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I felt like an idiot. No, I was an idiot. An idiot for bothering to survive in this godforsaken land. 5 years. 5 goddamn years I have fought tooth and nail just to exist in this place. Now, here I am hopping on my only leg left through the savanna. I had lost my right leg 5 years ago when I first got stuck wherever I was in Africa. My wife had cut it off after she caught me during an escape attempt. That's a weird thought, isn't it? But as much as it hurt that night it hurt my wife worse over time. She never did forgive herself for that one. Even though I'd forgiven her a thousand times at this point. I'm just lucky to be alive at all, I suppose. Considering the fact that I was just beaten and robbed at gunpoint by a rival clan of lions. I was technically part of the local gnoll clan despite being human due to my wife, Zenna. This made me fair game to them. Especially when traveling alone on a supply run. One of my daughters was sick. She had caught malaria, and was extremely weak. I was coming back from one of the larger village's marketplaces. They luckily had just the type of medicine we needed for her. Unluckily for me I managed to wander into the eye of a passing group of lions.

One of the lions must have recognized me because they were on my tail instantly. The bullets whizzing past my head did nothing to persuade me to stop. However, the crashing and clanging sound from my buggy's engine made my decision for me. I stepped out of the car unarmed. I was dumb, but I wasn't stupid. Words were useless in situations like these, at least for me. The strange language they spoke in these lands still confused me from time to time. I could understand the general idea of what they were saying, but the nuances were always lost on me. Meeting the lions didn't go well. I tried to explain it was medicine. The lion called me a pile of dung. And then I was on the ground getting the shit kicked out of me for a while. To be fair, it was five on one. After beating me near senseless they held me at gunpoint as they robbed me. They had taken my shotgun, the medicine, and even my prosthetic leg. Everything but the clothes off my back. Actually no, they took my one boot as well. Wonderful.

With a busted dune buggy, and miles till I got back home I sighed and got up. Luckily they hadn't taken my walking stick. I'd need it with only one leg and no shoes. I had always hated how hot it was in this place. I missed air conditioning the most out of the many comforts the civilized world had. That or maybe baked goods. I missed cheesecake… I tried thinking back on those memories to pass the time as I hobbled along. It was better than imagining Zenna tearing my head off for coming back empty handed.

The sight of a patrol convoy made me sigh in relief. Looks like I wouldn't be hobbling back to camp after all. I waved as best as I could without falling over and felt a small smile come on when they waved back. I couldn't remember who was on patrol duty today, but I'm thankful they actually did their routes for once. One truck and a motorcycle. The dust kicked up in a cloud as they slowed to a halt. The truck's door swung open and three sets of heavy boots hit the ground. Four gnoll women approached me, rifles in arms. I immediately recognized them all, of course. Even messed around with all of them at some point or another. Not that it was my choice much of the time.

Driving the truck had been Gahenna. She was Zenna's younger sister, and second in command of the clan. She wasn't the tallest gnoll at only 6 foot 2, but she was still larger than my diminutive height of 5 foot 11. Gahenna wasn't as muscular as her older sister, but she was definitely toned. Her more greyish fur always made her stand out from the pack. Today, she sported a dirty olive shirt with equally ratty track pants.

The twins Chea and Ryas had been seated on the bed of the truck to act as sentries. Not that either of them were very good at their jobs considering they tended to argue more than keep watch. Both were of similar build and traded clothing quite often, but I could always tell them apart by their hair. Ryas was quite fond of their long black braids, where as Chea wore her hair down in a wilder fashion. Ryas wore the upper half of a dark blue tracksuit, and wore scavenged military fatigues for pants. Chea was wearing the lower half of that same blue tracksuit along with a dirty white shirt. Both ladies stood at 6 foot 8 with your average female gnoll build. Muscular and lanky, that is.

Finally, on the motorcycle was Sedreh. Sedreh had always been the quietest female of the clan, but far from the most passive. Sedreh always had a knack for aim and an itchy trigger finger. At least, that's what I was told by her sisters. She didn't bother taking the motorcycle helmet off to greet me, and instead opted to stare at me like some hairy cyclops. Her reddish brown fur reminded me of the rust that adorned much of the vehicles here, and her slender figure always made her stand out amongst the others. Sedreh wore a ratty combat vest and dirty jeans.

