his disturbing dreams interfere with life, and so he got up and stretched, and exited his den. It was the next morning, but the sun had barely risen above the horizon, the sky being completely white, as though it were going to rain. Gamba lifted his head and took a deep breath, smelling the strange freshness that accompanied a damp morning. The air was crisp and clean, and it was wonderful. With this, he decided he could handle a bit of food, and walked over to the kill pile, taking a small amount of Kudu that was still left after the other lions had fed. Few lions were awake yet, and it was so far a very peaceful morning.

He was just thinking perhaps today would just be average, a bit nostalgic, when there came a loud crack from a tree branch nearby. He got to his feed immediately, and looked at the tall tree, but did not see anything in it. However, before he could dismiss it as a false alarm, one of the larger limbs tumbled down, and he heard a female voice angrily protest. He was about to walk over and investigate, when finally there was a cry of surprise, and a lioness fell out of it in a shower of leaves and twigs. Obviously, this was not going to be a normal morning, and there was only one lioness who tried to climb trees like a leopard. Even her appearance was unlike any other female of her kind. Her fur was a pale shade of grey, and her nose was black, rather than pink. Her eyes were a bright shade of blue. She only appeared to be about 36 moons old, barely large enough to be considered an adult. Although stunned by the fall initially, she quickly got back onto her feet, and glared at Gamba, along with any other lion in the camp who saw her fumble. "You didn't see that!" She said, warning them to never speak of the humiliating occurrence.

Gamba just stared, "You really have to stop climbing trees, Kyra, or you are going to get hurt." He said, after awhile. The grey lioness flicked her tail, annoyed, "Oh, who asked you?!" She snapped. "I've gotten along perfectly fine climbing trees, and I don't intend to stop doing it now." Really, the tiglon thought this argument was ridiculous. "Kyra, you have a bleeding gash on your leg, how am I supposed to ignore that?" As if just noticing it for the first time, Kyra looked down at her left foreleg, with had a long cut that oozed red blood, clearly received from when the branch broke. She just flicked her tail again, "Oh, it's just a scratch, that's all." She said, waving it off. "It's deep, Kyra. You go put some Coriander on that, right now, before you get infection!" He ordered. "Why do you even care?" The lioness asked angrily. "I have known you since you were 24 moons old, I reserve the right to be concerned." Gamba stated flatly. Kyra growled with frustration, "Fine, mom, I can take care of myself!" Within a few minutes, the two had effectively created a scene within the camp.

Sira and Jali had watched the incident from the entrance of Layla's den. Layla herself was still asleep. "Who is that..." Sira said. "I'm going to find out" Jali assured her. He approached the lioness and the tiglon. "Excuse me, miss," he began. "Exactly who are you and why are you here?"

Var had slept outside Mira and Kal's den when he heard the argument. He sat up and looked at the encounter anxiously and wonderingly.

Kyra whirled around to face Jali, "Hey, I think the real question here is who are you?" She retorted. "Everything was fine until a few days ago, and all of a sudden there's the Nightstone Clan on the hill, and the Skywalk Pride over on the plateau. Now, I come along and there's another Pride that sprang up overnight, and Gamba's one of their warriors! What else am I missing?" The strange grey lioness stamped one foot, obviously annoyed. She then opened her mouth to say more, but Gamba clamped a paw over her mouth, mortified. "Kyra, this is King Jali, please, be respectful!" Kyra's eyes narrowed, and she swatted his paw away, though she kept her claws sheathed, "I'll say what I want, when I want!" She snapped, "He's not my king, so what are you so worried about?" Gamba groaned with frustration, "I am trying to protect you, Kyra! What will it take for me to get through that thick skull of yours?" She just looked at him, "Uh, how about not treating me like a cub?" She suggested, irritably, "I'll stop watching you so carefully when I know you won't get yourself into trouble!" The tiglon said, flustered.

Jali was not angered. "Forgive us, Kyra. But we had to move here because of a massive drought in Kenya" he said. Layla had awakened at this point from all the loud voices. She and Sira joined the group. Layla stayed silent. She and Sira had both overheard and Layla was still sad, yet not weepy. Instead she was annoyed with the world and the spirits for putting Gamba through such troubles.

Var got up and joined the group, curious about the argument and how Gamba knew Kyra. "So, how do you two know each other?" He asked.

Kyra's tail flicked, "Well, same old thing, you wander around, and you run into someone new." Gamba frowned, "Actually, she was spying on me." Kyra glanced at him, and her ears flattened, "Then the stupid branch broke..." She grumbled. The tiglon looked at her, "Well, I still have no clue how a lioness at your age managed to climb that tree, you were only a cub then. I know I've probably asked a hundred times, but are you positive you're not part leopard?" Kyra huffed through a corner of her mouth and rolled her eyes, "Nope, I'm part Kudu, I jumped into the tree." She said sarcastically. "Now that, I find hard to believe." The Gamba said.

Var had a cluster of confusion in his head, but he was silent. Layla looked over at him with the same face. Then he finally spoke. "So, is it like a sport of yours?" he asked, getting up and sitting next to Gamba. Layla and Sira sat on either side of Jali and just sat listening. Jali had his own question. "Do you plan to stay with us? We'd be happy to let you live here with us."

Sira was thinking the opposite, not knowing if the lioness was trustworthy. But she was very young so Sira supposed that it wasn't much to worry about.