Slow death is best

Kione was a lone wanderer and that was a bitter pill to swallow.  It couldn’t have been more than two weeks ago the sickness had killed most of his family.  The family bond was too deep and between the sharing of meat, the laying in a pile around each other, or just the pain of losing one member his large family had died off fast.  Three of them had survived and not caught the sickness but life wasn’t done with its cruel games.  Even as the three tried to deal with the loss of family a lion had attacked and killed off his final two family members.

Kione knew how to hunt, knew how to fight but what he didn’t really know was living alone.  So far he didn’t like the lessons.  He had to change up his hunting style for smaller targets without the support of others.  The African wild dog still hadn’t figured out what to do with his life next.  So far he hadn’t seen another one of his kind and even if he did would they accept him into their family?  

Kione had left the wildberry grove and headed to the beach, ready to be done with too many shrubs and trees for his preference.  Open landscape was the best for hunting and fighting.  The scent on the breeze surprised him and filled Kione’s heart with both hatred and a cruel joy.  Why a lion was here the wild dog couldn’t say but it certainly didn’t matter.  Trotting along he soon spotted the lion.  It was a young male with his mane only half-grown but plenty of muscle still.  Thankfully the brute was likely as dumb as the crabs on the beach.

Killing a lion sounded incredibly good right now.  If he had to guess the brute had been chased away from some other lions and ended up lost out here.  Trotting up to it boldly Kione grinned when the lion roared and lunged at him.  Kione danced away happy to see it was reactive.  “Come on then pal, let's play a bit?” Kione was smiling at the lion, it was going to feel good getting to rip him up.  If only the family was with him.

It was to be a game.  Kione would dash in, get the lion to attack, and even give chase a few strides before it would give up.  Kione did this several times without even trying to bite, just agitating the cat.  When the lion seemed to be tired of the game and tried to ignore him Kione got in closer, biting at his rump before running off with a laugh, licking the blood on his teeth.  The lion chased him to the edge of the beach over that one.  Poor cat, it wasn’t as fast as Kione and the bulky monster didn’t have the lithe dog's stamina.

Kione would kill it, he had decided that.  However, a fast kill was not only impossible but not nearly as fun or satisfying.  When the lion stalled out on chasing after Kione he grinned back at the cat, “tired already? But you’re doing so good.” He took two strides in before the lion gave chase and Kione circled about.  Like a fine dance, the dumb brute didn’t realize the game being played.  Once it was tired Kione would win.  Not like he had anything else to do.


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