She was frightened and terribly so. Her small cubbish body shook in fear as the lioness that had taken her dropped her to the ground. She had been brought to a network of underground caves in fields of secluded wastelands. She hadn't even known that this place existed, and suddenly understood why her parents never allowed her or her siblings to travel far from their home. Upon thinking about her family, a fresh set of tears began to roll down her cheeks and the little girl began to sob. Seeing each of her family members' bodies drop to the ground to never get up again, she knew that they were dead. Thinking about them, Bashira hadn't been prepared for the viscious slap that she recieved from the lioness. Her small head reeled to the side and she was knocked to the ground by the force. Letting out a surprised yelp, she quickly scrambled to her feet and looked, terrified, to the adult that stood over her. "If I hear that noise from you again, you will suffer worse," she spoke with malice. Waiting for a moment for another opportunity to strike the cub, she was disappointed as Bashira managed to stifle her cries with only tears showing. "That's better," the lioness began, circling Bashira," Listen well, because I will only tell you this once. You are now a member of the Kifo. This is your home now, and I am your mother from now on." The cub's eyes widened. Mother? This woman was is no way shape or form her mother. Her mother would never hurt her. Unconsciously, she began to shake her head, only to be bitten harshly on her bottom. She cries out again, and curled into herself on the cold ground. She didn't want to be part of this terrible organization, she didn't want to be here, she would be better off dead with her family.
"Whether or not you like it, this is your life now. Your family is dead, and noone will come for you. Remember, the only reason that you live is because and for us. We could take your life as easily as we took your family's lives." Bashira didn't think that she could be more afraid than she was at that moment. What was this awful place that she had been brought to? Although, as much as she tried not to listen to what the lioness was saying, she knew that her family was dead and that, as of now, she had noone to turn to and nowhere to go. Seeing that her words were getting to the young girl, the lioness grinned to herself, having done this a multitide of times and knowing how fragile the mind of a cub was. "You will address me only as Mother, anything will bring you pain, do you understand me?" Trembling violently, Bashira slowly nodded her head in fear. The lioness cackled in pleasure at having broken her down a bit.
She then bent down a picked the cub up in her unkind jaws and left the small room. Entering the vast network of underground caves, she walked through the halls until she got to another cave that was slightly larger. Bashira watched as they passed by various other menacing lions and others of different ages scattered about the halls. Some of the younger ones were giving her strange looks. The kind of look that her big sister would give her when she felt sorry for her. When they entered into the new room, Bashira was dropped to the ground. Timidly looking around, she saw that the walls were lined with lions and there were many other frightened looking non-lion cubs in the room. She felt someone quickly curl against her as the lioness approached the group of cubs, and she looked to see a slightly smaller black cheetah boy with tears staining his face there.
The cubs all looked up as Mother spoke, "Welcome new recruits, to the Kifo. You will all be trained to become the most dangerous as deadly assassins and killers out there. However, all of you seem to think otherwise, and I will let you know now that you are defenseless against us. If you continually present a problem, you will be killed." Each cub in the room shook and cried in fear and depression at their circumstance. Looking around herself, Bashira knew that their families were murdered as well. Mother continued above the sound, "As you all came here together, you will all be considered Unit 59. You will eat, sleep,train, suffer, and eventually kill with each other." Giving the lions lining the walls a nod, she began to back out of the room,"Your training begins immediately with a test of suffering. For those of you who survive, I will see you tomorrow."
Fear gripped Bashira's heart as she left and the lions began to close in on them. As if in slow motion, they descended upon the group of cubs like vultures. Before she was hit will the worst pain that she had ever felt, she saw the lions beginning to bite, scratch, and beat the cubs in the room. Their horrified screams rang throughout the compound and Mother grinned to herself as she walked towards her own den for the night. Even those that were hardened and had gone through the 'test' themselves cringed.
Bashira woke up screaming at the top of her lungs. Her legs flailed desparately as she attempted to fend for herself. She then leapt to her feet and frantically looked around her for the other cubs, but only the surrounding grass and shrubery met her gaze. Eyes wide and heart racing, she angrily cursed aloud at the memories that continued to torment her. She hated to remember. Their screams persistantly haunted her in her subconscious.
More than a few of the cubs had died that night from physical trauma. Out of the fourteen that had been there, nine had made it to the following day. Sometimes, she would wonder if they were truly the lucky ones. The pain that she'd felt had nearly blinded her. Staring out into the bright morning sun, she also remebered that that was also the night that she had met him.
