Lonesome Dove Fan Fiction ❯ The Lion King: The Freak ❯ Chapter 9: Counterassassins 2: They Must, or We Will ( Chapter 9 )

The Lion King: The Freak
Chapter 9: Counterassassins 2: They Must, or We Will

(Freak seems fairly confident about himself. But Saliti's got more than one trick up his sleeve, and it's going to take a lot of doing to catch him with his trousers down. But harsh situations breed harsh beings... and it'll be interesting to see if our friends rise to the challenge.

I'm not going to have much backstory here again. Except for Tanga's mission. It is, shall we say, interesting. There are some big players here... they aren't anything anyone's ever seen before, but they are VERY powerful. They are...)

(I think I will recommend music for each part of writing. For this part, try 47 Attacks by Jesper Kyd, from the Hitman Blood Money OST. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ4-_5BU1FQ)

Damu was... intimidated.

At least.

The tank-like hyena was being threatened in his own cave; his own home. And he couldn't do a thing about it. True, he was the most powerful hyena in the Bloody Shadows and therefore, probably the whole world. But this... this animal was something that had not walked the Earth for thousands and thousands of years. For it to come to life... something in the world was wrong.

Something was horribly, disgustingly wrong.

This feline... it was a slightly dusty shade of tan, if the Assassin Lord had seen an Outland lion, he would have said they looked alike, as far as color, at least. But this animal had fluffy fur, and a facial structure closer to that of a tiger than a lion. But it was no tigon, nor liger, nor unheard-of second-generation abomination. The huge, saber-like teeth that hung out of its mouth made that possibility an impossibility.

“Damu, Assassin Lord... I have an assignment for you,” he said, taking a step closer to the dark hyena.

But the hyena held his ground, if barely.

“People generally come to me for just that purpose,” he said dryly.

The feline's lips twitched, and then he tilted his head back to laugh loudly, a truly disturbing sound. Incredibly, not one of Damu's half-dozen or so mates awoke, though they were in the very same cave.

“Ah... interesting... you have a sense of humor... that only rears its head in a truly hopeless position,” the feline said, and met Damu's eyes for the first time.

At that, the Assassin Lord felt his entire body seize up. He couldn't move, not even his eyes, and couldn't breathe—

Then the feline looked away.

“No doubt you are wondering what I am.”

“When I was alive, I was called a saber-toothed tiger. My kind have not walked on the Earth for thousands and thousands of years... but I have been brought back.”

“You do not need to know how, or why. But I shall tell you... you think that your life was bad... mere leader of the Bloody Shadows? You do have some morals, unlike at least one of your sons. But I, when I lived... haha... well, let's just say that my assassination corps was a thousand times more feared than yours. And not just in one location, no. We were feared from sea to sea of a land ninety times as large as your area of influence. We had no set home... your son will continue to operate out of one location, but perhaps the Assassin Lord after that...”

“Trouble is coming. Hard times... you will not live to see them, we are sure of that. But the fact remains, we have an assignment for you.”

“And what shall I be paid?”

The feline growled slightly, but shrugged.

“A reasonable question. We were always paid for our services... ...I can offer you nothing now. But when my leader comes to power, and he shall, very soon,” the tiger chuckled darkly, “you will be allowed to be our lieutenant. You desire power, and women, Damu? You shall have more than your fill of each.”

“And... who is your leader?”

“Do not ask such questions.”

The saber-tooth turned to exit the cave.

“Your assignment is this... send a lone assassin to the Western Grasslands—”

“No, I can't do that! You must know of the treaty, set so long ago! Predators are not to set paw in those lands, it will cause the Great Spirits to do who knows what!” said Damu, suddenly panicking until his eyes met the feline's again.

“Good... you do not understand why you are not to set paw in those lands. Do not worry about the Great Spirits... you should be more worried about appeasing the future lord of the Earth and Heavens!” the saber-tooth laugh loudly again, and then jumped into the air, vanishing...

Damu stood there, for a moment, petrified, until he realized he could move again.

“I will only entrust this mission to the most loyal of my followers...”

“Tanga!” the Assassin Lord barked, to his personal body-guard, hitman, and friend, “I have an assignment for you...”

(Pool of Fears by Scars of Life

http://youtube.com/watch?v=C9Q5amdFKaw)

The tan lion made for the West as fast as he could. But the Great Spirits had not allowed for the Bloody Shadows to be located directly next to the Western Grasslands, where all prey returned to at least once a year to graze, and mate. No, he had to pass through miles and miles of virtually barren plains. Tanga wasn't able to eat well, either. He'd had to carefully snatch away prey only when he needed to, and if they ever caught him doing that, well... prey animals, though they were not sentient, had stronger connections to the Great Spirits. If they found out that a predator was coming into the Grasslands, Tanga, and perhaps even the whole Bloody Shadows would be completely dead.

