Roars Between Us - Written By : Lovon P.

 In the thick shadow of the jungle, three black panthers lived a young father, a fierce mother, and their growing baby girl.The father panther, not long into adulthood, still wrestled with the weight of being both a new parent and an alpha predator. He was different, gentle when it came to his daughter, soft-eyed as she clawed and climbed over him. She had been born small, weak even, but was slowly growing stronger, finding her paws in a world of teeth and silence.The mother panther hunted like thunder, fast, sharp, beautiful.

  She was quiet, wise, and carried a look that could humble even lions. She wanted her mate to be stronger, more fierce, more focused. She didn’t understand how he could just lay there, calm, while the wild called outside. One dusk, after bringing home a heavy hog from her hunt, she sat at the mouth of their cave and watched him. She gave a low, quiet roar. The father panther hummed deep in his chest, the cub curled on his back, eyes blinking slow.

She roared again, this time loud, echoing through the cave walls.He stood up, confused. Before he could speak, she dragged the hog into the center of the den and dropped it.As he approached it, she leapt.Claws out, she slashed him, once, twice. He barely reacted, only blocking her second pounce with a slow shrug of his shoulder.

  Blood leaked down his arm.Then, he moved.He snapped forward, bit into her fur, not to hurt, but to hold, and pressed her against the cave wall. Not hard, not cruel. But firm.She fell back.They stared.

 Then she leaned in, licking the blood from his shoulder. The cub watched wide-eyed from the corner, scared but sensing the tension was done.The father left.The mother sat with her daughter, anger still warm in her chest, but love glowing just as strong. She cleaned her, fed her, and together they played and fell asleep in a knot of fur and quiet dreams.

Later, just before dawn, the father returned. His roar shook the trees outside the cave.The mother panther leapt in front of the cub. But he didn’t come to fight. He turned his head and walked into the trees. 

Curious, they followed.There, under the pale light of the moon, lay the proof of his silence: a dead rhino, a crushed snake, and a gator’s open jaw, all still. He stepped aside, letting them feast. Blood still dripped from the cuts on his back, but his eyes were calm.The mother tore off a large chunk of meat and brought it to him. 

She sat beside him, licking his wounds gently, her tail wrapping around his.Their cub ran circles around them, wild and free.