Lion's Heart Ch 2 -Teaser-
Story by Amit_King on SoFurry
This is not the entire chapter. This is just something to get people interested and to show that I'm posting again and hopefully make people eager to read the rest. I have a lot more written up by not edited; I have to edit and proof read my own work at the moment.
So if you see any errors do let me know. If you like this teaser bit do leave a comment or vote. I really could use some feed back from fans and from people in general; been 3 months since my last upload. A long damn time.
Standing in the darkened hut several shadoweded figures stood over the two bodies that were so full of life moments ago, the red glow that lit up as a bolt of lightning struck. The shadows were shown as anthro lions, they stood over the two bodies in a cold silence, fresh blood staining fur and claws alike.
The four lioness' lurked in the darkness yet were soon joined by a much larger male as he shoved the flap to the hut open. He towered over the females, his hulking frame reached toward eight feet with glowing green that pierced through the darkness while he approached the smaller gathered group.
Those glaring eyes scanned over the bodies that lay on the ground, anger held within them before all attention was turned to a new sound that broke through the sound of the storm outside. The wails of a child. An infant at that. Off to the side rested a small crib where the baby lay without a shred of defense. The male approached with a cold stare that was met with the innocent golden eyes of the baby. A moment passed before the male turned his back and stepped from the hut, left the group of females to glance amongst themselves.
A young lioness looked conflicted as the other three began to follow suit of the male, giving a hesitant step after them before she turned to the wooden crib; a sorrowful glance to the bodies that had to be none other than the parents. Her sad expression lingered for more than a few moments before she gave a few small nods.
The large group of lions stared at the pelt wearing human as he spoke to Akilla with that soft familiar smile. The human even lowered himself down and extended a hand to stroke the large lioness across her muzzle, to which she merely closed a single eye. The stunned silence gripped all the females present so the human was the one to break through the its grip.
"I've missed you, ever since the day I was sent to wander with the others..." his eyes shifted to the side as clear unfond memories plagued his mind. He shook his head to cast them away. He gazed into the feral lions eyes once more, a smile being pulled over his lips as he chuckled,
"You can't even speak to me after so long?"
The question seemed to snap Akilla from her shock. She shook her own head as her ears laid back before she spoke,
"Amit, why have you returned? If King were to hear of this even you wouldn't be safe, you need to..." cut off as his hand carassed the top of her muzzle a second time. A simple nod of his head showed that he understood what she was going to say.
A sigh left his lips as his eyes turned to the gathered females behind Akilla. Her hunting party as it were, he looked at them with familiar eyes. Come to warn him of the dangers he would face should he cross too far into the territory of another Pride. A duty taken on by the females of a Pride to avoid the death of a young wandering male who did not know of the territory. He smiled to them as his hand fell from from her soft muzzle,
"I know all too well..." His left hand slowly rose to run his fingers across the scar across his stomach, the mark of two claws that had reached soft flesh of his left side to the center of his well toned stomach. His arms, legs, chest showed little difference. Scars all over showed the battles that he had survived in the past healed yet reminders all the same.
"Go fetch King, I wish to speak with him." The air itself turned from an awestruck shock to a knifes edge as if the world itself was about to change. The females dazed, confused looked to Akilla who merely stared dumbfounded by the bold request made from the human.
The echo of a babies cries rang out through the large cave, to which no lion was given a moment to try and sleep. Gathered in the den for warmth growls and snarls of anger and frustration could be heard as eyes were cast to the only grown male who sat a distance away against the far wall. His piercing green eyes glared toward a small etched out corridor of the den which lead to the source of the dens displeasure.
Down the small tunnel two anthro lionesses would be knelt down, a small panic between them as they scrambled about trying to find a way to calm the crying human child that lay in a small bed of grass before them. One held up a stick toy and the other offered water. Yet it did nothing to quell the child and the two younger females began to chance nervous glances back to the dark corridor. A fear etched upon their faces as they waited for an enraged lion to come and silence the child for good.
"What do we do!? We can't get it to be quiet!" one of the young lionesses would exclaim in a hushed manner while the other held her hands up before placing a single hand over the childs mouth finally putting a muffle over the noise.
"I-I don't know! What do they do when cubs won't quiet down!?" the second lioness would question with wide brown eyes.
"Cubs don't make this kind of noise!" her green eyed friend would respond with a hand coming to rest against her own forehead.
It would be at this time that a feral lioness followed by a fairly large anthro would step from the darkness. "Two that have never known what it is to be mothers yet have no business attempting to tend to the young."
The feral was older than the two and her eyes held a clear air of superiority. Her golden fur shifted as she stepped, showing the powerful muscles that rested under her pelt as she approached the younger two.
"Akilla!?" one of the younger anthros would exclaim as both lowered their heads while they attempted to shield the young human behind them; unfortunatly she had to remove her hand from his mouth and the crying once again echoed throughout the den. Much to the displeasure of all those in the main chamber.
