Leopard's Wrath (Leopard People 11)

He climbed again, his eyes twin pinpoints of hatred in the sea of spots. The wind blew, and she caught his foul scent. The breeze felt good on her hot body, but it brought with it the promise of more mist. She wanted to see clearly. She needed to see clearly. More than anything else, she had to stall, to keep Jewel and herself alive until Dymka could get to them. The rock was in her fist, up by the tree trunk. Her eyes met the horrid leopard’s and then she saw the man staring at her. He was just as evil as his leopard; more so, because he was the one driving the animal.

She didn’t wait for his reaction. She sent the rock pelting into his face, smashing into his open mouth with enough force she hoped to break teeth. Her second throw hit his left eye dead center and the animal slid a second time, barely catching himself, hooking his claws in the tree trunk to keep himself from falling to the ground.

Enraged, the animal roared over and over, calling out his hatred and need for revenge. For retaliation. The sound rolled out over the hills, the wind building to take it out even further. Ania, shivering in cold and fear, shifted so that Jewel faced the maddened male. When he looked up again, he saw only the face of the female.

She let out another call, the need in her voice very real. The wind caught her scent and scattered it through the trees, carrying it far. For a moment the male seemed disoriented, as if he didn’t know exactly what he was doing. He hesitated and then began to climb toward the female again.

Ania wasn’t certain what his human counterpart thought he was going to do. Reach for Jewel and yank her out of the tree? Climb up with her? Was there a plan? She waited, counting the seconds, watching for an opening. Jewel stayed very still, the bait to lure in a dangerous predator.

A gust of wind caught the tree and sent it swaying. Jewel had to dig her claws into the branch and hold on until the wind subsided. Another gust nearly sent the upper canopy of the tree into another one. She hadn’t counted on the weather turning against her. The red leopard was in a much better position. His part of the tree was solid. Stable. Not swaying the way the top of the tree was. It was as if the tree were trying to throw Jewel out of it.* * *• • •

STILETTO claws pierced Dymka’s hindquarters and yanked at him, dragging him backward off Kronya. As Taras hauled him off the other leopard, Kronya leapt to his feet and sprang at Dymka in a clearly coordinated move he had used numerous times with the other leopard. Dymka did the unexpected. Rather than face Kronya, he leapt into the air and, using his flexible spine, twisted in midflight to land on Taras’s back with his full weight.

He slammed into Taras so hard he drove the other leopard to the ground. All four legs sprawled out sideways. There was an audible snap and the leopard screamed and screamed. He tried to rise repeatedly but was unable to move. He even tried crawling, using his legs to pull him forward, but it was impossible.

Knowing the cat couldn’t help Kronya, Dymka backed away, circled the fallen cat and, all the while watching the dark-tipped leopard, darted in to deliver the suffocating bite to Taras. Immediately, just as Dymka knew he would, Kronya attacked. Dymka whirled around to catch the underbelly of the cat as Kronya hurdled over the top of him. He eviscerated the cat, hooking the deadly claws into his belly using the leopard’s momentum and his own immense strength to help shred the skin and fur.

Dymka spun around, rolling away from both cats. He glanced toward the tree Ania had chosen to make their stand in. He couldn’t see Jewel through the thick mist. He caught glimpses of Albert as his cat tried to claw his way up the tree to get to Jewel. Dymka was relatively unscathed. The three cats had underestimated him. They were used to going after a leopard together, the victim fearing them and barely able to fight back.

Mitya had learned to fight them. He had studied each cat’s weakness over the years. He had watched how they fought their victims. Even how they chose them. He was in his prime and he knew, when they came, they would underestimate him, just as his father would. The one thing that could defeat him was treed and alone, fending off a killer who enjoyed preying on females.

Dymka turned his attention back to Kronya. The cat too was looking toward the tree Albert had climbed. A crafty look came over its face and immediately a chill went down Mitya’s spine. Kronya roared to Albert, clearly conveying to the other leopard to kill Jewel. Dymka leapt on Kronya where he lay panting through the pain, knowing if he moved, he would leave behind his intestines. Dymka landed hard on the leopard’s back, digging his claws into the shoulders while he delivered the suffocating bite, cutting off the sawing roars abruptly.