ure terror. He reached the hollowed-out ostrich nest
o time for
t cut through their excitement. He shoved t
d it in his jaws, and started running, motioning for the cubs to fo
scent, colder and sharper th
ustled. Three lionesses fann
of brutish aggression. On the right, the younger, leaner Cassia circled, cutting o
eat in Franco's mouth. She let
between the lioness and his cubs. He hisse
it. Her single eye, cold and merciless, sized hi
. Fight? He'd be dead in seconds. Run? They'd
a che
d behind his legs, trembling. A fierce
or a lion's growl. It was a sound of pure, defiant rage, so unexpect
hesitation, he act
nered cheetah was gone. In his place
tuttered. Their instinc
nt down, scooped up a handful of dirt and du
king her head, momentarily blinded.
ll, pushing a single, frantic thought towa
d hit them, a wave of pure terror and
ed and starte
nearest rock and hurled it with all his
n driving her into a frenzy. All thoughts of the cubs vanished, repl
in her eyes and knew
ding in the opposite d
furious lionesses, hell-bent on tearing apart the stra
nd branches tearing at his bare skin, leaving bl
dodged, weaved, and used trees and rocks to block their charges. The lionesses' c
fire. His legs were turning to le
en he
eep, dark chasm, a crack in the earth
s tra
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