By sunhigh, Taka still hadn't returned. Uru rose to her paws and lanced around in horror. She drew away from the cubs and headed up the rockface to the peak of Pride Rock where Ahadi was speaking with Zuzu in a soft voice. As Uru approached, Ahadi trailed off and turned his head to face his mate.
"Uru, what's wrong," he asked when he saw the pain flickering in her gaze.
"It's Taka. He went away for a bit, but he haven't come back yet. I'm worried," she rasped as she turned her troubled gaze to Zuzu. "Do you think that you could see where he is?"
"If he's anywhere in the Pride Lands then I will find him," vowed Zuzu as she spread her wings and took off quickly, her wings flapping against themselves.
Ahadi padded over to his mate and pressed his shoulder against his mate's. "It's alright, Uru. If he's anywhere in the Pride Lands then Zuzu will find her. That's what she just said."
Uru still looked unconvinced. "He was very upset when he stormed off," she fretted.
"And why did he leave," pressed Ahadi with a twitch of his whiskers.
Uru looked away as she lowered her head into her shoulders with her paws slightly pushed together. "He was angry with Mufasa for a game that they were playing. Mufasa pinned him and Taka lashed out at him. He was very angry," she confessed.
"Taka is just sensitive," answered Ahadi with a hint of scorn in his voice. "I'm sure that that's all there is to it. He needed to have a moment and stormed off."
"Sire!"
Ahadi was immediately alert as Zuzu flew back. "Hyenas in the Pride Lands and Taka is with them," she shrilled for the entire Pride Rock to hear.
Soft roars rose up from before Pride Rock where the rest of the lionesses were. Ahadi growled as he leaped down from Pride Rock with his mate right behind him. He faced the other members of his pride when he arrived. Half of them were already on their paws while everyone else looked questioningly up to their king.
"I will go and take Arvarni. You're the best tracker in the pride," he announced as he turned to the energetic lioness.
Arvarni was on her paws in a moment as she dipped her head to Ahadi. She took off instantly while Ahadi exchanged a glance with Uru. "I promise I'll bring him back," vowed Ahadi as he pelted after the lioness.
Arvarni led a few elephant lengths from the watering hole. Ahadi let out a growl as he saw two full grown hyenas and Taka trying to force a young zebra away from it's mother and toward three much younger looking hyenas. Taka's pawsteps were messy and uncoordinated as he watched the the other two to lead him in the direction that he needed to go.
Just as the male was about to leap for the zebra, Ahadi charged forward. He slammed into the male hyena and thrust him aside.
"Mundo," cried Taka as his gaze turned to the female. "I'll deal with him, Geyra. You stop the other lioness, Arvarni."
Ahadi let out a snarl as he saw his son leap toward him. He lifted a paw and easily tossed Taka aside when he leaped. Taka fell sideways before Ahadi thrust a paw downward and raked his claws against Mundo's flank. Mundo let out a wail of agony as his back slightly arched while his eyes stretched wide in agony.
Geyra tried to make her way over to her mate, but Arvarni leaped in front of her. She thrust a paw toward Geyra's ear. Geyra ducked down at the last moment before she lunged at her. The two went rolling just as Taka rose back to his paws and leaped again for his father.
"Leave him alone," spat Taka as he leaped and latched onto Ahadi's back.
Ahadi rose on his hind legs and easily shrugged Taka off. Taka fell onto his back while Ahadi rested a paw on his chest so that he couldn't move. "Stay down," he spat before he turned back to Mundo. "And you should stay away from my family and my territory."
Mundo opened his mouth to answer, but he was cut off as Ahadi sunk his teeth into his throat. Mundo let out a wet choking sound while his paws worked against the ground in an effort to pull himself away. Blood pooled from Mundo's throat as Mundo let out a few more wet, ragged sounds. His eyes continued to roll back in his head for a moment before Ahadi finally let him go.
Mundo's body went completely limp while more blood continued to flow from the wound. Ahadi licked his lips as he stepped back and allowed the blood to pool right under his neck and started to clot into is shoulder and neck fur. His eyes stared ahead blankly while his body turned rigid. The color vanished from his face as well as his life. His chest no longer rose and fell, nor did his tail so much as twitch.
"Mundo!"
Geyra kicked herself away from Arvarni before she pelted over to her mate. She lowered down and pressed her nose against his neck as blood bubbled out from the wound. She let out a wail as she pressed her paws against his neck to try and halt the bleeding. The blood continued to pulse from the space in her paws. She shifted backwards as tears started to flow from her eyes.
"No. No. No!"
Taka stood dumbfounded as he watched Geyra wail for her dead mate. She rested her head against his shoulder and shook him heavily. "Please wake up. You must get up. You can't leave me! I need you to be there for our pups," she croaked.
A growl rolled in Ahadi's throat as he took a step forward with his ears shoved forward. He lowered his head so that his breath was hot on Geyra's muzzle. "Get out and don't you ever come back."
"You'll pay for this," Geyra murmured darkly as her cubs darted forward and flocked around her paws. They whimpered when they looked at Mundo. They each nudged him in an effort to wake him up, but he didn't move at all.
Geyra looked to Taka with a look of betrayal on her face. She reluctantly nudged each of her pups forward. They let out forlorn whimpers while Geyra reluctantly nudged each of them forward before her ears pinned against her head.
Taka whirled around to face his father with his teeth bared. "What were you thinking?"
"What were you thinking," flashed Ahadi as blood fell from his muzzle and onto the ground. "You brought hyenas in the Pride Lands. They're not welcome here. They don't live by the circle of life!"
"Just because they're hyenas, doesn't mean that they can't! You need to have faith in them," argued Taka.
Ahadi lifted a paw and whirled around. He thrust his paw against Taka's muzzle. Taka let out a yelp in pain as he lifted a paw to his muzzle. It felt hot and stinging. He glanced up with a defiant narrowing of his eyes. He teeth slightly bared in hostility.
"Don't speak to me like that. You will never be a king, but at least starts acting more than an entitled kit," Ahadi spat as he walked away from his son and left the body of Mundo laying there.
Take glanced down at the hyena. He hadn't known him for very long, but he had taken a chance on him. He lowered down and touched his nose to Mundo's ear. "I'm sorry, Mundo. This shouldn't have happened. I'm so sorry," gasped Taka as he rested his head on Mundo's shoulder.
He reluctantly sighed as he pulled away from Mundo. He turned his head toward the sky and closed his eyes heavily. I'm so sorry, Mundo. I'm so sorry.