Witch of the Wild Woods

Chapter 19 - Muzzle of Bees

Chapter 19 - Muzzle of Bees

Only fifty meters above death, the councilors' terror was too overwhelming to elicit any screams. At least, at first. Gracie let out a shrill cry that split the night. Korri began sobbing, her hands covered her mouth to muffle her wailing. The others soon allowed panic and sheer horror to overtake them.

Lane looked from the group of councilors to his sister.

She did not scream.

Luna never screamed, and so neither did Lane.

With a single powerful clap of her hands, Luna broke the panic, "Everyone, silence, now!" She waited for the others to comply. They were silent, but their attention drifted back down to the beasts below. Their silence was sustained only because of the sheer shock of the lion, the panther, and the wolf prowling, circling beneath them. For many of them, Luna imagined it was also the first time they'd seen a dying man too. Not just a stranger either, but someone they'd known. Whether Doc was beyond saving, however, well, it was too early to tell.

"We need to agree on a plan of attack," Lane began.

Jordan cut in, "No, nobody is going anywhere or doing anything. We're up there and those things are down there. Everyone shut the fuck up, stay calm-- Just stay calm!"

Nervous murmuring began to swell once more within the group.

"We can't stay up here," Julia spat out, "Panthers live in trees. They climb trees to h-hunt their p-p-prey." She shivered, face turning ghostly white.

Franki wrapped her arms around Julia and shot over the terrified whispers, "Who's got their mobile on them? Let's use our heads, people. We call for help and--" Scanning the group and their sheepish, embarrassed, horrified faces gave way that no one had brought their cell phones with them.

"Wouldn't matter if we did anyway," Zoe breathed out, "No cell service up here anyway."

"There's nobody within thirty miles of camp," Korri said, shaking. "What d'ya think animal control or the park rangers are gonna do with a fucking lion? You dumb dyke!"

Something in Julia snapped as she shot forward and slapped Korri across the face. Franki pulled the smaller blonde back to the edge of the cargo net they'd been sitting on. Julia was frothing at the mouth as she barked, "YOU DO NOT USE THAT LANGUAGE HERE, YOU BITCH!"

"It's okay, Jewels. Calm down. Bigger things to worry about here," Franki said, trying to soothe an enraged Julia into a tight embrace.

Brandon slammed his fist into his open palm, "Guys, there's ten of us and three dumb animals. We have the numbers advantage. We grab a fist full of branches, drop down, and start swinging till they run back off into the woods. Right?"

"HELLO?! Topeka, I can't stress this enough; L-I-O-N," Zoe clapped each letter as she spelled out the predator's name. Sure, it may have been a sickly, emaciated lion, covered in some kind of perpetually oozing tar, but a lion all the same. Even from up in the trees the beast was easily three meters long and roughly anywhere between 270 kilograms. Even if its ribs were visible against its hide, there was enough body on that creature to swallow more than two of them whole with room to spare. Additionally, most of the councilors were aware of the concealed razor-sharp claws and garden-sheer teeth. Once those knives were sunk inside you, there was no letting go.

"He's right," Cole breathed out, cold and slow. "We can't just sit up here and let Doc bleed out. We have to go down there."

"Cole, hun, maybe take a breath and think through that dumb idea?" Korri suggested with an unsettling smile. "You're not going to fight a lion."