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WARNINIG/ This is a dark tale. It was not intended for children, it contains violence and adult content. As if not already obvious from my previous stories I am completely insane.

Introduction/ This is the first halve of a prequel to my story series based on the original lion king movie. It takes place in the era when Mufasa's father was young and details the war between the prides that would go on to form the base for my other stories.

Authors notes/ (I feel after writing a story this long I've earned the right to ramble a moment.)

I originally intended to have this and the next part be one story but due to length it has been broken into two. I'll try to finish the next installment more quickly then is customary for me.

While this story is chronologically first I recommend you read my two previous stories first, The legend of the White lion, and The legend of the tiger lion wars as they explain the connection between this story and the movie.

As I've said before I don't mind anyone reprinting my stories as long as it's done in entirety and I'm given credit for it. I usually don't mind anyone who wants to write about one of my original characters, this actually the first story in this series in which all the characters in it are originally mine, or continue from something I've written as long as they ask permission first. I actually love to see what others will do. You can reach me by e-mail.

Finally I would like to thank the fans of my writings both for their support and patience. I feel I've been very lucky in enjoying a far more supportive and loyal group of readers then I would have originally expected writing a fan fiction series.

Rohad...

Authors email/ [email protected], contact me for questions comments, ECT.

Legend of the Storm and Sun, Book one - Asyron's war.

By Rohad

Part one, Of love and loss

He'd had been plagued by them for weeks now... Nightmares, he saw his wife somewhere pleasant watching a cub play in the grass, their cub yet to be born. They'd be the most pleasant of dreams but that he was never in them. As she watched the cub play he could see the sorrow in her eyes, the hint of a tear even as she smiled down at their cub. He wanted to comfort her. Ask what had hurt her but he had no voice...My love...Why am I not there with you?

It was the first Asyron's grand army had seen home in more then four months. Bloody battles in the river valleys had finally driven the last of Raganata's forces back unto their woods concluding at last a decade long campaign to make the pride lands safe. The king had announced a great feast and all the inhabitants of the pride land convened around pride rock in a crowd that dwarfed any in the kingdoms history. The return of the army was at once both jubilant and sorrowful. Victory was in the air but so was the cost. Families reunited celebrated while those learning that their loved one's where gone mourned.

Tehtaga's unit brought up the rear guard. They had named their unit the Fearless, they had wanted to call themselves Tentaga's fearless but he had insisted his name be left out. He looked back at them over his shoulder. Under his command where six other lions, eleven leopards, and three cheetah scouts at least as brave or braver then any other in the army and he imagined probably anywhere. He couldn't help but smile slightly. Upon reaching home most of the army had descended into chaos but the Fearless remained in step behind him in perfect formation allowing themselves only the occasional glance to search the waiting crowds. He admired their discipline but their eagerness to be relived was evident and justified. They of course had more then earned it. Halting them he waited a second then gave the order in a simple but understood nod and his unit happily split up to look for loved ones. He glanced up at the stone ledge that led to the caves above him and sighed a happy expression forming on his face. Admittedly he felt the same way there was nothing like coming home.

As he walked he passed a group of leopard females waiting nervously. One of them suddenly shrieked happily as her mate emerged from the ranks. He ran to her and they crashed in a passionate embrace. In his excitement he accidentally knocked her over and they both fell to the ground. Immediately they set about reacquainting themselves regardless of the lack of privacy. He almost laughed but then caught the look of the leopardess next to them whose mate should have been returning with the same unit. As she waited and began to draw conclusions her look was sobering.

It took him ten minutes to reach the path that lead up to pride rock. Emerging from the crowd his walk became a bit faster. Nearly his entire life had been spent fighting wars. His experiences had jaded him in many ways, most of them he regretted, but he was as eager as any green recruit down bellow to see his wife again. As he turned the corner the entrance to their cave came into view. He glanced around quickly to make sure no one was around to see such undignified behavior and broke into a run.

He reached the entrance and ducking entered the small opening. Home at last. It always startled him how much of their cave seemed foreign to him after being gone for so long, realizing all he'd forgotten was troubling.

Then he caught sight of his wife Nylili standing in the middle of the room. She had refused to go down and wait with the other females this however had failed to aid her anxiety any so she had spent the morning pacing a path in their small cave. Nylili like him was from the east. Her unusually petite frame and dark brown fur gave her an exotic air the envy of many of the native lionesses. It was far more obvious now that she was with cub then when he had left, though this did nothing to detract from her beauty. Since the day Tehtaga had first met her he had never doubted that she was the most beautiful thing alive but long partings emphasized it for him. By the spirits I've been gone far too long.

Seeing him Nylili's heart skipped. She made the distance and flung her paws around him. Taking a certain satisfaction in the sound of pain he made as she pulled his mane grabbing him. Part of her couldn't help but blame him for all the worry she had endured on his behave and admittedly she was a little angry. As she always was at his returns. It was only a small part of her however, and as she pulled him into a passionate kiss, it was drowned out by utterly giddy relief at having him once again home and well. He put his paws around her but she felt an uncertainty in his embrace. Worried he might hurt me, She thought, males where always a little too gentle around expectant mothers. She would have none of it. Worried lionesses hoping to distract themselves from their concerns looked for things to nurture and Nylili had had enough nurturing the last months to make her sick. Holding her husband as tightly as she could she almost climbed up him, pressing her body against his, determined to touch as much of him as possible. Tehtaga struggled to hold her but lost his balance and fell awkwardly to the floor. She followed on top him not noticing except that it made more of his body accessible. A dizzy sensation reminded her she needed to breath but she refused to break the kiss. She didn't want him to say anything, that would come later. A physical greeting seemed the only thing appropriate.

Asyron looked every part the heroic warrior king he was supposed to be, large but sleek and quite obviously muscular. Day had worn into night and the feast had begun quite overfilling the main cave, yet the king seemed able to move effortlessly thought the crowd exuding and aura of confidence that most found inspiring...most.

A scowl formed on Queen Marri's face watching her husband. She watched his expression somber as he found a newly widowed cheetah'ess and stopped to comfort her. He'd been talking to widows all day and while he was quite good at looking respectively sorrowful around them Marri felt that look faded far too easily when he left them.

Asyron was a young king his father having been killed fighting in the wars. Wars that his father had fought for eight years, wars Asyron had just ended in two. That same confidence and diplomatic charisma she now found annoying had been a major part of his success. Unlike his father before him, or any king before him for that matter, Asyron had allowed many other male lions to join his pride. He even encouraged rouges to join him his infallible confidence removing and paranoia that they might turn on him, or jealousy that many had taken mates. There where some like Tehtaga whom had brought their wives or families with them, but many had taken mates from Asyron's kingdom such would have been unthinkable under previous kings. The consequence of this was the greatest army ever assembled under a king of pride rock. She loved him and respected him. Yet so many had died and that confidence of his hadn't wavered, even a bit, that bothered her. He made his way to where she sat on a rock avoiding the crowd.

"Join me my queen?" He said with a slightly overdramatic gesture towards where other lionesses where bringing out food. She stood and he flashed her a charming smile just a bit to practiced. She returned the expression with a speculative arc her brow conveying the message, don't push your luck, which she imagined was successful by the hint of worry appearing in his face. Pleased slightly at the result she let him help her down and through the crowd.

He was tired, exhausted actually but didn't feel like sleeping. A cool but pleasant breeze blew in from the night. Nylili lay sleeping on his chest. Her paws still wrapped around him, her hold had not lessened since she had fallen asleep. As if she wanted restrain him from leaving her again. As if I wanted to go anywhere. Tehtaga smiled. He watched her sleeping, taking in her form, breathing in the scent of her fur. Though she claimed he was just imagining things he had been convinced for years that she did something to make her fur smell of flowers. The desperation he'd felt in her touch when they made love, even now when her world should have peaceful, hurt him. It hinted at the pain he'd caused her. He had fought for great things, the safety of everyone in the pride lands her among them. But all the noble deeds in the world couldn't quite mend the ache that he'd caused her pain. He ran a paw down her exposed belly feeling the bulge where their cub or cubs grew. The army's recent victories will have earned them a time of peace. Raganata's army had been shattered. He'd seen too many wars in his time however to have any delusions that the peace would be permanent. Then there where the dreams... The realization came to him in a jolt. I'm done, others might think it selfish of him but he didn't care. I'm lucky to have a family to love. They deserve my time ...more then deserve. They get be my cause now.

Part two, Proposals of glory

Marri sat outsight her cave. Inside the king was talking quietly to Satteis. The cheetah stood rigidly facing the king. The little cats face showing no expression as to what he was being told. Only the occasional nod let her know he was receiving some sort of instructions. Satteis was in charge of the army's scouts. Marri didn't know him very well personally. He was very quite, not unfriendly-he had always been very polite during the brief meetings she had had with him but he definitely preferred being alone. What she did know of him was mostly by reputation. She'd herd other scouts attribute him almost supernatural deeds. Such stories where obviously exaggerated, but the respect of his men was a high endorsement that she knew could not have been easily earned. Their conversation apparently over, Satteis turned towards the door and headed out at a brisk pace. As he turned the corner and noticed her sitting there he stopped to bow slightly in her direction. "My queen..." he said and then continued on down the path. She watched him leave headed down to the plains the small cat quickly vanishing into the night.

Asyron greeted her warmly as she entered their cave. What he expected quite obvious on his face. Done with all your business and now you want me. He made a motion as if to kiss her. She sat down, revealing her teeth she made a subtly menacing chomp. The demonstration that the queen's teeth where indeed sharp deterred the kings advances.

"You want to put something in my mouth dear? Be my guest but you may not be getting it back." Marri said with a sinister look behind her eyes.

He smirked back at her. "Not the reception most soldiers would expect returning home in victory."

"You're up to something."

"I am?"

"What did you send Satteis to do just now?" She asked

He sat back and presented her another confident smile.

"Raganata's forces may have been repelled but obviously patrols must be set out to watch the border. My love I didn't know military tactics interested you."

She smiled, maintaining the mockingly affectionate tone.

"Satteis sent out the patrols early this afternoon love. I was nearby when he gave the orders." His smile faded. She continued "Satteis lives up in the north plains doesn't he? I'm sure he has sure he has family he'd like to see and he seems to hate parties. Yet he's still here. I notice none of the other scouts left today either. Now you call him up here this late only to send him out in the dead of night. So since the patrols are already out tell me what did you send him to do?"

He smiled again. A real smile, the sheepish grin that came naturally to him. It had been a while since she'd seen an expression from him she trusted as genuine. Something she realized she deeply missed.

"You play politics too long you start thinking you can fool everyone...never could you though. One of you best qualities you really are brilliant." He said.

She thought he meant it. It felt good to hear him talk like he had when they'd first met but she refused to let it alter her stern expression.

"I was going to tell you but I wanted to keep the night lighthearted you know."

"Tell me what?" She had to press him. He had a tendency to ramble when he got nervous.

"Where so close Marri." He said fire appearing for a moment behind his eyes. Marri felt a tremor of fear run through her body.

"To what...?" she asked timidly no longer certain she wanted to know.

"This isn't peace it's a reprieve. A quick retreat back to their forests for a little rest and they'll be back within the year. But Marri right now their hurt and hurt bad. We make a move now and we could crush them, drive them all the way back to their king. Then...then we could end it forever." His face had become a lit with excitement and it scared her.

"You've lost your mind."

"No...We can do this."

"Its impossible attack them in their woods..."

"It can be done."

"Your father never would have even..."

"MY FATHER IS DEAD!" He roared in a burst of anger that made her jump. "THEY killed him!" He yelled swinging a paw at her. She thought for a second he was going to hit her but instead he just pointed. His face contoured into a snarl. She hoped his anger was directed at the west behind her but he was pointing at her.

Marri stared back at her infuriated mate in shock.

"You told me you loved me once...You said it and meant it back when you where someone else." she said quietly, sadly. "Do you even realize you've changed?"

Feeling tears begging to form she turned to leave. There would be places to sleep in the main chamber. She would leave him here to plot his wars refusing to look back and see if he cared.

Kistae was the sole child and beloved daughter of the king of the storm. A little small but sleek and attractive with a pale cream pelt and piercing green eyes she didn't look the part of a tyrant but she walked it. She stalked through the woods like she owned it, because she did. Difficult to notice in the dark but always present a huge shadow followed in her wake. Raganata had given her control of the pride's army because she had asked for it. Their army was comprised of three parts, the lowliest being the jackals who where as numerous in the western woods as leaves, beyond them where the Vono a race of powerful monitor lizards native to the wood's north reaches, finally there was any lioness of the pride so inclined to serve the army. Kistae played with all their lives like they where her toys.

Sideia watched her approach unhappily. She had been in charge of the pride's forces in the river basins of the pride lands and had spent the last weeks fighting and running in continues cycles. It had been three days since she had slept, two since she had eaten and her pelt was stained beyond any hope of it ever being clean again. The last battle she'd been in had amputated her left ear and she was fairly certain her back leg was broken.

Once upon a time she had been one of the pride's most attractive lionesses however she had apparently made the mistake of holding the king's attention a little too long. His daughter hadn't approved. She never knew what Kistae told her father about her but it sent her from the throne room to here. Since that day Kistae had given her the most dangerous jobs she could think of and very successfully kept her in a state of constant misery. She stood stiffly grimacing at the pain of having to move her leg.

"Sideia my dear..." Kistae said shaking her head disapprovingly. "The whole one ear thing is really not you style."

She's less then a foot away. Sideia thought how hard would it be to break her neck? As if in answer to her thoughts the huge reptilian form emerged from the shadows behind Kistae, Thaggeios. She took a painful step back.

All Vono where large Thaggeios was huge twice the size of any other she'd ever seen. His scales where an unusually dark giving him the appearance at night of a wall of shadow, Save for his eyes that seemed to glow yellow. He was truly terrifying and the princess's ever faithful guardian hovering protectively over his ward. They didn't look it, moving most of the time as if in slow motion, but Sideia knew first hand that the Vono where fast, really fast. If she attacked Kistae every bone in her body would be broken before she so much as ruffled the princess's fur.

"It was hard fighting milady." She said forcing as much congeniality into her voice as possible. "I was lucky to only lose my ear."

"Ohh...I'm so sorry to hear that." Kistae cooed. Moving up even closer she began to rub her mussel affectionately against her cheek. Sideia tensed not certain if the other lioness was about to try to bite her or kiss her and undecided as to which would be worse. Kistae finnaly came to rest her mussel gently on top of hers. Her face, now far to close, was pursed in a pout feigning sympathy for her pains.

"Asyron didn't notice you where retreating intentionally?"

"No Mylady, since the reinforcements I requested never arrived had we not wanted to be retreating we probably would have been doing it anyway."

Kistae licked her lips. "Well dear it looks believable that way. Our men are in place?"

"I believe so I expect to hear...." Kistae moved up slightly and began to run her tongue around the edge of her good ear. It took a great deal of discipline to hide a look of revulsion that would certainly bring her immediate death.

"I expect to hear from them tomorrow."

"You'll keep me informed."

"Of course." Sideia answered quickly. Kistae continued the treatment on her ear and ran a paw teasingly down her belly threatening to slip it between her back legs. Try it and your guard will have to kill me princess. Sideia thought. Kistae stopped at her expression, and leaned back some, a melodramatically disappointed look on her face.

"You shouldn't be so close minded honey...after all no male is ever going to want you again. You look like shit."

She made no response. She knew she no longer had the discipline to control what she might say. They just looked at one another for a moment. In a quick movement Kistae swung a paw out and smacked her playfully but hard across the flanks. It wasn't by accident that most of the blow landed on her hurt leg. She shrieked as bones shifted. The sudden pain dropped her, the fall only hurting the leg further. Lying in the mud, quivering in agony, she sucked air in short breaths trying to avoid passing out. Kistae stood over her looking down.

"On the other hand you have a wonderful scream. A bet it drove the boys wild when you where younger."

Laying in the mud racked in pain she watched her leave, the huge Vono falling in behind her quickly masked Krista from her view. For nearly all purposes Sideia would have preferred death over the life she now lived. Only one thought kept her from suicidal actions. One day the little princess is going to get a few steps too far away from that guard of her's and when she does I'm going to knock her head clean off.

They walked through the dark forest, meandering this way and that making their way north east till finally coming out in front of a small secluded cave, one they knew quite well. Now certain they where alone Kristae stopped and leaned back into the reptilian mass behind her. She let a sigh escape her lips. "Playing with that Sideia has got me all hot and bothered."

Thaggeios's clawed hand slid down her back sending sparks from her loins to her nose. She had never understood how a lioness could be attracted to a lion when their where things like him. In a single blow Thaggeios could have crushed the spine of the best endowed lion whom had ever taken a shot at her. The feel of his scales, the elongated tongue of a reptile, how could anything equal her dark champion? Of course his size meant he was very well endowed. She turned to face him and he lay down so she could look him in the eyes.

"Did you like seeing me play with the other female?" She asked slyly pawing at his chest with her front paws as if preparing a nest.

"It makes me jealous to see you touch anyone male or female." He said his voice toneless and cold.

She patted him on the head approvingly "Good answer." As if in reward she lay down in his front legs more then large enough to cradle her and spread her back legs. He moved his head down and took a moment preparing. Rows of needle sharp teeth could be quite hazardess to sensitive flesh and so required caution. Impatient she reached down and roughly shoved a paw toe inside herself. Oh my love if daddy only knew, that idea alone made her loins burn. Finnaly he kissed her slit, lips sparkling pink from moister eagerly awaiting his touch. The serrated tongue teased her tickling her, then began is descent into her folds. A loud involuntary gasp escaped her and her back arched up of the ground. She had let several lions mate her before she had met Thaggeios. His tongue could penetrate far further then any of them had done mating her. As he suckled her for moment she felt his sharp teach brush up against her. The hint of pain put her over the edge and she came in a scream. She clutched at him enjoying the waves of pleasure washing through her, angry at herself that she hadn't managed to last longer.

She jumped up suddenly and wrapped her paws around his neck so she could whisper into one of the holes in his skull that served as ears.

"Fuck me in the ass this time pleeeasee..." She let the please run on emphasizing the desperation of her request. She had been trying to convince him to take her analy since their first coupling. When they fucked his huge size proved tortuously painful for her vagina leaving her unable to move afterward. On numerous times she had fainted. As such he refused to even try her ass for fear of the injuries he might cause. Kristae loved the pain. The thought of the horrific experience of him tearing open her tail hole was a desire she had long decided she would happily die for. He stood up literally setting her down on her paws. Moving over her she was completely engulfed in his powerful frame. She felt his member against her rump. Carefully he positioned himself beneath her tail which she flicked teasingly at him. At last she thought trying to imagine what she would soon feel. She had never told him that particular hole was still virgin. She hunkered back on him but could make no progress in inserting something so large into something clearly not made to hold it. Making no effort to distract her first he slammed forward. His great strength simply forced flesh that didn't want to be moved and tore flesh that refused to be forced. Kristae's vision went from dark to a bright white light. The tearing burning sensation lit her whole body, she began to purr happily.

Have faith my son, in the spirits, in the ancestors...

He could still hear his father's deep but gentle voice telling him these words. Asyron sat on the highest ledge of pride rock watching the sun rise over his kingdom. His father had had faith and that was good but at some point one had to question what they believed in. Sometimes faith made this difficult, or even impossible. His father king Munarin had never questioned the myths that made up the traditional faith of the pride lands. He had lived his life by their guidelines, their limitations, those limitations he placed upon what he was willing to do to win this war and they had gotten him killed. Thus this war had fallen to him. Asyron had vowed to end this war, actually end it. He had faith but not in ancestors or spirits or any other dammed thing. Asyron had faith in himself. And I can do this, he told himself.

He heard a noise behind him and without turning knew it was Tehtaga. Tehtaga almost certainly believed he was coming to give some surprising news. The hesitancy in his mannerisms betrayed this clearly. Yet Asyron already knew what he had come to say. Tehtaga would not accompany him this time. He was certain of it.

He had called his commanders to him this morning before the sun rose and told them his plans. The look in Tehtaga's eyes had been evident, and of course he knew that him and his wife soon expected cubs. Thus he had come here to wait, expecting this meeting. Tehtaga came into view sitting silently beside him. Tehtaga was a little older then him a little bigger. Asyron prepared himself, needing to portray one emotion while feeling another. He would have to act disappointed, to avoid insulting the other lion. In reality he probably should feel disappointment, maybe even concern he admitted to himself. Tehtaga and his unit the Fearless represented the strongest his army had to offer. Tehtaga been the first rouge to join him and they'd fought together for years. Yet despite all of this Asyron was happy to see him leave now above all. Having lived his entire violent life as a warrior Tehtaga was great soldier and a natural leader, better in both counts then he himself...much better. In this time they'd fought together Asyron had earned his share of glory but Tehtaga had become a legend. The army told stories not of their king but of their hero. Images came to him of previous battles. He'd seen the eastern warrior leading attacks out fifty feet from the front line enraged to the point that his own men feared him. When Satteis would become embarrassed listening to his scouts speak of him he had but to mention Tehtaga's name to end all conversation about anyone else. It was not he begrudged the other lion he held to much respect for him to do that. But this time this battle, the greatest battle his army had ever fought he would pleased to not have to compete with him.

Tehtaga finally began to speak but he cut him off.

"Since I'm going to have to use all my patrols in the main force I've decided to leave a small guard force here. Thought you might be interested in commanding them...wouldn't be very exciting but..."

Tehtaga smiled "I would my king."

Asyron slapped him on his back with his paw. "I'll tell you flat out I wish you where coming with us but I understand. You have more to risk then I do."

"Your people love you sir." Tehtaga said

"Do they?" Asyron let his excitement show leaning towards Tehtaga.

"Wait till they see this victory!"

Nylili sat on the ledge in front of their cave looking down in placid terror at the army assembling bellow. He had left her asleep and now she thinks I'm coming to give her yet another apologetic goodbye. The angry glare she shot him stung like he'd been hit...then she actually hit him...hard. Her blow had been aimed at his eye but he managed to duck and take it on the forehead. He felt claws tear across his skin. Dam she's serious! She wasn't large enough to produce much force but to avoid her hurting her paw he let his body give so the strike stumbled him.

