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“What are you going to do about them?” she asked, gesturing to the bodies that stained this small cave.
“We will leave them here. We cannot bring them back with us. They betrayed the pride. As much as I was fond of Char… she was an enemy to us. Zizan was an exile. I will not risk our journey back by taking them. I shall tell father, and if he deems it appropriate to fetch their bodies then he can send a party for them. But for now, we should get back. I must tell them of Zizan, for it is always possible that there are others like him lurking among us.”
I stepped towards the entrance to the cave and peered out, looking at the mountain below us. There was a narrow path that crossed the mountain face, which Zizan and Char must have used to carry me up here. There were also footholds that could be used to climb down. I rubbed my wrists, eager to prove that I was strong enough to make the descent. I was about to step out when I saw a flicker of movement above. A shadow passed over us, and my mouth dropped with a mixture of fear and awe.
“I think we have a problem,” I said. The other two joined me and gaped outside. I pointed to the sky. Appearing from around the mountain, wings outstretched, was the great beast Ganang. Its beak was sharp, and its beady eyes were focused on us. It turned and then pressed its wings tightly against its flanks as it dove towards us. We staggered back at the last moment and saw the beak snapping in the cave’s entrance. Ganang tried to squeeze its head inside, but the entrance was too small. It must have been attracted by the scent of blood.
I glanced uneasily towards Naaro.
I had no idea what we were going to do.
Naaro did what came naturally to him. He shifted into a lion and ran towards the bird, but Ganang drew back and hovered in the air, beating its wings. Naaro roared, but this did not strike fear into the heart of the bird. There was no way for Naaro to strike from this range, and Ganang was guarding the entrance. It stayed there for a few moments before it swooped away.
“Can we leave now?” Emilia whispered beside me.
“Let’s wait,” I said, filled with a sense of foreboding. Indeed, moments later Ganang came back around and tried to attack again.
“If we try to climb down it’s only going to pick us off. I don’t fancy being gobbled up,” I said.
Naaro returned to his human form. “This doesn’t make any sense. It’s not hunting season. Ganang should be sleeping.”
“Zizan must have awoken him. This blood must have attracted it. Either way, it doesn’t matter why it has awoken, only that it has. We can’t leave this cave while it’s out there,” I said.
“What do you suggest we do?” Naaro asked.
The pressure was on me. I searched my mind for the answers, but it was blank. They should have been in there. I had been mentored by my father and I had spent hours in the library, yet in this situation I was completely at a loss for words. I had never been allowed to go hunting, not for these great beasts, and even when I did go hunting I was never given the lead. I realized how out of my depth I was. There was only one person who knew what to do here, and that was Naaro.
“I think you’re going to have to make this call,” I said.
“But you are the son of the Alpha. I am here to obey.”
“Naaro, don’t you get it? I don’t know! This isn’t what I’ve been trained to do. It’s not my life. I need you to get us out of this. You’re not just my guard or my companion, you are the son of the War Chief. You are the one who has been on hunts and have proven your strength many times over. I haven’t done any of that. I’ll listen to whatever you say.”
Naaro blushed, while Emilia looked at him with wide eyes. “Since you are still unable to turn into a lion, we must cope with the fact that you are human. The strength we need is within us, but fighting a foe who can fly is not easy. We must find a way to bring it to the ground. There is a bow and arrow on the floor. Divad, you must fire it. We should try and tempt it closer, and then I shall jump on its back and attack it.”
“What? Are you insane? There’s no way that’s going to work.”
“It is the only way. The arrows will only damage it, but its bulk is too sturdy to be killed by these mere weapons. I need to get closer and slit its throat. If not, then at least while I am fighting it you and Emilia will be able to use the distraction to flee.”
“And what about you?” I asked.
Something flickered in Naaro’s eyes. “I have always been prepared to give my life for you, brother,” he said.
I felt as though I had been punched in the gut. “No… Naaro, don’t say that. We’re going to get through this together. We’re going to rule the pride together. That’s what we’ve always planned to do, right? You and me until the end, yeah?”
“Divad, you are the son of the Alpha. You are the world walker. The position of Alpha has always been yours and yours alone. I have always sworn that I will stand beside you and I will protect you, and now if I need to give my life then that is what I must do. If you do not return to the pride today then Zizan will have won. There are no others like you, while there are many who could perform my role.”
“But you’re wrong Naaro. I don’t trust anyone as much as I trust you. It’s always been us, and you’ve always been the one with the good heart. You’re a better man than me.”
Naaro smirked. “I hope you tell Mom that when you return. Pick up the bow. As soon as you see an opportunity fire. I will wait and jump. I will try and lead it away. When I do, you and Emilia climb down as swiftly as you can. As soon as you’re able to turn into a lion again run back to the pride and don’t stop until you’re safe. I will try and make it back myself.”
“You don’t have to do this Naaro. Please. We can figure out another plan. We can find another way,” I said, feeling the emotion starting to overwhelm me. This wasn’t how this was supposed to happen. Our lives were supposed to be easy.
“You told me that you would listen to my judgment, brother. This is what I have decided. You must trust me,” he said.
I nodded solemnly, swallowing my feelings. “I’m sorry for all of this Naaro, but just know that you were never just another guard to me. I know I haven’t always been the best brother. I’ve gotten on your nerves so many times, but I’ve always held you in high esteem. I want you to know that I’ll never forget you. But I’ll see you again. Ganang isn’t going to tear us apart. Nothing can,” I said, although I could already feel my heart sinking. I had come close to death already today and it seemed as though there were not going to be many more chances to escape its touch.
I went to pick up the bow and arrow, while Naaro went to speak to Emilia.
