Chapter 74 74: The Battle for Dominance : Leo vs the Mbali Brothers (Start!!)

You guys must be having a laugh right now. I made the 1000 stones goal thinking there was no way you guys will reach it since we average at 700 stones a day. But I realize now that y'all have been holding back on me and was waiting to catch me lacking. 2000 stones in one day. 1200+ above the second rank. We have been at the top for nearly two months now but those are still impressive numbers indeed. Due to these numbers, double chapter is certain tomorrow. For now, enjoy the three chapters. Thank you all so much for the support and I would appreciate it if you don't hold back your stones in other weeks as well. .. .. ////////////// [3rd POV] It was high noon. In the eastern part of the Serengeti, life gathered near the watering hole. It was a hot day so animals from all areas had come to drink the water. But unlike all these animals that gathered, the buffalo were an almost permanent resident of the lake. They never grazed too far from the watering hole these days, sustaining themselves from the rich overgrown vegetation supported by the underground waters near the lake. The herd of buffalo numbered in the thousands. They looked like a colony of ants from the sky. With their huge number and size, they were more of a breathing natural phenomenon than a herd of animals. So usually, the herd remain undisturbed. Even when they drank water from the lake, the crocodiles never attacked them, fearing that the buffalo would stomp them to death if they took even a single bite. Their only known predator was a lone lion called Leo. Other than that, nothing in the savannah could hurt them, But today was an exception. It was one of the rare moments when a pride of lions came out to hunt a buffalo. They only ever hunt buffalo when they are desperate and that was true for the Siringet Pride. The pride hasn't eaten for almost two weeks and their numerous attempt at hunting have been denied by a gang of vultures. So they target the buffalo, a bigger prey that requires power rather than stealth to take down. But things did not go as planned from the pride. The pride was not new to hunting buffalo. They just prefer easier prey over the giants of the animal kingdom. The Mbali brothers themselves could recall times in their earlier days when they took down a buffalo together. But things were different now than it was before. The buffalo had a consistent predator that hunts them in the form of Leo the lion. This made the buffalo have immense hatred towards lions in general. They were too scared to take action or show aggression towards Leo when they saw him, but upon seeing a group of lions that were not Leo? The buffalo sought out vengeance. A cloud of dust could be seen rising from one edge of the herd. The lions that were trying to hunt the buffalo became the ones to run away. They scattered in all directions while a dozen or so bachelors chased after the poor lions. Steam came out of their nose as they charged with reckless abandon. All the anger and grudge they felt towards Leo but were too afraid to show were taken out on the members of the Siringet pride. But the Lions were desperate. Their desperation might as well have eclipsed the anger of the buffalo. So even as they were chased and ragdolled once or twice, they didn't give up. The three brothers worked together. Roku was the brain of the formation, quickly finding patterns and coordination even amid the chaos of the angry bulls. Makali was the bravest soul, reckless was also another word to describe him. He was the one brave enough to put any plan Roku came up with into action. He had complete faith in his brother so even if the plan involved doing something dangerous, Makali would do so in a heartbeat. The same thing happened in this situation as well. Rolku had tasked him to act as bait and lead one of the buffalo away from the rest of the herd. And he was doing an excellent job. Until now... "I can't run anymore!!" Makali roared out with the last bit of strength in his body. An angry bachelor chased after him. They were on the shore of the lake, a little isolated from he rest of the herd. You could see other buffalo in the distance but they were not close enough to pose any danger anymore. The initial plan of leading one buffalo away was a success. "I can't-..." Makali could not finish his sentence as one of his paws slipped due to the wet mud of the shore. He fell to the ground and then the buffalo slammed into him. But luckily, due to the suddenness of the fall and a cat's natural reflex, Makali was not crushed immediately under the weight of the bull. But the sharp edge of the horn left a clean cut and tear on his skin. He also felt immense pressure on his chest that might or might not have cracked some of his ribs. 'Great, just when I am about to fully recover, I get new injuries,' Makali thought in his mind. Makali lay on his back. His claws came out and his teeth were bared as he tried to fend off against the unstoppable force of the buffalo's attack. The echoing sound of the buffalo and the sharp sound of an angry lion mixed together as both parties fought each other for a few seconds. But that was enough for the other members of the pride to finally reach him. "Good job brother!!" Baraka bellowed with a roar. He was the biggest among the three brothers and he was also the main power of the three. He was leadership and strength in the form of a majestic white lion. His white fur was smeared by dirt and mud from being rag-dolled and pushed by other buffalo at the beginning of the hunt. Although he seemed unharmed, that might just be because he was good at hiding his injuries. Baraka slammed into the side of the buffalo. He was big and powerful enough to push the buffalo away with the sheer force of his momentum. The buffalo nearly fell to the ground. But the buffalo adjusted his hooves and turned towards Baraka immediately. You could see from the buffalo that it had just entered a new phase of rage due to that attack. But right in that moment before the bull could charge at Baraka, another lion