THE UNBROKEN

Niegal winced, just slightly, as the Behike pressed the poultice deeper into the worst of his bruises. The herbal mixture was warm and tingled on his skin, releasing the smell of clove, resin, and something sweet and earthy. It soothed him even as it stung.

The Behike worked in near-silence, murmuring prayers under her breath in the old tongue. Her fingers moved with practiced reverence, tracing sacred sigils over his back, shoulders, and chest, painting him in symbols meant to cool the fire still smoldering under his skin.

La Señora Behike stood nearby, her hands clasped over her heart. Her gaze was distant. Watchful, but warm. There was something in her expression Niegal had never seen before: awe, mixed with the quiet recognition of one elder seeing another about to ascend. It had been decades since she'd been in the presence of another Behike with a gift awakening inside.

On the cot beside them, Elena cradled a sleeping Esperanza in her lap. Her head lolled back with the beginnings of slumber overtaking her. She looked… peaceful. Fragile, somehow, and divine all at once. The curling scars on her skin pulsed faintly with pearlescent light, as if echoing the heartbeat of the world.

Niegal watched them. Mother and daughter, light and breath, held together in stillness.

And then-

He purred.

Low. Deep. From his chest.

Not a sound of comfort, but something more primal. It rolled up from his sternum and through his throat like a distant thunder rumble, rich with the heat of something wild and ancient. Niegal froze.

"What was that…" he breathed, hand pressing to his chest.

The Behike glanced at La Señora Behike, both of them sharing a look that passed between women who had seen omens before.

"The lion," said the Behike, her voice reverent. "He is waking."

Niegal didn't breathe for a moment. His heart thudded once, then again, harder. That wasn't just a sound. It was a call.

La Señora Behike stepped forward, voice low. "The lion will claim you, you know."

He met her gaze. His throat worked around the lump of some unknown feeling. Fear, or admiration, he couldn't yet tell.

He nodded once. "What can I do to be ready?"

The Behike dipped a cloth into water and began wiping her hands clean of the sacred mixture. She smiled. But it was the kind of smile given at funerals or births. A smile made of inevitability.

"There's nothing you can do," she said. "When he comes, you will know. Your body will know. Your blood will roar. And when the moment comes, you must answer."

"Answer what?" Niegal whispered.

"His hunger. His truth. His fury. His love."

La Señora Behike's voice was gentle. "The lion is not a beast of war, not only. He is a creature of union. Of loyalty. Of pride. And he cannot survive without his heart." She gestured to Elena, her lips brushing Esperanza's curls in her sleep. "And yours is right there."

Niegal exhaled slowly. He was still trying to understand it. This… transformation. This other self waking inside him, one that didn't ask permission to be born.

"Is this because of the snake goddess?" he asked quietly, brows drawing low.

The Behike's smile widened. "Without a doubt."

"She craves her consort," Señora Behike added, stepping back. "And the lion heard her cry."

Niegal blinked. "Wait… so you're saying the sa-?"

A soft yawn interrupted him.

Esperanza stirred in Elena's arms, her little fists curling as she stretched and rubbed her sleepy eyes. A soft whimper escaped her lips as she sat up, blinking in the warm light.

"Papi…?"

Niegal's heart melted. All thought of the lion, of curses and gods, disappeared.

He reached out and scooped her into his arms, wincing slightly at the strain but ignoring it. He pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek, murmuring, "I'm here, little cub. I've got you."

Elena stirred with a soft sigh, her sleep-light face twitching as her vision adjusted. Her head turned slowly toward them, and she smiled the moment she saw them entwined- her husband holding their daughter. Even if her sight still swam in light and shadow, she felt them with everything inside her.

Niegal glanced back to the Behikes. A silent understanding passed between them.

'We will talk another time.'

The two elder women nodded and quietly stepped back, leaving the small family wrapped in warmth and quiet magic.

Niegal pressed his forehead to Esperanza's temple and let the moment wash over him.

Inside his chest, the lion rumbled once more, but this time, softer. A whisper. A promise.

He is coming.

And you will rise.