Run, Lion, Run!
Ennui surges past the crowded seats of the arena with Rashid hot on her heels. Surprised he can keep up. While her footfalls do not make a single sound, Rashid’s heavy footsteps echo through the sandstone maze with an alarming clunk. They near the stairwell leading to the entrance outside, she pauses halfway through her step and looks about the area. She rolls the strands of Lumi’s blond hair between her fingers, feeling the fibrous strands shift beneath her touch. Something flickers across her expression, thoughtful, calculating, before she pivots abruptly, veering down a darkened hallway instead. Before reaching the stairs to the entrance of the arena, she turns down a dark hallway. Rashid grabs her shoulder, huffing angrily.
Ennui whirls around, scanning the dim corridor for any signs of approaching guards. “What?!” she snaps, exasperation lacing her voice.
Rashid plants a firm hand on her shoulder, his ears twitching at the distant sound of footsteps. “What is this about? What about y’r lass?” he asks, scratching his cheek in confusion. “Iris?”
Ennui exhales through her nose, rolling the strand of Lumi’s golden hair between her fingers. “Look,” she mutters, her voice unusually subdued. “I’m not a good person… but I’ve done nothing but make Lumi’s life difficult since we met.” Her lips press into a thin line. “And…”
“And?” Rashid presses, impatience bleeding into his tone.
Her crimson eyes flick to him, brows furrowing. “And—we’re going to free the lion.”
Rashid stares at her, dumbfounded. “Blood and tears, woman, we aren’t going near that beast. Do you have any idea what y’re gettin’ us into?”
Ennui gives a casual shrug. “Don’t need you to help me,” she replies, her voice taking on a lazy drawl. “But this means something to him. They say the bond between beastkin and their animal counterpart is like that of siblings.” Her fingers tighten around the golden strands. “Especially when they’re bonded.”
She thinks of Reisa, the Vulpo from Dolmas, who once had a fox companion she swore was part of her soul. When the creature died, Reisa had grieved for months, inconsolable. Ennui scoffed at her back then. Now, she wasn’t so sure.
Rashid sighs, rubbing his temples. “What’s y’r plan? Gonna kill all the guards and set a wild beast loose in the city?”
“Kill the guards, and release the lion?” Ennui muses aloud, tapping her horns thoughtfully. “Sounds tempting.”
“No killin’,” Rashid whispers.
Ennui groans in protest. “I hate witnesses.” She stomps a foot. “I’d like to come back to Betset at some point.”
Rashid adjusts his kaftan and exhales sharply. “Just don’t get caught then.”
“Easier said than done,” she muses, rolling her shoulders as they descend deeper into the winding underbelly of the arena. “Some lions out here weigh eighty stone, y’know.”
“We’ll manage,” Rashid mutters. His voice softens as he glances at her. “I’m just glad the little lion’s still alive.”
Ennui stops mid-step, her eyes narrowing. “What was that?” she asks quietly. “Still alive?”
“N-nothing,” Rashid grumbles, avoiding her gaze as he quickens his pace.
She lets it slide, for now, though she has always had her suspicions about Rashid’s loyalties.
The corridors grow darker, twisting and turning into a labyrinth of sandstone walls and flickering torchlight. At last, they reach a newly constructed passage. The flicker of flames glows from a stairwell below. Ennui presses her back against the wall, her steps light as air. Her fingers brush the dagger at her hip. Rashid watches as she hesitates for half a second, then exhales, pushing the blade back into its sheath. Bloody Rashid and his… stupid honor. She pushes the blade back into the sheath and peers around the corner, Rashid just behind her. Wooden portcullises line the hallway, the sounds of the arena rings out and echoes through the maze. She takes another quick peek from around the corner. Two guards stand at the end of the hallway, torches lining its length.
She throws Rashid a pointed look. “Stay here.”
“No killin’,” he reminds her, voice low and firm.
Ennui rolls her eyes and whispers an incantation while pulling up her hood to conceal her horns. Her crimson eyes glow with an unnatural brightness as she walks down the hallway in complete silence. The torches lining the walls before her begin to dim and flicker until they are completely extinguished, leaving Ennui shrouded in darkness. The guards sit up, confused, squinting into the sudden blackness. Ennui moves. The guards reach for their blades but are quickly overpowered before they have a chance to unsheathe their steel. The first guard barely has time to react before she slams his head against the stone wall with a sickening crack. His body slumps, unconscious.
The second guard stumbles back, terror flashing across his face. “D-Demon!” he gasps, reaching for his sword.
She catches his wrist, twisting the blade from his grip. A sharp knee to his stomach sends him gasping to the ground, eyes bulging. He chokes on a cry, spittle flying from his lips.
“Don’t kill me!” he wheezes, scrambling against the stone floor. “Please!”
