“Wait a minute Hunter. Doesn’t he look familiar to you?” Kyle suddenly took a keen interest in Rycka, studying him from a far.
“I don’t know, maybe.” He took a closer look. “I think I had his sister over for lunch yesterday.”
Aaron hysterically laughed aloud and just couldn’t resist saying, “Nice one!”
“I know right?”
Kyle came in closer and persistently whispered, “Am serious guys, that face looks oddly familiar.”
“Maybe it’s your imagination running wild again. Just let it go.” Aaron disrespectfully replied.
“My imagination huh? You wanna see some imagination? I’ll show you imagination. Get over here!”
“Knock it off you two. I don’t have time for this, am hungry. What do you say we have ourselves a bite first, and then we can argue all we want.”
With a powerful speech from their fearless leader, they were now back on the same page. They all agreed upon something for once. After their final amen to the creator, there was but only one thing left to do. Which was…
“Let them go Hunter!”
A loud masculine growl pierced through all the darkness embellishing that God forsaken graveyard of a place. It was clearly heard throughout all the corners of that wretched place as it echoed back and forth. They all glued their eyes to the shred of light approaching, and it all became clear to them as they glared upon a familiar sight.
“Dad!” Rycka acknowledged his father’s presence.
“Saber! Long-time no see.” Hunter growled as he once again stood face to face with his mortal enemy. “I see you’ve changed since we last met.”
“You too Hunter. You’ve moved on from hunting poor defenceless preys to hunting your own kind.”
“What are you gonna do right? I gotta go with the flow. Isn’t that what you always say?”
“Used to, not anymore.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot. You decided to be a family guy instead.”
“It was time to move on hunter, you knew that.”
“You left me all alone with these pathetic excuses for predators…for them?” His eyes glowed fiery red as he pointed at Rycka and the gang.
“Hey!” Kyle and Aaron shouted in unison to the dis-respective comment made by Hunter.
“Just let ‘em go Hunter.”
“I was going to, but now that you are here, I am going to kill them all and make you watch every second of it.”
“Do that and I’ll reap your throat out.”
“I’d like to see you try.” He smiled.
He crept over to Rycka, whose eyes shimmered in fear. A tear escaped him as he gazed over to his loving father before finally shutting his eyes. Saber grew angrier at the thought of losing his only son and so he too closed his eyes. He listened to all that surrounded him. The sound of the cubs shivering in fear, and Hunter growling as he drew near them. He could hear Aaron and Kyle cheering on. He even heard the wind as it gently caressed the dry leaves, and finally grazing his skin. He willingly slowed down his heart rate, and for a mere second, time slowed down. Slightly lifting his eyelids, he saw nothing ahead of him but a mere challenge. Like a bolt of lightning, he sprinted his way through Aaron and Kyle. They just stood there perplexed by the sudden feel of a cold chill on their skin.
Hunter was but a paw away from grabbing Rycka when he was abruptly whisked away. He tumbled and his helpless body made its way down the pit. He landed hard on the desolate hard and rough surface of its ground. Aaron and Kyle swooped down to Hunter’s aid, helping him back on his feet. His entire body cracked and tore as he limped his way up. He didn’t have the strength to go on, but he definitely had one more fight left in him. This time it was his turn to make a move. Saber stepped down into the pit to confront him, but Hunter still had one more trick up his sleeves.
“Get him!” He attacked.
“Got any ideas?” Varn reached out.
From all that pacing, his heart might soon give out before he even does endure the worst part of it all.
“I got nothing.” Jayd honestly replied.
The lionesses tightly boxed them, and for a second, everything was silent. Only the growls of the very hungry lionesses echoed. Their paws forcefully stamped the ground. Their retracted claws escaped their domain and their sharp carnassial teeth reflected the rays of the setting sun. Their highly sensitive nocturnal eyes narrowed, as they stood affixed on their targets. As for the cornered preys, their reaction to the whole incident was very much opposite to that of the predators. For starters, their hearts paced as their limbs grew weary from all the blood rushing to their heads. Their eyes widened to the sudden approach of death. They just stood still, not that they had a choice. In their minds, thoughts flooded in, in a slight rush that gave them all temporary headaches. Compared to being a prey, predators had it easy.
