by Stella Night
She flicked the high beams on. In the harsh light of the halogen lamps, the thing materialized into more detail. But what she saw didn’t seem real. She blinked her eyes a couple times, almost as if she wasn’t sure if they were playing tricks on her. But the dark form in the road didn’t change.
It was a lion. The dark mane and massive jaws were unmistakable. But she had never seen a lion quite like this before. She had never even heard of such a thing. This lion was jet black from head to toe. But that was impossible.
There was no such thing as a black lion.
Excitement fluttered in her breast. If this was real, if this lion was actually black, he had to be some kind of rare, never before seen species. It would be the find of the century for biologists everywhere.
But why would a lion be out here in the wilds of Montana? The only explanation she could think of was that some rich bastard like Patton Conrad had bought the thing as a pet. Then when it grew up and showed that it was, in fact, a wild animal, the owner had let it escape to fend for itself. Half the exotic animals in her sanctuary had the same sad story.
She exhaled a shaky breath. This could be the answer to all of her problems. Something like this at the animal sanctuary would bring people from all over the world.
She could open the Sanctuary to tourists. The ticket sales alone would be enough to save the failing business, and she could probably get investors on top of that. As dark as the creature was that lay in front of her, it seemed like a bright ray of hope to her.
But she was getting ahead of herself. She pushed aside all thoughts of saving her business and focused on the here and now. The animal looked hurt, possibly unconscious. If the creature needed her help, that had to be her main priority. Her pipe dreams would have to wait.
The lion’s face was pointed towards the van. The great bushy mane told her it was a male lion. Its eyes were closed, but that was no guarantee it was unconscious. She doubted it was sleeping because of the awkward position in which it lay. It looked like it had collapsed mid-stride.
She took a deep breath and steeled herself for the next part, which would be the most dangerous. The rifle gripped tightly in her fist was of little comfort when approaching a wild beast like this.
The wild, untameable nature of these creatures is what had drawn her to them since she was a child. Proud and free, they were more noble than most humans. But it was that same wild spirit that made them so unpredictable.
If she’d learned anything in her years working with creatures such as this, it was to expect the unexpected. One lapse in concentration could mean disaster.
She edged her way closer to the beast. The animal was longer than she was tall. Closer to the size of a bear. Its chest rose and fell slowly. It was subtle, but enough for her to know it was still alive. She lifted the tranquilizer rifle up, ready for anything as she got within feet of the creature.
The black lion stirred and she jumped back, her heart hammering in her chest. The thing turned its head towards her. Sadie held her breath.
Its eyelids opened and two golden eyes looked at her. They seemed to glow in the headlights.
Her eyes locked with his, frozen like a deer in the headlights. She’d looked into the eyes of many a dangerous creature, but something about this lion’s gaze made it seem like the most dangerous thing she’d ever encountered.
Suddenly, the tranquilizer rifle felt small and pitiful in her hands. If this lion wanted to harm her, there was nothing she could do to stop it. No amount of sedatives would save her. Not against a beast like this.
There was something else in the creature’s eyes. A sort of intelligence. Like it was sizing her up. Judging her. It chilled her to the bone.
The lion exhaled heavily and closed its eyes.
Sadie couldn’t help but feel like the animal had come to some decision. As if it had decided she didn’t mean it any harm.
A thrill rippled through her. There was something special about this animal. More than just the unique color of its fur, the animal radiated a kind of mystery about it. It was like no animal she’d ever encountered before. She looked forward to spending time with it.
Before that could happen, she needed to get it secured into one of the cages she used when admitting new animals. Those cages had been empty for a while. There’d been no money to take in new animals. She could barely afford to take care of the animals that were already here. For this incredible creature, she would gladly make an exception.
Still, it was a shame to lock up a creature so noble. It was only a temporary measure, but it still felt wrong. As did the thing she was about to do. She had to shoot it with a tranq dart. As docile and placid as the lion seemed, she had to be sure it was safe to move it.
She took a deep breath and fired. The red puffball seemed to blossom from the lion’s dark fur like a red dandelion. A dandelion for her dandy lion. She couldn’t help but smile at the absurdity of the thought. Clearly, she’d had too much wine at dinner.
Now that the hard part was done, she had to figure out how to move the damn thing before he woke up.
Chapter 2
She changed out of her little black dress and put on her work clothes. A well-worn set of khaki pants and shirt that made her feel more like herself. Now she could get to work.
The van had cables and a winch, designed exactly for the purpose of lifting animals for transport. It wasn’t exactly a one-woman job, but she managed, even though she’d be sore in the morning.
She drove the van into the temporary holding area, a small warehouse-sized building set off from the Sanctuary’s main complex. It wasn’t much, just four corrugated steel walls and a roof enclosing a hard-packed dirt floor, but it got the job done.
When Sadie’s new lion was secure in its cage, she pulled a canvas folding chair a few feet from the bars and watched the majestic beast slumber. Then she cracked open a bottle of champagne she’d been saving for a special occasion. Finding this lion on her doorstep was about as special as things got for her.
She lifted her glass to the sleeping lion. “Here’s to you, my tired friend. May you be the savior I think you’ll be. The savior I need.”
She followed the toast with a long swallow of the bubbly drink, then giggled. She was well and truly drunk now, but she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this good. She didn’t want the feeling to end.
Her eyes were glued to the caged lion. Sadie still couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Her excitement was as bubbly as the champagne she was drinking. She wished she had someone to share this discovery with. But she was all alone out here.
A thought occurred to her. There was no one she could tell about this in person, but she could still share her find with the world.
She pulled her phone from her pocket and snapped a few pictures of the lion from different angles. Then she uploaded the pics to all of the Sanctuary’s social media sites. She included the caption, “Look at the newest animal saved by the Fisher Animal Sanctuary!”
The caption was a little much, considering she hadn’t really saved the creature, but the drinks had her feeling a little boastful. No one had ever seen anything like this. No reason to be modest about it.
And no reason to spare the champagne.
She drank until she hit the bottom of the bottle, imagining how her life was about to change because of this new discovery. Talk shows. News articles. Millions of visitors. The sky was the limit. But the best part was the Sanctuary would be saved.
If only her father had been here to see it. She felt a pang of sadness at the thought. Maybe he wasn’t here in person, but maybe he had sent her this creature somehow. When things were at their darkest, maybe he’d sent a miracle her way.
She found the idea comforting. It was her final thought before slumping back in the chair and falling asleep. When she dreamed, she dreamed beautiful things.
Then someone in her dream shouted at her to wake up.
***
She shuddered awake. The jerky mot
ion sent pain hammering through her skull like a ringing bell.
Sadie groaned and slitted her eyelids open just a fraction. The early morning sunlight stabbed at her eyes, and she shut them closed quickly.
Why the hell did she drink so much?
Her entire body was a groaning symphony of stiff muscles and aching joints. Sleeping in the canvas chair had not been a good idea either.
She leaned forward and her head drooped between her knees. Just let the pain end, she thought. And please don’t be sick.
Then something broke through the painful haze of her hangover. She remembered the reason for her ill-advised celebration. The lion. Her lion. At least there was that.
A voice cut through her suffering. “Hey, lady, wake up. Let me out of here.”
Sadie froze, the gears in her mind turning furiously. The voice in her dream hadn’t been a part of the dream at all. Someone had been shouting at her for real. And that person was right here.
She opened her eyes gingerly and gasped at the sight in front of her, so surprised she fell out of her chair.
The black lion was gone. In its place stood a naked man, eyeing her angrily. “Come on, lady. Stop messing around. Let me out of here.”
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