The Leomalcan

The Leomalcan

The sound of heavy footfall sounded against the deeply cracked ground. It had not rained here for weeks. The tall grass that once seemed to reach towards the sky was yellowed and curled and bent towards the ground in a pitiful array. The forever looming sun scorched at the ground making it blisterful at the touch. An unnatural stillness hung through the air as the footsteps continued onwards. A slender arm brushed past some of the dieing grass, which made a dreadful papery noise in response. All around was the continual buzzing of flies, devouring the long dead carcasses of parched creatures.
The passing human choked on the rancid smell of warm rotting meat, almost tasting the body on his tongue. He quickly covered his mouth and nose with his large hands, shuddering slightly trying to forget the dreadful smell. All to many-a-time had he had that grisly scent reach his nose and disgust his very mind and soul. It deemed impossible to become accustomed to the smell, no matter how many times smelt. He opened his watering eyes and slowly embarked onwards once more.
His bare feet shook in a pained manner and appeared red and raw. After a time his feet finally gave in and stumbled. A nearby blade of grass sliced viciously into his upper arm causing a remarkably deep cut which proceeded to gently bleed. He dropped the elegant spear he was holding with that arm in a state of surprise. The man harshly wiped off the excess blood, wincing slightly as doing so. He held onto the area of arm that was cut, cursing the fact of leaving his medical supplies behind, after believing he would not need such things. He, rather haltingly, kneeled towards the ground and reached for the spear, glinting in shades of gold in the harsh sunlight.

***

In all the meantime, the sound of a parched yawn echoed through the seemingly empty grassland. A huge powerful jaw snapped shut, causing a rather ugly scar upon a large black nose to become all the more clear. The golden-furred tail swept through a dusty sand laying on a large rock. A large furry chest breathed heavily. The rib cage clearly protruded out of the loose skin. The large lioness sighed heavily.
A large lion padded over to where the lioness was laying. His muscles clearly shew through his equally starved nature. He rubbed is large maned head against the lioness', the dark fur of his mane clearly showing against her paler fur. He looked at her with his vibrant eyes and sat down with a thump. His pupils were smaller by far compared to hers though much brighter.
"The other females have become far too weak to last much longer. We need at least a bit of food. Can you go search for some easy prey? I shall some and help you; I just have some business to finish off first," he asked with a gruff voice.
"Certainately. I shan't be long," she replied getting up to her feet. He posture was rather weak though still very sturdy. The male also got up; he was clearly taller than the female with a much stronger stance. He nodded.
"Take care, dear," he spoke. She turned around and jumped neatly off the rock they had been on. Her front paws thumped heavily off the hardened ground, too the sound of much crumbling. She snuck swiftly through the dried grass, panting slightly through the heat. She stopped and peered around, her magnificent eyes forever searching for the next meal. Right know, just about anything would do, just so long as it was edible. Her broad nose sucked in the dry air thirstily. There. She had found the distinct smell she had been looking for. Blood. She excitedly homed in on the blood, while also being deathly careful as to not make too much of a noise. And there. She saw here prey and walked out of the tall grasses.

***

The man saw a huge yellow shape out of the corner of his eyes. In a flash it let out a huge roar and leaped towards him. Without thinking he picked up his spear and swizzled it towards the creature. He clenched his eyes shut in anticipation. The was suddenly a huge weight upon him, yet no impact. His arms collapsed and dropped the spear. He wrenched open his eyes to discover a large golden lioness impaled by the spear. She groaned mightily, writhing all the while. A mammoth roar sounded out; ear-burstingly so. The man looked up to see a great lion run up to the lioness. The lion nuzzled her in assurance until her moans finally faded and her head flopped flimsily to the ground. The lion turned onto the man, the hair of his mane on end with fury.
"Murderer!" he screamed ruthlessly. The man, with his spear now protruding out of the lioness' blood covered chest, had no chance. With enormous power, the lion leaped at the man, toppling him over and landing on his chest. The sheer impact vibrated through his body, his bones creaking with every effort to prevent from breaking. The lion's deadly sharp claws protruded from his giant paws and proceeded the scrape and tear the mans eyes out. Blood poured out of his eyes like a river, as the man screamed in pure agony. In turn, the lion pulled out his own eyes; the eyes still twitching and looking. With his great clawed paw, he plunged the eyes into the mans, where they then started to fuse. The lion then continued to plunge his paw into his chest, to much of a bloody splatter. With his last mortal breath he pulled out the ghostly image of himself. The lion's body crashed to the ground, as the lion's spirit forced its way into the man's body. The man jolted and let out an even greater scream than before, causing several small birds to flee from their hiding place. He writhed in pain as the lion forced his way in. He collapsed as the lion entered, no longer able to scream through exhaustion. He could only shudder as great claws forced their way through his fingers, blood leaking over his fingertips. In that last effort he collapsed, exhausted and greatly pained.

***

The man awoke to see his wife dressing the wounds on his fingers. She looked up to his face and gasped. She lunged towards him and pulled him into a hug. The man tried to hug her back, but found he couldn't. It was as though his body were dead. He attempted to move but his body gave no reply. His wife stepped back.
"What's wrong? Honey, what's up?" she asked with a frown on her face. With out his own consent his body started to shift to a sitting position and clamber of the bed. A dark sense of malice started to infect his body. The man started to panic, unsure of what was happening. A voice echoed through his mind.
"Hm, hm, scared are you? Poor little human. And isn't she pretty. Lets see what your little wifey tastes like, shall we?" The man recognised the gruff voice from somewhere before. He quickly placed an image to the voice. The lion. His mind fell to dread.
"No! No! God no! Don't hurt her!" the man screamed inside his mind. The deep voice of the lion boomed out of the man's body in a malicious laugh. His wife cowered backwards in fear and confusion.
"What's going on? Why are you like this?" she asked shakily. The man felt claws protruding out of his fingers. If he could cry he would have certainately been doing so now. He was desperately screaming for her to run in his mind, but he knew it was hopeless. The lion leaped towards her with claws outstretched in mad array. Both the man and his wife screamed in unison. The man felt his teeth sink into his wife's neck. He cried in disgust and horror, as he felt himself consuming the flesh of his wife. The lion greedily ate up all of his wife. He shredded at her limbs and skin, leaving only the bones. All the while, their daughter had been crying in her crib.
"Hah aha, enjoy our meal? Oh, I'll see you again soon." the lion cried out loud. The man felt control regain in his limbs and immediately proceeded to the bathroom sink. He threw up several times, trying to forget the taste of blood and flesh in his mouth, but he knew he never would. He could never forget this incident. Tears continuously ran down his face. He looked up at the mirror. The lion stared back. Blood stains ran down his face and the pupils of his eyes were diluted from blood lust. A huge shaggy mane hung from his head. His wife had recognised him even through all this. She's gone now. The old him was gone now. This was the new him. The essence of the lion. The Leomalcan.