[3rd POV]
(Group 3)
The third group consisted of Imani, Lela, Zalina, Ishebe, Kesia, Salima and finally Liora. There was a total of six members in the group.
The lionesses in this group did not disperse so separately from the original battlefield. Instead, they just moved away slightly. They shifted the battle from the front land of the Pride Rocks to the backyard of the Pride Rocks.
Due to this, they also had the most hyenas behind them. The number of hyenas in total must've been roughly 60. They were the group that dragged the most hyenas away from Leo and Scar as the two kings had their stand-off.
Unlike the second group, they did not have to lead the hyenas a far distance. They merely shifted the battleground to a different region just beside their previous one. The transition was smooth and quick.
The back area of the Pride Rocks was uneven ground with tons of small boulders and rocky steps. It was a terrain extremely difficult to go through even for an adult lion. Leo actually used to train his coordination and balance here when he was a cub.
After moving to this heavy terrain, the lionesses began scaling that uneven ground. The hyenas naturally followed, their jaws snapping shut in loud tones to frighten the lionesses. They did not think for a moment that the place could be disadvantageous; they only knew of their superior number and they would overwhelm the lions sooner or later.
The rocky and treacherous region was perfect for the battle because lions had the advantage. Lions were cats, designed to be precise and balanced. Other felines like the mountain lions and snow leopards came from the same family for a reason.
Cats in general were one of nature's best bioengineering. Lions were part of that; they were the apex predator.
On the other hand, hyenas had a very awkward build with longer front legs and shorter hind legs. They were very steady and had high endurance but on such uneven and rough terrain, they had difficulty keeping up with the nimble giant cats.
Had they been in an open plain, they could compete and chase after the lions. But it was a no-brainer on the place they were fighting on; lions had all the advantage.
Said advantage immediately showed when the lionesses stood their ground there and began fighting the hyenas.
The hyenas brought with them sounds of madness and fear. But amid that, the lions' frequent roars and growls could be heard.
But 60 hyenas against 6 lions was still against all odds. No matter the terrain advantage, the lions got tired while the hyenas had corpses to spare.
The clash seemed to be dragged on but at the same time, it seemed to happen in an instant due to the sudden nature. One moment, they were all moving through the terrain and then a fight broke out. The lions were ambush predators indeed; the hyenas did not see them coming even when they were in plain sight.
Imani pushed herself off a particularly giant boulder. She twisted her body mid-air and with claws curving out, she slammed into the hyena that came too close to her. The hooked knives on her paws immediately found hold on skin.
The hyenas tried to bite but didn't catch anything. Imani on the other hand did not bother; she simply used the momentum to spin around and then threw the hyena down the side of the terrain.
The jagged rocks and pebbles greeted the hyena as he rolled down. A guttural moan left the mouth of the hyena as he thrashed around, but the more he did that, the more he harmed himself.
Use the terrain. One of the most repeated lines of their king coming into the battle.
Other hyenas came at her. One in particular was reckless as she lunged at Imani without any care in the world.
Imani got bit on the forearm. She pulled back and also reeled in the hyena while doing so. The sharp jaw of the lion found the enemy by the nuzzle. Imani bit the hyena's upper jaw; with a violent snap, the jaw came loose and her forearm was released.
The other hyenas lunged but Imani quickly moved away; her forearm stung and bled but at least she could fight again still.
The other lionesses too began the fight. They stalked through the rough terrain with ease. Where the hyenas struggled, they thrived.
And unlike the hyenas, the lions began using their superior size, strength and flexible limbs to dominate the hyenas. Biting and clawing the enemy was secondary. On the terrain they were fighting on, wrestling became lethal combat.
They knew this. They planned for this. And they also happened to have a king who was somewhat of a wrestler himself, bodyslamming the likes of Roku and Baraka himself.
Zalina threw herself in the air. She took a giant leap, much more like how a tiger would do than a lion. She flew towards a small group of hyenas that were pushing each other to pursue her and climb the terrain.
Zalina aimed perfectly as she crashed on the soft flesh of the hyenas instead of the rocky surface. The hyenas howled like hurt dogs when the lioness hit them with all her weight and more. The force knocked them off balance and all began to tumble down the terrain.
But Zalina had claws, flexible limbs and a wide paw with which she could catch herself without rolling. The hyenas had no such ability so they took the brunt of the damage.
But that didn't mean they went out so easily. The hyenas came back, stronger and angrier. The place was not a mountain, although it was a rough terrain, it was more like a place with multiple mounds instead of a giant one. Their fall was not long.
But when they scaled back up, Zalina took a stone in her paws. Her claws worked like fingers and she smashed it into the hyena that came close to her.
Claws were damaging; they could cut and tear, but it was not the most efficient in putting out the enemy. But one smash of that rock caused a hole on the hyena's skull where it began bleeding out.
The hyena dropped dead, tongue hanging out.
Lela was the most brutal among everyone. She backed herself in a suitable corner and faced a bunch of hyenas head on. She applied the same strategy as the other two lionesses before her but since multiple were attacking her, she had to do more wrestling.
