CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
When Lupine-boy first heard the screams echo up Malibu Canyon, he thought it was two male lions fighting, perhaps over a deer kill, perhaps over a female. As a cub in his old homeland, he once witnessed such a battle. It was a battle to the death. The yowling and shrieking that accompanied that brawl, never stopped until the victor grabbed and held the enemy’s neck, crushed its windpipe, and tore the vein. Then the throttle of death silenced him. This night though, the screams came in between long silences. Different.
Lupine-boy only encountered the scent of one other male in his many months roaming every mountainside and canyon in the area. This made him wary, but despite the possible danger to himself, he headed toward the sounds; curious as any cat. As he got closer, the two battle cries had distinct characteristics. One was louder and deeper suggesting the body mass of an older male, perhaps Bigpaw. The other voice, although strong and fierce, seemed, by its volume, to be produced by a smaller animal, perhaps a younger male. Maybe a female? Maybe She-Paw?
The two lions were at it again when Lupine-boy reached a ridgeline above them. His acute night sight confirmed what he had heard. The large animal shadow circled the smaller, growling in what sounded like a sexual advance. Being high above and upwind, Lupine-boy now recognized their scents. He had smelled the old male’s urine piles throughout the territory. He was the dominant male, Big-paw. She was She-Paw, the young female that communicated dark messages to Lupine-boy and previously resisted his advances. He remembered her scent and voice very well. He longed to meet her again and have her.
He could fight for her now with the likelihood of serious injury or with the older cat’s determination—possible death. Suddenly the shapes and the sounds of the battle were stilled. The silence now stretched to a deadening—not even a rustle of leaves. Maybe it was a fight over a kill and the female lay dying, but what male would kill a potential sex partner?
Then Lupine-boy heard what he thought were mews. They were very faint but he knew the distinct chirps and mews of lion cubs. Could She-Paw have just bore him offspring? He heard a rustle and saw a charge. A snarl then a scream. An attack. BigPaw charged She-Paw. She reared up and struck him hard; clawing him in the face, and ran. He chased after her, but crouched down a few yard from her, finding her hiding in a thicket of sagebrush. Was she wounded?
Silence dropped over them again. After a long pause, Lupineboy saw Big-paw move around toward She-Paw’s backside, like he was looking for another line of attack. More silence. She-Paw did not move. Then, much to his surprise, Big-paw ran further away from her—up the canyon wall in Lupine-boy’s direction. Did he give up that fight? Did he pick up his scent for a new fight? Lupine-boy was now on full alert; haunches tensed to spring, hair bristling on his spine—ready to take on the big old cat.
Then Big-paw changed direction again—moving further across the canyon. After another long period of silence, Lupine-boy thought he heard some muted cries off in the distance, but ShePaw still lay motionless in the thicket.
Hours must have passed as well as the sense of danger, as Lupine-boy saw She-Paw get up and move slowly toward a clearing. She was alive. He began following her. He got close enough to see she was limping on a rear leg, but otherwise moving steadily toward a rock outcropping.
Then she stopped. Lupine-boy watched as she sat for a while looking at the ground. Then she lay down and proceeded to move her head up and down in a licking motion like she was feeding. He slowly crept closer to get a better look. Then he smelled blood; blood that was not hers’ or that of a deer kill. He moved one paw in front of the other in a slow crawl until he snapped a branch. He saw that she heard him. She quickly lifted her head and snarled in defense.
She reached down to the ground and picked up a spotted cub in her motherly jaws as if to protect it. Lupine-boy could see the cub was limp and dead. He then knew what the battle was fought for. Below She-Paw was another dead cub—partially eaten.
She dropped the cub and growled viciously. Lupine-boy backed off and once again left the female that he smelled months ago—the female that enticed him into the megalopolis. As before, Lupineboy felt she was sending him a warning message.