Panthera Spelaea

The weeks spent at the remote farm let me integrate with my lion’s mind. I still wasn’t in control, but I could push across my feelings, wants, and desires. Sometimes my cat would not listen. I didn’t have control over my cat; it was more like riding shotgun in a car. You could tell the driver where to go, but he might not follow your instructions.

Cave lions and cave bears were not friends or allies in their world; they were both apex predators, fighting over the same big prey animals and territories. My lion sniffed at the bear, a low rumble coming from his chest. The bear didn’t attack, so he wandered over to the girls instead. Svetlana had put my swimsuit, shoes, and sunglasses into a backpack along with extra clothes and water. “Everything is good,” Svetlana said as she rubbed my neck. “Let’s go exploring.”

My cat didn’t want to leave them behind with another Switcher around. He laid on his stomach and waited for the girls to hop on. Anna sat at the base of my neck with her legs in front of my chest, while Svetlana sat behind her. I stood up and moved away from the people Art had in the isolated valley.

My lion was restless. My cat nervously scented the lookouts and people around me. The rocky terrain was open and unfamiliar. The cliffs and steep trails were better, and we ended up in the shade looking over the rolling hills of the Italian island. I let my lion stay in control, lounging on the rock ledge as the girls leaned on me. We watched Art hunt for food below us.

We had a private location, so we didn’t even change back for dinner. Art’s crew cooked a big dinner on the beach, including roasted lambs. My cat didn’t understand cooking food but didn’t mind the taste of it. At sunset, I was still gnawing on the bones by the cliff, watching the others around the fire.

Most of the crew returned to the ship, but Art and I stayed in our animal forms. The guards set up tents near the fire, allowing the sentries to rest in between shifts. I cleaned the blood off my face in the surf, then came back and plopped down on a large blanket near the fire. The girls sat in front of me, talking with Art’s family about life with a Switcher.

They found out a few things. That part about your body healing itself and remaining in peak form? There was a reason why all the switchers we’d met looked so young. Aging was a form of degradation, and the Switcher gift undid the damage and restored you to your physical peak in your mid-twenties. If you were young, you grew into it. If older, and your aging reversed. I was pretty close to that peak, so I didn’t get significant changes.

My essence would heal damage and stop aging in the girls, but not reverse it. If they were away from me for a year, they would age a year and never get it back. “I never thought swallowing would be the path to eternal youth,” Anna said with a laugh.

“More reasons to stay with our man forever,” Svetlana agreed. “The sacrifices we have to make to look good for him,” she giggled as she snuggled into my chest.

“It’s not all easy. You’re going to stay young and beautiful forever while watching your parents and your children age and die,” the Captain told us. “We’ve grown up knowing Art would never change. Art himself knew what would happen if the Gift went to him. I imagine this is all a shock to you.”

“It doesn’t all seem real yet,” Svetlana confessed. “We love each other, and physically we’ve never been better. My parents are having a hard enough time accepting the love triangle we have together. I don’t know how I’ll tell them I’m effectively immortal.”

“There is no hurry for that,” the Captain replied. “It might be a decade before they say anything about how you haven’t aged a day. When that time comes, you’ll have to trust them with the truth or cut yourself off from them completely. The ones like Edward who live in the world have to do this over and over, leaving everyone they know and going somewhere new.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Anna said. “Our real problem is John here.” My cat raised his head, a low rumble coming from his chest. He didn’t like the thought that HE was the problem. “We have zero chance of living out in the world as Edward does. He’s been all over the Internet for weeks, and many people believe he’s responsible for sixteen deaths. The Internet doesn’t go away.”

Svetlana let out a sigh. “I hadn’t thought about that. His face will never change, so he will always look exactly like the person in the pictures. Our photos are out there, too. Since they won’t ever find the killer, people will always look at us with suspicion.”

“We will figure it out, somehow.”

“And not in Russia. Can we ever go back?”

The Captain answered for them. “I doubt that would be wise. Ekatarina is doing what she can to cauterize the interest in your cat there. We don’t know how widespread the information is or who is really behind it. Add in public opinion against you? I’d stay away.” I could smell Svetlana’s disappointment as it sank in. Anna was happy seeing the world, as her childhood held few good memories. Svetlana was different. I might have to find a way to bring her parents to the States permanently since I was sure they’d want to be around their grandchildren.

One of the lookouts pointed to the sky just before midnight. “Helicopter inbound,” came over the walkie-talkie.

The girls sat up, and I switched back. Svetlana dug in the backpack and tossed me my clothes. Art led us up the trail with three crew members. “It’s Edward. He’s going to land over there.” We headed that way to meet him.

The helicopter landed on a flat area overlooking the beach, unloading a single white male in his mid-twenties. Edward was wearing khaki shorts, a white sleeveless T-shirt, and sandals. His shoulder-length, wavy blonde hair and bright blue eyes, plus his tanned and athletic physique, would make him look at home on any beach in the world. He handed off his bag to one of the crew members as we approached. “Art! So good to see you again! It seems like years since I’ve seen you!”

The two men embraced and stood back to look at each other. “It has been. You haven’t changed a bit in twenty-two years,” he teased.

“You either, you old man!” They both laughed, then Art brought him over to meet us. “Edward Smith, may I introduce our Cave Lion switcher, John Cantwell, and his mates Anna and Svetlana.”