“The Great Spirits... they're a mystery. They say that when we die, we do not become Great Spirits, yet we can, sometimes, speak with those that we left behind... so Great Spirits... what are they?”

“They say that the Pride Land lions know more about the Great Spirits and the Heavens than most. But the Pride Lands... I've never been able to go there... perhaps one day, when I am a retired assassin... perhaps Msafiri and I can find a home among our own kind. It's unfortunate that Lord Damu had to spread the rumor that I was dead. I hope, I hope that I can return before our cub is grown...”

Weeks later, the full scope of Tanga's task hit him.

“Why did Damu order me to kill only females... only females, until there's just one female for every ten males? It makes no sense... and there are thousands, thousands of them. This will take... years...”

“I should get started... Msafiri's waiting for me...”

Far, far away, on an island buffered from the Pride Lands and the Bloody Shadows by a wide, deep river, the saber-tooth reappeared. He bowed low to the ground, and a voice spoke to him.

“Have the Bloody Shadows accepted their part in our uprising?”

“Yes, master...” replied the tiger, humbly, not raising even his eyes.

“Excellent... our time draws near... be prepared, servant... our time draws very near, indeed...”

There was a dark chuckle, and a cold gust of wind chilled the saber-tooth to the bone. He understood that his master, the one responsible for bringing him back had left.. and looked skywards, a terrible grin on his face.

“What we shall accomplish, master... will make the petty achievements of my lifetime and those of the Bloody Shadows look like nothing, in comparison...”

(I promise that that part was not just backstory. I'll bring it into play on my own time, in a story arc or two. But I hope you see what powers are coming into play... things will get interesting, to say the least.)

(Enough Dead Heroes from the Halo OST

www.youtube.com/watch?v=akEnxQK-fWU )

“What now, cousin?” asked Simba, emerging from the Jungle to stand by the li-tigon's side.

It was true. The problem was very large. About one hundred feet high, and a quarter-mile across, to be precise.

The counterassassins were at the edge of the upraised volcanic soil on which the Jungle was located. To the north was the dense mess of trees, vines, and animals from which they'd just emerged, and to the south was the very same, impassible cliff face that the young Chukizo had ascended in her desperate grasp for freedom. There was the waterfall as well, of course, that ended that dizzying drop below in a deep, large, lake, but to try to dive into it would be absolute suicide.

Freak took a deep breath, and thought back. Every problem was complex, yes, but comprised of many simple parts. Break it down, solve each part, and the problem is no problem.

The height couldn't be solved, not by the simple li-tigon, anyway. But that it ended in a lake... that could be exploited.

Freak looked around behind him, poking into the Jungle for a moment. None of his soldiers followed him, save for the hyenas, who saw it as treasonous on their part to leave their leader for even a moment, unless ordered to. Minutes later, the four counterassassins arrived back in the clearing, as the Pride Land lions took turns in looking over the edge and backing away in fear.

The li-tigon and the hyenas were dragging behind them a large, heavy log. Though none but Freak knew what was planned, all of the counterassassins quickly joined in and tugged the log just to the edge of the cliff, then waiting for Freak's explanation.

“If we dump it into the lake... it will disrupt the surface enough for us to safely dive into it. There's a small danger of hitting the bottom of the lake or the log itself... but we will all take care of any of our own unfortunate enough to hit something.”

“But we'll all have to follow it only a second after dropping it... going before or after my mark will probably kill you.”

The counterassassins all knew that the li-tigon was not saying it for effect, or exaggerating what would happen at all. In their training, they'd all done some swimming, not much but some, and each knew that diving from heights above twenty feet was risky. Of course, they never swam in the lagoon in the cave, and after that night a watch was always posted.

Freak searched for words. His plan was not foolproof: he could not hope to exert enough blunt force to test the log and see how well it would hold up to the impact awaiting it. For all he knew, it would shatter on impact... he'd picked a heavy one, but there was still no telling.

“This single action could kill all of us. But there's no other option... we can't go all the way back to the Pride Lands's southern edge, then circle around the eastern volcanoes, then cross through the unexplored areas to the east of there, and then come to the Lower Plains... there's no time. And crossing over the eastern volcanoes is a fool's errand: Usiku told me that they were a thousand times as impassible as the western volcanoes, and he alone barely crossed those out of desperation... trying to get an army through there without the Bloody Shadows noticing is not possible...”

“It's the only way...”

