[3rd POV]
Ears turned at the roar that dominated the night sky. The hyenas, although not a lion, knew immediately that the roar did not belong to Scar.
Because Scar's roar never scared them, but this one did.
The roar terrified them down to the oldest instinct. If they were not hundreds, all would've fled the kingdom. The intensity and might of sound could not be faked. Their mind told them to stay, to not fear a single lion when there were many. But their body said exactly the opposite.
Any creature that could make such sounds should be feared and avoided at all costs.
But not all hyenas were fearful. Some reacted worse to the roars. While others had a fearful face and a cautious look, some of them screamed.
They screamed. The hyenas who screamed were all newcomers who had joined the Prideland recently. You could easily tell them apart because the newer members were smaller and weaker than the ones who had stayed in the Prideland since Scar's rule.
These hyenas were having a mental breakdown. They ran around, screaming in panic like someone had brought out their worst trauma.
Unlike most, the roar was familiar to them. They recognized the lion who could produce such roars.
After all, these hyenas came from the Serengeti.
"What the fuck is wrong with them!!!" a female hyena who was one of the most dominant in the clan said while looking at the hyenas who had joined them recently.
"Calm down!!" she screamed. "What are you scared of? Are you scared of a lion?! Is that why all of you are panicking?"
But no one heeded her words. They continued panicking and showing fearful behaviours even though the screaming and running around had stopped to an extent.
Feeling disrespected, she took down one of the smaller hyenas and pinned him to the ground.
"Let me go!!" the hyena said, trying to escape from her.
"Not until you tell me why you are reacting like this. Do you fear lions that much? How come you serve Scar then?" she asked.
"You don't understand, do you? Well, how could you, you weren't there," he said, still struggling. "I knew the vultures were a bad omen. I knew they wouldn't circle us like that for no reason," he said.
"He is here now. He came all this way just to kill us. His hatred knows no bounds," he said.
That was one of the reasons why the hyenas who came from the Serengeti were all having a panic attack. There was no reason for them to hear that roar, no reason for Leo to come all this way. They thought he was coming to kill them.
"Let go of me bitch!!" he made one final struggle and tried to escape.
But he was quickly overpowered, and she slammed him on the ground. He released a pained puppy noise, and his body went limp.
"Tell me, who is coming?" she asked.
"The tailless lion," he choked out.
The hyena blinked. When she heard the word tailless, she recalled one lion whom she chased out of the Prideland years ago.
"The lion king Leo is coming."
....
It was not just the old hyenas who were freaking out and learning who was responsible for the roar. Scar woke up to a nightmare; the roar that forced itself into his eardrums was a chilling reminder of a promise.
A lion whom he thought was even more dangerous than Mufasa.
Sleep left him the moment he opened his eyes. He got up and ran to the ledge of Pride Rock to hear the roar again.
It was unmistakable. There could be no other lion.
"He is early," was all Scar said as he watched his kingdom crumble before him.
"No," he said, malice filled his eyes and determination twisted his face.
He had almost two years to prepare for this, just like Leo had. Scar had been doing everything possible in his power to welcome this very same day and make sure the promise remained unfulfilled.
He opened his mouth and released a roar from the lowest pit of his being. A roar rumbled out, challenging and failing to match Leo's roar in the sky.
A snarl left his throat, and he stopped roaring. He was only embarrassing himself trying to compete.
Right then, his eyes snapped with a realisation. He turned around immediately and ran down the Pride Rock and crashed into the lions' den.
"Sarabi!! Zuri!!!" he called them, but only his own echo greeted him.
The lionesses were gone.
"Damn it!!" Scar cursed out in guttural hatred before quickly running out of the den.
He climbed the Pride Rock and headed towards its highest point where he could see the entirety of his kingdom and the endless horizon. It was night, so it was hard to see.
But as he looked around, luck was on his side because he saw the two lionessess running away from the Pride Rocks.
He roared immediately. It was a command that immediately got the attention of the hyenas staying below at the base of the hill.
"They are escaping!! Get them!!" he screamed.
And a wave of hungry hyenas chased after Zuri and Sarabi. They had been distracted by Leo's roar, which was how they were able to slip past them. But at the command of the king, they ran full force to chase them down.
"KILL THEM!!!" Scar said, giving the last order.
The hyenas hollered in excitement. They were scavengers, and if given the chance, they would very much eat a lion's meat. Their starved bodies went into beast mode; now they were no longer just obeying the order of the king but also their instinct.
They laughed and cackled, as they tailed behind the two lionesses.
..
..
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[3rd POV]
"They are coming right after us!! We'd better hurry!!" Zuri screamed when she saw the wave of hyenas behind them.
Normally, a lion was much faster than a hyena, but Zuri and Sarabi were starved. Not to mention Sarabi was currently wounded from her conflict with Scar. She was dragging the whole team down and slowing them.
She knew this, and she gritted her teeth and pushed her body to the limit.
"We? Tell that to yourself, I can fly," Grim said while slowing down and flying right above them.
"You're not helping!!" Zuri cried out. She was caught between looking back to see how close the hyenas were and looking forward so she didn't crash into a random tree.
They continued running as fast as they could, but it became increasingly evident that the hyenas were catching up to them. Especially over long distances, hyenas were not far off compared to lions that mainly rely on bursts of speed.
"Stop slowing down for my sake, Zuri. Just leave me behind if you must," Sarabi said, trying her hardest to keep her speed.
"Not a chance, we're almost there," Zuri said, her face emotional. "He is finally here. We can't give up now."
They continued running. Zuri repeatedly urged Sarabi, motivating her to push beyond her limit.
