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Just one more raid.

Jabari hoped he was truly serving his nation, and by extension, making his father proud, because he was starting to grow weary of it all. He would always fight for his nation, but he couldn't bring himself to agree with the politics of it. The humans had offered peace treaties for years now. However, the higher-ups would have none of it. The United Prides would not stop this war until all humans were enslaved, and that was going to take many years as well as many more bodies to put in the ground.

His father had been a staunch supporter of the war at the beginning. But he'd grown to despise what some lions had thought of the humans. A number of politicians preferred to see those furless vermin, as they called them, rotting ten feet under the dirt, with the worms disposing of every little bit of them. Those were one particular commanding general's words -- not his.

Jabari had served for over five years, and he didn't know if he could stand another five. Hopefully, this was going to be his last raid for a while. Three cities were already down and this was the last one on their battalion's mission. He couldn't help but recall the look on the face of the last human he captured. It was as if he'd completely given in and accepted his fate as inevitable as he pressed the ether-soaked rag into his face. The human hadn't even fought back.

He often wondered what became of the humans he personally captured. That poor young man would never have a life a freedom to look forward to, as he would undoubtedly be sold some sadistic lion of a master. It was depressing to think about it too much. But he had enough idling time to get lost in his thoughts as they traveled in armored vehicles to the next city.

"Hey! Scarface!" one of his comrades called to him. Jabari hated his nickname, yet he didn't really care to have his comrades refer to him by his rank. But just because his face retained the scars of his bloodied past didn't mean he wanted to be constantly reminded of it. "Quit being so antisocial," the soldier finished. Despite what they were getting themselves into, the rest of his infantry group was telling joke in attempt to lighten up the situations. Perhaps some of them understood that this could be one of their last moments on the planet and they wanted to get some enjoyment out of it.

They were a battalion of a thousand lion soldiers. Their main purpose was pushing the front line and capturing human civilians. They would also secure all captives and prepare them for extraction to the United Prides where they would be sold on the slave market. The UP was the last nation that retained the ancient institution of slavery. It'd been updated along with modern technologies, so majority of the slaves were used for very menial things like personal servants. That's what started the whole "breaking them in" culture that Jabari hardly understood. And everyone had their own definition of what exactly "breaking them in" meant. The young lion didn't care at all for slavery, but it came with the territory of protecting and serving his country. It was something he'd had to contend with when signing up for the military.

"Is something the matter, Jabari?" his best friend, Baako, said, sitting down next to him. He was glad that Baako knew how much he disliked his nickname and refused to use it.

There was a moment of silence as Jabari was afraid to respond honestly, afraid how he would appear to his comrades. He was just under the rank of Lieutenant Colonel Akiim and if anything were to happen to the Lt. Col., he'd be the next commanding officer of the battalion. It was necessary to keep up his reputation. "It's nothing," he finally replied, keeping his eyes fixed on the floor as it rumbled beneath his bare, calloused feet. Most lions never saw the need to wear combat boots or any footwear, but some learned to prefer them after traversing some colder climates during winter raids. But Jabari never wore boots. He was much more agile without them, and they were just as much of a weapon as his huge hands, plus he found them to be very uncomfortable. The years of barefoot combat he'd faced added layers of thick flesh onto the padded bottom, making them impervious to most surfaces.

Baako shook his head, his dark brown mane shaking with it. "I know you too well to know that that's bullshit. Something is obviously bothering you."

Jabari swallowed hard, but he didn't let his concern show. He lowered his voice, mumbling his words low in his throat. "I just have a bad feeling about this next raid," he started. His words were close to a whisper because he trusted only Baako with his honest feelings. "I'm so tired, Baako. I will always serve my country, but I don't know how much longer I can do this. How long will it be before I become a monster? Just like Major General Diallo. Hell. I think I'm losing it; maybe I'm already a monster."

They hung their heads together, and Jabari scratched the cold, metal floor with his claws. He knew instinctually that Baako felt the same way, even though his friend would never say it out loud for Jabari's sake.

"I don't think you're a monster, Jabari. We're just doing what we've been ordered to do." Neither of them really believed that. They knew what combat had been doing to them, and a week of therapy together did nothing for either of them, especially Jabari. The therapy was supposed to be much longer, and Jabari had originally been granted a six-month leave of absence. But Major General Diallo wouldn't allow it. He had high hopes for Jabari, seeing a lot of himself in the young lion, and overruled the leave of absence, forcing him right back into combat. Some lions were too useful to remove from combat for too long. They'd lose an all too valuable tool that played a large role in some lions' psyche.

"Maybe that's the problem," he argued. "We're just following orders."

The infantry vehicle came to an abrupt halt, and they all jerked forward unexpectedly. It had to have been too early to have arrived at their mission location. Something must've gone wrong.

Each lion was silent as they waited for either the vehicle to start moving again or for the Lt. Col. to give the signal to exit the caravan and prepare for the raid. But their commanding officer opened the small window that connected to the cab of the large vehicle.

"What's going on?" he asked the driver.

"The roads have been empty for a while, and the outskirts of the city look deserted, sir."

"What!?" he took in the empty streets in front of them. "That's impossible. Major General Diallo had intelligence that suggested the city was barricaded with nearly five thousand human soldiers."

"The evidence says otherwise, sir," another soldier added.

Jabari stood and grabbed one of the leather straps that hung from the roof to keep his balance. "We should get the hell out of here immediately, sir," he insisted. "This looks too much like a set-up. And I know how much you were reluctant to order this attack. You told me yourself that you thought it was a suicide mission. I advise you trust your gut with this one, sir."

"I completely agree with you, soldier. But-" the lieutenant colonel paused, as something wrenched in his chest, "-but I am still ordering an attack on this city."

"We're only a battalion of a thousand lions, sir. In fact, a large number of our troops are still miles outside of the city and it'll an hour before they get here." Jabari continued. He'd ignore his superior's order if he could, so he was going to do his best to change his mind. "And we have no idea how many of them may be out there waiting in ambush. This has happened to me before at Red River. I'm sure you know the story well." Something cold and emotionless shifted behind his eyes, as he recalled images of horror all veiled in a filter of red. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. "I don't want to see any more young lions lose their lives all for some fucking stupid raid that a handful of decrepit, old lions decided was necessary. None of this is fucking necessary."

"The order has been made for the entire battalion, Major. I cannot take it back when we are so close. I am sorry, but we have to press on."

"We're not prepared for large-scale guerilla combat! We don't have the ammunition and we don't have all of our battalion. There're only two hundred of us currently on the front line!" Jabari wasn't entirely fearful because of that. In truth, he was more afraid of a repeat of what took control of his mind the last time they were ambushed. He'd been venerated for it by the military and even honored with a higher rank. But deep inside him, he knew it was something dark that lingered in his fragile soul. Survival brought out the best -- and worst -- in him. That was the only thing he feared -- the monster within us all.