"Did you know about this last night!?" She yelled.

"I..."

"Asyron's doesn't care about you he wants glory and you plan to just march of with h...."

"I"M STAYING!" He finally managed to yell through her hissed eastern profanities.

"You...you are?" She stammered utterly shocked. Her eyes wide, mouth agape "Oh, oh shit I'm so sorry!" She grabbed his fur and jerked him down immediately begging to examine the wounds she'd just caused him. "I'm so sorry...I didn't hurt your eye did I?" She wiped blood away looking for the scratch.

"Little emotional are we?" He smirked.

She stopped for a moment to look him in the eye, the one not filling with blood. "Your serious...you're really staying here?"

"I'm going to be in charge of some guards that are staying here at the rock. Token job, no danger it, was the closest the king would let me get to retirement." He put a paw around her slim shoulders and pulled her to him. "We're going to be a family soon. I realized I couldn't risk leaving you again."

She leaned up and licked him on the nose, her face shinning happily. "We are going to celebrate!" She said almost too excited to speak. "We'll have our own feast and tonight...tonight will be the best night of your life!"

Tehtaga wiped the blood running down his forehead. "Is that so? It has some pretty steep competition you know."

Marri coughed to announce her presence. Asyron supervising the re-grouping units turned and have her and gave a brief nod.

"I'm little busy Marri men are a little out of sorts today." He said between yelling orders

"Well they haven't had a very long rest."

He turned to face her. "I'm through discussing it Marri. I know what needs to be done and I'm going to do it."

"Assign me my orders then my king." She replied sharply

"What are you talking about?"

"Your asking a lot of sacrifice from your people to do what you think is right...I think some of that sacrifice needs to be yours. So assign me to a unit."

"Females don't fight in my army." He said.

Good she thought, so you do still care what happens to me. "Bullshit" Marri smiled.

"One of you scouts is a leapord'ess Cara I think her name is, and I believe there's a few cheetah'esses in the common ranks."

"They don't have families."

"Neither do we."

He glared at her. "Lionesses don't fight in my army."

She glared back. "They do now. Assign me a unit or I'll pick one myself."

Part three, Captain of the guard

The light of morning is both the ultimate metaphor and perfect example of interruption. Forcing one out of the most romantic notions of a dream and reminding them of their duty to the real world, the light demonstrating all things which need be done so blatantly. Reminding them no matter how comfortable they may be even token jobs need to be done.

He would have been hesitant to call it the best but last night had been easily in the top three and definitely in close running for the win. Which of course meant this morning was in competition for the worst. Given he had on more times then he could remember woken up on battle fields caked in blood and mud, such things where good incentives to get up. The warm body of a mate who could sleep all day if she wanted wasn't. Tehtaga forced himself to his paws stretching out tired muscles and blinking out the irritation of red eyes. Nylili stirred in her sleep. A smile forming on her face, dreaming he imagined. Having fun are we? I hope you enjoy your morning sickness when you do wake up. Wearily he headed out, orders where orders.

They where not the Fearless. If he had to name them that very moment they would have been called the mildly interested. His command consisted of three lions and two leopards they lay still sound asleep in the rock's main cave. All of them halve his age. He recognized only one of them and he knew him only by name Gotus a solider from the common ranks. A group of friends he imagined thinking they'd signed up for slack duty together. He smiled.

"ATTENTION!" He roared. His rag tag band scrambled quickly to their feet bewildered and holding their aching heads.

" Hi." Tehtaga said suppressing his amusement.

"Tehtaga....?" One of the leapords groaned.

"YOU WILL CALL ME SIR CUB!" He roared an inch from the leapords face. A little discipline kicked in and they all jumped to rigid attention stances.

"YES SIR!" The leopard responded.

"Hence forth you will all be awake at dawn. I guarantee you that if I EVER wake up before you again you will not enjoy it." Tehtaga snarled stalking back and forth in front of them. "Gotus!"

"Yes sir!"

"You're going to be my second in command as I know your name. You will arrange us into three shifts for patrols. Morning, afternoon, and night, myself included there are six of us so that will be two per patrol....and don't you dare try to assign me to the night patrol!" He stopped to glare for emphasis. Patrols will nautilus out to mid pride lands each one should take about three hours I'd say but we wont know till we've tried it."

"Sir?..." One of the lions he didn't know said raising his paw. "Why? There's no reason we should have to guard this place no one is going...."

"YOU WILL NOT question orders. YOU WILL obey them"

"Yes sir!"

He shot another glare at Gotus.

"I want patrols assigned and the first one gone in five minutes. The rest of you will come with me for exercises."

"Exercises?"

"Got to get you boys in shape. If we where attacked right now, I think the lionesses here would be far more help to me then any of you." Tehtaga snapped and turned to march out. The groans he heard from them pleased him greatly.

They ran laps around pride rock as the first patrol headed out. Tehtaga led, they made a loose formation behind him. For the first three laps he could hear them murmuring quietly amongst themselves. Not thinking they could be heard they called him old and bragged to one another about their own stamina. He caught a few remarks about the cuts Nylili had given him, the one over his eye and the ones on his back she'd added later, none of them where old enough to have a mate yet and they found this amusing. He didn't mind the next three laps shut them up, then the next ten broke their once proud spirits, by twenty laps they had began to stumble. He pushed them through two more before he let them stop, then ran three more himself just to humiliate them before returning to pride rocks caves for a lunch a few of the pride's lionesses had caught. His fellow guards in no mood to eat fell to the floor in the cool of the cave and just lied there. Tehtaga ate his lunch in good spirits then went to the ledge to look out over the plains.

"Tired?" Nylili asked sitting down beside him.

"No of course not." He put his paw around her. "Didnt hear you come down."

She smirked. "That's because you're exhausted and it's taking all your concentration not to fall off this cliff. Their halve your age you know."

He looked down at her with a grin. "Nonsense I feel fine."

"Your leaning on me for support right now. I bet if I poked you you'd fall over."

"I'd rather you didn't." He admitted. "I need to make an impression on them."

She flashed him an inquisitive glance. "And why are you torturing these poor boys?"

"We're soldiers; they need to learn you do every job to the best of your ability regardless of what it is."

"Well as long as you're enjoying your retirement dear."

"Oh its so cute daddy..." Kristae said looking down at it. "A little brother." She said the last part with an evil glare at the new mother lioness. Her father sat in the entrance of the den. Raganata was a long lion lean lion, golden'ish fur and a black mane that blended in with gloom of the cavern and broke up his body's outline. His eyes sparkled the vibrant green that was so common in the family line. And at the moment his expression was an angry halve snarl.

"IT is defective...it's an albino."

"My lord he's your son." The mother said panic evident in her voice.

"IT is pathetic. It's probably blind even if its not I've seen females born twice that size."

Perfect Kristae thought poking the cub with her paw obviously making its mother nervous. Daddy hates you.

"It will probably die." Raganata said.

"Yes it's so sad." Kristae said smiling at the mother, some young little whore. "All my little brothers and sisters seem to die."

"I should kill it now and do us all a favor." The king's voice boomed.

"NO!" The mother pulled the newborn cub tightly against her chest pushing Kristae away. "Please I beg you." The lioness cried. Her father was silent a moment. Kill it! Kristae thought to herself. Make this one easy!

"You may keep it if you want the burden." He finally snarled. "But you will receive no extra rations if you wish it to eat then you feed it from yours!"

"Thank you! Thank you my lord you are most kind..." The mother went on.

Dam! Kristae thought.

She hugged her father and left with all the graces he would expect of her but shortly out of his sight her walk became a sulking stalk. "Dad and his little whores..." She grumbled. Clearing the royal chambers she found Thaggeios again, he falling in step behind her, lionesses of the storm and various guards quickly making a path for them as she marched out.

"What will you do?..." Thaggeios hissed when they where once again outside and making their way down the long stone steps.

"I'll Wait...it's a sickly runt maybe it will die on its own."

"If he doesn't?"

Kistae glanced a smile over her shoulder that would have made any one but him nervous.

"If he doesn't we'll just help him. It would be a long fall from up here."

"Yes it would be..." He attempted a smile but his reptilian features seamed to thwart the attempt, and it came out as more of a snarl. She had always found his imitations of mammalian facial expressions amusing

"We don't have time for him at moment anyway," She said licking her lips, "People to kill, kings to dethrone you know."

The western woods were a strange place. Trees seemingly older then the dirt they grew in rose up like colossal pillars, each almost identical, straight trunked, and devoid of branches till their very top. At which point they spread out and interlocked among each other creating a green dome high above their heads that blocked out nearly all light. Beneath their shadow life seemed to have failed. The ground was either dust of rock mixed with the odd fallen leaf devoid of any ground level plant life aside from an ugly form of thorn whose needles could be quite painful. The place had spread a sense of dread among his forces. Asyron would have none of it.

Raganata's army had been easy to find and their condition had not improved much since the last beating his army had given them. They had met them encamped along the semi-path that followed along a dead river bed - which appeared to be this places major road. They had tried to form a defensive line and blockade the road but his army had run through it as easily as they might have devastated a gazelle heard. The battle had been so short only the first three division of his force had even got a view of the enemy.

He smiled, thinking of his father. He had been a warrior and a good one but his strategy had been flawed at its premises. His father had fought reactionary battles. This had kept the pride lands safe but by such a strategy the wars would have gone on forever. Asyron was through reacting he would was going to solve the problem at its heart. Everyone even his wife seemed to doubt him and his mouth watered at the idea of proving them all wrong. Glory was in victory and such glory would he know. Lionesses will sing my name to their children for a hundred years. It seemed so close to him he felt he could almost grab it out of the air with his paw. All we have to do is advance. Yet, now that they where so close, his army's previously undomitatable will seemed to be breaking down around him. He found this supremely annoying. Some dread seemed to have settled over the whole mass of them just by walking into the forest. Orders where being missed or misinterpreted, unit cohesion faltered at the slightest noise off in the darkness all because they where nervous. All his army had known...All I've ever shown them...had been victory yet now they where behaving like frightened cubs. Even his experienced officers, those he expected better from, where not immune. Taragen one of his most experienced officers had, based on some northern outlands tradition, gone and painted himself from head to tail in runes to ward off evil. Absolutely ridicules. Worst of all was Satteis.

Satteis was a scout of incredible skill no doubt but was also very superstitious and was on the verge of panic because of some fear he had but couldn't explain... it had something to do with spirits, or ghosts or some crazy thing like that. Stories of the ancestor spirits where popular in the pride lands but Asyron considered them tales meant for cubs to teach them proper behavior by example, for a grown cat to talk about them like they where real...preposterous especially from a warrior. In this case Satteis's skills where actually a bad thing, as it had made him famous and such were his abilities that among the common ranks rumors abound that he had magical aid. Once he predicted an attack on the river Soti down to the exact time it would occur three days before it actually occurred. While he had never been able to understand how he had done that to claim it was magic was ridicules and to be honest he felt it belittled the scout's actual skill to claim so. Despite what he thought however Satteis predicting doom had exasperated his problems.

Satteis had actually wanted him to delay for a day...a day! At the moment he regretted letting Tehtaga stay behind. If Tehtaga was here as an example people would follow him instead of that crazy cheetah. He realized that it annoyed him that he had less influence over army moral then either of them. As a partial solution he had finally agreed to let Satteis go out ahead...far further then was normal or safe but it would at least get rid of him for a while. He hoped Satteis would return of course, not anywhere near so annoyed that he wished the little cat harm...but if they do get hurt I told them this whole thing was stupid.

Deep in thought Asyron nearly ran into the stone pillar that made up one halve of an archway over the path. He stopped taking a moment to examine the bizarre thing. Intricate runes scrolled of the surface. What a waste of time and effort. He thought shaking his head. Glancing over his shoulder he saw Tehtaga's former fearless coming up the path, now led by a leopard named Cin whom was formally its second in command. Despite the leadership change he'd still decided to have to the unit form his army's front.

"Cin can read this shit?" He asked trying to sound leader'ishlly gruff.

"Not really." The leopard replied. "Just parts...some sort of warning about entering storm pride land. This pride has old dark magic. This arch may be dangerous I suggest we go around."

Asyron laughed, making sure it was loud enough for all in the vicinity to hear him. Exactly the stupid superstitious bullshit I've been talking about! With a roar he rose up and struck the arch. It wobbled of a moment then with a crack the top piece fell and shattered on the ground.

Cin made a worried face. "That may not have been the best idea sir..."

Asyron strode through confidently once on the other side he shot a glance at the leopard.

"That's some real dangerous magic there, yep I'm fucked...Get through here! If I hear of one soldier slowing us down by trying to go around this ill event a rank lower then private and de-promote them to it! I am sick and tired of this stupid bullshit..." He continued on ahead angrily his army slowly falling in behind him.

Thus far his first day of retirement had nearly killed him. Though he had successfully hid it the entire day Tehtaga's whole body hurt. He had forced himself and his new troops through every torturous training activity he'd ever heard of. He lay in his cave on his back sprawled out hurting too much to move. He was convinced he earned their respect now but they had no real clue how much it had taken out of him. After mocking him for a good twenty minutes Nylili had finally lay down next to him and since they had been looking out the stars debating cub names. Tehtaga favored Haranad for a boys name after his father. Nylili, although not pleased as to how it rolled off the tongue, had said she'd agree to it provided that if the cub was a girl she could name it Jainia after her grandmother. They had decided it would be greedy to hope for more then one cub, so they didn't talk about it but both liked the idea of multiple cubs even if it meant having to come up with more names.

"You know I remember back when you where their age." Nylili said laying her head on his chest.

"Who the guards? Their just cubs, need a little work that's all. They'll be fine."

"A cub?! Was that all you where back then?" She laughed at the thought "I remember you not much older then them challenging my father for me in front of my whole family."

Tehtaga laughed "True but I was about to feint the whole time. Your father was a scary lion..." he grinned "You know it took me a week to build up the courage....then I do it and he just nods and tells me come back tomorrow and he'll kill me. I never spent a night so afraid."

She patted his stomach.

"You came back." She said resting her head on his shoulder.

"Yea I did..." He worked his paw under her and pulled her into a hug. "I didn't want to die, I really didn't want to die but I realized how miserable I'd be trying to live without you, so I had to come back. Then he just let me have you, said I never would have returned if I hadn't really loved you."

Nylili stretched and gave a sleepy yawn.

"You know he never doubted you." She teased his tangled mane with her claws. "He told me that night he knew you'd come back for me. He knew you loved me, he just wanted to make sure you knew that."

"Losing his daughter to a no account soldier that had to bother him."

She smiled. "He made a lot of noise but to be honest I think he was more upset about losing his best soldier to me."

Tehtaga laughed out loud.

"I think you're crazy your father hated me."

Part four, Vengeful ghosts.

He believed in spirits. He believed they spoke to him. Despite what others might think he didn't consider himself odd. He was not a mystic, some sage who pondered great things. His beliefs where not complicated. His parents had told him that there where spirits so there where spirits. If he seemed quiet it was because he was listening. If he heard things that others didn't it was simply because they didn't pay enough attention.

The king's grand plan was going well. They had met the enemy not five miles into this horrid place and had broken them. The battle had been short and bloody...for the enemy reducing the army of the storm to shattered bands fleeing into the woods core. Nothing stood between Asyron's army and Raganata's throne...nothing that could be seen.

Something was wrong and Satteis knew it, he could taste it in the air, hear it in the wind, feel it the dirt beneath his paws, the sprits spoke. He had asked the king to halt the advance and give him a day explore ahead. Asyron had of course asked why, wanting facts, facts he didn't have. Thus he'd been politely informed that the army doesn't stop for omens. The kings counter offer had been nothing more then a courtesy to him. He could take a band if he wanted and try to scout ahead of the advancing force. The rest of the scouts being needed to stay in the proximity of the army and look for ambushes. This left Satteis two choices let his suspicions go and hope for the best, or take five scouts to a job he had wanted thirty to do far faster then was even remotely safe especially in enemy territory. Asyron had clearly been trying to convince him he should choose the former and he truly wanted too...but the spirits spoke.

He was allowed one unit to chase his fears. It needed to be the best. So he had created one or rather recreated one, A panther who called himself Wraith, Cara a leopardess, and two cheetah brother's Oseix and Oseck. All leaders of their own units he had borrowed to form his force. They where most certainly the best. Yet they where more then that, they represented what remained of the vengeful ghosts a name that now seemed quite ironic to him. They had been the original scout division Asyron had formed when the army's job had been little more then defending the pride lands. They had been his first command and once what seemed now like forever ago they had been his friends, the only ones he had ever had and his last attempt at enjoying the company of anyone since.

All agreed to come with him without question, despite the danger and his inability to explain exactly what he wanted to do. He accounted their compliance at best too sentimentality at worst to pity. A painful thought for him. Seeing his old unit again made his chest hurt and he could feel a lump forming in his throat as he tried to tell them the path they'd take and the pace they'd have to keep already regretting having asked them.

This was the first they'd all been together in years. In commanding the armies scouts he communicated with them often individually but such meetings had been no more personal then giving simple orders. The odd times he'd run into them outside his duties where always brief and awkward. Facing all of them at once like this was nearly unbearable and that he had called on them at all betrayed how worried he was. They look like my old unit. Older, little worn, far more disciplined now then the arrogant, foolish cubs they'd once been. Myself the worst of them. If that discipline had cost them the joy with which they had once lived, they had each learn to deal with it one way or another. Of course that original band was now missing some....

By the time he had finished debriefing them the army was already ahead of them. They took off through the woods at just slower then a sprint having decided to make up time by abandoning any effort at stealth while still in proximity to the main force. They wouldn't begin a slower pace till they where some distance from the army. Then they'd break off their run and proceed with a little more caution. Even then they'd have to move quickly. This was not how reconnaissance was supposed to be done. This is how people die. He told himself bitterly. Yet something too strong to ignore told him that more then their lives where at stake. Something waited for them in the core of this dark place he was certain of it and if he couldn't find it first an army of hundreds would walk right into it. And if I'm wrong He thought spirits can just add this to the list I'm already dammed.

Sideia spat a mouthful of blood and gave the princess a slightly defiant, blatantly sarcastic blood stained smile. If she felt any pleasure still in life it was in the feint look of disappointment on Kristae's face every time she survived something the princess had planned to have killed her.

Leaving her and her crippled force in the way of Asyron's juggernaught clearly fit into that category. She should have been dead. As her line broke she had found herself alone against two lions. For all the pride of the sun talked about being the good guys those two had seemed to take a lot of enjoyment from beating the shit out of a halve crippled female. A Vono soldier had come to her aid however and allowed to her to escape. A brave deed she would have rewarded hadn't the lions simply killed him instead. Adrenalin had allowed her to run despite the injuries to her leg. Sadly she realized the leg was now beyond any hope of ever setting properly. Yet here she was once again before the princess still alive.

"Glad to see you made it dear, I hear your force had a hard time." Kristae said unable to hide a bit of frustration in her voice.

Not having a good day are we princess? Sidea thought happily. "Wasn't quite ready to die yet..." She spat another mouthful of blood at the princess's immaculate paws. She missed but it was close enough to make Kristae back up. "...Still a few things I need to finish first." She gave Kristae a glare as she said the last part. Her hostility drew the attention of the princess's guard and he moved up to stand directly behind Kristae.

"Well...now that you here you'll be able to help us greet Asyron. We're all so looking forward to it." Kristae said her confidence seemingly improved by having Thaggeios lurking over her. Sideia nodded her understanding.

She allowed herself a glance up at the magnificent mountain across the canyon from her. The home of the Pride of the storm supposedly carved by their pride's mythic founder, it was the closet she'd been to it in years. For a moment she imagined going there. Visit if just for a few hours the life she once had, see her mother and sister. The taste of blood brought her back to reality and she almost laughed at the absurdity of her fantasy. There was of course no returning. She was a broken thing now hideous, long since having lost the social skills needed to even intermingle with such skilled courtesans as the king's lionesses. Her family wouldn't recognize her and even if they did they would pretend otherwise. Never would they admit to being related to her now. It was even possible Kristae had had them killed and if that was the case she didn't want to know. It was better to think they where happy. No...There was no going home. She turned her attention back to the princess, still talking not realizing she hadn't been paying attention. It's just you and me.

Cara froze in place and sunk into the branches of one the woods infernal thorns. It's pricking barbs where painful and she need'nt have stopped there but it was cover and to her being out in the open was more painful then thorns. Beside her Wraith just stopped, still standing and no longer moving his jet black form vanished into the gloom. Dam I envy him. She thought thinking she saw him flash her a grin. Oseix and Oseck were behind them. She couldn't see how they'd hid themselves. She imagined them clinging to tree trunks hiding as bark and almost laughed. They could do it too. Satteis had stopped a little ahead and was looking down at the dirt, his head cocked slightly as he was receiving instructions from some voice none of them could hear.

She had been elated when he had asked her to come on this mission. For one thing she had been bored as hell. Her and her band the Missed threats had been running guard duty which while important could be mind numbingly boring. Beyond that however Satteis had asked her, asked them to come. She had grown up with this band. They had grown up together. Times had been hard and duty had split them up but they still tried to keep in touch when time allowed...all but Satteis. He had ostracized himself from them, from everyone actually. It had hurt her, she missed him. Once she would have forced him, violently if necessary, to sit down and tell her why but for some reason she never had. Now so much time had passed she felt she barely knew him and the awkwardness he displayed around them she had began to feel back. She had hoped maybe this time together might bring him around but her hopes where quickly dying. Since he had told them what they would do he had not spoken. Their friend once a friendly outgoing cub with a tendency to talk too much had withdrawn to the point that he would have been alone in a crowd...or an army she thought. When he stopped he would glance back at them nervously as if expecting ridicule from them. She couldn't understand it. She knew for a fact all of them had absolute confidence in him and had never given him cause to think otherwise...By spirits Satteis...we're the Ghosts Didn't he realize We'd follow you to hell.

For Raganata all things without fail where an endless downward spiral for which there was no hope of escape, on this he reflected. He hated all things, everything. He even hated hating things. He especially hated hating things. Hate was exhausting. Anger comes and goes but true hatred burns constantly slowly eating away all natural energy. Of course hatred could provide one with rage and rage could give them short bursts of power to make up for this loss. A perfect trap, the poison was the only antidote for itself. Taken regularly one could be kept right on the verge of death. He imagined the spirits found it amusing to allow mortal beasts to entrap themselves so and he hated them for it.