The li-tigon sighed, and stood on top of the log, looking over his soldiers with a sense of harsh pride in his eyes.

“Scar, brother,” grinned Mufasa, interrupting the dark lion's nap.

“What is it this time... Muffy?” Scar groaned, using the pet-name that the tan lion hated so much.

But this time, Mufasa was having the last laugh.

“See... your son is trying his paw at public speaking.”

“What?!” Scar jumped to his feet, bounding to watch Freak's speech, moving faster than he had since... well, since he'd been chased by his brother after Simba's ceremony, once Sarabi was too exhausted to survey her mate.

Chukizo, Sher Kahn, and the three other tigons were watching, as Freak spoke without emotion, as always...”

“You are all great fighters now. Strong, stealthy, self-sufficient... I have taught you many things. You... learned well. Quickly. Without complaint, no matter what I told you to do,” the li-tigon grinned slightly, and his troops, his comrades, his brothers in arms, his friends chuckled back, softly, they all knew that some of the things that they'd had to do were absolutely ridiculous.

“And now, we are faced with another challenge. This is no different—the stakes are merely higher. There's no way around this obstacle... we'll have to go straight through it.”

“Stay close behind me... maybe, if I must die, some of you will be saved... but make no mistake, we may all die now.”

“I just wanted to say.. it has been both an honor, and a pleasure, to train alongside side you all. I may have taught you some things... but you taught me many things, as well,” ended Freak.

He looked at all of his counterassassins once again. There was no love or great affection, just unyielding determination to get the job done right. But Vitani, Simba, Kiara, Ed, Shenzi, and T all swore... they saw those cold, dark eyes flicker...

Freak pulled his lips back to roar, and such were the reflexes of the counterassassins that they were able to join in just as he started to. The burst of noise was short, intense, and audible from the Jungle to the Desert, to the volcanoes on either side of them...

(Main Theme from Letters from Iwo Jima OST

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmDjcvLe4_c )

“Did you hear that?” asked a muffled voice from inside a sand dune.

The harsh-looking, old, dusty-tan lioness nodded curtly once, and raised her paw. Along with it rose three or four of the Desert's finest hunters, out of the Desert itself.

“It could be an invasion...” suggested one.

“From the north? But the dogs have only ever attacked from the south. For the past... generation.”

It was true. The Desert had been at war with the Dark Forest, at its border little more than a swamp, for years now. Disagreement about prey sharing had been intense for as far back as anyone knew, but in the past, the two rival lands had always been able to come to some bloodless agreement. But for the past few years... prey had gotten scarcer and scarcer, down to the point where only one land could be fed by the still-decreasing amount of food coming into that area.

The lions had the upper hand, at first, being stronger and tougher as individuals. But the wild dogs of the swamp had numbers and teamwork on their side, and the Desert had suffered great losses of late.

“But we're not dead yet,” thought Samehe.

Though the alpha male had needed to be sent to the Lower Plains in the northwest, the pride there long dead from lack of genetic diversity, the toughest Desert lionesses fought one, Samehe at their head.

“The order to fall back to the Lower Plains may come at any day now. But until then... we will not let the dogs have another inch of our land.”

Tough environments breed tough creatures. The aged Samehe was the toughest of the bunch, there was no doubt about that. But the lionesses under her control... they'd grown up to war, chaos, violence, and loss. There was a killer streak in all of them... and Samehe found herself wondering how strong they'd be as adults, because now, they were all still juveniles.

“They Bloody Shadows are to the north of the Lower Plains. But the dogs that rule that land broke all ties with their Forest brethren when the Shadows were born. And... no one has a reason to hate the lions of the Desert... except for one...”

“Chukizo... do you live, after all these years? Have you come, for revenge? Perhaps, with the strong lions of the Pride Lands? Have you defeated the cliff, again?”

“We'll have to check it out. War is uncertainty... and we need to end this one,” said the old lioness, even as she loped northwards, flanked by her finest soldiers.

“It's hours away... and we'll have to turn back, quickly, to fight the next advances of the dogs.”

“Shadows aren't the only ones that know how to be invisible.”

(Hey Man, Nice Shot by Filter, from Short Bus

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMJVpn4BM_Y )

The roar stopped as abruptly as it started. Freak hopped off the log, then, alone, pushed it off, over the cliff's edge.

The fall was so great, that he had enough time to slowly turn, face his troops as if for the last time, and say, “See you on the other side,” before jumping off.

The rest of the Pride Landers followed, a split second later.

The impact was intense, even for the highly-trained and highly tough counterassassins. But the log had done its job. It shattered on impact, so there was no harm done from its previously enormous mass onto the small army. Even so, many a Pride Lander dove far enough into the lake to touch its deep, dark bottom... some other realized that where they were, the lake had no bottom.

