The Severed Exile

Location: Ghastly Gorge
Time: Nightfall

Kaffir panted as he slowed down, feeling the land beneath him beginning to soften. Grass. He looked around and found himself on a green plain of sorts and in the distance was a deep canyon. For once in his life, he was never more relieved to a hole in the earth. "Finally..." he muttered to himself as he walked onward, looking at his surroundings and trying to get a feel for where he now was.

The land was vast and open, the gorge a good distance away and toward the northern part of it was a dense forest. "If I can get to the forest, perhaps I can forage for some food. I haven't eaten in several days now.." he muttered once more as he began to trudge forward.

"Neither have we." came a deep voice from behind him, causing Kaffir to stop suddenly and look over his shoulder, hoping it was not what he thought it was. As he peered, his fears were true: lions. 5 of them, all glaring menacingly at him. "Oh...did we startle you? Our presence should come as no surprise. You'd truly think your friend would've been able to distract us long enough for you to escape?"

"No..." Kaffir shook his head. "I had known his death would have been for naught."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that..." said one of them as he stepped forward, being the largest of the pack. Lionotus, the name seared into Kaffir's mind like a brand. "He was quite the meal if you ask me. Enough to keep us sated while we trekked across the desert, but such a place can be quite taxing on the appetite."

"Disgusting." Kaffir spat.

"Only to you grass-eaters." Lionotus retorted. "I would have figure you would have a little bit more respect for our ways than this. It's quite simply the circle of life as we know it and we just happened to be at the top of it to keep things balanced. You see, you eat the fruits of the earth, and we eat you, and whatever of you we don't eat goes back into the earth."

"I'd be one to think us killing you would suffice as a suitable sacrifice for the lands." Kaffir snarled.

"You would think, but that's just not how things work now is it." Lionotus shook his head. "You stripe-coats didn't start fighting back until very recently and we applaud your efforts, we really do, but something so unnatural as a zebra with any sort of combat prowess other than running away just wasn't meant to be. Tis a shame, really. It would've made hunting you down a little more interesting."

"We've improved. We can stand hoof to paw with you any day!" Kaffir said threateningly.

"Is that so? Tell that to your friend then. As a matter of fact, tell that to your entire civilization. Oh wait..." Lionotus's maw curled into a sinister smirk. "...they're dead. All of them. So much for 'improving', eh guys?" he turned back to his entourage, they beginning to cackle like hyenas.

"You will regret those words." Kaffir snarled as he turned back to grab his glaive.

"Oh, perhaps we would have, but since you've taken us exactly where we wanted to go, and have no further use for you being alive, then it wouldn't be so much." Lionotus waved a paw dismissively.

"...what?" Kaffir said, he quirking a brow, a little confused by the comment.

"You see, we could have just as easily caught and killed you as we killed your friend, but if anyone knew the lay of the land, it would be the zebra. And this land here looks very ripe and...inhabitable. I dare say, just beyond that forest there..." Lionotus pointed one of his clawed digits. "...is yet another civilization just ripe for hunting. And you lead us right to them. Why, it's almost enough for us to want to thank you."

"You're sick..." Kaffir said, shaking his head in disbelief as he padded backwards toward the forest defensively.

"Oh, are we? Why, we were going to offer a token of our gratitude: We'll make your death quick and painless. Gaurenteed. Who can turn that down?" Lionotus smiled coyly.

"You're not destroying another civilization. Not while I still stand here!" Kaffir growled as he rose onto his hind hooves and brandished his glaive, the blade on it long and curved, shining in the glow of the full moon.

"Oh this won't last long." Lionotus shook his head. "Your valor is quite impressive, meat, but we implore you, don't make this any harder than it has to be. Let us kill you, quickly and painlessly as promised, feed from you and we'll go in and introduce ourselves, say hi, maim a few here and there, maybe abduct some others as a carry out special, the usual thing I'm sure your own kind is used to.

"Over. My. Dead. Body." Kaffir said threatening;y as he shifted his hind-hooves apart, getting himself into a ready stance.

"...oh that won't be any problem at all. Why, even my son here could best you in combat. He's already ripped out a few throats in his day, isn't that right Leonir?" Lionotus turned toward the smaller of the lions, he nodding proudly before turning back to Kaffir. "What have you got against 5 lions anyway?"

"Nothing..." Kaffir said plainly.

"Oh, well I could have told you tha-"

"I have nothing because you and your kind took it all away from me. My home. My people. My mother. My sister. My father. My best friend. I have nothing left because of disgusting monsters like you!" Kaffir roared out, gripping his glaive firmly. "I have nothing to lose anymore, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let you pass me and take that away from somepony else!" Kaffir continued in rage as he brandished his glaive, pointing the large blade threateningly at his aggressors.

Lionotus sat back on his haunches, a little perturbed by the monologue before he snorts, trying to hold back laugh. "ooooOOOOoooo~, scary. Real scary. A stallion with nothing left to lose. Hey guys, nothing scarier than a stripe-coat with nothing to lose, amiright?" he said, the 4 lions doing a mock scared pose of sorts in response. "In shaking in my fur. I really am. Quite scary stuff. Actually, I'm just kidding. All of this is just plain silly now. Let us kill you and move on, okay? This doesn't have to be hard."

"Shut-up and face me if you're so sure of yourselves." Kaffir said as he narrowed his eyes at Lionotus. "...unless you are afraid of what I'm capable of."

"Oooh, dem fightin' words right there, bro. Not cool, man. Not cool. Rend! Ponce! Take this idiot down, but don't kill him yet. I want him to feel us savoring him in his last breath..." he commanded, two lions stepping up menacingly, growling threateningly as they began to circle around Kaffir, looking for an opportunity to strike.

Kaffir stood his ground as the lions circled him, his concentration keen and undisturbed now as he zoned in, ready, waiting, blood pumping through his veins. This was it. This was his final stand. The possible fate of an entire civilization rested in his hooves. It was all or nothing.

"Bring it on..."