Chương 22: Book 1 - Chapter 22: A Ship In Harbour Is Safe, But That Is Not What Ships Are Built For

What do you think – are the lionesses in the forest, or on the other side? On other side, replied Leo, though there was a touch of uncertainty in his voice. Trees not good for females. What he didn't say – but what Dominic heard – was that the world seemed to have changed very fast. They'd already experienced plenty of times where the old rules didn't seem to be true anymore. For all they know, this was one of those times. Then again, did it really matter?

Glancing one way and then the other, Dominic estimated how long it would take him to go around. A long time, he concluded. That wasn't immediately an issue – the only thing he was in a rush to do was to find his father, and right now, he had no idea of where to go for that. In fact, by veering off to one side or the other, he might come close enough for Compass to pick up the man. Of course, he only had a fifty percent chance of choosing the right side.

Dominic sighed and then started padding down the slope towards the trees with a fluid agility wholly unlike his human form. Why go in? Leo asked hesitantly Not safe. A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for, Dominic quoted. Leo sent him a sensation of being distinctly unimpressed. Lion not ship. Dominic huffed in a flash of amusement. I realise that. The point is that nowhere is safe right now. And, like ships, we're designed to continue moving.

At least trees will make a change from boiling hot sun and yellow grass. Anyway, if he turned and ran just because of some trees, he'd hardly be able to call himself a lion anymore. It wasn't long before he started passing through the saplings of the alien grove that encircled the much bigger trees that made up the body of the wood. And he quickly found that the biggest danger the trees posed was their foliage itself.

Dominic grunted in irritation as one of the tough, spiky leaves scratched his skin almost hard enough to draw blood. Great. Even the flora is trying kill me, he growled, eyeing the route ahead and choosing a bigger gap between trees where he'd be able to squeeze through without coming into contact with the foliage on either side. Fortunately, as the trees got bigger, their lowest branches sprouted above Dominic's head, no longer threatening to catch on his fur.

There was some undergrowth that grew in the patches of sunlight allowed through by the trees. It looked like anything that might be found in the average European forest, except that the colours were a palate of vibrancy – definitely suited to a rainforest. He found himself briefly grateful that he hadn't been reincarnated in the body of a herbivore – he wouldn't want to have to test all of this alien foliage to find out if it was poisonous or not.

The undergrowth also blocked his sightlines – that was more annoying for him personally. Especially since sound was strangely muffled, and his olfactory senses were deluged with unfamiliar scents that made detecting a threat impossible. Perhaps I should have gone around, he wondered, holding onto the sense of Compass with grim determination. Without it, he'd worry about getting completely lost among the trees. After perhaps half an hour in the forest, Dominic became increasingly aware that he was being watched.

But what he couldn't tell was the nature of what was watching him. Prey, predator, or neutral observer. As time wore on, his tension grew. He slowed down his pace, pushed his senses to their limits, and jumped at every crack and hoot from the canopy above. When he heard the crash of something large moving through the undergrowth, he was almost relieved. Anything would be better than this steadily-mounting tension. Bracing himself, Dominic twisted around as the beast emerged from the bushes to his right.

However, surprisingly, he was a moment too late – the beast blurred forward with unexpected speed and crashed into his shoulder painfully. Dominic was actually taken off his feet by the force of the blow and fell heavily to the ground. He groaned, his side feeling like a giant bruise. But he had no time to dwell on his injuries. Rolling over swiftly to regain his feet while shifting so he didn't present such an easy target, he caught sight of his assailant.

It looked like a massive warthog, slightly bigger even than Dominic, though its blue-green colouring that matched the foliage around it indicated that it was something more alien. Its piggy eyes were glaring at him and it snorted and stamped, clearly preparing to repeat the charge. This time, Dominic was ready, leaping out the way. He played it safe for a short time.

He wanted to work out two things: if there was a rhythm to the not-warthog's attacks; and if there were any other individuals coming to join the party. He quickly discovered that there was indeed a pattern to the attacks – and a glaring weakness. The beast was quick when it charged, and avoiding it was sometimes challenging, requiring all his focus. However, once the charge was over, the warthog took a few precious moments to turn around and reset itself. That would be his opportunity to strike.

Better, nothing else had emerged from the bushes – the creature was alone. Focusing deeply, Dominic did his best to be patient as he waited for the best moment to strike. At least he was fairly confident by now that the creature was alone. Then it came. The not-warthog charged at him. Dominic slipped to the side just out of reach of its tusks, then transformed his momentum to a strike that sent him leaping towards the back of the not-warthog's neck.

His whole focus on a single spot, he drove into it with all the force he could muster. Due to the not-warthog's squat stance and low centre of gravity, it wasn't knocked over as he had been on its own charge, however it grunted at the impact. More importantly, Dominic had managed to get his teeth into the back of its neck. Claws out and digging into its sides, he held on tightly. If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. The not-warthog went wild.

Bucking, twisting, it did everything it could to dislodge Dominic from its back. Hold on! Leo ordered Dominic. With his whole focus on the not-warthog, Dominic didn't have the mental capacity to do more than shove exasperation at him. Then the beast had the idea of rolling over, and Dominic was only just fast enough to scramble clear before he was crushed by its weight. Go for belly! Leo urged. Dominic wasted no time in following his advice.