"BIRD!! Are you sure we are going the right way?" Zuri asked when Grim led them away from all the escape routes that she knew of.
Suffice it to say, Zuri knew the Prideland like the back of her paw. So as she continued following Grim, she quickly realised they were not heading towards any known escape routes that led outside the kingdom.
The only reason why she continued following Grim was because she knew there were hyenas stationed in every escape route, as mentioned before. So perhaps the bird was leading her to an unknown route, or maybe he was leading them to a safe place to hide.
"First you tried to eat me and then you doubt my direction. I can't take such disrespect for long," Grim said while looking at her upside down while flying.
"I will have you know my precise sense of direction has won countless battles," he said proudly. "This is nothing."
Zuri groaned. Nothing? She was running for her damn life, and this is considered nothing?
At last, the hyenas caught up to them. Sarabi could feel their hot breath and their phantom teeth on her tail. Their snarl was wild, and even though she tried her best, she lagged behind.
'I guess this is it...' Sarabi thought to herself.
She mentally prepared herself to stop running and fight the hyenas head-on. Instead of dying like some insect, she would fight and hopefully slow down the hyenas enough for Zuri to get to safety.
"NO!! Don't!!" Zuri screamed, as if she read her mind and knew her intention.
Sarabi simply gave a smile. She had so many regrets, and not being able to see her son for the last time would be at the top of the list.
But then...
"Stop looking back and look up!!" Grim said, a grin in his tone.
Sarabi and Zuri looked up immediately and saw the vultures circling in the sky. The sky was dark, so they were barely visible, but now they were close to the ground so they could see them.
There were dozens, no, hundreds of them.
"Airstrikes incoming!!" Grim yelled, and then right on cue, the vultures dived towards them.
Zuri and Sarabi gasped and ducked their heads. A few vultures flushed right past their head and then slammed into the hyenas running behind them.
They both looked back, just in time to see the hundreds of vultures slamming their talons or their whole bodies at the wave of hyenas. The action was effective, as the wave of hyenas stopped in an instant.
Even the ones not hit by the vultures stopped and attacked the birds. In their hunger, they would take any prey that presented itself to them and not just Zuri and Sarabi.
Grim flew down and perched on top of Zuri's back.
"Finally, go earn your meal, you lazy bastards!! Do it for the king!!" he said, not joining them but ordering the rest.
Some hyenas slipped from the group and continued pursuing them. But the majority of the hyenas were completely preoccupied by the vultures. Now, instead of an uncontable wave of hyenas, a dozen or so chased after them.
"Oh shit, that guy just got his head bitten off," Grim said, his hype tone dying in an instant when he witnessed the brutal events that followed.
There was not much the vultures could do against the hyenas. Some vultures passed out when they slammed into a hyena, leaving themselves vulnerable for others to tear them apart.
The ones that survived the initial strike continued harassing the hyenas, but even that was a dangerous deed. The hyenas leapt and caught the birds by their wings or tails, dragging them down and killing them between their jaws instantly.
It was truly a wonder what Grim had told those vultures to be able to basically go kamikaze on the hyenas. We may never know.
He leapt off Zuri's back and took to the sky again.
"A little more, we are almost there!!" he said.
And the escape continued.
...
A few minutes later, Grim flew down and perched on top of a tall, bald tree.
Zuri and Sarabi stopped running after that. They wanted to fall on the ground and die of exhaustion, but they had no such privilege, so they panted like dying animals. Sarabi was in a worse condition than Zuri; she could barely stand.
Zuri panted heavily while looking around. There was confusion on her face that slowly turned into horror.
"You damn vulture, where are we?!" she asked while turning to Grim, who was perched on the tree.
They were in the middle of nowhere. They were at the edge of the kingdom, and just beyond them was a cliff that was not possible for animals to climb down. They were literally just stuck there, with nowhere else to go.
"We are right where we needed to be," Grim said and began cleaning his feathers.
"What? You said you will help us escape," she accused him.
"Indeed, I said that. But I never said I would lead you to an escape," he said, leaving Zuri stumped and not knowing how to argue next.
"We are at the most isolated part of the kingdom. This region has no watering hole left, so barely any hyenas or life in general stay here," he said.
"And that is supposed to help us how?" she asked, but before she got her answer, the hyenas reached them.
Sarabi and Zuri turned around. The hyenas that chased after them were much fewer because of the vultures' attack. Zuri counted 14 as they stood before them one by one.
They growled, snarled, and barked. But they were just as exhausted as the lionesses, so they took their time to catch their breath.
The two groups entered a staredown, and Grim took this chance to answer her question.
"This place is perfect because other than the ones that followed us, there are no other enemies left," he said.
"And the goal was never to go towards an escape route, but to lead them to the perfect ambush spot," he said and then grinned.
???
Even the hyenas who heard him were alarmed by that.
And right on cue, predators shot out from behind the trees and bushes.
Lionesses, the best Leo's pride had to offer. Isheba, Eshe, Sanaa, Imani and then Nala.
All five lionesses ambushed the hyenas while they were exhausted. Zuri and Sarabi only watched as they made quick work of the 14 rabid dogs. They killed swiftly and efficiently. Some hyenas tried to run, but they were caught like baby prey.
The whole thing only took 30 brutal seconds, and it was over.
After the dust settled, Nala made a beeline towards Zuri.
"Zuri!!" she said, rocketing towards her friend and going for a hug.
Zuri was too tired to respond properly, but her face had a smile. She allowed herself to be tackled on the ground, her tired body finally relaxing for a bit.
...
...
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