Ennui pulls her dagger from her belt and flips it in her hand as if weighing the value of the guard’s life.
“Don’t!” Rashid shouts.
But before he can finish his sentence, Ennui strikes the back of the guard’s head with the pommel of her dagger, rendering him unconscious. He falls to the ground, and she shrugs at Rashid. “You really thought I was going to kill them?” Her lips curl into a teasing smirk. “Do you think so little of me?”
Rashid scowls, checking the unconscious men for signs of life. “Y’re a hard one to read.” His frown deepens as he presses two fingers to the second guard’s throat. “Still breathin’… even though he shouldn’t be, not with how hard ya knocked him.”
Ennui twirls her dagger lazily before sheathing it. Her glowing eyes fade back to crimson. “Of course they are,” she says breezily. “You said not to kill anyone.”
Rashid stands, looking through the cells. “There’s a damn bear in this one… maybe we should free that too?” Rashid jokes with a bit of a laugh before he catches an angry glare from Ennui.
Ennui ignores the comment and bends down by the guard, removing the pin key from his belt. Twirling the ring of keys about her finger, she walks past the cells and back down the hallway, looking along the opposite side of cells from Rashid. A half dozen cells down, she finds what she seeks. Slumped in the back of a large cell, a massive mound of fur looks up at her, its golden eyes reflect the dim light. Come on, beast… be gentle. She pushes the key into the lock and tosses the door wide, approaching the lion with open arms. It must be heavy as a damn wildebeest or two… he’s got to be the biggest lion I’ve ever seen. She pulls out Lumi’s hair from her pocket and rubs it over her arms, trying to give herself his scent.
“Come on, big boy,” Ennui whispers, her voice barely audible. She cautiously extends her hand towards the lion.
Rashid approaches the cell from behind. “Ennui, I think opening the cage is enough,” he whispers cautiously. “Let’s go back, we should get out of here.”
“Yeah, well… he has no idea how to get out of this damn labyrinth,” She mutters, pausing before the rising lion. “But hopefully this works…”
As if on cue, the lion stands up on his powerful legs and stretches his muscular body. He starts walking towards Ennui, his massive paws sinking into the sand and muck as he moves. He’s just a big cat, Ennui tells herself. Despite her fear, she resists the urge to draw her weapon and keeps it sheathed. The lion halts before her, its warm, amber eyes studying her as it sniffs the air, absorbing her scent. Ennui forces herself to stand perfectly still, even as the creature nuzzles gently against her cheek before trotting past her and Rashid. She shakes her head in disbelief, barely able to comprehend what had just transpired.
“Come on,” she calls out to the lion as she walks alongside him. She reaches out and runs her hand along his coarse fur, admiring the beast’s majestic nature.
“Shocked he didn’t tear y’r damn head off,” he whispers, a wry smile tugging at his lips despite his disbelief.
“It’s Lumi,” Ennui replies, her tone unusually gentle as she guides the lion toward the stairs. “He smells him,” she adds, her voice trailing off as they ascend. “But I promised Lumi I’d see the lion freed from Betset, told him to put on a good show and make it last.”
Rashid follows, catching his breath, asks as they reach the top of the spiraling stairs, “Do you intend to lead him all the way out of the city?”
“The arena drew in most of the city to begin with… we can probably make it pretty far unnoticed,” Ennui whispers with the lion trotting beside her.
Rashid snorts. “Ennui, this… is the worst idea ya’ve ever had.”
“Right?”she replies, laughing at herself. Hells, I’ve grown soft. “Come on,” she says to the lion, patting his flank again.
The lion surges ahead as they near the top of the stairs, barreling forward with such force that merchants and vendors scatter like frightened prey. Ennui and Rashid struggle to keep pace, their hurried footsteps barely matching the lion’s swift, determined stride. At the summit, chaos erupts: merchants shriek and flee in every direction, vendors abandoning their stalls as braziers crash to the ground in bursts of fiery embers. The clamor of shattering glass rings out with the clanging of bronze chalices on the scarlet stone tiles.
Ennui watches in tense silence as the lion dashes through a merchant stall, reducing wood to splinters. The air fills with desperate shouts and terrified cries. A man brandishing a dagger lunges forward, trying to defend his stall, while women scream and dash past, seeking refuge in the safety of the arena.
She can’t help but feel guilty for causing such chaos, but she knows that this is their only chance at escaping Betset with the lion. She urges the lion forward, keeping a close eye on its every move. “Don’t make me hurt you,” she mutters under her breath, hoping that her instincts are right about this animal.
“Ennui,” Rashid says, gulping in air. “Are… ya gonna have to kill the lion?”
Ennui sighs and follows behind. “Fuck if I know,” she confesses and adjusts her cowl. “Just keep on him.”