“Who should we have first? The wildebeests or the antelope?” The lion abruptly spoke up with authority, addressing his den. A vicious and heart-rending smile affixed on his face, while his long grown mane shattered the view of his blind right eye.
“I don’t know. What do you think dear?” A lioness replied in a greedy and eager growl. She licked her lips with her long and slobbery tongue.
“I think we should start with the main course, work our way over to the appetizer, and then save ourselves some desert for later.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
The preys debated amongst themselves who the main course was, but it was all very clear to them which role they were all going to play. They just couldn’t admit it.
“I guess this is goodbye eh buddy.” Varn finally came to terms with reality. With his last day on earth almost upon him, there was only one thing left to say, “I love you pal. We surely had some great times, didn’t we?”
“Yes we did. I love you too Uncle Varn.”
For a moment, the world stood still while they closed their eyes and hugged for one last time. Unexpectedly charging in, were two triceratopses dinosaurs leading ahead as two deers followed. All the attention shifted to them. The tables were now turned. This time the predators feared for their lives. However, for a predator to succumb to defeat was a huge shame to all his kind. Therefore, they stood their ground.
“The cavalry is here!” He taunted.
“Oh no, they’re going to hurt us! Whatever shall we do?” She added.
The rest joined in laughter but Zafeen and Kart were not impressed. They stood from a distance with affixed expressions on their face. Kart, being the loving mother that she is, gazed upon her frightened son and her heart grew numb. Zafeen noticed her weak heart break. He just had to do something to get his son out of harm’s way.
“This is Praemar, prey’s territory. No predators are allowed in here. Get out!” He commanded.
“Oh yeah? Or what?” The lion confronted him.
“I’ll force you out.”
“Really? You and what army?”
“You’re looking at it. You’re no match for a full-on charged triceratops.”
“We’ll take our chances.”
Kart became too overwhelmed with emotions that she cried out in sorrow. She pleaded with the savage beasts to let Jayd go.
“Please let my son go! Take me instead!”
“What about me?” Varn screamed.
She slowly began moving in their direction when Zafeen stopped her. She begged and pleaded with him to let her go but he just couldn’t let that happen. He then commanded the triceratopses to hold her back for her own protection. He moved in closer to the leader and confronted him face to face.
“Let them go or none of you will leave here alive.”
“Are you gonna let him talk to you like that Derek?” She intervened.
He didn’t take kindly to her interference and roared her way, “Silence Sarai!” After shamefully shunning her away, he came right back to his confrontation with Zafeen.
“Is that a threat?”
“Take it however you want. You are not leavi
ng here with them.”
“I’ll take that as a challenge.” He said, stirring up heat between them.
Chapter 9: Confrontation.
Heeding their master’s command, Aaron and Kyle unhesitantly took turns at Saber. They surrounded him and preyed on his life. Saber’s senses were now on high alert as he crouched. He shifted his view from Aaron to Kyle simultaneously. Thoughts raced, hearts paced and blood rushed. This was but a mere effect. There was still a lot to come. Aaron now stood in the back while Kyle was in front of Saber. Rycka and Eury stepped out of their mashed up cocoon and came closer to the edge of the pit to support their father. When they saw how ganged up he was, they couldn’t help but feel sorry. It was entirely their fault.
“Dad!” They called out to him.
“Stay back!” He roared, noticing their presence.
Aaron and Kyle suddenly moved in, crouching and growling. Saber was pinned. There was no way he could attack them both at the same time. Instead, he cleverly devised a way to kill two birds with one stone. His view rapidly shifted as they got nearer, anticipating, and patiently waiting.
Aaron made the first strike. He pounced with all his might after noticing Saber’s distraction to Kyle. With all his sharp carnassial teeth and claws leading the way, he let gravity do all the work. However, Saber’s evasion was an unexpected twist. It interfered with his trajectory. Thereby causing him to collide with Kyle, whose reaction to Aaron’s out of control body left him rattled. Saber had won the first round. They then came at him together on one side in hope of overpowering him. Aaron attacked from the left, raising his paw. Saber however saw it coming and shield himself. Nevertheless, what he did not see was Kyle charging in from the other side. He knocked him off the ground and flat on the pile of dusty bones. Even for a tough and aged sabre-toothed tiger, one has to admit that that was gruesomely painful.
