Something was wrong.
Terribly Wrong!
As we stood watching the bound lion, its breathing changed. The ropes, which had seemed so secure just moments ago, began to strain against the beast's massive muscles. I'd miscalculated - even unconscious, the lion's supernatural strength was too much for normal restraints.
"Back up!" I shouted to Iolaus as the ropes started snapping, one by one.
"We need to end this now!" The lion's eyes were opening, and the look in them was pure fury. All my academic knowledge about big cat behavior was screaming one thing - we had made it very, very angry.
I lunged forward just as the last rope broke, managing to get my arms around its neck again. But this time the lion was ready. It rolled, nearly crushing me beneath its massive weight. Only Hercules' divine strength kept me from being flattened.
