Bruce was thrown a few feet and Dalton nuzzled into Rick.
“Get up!” I yelled, my throat raw. Tears trickled down my cheeks as Rick didn’t move, but at the last moment his leg twitched and he pushed himself up, just at the right time because Bruce was already moving and came in to tackle Dalton. The two lions rolled around much like Bruce and Rick had and I feared that Bruce was going to do the same thing to Dalton as he had done to Rick. But, Rick had shaken off his daze and seemed determined to ignore the blood trickling down his body in thin rivers. He stalked up to Bruce and then reared up on his hind legs, bringing his paws crashing down onto Bruce’s back, dragging them down, cutting through flesh and fur.
The scream that emanated from Bruce’s mouth was deafening and blood-curling. His body twisted and arched back, and Dalton had a respite from his attack. But Bruce was not one to bend easily. He channeled all his pain into his rage and swung his paw around, catching Rick’s face in a powerful swipe. A mixture of spittle and blood flew from Rick’s mouth and Bruce turned to face his new foe, but it only provided Dalton with an opportunity to attack. He pushed up and drove his shoulder into Bruce’s stomach, while Rick slashed at Bruce’s ankles. Bruce reared back and went into a defensive posture, while Dalton and Rick circled him. My eyes drifted towards Alyssa, who still hadn’t joined the battle and I wondered if she ever would. Soon it would be too late. What game was she playing?
Bruce turned his head to both lions, trying to get into a position where he could defend himself from both of them, but there wasn’t one. He had betrayed his community and tried to kill me before Rick and Dalton had the opportunity to save me. He was an evil man and, although he was powerful, he couldn’t hope to defend himself against the united might of Rick and Dalton. Together they were indomitable and my heart flushed with love and admiration for them.
They honed in on Bruce. Bruce growled and lashed out with his paws, snapping his jaws at them, but there was only one way this was going to end. In a duel neither Rick nor Dalton would have stood a chance against Bruce, but together it was Bruce who never had a chance. When Bruce went to attack one of them, the other would nip in for a quick blow. They made Bruce dance and twist around, chasing his own tail, until finally he was dizzy. Rick charged in for an attack, focusing all of Bruce’s attention on him, while Dalton moved to Bruce’s rear and sank his teeth deep into Bruce’s flesh. As their three bodies were locked in grisly combat, they kicked up dust and they faded from our sight, as they descended into a primal, savage rage. My jaw tensed as I heard the whimpering and the growling, and then I smiled as two lions emerged from the smoke, looking weary and wounded, but they were alive.
As the dust faded I looked behind them and saw Bruce’s body lying limp and unmoving on the ground. He had died alone, just as he had lived. Rick and Dalton both looked the worse for wear as they walked slowly away from the body. I whooped with delight when they appeared, but my sound was dwarfed by a roar from the lioness. Despite defeating Bruce they still had to face Alyssa and I wondered if her plan had been to let Bruce weaken them so they were easier for her to fight.
Rick and Dalton stopped in their tracks. I could tell from their slumped heads that they were weary. Fighting with Bruce had taken everything out of them, and I wondered if they had it in them to go again with Alyssa. She walked towards them, slow and supremely confident. Every step was measured, and while Rick and Dalton’s fur was stained with blood and dust, she looked untouched by the world around her, as if she was entirely pure. She held her head high and moved towar
ds them. I wanted to try and talk sense into her, to convince her to show mercy to the lions I loved, but as I tried to move my Dad held me back.
She stopped a few paces before them and gazed at them. The tension was palpable. All the other lions were quiet and the only sounds were birds chirping far away, and the constant cascading stream of the waterfall. My gaze was fixed on the three lions standing together. It didn’t seem right, that after all this, their fate should be decided by Alyssa. They had been through much, and we had yet to begin our lives together. I wasn’t sure I could have taken it had Rick and Dalton been slain there.
Thankfully, they weren’t. Alyssa, to everyone’s surprise, bowed her head in supplication and respect. There was a sigh of relief as all the tension faded away. It struck me so powerfully that my knees went weak and I almost collapsed to the ground. Alyssa, Rick, and Dalton shifted back into human form.
