The lion followed Caleb, moving slow and deliberate, leaving the hollow behind. Lisa inched forward, breath shallow. Nina lay curled beside the other kitten, wide-eyed but still. Five steps. Three. She reached them. Gently, she scooped both kittens into her arms, pressing them tight to her chest, her heartbeat pounding against their tiny ribs.
She looked up. The lion had trailed Caleb past the ridge, out of view—but not far enough. There was no time to hesitate. Lisa ran. Branches clawed at her sleeves, brambles slashed her legs. The forest blurred as she tore through it, lungs burning, the kittens cradled like delicate glass.
She didn’t dare look back—not knowing where Caleb was, not knowing if the lion had turned. She ran as if every second mattered. Because it did. Finally, she burst through the treeline, feet pounding on the familiar grass behind Kevin’s house.
Her knees buckled. She collapsed to the ground, panting, kittens still clutched safely against her chest. People poured out from the porch. Lisa stared at the tree line, lungs heaving, heart hammering louder than the voices around her. The world seemed to tilt.
Kevin rushed onto the lawn, eyes wide, half-panicked. “Lisa?” She looked up, breath ragged, clutching the kittens. “Lisa, what… how did you… are those…?”
His words halted as his daughter screamed, running forward and scooping her kitten into her arms. Lisa nodded, dazed. “They’re okay. I got them. They were alive.”
Kevin crouched beside her. “You went into the woods… alone?”
“No,” Lisa said quickly, scanning the treeline. “Caleb came with me.”
Kevin’s brow furrowed. “Caleb? Your wildlife friend?”
“Yes. He was with me. He lured her away so I could grab the kittens.”
Kevin’s face darkened. “Wait—you mean the… creature?”
Lisa’s voice trembled. “He never made it out.”
Without hesitation, Kevin shouted toward the house. “Brandon! Grab a flashlight! We’ve got someone still in the woods!”