“TWO mates? You lucky man,” he said as we shook hands. Our greeting was more than seeing and scenting; we were sizing each other up as potential threats. The girls introduced themselves as my cat growled low in the chest. “Damn, man, that’s some possessive cat you have there. I’m not going to bite them. That’s your job.”

“He’ll get used to it,” Svetlana said as she stepped back into my side. “He was the same way with Art at first until he realized we weren’t in danger from him.”

“I can’t blame the bloke. Two beautiful sheilas? Greedy, but that’s lions for you. Keeping the males away must be a full-time job for him.” He flashed a smile, his perfect white teeth almost glowing. “You don’t happen to have any sisters, do you?”

“I’m an orphan, and Svetlana is an only child,” Anna replied. “Sorry.”

“Quite all right. I’ll keep watching and waiting for my match to come along. I need to get out and run, mates. That’s one long-ass flight with multiple connections.”

“How long to Tasmania?”

“I’ve been traveling since Art told me that Ekatarina met you and verified you were a Cave Lion shifter. Drive to the airport, puddle jumper to Sydney, then twenty-four hours in the air with a stop in Qatar to Rome. Another puddle jumper to Sardinia, followed by a helicopter ride. Long-ass travel, but it’s worth it to see it’s all true. I can’t wait to see your cat!”

It was dark, we were isolated, and the sentries were still out. “Why wait,” Art asked. “Our sentry spotted some wild boar in that direction.” He pointed to the northwest.

Edward was visibly excited, and my lion was interested. “Have you ever hunted with another predator?”

I shook my head. “I’ve barely hunted by myself, mostly deer in Russia.”

“Follow my lead. Wild boars aren’t easy prey. They are fast, live in small groups, have excellent smell and hearing, and tusks that can rip you open. We approach from downwind, choose our targets, and attack at the same time. Don’t pick the biggest ones, as they don’t taste as good as the smaller pigs.”

My cat was licking his chops in my mind. “How will we communicate?”

“Just watch; your cat should know instinctually. If not, go to the other side of the herd and pounce when I do.”

I looked over at the girls. “Do you mind?”

“Are you kidding? Bring us some fresh pork,” Anna said!

“We will watch the hunt from here using our drone,” the Captain said.

That was enough for me. We both stripped down, and I kissed the girls before letting my cat take control. Edward approached warily, tail and stomach low as I stood protectively in front of the girls. The Scimitar Cat was similar to a Saber-Tooth Tiger, with smaller and straighter upper canines. He was about half my size, maybe four hundred pounds, with a short tail and fuzzy spotted fur. Where I had bulky and powerful muscles, he was leaner and looked fast. His namesake upper canines went outside of his lower jaw with his mouth closed. He was a predator suited to smaller prey, while my Cave Lion evolved to go after the big game.

We sniffed noses before he rubbed his head along my shoulder. My cat was relaxed enough for the girls to pet him. Where I came up to head level, his shoulders came to their waists. Anna thought he was “cute and cuddly,” which caused Edward to snort and shake his head and my cat to growl. Apex predators shouldn’t be ‘cuddly,’ and my girls shouldn’t find any other man ‘cute.’

I nudged him towards the trail, and we set off towards the wild boar sighting. We were lucky that the winds were out of the west, so we could move north and turn into the wind. He was the expert, so I let him lead the way. We must have made quite the pair on the drone video, looking like a lion and his cub, until you realized he was a full-grown cat the size of a Siberian tiger.

I picked up the scent first, chuffing softly and raising my nose to the wind. Edward’s cat picked it up as well, and we followed the wind towards it. Both of our cats stalked silently despite our size. Luck was with us, as the herd was just beyond a rise, allowing us to stop with just our heads in view and scope them out. The small valley was long and narrow, with the ends on each side of us. The hill dropped off quickly from our vantage point. The eight wild boars were digging around under some bushes about fifty feet down. Edward moved back a little, so I did the same.

I was a little surprised when he shifted and leaned towards my ear. “I’ll move to the left and come in from the side. When they see me, they’ll scatter towards the rocks on the right. That’s where you need to be waiting.” He shifted back and crept off, staying out of sight of the pigs.

I moved to the right, silently moving to box them in. Cave lions aren’t ambushing predators, but we will use features of the land to our advantage. We found a space where the rocks narrowed the path and set up in the darkness just beyond.

I waited for two minutes until the pig’s alarm squeals told me Edward’s attack had begun. The herd ran my way as his victim’s squeals continued. As expected, the group burst through the rocks with a three-hundred-pound sow in the middle.

I picked out a pig of a hundred pounds, leaping from the darkness and grabbing its rear leg with my teeth. It tried to fight, but my big paw held its head to the ground. I quickly shifted my bite, my jaws closing on its neck and shaking it until I heard the neck break. The other pigs ran off into the scrub.

I carried my meal in my mouth, retracing the steps the pigs had taken in their panic. Edward had his pig in his teeth, and it was bleeding out into the sand. It made sense; his long teeth could penetrate the thick neck of the pig, and he just had to hold the weakening animal until it died. My cat wanted to head back to his pregnant mates, wanting to keep them fed. Edward got to his feet and began to drag his kill towards the beach.

Art and the others had watched the whole thing on live video. They were already preparing to butcher and roast the pigs. I dropped my kill at Svetlana’s feet, accepting the girls’ scratches as they thanked me for bringing it. I let Anna wash the blood off my face, then curled up with them by the fire as my girls fell asleep under the stars.