The four of them take a moment to look me over before turning to each other. They all break out into an ear crushing amount of laughter. The shrill obnoxious giggles elicit a heavy sigh from me. I had half expected this. Even after 5 years of being their shared property, pity came second to them. Laughter derived from suffering always came first. Gahenna wipes a tear from her eye and turns back towards me. “So what happened out there, flower boy?" she asks with a smirk on her muzzle. Gahenna had a habit of calling me by nicknames like that on account of my trademark hawaiian shirt. I've worn the damn thing ever since the plane crash, and at this point I can't bear to get rid of it. Not to mention that most of their clothing didn't fit me, and the ones that did had a… a smell to them.

“Lions. Broke the car, and took everything."

“Even the medicine?"

“I tried to tell them, but they just started kicking me. They even took my leg…"

The four women look at each other upon hearing me. Gahenna pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs.

“Zenna's gonna go berserk…"

“I'll deal with her. How's Hera? Fever any better?"

“No, she's started shaking…"

I shake my head and start hobbling towards the truck. The engine roars to life as Gahenna takes the driver's seat, and we set off back towards camp. Back home.

“So how long were you walking?"

“Couple hours…"

“You remember the ones that robbed you?"

“Kinda? They were all young, and a couple of the males didn't even have their manes yet."

“What color was the leader's mane?"

“Black, I think."

“Hmm… Zenna will want to know that."

I lay back in my seat and close my eyes. Silently preparing myself for the wrath of my darling wife.

The truck rolls through the front gates of the village's compound, and they slam shut after us. Only the bravest male gnolls watch the front gates. All the rest are usually too scared for guard duty despite there being nearly nobody willing to attack this village. I shake myself awake and watch the windows as we slowly drive through. Males mill about the village taking care of daily chores. Doing laundry, preparing food, farming, and even weapon maintenance were all things the smaller males busied themselves with. The females rarely bothered themselves with such menial tasks, and instead spent much of their time messing with the males. A shove here or a headlock there was normal in this place.

The truck rolls to a stop in the main center of the village. Zenna and a few of the other female gnolls stand awaiting the return of the patrol. My wife stands out amongst the clan purely off of her size alone. Spotted light brown fur covered her nearly 8 foot tall body. Scars covered her body at numerous points, but her muzzle bore only the scars of a claw wound. Her messy dark brown hair did nothing to hide the fiery hazel eyes beneath them. Zenna wore her usual military fatigues and chest bandages. She preferred to tie her ample chest down instead of dealing with them getting in the way. Some of the gnolls begin speaking amongst themselves and a couple even point at me through the window of the truck. I step out of the truck but stumble landing on one foot. Shakily I look up to the approaching form of Zenna. My mind flashes back to the memory of her charging at me. I flinch back to reality as her backhand turns into a paw cupping my cheek. Her clawed thumb runs over my cheek as she looks down at me with concern on her face. I must have looked pretty bad after that beating earlier.

“Who did this?" Her voice is short and gruff. You can see the beginning of a snarl creep up on her muzzle.

“Lions. One with a black mane." Zenna begins growling upon hearing me.

“And the medicine?"

“They took everything…" I say, gesturing down at my right stump.

When Zenna's eyes connect with my missing leg I watch in real time as they go bloodshot. Her free hand balls up into a fist, and I can hear her joints crack as she tightens it. Her fist begins shaking and she's so angry she's gnashing her teeth at me.

When Zenna lets go of my cheek she loses it. She begins barking orders left and right, before kicking the door to the weapons shed open. She was speaking too fast to catch what she had said, but immediately the village springs to life. Female gnolls gear up for battle, and male gnolls begin loading their weapons. Did I forget to mention that Zenna is the leader of the entire village? Zenna emerges from the weapons shed carrying her trusty M60, but also something that surprises you. Zenna walks over to Gahenna beside you, and tosses her an RPG-7. Gahenna says nothing, but simply nods at her older sister. Gahenna hops up into the back of the truck you came in on while Zenna squeezes into the driver seat. I'm still confused and looking around when I see something I haven't seen ever in my entire time living with the gnolls. Now that all of the women had geared up for war, the men had begun to as well now. Seeing a usually cowardly male gnoll proudly tote a rifle on his shoulder was surreal. Zenna's barking voice brings me back to reality. I found myself being half dragged and half helped into the passenger seat by Zenna.

“What exactly are we doing?"

“We're getting our daughter's medicine back. Or else."

The convoy leaving the village is more akin to a caravan. Nearly a dozen trucks and more ATVs sped through the hot savanna sun. Each truck bed was piled high with gnolls, both male and female. Zenna hasn't stopped muttering under her breath the entire time, and her eyes are still bloodshot. Personally, I didn't feel like getting shot today. So at the risk of getting my head torn off I turned towards Zenna and said,

“Let me talk to them." The look she gave me could kill. It was as if I had just insulted her ancestors. “

No. I will not let this insult stand."