But despite the lieutenant colonel completely agreeing with him, he would hear none of what Jabari had to say. "I can't order a-" the lion started, but he was interrupted. All of them were interrupted from whatever they were doing by an ear-splitting boom. The vehicle was tossed into the air and onto its side. It slid a good fifty feet backwards from the explosion, slamming into a number of other vehicles in the caravan. The front end of it had been torn to shreds and the driver was no longer there -- not a single trace of his body.

A ringing filled Jabari's ears as he tried to recover his senses, just like every other lion that was still alive and moving. Unfortunately, Lieutenant Colonel Akiim wasn't one of them. One of the soldiers shook the motionless lion, trying to get a response, but there was nothing, not even a single breath. Jabari was now their commanding officer, and the sixteen lions that remained looked to him for their orders.

The young lion scuffled through the piles of equipment and disoriented lions in order to reach the Lt. Col. He ripped the radio from the dead lion's vest and called out to the rest of the caravan.

"We are under attack. Repeat. We are under attack, and Lieutenant Colonel Akiim is dead. Did anyone see where that shell came from?"

There were two seconds of static before a reply came through. "Three o'clock from your current location, sir. I think it came from the roof of that convention center."

"What is our position in relation to yours, soldier?"

"Right behind you, sir."

"Do you currently have a clear line of sight to that convention center?"

"No, sir."

"Good," he ordered, fighting back any fear that was trying to take over his body. "Hold tight and make room for sixteen of us. The rest of the battalion move to the closest cover from that convention center, and keep your sights aimed on that roof, tanks."

Jabari took a quick glance out the shattered opening of the front end. Three o'clock, he reminded himself and took in as much as the environment as he could within three seconds. The humans were stationed in the best tactical position. The convention center happened to be one of the tallest buildings within a half-mile radius, and it connected via skyways to every surrounding building, which were mostly a number of hotels. Trenches and walls of concrete had been built up all around it, fortifying the huge building for the enemy defenses. This is where the battle was going to be fought, and it had already been thrust upon them. But their current position unfortunately left them wide open. It wouldn't be long before they were dropping another artillery shell on them. Thankfully, the rest of the caravan was racing behind the nearest hotel. He hoped it was a safe location for the meantime.

"What's the plan, Scarface?" asked the lion who'd joked with him before. Dark red blood was dribbling down from his ear and into his mane.

"For now we move out and get into that other vehicle," Jabari replied and scrambled across the sideways transport vehicle. The door at the back was jammed. He grabbed the soldiers nearest to him and signaled them to assist him. Together they slammed against the metal until it burst open.

He was grateful to find the other truck positioned halfway along the belly of the tipped vehicle. It gave them a clear run to the back of the other vehicle and to safety for the moment. He held the door open and ushered the other lions out, being the last -- living -- lion to leave. His heart sunk as he took one last look back and glimpsed the frozen faces of five of his fellow soldiers. It enraged him, but he had to leave them behind -- for now.

His hand slammed on the driver's door and demanded that he open it for him. Once open, he shoved the lion aside to the passenger seat and took hold of the wheel.

"Is everyone in?" he yelled through the connecting window.

"Yes, sir!"

"Someone get radio contact with the rest of our battalion. We need every soldier we can to get here immediately, and warn them about the convention center. Interstate seventeen appears to be the safest approach."

He shifted into gear and revved the engine, peeling away from the belly of the other vehicle. He could feel his heart knocking in his throat as he floored the gas pedal. Another explosion could come out of nowhere at any time.

"And brace yourselves for impact. They could shell us again at any moment."

The rest of the caravan was safe behind a building and the tanks already took a tactical position around the corner of the hotel. But Jabari and his infantry vehicle still had a gap of another hundred feet or so to close. He had a death grip on the wheel when he hit the curb, launching the vehicle up onto the sidewalk, through some bushes, and then into the parking lot of the hotel. He wouldn't risk any approach other than a straight line to the back of the hotel.

But that was when he caught them out of the corner of his eye. He glimpsed a single human soldier hiding behind a pillar in the hotel lobby. There was no doubt many more of them were waiting inside, and his comrades, who were marching out of the dozen or so infantry vehicles to secure a position inside the hotel, were about to walk into an ambush. The lions were just a handful of yards away from the entrance of the hotel -- a deathtrap he'd sent them to.

"Change of plans!" he bellowed and twisted the wheel. The huge truck veered off to the side, tilting slightly onto two wheels before falling back to the ground. He pointed the front end directly toward a large window along the side of the lobby. He had one chance to disable their cunning trap and crashing into the lobby was his only option at the moment. There wasn't enough time to do anything else.

"Everyone hold on and ready your weapons!"

The human soldier closest to the window screamed the moment he caught the truck charging right at him. But it was too late for him. The window and wall crumbled and caved to the impact of tons of speeding metal and plowed right over the helpless human.

A cacophony of shattering glass, concrete, drywall and squealing rubber filled the air as Jabari slammed his foot on the breaks and drove the truck right into the wide reception desk that undoubtedly hid a large number of human soldiers behind it. Eventually the walls beside the desk forced the truck to come to a sudden halt and threw a number of its occupants about.

"Conserve your ammo if you can, lions! Shoot first if necessary, but we are much stronger than them. Try and tear them apart with your hands and take them out while their still in shock!"

Jabari kicked the driver-side door open and charged out with his rifle raised. A young man, who'd survived the collision with the reception desk, lifted a pistol from underneath a large portion of the wall that had collapsed onto his legs. Blood dribbled from his mouth, but he was intent on killing the lion that had run over his fellow soldiers. The barrel of his gun pointed right at Jabari's large head, but he wasn't swift enough.

The young lion kicked it out of the human's tiny hand, and his foot came crashing down on top of it, pinning it to the remains of dusty drywall that was crushing his lower half. Jabari bent down and stared into the human's pitiable brown eyes. Hopelessness stirred behind them.

"I am truly sorry for this," Jabari said and wrapped his huge hand around the young man's scrawny neck, regretting that he'd ever had to do such a thing to one so young. And with a swift snap of his wrist, the top portion of the human's spine shattered instantly. At least, it was a quick death.

The human's blood continued to ooze out from his nose and mouth and it dripped down onto Jabari's furry hand. It sunk past his fur and made contact the lion's skin. It was still warm, but that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was the smell of the blood, and it called to the lion, like a sweet siren's song.

