Zebraddiction: Chapter 15

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Awesome art by: Brolaren 

Kaahla had barely slept the night before her fight. Her mind was buzzing with the archive of knowledge that she had just acquired and the new weapon that she now held firm in her paw. If not for Haepen's help, she wouldn't have gotten any sleep at all.

The morning of her fated fight with Braak, the lioness surged her way into the training grounds where Haepen said he would be helping her to understand even more of the potential that she wielded. Getting there by passing through the eye of the jungle was easy now, almost as simple as thinking herself there while walking into the mass of a tree.

She could hardly believe the insurmountable speed that such a technique afforded her. Like diving into a stream and then being rocketed like an arrow along a current that you make yourself and being able to surface whenever you wanted and wherever you could, so long as there was an appropriate door. The best part of all was that her new sword traveled through it all with her.

By the time Haepen walked into the training grounds, the morning sun barely filtering in through the jungle canopy, he encountered the lioness doing practice maneuvers with her blade. She swung in wide, vicious arcs at nothing in particular, the weapon a blur of motion that couldn't be perceived at all. He could only wonder in fear the kind of damage that such a thing could deliver in the rights hands, particularly hers.

“Good morning, Kaahla,” the druid said as he waved to catch her attention.

The lioness finished her current movement and turned to the zebra with a warm smile. “Good morning, Haepen.”

“I certainly hope my calming spell didn't go to waste given how early you're here,” he said while approaching. “And how awake you seem to be,” he added as a yawn overtook him.

“It didn't go to waste, I am well rested and ready for this day to be over. But I don't have much time to dawdle, so I hope you can forgive my eagerness to start things off,” she replied and shoved her wooden sword into the ground before she approached the instructor.

“Of course, that is why I'm here after all,” Haepen replied with a warm smile. “Is there any particular set of spells or techniques you'd wish to start off with? I know of some barbarian fighting styles but not as well as you so I'm afraid I can't make much of a suggestion.”

All the while he spoke, Kaahla set him with a stern look and stopped when she was mere feet away. The grass bandages that secured her torso were still there from the previous day, however her lower half remained similarly just as bare. Given that casual nudity wasn't uncommon within the jungle he didn't pay it any mind, but that all changed when she reached out and began to tug at his leaf woven cloak.

“What are you doing?” he asked as she drew open the garment to reveal his own body that was entirely naked underneath.

“I'm doing as I said: utilizing my last amount of time to the fullest extent,” she explained simply and undid the cloak's tie and pushed the entire garment from his shoulders.

“Something tells me that you're not here to actually learn anything from me,” he said back as she came to be even closer, her covered breasts pushing to his chest as her mouth found the side of his neck. She kissed and gently licked where she could while her arms came to hug around him.

“That's right. There really isn't anything more that you can teach me with so little time left. But there is something you can do to aid me immensely in my fight,” she rumbled lowly against his flesh.

“A-and that is?” he mumbled back as he wrapped his arms around her much larger form almost entirely as a reaction.

“The outcome of the fight isn't certain, I could die this day. And if that is so, then I want to get fucked like it's my last day alive. Also, Braak is a very jealous man, and him smelling the scent of you on me and seeing the aftermath of our passion will do much to break his concentration. It might be the edge I need to succeed.” As Kaahla spoke she drew her lips to his ear and practically said the last sentence as a whisper.

“I see,” Haepen chuckled and gently ran his hands up and down her back, feeling the tight bands of muscle beneath the surprisingly soft fur. “Then let's not wait any longer.”

“My thoughts exactly.” And with that, Kaahla suddenly shoved the instructor backwards. Haepen intended to backpedal so he could recover but found that at some point the lioness had purposely stepped on his hoof and held him in place.

The zebra flopped to his back, the soft grass catching his fall and making the worst of the whole ordeal his breath being momentarily knocked from his lungs. He had barely bounced back when she was on top of him. In a true show of predatory prowess, she pounced his midsection and pinned him down.

