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I am life.
I am death.
I give everything.
But I take all.
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I am the Savage Kingdom.
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The old queen is dead.
Now the greatest hunter takes the throne.
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She leads the most brutal army in the realm.
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Matsumi.
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But the kingdom will test the new queen.
There are many, Matsumi,
who would kill to own the great marsh.
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Matsumi's young have a direct line to the throne.
She must make them warriors.
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She is scarred mother...
and commander.
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Your daughter shows promise.
She has gifts your sons do not.
She will be your heir.
There is more to leading than just killing.
Matsumi, the provider,
must hold this volatile gang together
and appease her brutal king...
Sekekama.
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Nobody eats before him.
Least of all, his sons.
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Even Matsumi yields.
Colossal, violent...
...unpredictable.
All hail the king.
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The great marsh.
Matsumi's inheritance.
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Control this water, and you control everything.
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Many want to take this from you, Matsumi.
To keep it, you'd better build your pride.
Armies and murderers
are gathering in strength...
...massing beyond the marsh.
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Only the king can keep these threats at bay.
But his empire is vast...
and Sekekama must protect it all.
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While he defends the south with his brother...
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...the north is vulnerable.
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Insurgents grow bold.
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They know the king is away.
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Get off our land.
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Hyenas infect the kingdom like a plague.
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Where there is one, there will soon be many.
War is coming.
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The great marsh is the glory of the realm.
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So much to win.
So much to lose.
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Let them play a little longer.
They know nothing of the game in store.
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Matsumi's cubs must grow quickly.
Soon they will have to fight to protect their marsh.
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Distant roars carry on the wind.
Rivals prowl the hills and forests of the north.
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The ragged queen of the north.
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She leads a small but ambitious pride.
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They, too, would kill for the marsh.
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They terrorize and take from all who cross their path.
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The kingdom places enemies on all fronts.
Only the strongest will hold the marsh.
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Matsumi needs more soldiers.
More teeth, more claws.
It's time to mate.
This is Sekekama's divine right.
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Don't get too close,
your father knows nothing of mercy.
Matsumi belongs to the king alone.
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Sekekama gives no second chances.
But Matsumi needs his services,
whatever the price.
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Just keep him away from the pride.
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He is beyond their help.
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Goodnight, sweet prince.
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The king is calmed.
Her duty done.
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Matsumi returns to an unsettled pride.
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Never leave them again.
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The cost of Sekekama's services has been paid for in blood.
The kingdom is ancient and blind.
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It protects no one.
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You carry Sekekama's cubs, Matsumi.
Keep him close.
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Only he can defend your pride.
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On the sand ridge that skirts the marsh,
an insidious army builds in strength.
Hyenas breed generation after generation of soldiers
in secret.
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More teeth, more jaws.
Ready to bring the fight
to the lions.
Tick, tock.
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Matsumi needs to harden her youngsters.
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They need to learn to kill.
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A dangerous rite of passage.
Some die in the test.
The scars are carried for life.
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Nerves fail Matsumi's heirs.
This is how it's done.
Watch and learn.
No time for fear.
No time for mercy.
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They all eat well,
thanks to the king and the queen.
But her youngsters are not stepping up.
They're not maturing fast enough.
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The hyenas grow restless.
Murderous scouts push ever deeper into the kingdom.
Soon, they will infiltrate the marsh.
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The kingdom doesn't care who lives or who dies.
But every cub must learn to kill
just to survive.
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Today, Matsumi will give birth.
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The queen must leave her pride again.
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Newborns need a place of safety.
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Matsumi heads for the hill where she was born.
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The den is not what it used to be.
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This has become a leopard's rock.
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There is no safety here for cubs.
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On the edge of the marsh...
Matsumi has her cubs.
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But only two.
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Enemies are closing in from all sides.
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They just need time to grow.
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A leaderless pride grows restless.
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They find Matsumi's scent.
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It's too soon.
They're too small.
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Outnumbered by her murderous family
that knows nothing of gentleness.
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Instinct is hardwired,
and Matsumi can do nothing.
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There is no malice here;
they are just lions.
Her lions.
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Both cubs are dead.
But there is no time to mourn.
With enemies on all sides...
Matsumi's next move will decide the future.
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Kings rule.
But dynasties are built on the shoulders of queens.
Yet in one savage sweep,
the kingdom can take all.
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Matsumi's precious marsh is withering.
And the great thirst begins.
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Exodus.
With no water, the herds begin to leave
for the vanishing river in the north.
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Only the dead remain.
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When the scavenging is done, the pride may starve.
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Matsumi alone must provide salvation.
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Leave the young pride to hold the marsh.
Follow the herds.
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There is nothing more dangerous than a queen wandering alone...
...in an unknown land.
Her cubs dead, Matsumi's scent reveals
that she is ready to mate.
Never trust the intentions of strangers.
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Especially nomadic males.
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Her scent has betrayed her.
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You cannot escape this.
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To reject him would be a death sentence.
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But the king follows his queen's trail.
No one steals the queen.
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The bloodied nomad is banished.
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Sekekama and Matsumi are together.
But their pride is now alone.
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Back on the great marsh.
Leaderless and inexperienced,
their youngsters can do nothing but scavenge.
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Hyenas thrive in times of chaos.
They feed on weakness and uncertainty.
The day has come.
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Humiliated,
what's left of the pride leaves the marsh to the enemy...
...and heads north in search of their leaders.
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Reunited,
but without their great marsh...
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There's only one place to go...
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...to follow the herds deeper into hostile territory.
The queen of the north sees the approaching army.
Outnumbered, she knows there is no place for her here.
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The winds of change blow.
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The vanishing river, where the lost herds wallow.
Now's the chance to begin again.
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The massing of the herds gives the buffalo an edge.
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The dust and the chaos defeats them.
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If they don't kill, their new beginning will be their end.
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Strangers in a strange land.
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Life will get no easier.
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Matsumi has led them this far.
She can do no more,
unless the pride rises behind her.
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Together they would be unstoppable.
No more juvenile pursuits.
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Carve through the dust.
Make the chaos your strength.
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Work as one and conquer this realm.
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Matsumi's daughter rises to the challenge.
A young queen in the making.
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Matsumi-- mother, warrior, leader.
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All hail the queen.
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