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“Would you?” she asked, her words lost in a frantic breath, and she clasped my hands tightly. I nodded, wondering if I would ever be able to fulfill this promise.
“How long do you have to be on this duty for? I imagine it’s a lot different to being in the library.”
Tania shrugged. “I do not mind it so much. It is nice to have a break from my solitude. I don’t usually get to hear what the other lions have to say.”
“I suppose they’re all excited about this great hunt.”
“A great hunt is always an occasion to be excited about. To know that the monsters will be driven back again for another year is always a time for great legends to be remembered and made. Axanar has already written himself into history with his deeds, but this will further cement his legacy as a great Alpha.”
“He doesn’t seem so great to me,” I muttered.
“That is because you have only been here for a short time. Perhaps, when you are with him on the great hunt, you will see why we respect him so much.”
I frowned and stroked my chin. “There’s something about this hunt that I’m wondering. Volkan has been preparing me for it, but he hasn’t told me anything about this Gonshu that we’re actually going to be hunting. I don’t really understand it because I would have thought that knowing the enemy was the best way to be prepared for it. Can you tell me anything about Gonshu?” I asked.
Tania immediately looked away and she seemed to become smaller than she was before. “It is not a good idea to talk about these monsters.”
“But why?”
“Because it is said that to talk about them is to summon them. The last thing Gonshu needs is to be able to hear the words and come forth.”
“But isn’t there anything that you can tell me? Anything that might help?”
“Just don’t look into its eyes,” Tania said. The way she said it and the expression on her face was chilling. There was so much sorrow imbued in those words, and I hated listening to them. I was starting to believe that I had gotten myself into something that I shouldn’t have, but it was too late to back out now.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I replied, but I was glad that I could be on good terms with Tania. I was afraid that she would resent me for what I had done. We stayed talking for a while, and it helped me to pass the time before bed.
About another week passed of training before one morning there was a knock on the door. I expected it to be Volkan again, ready for another day of hard training, but it wasn’t. This time it was the Alpha himself, Axanar, dressed in his resplendent clothes. His armor fit to his torso and left his arms bare, although he wore leather that covered his wrists. Thick hair flowed along his forearms, but his biceps were naked and defined, swollen with strength. He wore boots and long pants, but even so I could tell that his legs were as thick as tree trunks. A sword hung by his side, while a dagger rested on the opposite side of his waist. A bow was slung behind him, and he carried a satchel with him that I assumed was filled with supplies and other weapons and traps.
“Are you ready?” he asked, and I knew this was the final part of the test. If I pulled back now, then he would call me a coward once again and he would never think of me as brave.
“I’m ready. Let’s go and drive Gonshu back,” I said. He smirked at my bravado. I hoped that his senses weren’t attuned enough that he could hear the frantic beating of my heart, because I genuinely didn’t know whether I would actually return from this hunt.
Chapter Eighteen
Axanar
She looked ready, but I could smell her fear in the air. I had to admit that she looked good in her clothes, every inch a lioness. It was no wonder that Volkan had become enamored with her. Then again, his heart had always been soft. Throughout her training, Volkan had been giving me daily updates about her progress. I wasn’t sure whether she was truly ready for this hunt, but there was only one way to find out, one way to know whether she truly had the heart of a lion, or whether her blood had been thinned over the generations.
We strode out of the tower with the lions gathered to wish us well. It was strange for me to have a companion on these hunts, as usually I was alone. I hoped she would not prove to be a liability or a distraction. I waved to my pride and bowed my head. They wished me well and bestowed blessings upon me, declaring their hope that I should return again soon. I promised I would, and it was an oath that I was determined to keep.
We strode towards the edge of the pride and, as we were on the very border, I turned to Kara. We were the only two souls who could hear each other.
“Before we leave, I want to tell you that, when we’re out there, it’s us against the world. We lions have tamed Orestes, but that does not mean there isn’t danger. There are always animals who wish to attack and claim the blood of a lion, for there is no greater trophy. You must be able to defend yourself. If there is a moment when I have to choose between striking the enemy or saving you, I will not hesitate to drive back the enemy.”
“And the same is true for me. I’m here to drive Gonshu back, just as you are,” Kara said. “But are you actually going to tell me what kind of monster Gonshu is?”
“The kind that you will never forget, the kind that is seared into your mind. You will know him soon enough Kara, and then you will long for a time that he did not lurk in your thoughts,” I said, then I turned and shifted, and sprinted towards the jungle.
It was glorious to feel the wind against my fur and to be free again. To be on this great hunt was a privilege that only came around once a season, and I always felt honored, especially because I knew that each of these great hunts could be my last. I had been blessed by fate so far that I had survived them all, but death was always close at hand, always stalking a warrior, and I knew that one day I would meet him.
I just had to hope that today was not that day.
Kara was beside me, striding forward as well. I was impressed by the way she moved. Her body was agile yet powerful, her fur a shade of gold that was pleasant to the eyes. She was lean, her mouth powerful, her face set in a determined expression, while her eyes shone with fire. Perhaps she would end up proving me wrong. We ran across the plains and headed towards the jungle. It loomed before us, the trees rising so high that they blocked the sky beyond, and they were so thick that the inside of the jungle was nothing but darkness. Vines tangled around the ground, and great leaves drooped from the trees. The air became humid, and I could sense animals scurrying around. I stood at the boundary of the jungle and then I turned to Kara for a moment before I let out an almighty roar. I wanted to announce to the jungle that its king had returned. My breath blasted the air and the roar thundered through the jungle, potentially making its way to Gonshu as well, although I had a feeling that Gonshu already knew I was coming.
I prowled forward, keeping my head low. My gaze was fixed on the scene ahead of me, for the jungle was filled with hidden dangers. Shadows abounded around us and I traced the trail that I had walked before. I then heard a sharp hiss and turned around. I looked up and saw a snake dangling from a tree. It was green, just like a vine, and the only difference was in its dark eyes and its forked tongue. It swayed down, descending towards Kara. I snarled and lunged towards her, swiping my claws through the air. The snake writhed, but I slammed it to the ground and squeezed tightly, breaking its scaly skin with my claws. Dark ichor seeped out and, within moments, it stopped writhing. Its flesh was a mess on my paw. I wiped it on the ground and gave Kara a meaningful look. Danger could come from any angle.
The jungle was thick and winding, a straight path was denied to us by the growth of trees and plants, so even though we had been traveling for hours, we had not made as much headway as we might have liked. We ended up by a stream to slake our thirst, and then shifted back into human form to eat. Night was about to descend, and I had spotted a tree nearby. After we had drunk, she nodded and swiftly climbed the tree. I was impressed by this, having expected her to need help. I followed, and came to join her on the thick branches. I took one lower than her and gazed down to scan the jungle for any danger.