Part of Haepen realized that if this was a one-on-one fight with the lioness that he'd be in a great deal of trouble. Though his own battle instincts were ready and willing to take over to get him out of such a situation, she had indeed taken the first swing and though he knew he could escape with his life and eventually retaliate, he didn't know if he could do so entirely unscathed. It made him truly concerned about what a war with the barbarians would bring if Kaahla wasn't capable of deterring the party right outside the jungle.

Luckily, Kaahla hadn't come all this way to just betray her new home or take a swing at the zebra. Her intentions were located much farther down than his center mass.

She admired the state of them both in that moment, her much stronger self oriented over his lower belly, her bare backside almost settled on his groin. They locked eyes and shared in a moment of silence before she leaned back and started scooting down his torso.

Haepen followed her all the way down, his chest rising and falling with deep breaths through his nose as his heart was practically in his throat. When she got down to his hips, her paws drew in and converged over his lap. One reached beneath to cradle those huge balls against its palm while the other went to the base of his flaccid cock and lifted it upright.

Kaahla leaned down and pressed her face into those heavy orbs before taking a deep breath of his lingering musk. The strong scent brought a rush of excitement through her that had the fur along her back and shoulders standing on end. Blood immediately rushed between her legs and her folds began to grow wet.

She drew her tongue slowly against each beautiful ball and then ran it up in one continuous motion to stroke along the underside of his dick. Much like herself, blood was filling his ebony length and as the seconds ticked by it swelled dramatically. She lapped it from base to tip a few more times while she gently stroked the sack and rolled the precious orbs against her fingers. He was at a full stand in no time at all.

Kaahla craned her head up to his tip and took him between her lips. She eased him back into her throat, going down to his median ring before stopping and bobbing back up. She ground her tongue to his sensitive flesh, coating it in saliva while she fell into a consistent rhythm. Where her mouth didn't reach her paw made sure to stroke and smear any spit that rolled down.

The zebra relaxed into the grass and let the lioness do as she pleased. The feel of her warm paws caressing him caused his cock to throb to the beat of his heart and fresh precum to spill. He moaned lowly under his breath and closed his eyes as the pleasure bloomed through his length.

The taste of Haepen's precum spurred the lioness to go even faster and take even more of his cock. She slowly made her way farther each time she brought him into her mouth. His size gradually worked down her throat, stopped only by the feeling of him cutting off her breath. Her paw had since stopped pumping at his base and now rested on his lap to held him still.

Kaahla wanted to be in control, to take this moment for herself. As such, she had to keep the zebra against the ground otherwise she knew he would get carried away and try to interject himself like he was trying to do now.

Haepen's moans had become long and louder as the blissful sensations grew to truly take over his body. His hips tried to thrust up to meet the lioness's mouth each time she would dive but her weight kept him in place. With no other outlet to release himself, his hands grabbed at the soft dirt at his sides and his legs reflexively twitched and kicked on occasion.

With one last deep inhale to take the zebra cock all the way to the base, Kaahla held him there in her esophagus while she let the muscles of her throat milk him for a few seconds. Her tongue drew back and forth against the place where his sheath met his balls and just when her lungs began to burn from the lack of air, she pulled back with a loud slurp and a satisfied gasp.

The lioness looked at the standing pyre triumphantly. It gleamed with an encompassing layer of his saliva and it twitched as if begging for more. She could hear about as much being begged from its owner as he breathed heavily through an open mouth. Neither needed to worry because she also didn't want to wait any longer.

Kaahla jumped up to her feet and practically pounced the zebra once more, her paws landing on the ground on either side of his shoulders with a thud. Her face loomed directly over his and her sudden presence made his eyes snap open wide and stare into hers. She wore an eager, heated expression as she positioned herself over his lap, one foot placed on either side of his hips. She lowered herself and pressed his cock against her cunt, its surface practically dripping with need.