The only way he was able to form decisions was that he hated some things more then others. He did not want to live but he didn't want to die more. He found pleasure in some things, sex and inflicting pain to name a few. Two races serving as slave labor for his pride's kingdom meant that his lionesses had no duties save to practice pleasing him. Thus they'd become quite skilled. Yet even in pleasure the endless spiral haunted him. Pleasure appealed to the emotions. If something could please you it could control you. He resented this greatly. The worst demonstration of his madness, he knew full well he was insane, was his love of inflicting pain. He enjoyed it, and so he would resent it. In his anger he would punish the poor victim he was hurting which in turn he would enjoy. The end result was usually grizzly wall decorations for his cave walls...and how I hate the smell of their rotting remains.

He sat in a stone carved by lighting called down by Sihadd himself, shadows cloaking his form. His mane a perfect black vanished into the dark of the wall behind him giving the illusion that his face floated disembodied in a shadow. His eyes had sunk deep into the sockets of his skull and glared out with an unrelenting fury. His fangs bared slightly in a near permanent snarl. Outside a storm raged mirroring his inner workings. A flash of lighting outlined the sleek form a lioness sitting alone and nervous in his throne room, Oteia, one of his young lionesses. Last year she would have been called a cub. However she had filled out quite a bit recently and was becoming quite the pretty young thing. Over the last few weeks she had continued to catch his eye. He looked down at her. He had asked her to come but not told her why now, left her sitting there for the last twenty minutes. Let her think she's done something wrong...let the fear build in her. His gaze followed her pleasing curves up her body, to her face tight with nervousness, the glint of terror in her eyes. He grimaced and carved grooves down his throne with his claws. He found her attractive. Thoughts of the little bitch's body disturbed his meditations and he would make her pay for it.

He stepped down from his throne. Another bolt of lighting reflected in the menacing look he gave her. She began to tremble. No king of the storm in five generations had been able to command lighting, stories before that of such things where far more legend then truth. A lineage that could be tracked back to a god seemed to mean little...but none save royalty knew that. For all she knew he could have her struck down with a thought.

Since he had been a cub he'd tried, staring out into storms for hours, concentrating till his head ached, searching desperately and always in vain for a sign that he had some control. He'd have sold his soul for the power to prove he was indeed the heir of Sihadd, sadly there seemed to be no buyers. Maybe that's how he had lost his mind in the first place; it sure as hell hadn't helped.

He stalked her like prey allowing the mental barriers that kept his madness at bay fall, letting all of his anger at all the world fall on her shoulders. Oteia fell to the floor cowering the closest she could come to a bow terrified out of her mind.

"Kiss me." He told her calmly.

Relief flooded her features and she quickly rose and happily embraced him, eagerly locking mussels with him. He opened his mouth and let their tongues tangle, tasting her. She could feel the rage in him and desperately ground herself against him trying to appease it. He ran a paw down her thigh, inhaled her scent mixing the fresh smell of rain outside. The sweet scent of youth, the scent of a weak animal...

The backhand of his paw sent her sprawling. She stayed down uncertain if she should rise, looking up at him the look of fear in her eyes renewed, tears beginning to form.

"Please." She begged. "just tell me what you want me to do."

Raganata smiled. "Have you seen my new son?"

"Y...yes my lord."

"It is pathetic don't you think? A weak little runt of a freak. Yet another failure in a long line of failures." He hissed his tone cold and even.

Terrified her eyes searched his face for some sign as to what to do or say.

He leaned down to her. "I would offer your enlightenment my dear."

Confusion reflected in her face.

"I have no power my dear...none, nor did my father, nor his. I control you only in that I am physically stronger."

"But..."

"ALL you have heard is lie! Let me tell you of my cubs I've had seven this one being my third son. Kristae was my first and she has killed every one of her siblings since! She stole the breath from her brother when she was but three. She threw her sister from a ledge at six..."

Oteia began to inch her way away from him.

"I allow her to continue because thus far every one of them has been like me a failure, heirs of Sihadd in name only inheritors of not even a shred of power. I'm sick of it! I will not give my throne to yet another banal weakling."

He stepped forward and brought his paw down on her skull with all the force he could produce, the blow bouncing her head off the stone floor. He heard fangs crack together and she let out a beautiful moan that echoed in the cavern.

She covered her head with her paws sobbing.

"PLEASE!!!" She shrieked between tears. "Don't hurt me anymore. I'm a virgin...y...you can have me, take me. I'll do anything you say...are you testing my faith!?" She looked up again with tear filled eyes. "I'm faithful you don't have to hurt me."

"Kiss me." He told her again. She all but jumped him locking mussels again, even more desperate now to please him then her first passionate embrace. He could taste blood in her mouth and his tongue brushed across some broken fangs. He found her awkward attempts to mount her self on him amusing. Clearly she was a virgin utterly inexperienced and trying to imitate other lionesses she had seen. Maybe the older lioness taught lessons on it. He didn't know. He let her perform until he was on the verge of throwing her to the floor and taking her. Yet the demands of rage won out over his own lust. In a quick movement his paw caught her by the throat and pulled her off him.

She choked, her paws shooting up reflexively to grab at him but even unable to breathe she didn't dare scratch him.

"We will make a pact together my dear. You do want to help me right?"

She tried to nod. He smiled.

"Good..." Her eyes had begun to bulge and her struggle was becoming more frantic. "Now I'm not real good at rituals, not much of a mystic, but I know the basics. We'll need blood." His other front paw reached up and grabbed one of her paws fight him. He reached around and jerked a claw down just under the pad cutting deep into her wrist. She let out a surprised scream that would have been loader if not for her inability to breath. She other gave up fighting him in favor of trying to hold in her blood spilling from her at an alarming rate.

Raganata chuckled. "Yes, yes you always need blood." Dragging her he began to head outside. Doing this under the mercy of the storm seemed more appropriate.

"I MAKE THIS OFFER TO ANYONE OR ANYTHING!" He roared at the top of his lungs. "Any Ancestor, spirit, devil, demon, the darkness or the light, I care not if it can give me what I want." He looked at her contoured face. "What do you think a fair price for an heir worthy a god's lineage my dear?" She gave a gurgled moan. The fact that she could make any sound at all was an impressive testament to the vitality of youth. "A virgin is good start but I suspect we'll need more. Your family will join you of course that seems an obvious one. What if I kill every cub in the pride under the age three? Oh wait better yet what if I feed them alive to my Vono officers in a great celebratory feast after we defeat Asyron? We could make the prisoners join us right before we kill them." He laughed an odd unwholesome sound. "Or should we leave them alive long enough to see their families killed as well? Hard to say with blood pacts..."

He reached the ledge standing out in the pouring rain, lighting crashing above their heads. Life fading in her he held her out so she could see down into the pit, filled with his loyal legions.

"You know what I'll offer it all. Everything I have or will ever gain, my own life included. This WHOLE DAM KINGDOM, bring it down and kill everything in it! Just first give me an heir whom the world will fear! One so powerful he won't need a kingdom. He threw her off while she was still alive enough to enjoy the fall. Bellow the jackals began to chant his name. Raganata roared out over them.

Tehtaga came up the path and reaching the main cave shook the water from his fur. He had made it back from is self appointed patrol duties just in time to avoid being soaked. It had already begun to drizzle and a storm seemed to be forming out over the pride lands.

"Morning sir." A voice said.

He turned to see the young lion coming up behind him. "Morning Gotus."

"Begging to rain..."

"Yes it is. Is the hunting party still out?"

"No sir their back."

"Good." Tehtaga replied. A bunch of wet and therefore irritated lionesses was never a good thing.

"You know they say it rains whenever a king of the storm dies..." He said to the younger lion. "Think Raganata's getting nervous?"

Ginton responded with a nervous smile not certain if he was supposed to think that a joke. "You miss the army sir?"

"Mabey a little, my freinds are out there putting there lives on the line for us. Part of me wants to be with them. But I miss the army a lot less here then I missed here when I was with the army."

"Yes sir."

"You?"

"Me sir?"

"You where in the army. You miss the excitement?"

Gotus hesitated. "Permission to speak frankly sir."

"Of course..."

"I wasn't going to die for Asyron sir. He isn't worthy of our loyalty, or respect."

Tehtaga looked at him a little shocked. "Probably shouldn't be telling me this Gotus, frankly or otherwise."

"Sir." Gotus scowled. "He's just an arrogant...." He trailed off. "He gets soldiers killed for his own glory and then struts around trying to charm their widows..."

"Shut up Gotus!" Tehtaga growled. "You dont want to be talking like this."

"but Sir, he shouldn't be allowed...Someone like you should take charge! You could challenge him."

"You dont when to quit do you."

"You're a hero sir. I've herd stories of what you've done, how you care about those under your command."

Tehtaga roared catching the young soldiers attention. "I am a soldier Gotus not a king. Asyron is a good king believe me I've seen bad ones and you should thank the spirits every day that you live under his reign. Raganata would have had both of us killed just for being male and my wife and all the other soldiers' mates would have been his slaves. Now you're going to say yes sir and shut up. I dont want to hear this again...ever. You can consider your permission to speak frankly revoked permanently."

A hurt expression formed on Gotus's face. "Yes sir."

Mammals and their need of light to see...Thaggeios's would have smiled had he had the facial control to do so. "They are coming My'lady." He whispered to Kristae standing beside him. The other Vono lay hidden as still and silent as stone. The mammals approaching where good, they moved with grace and stealth that was impressive. It was dark. It was always dark here but the storm above them made it even darker then normal and the rain making its way through the canopy helped conceal sound. Sihadd had blessed his people with this storm. The mammals coming up on them had to be almost blinded by the dark. He knew the princess could see nothing. These mammals in front of them seemed only a little less impaired then she was. However they assume that the dark conceals them as well. They think they are hidden. This was their mistake. They did not know the capabilities of the Vono. In his red view of the world he could see their body heat through the weave of thorns and trees that they seemed to trying to use to hide themselves, and follow their movement as easily as if they where walking through an open field. Thaggeios actually wished that Kristae hadn't had so many other Vono waiting with them. He admired the audacity of these foes. Coming in so few numbers, so far ahead of support, he would have like to have fought them himself. They would have died knowing that he, alone, had defeated them. Yet by the princesses way it was possible they might be taken alive. If so what she would do them would be worse then the swift death he'd have granted them. Contemplating this it pleased him and again he would have smiled.

Satteis slunk through the twisted thorns. They seemed to grow more prevelant the farther into the woods they went. The sharp needles pricked and tore tiny wounds all over his body that had begun to sting as a whole every time he moved. It had begun to rain about an hour ago and they where all now soaked. The water had mixed with the dust of the forest floor to make a sticky brown paste that seemed determine to hold anything it caught in place. The stuff had coated his legs from paw to shoulder further hampering his movement. He and his force had made good time outrunning the army and had made their way deep into the forest. They where closing in on the home now the Storm pride and the fact that they had yet to find any sort of problem had began to alleviate his fears about an unknown threat. Though that only affirmed that his former Ghosts would see him as wasting their time needlessly.

It was difficult to see anything in the dark and rain and as a consequence their movement had been reduced to a crawl. Satteis, as had the others, had grown used to having to work at night and they where able to substitute hearing and smell to compensate, though the rain worked to hamper these senses as well. Ahead he could, albeit barely, make out a ridge of short rock hills. From there he hoped to be able to see well enough to get a good bearing on where exactly they where.

Emerging from the thorn Satteis carefully made his way across the short stretch of land to the next one that would hide him. As he slid into the brambles the other four former Ghosts made their way behind him. Crawling forward on his belly he noticed something else in the thorns just ahead of him. A fallen tree branch was his first thought but as he drew closer more detail came into view. He simultaneously realized that was he was looking at had eyes and the horrible mistake he had just made.

"Back!!..." Was all he managed to say before the Vono moved. The reptile exploded from the brush and claws caught him by the throat silencing any other order he might have given. With a snarl he sliced at the reptile's leg with his front paws. As a reward Satteis felt himself lifted up then slammed back down to he ground. Pain shot through his back and his head bounced roughly on the hard ground stunning him. Lying there he could see Vono emerging from the dark all around him and his band. Wraith leapt at one of them knocking it down but then was beaten to the ground by several more. Oseck tried to fight them also and faired as well as Wraith had. Cara and Oseix were thrown to he ground and didn't bother trying to get up. There was no where to go. and now I've killed us all...

Cara was hustled along by the Vono guarding her, two walked on each side one in front and one in back completely surrounding her. Satteis and the two cheetah brothers where similarly guarded. Wraith was the only exception. Two Vono traded back in forth the burden of actually carrying him, the scruff of his neck help painfully in their jaws, as every time he was put down he attacked them. There was as of yet no hope for escape so Wraith's efforts where without any purpose she thought, other then getting himself hurt Apparently he would have preferred to be killed then captured. She had not quite resigned herself to death yet. She and the rest of the Ghosts obeyed the guards moving them. There would be a time to escape. She had full confidence in that but now was not it.

By the spirits Satteis was right! They had been led through the dark onto a path and she assumed they where being taken to caves of the storm pride. Coming up on a ridge they suddenly found themselves looking out over a huge canyon that separated them from the dark single mountain ahead of them. Yet as forbidding as the mountain was it was the canyon that caught her attention. The sight even stopped Wraith's struggling as they began to make their way around its rim. In it far bellow jackals stood in stiff formations, hundreds of them, spanning the entire pit. She could see more of the reptilian Vono down there as well stalking through the jackal ranks apparently giving orders. We hadn't even seen there army! She realized a shiver running down her spine. We must have been fighting some scout force all this time..." Never in any of their experience fighting Raganata's foes in the pride lands they ever imagined that he had such forces at his disposal. Asyron wasn't the only one with a grand army. Conclusions begin to fall into place in her mind. They must have been building this army for years only pretending to be fighting in earnest in our lands. The idea that Raganata had sacrificed so many of his soldiers for such a charade was chilling. And these units here are prepared for battle. They couldn't have been scrambled in just the time since they'd been captured. They knew we where coming. They must have known for days to be this ready. Since we left pride rock...but how?

Part five, Warnings

He saw a field alit beautifully by the afternoon sun. It was warm but not unpleasantly so. Just ahead Nylili lay in the grass watching something...a cub chasing bugs through the grass. "Jainia..." He heard his wife say addressing the cub. That's our cub the thought happily, our daughter. Then he caught the look in his wife eyes as she was speaking to the cub he couldn't hear what she was saying but tears where welling in her eyes. "Nylili what's wrong..." He tried to ask but no sound came from him. He was disembodied he realized. I'm dreaming. But why am I still having this dream? Then something caught his attention. The dream had changed slightly, behind his wife and the cub he could see something moving the tall grass. He felt a cold malice radiating from whatever hid there just as he could feel the sorrow from his wife. It's hunting them. He realized. With what will he had, he tried to project a warning to his wife but he could not...she was far away and I'm not with her...

Tehtaga awoke suddenly. He would have yelled but stopped himself to avoid awaking his wife asleep beside him. A wave of relief washed through him finding her there lying peacefully. He breathed out a sigh and let his muscles relax realizing they where painfully tense. Lying on the cold stone, the warm pelt of Nylili pressed against one side of his body he could feel the thump of his heart begging to calm. It was just a dream. She was safe. Gently he removed her paw from lying across his hip and got up. Trying to shake the fear from himself he walked to their cave entrance to look outside. The storm that had began that afternoon now raged across the plains.

A flash of lighting lit the sky and revealed for a moment a figure, far bellow, moving down the path that led down from the rock. Who the hell? There where no patrols for hours and no lioness would be up. Why would anyone be leaving now especially in this storm? He headed out into the rain and headed down the paths to the main caverns. As he walked a since of urgency fell of over him and he quickened his pace to as close to a run as he could make on the wet stone.

He entered the main cave at a quick trot. Just inside the large cavern he found his guards awake and conversing quietly least the awake the mass of lionesses sleeping a further in.

"What's going on?" He asked then realized there was only four of them. One of the lions was missing, the two leopards where there as was Gotus and lion named Erait but the third lion Caultiss was not. As he scanned their faces he realized they where not pleased to see him. He stopped suddenly suspicious of the band.

"Where's Caultiss going?" He demanded.

The lion named Erait responded. "Cant tell you that sir. I think you better go back to your den it's late."

Tehtaga felt a flicker of anger run through him. "You're telling me what to do now Erait? Where's Caultiss going?"

"You don't have to be involved in this sir."

"I think you need to tell me what I want to know right now before I hurt you Erait."

The younger lion smiled. "All right he went to check in with the king."

"He went to find Asyron?!"

Erait slowly shook his head no. Tehtaga couldn't keep his surprise from showing.

"Your traitors all of you!" He snarled advancing on them the four guards retreating back into the cave.

"I'm sorry your angry sir." The young "I was hoping you wouldn't get wrapped up in this. I respect you. I really do. But we can't have you interfering right now. I'm going to ask you one more time, please go back to your cave."

Tehtaga laughed. "You going to make me little cub? You will be sorry I'm angry because I'm going to kill all of you."

"No you won't sir." Erait responded a little too confidently. Then with a swift motion he dropped on a sleeping lioness wrapping his paws tightly around her neck. She awoke with a start and surprised yell. The feel of claws pressing against her throat stopped any further protest she might have made. Dam! How could I have been that stupid? Letting them back right into the lioness. Tehtaga scolded himself. The remaining lionesses in the cave rose with looks of shock quickly becoming enraged snarls. Erait turned dragging his captive with him and backed up at an angle to keep both the lionesses and Tehtaga in front of him.

"If everybody here would please remain calm she doesn't have to get hurt." Erait explained. Tehtaga noted from the nervous looks on his accomplices face's they lacked his confidence. The lionesses looked at him for guidance. He studied the younger lion's face. The seriousness in his eyes, Erait wasn't lying he may not want to hurt her but he would. Tehtaga raised a paw indicating to the lionesses they should wait.

Erait smiled. "Good now we're just going to wait here patiently for Caultiss." He said. He glanced at one of the leopards. "Go get his wife. She'll make a better hostage." At that statement Tehtaga snarled and took another step forward reconsidering just trying to reach the younger lion fast enough. Erait tightened his hold on the lioness and stared back challengingly. Every fiber of Tehtaga's being wanted to attack but he couldn't sacrifice the lioness Erait held and he knew that's what would happen. For now it seemed they were in control.

Satteis and the former ghosts where deposited in a small cave just off from the pit. Bones littered the floor suggesting the fates of previous prisoners. Their personal guards departed leaving two to guard the cave entrance. Wraith was simply thrown in by the Vono holding him. He rolled across the stone floor scattering bones and finally came to rest lying on his back. The panther stretched and gave a yawn making himself comfortable where he had landed as if he planned to take a nap. Satteis took a quick scan of his surroundings. There was no way out save through the two Vono at the entrance. While he suspected they could overpower those guards is would be the hundred beyond them in the pit that would prove lethal. In his mind he'd been analyzing their capture over and over. Every way he looked at it he had failed. Even being right about a threat to the army, I've accomplished nothing as we have no way to warn Asyron.

"Their going to torture us." Wraith said as calmly as if the idea didn't bother him.

"Why would they?" Cara replied "They already know Asyrons coming."

The panther just shrugged. "I don't know but that's what their going to do or they'd have just killed us."

She made no response. He was right.

A lioness entered the cave and the guards bowed their heads in her direction. Her fur was a cream color far paler then was common for any Lioness of Asyron's pride. Her eyes where a crystal green that seemed alit with a malevolent light. Behind her followed a Vono towering over both her and the other guards.

"I am princess Krisate." She said. "Let me the first to welcome you to my home." Her voice dripped with an insincere politeness. Looking down at Wraith she flashed him a smile meant to be seductive. He rewarded her with a view of his fangs. The Vono guarding the princess moved as if to punish this but she stopped him with a shake of her head.

"What do you want princess?" Satteis asked.

"You assume I want something how very rude all of you are..."

"Maybe" He replied "But I don't believe you."

She smiled. "Your Satteis aren't you, Asyron's scout master?"

"I am."

"I've heard of you you're supposed to be good. You should have come to me first I would have rewarded your services far better then he... Anyway yes I do want to know something; quite simply why are you here? You should have had no knowledge of my plans yet you came here out far ahead of your army."

He'd never been good at lying and knew she wouldn't be satisfied by the real reason he was here. "Just had a feeling."

She laughed and he found it an unpleasant sound. "Ah...a feeling...of course."

She turned and nodded to the Vono behind her. In a swifter motion then Satteis would have ever thought something that big capable of the Vono whipped around her. He brought a claw up in an underhand blow that caught a surprised Oseix on the chin. The impact of the blow lifted the little cat completely off his feet and sent him flying across the cave and into a stone wall. He landed already limp and sunk to the floor. A high pitch battle cry came from Oseck, reverberating in the small space, as he leapt at his brother's attacker. The Vono turned his shoulder to catch the enraged cheetah's pounce on his back instead of his face. Oseck in a frenzy slashed and bit, moving just slow enough to be seen. The Vono however seemed to see it a little more then annoyance, he looked over at the princess inquisitively. She rolled her eyes and nodded. With a turn of his head he caught the cheetah attacking him in sharp jaws. The little cat was pulled off his back tearing grooves in the reptile's scales as he went. Protests of Oseck where cut off by a quick shake of the reptile's jaws, a snap of bone followed, and Oseck went as still and silent as his brother.

Satteis, Wraith, and Cara sat stunned.

"Have a better answer?" The lioness asked.

"Maybe we just got lost." Wraith answered. The princess sighed. "Fine Thaggeios grab the panther we'll take him with us and see if we can't talk some sense into him."

The Vono spit Oseck to the floor as Wraith stood to face him.

"While I'm sure I'd love having as something as ugly as you grab me. I'll walk if you don't mind."

The leopard escorting Nylili found her less then cooperative. His wife had a temper on the best of conditions but waking her up in the middle of the night to force her into the rain was potentially dangerous. He could hear her curses the entire way down the path. As they entered the main cave she feigned a stumble. Not wanting her to fall the leopard reached out to help her and was rewarded by the strike of her paw cracking hard across his jaw. The Leopard snarled angrily and raised his paw to strike her back.

