Shangri-La growled loudly and pounced onto Arik.

"You lazy excuse for a man! How dare you call yourself a leader when you do nothing for your kingdom!" The fur on her neck was raised and her shoulders hunched with power. She pressed one paw against Arik's neck and choked him mercilessly. And despite his coughs and struggles, he was no match for Shangri-La's strength and agility.

She continued to scold him. "Our world is falling to pieces and nothing is being done about it, and when we finally have the chance to look for solutions, you'd rather sit back on your lazy ass and order others to and fro!? Never! We leave at first light for the ocean, and if you dare try to escape this mission, I will hunt you down and rip you apart."

She backed off of Arik and left him lying in the dirt as she climbed a nearby tree for rest. Her blood boiled and her breath was heavy with rage. She hoped her threats had hit a nerve in the lethargic African cat, since he seemed completely unmotivated to uphold his duties as king.