Moments later, all emerged at the side of the lake. Incredibly, there were no Desert animals around. Or perhaps, not so incredibly... the war drove many non-prey animals out, and there just weren't any prey animals to speak of.

Freak registered this, but did not know why no one was guarding the only oasis that he could see in the area. But he brushed it off. The affairs of the Desert were not his concern. At least, not yet. The li-tigon looked to the northwest—the Lower Plains were not far, they could easily reach within two hours. But first, there was the small matter of wiping their presence from the Desert. And though the counterassassins had trained hard in jungle environments, parts of which were similar to the Lower Plains... the desert landscape was a mystery to them.

“We have to move on. And if we leave a trace...”

“Brush your trails in the sand clear with your tails.. watch behind yourselves until you can imitate the pattern of the sand perfectly. It won't be perfect... but it's windy, and our tracks will be covered up. As for scent, we need to leave this area now... and the wind is with us. That might change, I know little of the Desert. If it does, merely rely on your training, and you will never be smelled. Let's go,” said Freak, making to the northwest at a pace fast enough to make his troops know that the situation was no joke.

“Cousin,” said Simba, being sure to wipe his trail clean, “what's wrong?”

“I'm not sure,” said Freak, “just a feeling...”

“There's nothing there,” reported the scout, emerging from the sand.

Samehe didn't react, at first. The rest of her small, guerrilla force took that as a sign of danger, and slowly crawled out of the sand themselves.

“That manner of fighting which I developed... it's good for concealment, and sneak attacks. But the sand muffles vibrations, and blocks smell... that's why we always have to peer out, two eyes in the Desert, see our targets, and then attack relying only on our wit and claws...”

The old lioness, stealthier than Vitani when in the Desert, stepped forward, closer to the lake, and sniffed deeply. There was a scent... it smelled like the nomral scent of Desert lions, and the guerrillas did need water from time to time. But it was, somehow, different.

“Chukizo...”

Finally, the li-tigon plodded to a halt. They'd passed the geographic barrier between the Desert and the Lower Plains some hours ago, and now that the counterassassins were back in terrain familiar to them, he felt certain that they could detect any incoming threats... and deal with them, one way or the other.

“After all, everyone is a threat.”

“All right... just like we practiced. Quarter-mile perimeter. Ed, Shenzi, T, you're scouting to the north. Vitani, Kiara, Sarabi, to the west. Simba, Nala... you're with me,” Freak said, heading east; his orders were complied almost before he spoke them.

Vitani, Shenzi or T, who were to his back-right when he spoke, might have brushed by him so slightly that it was imperceptible to all parties involved. Freak was busy going to the east, they were busy going to their respective positions...

“Remain invisible,” the li-tigon said once, and that's all it took.

Closing his eyes, knowing that they were useless to even try to detect the counterassassins, he listened, smelled, and felt.. nothing.

“Move,” he growled softly, and slunk off to the east, flanked by the two older monarchs.

Freak could see why the original Lower Plains pride had been dead for several years.

It was true, there was plenty of water, and the cloudy, storm-ridden climate of the area allowed for the growth of a huge amount of vegetation.

The problem was with the plants themselves. Over the course of millenia, they'd evolved to be resistant to the trauma of thunderstorms and flooding. They were tough, only barely capable of supporting life. This problem created more problems...

With less and less prey to go around over the past generation, the surviving herds had traveled to more hospitable areas... such as the Pride Lands, the Jungle, and sometimes, the unexplored lands to the east of the volcanoes. And rumor had it that those lands were unexplored for very, very good reasons.

The li-tigon had only see a few gazelle in the hours he'd spent scouting. And they weren't in herds, just random individuals.

“I was lucky to grow up in the Jungle. Aside from the Pride Lands, and perhaps the Bloody Shadows, no land around here can be considered hospitable...”

“Maybe... my destiny lies far, far away from all of this.”

“But for now, I'm busy.”

Nala and Simba had managed to communicate with each another, taking advantage of Freak's absorption into the task at hand. It was never much, perhaps a mouthed sentence or a paw-signal every few minutes, but Nala got the message.

“Simba... why can't you understand? He's a loner, and always has been. He's with us for this one task... he's not really part of any pride, not even ours. I don't know how he feels about, well, anything, and neither do you. But maybe... he knows that he's not ready for life in a pride. Maybe, leaving us is his way of showing us that he cares.”

“Or maybe he just doesn't like us. We might be his family... but we were never there for him,” Nala noted sadly, reflecting once again on how hard Freak's life must have been, even from the few stories he shared about his past in the Jungle.

