The pride

Part two

Telka grinned darkly as he studied Katia. He then moved his amber eyes to Tio. Tio looked him deep in the eyes, and realized that... Telka wasn't looking at him. Next to him, Sala let out a whimper and pressed her body closer to Tio. Tio turned his head to look at his sister. Her eyes gazed back at Telka's. Tio studied her. She looked just like him. Tio looked back at Telka, realizing for the first time that he was his Uncle. That must have been why she looked so much like him.
"Why is he looking at me..?" She hisses under her breath. Tio felt her tremble next to him. He didn't know why she was so intimidated, but then again... the whole pride was too. Tio looked back at Telka, wondering what he could have done to make the whole pride hate, and fear him. The mountain pride was usually pretty peaceful... but Tio could tell by the looks of the other lions that they wanted to rip Telka's jugular out. Telka let out a chuckle, and looked away from Sala.
"You believe that one of these cubs is the start of the saviors... you are right." He snarls. He looks at Katia. "I'm not sure what one... but I have a good feeling about you..." he whispers. Tio felt a panic rising in his chest suddenly. He had no idea why. It was almost like instinct, but he stood. His ears were facing forward. He flicked his tail and looked at him father who stood, looking the same way the others did.
"Not only have I found the savior today... I have also found the fall of the pride..." he grins madly. "And one of those may be a small problem." He licks his teeth. "So I'll limit one." He says. The panic inside Tio turned to a pull. Suddenly he darted forward as soon as Telka pounced on Katia. She let out a yelp and a howl ad Telka landed hard on her. He sank his claws into her back. Tio sprinted towards him. Behind him, he heard his parents stand and follow quickly. The rest of the pride seemed confused, worried, angry, and scared all at the same time. Tio pounced on Telka right as he bit the back of Katia's neck. She let out a scream. Tio slammed into his uncle's large white face and sank his claws into his forehead and his left eye. Telka roared in pain and ripped his head away from Katia, he collapsed into the dirt and sand on the ground. Telka took a few steps back as he whipped his head around, trying to throw tio off of him. Tio sunk his claws deeper into Telka's flesh and eye, causing his white fur to turn slightly red. Telka tried swatting at Tio, but he couldn't reach in the position that he was in. Tio could feel himself loosing grip, and his head was pounding from being thrown about on his uncles face. He prayed that his father would come soon, because he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. Zarah races forward and drops down next to Katia who was sprawled still on the ground. Telka realized that he would not be able to pull Tio off of him, so he slammed his head to the ground, which harshly crushed Tio to the ground. Because of his sudden loss of breath, Tio let go. Telka pulled his head away. His right eye was fuming with anger. Tio saw that he had damaged Talka's eye so badly that he could no longer even open it.
"Why you little-" Telka roared as he raised his paw high in the air. Tio's green eyes widen when he saw Telka's shimmering claws. Before Telka could slam down onto Tio, a dark form slammed into Telka, knocking him over. Tio flinched and covered his face instinctively. Sala runs over to his side.
"Tio!" She huffs next to him. Tio blinked a few times. After a moment, he was finally able to suck in a breath again. He heard growls and roars next to him. He lifted his head to see a blur of brown, white and red. "Are you ok?" Sala whispered. She still trembled. Tio nods slowly, and rolls over to his belly.
"Yes... I think so." He mews hoarsely. Sala looked him over with worry in her eyes. Tio gazed at his father who slashed his paw across Telka's face. Tio then remembered.
"Katia!" He stood you quickly. Too quickly. He suddenly got dizzy and stumbled. Sala quickly stood by his side and supported him. Tio looked up in the direction of his mother. Zarah was looming over a crumpled pile of creamy fur splattered with a red paint. Tio's eyes widen. Once the world around him stopped spinning, he started walking towards them. Once they got closer, Tio could see that Katia was breathing, which filled him with relief. Zarah looked at him and her worried eyes softened lightly.
"Tio!" She exclaimed. Tio nods at her.
"I'm alright... Katia..?" He asks. Zarah opens her maw to speak, but is cut off by a loud roar. Tio turns to see Telka laying on the ground, panting. His left eye was nothing but ripped flesh now. He had cuts and scrapes all over.
"Telka. Because of your actions today, I sentence you to death by starvation. Painful and slow." Takana roars to him. Telka chuckles from the ground.
"Do what you want to me. I already did my job. The so called savior will die, causing the rise of the monster you fear." Telka looks at Katia's crumpled form. He grins, looking exhausted.
"He is crippled. No one is allowed to feed or help him in any way, do you understand me?" Takana looks around at the others with a dangerous look. The other lions nod. Takana then steps forward. He looks at Zarah who nudged Katia lightly with her nose.
"Is she..." Takana starts. Zarah shakes her head.
"She isn't dead... but because of her wounds..." she pauses, lowering her ears. "She most likely will die in the night." Her voice was softer now. Sala let out a small whimper next to Tio. Takana nods slowly.
"Take her to the den. I will have a few lionesses guard the opening. No one will be allowed in but you at Katia until dawn." Takana rubles sadly deep in his throat. Zarah nods softly, and carefully bites the scruff of Katia. She lifts the limp cub without trouble, and turns before any lion could get a good look at the damage. Takana walks over to a group of lionesses and pulls two aside to talk to them. Tio watches for a moment, then looks at his paws. Even on his black paws, he could see shimmering red.
"You did the best you could." Sara whispered next to him. Tio shakes his head.
"Maybe I could have been quicker." He mews softly. Sara softly nudges his head with hers.
"Don't think that way. It won't make anything better." She rubs her head on his one more time before looking at Telka. She lowers her ears slightly.
"What do you think he could have done... to make the pride hate him so much?" She doesn't look at Tio when she speaks. She keeps her amber eyes on the weak lion laying in the dark sand. Tio flicks his tail lightly.
"I don't know, but he is going to die for it." His voice quivered. Sala looks at Tio.
"Do you think it's right that he gets to die like this..?" She whispers. Tio shrugs lightly.
"Yeah, I do." His voice came out a bit colder than he wanted it to. Sala gazes at Tio still, her eyes burning.
"Why..? He is a lion just like us..." She flicked her tail. Tio stands
"He is the reason Katia is going to die. I don't care what he did before now, he deserves to die for taking away Katia's life." Tio snaps. Sala looks at Telka for a moment, then back at Tio.
"So you simply believe in justice. Not that he can make up for his mistakes?" Sala lowered her white ears. Tio shakes his head.
"His mistakes are too high to go back now." Tio pauses. "If we let him live, he is a danger to the whole pride." Tio turns, walking under the shade of a tree.
"We don't even know what he did in the past, Tio. Why do we have to right to judge him?" Sala's voice now sounded slightly angry. Tio turns and lays down.
"Maybe we don't have the right to, but Takana does. He knows what Telka did. He passed the sentence, and now Telka will die." Tio's voice sounded like it was the end of the conversation. Sala let out a low rumble in her throat.
"I'm going to ask Dephan about what he did. Then I will decide weather or not I agree with fathers choice." Sala growls. Tio stands.
"Do you think she will tell us the truth?" He asks.
"Us?" Sala rumbles. Tio lowers his ears.
"Just because we don't agree on something, doesn't mean I don't care about what you do. I'm still your brother." He mews softly. Sala looked at him for a moment, then nods.
"Alright then. Let's go." Sala turns.

