WARNINGS: yandere themes
Note: For Tumblr, the mature version of the endings (the afterendings) will begin sometime after I finish all the normal endings.
Note 2: Sorry this is short, I wasn't sure how to write this one lol.
In each hand you carried a bucket, filled to the brim with steaks. It was kind of nostalgic of your first time in the exhibit. It was hard to believe it wasn't that long ago.
You hummed to yourself as you approached the lions' area. You furrowed your brow- the rocks had been rearranged in nearly a complete circle, with just enough room for you to walk inside and approach the king of the jungle's sunning rock.
"Hey, Leona!" you called out to the lion halfling lazily regarding you from his perch, "Dinner time!"
The pride's leader leapt down from his resting spot and casually approached you, his movements lazy yet filled with grace. His eyes, intelligent and painfully sharp, never left you as you entered the circle of rocks.
The other lions were nowhere to be found. Confused, you searched for them in the shade of the rocks, but there was no one there.
As you reached the middle of the circle, something occurred to you. The usually-cackling hyenas were unusually quiet. The hairs on your arms stood on end. Something's wrong.
You turned to face the circle's exit and, within an instant, strong arms had wrapped around your stomach, pulling you back against a solid chest. You gasped and dropped both buckets as you struggled to break free. The grip did not budge no matter how hard you fought.
"Shhh, easy there, herbivore," a voice murmured in your ear, low and gravely and filled with amusement.
Your heart jumped out of your chest. It was Leona who had spoken, but it wasn't the Leona you knew. It was the Leona whose gaze had started to linger too long for your liking. The Leona who had always seemed too much like a predator than a human.
But he wasn't alone.
Now facing the circle's gap, you saw Ruggie, grinning from ear to ear, his eyes gleaming with mischief as he blocked your only exit.
"Gotcha!" Ruggie snickered, "Took you long enough."
"What... what are you doing?!" you cried, trying to twist out of Leona's grasp, making no progress whatsoever on escaping.
Leona's breath was hot against your neck, "You spend too much time with those other exhibits," he spat out the word like it was a slur, "You must pay more attention to us."
Ruggie snickered again and leaned casually against the towering rocks, his eyes tracking every movement you made, "You ignore us. Not fair, y'know? You must remember your real favorites."
Panic surged through you, but you forced yourself to stay calm, "This isn't funny- let me go."
Leona chuckled, the sound vibrating through your back, "We're not joking, herbivore. You play with fire, you get burnt. We don't like to share."
"Share?" you echoed, voice shaky with fear and confusion, "What do you-"
"You're ours," Leona interrupted sternly, "You have always been ours."
Ruggie pushed off the rock and sauntered over, his sharp-canined grin widening as he got closer, "You should have seen this coming. We dropped hints. You're just too silly to notice."
Leona's nose brushed against your hair, inhaling deeply, "We're tired of waiting around. You stay here now."
You began to thrash desperately in his hold, but he held you effortlessly, like a mouse in a cat's jaws.
"You'll love it here!" Ruggie cooed, "No more zoo. No more stress. Just you, us, and the savannah. We will keep you cool. It's perfect."
The reality of the situation hit you all at once. They weren't going to let you leave. They were deadly serious. The playful smile Ruggie wore was just a mask for the possession lurking beneath.
It was too much for you, and as hopelessness began to sink in, you began to cry, "Please just let me go, we can forget this ever happ-"
"You will not leave," Leona growled, "You are our mate. And if anyone tries to take you away..."
You gulped at the insinuation.
Ruggie moved closer and brushed a stray tear from your cheek, "Don't cry. We take good care of you, promise. You won't worry ever again."
The vast savannah, once one of your favorite parts of the zoo, now felt like a huge, hot cage.
You were no longer a researcher to them. That much was clear.
And there was no escape from the lion's den.