He fell for the wicked temptation, lifting his hand up to his face. He knew what the scent and taste of blood could do to him. It was, after all, how he'd made his ascension to Major. And although he'd made a promise to himself and to Baako that he'd never fall for such a lust again, the feeling of those fragile bones being crushed in his grasp and the scent of blood trickling from each orifice triggered a desire for more of it. His comrades would see just how powerful he really was in the heat of battle when the bloodlust took over. He would not be satisfied until the blood of his prey covered his fur. A craving for death was all that remained. His lips wrapped around his hand as he suckled and savored the blood that had spilled on it. There was no going back.

Gunshots rang out as only a few of the lion soldiers were confident enough to challenge the humans in hand to hand combat. Most of the privates still feared for their lives. After all, it would only take a single bullet to the head to end every single one of them. But fear was something that had abandoned Jabari a long time ago.

The huge lion charged at the remaining humans in the lobby with unfathomable alacrity. And with his gigantic hands and claws, he swiped two of them across the neck, severing their jugular veins and carotid arteries. They made a futile attempt to hold back the bleeding, but some of their blood squirted onto the lion's muzzle as they collapsed to the floor. His tongue inched out and tasted more of the crimson liquid as his eyes locked onto his next target, his pupils dilated with the satisfaction of murder.

Utter terror filled the human's eyes as he took in the beast a few feet from him. Watching his fellow soldiers being felled effortlessly in front of him froze his body, shaking uncontrollably, and Jabari didn't charge at him. The soldier didn't even have the courage to lift his rifle against Jabari. The huge lion just let his heavy, padded fingers slither around the man's neck and squeeze, watching the human's face grow blue before he finally heard a crack. The soldier's body went limp and Jabari let him fall to the floor, never to move again.

There was a reason Jabari was at the top of his class in martial training, especially melee combat. Once a lust for blood had filled him, emotion no longer had a hold on him and notions of mercy evaded his mind. He just wanted to hunt and to kill. And there was only one way to satisfy such an overwhelming hunger.

Jabari fiercely launched his body all over the lobby. He took down every other soldier that remained, sometimes two or three at a time, crushing them under his huge hands and feet. The brutal lion was too fast and too strong for them that none of them stood a chance from the beginning. The gunfire ceased as all the other lion troops stopped and watched as Jabari wiped the rest of the humans up, alone.

"The ambush failed! They're fucking slaughtering us here!" the last human soldier called out over the radio. He was hidden behind a pillar but gave his position away the moment he spoke. Jabari swung around the column and kicked the young man to the floor, knocking his radio out of his hand. The huge lion's foot crashed down onto the human's chest and prevented him from crawling away. The soldier trembled as he attempted to remove his pistol from its holster, but Jabari simply pinned it to the ground under his huge foot, crushing the bones under his immense weight. The young man howled in agony as Jabari grabbed the radio.

"I want all of you to hear this," he spoke into the radio. His voice was devoid of emotion as the rest of his troops glimpsed something icy and calculating behind his golden eyes. "I want you to hear the fate that awaits every single one of you if you do not choose to surrender."

He loomed over the human, bending over far enough to place the receiver of the radio just a few feet from the human's head. His enormous foot crawled atop the side of the human's face. Jabari cracked his neck and started putting pressure onto the young man's head. The first bone broke and the soldier shrieked with pain. The feeling of the human's skull cracking underneath his foot sent a thrill of sadistic pleasure all over his body, and a twisted grin inched along his muzzle.

"Major!?" Baako called out to him as they all watched the horror unfold before them.

But it was too late. Jabari put the rest of his weight onto the human and felt the bone and the flesh squish into a wet mess of gore beneath his foot. The death was instant and it satisfied the young and hungry lion. Some of the human's blood oozed between his furry toes -- a feeling the lion's body had missed.

He lifted the radio back up to his muzzle and said, "The lions are on the hunt, bitches." After tossing the radio aside, he turned to face his fellow soldiers. They were all frozen, most of their faces were struck with confusion and terror, but some of them were just as satisfied as Jabari.

"If you want to make it out of here alive, you have to understand that it is ether them or us. They will not offer any of you mercy, so neither should you!" he roared, passing a cold glance at Baako. He now saw the monster his best friend had referred to just minutes earlier. The short time they'd been through therapy together had been useless, and that was not the friend he knew. Although, he'd known how much the lust for blood could infect a lion, he'd never seen a case so extreme as Jabari's.

But most of the Major's fellow soldiers cheered him. In such a short time, he'd secured his position as their leader and would trust no one else to get them out of there safely. His brutality would keep them alive, and that was all they cared about at that moment.

Baako held back his disapproval. "You said you'd never let it take hold of you again," he said under his breath, recalling the last time he saw his friend fall for such predatory bloodlust. Jabari was the hero of Red River, and Baako didn't doubt that the Major would win this battle the same way. But at what cost? If his mind was already this vulnerable to the scent and taste of blood, how much more could it stand before it was lost entirely? Too many lions that had returned from military service felt nothing but a lust for blood. It had infected their hearts so deeply that they'd even turned on fellow lions to satisfy their craving for the hunt. And in the worst of cases, even the best psychologists couldn't cure such a mental disorder. Baako was afraid his friend's mind would get corrupted beyond repair.

Jabari stood tall as he worked his way past the other soldiers, some of them patting him on the back of his vest. "Secure every entrance and exit," he ordered. "This will be our forward position until we can push farther into the convention center. I also want a small infiltrating group of our best infantry and snipers. So that means I'd like you by my side, Kaapo and Illia." He waved a giant liger and a lioness toward him. He'd faced combat many times with Kaapo, the liger, and Illia, the lioness, and he knew exactly what they were capable of. "We need to secure the rest of this building and get line of sight to that artillery from the roof. Once we take out their big guns, the rest of our battalion can move in and we can press our advantage in close combat." He looked over to Baako. The blank sheet of ice that lined his eyes meant that the bloodlust still controlled him. "You're coming with me. You've always provided the best cover fire, and I trust you with my life, friend."

Baako remained silent and only nodded in response. Disobeying Jabari to make a point would have been a poor choice, especially to all of the other lions who now saw him as some kind of hero and demigod. That's what had happened last time at Red River. Even he'd fallen for such an absurd notion after surviving such a bloody battle. That was until he got to know Jabari much more in the week of therapy they shared together. He was just as mortal and just as fallible as the rest of them.

It was a group of eight lions and the one liger that lined up behind Jabari at the staircase. They all figured that the elevator would have been a very poor choice. It was amazing that, although Jabari was insane with the bloodlust, it only made him a more calculating strategist, acutely aware of every little thing around him. It was a hallmark sign of the best of feline soldiers -- the ones that you wanted on your side.

