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Description
  "Don't go too far kids." Tadao called after the group of six. His four precious cubs and his young in-laws ran off ahead. Tatsu and Seika were adolescents now and would soon be adults where as Michiko, Shizu, Zoreza, and Khanjar were just old enough to start playing.
  "We don't have to listen to you old man!" Tatsu called out behind him with Seika laughing by his side. Tadao sighed as the cubs ran towards a rocky outcrop and started to vanish around the corner, only slowing down to make sure they all stuck together.
  "I'll keep an eye on them, no worries 'Old Man'." Yitma chuckled as he trotted off ahead. Tadao often wondered why he ever stuck around, but when he looked at the little striped cubs vanishing around the corner he smiles and knew exactly why he had stayed. He sped up to a trot to catch up to the group, not wanting to get too far behind that he lost them. Luckily seeing Yitma vanish around the corner was comforting as he knew that a more mature lion would be watching over them even if he was stuck in a cub state.
His ears twitched and he felt a sudden chill go down his spine. Blackness. He could not even see his own paws let alone the cubs and his mind snapped. He was taken back to that missions years before. Hyperion, Nunebis, the shadows and the the sight of red. It was too late to stop it, the shadows were hinted red with anger and rage. Blood-lust.
"Get away you giant fucking bat!" Tadao lifted his head, his muscles tense and his ears pounding but he could still hear Yitma's yells. The cubs. Hyperion was going after the cubs. But why? What would he want with the cubs? He raced blindly forward, driven by anger and terror he had never felt before. The shadows tried to cling to him but he was soon free of the blinding substance. He could see fire, water, and shadows being thrown around but the larger black lion was clearly more powerful and experienced then young Yitma was. A blast of fire just missed Yitma but as he jumped back to avoid it he tripped. The cubs were cowering in fear against a rock face, Tatsu and Seika watching in terror as they stood before their nieces and nephew, all just as helpless as Yitma but Tadao could just barely see that tinge of temptation his in-laws had to join the fray.
His claws met black fur as he leaped over Yitma and rammed into Hyperion who was now hanging over him like death about to strike. He pulled out some fur, but his attack was returned as Hyperion bit into his shoulder. Tadao roared and his vision began to tremble with the pounding blood in his veins. 'Run! Run away!' he wanted to scream as the cubs cowered. Even Yitma was stunned.

"Yitma! We have to go!" Tatsu screamed, snapping Yitma out of his trance. He shook his head and ran to the cubs, shoving them back towards home. If he could get the cubs to Eztli they would be safe, he had to get them home. Shizu and Khanjar were crying, Zoreza was so stunned she had no idea what to do. Tatsu and Seika were no better off, despite Tatsu's scream as Yitma. He only yelled because he heard Tadao's thoughts, heard those desperate cries that could not escape his lips. The two older cubs were itching to run back and fight and yet terror seemed to freeze their limbs. Fire, shadows, and death hung in the air behind them, they could hear roars of anger and frustration ring through the air and they were not moving fast enough to escape.

Tadao sank his teeth into the arm of his prey as Hyperion spread his wings. Flapping them furiously Tadao could not even hear the pounding of the air as his ears rang and his instinct to kill took over. The cubs were out of sight, he had no more reason to try and hold back, and nothing to stop him. He felt himself lifted from the ground as his claws drew blood from the sides of the black lion. He dangled like a helpless cub behind carried by its mother, but this cub wanted to kill. The metallic taste in his mouth was satisfying, but with the risk of falling he did not let go. Hyperion clawed at the back of his attacker, trying desperately to get him off so he could chase his escaping prey.

"Kids, please calm down. We are going to be okay but we need to move! Please!" Yitma was desparate. The cubs were scared, he was scared, he was helpless to help Tadao and all he could do was try and calm the cubs with words, too small to pick them up himself and carrying them to safety, not to mention there was only one of him and six of them, four which were so young and still clumsy and slow at their age.
"Daddy!" Shizu cried out making Khanjar's crying louder. Michiko was running from one sibling to another and trying to calm them and trying to snap Zoreza out of her shocked state but tears were starting to brim in her eyes as she realized they had left their father behind to fight a killer. Tatsu and Seika were quiet. They felt useless, they could not fight, they were scared, and now they had no idea what to do from here.
"Come on, please keep moving." Yitma was slowly nudging them, running between each of them as they crawled across the landscape towards their den. They had traveled quite far on their adventure for something to do and Yitma was starting to regret not saying anything about how far away they were, then he saw it. Among some boulders was an opening to a small hidden space. It would be cramped but at least they would all be hidden from sight. "Hurry, everyone in!" He shoved the four little ones in first followed by Seika and Tatsu. "Try and keep your niece and nephews calm and quiet. I need you two to do this. You hear me?" Yitma looked from one pair of glowing eyes to the other. Both nodded, but they were shaking in fear.
"What about you?" Seika looked worried as Yitma took a step back.
"I need to get your father, but they are too young to get all the way back to the den in time. You need to stay hidden until I get help. I'll send your mother and sister to get you but you need to stay hidden until you see them." He did not wait for a reply. He ran. His little legs pounded against the ground and he began to feel helpless, useless. He was too small, too weak. He growled to himself and tried to keep his emotions under control.

