by Natavia
“She’s good with those spears,” Ockbutu clapped.
Sy’noba danced around, doing tricks with her spears. She tossed her spears in the air and caught one with her teeth and her tail. Sy’noba threw both spears in my direction and I caught them.
Good boy, she thought as she continued dancing.
I can catch anything you throw my way, I replied.
The lions roared at Sy’noba, welcoming her home, and after the ceremony was over, a few villagers were still celebrating. I chuckled to myself when I thought about the villagers having a cat version of a club. A tiger fell out of the tree and almost landed on Ockbutu. He got up and shook himself off then fell over again.
“He must’ve had some of Safari’s potion,” Ockbutu said.
“I need some of that,” I replied.
“The queen must adjust first before she gives you cubs,” he said.
“What are you talking about, old man?” I chuckled.
“A wise man, too. I know Sy’noba will be in heat soon and I know what Safari’s drinks do to the villagers,” he said.
“Naw, I’m not ready for cubs,” I replied and he huffed.
“You don’t say. A man in love is ready for anything that comes with it,” he replied.
“Love? Naw, you’re speaking too soon. I’m just vibing with the queen. She likes me and I like her. We got this strong connection,” I replied. He looked at me and scratched his scraggly beard.
“I had a vision and most of my visions come true. Matter of fact, it’s a gift from my ancestors,” he replied.
“What’s the vision?” I asked and he smirked at me.
“That, you will have to figure out on your own. You must find your own way, that’s what makes a great king. Fighting for what you want doesn’t make you less of a man. Show your true feelings and you will find what you have been looking for in a mate,” he said.
“Your riddles are killing me, old man,” I replied.
“You will figure it out and so will she,” he said, looking at Sy’noba. She was walking towards us with the leopard girl. Sy’noba sat on my lap and she lazily draped her arm around my shoulder.
“The drink I was telling you about,” Ockbutu said. The leopard girl helped him off the log and walked him into the temple.
“I feel so freeeee,” she slurred.
“Me, too, but promise me something,” I replied.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“You won’t drink that shit when I’m not here. I don’t trust that prince clown,” I replied.
“Are you jealous?” she asked.
“Naw, but I’ll kill him if I have to,” I replied.
“Let’s go to bed,” she yawned.
Sy’noba climbed off my lap and pulled me by the hand. I followed her to the temple, the place she called home. We walked up the spiral stone staircase to a big room with plants, flowers, and a waterfall. Egyptian drawings were on the walls of the room and a silk pad made out of animal skin and fur laid on the floor with handmade silk drapes around it. Two younger girls came into the room with more stuff for her bed.
“We bring you gifts for your home. We’re almost done,” one of them said.
“Thank you,” Sy’noba replied.
A few moments later, Sy’noba’s room was decorated. The temple was spacious and had a few entries.
“Anyone can come in your room while you sleep,” I said, looking out of the glassless window.
“Why are you worried, eh?” she asked.
“Because I feel like I should be here with you to protect you,” I replied.
“I have been protecting myself for a long time. I’ll be fine,” she said. She took off her dress and sandals and got inside the small pool underneath the waterfall. Instead of joining her, I sat on her resting pad and watched her. With her back turned towards me, I noticed she had markings in her back.
“I felt them coming while I was dancing. I’m officially marked from my goddess. I think that’s why I was dancing that way. I wanted to hide the pain but it didn’t last long, although it felt like daggers cutting my skin,” she said.
“I have to leave tomorrow. It will take me a few days to get back to the portal,” I replied and she turned around to face me. Sadness filled her eyes and I wished I could stay longer but I couldn’t.
“Back to reality, huh? You out there and me in here. How will this work?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I realized that I won’t be able to see you as much,” I replied.
“Why can’t we all live together? Everything is separated,” she complained.
“If you get cold, you can wear more clothes. There is nothing I can do if I’m overheated. Imagine trying to pull off your own skin because your body feels like it’s on fire,” I replied.
“The outside world has summertime. Maryland gets very hot,” she said.
“The outside world has air conditioning, too,” I replied and she rolled her eyes. She turned her back towards me again and began washing up. Sy’noba poured soap from a wooden bottle onto a thick washcloth-textured leaf. I undressed and laid on her resting pad. We were both quiet as we listened to the sounds of the crickets. Sy’noba climbed onto the pad after she bathed and dried off. She pulled the sheet back and laid on my chest.
“How long will it be until I see you again?” she finally asked.
“A few weeks, maybe a month,” I replied and it got quiet.
