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Skada had been in her fair share of fights and violent arguments, but this was something new. There seemed to be hyenas and lions everywhere and the noise from all the fighting was really riling her up. She needed to bite something, hurt something. The thoughts about strategy she had entertained started to evaporate, but she still had some sense of self perseverance. Find a weak target, stick with other hyenas.

Her original plan had been to stick close to (and preferably behind) Payaso and some of the other guards, but she had lost most of them in the fray. The only other hyena close to her at the moment was a blue male she knew little about. He was a hunter, his name was Svärta, but her knowledge ended there. She hoped he would be able to hold his own in a fight, because when fighting lions it was better to be many. If all else failed and he was a lousy fighter she might be able to sacrifice him and get away. He did seem a bit... off.

Madness. Pure madness. But Svärta still seemed to have a good time. He wasn't one to back down from a fight after all. When others around him growled or yelped in pain, he laughed as if this was the funniest thing that had happened this week. He ran with a female hyena, but even without company he would have rushed into the fight laughing. It tended to work in his favour, most of the time. He giggled madly as he surveyed the battleground, identifying friends and foes.

"It's a good day to die," he said and grinned, "Here lion, lion, lion... Come meet my fangs."

Skada finally got fed up with Svärta's idea of fun and smacked him on top of the head. They were far into the area where the wave of hyenas had encountered a lot of angry lions and she didn't want to attract the attention of someone too large and mean. She was eager to fight, but she had never fought fairly in her life so far and was not planning to start now. It was only a matter of time before they met resistance.

"Keep it down," she growled, unnerved by his giggling and death talk, "Let's stay quiet and try to find a stupid and lonely lion without a mane."

Svärta shrugged and decided that Skada's plan was as good as any. Made sense to avoid the full grown males for now. A scent on the wind made him stop in his tracks and he giggled, albeit less noisily this time. Interesting. The stink of she-lion mingled with the tantalizing scent of hare. And the hare was alive. Had someone brought a snack or was it one of those puzzling prey-predator relationships?

"I don't think we have to worry," he said and changed direction, away from the main part of the fighting, "If they're desperate enough to use fighting-hares we should be able to hold our own."

"What are you talking about," Skada hissed, "And where are you going. If you're deserting I'll make a bag out of your worthless hide."

She followed him, if only because she knew it was suicide to wander off alone here. He could be stupid if he wanted to, but she wasn't keen on dying. She pondered biting him to get him back on track, but before she had a chance to do so she felt the scent he must be following. Was he kidding? He couldn't be serious about hunting a hare now!

Two dark coloured tufts of hyena hair were sticking up behind a thorny bush, but the lion and the hare were not looking that way at the moment. Skada and Svärta had managed to sneak around the two arguing pridelanders and were now pondering the sight in front of them. A female lion arguing with a hare for some reason. None of them looked much like fighters.

"Sheesh," Skada whispered, "Didn't her mother tell her not to talk to food. Lions are so stupid."

Svärta nodded but said nothing, an idea was starting to take form but he needed the bone collector to help him execute it. If he had been among his regular group of hunters he wouldn't even have to use words, but he didn't trust Skada to get subtle hints. He leaned over and whispered the short version of his plan in her ear. She seemed to get it and they slunk off in different directions.

Skada was busy telling herself that she was the brains in this operation. Sure, the male had come up with a decent suggestion and offered to take most of the risk involved, but he didn't seem like the brightest hyena in the pack. She'd play along until she came up with something better. When she reached a good spot she stopped being stealthy.

"Hey morons," Skada growled as she jumped out from her hiding place , "Looking for a fight?"

She was still far enough from the lion to have a chance to escape if she attacked, but if Svärta didn't do what he was supposed to do she'd be in trouble.

Svärta was crouching low behind the lioness hoping that she would focus on the black and white hyena. He had done this countless times, he told himself. Only then it had been an antelope or zebra. This was just like a large yellow antelope with fangs and claws and paws that could do more damage than a sharp hoof. Ah, well. If it worked, it worked. He dashed towards his target, aiming for the sensitive tendon on the lions back leg. Yeah, big yellow antelope. Bite that tendon off and your prey will be slowed down, and in most cases - doomed.

Crap. Svärta had hoped to be able to sneak up on the lion and cripple her, but the hare got in the way. He hadn't thought he'd have to worry about the small animal at all, but if it wanted to dance he could certainly oblige. He grabbed the hare forcefully around its back with his yaws, shook it violently and tossed it to the side. Unfortunately the white little pest had cost him valuable time and most likely alerted the lioness to his presence. To hell with stealth anyway.

"Oooops," he said and cackled, "Got your snack."

Skada wasn't sure how to proceed so she kept growling and tossing insults at the lioness to try to distract her. The fact that she hadn't attacked any of them yet boosted the hyena's confidence and she danced around, getting closer and closer. Svärta's idea might still work as long as they kept moving. She made a mock attack and snapped her jaws threateningly. She wasn't bold enough to try to n** the lioness, but she came pretty close to her.

When the yellow lioness changed focus Skada took her chance and made a real attack, aiming to sink her teeth into a hind leg. She was no hunter and was less familiar with the best places to bite, but what she lacked in knowledge she tried to make up for in ferocity. She needed blood.

