A father's sacrifice
Quick note before we start: With this story I'll try to tell you about some of my headcanon and -lore of the TLK universe. If this chapter leaves you with unanswered questions (and I'm sure it does, please ask, I'll try to answere them in the following chapters by working them into the story. Btw., this story is just a sideproject, so there won't be that many updates, but I already have the most important plot points and an ending in mind.
Well, what more to say, I hope you like it.
Thunder roared and lightning blazed through the dark clouds covering the sky as a single lion made his way through the stormy night. Due to the clouds it was hard to tell but surely it wasn't too long until dawn and he couldn't risk being caught by daylight. He had already failed on his hunt but wouldn't fail in returning to his mate to see his cub. He had promised to be there for her and for his offspring, to be the father their little family deserved.
Panting, he reached the den and slipped through the entrance, that was barely wide enough to let him pass. He had to crouch a little, then the short tunnel widened, allowing him to stand up. He shook the water out of his fur… and froze.
Instead of a slightly disappointed but still joyful greeting there was a quiet sobbing coming from the place where he had left his mate. Something was wrong, terribly wrong! With rising fear, he approached her.
"I… I'm so sorry", she sobbed, as she noticed him. Her face soaked in tears she looked down at her paws.
"No… Oh, Kunja…" Incapable of finding the right words he simply rubbed his head against her wet cheek. Then he looked at the two cubs laying between her forelegs.
"They… they're both males", Kunja cried in despair. "I'm so… so sorry, Puku…"
"No… no, don't be, my love!" Although he felt desperation crawling into his mind, he nuzzled her head, trying to comfort her. "Who would have thought…"
"We should have thought!", she sobbed. "It happened to the leader's mate too, and now… When they find out…" Another flood of tears stopped her from continuing.
"M… Maybe…", he tried, but she interrupted him immediately.
"Spare me with impossible hopes! They will find out, they always do! One of the others saw them yesterday! It's only a matter of time until they come here and when they arrive… They'll demand blood!"
"We have to hide them!" He looked at his sons. "At least one of them, and when they find out there was a second one, we tell them he didn't survive and…"
"No, you won't!" A voice sounded from the entrance.
Shocked, Puku turned around to find the pack leader standing behind him, in his eyes the same fear that he felt himself.
"I can't allow that! We all heard what happened to the neighboring pack when they tried to betray the king… They were slaughtered, everyone! You have my honest compassion, believe me, but for the sake of this pack I cannot allow you to do that."
"Please, we…"
"NO! And that is my last word!" With that said, the leader turned around and began to crawl out of the cave. Just in the moment his head must have popped out into the open, a loud voice sounded, that shattered all hopes that were left.
"GOOD MORNING SUNNSHINE!"
A scream was heard and in front of Puku's eyes, his leader was ripped out of the cave.
"Oh, stop whining and get up!", the voice laughed, then it continued even louder. "WE KNOW YOU'RE HERE, LIONS! SO, COME OUT COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE! Come on, buddy encourage your pack a little!"
"L-Listen to them." The leader's usually harsh voice sounded more like a whining as he followed the order.
"Stay here!", Puku said to his mate and began to crawl out of the cave. "And don't make a sound!" The first thing he noticed outside, was the sunlight, that bathed the area in a reddish glow. Then, he saw them.
They were five. The short manes the males possessed, didn't extend all around their neck but simply began on top of their slightly elongated heads, ran down their spine and ended shortly behind their shoulders. Judging by the height of their hips they weren't bigger than lions, but due to their longer forelegs they were taller by a head. Their legs were muscular and armed with claws that could never be fully sheathed. Their jaws presented canines twice as long as a lion's. Terrorcats.
Two of them – both females – sat next to the lions' pack leader, who had a bleeding cut running all over his face.
"Hello ladies! If you'd be so kind to line up over there?" The biggest terrorcat – indisputable a male – stood next to another den from which a few lionesses hesitantly emerged. With one of his front paws he gestured them to keep moving and when the last of them passed him, he smacked her behind with his paw, what made her whine. "Beautiful girls!" He grinned at the pack leader. "All yours, fuzzy?"
"Oh!", one of the females guarding the lion said. "I didn't know an ugly furball like you could make something this pretty." She rubbed her head against his, enjoying his fear and confusion.
