A foreboding storm brewed at the edge of the Uasilands, striking down before a gathering of lifeless male lions. Their bodies rested beneath a shallow hill, shadowed by the presence of five lionesses, staring out at the crystallised structure off to the western horizon.
"It's nearly time, my fellow huntresses!" Vitani roared, standing at the edge of the hill's tip. She glanced back at her followers who stood proud, looking out at their target with a sense of destiny. All but Shabaha that is. The brave lioness shrugged before arsing, approaching her fierce leader.
"So, where's Scar and his army, hmm?" Her impatient, excitable body shuddered, ready to take on the Uasilands by herself if needed. "I'm just itching to get some revenge on these snobby, know-it-all furballs!" The smug lioness pounced on the spot, stretching her body out as she readied herself for war.
"Shwari, Shabaha!" Vitani commanded, trotting up beside the brave, if slightly stupid, lioness. She watched out over the land once more, watching as the thunderous clouds encapsulated the sky. "We'll wait for the signal before we attack." Her eyesight shimmered down to a small cave, nestled in the ground beneath them.
Just as she did, another crackle of lightning shot to the ground before them. The lightning storm intensified, sending bolt after bolt to the earth as what sounded like a shallow, soul-piercing roar bellowed across the land. Vitani's eyes widened, her heart racing as a fire welled within her.
It was indeed time...
"Okay, everyone... let's go!" Stretching her neck out, she gave an almighty roar, shallowed by a crackle of lightning as the hunting party leapt into action. Following her lead, they sprinted across the land, avoiding the lightning blasts as they focussed on the cave ahead. "Into the cave, it should lead us to the tower!"
As they sprinted through the opening, rocky, spectrally infused paws arose from the earth. Clawing and excavating their earthed bodies out of the dirt. Their soulless presence decayed the land beneath them as they arose. Each creature was a different form, different species. But all had a similar look in their eyes, a look of savage, unfeeling desire consuming their individuality. They were one.
They were the Giza...
...
Afya communed with the weak lion's body, shifting through his memories, his dreams. The void had drenched his mind, seeping into every nook and cranny of his soul. The other sisters were taking a well-earned rest, stretched out across the crystalised floor. They had worked tirelessly, hoping to break through, to save the lion from his corrupted affliction.
The head sister continued her attempt, pushing through the darkness with every spec of her heart. She heard his voice, booming across a dead, familiar land.
"No! Please!" His pleading, heart-pounding whimpers muffled through the smoky thick air. "I did everything for you, for them!" He collapsed to his paws, cheeks moistened with the spewing flush of tears. The clouds started to break apart, allowing her to bear witness to the twisted land below. Her paws kicked through the air, pushing her body down to the earth below. The memoric vision reverberated with ethereal energy as she pierced the veil.
Ponya majeraha na funga roho yake
The voice of her king flickered through her mind as she descended. A series of confused, painful growls roared across the broken land as she landed before the young male, shining an ethereal light upon his face.
"Vipawa?" Before she could reach out to the young, frightened male, a thunderous roar boomed from the void. A gush of freezing air blasted her into the sky, through the clouds and back out of the vision. Memoric reverberations pulsed across her eyes, flashing a series of events before her. A small pride of lionesses, rushing across the Uasilands towards the tower. They pierced the Royal quarters, pouncing upon the terrified cubs within.
The lioness quickly fell to the cold crystallised floor of the Uasian throne room, accompanied with the sudden shocked gasping of her fellow sisters.
"Afya!" Akili rushed to her sister's aid, followed closely by the others. "Are you okay? What happened?" The spiritual expert nudged her elder sister who simply blinked repeatedly, regaining her vision and stance in this material realm.  
"It's too late..." The head sister struggled to her paws, swaying her head between the gathered lionesses. She flung her head up to the ancient carved ceiling, exhaling gently as her mind regained its place in the world.
"They are here..."
...
Deep within the Uasian Tower, Kuwinda rested alongside Ulinzi and Amani, unaware of the battle raging on below. It was only when a strange, avian shadow glimmered across the sky that the lead huntress opened her eyes, turning to the Royal lair's exposed outer wall.
