This time, the powerful scavengers had come in force. The lionesses swiftly grouped together, Dominic quickly joining them at their head. The cubs were behind the adults who were standing in a vaguely curved line, cowed into silent obedience by the wariness of their elders.

The hyenas were arranged in a roughly triangular fashion, led by one hyena with two flanking it. Interestingly, the one at the front was clearly the leader; just as evidently, it wasn’t the biggest. That title belonged to the two flanking it like bodyguards.

Maybe not just like bodyguards – maybe that’s exactly what they were.

Dominic narrowed his eyes as he stared at the lead hyena. I think I recognise that one. The wind shifted, blowing the scents of the hyenas to the lions – too late to warn them.

‘We do recognise her,’ Leo confirmed quietly. ‘She’s the same scavenger who led the group which killed two of our females.’ Dominic remembered that moment very well. He also rememberd locking eyes with the leader at the end, the hyena seeming to promise a rematch. It appeared that this was the moment – and she’d brought plenty of back-up this time.

There had to be at least thirty of the hyenas, and from their size, a good third were beyond half-step Evolved. Maybe even more since it had been his experience with the lionesses that they didn’t always pick size as the element to enhance.

Though if they’d enhanced their bite or intelligence, that wouldn’t be any better for the lions – Dominic was very aware that an intelligent enemy who knew where and when to strike was worse than a powerful enemy whose strikes might be misjudged.

Perhaps the hyena now leading the group was an example of one who had enhanced something other than size. Maybe, like Sekhmet, she even had an Ability which was linked to Intelligence somehow.

But in a way that was immaterial. With so many hyenas, and powerful ones too, the odds weren’t looking good for them. The only thing that consoled Dominic was that the lionesses had been able to handle almost the same amount of numbers before when they’d been lower levels than their opponents. And then they had been completely surprised and separated.

This time, they’d realised the presence of the threat before the hyenas had attacked – they’d been able to take defensive action and protect the most vulnerable members. As another bonus, everyone’s health bars were full.

But that was the end of the good news. Honestly, Dominic wasn’t at all sure how this clash would go, but he didn’t see much option but to defend. They could run, but the hyenas would chase – the cubs would be lost, and probably some of the lionesses too.

No, we have to fight, Dominic decided.

‘We have to defend our territory against these filthy scavengers,’ Leo snarled in his mind, clearly feeling a lot stronger about the idea than Dominic himself.

Dominic eyed the arrangements, then sent out a few images to the lionesses behind him. He did his best to caution the lionesses to stick together, not to take risks. The enemy had numbers against them; they couldn’t afford to lose even one fighter.

He also informed them of the strategy he intended on using personally – leaping in and out of the fight and expressing a need for them to keep a space clear within their circle when they retreated to that shape. He was sure they were going to have to – there were too many hyenas for anything else, and the lionesses on the ends of the current lines would be the most vulnerable. Not to mention that they needed to protect their backs too.

Finally, he struggled to suggest that they don’t absorb any bodies until they really needed to. Why? Because the hyenas had already shown themselves to be intelligent and adaptable. Dominic was worried that if they showed how dissolving carcasses into golden dust and then absorbing it improved health, the hyenas would find a way to copy it. Given how many baboon carcasses still littered the area, that was the last thing they needed happening in this fight. No, better to keep that under wraps as long as possible; hopefully the lionesses had understood and would comply.

For a moment, the two sides looked at each other, then, with a whoop from the leader, the hyenas charged.

Dominic met their charge with a roar of his own. Timing it carefully, he hit them just as the first line was about to hit. Prepared for it to fail completely, he was pleasantly surprised.

The front line of hyenas hesitated ever so slightly. Though not much and not for long, it was enough for the second line to go ploughing straight into them. The hyenas which had hesitated were jogged out of their momentary fear, but were extra irritated because of it. They snapped back at the hyenas which had run into them, the front line almost turning into an outright brawl.

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Anuke, Jenkins, Sekhmet, Menhit, Hathor, and Dominic himself took full advantage of that. With Isis and Neith staying behind to guard the cubs, the main part of the pride surged forwards to rip at the hyenas’ throats.

For a moment, everything Dominic could see boiled with either sandy or spotted fur. Pained yelps and angry growls filled the air. The scent of blood met his nose – but perhaps that was just from his own attacks.

Powered by Crushing Bite, Powerful Strike, and Sharp Nip, the male lion’s attacks made a strong impact on his enemies.