Dephan sat in her small den. She licked the last bit of meat off of a zebra leg. Tio steps in the opening with Sala next to her.
"Dephan?" Tio asks. Dephan lifts her head to look at the cubs.
"What do you runts want?" She snaps, pulling the bone she chewed on closer to her as if she expected the cubs to try to steal it. Tio flicked his tail lightly in annoyance.
"We have a few questions." He lets out a soft growl in his chest. Dephan scoffs.
"And I have a few fleas." She then lowers her head and starts gnawing on the bone.
"You are known for spilling secrets of the past." Sala steps into the den. Once inside, she scrunches her nose in disgust at the smell. "So we want some answers from you." She holds herself from gagging. Dephan looks up at her.
"If I tell you what you want to know, will you leave me alone?" She snaps, coldly. Tio nods
"Promise." He stays at the opening. Dephan sighs and rubs her large paw over her ear. She then looks up.
"What do you want to know..?" She hisses. Sala flicks her tail.
"Why does the pride hate Telka?" Her eyes seemed to glow in the dark light of the den. Dephan scoffs.
"Simple answer. My son was training to become the pride leader, but he didn't care about the pride like he was supposed to. He felt that it was too... soft of a pride. He felt that he could bring unity between all the prides, but only for his own benefit. During the night, he would sneak out and go to the gorge pride. He told them that if they would help him, he would free them from living in the gorge." Dephan licked her lips.
"Help him with what..?" Tio asks. Dephan snarls.
"The mountain pride used to be much larger... he wanted help with killing off the mountain pride. His family. He started a war... that is why he is so hated. He betrayed his own for power." She growled. Sala looks at Tio for a moment, then back at Dephan.
"That's it?" She sounded confused.
"It??" Dephan snapped. "What do you mean, that's it??" She growls. Sala shrugs.
"That's not horrible." She mews. Dephan scoffs.
"For the peace that Tio's father so looks for, that is horrible." Dephan nods at Tio. Tio tilts his head, looking confused.
"Our father." He says. Dephan scoffs again and chews on her bone.
"I told you what you wanted to know. Now get out." She growls. Sala studies her for a moment, then turns.
"Let's go, Tio." Sala turns and walks out, past Tio. Tio stands there for a moment, watching Dephan. She looks up at him.
"What do you want?" She snaps. Tio flicks his tail.
"I'm not sure." He says. Dephan scoffs.
"Come to me when you are. I already have the answer for you."