A beast

The air was sauna hot. Sunlight danced between the leaves as the gentle hand of the breeze ran through the trees. My hands clamped tighter around the railing. A small crowd began to gather like hungry vultures flocking around a carcass. Dozens of eyes darted around the enclosure. The sickening smell of sugar intoxicated me as a young child frantically stuffed wisps of candyfloss into his mouth. The gentle rhythm of breathing danced around me as everyone eagerly waited, slowly drawing in breaths of air. I anxiously look at the ground when the air suddenly went stagnant with silence. I look up.

There was a deep growl, a thunderous tremor, that emerged from the darkness of a cave. My heart tore through my chest as a tawny paw slipped out from the shadows, the claws sheathed yet ready for a strike. The crowd around me drew in a deep breathe and held it as they watched the rest of the lioness prowl into the light.

Sunlight now engulfed the beast, its pelt shimmering as the powerful muscles glided beneath its skin. Then it stood still. The lithe, wire like whiskers fluttered in synchronisation with the creature’s deep, laboured breathes. Its moist nose glimmered in the warm, hazy yellow light like small gemstones on a crown. Its gaze swiftly grazed across the enclosure before it looked past the fence. I froze; my muscles tightened around my bones as I locked my gaze with the lioness. I stood motionless, dumbfounded with awe. I could see the ardent flames in its eyes dance between the golden ring of its iris. Its jaw hung from its head, pale daggers protruding like jagged rocks erupting from the sea. But as I continued to stare, the majestic beast aura that had once lingered around the beast like a horrid stench began to waver. Its smooth marble eyes sank with sadness. It moved its jaw as though to say something when its ears suddenly began to prick up…