The Strong - Lion's Roar

Prologue

A small mole-rat scurries through the dried stalks of grass. Swift, the Pride Leader's daughter, stalks it. With a growl and a weak roar, she pounces. The mole-rat squeals. A loud growl sounds behind Swift as she bats the mole-rat around. Turning, she sees her father, Zed. His paws and forelegs shrink, and his hind legs grow. Slowly, he takes on the shape of a tall human man. "My daughter, we do not hunt the mole rats," Zed says, crouching down. Swift takes on her human form and runs to her father's arms. "Why not?" she asks, her voice delicate and small. "Because, we leave the small animals, like the mole-rat, to the smaller predators. Hyenas, for example. They are scavengers, but they hunt if they need to.  Painted dogs are hunters, and will eat our food. They even eat eggs when prey is scarce, and so we leave the small animals for them." Zed says, standing up and leading Swift towards the Pride.

At the same time, a young male is coming into his mane... and training to become Pride Leader. A swipe from his father's paw bowls him over, but he leaps up and bats his father across the face with his claws out, leaving a bloody streak of claw marks. "Excellent, Marsh!" his father praises him, licking his paw and drawing it across the blood drying on his cheek. Marsh looks up sharply. Something was moving within the tall grass. Unsheathing his claws, he leaps. A huge gazelle fell under Marsh's claws, and his father leaps on top of the gazelle long enough for Marsh to give the killing bite to the throat. His father sits back and swipes his tongue across his lips, cleaning the gazelle blood away. "Nice catch!" he purrs and grabs the gazelle by the neck. Usually, the lionesses hunt, but Marsh had been taught to hunt for himself in case he ever became a loner. 

Back at the Pride, Swift tackles Marsh. "That's amazing!" she practically sings. Jumping up, Swift dashes to the gazelle and rips a huge chunk out, big enough for her and Marsh. They share the chunk under a large Acacia tree, Swift leaning against Marsh when the meat has gone. Marsh twines his fingers with Swift's and they drift off the sleep. 

A vicious clawing wakes Marsh up. Pride Leader Zed was in front of him, in his lion form. The Leader's mane was huge - bigger than any others Marsh had seen. Swift was sobbing, crouched over Marsh as he lay bleeding on the savanna grass. Marsh coughs, blood spluttering from his lips. But he wasn't dying, at least not yet. 

His shoulders squared, Marsh faces off against Pride Leader Zed. Four years later, Marsh is stronger than ever, the mane of his cat form fuller than any other male in the Pride. A deep growl rumbles from Marsh's throat, warning Zed of the blood to be spilled. With a mighty roar, Zed leaps at Marsh, only to fall flat against the ground as Marsh dodges. A blow to the back of his head sends Zed sprawling. Zed's old age causes him to recover slowly. He heaves himself to his paws, and throws himself at Marsh, knocking him to the ground and slashing his claws across Marsh's muzzle. At the edges of the clearing, Swift calls to Marsh for good luck, and to Zed for health. Marsh folds his hind legs under Zed's belly and heaves upwards, throwing Zed off. Marsh launches at Zed, sinking his teeth into Zed's haunches. Zed howls, both from pain as much as rage. Blood splatters the arena as Marsh digs his teeth in deeper and pulls outward. A chunk of Zed's flesh rips from his hip, and the gathered cats yowl with cheering. Fierce, Zed's lifelong mate, cries out in fear for the father of her cubs. Zed collapses, the wound in his hip too great to continue fighting, or even standing. Swift dashes onto the field, nuzzling Marsh in congratulations for winning the Leader position. Marsh decides that Zed is no threat, not anymore. Zed stays in the Pride as an elder, tended to by the barren lionesses in the pride.