To give himself to the beast, the rage...the lust for death was easy for the Reaver and hard all at once. The creature he had been born with was motivated by blood and violence and the hunt. Not by logic and weak emotions, but as Ezekiel slid into the back seat of his own mind and body...one thing unified him, his rage and his beasts will like nothing before and it was the urge to see Brandon protected from harm.

Instinctively knowing to keep Brandon at its back, but also in its peripheral sight the leopard stalked forwards.

The leopard instantly pinpointed his attacker, and leapt through the air. Putting all of his might into his voice, willing it to pour into the earth itself. He declared his challenge, even as his claws racked deeply across the face of the male lion that had attacked him.

The Leopard locked in savoring the burst of coper from his enemies flesh. It sunk its jaws deep into the lions face and nose. Wet blood sharp. The sounds the two made seemed unholy as they rolled around. The Lion that the Leopards nails and jaws bit into was not large. He was a slim lion and tall, but his mane barely existed at all. He was one of the younger men that had accompanied Jacob and Ezekiel realized from within the core of the Leopard that it was probably his small size that had made him so fast and quiet.

The young lion finally hopped back from the leopard’s fierce attack, shaking its bleeding and gored snout. Blood blinding it in one eye and chocking it as it poured down its gullet. The lion tried to back up but the leopard didn’t give him an inch, it launched itself forward and latched its jaws down onto its front calf . With a shake the young lions front femur bone shattered sliding under warm bloody skin and fur in the leopards mouth.

With this the Lion was heavily handicapped, but the lion was not done for.

With one arm useless the lion slammed its other heavy paw into the Leopards head. As the leopard ducked back, nails lacerated its skull and back. The leopard was forced slightly backward but before it could recover two more lions were suddenly there in the forests opening.

The young lion fell back from the fight as the two lager males took their place. With a systematic stalk of the leopard, circling it. The leopard just waited and stalked them with its own cobalt blue eyes, until both lions suddenly pounced and were upon it.

One of the lions was obviously older then the young one Ezekiel’s Leopard had just fought.

Its mane was rusted red and its large paws and legs we in size daunting. This was a mature powerful male weighing nearly five hundred pounds. While the second lion, young like the first male, had a smaller yellower mane that barely touched its shoulders and likely weighed half of what the Red lion did.

Still the yellow lion hit the leopard first. The rival shifter slammed into the Leopards side, and deftly sank its fangs into the leopards back thigh as deep and as viciously as it could, while thick claws down racked its hips and through Ezekiel’s underbelly tearing them open. The leopard squealed in agony and rage, before spinning. It sank its own teeth deep into the neck of the lion tasting fresh blood. As its unnatural strength allowed its fangs to cut thorough bone and meat like butter.

Putting all of his power into the bite the leopard heard a horrible crunch and the small yellow lion collapsed instantly. Neck broken in half.

That is when the large red lion made its move. He pounced on top of the leopard before it could recover. Dominating it with size. Mane waving fiercely it sank its own fangs deep into the leopards spine. The Leopard screamed and struggled franticly to escape but in seconds fangs had pierced its spinal cord.

Agony swallowed Ezekiel, he and his leopard screamed as one. Then the Leopard went limp in the lions hold, waiting for that final powerful shake that would kill him, or at least break his back, but it never came. The lions just stopped and sat back on their hunches licking blood from their nails and snouts. Ezekiel and his Leopard lay on the ground unable to move, sides heaving in exhaustion. With agonized cries Ezekiel called to his Clan, to his Brothers, but he didn’t know if any would hear.

The large red maned lion finally De-Shifted back into Jacob a moment later.

His clothes remained, but his shades were gone likely; shattered and lying in the dirt in wake of Ezekiel’s surprise attack.

Jacob glared down at the Leopard, a fresh cut at his temple from where Ezekiel had struck him. His eyes were in fact as black as Ezekiel had imagined they would be. But as his inner beast showed through Jacobs eyes flashed a deep golden like, wheat, as though he was one of his ancestors walking the plains of the savanna at night. He analyzed the beaten leopard dismissively. “I told you to walk away...because now I’m going to have to kill you.” Jacob quipped suddenly his tone far too superior.

Ezekiel laughed internally at his bravado. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe the threat, because he did. He knew Jacob was going to kill him, but no fear registered in his heart. Or shame.

Ezekiel may have lost the fight, but it had never been his intent to fight the lions in the first place. Only to protect himself.

If Ezekiel had been seriously trying to fight from the beginning, if he had let the beast inside, the Reaver break out, he could have slaughtered every single one of them. If he had let the Reaver out, but that was something no sane Shifter would ever do because once the Reaver was out....it didn’t go back in.

Sill if he had simply been on the offensive, analyzing, planning his moves, making every strike count, he could have easily killed all three of lions back at the clearing, but his plan had been escape from the beginning. Now Ezekiel was only a few miles away from his family....his Clan. He just had to get their attention. Somehow. But in those dire moments when he needed it most....his mind was blank of solutions.

Ezekiel realized that he needed time. Time to heal. Time to think of a way out of this suddenly

Dire situation.

I’ve got to get this bastard talking.

Realizing that he had to stall for time or an opening Ezekiel Swallowed a hiss and glared up at the man. “Why are you doing this.....What do you want.” “Why are you after Brandon?”

