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The bear was in front of us. I spat its flesh out of my mouth, leaving the mangled ankles behind. I checked myself over quickly, quite amazed that I had managed to emerge from the fight unscathed, other than a few scratches and grazes. There were no fatal wounds though.
Then I took a moment to look around and reflect on the fact that I was actually standing in another world. The grass was soft under my feet and tickled my legs. The mountains rose high above me, covered in moss, the peaks white with snow. Trees stood tall and proud, thick, lush things instead of the spindly, thin sticks that I knew from home. There the branches were skeletal and wispy, withered in comparison to the fine things here with the thick leaves that drooped down, the deep verdant shade something that had only existed in my mind. It was said that long ago our world had been just like this one, but it was difficult to believe as I had only known it being dry and dusty.
I turned to Ava, but before I could say anything the other lion, this native of Orestes came running up to us with a look on his face that I could only explain as hurt.
“What have you done?” he cried when he reached us. He stood in front of the bear and fell to his knees, stricken with disappointment.
“Was this your pet?” Ava asked.
He frowned and pursed his lips as he glared at her. “My pet? This is one of the great beasts of Orestes and it was my kill!” he cried as he rose to his feet again and pounded his fist into his chest. Anger bristled on his body. I could smell it in the air. I walked up to him and tried to stand in between him and Ava.
“Do not speak to the Lioness like that,” I declared, putting my hand on his shoulder to try and pull him away. He did not care for this though, and just pushed me down. He was strong, his body nourished and full, his muscles taut, while mine were underfed. I crashed to the ground, a sullen look in my eyes as I felt I had failed my Lioness.
“Lioness? Who are you and where do you come from? What right do you think you have interrupting my hunt?”
Ava arched an eyebrow and studied this stranger. She then looked at the bear. “Where I come from people don’t have ownership of a hunt. The beasts are there to be slain by the best hunters. I can’t help it if my skills are superior to yours.”
He shifted his weight between his feet, bristling at this.
“I wouldn’t have had to put myself in danger if you hadn’t appeared from nowhere! You would have died if I hadn’t warned you.”
“I’m not sure about that,” Ava said as she dusted some dirt off her hands.
“I am,” he replied. He paced back and forth, shaking his head. “Now what am I supposed to do? I can’t kill Gargann again not yet.”
“That is this beast’s name?” she asked.
The other man tutted and lifted his gaze to the heavens. “You come here and you don’t even know what this place is. Gargann is one of the great beasts of Orestes. Soon the land will return life to him and he will return to his cave where he will slumber and regain his strength.”
“You mean that thing is going to come to life again?” I asked, my face a picture of shock. It had taken everything we had to bring it down the first time. The prospect of facing it in battle again did not appeal to me.
“Are you afraid of a little fight Lanas?” Ava asked.
“That wasn’t a little fight,” I grunted.
“It is the way of things. The great beasts are a part of this land, and life is returned to them. Every year there is a great hunt where hunters can prove themselves by claiming a trophy from the beast they have killed, setting them apart from the other hunters who do not dare risk their lives by entering the lair of these beasts.”
“So, take your trophy,” Ava gestured to the bear with a limp hand.
“It’s not mine to take. It’s yours. I did not make the kill,” he spoke through gritted teeth.
“No, you were too busy falling. It was quite the dramatic fall by the way, and also, you’re welcome, or have you forgotten how I cushioned your fall?”
“Thank you,” he replied reluctantly. “So, you’re Lanas, and you are?”
“She is the Lioness and she does not need to give her name,” I replied, sneering at him.
Ava chuckled as she bent down in front of the bear and reached into its mouth. “Give me your name first stranger, and then I’ll tell you mine.”
“I am Mika, heir to the throne of Orestes.”
To hear him say the name was confirmation that we had indeed arrived in the right place. I shared a glance with Ava. This meant so many things for our pride. It meant that we might have a future after all. When we returned to share this news, it was going to be incredible. I couldn’t imagine what the reaction was going to be from all these people when they discovered that we had accomplished the impossible.
“Royalty? Well, I didn’t expect to meet a prince out here all by himself,” Ava said.
“A prince still has to hunt,” Mika replied. I took an immediate dislike to him. He seemed to be the arrogant sort.
Ava reached into the bear’s mouth and pulled a tooth from its gums. It was sharp and fit into her palm, such was the size of the beast. The tooth was still wet with Gargann’s saliva and glistened under the pale light that slipped into this glade. She then returned to her feet.
