The One Who Didn't Fight

There was a rustle in the grass and loud splashes, which normally would have brought Rana in wearily to check after calling in for others of her pride to help her with whatever there might be if there hadn’t been a loud ‘Help!’ accompanying the noises. In this season one could not simply walk away from a cry for help- Rana had learned in her past month or so in the pride that with the rising waters, one must always be alert. Cubs would be out and about, even if this was far from sounding as a cub there could be other newcomers such as herself who were ignorant to the ways of the pride life and had failed to adapt. She knew the struggle- very early on she’d gotten lost in the vast marshes and had been unable to detect the way in which she’d come from. If not for a kind paw, she would have had far more difficulty. By the time the cry had sounded a third time, Rana had dropped the gazelle carcass which she carried and waded as quickly as she could until, after parting the grasses, she came across a female, average looking, with what looked like a tangle of root an grass and other plants around a hind leg, which yanked frantically to try and free herself. It was only getting tighter.

“Hello?” 

After announcing herself, Rana jumped in at that moment, waddling through to fasten her teeth around the mess. It took but a few tugs to sever the tangle and free the female’s foot from it’s snare.

And that’s how it started, chummy conversation between intelligent individuals, detailing of the pride and how one must be weary when walking in the marshes, how to spot the hidden tangles that had ensnared the foreigner, basic knowledge like that that would make traversing the lands easier. Smiles. The beginnings of friendship.

 Then a rustle. Nothing to think too hard on, just a sound that garnered her attention for a moment longer than should’ve for when she turned back to ask the lioness her name, she was met with a fury of claws, savage even for a surprise attack.

That was the moment she’d started fearing for her life, when her face ripped open and her throat felt the crush of jaws, escapable only by luck.

Fortunately, Rana seemed to have a lot of that. Though new, the marshlands did give an incredible advantage- they tripped lions up. The white brute had been dislodged, giving Rana a chance to run-

-straight into the female she’d helped earlier.

The fighting, when recalled at a later time, would be a blur. It had been so primitive and wild that one could not recall every detail. There’d been a rush to her heart, a pounding throughout her body that wouldn’t cease for hours after a safe return, and a flurry of claws and teeth. Somehow she’d managed to chase off the female, while the white male had been tailing her. In the mix of this was another male, a thin one, who stood out of the way watching. Not until Rana’d given the white one a good smack to the head, exhaustion wearing clear on her, did she notice.

For every hit she gave, she received one thrice as vicious and far harder, causing the lioness to stumble as she ran. The white one was already getting back up, a twisted smile on his face. He knew he had her.

She’d gotten lucky twice in that battle. Being so dizzy she’d rammed into the other male, expected a harsh strike to end her, but gotten none. When her heavily shut eyes managed to open he was revealed to her, a brown lion with brown eyes, perhaps too startled to move a paw (so she thought). Something about the way he looked at what was happening…

Nevermind that, Rana had thought, prying herself from her dizziness to try and support herself on her paws, and quick. Whatever it was about the lion was not important, the white lion was closer, slower in the marsh, but closer.

 “Grah!” Sorry lion. Rana had gripped his shoulders, rolled him over her, and kicked so that as the white lion met the brown one she would be able to stumble away.

Down to her last, Rana ran. She looked back once, guiltily meeting the eyes of the male who hadn’t harmed her, but had disappeared with an accepting air. It was a trick and she hadn’t played into it. It was-

Darkness.

She’d made it as far as the den area, but once safety had been spotted, she’d crashed. 

~~~

For the event this month over at
Rana's first encounter with the rogue coalition- a temptress, an insane lion, and one who won't fight unless he has to. That kinda caught her attention, then she went back to worrying for her life and threw him at the insane one 8D

Interceptionnnnnn!

I hate football.

Anyway.

I didn't draw in all three because I was lazy. Yes, I was lazy. I'd spent all morning on a comic idea and got 9 pages sketched out depicting this scene sta.sh/21f45gcxaojt

But then I said no. And I drew this instead.

Sorry about the boring text, it's 2 am and I really wanted to get this done xD

Uhh... Rana's definitely not as bloody and scratched as in the story, just imagine her more gory ok? Does this need a mature filter as is?

Rana is mine
Male pictured (Hadimu) and lions mentioned in story belong to the
Event is from HeartOfTheKalahari

I'm going to go sleep now and wonder more about life. 

I'm gonna fix the story tomorrow. Er, later today. This is so I don't forget.