Corrupted

In the blistering heart of the savannah, where the sun hung like a vengeful eye and the dry grass whispered of despair, Corrupt wandered with her sickly cub, Asher. Born weak, Asher had struggled from his first breaths, a consequence of the pride’s ruthless selection. Corrupt was relentless, sacrificing the vigor of her other cubs, choosing to nurture the frailest. When they cast him out, she knew she couldn’t abandon him; bravery is not the absence of fear but the choice to embrace it, and her choice led them into isolation.

Days morphed into nights as they pressed on, struggling to find sustenance in the scalding wilderness. Corrupt’s sinewy body bore the brunt of hunger and thirst, and yet her spirit remained unyielding. With each step, she vowed to find a new realm where Asher could thrive. But the savannah, with its boundless cruelty, offered little mercy.

One fateful day, as shadows lengthened and the sky bled crimson, Corrupt heard the growl of a rogue male nearby, a sound imbued with menace. He stalked, eyes glinting like shards of ice and intent on violence. The fight was fierce; passion fueled Corrupt as she fought for her cub, her love morphing into raw savagery. But the rogue was relentless, and one brutal collision sent Asher sprawling into the dirt, vulnerability exposed in the dim light.

In the blink of an eye, a single blow silenced her baby’s whimper. The world around Corrupt shattered. Rage surged, but exhaustion clawed at her bones; she faltered, before seeking for reprieve in desperation. As she fell, a figure emerged: Ithronel, the feared burden of the savannah. The flicker of compassion in his eyes pierced through her haze of sorrow.

In the aftermath, Corrupt was taken into his pride, but her heart remained shackled to the desolate ground where Asher had fallen. The shadow of loss loomed over her soul, a relentless specter haunting her. There, in a new home with unfamiliar faces, she grappled with an undeniable truth—life continued, but it was forever marred by the absence of her child. Even amidst the warmth of a new pride, Corrupt found little solace; the whispers of the savannah would always echo the cries of a mother longing for the cub she fought so hard to protect.