The two hit the ground with a thud but Tadao was not stunned. He was going numb from the rage and possibly the loss of blood, but would not let go, he was not going to let this monster hurt his children. Both males were bleeding heavily, one of Hyperion's wings was clawed through, and Tadao's vision was returning to normal as exhaustion began to kick in. Tadao lifted himself off the ground slowly, keeping his one leg lifted off the ground. His landing had damaged he leg and he knew he would struggle to continue the fight but he had also done a number to Hyperion.
Hyperion's wounds looked terrible as the flesh began to rot around the edges of each bite and scratch. A lot of his energy had been drained by Tadao's element and without his wings he could not chase the cubs as swiftly as he wanted. He stiffly rose off the ground to face Tadao who was returning to his normal self. Hyperion's eyes glowed in rage and with a deep gruff he turned to limp back into the unknown lands, leaving Tadao alone to watch his enemy vanish into the vast landscape.
The world began to spin and then it was sideways, the sky to his left and the ground on his right. His eyes began to shut but not before he saw a familiar red. Not a red of anger or blood, but a shade of red that brought him some relief. The cubs were safe. He let the darkness take him as the figure approached, faintly yelling his name until he could hear no more.

"Tadao! Tadao! Don't die on my now you stupid daughter snatcher! If you die now I am finding a way to bring you back so I can kill you again myself!" Yitma had fallen behind as Eztli raced off ahead. They had seen Tadao and Hyperion fall from the sky as Tadao raked his claws right through the enemy's large black wings. Yitma felt horror as he rounded the corner to see Eztli lifting tadao out of a forming puddle of blood. Tadao's brown pelt was stained red with blood from both himself and Hyperion and his leg seemed to hang awkwardly as Eztli tried to position the smaller male across his shoulders.
"Yitma, I need you to run ahead and let Ishabba know what is going on. Also, if you can, try and keep Malaika calm. We may have to take him to the pride or get a pride healer out here." Eztli moved slowly to keep Tadao from falling of his back as the brown male hung limply from the red lions shoulders. Yitma nodded and turned around to run back, Eztli and Tadao vanishing out of sight.
"Yitma! Where is Eztli?! Where is Tadao?!" Malaika looked worried and terrified, tears were brimming her eyes as she watched Yitma's approach.
"They are on their way, he wanted me to let Ishabba know."
"How bad is it?" Ishabba came up beside Malaika. He looked from one to the other in opes Ishabba would understand.
"No..." Malaika began to cry.
"I'm gonna go and meet them, see if I can help. Yitma, you need to watch over the cubs. They are scared and need someone who is decently calm right now. Malaika, I need you to run to the pride as fast as possible and get a healer, preferably Karazi if you can!" The red lioness took off in the direction Yitma had come from.
Once againt Yitma felt useless as Malaika took off faster then he could ever run towards the pride, though she looked clumsy and lumbering, losing her usual grace as she vanished around the corner, the terror of possibly losing her mate driving her forward. His head drooped a little as he trotted into the den. The cubs were huddled in the space dug out for Malaika and Tadao, as well as the their cubs. Michiko and Zoreza were no longer holding back tears, but now huddled with their other two siblings as they soaked their nest with salty tears. Tatsu and Seika sat next to each other on one side of the nest, trying to comfort the other cubs but their forlorn faces said they were just as worried as the rest of them.
"Is daddy back?! Is daddy alright?!" Zoreza was the first to notice the orange cub-sized lion enter the space.
"He'll be alright, but he is not back yet. We just gotta stay here so the adults aren't tripping over us when they come back. Okay?" He tried to make it seem better then it actually was. He saw the blood, he saw Tadao out cold. He was not sure what he could do. He sat next to the nest on the other side across from the two older cubs and began to tell a story, began to tell how Malaika and Tadao met, hoping that today was not the time they would finally part.