“You did what you could,” Freak said, not looking behind him, he'd detected the slight changes in air pressure, and decoded them into paw signaling and facial movement, “and that's more than I ask for,” he said, turning around to give the couple his threatening grin.

“It's also more than I deserve. Father... you were lying. My circle includes only myself... that was a dream. There are so many times that I could have helped others... but chose not to, because it was dangerous. I... I'll try... to make it bigger. But life has not prepared me to be like this.”

“Because everyone is a threat,” he thought, jumping slightly when Simba raised his paw, almost getting into a fighting stance to defend himself from an aggressive blow.

But the tan lion merely patted Freak on the shoulder, and the li-tigon felt Nala come closer to him as well.

“Cousin... we don't know what path the Great Spirits have in mind for you... or if you'll do something other than that, entirely. But whatever you do... you'll always find a home, a family, and love, in the Pride Lands. Always.”

Freak closed his eyes for a moment, and nodded, feeling an unfamiliar obstruction in his throat. He swallowed once, and gave the monarchs the second natural smile of his life. It wasn't scary in the slightest... but still, Nala and Simba found themselves rooted to their spots for the next several seconds.

“The Shadows will bleed. But after that... I'll have to find my way. I'm still young,” noted the li-tigon; indeed, he was only slightly older than Kiara, and slightly younger than Kovu.

“That's right. There are many things I need to know. And maybe, after this... I'll go and see Granny Samehe,” Freak thought back on Msafiri's last words.

(Sibling Rivalry by Clint Mansell from the Doom movie OST, get an imeem account for this one

http://profile.imeem.com/Yo-WAH/music/sErLLRTy/clint_mansell_labrato ry_sibling_rivalry/)

“Report,” the li-tigon said, all three scouting groups had met back at the rendezvous point at almost exactly the same time.

The perimeter was still in effect, but it was relaxed, with more lioness returning to listen to the conversation directly. A quarter mile was a bit far... the counterassassins at the perimeter would not be able to hear their next move directly.

“There's not much to the west,” Sarabi said, Kiara continuing on, “there's a couple of lakes, here and there,” Vitani spoke up now, “but not much... it's like a dead land... for plants... with a lot of secrets...”

everyone seemed to agree to that, even the lionesses that had made up the perimeter.

Nala and Simba nodded, they agreed as well.

“Ed, Shenzi, T... anything different?”

“Naw,” said Shenzi, “but damn, Freak... dis place freaks me out... uh, no pun intended,” she said, earning herself a few grins.

“Why is that?” asked the li-tigon, but T answered.

“It's 'cause there's nothin' alive... no prey, no predators... oh yeah! Ed said he smelled something... lions. I sorta did, too, but it's like they just passed through and kept goin' north. It's worth checking out.”

Freak nodded, he trusted the judgment of his troops.

“Tomorrow. For now, we need to figure out how to live in the Lower Plains... we'll have to use this land as a base, and be as familiar with it as we are with the Jungle, or the Pride Lands. So... unless we get lucky, we'll have to go without food for tonight.”

There were no groans or complaints, just a silent, disappointed sigh that made Freak feel guilty nonetheless.

“The next chance I get, I'll let them eat properly.”

“I want a three man patrol, two hundred yards from the rest of us at all times. Sleep in deep cover... we'll be avoiding engagements at all costs. And don't look so sad... we'll be in the Bloody Shadows by tomorrow night.”

“Then, there will be plenty to look sad for.”

(The Kraken by Hans Zimmer from Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest OST

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN5ExwsXUiQ)

In modern botany, so-called carnivorous plants are little more than a novelty. Trapping flies and other small insects, they blur the border between acts of active predation and mere reaction.

However, this part of Africa has remained untouched by the destructive wrath of humans for very good reasons. The Desert has the only real access to the ocean, and the rest of the region is isolated by various geographical and zoological threats.

And this plant was a carnivorous predator, there was no doubt about that.

It worked alone, thank the Great Spirits for that. But it had been very, very hungry for the past few years, only able to suck random gazelles and such into its bulbous protrusions by the use of a vacuum. Its “arms” extended for nearly a mile, but could pull a prey animal that entire mile in only seconds. The massive change of speed would cause every animal this plant had ever encountered to black out. But, till now, it had never encountered lions, especially lions quite so tough as the counterassassins...

Vitani, Kiara, and T had volunteered for the first watch.

The three girls plodded along softly chatting with each another. At any time, they could stop, freeze, and become completely invisible. Even as they were, they'd be totally undetectable to all but the counterassassins, a highly-trained jungle assassin like Usiku, or... a predator.