As her brown, beautiful eyes focussed, she saw what seemed to be a vulture rushing to her, flapping its wings violently as it charged. Instinctively, she ducked in front of the sleeping cubs, who quickly awoke as the sound of their aunt hit the crystallised floor. Surprisingly, the vulture released a painful, lethal screech as it disintegrated into nothingness, impacting an invisible, soul lit barrier that protected the Royal chamber. The cubs shot up; their eyes widened as they watched the vulture perish in front of them.
"Aunt Kuwinda!" Amani rushed to the adult lioness, nudging her side as she quietly wept. Ulinzi joined her, nuzzling up to Kuwinda as she arose. The lead huntress stared down at the land beneath them, her eyes widened as she noticed the pool of fire far in the distance. Its greenish, soulless hue plaguing the land as the agonising, echoing cries of animals swept across her ears.
"We need to go!" Kuwinda wrapped her paw around the shaking cubs, guiding them to the private quarter's exit. As she did, however, a series of ragged feline figures darted up the winding corridor, practically pouncing into the illuminated, crystallised archway as Kuwinda halted, her brown eyes locking place as three lionesses blocked off her escape.
"Going somewhere, are we?" Vitani smirked as Imara and Shabaha stepped beside her, their growling, eager muzzles waiting to rush the strong lines before them. Kuwinda halted, forcing the two cubs under her care behind her. Her eyes darted to a small crack in the crystallised wall, a shallow, chilling breeze emanating from beyond its glistening horizon. She glanced down at the cubs for just a split second before staring back at Vitani, preparing herself to fight.
...
Shujaa led the defensive against Scar's forces, clashing with the horrors of the Giza as the remaining members of the pride followed him. They confronted the spectral beings, ripping their throats out as they pounced upon their cold, fiery bodies. Shujaa and his pride had held off the attackers pretty well, but they were quickly being overrun.
"Pull back!" He roared, swiping away a pouncing evil from his face. It disintegrated instantly, disappearing in a puff of smoke. Recovering from this defensive blow, another Giza pounced, aiming its shadowy claws directly for his throat. It reached within inches of its target before a sudden flash of fur pounded before a rather shocked Shujaa.
Collapsing to the ground, Shujaa glanced over to his left. The sun blasted through the thick, brewing clouds, revealing a figure lunging from a nearby hill. It was a lioness, followed closely by a mixture of lions and lionesses. Their fur glistened in the sunlight as they burnt through the advancing Giza. The lead lioness noticed his predicament and before he could breathe, ripped the foul corrupted creature from his body, casting his soulless husk aside with a set of piercing eyes.
"Who are you?" The royal advisor queried whilst his handful of followers gathered behind him. The next wave of Giza started their charge as the lioness simply smiled.
"My name is Jua." She turned to face the oncoming wave, signalling her pride to cover her back with a flick of her tail.  "Seems you have a bit of a Giza infestation here." Her wit was cut short as the corrupted creatures attacked. Shujaa quickly leapt to her aid, taking the risk in trusting this strange, spiritually gifted lioness and her pride. Before he knew it, they were overcoming the vast number of mindless pawns, one by one... Together...
As the fighting continued, the green-hued thunderous cackling above them intensified. The blackened clouds that had formed above seemed to move west, towards the rich tropical Kitropiki Jungle. Vipawa glanced over just as the lightning intensified above this most lush of lands, raining down rapid pulses of clashing bolts. Pools of fire bloomed from across the tightly packed jungle, choking the air in terrified, deathly screams.
"Oh no..."
Just in front of this lightning blast, a lone eagle fluttered through, avoiding the demonic strikes that seemed to target her. With all the elegance and acrobatics that only an eagle could achieve, she made her way through the chaos. Her sharp blue eyes quickly caught sight of the temporary Uasian king.
"Shujaa!" She squawked down. Swooping down to the lion's side. He glanced down at her as the rest of the pride continued to fight, holding back Scar's forces just barely. "We need to get back to the tower! Before..."
