[3rd POV]
(Group 4)
The fourth and final group of the pride consisted of Amara, Neema, Zuri, Sarabi, Zenya (aka, Zuri before Leo told her to change the name) and Neria. There were 6 members total in this group, much like the third group.
The first group had 5, the second also 5, the third had 6 and finally the fourth also had 6. In total, that was 22 lions, the exact amount of fighting members in Leo's pride. The cubs on the other hand did not participate and were simply watching everything unfold from a distance.
The last group, although it had 6 members, was the weakest. The group was a collection of older lionesses like Amara and Neema, young lionesses like Zenya and Neria, who were young enough to offer their virginity to Leo, and finally, the two skinny newcomers, Sarabi and Zuri.
They were not at all ready for the 50 or so hyenas that were chasing after them.
The first group stayed with Leo, the second group led the hyenas into a trap, and the third group shifted the battlefield. But because the final group was the weakest, they were the only group that was only running and doing nothing else.
There was no plan, no strategy, no counterattacks, no nothing. The only reason they were able to put distance between themselves and the hyenas was because of Sarabi's and Zuri's knowledge of the Pridelands and its layouts.
The chase continued as the clan of hyenas ran after the lionesses. The hyenas were not as fast as lions but they had an edge when it came to endurance. So they were not so eager to catch up and instead waited patiently for the lions to tire out.
But not all of the hyenas were patient though, there was always the exception. Among the 50 or so hyenas that chased them, 11 of them gave up and decided to do something else.
So at that point, around 40 hyenas were trotting after the group.
"We need to do something," Sarabi spoke out, stating the obvious. Her voice came out ragged as she was getting tired.
"Fighting is always an option," Amara said.
"No, we are bound to be overwhelmed. In case you forget, you and I are not exactly in our prime anymore," Neema answered her peer.
"Maybe we can circle back to the battlefield and let the king handle them," Zenya suggested. She had never been in a war like this. She wanted the king to handle all the danger. She really only wanted to make babies, to be honest.
The lionesses continued running but slowly, the hyenas were catching up.
"No. I have a plan," Zuri said all of a sudden. Her eyes had a different shine than everyone else's. She was not going to be a burden. She had waited so long, basically being a maiden in distress due to Leo's promise to her.
But now that promise had passed, it was time to take her fate into her own hands. How could she be the queen if she failed here and now?
Besides, there was bitterness in her heart. All those years she spent in the Pridelands. Unlike Leo, she was a witness to everything that happened. How the hyenas corroded her home, how Scar destroyed the land from within.
It was time for vengeance.
"I hope all of you can climb," Zuri said and then made a sharp turn after running in front as the lead.
The other lionesses followed, none having an idea of what she was planning but they trusted her all the same. Sarabi, on the other hand, was getting a clue as she realised where they were headed.
"It's not far from here," Zuri said.
And so, Zuri led the lionesses towards the location she had in mind.
The woodlands.
It was a region in the Pridelands that used to be filled with trees of all kinds. It was a forested portion of the kingdom, whereas the rest looked more like an open savannah during green seasons.
It was a remarkable landmark, much like the watering holes. The mandrills and animals that should normally be found in central Africa used to live here.
When the lionesses reached this place, they could not even tell that it used to be a forest. Much like the rest of the Pridelands, the place was a complete wasteland. The only hint that there used to be life here were the dry trees.
Many trees stood without green leaves on. They were brown, dry and bare. There was only a hollow husk where life used to thrive. But these dry trees were many. They filled the entire region, casting their skeletal-like branches on each other like vines.
"There!!" Zuri yelled when she saw the trees.
The lionesses increased their pace, creating even more distance between the hyenas and them. When they entered the dead forest, the lionesses used their flexibility to twist and turn through the trees and obstacles.
But again, the hyenas did not have such an ability, so they struggled to traverse the forest. Where they had 90% of the lions' speed, now they could only move half as fast as the cats.
And it was right there that the lionesses decided to counterattack. They moved quickly and swiftly through the trees and flanked the hyenas.
Trees were standing side by side. This created a weird environment for the hyenas. It was not exactly an enclosed space but they couldn't move as easily. On the other hand, the lions again were big cats. There were cats like jaguars, tigers, clouded leopards that thrived in this environment.
Lions might not be as good or agile as them but the fact that they came from the same family still showed. They absolutely owned the hyenas in this terrain.
Among them, Sarabi and Zuri were even better. Their thin frame and lightweight made them disappear into the forest like ghosts.
The hyenas headed into the forest with no care whatsoever. Their cluster was broken up by the trees. They couldn't stick together as much and the maze-like nature of the forest made them split.
The lions took that to an advantage.
A figure blurred to the side, Zuri. She came towards the hyenas and swiped her claws. Her paw smashed on the head of a hyena but that was not all, she planted that skull on the side of the trunk too.