“So... you two really think we can do this?” Vitani asked; her hopes about the entire mission had been reserved, at best.

Kiara nodded defiantly.

“Of course... I mean, heehee, I used to be such a wimp back then, don't deny it—”

“No arguments here—”

“ —but after all that time in the Jungle, all that training... Daddy always used to worry about me. I thought I was invincible... but I was wrong. I'm still not, but now... well, I can hold my own,” she ended confidently.

“Oh, don't be so modest,” said T, after a brief moment of awkward silence, “you're strong, Kiara... no two ways about it,” the hyena smiled at her friend, until Vitani spoke up.

“Yep... we're all strong... no doubt about—”

Suddenly, the darkish ex-Outlander disappeared. There was nothing that could have done it... just the regular, sinewy vegetation that plagued the Lower Plains.

Panic threatened to take over both Kiara and T for a second. But Freak had trained them hard, both physically and mentally. They'd been subjected to extreme stress before, and could now deal with almost anything without cracking.

Without even nodding to one another, Kiara dropped down to watch, listen, smell, and take in the environment. T ran off towards the rest of the Pride Landers, calling out.

“Get up! Vitani's missing!”

In a heartbeat, every counterassassin was awake and on their feet, looking to Freak, whose face bore an even more intense look of determination than it had for the past month.

“What happened?” he asked as he sprinted off to where Kiara was, T at his side, Simba, Nala, Sarabi, Shenzi, and Ed directly following him, as the rest of the lionesses spread out to pick up anything that might be flanking them, taking advantage of the distraction.

“I... dunno. She was here one second, then just gone...”

Kiara suddenly spoke up.

“There was something moving... just for a few seconds, and it was way too fast. It felt light... like it was always there, and it just had extra weight on it...”

“That makes sense...” thought Freak, piecing the information together.

“Freak, there's something moving over there!” called a lioness, looking off into the not so far distance.

“That's where the movement was!” exclaimed Kiara, and in unison, the entire group of counterassassins were rushing over the rugged, hostile grounds of the Lower Plains.

“I'm—not—dying—like—this,” growled Vitani through gritted teeth.

She was completely disoriented, and had only barely avoided unconsciousness. Still, she was weak, and the powerful, rough walls that crushed in on her from all sides were squeezing the breath out of her.

“I've gotta... help Freak... kill Saliti... and his followers... I can't die... I can't die... I CAN'T DIE!” the lioness suddenly roared, striking out, landing long, deep claw wounds into the plant, even as she was pulled ever farther.

“She's not much farther,” said the li-tigon, not even pausing to make certain that the long, oozing slash in the plant was Vitani's, he'd caught scent of both the lioness and the plant's gore and had seen it with his own eyes, that was enough.

“No...” he growled, looking all over.

The area had no trees... just large, viney plants, any of which could be Vitani's attacker.

Worse, the vine with the injury on it was entangled in a massive ball of vines, completely eliminating the possibility of tracing it. And traveling at such a speed had not been good for Vitani...

She was only barely conscious, the intense g-forces exerted on her had nearly broken her neck, and had snapped her head back hard enough to make the ex-Outlander see stars.

“No... gotta... help... Freak...”

Slowly, the li-tigon's face appeared in her mind's eye, and galvanized her enough for one final effort...

“He said, once, that I was completely vital to this invasion... to him...” Freak hadn't actually said that last part... but the dusty-tan lioness knew, or thought she knew, that the high regard and respect that the li-tigon had teated her with meant he cared about her for more than because she was the stealthiest counterassassin... maybe even more so than him.

“He never shows anyone any affection... not even his family... not even me,” she though, feeling a lone tear leak out of her eye, a tear that she didn't understand.

“He's so strong... so sad... life in the Outlands was hard. But at least, Mother cared about me enough to make sure that I was taken care of. And now, others care about me... but it's because they love me. And I have others to care about... that I love...”

Slowly, the li-tigon's face appeared in her mind's eye, and galvanized her enough for one final effort...

Vitani pushed out against the vine will all of her strength, catching her claws in it. The action took so much energy, and was painful nonetheless... but greenish liquid spilled out of the vine, and the lioness managed to hold herself still...

“There!” shouted Kiara, dashing over to the strangely-shaped lump, fearing for her sister-in-law.

The creme-tan lioness was about to slice apart the vine that Vitani was held in. She got as far as raising her clawed paw, before Freak caught it, holding it still as he looked harshly at Vitani's claws, the only part of the lioness visible.

“No way... he can't be thinking of abandoning her,” the rest of the Pride Landers crowded around Freak to see what was going on.