“I now see proof of your strength. I do not require seeing any further displays of your might. You impress me. The two of you work as one, and it is something to be admired. I knew I would not have been able to defeat you if I fought alongside Bruce, from the first moment you entered battle. It was clear that you were on the same wavelength, and Bruce and I clearly weren’t,” Alyssa said. She looked over their shoulders. “It is a shame that he had to die in such a manner, but at least he died a warrior. I recognize your claim on this place and I will not dispute it…for now.”
Alyssa’s words were calm, almost too calm for someone who had just witnessed a battle like that.
“You sold him out!” Rick yelled. “You used him to test us. You had no intention of fighting us yourself. You just wanted to use Bruce to measure our strength.” His voice was filled with pain. Alyssa was a sly woman.
“I am no fool, Rick. Do you think I reached my position by meeting every challenge with raw strength? Sometimes, the only way to win, is to not fight. And now I got what I came here for, information. I don’t know why you should be angry with me, though. Bruce was going to attack you either way. He was only ever a means to an end for me. What use would I have for a traitor? If he could betray his own pride, then he would not hesitate to betray mine if he saw an opportunity to benefit himself. I do not want lions like him in my pride, and you shouldn’t either.”
Rick and Dalton looked hurt. It must have been a matter of honor to see one of their own be used so dishonorably, and I began to get a sense of just how vicious and heartless Alyssa could be. She was certainly a foe not to be taken lightly and I hoped that I would never have to cross paths with her again.
She checked her nails nonchalantly and looked around at the clearing. “This place is sacred, and I will respect your hold on it for now, but if you ever show weakness again I shall return, and I will challenge you again. This business of you using human blood to try and strengthen our ties to the outside world is an interesting one. I can’t say that I fully agree with your theory, but it will be interesting to see how it plays out. I would urge caution though; you do not want to be the lion who causes our downfall.”
After that she didn’t seem to have anything else to say. She snapped her fingers in the air and then turned around. Her legion marched away, back from whence they came, and once their shadows had faded into the forest, I rushed up to Rick and Dalton, hugging them tightly. I smelled the remnants of battle on them and felt their wounds. I knew they would heal, but it didn’t do anything to lessen the pain and I wished that I could have done more to help soothe them.
“I’m so happy you made it,” I said, clutching both their heads close to mine. Dalton kissed me, and Rick held me close. They breathed heavily and wiped their brows.
“So are we,” Dalton said.
“Although I hope I never see her again. She’s more dangerous than I thought,” Rick said. He looked back and dipped his head in sorrow. “It should never have ended like that.”
“Why are you upset about Bruce? He was the one who betrayed you and tried to help Alyssa. He tried to kill me as well,” I said, confused.
“It is a matter of honor. He was one of us and he should never have been used like a puppet. Even though he wronged us, he was still a part of our pride,” Rick said.
“At least he died by our hands. That’s the way he would have wanted to go,” Dalton added. I was filled with a profound respect for how Rick and Dalton could speak with such admiration and compassion for a man, who, by their own admission, had been a thorn in their side since childhood. Bruce was an egotist who had assumed power was his divine right, but in the end he had been proven wrong, but his memory was still honored and I knew there was a lot I still needed to learn about the pride, if I was to teach our children these values.
Rick and Dalton looked tired and worn, but they were happy.
Before I helped them clean up there was something I needed to say. “I know I’ve been trying to figure out my place in the world and you two have been a great help. I want to stay. I want to be what you need. I want to be with both of you and help usher in the next generation of lions,” I said, the words rushing out of me in one exhilarating breath.
“Are you sure?” Rick asked. “We would not force you to leave your life in the city.”
“I know you wouldn’t, but I think I need to leave. When I think about it, the only things I have there are hopes and dreams and ambitions, but they all depend on things out of my control. The only person I care about in the city is Jennifer. It’s not worth staying there for one friend. Here I can make a difference. Here I can make a home for myself, and I can be with two men who I know will always treat me right.”
My words were met with wide smiles and we embraced tightly again. Rick lifted his head.
“Tonight we feast! We celebrate our home, and we celebrate our children yet to be born!” His words echoed around the camp, and everyone whooped and hollered in delight. People clapped and hugged, and I was swept up in the excitement of it all as well. These were my people now, and this was my home. I couldn’t wait for the feast to begin and when I looked at my parents they were staring back at me with pride.
Rick and Dalton sagged into each other and they were relying on me to support them.