The sound caused the feral to wince slightly with a clear show of annoyance upon her face. "Tia, you went with us, you understood the task. King allowed you to bring this human back after you begged him in front of all of us. Yet you now test the prides patience with this inability to silence it."
The young lioness with brown eyes, Tia, lowered her head even more with her ears falling back in shame. Her expression showed her disappointment, yet her hands curled into fists against her own lap as she struggled to control herself.
"I-I couldn't just leave him to starve! I know what its like to be out there without a family!" She would plead with her muzzle practically resting against the soft dirt under her.
Akillia stared at Tia for a time, her friend having lifted her head and moved away with concern and sadness for her the one next to her. Akilla however shifted her gaze to the lioness behind her. A hulking mass of strength that she was. She towering over the two younger females with the muscles that would rival that of a male in the main chamber. This female on Akilla's silent order stepped forward causing Tai to quickly lift her head! She jumped to her feet with her arms extended in an attempt to block the larger female,
"Please Unala don't!" A strong hand an cold gaze was all Tai recieved as she was shoved aside with ease. She was caught by the other female as she fell into her arms. The large lioness Unala cast her eyes on the small human as she shifted down to a knee. Akilla stepped forward to stand behind Unala with a firm gaze upon Tai as the crying caame to an end. Tai, now a shivering ball fought back the tears that welled up within her eyes, her friend held her close.
Akilla cast her eyes to the ground in thought before they lifted to the two younger females once more. "You have never bared cubs so you have no mind on how to care for them." A spitful glare was given to Akilla and her words. They were easily ignored as she turned hereslf about and circled Unala.
"Unala here lost her cub when she was cast out of her old tribe, the male that replaced her old king deemed that his bloodline would not continue. She misses them dearly and has agreed to help upon my request."
Confusion was cast upon the two younger lions that caused them to stir and appraoch. Taking in the sight of Unala nursing the young human as she gently cradled him in her powerful arms. The two younger lions were still a bit dazed yet relief fell onto them which caused their shoulders to drop, the tension they felt melting away at the youg human.
Akillia circled back around to make for the tunnel that led back to the main den, "I understand that you wish to help Tai, but there is no shame in relaying on your pride for guidance when you do not know what to do."
The younger lioness still held tears in her eyes with her head being lowered as Akilla stepped out. Her glowing eyes cutting through the darkness as she stepped back into the main part of the den to a large group of happily slumbering lions.
Ferals and anthros were mashed togehter, snuggled close for warmth and breathing steadily all the while their leader, the powerful male still sat in silence as his eyes and face twisted in displeasure.
Akillia approached to sit beside him, "If you continue to scowl like that your fur is going to turn grey before its time King." The male gave a 'Bah' in response as he exhaled,
"I should have told her to leave it where she found it." Akilla smiled as she lowered herself to lay the front half of her body down upon the males lap causing him to finally break his stare as a grunt lept from his chest.
She forced him to straighten his legs and place a hand upon her back, his focus now being upon her she smiled up to him. "You know full well Tai would have run off with him into the wilds, probably to be eaten by hyenas or worse. So you with your sharp eyes and soft heart told her she could keep him, just to get her safely home."
Akillia was able to see right through him and his spiteful front, he admitted defeat with a heavy sigh and closed eyes.
"Do not think so little of your kindess King, perhaps one day you'll come to hold human in regards that they once were. Forget not the one that raised you." The males eyes cast to the side as memories grew in his mind before his shoulders fell. He let forth a hearty yawn as sleep demanded his submission.
Several years had passed since that night within the hut. The young human that had been taken in all that time ago had grown with the other cubs of that year. They grew nearly at the same pace though the human remained weak and soft compared to the other lion cubs. Yet he had a different aura about him, he learned quickly. Adapted. A lion would push him, he would push back only to be thrown to the ground! So when the lion pushed again, he pulled and threw the lion out of the way. He learned quickly to use others strength against them and soon he knew how to fight.
Fight and fight. He learned how to throw, to dodge, to strike when they were open. He quickly became a fine warrior cub; Unala showed her pride in raising the young human to face off with even the wildest of lion cubs.
The older members of the Pride shunned him mostly when he began to crawl about, though in time they came to accept him. It was not easy, Unala and Tai were on constant watch as for his quick learning he was equally curious. Small cliffs, pointed branches, spitful females and young cubs all were a danger to the little human for some time. Yet as he grew, he learned and learned soon to stop crying when he fell. For what that was worth as most of the time he ran around with the cubs who created chaos and trouble where ever they went, impossible to order around or control when it came down to it.
He slept with a few members of the pride, learned how to behave around elders and made a general nusance of himself along with the other cubs. In the end he was accepted as a lion cub and treated just as such by all others in the pride.
From a young age scars appeared on his body, cuts and claw marks as well as a few bite marks where he would get a bit rough with the other cubs. A lesson once learned in a harsh way when he fought back. No matter how much he learned it was hard to compete against claw and fang with soft flesh. No fur to help defend himself, no claws to make another think twice about fighting him.