Raised by Lions

Chapter 4: He found the Fawn

This wasn't supposed to happen. It was a small slip up on Ibuki's part. He thought Chief was out and let Louis walk a few steps ahead of him. The door had swung open and the anger that crossed Chief's face was horrifying, even to a lion as big as Ibuki.

He'd grabbed the fawn by the back of the shirt and while Louis did struggle, it did little to deter the old lion. "Get the others and join me in the meeting room. NOW!" The way he roared it made Ibuki scramble to find the other lions that were in the mansion at that time. He had given Louis a quick glance that showed his regret before moving as fast as he could. He didn't trust that Chief wouldn't hurt Louis if Ibuki didn't immediately obey.

It wasn't even a full five minutes before Ibuki had everyone in the meeting room. Some looked tense, others worried, whether it was for their own safety or Louis', Ibuki could not tell yet. The air was thick enough to cut through.

Louis had grown tired from all the struggling and now just sat where Chief had placed him on his knee, looking afraid for his life. His eyes kept skittering between the faces of the lions, silently begging one of them to get him away from Chief. His eyes would linger just that second longer on Ibuki, which made him that much more upset. The lions have never seen that look on the fawn before and they hoped they never would again. They would ensure it never cursed his features again.

Chief broke the tense silence, his voice booming as he spoke, "Care to explain this little pet?" No one dared to answer, trying to keep themselves in check, but they all knew they were in deep trouble.

Chief looked over everyone's faces before settling on Sabu. "Sabu, how long has it been here?" Sabu had to force himself to not wince at the way he was spoken to, Chief's voice held an ever underlying threat. "Six months, sir." He thanked his years in the market for his voice staying level as he spoke. Louis made eye contact with him and Sabu mentally swore at himself. He could have lied or thrown Ibuki under the bus, but that thought didn't sit right with him.

Chief's gaze shifted over the group again and landed on Dolph, who was having slight trouble in keeping his composure. "Who brought it here?" The scarred lion bit his tongue. He didn't want to point it out and put his clan member and friend in the line of fire. "TALK, Dolph," Chief all but roared. Dolph flinched and his eyes flicked to Ibuki.

Their boss grinned and Louis was absolutely shivering at this point. Ibuki was focused on the fawn alone, trying to silently convey they would not let him get hurt. He just wanted to take Louis and cradle him in his arms and assure him he was in no danger. Dolph had given the answer without ever having to say it though. 

Chief's attention landed solely on Ibuki, who had managed to keep a straight face until now. "How curious..." The old lion let his words trail off, his hand absently petting Louis, as if he wasn't in complete danger. Louis shrunk in on himself. "You've always been a loyal soldier, Ibuki." Ibuki stayed quiet, face neutral. He wasn't sure where Chief was going with this but it was best to not give any movements or imply anything.

"I knew Venison was your favourite, but I never thought you'd want it still living." The words cut into Ibuki's psyche and rage heated his whole being. He didn't take Louis so he could make a meal out of him, he made peace with this already. His fists clenched and he moved them behind his back.

"It looks a little thin for food though, maybe a light snack." Chief's claws were tracing dangerously close to Louis' throat now. Those words made Ibuki see red and without even uttering a word, he attacked the old lion. Louis had been thrown off by the large carnivore's quick movements and landed a few feet away from them. He hastily scrambled away until his back hit the wall.

Ibuki's reaction seemed to snap everyone into the moment and Dolph and Sabu jumped in to help him in the fight. Everyone else either backed off, in fear of incurring the wrath of either side, or tried to help and despite his age, Chief still put up one hell of a fight.