Description
  "Don't go too far kids." Tadao called after the group of six. His four precious cubs and his young in-laws ran off ahead. Tatsu and Seika were adolescents now and would soon be adults where as Michiko, Shizu, Zoreza, and Khanjar were just old enough to start playing.
  "We don't have to listen to you old man!" Tatsu called out behind him with Seika laughing by his side. Tadao sighed as the cubs ran towards a rocky outcrop and started to vanish around the corner, only slowing down to make sure they all stuck together.
  "I'll keep an eye on them, no worries 'Old Man'." Yitma chuckled as he trotted off ahead. Tadao often wondered why he ever stuck around, but when he looked at the little striped cubs vanishing around the corner he smiles and knew exactly why he had stayed. He sped up to a trot to catch up to the group, not wanting to get too far behind that he lost them. Luckily seeing Yitma vanish around the corner was comforting as he knew that a more mature lion would be watching over them even if he was stuck in a cub state.
His ears twitched and he felt a sudden chill go down his spine. Blackness. He could not even see his own paws let alone the cubs and his mind snapped. He was taken back to that missions years before. Hyperion, Nunebis, the shadows and the the sight of red. It was too late to stop it, the shadows were hinted red with anger and rage. Blood-lust.
"Get away you giant fucking bat!" Tadao lifted his head, his muscles tense and his ears pounding but he could still hear Yitma's yells. The cubs. Hyperion was going after the cubs. But why? What would he want with the cubs? He raced blindly forward, driven by anger and terror he had never felt before. The shadows tried to cling to him but he was soon free of the blinding substance. He could see fire, water, and shadows being thrown around but the larger black lion was clearly more powerful and experienced then young Yitma was. A blast of fire just missed Yitma but as he jumped back to avoid it he tripped. The cubs were cowering in fear against a rock face, Tatsu and Seika watching in terror as they stood before their nieces and nephew, all just as helpless as Yitma but Tadao could just barely see that tinge of temptation his in-laws had to join the fray.
His claws met black fur as he leaped over Yitma and rammed into Hyperion who was now hanging over him like death about to strike. He pulled out some fur, but his attack was returned as Hyperion bit into his shoulder. Tadao roared and his vision began to tremble with the pounding blood in his veins. 'Run! Run away!' he wanted to scream as the cubs cowered. Even Yitma was stunned.

"Yitma! We have to go!" Tatsu screamed, snapping Yitma out of his trance. He shook his head and ran to the cubs, shoving them back towards home. If he could get the cubs to Eztli they would be safe, he had to get them home. Shizu and Khanjar were crying, Zoreza was so stunned she had no idea what to do. Tatsu and Seika were no better off, despite Tatsu's scream as Yitma. He only yelled because he heard Tadao's thoughts, heard those desperate cries that could not escape his lips. The two older cubs were itching to run back and fight and yet terror seemed to freeze their limbs. Fire, shadows, and death hung in the air behind them, they could hear roars of anger and frustration ring through the air and they were not moving fast enough to escape.

Tadao sank his teeth into the arm of his prey as Hyperion spread his wings. Flapping them furiously Tadao could not even hear the pounding of the air as his ears rang and his instinct to kill took over. The cubs were out of sight, he had no more reason to try and hold back, and nothing to stop him. He felt himself lifted from the ground as his claws drew blood from the sides of the black lion. He dangled like a helpless cub behind carried by its mother, but this cub wanted to kill. The metallic taste in his mouth was satisfying, but with the risk of falling he did not let go. Hyperion clawed at the back of his attacker, trying desperately to get him off so he could chase his escaping prey.

"Kids, please calm down. We are going to be okay but we need to move! Please!" Yitma was desparate. The cubs were scared, he was scared, he was helpless to help Tadao and all he could do was try and calm the cubs with words, too small to pick them up himself and carrying them to safety, not to mention there was only one of him and six of them, four which were so young and still clumsy and slow at their age.
"Daddy!" Shizu cried out making Khanjar's crying louder. Michiko was running from one sibling to another and trying to calm them and trying to snap Zoreza out of her shocked state but tears were starting to brim in her eyes as she realized they had left their father behind to fight a killer. Tatsu and Seika were quiet. They felt useless, they could not fight, they were scared, and now they had no idea what to do from here.
"Come on, please keep moving." Yitma was slowly nudging them, running between each of them as they crawled across the landscape towards their den. They had traveled quite far on their adventure for something to do and Yitma was starting to regret not saying anything about how far away they were, then he saw it. Among some boulders was an opening to a small hidden space. It would be cramped but at least they would all be hidden from sight. "Hurry, everyone in!" He shoved the four little ones in first followed by Seika and Tatsu. "Try and keep your niece and nephews calm and quiet. I need you two to do this. You hear me?" Yitma looked from one pair of glowing eyes to the other. Both nodded, but they were shaking in fear.
"What about you?" Seika looked worried as Yitma took a step back.
"I need to get your father, but they are too young to get all the way back to the den in time. You need to stay hidden until I get help. I'll send your mother and sister to get you but you need to stay hidden until you see them." He did not wait for a reply. He ran. His little legs pounded against the ground and he began to feel helpless, useless. He was too small, too weak. He growled to himself and tried to keep his emotions under control.

