Aysadi remained by Karoi's side for what felt like hours.

"Are you almost fucking done?" Karoi asked eventually.

Aysadi bat at his nose. "No, I'm not. And stop squirming like a newborn cub."

Karoi groaned. Most of the blood was gone now, but the wounds still stung. Aysadi washed the last two with her tongue before getting up.

"Now you better as hell stay right in your nest for a few days. Because if I see you so much as move one leg in the direction of outside of it, I'll reopen your damn wounds myself." Then she walks away.

Karoi stares after her. Her gleaming pelt ripped perfectly as she walked. He loved his sister. He shakes his head and turns away before staggering to his nest, a hole in the side of the cave layered with grasses and moss on the bottom. He slipped in, closed his eyes, and crashed down with a sigh.

What seemed like a few minutes later, Karoi is awakened by snarling. He blinks his eyes open and pokes his head out is his nest. There, standing at the entrance over Aysadi, was a very large lion. It rose over her like a tidal wave. Aysadi shook with nervousness.

Karoi narrows his eyes and runs from his nest to block Aysadi.

"Leave." He growls at the lion.

The lion backs away a bit. Moonlight coming in from the entrance reveals its face.

The lioness growls. "Make me. Or, I guess you can't. Wouldn't want to get you more injured."

Karoi sneered. "You have no idea what I'd do for my sister."

"Karoi, no!" Aysadi yelps.

He ignores her and leaps for the lioness. He gets above her for a second, but she gets a claw over one of his eyes, which makes him falter. She pushes him off her and leaps to her feet. The lioness then takes advantage of his distraction and jumps forward through the air to dig her claws into his back. Karoi collapses under her weight and roars in pain when her claws reach a pre-existing scar.

"Hareis! Get off him!" A voice shouts behind them.

Hareis snarls, but gets off immediately. Karoi groans.

The lion walked up with another lioness beside him. "Are you alright?" He asks.

Karoi stumbles to his feet. "I should be..."

Aysadi runs forward and lets him lean on her shoulder.

The lioness scolds Hareis fiercely. "You could have killed him!" She growled softly.

Hareis rolls her eyes and looks away.

"This is not how we've raised you!" The lioness growls.

The lion stands beside the lioness. "Listen to your mother, Hareis."

Hareis storms away. The lion and lioness turn to Aysadi and Karoi.

"Sorry for Hareis. She can be a bit...rebellious." The lion apologizes. "Other than that, my name is Kovu." He looks towards the lioness. "And this is my mate, Kiara."