The lion bursts into the darkening streets, its powerful stride slicing through the night. Ennui and Rashid give chase through the empty corridors, the echoing thoroughfares offering fleeting refuge from the chaos behind. The beast slows as it nears a narrow path winding down the hillside, and the pair follow, careful to keep their distance as bystanders scatter at the sight of the colossal creature. With a graceful yet desperate leap, the lion vaults over a brick wall leading down the slope, and Ennui scrambles to help Rashid climb after it.
Just then, the arena erupts in cheers that roll across the city like thunder, a surreal sound considering the bedlam outside. Rashid and Ennui exchange a curious glance. “How do ya think they’re handling it?” he asks with a worried look back towards the center of the city.
Ennui chuckles softly. “You should know better than most… Khimi is not easily defeated in combat. Well, unless someone happens to be shapeshifting into his father.” She lets out a chilling laugh before turning her attention back to the lion making its way down the dusty hill. “We need to make sure he gets out of the city before the fights end.”
“What’s y’r lass think about ya running away from her before the event even starts?” Rashid asks, sliding down the dirt hill beside Ennui.
Ennui smirks as the dust flies up around them. “I’ll make it up to her later,” she says, covering her mouth to keep the dust out. “And if not… well, Iris is just one of many beautiful girls in Betset.”
The lion skids to a halt at the base of the hill, roaring in distress as he paces back and forth along the red stone wall, his powerful frame casting long, restless shadows under the moonlight. His massive paws kick up dust, his tail flicking in agitation. Ennui approaches cautiously, extending her hand, the strands of Lumi’s hair glinting between her fingers.
The lion hesitates, his wild amber eyes darting between her and the impassable wall. Then, something shifts. He steps forward, nostrils flaring as he catches the scent intertwined with the strands. With a low rumble, he pads toward her, his towering frame moving with newfound purpose. Ennui doesn’t wait, she turns on her heel, leading him away from the wall and back toward the city’s entrance. Rashid trails behind, his broad frame wading through the thick overgrowth hugging the base of the wall, his breaths heavy with exertion. As they near the southern gates, the flickering glow of torches illuminates their path. A group of guards lounges around a low wooden table, their conversation blending with the occasional clink of metal coins. Cards are scattered across the tabletop, the men engrossed in their game.
Rashid grumbles angrily, pushing past Ennui. He approaches the guards, forcing a hearty laugh. What are you doing!? She watches in silent amusement as the old man sways on his feet, his expression slackening into an exaggerated stupor. He stumbles forward, deliberately tripping over his own boots, sending a cascade of glinting coins tumbling into the dirt. The sound is immediate. The clinking of silver and gold draws the guards’ attention like moths to flame. They jolt upright, eyes flicking toward the unexpected bounty spilling across the ground. Rashid lets out a slurred laugh, his voice is gruff with feigned intoxication as he mutters something about being lost. The guards move quickly, some helping him to his feet, others greedily gathering up the fallen coin. Ennui smirks. Clever old bastard.
Without hesitation, she grips the lion’s coarse mane, tugging gently at the thick strands. “Come on, big guy,” she murmurs, guiding him through the darkness while the guards remain distracted.
The city’s open gates loom ahead, the path to freedom within reach. They dash through. On the opposite side of the gate, a snoozing guard jerks awake, her eyes widening in momentary fear before she quickly pulls her wrap back over her face, pretending not to see. I’d do the same thing.
Ennui tightens her grip on the lion’s mane, urging him forward. He lets out a low, irritated growl but doesn’t resist, following her lead as they break into a sprint. They tear through the wheat fields, their footfalls sending waves rippling through the golden stalks. Sparrows burst into the air in startled flocks, their wings beating against the quiet night. Nearly half a mile from the city, Ennui finally stops. Her breath comes in steady, puffs as she releases the lion’s mane and straightens. The great beast halts beside her, his massive chest rising and falling as he pants lightly.
“How’d Lumi find you anyway?” she asks the lion.
The lion responds with a gentle nuzzle, his warm breath tickling her cheek as he sits down beside her in the golden field. Ennui settles herself comfortably, crossing her legs and running her fingers through the lion’s coarse fur. The heavens are illuminated, the stars out in full force. The wheat is bright and beautiful as Sidian gold.
After a lingering moment of peace, the lion rises. He presses his nose against the curve of her neck once more, a quiet farewell, before bounding away into the open plains. Ennui watches as birds take flight while the lion continues to bound through the fields. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a tuft of Lumi’s blonde hair, holding it in her open palm and feeling the wind carry it away.
Maybe… you’re not so bad, Lumi.
With a wistful sigh, Ennui begins her journey back to the city, her gaze fixed on the dazzling display of stars above. You used to always tell me about this, Khimi… but I never thought to look up.