I knew it would be different with him than it had been with Dalton, and this made it more special. I didn’t just want a copy. I wanted to experience as much of what life had to offer as I could. It didn’t make sense to limit myself and only give myself a narrow view of what life had to offer. I think if I had refused and walked away, my body would have screamed at me. But I couldn’t walk away. The only times life made any sense and I felt like I was where I belonged, was when I was in the arms of Rick and Dalton. The longer that Rick kissed me, the more enthusiastic I became, and sweet relief swept through my body.
“I take it from your reaction that you’re happy to stay?” he asked. I nodded enthusiastically and blushed. “I am glad, and I know Dalton will be too, as well as the rest of our pride. You have done us a great service, one that will be difficult to repay.”
“I still have many questions though, questions about how all this works, about your capabilities and what it’s like to be a lion. It’s so, so different from anything I’ve ever experienced. Does it hurt? Are you like a different person? Do you have complete control over when you change or are there times when it comes over you and you can’t help yourself?”
Rick sat down, indicating that it would take a while to answer all my questions. As he spoke, my gaze drifted to his lips and I couldn’t stop thinking about his kiss. The desire to see him close to me, to experience what it was like to make love to him was so powerful it made me tremble. He answered all of my questions and more, telling me everything there was to know about lion culture. I got to know how rich and deep it was, and by the end of it I almost wished that I could turn into a lion myself.
“Can I…can I see you do it again?” I asked. Rick smiled and obliged my request. I watched his body change before my eyes, shimmering as the lion took the place of the man. I should have been horrified. I should have been disgusted, but instead I was honored that I was given such a privileged position. He walked towards me. I reached out a tentative hand and felt his soft mane. I stroked his smooth nose and felt the powerful body pressing against mine. He opened his mouth and I saw the deadly jaws, the sharp predatory teeth that had caused the death of so many other creatures, and I was proud that he was going to be the father of my children.
He was in the process of shifting back, when another man ran into the cave calling Rick’s name. Rick turned to face him. The man looked worried and spoke in hasty words.
“Bruce is here, and he’s brought others with him.”
I turned to Rick and saw his face clench in a grim manner. Fear filled my body, because I knew there was only one reason why Bruce would have returned now; to declare war.
Chapter Fifteen
Rick and I emerged from the cavern and I raised my hand to shield my eyes from the sun. A group of lions approached, and as they drew nearer they shifted into men and women. Tension simmered in the air and I didn’t need Rick to tell me that these were some other pride come to steal Rick’s home. Rick marched down to be joined by Dalton at his flank. My parents stood off to the side, holding each other. I tried to signal to them that everything would be okay, that I had agreed to stay and be the mother to the new generation of lions, but they were focused on the strangers. I kept telling myself that it would be okay, but as each moment passed I wondered if I had been too late.
Dalton came up beside us and squeezed my hand. There was much I needed to talk about with him, but it would have to wait.
Bruce strode forward, smug and arrogant, and with him came a proud woman with flaming red hair and an athletic physique. I couldn’t help but feel small and inadequate in comparison. She stood taller than Bruce and had a haughty expression on her face. The legions of lions behind her were resolute and stoic. I was afraid of war and all the bloodshed it would entail. Now that it was daylight I had a better view of Bruce. He was a strong man, with broad shoulders and a muscular body, but there was no kindness in his eyes and he stood with a superior air. It wasn’t surprising to me that he had isolated himself from this pride, although I could see that Dalton and Rick were both surprised that he had come here with these other lions.
“It’s so good to see you again,” Bruce said, and his eyes fell on me. I felt my skin crawl and I glared back at him, not that it did much good. I knew what he was capable of. Dalton and Rick had only just managed to fend him off. If he tried to fight them again, I wasn’t sure what would happen.
“What are you doing here Bruce, and why are you with her?” Rick asked, his words ringing out through the air loud and clear.
“You shall address me by my proper name,” the lady said.
“My apologies Alyssa,” Rick growled. “I wasn’t aware you were coming to visit us.”
“We received an invitation from Bruce and it would have been impolite to refuse his hospitality,” she said, and a sly smile crossed her face. I took an immediate dislike to her.
“But I think you know why we’re really here Rick. It’s time for you to relinquish your hold on this place. You’ve had a good run, but the pride’s time here is over. You’re not blessed enough to be here any longer,” Bruce said.
