Kingdoms Of The Savanna #1 Alone

Chapter 9

At the sound of Kima's scream, Oel's golden eyes flew open. They widened in terror as she saw the gaping mouths of the crocodiles.

"Run!" Kima repeated.

The hyena whelp started up the bank but Oel was petrified, too full of fear to move. The largest crocodile started towards her. He was an ugly brute, dark green-brown with small cruel eyes. He snapped his jaws and moved even closer.

Beside him, the other two crocodiles started to move outwards, forming a circle around Oel. She was surrounded on all sides by giant glinting teeth.

"Oel, what are you doing?!" Kima screeched. "Get out of there, they'll kill you!"

With a furious cry, Kima charged back down the bank towards her friend and the crocodiles. She crashed into Oel's side and shoved her to the left just in time to avoid the snapping jaws of the big crocodile.

"Keep moving!" Kima commanded. "They can't run as fast as us on dry land."

Oel shook her head quickly to clear it and began to dodge and swerve away from the swinging snouts of the crocodiles. She started up the bank and had almost reached the dry ground when she heard a scream from behind.

She skidded to a halt and spun round to see Kima struggling for dear life in the jaws of the largest crocodile. The great brute had sunk it's teeth into her haunches and was backing away into the waters. One of the other crocodiles, a smaller one with a particularly flat snout, suddenly gave a furious growl and latched onto one of Kima's forelegs.

Kima kept screaming. Oel felt her blood turn to ice. No, not Kima too! With a snarl, Oel charged back towards her friend.

"Let go of her!" Oel yowled.

The two crocodile's holding Kima took no notice of her. The third one grinned with malice and swung it's head towards her. Oel squeaked in pain as she felt it's teeth slice across her belly, not finding a hold but still causing a gush of scarlet blood to flow.

In that moment, Oel realised that it was the end. She was going to die.

"Kima..." She gasped, trying to drag herself out of the way. "I'm sorry..."

"Back off, Short-snout!" Someone roared.

A flash of yellow and black danced at the edge of Oel's vision. A cheetah had appeared and was slashing at the snout of the third crocodile. She watched uncomprehendingly as he swiped his claws across it's eye and then picked Oel up in his jaws.

"No..." She said weakly as the cheetah started to sprint away. "Kima... She's still back there... Kima..."

"Calm down." The cheetah mumbled around her. "I'll get you away from there."

"No..." Oel wanted to explain that Kima was still with the crocodiles. She wanted to roar her grief to the constellation of Great Leo. But no words would come. Exhaustion took over and the world went black.

• • •

"Kima!" Oel shrieked the moment her eyes opened.

Instantly a heavy paw clapped itself over her mouth.

"Shhh." It was the cheetah. "Chill. You're safe now, Kima."

Oel eyed the cheetah with confusion. She'd never seen one up close before and found his spotted fur surprisingly intriguing and noticed that although he was still cat-like, his body was a lot more willowy and slender than a lion's. The cheetah, though male, did not seem aggressive although an older scar running down one side of his body along with the teardrop markings below his eyes gave him a haunting look.

"Where's Kima?" Oel choked out, terrified she knew the answer. This was the cheetah who had carried her away from the crocodiles.

"You're not Kima?"

"No..." Oel shook her head. "Kima is a hyena."

"Ah. Her, yes I remember." The cheetah mused. "She's dead."

Oel flinched and flattened herself to the sandy floor of the den she was in. Try as she might, she couldn't conjure a single emotion. Kima was dead. Jak was dead. Jaquin was dead. Lullen was dead. Nothing mattered.

"So, if you aren't Kima, what is your name?"

Oel just stared ahead, her mouth hanging open slightly.

"Fine, don't tell me." The cheetah scratched slowly behind one of his ears. "I'm Chett, just in case you were wondering. I saved your life."

Chett paused, clearly waiting for a response. Oel remained silent. Was she meant to thank him? What for? Now she was all alone in the world.

"So," Chett moved on. "What did you and your friends do to tick Karacore off?"

Karacore. An image of a snarling lion with a dark mane and claws like giant hooks entered Oel's mind.

"I was born." She said in a voice so small, it was a wonder Chett caught the words.

Abanleav? He thought to himself. Probably.

"Ah well, we aren't in the Southern Kingdom anymore. So long as you stay out, you'll be right." Chett said.

But Oel didn't hear him. She wasn't listening, lost in her own little universe of grief.