"Grizzler froze, his breath catching when he saw Cougar lying still on the ground, then he turned sharply to face the leopard."
"You came here… even after knowing I'd kill you?"
"Don't get the wrong idea, bear!" the leopard said.
"I'm not alone."
"The leopard's gaze gleamed, steady, unflinching, and cruel."
"Grizzler lowered Ivy to the ground with care."
"Sorry, Ivy. Wait a moment."
Grizzler turned, his expression hardening.
"Ha? So you're the bear who killed Claw?" he said.
The leopard's smirk didn't falter, but his tail twitched once, betraying tension.
"A low growl built in Grizzler's chest, deep enough to make the trees shiver."
"Then he charged, each step cracking the earth beneath him."
"Oh-ho? Do you think I'll just stand here and take it?" the leopard said.
Thud!
Grizzler hit the ground, dirt and grass erupting beneath him.
The leopard staggered backward.
"Hypocrite! Saving others while murdering our leader!"
"Grizzler breathed in ragged bursts, cradling Cougar's limp body; his eyes flashed with a fury barely held at bay."
"Just wait… until the others arrive!" The leopard's claws sank into the earth, his whole frame trembling with a mix of rage and dread.
So he isn't alone… they're coming for me?
Vein and Gash's pack… no, it can't be.
Claw's followers, Grizzler thought.
Then he turned to Cougar.
"Mountain lion! Answer me, please!"
Grizzler's paws tightened on Cougar's trembling body, claws digging faintly into his fur.
"Bear… I just… wanted to tell you…" Cougar's chest rose shallowly, each breath thinner than the last.
"Don't push yourself," Grizzler murmured, clutching Cougar's paw tighter.
Cougar coughed, blood streaking his muzzle before he met Grizzler's gaze.
"I know you'd never do that… that's why I wanted to be your friend."
"You're my friend, okay? Just—please—don't die!" Grizzler cried.
The leopard spat to the side, sneering. "Disgusting."
He couldn't move, couldn't even breathe, as Cougar's smile broke through the pain.
"Ahh… thank you. I'm… glad to hear that." Cougar smiled weakly.
"But it's late…" His voice came out tired, barely a whisper.
Before his eyes dimmed again, he said,
"Please… run for your life, they're coming, tens of leopards."
"Not again… every time someone near me dies," Grizzler said, his arms trembling.
Then he laid Cougar gently on the ground.
Grizzler bowed his head, a single tear cutting a dark streak through the dust on his cheek. He pressed his muzzle briefly to Cougar's brow.
"I don't know you well, Lion… but you were brave to the end."
"I will bury you in a place with flowers and riverlight," Grizzler said.
"Grizzler stood, his gaze narrowing on the leopard."
"Tch… just wait," the leopard hissed.
"Then he crept quietly toward Ivy."
"Death, huh…" When the idea of death crossed his mind, pain exploded behind Grizzler's eyes.
He shouted, clutching his temples.
W… what's happening to me? he thought.
Even the leopard froze, startled by the bear's sudden collapse.
His roar echoed through the trees, raw and broken.
The ground beneath him seemed to spin, colors bled together at the edges of his vision.
Somewhere deep inside, a memory surfaced, a leaf trembling in sunlight,
a worm wandering aimlessly, searching for its siblings,
then a robin, free and bright, gathering food for its young.
Then the image curdled to black.
The screams of humans grew sharper, closer.
Leopards tearing through villages, humans fleeing,
and a bear, massive and enraged, crushing huts beneath its claws.
"Eat whatever you want, my followers, but remember, we kill to survive, not to waste!"
Claw's voice thundered through his skull, splitting the haze.
Another flash struck Former Grizzler, his own voice, roaring with hatred:
"You leopards are such annoying cowards, you always attack in groups and still call yourselves proud!"
Then the last image came…
Leila's smile flickered once, then vanished.
"Grizzler gasped, pressing both paws against his skull."
Every sound felt miles away, yet the echo of Claw's voice lingered like fire in his mind.
He tried to move, but his body refused, caught between past and present.
"My head! It's going to burst!" Grizzler shouted.
Somewhere, the leopard's footsteps paused—hesitant, unsure.
Then he scanned the surroundings until his gaze met Ivy's.
A slow grin crept over the leopard's face, cruel and patient.
Ivy still lay unconscious, ears pricking, a small tremor running down her flank.
"My chance , I'll make the deer my leverage!"