Author : Double update cuz this chapter is short.
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[1st POV]
"I think I might have a headache," I said with a rumbling growl after the roaring show was over.
The lion kings patrolled their territory and sent warnings with their roars. This went on for quite a bit before it was over. Luckily, they had not come towards me. If they did, I was kind of screwed.
I had gained much confidence after beating Scar in a one-on-one fight. I was sure that I could fight on par with or surpass other male lions. But against three? That was still beyond me. Winning that fight would be the same as gaining the ability to fly right now.
I stood no chance, I was meat in an open pot.
"Grim, do you have any knowledge of the lion pride that lives in this region?" I asked the vulture sitting contentedly beside me with a belly full of food.
"You mean the Siringet Pride?"
I nodded, "Is that what they are called? How many members are there?"
"Well, they are famous around here. Every animal knows the Siringet Pride as the rulers of the region. I would say they are about 30 in total. There are three kings, obviously, fifteen or so female adults, and the rest are cubs and sub-adults," Grim said.
And what a number that was. The so-called Siringet Pride were more than our pride back home, even though we were thriving in the land. But I guess I should expect that, a pride led by three males was bound to be larger and more dominant.
The situation was both good and bad for me. My aim as a solitary lion was obviously to defeat the kings and take over the pride. But that would be almost impossible with three kings. At the same time, precisely because the pride was ruled by three males, they were large in number. Which was good for my aim of raising an army.
Defeating three lions alone seemed like an impossible task, but I was confident of achieving this feat in the future. If it really came down to it, I could even form a coalition of my own to take down the current kings.
And after that, I would fight again with my allies to become the sole ruler of the pride. It was a difficult task, but not an impossible one, especially for someone like me.
While I was thinking all of this, the sun was beginning to set on the horizon. The sky was painted eerie orange, and in the looming darkness, creatures came for me.
My ears perked up on instinct after hearing the sound of multiple predators approaching me. I growled when I heard the familiar sound they made
*Uuuuuuuweu*
*UUuuuuuweu*
The closest thing I could compare the sound to was a howl mixed with creepy laughter. The sound was not mighty or threatening like a lion's, but that was not their aim. The sound they made echoed through the plain, making them feel like they were everywhere and more in number than they actually are.
It was an intimidating way to announce their presence. Most animals would shit themselves upon hearing that.
But me personally, I was having none of that.
"Fucking hyenas, of course they are here too," I said and sat properly. I was ready to explode at any given moment.
I could guess why they were coming after me. It was probably because of the half-eaten zebra that I had with me. Hyenas often scavenge for food, so it was no wonder that they came for me.
When they finally came into view, I locked my eyes on them. They were smaller and skinnier than I expected. I had gotten used to the well-fed hyenas back in the Pride Lands, so I was unsure if they were adults at first.
I counted sixteen or seventeen of them. They did not charge at me even though they clearly wanted the food. They opted for circling around me instead.
They continued making their god-awful sound while running circles around me. Their small tails stood upright, and they opened their jaws to display their sharp canines. Slimy saliva dropped on the ground as they acted like rabid beasts.
'Are they seriously trying to intimidate me?' I thought to myself while watching them. It would seem they wanted me to run without a fight so that they could get the food with no injuries.
Most predators would run at that moment. I already had my fill, and the excess was not worth fighting for. Heck, other lions might run away as well.
Not me though. I had serious beef with their kind.
And they pose no threat to me. I had torn through bigger hyenas and fought a larger number while I was injured and fatigued. What were sixteen of them going to do now?
Eventually, they realized that I had no intention of leaving so they moved to attack me. One hyena in particular thought it would be wise to bite at the carcass and try to steal it from me.
So I slapped the shit out of him.
The moment he stepped into my range, I swung my arms at him. I was not even trying to claw at him or catch him, I threw my paw more similar to throwing a slap. I did not even release my claws.
When my paw hit him, it released a muffled explosion, like a boxing glove hitting a punching bag. The hyena froze, as his brain was rattled. His muscles tensed, causing him to shit himself and pee in the process before he fell on the ground, unconscious.
Like I said, I slapped the shit out of him
There was silence. A long silence that stretched for a really long time. The unconscious hyena eventually woke up and he ran away immediately, but not before slipping once or twice due to the dizziness.
After that, none of the hyenas approached or came close to me. They knew I could not finish the whole zebra so they lingered still. If you saw someone knock out one of your friends with one swing, it would really work to demotivate any conflict.
I was still too full to move around, so I did not chase them away. Instead, I relaxed under the tree and rested for the night.
"Grim, do tell me if they try anything fishy," I said.
I was still unfamiliar with the region, and none of the animals knew who I was. But tomorrow would mark the beginning of my life here in the Serengeti.
The plan was simple. Thrive, conquer the foreign pride and go back to the Pride Lands to kill Scar with my pride.
For now, I rest.
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[IMAGE]
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Author : I am so sorry if the quality of this chapter is not good. I lost the original chapter after I tried to copy and paste it to Grammarly. It was only a slight mistake of pressing one single button but the original was lost just like that.
I wrote this chapter while being pissed as hell.