Return of the Titans

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

It didn't take me long to catch up to Lion.

We were running toward the same target. All I had to do was kick it into high gear, send a prayer for if I failed miserably, and lunge for the nearest part of him: his tail.

I grabbed its tufted point and held with all of my might. It felt like a furry rope as he tore and he fought to get free, throwing up clumps of dirt and dead leaves into my face, which often than not wound up inside of my mouth. But I held fast. Digging my heels into the ground, I gritted my teeth as I gave one final heave, muscles straining and jerked him backward.

He gave a surprised yelp as his paws were abruptly pulled from underneath him, and Lion whirled around.

"You?" he exclaimed when he saw me. "You're still alive?"

I blew a clump of soggy wet curls that covered my eye from the side of my mouth. "Believe it, buddy."

Lion's lips curled as his eyes turned into flaming discs. "Don't play with me, falseblood. Has no one told you not to catch a cat by its tail? You just may meet its claws."

My eyes went to his forepaws, but that was the kicker, literally. Lion lashed out with his hind legs, catching me square in my chest and forcing me to stumble away. My grip on his tail was loosened as I coughed for breath but I couldn't stand idle for long. A swipe for my neck narrowly missed my jugular but it did create a sizeable tear in the collar of my shirt.

"You can't hold me back forever, child," Lion sneered as he reared onto his back legs. "If you let me go now, perhaps I'll go easy on you?"

I grunted through the burning in my throat. "And let you go after my friends? Think again, douchebag."

Lion's eyes narrowed. "Very well."

In a blur of tawny color, Lion swept up his paw, spraying grit into my awaiting eyes. I pinched them shut as I madly wiped at them with one hand, the other having a firm grip on Lion's tail.

But I also had to be careful. The air whistled as his paws swiped at the air, or more specifically, me. I tried my best to duck and dodge as best I could, but just as I rubbed away the last grain, I saw his paw sail through the air.

It was almost like it was in slow motion as his claws flashed against the first ray of sunlight, lowering itself toward my unanticipated chest.

With a single slash, his claws cut through my grimy shirt to meet the flesh underneath it, blood spurting away to stain the forest floor. I pulled back in time for the wound to not be too deep, but man did it hurt. The pain was immense, causing me to immediately drop Lion's tail and fall to my knees, clutching my burning chest.

Lion's voice met my ears as blood roared throughout them. "You should have listened, child. I wouldn't have resorted to simple parlor tricks if you had only done what I had told."

The hair on the back of my neck rose as I felt his presence draw near my side. His tail brushed against my legs as he leaned into my ear.

"But now, you've forced my hand. I hope your five minutes of freedom was worth the bloodshed that you've just unleashed upon us all."

KRA-KOOM!

A sudden explosion sent both Lion and I reeling, and the two of us were drenched by the spray of fresh dirt. From the corner of my eye, I saw the tops of a clump of trees sway. A large gash exposed their roots, and they creaked as they fought to keep themselves upright. But gravity wasn't on their side. They moaned as their supports gave out, and soon, their groans turned into an agonizing cry as their trunks fell toward earth.