In one fluid motion, she sank his cock inside and leaned in and press her lips to his. They moaned together as his fat girth stretched her pussy to its limit, her weight settling entirely onto his lap. Her depths squeezed him until his tip pressed firm against her cervix.

Kaahla broke the kiss and grinned at her lover through half lidded eyes. He could only stare back dreamily, his mind clouded with pleasure as she began gently rolling her hips against his.

Haepen's hands reached up to hold the lioness by the sides but she suddenly grabbed them by the wrist and pinned them above his head. He was slightly startled by the abrupt, dominant move and a surge of adrenaline hit him. Helpless and in the presence of such a powerful predator and warrior, he couldn't help but feel in danger even though he knew he wasn't. It was this somewhat frightened look that now crossed his features that Kaahla seemed to be waiting for.

She giggled adoringly and began riding even faster. Her body struck his with a loud clap and as much as his wanted to buck up to meet her downward motion it wasn't allowed. Never before had he been in such a helpless situation and while every nerve through him was giving off signals to run away, the rest of him that experienced this incredible display was demanding the opposite.

The muscles along Kaahla's torso and arms flexed as she exerted herself. As pleasure drew through her pelvis, there came with it a strong urge to hunt and attack. For the first time since since entering the jungle she wanted to pursue a target and take it down, and the ecstasy that she now felt grew that need.

Her heart hammered in her chest and she growled excitedly. Her pussy juices dripped down the zebra cock and spattered his lap every time she dropped her hips. The wet clapping filled the training grounds along with the sounds of their growing moans.

Haepen hardly needed to do anything, as much as he wanted to contribute to the lioness's motions. She bounced on him with fervor to spare, her cunt milking him like she were thirsty for cum. In a sense she was, but more for the thrill of victory.

It had been a while since she was last on a hunt and actually swung a sword, since she last stretched the barbarian side of herself. It was like meeting with an old friend that she hadn't seen in quite some time, a happy reunion. It was all spurred on by the intense pleasure that roiled through her body.

Kaahla arched her back and threw her head up as a triumphant growl ripped from her throat. She grinned widely and bared her teeth, her eyes narrowing to slits like she was zeroing in on some pray. She felt so powerful and in control of herself, an unbeatable goddess that her opponent was unaware of.

Haepen continued to stare up at the lioness, somewhat fearful of what this side of her, that he had never seen before, meant. He wanted to calm her but he was unsure how wise that might be or how he might do it.

Besides, he wasn't exactly complaining about the pleasure that came from it. His moans spilled with every breath and no matter how hard she kept him pinned, his body still struggled to push up to meet her.

By now she rode his cock at a pace that turned her lower half into a blur of motion. Her tail whipped furiously and her growls came on with every breath. Her eyes still gleamed with energetic determination.

A thick mixture of her juices and the zebra's precum coated the outside of her pussy lips and his length. Bliss had been building steadily for several minutes but she didn't want their fun to end just yet. In spite of what she wanted though, her body was going to continue on.

Haepen's moans and nickers had become loud, matching the lioness's snarling groans. His balls clung tight to his body and his cock seemed to get just a bit bigger, stretching her depths even more and grinding harder against her G-spot. The zebra gripped his hands into fists and threw himself as hard as he could against her strength as the incredible pleasure finally boiled over. But even in those desperate throws of euphoria, his might still paled in comparison to hers.

Kaahla grit her teeth and clenched her eyes shut as she shared in the surge of ecstasy. His tip flared within her and the first gush of his virile cum sprayed her walls. The volume filled her immediately and burst out from around his shaft to splatter the inside of her thighs and his lap. Each time she bore down on him she was greeted with another burst of jizz and a desperate grunt from her lover.

The hot cream awoke her own climax shortly thereafter. Her body squeezed down on him as tightly as it could, like she was desperate to keep every drop of his cum despite the fact that half of it was now covering their lower bodies. Every muscle of her lower half strained and she yowled triumphantly as she began gushing her own cum against his belly. Not once did she slow her riding as she coated him in her scent and clung to the incredible pleasure that wicked up through her torso.

