I was stunned. My heart might as well have stopped. At this point, the only thing standing between me and those hyenas, was my own brother. And he was telling me to leave him behind. The thoughts raced in my mind. We stood in the presence of those bloodthirsty canines, and we were but two tired lions. And he was telling me to leave him to face this threat on his own. He would stand even less of a chance if I were to abandon him. But if there was one thing I learned about Keto, it was that arguing with him got me nowhere.
I started to back away toward the desert, a tear falling to the ground. "But... I..." was all I could utter. What could I say at this moment? If I allowed Keto to fight, he would surely be killed. Three hyenas against one lion. And there were most likely more of them coming. No matter how strong Keto's will was, his body could not take him as far as he wished to go. I continued backing up until the soft grass was replaced with the loose feel of sand. I had moved further away than I realized. My mind was on so many thoughts. Would he survive? Would I survive? What did the hyenas want with us? I didn't even realize how much I was crying. I was practically bawling. The thought of my dreams coming true, the thought of my brother dieing right in-front of me. I could barely take it in my sleep. How could I hope to watch it really happen? How could I bring myself to leave Keto? The short answer: I couldn't. The long answer: I was about to find out.
I sprinted from the sand back to the grass in a matter of seconds, right in-front of Keto. I then turned and faced him, showing my saddened face. "Keto, I can't let you do this!" I shouted. If he died, then what would I have to live for? If we could have had this situation my way, I would have sprinted out of there, with Keto on my back, into the desert whether he liked it or not. Of course, I wasn't strong enough to carry his weight and still move with my usual speed; a price to pay for excelling in speed. But if it had to be done his way, then I would not let him go down alone. I exchanged my look of sadness for a look of anger and determination. "If I die, I die by your side!" And that was that. I took a firm stance right next to my brother. My fears of death vanished right before my eyes as I glared up at the canines, ready to fight... or die trying.