"Wait!" Erait yelled. Stopping and saving the leopards life. Because if you hurt her I'll kill you hostages or no Tehtaga had already decided.

"She has spirit I can appreciate that." Erait continued.

"Go to hell you little runt!" She snarled. "No one gives a dam what you appreciate."

Erait sighed deeply and ran a paw through his mane. "Allright as I said we're just going to wait here for a little while so if everyone could just remain calm." He turned to Tehtaga "Sir you realize how easy it would be for us to hurt your wife especially in her delicate condition. I don't want to do that but I will for the greater good. Please don't test me on this matter."

"You hurt her and this is done. No more playing games I will kill you and no threat will deter me." Tehtaga growled.

"If somebody gets hurt here it's because you forced me to hurt them. That's not what I want." Erait replied. For what seemed like a long time he and Erait just stared at one another. If the younger lion was lying he couldn't tell. Tehtaga sat down and forced himself to relax.

"So what is it you do want?"

Erait smiled. "Freedom from Asyron, an end to these wars."

"The fighting will be over when Raganata falls."

"You think so? I think Asyron will just find us a new enemy. In his mind glory is more then worth all our lives."

Tehtaga scanned the room as best he could without moving his head to much to indicate that that was what he was doing. Erait had released his lioness prisoner but the leopard now stood dangerously close to Nylili. He noticed that only Erait was confident the other three apparently hadn't expected open conflict to their actions and appeared nervous. Given enough time they might make a mistake.

"I don't understand how does holding us hostage help you against Asyron?"

Erait shook his head. "You have no idea how powerful Raganata's is. We've been fighting scout forces all this time. I've seen his army, his real one. Asyron will destroy himself in this mad assault. When the battles over Caultiss will come tell us, until then I can't have you running off and warning anyone."

"If what you're saying true, you don't mind that our entire army will die with him."

"Any of our army who surrender will be spared, and eventually returned to us."

Tehtaga laughed. "Raganata tell you that?"

"Yes he did."

"You believed him?"

"Yes I did. He's not the warmonger. He wants peace just like us."

"You're a stupid little cub." Tehtaga said shaking his head sadly.

"We'll see." Erait spit back.

"They're dead" Cara said sadly.

Of course he'd already known that. She'd known it too but had to check anyway. The sound their necks had made breaking was unmistakable. Wraith was being tortured or killed just as he had predicted. Then it will be our turn. Satteis thought bitterly.

"This wasn't your fault." He heard her say. She of course didn't want him to die feeling guilty.

"Bullshit." He said. "I appreciate your manners Cara but you have every right to hate me."

The leopardess stalked around him so she could look him in the face, anger and hurt evident in her eyes. She could be quite frightening looking. Cara was actually slightly bigger him. Her body quite muscled. This was not to say she was unattractive the curves of her form while tone where quite feminine and she could have been the object of much affection among the many male leopards in the army had she not made such examples of the first to try. Her face was adorned with two long parallel scars along one cheek. A Vono had given them to her years ago and had died for it. Most females Satteis imagined would have been mortified but Cara had been thrilled and was a proud of them as the toughest lion rouge in the army might have been about a battle scar. Her dark eyes glared into his.

"You think we hate you? Satteis how could you think we hate you?!"

He didn't answer.

Is that why you've avoided us all this time? You weren't responsible for their deaths either."

"We where just supposed to do reconnaissance, It was my arrogance..."

She put her paws on his shoulders "We all agreed..."

He pulled back from her. "I was in charge!...I knew what needed to be done and did something else, Baheth and Nairo died for it. Don't tell me Nairo and you weren't..."

Cara stopped him. "We where close, very close. Maybe we might have wanted more. Maybe we would have been more but that wasn't the spirits will. I've cried my tears for him. We all did. You can't blame yourself for what happened to them. I know Wraith doesn't blame you for his brother."

Satteis smiled weakly. She never failed to amaze him. Truly she was one of the gentlest souls of any species he'd ever met. Through his actions her friends had died, her lover had died yet still she wanted to forgive him.

"Your wrong Cara I can blame myself for their deaths, believe me I can. In the end I wish it mattered but we're all almost certainly going to die here."

Her face suddenly went stern. "No! We're not because that bitch, and her pet lizard, killed our friends. I'll be dammed if she's going to get away with that."

He nodded, deciding her attitude would be more useful then his. Unlike forgiveness revenge he understood.

Part six, The realities of combat

"You look nervous my queen." A lion walking next to her said. Marri glared coldly at the grinning lion next to her. After only a single day with the army, her paws and back ached and her pelt felt so weighed down by mud and water she might as well have been dragging a rock behind her. Beyond that this whole accursed woods made her nervous. They'd walked for hours and seen no sign of life, no guards, no patrols, not even the sound of a bird. As they made their way closer to the core the tension seemed to be building like the woods itself would at any moment close in and crush her. If any of the soldiers in the unit she'd been assigned felt as bad as she did they where far better at hiding it.

"This place doesn't bother you?" She asked dryly.

He looked around like was considering it then shrugged. "Least we haven't seen any resistance. I'll take creepy over resistance any day."

"Don't you think we should have? I mean shouldn't they're be guards here." She asked.

"Maybe the army disbanded on Ragnata. We did kick their asses pretty bad."

She smiled, trying to force herself to find that idea uplifting.

"My queen may ask you a favor?...and if you don't want to do it, just say and ill understand."

"You can call me Marri and why don't you tell me what it is before you tell me I don't want to do it."

The lion hesitated for a moment. "Do you Vaisye?"

Marri thought for a moment recalling the name. "Yea she's one of the pride's better hunters isn't she?"

He straightened up. "Yes she's an excellent hunter. She's absolutely beautiful too"

Marri rolled her eyes another love struck soldier. This army was apparently filled with them.

"...anyway we've been seeing each other for a few months now and we want to be mates. I told her I'd ask the king when I got home, but I'm a little nervous about it. I was hoping you might put in a good word for me."

She felt a surge of anger and was surprised by it. I'm jealous She realized. All this lion can think about is getting home to his lioness. I'm in the army with my mate and I bet he hasn't given me a second thought.

She looked at him "You mean to tell me you're not afraid to wonder through this horrible place but you're afraid to ask my husband if you can become mates with a lioness you love. You lions." She shook her head.

He laughed. "It does kind of sound stupid when..." he stopped. His eyes locked on the black watered creek they'd been following.

"What?!" She asked alarmed.

"Shh..." He pushed her back away from the creeks edge and bent down himself to peer into the water. "Could have sworn I saw something."

"Are you messing with me?!" She asked angrily. "Because if you are I swear..."

Claws reaching up from the water caught him by the head. He let out a yell, followed by a splash and was gone.

Marri screamed stumbling back. She tripped over her own paws and fell to the ground mouth agape. The waters had become alive, churning and frothing as an entire army of Vono rose from its black surface. Shouting up and down the line told her the same was happening everywhere. All around her Soldiers real soldiers scrambled to form a defensive line out of what they had thought had been a protected side. Marri found herself unable to move, frozen in horror and shock.

She'd heard descriptions of Raganata's Vono but these where true monsters. Soul-less pupil-less eyes, teeth like needles, they seemed taken from nightmares she hadn't even known she'd had. An around her beasts where dying. She imagined herself trying to tell Vaisye that her would be mate would never be returning to her. I was just talking to him. She felt claws brush against her paw and looked up find one of the reptilian monsters staring down at her. A thought flashed thought her brain. If I don't move I won't be telling Vaisye anything. She managed to dodge a swipe to the face. Kicking out with her back leg she knocked his other leg from under him, managing to trip him long enough for her to scramble to her paws. A nearby leopard jumped her attacker screaming enraged curses. Vaisye deserves to know he died thinking about her. Marri determined and the vow gave her the fortitude to keep moving.

Tehtaga caught his wife's gaze. She was not a patient lioness. He could see her muscles tensing and she shifted slightly to center her wait. Horror gripped him. Oh by the spirits please don't...don't try to attack him. Normally he would have been fully confident she could kill the young leopard guarding her. Nylili was the daughter of the most feared warlord in the eastern wastes. She may have inherited her mother's small size but she also had gotten her father's rage. Most of the time he was a little afraid of her. Right now however she was so very fragile. A single blow could and almost certainly would hurt the cub she bore. Complications would most likely then kill her, assuming the grief itself didn't. He locked eyes with her. She was angry and wanted to act, asking him by her expression for permission. Nylili please don't! He tried to convey his plea to her. For a moment they stared at each other and he could feel his heart racing. One rash action threatened to take his every reason for living away. She relaxed. He let out deep breath, realizing he hadn't been breathing. She wouldn't try it...yet, her gaze seemed to imply.

Tehtaga had been in far more dangerous situations and was unaccustomed to fear interfering with his thought processes. Yet such times had been on battle fields far away. When he had been out there he had known she was here, safe. If he died she would have surely been devastated but she'd be alive. He had never realized how much such thoughts had contributed to his resolve till now. She was in danger, a leopard stood over her waiting to strike her down, and Tehtaga realized he was begging to panic.

Fear could not be allowed, not now of all times. He needed to be able to think clearly, and fast. If he didn't take the initiative Nylili soon would, or one of the other lioness all clearly angry at being hostages.

He forced his breathing to slow down which in turn began to control his heart rate. Clearing his mind of anxiety he began analyzing Erait's group like he would any battle. Erait was the group's strength. Wherever he'd gotten his twisted idea's he seemed unshakable in his conclusions based on them. Tehtaga might have thought his confidence admirable under better circumstances. He himself could relate to being tired of combat and the horrors associated therein, taking this to the point of treason however was inexcusable and trusting Raganata any further then you could throw him bordered on insanity.

Physical action was impossible without Nylili being hurt again that thought threatened to overwhelm him, but he managed to shunt the possibility aside. That couldn't be allowed to happen so he had to believe it wouldn't.

His thoughts returned to strategy. Unable to attack physically he would have to come at this mentally, negotiate, try to force a mistake. He'd given up any idea of working on Erait himself. The leopard named Taine, who was guarding Nylili, was the most confident in Erait and likewise too far gone. That left Gotus and the other leapord Veschi as possible weaknesses to attack. He'd decided to begin on Gotus as he had already had a conversation with him and didn't know Veshci. He also couldn't rule out that the two leopards weren't related somehow, he'd never been real good at telling leopards apart, and if that was the case any efforts against Veshci would likely be wasted.

He hoped Gotus was close enough he could speak to him without being overheard by Erait. Unfortunately he'd never been very good at playing negotiator. He had a tendency to be blunt and honest.

"You realize how many soldiers you're helping to get killed." He said. Gotus frowned, Tehtaga glanced at Erait nervously to see if he heard them. If he'd noticed he wasn't doing anything about it.

"I'm not getting anyone killed." Gotus said quietly.

Good Tehtaga thought He's willing to talk without alerting Erait.

"This is Asyron's war. We're trying to stop him from getting us all killed."

Tehtaga shot another glance at Erait, still nothing. He seemed preoccupied with playing the dignified leader in front of the unimpressed and rather angry lionesses.

"Yea letting our army walk into a trap...I'm sure they'll appreciate that. Of course we won't know as they'll all be dead but you'll probably get a lot of gratitude from their families...Especially after Raganata comes over here and enslaves them."

"They're not going to die, that's the deal. They'll surrender taken prisoner then returned after Asyron's killed. Only he dies."

"What makes you think they'll surrender?"

"They won't have a choice. It'll be hopeless."

Tehtaga leaned in for emphasis. "You think soldiers surrender because it's hopeless cub."

The young lion paused. Good that bothered him.

"If they fight to death in a hopeless battle I'm not responsible." He growled. "That's suicide plain and simple."

"Your a pathetic excuse for a soldier." He said.

Gotus snarled. Over did that a little, don't need him too angry. Tehtaga scolded himself. He changed his approach. "So even if they do surrender, you really think Raganata's just going to let them go?"

Gotus's expression was still angry. "Yea I do."

"Why?"

"Because he's not Asyron. All we hear is how evil Raganata is but Asyron's the aggressor, he's the one getting us killed. The storm pride are fighting to defend themselves they just want to be left alone."

Tehtaga almost laughed. "Think about what you're saying. You really believe that if Raganata managed to capture our entire army, then he kills Asyron leaving the pride lands defenseless besides the six of us and the lionesses he's just going to tell all our soldiers go back so you can defend your homes. That's..." He trailed off. Calling him stupid as zebra manure probably wouldn't help.

"Shut up." Gotus snapped obviously riled. Tehtaga looked up and noticed Veshci was glaring in the direction of their conversation. It's all right Tehtaga thought, going silent and nodding to the leopard. Let doubt worry him a while.

Wraith was returned to them at high velocity. He had been escorted to the cave's entrance by two Vono, who said something to the guards and then proceeded to literally throw him inside. When last he had been thrown in this cave he had made a joke of it. Such humor was lost this time. He landed hard on his shoulder and rolled a few times before coming to rest at her paws.

"Ouch." He said. The dry underestimate as close to humor he seemed to be able to produce. Cara looked down at him and fought not to look worried.

"How badly are you hurt?" She asked trying to keep her tone soft and even. Satteis jumped up from where he had been laying in the corner drifting in and out of as close to sleep as one could get in such a place. He looked at Wraith and then at her. They traded fearful glances. The panther looked like he'd gotten into a fight with the entire army and spent presumably the five to six hours he'd been gone losing horribly. Both eyes where begging to swell shut and she thought he might be missing some fangs. A variety of cuts now adorned his body and blood could be seen gathering in pools under his thick black fur. She knelt down and ran her paw over his head.

"Stop petting me...I'm not cub, your cute but you're not my type and...I'll be all right." He said. His voice a little too weak to convey the confidence he had intended.

Satteis came close enough to better see the panther's injuries but seemed reluctant to get any closer. He snarled angrily shaking his head. "I'm sorry I got you in to this Wraith. I really am." Satteis said.

Wraith tried to laugh the effort clearly painful. "Don't worry about it...comes with the job." The panther leaned back and shut his eyes. "I'm going to take a nap for a little while...just sleep don't go and bury me or anything."

Asyron stalked back and forth shouting orders. His army had managed to reform somewhat, the panic of the reptile's surprise attack being beaten back by discipline. He had built the greatest army in the history of the plains he told himself. We are invincible if only by our willful refusal to be anything less. He roared and stuck and advancing monitor in the temple. The blow staggered the monster. It would have killed most things. He simply struck it again, knocking it down and then began pummeling it till it went limp.

Just ahead he saw Cin.

"Your unit Intact." Asyron yelled.

The leopard looked up stained from his paws up in blood and gave him a confused shrug of the shoulders.

"Get them together now! We advance! Find whoever's in charge of the unit behind you and spread the word on back."

The leopard dodged a slash to his chest by jumping back. He threw a salute back at him then went back to dodging. Asyron choose to believe the gesture was in earnest respect and not sarcasm.

For all the dramatic effect it had had Asyron was convinced this attack was a mistake on Raganata's part and he intended to take full advantage of it. The Vono defenders may have surprised him but they where too far down. To have mounted such an attack Raganata must have emptied his mountain. The Vono wanted to fight him here because they where outnumbered and on this narrow path his army couldn't fight them in full force. He would advance, attack Raganata while he was defenseless and eliminate him while at the same time moving to an area where his army could turn and present its numbers against the reptilian warriors. Tehtaga was at pride rock, Satteis was wandering around lost somewhere in this forest, Asyron smiled. Today I surpass them both.

Part Seven, Pain

As far as she was concerned the war was already over. Her plan couldn't have been working better if Asyron himself where working for her. Kristae preferred to avoid actual battle fronts. Injury, death, and getting her paws muddy where for her equally terrifying concerns. She left such matters to those better suited, or unable to refuse such tasks. She walked up the path and the guards standing at the cave entrance bowed. Dam straight you better bow to me. Soon she'd be a queen of at least one kingdom maybe two. Her father would have no choice but to share a kingdom with her but she had not decided yet if she wanted to share a kingdom with him.

Entering she smiled happily. She no longer cared why her prisoners had come investigating her ambush. If Asyron had known about it he couldn't have come up with a more stupid response. Charge! She chuckled. Hurting them was her victory celebration. She'd just decided to start a little early. The cheetah and the leopardess looked up when she entered and snarled. The panther lay asleep or dead with his head resting in the Lepardess's lap. How perfect. She couldn't have imagined better victims. Alone they each might have been a challenge, hardened fighters by the looks of them but together their concerns for each other where easily exploitable.

Cara felt her fur stand on in watching the lioness enter, her large reptilian companion following just behind. Satteis stood and snarled at her. She gently nudged Wraith. He returned to consciousness slowly as though it was struggle to do so. His eyes finally opening she helped him sit up into a position where he could see. Then she stood herself and joined Satteis in snarling threats at the bitch princess.

Kristae nodded and the two guards rushed into the room. Satteis instinctively bolted for one and was caught by the throat and slammed up against one of the cave's walls. The reptile held him there. His front two paws off the ground making a struggle against the Vono's obviously superior strength was all but useless. Wraith tired to get up but all the other guard had to do to hold him was step down on his back and stand there. Still snarling Cara backed deeper into the cave, Kristae and the big Vono advancing. Ideas played through her mind. Realistically there was no hope of escaping. However with the princess's now only guard behind her Cara had an unblocked avenue of attack. It would mean her death whether she failed or not, but it might be the only shot she'd get at the bitch. She ordered Oseck Oseix killed, had Wraith beaten to within an inch of his life. She thought trying to inspire rage that might provide the adrenalin needed. She'd have to be fast. Satteis could do it but that's why he's pinned. Who knows how many of my friends she going to get killed in this ambush of hers.

Care let out a bloodcurdling cross between a scream and a roar, hoping to distract them giving her just the slightest bit more time, and leapt. She was fast but not quite fast enough. She had planned on Kristae's Vono guard having to get around her to defend her. It hadn't occurred to her that he being that big could simply reach over the lioness.

She was swatted out of the air like a gnat. As she was falling he quickly made his way around the Princess and placed himself between Cara and her intended target. She landed hard on her side. She could have landed on her paws but choose not to hoping to draw surprise from looking hurt. She got up slowly trying to look dazed. Then turning suddenly she made a lunging slash of her paw at the princess. The Vono snagged her blow mid flight and wrenched her front paw up over her head as he advanced. Her leg locked and she felt a shoot of pain from her shoulder. She made a feeble attempt to strike with the other one but held that way it was imposable to put any force behind it. As if just being overwhelmingly strong wasn't enough of an advantage for the monster the reptile's movements indicated a great deal of skill. This thing hadn't spent his whole life as a guard she concluded realizing she posed no real threat to him at all. Maybe if she got lucky she might be able to put out one of his eyes but that would be it. Before she could make any attempt to shift her weight unlock her joints and break free he had slid behind her. Catching her other front leg with his other front leg from behind and switching his grip on the first he locked it as well. Then he simply sat back on his haunches and pulled her back against his chest leaving her trapped sitting painfully on her back legs, body held upright and both front legs pinned even more painfully above and behind her own head. Infuriated, snarling and kicking as best he could Satteis had intensified his struggle, determined to come to her aid. The Vono holding him had to slam him against the wall a few times to quite him back down to manageable. Wraith snarled and strained but so weakened he had no hope of removing the reptile's weight from his back. Had she had any way to safely convey such a message she would have preferred them not to try anyway. They would only get hurt more and accomplish nothing. Wraith especially didn't need beaten on any more.

Held up defenseless Kristae approached her.

"You're a vicious little thing." The lioness cooed.

"You think I'm afraid of you bitch? Some pampered little slut to afraid to take a step out of your guard's shadow?" All the vehemence she tried to put into her words seemed to do nothing to the confident expression on the lionesses face.

Kristae leaned in close, far to close. The lioness's paw gently patting her exposed underbelly.

"I believe you." Kristae whispered. "You've lived a rough life and now you think you're prepared for any pain I can inflict." The lioness smiled. "But look at your friends. No matter how strong you may be to them your still a female...it's hotwired into their male brains to want to protect you. Whatever we do to you, it will hurt them far worse to watch you suffer. You in turn get to watch that hurt grow in their eyes. You may not be afraid of me sweetie, I don't really care but before the end, one way or another, I will have hurt you!" As the princess spit the last part at her, the lioness's paw moved between Cara's legs Kristae's prodding paw found her opening and began to tease her lips. Then a paw toe suddenly impaled her. Surprise and pain was followed by a wave of utter rage. Infuriated she strained against the Vono holding her but accomplished nothing besides sending shooting pain down her back from her shoulders. In contrast the lionesses invading paw seemed to burn. The lioness poking and prodding as hard as she could, doing her best to stretch the tight flesh before her body had any time to adjust.

Though she kept such matters quite private after a while the dozens of suitors she'd rejected had to have come up with theories why she wasn't interested. In reality it was simple. Though she downplayed their relationship whenever she spoke about it she had loved Nairo. He had not asked her to be his mate...yet, she was convinced he would have. So when he had died she had decided to live as though he had. His self proclaimed widow she had resigned herself to solidarity. As such she hadn't known a lover in nearly four years. The last night they'd had been together and then the next morning he was killed.

Kristae laughed. "Dam honey you need to get out more!"

Cara snarled in response.

Kristae's rough pawing became gentle for a second, then hooking the tender folds which already felt bruised jerked up suddenly. Cara bit back a scream. The lioness's face part strain part maniacal grin, pulling up on her as hard as she could. Cara still fighting the urge to scream struggled instinctively, arching her back and hips into he pulling despite the pain it caused her trapped legs. Kristae held her for what seemed like forever finding some sick amusement in the look of agony she couldn't keep from showing. When Kristae finally decided she could be pulled no tighter. She paused blew Cara a kiss and let her claw unsheathe.

"AUHHHHHHHHHHH!" Cara's scream escaped. The sharp point pierced clean through her taught skin easily and tore nearly an inch up before Kristae released her. Cara's body slacked limp. Her head down eyes shut, breath coming in quick gasps between clenched teeth.

