In the middle of the vast savanna, a silence lingered as if even the wind had stopped.

Was it truly silence? No.

But at least for one lioness abandoned by her pride, eternal silence seemed imminent. For her, it was an undeniable truth, regardless of its validity.

And then, the lioness, Pantrea , collapsed onto the ground and began to contemplate her situation.

She was an excellent hunter, always providing ample food for the pride. How did she end up abandoned and dying alone?

However, as if not allowing even such brief thoughts, the pain from her left leg, trampled by a herd of wildebeest, only brought a stark sense of reality.

A faint breath escaped from her tightly closed lips. Amidst the precarious breath that seemed about to break, Pantrea could vividly imagine hyenas rushing to tear apart her corpse.

However, what broke the silence and reached her ears was slightly different from her imagination.

Tuk, tuk.

Though she couldn't be sure, the sound of hooves, not canine paws, echoed in her ears.

Pantrea lifted her heavy eyelids slightly, examining what had approached so close.

Since she was lying on the ground, the only visible part was, of course, the legs. Legs covered in white fur, very familiar legs. The legs of a gazelle, which she often hunted.

Therefore, her first reaction was,

"...Ha..."

Just a weak, empty laugh.

Is this the end?
That thought filled Pantrea 's mind.
Why else would it come all the way here?
To trample Pantrea , the predator, to death with its own hooves, or to watch her die slowly.

...Yes, it must be something like that.

"You, do you want to live?"

What on earth is this sound?

Pantrea thought,
Do I want to live? Of course, I want to live.
If there are creatures in this world who don't want to live,
I should bite their necks and show them the terror of dying.

But what I need to sort out in my head right now is not the weakness of those fools, but those three meaningless words that this herbivore said to me,

"...Of, course. I. Do."

For Pantrea , the only option was to utter a reply.

"..."

Having heard Pantrea 's answer, the gazelle stood still for a long time, muttering to itself.

And when the gazelle finally opened its mouth,

"I'll save you, you."

An entirely unexpected answer came back.

No, to be precise, it was an answer that Pantrea had somewhat anticipated.
It's just that seeing it actually happen was a bit too absurd.

What?

Save me?

...Why?

Pantrea 's mind was filled with such questions,
And she ended up blurting out a word she didn't need to say.

"...What, are you planning-"

She hurriedly closed her mouth after speaking, but at least in Pantrea 's own mind, it was definitely too late.
...Yes, at least as far as 'Pantrea ' was concerned.

"Instead, promise me just one thing."

"...Huh?"

The herbivore in front of her didn't seem to care about such things,
And was just saying what it had to say.

"Someday, if I ask you for a favor, please don't refuse it."

Foolishly naive words.
The grace of being saved has a great impact in most societies.
The fact that there are people who would do things beyond their means just for that alone is enough to know.
Seeing it trying to settle that with just one favor, I almost feel sorry for it.

As Pantrea was racking her brain about how to take advantage of this naive creature,

"Can you promise in the name of your ancestors?"
A sentence came out that turned all those thoughts into mere bones lying on the street.

Pantrea thought.
Damn it, it's a checkmate.
Whether that cunning thing knows it or not,
From the moment the name of the ancestors is invoked, that promise has a kind of compulsion.

It's like a kind of contract,
But the price is a little 'too' big.
But,

"...I, the abandoned one, Pantrea , promise you in the name of my ancestors."

Pantrea uttered those words, knowing full well that fact.

"The guide of a lost gazelle herd, Dakota, accepts your oath."

Without knowing what kind of consequences it would bring.