“You're gonna level the village."

“They have stolen from our daughter. They have beaten and insulted my husband. For this, their village shall burn."

“Honey, I-"

“ENOUGH" Zenna's gigantic paw grabbing my throat silenced me. Not enough to hurt, but enough to shut me up. Guess she was doing the talking this time. Again.

I think back to the last time Zenna had lost it during an outburst. We were at a larger village's marketplace when an elephant man had joked that Zenna had cut my leg off to keep me from running from her. I had to pull Zenna off of the poor guy, but it wasn't before she nearly caved his eyes in. Zenna hadn't been back to that marketplace since. I shake my head to clear my thoughts as the lion village appears far into the distance. After 5 years you'd think her temper would have calmed down, and especially after becoming a mother. Only slightly. She still regularly lost her temper, but never violently like she used to. Thinking back to those first few months made me shiver, and made my stump ache even worse than normal. Back then I was more or less simply surviving as the camp human. Now, I found myself more in the role as a shared husband of the clan's inner circle. Zenna and her sisters shared me amongst each other, but Zenna was still the main wife. As such, she commanded most of my time and life. It was her idea to send me out to get the medicine in the first place. Hopefully she didn't blame me for this whole mess.

The trucks fanned out in a line at the front gate of the lion village. The guards had all gone on full alert ever since spotting the convoy, but had remained calm since nobody had started firing. Dozens of feet hit the ground and took up positions around the limits of the village. The 4 lions guarding the gate looked around nervously as the gnolls surrounded them. Zenna and I stepped out of the truck, and she stepped forward into the open space between the groups. “Abdullah! Get out here!" her voice booms through the arid savanna air. The front gates to the village open slightly and a group of lions step out from behind them. The group is armed to the teeth, but one of the lions stands out to me. He's about as tall as me, and his prominent mane had streaks of gray hair. The tattered military jacket and dusty red beret he wore let you know exactly who he was. He was the guy in charge. The older lion steps out into the space between the groups and a few feet away from Zenna. Both sides eye each other nervously, and a few of the lions make note of the RPG-7 Gahenna has aimed at them from the back of the truck.

“Zenna. What is this? Do you plan on starting a war?" the elder lion says as he too eyes Gahenna.

“You will return what has been stolen from me." Zenna says coldly; the threat of her entire clan behind her words.

“Stolen… We have not stolen anythi-" he cuts himself short as his eyes widen a bit. “Jareyas! Get out here, now!" he shouts. Another lion emerges from the front gates. He's tall for a lion, and though he's young he sports a large black mane. That was him alright. The lion who was beating my ass on the ground a few hours ago. He looked nervous as he stepped beside the elder lion. The two begin quietly arguing with each other, all the while stealing glances at me. Zenna shakes her head before turning around and walking back towards me. She's clearly losing patience as her deaf ear is twitching as she approaches me. Zenna lost the hearing in her left ear as a young cub due to her village being raided by marauders. She doesn't like to talk about it. A large paw grips my entire shoulder and begins dragging me towards the two arguing lions. I struggle to keep up on my one leg as I hop along beside her. The lions are arguing quite loudly with each other now when we stop in front of them. “Enough. My husband was robbed by your son's patrol earlier. Now return the medicine you have stolen, and his leg. And perhaps I will not burn this place to the ground." Zenna speaks flatly. The cold tone of her voice meant business, and the lions knew it. The elderly lion slowly turns towards the black maned lion and says, “Medicine… And… You took his leg? Jareyas, are you mad?" Zenna stomps her heavy booted foot and growls out, “Now, damn you! My daughter will not wait!" The elder lion smacks the back of Jareyas' head, and he immediately skulks back through the front gate.

The leader of the lions, Abdullah, tries to apologize for the actions of his ill-tempered son. The lions were no pushover tribe, but to insult and attack the husband and young of a hyena clan was a grave mistake. Gnoll clans outnumbered lions nearly 3 to 1 in this area. And though gnolls weren't particularly loyal to one another, they jumped at any chance at war. It was just in their nature. Zenna remained silent as she stared down at the elder lion. Soon Jareyas returns carrying the package he had robbed from me, as well as my metal leg. Zenna quickly swipes both items from the lion's paws, and tosses me my leg. I sigh and kneel down to reattach it while Zenna goes back to the truck. Both lions faces turn grim as Zenna returns to my side as I stand back up on two feet. She's carrying her machete. The handle of the machete is shoved into my hand by Zenna, and I turn to look up at her. Her eyes don't move from the lions in front of her.