Kristae patted her head gingerly. "Such a pretty scream." The lioness showed her the bloody claw and slowly licked it clean. "Don't worry pierced pussys are all the rage here right now. Storm lionesses get them on both sides so when they heal the male can hook his claws in them and spread them open as wide as he likes."

She had known the risks fighting in the army as a female. Armies being mostly male capture meant rape was a likely torture. Give a female to a bunch of bored, scared, violent males and tell them they can do what they want with her and the results aren't pretty. While this certainly scared her she had prepared herself mentally. She'd never imagined just being mutilated. How could anyone imagine such a perverted thing? The fact that it was another female doing it somehow made it even worse.

Cara brought her head back up to glare at Kristae. She could see behind the lioness Satteis and Wraith fighting all to no avail. She knew Kristae was right she could hurt them. She could make them watch her die and she could make her watch them till she died only to die knowing what her death would do to them. By the spirits Satteis didn't need this on his conscious. Cara let all these thoughts fuel her emotions and found the strength to make a defiant smirk in the face of the princess. Kristae could hurt her and her friends, but that only reaffirmed that the bitch needed to die.

"Oh a smile?" Kirstae said pursing her lips. "Are you enjoying yourself sweetie?" The lioness leaned forward and kissed her on the top her mussel. Cara waited till she felt contact then jerked her head forward slamming the top of her head into Krisate's snout.

"Ughh." Kirstae stumbled back paws shooting up to comfort her bleeding nose. "Oww...FUCK!" Kirstae yelled.

"Lick that off you whore!" Cara sneered. The Vono's hold had constricted to excruciating but she considered her momentary victory well worth it.

"You little bitch!" The princess said through her paws still clutching her mussel. "Thaggeios break something!"

The reptile's grip tightened and began to pull back on her right front leg. Cara gritted her teeth together the strained joint screaming in agony. Consistently but not fast, he continued to rotate the leg back behind her letting her head giving her ample opportunity to feel the ligaments and tendons lock then tear. She felt her mouth open and heard herself screaming but it sounded as if she was hearing something else make the pathetic noise far away. Finally there was a nauseating pop and she knew he'd dislocated her shoulder. A minute or so to late to have spared her any pain she felt shock kick in. She felt light headed and for a moment thought she might pass out, whether she would have preferred to or not she retained her consciousness. That euphoric yet sickening warm feeling flooded through her. Her body's way of telling her, as if she didn't already know, that something was now truly wrong.

Kristae had gotten her nose to quite bleeding, all false pretenses lost, the lioness now seethed with a sadistic fury. "You know the Vono have a tradition for those rare occasions when they leave a defeated foe alive." Kristae gave a nod. Without hesitation the Vono twisted the dislocated joint into an odd and angle and slammed it back down into her shoulder. Another wave of shooting pain, Cara tasted blood from having bit down into her lip. She wavered but still failed to pass out. Dam! She thought oblivion would have been welcomed.

"Chips the joint dear..." Kristae hissed. "That way the limb never heals properly and the victim gets the live the rest of its life a crippled monument to a Vono's mercy." All of the angry responses Cara had intended came out as a sad whimper. The lioness hit in her the stomach but with the agonizing pain elsewhere she didn't even feel it.

"And we're just getting started dear." The princess flashed a smile at the reptile. "Break the other one!"

"You knew his plan was insane. You didn't go with him either!" Gotus volunteered this suddenly after having been silent for twenty some minutes. Good Tehtaga thought It's bothering him.

"I have a family Gotus. They needed me so I stayed. Asyron's not insane he's right if Raganata had been left alone he'd of attacked us again."

"Bullshit we wouldn't have been fighting them in the first place if it hadn't been for Asyron."

"You mean Munarin. Raganata attacked during Asyron's father's reign, and he did attack first. Asyron just inherited this mess."

The young lion scowled. "Whatever, Asyron made it a hundred times worse."

"So too help out you betrayed the whole fucking pride lands? Nice having you guys with us...your a real help."

Gotus moved closer, his scowl turning to a snarl. "When this is done, when we've stopped Asyron and ended this war, when everyone realizes how many lives we've saved stopping him. We'll be heroes' sir! They'll mark you down as an idiot with admirable loyalty."

Tehtaga smiled at him. "You want be a hero cub? Better tell your buddy over there that because he's threatening my pregnant wife. Heroes don't ignore the means to get the ends they want. Oh, and those lives in our army you're trying to save, isn't a dam one of them coming home. I think you know that but you're a coward too afraid to admit it to yourself."

Nylili watched the young lion stalk angrily away from her husband. Gotus went over and sat down next to Erait. She glanced over at Tehtaga a concerned look on his face. Just what I figured, whatever he's planning that hadn't been apart of it. Tehtaga trying to talk his way out of something well...that was bad. Basically aside from talking to her most of Tehtaga's conversations involved only the phrases yes sir, or no sir.

She looked back over at her guard. To bad one of the lions isn't guarding me. A lion would have gotten bored already but leopards seemed as an entire species to have a tendency towards neurotic vigilance, probably had something to do with raising young as such solitary creatures. Usually that was useful as most of them where on their side. This one however was being a pain in the ass, watching her every move. She knew with her in danger the longer this went on, the more worried Tehtaga would get. Eventually he'd try something brave, insanely dangerous, sacrifice himself for me somehow brave.

Another look at the leopard, she visualized attacking. She could kill him, happily beat his head into the stone wall. She tried to tell herself she could be faster then him that he wouldn't get the first shot off, yea right it took me five minutes to get off the floor this morning! If he hit her in the head she could take it and he wouldn't get a chance to swing again. Her muscles tensed. Oh but if he swung to her side, if he hit her belly...she shivered. She looked back at Tehtaga. He could apparently tell she was tense and as subtlety as possible was shaking his head no. His movement was slight but the look of fear in his eyes spoke volumes. She swallowed a growl of frustration. She wanted to attack the leopard, wanted to beat him into a bloody spot for this. She sure as hell didn't want to sit waiting for Tehtaga to find someway to get himself killed saving her, and of course whatever he's planning will get him killed that's how he thinks.

Nylili closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was an expectant mother now she had to worry about her cub or cubs not her own temper. If I act and the cub gets hurts because of it I couldn't live with myself. I never be able to look at Tehtaga again. She forced herself to relax and gave a glance at her mate. By the spirits I hope you know what you're doing.

Asyron's army charged he himself in the lead. His forces had managed to reform and drive the Vono back into the water they'd come from. Now they advanced leaving the reptiles in their wake. No other army could have done this. He roared triumphantly at the idea, reveling in the glory. Ahead he saw the mountain of the storm a dark and menacing pillar of rock burned black...by lighting supposedly. No king of the sun, ever in the history of the pride had touched paw within that dark place. He saw the winding black stairs and visualized himself fighting up them against the last desperate defenses the storm pride could muster. Their slaves could not help them now. He imagined himself as a cub sitting listening to his father tell tales of the mythic founders of the pride, its warrior kings and imposable deeds. An incredible excitement ran through him. He felt like a cub about to kill its first little critter not a king going into battle.

He slid to a stop standing on the edge of the canyon between him and the mountain, frozen eyes looking out over what lay before him. His cub'like dreams had been silenced and nothing took their place, just shock...

With him stopped the units trying to follow crashed into one another. Cin came running up so fast he almost ran into the king.

"Sir what the..." his words trailed off.

Before them waiting in the pit bellow between them and their goal, had to be every Jackal to ever walk the earth. Standing in ridged formations they looked like a black sea. All looked up in unison. Vono commanders stalked through the ranks shouting orders. Then the sea broke, finding hundreds of hidden paths in the cliff side they came up it like ants. Asyron heard shouts behind them. The Vono they'd left at the river where coming trapping them against the jackals.

"We have to form up, make a circle try to fight our way though a side!" The leopard stammered. Asyron didn't move, couldn't move he just stared at the massive army growing ever closer.

"Sir?!" The leopard hesitated then started shouting orders regardless of permission.

"Its.....it isn't possible." Asyron finally said.

"Sir we need to get back." Cin said.

"No..." Asyron waved vaguely out in front of him. "This isn't possible."

He felt paws grab him and then he was being pulled across the ground. He allowed it, not even noticing it as anything odd. The one thing that shot through his head, maybe ill wake up soon.

Part eight, Treachery and heroics

Oblivion finally came and went. Cara slipped in and out of consciousness or more accurately being aware that she was conscious, thus mercifully she remembered only flashes. She hadn't realized she'd been picked up nor leaving the cave she'd been in but she remembered being dragged across the ground her neck locked in the Vono's jaws. Then she found herself someplace else. She was fairly certain it was inside but that was the only details she was able to ascertain about her surroundings. She heard Kristae's voice explaining what should be done. Then she was a group of Vono guard's plaything. She remembered only them beating her, hitting her in the chest till they heard or felt ribs crack then moving on till they'd broken them all, However during her moments awareness great pain in her loins told her she was being raped as well. Experiences she was thankful not to have remembered.

When next she came around she was being dropped painfully onto stone. While not certain what he was saying she heard Satteis's voice and knew they must have returned her. Of course the princess wanted her to die before her friends.

"Cara...by the spirits..." Satteis's voice trailed off into curses.

Slowly her vision came back into focus and she was able to see the small cat standing over her. She tried to sit up and got no response from her injured front legs. It occurred to her that her paws felt numb. Long and proudly independent the realization that she was crippled was a bitter one. The knowledge that she wouldn't live long enough to be much inconvenienced by it failed to provide any comfort. She struggled to hold back any emotional outburst, trying to minimize the pain her friends must have been feeling for her. Yet despite her best efforts a few stray tears managed to run down her face wetting her fur. Satteis's expression trying so hard look strong for her, the seething rage and sorrow she saw in his face was as painful as anything the princess had done to her.

Satteis stalked back and forth above her, a feeling of utter helplessness warring against an intense desire to do something, anything. Oh what have they done to you? He almost asked her reflexively but cut himself off before he spoke. Glancing over he found the same emotions in Wraith's eyes. The panther leaning against the far wall still too hurt stand.

"Satteis..." She said her voice feint and distant. Seeing her trying to move he stopped. Sitting down he eased her head onto his lap. Through a few spare tears she smiled at him. As accurately as a still living being could be described as such, she had been broken. The bones of her shoulders legs and most disturbingly all down her breast had been grotesquely displaced. Long grooves cut into her flesh all the way to bone down her flanks as though the monsters had used her back as a scratching post during whatever depraved assaults they'd performed on her.

Halve dragging himself across the floor Wraith made it to her side as well and she cast him an affectionate glance. Her eyes alone, Satteis realized, they'd been unable to hurt. They still shown with the same fiery light he'd admired since he met her all those years ago. Her face despite her agony and occasional tear seemed amazingly for the most part tranquil. Thus he realized she was dying. She's probably already dead. He told himself just hasn't admitted it yet.

Her mouth moved several seconds before she actually managed to make a sound. "Don't...don't blame yourself for me!" She said commandingly despite only being able to whisper. "Either of you" she indicated Wraith. "I don't want either of you to go and get yourself killed trying to do something about this..." She coughed wincing in pain at the movement. "You two get out of here and go live long happy lives...that will put me at peace and you will owe me nothing." She smiled and the pain in her features seemed to vanish. "If you could place a mark for me next to the one we put for Nairo. That's where I want my spirit to dwell...I loved him." She fell silent.

"We know...He loved you too" Satteis said choking on his words "He waits for you."

Her chest rose one more time and then her breathing stopped.

For what seemed like forever he and Wraith sat there unmoving expecting her to move or say something else but of course she didn't. At last Satteis felt his body rebel from the posture and shock and he slumped back beginning to cry unashamed. Wraith's face slowly formed a snarl, tears vanishing into his black fur. The panther turned suddenly to face him, holding his paw out over their fallen friend towards him.

"I make a pact with you brother." Wraith's voice solemn but intense, "No matter what happens the princess of the storm and her monster pet die for this!"

Satteis took the panthers paw and nodded in agreement a quite growl escaping. She asked us not to seek revenge for her yet even as she spoke she must have known he'd have to.

"No matter what happens..." He said.

Tehtaga was now at a complete loss for what to do. He'd lost Gotus. Pushed him to far, He thought angrily. Now the young lion sat talking to Erait almost certainly explaining in detail of his attempts at persuasion. He mind reeled any opportunity he might have had before he'd just ruined with his ineloquence. Dam it! He gauged the distance between himself and Nylili's guard, unless the leopard panicked he'd never reach them in time to prevent her being injured. He contemplated simply bolting for the cave entrance in the hopes that her guard being the closest to him might reflexively follow allowing the lionesses a distraction to attack. Yet with his wife's safety in question he found himself unable to act. In war actions where determined by gauging risk verses probability of success. Cold decisive calculation he'd never had a problem with but now any risk to her seemed too great to risk acting. He felt a surge of fear run through him.

He heard for a moment raised voices in Erait and Gotus's conversation and Gotus got up. Erait turned and amused look on his face as though he expected entertainment. The younger let out a low growl and began to stalk towards him.

"You think I'm stupid sir?" He pronounced the sir with a mocking tone. "You've been trying to manipulate me from the beginning...You know what, I think your old. I don't think your halve as dangerous as you'd like us all to believe and I think I know to prove it."

Tehtaga tensed. Even stalking him the other lion was nervous and off balance. If Gotus attacked him he could defeat him easily but if he did repercussions might fall on Nylili.

Gotus paw rose claws unsheathed. Then for a fraction of a second a change in the other lion's expression, a nod so slight he wasn't sure he'd seen it, maybe a hint of wink. He was so confused he failed to even make an attempt at a block. He let the blow turn his head shifting his weight back to absorb the impact, or what should have been an impact. He realized surprised the strike hadn't hurt. It should have but...the cub pulled his blow. Gotus hit him again a downward strike to his temple, again the blow was pulled. This time however Tehtaga did a better job playing the part letting himself fall back the way he thought he might had the strike been real. Tehtaga rolled to his paws and roared feigning a swipe at Gotus's neck intentionally giving the younger lion ample opportunity to block while still keeping it fast enough to look real. Another fake blow from Gotus and Tehtaga tried to look hurt. He backed up snarling. Allright cub now what do we do. They certainly had everyone in the cave attention but the leopard was still watching Nylili to close.

"See!" Gotus yelled back at Erait. "He's been living on reputation for years."

Erait looked suspicious. "Careful." He said "He may be trying to trick you."

Gotus laughed. "You think so...easy to find out." He began to head towards Nylili and her guard. "Just threaten his little bitch and see if can do anything about it."

Nylili shifted slightly to keep Gotus in her front a frightening snarl revealing perfectly white fangs. Oh shit Tehtaga thought she doesn't know you're playing cub better move quickly before she tries to rip your throat out.

Gotus feigned a quick teasing lung at her and Tehtaga expected the quick movement to be his last. But Nylili didn't attack, an amazing amount of restraint from her.

She and Gotus faced off for a moment. Then turning suddenly he pushed the leopard guarding her with both paws. The surprised smaller cat was sent reeling back. He saw Gotus attack the leopard, Nylili surprised but taking the opportunity to back into a corner out of danger.

Tehtaga stood. A stunned Erait found himself attacked by three of the lionesses' one of which being the one he'd taken hostage to start this whole mess quite happy to return the favor. Tehtaga strode forward the leopard Veshci rising to meet him. The leopard never had chance. Tehtaga saw Veshi's shoulders shift in preparation to strike. He struck first throwing a blow to the opposite side to which the leopard's weight had naturally shifted so any attempt to move away from the strike would cause the smaller cat to lose balance. The blow broke most of the bones in Veshi's upper body and sent him halfway across the room, dead before he hit the ground. Erait managed to break from the lionesses and ran for the entrance. Tehtaga reared up and dropped on the other lion as he passed, pinning him or rather crushing him into the ground. Without hesitation He locked his jaws around Erait's neck and with a quick twist of his head Erait joined his friend Veshi.

As he got off Erait's body he found Gotus had likewise finished the leopard. The young lion smiled. He gave a half laugh back, every lioness in the cave staring at them with inquisitive looks. Nylili stalked out into the middle of the room.

"What the hell!" She growled angry at her utter confusion "Where you faking this entire time." She pointed a claw at Gotus.

Tehtaga answered before Gotus could "Of course he was. We where just waiting for the right time."

Gotus started to say something but then gave up instead just shifting nervously under the now affectionate and grateful looks of the pride's lionesses.

Tehtaga put his paw around Nylili and pulled her into a hug, gently licking her cheek. His worry had just begun to fade and the relief was overwhelming. She was tense for a moment then melted into his embrace and licked him back.

Cin unexceptionally found himself in charge of the entire army. He'd left the king somewhere safe near what had then been the middle of the army, lost in a silent stupor. Technically he had been given no authority but things needed to be done and no one else was volunteering for the job. He'd grouped them into a semi-oval like formation facing out presenting a front the Vono on one side and the jackals on nearly every other. Today as they had many times before the Fearless had earned their name. Holding off Jackal masses by themselves through an equal combination of bluff and actual fighting, long enough for the army to be able to retreat into the a rocky wall by the canyon edge. The wall providing them their only safe side was the only thing allowing them to avoid being routed into panic. Having to run from unit leader to leader to give orders over the noise and confusion Cin had lost track of his unit since their noble stand against the jackals. All probability said they where dead but he chooses to believe they'd managed a retreat into the safety of the masses.

He stalked outside the front of the army screaming to be heard.

"WE GOING TO LET THESE LITTLE VERMAIN HURT US?! THEY ARE NOTHING! WE ARE HEROS WE ARE INVINC..."

A jackal hit him suddenly knocking him from his paws. Rolling he tried to claw the fierce little thing but it locked its fangs painfully into the top of his head and rolled with him. He cursed loudly struggling on the ground to reach his attacker. Jackals where not big and likewise not particularly strong yet they could be utterly vicious those who underestimated them rarely lived long. Laying prone he saw three more jackals running at him. He laughed not really certain why he found it funny but he did and braced to die.

A lion stepped from the army's ranks. Standing overtop him the lion sent the attackers flying in a single swipe. Then leaning down he caught the jackal attacking him in his paw and ripped it off him-rather painfully as it took flesh with it but Cin was glad to be rid of it. He heard the jackals scream as it was tossed off the cliff's edge back into the pit far bellow.

He nodded gratefully at Taragen the huge northern lion, commander of the Proud Brutes. "Not looking good for us Cin..." Taragen said smiling like he too despite all reason was enjoying himself. Adorned in full body war paint the lion looked like a monster from a cub's den story.

"Nah this is just what we planned..." Cin said jokingly he got to his paws in time to slit another jackals throat with a quick swipe. "You did tell our thousand lion reserves their supposed to meet us here right?"

Taragen laughed a deep booming sound that carried over the fighting.

"Was I supposed to do that?...dam!"

"Oh well guess we'll just have to win this one ourselves. You take that halve I'll take the other?"

They both laughed again but then exchanged somber looks admitting that they both knew there was no winning this.

She sat in the cave illuminated by only the faint moonlight the light seemed hollow and ghostly to her accenting the sense of dread she was begging to feel.

At last Tehtaga appeared in the cave's entrance. He had been talking to Gotus outside in the rain and his fur was now dripping wet. His face was an affectionate smile but she could tell it hid more serious emotions. He walked up to her and she let him put her paws around her.

"You're getting me all wet."

"You don't mind." He said.

"Don't I?" She teased. They locked eyes for a moment and she hugged him tighter. "You have to go don't you? You're going to go try to save them."

His mouth went tight and she saw the concern in his eyes.

"They're going to die. If I c..." She cut his explanation off with her paw over his mouth. Tears began to run down her face. "...I never told you the advice my mother gave me the night before I left with you." Nylili forced a smile upon her face. "She said you reminded her of my father when he was young, said you where brave and honorable and that you loved me. She told me all about you romantic warriors, said I could ask anything of you and you'd do it with one exception...She said I could never ask you to stop being brave and honorable."

Leaning up she nuzzled herself against his strong chest. How many times he had had to leave her for dangerous battles she'd lost count but in all those goodbyes there had never been such urgency in his touch. He held her like he feared it would be the last time.

"...she told me one day your bravery may take you from me and when that day came what I should do. Said I should kiss you." With that she locked mussels with him in a passionate kiss. They held it till she felt dizzy for lack of air and reluctantly pulled back.

"I like that part." Tehtaga said.

She laughed lightly, brushing tears from her eyes. "Then I'm to tell you to go do what you have to and remind you that when you're done I'll be waiting for you."

She caught his paw in her's and brought it to rest on her stomach. On the verge of breaking down it was becoming difficult to talk. "Tehtaga..." She swallowed hard "When you're out there being brave remember, we would really, really like it if you could come back to us..."

She caught a look of fear so foreign to his eyes.

"Believe me love there's nothing I want more." He paused "but I have to go."

She nodded waiting for him to leave before she allowed her self to break down and cry in earnest.

Sideia sat on a large boulder looking out over the pit at their target. What was optimistically called her force waited around her. Of what had once been an army of over two hundred under her command, five remained herself included. They where hero's of the pride or so the princess had proclaimed them in a most mocking tone. Five more Vono had been assigned to her all inexperienced. Then she'd been given her orders...go die had been the gist of them. The new recruits looked excited. New recruits where stupid her five experienced Vono looked scared and for a Vono that was something.

"Commander?" One asked. "We're leading the assault?"

"Yep" she said dry and briskly.

"With only ten of us? Five of which have never fought before."

"We'll be fine!" One of the new Vono chimed in confidently.

"Shut up!" One of her soldiers told him threatening a strike of his claw.

"Only the ten of us." She replied not turning to face them.

"How far behind us will the rest be?"

"Princess didn't say." She heard murmuring behind her.

The Vono who'd been speaking, she didn't know his name, came up beside her leaning in so he could be heard at a whisper. "Commander the four of us have discussed it and we want you to know that we serve you."

Sideia looked up her brow arching inquisitively.

"You alone." He said.

She smiled looking over her shoulder. Her fellow former front line soldiers slipped behind the oblivious new recruits.

"You know I think we've earned a retirement..." She told him.

Raganata sat upon the ledge before his throne room. The rage while never subsided had been quieted by the afternoons sacrifice followed by taking halve the lionesses in his pride to the point of having hurt several of them. Now he felt more in the mood for more subtle plotting. Behind him his daughter sat in the overhang of the cave opening attempting to avoid the rain. Bellow them across the great pit that once had been a great and majestic pit Asyron's army stood valiantly against the assault of their forces.

