The lion followed him, slow and cautious, leaving the hollow. Lisa edged closer, breath shallow. Nina lay curled with the other kitten, wide-eyed but unmoving. Five more steps. Three. She reached them. Lisa scooped both kittens into her arms, held them tight against her chest, her own heartbeat drumming against their tiny ribs.
She looked up. The lion had followed Caleb past the ridge line now, out of sight, but not far enough. No more time. Lisa ran. Branches clawed at her sleeves. Brambles sliced across her legs. The forest blurred around her as she tore through it, lungs searing, the kittens tucked tight to her chest like fragile glass.