-35
TYSON’S POV
We had been following Aurora for what seemed like forever. I was tempted to leave her alone but I didn’t want to take any chances with her safety.
“Does she even know what she is doing?” I grumbled, taking ye another turn.
Caleb snorted and replied, “So, the great king can’t digest the fact the someone is better than him…”
My eyebrows furrowed as I thought about it. Was I jealous of Aurora? I don’t think so. If she could take us out of the maze, I would feel proud; just like I felt proud whenever Aslan outwitted me in childhood.
Letting out a deep sigh, I caught up with Aurora who was staring at a tiny passage. Her face lit upon seeing me. “I have been marking all the trees along the way. We have been passing the same trees again and again. These two are the only ones that are not marked. Let us try taking this path.” She gushed excitedly.
I didn’t exactly understand what she said but tagged along. The landscape changed as we walked along the new path, the forest became denser, darker.
“Aurora! You really think this path will lead us to our destination…’ Caleb said looking around the jungle apprehensively.
“I don’t know Caleb but we have come too far to return. Come along, don’t be a scaredy dog…”
Grrrrrrrrhhhhh!!! The roar of a lion reverberated making the hair on our backs stand.
Aurora jumped into my arms and hid her face screaming. “No!! I don’t want to be killed by a lion.”
“Who is being a scaredy-cat now?” I asked chuckling.
She pushed me away in reply and said, “Let us climb up the trees. The lion won’t be able to reach us then.”
Another roar and Aurora had climbed up the tree like a monkey. Caleb and I burst out into loud guffaws.
“Do you guys want to be killed? Climb up the trees, quick.” She said, beckoning to us.
“I am a dragon shifter, Aurora. How will I show my face if I get scared of a mere lion?”
“Don’t forget you can’t shift here. Your powers are highly diminished!”
“No way, I am sure I can kill a large dog even without my powers,” I said with a snort and stood there, waiting for the lion to attack.
“Caleb, Be the sensible one. Come up.” Aurora begged him but he was adamant as me. He tore off a large branch of a tree to use it as a weapon.
A roar louder than thunder sounded and a large, majestic lion came into view. He was at least thrice my size. He barred his teeth and roared but I stood there unperturbed. I was confident that my muscular power was enough to defeat him.
The lion pounced at me. I grabbed both its paws, thinking that, I will wrestle with it. But, without my powers, I was no match for him.
The muscles of my arms ached and my hands shook with strain, the lion was closing on me. I could feel its breath and its eyes held such ferocity that my heart stopped beating.
A few more seconds and I would be torn apart by this beast. Maybe I was born to be an abomination in the name of a dragon shifter.
Suddenly the lion was shoved away from me. I watched as Caleb struck him again and again with the branch. The lion didn’t seem much perturbed by it. It kept dodging the blow.
When I saw the lion closing in on Caleb, I pulled down another branch and hit the lion with it. Among the both of us, we managed to keep the lion busy but the battle seemed unending. The lion was too swift and agile.
AURORA’S POV
These fools! I had told them to climb the trees but No! They wanted to exhibit their strength. Climbing up the tree was against their ego after all.
I watched in horror as the lion outsmarted both of them. If this continued, they would both be killed by the lion.
I swept my eyes around, looking for something to ward off the lion. The rough, pale stones near the oak tree looked like flintstones. If I could go and get those stones, I could build a fire to ward off the lion. The only problem was that the lion was too close to the location.
“You have to do this, Aurora,” I muttered and climbed down the tree as softly as possible. I sneaked to the oak tree and had just picked the flintstones when I heard a roar.
My heart came to my mouth when I saw the lion pounce on me. I screamed and closed my eyes. When nothing happened for a while, I cracked open my eyes to see the Tyson sparring with the lion.
I scurried to the oak tree and climbed up as fast as my shaking hands and legs would allow. The lion was growing restless and more aggressive by the minute.
Pulling down a dry branch, I held it between my knees. I tried to strike the stone against one another but my clammy hands made it impossible to strike properly.
While wiping my hands on my trousers, I caught a movement from the corner of the eye. Caleb and Tyson were cornered by the lion. They were drenched in sweat and their movements had become sluggish. If I didn’t hurry up, they would be dead meat.
Drawing in a deep breath, I struck the stones against one another. A few sparks rained on the wood but it didn’t catch fire.
Pulling out some dry leaves with my hand, I placed it on my lap and struck the stones. I heaved a sigh of relief as the leaves caught fire. Not bothering about the fire crackling on my lap, I focused on lighting the branch.
The moment the twig caught fire, I clambered down. Tyson and Caleb were on the verge of giving up. I had to do something.
“Hey, you wild cat! Come at me!” I shouted waving the burning branch.
I don’t know if it was drawn by my voice or if it could understand me. It turned towards me and pounced at me.
A scream escaped my throat as I plunged the blazing torch towards the beast. It landed on the ground a few inches away from the log. It watched the blazing torch in fear and ran away just like that.
The moment the lion left, I gave into the dizziness that had been threatening to engulf me for a long time. The torch dropped on the ground with a thud and I fell too but landed on a soft surface.
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