He hurriedly got back to his feet before they could make another strike against him. He shook the dust off him, and mischievously smiled. He thought to himself, “What a cheap shot.” He then twisted his neck, breaking loose the coiled up muscles and growled, “My Turn!” Treading - skipping - pacing - sprinting, he raced towards them. They held their guard up. He pounced and they too pounced. They all bashed into each other in mid-air. The impact threw Kyle farther apart, which left Aaron in a vulnerable state. Saber realized he had to make his strike now.
Aaron mistakenly looked back at his brother, Kyle. He was still unconscious. Suddenly, he met with a massive blow to his head. Saber’s paw accurately connected with Aaron’s cheek. His claws sunk deep, leaving scars all over his face. He toppled until he became unconscious. The sound of his brother’s groan was powerful enough to wake up Kyle. Aware of his revival, Saber abandoned Aaron to his grievances. He crept up to Kyle, who still laid on the ground, weak as ever. At least that’s what he wanted him to think. Saber grew near as Kyle still laid there with his eyes shut. He stood on top of him, with his claws pressing hard onto his skin. He silently moaned in agony.
Suddenly, he shot straight at his vulnerable and exposed neck. He tightly gripped it with his razor sharp jaws and sank his teeth deeper. Saber screamed in pain. He tried pulling back and pushing him off, but he persistently held on. In an attempt to knock him off, he pulled hard towards the edge of the pit. He lifted him off his feet and swung his heavy body against the edge. He struck him hard until he finally let go. Drops of blood rigidly flowed from his neck. It dropped down and sank into the ground, bringing life to the desolate land. He grew weaker at each passing moment. Rycka and Eury were filled with emotions. When Hunter saw him wobble his way back up, a smile plastered across his face.
Aaron and Kyle were now back to their feet. They preyed on the poor and defenceless Saber. Hunter closely moved in for a better glance. “Finish him!” He roared. Saber was a bit shaken off. He couldn’t see the attack until it dawned on him. Aaron pounced hard, making his mark. A mark that got him off his feet. He then pinned him to the ground. He took hold of his front and Kyle held his back. His eyes suddenly became wet as he sadly took one last glance at both Rycka and Eury, who quietly sobbed and sniffled above him. He then looked away in utter shame, slowly shutting his eyes in total darkness.
While the alpha males were distracted, Kart managed to sneak her away over to Jayd. The lionesses had lost track of their prey and were over at Derek’s side. She crept up behind him and silently called out his name. Startled, he turned around and came face to face with her. She was so pleased to see him that she gently caressed him. Neck-to-neck, shoulder-to-shoulder, heart-to-heart. She was glad to have her son back in her arms once again. Jayd however, abruptly pulled away. He nudged her in the predators’ way, but she persistently urged him to follow her. Varn soon noticed her. He couldn’t help but feel left out, and he too persistently insisted on tagging along.
They tiptoed their way out of the eagles nest, and unfortunately ended up in the dragon’s pit. One of the lionesses suddenly stood in their way. She roared aloud and stirred the attention of Derek. He quickly took notice as the rage engulfed him and began his descent upon them. Zafeen foresaw the impending predicament and commanded one of the triceratopses to intervene. He charged in straight ahead, knocking the lights out of the unaware lioness. He tossed her up in the air and threw her farther away from Kart and her son. She landed right in front of Derek, who stood between a pack of angry lionesses. Kart and Jayd were stiff stricken, and not forgetting the fear stricken uncle Varn of course.
“So, this is how we’re gonna play?” Derek growled.
Zafeen impatiently stared at him, annoyed and tired of his impudence. He ignorantly evaded his question and unresistingly refused to answer his obscure and meaningless query. Infuriated by his silence, Derek resorted to a more drastic measure just so he could get his point through. He sarcastically smiled and winked at him as he motioned to his right. Zafeen focused on him, trying to make out what he meant by that. Suddenly, he was introduced to an unforeseen sight. A member of his den abruptly attacked one of the wildebeests and dragged him to the side.