jumped at the buffalo from behind. Roku leapt on the back of the buffalo. His claws sank into the thick hide of the prey and then his jaw clamped down on the back. The buffalo released a grunt and tried to shake him off but Roku latched on tightly. Baraka exploded forward and took advantage of the distraction. He crashed into the shoulder of the buffalo once more and this time, he tried wrestling with the bull. His arms went around the thick neck of the giant prey and tried to control the head movement of the bull. But Baraka greatly underestimated the Buffalo's ability to explode to great strength with barely any room. The sound of horns crashing onto skull and bone could be heard as the buffalo knocked Barakra on the face a few times before the white lion glued his head close to the neck so the bull could not utilise his horns. Makala, the ever-brave soul, did not try to stay out of battle just because of his injury. To be honest, the thought never even crossed his mind. He did not get up from the ground and instead rolled under the buffalo. He seemed unbothered that the buffalo could crush him under its hooves with one step, and he attacked at the neck and the underbelly. After the three kings fully engaged with the prey, the rest of the pride came to help as well. Two lionesses came to attack the buffalo from both sides and after a while, three more came to fill the empty spaces. The buffalo released small grunts and bellowing sounds as he bore the weight and teeth of seven different lions, three of them kings. He was trying to call the rest of the herd for help. "Nydia, shut him up!!" Roku was the first one to notice and gave the order. A new lioness came and bit at the mouth and nose of the buffalo, effectively shutting him up. Now it was eight different lions working together to take the buffalo down. There were other lionesses as well but since there was no longer any space to work with, they stood a few meters away and watched the event unfold. Eventually, even the buffalo could not last long fighting against so many lions. He collapsed on the ground due to exhaustion. That was when the lions dealt the finishing blow by attacking the softer parts of the hide. In the end, the pride managed to bring down the giant bachelor. ... "A little help, please," Makali said in a muffled voice from under the buffalo. Baraka and Roku shared a laugh, even with exhaustion weighing heavily on their body. They pushed away the buffalo, and Makali slipped out from under the weight. The rest of the pride also watched with smiles of victory. They circled around the prey but were not close to the carcass like the htre ekings were. They would wait for them to eat first before they joined. "Maybe my memory is wrong but I don't think hunting a buffalo was ever that difficult," Baraka commented while panting to try and cool down. "You are totally right. Maybe we target the king of the buffalo or something," Makali said, as he was still lying on the ground near the carcass. "There is no such thing," Roku said, in barely a voice. The rest of his mouth was busy taking in deep breaths. "How many injured?" Baraka asked one of the lionesses. "Three lionessess shed blood but nothing serious," she answered. "That's good." Baraka answered before finally slumping his shoulder. He sighed, tired, but the joy of victory was present in the form of a smile, "Guess we are not young anymore." "Hahaha," Makali laughed. Roku grinned. ,,, ... But then the joyful atmosphere of a successful hunt disappeared in an instant. It was incredible how life could switch up tension and flip the board. One moment, they were sharing a happy moment and the next, dred consumed their heart. It started with movement in the lake. First thought to be a hippo or a crocodile, it proved to be something worse for the pride. The three kings stood up and faced the lake while the females slowly backed away. The smiles on their faces turned into frowns. And out he came from the lake. Leo. The Mbali brothers finally came face to face with the lion that had been hrassing them for the whole week. They were angry and spent most of their waking hours wishing that they could catch Leo in front of them. But now, when he stood right in front of them, they were rooted to the spot. It was the first time Baraka saw a lion bigger than himself. It was the first time Makali did not want to charge at the enemy. And it was the first time Roku could not hear his thoughts. Leo had a presence that was bigger than his physical size alone. He walked out of the lake in slow steps, water dripping from his fur like thick rivulets. His mane, soaked and dark as night, clung to his neck like a war shroud. His muscles rippled with each movement beneath his coat, giving the impression that he could turn any movement into an explosive attack. It seemed he had been on the lakebed the whole time, submerging his body under water to mask his scent so that he could remain unnoticed. His body, wet and cold was a contrast to the three kings who were sweating and nearly overheating at the moment. In the fight, the one with numerical advantage would also have the advantage of attrition but in this case, it was in favor of Leo. Leo came forward in a slow stroll. He shook his head a few times to throw away the water stuck on his mane. The action caused it to spread out and frame his face. They looked like dark flames. Leo did not stop his approach and instead quickened his pace until he was running towards them. He did not spare any words for them, did not allow the kings to recover from the exhaustion of the hunt. The three kings roared and grolwed before exploding forward as well. The battle of dominance began just like that. And Leo might have truly gone overboard with all his preparation and progress. Becuase what followed next looked like a slaughter rather than a fight. .. .. [IMAGE] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author : Double chapter is certain for tomorrow but for another triple chapter, we must get another 2000 stones (That is 4000 stones total) so start voting again if you think you can do it again.