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(Gah, got so behind!!)

Ruyken had stayed well clear of the elephant when it had appeared and proceeded to wreck havoc and destruction on the lions all around. Many fell, more were injured and some hid away. Something he actually considered smart, for they were clearly no match for the enraged bull. Then suddenly he found himself airborne, slaps aside like just another piece of tree. Enraged he turned and tried to attack the beast but then the white lion called for them to lead it into the mud. Certainly not above devious tricks and the use of his surroundings to help him win a fight, he readily turned and raced ahead of the struggling lions, his lighter body and flatter paws giving him a certain advantage over the heavier, bulkier felines.

Spinning when the elephant came roaring into the clearing he readied himself to spring at the creature, but suddenly his paw caught on something buried in the muck and with a disgusted snarl he face-planted in the goo.

The stuborn lioness leaped again at the stupid beast, desperate to do her part to help the others. Still, the mud was thick, and she was damaged already. The lioness's second attempt ended much like her first, and she let out a yowl of pain. If her ribs hadn't been broken the first time, they were shattered now. Gasping, she pulled herself away from the fight, perhaps she would try, once the creature was downed, but another hit like that and she would be in no better shape than the cheetess.

Pam sprang forward again and immediately tried to circle the elephant. He never made it to his target. He was next to the elephant, eyes fixed on the back he wanted to target when the trunk of the elephant hit him again and sent the heavy lion into the mud one more time. He was grateful for the ground without which he would’ve suffered a serious injury. Even so, the hits were taking their toll on the previously white lion and Pam remained where he’d fallen for a few moments before slowly getting up again.

Unfortunately, Rimma was slightly winded when the elephant arrived, and the mud sucked at her paws. She tried to either get out of the way or be of some use, but in the end she did neither. Too near his head as he shook it, the flailing trunk caught her in the ribs. She was shocked at both how very long a reach it had, but also how thick and heavy it was. She'd never had reason to experience the brute power contained in an elephant's trunk, but surely the force was magnified by how furious this bull was. Regardless, she had only a moment to be startled before she was flying through the air. She landed with a grunt against some undergrowth, which thankfully was pretty populous in this forest. Wincing at bruises, but otherwise unharmed, she scrambled out, eyes wide as she realized how many others had been flung or thrust aside as well.

Hel had no interest in the elephant, and once he'd escaped the path of the tree and gotten out from between it's legs he quickly veered off into the underbrush again, skulking back just in time to watch the other lioness leave.

"Welp," he muttered, hunkering down on the driest bits of ground he could find, "not ever doing this again." He started to lash his tail back and forth and stopped, wincing. He wondered if it was broken. That would be just his luck, after all this. He should have just taken a nap. Curiosity was going to kill the lion, at this rate. At least this time the elephant was moving AWAY from him, instead of TOWARD him. Maybe it would just keep on running in that direction. Yeah. That would be a nice change of pace.

Hearing the call for action, Rimma heaved a shuddering breath and got herself moving again. Her ribs throbbed, but she determinedly ignored them. She was needed to help take down the elephant, and she would do her best to help. She winced at the thought of what leaping at the thing with bruised ribs would feel like, but gritted her teeth and charged. Having borne the brunt of the swaying trunk, she opted to aim for the hips instead.

She stood back a ways, then began a slower run than she had done before being slammed. She had only gotten up a little speed when she realized belatedly that she was doing slightly downhill... in the mud. Instead of sticking to her paws, this time it made the ground slick as a riverbank. With a yowl, she realized she was quickly gathering speed, going much, much faster than she'd intended or thought herself capable of. With huge eyes, she watched the elephant's hind legs accelerate towards her, at least from her perspective. At the last moment she attempted to fling herself upwards. She slipped, of course, and instead of hitting the monster's hips, she slammed upwards into his flank, nailing all her weight into the soft place just under where the front of his hind leg met his belly. She cried out as the impact jarred her already painful ribs, her sight darkening with the threat of unconsciousness. She exerted all her will to stay awake and get out of the way.

Following the shouted directions he tried to find the last bit of his energy. A large male lion throwing his entire weight on the right hand side of the beast would make an impact if enough others also followed suit. He heaved all the fresh air into his lungs that he could and his eyes narrowed. Tensing his bruised limbs he mustered all the speed he could on the mud and charged towards the elephants side. Hoping for the best he pushed all of his weight onto his back paws.

The lioness's ears perked, even as she panted in shallow breaths. The beast was dropping! She could see it! The stupid creature was only working himself further and further into the muck. Saiorse smiled, wincing painfully as she brought herself to her feet. Pain be damned. They had to take this thing down, now before it got up again. With a roar, the lioness charged. She had no aim other than knocking the beast off balance, had her claws at the ready to grip and hold. She owed him a few nicely sized holes in his hide for the pain in her side, and that was one debt she was going to collect.