“No!” Zafeen screamed.
He tried rushing to his aid but Derek stood in his way. He growled and roared all his anger out. Kart was too sensitive about the matter and shielded Jayd from its sight. She blocked his view and focused his attention on her.
“Just look at me Jayd, look at me.” She whispered, staring deep into his eyes.
Varn was so horrified to the bone that he fainted. His heart almost gave out. Her jaw sunk deep into his throat, draining every single drop of blood out of him. This weakened him to his fall. She paralyzed him down to his knees, but with his every last breath, he fought back. He blindly kicked his feet up in the air. However, in mere seconds, he crumbled and laid flat on the now stained grass. He screamed as the life went out of him. The longer he resisted the deeper she went until he was completely eradicated from this world. Rage filled Zafeen’s pure and cautious heart as he watched him lie helplessly on the ground. He restlessly laid there in agony as life fleeted away. The sight of his still kicking legs and lifeless body took him back. Back to the past when he was just a fawn. He stared straight through the heavens, and for a moment, everything turned to blur as the memories came rushing in.
Chapter 10: Recap.
“Mum! Dad!” A young innocent and muffled Zafeen called out in much delight and happiness. He had absolutely no care in the world. He dragged his favourite pick of the day over to his mum and dropped it beside her. He smiled and impatiently waited for her reply.
“Look mom, look.” He insisted.
“Yes sweetie, very good.” She drowsily replied and slowly lifted her heavy sleepy eyes.
She reluctantly stared at Zafeen, and then got back to her interrupted slumber. Zafeen, contented with her reply, picked up the stick. He then dragged it over to his father, who sat at the edge of the slope. He kept gazing over the horizon, trapped in his own thoughts. He watched over the lands, and had a k
een eye on the two most important things that mattered to him the most, his wife, and son.
“Dad! Dad!” He persistently tried to get through to him.
“Yes son,” he replied with a deep masculine voice.
He turned around and gazed down at him.
“I’ve got the stick dad!”
“That’s my boy. You’ll be a champ in no time, and soon, who knows…maybe one day you might even be a better leader than I am.”
“Really dad?”
“Of course.”
“Yeah, I’ll be the greatest leader ever.”
“And what’s wrong with how I run things?”
“It needs a little bit more fun, no offence dad.”
They laughed while his mum stretched herself free of any sleep left, and joined them in the humour. Suddenly, a young buck came rushing in. He heavily panted, wearing out his hooves and rapidly sweating. He stopped right before Zafeen’s dad. He still panted as words barely left his breath.
“Sir! There’s trouble in the east side,” he said with a fainted voice.
“What?” He worried, “What is it?”
“Jaguars!”
“Predators!” She cried and pulled Zafeen closer to her. Her motherly instincts kicked in and she sought to protect her son.
“Kelly, you know what to do?” He said, looking back at his dearly beloved.
“What about you?” She heartily asked.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be back soon. Just keep him safe.” He replied, and walked out with the messenger.
“William!” She called out to him, “Take care!”
He looked back and took one last glance at them. He almost shed a tear at how beautiful the sight was. He then set off to the east, while the sun still shone brightly high above the sky. Immediately after they left, she dragged her son into the cave and hid themselves until it was safe to come out. Side by side, they laid in that dark abandoned cave and cuddled. As calm as a millpond, they steadied their breath and slowed down their beating hearts. They both kept a closer eye at the entrance.
William came upon the tragic horror engulfing the land. There was blood splattered all over and unskinned pieces of fur chafing to the wind. The lifeless bodies that laid on the ground tainted the grass. Everyone fled as they all looked to the west. In all this ruckus and confusion, the jaguars found themselves easy targets to prey on. One by one, they each made their catch. He stood at the edge and couldn’t quite clearly tell what was going on. He struggled pushing in towards the Jaguars. As difficult as it was to be stepped on, bumped into, tackled, and pushed, he still fought on through the rattled deers. He finally came face to face with the most vicious Jaguar of them all.