With one last slam, Kaahla buried Haepen's cock inside and just held him there in her cunt. His impressive flow had dwindled to droplets, much like her own, and now she just sat there and ground against his lap.

The zebra's fight had drained entirely away in the wake of his orgasm. With balls drained and his energy sapped, he lied back against the soft grass and just concentrated on catching his breath. Kaahla, on the other hand, was still charged with vigor and ready to do so much more. Her body and mind only saw this last sexual act as a mere appetizer to the real challenge that now awaited her, and she was more ready than ever before.

Without warning, Kaahla stood up and pulled free of the still somewhat hard length. It flopped against Haepen's body and snapped him out of his stupor to realize that she had let go of his wrists. He groggily sat up and looked to the lioness as she now casually strode to her sword and withdrew it from the ground.

“Is...is that it?” he asked through heavy breaths.

“That's it,” Kaahla confirmed and returned to him. She offered her paw and he grasped it to be hauled to his feet. He steadied himself and shook off the last vestiges of exhaustion.

“Is there really no more preparation that we can do?” he asked. She only shook her head.

“Afraid not, I'm as ready now as I'll ever be.” She reached out and clapped her free paw on his shoulder and smiled warmly while meeting his eyes. “Thank you, Haepen, for everything.”

“You're making this out like it's our last time talking together,” he said with a half smile.

“Confidence is a hair's width away from cockiness, and cockiness gets people killed,” she said evenly.

Haepen nodded his head and took a moment to look the lioness from head to toe. She was vibrant and strong, her golden fur seeming even brighter now and the muscles through her body rippled and twitched with an eagerness that he hadn't seen before. And most of all, his fresh cum still leaked from her well used pussy to roll down the inside of her thighs in a distinctly white, gooey mess, just as she wanted.

Braak didn't care much about the specifics of counting time, but he could track the position of the sun to near pinpoint accuracy. All barbarians learned to do as such from an early age, it came so natural that is was almost second nature. He kept its position in his periphery as he stared intently at the line of trees that lead into the jungle where he could see three zebra druids standing guard.

It was getting to the point that nearly a full day had elapsed since Kaahla challenged him and he was itching to give the signal for his host of barbarians to begin their assault under the assumption that his ex-mate would prefer that over honoring the duel.

However, it would seem that would not come to pass as the striped lioness emerged from the treeline wearing even less clothing than he had seen on her the previous day. She also didn't come alone, as that same loud mouthed zebra from before kept pace with her as she meandered out into the grassy plain.

Without the jungle foliage to obscure most of her body, Braak was given an uninterrupted view of her and his blood immediately began to boil. The sight of her unabashedly bare below the waist had caught the attention of every single other lion that was standing behind him and he could hear the faint mutterings of his pride mates already.

But it was worse than that. The scent of zebra musk was fresh on her as she came to stand just a few feet from the treeline. He could see what was clearly oozing out of her pussy and the implications of what it meant. Not that he was oblivious to the debauchery that must have been going on within the jungle over all this time, but seeing its evidence was that much more rage inducing.

Braak's eyes flared with rage and he started forward, his own sword clutched tightly in his paw. He crossed the rest of the way to stand within two body lengths of his ex-mate and halted as he then caught sight of what was clutched in her own paw: a bastardization of her once proud greatsword. Truly, could this day get any more aggravating?

As it turned out it could, as the same wind that brought the scent of his ex-mate's defilement also brought with it the smell of the one that had done it. Braak glanced to the talkative zebra from the prior day and narrowed his eyes into a glare. You will be the first to die after her, he thought bitterly to himself.

“Are you ready, Kaahla?” Braak snarled lowly.

“Stand back, Haepen,” the lioness said calmly and tightened the grip on her sword.

