Bloody Fangs and Broken Antlers

A Hopeless Endeavor-Part 4

"Drop the gun." The cheetah demanded, in a dangerously calm tone.

Louis did as he said, slowly raising his hands in the air.

Bill whirled towards him, eyes wide. "Louis—"

The lion caught Bill in the same chokehold, holding him firmly.

"You took your fucking time, Derek!" The lion growled at the cheetah, his grip tightening on Bill as he continued to struggle.

The cheetah—Dereck—chuckled. "You're fine, you grumpy old fart. Now, let's hurry up and finish this." He pressed down on the trigger, squeezing it—

"Don't, you fool," the lion snarled out, "they'll be worth more money alive. Go and take care of the two herbivores."

Derek glanced down to the pistol on the floor and then back to the lion, raising a brow. "You don't want to just handle this with your gun?"

"No, I can do without," he said, and a small, cruel smile grew on his lips. He glanced down at Bill, who was still struggling in his grip, eyes becoming a shade of red. "Fighting that white wolf made me realize how much I miss being able to beat an animal into submission with my bare fangs and claws."

The lion then spun and released Bill, pinning him against the open-cell doors.

Derek, holding Louis tightly in his grip, looked over to Ellen, who was just barely recovering from being slammed to the floor. He gazed over her, a wide, lustful grin dancing on his lips. "She's a pretty one," he mused, softly.

Louis heard his words, heard the intent behind them, and he saw the memory of that black wolf strangling Juno... saw the horrific photo of Juno Legosi had showed them... and all those strands of black fur in his lover's underbelly coat.

"Don't you... dare... touch her," Louis managed to get out. It was all he could do with his weak, herbivore body, with the cheetah's gun being pointed to his head.

Once again, he was too weak to protect the animals he cared for.

Once again, he was too weak to even fend for himself—

The cheetah chuckled. "Don't worry, I promise to be gentle with her."

Rage and horror and disgust blazed within him at those words.

But Louis's attention perked up when he felt the cheetah lift the gun from his head and tuck it back into his holster.

Now's my chance!

Louis gripped his knife, the leather of the handle straining against his skin, and stabbed it right into the cheetah's leg.

The cheetah screamed, releasing him—

Louis pushed off of him and clumsily whirled, lifting his knife as he aimed right for the cheetah's neck.

But the cheetah dodged Louis's strike and disarmed him of his knife in just two movements.

The knife clattered to the floor.

And the cheetah  snatched Louis by the neck and threw him against the barred wall of the open-cells.

Louis's bones groaned at the impact, his head pounding, throbbing, his ears ringing.

He slumped against the barred walls as the lion had been and he slowly slid down on his side, consciousness fading away from him.

::::::::

"Fucking herbivores," Derek hissed, massaging the wound on his leg. Luckily, the knife didn't stab too deep into his flesh, but it was just enough to where it would be a major pain in his ass later. "Why does all this shit have to happen while I'm off work?" But he glanced over to the female zebra, who was kneeled in front of the elevator, her hand placed on the side of her rib cage as she slowly tried to pick herself up.