Tale of Panthera Regina (Remake)

Bonus Chapter #6: Gone

Credit to Asteriod Watermelon

Year: 200,007, estimated 15 years ago

A Bat-Eared fox kit woke up in the middle of the night as a cold feeling flooded over her, the wind just barely touching the tips of her ears as she stood up. 

 "Mom?" She whispered, looking around. It was dark and completely quiet except for the wind that grazed the tips of the grass around her. 

"Mom?" The Bat-Ear Fox kit whispered again as a chill went down her spine. She looked around more frantically, the cool breeze brushing against her ears.

She wanted to yell for her, but her common sense told her otherwise. The kit looked around again, looking for signs of predators.

A whisper came from the grass. The Bat-eared fox turned to the sound and walked cautiously toward it. "Don't worry, I just went for a quick patrol around the sleeping area," the whisper said, a hint of distress in their voice.

 She recognized the voice as her mother's and entered the grass, not wanting to be out in the open by herself where she could possibly be spotted by a predator. She looked up at her mother and watched as her ears swiveled like a cat's. Her mother's eyes widened as she pushed the kit into a crouch, the dry savannah dirt dusting her fur. Her mother crouched beside her and turned around.

 The fox kit turned around as well, glancing around as she was pushed in front. "Go straight, toward the termites," her mother whispered into her ear. "Then go right, toward the river." She didn't exactly understand what her mother was talking about.

*Why though?*  The Bat-eared Kit thought, but did as her mother said, becoming more and more distressed. 

She went straight, toward the termite mounds in the distance, then went toward the river. She was sure she heard her mother behind her, but her mother's breathing was panicked. 

*What's wrong?* She thought, the soft rustling of the grass calming her down a little. She wanted to say something, but couldn't find her voice.

A bark sounded behind her. "RUN!" Her mother growled.

She wanted to run but was frozen in fear, her heart pounding in her chest as she turned around. A rogue lion jumped out of the grass, onto her mother and she let out a yelp of pain as he tore into her shoulders. 

Kit backed up slowly, watching the lion attack her mother. 

*Run*, a whisper told her in the back of her mind. She was shaking with fear as she spun around and ran. 

She ran, even when her small legs were tired, she continued to run. She felt as if she was being followed and risked a glance behind her. The lion, the one who had attacked her mother, was following her with a crazed look in his eyes. His fur and mane were matted with blood and his ribs showed through his skin.

*No... she can't be,* The fox kit was full of disbelief as she continued to run. *She can't be dead... can she?*

Once the kit reached the river, the lion still chasing her. She jumped as far as she could, landing with a splash in the river. She swam at an angle so that she could get to the other side and not be pulled downstream. She swam at an angle to avoid being pulled too far downstream. Once she got to the other side of the river, she looked back, seeing the lion getting ready to jump in after her. She began to run again before the lion could cross the river. 

The little fox decided to turn and run before the lion decided to take the risk. She really hopes that if he did decide to cross the river would be for nothing.

She ran nonstop for hours, and when she finally took in her surroundings, she realized that she was nowhere near the savannah. She wished her mother was there beside her, but she wasn't and she knew she'd never see her mother again. As the grief from her mother's death welled up inside her, she found a small den. She decided to go into it, then at least she would have shelter from the looming darkness called night, where the stars would twinkle mockingly at her.

It was raining when she woke up, the dirt tunnel dripping a little as she scrambled out of it. She looked around the new biome, not used to being out of the savannah. It was a little too cold for her liking. Her ears perked, and her small nose wiggled, taking in all the new smells.

As she looked around, taking in all the new sights, she saw something small run by and she began to chase it without thinking. The thing was fast, but not fast enough, as she was able to grab its neck and chomp down on it. It fell limp in her jaws and she dragged it back to her den before tearing into it. She ate most of the creature, dragging the few scraps out of the soggy hole for anything else that might be hungry. Throughout that day she was hesitant to go outside, scared of what might be out there. The kit was curious but didn't want to risk one of this biome's predators coming after her. 

Eventually, she finally left the little burrow she found and went to find another creature to hunt. As she walked along, checking her surroundings every few minutes, she came across a familiar smell. A smell that she had come across on the savannah, and that her mother warned her to stay away from. Her mother had said that these 'Native People' were dangerous and would throw long pointy sticks at her if she went too close to their dens. She thought it was fine to stay around this area though, because of the stale scent that was most likely a couple of days old.

As she walked along, checking her surroundings every few minutes. She came across a familiar smell. A scent that she had come across on the savannah filled her nose. A memory of her mother warned her to stay away. She thought it was fine to stay around this area though, because the scent was stale, most likely a couple of days old. She continued walking, coming across a fresher scent trail. *I should probably turn back now...* 

WOOSH... THUD

One of the pointy sticks was stuck in the ground beside her and heard the tribal calls of the native people of this biome. She yelped as another spear landed beside her head. She sprinted away from the group, her nails digging into the soft ground. The pointed sticks thudded softly behind her, only making her run faster.

A spear was stuck in the ground beside her and heard the tribal calls of the native people of this biome. She yelped as another spear landed beside her head. She began to run away from the hunting party but heard their spears land on the ground behind her as she ran. Serai jumped awake, breathing quickly. Her mind was just twisting her memories, right?

Yes, her mother died but was it that bad? Once she had caught her breath, she had calmed down a little. Her ears twitched, and she heard something coming from the entrance of the cave she was resting in.

Pawsteps. Pawsteps were echoing off the stone walls of the cave. She could hear that multiple animals were coming into the cave. Due to the clicking of nails on the stone and the soft padding of a feline. She could hear the jumbled echoes of the talking animals and could only just make out three shadows.

Author's Note:

Her current age is about 19 years old. This means she is close to the age of becoming an adult.