It crushed me to know I hurt her again. She didn’t have to say it, I felt it. She was going into heat soon and the thought angered me. With our different lives, another male would get to her before I could. Sleeping with Lynx also played a part in it, too. I couldn’t possibly have two mates bearing my cubs. My kind had multiple mates but Sy’noba was all I needed. There just wasn’t any point being with Lynx. Frustrated with overthinking, I fell asleep with Sy’noba.
Asha
K oja was on a rampage, destroying everything in the house and becoming violent towards the rest of the pride.
“Where is she?” Koja screamed and slammed his fist into the wall. Lupe and Jinsi came into the house after looking for Sy’noba. She’d been gone for three days but it seemed like longer. With her gone, I thought me and Koja could rekindle our relationship. He promised to take me out after I caught a deer for him but he didn’t do it. I didn’t think Sy’noba’s disappearance mattered to him so much.
“We can’t find her. She’s nowhere in sight and she hasn’t showed up to work. I think she went back to Africa. Just think about it, she doesn’t know anyone here and didn’t make friends,” Lupe said.
“Why would she go back to a place she knows nothing about? And where would she get the money, huh?” Koja seethed.
“She will come back. She’s still going through puberty and was probably embarrassed. Maybe she doesn’t want any cubs,” I replied and his eyes glowed at me.
“It’s in her nature to give birth once she goes in heat. I bet she’s fucking another male around here. I’m going to kill whomever it is,” Koja vented.
“Or maybe she just didn’t want to be your sex slave,” Jinsi said. Koja picked up a table and knocked Jinsi into the wall.
“Get up! You want to challenge me? I bet you know where she’s at, huh? Are you fucking my wife?” Koja asked Jinsi. Out the corner of my eye, I saw Toyi giggling.
“SHE’S NOT YOUR FUCKING WIFE!” Jinsi spat. He shifted into his cat, challenging Koja for a fight.
Koja shifted and knocked Jinsi through a wall. His large cat clawed and bit at Jinsi’s neck. Jinsi used his hind legs to kick Koja off but Koja was bigger. Lupe shifted to break them up but Koja wouldn’t let go of Jinsi’s neck. He was trying to kill Jinsi, his brother. The pride members didn’t intervene because Koja would’ve punished them. Jinsi was no match for Koja but he didn’t give up. They fought until Jinsi lost a lot of blood. Toyi’s eyes were closed because the scene was brutal. When Jinsi shifted back, his body had deep claw and bite marks. His face was also unrecognizable. Afte
r realizing what he had done, Koja roared with agony. He shifted to his human form and cradled Jinsi. Tears fell from Lupe’s eyes. He tried to intervene but Koja was stronger and able to tower over both his younger brothers. Mekah came downstairs and saw his father cradling his dying uncle. I looked into his eyes and he didn’t show an ounce of sympathy; he was going to be coldhearted like his father.
“Go to your room, Mekah. You shouldn’t see this,” Toyi said and I grunted at her.
“He’s going to be a king one day, he needs to see this. You have your cubs and I have mine. Don’t tell my cub what to do,” I said.
“You want your son to be like his father?” Toyi whispered.
“It’s in his blood, Toyi. There is nothing we can do about that,” I replied.
“We gotta take him somewhere. Maybe the hospital, he will not heal in time,” Lupe said.
“We are not humans!” Koja yelled.
“They can give him blood,” Lupe replied.
“And once they figure out what he is then what, brother? You don’t think! He’s an illegal immigrant and half animal. He’s better off dead,” Koja replied. He pulled away from Jinsi and went upstairs to his bedroom.
“All because of that bitch!” Lupe yelled in frustration. He dragged Jinsi out of the back door and took him to the shed.
“This isn’t the way. I should’ve left with Sy’noba,” she said and got up from the table.
You will be gone soon, I thought.
I went downstairs to the basement to get the older pride members to clean Jinsi’s blood and fix the walls. They hurriedly grabbed their cleaning supplies and went upstairs. It was getting late and was time for us to hunt. Toyi was already outside in front of the house waiting for me.
“It’s only the two of us. What are we gonna catch? Four deer and bring them back how?” Toyi asked.
“All of sudden you found a voice. What happened to you?” I asked.
“What happened to the tradition? You’re jealous over Koja and hate that he shares a bed with another lioness. But you told me it was the way we live. Since Sy’noba left, I have been doing a little studying of my own. When a male has more than one mate, it’s accepted by everyone. He shouldn’t force or choose who he wants to fuck and that’s what eats you up inside because you know somehow, our tradition got lost,” she said.
“A king should be able to make his own rules,” I replied.
“Koja got it from his father and your son will get it from Koja. My father had three loving mates and they all got along like sisters. They took care of each other’s cubs and protected one another. You don’t like me and you hate your sister,” she said.
“You hated her, too! You wanted her to work more jobs!” I yelled.
