Chapter 14: An Oasis
Towering at shoulder-height with a grown man, this beast was a masterwork of primal strength and predatory grace. Its body was powerfully built, yet balanced with the elegance of a great feline.
Its forelimbs were massive, far more developed than its hind legs, long, sinewy arms ending in paws wide as shields and tipped with curved, hook-like claws. These claws were not just for climbing or gripping prey but appear durable enough to rip through leather armor or even dig through stone. The beast seems to lean forward slightly as it ran, knuckle-gaited like a silverback gorilla, yet its movement carried the controlled, deliberate menace of a stalking panther.
The head was unmistakably feline, shaped like that of a lioness, broad-muzzled with sharp, golden eyes set beneath a ridge of bone that gives it a permanent scowl of grim focus.
The tail was long and thick, ringed with pale markings near its tip, suggesting it may aid in balance or as a signal to others, whether in mating, battle, or hunting formations.
Despite its bulk, the beast was built for explosive ambushes. Every part of it, from the hunched shoulders to the massive limbs, suggest a predator that kills with a single leap, either crushing its prey beneath its weight or rending it apart mid-air.
Kaelor’s mind raced.
In the few seconds it took for the creature to burst from the underbrush, he analyzed everything. It looked like a lioness, if a lioness had fused with a kangaroo. Long hindlegs coiled with muscle, fur like sandpaper, and a low-sweeping tail like a whip. But instead of charging headlong into them, the beast leapt, a calculated arc from the cover of the trees.
Kaelor’s eyes widened as the creature soared overhead. From above, its tail snapped like a whip, cutting through the air straight toward him.
He didn’t move.
Time slowed.
He saw the end of the tail glint under the moonlight. His body screamed at him to react, but, he couldn’t.