“Be careful... if she let's go before we cut her out, she'll be gone. I'll grab her... then the rest of you get us out,” the li-tigon suddenly cut the vine with his claws as hard as he could, and made an incision large enough for him to get his forepaws into.

“I've got her, go!” he said, digging his feet into the ground as the suction grew even more intense.

The entire group of counterassassins attacked the vine with their claws, it was far too large to bit into. Ed tried it, and nearly got his teeth stuck. Only a fast, hard blow could work...

Vitani lost her grip somewhere along the line, and it was only by concentrating fully on holding her and not letter her go that Freak managed to not let her slip away, out of his grasp forever. They still had no idea what plant was pulling the strings, so to speak.

Even for the li-tigon, the strongest counterassassin out of the group, it was almost impossible to keep his grip. He roared loudly, knowing he couldn't keep it up for much longer...

“Cousin...” said a voice that Freak barely registered as Simba's, “it's okay... she's fine...”

The li-tigon opened his eyes to find the vine utterly demolished, and the dazed, but conscious Vitani tiredly grinning at him. Slowly, he backed off, still in a state of stupor, to see his comrades, his friends, all smiling at him. T came up from his side, to nudge his side with her nose.

“Whoa there, tiger... she's not going anywhere,” the hyena said, unaware of the irony of her statement... not even Freak knew of his ancestry, aside from that, of course, he was a freak.

Freak looked around once more, a smile touching his lips, before an even harsher, darker expression than he normally wore took over.

“What's... wrong?” asked Vitani, still lying down, exhausted from her battle.

“We can't stay here... the Lower Plains, I mean. It's too dangerous. How many of these plants are there? And they are the environment... we can't hope to avoid them. No... we need to go. We need to go, now. Not even the Bloody Shadows are as inhospitable as these lands... except for the assassins, of course,” he said, in the type of humor that only arises out of a truly desperate situation.

“We've got to go. Now. The Shadows have to bleed... they must, or we will. Come on.. I'll carry Vitani,” the li-tigon said, pulling the tan lioness's form on top of his own, as the counterassassins filed out of the jumble of plants.

The Pride Landers hadn't had the luck to run across any of the too-little prey in the Lower Plains. Freak hadn't forgotten his desire to investigate the scent of lions that the hyenas had caught, and had realized, disturbingly, that their scent was replaced, all at once, with the lingering scent of hyenas... that smelled similar to the way Usiku used to.

“How... can you feed me... lions? From Msafiri's own pride, nonetheless? Do you think I have no dignity left?” the bruised, bitten, but not yet broken Tanga said, slapping away the horribly familiar looking side of meat away.

“Suit yourself,” Saliti yawned, chowing down on it, even as the feline ex-assassin looked on, feeling his stomach knot up in hunger.

“Why are you keeping me alive?” he asked, thinking that at this point, it would be better to just die.

“Because...” said the Assassin Lord, licking his lips, “that way... you can hear the report, whenever it comes... that the Pride Lands, home of the last great Pride of Lions, is ours!”

“You're crazy... there are still the Lower Plains...”

“Crazy, am I? Those incestuous freaks inbred themselves to death years ago. You know the fate that met the Desert pride... and do you know our leak into the Pride Lands, lion? Your mate... Msafiri,” Saliti started grinning evily, then laughed out loud at Tanga's stricken expression.

“No... Msafiri... why?”

(Cargoship Flyaway from the COD 4 OST, by Stephen Barton

http://profile.imeem.com/I7vGxm6/music/t2srlxsb/stephen_barton_ca rgoship_flyaway/)

The border between the Bloody Shadows and the Lower Plains was clear. By the time the exhausted counterassassins arrived, Vitani was on her own four feet again, and sticking close to Freak.

“I'm vital to this mission. And maybe... just maybe... to Freak.”

“My circle is large,” thought the li-tigon, “and I'm doing this for all of us. Vitani is a great fighter, and... a good friend. But I hope that she doesn't think there's anything else. She's special to me. But so is everyone else.”

They'd spotted the Bloody Shadows's patrol from easily a mile off. But Freak had been cautious, and rightly so. Rather than just having his troops to go undercover enough to ambush the few hyenas, he told them all to go into deep cover. The counterassassins moved incredibly slowly like that... but were undetectable, even to each another. It was only through their endless practice that they knew where everyone was...

“So,” thought Freak, as the patrol stopped around, over, and on him, “the Shadows are not weak... if we'd went ahead and assaulted the patrol, those hyenas would have seen us and raised the alarm,” the li-tigon's harsh gaze burned holes into the sentries hidden in the trees.

