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Danse Macabre :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 346 из 427«If a new male takes over the pride, second thing he does is kill the cubs. It means he doesn't help the lion he drove off breed successfully, and it puts the females into estrus faster, so he gets to mate.»
Auggie nodded. «It makes the females of most wereprides very tough to impress.»
I shook my head. «You're not saying that werelion prides are run like real lion prides? That the new leader kills the children? That's ridiculous.»
He shrugged those big shoulders under the long cloak. «It has happened.»
I turned back to Noel and Travis. «You guys know about this happening for real?»
They both said, «No.»
«They're too young to know what we did before we became legal.» This from Pierce.
«Are you saying that some men do kill the babies of the old Rex?»
«I've seen it,» Pierce said in a very clipped voice.
I almost asked, Which end of the fight were you on ? but I didn't. There was a look in his eyes, almost a flinching. Either he'd been a victim, or he'd done things that haunted him. I had enough nightmares of my own; I'd let Pierce keep his to himself.
«I guess that would make you want the strongest lion around,» I said, but my voice was a little thin. The pregnancy scare was too recent. How would it feel to go through nine months, then labor, and have some stranger kill your baby, after first killing your husband? I said it out loud. «If someone did that to me, he wouldn't survive very long.»
«Prides with really strong females don't get taken over much,» Pierce said, «because you gotta sleep sometimes.» He almost smiled when he said it.
I nodded. «That's how I'd be thinking.»
«Your local pride has very weak females,» Auggie said, his voice still that empty master's voice, so it could have been almost anyone talking. «Your Rex's wife is weak, and since the females of the lions are just like the males, it's forced him to reject a lot of strong women.»
«Are you saving that if someone killed Joseph, there wouldn't be enough fight in his pride to do much about it?»
«His brother would be a problem,» Pierce said, «but other than that, yeah.»
«You would definitely have to kill both of the brothers,» Auggie said, «but after that the pride would be helpless.» He looked past me at the lions.
Noel was staring at him with a sort of soft horror. It was Travis who said, «Sounds like you've thought this through.»
«It's why you brought dominants,» I said. «You came planning for Pierce or Haven to take over the local pride.»
Auggie gave me flat eyes.
Auggie nodded. «It makes the females of most wereprides very tough to impress.»
I shook my head. «You're not saying that werelion prides are run like real lion prides? That the new leader kills the children? That's ridiculous.»
He shrugged those big shoulders under the long cloak. «It has happened.»
I turned back to Noel and Travis. «You guys know about this happening for real?»
They both said, «No.»
«They're too young to know what we did before we became legal.» This from Pierce.
«Are you saying that some men do kill the babies of the old Rex?»
«I've seen it,» Pierce said in a very clipped voice.
I almost asked, Which end of the fight were you on ? but I didn't. There was a look in his eyes, almost a flinching. Either he'd been a victim, or he'd done things that haunted him. I had enough nightmares of my own; I'd let Pierce keep his to himself.
«I guess that would make you want the strongest lion around,» I said, but my voice was a little thin. The pregnancy scare was too recent. How would it feel to go through nine months, then labor, and have some stranger kill your baby, after first killing your husband? I said it out loud. «If someone did that to me, he wouldn't survive very long.»
«Prides with really strong females don't get taken over much,» Pierce said, «because you gotta sleep sometimes.» He almost smiled when he said it.
I nodded. «That's how I'd be thinking.»
«Your local pride has very weak females,» Auggie said, his voice still that empty master's voice, so it could have been almost anyone talking. «Your Rex's wife is weak, and since the females of the lions are just like the males, it's forced him to reject a lot of strong women.»
«Are you saving that if someone killed Joseph, there wouldn't be enough fight in his pride to do much about it?»
«His brother would be a problem,» Pierce said, «but other than that, yeah.»
«You would definitely have to kill both of the brothers,» Auggie said, «but after that the pride would be helpless.» He looked past me at the lions.
Noel was staring at him with a sort of soft horror. It was Travis who said, «Sounds like you've thought this through.»
«It's why you brought dominants,» I said. «You came planning for Pierce or Haven to take over the local pride.»
Auggie gave me flat eyes.