In a flash of speed that the attending zebra weren't able to register, Braak slashed out at his opponent in an upward arch. Kaahla dodged it with a swift back step that had her retreating towards the treeline. Her ex-mate pursued with a snarl, striking out with wild swings from side to side.

Kaahla kept herself collected as she ducked and sidestepped every attempt at her body. She kept Braak close enough that he was lulled into a sense of offense while staying back just far enough so that he couldn't swing at her with anything besides his sword. In mere seconds her strategy worked and they were soon out of the Savannah and well within the jungle, surrounded by towering trees and lush greenery.

Braak lunged forward using barbarian battle magic innate within him. He closed the distance to Kaahla in less time that it took to blink and was far too fast for her retreat like before. Luckily she was done with such a tactic and swung her sword up to meet the devastating overhead chop that he had aimed for her head.

While not nearly as strong as he, Kaahla still had the strength to deflect the blow and come out unscathed. The lion stumbled somewhat, perplexed by the wooden replica of a weapon that she held and utterly confused as to how it wasn't shattered. She was much of the same mind but refused to let it show. The jungle truly gave her what she needed for this duel, and now it was time for her to stop being defensive.

Much like his attempts before, Kaahla lunged and struck with a stab aimed at his stomach. Braak brought the flat of his sword up in time to parry and was once more reminded that her odd stick was something much more than a replica. He didn't know what kind of sorcery imbued such a thing but he was done with underestimating its rigidity.

But what the lion wasn't ready for was how fast it was used. Kaahla advanced in a flurry of rapid swings and jabs that Braak struggled to keep up with. As soon as he finished reflecting one strike the other was already on its way for a lethal hack. He was forced to dance with his ex-mate as he could only properly block half the attacks she delivered.

The wooden sword's light weight and the lioness's speed made for a devastating combination that had Braak unexpectedly backpedaling. This awkward position drew his ire even more which in turn fed into his barbarian might. His snarl tore through clenched teeth and before long his own speed matched hers.

Braak no longer just dodged and parried, he was able to attack once more when the opportunities arose. He deflected a strike to his side and countered with a swing from below. Kaahla spun out of its way and then parried a stab towards her chest. A replying swing of her own almost caught the lion in the side of the neck but he ducked beneath and rushed forward and unexpectedly drove his shoulder into her chest.

He had drawn first pain, to Kaahla's dismay. She was thrown off her feet and hit the ground hard on her back but used the momentum to somersault back up to a stand. Braak was already there baring down on her with a flurry of downward hacks that she struggled to properly block.

She braced her paw against the flat of her sword midway up its length as he reined blow after blow into it. He roared furiously as he seemed beyond determined to sunder her weapon but no such strike accomplished it. Kaahla bided her time for the perfect opportunity, though the muscles of her shoulders and arms screamed for relief as the hail of blows continued.

Another roar and Braak swung down with all his strength aimed for his ex-mate's stick. If he wasn't going to break her weapon then he was going to crush her beneath it.

But his attack didn't find Kaahla's sword, it bit into empty air and his momentum carried him forward in an uncontrolled stumble. Kaahla ducked to the side of his swing and carried forward with her blade held in a reverse grip. Its edge cut into Braak's side and went deep enough to grind into his ribs and open a long gash that almost spanned the entire width of his torso.

The lion saw the damage more than he felt it. She had now spilled first blood and his disdain for the fight reached an all new height. The blood rage that consumed him filled the muscles of his body with an intense power that this world only knew barbarians capable of producing.

The air blossomed with heat and the crackle of red static as he recovered and swung back at Kaahla. She knew better than to dodge or block it, so she dropped to her knees and arched her back to glide just beneath the glowing edge of the weapon.

A wave of force followed in the sword's wake, launched from its tip to travel across the ground and crash into the massive tree trunks that made up their arena. An explosion of splintered bark and wood resulted and a smoldering gash now resided several feet deep where the attack landed.