“SO SHE WOULD BE TOO BUSY TO BE HERE!” Toyi cried.
“I don’t believe that, you were doing what you were supposed to do,” I replied.
“I wish someone would’ve helped me. You were like my mother, but the day I went into heat, you turned your back on me. You threw me to him like raw meat. I hate fucking him but I do it with a smile on my face to avoid his punishments,” she admitted.
“Riya should be home soon. When she gets off from work, we will hunt,” I replied.
“She’s going to be next, huh?” Toyi asked
“Who else is going to help us? Everyone else is cleaning up blood and fixing the walls,” I spat. While we were arguing, Riya was walking down the small road. She worked four jobs. Two at fast food restaurants, one at a dry-cleaning service and she bartended at a nightclub on weekends.
“Are you going to tell her about Jinsi?” Toyi asked.
“Not until after we hunt,” I replied.
Riya opened the fence half asleep. She almost tripped over the rock in front of her. She had bags under her eyes and her hair was all over the place. She’d been gone since yesterday and sometimes she worked two days through.
“No need to go in, we are ready to hunt,” I said and she smacked her teeth.
“I can barely walk!” she yelled.
“Hunt or live in the woods. Which one is it?” I replied. She dropped her belongings on the ground and shifted into her cat. Me and Toyi shifted at the same time.
Where are we going? Riya asked.
There is a farm some miles away from here. Probably two hours away if we walk, but if we run, we can get there sooner, I replied. Toyi climbed up a tree and jumped from tree to tree while me and Riya stayed on the ground.
I need a favor from you, I thought.
What kind of favor, she replied.
Help me kill Toyi and I’ll give you a room upstairs. You won’t have to do anything but help me hunt, I thought. I kept an eye on Toyi but she was far up in the trees; she couldn’t hear our thoughts.
How can we do that and get away with it? she thought.
We can say she ran away to join Sy’noba. We will make up something but she has to go, I thought.
When are we going to do it? she asked.
As soon as we get off our territory, I thought.
Once we were off our territory, me and Riya stopped walking. Toyi leapt from the top of a tree and landed in front of us.
Why are we stopping? I have to hurry back to breastfeed my cubs, she thought. Suddenly, I attacked her and Riya followed. Toyi’s paw left three deep scratches across Riya’s face. My teeth pierced through her neck and she roared in pain. I could feel her pulse weakening. Riya finished her off when she bit the back of Toyi’s neck. She laid in a puddle of her own blood, dying with her eyes open. Her body began changing, shrinking to her human form.
Let’s go hunt! I thought.
We cut through the trees and I led the way to the farm. With only two of us, we needed help carrying a cow through the woods but it was worth one less mouth to feed.
When we get back, tell Koja Toyi tried to escape and she attacked you, I thought.
You just remember we are in this together now, Riya replied.
Over an hour later, we approached a large farm with a large variety of animals. It was meat heaven.
We can start hunting here, Riya thought.
If we keep hunting from the same spot, it will alert the humans. They will hunt us down if they knew lions were living in their woods, I replied.
I spotted an oversized female cow, she was pregnant. The big meal would last us a few days. After eating our way through her stomach, I could give her baby to the cubs. Riya crawled up the fence and jumped over and I followed her. We laid in the grass and slowly crept up on the cow. Her back was turned to us as she snatched the grass off the ground and ate it.
Go around her on the opposite side, that way we can bum-rush her and take her down by the throat at the same time, I thought. Riya trotted on the opposite side quietly without alerting the other farm animals. Once I had a clear view of Riya’s glowing eyes on the other side of the cow, I charged into her. Our teeth pierced through the cow’s neck and she mooed. I crushed her windpipe so she wouldn’t alert the humans. Out of nowhere, a large cat bigger than a lion jumped over a fence. Its canines were long, sharp, and thick. The animal was built like a tiger, broad like a buffalo, but its coat was the same as a lion’s. His heavy paws thumped against the ground as he approached us. He snarled at us then roared. His roar wasn’t the same as ours. It was much deeper, raspier, and it dragged.
We need to get out of here! Riya screamed.
I was too scared to move. It’s large teeth and glowing emerald and gray eyes hypnotized me. I’d never seen a cat that large in size. I figured he was a science experiment gone wrong, but he was beautifully made. I shifted into my human form and so did Riya. It was our only way of showing him we weren’t a threat. He shifted into his human form and grilled us.
“Y’all gonna pay for that fuckin’ cow,” he said.
He was tall, muscular, and very light-skinned. If I wasn’t mistaken, he was mixed with a different race other than black. His curly sandy brown hair swirled around his head in waves and his cut was nicel
y tapered on the sides. He looked young in age, perhaps early-twenties in human years.