“Bruce, I’m surprised that you would say such a thing. I thoug
ht it was always your ambition to lead this pride, or are you just afraid to challenge me?” Rick asked.
Bruce smirked. “You know, originally, I did hope that the rest of my brethren would see some sense and acknowledge me as the superior lion, but it’s quite fitting that they’re loyal to you. It makes sense, considering that the best days of this pride are behind us. It was time for me to look for new pastures. It’s just another sign that your hold over this place is dwindling, and yes, I allied myself with Alyssa because she’s shown herself to be an incredibly resourceful person and she’s led her pride, from strength to strength. She’s the worthy heir to this place Rick. You should be reasonable and see that.”
“And I’m sure she’s promised you a prestigious place in her tribe. Forgive me Alyssa, but you can’t be that resourceful if you’re willing to take Bruce in. There’s a reason why he doesn’t fit in around here,” Rick said.
Alyssa opened her mouth to speak, but Bruce stepped forward and his nostrils flared. “The only reason why I am not appreciated around here is because you are all too dull-witted to see my superiority!” he shrieked. Alyssa arched an eyebrow and spoke far more calmly.
“Bruce has provided us with certain information that has proven to be quite useful, and he has pledged his loyalty to me. You may do the same and remain here. However, he is right in saying that your time is over. You should accept your weakness and give in to the might of my pride. There is no need for war and bloodshed if you can find it in your heart to accept the truth and surrender. The power of your pride is waning. We both know this, and I am but the first to come here. There will be others, and some are more ruthless than I. They may not be so merciful, to offer you the chance to pledge yourselves to a new order.”
She seemed to think that this was all a foregone conclusion. I didn’t think that she should be so smug about it. Rick and Dalton weren’t going to give up so easily. Their days of owning this mountain weren’t over just yet.
“I’m sure there will be more people coming, but I’ll tell them the same thing I’m telling you. We’re not moving. Reports of our demise have been greatly exaggerated,” Rick gave a pointed look towards Bruce, “our strength is not dwindling at all, and we are not ready to give up our hold on our ground.”
“You have no chance Rick. You know that I can provide a challenge to you and Dalton,” Bruce said, “and you two are the best this pride can offer. Without me this place has grown weak and feeble. It would have served you all much better,” Bruce raised his voice and stretched out his arms, addressing the entire gathered crowd, “if you had accepted me as your leader when I first put myself forward for the role. Your biggest mistake was in denying me my right. I mean, look at you, you welcome humans into your ranks, and now you would even dare to suggest that a human could be a viable candidate to solve your problems! I can’t believe you would even dare to do something so preposterous.”
“It’s not ridiculous at all Bruce. Alyssa, you might think it strange for me to defend myself so vehemently, when you clearly have the superior numbers, but you well know the mistakes my predecessor made. I am due time to make up for them. And yes, I have opened our home to a few humans because we have been isolated for too long. Does it do us any good to live in a world where we are forced to hide our true nature? Perhaps it is time for us to look out to the world, instead of focusing inwardly on ourselves. These humans,” Rick gestured to my parents, “found us themselves, by following a trail of clues. They were determined to find us. They searched far and wide and left everything they knew to come to us, and maybe that is a sign of how we should move forward. It’s clear that, as a culture, we cannot be so isolated anymore. We cannot rely on only ourselves, and I am willing to take the step forward, to look forward and be a part of a bigger world. We all know what humans are like. At some point they will expand out here. It is only a matter of time until our worlds collide and if we are not prepared it will only end badly for us. We must make sure that these things happen on our terms, and our terms alone.”
He dipped his head and his tone became more solemn.
“If it does not happen in our lifetime, then it will happen during our descendants’ lives and the least we can do is prepare them for that, and what better way than showing them that humans and lions can live and work together in peace, and love each other. And you may ask yourselves, why allow humans to be involved in our breeding, you may even think, like Bruce, that it is weakening us rather than strengthening us, but I ask you in return what the most powerful species on the planet is? Which civilization reigns supreme, despite our enhanced abilities? Perhaps we have been looking at ourselves all wrong for all these years. Perhaps we should always have been looking to get a little more humanity in our society. It might serve us better in the long run. Don’t we already turn into humans anyway? A little more cannot hurt. That is my plan, and I have already found the woman who shall stand by my side. There is no show of weakness here, Alyssa. There is nothing for you to be concerned about.”