“Regardless... the Shadows will bleed,” he thought, finally the counterassassins started to become visible as they closed in around the sentries without a word or signal from Freak, “It's already begun,” he thought, killing his mark so carefully that it looked like the hyena dropped dead of its own accord...

“We'll have to stay in the northern part of the Lower Plains for a few days. We've taken out their men... we'll see how they react, we'll know everything about them... and then, when we know what their every move is, before they do... we'll strike,” said Freak, and the Pride Landers nodded, before they all sneaked back southwards.

“We can't engage them in direct combat... not until we kill Saliti. After that, the Shadows will fall easily. There will be mercy for any that give up... but I expect them all to run. And if they do, they will remain threats until they die. Assassins don't forgive and never forget,” the li-tigon said with his threatening grin, alluding to a saying Usiku sometimes used.

“And after the Shadows fall... the Pride Landers can return to their home. And... Kovu will, by then, be on the good path again,” Freak abruptly shut up after that.

“So... he's still not sure if he wants to be a Pride Lander or not. That, or he's pretty smart.”

“Watch your step, Simba... plants don't sleep,” Freak said without looking behind him, but somehow, impossibly, knowing that the tan lions paw was heading straight for the idling tendril of God knows what horror.

“...Pretty smart,” the Lion King thought, grinning to himself, as, several steps back, Vitani watched the exchange, smiling...

(Gary Jules, Mad World

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N3N1MlvVc4)

Freak walked on, as if in a trance. So many things had happened in the past 24 hours... he was no longer the cold haphephobe he was when he entered the Pride Lands. Now, he often found himself sleeping in the paws of other cats, though he never, ever left his mother and sister's side when the counterassassins stayed in the cave.

“From here... two things can happen. I can change, and find friends everywhere I go. Or, things will become even worse than they were in the Jungle... at least there, I felt close to Mother and Sister. I wonder... Father said others may visit me. Perhaps—I never, ever thanked Mother. Even though she died for me... and is the only being that ever loved me.”

“Mother... I... return your love...”

Freak was no longer in the dark, foreboding lands of the Lower Plains. He was in his cave. But it was different. The only remainders he had of his family, namely, their bones, were gone...

“This way, Mommy!” said a squeaky kitten's voice, from the outside.

A small cat loped playfully into the cave. Freak froze at the sight of her. He couldn't place it... but she looked familiar. The baby's dark fur was exactly the same shade as his father's, and the pattern of her more visible, jagged black stripes were exactly the same of Freak's, Chukizo's, Sher Kahn's, and one other that still lived...

“...Sister?” the male li-tigon asked, rooted to the spot as the kitten approached him.

“Yes, big brother,” she purred, rubbing her head up against his feet.

Freak had no words. He could only watch his sister show him the love that he'd longed for for so long... that feeling was still a rare, unattainable dream for him, like the grass on the other side, or the end of the rainbow. He didn't understand love at all, and knew how to return it even less.

“You've grown since we last saw each other,” she giggled slightly at his lack of a reaction.

“Sister... it's been so long...”

“It's been a lifetime, big brother. Oh, and my name's Maisha.”

“...My name's Freak,” the male replied, feeling the all too familiar sting at the mention of his own name prick him again.

“Son...” said a voice from the cave, and he tore his gaze away from his “little” sister to look at Chukizo...

“My son... my little boy...” the tigon said tearfully.

But they weren't the tears that Freak had seen, and caused, his entire life. They were tears of joy, the kind of joy that can only be achieved with the reunification of a family, long since broken...

“Mother...?”

Chukizo merely nodded, and took a step closer to Freak before stopping in her tracks. Scar appeared at her side, smiling just as contentedly as his mate. He whispered something into the tigon's ear, and she took a deep breath, as the previously impassable distance between mother and son closed for the first time in... a lifetime.

But before the tigon got within two yards of the li-tigon, she burst into tears.

“My son... I'm so sorry... I tried to kill you, when you were a baby. And then, I couldn't even keep myself alive... I know you've had a hard, horrible life... but I haven't even been able to help you till now.”

“Mother... you tried to kill me out of love. You didn't want me to have to live the way I used to... the way my friends have saved me from...” the li-tigon acknowledged to himself and out loud for the first time.

“Please, Mother... stop crying. I've caused enough pain in my life. Not you, too...”

The tigon laughed once, sadly at that, and nuzzled her son, speaking directly into his ear.

“Son... you only do what needs to be done. Never, ever have you sought revenge... and the things you've gone through would make any other being strike out in pain.”

“But you didn't, not even once... you didn't even feel the temptation to do so,” piped up Scar, nodding approvingly at his son, “your circle might be very large after all.”

“Mother?” asked Freak, backing out of the tigon's nuzzles, “can you give me a name?”