Mystery Girl

.~ Chapter 3 ; Return ~.

Kion paced around the small cave, while Lyre ruffled her feathers, anxiously waiting for her friend to return.

The gold-feathered bird sighed, turning to face the lion cub. "I told Ali that she should wake your friends up, so we will hopefully be out of here soon. Maybe before the next fight."

Kion's ears shot up, browns furrowing. His hazel gaze flicked to the bird, a question in their depths.

Lyre glanced out of the den then back to Kion. "Sometimes, Ali fights the jackals for their two-year initiation. Tomorrow, she is fighting Reirei eldest' son, Moimoi. He is the worst of them all."

The cub nodded, both animals whipping around to look at Alina, who limped into the den, blood dripping from her shoulder and foreleg. 

Lyre and Kion rushed over, Alina laid down, her head pounding. Kion stood by Lyre as the bird used her feathers to wipe away the blood, exposing a few smaller bites along her foreleg, and some scratches on Alina's shoulder.

The bird spread her wings, hoping to create enough wind to try and get as much dirt out of the cuts as possible.

Kion looked to Lyre, the black-and-gold feathered bird just laid down beside her best friend, so Kion did too, farther away from the two. Noticing this, Lyre patted the other side of Alina, beckoning him.

He looked surprised, then padded closer, laying down on the opposite side of Lyre. Alina, feeling soft fur next to her, curled up against the warm fur.

Kion smiled, blushing a little at the way that Alina scooted closer to him, her head moving just beside his shoulder.

Lyre smirked, already setting the two up, drifting to sleep beside her injured friend.

.~.~.~.~.~.

The Lion Guard and the lions of the Pridelands ran through the outlands, with Ono leading the way to the Prince.

Ono suggested they take a path up to the top of the bowl-like camp, to stage an ambush. They gathered along the rim of the camp, waiting.

The hyenas, jackals, and crocodiles were in a circle, with two hyenas bringing a shape easily recognized as a lioness, into the middle, where a fully-grown jackal was waiting.

Simba looked to Fuli, and she gave a nod; that was Alina.

Reirei stepped forward. " Welcome to my son, Moimoi's two-year final fight!"

The animals yelled, supporting Moimoi. Reirei continued after the animals had died down. "As usual, Moimoi will be fighting Alina! The invisible cub!"

Alina's ears pinned, after narrowly avoiding a blow from Reirei, her coat disappeared, shocking all of the Pridelanders on the ridge.

Then, Alina appeared again, pinning her ears against her head. Reirei cackled, stepping out of the circle of deadly animals.

Moimoi launched forward, swiping at the white cub, who waited for the swipe and latched her teeth into his oncoming paw.

The jackal yelped, yanking his paw from her grip and landing blows to her side and shoulder. Alina limped to the side, surprisingly fast for an injured animal, her claws struck out, scouring long marks from Moimoi's neck to his flank.

Moimoi whirled, preparing to advance, but Alina disappeared, it took Moimoi a second, his nose in the air, before he scented the blood, and spotted the scarlet liquid in the sand. He lept, crashing into the invisible lioness.

Alina growled, her eyes narrowing to a point. This was the point where people lost. She ran forward, her teeth biting his shoulders, he tried to land a mark on her, but she slipped out of his grasp every time.

A golden-and-black feathered songbird called out from a small cave. "WOOO! GO ALI! SHOW THAT JERK!"

'Ali' pulled back from the now bleeding jackal, letting out a roar worthy of royalty. Alina snarled, ducking under Moimoi's incoming swipe. Headbutting his sensitive belly as she kicked up with her back paws, delivering a sharp crack to Moimoi's jaw.

Moimoi staggered, his eyes practically bulging out of his head.

Then, Kilburi snapped his jaws around Alina's already battered foreleg. Alina cried out, yanking her leg back, going invisible as the bird shouted out insults towards the crocodile.

She went invisible, silently whimpering, only the steady dripping of her severely injured leg as something that would give her away, and Moimoi noticed, shaking his head and crashing into the invisible lioness.

Alina appeared again, cyan eyes wide with fright as Moimoi sunk his teeth into her neck. A ground-shaking roar echoed through the canyon as a golden blur rammed into Moimoi, throwing him off the weakened lioness.

Kion stood protectively over Alina, the songbird hovering just in front of her friend. Simba roared, signaling the Prideland lions and the Lion Guard to attack.

The army poured down the side of the camp, swarming the outlanders, driving them out quickly. Simba, Nala, Kiara, and the Lion Guard stopped by Alina, Kion, and the bird.

The bird was desperately flying around her white-furred friend, trying to keep her awake. Kion turned to Fuli. "Get Rafiki! Hurry!" His eyes were wide, and Fuli gave a short nod, tearing away from the camp, pinning her ears as she practically exploded, making dust rise behind her.

She stopped at Rafiki's tree after a lot of running.

"Rafiki!" She shouted, the worry in her voice evident.

"What?" The monkey called back down.

"Lioness! Bleeding out!" She panted, but Rafiki was down in seconds, some cobwebs in one of his hands.

He climbed onto Fuli's back, and they ran towards the outlands. Thanks to Fuli's speed, they got there fast, barely a minute after they left.

Rafiki ran towards Alina, the bird had kept her friend awake, keeping her distracted as her neck bled heavily. Kion was watching, worry written over his features.

Rafiki patched up her neck and leg with cobwebs, turning to the bird. "I am Rafiki, I assume that you are their friend?"

The bird nodded. "I'm Lyre, this is Alina."

Rafiki shook his bakora staff. "Well, I can guess that she has been injured before?"

Lyre nodded.

Rafiki smiled. "She was taken care of well."

Lyre beamed, having taken care of her best friend for months. "Thank You."

The monkey nodded. Kion called Beshte over.

"Beshte, can you carry Alina back to Pride Rock?" Kion asked, sitting down beside the golden freckled lioness.

Beshte nodded. "Sure."

A melodic voice was heard, coming from the white lioness. "Thank you, Beshte." Despite being very weak, and half-dead, Alina powered through the haze of her mind to thank the friendly hippo.

Beshte nodded, soon, they were heading back to the pridelands, with Alina on Beshte's back, Lyre flying just above them.