Suddenly, the Uasian tower illuminated behind them. The Giza's halted as every single creature, both living and dead glanced over at the tower, watching as it charged. The shattered crystals that dotted the landscape, humming with the same power as the ground started to shake. Vipawa, stepping backwards toward the Giza, noticed the utter terror in their rocky, soulless faces. He felt his heartthrob.
...
Deep in the tower's depths, the Sisters of Mponyaji gathered before the Uasian throne. Afya led them to a circle carved into the centre of the royal court, pulsating with ethereal energy as the white-furred lionesses approached.
"Come, my sisters, our enemy approaches." The sisters formed within the circle, placing their front paws on the glowing outline carved into the crystallised ground. Afya glanced around the circle, her sisters staring back, their bodies rushing with confidence.
As their paws rested in the circle, the ethereal power of the Uasian Tower grew, blinding them as the walls shook. As the energy rushed through every surface of the structure. The lionesses started to chant.
Mola wetu, usikie maombi yetu,
Ardhi yako ni ya moto, inaungua na inafuta.
Tupe mapenzi yako, moyo hodari,
Ili kupunguza jeraha kwenye Scar hii...
The walls erupted with spiritual energy as the sisters roared to the heavens, unaware of the two lionesses barely standing at the court's entrance. Tazama glanced over at Kasi, who nodded affirmingly. Without delay, the two lionesses charged, eager to halt the occult ritual laying out before them
Unfortunately for them, the Sisters of Mponyaji had noticed.
With a combined roar, the sisters blasted the two offensive lionesses from the courtroom, through the Uasian Tower's entrance and out into the Tower's approach. Shards of Uasian crystal flew with them, nearly stabbing Tazama in the eye as she landed. They both looked up. The entire tower had illuminated with a bluish-white glow. The ground shook as the spectral energy within intensified, as if ready to blow. They clambered behind a rock just as the light became blinding, exploding across the land in an almighty, fur-rattling blast.
From behind their rocky cover, the two lionesses could only watch as the Giza vanished across the land, seeping into the air like a cloud of corrupting, volatile gas. The victorious roars of the Uasi Pride filled the air as their hearts sank.
They had lost this battle.
"Tazama!" Vitani's voice came as something of a relief to the two lionesses, who immediately turned to find their fierce leader strolling towards them. Tazama's eyes widened as she noticed Imara and Shabaha's muzzles clutching two young, motionless cubs. The former of which limped as she carried the young female cub.
"Vitani! Imara! Shabaha!" Kasi trotted over to her fellow lionesses, followed closely by Tazama. She nuzzled up against her fierce leader, noticing the fresh bloodstain woven into her paw's fur. Tazama started to study Shabaha's paw as Kasi stared up at Vitani, a slight shudder of worry ebbing in her voice.
"What happened to you?"
...
Shabaha was the first to strike, charging at Kuwinda with all her minimal strength. Her bravery was met with intense resilience by the Uasi Pride's lead huntress with one effortless claw swipe, Kuwinda scratched at her leg, causing Shabaha to fall to the crystallised ground, slamming her head on the heavy, hard floor.
Starting to charge, Vitani growled as her brave friend fell. Unsheathing her claws, she continued to bombastically swipe at Kuwinda, forcing her to step back. The two cubs, barely containing their fear, shot to a small shard of crystal in the corner, cowering as the aggressive, bloodthirsty growls vibrated around the lair. Surprisingly, Imara held back. She had noticed the obvious, life-filled bump hanging from Kuwinda's belly. Her mind flashed back to about a year ago, the horrible day when she lost them. The sheer savagery in this lioness' soul was just as bright as her own, complexly driven by her urge to protect her young cubs. Imara respected that at least.
Vitani, being slightly younger, could not, however, aggressively clawing and biting away at Kuwinda's body. The two exchanged blows, roaring in pain as they took shreds of fur off of each other. It was at this moment that Imara rushed over to her sister, as Vitani and Kuwinda moved away. She attended her sister's wounds, nuzzling her as she awoke.