While Lela was biting a hyena by the nape and dragging his face on the grainy earth, another hyena lunged at her. The hyena caught her by the soft belly; the pain and the blood caused her to drop her bite in an instant.
The hyena shot through her abdomen like a rocket, folding Lela like a table cloth. But Lela was quick to react; she did not reply the bite with a bite. She wrapped her arms around the smaller beast and with a huge heave, she threw him over her shoulder.
She also fell on her back while she was at it, the jagged rocks causing her to breathe in an air of agony. But the hyena was flung a few metres away, crashing on the surface that had no mercy.
More hyenas came at her. A lioness on her back was as vulnerable as they could get. The hyenas were so eager in fact that they pushed each other while coming forward. Coupled with their inability to traverse the terrain, it took them too long.
Lela had enough time to roll over and hide her open belly.
The hyenas still came, with her still being in an awkward position. But that was where teamwork shined. Where the hyenas were driven by greed and mindless violence, the lions had each other.
Kesia came up, running away from her own set of hyenas to help Lela. She slammed on five hyenas together, driving them to the side and then slamming them on a particularly large boulder.
Kesia continued to push at them, trapping them between her shoulder and the boulder. But one lioness was not strong enough to trap five hyenas for long.
But before that mattered, Lela shot forward and quickly dealt lethal blows to the trapped hyenas.
Those were only one of the few scenes of the battle that took place. In no time, the rocks were covered with blood, both of the hyenas and the lions.
The battle lasted maybe over ten minutes. But by the end, the side to come victorious was always obvious.
The hyenas.
No matter the advantage, no matter the strategy or even the teamwork, 60 hyenas against 6 lionesses was too much. The lionesses were able to kill 16 hyenas, seriously injured a dozen more, but at that point the tide of the battle had turned.
The lions were surrounded. They were at the most elevated part of the area and behind them stood a tall tower of stone which was the Pride Rocks. They chose to be trapped here because at least they didn't have to worry about being attacked from behind.
The hyenas slowly trotted up the mound, their breath heavy and blood and drool flowed off their nasty, disease-infested jaws. They were angry, they were tired, and they were all injured in some way but at last, they had the upper hand in the battle.
They laughed, thinking they were bound to win from here on out. There were still around 47 of them still living, 35 of them were all capable to fight. That was enough to end the lions who were deadly tired, covered in wounds and now had nowhere else to go.
"We got you now, nowhere to run," one hyena said while crawling up to them. He was dragging a broken leg behind him, but his eyes still had deadly fire, like he wanted revenge for whatever was inflicted on him.
"I always wanted to taste a lion. Always acting so high and mighty, let's see if you taste better than the rest of us," another hyena said, her left eye white and blinded from the battle ten days ago.
But as the hyenas were quickly closing in on the lionesses, Grim began gliding above them. He released something akin to a caw while he circled the brutal terrain.
Grim did not need to say anything else. His previous words were replayed in their mind. "Choose wisely."
The hyenas paused all at once. Then they became cautious and looked at each other. The condition that Leo gave to spare their life was this. During the battle, especially when they seemed to have the upper hand against the lionesses, those who wanted mercy shall betray Scar.
That way, their action would have real weight in the battle and their action would earn them mercy and redemption. Had they betrayed immediately after Grim's invitation, their action would only be cowardly and would not be enough to save their life.
That was the message Grim passed to them.
Now the hyenas were in a real dilemma. No one dared move as the hyenas stopped focusing on the lions and instead looked among each other.
Even if they were to kill the lionesses here, it would only cement their death from Leo's hands. This small battle is only a piece of the larger one. They were at least smart enough to realize that. Hyenas may be dumb, but when it came to saving their skin, they were as smart as any animal could be.
A minute later, none of them moved. No one did anything. Perhaps even the hyenas that were trying to betray them decided against it in favor of killing the lionesses right now.
But then...
ROAR!!
A roar shook the sky. It was a sound loud and powerful enough to tip the heart and change the mind. The sheer vibration from that roar sent goosebumps across the skin and attacked straight into the soul.
It was a reminder of who they were actually facing against. The lionesses here were nothing compared to the bigger beast.
The hyenas froze.
"...."
"Heh, I wonder how his voice would change when he sees your corpses," the same hyena with a broken leg said with a smirk. His posture relaxed.
Then a jaw suddenly clamped down at the back of his neck.
!!!!!
The hyena screamed in pain and shock as another hyena had bitten him from the back. His broken leg caused him to be helpless as the traitor killed him after multiple violent thrashings.
That was the start of the next chaos. Hyenas attacking each other in hopes that Leo would spare their lives if they took the life of their comrades. They fought with the intent of redemption.
They won this battle, so that finally earned them the right to betray and save their lives.
Nearly half of them decided to be traitors. But these hyenas were mostly smaller than the rest; they were hyenas that came from the Serengeti and knew better than the rest what going against Leo meant.
The lionesses did not stay still when this happened. They burst forth, scaling down the terrain like it was nothing. The combined forces of the traitors and the lionesses put an end to the battle.
The divided castle crumbled from within.
Around 60 hyenas had followed the lionesses; by the end, only 13 traitors lived and that was the end of the battle.
..
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[IMAGE]
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