She roared and bit down on the nose of the hyena while it was disoriented. She bit down tightly and dragged forward. The hyena was too dizzy to resist so he was pulled away until his muzzle literally broke off.
After picking one off, Sarabi twisted and pushed herself off one tree. The hyenas tried to chase her but they couldn't. Some could not make the necessary sharp turns while others tripped on the protruding roots of the trees.
But in their attempt, they separated even further from the others. Sarabi took the advantage, flanking from the side and crashing into a hyena. Her whole weight and momentum caused them to fall but Sarabi was on the top while her victim smashed into a tree.
Neema and Amara did the same. They began circling the hyenas and taking them out one by one. It was not the most efficient way as they too struggled in the forest but it was the safest way.
The hyenas growled in rage, they came in waves through the forest. Some even biting off the barks of trees in their anger. Their quantity still gave them an advantage as they could outlast the lions.
The lionesses slowed down. Fighting was not an easy task, and after running this long it was even harder.
The small horde swarmed forward, sheer number alone quickly closing in any escape routes. Their snarl echoed through the hollow woods. Zenya and Neria were in trouble.
"Up!!" Zuri screamed while attacking the group of hyenas from behind.
The two young lionesses did not have to be told twice as they began climbing the trees. The dry wood was not wet or slick as they should be. That provided the perfect gripping surface for their claws and they hurled their weight up the trees.
The hyenas on the other hand, could not even climb one foot up the tree. Zenya and Neria were safe. They panted and rested on top of the trees.
But with lesser targets, the hyenas turned and swarmed back towards Zuri. She gave them a snarl, quickly climbing up the trees too.
But unlike the other two lionesses, she did not climb to stay safe or rest. She jumped from one tree to another and then dived right down at the edge of the opposite side. She chose the weakest link in their formation.
The trees and their number made it difficult to turn. Zuri crashed down like thunder and broke the spine of one hyena instantly. She exploded out in fury to the closest and smallest hyena. She caught the enemy by the neck and before the others could respond, Zuri climbed the trees again with the hyena.
Up in the trees, Zuri tore into the hyena with ruthless malice. She pulled out the insides. Intestines hung off the branches like ribbon decorations. The blood of the hyenas rained down on the horde below.
It was a haunting sight.
But while they stared up in horror, Sarabi and Neema surged forward like lightning made flesh. It was completely ridiculous how fast the animals could move. They were a blur to the naked eye.
They caught the hyenas off guard once more, violently ripping at the hyenas' legs. It was hard to fully kill them but disabling them was much quicker and also permanently put them out of battle. So the experienced lions chose to do that instead.
Again, while the hyenas buzzed with chaos and they turned their focus on the two lionesses, Zuri took the advantage to leap down and crashed right in the midst of the horde. She tore through three hyenas in an efficient manner before climbing up a tree again.
Two hyenas hung on her skin while she climbed. But they could not hold forever as with a snap of skin, they fell back on the ground.
Zuri panted, her body bleeding a bit but there was a savage grin on her lips. The taste of hyenas was vivid in her mouth and she wanted more.
She stalked from above, jumping from trees to trees and attacking wherever the formation had flaws.
The woodland came alive with screams, growls, and snarls.
But those sounds met silence when a group of mandrills came to join the battle. They were the ones who helped the second group in the gorge, but they came here again right after they finished killing the hyenas there.
The trees provided literally the perfect battleground for the huge monkeys.
The woodland shook with the sound of snapping branches as the mandrills swung into view. They didn't come cautiously, the battle took place in their homeground so they had no fear. They came like demons from the canopy, their long fangs bared, colorful faces twisted in rage.
"Get them boys!! They are the ones who stole the green from our home!!" Rafiki bellowed with a wide grin. He had his staff which he pushed towards the sky while he directed his troops to attack.
He was an old mandrill now, so he didn't charge at the front of the battle. Instead, he moved swiftly between trees and bonked the hyenas whenever he had the chance.
The other mandrills on the other hand descended.
The hyenas didn't even have time to regroup before the first mandrill slammed down on one of them from above. Its sharp canines buried into the hyena's shoulder, the weight of its landing snapping bone on impact. The hyena screeched, but the sound was cut short when another mandrill tore out its throat in a single savage rip.
Not only were the mandrills better suited for the battle, there were more of them too. The mandrills surpassed 50, while the hyenas at that point were less than 30 in number.
So every single hyena was ganged on. Zuri and the other two lionesses dived down like atom bombs and wrecked havoc on the hyenas as well.
At that point it was not a battle, it was merely a bloodbath. It looked like a genocide.
The true owners of the land turned the years of anger into violence. But the woodlands did not become green again due to revenge, instead, it was red.
It was a purge of a disease that infected the Pridelands way too long.
..
..
[IMAGE]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author ; I went to a wedding yesterday and it was more fun than expected. Sorry. Double chapter today.