"Asyron seems to be holding your army off my dear." He said carefully choosing his tone to be impassive and cold with put a hint of chastisement.

She laughed that false, overly practiced, courtesan laugh he heard so often among his lionesses. "It is a tentative and temporary hold father."

"But it is a hold!" He snapped letting his voice drop and giving her an angry glance. At his ridicule her face showed surprise and hurt both as practiced has her laugh.

She was a clever thing indeed but there was a difference between cleverness and wisdom and for all she possessed of the former she utterly lacked the latter. Kristae played the games of politics and treachery with great skill but never had been able to determine when she was winning. She had chosen to play against him and that had been a mistake. He was both clever and wise. She'd killed all of her siblings thinking them rivals. This she thought a secret but he had always known and had allowed it for his own reasons. He would even allow her to kill one more but then however she was done. She'd grown a little too brave and he'd begun the process, of course she'd never know it, to have her destroyed. He'd given her command of the army when she'd asked for it to encourage her boldness and thus encourage rash mistakes.

Her managing to ensnare Asyron and handing him another kingdom had been a surprise but a welcome one. Leave it to a king of the sun to fall victim to a female's treachery. She almost certainly imagined Asyron's kingdom would be given to her for her victories. Inwardly he smiled all lionesses where the same unaware of their genders complete inadequacy to rule. Oh the day I'm granted a worthy son!

"Your forces are faltering...yet you do nothing. Go and lead them!" His voice loud and commanding as though he where referring to one of his slaves.

She made a funny surprised sound, real emotional responses where not nearly so eloquent. "What?"

"Go and lead them. You know down there in the mud."

Her face was one of complete indignation.

"Father I'm not a fighter I simply plan the battles. The army is in the paws and claws of our experienced warriors...I would just be in their way."

"You go not to fight with the warriors but to inspire them my dear..." He growled.

"You can't be serious." Her tone was a little too impetuous for his taste and he shot her a harsh glare. Her look soured as she realized the discussion was over.

"And take it with you." He said indicating the Vono hiding in the shadows to her side. The two of them emerged into the rain and Thaggeios followed as Kristae sulked down the path. He knew of their relations too for all they thought that a secret everyone knew of their affair. It was common talk amid the court lionesses. Raganata cared not for his daughter's tastes. It would make an interesting test for her when he took away her reptilian toy. When she kills the Albino maybe I'll blame him for it and see what happens.

Satteis stood his ears flattening against his head as he snarled. A new lioness had arrived at the cave that served as their prison. Four of the reptiles accompanied her and she seemed to be having an argument with the caves two normal guards. At length and with seemingly unhappily the guards let her pass. Her escort remained outside. The lioness walked with a pronounced limp, her body battle worn in the extreme decorated by ugly scars and caked mud. Most noticeably she was missing an ear. Yet despite her appearance and apparent injuries she managed to move with a sense of power. She walked straight at him eyes locked with his. He entertained the idea of surprising and killing her but realized it would do little to accomplish his goals. It would be just a kill against the deaths he had to avenge...he wasn't quite that far gone...yet. He considered taking her hostage, no guard being close enough to stop him, but decided by the look of her the pride must not care much for her safety anyway. When she was close enough he could catch her gaze he found her eyes in contrast to the rest of her. The color of olives sat against black they where sharp and hinted at a dangerous mind.

"The princess killed your friend?" She asked nodding to Cara's body still lying where she'd fallen. Her emotionless tone and jaded way she'd looked to his friend's body made his blood boil and he answered with a growl. Behind him Wraith pulled himself to his paws using the wall for support.

The lioness smiled. If she gave a signal he didn't see it but in a frighteningly smooth movement two of her escort caught their guards by their mussels and snapped their necks. The guards where hastily pushed inside the cave a little ways and their killers calmly took their place. Satteis stepped back bewildered.

"If you had the chance would you kill her?" She asked.

"Yes." He replied honestly making no attempt to hide the anger from his expressions.

She nodded. "Well then I leave you to it?" She turned to leave.

He stood stunned, at a loss. "Why?"

She laughed still heading out. "Don't think yourselves the only one who has debts that need be settled with the princess of the storm. Believe me, if you succeed and I don't have much faith you will, you will be representing a great many of us. I would kill her if I could but a crippled lioness against the great Thaggeios? Personally I prefer my life to dying in vain attempts at revenge so I'm leaving. That said if I was to hear of her demise I would be the first to celebrate."

He looked at Wraith. The panther looking just as shocked as he felt.

"Thank you."

Again she laughed. "Careful in your assessments of me little cheetah, you pride Landers are insufferable idealist and life has made me vicious. If we where to meet again, unlikely though that may be, I suspect we'll be enemies...Oh and one more thing" She stopped and looked back at him. "If you live long enough to see your king, a bit of trivia he might find interesting. The Vono are born and bred warriors they'll fight to the end but the Jackles...They fight because they think Raganata a god. If perhaps he could convince them otherwise...who knows what might happen?"

"Thank you."

She vanished around the corner her guards following suite.

Part ten, Bloody tales

Gotus had wanted to come with him. He had managed at length to convince him that someone needed to stay at the rock to guard against an early return by Caultiss. Though he seriously doubted Caultiss would be returning. In reality Tehtaga had just not wanted the cub with him. Gotus felt he had a debt to pay and cubs like that where dangerous. Gotus would have to absolve any guilt by less dramatic means then a glorious death. Such would far harder and likely more painful, if a different type of pain. Tehtaga did not envy him this task.

Soaked from head to tail he flew through the plains. Overhead lighting lit a night sky blacker then any panther's fur. He found the river Soti, engorged by the recent downpour and leapt it in a single bound. Then it was onward into a forest that was dark on a sunny day let alone this night.

His heart already raced and exhausted muscles screamed. There was still far to go. A trip that taken the army most likely several days he would have to make in night if he was to have any hope of aiding them. Memories began to filter through his head, images from his youth, things he hadn't thought of in years. He'd never been one for reminiscing about the past. Eastern warriors pride themselves on living in the present but the thoughts distracted him from the exertion of the run so he allowed them. He remembered the day when his mother had taken him as a cub barely two to his father's grave marker. A huge boulder under which his father had died fighting three rouge lions. He remembered the night not long thereafter when his mother had left him as well, long plagued by illness she followed his father into whatever world existed beyond this one. Then he'd been alone wandering the eastern wastes a frightened cub. Those had been such painful days it seemed odd realizing that in a way his missed them. He remembered the first time he'd seen that band of nomadic warriors walking along the bison paths merrily singing bloody tales. He smiled. He remembered the warlord who had taken him in. The huge lion asking a cub not taller then his knee if he wanted to join his fierce warriors, fiercest in all the wastes and that was saying something...maybe if he'd known I'd eventually steal his daughter he would have reconsidered. Tehtaga laughed to himself.

It occurred to him he wasn't tired anymore. Ahead lay his fate and his spirit knew that. When the spirit wills the body is but subject, and its complaints had been silenced. In the darkness of this place and the feelings that stirred him he was reminded of that night all those years ago. The night he had been made to wait to challenge for his love.

That night he had been given to ponder death and love alone in the dark. Now like then he was afraid, but there was not doubt what needed to be done so the fear was mute. That night Nylili's father had made him wait the foolish cub who thought himself fearless had been forced to his senses and he realized bravery lie in acknowledging your fears and doing what needed to be done regardless. That horrible night spent terrified and love sick had truly been the best night of his life. It had defined him. Now this night mirrored it and he wondered what would come of it. It was said that for an easterner's fate to lie in the west was an ill omen...but ill for the easterner or the west. Tehtaga smiled and began to sing of bloody tales.

It seemed he would have no choice but to leave another vengeful ghost in his wake. As if he didn't already have enough calling his name.

"I'm staying." Wraith said calmly as though he'd idly decided where he lay in the prison cave was comfortable.

Satteis looked at the panther not believing what he had just heard.

"You can't expect me to leave you."

Wraith smiled white teeth contrasting with his ebon face. "I can barely walk. You can't afford my slowing you down. You my friend have royalty to kill."

There was a pause then he shook his head no. "I've lost enough friends lately get up." Satteis ordered. The panther didn't move.

"That's why when the princess is dead and Asyron has won the battle you'll send someone to get me."

Another pause. "You took an oath." Wraith added. "No matter what remember?"

"You planned this didn't you?"

Wraith laughed. "Whatever it takes."

"We are coming back for you I'll lead them myself if I'm missing a leg." He said solemnly.

"Of course you will." Wraith replied with complete confidence. He stretched and leaned back doing a good job of hiding the pain at his movements. "Tell the princess I said hi."

With a last disbelieving shake of his head Satteis headed for the now unguarded cave entrance.

It seemed as though all the world had descended into chaos and for a moment he was overwhelmed. Satteis slipped from the cave and cautiously made the short was to the path that ran along the pit's edge. If he had expected guards or that he would have to fight his way down the path he was wrong it was completely unguarded. Years of training kept him in the shadows of the rocky overhangs but he could have walked straight down the middle had he wanted to.

The reason was obvious. On the other side of the ledge the occasional flash of lighting would illuminate a terrible battle. The sounds of beasts dying washed over him in waves punctuated by crashes of thunder. Asyron's army had formed itself into an ever shrinking semi-circle pushed back against the shear side of a rocky range of hills. The army of the storm poured out of the pit and the forest in veritable legions relentlessly pressing them from all sides. Raganata's slaves had better thing to do tonight then guard paths. He knew the tactics of war and knew this battle was over. A shiver ran through him thinking any further. The kingdom of the storm pride spilling out unchallenged from their forest was worse then any nightmare he could have ever come up with on his own. Raganata would spread his paws across the good lands and they would be good no more.

Well if there is to be such a kingdom. He told himself trying to steal his nerves. Kristae will have no part in it. Alone there was nothing he could do against Raganata even if the paths that led to the mountain where left unguarded the king would not be. But he could save the pride-land'ers from his daughter's sadism. The look on her face came into his mind. She had killed his friends, tortured Cara not because they where enemies, or she wanted information but because she enjoyed it. He had assumed it was not the first time she done such but the lioness that had helped them escape had hinted at how prevalent an occurrence it was. He had a good idea how that lioness had received her injuries. He wanted revenge but there was more to it then that evil like that just couldn't be allowed.

He came to the base of the black stairs. They wound their way up the mountain side seemingly into the storm itself. In all his life he'd never seen such craftsmanship from the paws of beasts. For all its horrid brutally he had to admit a genius within its design. Satteis stopped considering his course. The princess's appearance had been obsessively immaculate. He couldn't imagine her out in this rain much less near a battle. That would put her somewhere up there. He looked up the stairs unhappily. Grudgingly he started up him. He took no more then three steps before his attention was brought, by nothing in particular, back down to the path.

He was a good tracker, perhaps better then good. In mud and rain however it was nearly impossible, beyond the fact that so many had passed along the path that what tracks there where blended together, each trampling the other into oblivion. His head cocked reflexively to listen to the whispers hidden within a passing rain filled breeze. Maybe he saw a lion or lioness paw within that muddy track, to big to be a jackal's paw, no where near the shape of a Vono claw. Maybe hints of a Vono's claw print seemed bigger, wider spread then was normal. There was no way to be certain. Of one thing he was certain however, the spirits spoke. He headed for the battle.

Water dripped from her fur and into her eyes, mud clinging to her paws. Kristae seethed with rage. She may have been of the line of Storm...but she shared no love for standing in them. It would take her days to get clean again.

"To think I considered sharing kingdoms with him! I'll feed that old piece of shit a piece of his own heart for this!"

"Yes my lady."

Thaggeios's answer startled her and she glanced around nervously for eavesdroppers not having meant to say that out loud. A jackal sat nearby on the pits edge. He looked distracted but there was no way to be sure. "Kill him." She said as they passed. Not bothering to turn she shortly heard a startled yip combined with a sort of crunching sound.

"Yes my lady."

She blew the reptile a kiss over her shoulder. "But for a few more of you my dear and I'd rule the world."

"Where there more only one would survive...Yet you might still." He said in his cold hissed tone. It sent a pleasant chill down her spine.

She felt her spirits rise somewhat despite her discomfort. "Yes...I might at that."

Following the curving path around the great pit they came to the flanks of their army. A line of jackals standing in rows waiting to charge up the path into one side of Asyron's circle. Kristae stopped and surveyed her forces. Those waiting where not moving while a line of injured where making their way back from the forefront in good order. She sighed in disgust. So many of my beautiful plans soiled by the service of idiots.

"Why are we not moving ahead here?" She snapped.

Several Vono commanders turned suddenly. Vono lacked any fine facial expression but she could feel their surprise at her presence...and their fear.

"I ordered their stop princess." A voice said, A Vono emerging from Jackal numbers.

"You're one of my new generals are you not?"

"Yes princess Kristae."

She took a deep breath. "And is there a reason why you stopped my armies attack without orders?"

The Vono placed himself between her and his men as if he thought he could protect them. It almost made her laugh.

"We where losing too many Asyron's line is to strong here. We can go around through the lower paths then come up and try along the..."

"Shh!" Kristae hushed him with a wave of her claw and a glare. She rubbed her head with her paw realizing only too late it was still covered in mud only adding to her growing fury. "Your new to command so let me emphasis for you your life depends on how you answer this...I give you far superior numbers and deliver Asyron to you, in our home. Their trapped against a wall, being assaulted from all sides...and you can not push forward? Their lines to strong here?!" Her claws flexed with her glare.

The Vono swallowed hard. "All you have said is true...but princess...It is the Fearless. They hold the line here. They're the best of Asyron's army. They will not be moved!"

Her eyes when wide with amusement and she let out a laugh. Then she screamed at him, not words just a high pitch sound. "Why you little...THE FEARLESS! The fearless, Oh Sihadd help us it's the fearless!" he took a nervous step back.

"You will go forward!" Her voice quivering in anger. "They don't want to move fine step over them when their dead."

She flung mud pointing an angry claw at the retreating jackals. "IF THEIR ABLE TO WALK BACK THEY ARE NOT INJURED ENOUGH TO COME BACK!!"

She sucked air through locked fangs regaining her composer.

"Thaggeios." She said her voice returned to its normal tone. His dark mass came up beside her. She ran her paw down his side and took a deep breath. For all of his loyalty as a guard she knew he missed his warrior days. This close to battle she could feel the tension in his body. "You will go with them. They call themselves the Fearless...You will teach them that no one is without fear..." She smiled leaning into him. "Save you." She purred.

"Yes my lady." He said and stalked forward, Vono and jackal alike hurrying to make a path. She watched him leave and sighed. He was the closest to a monster she had ever encountered and to her he was truly beautiful. Behind him her army fell in an moved forward.

Kristae hissed at a nearby jackal coughing blood, complaining of some injury or another and sent it scurrying off to join the rest. Lazy fucks every one...

"If you're going to die, do it killing something!" She yelled after him.

Finding a large boulder with a slight overhang she was able to take shelter from the rain. Shaking the water from her fur she then set about assessing the damage the mud had done to the pristine condition of her claws. Inspire the warriors' father? Oh I'll inspire them!

"Hello My lady."

She turned startled. Behind her stood the cheetah, Asyron's scout, he looked haggard and small especially with his fur dripping wet but a frightening look shown in his eyes.

She backed away from him. "GUARDS!" She yelled. There was no response.

He smiled. "You sent them all forward remember? Such loyalty you command!"

There is strength in every beast, he had been told once, a last reserve to be used only when you are corned and death assured. Cin had never cared much for romantic notions and if he remembered right the lion who had told him that was now dead. But Asyron's line held and it had nothing to do with reason. The Fearless stood like a wall. He had given their command to Taragen, now fighting in the middle of them, sending jackals flying with every swipe of his paw and leaving him free to coordinate with the other parts of the line. All of them save this one where losing ground. It was just a matter of how much ground how fast.

Then it came. Cin stopped where was, a little back from the front regrouping a retreating band, staring at the huge Vono. It was tall enough to walk over the Jackals in lumbering steps an apparent skill for navigating through the masses. If he did step on the occasional jackal it was because that jackal had been out of formation. A mistake the jackal would never be given the opportunity to repeat.

Walls are solid things. They by the very lack of give that defines them are destined to be broken. If he embraced a romantic notion now it was because his reason was inadequate to describe the horror of what he saw.

How he didn't see the giant monitor Cin couldn't even fathom. But Taragen didn't, the lion turned about to yell something to him. By the slight smile on Taragen's face he imagined it would have been an arrogant boast. As the lion opened his mouth to speak the Vono emerged from its ranks and with an angry thrash of his head bit down into the Northeren warrior. Its jaws closed around Taragen's back and through it, the monitor driving his own snout into the ground to rip the lion, a large lion, in halve.

"Goodbye my friend." Cin answered whatever Taragen had been about to tell him. What looked to be no more effort then a flick of his claw and three Fearless determined to avenge their new leader followed him instead.

Jackals poured thought the newly created hole. Roaring to be heard he began to give the orders to fall back and regroup. A jackal reached him and he downed it with a blow to the temple. His paw came back stinging from the impact but the jackal had faired worse. If the storm pride's push couldn't be contained here what had been the strongest section of the line would collapse. All the others would then quickly crumble in around them.

The giant Vono's head turned, Taragen's blood still dripping from its teeth. It locked eyes with him. Having heard me yell orders, just as he'd probably heard Taragen, He thought grimly. He's hunting leaders.

It came for him, through any soldier who dared get in its way. He dodged the first strike the heavy claw shredding the ground where he had been. Stepping to the side he leapt onto the thing's shoulder clawing and biting for all he was worth. What he hoped to accomplish he had no idea. He wasn't certain how it threw him, perhaps it had just shrugged. By the spirits is anything that strong? But he hit the ground. It didn't hurt really the mud cushioning his landing. The problem being his down, laying on his back looking up into the rain, that meant he was a good as dead. The Vono loomed over him. Its lips pulled back showing off the rows of needle like teeth stained in blood, a nightmarish image. Well at least I'll get to ask Taragen what he wanted...I swear if I go to all the trouble of crossing over to the other side and it's a stupid joke. The thought made him laugh and the prospect of a brutal death really didn't seem all that bad.

It raised a claw but the blow didn't come.

The Vono head turned suddenly looking back. What it sensed he had no idea. The hideous yellow eyes of Raganata's elite warriors where impenetrable but if he was to ever read anything from them, this Vono showed worry.

It left him lying there. As if it had completely forgotten him it stalked off in a hurry back from wherever it had come Asyron's and Raganata's forces alike making no effort to stop him. If it wanted to leave he was more then happy to let it. He got up. Probably was a stupid joke anyway.

Pulling with one paw and her teeth at the scruff of his neck Marri dragged a cheetah through the mud. His blood from a deep cut across one of his back thighs leaving a train behind them. She was not a fighter. Trying to fight the Vono harassing the armies back this had been made clear to her. Three times she'd had to be saved. Having to defend her was more of a burden to the defenders then any help she'd been.

This admitted she refused to be useless to them. So she had taken up the task of moving their injured away from the immediate front and tending to them as best as she could. It was a horrible task. Exhausting as it was she didn't mind moving them. It was comforting them that was torturous. Sitting watching them suffer able to nothing for them save hold their paws and tell them they'd be all right till they died. She took another step before she realized the cheetah was dead. Gently she laid him down, his body sinking slightly in the mud, the rain washing his blood from her fur. She realized she was crying and grimaced at her weakness.

"Spirits curse me!" She spat at herself. "A pampered lioness playing soldier to worry my husband..."

A paw patted her shoulder and she turned to see a leopardess. A hint of kindness all but lost behind the grimness of her features.

"You are a comfort my queen if that means anything." Then the leopardess was gone back into the jumbled ranks.

It did.

Marri headed back for the next wounded soldier certain there would be plenty.

Satteis circled her. Kristae turning to keep him in her front, she kept her head down, shoulders low like a submissive animal but the look in her glistening crystal green eyes betrayed the act.

"What if I surrender?" She asked doing her best impression of a damsel in distress.

He laughed. "Princess say or do whatever you want you still die tonight."

"Asyron teaches you to murder lionesses?"

He let images of her atrocities run through his mind.

"No. This I do of my own accord."

"You know..." A wry smile came across the princess's lips, her tone becoming soft and seductive. "We don't have to be enemies, you and I. I never planned to hurt you."

Still circling he began to close on her, reminding himself that time was on her side. He said nothing.

"You army's doomed you realize that. I could keep my army from killing them. We'll arrange a peaceful accord and no one else need die. Then will celebrate! I could demonstrate for you the considerable skills of a storm court lioness make you forget all about that scrawny leopardess."

"Did you really think that would work?"

She snarled, hate filling her eyes. "It was worth the attempt." With a slash of her paw she flung mud at him, pouncing in his moment of distraction. He dogged her initial attack with a sidestep. She was not an experienced fighter, her blows predictable and her balance unsteady. But she was vicious slashing at his eyes and throat. Her blows while lacking for power where dangerous by their targets and he found himself retreating. He took one slash across the cheek and felt warm blood join the water running down his fur. "I told you we court lionesses where skilled cheetah!" She hissed. "First you're taught to fuck then you're taught how to maim the competition."

Satteis answered her boast by stepping in and connecting a paw with her ear. The next blow she ducked but his third caught her in the chin and she made a hurt sound falling back. One paw holding her face she stumbled slightly.

It might have worked but she overplayed it. The stumble was excessive and he saw the shift in her hips as she centered her weight on her back legs. She exploded out of her injured ploy leaping at him with a furious if feminine roar. He jumped straight up. Kristae landed face first in the mud where he had been and he came down on her claws and fangs barred. They where not needed. His weight came down clean on her neck just bellow her head and she was dead.

Satteis sat on her corpse a little disappointed. He actually hadn't intended to break her neck. He thought of Oseck and Oseix then Cara. How many others the princess of the storm hurt or killed? This was a quicker death then she had deserved. Recalling what little he knew of her a thought came to him. He smiled taking some consolation. The princess had died in the mud and was utterly filthy.

