Grin charged forward, but before he could go any further, Fay recalled him. Fortunately, they weren't within the lions' range just yet.
His beast tried to resist its return to the spirit realm but failed. Within seconds, it vanished into that strange, illusion-like space once again.
Fay, meanwhile, ran back as fast as he could. He needed to check the situation—whether the lions would go after the others or leave them alone. The tribe was already under stress from the ongoing relocation, and this would only make things worse.
He found a large rock and crouched behind it, scanning the area. The lions were still too focused on the bull to notice him.
Wiping sweat from his cheek, he began to count. There were at least eight of them, all females, which wasn't surprising—until he heard a nearby roar.
"Damn it, I knew one of them saw me."
To his left, he spotted a large male lion with a mane, staring straight at him while the others continued to eat.
"Damn it!"
Fay quickly summoned Grin again and started to run. He wasn't about to lead them back to the tribe. He needed to draw the threat away—and fast.
He rushed south, the same direction he had come from. His goal was clear: get the lion off the tribe's trail.
When he glanced back, he saw that only the male lion was pursuing him. The others were still busy feeding.
"Good, Grin. At least something's going right after you messed up. But don't think you're getting the whole carcass. You've earned a punishment for this."
Fay muttered as he considered the terrain. He needed to lead the lion somewhere ideal for battle—an open area, with few places to hide. The last thing he wanted was to be surrounded by the lion's mates.
"Head that way—full speed! I need you ready by the time I take him on!"
The spot he pointed to had once been a road. He guessed it was old, marked clearly, though not even the tribe knew who had built it.
Grin followed his command without hesitation. The creature seemed to realize it had made a mistake now that no prey stood in front of it.
Fay hurried ahead, channeling his energy. It wasn't long before he skidded to a stop and spun around, ready to face the large male lion one-on-one. By now, Grin had grown to match the beast in size.
"Go distract him. I'll circle around and support you. If needed, I'll send in Jolt for one final attack—just make sure he gets the first bite if that happens."
Fay sprinted to the side, hoping the charging lion wouldn't notice him. It was a fifty-fifty chance.
Grin, however, wasn't about to give it that opportunity. He lunged forward and clamped onto the lion's neck. Fay only had time to double back and jump in to help.
The two beasts wrestled fiercely, each trying to gain the upper hand. Both aimed for the other's neck or paws, but it was clear that Grin wouldn't win if he kept going for the lion's throat—the thick hide made that difficult. Instinct alone wouldn't save him here.
That was where Fay came in.
"Now, back off! I'm ready to strike!"
Fay raised his hands high, spear poised to throw with all his might. Grin managed to pull back just enough, though one of his paws was still trapped in the lion's jaws, moments from being torn off.
The lance flew and struck deep, embedding into the lion's torso and drawing a pained cry.
"Damn it, Grin. Couldn't you have dodged faster? Now you'll have to waste time eating just to grow that leg back."
Fay glanced behind him. It was obvious the other lions had heard their mate's final cry.
He quickly summoned Jolt and urged him to feast on the lion's corpse. Both creatures were already devouring the meat greedily. Fay never liked seeing how ravenously they ate, but today, he'd allow it.
Yanking the spear free, he began weighing his options. It would take a few minutes for Grin to regenerate his leg and for Jolt to recover enough mana to fight again.
Fay bent down and picked up a few stones from the ground. He wouldn't be able to take out the rest with just his spear—three lionesses were already visible in the distance.
It was then, in the distance, that he spotted a vulture. Fay waved at it briefly before bracing himself again. It had to be Horin—but why was she watching him?
"That girl…"
That was all he had time to mutter. The next few seconds were critical.
He hurled a few stones toward the approaching lionesses, hoping to slow them down. They had locked eyes on his creatures, who were still feasting.
"Sorry, but it's a hard world—and I won't be the one dying today!"
He tossed more stones as they crept closer. The effort earned him a few precious seconds—just enough for Grin to finish regrowing his leg and for arcs of electricity to spark around Jolt's body.
"Hurry up, you two! If we can take these three down, we might be able to deal with the rest!"
Fay gripped his spear tightly. Jolt, though not finished eating, began to roll forward, sparks crackling along his frame. Grin, now fully healed, turned to face one of the lionesses—leaving Fay with the one in the center.
He lowered his spear and charged. It was just an animal—he wasn't going to run.
Fay sprinted at full speed, refusing to let the beast support the others and risk one of his creatures falling. He slashed at it, forcing its attention onto him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jolt, stronger than ever these past few days, already pinning his opponent. It wasn't dead, but it was paralyzed.
Grin, now towering over his target, swiped the lioness aside with ease before lunging for the throat in a classic predator's move.
But Fay wasn't about to be outshined—not with five more creatures charging in from the distance.
He didn't yet have the strength to pierce through with a direct stab, so he threw his full weight behind the weapon. Jumping, he brought the spear down with both hands, aiming for the forearm. The strike missed its mark—but he didn't pull back. Instead, he redirected and slashed upward, managing to land a cut along the creature's neck.
Grin, perhaps feeling guilty for starting all of this, finished off his own opponent and sprinted toward Fay to assist.
"Glad you know what you did was wrong, Grin. Now let's go—we've only got a few seconds before the next wave!"