Fearless

Epilogue

Artful jolted awake from the eerie call of a vulture. His bronze-spotted fur caught the sunlight and glowed golden like amber. "Good morning Artful," his mother, Wingpelt, purred, as she brushed his side with her tail. "Morning," Artful mumbled, looking around. He trotted up to his father, Lionheart, who was still snoozing. "Dad," he mewed. "Wake up before Ruthless exiles you,"Ruthless was the pride leader. His father had been his cub when he was small, but Ruthless wouldn't hesitate to evict him from the pride; he obviously wanted to be the only male in there. Lionheart slowly stood up. "Morning," he said. "Hunt patrol with the lionesses, gotta go," he started to walk, but stopped. "Thanks for waking me up, Artful," he called, smiling, and went off. In then corner of Artful's eyes he saw Ruthless grouching off his sleeping spot and to his mate, Sandpaw, Lionheart's mother. A flash of fury quickly sliced through his body. Artful knew that Sandpaw hated Ruthless- but she was good at hiding it and playing along. Artful paddled around the grass, bored. He then saw a movement in the bushes- a blackish-blue scorpion scuttled out of the trees. Artful paused, gave a snarl and pounced on the scorpion with a crunch. Wiping his blue-blooded paws, he ripped off the tail and threw it back in the bushes. "You aren't going to eat that, are you?" A deep, booming voice sounded behind him. Artful dropped the scorpion and whirled around to see Ruthless standing over him. "N-no," Artful stammers, in the most unconvincing tone as possible. He wished he could sound more confident. "I'm not," "You look like you were," he growled. "We're lions, not meerkats or shrews, we eat more dignified prey," He turned on his hinges and walked away, showering Artful with dust with his large paws. Artful took one look at the dead, tailless scorpion, snarled, and threw it back in the bushes. He ran out of their territory, looking for 'dignified' prey. He prowled through the tall, pale yellow grass, his sharp eyes trying to catch any movement as possible. And there! A small, lone dik-dik was stupidly grazing around. Crouching, Artful pounced. The dik-dik shrieked and tried to make a run for it, but Artful easily caught up, held onto its leg, and brung it down with ease. As he was biting into its flank, a growl sounded from behind him. It was a pack of hyenas, circling him. "We've got you surrounded, little lion," the leader cackled. "Give up your prey or we'll bring you down," Artful whirled around and saw the rest circling in closer. Then the leader pounced. The rest followed. He dodged, ducked, snarled, and scratched his way through and finally found an opening. But the leader blocked him. "I gave up the prey!" Artful hissed. "Let me go! It's all your's!" The shaggy, dirty beast looked up at him, his eyes filled with murder and laughter. "I changed my mind," he cackled. "Never trust a hyena, little furball. Then he pounced. Artful swiftly sprang out of the way, then pounced on the leader itself. His jaws went down, right into the hyena's eye. Before it could even scream, before the others could move, Artful bit right into the leaders throat. The hyenas gave a howl of fear, and Artful ran away at lightning speed, as fast as his legs could carry him, back to the pride. As he arrived, the pride was a pandemonium. "ARTFUL!" A booming roar echoed across the territory. Ruthless advanced slowly and threatening up to him. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!"He roared. Artful was brave enough to look him strait in the eye. "Hunting a dik-dik," he replied. Ruthless inspected him. "Where is the.. dik-dik?" he hissed. "Why are your jaws so bloody? They're tiny, they don't give off that much blood. Admit it- you killed her,"

"What do you mean? I killed who?!" Ruthless yelped. Wingpelt went up to Ruthless, and gave Artful a pitying look. "Somebody killed Lakeroot," she explained.

"What?" he said. He looked at Ruthless, who was gleaming down at him with a malevolent expression "You killed Lakeroot," he snapped. "You're a traitor!" Then, without hesitation, Ruthless growled, "Artful, you are exiled from the pride. You must never return," There was gasps and muttering from the watching lions. "

WHAT?" Artful roared. "I didn't kill Lakeroot!"

"My son would never," Wingpelt stood up.

"He wouldn't," agreed Lionheart ferociously. "He wouldn't, father, please," Ruthless smirked. "Let's see what'll happen to your cub outside of the pride," He turned to Artful. "LEAVE, BEFORE I KILL YOU!" he lunged towards him, and Artful ran. He sped out of the territory, running as fast as he could, until his breath was taken away from the wind. Then he collapsed.