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I strode through the forest, enjoying the scent of flowers in the air and the feeling of the plants and shrubs brushing against my body. The shadows were cool, the air temperate. It was a relief to not have the sun beating down upon me as it usually did. This world was so different. Knowing that there were other worlds out there was a far different prospect to actually being in one. When I was confident that we were out of Mika’s earshot I shifted back into a human and settled on a rock, pulling a flower from the ground and holding it in my hand. I inhaled the sweet scent and closed my eyes. Then I laughed.
Lanas came to join me.
“How is your arm Lioness?” he asked. The flesh was binding together again. The blood had stopped flowing.
“It’s fine. But is that all you can ask me about Lanas? We are in a new world, the world our ancestors hailed from, and all you can do is ask about my arm?”
“Your wellbeing is the most pressing concern to me, Lioness,” he replied.
I chuckled and leaned back, looking up into the sky. “I told you this would work Lanas. You were right to have faith in me. Imagine the look on Darrow’s face when he sees this place. This is what we have been waiting for, you know. This is the world that we can use as our salvation. No longer do we have to endure every day, but we can come here to hunt and feast and enjoy our lives. Life does not have to be a thing of burden any longer.”
“As you wish,” Lanas said.
“You do not agree?”
“I… am not sure that every lion will share your optimism. They may be reluctant to leave their home.”
“Then they are fools,” I spat, a dark shadow slipping over my face. “Our home is dying. Our future is here, in Orestes, where we can claim our rightful place once again and become a part of the pride that our ancestors left behind.”
“Is that truly something you want Lioness? After all, this pride already has a leader.”
I arched an eyebrow. “You mean Mika? In some ways he is an impressive man. I admire him for intending to hunt that beast by himself, but lions always follow the strongest. I do not think I would have much difficulty in proving myself the strongest lion in Orestes. All I need is a chance.”
“Of course not, Lioness, but I was more thinking of the leader they have at the present moment.”
“Well, we shall see about that once we arrive at this tower Mika speaks of.”
“And what if they seek to capture us? What if they see us as the enemy? I am not sure I trust this, Mika. He is clearly upset because he thinks you stole his hunt, so I do not know where his intentions lie. What if he tries to paint us as villains?”
“Then I will simply use my abilities to leave. Nobody can ever hold us captive Lanas. I will not allow that to happen again. This is where we belong. I can feel it in the air, can’t you? Every time I breathe, I can sense the claim we have on this place. Now let us hunt. We shall feast on something more filling than the fruits and berries you have been busying yourself with.”
I shifted back into a lion and made my way through the grass. I caught the scent of an animal in the air. It was a boar. This was no great beast like Gargann, but it was a juicy boar with a lot of meat on its bones. The scent of it was enough to make my hunger rumble. I trod carefully and slowly, making sure to avoid making any sound. My breathing was shallow and I had to temper the excitement that was aroused in my heart. Its head was bowed. It grazed its snout against the ground as it searched for its food, so entranced by its own hunt that it was not aware of me. Lanas was there, ready to intercept the boar if it should dart away, but the taste of Gargann’s blood had instilled within me a yearning for more.
This boar was going to be mine.
I slowly crept forward, stretching one limb in front of the other, while keeping my golden frame out of sight. My gaze was trained on the boar, never leaving it. It was moving slowly, which was to my advantage. The closer I got, the more intense its scent grew. I could almost taste the meat on my tongue.
But the wind shifted unexpectedly. The boar jerked its head up and its ears twitched. I could see the fear in its eyes. It was about to bolt away, but I couldn’t have this. I leaped forward and sprinted towards it. As soon as I emerged from my hiding place it jerked away, trying to escape, but its fate had already been sealed. I lunged forward and dragged it back with my claws, using my strength to subdue it to the ground. It snorted and struggled to break free, but then I sank my teeth into it and felt the blood flowing around my lips, warmed with life. The boar stopped struggling soon after this. I enjoyed the taste in my mouth before we dragged it back to where Mika was waiting for us.
Chapter Twelve
Lanas
I walked beside my Lioness, annoyed that we had to return to Mika. This world seemed big enough that we should have been able to find a place for ourselves no matter whether the lions of Orestes knew us or not, but I suppose I could understand why Ava wanted to announce herself to them. It was a matter of pride.
Mika produced a knife when we returned. He skinned the animal and then set it on a spit, roasting it above the fire he made. The flesh crackled and the fire hissed as fat from the body dripped down, feeding the flames. My hunger grew into a frenzy. I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen something like this. Perhaps as a child, but even then, the animal brought back had not been filled with such meat. The air was thick with the scent of roasting meat, and I could taste it on my tongue. I wanted to throw myself into the fire and gorge myself on it, not caring that it was not cooked properly yet. Did Mika even realize how fortunate he was to live in a place like this where animals were everywhere?
“Tell me about Orestes,” Ava said.
“What would you like to know?” Mika replied.
“I want to know if it’s the same as the stories we were told as children,” Ava said.
“And what stories were you told?”
I spoke up. “We were told that Orestes was a land where lions could roam freely, without ever having to worry about being hunted. We were told that it was the birthplace of the first lions, and from that pride other lions were sent to form new prides elsewhere, conquering world after world in the name of our glory.”
“That sounds about right,” Mika replied. “Generations ago lions used people with your ability,” he glanced towards Ava as he said this, “to travel to different worlds and form new settlements. But there were always lions who stayed in Orestes to watch over the plains.”