Svärta did his best to protect himself from the beating he was about to receive. He tried to duck down to avoid some of the force of the attack and possibly position himself for a counter attack on Memetuka's belly. A sharp pain in his shoulder and side made it very hard to focus and he crashed down below the lioness. Quitting had never been his style so he kicked with the three legs that were still working properly and snapped his jaws to try to damage something, anything.

The massive amounts of adrenaline pumping through his system had managed to turn the sharp pain into a dull throbbing sensation. It made it easier to think, but not easier to act since he was more or less trapped under a heavy lioness. He saw the blow coming, but he couldn't avoid it. Instead he turned his head as the large paw connected, to try to lessen the blow. It made his ears ring, and while the claws had missed his eyes they still managed to break the skin on the side of his face. Much worse than being kicked by an antelope, this. His aimless biting was getting him nowhere so he laughed out loud for a change of pace.

"Tickles," he gasped, and managed a grin before he kicked as hard as he could with both hind legs. If he couldn't break free soon he'd be done for, but he would go down laughing.

Skada growled furiously as she tried to hang on to the back leg she had got hold of. The taste and scent of blood excited her, and the more Memetuka flailed the harder she bit down. Svärta seemed to take quite the beating, but there was little she could do about it. She wasn't about to get in harms way just to save his hide. Feh, he was doing fine. Sort of. He was laughing again at least so it couldn't be too bad.

Skada had figured she was safe since she was located behind the lioness, and she wasn't prepared for the sudden movement. Without any warning the lion had twisted around and was now trying to attack her. The hyena was startled enough to loosen her grip on the leg she was holding giving the lioness even more room to move. She yelped in pain and surprise as Memetuka's yaws closed around her shoulder. Close combat with a lioness was nothing her life as a rogue or later on as a Bone Collector had prepared her for but she acted on instinct. With a desperate snarl she tried to bite the lioness in the face, aiming for the eyes.

Despite the fact that he'd just received a face full of claws - again - Svärta had the sense to roll away from his dangerous position under the lioness. The injured side of his body seemed to scream at him for doing so, but he couldn't stop to feel just yet. If they were going to take down this lioness someone would have to make some serious damage soon, and he doubted Skada was capable. He darted forward as best he could, aiming to rip her belly open. No one survived that, even if it wasn't an instant or very pleasant death. It was the best he could do from his current position and he hoped it would work. He knew he must be badly injured, and that he might not be able to keep going like this for much longer.

Skada could feel her teeth hit home, and not long after that she was able to break free from the lioness jaws. She backed away as quickly as she could, but without putting any weight on the injured front leg. The old lioness had done some damage and Skada wasn't sure how bad it was. The sharp initial pain had dulled to a throbbing sensation in her shoulder, but if she tried to use the leg on that side pain flared up again. Better not to. It took some time for her to notice that the lioness was not trying to follow or attack her again. In fact...

"Did we kill her?" Skada asked in a shrill voice. Her mouth tasted of lion blood, and she had a hard time standing still, despite her injured shoulder, "Is she dead?"

Svärta crawled up from under and behind the lioness, grimacing in pain. He was covered in blood and grime, and a fair amount of the blood was unfortunately his own. Memetuka had managed to land a painful kick before she went down and he was still seeing stars. He could hear Skada, but her voice sounded as if she was standing far away. Not a very good sign. Fighting was still going on not far from their current location and it was probably not wise to linger here. Lions could get touchy when you killed their kin after all.

"Dead or dying," he said, trying his best to keep it together despite his recent mauling. Blood dripped down in his eyes, but he couldn't do much about that. Pure will was what kept him standing at this point, "Should get back."

"I should skin her and make a lion bag," she said and giggled, "That'd teach them not to mess with us."

The black and white hyena gave their fallen foe a long look, but even if she'd love to take some kind of souvenir she was equally anxious to get out of the battlefield alive. Her eyes fell on the battered and broken hare that Svärta had disposed of earlier in the fight. It would hardly make a decent bag but it would be easier to carry. She wondered if she'd be laughed at for bringing back a hare and stared at the lioness again. She'd love some kind of token to prove they had killed her.

Svärta had no idea why the Bone Collector was standing there staring dumbly. He started to limp in the general direction of the elephant graveyard, moving slowly and very gingerly. He had to stop after a few paces and breathe through the pain. Not good at all. Skada passed him as he rested, apparently done gawking at their dead foe. She was only using three legs, but was still moving much quicker than he could. The blue male hobbled forward a few steps at the time. He didn’t know if Skada waited for him, and he couldn't bring himself to care. Better if one of them got back to tell of their victory. Many of their pack members would not return at all from the looks of it. A young male with a nasty bite wound across his neck was lying in front of him in a broken heap and Svärta sat down next to him. He could still see the place where the lioness had fallen and realised that he'd never get home in one piece if he moved this slowly.

He allowed himself to collapse next to the dead hyena, hoping to be ignored by the lions still fighting. If the gods decided to let him live until nightfall he might be able to get back home. That was if he didn't die from his injuries, or from thirst, or from a lion taking a closer look. Time would tell. Svärta closed his eyes and lost consciousness.