Another furious snarl and swing came, this time slower but no less as lethal. Kaahla ducked beneath it just the same, though its heat caused the fur along her cheek to smolder. This time the wave of force hit a tree that was so close that a shower of burning wood spattered both combatants.

Kaahla grunted under her breath and barred her teeth just as furiously as him. Where Braak's attacks now came with the full might of his barbarian lineage, she needed to hold onto her strategy or risk the entire fight. He had come to this state much earlier than she had expected, both a boon and a bust for her plan.

In a blur of motion, a downward chop aimed right at the lioness's head followed before the majority of wood chips had even hit the ground. She leaped to the side as fast as she could but the crackling edge caught her tail at the midpoint and went through like hot butter. Much like him, she didn't feel the damage as much as she saw it. By the time she completed her roll and came to a rest several feet away, the scent of her cauterized flesh filled her nose.

The great tree that she had been backed up to and who now wore a burning horizontal scar now bore one that traveled from root to canopy. But it was so much worse than that, as the wave of force had made it all the way through, about fifty feet or so. The weight of two halves pulled the massive trunk apart in a thunderous series of cracks and whines.

Kaahla winced as she witnessed the devastation and knew that this and more would befall the jungle if she not only didn't finish this fight soon, but if she lost it. That resolute thought refocused her mind and she lunged at her ex-mate just as he began to recover for another attack. Her sword cut into the flesh on the opposite side of his body, but even though it was a harder, more assured attack, it carved through less.

It wasn't a clean hit though. Braak's elbow slammed into the side of her head and sent her hurdling through the air. When she came to a rest at the foot of another massive bole, she looked up in time to see another swing coming down right for her midsection and this time she wasn't going to be fast enough to dodge it.

In any other circumstance this would have been where the fight ended. But Braak's sword didn't meet his ex-mate's flesh, instead it cleaved the tree in two just like it had the other and in the exact same manner.

Braak's shock and confusion at his opponent's abrupt disappearance threatened to bring him out of his rage. He searched the place where she had just been, now a gash in the ground and roots beneath, but found no trace of her.

He didn't have to search for long, as a sudden pain erupted across his back going from his left shoulder to his right hip. The edge of Kaahla's sword bit through the thick band of muscles and scraped against the lion's spine. It would have been his death had he not been in the augmented, furious state that made his steel-like hide even more durable.

Braak turned and swung wildly back but caught nothing. Kaahla ducked beneath the predictable blow and drove the edge of her sword into his thigh. Fresh blood boiled to the surface and a red mist hung in the air as the wound became immediately sealed from the barbarian's exuding heat. Another swing down met only air as the lioness rolled to safety and then popped up to her feet.

Calling upon her own barbarian lineage, Kaahla's body began to exude heat like a furnace. The longer the fight wore on the more danger she'd be in. Each successful hit that she landed made Braak stronger and more dangerous, and so she needed to end this quick before she was eventually out maneuvered.

Braak lunged again and nearly caught the lioness with a stab that blasted a hole in a tree behind her. This time when she dodged she broke into a sprint for a place deeper in the jungle. Her ex-mate pursued immediately and gained on her fast. Barely a few seconds into the chase and she was already within distance of his blade.

Kaahla aimed for a trunk that was clustered by several others in a more confined space of ground. She struck its surface and vanished within its bark just as Braak's sword came down and cleaved the entire tree down the middle.

As burning chunks of wood flew past him, he realized with a start as to what happened to his opponent. The crackle of roaring fire around him masked Kaahla's attack form behind after she emerged from a bole at his back.

Her blade sank into the lion's hip but stopped at the bone, garnering another furious roar from the male. She drew it away quickly and immediately brought it up to guard against a backhanded chop.

Braak's sword now glowed a bright red and the air churned in the wake of its arch. She caught the edge with her own and was immediately thrown to the side, a deep black mark etched into the grain of her weapon.