"I'm not comfortable having a lioness and a liger in our group, sir," one of the lion's piped up, looking over Kappo and Illia. Lionesses in the military were rare, and for the most part, they had to be exceptionally agile in order to make prove themselves as useful killers.

Ligers were also rare simply because of their numbers in the population, but they were always welcomed -- in fact, encouraged -- to join the military. They were absolutely gigantic and the worst forces with which to be reckoned. The liger in their group was three feet, or more, taller and wider than the rest of them, and he could barely fit into his vest.

"I'd be able to kick your ass any day, cub!" Kaapo spat. Other than Jabari, no other lion had been able to best the liger in hand-to-hand combat.

Illia remained silent, but passed the outspoken lion a frigid glare. Her body was long and skinny. She was the type that would never flaunt her true power, letting her prey fall for the artful trap of overconfidence.

Like most lions, both Kappo and Illia were barefoot like Jabari. They all preferred the freedom of movement and the extra pair of weapons that came without using combat boots. And the gigantic liger's feet were as wide as a human's chest and as long as a human's torso, making them the perfect size for crushing any unfortunate and squishy vermin that happened to fall to the ground. Above all else, the liger preferred to use his enormous feet and pulverize the enemy humans underneath them. It was one of the reasons Jabari loved to have him by his side. He knew Kaapo's crushing prowess would feed his bloodlust even more.

Baako stepped in to interrupt their squabble. "The last thing we need to do is fight amongst each other about such stupid shit. Kaapo and Illia are two of our best infantry soldiers, and you should trust them with your life, soldier. We're in this together, and we won't survive if we can't cooperate!" he said, pushing them apart before they tore into each other. However, he didn't doubt that the Kaapo, or even Illia, would be able to kick all their asses, except for Jabari. With his bloodlust, no one would be able to take the Major.

It was as if Jabari didn't even hear them. He charged up the stairs to the next floor. "Watch my back. I'm going to check if the coast is clear." He flung the door open and hid behind the wall before using a small mirror from his pocket to check the hallway in its reflection. After seeing an empty hall he flagged the rest of his group over. "Second floor looks clear," he radioed. "Send a group of twenty lions in to make sure each room is clear."

They did the same for the next two floors. All of them were clear like the first. It wasn't until they reach the skyway level that they encountered the first makeshift barricade in the hotel, blocking their route over to the convention center.

"I estimate about fifty of them," he observed, angling his mirror to get the best possible view. "But there could still be about fifty more behind cover. It's hard to tell. They also have some manned turrets." He turned to Baako for guidance as he'd always been a better strategist than him. "What do you think?" he asked.

"We wouldn't stand a chance unless those turrets are taken down. Even then, they have all the cover and we'd just be fish in a barrel. A frontal assault is not worth the risk, even after we take out that artillery on the roof. We'll have to think of a different approach."

"Are we on a secure line?" Jabari asked Baako, and the lion nodded in response. He pulled his radio back up to his muzzle again. "There are about fifty -- possibly one hundred -- humans on the fifth floor. They also have a number of anti-personal machine gun turrets situated along the pathway. They pretty much have the skyway effectively barricaded and impossible to attack with a full-frontal assault. I need another twenty lions to secure this position for now in case they decide to go on the offensive." He put the radio back down and turned to Baako again. "I think I've got an idea, but we'll still have to take down the snipers and artillery operators the convention center's roof. Let's move out."

They pressed forward climbing to each subsequent floor and ensuring each one was clear of human soldiers. Once they'd finally reached the exit to the roof, Jabari did the same as each floor before and used his mirror to get an angled view of the roof of the convention center. "I see five snipers and the howitzer that hit us on the road."

"Do you think that's all of them?" one of the lion snipers asked.

"I doubt it, but they already have their sights set on this hotel. We're going to have a hell of a time taking them out before they see us."

"We're going to need some kind of distraction," Baako suggested.

"That's where I come in," said Jabari, a dry grin sneaking across his lips. "They may have the skyway barricaded, but they don't have the roof of the skyway barricaded. We'll just need cover from those snipers."

"What!?" Baako exclaimed. "They'll kill you the moment they get a bead on you."

"Not if I've got armored protection. This is going to be some old-time castle siege tactics -- arrows can't get through a covered ram. I'll need everyone else but the snipers to come with me. You four are going to have to be our cover and take out those snipers as they reveal their positions in order to shoot at us."

"That sounds like suicide," Baako replied with a heavy brow. "What if they use that howitzer?"

"They won't. They've got a hundred soldiers in the skyway. They won't risk killing that many men just for four lions."

"And what will we do once we get to the other side? It'll be a thousand humans against four lions."

"It's a cramped space. It won't be that many. And we can use the cover they made against them. Just aim for taking over the closest turret and we can take most of them out with that. Our best advantage will be the element of surprise, and once we have them turned around in the skyway, we'll have the rest of our troops take them out from behind."

As much as Baako hated to admit it, Jabari's idea was probably the best chance they had. He also wondered when the Major had become such an amazing tactician, enough so that he couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. He'd always been the strategist that Jabari would rely on. And now, the tables had turned.

"Lieutenant Colonel Akiim, are you there? This is Captain Turay and the rest of your battalion on approach from interstate seventeen as instructed," the radio chimed in, and Jabari immediately brought it up to his mouth.

"The lieutenant colonel is dead. You are speaking to the second-in-command, Major Jabari Okoro."

There was a silent static for ten seconds before Captain Turay responded. "We'll be there in five minutes, Major. What is the situation?"

"Negative. Do not come within range of that convention center until we have neutralized their artillery. We already know of one howitzer positioned on the roof. There may be more," Jabari explained. "We've currently secured a forward position in the hotel west of the convention center, and we are working to press forward through one of the heavily fortified skyways. Please wait for my command to advance, and when you do focus on taking out the barricades around the center with your tanks."

"Alright, Major. We'll hold back until you give the signal. Don't get yourself killed. Over."

He put the radio back down. "I don't plan on it," he uttered, turning to face the snipers. "Get ready to get into position on the roof. I'll let you know when we head out onto the skywalk."

He took Baako, Kaapo, and Illia with him down to the sixth floor, which was right above the skywalk. They passed a number of their fellow soldiers on the way back down. He was glad to see that they had the entire hotel secured as a base for the moment. Now, they needed to force that line forward, and Jabari's idea was going to be their only opportunity. It was that or bust.

They navigated through the rooms until they found the one that sat right above the entrance to the skyway. He was correct. There weren't any human soldiers on top of it. They just needed something to protect them from the snipers on top of the roof.

"Help me pull this door from its hinges," Jabari directed them, but the huge liger just pushed him aside.

"Leave that to me," the brute said and tore the heavy, metal door right from the frame, some of the wall going with it.

