CHAPTER 3 — The Roar Wasn't From a Lion... It Was From the Men Every Animal Feared
The roar echoed again.
This time, Olivia recognized it wasn't an animal.
It was an engine.
A powerful diesel engine tearing through the forest.
The safari guide's face lost all color.
"Oh no..."
He grabbed the radio with shaking hands.
"Ranger Station, this is River Crossing Seven. We have armed vehicles entering the reserve. Repeat... armed vehicles!"
Only static answered.
No signal.
The storm had knocked down the communication towers overnight.
The guide cursed under his breath.
"We're on our own."
The tourists hurried toward the safari trucks, stumbling over rocks and mud.
Some were crying.
Others dropped cameras and backpacks without looking back.
But Olivia couldn't move.
The lion pride hadn't fled.
They had formed a tight circle around the rescued cub.
The alpha stood in front.
The lionesses surrounded the youngster.
Every pair of golden eyes stared toward the forest.
Waiting.
Then the first truck burst through the trees.
Black.
Dust-covered.
No license plates.
Four masked men jumped out carrying military-style rifles.
One of them pointed directly at the lions.
"There they are!"
Another laughed.
"The cub survived. Lucky us."
Olivia's blood turned cold.
"They weren't hunting the pride..."
"They were hunting the baby."
The oldest ranger beside her whispered a name every conservation worker feared.
"The Black Fang Gang."
The poachers responsible for dozens of missing lions.
The group that sold cubs to illegal collectors around the world.
Their leader climbed onto the hood of the truck.
A scar stretched across his face from eyebrow to jaw.
He smiled when he spotted Olivia.
"Well..."
"I didn't expect someone to rescue our merchandise."
Merchandise.
He had called the tiny cub merchandise.
Olivia stepped forward before anyone could stop her.
"He isn't yours."
The man laughed.
"Oh, sweetheart..."
"Everything in this reserve belongs to whoever has the biggest gun."
He raised his rifle.
The tourists screamed.
The rangers lifted theirs.
The lions growled.
For one terrifying second...
Everyone waited to see who would fire first.
Then—
BANG!
A warning shot exploded into the sky.
Birds erupted from the trees.
The pride roared together, shaking the valley.
The cub cried in fear.
The alpha lion took one step forward.
Then another.
The poachers grinned.
"Perfect."
"Now we kill the male."
The leader slowly aimed his rifle directly at the alpha's head.
Olivia realized what was about to happen.
If the alpha died...
The entire pride would panic.
The cub would never survive.
Without thinking, she did the impossible.
She stepped between the rifle...
And the lion.
Every person on the riverbank screamed her name.
The poacher blinked.
"Move."
Olivia didn't.
"You'll have to shoot me first."
Silence.
Even the lions stopped growling.
For a long moment...
No one breathed.
Then the man smiled.
May you like
"The brave ones die first."
His finger tightened around the trigger...
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