In a crush like this, he couldn’t get stuck in to ensure that his targets died; all he could do was bite, swipe, and move on to the next pair of snapping jaws.

[You have killed Hyena (Half-step Evolved level 6)]

[You have earned 8 PP]

Nonetheless, he was having an effect. Especially with the Bleed effect that Sharp Nip often left on his targets. The first notification was quickly waved away, Dominic barely even taking enough time to note the amount of Prey Points he was gaining.

It was soon followed by another.

[A member of your party has killed Spotted Hyena (Basic Beast level 5)]

[You have earned 7 PP]

And another

[A member of your party has killed Spotted Hyena (Basic Beast level 6)]

[You have earned 8 PP]

But that was the end of the ‘freebies’. Through the din of snapping and snarling, Dominic heard the whoop of the lead hyena. So did all of those around him.

They pulled back for a moment, a lull in the battle ensuing as the two sides looked at each other again. There was new respect in the eyes of the lead hyena facing them, but Dominic suspected that wouldn’t mean she’d leave them be. If anything, she was likely to take them more seriously now.

The pride members hadn’t come off unscathed, either. There was blood soaking all of their sandy coats, and their health bars all showed the impact of the clash. But none of them had died, and they’d taken down three of the opposing side. If that could continue, they might just win this.

But as he looked at the hyena leader, he suspected that that wasn’t going to happen.

Sending a message to the rest of the lions to fall back to their previous defensive position, Dominic braced for the next impact.

It came almost before the lions had rearranged themselves. Dominic tried to roar again but, as he’d rather expected, the hyenas weren’t at all phased this time. Well, most of them weren’t – the smallest still hesitated a little, but they were to the back and it didn’t help.

With an assessing eye, Dominic realised that the female hyena had sent in her heavy-hitters: every single hyena charging at their front lines had to be at least level 6, if not higher.

Worse, the hyenas behind the front line split and swept around the group of lions to trap them in a pincer movement.

‘Has this hyena read Sun Tzu or something?’ Dominic cried out mentally in frustration.

‘She’s clearly just an experienced huntress,’ Leo snapped back at him. ‘Now do something!’

Dominic did.

With only a few moments of thought remaining to him, he tried something risky.

‘Warn them!’ he snapped at the lion, shoving his plan bodily at his companion. Honestly, if the lion could communicate mentally with the lionesses while he was occupied with the physical manoeuvring, that would really help.

He didn’t have time to check that Leo had succeeded, though, instead having to focus on what he was about to do: jump.

Using a tactic which had bewildered enemies in the past, he leapt over the heads of the hyenas, enhancing his movement with a small application of Quick Strike. Then, hoping that at least one of the bonuses of Pounce would come into play, he leapt at the spine of one of the hyenas.

It shifted at the last moment so he didn’t hit perfectly, but he still scored a nasty gash along its flank. Shoving it to the side, his greater weight was able to bodily push it over – and interfere with the next one along.

Unable to secure the kill, the other hyenas rounding on him to crush him with their jaws, he retreated, leaping once more. Landing behind another hyena, one which hadn’t been close enough to see what was happening, he ripped at its back legs, completely tearing the tendons in its hips.

Its hindquarters fell to the ground and he was leaping at another hyena before they even touched the ground, inflicting another grievous wound.

The hyenas were unable to keep up with his lightning-fast speed, the previously organised front line now a shambles. That, of course, made them easy pickings for the lionesses. Well, sort of easy pickings: they were still at least half-step Evolved, and with health pools that matched. Plus, the lionesses were surrounded, attacked from all sides, so they were a little limited in how far they could move.

But there was hope, especially when the two hyenas Dominic had most impacted were killed.

[A member of your party has killed Spotted Hyena (Half-step Evolved level 6)]

[You have earned 8 PP]

[A member of your party has killed Spotted Hyena (Half-step Evolved level 7)]

[You have earned 8 PP]

There were even more notifications coming through from the other lines: the lionesses weren’t messing around and the hyenas which hadn’t yet reached half-step Evolved were suffering under their teeth and claws. One, two, three notifications came through, all level 5s.

But the lionesses were struggling too – and so was Dominic, honestly. His fighting style was undeniably effective, but it was also an absolute stamina hog. Only eight hyenas out of at least thirty were dead, and he was already half down.

We can do this, he told himself, willing the lionesses to hear too. Come on, stand strong – we can do this!