Part eleven, Thaggeios of the Vono

He stepped off her corpse and took three steps. The spirits screamed, voices carried shrill on the wind. Before he even knew he heard them he obeyed throwing himself to the ground.

A claw missed his head by mere inches. It struck a nearby rock instead and shattered it, sending sharp stone raining painfully down on him. He rolled forward from where he lay and another heavy clawed strike left a crater like impression in mud and stone. Back on his paws he turned to face his foe. The giant Vono emerged from the dark with an amazing stealth for its size. In a broad sweeping motion it leveled a claw at him.

"You!" It hissed.

The spirits whispered warnings all around him. He swore he could see the lights of hell within those seething yellow eyes. They bore only one expression and yet told everything there was to know of the beast. It needed no expression save one of anger.

"I killed your master Vono!" Satteis said to it matter-of-factly. "Are you her slave still?" They locked glares and for the first time in his life doubting that indeed the spirits had created all things.

"I am Thaggeios given freedom by the paw of the king himself because I was superior over all my kind cheetah just as all my kind are superior to yours. I am no slave. I served her for my own reasons."

He nodded his understanding honestly unconcerned. He'd been allowed vengeance and would ask for no more. Under his breath began to say his last prayers.

The voices would not allow him such rest...they told him to move.

He jumped back and a snap of the reptile's jaws biting down like a prehistoric beast rent the ground where he had stood. The Vono struck again and he sidestepped the missed blow reducing another rock formation to shrapnel.

So they began their dance down the path. He made no attempt to attack back concentrating only on avoiding blows that would reduce his bones to dust. They moved out onto a narrow section of the path rain and wind berating them. High jagged rocks rose form one side while the other dropped away into the pit. As their backdrop the two armies clashed. The Huge reptile quickly grew frustrated hissing and snarling angrily throwing all its strength behind every blow.

Moving with all the speed and agility he'd ever been afforded Satteis stayed alive. Logic told him he would die. He knew eventually it would hit him. It only needed to do so once. He might have despaired and let it. Exhaustion nipped at him even through the fear born adrenalin tempting him to let this monster send him to his fallen friends. But the spirits spoke. They called him further down the path, whispers in his ear telling him when to duck, when to jump, where to step. To what ends they guided him he didn't know. It was only for him to obey their commands.

Tehtaga veered from the path and into the woods. By the sounds of fighting ahead he could guess the way was blocked. There was no way of telling exactly where Asyron was or Raganata' soldiers attacking them. Reconnaissance would have prudent normally however he imagined time was of essence. He would have to settle for emerging in an area less likely to be heavily defended. From there he would be able to plan his strategy for reaching the army.

The first jackal died without even seeing him. He pounced from the shade of the trees and landed on it his claws caught at its throat and raked down. The thing was dead before he even knew he was being attacked. Tehtaga drove his target to the ground and stood back up blood pooling around him. He stood amidst nine more jackals and a Vono leader.

In that heartbeat of time it took them to realize what had happened he was moving. He bit into the side of the neck of the jackal next to him locked jaws then tore free. The taste of blood filling his senses all other thoughts fell away. Lifting a paw overhead he brought it down shattering a skull. Letting that paw land he shifted his weight and disemboweled another jackal as he passed.

The Vono hissed orders angrily and the six remaining jackals attacked. Tehtaga stopped his charge shifting back to his hindquarters he slashed with both front paws. Two more jackals fell. A sharp pain caught him as one leapt onto his back and bit into his shoulder. He fell back to his front paws the momentum carrying his attacker over his back. Catching it he assisted its fall into the ground claws unsheathed another jackal dead. The last three formed a defense for their leader, the reptile backing off behind them. It was brave and pointless. Tehtaga waded through them coming out the other side fangs and claws painted in blood.

For all variety of things he'd done in his life, for all the good things he'd learned his birthright as an orphan of the wastes where the skills of a killer. To say that at least on some level he didn't enjoy it would have been a lie. He glared at the Vono and gave a bloody smile showing fangs.

A heavy blow of a claw hit the ground in front of him and the impact alone nearly knocked him down. As he stumbled he brushed against a large boulder and dove behind it. Using it as a moment of cover he turned around and bolted. Behind him he heard the Vono roar angrily. Like a loud gravely version of its hissing similar to the roar of a mammal might make only in so far as he couldn't think of a better word to describe it.

It didn't take him very long to realize the grave mistake he had made. Satteis ground to a halt. He'd cornered himself. The off shoot of path he'd chosen to flee to was really a small ledge overlooking the pit. Bellow him had he wanted to see it was a spectacular view of Raganta's legions of jackals waiting to make their way up from the pits bottom up the small paths to assist in the Assault on Asyron. Like a scurrying sea more foes then they could ever hope to defeat. The voices suddenly fell silent and he felt a surge of anger. Did you bring me here just to see this? That I might die utterly disheartened. He thought bitterly.

The Vono laughed a sound even less pleasant to hear then its attempt at a roar.

Satteis turned to face it. The reptile completely blocked a return to the path. Trapped on this narrow ledge his dodging was at an end. Satteis sighed. He was tired and part of him was glad the running was over that part warring against the part of him that wanted to die fighting. Cara asked me not to this. She had wanted us to escape and survive. A wave of guilt washed over him.

"You run cheetah, you defend yourself, there is hope in these things...This is foolish. You killed my princess there is no hope for you." The cold voice said.

He snarled.

"I was told you claim to hear voices. Did you think your pride lands spirits would help you? This is Sihadd's realm they have no power against the storm god."

Satteis charged the Vono. Feinting a movement to the left he shifted suddenly lifted in a hope of getting past the reptile and back out into the open.

A claw caught him by the throat.

As easily as if he weighed nothing he was lifted off the ground, to face the reptile and to choke. Black scaled lips pulled back to present the rows of hideous teeth.

"The spirits are a myth little cheetah. They like everything else in your pride lands are weak and powerless soon to be wiped away."

Had he been able to breath he would have said otherwise but Satteis's heart quaked at the Vono's words and for the first time in his life he doubted.

It threw him sending him sliding over the wet rock. He caught himself barely managing to avoid going over the ledge.

It stalked towards him making that horrible sound that he assumed was its laugh. "There is one true rule which rules nature cheetah. It says that eventually the stronger always prevails..." The Vono raised a claw up and overhead thunder cackled its approval.

Satteis whispered to himself words lost in the howling wind. Please if you where ever with me help me now. No response came.

"I am stronger cheetah."

The claw came down upon him.

He rolled nearly falling off the edge to avoid having his head crushed. Gripping stone with claws and pulling himself down he avoided the next one as well. Getting inside the Vono's leg he tired to get back to his paws. Mid motion he had to drop to avoid a slash. This time he didn't move quite fast enough. He managed to avoid the majority of the blow but a claw caught his back. Just being nicked by it was enough he felt it cut down to the bone and the impact flipped him completely over knocking him almost all the way across the ledge.

Satteis lay on his back in the mud looking up at the flashes of lighting.

"You should accept your fate Cheetah." The reptile scolded him mockingly.

Grimacing in pain he rolled to his stomach avoiding yet another blow meant to end him.

Laying there in pain, looking down he laughed. A real laugh filled with joy. It was an odd thing to be happy about but he felt elated his faith restored. Beneath his paws cracks had begun to form and spread, the stone having been hit a few too many times. The rock trembled.

To the credit of the monster's fury even as it came to understand what was happening no fear showed in those yellow eyes. The anger in them didn't even flicker.

The rock gave way beneath them, shattering like glass. The Vono turned snarling whether it had been attempting to save itself or reaching for him Satteis couldn't tell. Whichever had been its goal it failed. The huge black reptile vanished into the chasm bellow.

In a last burst of energy Satteis made it to his paws and kicked off the rock he was on as it disintegrated. As it had bragged the Vono had been stronger...but he was faster. He paw caught the edge of the pit. The leg locked, pain burning through his shoulder and elbow at the shock of having to stop his fall alone. His claws barely catching the edge where nearly ripped form his paw.

But he held, dangling above the chasm.

Part twelve, To the king

Tehtaga caught the cheetahs paw just as strained claws where begging to slip pulling him back up onto the path. Satteis looked at him inquisitively looking like he was about to ask a question then apparently gave up instead giving him just a quick nod. The smaller cat wavered for a moment and almost fell over. Soaked muddy fur didn't help either of their appearances but the cheetah seemed very worn, pain, sorrow and exhaustion reflected in his features. A trickle of blood became apparent running down his back down his back.

"You know your bleeding?" He asked turning to scan the path fearful of being spotted by any of their many foes.

Satteis nodded that he knew. "It's high, on my shoulders I think, wont kill me...at least not soon."

They both turned to look at the fighting.

"If we can reach them...get help." Satteis said wavering again. "I was told if we could make an example of Raganata his jackals would break."

Tehtaga looked at him. "Who told you this?"

Satteis shrugged. "Honestly I don't know a lioness of Raganata's pride."

He was suddenly very skeptical. "You believed her?"

Satteis looked like he was thinking about it for a moment then nodded. "She helped me."

He breathed uneasily pushing the wet fur of his mane from his face. "If we assault the mountain, even assuming we can do that, and they don't break everyone dies."

The cheetah nodded again. "We're dead anyway. Retreats imposable we'll never outrun them especially in their own territory. You should have stayed home."

Tehtaga laughed then looking out over the enemies in their way let it die away into a sigh

"We lose here and I don't have a home. Of course none of this matters if we cant reach the king."

"You know your orders, ON MY MARK! One, two..."

Cin ran the circuit of the army yelling orders. Conveying his message and getting affirmation from every commander. On his mark the circle would collapse inward and form up into a tight ball at the center. It would happen eventually he'd decided he'd rather plan it and have it controlled. There they would make their last stand.

"MARK!" he roared. Around him the army broke and headed for their new positions. He stopped and stood and they moved around him, having decided as a measure of faith to retreat only with he last of them.

Overhearing an argument he spun around to face his quarreling soldiers.

"Do we not have enough foes trying to kill us that you would..." Seeing the queen he let his reprimand trail off.

"Sir we asked her to head to middle as you ordered." A lion told him. "She refuses."

Until now he hadn't even known the queen accompanied them and still had no idea why.

"Queen Marri uhmm...yes we need to get you to safety or as close as we can manage go with them." He said starting to turn back.

"Do you have any idea how many injured we're leaving behind in this retreat?" She asked exasperation in her voice.

"Yes I am aware it is unfortunate my lady but they are soldiers..." He said the words calmly even as they turned his stomach such where the orders commanders had to make.

"YOU WOULD JUST LEAVE THEM?!" She screamed at him.

"YOU WOULD JOIN THEM?!" He roared back, Marri jumped back surprised at his sudden outburst. Cin had never felt he had the stomach for command and yelling at royalty terrified him but he held his glare and his bluff seemed to work.

"Where is my husband?" She asked in a more subdued tone.

"I don't know." He said. "Indisposed."

A look of fear passed over her face. "He's hurt?"

"No...Not physically he's had a breakdown and chosen to withdraw..."

"A breakdown!" Her look of fear vanished replaced by what he didn't even care to guess.

"Sir!" On the lions that had been arguing with the queen yelled suddenly pointing out into the enemy army.

"By the spirits!" Cin said in awe. Out in the mass of jackals so many they appeared as a solid unit of back and grey fur spotted only by the occasional dark green of a Vono's scales two figures fought their way forward. "It's hopeless." He said shaking his head in disbelieve. "Their dead there's no way." The last wave of his men passed him. It was time to retreat.

"That's Tehtaga!" Someone yelled out. What remained of the fearless making up the last wave of retreating soldiers stopped to stare at their former leader's fight. "...Satteis is with him." One of them added as if their names alone could save them in their suicidal endeavor. Eager eyes turned to him.

"We help them."

A leopard of the fearless said his tone not implying it was a question. Cin's head swam, only nine of Fearless still remained they had entered this battle a group of twenty. Already the Jackals where coming they needed to retreat especially with the queen in their company.

"Shit..." He hissed rubbing his soaked fur trying to think.

"Sir...if we have any hope it lies with them." The leopard said.

Cin turned picking out a retreating lion at random. "YOU! You're in charge now facilitated the retreat and then defense!"

The lion looked at him baffled and frightened. "Sir I'm not even a..."

"YOU WILL DO AS YOU'RE TOLD!" Cin yelled trying for all his life to sound like Tehtaga. He turned back to the fearless in front of him. "We help them." Marri gave him a sharp look. He sighed

"...and he grab as many injured on they way as we can." He turned to her. "But we're in an out that's the best we can do and YOU retreat NOW!"

The queen looked at him reluctantly obviously having wanted to go with them. With a deep breath however she conceded and with a nod headed with the others for the armies new center.

They ran into the mob jackals at full speed. Tehtaga caught the first one unlucky enough to try to turn on him with an upward arching slice of his claws and sent him flying back into the jackal's ranks, knocking others down and buying them just that much more distance. Then they where fighting for their lives. Small each but cumulatively overpowering Raganata's jackals attacked. It really felt more like fighting the current of a river then anything else, save for the occasional sharp pain of claws of teeth piercing his flesh. He slashed one, bit another, threw his shoulder into a third then lost track.

He and Satteis's strategy had been simple momentum was key. If they could keep moving forward aided by surprise and the fact only so many enemies could come to bear on them at a time they had a chance. If they where stopped they'd be swamped pinned down and die.

Just ahead and to his left Satteis vanished as a cluster of snarling jackals jumped him at once. For a moment he was gone from sight then the little cat came flying out of the fight. Satteis jumping on one of his many attackers used it as a spring board to leap to another nearby jackal. Tehtaga watched amazed as the cheetah, jumping from foe to foe literally ran across the mob quickly making precious distance. The determination in his movements nearly as impressive as the feat itself. Then the dark green scales of a Vono commander flashed from the crowd and a claw caught the Cheetah. The blow seemingly reminding Satteis he couldn't fly he went down hard once again vanishing into the enemy armies ranks.

The claw that caught his back leg cut deep into the ankle and cost him his already precarious balance. Satteis fell into the swarm of jackals knowing he was going to die. He made no effort to stop from falling into the first jackal trying to get into position to attack him, knocking it down with him as he hit the ground. They landed facing each other and exchanged a series of bites and claw slashes an exchange that turned out far worse for the jackal then Satteis. Rolling over that jackal he threw a quick swipe at another's throat. The blow landed but he didn't have time to observe the effects before the unit's reptilian leader came charging from their ranks and knocked him back down with a claw to he chest. He kicked out at the Vono hoping to trip him but an incoming jackal accidentally got in the way and took the kick instead. The jackal yelped and fell back hurt this however was little condolence when the Vono stepped down on him pinning him into the mud.

A lion hit the monitor holding him a pounce slamming into the reptile's chest and sending the Vono and its attacker to the ground. Another lion followed the first and helped pummel the thrashing reptile. Satteis got to his paws. Around him a small band of lions and leopards where holding Ragnata's army back creating a small circle in the sea of Jackals.

A few moments later Tehtaga came crashing through the mob of foes and fell to the ground near Satteis. He was bleeding from a variety of wounds running the range in severity and exhausted but alive.

"All right RETREAT!" A leopard yelled.

"Cin?" Tehtaga asked slowly getting back to his paws

"Sir." The leopard saluted quickly and the small force began to back up towards Asyron's army still holding off Jackals.

Tehtaga shook his head. "You shouldn't have come out for us."

The leopard laughed. "You should relive me of command sir and throw me out of the army...please."

"You've gotten arrogant since I left you in charge Cin I don't remember you ever back talking me before." Tehtaga said suppressing a smile.

"Been a hell of a campaign sir."

Asyron sat in the middle of his ever shrinking army staring off into the distant gloom. Tehtaga stopped and made short bow but the king made no indication that he noticed. The king's two guards saluted and queen Marri sitting nearby looked his way.

"I'm glad to see your okay." She said. Her voice strained her eyes looked like she might have been crying recently but rain made it imposable to tell. "Satteis?" She asked.

"We are both well my-lady." Tehtaga bowed his head respectfully at the queen. "I must speak to King Asyron." He said.

Marri turned to glare at your husband anger flashing through her eyes. "He won't talk to you!...at least he won't talk to me." She sighed a sound of weariness, frustration, and sorrow all expressed at once.

"So I was told." Tehtaga moved to stand in the king's vision. "My king..." he said. There was no response. Marri turned to hide her face concealing what emotions he didn't know.

"Asyron!" He tried again.

Asyron blinked. "Tehtaga......you weren't supposed to be here." The king said his voice and gaze still distant.

"My king we have a plan."

"Plan?" Asyron gave a strange smile. "It's hopeless." Asyron gestured with his paw at something vaguely in front of him. "Cant you see them. Where doomed...I was a wrong....I've killed us all and there's nothing we can do."

"Satteis believes if we can reach Raganata and kill him the majority of his forces might panic and break."

Asyron shook his head sorrowfully. "...pointless...better to stay here, resign to it."

"Why you coward!" Marri turned on her mate snarling. "You lead them out here for your own pathetic delusions glory...now you're going to abandon us to die why? Because you're scared...because you feel sorry for yourself?"

Asyron stared to speak but words seemed to fail him, Marri just glared at him infuriated.

"...It's hopeless." The king said at last weakly.

One of the king's guards having looked increasingly agitated finally snapped. "Tehtaga sir...you should challenge him! We would follow you." Having said that the lion flinched bracing for any punishments suggestion of treason might bring. None came.

Tehtaga took a deep breath looking down at his paw in the mud water stained in his blood pooling around them. Every soldier nearby moved up so they could hear him. The queen looked up at him a variety of emotions in her eyes. She was angry but she loved her husband. The king himself looked at him like a cub facing an angry parent. The king's features showed both curiosity and fear. Asyron made no move to get up or protect himself should Tehtaga decide to attack.

"My king..." Tehtaga said raising his head to lock eyes with the other lion. "Years ago you gave me and my wife a home when had spent our entire lives as nomads. You trusted the word of a rouge when there was no reason you should have. I agreed to serve you because I thought you a good leader." Tehtaga paused taking in the world around him. The silent anxiety in this small circle contrasting with sounds of roars and screams from the battle around them. "Tell me you think we should stay here that that's what's best for the army and I will stay. I'll fight to death beside the others. But my king I do not believe we should stay here. We have a plan and I'm asking for your help. I still believe you are a good leader. Your kingdom needs you. All the pride lands need you. I do not believe you will fail them."

"I..." Asyron started his voice frightened, tired and ashamed. "I will do as you think best."

Part Thirteen, Charging the black stairs

Nylili had returned to her cave and lay in the entrance looking out. In the main cave Gotus was being fawned over by most of the pride's single lionesses. She still wasn't sure she trusted him but if he was to try anything those same lionesses would make quick work of him.

The sudden crash of thunder made her jump. It had been raining for days now and the storm was growing worse. Far bellow in the plains the grass was being whipped by an angry wind. Somewhere out there was Tehtaga, fighting for his home. She was terrified more frightened then she'd ever been in her life. Her cave felt so empty, outside the storm seemed so threatening, alive and angry. This isn't my home. She realized. The thought seemed so true to her now she wondered why it had never occurred to her before. Tehtaga had been so happy to have a home. She answered her self. He had been so happy to give up the constant roaming of a nomadic life she had never questioned it. He called this place their home and eventually so had she. She called this her cave...but it wasn't it was just a cave. Why am I realizing this now? This place had never bothered her before. She had felt at home here just yesterday, this morning even. Yet it wasn't the place she would have been happy anywhere because ...Her home was wherever Tehtaga was...That thought caught in her mind adding horrible meaning to her anxiety. This place had been her home because it had been Tehtaga's home. Now this place seemed so lonely and foreign. She began to cry again. She'd been crying off and on since he'd left.

"Please." She begged, praying

"Please...bring him back."

Asyron stood with his commanders. The army had contracted as far as it could, a small ball of fierce but tired warriors amidst innumerable foes. How could there even be this many jackals. It seemed to him like the vile little things must be born from the woods itself a hundred at a time, every couple minutes for Raganata to have so many of them.

The planned movement was subtle yet brilliant, the work of Tehtaga, Satteios, and Cin. In their current defense position the strongest units faced the path towards Raganata's mountain. They would begin the drive forward hoping to have surprise as an advantage. When they broke through, if they broke through the units from the rear would advance through them so the stronger units could turn and hold off the perusing army long enough that the rest could attempt the assault of Raganata. He had been there at its quick but extensive planning but had contributed little. I contributed nothing.

Asyron felt distant lost. There was nothing to cling to. He no longer could believe in himself his arrogant delusions had been taken from him by that horrible first sight of Raganata's army, that army that belittled his every accomplishment. Every one of his victories of which he had been so proud had been nothing more then charades to fool him. Now the fool had led his kingdom here to die. He longed now for the simple faith of his father. The faith most pride lander's held that the spirits watched over and guided them. He had mocked such beliefs since his father had died. Only now did he realize how wise his father had been and that only served to better illustrate how much of a failure he was by comparison.

Tehtaga came up beside him talking in low tones to Cin. Then the leopard headed off at a brisk pace. It was almost time.

"Tell me you believe." Asyron said wanting to hear the other lion had some sort of faith guiding him, anything.

"I believe." Tehtaga said his voice calm and collected.

Then the charge began.

Sideia sat with her small band where the northern tree line faced the mountain and the pit. This would be their last view of the mountain the storm god made with his own paws. Soon they would vanish into the woods and leave this land for where she had no idea.

She watched the battle on the pits rim with a variety of emotions. Asyron's army was moving advancing no less. She knew why. It had been her plan. The fact Asyron had apparently gotten her message meant the cheetah or the panther had survived. That most likely meant Kristae was dead. Sideia decided to believe she was dead for certain. That thought brought nothing but joy. It was subdued by other emotions however. There was some sorrow. Giving Asyron the means to make himself a threat was her and her group's means of escaping. No one would notice their loss after this mess. However if Asyron succeeded it would mean the destruction of her home maybe the death of her family. What had been my home, who used to be my family. She corrected the anger and feelings of betrayal that had kept her alive throughout her long banishment came back.

"Fuck it!" She said and headed into the woods.