“You stole a limb from my husband. You will suffer the same." I turn towards her to try and change her mind.

“Zenna, let's just go home. I don-" before I can finish my sentence I feel a large clawed paw rest upon my shoulder, and push me forwards. This was just how gnolls dealt with things. An eye for an eye even if the eye in question was a prosthetic. It was the principal of the matter to them. Zenna roughly grabs the arm of Jareyas, and he struggles for a moment before Abdullah places a paw on his shoulder. Jareyas sighs, and shuts his eyes as Zenna holds his arm extended. I really didn't feel like causing any more bad blood between the two tribes, but something had to be done. That was the law. I sighed as I reeled back to at least make it one quick strike for the poor guy, even if he did beat my ass.

With all the force I can muster I grunt as I drive the machete wielding hand down, and my prosthetic foot up. The steel toe tip of my prosthetic foot connects with his crotch with a solid metallic *thump*. Jareyas' voice hitches in his throat as he crumples over holding his balls in agony. At first everyone is silent as his moans of pain fill the air. That is until Zenna breaks out into a shrill giggle. Suddenly the entire pack of gnolls are giggling like schoolgirls as Jareyas writhes on the ground in pain. Even some of the lions break out into small laughs or smirks. Zenna starts walking back towards the truck still laughing her head off. When she reaches the driver seat she looks back at Abdullah and shouts, “You owe us a dune buggy, too!" The caravan starts rolling back towards the village still giggling as they kick up the dust around the lion village. As we drive back Zenna wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me beside her on the bench seat. She's still trying to shake off her giggles as she tussles my hair.

“You idiot, I wanted you to cut his hand off."

“And I wanted to go home without a fight."

“They hurt you!"

“Nothing new there…" I mumble under my breath. Zenna clicks her tongue and opens her mouth to say something, but stops herself halfway through. I run my hand over the bandaged bite wound on my wrist and sigh. Zenna notices what I'm doing and her ears droop.

“I said I was sorry…"

“I know, dear… I know."

Gnolls are passionate beings. They lose themselves in passion to the point where they have trouble controlling themselves. It's just how they are. In times of war, gnolls are some of the most ferocious warriors to roam the land. Doubly so when they make love. Teeth, claws, and muscle become their only ways of communication. Words lose their meanings to a beast caught up in the heat of the moment. With how poorly little Hera's health has lately, Zenna has been extremely stressed. So stressed that for the first time in months she had hurt me during one of our lovemaking sessions.

I can't help but recall the event as I nurse my aching wrist. The same familiar ceiling. The same stench of mulch and musk filled my lungs as I fought desperately for air. The paw wrapped around my throat was nothing new, but the weight pressing down upon it was. Zenna had lost herself to passion hours ago, and the glazed look in her eyes proved that. I had lost feeling in my lower half a couple hours ago, but Zenna paid no heed to my words. While on the verge of passing out I had tried to push her paw off of my throat. Big mistake. After all this time you'd think I'd remember that gnolls love it when you fight back. Triggers some sort of fight or flight response in them. The moment I put any real force behind my hand Zenna lurched forward and chomped down onto my wrist. I cried out in pain, and tried to wrench my wrist free from her maw. Bigger mistake. The first wound from a gnoll is usually territorial, and only meant to stop you in your tracks. Fighting back after that point sets their blood boiling. My vision went red as Zenna bit down with even more force than before. The dull crunch of my wrist made me cry out like a wounded dog. The glazed look in Zenna's eyes were quickly replaced by concern as my wails hit her ear. Zenna pulled back and stared at the bloody trembling arm before her, and swore under her breath. Next thing I know my head is laying in her lap as she dresses my new wound. Her countless apologies enter one ear and exit the other. The only thing I was listening to was the throbbing pain of my arm. I fell asleep alone that night. Zenna refused to look at me after hurting me again, so she left me to rest.

The endless droning sound of the truck's engine lures me out of my memory. My vision fades back in to see the dried blood of the bandages wrapped around my wrist. A large brown paw reaches over to grab my hand and I reflexively flinch away. Zenna's ear flicks and her paw goes to grab hand in a much slower fashion. The warmth of her fur, and the leathery feel of her pads on my skin help bring me back to the present. I let out a long sigh, and turned to look out the window. Dry savanna grass and the rare tree zoom past the truck. Always the same view. Always the same outcome. Just another day surviving in this place.