Raw

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Eyes

Fennir and Keenan tossed me at our mother's feet. They stepped back from me, but I didn't move. I remained curled up, clinging to my abdomen. If I had conceived, no one would touch me. All my hopes and wishes hinged entirely on the conception of Mhor's young. If I carried them, I would be his alpha, and I would be with the male I loved.

"Arise, Zora," Mother said in a low voice.

"I will not," I replied, hugging my waist.

"What you have done has shamed us."

"Forcing me to mate with Thelmos would have shamed us more!" My head snapped up and I glared at her. "I chose Mhor from the beginning. My injury was an accident. Father simply doesn't wish to let me go."

Mother drew a deep breath and brushed her rich brown curls back from her bronze forehead. "I am forced to discipline your for your treachery."

"I did nothing wrong," I snarled.

"You not only disobeyed your father, but you took Naya with you as well." Mother crossed her arms as she drummed her fingers. "She was claimed as a new breeder for the pride. Your father is furious not only at the loss, but that she would be your beta."

"You have a beta," I said in a low voice.

Mother's gaze jumped to my brothers with alarm. It seemed they didn't know that fact, and she didn't want them to know either. "Fennir, Keenan, take her and place her in the cave by the waterhole. Place a rock in front of it so she cannot escape."

My brothers exchanged worried glances, but grabbed my arms.

I held up my chin with defiance. They could do whatever they wanted with me, but I would not back down. As I raised my head, a strange scent filled my nostrils. Something had changed in the wind. The wind had shifted from the east to coming up from the south. I turned my head, trying to pick up the subtleties and what they meant.

Hektos flew at me, appearing from seemingly nowhere. "What is it? I smell it too."

Fennir and Keenan lifted their noses to smell the air.

"I don't know," I said. "I've never smelled it before."

Fennir's grip on my arm tightened. "It's fire, blood, musk. It's challenge. It's death."

Mother stared between each of us--her children. "I have only smelled this scent once before. Nature is uneasy. The animals of our land and those surrounding us are frightened. Something dark is on the move."

"It's war," Hektos said in a low voice.

Mother's gaze shot to me. "Get her in the cave, and hide the other young females and your father's breeders. Then you must do the same with your own females and your young."

I drew a sharp breath. This meant a major territorial dispute. Father had never been challenged in my life time, not like this. Something about it unsettled Mother more than disputes we'd faced in the past. But before I could ask, my brothers dragged me away.

They tossed me in the cave and shut it up. I pushed on the rock, but I couldn't move it on my own. I punched it, frustrated. Mhor could be in danger, and Father could do just about anything to him. I slid onto the ground in the darkness and pressed my forehead against my knees. Trapped in here I could do nothing, yet out there, I could make things worse. If war approached, any female of breeding age would be fair game.

I slid my hand over my abdomen. I hoped with all my might I'd conceived. Even if war did approach, if I carried Mhor's young I could not be denied to him... if Father hadn't killed him. A lump formed in my throat.

"Please let Mhor be safe," I whispered.

"A lioness?" a small voice came from behind me. "Oh, you have been here before. I've smelled you."

"Who's there?" I asked, unable to see anything with all the light blocked out.

A small, furry creature landed on my shoulder. "A bat. I hide here at times. Promise to not harm me and I will help you."

"Help me?" I frowned as I gently lifted the creature off my shoulder. "How?"

"I can get you out." Her little claws moved around on my palms. "I don't want the cause of this war in the cave where I plan to have my young."

"I'm the cause of it?" I whispered, alarmed.

"Yes." She stretched out her leathery wings. "There were once twins who lived nearby. One was killed, the other returned to his father and now they seek revenge. The surviving twin wants what his brother claimed as his prize, and he will kill those who murdered his brother."

"No..." The Barg twins. Mhor had killed the brother! Mhor was in great danger. "Please, my mate is the one who killed him. I must warn him."

"Promise you will leave and not return until next summer," she said.

"I will do all I can to stay away from this cave," I promised.

"Very well." She flapped her wings and left my hands. Scratching sounds came from deep inside the cave, then a splinter of light sliced in from the far back corner. "Dig here. It is a gap in the rocks. A male lion would not fit, but I believe you can."

I rushed over, clawing at the hard dirt. It would take some time, but I would get out. "Thank you."

She helped me as we worked for hours, the light entering from the gap dimming as time passed. Finally, I pushed my head and shoulders through. With some wriggling and pushing, I squeezed out. In the dim light of twilight, I gazed around at the trees that surrounded the area, wilted after a long summer.

The bat appeared in the hole. "Plug it up," she said. "Rains will arrive soon and I wish to stay dry."

I quickly searched and found some bark and rocks to close the hole. "I promise to stay away," I said through the bark. "And thank you."

"Go." She replied. "You will be the queen of this land, like Flit before you. So go protect it."

Queen? I backed away. The animals always had a reverence for us lions, but calling me queen? The respect the other creatures held for my bloodline must have been great. Turning, I faced southward. If I was to be a queen, then I needed to be strong. I needed to go claim my king, and protect my kingdom from the revenge of a tyrant.