Other Fan Fiction ❯ The Lion King 3: Royal Journey ❯ Attacked ( Chapter 23 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Chapter 23: Attacked
A week passed and the pride had yet to return. Not a day went by that Kiara didn't think of Kovu and her family. She tried not to let her concern get her down so the others wouldn't worry about her. Kiara hadn't had any strange dreams other than that one she had a week ago. If any scary thoughts of what might be happening to her pride came to her head, she pushed them away.
Thresh continued to flirt with Kiara. He would give her warm smiles, or touch her paw gently. Sometimes he would even purr as he walked by her. She decided just to ignore it. Maybe he wasn't actually flirting, maybe that was the way he always acted.
Over the week, nothing special happened. Kiara was bored of her routine already. They would wake up, ask Kanai to catch some food, sometimes Thresh joined in, but wasn't aloud to hunt as much because of his still healing wounds, then they'd do basically nothing all day. Sometimes Kiara got to play with the cubs, other times, she got to talk to her friends. Kiara's luck with the lack of stomach pains had run out. The pains were worse than ever, so she spent most of her time lying down.
One day, when Kiara was having pains and resting, Kanai went out with Tali and Mani. Kiara told them to stay close. Thresh walked outside to get some fresh air and Toni followed suit. After some time just sitting around, she heard a sudden scream coming from outside. She leaped up.
"Kanai!"
She painfully raced outside to see Toni and Thresh running to the trouble. Kiara looked out across the lands. Many yards away, Kanai and her cubs were surrounded by hyenas.
"Hyenas!" Kiara cried. "They haven't been back in ages, what are they doing here?"
She raced off as fast as she could to help Kanai. The pain jolted up her stomach, and all through her body. She knew she should not be running with such a huge stomach, but she had no choice, she had to do something! By now, Toni and Thresh had arrived. Thresh seemed to be talking angrily, with his shoulders hunched and teeth bared, to the hyenas that surrounded Kanai and her cubs.
When Kiara arrived, she noticed the cubs huddling under their mother, and every hyena was angrily looking at Thresh as he spoke.
"Leave them alone!" He shouted.
"Why should we? I don't see the rest of your pride to back you up!" A fierce looking hyena growled.
"They havn't done anything to you! Just leave!" Toni shouted.
"They're in our lands! They once belonged to us! Under Scar's rule!" A female, but still as fierce, hyena spat.
Kiara stepped forward.
"These are my lands. Get out now, and you won't get hurt." She warned.
Kiara gave herself tingles for being so brave.
"I wouldn't say stuff like that if I were you…" another hyena said smugly, then it laughed. "Especially since you're with a cub!" The hyena started walking toward Kanai and the cubs. The cubs were shaking. He got closer and closer, baring his teeth to the small cubs. Kanai turned to face him. She bared her fangs and growled.
"Get away!" she raked her claws in the air at the hyena.
The hyena cackled and prepared to fight. Kiara knew when one leaped into battle, the rest would follow. They were severally out numbered. There were ten hyenas and only four of them, not counting the cubs. The rest of the hyenas cackled and prepared for battle as well. Kiara didn't know what to do. She was supposed to be strong, but how at a moment like this?
Just then, a hyena behind Kanai quietly snuck closer. Kanai was too busy growling at the other hyenas to notice the one behind her. It was about to pounce when Kiara yelled,
"Kanai! Behind you!"
She gasped and whirled around, just then, the hyena that was in front of her leaped at her cubs.
"NO!" Kiara shouted and leaped. She intercepted the hyena and bit its neck. It had a harder, stronger body than she expected, but she bit down hard, and it went limp. She suddenly felt several stinging fangs on her back. She flung the dead hyena out of her mouth and started rolling on the ground to get the hyenas to let go. They did, and readied for another attack. Kiara got a quick glimpse of Thresh and Toni fighting with several hyenas and Kanai trying to defend her cubs. At this moment's distraction, more hyenas attacked Kiara. She rolled and swiped at them. One had latched upon her neck.
Kiara felt the pain. This enraged her. She rolled and kicked until she scratched up the hyena very badly. It let go and collapsed. There were now two of them biting her legs. One on her front leg and one on her back leg. She kicked the air with the leg that was being bitten very hard. This sent the hyena flying. She then picked her paw up, which still had a hyena attached to it, trying to make its teeth go in deeper. It hurt a lot, but Kiara quickly fastened her teeth to its neck and crushed its bones. She flung it aside. She was free! She had no more attackers. She looked around. Thresh seemed to be doing alright, he was fending off a few of them. Toni was trying to help Kanai who was having the most problem trying to protect her cubs. Kiara raced to help. Kanai had just leaped to attack, leaving Tali and Mani venerable. They screamed as a hyena leaped into the air to land on the cubs.
Kiara timed it just right; just as the hyena was almost upon them, she threw her paw, and hit the hyena square in the head with all the force she had. The hyena fell to the ground and didn't get up.
Kiara picked Tali up by the scruff of her neck, and started running. Mani followed quickly. She was going to get as far as she could and then turn back to help, but suddenly several hyenas appeared and blocked her path. Kanai saw this, and ran over to help.
"Kanai! Take Tali and Mani and go!" Kiara said the best she could with a cub in her mouth. "Stay at the rock. It'll be safe there."
"No! I will stay and fight! You are wounded, you take them!"
"No, Kanai!" Kiara shouted. "I AM QUEEN. Go back. I can take these guys."
Kanai nodded, knowing how stubborn she was, knew she wouldn't change her mind. Kiara traded off Tali and pushed Mani toward his mom.
"Oh, no you don't!" one of the hyenas shouted, about to attack Kanai.
Kiara jumped in front of the hyena.
"Your battle is with me!" she spat. Then, Kiara attacked.