Jabari smiled, "Can you get me three more?"

"My pleasure."

Once each of them had a door of their own, Jabari sat them down to instruct them on how exactly the plan was going to go down. There was only a six foot drop from the window down to the skywalk. He explained how to hold the door in front of them and keep crouched at the proper angle. Three of them would drop the first time, shuffle forward, then the last one -- Kaapo -- would drop behind them.

Jabari, Baako, and Illia all crawled up to the window, using the doors to shatter the glass and ensure that there were no sharp shards that remained. The snipers would undoubtedly know their position now. Jabari was the first to slide his door outside the window, holding it flush against the flat exterior. Baako and the lioness followed him.

"On three," Jabari started. "One. Two. THREE!"

They slid out from the window sill in perfect synchronicity, slamming feet first into the roof of the skywalk, the shards of glass grinding under their rough feet. They held the doors at a sixty degree angle. Jabari was in the middle, and the other two snuggled close to him locking their doors together for protection on each side. Slowly, they scuffled forward in a squat until there was enough room for Kaapo to drop down.

There was a loud thud and the liger moved forward into his position, holding his door horizontally above all of their heads.

The first shot rang out from the roof. A sniper hit Baako's door, making a fair dent in it, but the bullet just fell to his feet. Jabari let his door rest on the skyway and he grabbed his radio. "Go now!" he ordered his snipers. "We've got them distracted, so take your positions."

He grabbed his door and lifted it back up. Even though a small portion of their feet and legs were visible, it was at an angle the snipers couldn't see from the roof of the convention center. "We lift and charge ten feet after each shot. Got it?" he directed them.

"Yes, sir!" they all replied.

BAM!

They stood up from their squat and charged forward ten feet, holding the doors firmly together in a perfect shield. Another shot rang out and they went another ten feet. Then another ten feet.

"Three snipers have been neutralized, sir. There are eight more left in our sights. The distraction is working." Jabari's radio called. They knew he would be unable to respond, but he needed the updates. The most important information, however, would be when they take out the men stationed with the artillery.

"Thirty more feet to go," Jabari observed through a small crack between the doors. "I can see a hatch that leads down into a room next to the end of the skywalk."

Three more shots later, they were there without a scratch. He signaled the liger to hold his door for him and Jabari gave the hatch a few good kicks. It crumbled beneath him and he fell with it right down into the room.

The rush of adrenaline was back, flooding his arteries and filling his body. The human soldiers in the room had no clue what was going on. They were each staring up at the ceiling wondering what the hell the snipers were shooting at, and by the time Jabari came crashing into the room, their rifles weren't even in their hands. He used that to his advantage. If he could kill them quickly and silently, he could maintain that advantage.

The bloodlust took him over in an instant. But it had never really left him. His hands were swift as they twisted around the soldiers' necks, snapping them and tossing them aside. There were only six humans in the room. Three of them were down in five seconds. The next three he tripped to the ground and slammed his fists into two of their skulls, crushing them like annoying little bugs. And the last human opened his mouth to scream, only to find it muffled by the lion's huge, padded foot.

Jabari's jaws clenched as he held the bottom of his foot firm against the human face, letting the pathetic young man's struggles please him. The soldier clawed at the lion's big foot in a futile attempt to force it off. Jabari loved it.

"Yes, little human. Fight for your life and feel the warmth of my power as I squash you like a worthless bug beneath my foot," said the lion, licking his lips and tasting the bits of blood that lingered in the air from his last victims. Feeling the human's flesh wiggling against the bottom of his foot was almost sadistically erotic to Jabari. It actually aroused him, and as he put more pressure onto the human's head, the delight filled every inch of his body. He leaned forward and put most of his weight onto the soldier, breaking some of the poor man's bones.

The human tried to squeal louder, but his screams never made it past the thick flesh of the lion's foot. The lion jerked with pleasure, feeling the pathetic human's struggling even harder beneath him before he thrust his leg downward and ended the human's misery. That sweet smell of more human blood filled the room and crawled up into his eager nose. He didn't even notice that his three comrades had fallen down into the small room from the hatch and witnessed Jabari's satisfaction in snuffing the human's light of life.

"Was that really necessary, Jabari?" Baako finally spoke up. He couldn't stand seeing his best friend commit such horrific acts.

"This is war, Baako. We do what we must to survive."

"Does that mean torturing them before they die? Just end them quickly and leave it at that."

"I'm your commanding officer, soldier. I know what is best to keep my troops safe. Having these humans make a single noise would have given away our position. I was not about to let that happen."

Baako hung his head but scowled. "It looked like much more than that," he whispered.

Considering the soldiers weren't rushing into the small room must have been some evidence that the humans within the skywalk were clueless to the fact that they'd infiltrated their barricade. Jabari was hopeful that they'd been sufficiently distracted by the gunfight between the snipers on the roofs. Even if that was the case, they'd still have to plan their next move carefully.

"The enemy artillery is down, sir. Repeat. The enemy artillery is down," his radio crackled to life. That was good news. He quickly raised it to his muzzle and called out to Captain Turay.

"Captain Turay. The enemy artillery is currently not manned. Now is the perfect time for a frontal assault against the barricade around the perimeter of the convention center. We are still in the process of advancing our line through the skyway. But first focus your tank fire on the roof and make sure that that artillery remains out of commission."

"Roger. We'll be there in less than five minutes. Hold tight."

There was still hope. Even though they were out-manned five to one, they still had a fighting chance, and if they could take control of the skyway, then that would be a step closer to victory.

"Uh, sir?" the liger called out for Jabari. He followed the Kaapo's gaze and found that the entrance to the small room was starting to open. He wasn't close enough to do anything about it, but the lioness was. She waited until the human solider was halfway into the room before pulling him in, wrapping her legs tightly around his neck in a feat of gymnastics, and snapping it before he could let out a sound. Her graceful but deadly moves amazed them all.

"Remind me to never mess with you." The liger gulped. His jaw was nearly on the floor.

But there was commotion outside of the room. They could no longer delay, lest they be discovered and shot down without cover.

Jabari went first, inching the door open to take a fleeting look. The door swung open on the left, so he looked first to his right. There was no one. The barricades must have stopped right before the small room, which was perfect. He glanced around the door and finally got a good glimpse of them all. He'd been correct again. Hidden behind the makeshift barriers, there were a total of around one hundred human soldiers.

The closest turret was twenty feet from him, and he'd have to go through about ten humans to get there. The good thing was none of the turrets were pointed at them. He signaled his comrades, and he charged out of the room while they still had the element of surprise.

And he used it to his full advantage.