Before the warthog could right itself, the lion slammed into its side, rolling it over again. The next few moments were a scramble of flailing limbs, flashing tusks, and bloodied claws as the lion did his best to get the not-warthog on its back and keep it there, while his opponent put just as much effort into regaining its feet and escaping the dangerous position. Dominic's teeth bit deeply into the soft skin of the not-warthog's belly, delicious blood filling his mouth.

Meanwhile, his claws buried themselves into it just as easily, the not-warthog's struggles ironically causing itself far more damage than Dominic would have alone. The hooves of the not-warthog did their best to strike at Dominic, but they were glancing blows at best – the pig-like creature's legs just didn't bend well enough to defend itself effectively from this kind of attack. As the not-warthog's movements started weakening – from bloodloss or shock, Dominic could only guess – the lion shifted his attack.

Instead of attacking the belly, he surged upwards to close its jaws around its throat. On its belly, it couldn't lower its head low enough to protect the vulnerable spot from him and he no longer feared its tusks – it was too weak. The battle was soon over. The not-warthog put up a valiant struggle until the last, but in the end, the battle was lost the moment the creature allowed him to get at its belly. Dominic waited until he was certain that the warthog had expired before he cautiously released his jaws.

He stepped back and gazed at the wreckage of the beast's body. Its belly was torn in several places, the grey of its intestines emerging from where he'd been biting into it. Blood had soaked the ground beneath it, and, as Dominic looked at his paws, he saw they were completely coated. Running a long tongue around his jaws, he tasted the metallic liquid there too. The not-warthog's throat was just as much of a mess. Damn, he thought, impressed at what he was capable of. It looks like a wild animal attacked it.

That thought made him uneasy – but only for a moment. I am a wild animal right now – and just as well, he told himself. If that thing attacked me as a human, I'd have been toast. Lions better, Leo agreed smugly. Humans weak. Excuse you, Dominic thought back at him, a little indignant. Or are you telling me that you would have recognised its weakness before we were combined? Yes, Leo replied immediately, but he couldn't lie to someone who could read him as well as Dominic could.

They both knew that they were currently the ideal combination – a human's ability to reason with a lion's strength, natural weapons, and predatory instinct. This was very clearly a predator-eat-prey kind of world, and Dominic wasn't keen on being the latter. Speaking of, Leo prompted, reminding him of how delicious that not-warthog's blood had tasted in his mouth. You guts, Dominic accused. We ate so much yesterday that my stomach still isn't completely empty. Got space, Leo argued. So eat!

I don't want to be all sleepy when heading into this forest, Dominic refuted. Then don't eat so much, Leo rationalised. But eat now, or hungry later. It was an obvious point, but Dominic found himself being swayed by it nonetheless. The not-warthog's body hadn't transformed into a golden orb like that one hyena's had – he was curious what the triggers of that event might be, because surely it wasn't unique – so eating it seemed like the best thing to do.

Especially since he did have some bruises courtesy of the initial charge. Alright, fine, he agreed, settling down next to the carcass after a brief survey of his surroundings. Biting through the tough skin and into the soft flesh beyond, Dominic found that he was actually more hungry than he'd thought. He tore at the carcass, wolfing down chunks of meat, feeling his bruises ease before his stomach started really filling.

He had just enough self-discipline to stop before he overfilled his belly to the point where all he would want to do was sleep, but it was still a bit heavier than he wanted when he – reluctantly – pulled away. Licking his paws and chops to clean them, he reminded himself of why it was so important not to gorge himself. Not helped by Leo. Still have space. My stomach is already heavy. Not heavy enough. Leo, quit it, Dominic snapped. Or do you want to die because we'd eaten so much we couldn't react in time.

Could sleep, Leo suggested slyly. Do you want to find these lionesses or not? Dominic demanded, more than half serious. Because– No! Females. Find females, Leo hurried to assure him. No eat more. Though even now, there was reluctance in his mental voice. Dominic hesitated for a moment, wondering why this was such a big deal to the lion. Then it struck him You know we can take the rest of the carcass with us, don't you? And then eat more of it when we get hungry later?

Oh, Leo replied, and the relief that echoed out from his side indicated Dominic had hit the nail on the head. With that verbalised, there were no more complaints from Leo's side of things when Dominic pushed himself to his feet. Touching the carcass, he pulled it into his storage space and then set off again. Within a few minutes, Dominic realised that, far from disappearing, the sense of being watched had only intensified. Then, somewhere high above him, there was a loud, rustling sound.

Dominic looked up quickly to see a branch swaying where something far bigger than the average bird had just pushed off it. There was another loud rustle in the canopy above, and then another. Each time, Dominic was just a moment too late to see what had caused it. The tension that had released from his muscles with the death of the not-warthog now crept back in – and stronger than before.

There was nothing to indicate that whatever was making the branches sway was a threat to him – nothing but the sense of being watched, and the fact that the movements were following him. And then there was a low hoot that echoed through the treetops. Another answered it from a different part of the canopy. Then another. And another. Dominic looked up. He couldn't see a thing. But he was certain they could see him.