“That in none of the business of a dead Shifter...Now is it” Jacob said. A strange look came into his eyes...and then he turned away.

And with a snort of disregard, Jacob wordlessly turned slightly and sauntered past Ezekiel, only inches from his claws knowing he couldn’t move to use them. The leopard growled, but unable to move it glared at Jacobs passing with murder in its eyes.

The other two lions that had helped Jacob Shifted back into their mortal fleshes and like the hired hands they seemed to be....they quietly, if sharply watched the preceding. One of the nameless males stood in an obvious hunch supporting a broken arm and wiping blood from his face that now looked like hamburger.

Deep claw marks had destroyed the Shifters nose, right eye, upper lip and cheek. While the other male Shifter’s neck was punctured deeply and slightly bent to the side. A small stream of blood flowed freely from deep puncture marks, stemming from where the Leopard had punctured a vein and broken the lion’s neck. Ezekiels inner leopard growled in satisfaction.

Then Ezekiels eyes turned away from them back to Jacob.

Jacob had approached Brandon slowly as if he had all the time in the world. He squatted down next to Brandon and called his name. “Brandon...Brandon...come on get up already.” But Brandon didn’t stir.

Jacob sighed in annoyance. Jacob lifted his hand and struck him. The attack was so loud and aggressive that it made Ezekiel nauseous with anger, it poured like lava through his veins. He snapped at the Lion with his teeth and snarled like a monster. He shifted his body back to mortal. His now crimson fur turned back into a tattered shirt and bloody pants. The clothes rubbed painfully against the lacerations littering his legs, back and chest and belly.

The pain registered, warring with the rage, even as Ezekiel slammed his claws into the earth and shouted at the Lion in fury. “Get the fuck away from him! I’ll kill you!” He hissed...and he meant it to his core.

Jacob seemed surprised by his aggressive display, then a cold light entered his eyes. He looked down at Brandon as if trying to put together a puzzle then he smiled.

“You know what boy?” Jacob asked on a condescending chuckle as he pushed himself up of the ground and walked towards Ezekiel. “For some odd reason I believe you will give it your best shot. So how about I break you so you cant?”

Jacob stopped talking for a moment, leaned over and grasped something from inside of his boot. The soft swish of a blade leaving its sheath filled the silent space, and suddenly Jacob had a six inch, thick blade in his palm. He smiled at the blade as one would smile at an old friend then he looked at Ezekiel and continued to speak

“All things considered I was going to let you live a little longer, but I get the feeling you’re not going to just lie there and be a good little pussy for me....”

Jacob waved the blade, and started to stalk across the clearing. Wordless with fury Ezekiel challenged him to come, even as he knew that he was only welcoming his own death.

A single voice seemed to hold the lion frozen. “Stop it, Ja!” Brandon screamed. “Leave him alone!” His voice tinged with a desperation....and a rage that Ezekiel couldn’t quite place with the cool and crafty mortal he knew.

Brandon was sitting up on his elbows, his skin looked pastier and drawn then it had when he had first passed out. His eyes were wide, his pupils blown wide with pain....and terror. He looked terrified, even as he fixed a weak glare on Jacobs back, before his eyes momentarily flashed over to Ezekiel’s.

With a pained gasp Brandon scrambled up to his feet and started coming in his direction. Eyes glued in Ezekiels direction, glancing around at all of the cuts and blood before he was releasing a shuttering cry as if he was somehow shaken by the pain that Ezekiel endured, Brandon tried to shove past Jacob and get to Ezekiel’s side.

But Jacob didn’t let him get a step closer, before he had locked an arm around Brandon’s hips and hauled him back against the Lions body. The move was more intimate and personal then Ezekiel really want to think about just then....all he knew was that if he could have stood he would have ripped Jacobs’s arms from his body.

Brandon squirmed weakly in Jacobs embrace, reminding Ezekiel that not only a day ago Brandon had been in a sickly coma. He was weak....weaker than normal...Still he shouted and tried to pull Jacobs arm off of his body. “There’s blood everywhere!” Brandon gritted his teeth and his eyes beautiful green eyes dance with unshed tears. “What the fuck did you do to him, you monster!”

Ezekiel was both shocked with the intensity of Brandon’s anger for him....and Ezekiels couldn’t help but be angered by the slightly broken and needy look Brandon cast the Lion that was holding him back. That look spoke of a connection. Something deep. Ezekiel felt his inner beast mewl its discomfort. It didn’t like the Lion touching Brandon either.

If Brandon’s sharp glare, or pleading tone meant anything to the lion he didn’t show it. Instead faster than lightening Jacob had his hand clasped around Brandon’s throat, and a hand shoving against his chest.

“Well hello to you too Lil One...” The lion growled, his amber gaze boring into Brandon’s face for a moment as he choked him. Then Jacob turned and coldly tossed him into the arms of the other Lion Shifters. “Take him.” Jacob commanded.

More beaten down then he had ever been in his entire life Ezekiel’s sprit remained strong....but his body just refused to respond in those moments

So he was forced to watch as Brandon tried to struggle and pull away, but was swiftly and mercilessly subdued. One of the Lions laughed as he snapped his fangs in Brandons face and the other wrapped a hand at his slim throat harshly, Brandon shouted in fusteration with his arms pulled and locked uselessly behind his back.....and then with a deliberate intensity Jacob began to talk.