Fleeing Heinrich

As Heinrich charged, Alexander felt the dreaded paralysis of fear take hold of him. He wanted to move, he had to move, but for some reason he couldn't, he just couldn't! Was this the end for him? Was he to die only a year old?

The moment Heinrich leaped for the shed was the moment that Alexander leaped from the shed and to the roof of the house, only just making it. Looking back at Heinrich, Alexander saw the larger feline snarling at him. Now that he was a bit closer, Alexander saw that Heinrich was about eight feet and an inch long and three feet tall at the shoulder. He may have been small for a lion, but to Alexander he was still big.

Looking at an open window behind him, Alexander saw a man and woman staring at him with wide eyes. The moment they looked at Heinrich, the screams they produced were enough to startle Alexander, to the point that he ran to the right and onto the roof of the neighbouring house. Leaping to the shed, Alexander then leapt once more feeling happy to have his paws upon the ground again.

Alas, his happiness was not to last. The backyard was occupied by a dog, specifically a Doberman, meaning it was a breed with eight more inches on Alexander at the shoulder and was as fearsome as it was intelligent. In the days following Nana Smith's passing, Alexander had encountered a stray Doberman that had made its way onto the estate. The Doberman may have been fierce, but Alexander was fiercer still, yet even then, the Doberman had arrived at a time when Alexander had spent the day chasing after birds and, when running into a rather large turkey tom, being chased by them. Had Cnut not arrived, Alexander could have been wounded just as Miltiades had wounded him, or worse killed. Remembering that previous encounter, Alexander wisely decided to not fight, but to run, even more so when Heinrich jumped down into the yard.

To say that the Doberman had fought valiantly against this larger intruder upon his territory would be untrue. The reason it would be untrue would have to do with the fact that it was not much of a fight. A mere touch of the maneless lion's right paw and the Doberman was dead.

Emerging from the backyard, Alexander ran out across the street to where Captain Smith and the officers were questioning some more inhabitants of Cabbagetown. Upon seeing Heinrich in pursuit, Cnut began to bark, alerting Captain Smith and the officers to the maneless lion's appearance.

"Bloody heck!" exclaimed Inspector Thompson. "That's go to be the biggest lion I've ever seen!"

Preparing an arrow, Captain Smith merely commented: "I'd wager he's still smaller than the Ghost and the Darkness." Releasing the arrow, Captain Smith watched as the arrow smote Heinrich in the left shoulder.

Upon being smote, Heinrich froze in his tracks and growled in pain. In what was perhaps a moment of bad judgement, Alexander stopped running as well and stared at the wounded lion. For a brief moment, he saw the pain in the larger feline's eyes before they once more took on a murderous look.

Lunging forward, Heinrich attempted to slash at Alexander, but the caracal he was quicker. Jumping out of the way, the Defender of Man scratched the Lesser Man-Eater of Tsavo across the face and then proceeded to continue running.

Upon reaching the other side, Alexander turned once again and saw that Heinrich was not pursuing him. Was he being cautious? He must have been, he could see four armed men and he had been wounded by one of them, no doubt he was thinking of what to do next.

The moment that Captain Smith and the officers all took aim, was the moment that Heinrich began to flee down the street. He was getting away! Immediately, Alexander began to pursue, perhaps not his wisest decision, but it was one.

"Alexander!" called Captain Smith. "Get back here!"

With eyes wide, Constable Harris stared at the sight before him. A caracal chasing after a lion. Had he not been seeing this himself he would have dismissed this as a great fiction if he were to be told about it!

"Bloody heck!" exclaimed Inspector Thompson. "He's a tenacious little fella, he is!"

"That's what worries me." Uttered Captain Smith as he proceeded to run after Alexander, Cnut following after him in turn.

Alexander followed after Heinrich until reaching the end of the neighbourhood, where by the light of the moon, Heinrich found a shadow before him: the shadow of Herr von Fell. Looking up, the maneless lion saw the German, his pickelhaube among his head and his crossbow in hand. Perched upon his shoulder was the golden eagle Hermann and to his right was Beelzebub.

"So, Heinrich… You sought to escape from my circus, did you?" asked Herr von Fell, as he loaded a bolt onto his crossbow. Alexander watched as the old man took aim at Heinrich, merely standing there with his finger upon the trigger. Unable to see Heinrich's expression, Alexander knew not what was going on in the lion's mind, but he could see Herr von Fell's countenance and there was upon it a beam most sinister. "There is only one escape from my circus, Heinrich."

Alexander watched as the maneless lion leapt at Herr von Fell, but alas, the Exiled Herr's trigger finger was faster, yet at the same time, not fast enough. The crossbow bolt did fatally strike Heinrich in the chest, but the maneless lion left his mark upon the Prussian: three claw marks upon the left half of his face.

As Heinrich's husk fell before him, Alexander looked up at Herr von Fell. His left eye was at least unharmed and his mustache was unruined, but still, his face was marked. Hermann was flapping his wings wildly while Beelzebub was grunting in a most frightened manner. The Prussian did not even react to his injury.

The moment Captain Smith, Cnut, Sir Arthur and the officers arrived, Herr von Fell had been preparing another crossbow bolt. For what? For Alexander. What reason did the Exiled Herr have to wish to kill the Northern caracal? He belonged to Captain Smith, that was reason enough.

"Herr von fell!" exclaimed Detective Williams. "Put that bolt back! The lion is dead, there is no need to kill anymore!"

While he did put the crossbow bolt back, Herr von Fell merely said: "There is always a reason to kill, Detective. All one needs is the taste for it."

"And how much killing have you done, sir?" inquired Inspector Thompson. "Ever killed a person?"

"Why, yes, of course." Replied Herr von Fell, quite matter-of-factly. "I did kill some troublesome family members back in Prussia. They stole my kills."

"I'll ask for our colleagues down in Whitby to keep an eye on you then." Commented Inspector Thompson. Looking to Captain Smith, the Inspector then said: "Captain Smith, your assistance will no longer be needed, but we thank you for joining us. Take care of me old mucker there." He pointed at Alexander, adding: "He seems like a nice sort, helpful too. He certainly managed to lead the lion out into the open."

Giving a nod, Captain Smith uttered: "It was a pleasure to join you. Will you be returning to the hotel, Arthur?"

"No, Kull, I will be staying so I know what happens after the lion's expiry." Stated Sir Arthur. "Do give that nephew of yours my regards."