The first three humans fell to the floor from shock after turning around and witnessing a two big lions, a lioness, and a gigantic liger barreling toward them. Jabari rushed right past them, intent on reaching the turret before they could get a shot off. He left the three humans for the liger to take care of, and the furry titan of pure muscle certainly did.

Kaapo's feet were massive enough that when they came crashing down on top of the humans, their entire top halves squished into a flat mess of gore, ending them instantly. The last one he grabbed with his hand, wrapping his meaty fingers all the way around his tiny head, squeezing it until it finally popped. He let out a vicious roar and turned to face all the humans who were staring at him. The enemy was now completely aware of their position.

But some of them, after witnessing what the liger had done to one of their fellow soldiers, turned tail and ran. However, they were running right into the twenty lions waiting for them on the other end of the skyway.

Baako and the Illia each took out the other humans in similar ways, and even though the lioness wasn't as strong as her comrades, she was strong enough to crush the weaker humans underneath her feet and hands. And it didn't take much effort to make one clean cut across their neck with a single claw. They never even saw it coming. Her agility and reflexes were unmatched, and she took particular delight, holding one of the smaller soldier's in her grasp and slitting his throat, watching the blood empty from his head.

Jabari pressed forward and grabbed the soldier who was manning the turret. He slammed him down to the ground and took cover behind the barricade. This time, he got close to the human's face and let out a wicked growl. His hand crawl up to the soldier's face and pushed hard. The bones broke and the flesh gave way under the pressure of the lion's strength until the lion felt his hand push all the way through and touch the floor. The blood poured out from the human's neck and covered Jabari's hand. His golden fur had disappeared. It was now the color of red ripe tomatoes.

He lifted his hand and licked it, letting the human's blood fuel his lust even more. It gave him the courage to do what he had to do next. He grasped the turret with both bloodied hands and took aim. The bullets rained forth as his finger held down on the trigger. He didn't stop. He wouldn't stop until every single human he had a clear shot of was down on the floor, either dead or dying. The adrenaline and bloodlust raged throughout his limbs, and the sight of all that blood and flesh flying from their punctured bodies helped sate some of his craving. A wicked laugh of satisfaction escaped his lips as he watched tens of them drop to the ground, their blood staining the white tiles.

Nearly sixty bodies lay strew across the skyway and the rest of the humans took cover on the other side of the barricades. Jabari stopped firing and let Baako and the Illia cover him with fire while he pulled out his radio.

"They've got their backs turned. Now's the time to advance! Fifth company, move in now!" he ordered and kept his eyes on the other end of the skyway. And just like clockwork, they followed his command, pouring into the skyway, taking out the spineless humans that had decided to run.

"I've got our back," the liger said, shoving some of the barricade up against the entrance to the convention center. The last thing they needed was to be ambushed from behind, and Jabari was glad Kaapo took the initiative to secure their rear. All they had to do was mop up the forty or so humans that remained in the skyway.

"The rest of us are here, bitches!" a random lion called out over the radio and Jabari watched as a huge shell whipped past the skyway and exploded against the corner of the roof of the convention center. And with loads of debris, the howitzer fell and crashed into the ground breaking up some of the concrete walls the humans had built around the center as a defensive measure. The rest of their battalion now had an opening in the enemy's front door.

Jabari beamed, but he felt an itch within him. He wanted to feel another human die by his hands. He wanted to see his feet covered in blood. He wanted to feel a human struggle under his foot again, putting more and more weight onto the human until that final crack came and the light of life left. The closer they got to victory, the more he craved the death of his enemy.

All senses left him as he jumped out from cover and charged at the next barricade, dodging a few bullets, with one of them barely puncturing his vest. He rolled over the bags of sand, grasping one of the tiny humans by his head and tossing him out the skyway window. A load roar bellowed deep from the bottom of his lungs, and he wrapped his hand around the next human. This one he held in front of him, letting the other humans unload a number of bullets into one of their own. He watched as life left the human in his hand as the lead continued to fill his body. A grin rolled across his muzzle as he got behind cover and let the human's limp body drop to the bloodied floor.

"P-p-p-please d-don't kill me, l-lion," a human pleaded and cowered next to him behind the sand bags. "I-I surrender. Make me a slave. I don't care. I just want to live."

"Shh..." Jabari shushed him, and placed his padded hand over the human's face, forcing him to the ground. The young man grasped at the lion's powerful wrists and tried to remove the enormous hand from his face. But it was no use. He could no longer breathe, and soon enough, the human's chest started to convulse as he tried to gasp desperately for air. Jabari wouldn't let it happen. He just leaned in close to the human's ear and whispered, "If you didn't want to die by my hand, you shouldn't have joined the military. So die with honor, soldier, as I take your last breath from you."

His huge fingers raked through the human's hair and pushed the helmet from his head. Jabari let the pleasure fill him and satisfy the lust that just wouldn't end. The feeling of the human's struggles getting weaker and weaker in his grasp was indescribably delightful to his senses. He even closed his eyes and relished each second until the human was no more. His hand inched away and nothing but a blank stare remained on the human's face.

Baako witnessed the whole thing. He feared his friend was close to the point of no return. And for the price of another victory, Jabari would only remain a bloodthirsty shell of his former self. But he had no idea what he could do to end Jabari's bloodlust. Therapy didn't help. Drugs didn't help. And with the human's blood stained in his fur and in his mind, it was likely the end of the lion he once knew. But Baako still clung to hope that Jabari would snap out of it -- that his compassion and mercy -- whatever remained of it -- could be saved.

"Grenade!" Baako yelled as he watched it fly through the air and land perfectly on the other side of the barricade, right next to Jabari. But the Major chuckled, took the thing into his hand, and tossed it right back at the humans. It was probably foolhardy to be throwing any kind of explosive in such a fragile structure, but that meant the humans were getting desperate as the lions had them surrounded and encroaching fast.

None of them could react fast enough as it exploded in their faces, shattering most of the windows throughout the skywalk. It took out close to another ten humans. Jabari locked eyes with Baako and a wide grin stretched across his black lips. Baako shook his head. He knew exactly what his friend was about to do, but there was nothing he could do to stop him.

Jabari leapt over the barricade and charged at the humans that remained. Only a few of them were facing his direction, but none of them had their rifles up, still shaken by the explosion. The other humans were shooting at the lions that were advancing from the opposite side. Kaapo and Illia charged past Baako, joining their commanding officer. They, too, wanted to get a taste of blood. Baako could see it in their eyes, and the humans that remained were just like lambs to the slaughter for them.

Jabari pounced on the first human, pulling him down to the floor with his massive weight. He kept him pinned to the ground with his feet and wrapped both hands around the human's neck. Under such immense pressure, all of the human's air emptied from his lungs and all of his internal organs broke and hemorrhaged. Jabari pulled upward with all of his strength and ripped the human's head and spine right from his torso.

