The vendors on the boardwalks were left confused as to where everyone went. The few people who were in line for food had also fled. It would be a LONG walk home. Chase groaned as his overly full belly dragged across the ground as he walked.

“So, ummm… Were they tasty?” Madeline asked Chase.

“Eh, a bit,” Chase replied.

“Mom!” Jane complained.

“What?! Can’t a woman ask questions?” Madeline asked.

“They’re pretty heavy,” Chase said.

“I bet,” Madeline said, rubbing her head against Chase’s belly.

Chase gave Madeline a stern look and she stopped touching him. At last, a stronger wind was beginning to blow. After the intense heat that had been going on for at least a month, a slight bit of comfort had arrived. However, where there is hot and cold air, there are storms.

“Do you feel that?” Chase asked, lifting his head.

“Feel what? If you mean the digestion, then no. Only YOU feel that,” Madeline grumbled.

“No…the pressure change,” Chase said.

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

“Because you’re full of food?” Madeline asked.

“No, no…air pressure,” Chase said.

The trees in the forest were dense. Only a little bit of sky was visible above their heads. Dark clouds were starting to roll in and shadows began to swallow up the land much like Chase swallowed up those humans at the beach. A large drop of rain fell and landed on Chase’s nose.

Rain was beginning to fall. It was the first rain in three weeks. The parched ground hungrily lapped up the rain drops, absorbing it rapidly. Chase picked up the pace, his heavy paws leaving prints in the ground.

“Rain! Why couldn’t it wait for us to get home?!” Chase asked.

“Because it knew you had bad luck already and wanted to make things worse,” Madeline said. “Maybe you deserve it. Maybe if you were a nicer person, all of this wouldn’t have hap-“

Madeline was cut off mid sentence. The wind blew a metal trash can from who knows where and it struck her. Madeline shrieked as the metal object collided with her. Chase stared on as the others ran to save the older lioness.

“Ma’am!” Thomas cried out.

“Mom!” Jane cried out.

“Ow, ow, ow! I’m dying!“ Madeline wailed.

“You look fine to me,” Thomas said, sighing in relief.

“My already injured leg is hurting so badly now!” Madeline cried out.

Thomas ran a quick check up. Madeline was fine. She wasn’t injured too badly, just embarrassed. Now, if she wasn’t a Werelion, she may have received a concussion or bruises from the impact.

The rain continued to fall. Chase led the way back to his pool house as it was the closest to the beach. Once inside, he flopped down on the couch so hard the legs of the couch broke. He groaned in annoyance.

“Darn couch breaking!” Chase complained.

“You don’t think anyone followed us, do you?” Jane asked.

“Nah,” Chase said and farted.

“Ew,” Jane said.

“Too many burritos, I suppose,” Chase said with a yawn.