Behind the Curtain ||DISCONTINUED||

Tyrannical Piece of Flesh

It takes three trainers to drag me back to my pen. I hiss and snarl, claw up the ground, but they drag me back to the lion tent using heavy chains. They toss me back into my pen, and padlock the door shut. The trainers leave, and as they close the tent flap, I can hear the clink of chains being tied around the flap. 

I circle around the cramped pen a couple times before laying down. I tuck my head into my paws, and curl my tail over my nose. Even though I'm stuck in this miserable pen, I can't stop thinking of Tele and Blade,  running free from the circus. Now I now that we can go free, that we can escape. This circus doesn't  have to be my whole life.

I began to slowly drift into sleep. My dreams were full of racing lions, streaming through the gate to escape. There were other animals too, like Aurora and Asha. They were all free. I was sitting, watching them from behind.

When I awoke, it was the next day. The sun had barely risen, and thin tendrils of light showed through holes in the shabby tent. The lion tent was still and silent. There were no trainers or other animals around. I sat up and stretched out. My pen was still locked, and the flap as well. I pawed at the wire door, trying to open it up. It remained tightly locked. I tried to claw it off, but no luck. I didn't want to sit here and wait for someone to come get me. I was tired of waiting.

I tried biting and hitting the lock, but no luck. It wouldn't budge. I huffed and turned around, lashing my tail in anger. Then, I got a new idea. The back of my pen is just meshy wire backed by the flimsy cheap tent flap. If I could break the wire, I would easily claw the tent apart and escape. 

I backed up as far as possible , my back legs pushing up against the door.  I bunched my legs underneath me, and leapt across the pen, smashing into the wire. I rammed my shoulder into it, and spikes of pain shot through it. The wire bent a little, and I backed up again. I ran forward, and once again rammed my shoulder into the wire. Stars danced in my eyes, and my shoulder felt like it was on fire, but the wire was bending more. I clawed at it and bit until my teeth hurt. I backed up and sat down. My head spun, and my shoulder ached. I looked at the wire. 

I managed to make a small cut in the wire, which I could fit my nose through. I stood up and padded over.  I ripped and tore at the wire until my entire paw could fit through. I latched my claws into the outside mesh of the pen, and frantically tore at it until the hole widened and my head could fit through. At that moment, two trainers walked into the tent, accompined by King. They screeched in alarm when they saw me edging my way out of the pen.

The trainers ran over to the door, and began to undo the locks and chains that encircled the latch. I ripped and tore at the wire, desperation making me go faster, until the whole outer wall collapsed. For a moment, it pinned me to the ground, but I threw it off easily. I jumped forward, and clawed the tent to shreds, bursting outside. I was free! 

I ran forward, searching for the exit of the circus, when I saw King. He was standing in front of me, cold steel whip in hand, his face twisted with rage. I backed up, and he swung the whip above my head. He seemed terrifying, like he could rip me apart. However, when I looked at his cold eyes, I saw they were filled with fear. He was afraid of me, and that was the only motivation I needed. I snarled, and lunged at him. He cracked the whip above my head, but it didn't faze me. I was a lion, and I could rip this fleshy tyrannical human into pieces.

Claws outstretched, I lunged at his chest. I collided with him, clawing and biting. I ripped and tore at him, attacking his face and arms.He writhed in pain underneath me, and I leapt back when a sharp blow from the whip hit my flank. He stood over me, whip in hand, his circus outfit town to shreds and blood streaming from his chest. He seemed shrunken and diminished, and he backed away from me slowly. I snarled at him, before turning back and running.

I ducked through carts and trainers. Now, with King weakened, I knew I had a better chance of escape. I ran from one end of the circus to the other, until I found it: the gate.

Multiple trainers stood in front of it, crops and whips in hand. By now, the whole circus had learned of my escape, and the trainers were quickly moving in my direction. I could smell their fear-scent from where I stood. The trainers in front of me seemed afraid, but they stood fast I lunged forward, trying to bash through the gate, but the wood boards held. Thick chains encircled them. I growled in frustration when the trainers began hitting me and whipping me. My back and flank were covered with cuts. One trainer hit me above the eye, and I yowled in pain. I turned and lunged at where I thought they might be, and collided with one. It screamed and kicked me away. Blood slowly dripped into my eye, but I shook it off.

Most of the trainers had surrounded the gate, some held whips and crops, while others had nothing. Their fear-scent was thick in the air, along with the sharp smell of blood. King slowly pushed through the throng of trainers, his chest bleeding profusely. He snarled and yelled at the trainers, and they all rushed forward. I clawed and bit at whatever I could reach, but their were so many of them. I couldn't fend them off forever.

Suddenly, the call of a human rang out behind me. I turned, and it was the pale trainer, Jackson. The chains lay in a heap on the ground, and he had thrown the gates wide open. I didn't need to think twice. I roared, and bolted through the open gates. The trainers stampeded behind me, but their slow two legs were no match for my fast four.

In and instant, I left them behind. I tore down the dirt path, dust flying out behind me. This is what freedom felt like! The wind in my fur, the dirt underneath my paws, it all felt so right. The circus got farther and farther away, until it was just a small dot behind me. I stopped running, taking a moment to catch my breath. My new freedom was exhilarating.

That's when two familiar scents met me: Tele and Blade. They had come this way, and their scents were only from yesterday. I sniffed, and managed to find their scent trail. I began to follow it, branching off from the main road and into the tall grasses that lined the road.

That's when I heard the roar of the human's machines. They were a way's away, but closing in fast. The human's machines had four rounded paws and metal skin, and could run faster than any lion. I bolted into the undergrowth, trying to find someplace to hide. I could hear the trainers shouting, and I knew they had seen me bolt into the grass. I needed to find Blaze and Tele, but the trainers had already swept into the grass, fanning out to search for me.

Then I picked up a new scent, overlaid with the tang of blood, but I recognized it anyway. I peeked over the grass, and their he was: King. His chest was bandaged with white cloths, and he held his steel whip in one hand. He stood in front of a small group of trainers, who had strange long metal weapons with empty holes at their ends. His face was dark, and twisted into a malevolent smile. I knew that if he found me, he wouldn't bring me back to the circus. He'd do to me what he did to Raze. He'd kill me.