Baako looked away as he nearly vomited from the sight. It was an exact repeat of Red River. With all the death around him, Jabari couldn't help it. He couldn't see the monstrous acts he was committing with his bare hands. He'd done the same things to that poor company of human soldier's at Red River, and all Baako remembered was the terrible sight of red. He couldn't even see the floor; there was only blood, and Jabari had been covered in it, too. He never understood how a lion could do such things, even in the throes of battle and survival, even against the enemy. It was just bloodthirsty savagery -- a psychological condition that began that day at Red River. That's all it was. And now it was only going to get worse.

Kaapo and Illia joined in Jabari's bloody rage, tearing the humans apart by their limbs and letting the blood spill on their fur. They reveled in the feeling of such fragile flesh and bone crushing beneath their feet and succumbing to their power and strength within their grasp. The humans were so easy tear apart. They just wouldn't stop, and Baako had to turn away. His eyes could no longer stand to witness any more of it.

It took less than a minute to wipe up the last of the humans, with very few lion casualties. Jabari held the last one in his hand after clawing a deep laceration in his neck, holding him high and letting the blood dribble down his body, all the way to his bare feet. His toes curled and delighted in the warmth of the crimson liquid. He dropped the human to the floor and crushed the last bit of life out of him with his foot.

His eyes closed and his body trembled with satisfaction. Slowly, his chest rose and fell with each deep breath. His arms and legs were stained with the blood of over fifty humans, and he utterly loved it. There was no feeling better than hunting down his prey and ripping them apart and crushing them with his power and dominance. The excitement. The power. The rush. It was all his.

He whipped back around and started toward the entrance of the convention center. Outside, the human's defenses were being torn asunder by a constant barrage from the lion's tanks. A large number of human's lay dead along the perimeter, unable to escape the explosive and unexpected rampage. And with their big guns down, the enemy didn't stand much of a chance. They had to retreat into the convention center. The lion's were now on the offensive.

Jabari marched past Baako with the rest of his company behind him. He didn't even look at his friend. "Let's end this," he growled. His eyes were devoid of any emotion, and Baako's heart sank low in his chest. Whatever hope he'd wished would remain, it was no longer there. Jabari's eyes were dark, and the light that had been there before was extinguished. And possibly, it would never return.

Jabari tore down the barricade from the entrance and tossed it aside through the window, crashing down on a few unsuspecting humans below the skyway. On the other side, the rest of the battalion was pouring into the convention center, pressing their advantage of close-quarter combat. The humans had no choice but to reinforce the first floor, lest they be overwhelmed, which gave Jabari the perfect opportunity to surprise them from above. The skyway was theirs. The entire convention center was next.

But Baako couldn't stand much more of it. He wrapped his hand around his friends shoulder and forced him to turn around and look at him. Those hazel eyes were empty. Jabari no longer saw a friend. He was just another lion soldier to command. Soldiers weren't supposed to cry, but Baako couldn't hold it back. The corners of his eyes swelled as they filled with tears.

"I don't want you to go in there, Jabari. I don't want to lose you."

"I will never die," Jabari responded, trying to pull away from Baako. He was actually serious, and Baako sensed it. He truly believed he was invincible, and there were plenty of lions in his company that would have believed it as well.

"That's not what I mean!" he replied, his voice cracking a bit. The tears finally started to drip down his muzzle. "You've done your job. You've won us victory against impossible odds. Leave it at that and let everyone else end this battle, because if you go in there, you'll no longer be yourself, Jabari. You'll become the monster you've always feared."

Jabari's icy expression remained unchanged, but a single tear formed in the corner of his left eye. It was the last bits of the lion trying to fight back against the bloodlust that had conquered him.

"Let go of the Major!" the liger growled and brushed Baako's hand off of Jabari's shoulder.

Jabari put a bloodied paw up to his cheek and wiped the single tear away, and with it went the last bit of light. He turned to lead his company to -- what he saw as -- a righteous victory.

"I can't," Baako swallowed hard. "I won't go with you. I won't watch you die to that bloodlust of yours. I won't watch you lose the last bit of mercy that's still inside you, somewhere in that heart of yours."

"Mercy?" Jabari sneered as he walked away. "They deserve the swift death I bring, for I am their redeemer. I shall cleanse them of their beloved humanity."

"At what price, my friend? At what price?"

"I am willing to pay any price if I can save my soldiers and my nation."

"Maybe it's you who needs saving."

Baako held back as he watched his friend disappear beyond the entrance to the convention center. So far, there was no resistance on the other side and the rest of his company followed close behind, some of them snickering and scowling at Baako. He was nothing but a deserter to them now -- one of the worst offenses as a soldier, traitor being the only thing worse.

The fighting on the outside still raged on as the lions gained more and more ground against the humans, and it wasn't long before the battalion of lions had conquered the entire defensive perimeter and finally laid siege upon the beleaguered building. Baako went limp and lowered himself to the floor. His hand accidentally dipped into the blood that covered it. He raised it in front of him and looked at his stained palm, his hand trembling uncontrollably. His eyes scanned everything around him. There were so many bodies, and nearly all of them were human, some of them torn completely asunder, their limbs lying separate from their torsos. Sorrow and grief overwhelmed him as he let out a tortuous howl.

"So much death..." he cried, placing his hands on his face. Instantly, he pulled them away, realizing he'd just stained his face with the blood. His eyelids twitched and disgust filled him. "What protects me from the bloodlust? How am I different than Jabari? Is it the disgust that stops me?"

He took a sharp breath in and climbed to his feet, confident that there was still one more chance to save his friend. With his unsoiled hand, he wiped away the tears that had soaked his cheeks and muzzle and followed the trail of blood the lion's had tracked into the convention center. He hoped it wasn't already too late.

Jabari tossed a tiny human over to the giant liger. He was no longer a fighting for his life. It was just a game, and he wanted to get as much enjoyment out of it as possible; so, watching Kaapo downright squash the human's entire body underneath his monstrous foot with a wet mashing sound was satisfying as hell. The liger didn't even have to put a quarter of his weight onto the squishy human before the flesh and bones caved to the pressure in a disgusting splat, spraying blood in every direction around the liger's enormous foot.

However, each time, it only made Jabari lust for more of it. His craving would never be sated, and it seemed like nothing would ever end it. It was like a curse that would never cease to whisper in his ear, telling him to kill -- kill -- KILL!

"Make that one squirm under your foot! Make that one's head pop in your hand! Tear that one's jugular and watch him bleed to death! Trample those two to death!" The voices were too strong, and the hunger only grew worse with each human's death.