Raganata's forces had spread their strength to completely surround Asyron's. Outnumbering them by so much they could afford such a strategy. If Tehtaga and Satteios's insane run through their midsts had disconcerted them they where far less prepared by Asyron's forces becoming a sudden spearhead driving through them.

Cin lead the charge's front, slashing and biting his way through anything in his way. Disruption so that the army behind him would have an easier passage more important then actually killing. Not that it mattered much any jackal knocked to the ground would be trampled to death anyway. Only when the occasional reptilian commander was spotted did he and his men stop long enough to make sure the creature died.

Marri found herself in the army's middle presumably to keep her safe. There where in reality no safe places here.

Ahead of her several soldiers broke to the left to tackle a charging Vono. She turned momentarily to see the fight and caught a jackal in the chest. It knocked her to the ground and sharp teeth sunk into her shoulder. Several of the beasts having broken through the momentary gap left by those fighting the commander. She snarled and swiped at it raking her claws across its face. It made a shriek and pulled back somewhat allowing her to get her weight back under her. She jumped up in a pounce and bit down into her struggling attacker throat. When it quit moving she continued on blood staining her mussel. She was angry. She's spent an entire day watching beasts die, she was angry at their killers, angry at her husband and angry at herself for letting something so selfish concern her while others where dying. Unleashing that anger on her enemies wasn't difficult. Had she the time to think about it it might have frightened her how quickly war had made her vicious. Quick acknowledgment ran through her mind that her actions here would most likely haunt her for the rest of her life. In a way she hoped they would, it would mean the damage her short time in battle had done to her soul wasn't permanent.

Asyron's forces pierced the mob of Raganata's jackals, and then the hard part of their plan began. Tehtaga roared commands almost deafening himself trying to be heard over the noise of combat. He and the rearguard turned again to face the enemy army and formed a line. With the exception of Cin who led the front what remained of his fearless stood with him, roughly the same number survivors of Taragen's Proud brutes eager to avenge him, the rest of his force being made up of volunteers either very angry, crazy or some combination thereof. Together they would try to hold back the sea of foes long enough for Cin and Asyron to complete their assault pray to the spirits they where quick about it, and that Satteis was right.

"THIS IS OUR STAND!" He screamed. "THE STAND!!! They will sing songs of this day! In pain and fear we will find ourselves and glory thereafter. This day will haunt our dreams in fondness and fear for the rest of our lives!"

He paused to catch his breath throat sore form the effort of being heard.

"And if we must leave our loved ones behind I don't think we're going to find a braver way."

It seemed to Asyron as if the battle parted like a veil. Before him lie the black stairs coiling up into the storm. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was climb them. Around him his forces clashed with those jackals and Vono who now realizing their plans spilled from the pit.

He didn't dare stop for fear what remained of his courage might vanish in a moment's hesitation. If he failed them again...death would be better then that.

Then he was climbing thunder cackling happily at his fate.

Part fourteen, The clash of kings

At last he made the ledge, the top of seemingly endless steps. The rain hung unnaturally heavy on his fur threatening to pull him down and hold him there. Stone figures halve lion halve devil smiled at him from every dark crevice in the rock face. The entire mountain, this entire place stood as a monument to a war against him and family. Asyron suppressed a rising shiver. Before him stood a giant arched entrance decorated in ancient runes. He had seen this door in his dreams even if this was the first time he had ever seen it with his eyes.

Beyond the entrance was a large cavern the dismal gloom within nearly hiding the sole dark figure sitting in its middle. Only the eyes stood out clearly a cruel sparkling emerald glare.

"Asyron." The figure spoke confidently. "Welcome to my home."

He fought to straiten himself. Drenched, exhausted, and miserable his mane lying flat and tangled he was a pathetic image and he knew it.

"Raganata you have made war upon me and my people..." A speech he had made up one starry night lying on the ledge of pride rock years before. "You sent my father's murders and you owe your blood to many a widow an orphaned cubs. I have come to settle these grievances between our kingdoms, to end the war the brothers started long ago. I have come to kill you."

Raganata laughed the sound deeply disturbing. "Come now Asyron you say these things but you don't believe them. Look down bellow you and there is not but death for you and yours. I've won this day. You have come here to die."

Asyron nodded sadly agreeing, accepting but advanced nonetheless.

"Wraith?"

An eye opened and the panther stretched. Satteis let out a long breath fearing for a moment he'd been dead.

"You kill her?" Wraith asked.

He nodded.

A smile formed on the panthers face "Good."

"We're going to get you out of here." Satteis said nodding to one of the scouts he'd brought with him.

"Is the battle won?" Wraith asked sleepily

Satteis almost laughed uncharacteristic for him. "No."

"Is it almost won?"

"No."

"You have any plan for getting out of here."

"No"

"Is there any difference between me being in here and out there then?"

"It's raining outside." One of the scouts offered.

Wraith groaned as he was helped to his paws. "You're the worst rescuers ever you know that?

Cin was still the armies lead, and ran up the stairs as fast as wet stone and lethal heights would permit.

He reached the stairs end in time to see the kings face off and Asyron entering the mountain. His heard beat like war drums deafening in his ears. This was a great event, this charge, the fact they had made it this far. Others might have been prone to dramatics but he knew behind him friends and allies fought for time he was determined not to waste a moment of it.

There was an order to charge he obeyed not even realizing he himself had given the order. He reached his king and passed him snarling at Raganata. Cin saw Asyron's gaze turned suddenly to him, no to something beside him. Too late to amend the problem he realized the mistake of his haste. He didn't see what hit him only noticing that it hurt an exploding pain in his right ear then he hit the ground. Around him the room erupted, Asyron's army came pouring in while unseen lionesses and Vono began appearing from where they hid in the shadowy recesses. In the middle of it all the two kings moved towards each other like nothing else existed. The throbbing in his head changed to more comfortable numbness but brought with it an unsettling coldness. Cin tasted blood and shut his eyes.

Retreat became inevitable; every time a soldier drowned in the pressing waves of Jackals they had to back up to maintain their formation. Tehtaga struggled to both fight and keep his soldiers together. Attrition was not their friend. A hold was not possible a delay was the best they could afford Asyron and Cin, and discipline was their only chance at survival.

A lion a member of the Brutes two soldiers down the line from him had his front paws taken out from under him and tripped.

"Tehtaga...!" He yelled for whatever reason, in his panic then vanished into the mob. The sickening sound of crunching bones followed and a Leopard took his place. He'd never met that lion before as far as he could remember. That the soldier had known no other name to yell seemed profoundly sad for a moment, just a moment, and then the necessary blows to kill the next enemy became Tehtaga's only thoughts again.

They met

Asyron hit first connecting a paw with Raganata's head, but he took it high, ducking most of it and seemed un-phased.

Raganata hopped on his front paws and bought a bloc crashing down with his weight, Turing he took it on the shoulder instead of his skull but the impact threatened to buckle that legs knee and Asyron found himself was backing up.

He was forced into almost entirely defensive actions as Raganata charged him.

Asyron was a little longer then Raganata but Raganata was older, from his father's generation not his, and had more weight and experience. More importantly He felt lost and Raganata seemed driven. Hatred burned in those green eyes and rage it seemed more then made up for whatever his years had cost him in speed and endurance.

Around them where others, allies and enemy though the rest of the rooms conflict seemed utterly separate from theirs despite it taking place in their midst's, king fought kings and no help was coming. The fear caught in his chest again. He knew he should be focused on his own fight but he couldn't. His thoughts kept straying to those around him when he saw someone he knew. Soon he would fail them and they would know all the talk he'd done of his bravery and glory had been not but lies.

His distraction cost him. He failed to block a blow and caught a paw in the throat the thick wet fur of his mane saved him from he slash that should have killed him but the initial strike knocked the air from him. He lost his balance and stumbled gasping and choking. One of his paws reached up reflexively to hold his throat a stupid thing to do. Momentarily unable to block on that side he was rewarded by a bashing blow to his brow that sent him completely to ground. His throat forgotten his head now pounded and his vision blurred for a second.

"You are pathetic king of the sun." Raganata said swiping a blow across his ribs. "I truly wish your father had not died in the pride lands. I wish he had come here he would have been worthy of the honor of this day."

Asyron heard the cold voice and cringed hurt more by it then the continues pummeling of blows. He would never have cared what Raganata thought but that he thought the same thing. He tried to make himself stand or respond but could do neither.

"UNDER SIHADD'S WATCHFULL EYE!!!" Raganata roared raising a paw above his head for a crushing, ending blow. "I end this war the brothers started that Feiolis the father might favor the pride of the storm...as it should have been always."

A lioness slammed into Raganata. She pounced from the midst of fighting and caught him in the ribs under his raised paw.

Asyron watched from the stone floor confused and lost in his thoughts and pain. Raganata off balance stumbled back a few feet and the light in his eyes flickered, evidence at last he could be hurt, but the fire in his stare returned. He made a horrible sound have roar halve scream as his rage at being both hurt and interrupted went manic. He braced himself and threw his weight back against her pushing the much smaller lioness back. Then he began to strike her. She took hard strike to the top of her head knocking her nearly down then an uppercut slash to her chin. The lioness struck back but she was obviously hurt and her strike was knocked aside easily. Raganata came under her raised paw and caught her leg against him turning suddenly he pulled her along with him tripping her then throwing her. Already dazed she failed to make any attempt to stop herself and struck the nearby stone wall with a sickening sound her head bouncing off it with particular force. She crumpled to the ground and was still.

Asyron watched them fight from a mental distance. Everything seemed distant and far away yet now something stirred in him demanding to be heard.

That's Marri.

That was his mate trying to save him now she lay in this dark place quite possibly dead.

Everything slowed or stopped and his life played before his eyes. He heard every brag he'd ever made, every arrogant speech he'd ever said. He cringed at the smug things he had said to those who would never again see loved ones because of one of his campaigns, and he'd thought himself clever for being able to think of comforting words. He tracked his life backwards to his father. He saw himself again that day watching his father die, broken and bleeding, having fallen defending the pride lands from yet another of Raganata's endless raids. He had become lost that day just as he had when he saw the jackal army for the first time. He had no idea how to rule, hadn't even thought of it his father had been young and healthy but then suddenly he had been king.

So I made up someone who could and tried to be him. Pretending I was a warrior like my father...but even that wasn't good enough because my father had died. I had to be a better warrior then my father.

But that was not who he was. It was a lie ill fit for him. Till that day he had been a prince who cared nothing for kingdoms or war. He had loved poetry and...her. The first day she smiled at him it had nearly stopped his heart and he spent a week trying to think of a poem to sing her. He remembered all the times they'd made love in small thicket near the waterhole then when they'd finished she'd lie against him and he'd spend hours trying to think of new ways to describe her beauty or tell her he loved her. Then...

Then he'd had to pretend he was a king. Those days came and went in a flash. The clawing fear within him that he had failed utterly as a ruler didn't leave but it focused. He had failed her. She had said he know longer loved her. It was possible she had just died thinking that. If she was dead the last thing she had said to him was to call him a coward and the last time she'd seen him he had been lying on this floor doing nothing while Raganata hurt her...after she tried to save him.

"You told me you loved me once...You said it and meant it back when you where someone else." She had said. He realized then he had changed. He had failed her. The king he had been vanished and he was that prince again. That prince had never been a warrior but poets have passion.

All of this came and went in a second and Asyron stood. As Raganata turned back to face him he struck him in the jaw. He heard the crack of Raganata's teach crashing into each other. The other lion stumbled back blood appearing on his lips. Asyron charged him, throwing a slash to his chin. Regaining his balance Raganata ducked his blow and stepping to the side swung back, a blow Asyron took to the shoulder harmlessly. Then they where circling each other again.

"I am going to kill you." Asyron said.

Raganata laughed a smile revealing more blood from a cut lip and tongue. "Now you believe it, Good, now you can be broken."

The anguished cry rang out of yet another lion or leopard dying. In his peripheral vision he saw jackals moving into a void in his left. Tehtaga roared orders to move to stop them. A jackal from behind him leapt up clawing at his back he rolled his shoulder and threw it snarling at one of its companions in front of him.

He heard no answer to his call and felt a sinking feeling in his chest. He allowed himself a glance from the front to look over his shoulder and see he was being surrounded. He roared again...no answer save the smug laughs of the jackal masses.

He began to realize he was alone, a more sad then frightening thought.

He caught an advancing Jackal from his front and broke its neck with a twist of his paw. One pounced from his right and he caught its throat in his jaws. A sharp pain caught in his back leg as sharp teeth sunk into his thigh. He kicked back and heard a hurt yelp.

It is the philosophy of the warrior nomads from the eastern wastes to think of nothing while in battle save your immediate foe. You didn't think of your friends who have fallen, who might miss you should you join them. ...there is only forward till you join them.

Yet, now, he thought of his wife. He could imagine her far away waiting worried for him. He thought of their cub, these thoughts where not distractions, they where inspiration. Every foe that came at him became an obstacle to his going home. He fought to see them again.

Roaring he swiped away three in front, sharp claws rending their flesh. He began turning to make his flank a moving target, threatening with teeth and claws. Despite all odds it seemed he was doing well, Killing one after the other till the ground went red and he was sick with the taste of blood, but still there where more. They came in waves from all directions that he couldn't catch all of them. Those who got through would leap for his back and shoulders clawing and biting, trying to get them off a further distraction from his defense. An incredible pain shot up one of his leg as teeth found tendons.

A Vono came crashing into him knocking him down. Tehtaga rolled onto his back so he could brace his legs against the reptile and keeps its jaws away from his throat. Immobilized the jackals swarmed over him, claws and teeth tore at him, the weight of their numbers pressing him down into the bloody mud.

A warm wind brushed by him and again he was in a sunny field. Oddly it came as no surprise. He knew where he was...dreaming again the end must be near. Just ahead was his family. He smiled seeing Nylili, wishing he could tell her she was beautiful just one more time. A tear ran down her face as she watched their cub. She was sad but she was alive he took comfort in that. They would have to live without him but they would live.

Then he remembered something was wrong. His attention went to the tall grass of the plains, there was evil there, watching his family just as he was. The grass stirred and from it a figure emerged, A white lion. It looked up at the sun a hateful look in its green eyes. It looked over at him and smiled. It could see him. Then its cruel gaze turned to his family and he saw its lips curl back into a snarl. In the background he heard thunder and saw a flash of lighting stain the sky.

Terror clutched him. Nylili had her back turned to the pale specter apparently unaware the cub to young to know of danger. There was no doubt in his mind the white lion meant death and he had to warn them. But then the field began to fade. He was slipping away leaving them defenseless when they needed him. Panic gripped him as he fought to stay against the pull between the worlds.

"NYLILI!!!" He roared.

Their fight had moved out of the chamber and onto the ledge where the storm berated them. Water and blood ran through their fur and weighed them down. Neither he nor Raganata seemed to notice the pain. At some point they had both stopped trying to block or dodge and where now just trading blows thrown as hard as they could manage. It was a fight neither could afford to lose and so pain and exhaustion seemed mute. It was a conflict of wills, the ferocity of rage against the stubborn determination of love, neither would yield.

Raganata moved suddenly and bit down into his shoulder. Asyron grunted and tired to throw the other king. Raganata's weight held. Roaring Asyron turned sharply tearing Raganata's teeth from him tearing flesh and muscle blood began to pour from the wound and down his leg. Raganata moved to bite into him again. He spun and they crashed into each other. Both their paws shot up for the others neck and they where chocking each other.

"You have no power here sun king!" Raganata gurgled between gasping breaths. "The light has never touched this place. Here hate and fear are the only powers!"

The breath being pressed from him Asyron felt his adrenalin began to fade, pain from many wounds began to seep into his consciousness.

Roaring out against the storm Asyron clawed at the wet stone for footing pushing Raganata back till they stood still locked struggling on the cliffs edge. Now all those bellow could see their fight. He threw his head forward slamming it into Raganata's, the impact jarring them both. Raganata's grip loosened with the last of his strength Asyron pushed. Raganata snarled falling back reaching for him then realizing there was nothing beneath him, anything. He found nothing.

Hurt and exhausted Asyron watched him vanish into the oblivion of the pit far, far bellow. Overhead the storm groaned and bellowed. Whether it had worked, whether the jackal legions would flee at their king's death he couldn't see. That was out of his paws now. He headed back to where Marri had fallen.

His soldiers had taken the chamber. Bloody and tired they waited anxiously for news from bellow. Raganata was dead it was possible they'd been victorious if not; if the jackal legion still came for them they would soon all be dead. Such thoughts where far from his mind however.

Marri lay very still. Asyron stood over her unmoving horrified that if he touched her he might find her cold.

At last he built of the courage and trembling reached out and brushed the golden fur of her brow. She stirred and elation flooded through him. He let out a long breath he hadn't known he'd been holding and felt tears in his eyes. Gently he moved her so her head lay in his lap, softly petting her fur.

Her eyes flickered open, seeing him she smiled. He thought of a hundred things to say at once each fighting for supremacy. He opened his mouth but none of them came out.

"I...you scared me there." He finally managed.

She reached up brushed the fur of his mane from his eyes.

"I know you..." She said "You're that young lion I fell in love with." A sad expression passed her features. "You left me...Where've you been all these years?"

"I got lost...you brought me back. But by the spirits I'll never leave you again."

She smiled again and pulled him down for a kiss. She held him to her for a long time before she let him back up.

"I swear to you..." He whispered in her ear. "I love you, and a day will never go by again to give you cause to doubt it."

After a long wait Satteis came limping up the stairs. He stopped at the entrance and went to attention a solemn look about him.

"News from the front my lord." The cheetah said. The room went utterly quite.

"Report." Asyron said looking up from his wife, voice more confident then he felt.

"The Jackals have broke as the lionesses said they would, the day is ours."

A cheer went up among the soldiers in the room but Satteis's features did not change.

"You found your freind?" Asyron asked.

"We did he is alive if not well."

"And the rear guard?"

"...There were no survivors my lord." Satteis said his voice wavering.

The cheers ended. Asyron felt the grip of Marri's paw tighten on his own.

"...by the spirits." A leopard said. In what should have been a victory they sat in silence for what seemed a long time.

"My lord." A lion's voice said from one of the tunnels. They had begun to secure the mountain. "You should see this."

Asyron looked at Marri.

"Go." She said smiling for him. "I'm ok."

Asyron was led through a series of tunnels to the caves where apparently the pride had slept. The depths of the mountain seemed endless. They walked along a ledge for a while exposed to the rain, stopping at a very small den.

He entered and waited for his eyes to adjust to the gloom. Here three soldiers' two lions and a cheetah stood around a small cub, fur as white as snow in the high mountains. It lay curled up on the floor crying. Off the the side lay bodies several lions and a lionesses.

"Its mother fought tooth and claw for it my lord. She killed two before we managed to bring her down." The cheetah said. "It's the only cub we've found apparently he's the last of his pride. What should be done with it?"

Asyron looked down at the cub. It was so small and fragile, couldn't have been more then a couple weeks old. Nothing that young can be evil.

"We'll take him with us."

"My lord?" One of the lions said surprised.

Asyron looked at him. "Enough lives have been lost today I think. He'll be raised in pride lands far from the lands of the storms and think not of this place."

"Yes my lord."

"The loses we have endured here are because of me. I owe the world many lives. We can save this one."

Part fifteen, Long way home

It was sad how long it took them to say goodbye to those they where leaving behind. So many had fallen it was impossible to grief for them all. The living concentrated on those closest them and tried to block out the rest. It wasn't fair but it was the only way to stay sane At least halve of his grand army had died here, no one had the will to make an exact count.

Satteis and Wraith took stones from the camber where the bodies of their fellow ghosts lay to take home as grave markers. The dead of the vengeful ghosts now outnumbered the living.

Cin having been found dead there where no more Fearless, the same with the Proud brutes. They found Tehtaga lying in the mud as if he where still fighting, dead foes all around him, his features still set as if roaring from wherever spirits go. A lion soldier who could write in the eastern language helping him Asyron wrote an inscription on a stone near where he lay. An eastern prayer or so the lion had told him.

They slept uneasily all together in the large main chamber of the mountain, scouts taking turns guarding against any enemies who chose to return. With the exception of nightmares the night passed without incident and with the morning the headed home.

The army moved in long lines slow from weariness and quite, lost in there thoughts. It continued to rain till they cleared the forest. When they cleared the river Soti the dismal sky broke and pale sunlight fell upon the pride lands.

The sight of pride rock as beautiful as it was didn't bring the usual excitement of a return home.

The lioness of the pride greeted them before they reached the path, families from other species quickly coming in from the plains. Their jubilation was quickly quelled by the solemn mood of the soldiers. Even those reunited with their families held their loved ones with tears in their eyes.

Asyron, Marri beside him, came to Nylili waiting for her husband on the path up to the caves. Even she had come down to wait knowing intuitively something was wrong. He had been dreaded this meeting more then any other. He had spent the last night struggling something he could say to her both honest and comforting. There were none the very idea he could say something to comfort her belittled her loss.

At the look in eyes Nylili began to cry. Marri hugged her. Still no words came to him, nothing he could do or say and there where so many others like her. It would be a long way till his kingdom was whole again, if it ever would be.

Epilogue

The pride of pride rock was a much smaller thing now. Its days of glory where done. Asyron's grand army disbanded its brave soldiers splitting off to distant homes. War in the pride lands would no longer be fought on such a scale. The lionesses leaving with there mates cut the population nearly in halve. Those that remained would now guard pride rock; Asyron himself took to walking the patrols everyday Tehtaga had made for his guards.

Satteis and Wraith where some of the last to leave, waiting for Wraith to heal from his injures. Then they too began their way back home, to the northern border where they had once lived. Nylili sat on the ledge watching them vanish into the horizon. She hadn't known either of them well but she had known them and they had known her husband so they had been a comfort. Now she was alone so far from what had been her childhood home she knew she could never find it on her own.

She ran a paw across her stomach.

"So now we are alone." She whispered to her cub sadly.

Turning from her perch she glanced to the main cave where several lionesses lay with the prides cubs, the white cub among them. She knew it was wrong to reap her anger upon it but she did. It was the last of the pride that had killed her mate and she hated it for its heritage. She glared at it and the cub turned to look at her. For as young as it was she could swear it was glaring back, malice in its green eyes. In the distance she heard the rumble of thunder...

To be continued.