Kaahla rolled and recovered in time to see a chasing swing come down for her head. Before it even got close to connecting she once more disappeared into the trunk of the tree at her back, the massive flora taking the brunt of the attack.

Braak turned immediately to guard against a swing that he knew was coming but found open space. Confusion flashed through his mind for only a moment before a blinding pain tore through his back and out through his stomach. Kaahla's wooden sword protruded from his gut, its length on fire as it was like piercing through molten rock. He looked over his shoulder to see the lioness now standing in the smoldering wake of his latest damage to the tree and threw an elbow back that unexpectedly caught he in the face.

She reeled away and withdrew her weapon, fresh blood pouring from both nostrils. She vanished back into the trunk as another slash from the lion struck the damage of the first and finished cleaving the tree. It toppled with a keen but was caught by its surrounding brethren and was kept from fully meeting the ground.

Braak realized, perhaps too late, that she had lured him into her domain and he was now surrounded by a cage of potential doorways. He swung wildly at his back in the hops of surprising his ex-mate's counter, but again found nothing. She was nowhere to be found and for the longest stretch of their fight so far he was alone. Or at least that's what he had thought.

The cacophony of noise hid the lioness's descent as she traveled from the nearest tree nearly fifty feet high. Her wooden sword held high overhead, she hacked down with all her might and weight, aiming for her ex-mate's neck.

Her blade caught his clavicle and bore down into his lung, stopping just short of carving through his heart. Braak choked out a startled gasp and was brought to his knees with the force of the blow. All strength in his arms vanished and his sword slammed to the ground where it burned the grass and turned the ground black with its outline.

Kaahla stood triumphantly over her ex-mate, the muscles along her arms tensed as she continued to drive the blade down into his body but it seemed stuck. It once more caught fire and gradually turned black as the lion's lingering, intense energy washed over it.

The two met each other's gaze and shared in the utter disdain that they mutually held. They both knew the fight was over, now it was just a matter of finishing it.

Kaahla braced one foot against the lion's midsection and kicked him off her weapon. He flopped to his side and pushed himself up to lean against his elbow. With a defiant snarl, he utter one final curse at her just as the tip of her sword slammed down through his chest and pinned his torso to the ground. His cleaved heart struggled for a few waning seconds but eventually sputtered to a stop.

The lioness watched as the last light left his eyes but the furious look in them remained.

Kaahla stayed where she was with both paws holding the hilt of her weapon, like she was expecting him to rise from the ground. When he didn't and the flames that consumed her sword licked up to meet her fingers she finally released it.

She breathed hard as she looked at the dead lion and then glanced around at the destruction that had befell her new home. She vowed to make it right somehow, but for now she had some news to deliver to the still waiting barbarian war party and the druids that barred their entry.

As Kaahla walked to the nearest intact tree trunk, her paw fell to her stomach and slowly stroked over its flat surface. A tired smile broke over her face when she finally placed her other paw to its bark and disappeared into its surface.

Mere seconds later and she emerged from the treeline to greet the lions of her former tribe. Her lone appearance baring the wounds of her fight meant only one thing, and those that were next in command to Braak hung their heads in disappointment. Nothing further was exchanged, and so as a group they all turned and began the trek back to their settlement.

Kaahla watched them push on into the Savannah and almost didn't hear Haepen come up from behind. Not until he suddenly took her paw into his hand did she turn to see him smiling proudly at her. She returned the expression and leaned in to nuzzle the side of his head.

Back in the depths of the jungle where Kaahla's blade pinned her ex-mate to the ground, the fire  that overtook it eventually ate it away until it was nothing but ash. In return, the jungle gradually consumed the remnants of the lion.

In a day the insects and ravenous plants picked the corpse to the bone and then his skeleton was drawn into the dirt by roots. His sword was turned to dust in the following week and in the span of a year even the trees that bore all the damage of the fight had repaired themselves or grown anew.

In the end, the only thing that remained of Braak's lineage was the regretful memories that Kaahla had of him.

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