Movement immediately exploded beside us, disrupting the peace of the plain.
Shit!
Run.
Run.
Run, run, run.
I wanted it to be explainable—grass stroked by the breeze. But it wasn’t. There was no wind anymore.
Prickles on the back of my neck had nothing to do with the cold morning. Basic instinct knew what this was—why I ran for my life.
I was prey in the middle of a hunt.
My legs sprinted harder.
My lungs burst as we covered the distance back to the base in seconds compared to minutes.
We collided with the fence, Jethro grunted as he wrenched open the panel. “Get inside. Quick.” Shoving me through, he was rough and aggressive, before tearing inside behind me and slamming it shut.
I buckled over, planting my hands on my knees as I inhaled air and life. The whiff of ammonia and excrement hung thick in the space, but I didn’t care.
I’m alive.
I’m alive.
We made it.
Jethro didn’t move. He pressed his face against the crudely made fence and stared.
That was when I heard it.
Not a howl or grunt or purr. But a loudcrunch.
“Oh, my God.” I sidled up beside him, staring through the slats to the plains beyond. Daniel had disappeared in the grass, the sheet caught on the stems, fluttering in the breeze. But he wasn’t alone.
Two lionesses had found him. Their tails flicking in greed, tan coats camouflaging them perfectly, and muzzles covered in Hawk blood.
“Oh...” My stomach roiled as the larger feline ducked and grabbed Daniel’s throat, hauling his carcass into view. I slapped a hand over my mouth as she tore through his jugular, ensuring I’d done the job correctly and he was dead.
The other lioness swatted her companion, taking a bite of Daniel’s shoulder.
Jethro vibrated beside me, silent but merciless.
We didn’t say a word as the cats gnawed a snack from the man I’d lived with, a brother Jethro grew up with. They ate a few large mouthfuls before grunting with triumph at the dawn sky.
With tan fur rippling, the head huntress snarled over Daniel’s gashing throat and with powerful muscles, carted her trophy away. The black tuft on her tail bounced back and forth as the evidence of my murder slowly disappeared.
His death to give life.
His evilness to feed purity.
We watched until there was nothing to see. No lions. No Daniel. Nothing.
Finally, Jethro pushed away, swiping a hand across his face. His shoulders rolled as he battled and segmented whatever emotions had risen. His voice was gruff as he said, “That’s why.”
I blinked, ignoring the stench of toilets and smarting realness of what had just happened. “What?”