The two hit the ground with a thud but Tadao was not stunned. He was going numb from the rage and possibly the loss of blood, but would not let go, he was not going to let this monster hurt his children. Both males were bleeding heavily, one of Hyperion's wings was clawed through, and Tadao's vision was returning to normal as exhaustion began to kick in. Tadao lifted himself off the ground slowly, keeping his one leg lifted off the ground. His landing had damaged he leg and he knew he would struggle to continue the fight but he had also done a number to Hyperion.
Hyperion's wounds looked terrible as the flesh began to rot around the edges of each bite and scratch. A lot of his energy had been drained by Tadao's element and without his wings he could not chase the cubs as swiftly as he wanted. He stiffly rose off the ground to face Tadao who was returning to his normal self. Hyperion's eyes glowed in rage and with a deep gruff he turned to limp back into the unknown lands, leaving Tadao alone to watch his enemy vanish into the vast landscape.
The world began to spin and then it was sideways, the sky to his left and the ground on his right. His eyes began to shut but not before he saw a familiar red. Not a red of anger or blood, but a shade of red that brought him some relief. The cubs were safe. He let the darkness take him as the figure approached, faintly yelling his name until he could hear no more.

"Tadao! Tadao! Don't die on my now you stupid daughter snatcher! If you die now I am finding a way to bring you back so I can kill you again myself!" Yitma had fallen behind as Eztli raced off ahead. They had seen Tadao and Hyperion fall from the sky as Tadao raked his claws right through the enemy's large black wings. Yitma felt horror as he rounded the corner to see Eztli lifting tadao out of a forming puddle of blood. Tadao's brown pelt was stained red with blood from both himself and Hyperion and his leg seemed to hang awkwardly as Eztli tried to position the smaller male across his shoulders.
"Yitma, I need you to run ahead and let Ishabba know what is going on. Also, if you can, try and keep Malaika calm. We may have to take him to the pride or get a pride healer out here." Eztli moved slowly to keep Tadao from falling of his back as the brown male hung limply from the red lions shoulders. Yitma nodded and turned around to run back, Eztli and Tadao vanishing out of sight.
"Yitma! Where is Eztli?! Where is Tadao?!" Malaika looked worried and terrified, tears were brimming her eyes as she watched Yitma's approach.
"They are on their way, he wanted me to let Ishabba know."
"How bad is it?" Ishabba came up beside Malaika. He looked from one to the other in opes Ishabba would understand.
"No..." Malaika began to cry.
"I'm gonna go and meet them, see if I can help. Yitma, you need to watch over the cubs. They are scared and need someone who is decently calm right now. Malaika, I need you to run to the pride as fast as possible and get a healer, preferably Karazi if you can!" The red lioness took off in the direction Yitma had come from.
Once againt Yitma felt useless as Malaika took off faster then he could ever run towards the pride, though she looked clumsy and lumbering, losing her usual grace as she vanished around the corner, the terror of possibly losing her mate driving her forward. His head drooped a little as he trotted into the den. The cubs were huddled in the space dug out for Malaika and Tadao, as well as the their cubs. Michiko and Zoreza were no longer holding back tears, but now huddled with their other two siblings as they soaked their nest with salty tears. Tatsu and Seika sat next to each other on one side of the nest, trying to comfort the other cubs but their forlorn faces said they were just as worried as the rest of them.
"Is daddy back?! Is daddy alright?!" Zoreza was the first to notice the orange cub-sized lion enter the space.
"He'll be alright, but he is not back yet. We just gotta stay here so the adults aren't tripping over us when they come back. Okay?" He tried to make it seem better then it actually was. He saw the blood, he saw Tadao out cold. He was not sure what he could do. He sat next to the nest on the other side across from the two older cubs and began to tell a story, began to tell how Malaika and Tadao met, hoping that today was not the time they would finally part.