"Shabaha! Please!" She pleaded, just as her younger sibling's eyes slowly opened. Her teal blue eyes watering slightly as her body shuddered.
"I'm okay, sis." She tried to move her paw to Imara's teary face, but a rapid, throbbing pain caused her to growl in sheer pain. "It's just...my paw..."
"It's okay." Imara nuzzled up beside her sister, providing her with the support she needed to stand. Shabaha curved her paw inward, lifting it off the ground as she arose. They both glanced over at Kuwinda and Vitani, who continued their fight. A shallow tremor rumbled as they fought, building up into a full-on earthquake.
"Wha-!" Kuwinda exclaimed as the entire room rocked back and forth. The walls flashed, illuminating with an ethereal glow, forcing every lioness in the lair to lose their balance. Small, glistening crystals started to hover around them, remaining locked in position as the entire tower shuddered.
Ulinzi and Amani, seeing the lair's exit now unguarded, started to sprint out of cover, sprinting as fast as their little cub legs could carry them. Just as they did though, the final tremor shot through the tower, the walls blinding every living thing in the room for just a second.
It was at this moment that Vitani struck Kuwinda, swiping her claws at the huntress' eyes. The sound of flesh ripping, the pure, unrelenting agony that shot through Kuwinda's body. As the light began to fade, a sudden, ethereal blast shot through the room, sending everything to the walls. The two cubs slammed into the crystallised walls, instantly knocking their poor, underdeveloped bodies out. Kuwinda's body somersaulted as Vitani, Shabaha and Imara quickly gained their footing, even if Shabaha yelped as she landed on her injured paw.
As the blast ceased, Vitani regained her balance. She immediately glanced over at her fellow huntresses. Imara helped her sister back up, letting her eyes flicker over at Vitani, who softly nodded in acceptance. Turning to face an unconscious Kuwinda, Vitani noticed the seeping blood coming from the lioness' eyes, mixing with her tears as her body remained motionless. Seeing her victorious feat, Vitani shot her attention to the two unconscious cubs.
"Come on, we'd better get them out of here." The fierce lioness trotted up to the cubs as Imara licked her sister's paw. Surprisingly, the pain seemed to ebb ever so slightly. Placing her paw down, Shabaha regained her posture, letting herself limp over to Vitani, who now stood before the two unconscious cubs. Without delay, Shabaha and Imara grabbed the two cubs as Vitani slinked her way to the exit. Checking both sides, she swayed her tail back at the lionesses, signalling them to move forward.
The trio made their way down the tower, carefully treading so as to not make a sound. They heard the ethereal chanting coming from the tower's base, rumbling from a grand, almost paradoxically large room with a grand, regal throne at its sprawling centre. They noticed the lionesses, gathered around an illuminated circle, chanting in unison.
They continued out of the tower, upon which they had noticed the slowly recovering forms of Kasi and Tazama. Vitani couldn't help but smile as her chest relaxed. Her entire team was safe and well. She glanced over at the cubs, a short shudder brushing through her fur as if a pair of certain, brown eyes were watching her, from somewhere and everywhere. Was she... concerned?
Her mind quickly snapped out of this thought though, turning her attention to her fellow lionesses ahead.
"Tazama!"
...
Now that the lionesses hunting party had regrouped, Vitani surveyed the horizon. A series of shifting, feline shapes strolled across the horizon, approaching the tower with a proud, smug swagger. Addressing her fellow huntresses, she flickered between them and the tower's southern walls.
"Let's get out of here before the pride see us" Vitani led the way, sulking back into the shadows of the dimming tower as the others followed. Shabaha and Imara were in the middle, still clutching the unconscious cubs as Kasi and Tazama took the rear, watching out for any signs of the Uasi Pride.
They had completed their mission, captured the only surviving cubs of the Uasian king and queen and most likely killed off the king's secret, private litter. Scar would have his pawns, a means to overpower the Uasian throne and force a confrontation in his realm.
But, even unbeknownst to him, there was a much greater game being played here. And not all the pieces were on the board.
At least yet anyway...