The voices were getting closer.
Amir finally started to move.
But slowly.
Carefully.
As if the ground beneath him could break at any moment.
"Over here!" someone shouted in the distance.
Relief should have come.
But instead…
Amir felt uneasy.
Something wasn't right.
The silence of the valley was broken now.
Too many voices. Too much movement.
The calm had disappeared.
And with it…
Something else had awakened.
Amir looked around.
The place felt different now.
Unsettled.
Like something had been disturbed.
Suddenly—
A deep sound echoed from far away.
Low.
Heavy.
Familiar.
Amir's body froze again.
"No… not again…"
The sound came again.
This time closer.
It wasn't the lion from before.
This was something else.
Something bigger.
Amir's chest tightened.
The earlier calm… the strange test…
It all felt like a warning now.
Not a relief.
The bushes in front of him began to move.
Slowly.
Amir stepped back.
One step.
Then another.
The movement stopped.
For a second…
Everything went silent again.
But this silence was different.
He could feel it.
Something was watching.
Not just from behind.
But from everywhere.
Amir's breathing became shallow.
"What did I bring into this place…?"
Then—
A shadow appeared behind the trees.
Slow.
Silent.
Large.
Amir turned his head slowly.
His eyes widened.
This was not the same lion.
This one was older.
Stronger.
And far more dangerous.
It stepped forward.
And this time…
There was no hesitation.
No warning.
Just intent.
Amir's heart stopped for a moment.
The voices in the distance faded.
Now…
It was just him.
And the predator.
Again.
But this time…
He knew one thing for sure:
This wasn't a test anymore.
This was something else.