Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign - By Phillip Jones Page 0,90

and most of the ash inside the hole had blown away.

As he removed the rag from his wound and dipped it into the Pool of Sorrow, his senses were triggered. Something was not right. His gut feeling was telling him to be aware. He realized he was not alone and needed a plan.

George returned to the pile of meat and cut the large chunks of bloody flesh into smaller pieces. He put them into a pile, saved a few choice cuts to cook for dinner and then sat on the log. The now-experienced slayer of giant cats figured the flesh would serve as a distraction for any aggressive beast that might come along.

The night carried with it a slight chill, but the fire provided warmth, and it kept the area dimly lit. He had collected enough wood to keep it burning hot, tall, and strong until morning. His brief period of Boy Scout experience told him the flames would act as a deterrent for most animals, and with this knowledge, he smiled with satisfaction.

It took a bit of tugging, but George was able to remove the meat he had cooked from the end of his skewer. He had selected a cut from the beast’s haunch and was eager to enjoy the experience. He marveled at the tenderness, despite the fact he had held it a bit too close to the flame. All-in-all, his first helping of saber-tooth was a pleasure. His stomach was full, and he was satisfied with his success.

From the darkness, the demon-cat, Kepler, watched as George pulled the meat off the stick to eat it. He was nervous, not wanting to startle the man when he approached. This human was strong, just as the goddess had foretold. He did not want to end up like the Sabertooth Lord. Being eaten did not make for good conversation. Being cut up like his subject was not his idea of a good first encounter. He would approach with caution and avoid giving the impression that he was a threat.

The demon-jaguar moved forward, creating just enough noise to make his presence known. He had watched from the shadows of the forest as everything transpired, and caution was the proper course of action.

Kepler had been appalled as he watched the human strike his blade against the tiger’s broken leg, only to cause it further pain. He saw the look of pleasure on the man’s face as he twisted the saber’s broken jaw. The countless number of pokes with his weapon was humiliating to all cats. He could even smell his subject’s flesh as the heat of the flame scorched it. In his existence, Kepler had never made one of his victims suffer the way this human had. The demon-cat had always killed his victims in an instant—which made the sight of today’s events troubling to his undead heart.

He had a newfound fear of this human. Kepler thought back to his conversation with the goddess. “I warn you, Kepler, this is a strong-willed, hot-tempered human. I would not make him angry if I were you. I would hate to see you end up on a skewer, cooked for supper.”

The demon had now seen firsthand what Celestria meant. George seemed to have no problem cooking anything he killed, and he was not about to end up as another catch of the day.

Kepler feared no man prior to this night. The goddess foresaw this human to be a powerful ruler. He would send this world and others into darkness. The cat now believed this to be true. He hated admitting it, but he was afraid to approach after seeing how easy it was for the human to kill.

The jaguar crept toward the fire, but to his surprise, George did not stop eating. Did the human not notice him? Or worse, perhaps he did not care about his presence. Whatever the truth, the demon remained cautious, assuming the man was indifferent to his company. He thought, This human must be able to summon the power to stop any confrontation.

Kepler turned his nose up as he walked by the bloody pile of pieces. His mind was calculating as he circled the flames. How could this human ignore me? He fails to acknowledge my presence. This is my territory. My land. Has he not heard of me? Has my reputation not reached his lair?

George knew the jaguar was approaching. The fire cast enough light to see the beast out of the corner of his eye. Holy crap! He’s