"And I guess these also are yours?", the large male pointed at another female carrying two cubs in her snout.
"Y-yes, my lord", the leader quietly answered.
"So, he's quite fertile too", the other female joined her companion in taunting the lion. "Or too fertile? Well see about that, huh?" She bumped her shoulder against his.
"All right, now everyone, line up next to your leader's girls!", the male went back to business.
"You heard him!" Another terrorcat walked up to Puku, who had watched the scene from in front of his cave. He was just about to follow the order, as suddenly a meow sounded from the cave. It was quiet, but not quiet enough. "Wait a second…" An evil grin appeared on the terrorcat's face. "Damu, over here!"
Before he could react, Puku was tackled to the ground and grabbed by the neck.
"Well, well, what have we here?" Damu, the big male and leader of the terrorcats slowly waked up to him. "I think I remember you from our last visit, you are… well, I don't care who you are, but back then you were with that girl, right?" He bent down in front of the cave and sniffed, then his smile became even wider. "Come out darling, or I'll have your pack mates dig you out. Oh, and bring your cubs. I'll count down from ten, ok? Ten… nine… eight…"
Sobbing, Kunja obeyed and a few moments later she, her mate and their newborn cubs were lined up next to the others.
Slowly, Damu walked up and down the line, then he turned to the pack leader. "Well… I see, some old faces are gone and some new faces have come… but oh, boy, what can I say? No matter how often I count… They're more males than last time!"
"Th… That's…"
"Oh, spare me with any explanations! One lion too many is one lion too many!", Damu shouted. "You know the law! You all know! And you know the consequences!" Despite the anger in his voice he couldn't hide his smile when he walked back to Kunja. "Judging by their size, yours are the youngest. Have you chosen already?"
Instead of answering, Kunja simply sobbed and pulled her cubs closer to her.
"That's what I thought", Damu mercilessly growled and lifted a paw, alternately pointing at the two. "So, I guess I'll take…"
Suddenly, Puku made a decision. Since they had found the cubs, he had thought about it and now came to the conclusion, that there was no other way. He jumped out of line and shielded his mate and cubs with his body.
"How dare you!", Damu shouted enraged and bared his teeth, ready to pull him away.
"Please, my lord!", Puku panted. "Spare them! If you have to do this, take me instead!"
For a moment not a single sound other than the thunder of the storm that was slowly driven away by the wind was heard.
"Are you serious?", Damu asked, confused by the lion's offer. Then he laughed. "Well, I don't know what they told you, but can make more than two cubs. Maybe next time they're girls. And you don't even know if these survive. Maybe they'll die tomorrow. Or your pack gets attacked and you're not there to defend them."
"I know that", Puku replied. "But still, take me! Spare my sons. I beg you."
"Weird." The terrorcat turned around. "That never happened before. Uhm, are there any protocols for a case like this?", he asked one of his companions.
"I… guess not", the other terrorcat answered.
"Well, in that case… You know…" He turned back to Puku. "Usually we take the youngest, but I like your persistence. I accept your offer. Get up!"
Swallowing heavily, Puku stood up. One last time he looked at his cubs, then he met Kunja's eyes, shrouded with tears. "Keep them save", he whispered into her ear, as he nuzzled her goodbye. "Make it worth it. And tell… tell them, I loved them." With that he turned around and passed Damu, who gestured him to move towards the other terrorcats.
"Name them Taka and Mafuu, to honor your mate's crappy decision", the terrorcat commanded Kunja. "And don't worry, I'll find out if you don't." Then he followed Puku. "Bow down", he growled at him and grinned as he looked down on the lion's exposed neck. Damn, he loved his job!
AN: Just for clarification: although "Terrorcat" would be a fitting translation for the Dinofelis, they are meant to be a fictional species based on the Homotherium, a sabercat that once roamed the african savannah.
A little funfact: Actually, the idea of theis story was the result of a writers-block concerning tRoU and an overdosis of Finsterforst's "Zerfall" and "Ecce Homo". Somehow that combination awakened the inresistable urge in me to write a TLK origin story...
I had this in stock for a while now as some sort of buffer, but today I spontanously wrote chapter 3 (yes, 3) so I thought why not releasing chap 1 now?