The Strong - Lion's Roar

Chapter One

Marsh stretched, his huge mouth gaping in a yawn as dawn light seeps into the cave. Sway and Dip, his and Swift's cubs, are piled on top of Swift's swollen belly, her second litter due soon. Marsh carefully steps over Swift and their cubs, quickly shifting to his human form as he ducks out of his cave. Zed, Swift's father, had died the previous cold-set, launching himself from a tree and snapping his neck to end his pain, a bite in his shoulder from a hyena infected and green. As Marsh passes by, Fierce, Zed's mate, and Swift's mother look up. Her muzzle is graying, and in her human form so is her hair. Marsh nods to her, but she refuses to acknowledge him. With a sigh, Marsh shifts back and dashes across the savanna, the muscles under his pelt rippling with his powerful strides. During his run, a zebra spooks and pounds across the dry land. As Marsh gains on him, the zebra dashes to the side, and Marsh leaps onto the zebra's back, pinning him to the ground and crushing his throat between his mighty jaws. As he drags his catch back to his Pride, a mewl catches his attention. A few leaf-spots away,  a tiny lioness cub mews, desperate for food. Marsh notices her pelt is still wet from birth, and her eyes were sealed wholly shut. Padding over to the cub, sniffing all along her flank. When he can find no injury or sickness with the lioness cub, he picks her up by her scruff and carries her back to the Pride. Prodding Swift awake, he places the cub at her milk-filled belly. "What is?" Swift growls in the Lion language, her voice gruff. "Is cub," Marsh replies, padding back out to retrieve the zebra. When he returns, Mint, another Lioness, is growling at the cub, advancing menacingly toward her. Marsh steps between them, growling insults at Mint. The cub whimpers as Marsh grabs her by the scruff once more and carries her over to Dip. "Protect," Marsh orders, and turns back to Mint, who was now drawing a paw over her ear. Shifting, Marsh shoves Mint off-balance, and she takes on her human form, an alluring curvature. "Why in Mort's realm would you harm her?!" Marsh demands, standing over Mint. "She is weak!" Mint says, getting to her feet. "She has the smell of Luca's Pride on her!" Mint spits, making Marsh take a step towards her. "I do not care what Pride she comes from! She was abandoned and I rescued her! Would you have me kill her? Or worse? You are a disgrace to our Pride!" Marsh growls, padding away, back to Swift and their cubs.