Very well,the Tiger King finally pronounced.
This is my decision: No harm will come to the Hunter for crimes of the past.
The forest exploded with a new cacophony of animal sounds, mostly of fury and displeasure, but there were some rumblings and sighs of acceptance as well.
However, Goya spoke through the dissonance,the Hunter faces a new crime that he must answer for.
Everyone quieted immediately at that.
Zai froze as well.
Someone led the Dark soldiers to our enclave. Someone revealed our secrets to the new Dark Queen.
Goya narrowed his eyes at Sin, then Ben, and at last upon Zai.
We are no longer safe here. In an hour, we will begin the move to a new territory. And in the meantime, justice must be served.
It is the Hunter who betrayed our location!the golden lioness was the first to shout.
He might have betrayed the old queen, but he is working for the new one!
He cannot be allowed to live!the spotted leopard reinforced.
He will only continue to be a danger to all of us. He will never stop hunting us.
Sin no longer translated what they said to Ben, who looked bewildered at the sudden chaos.
Instead, he let out a resounding roar, so long and loud and ferocious, even Goya arched a furry brow at his audacity.
You have no proof of these accusations,he staunchly defended Zai, his voice reduced to primitive vibrations that shook from the depths of his chest.
My Hunter would never betray us. I will challenge anyone who dares say otherwise.
He took a threatening step toward the four most aggressive cats. At least two of them couldn’t help but step back, while the other two barely held their ground, crouching low in an involuntarily defensive and submissive position.
Say it again to my face,Sin spat at them, glaring dangerously into their eyes.
I dare you. I will fight each and every one of you. All of you at once, if needs be, to defend him.
“I’ll fight my own gods bedamned battles,” Zai ground out at that, no longer able to keep silent.
Enough was enough.
He’d been resigned to his bloody, violent fate already. One way or another, if not this day, then likely someday not too far off in the future, his end would come for him.
And it wasn’t going to be gentle.
That wasn’t the sort of fate that awaited the likes of him.
“Go ahead and accuse me. It has nothing to do with either of you,” he directed the latter bit to Sin and Ben.
“I’m not going to waste breath defending myself,” he rumbled low, but he knew the Beasts heard him. They were paying rapt attention.
“But I won’t roll over and play dead either. Whoever wants a piece of me will have to fight to get it. I’ll gladly oblige.”
More noises erupted at that, the group of four practically chomping at the bit to get at him, while Sin put his body between them, roared and growled ferociously to keep them at bay.
Interesting.