The constant rapping sound of gunfire echoed from the first floor of the convention center. It continued in a frenzied crescendo as they marched down the stairs and came up on the humans from their rear. A quick round of rifle fire nearly took down all of them by surprise, and this time Illia mopped up the rest. She flew from soldier to soldier in an amazing acrobatic display, snapping each of their fragile necks with her legs and arms. She toyed with the last one, sitting on his chest, holding his arms to the ground with her hands. She pressed her feet against his chin and face. He screamed in horror as he realized what she was about to do. She stretched her legs, getting delight in hearing his bones pop out of their sockets, and forced them forward until the soldier's head separated from his body. His blood poured out from his neck as the last strands of sinewy flesh ripped apart.

"Push the line!" Jabari shouted, waving the rest of the battalion forward. They all charged forward taking position alongside one of the large ballroom doors. By Jabari's estimation, the ballroom was where the enemy brigadier general was located and was the center of their operations for the city. It was time to end him, and Jabari had the worst of fates ready for that man.

Jabari ordered a tank through the broken exterior of the convention center and positioned it at the ballroom entrance. With his signal, the tank drove forward and pushed the huge doors open. The humans started firing, instantly, without realizing they weren't doing any damage. The turrets they'd set up couldn't even puncture the armored vehicle.

The tank took aim at the first turret and pounded out the first shell, blowing up a twenty-foot radius around the turret. Sandbags and chunks of human flesh and blood sprayed with the explosion. The tank moved its sights to the next turret and another red display of exploding gore flashed before them. The horrible slaughter continued until all the turrets were down and a large number of the human soldiers ran for their lives, but there was nowhere to go except out into the battalion of lions that surrounded the building.

"WE SURRENDER! WE SURRENDER!" one of the humans toward the back of the ballroom screamed at the top of his lungs. He'd finally seen enough of his soldiers die.

Jabari twisted around the doorway and shouted back at him. "Then order your men to put down their weapons!"

He saw the brigadier general lift his radio up to his face. "You have my order to surrender. Put your guns down and offer no more resistance. The enemy has won."

Jabari remained skeptical, but every single human in the ballroom proceeded to place their rifles on the floor and raise their hands. He flagged his company and the rest of the battalion beside him to file into the ballroom. They all kept their guns raised and pointed at the humans. The tank kept its barrel aimed directly at the human general.

Every lion moved next to a human, kicking them to the ground and forcing them to place their hands behind their heads. None of them resisted. Jabari put his rifle aside and marched over to the general.

"You've won, lion," the general started. "So let's negotiate our terms of surrender."

"I don't negotiate!" Jabari spat and pulled the human's neck into his hand.

The general coughed loud as he choked within the lion's mighty grasp. Everyone's gaze quickly snapped over to the commotion they were making. Jabari's huge hand slipped up and wrapped around the general's face as he lifted the human up from the floor. He kept walking until he reached the wall and slammed the general's head against it, feeling something crack beside his padded palm.

"That is the blood of YOUR soldier's on my palm, general. I want you to taste it. I want you to taste the death you've brought upon them by way of my hand as I squeezed and crushed the life from them. It's the same blood that will ooze from your head as I squeeze the life out of YOU."

The general screamed something, but it didn't make it past Jabari's thick, padded flesh and fur. Just the muffled vibrations of despair reverberated against the lion's bloody palm. His claws inched out and dug into the general's skin. The older human was helpless as he started to thrash about against the wall, his legs banging up against the wood and concrete, blood drizzling down the sides of his head.

Jabari took in a deep breath through his nose. He could smell it. He could smell the sweet aroma of the general's blood. The lion leaned in and licked the blood from the general's cheek and whispered into his ear. "Let me redeem you of your humanity, human."

He squeezed harder with his hand and his claws dug into the general's skull, making him squeal louder against his hand. The human's struggles were delightful to Jabari as he writhed even more within the lion's strong grasp.

"Let this be an example!" Jabari roared to everyone in the ballroom. "Humans are nothing but prey!"

"STOP IT!" a familiar voice called out from behind him. It was Baako.

"You..." Jabari sneered. "Deserter."

"They are defeated, Jabari. There is no need to kill him."

"But if we don't kill them now they will all kill us later!"

"No," Baako shook his head, his lip twitching with disgust. "You don't even care about that. All you want is to see more death. That's all you'll ever want, and you won't stop until you get it."

"LIES! YOU ARE A TRAITOR!"

"Look at what you've become! This is everything you've told me you'd never fall for again." Baako screamed, trying to reach the lion that he used to know. "Come back to me, Jabari. Please, come back to me! You are my friend; my comrade; my brother-in-arms. I will not let you slip away from me. I will not let your mind slip brutally into the creeping darkness of insanity. Come back to me, Jabari."

The words echoed between his ears as Baako's voice finally got to him, tugging at his former self -- the one that shielded his conscience from the horrors he had to commit in order to survive. A light sparked in Jabari's eyes as he started to return. He let the human general slip from his grasp. The human fell to the ground, writhing in pain. It ended there. There would be no more killing.

His bloodstained hands twisted and inched toward his face as he stared at them in horror, just like everyone else in the ballroom. They were all horrified. "W-what have I done?" he stuttered, his lips trembling from utter shock. He looked down to find the human general cowering at his feet, the human's head drenched in his own blood. Jabari stumbled backward, almost tripping from his terror.

Baako dragged his feet as he cautiously approached his friend. He placed a hand on Jabari's shoulder and pulled him into a comforting embrace. "It's over now, my friend. The human's have surrendered and the battle is over. You saved nearly all of us."

Jabari started crying in front of everyone. He no longer cared how he looked to his fellow soldiers. "I-I lost myself. It was Red River all over again," he wept, breathing erratically. "I truly am a monster."

Everyone who beheld the scene wore expressions of anguish, even some of the human soldiers felt his pain.

"That was not you, Jabari. That was the bloodlust. There was nothing you could do to stop it. Even I couldn't do anything in the end, but you came back to us. You still didn't let it take you and your mind."

Jabari finally looked up into Baako's eyes. "Thank you Baako, you are a true friend."

A weak smile stretched across Baako's lips. He knew that his friend was still vulnerable. At any moment, the bloodlust could return, and one day, Jabari would never come back.

"This needs to be the last time, Baako. I can't.... I can't do this anymore," he mumbled as more tears fell from his cheeks. He took in a deep breath and swallowed hard.

Baako nodded and agreed. He knew what that meant.

"This is my last raid. No more."

"Then I will quit with you, friend," Baako replied. "You'll need as much support you can get. This will be my last raid, too."

Jabari smiled. Baako was glad to finally see his friend return to normal. "Thank you," said the young, bloodied, and scarred lion. Another scar had made its mark, but this time, it was the last.