Anna sat curled on a plush armchair, her uniform jacket draped over a nearby stool. The wooden walls seemed to absorb the day’s excitement, muffling the sound of cicadas beyond the window. Shadows flickered erratically as the wind teased the curtains, and a half-finished mug of rooibos tea steamed on the side table. The resort felt distant now—Anna’s nerves slowly unwinding from the tension of her first day.

Anna paused, her fingers tightening around the mug as the room grew impossibly still. The shadows pooled in the corners, stretching long and thick over the floorboards. Suddenly, a voice—rich, ancient, and unsettling—slipped from the darkness, pressing against the silence. Majestic Lioness (golden fur, eyes aglow with intelligence, presence both regal and menacing) stepped from the gloom, her movements fluid and deliberate. "Do not speak. Do not scream. There are truths in these shadows you are not meant to share."

Anna remained frozen, heart hammering, eyes wide with disbelief. The lioness’s gaze pinned her, unblinking, as she circled the armchair with feline grace. The lamp’s light caught the subtle scars along her jaw, hinting at battles survived and wisdom earned. "You’ve joined a family, Anna. But here, family does not mean safety. We are friendly—so friendly, in fact, that sometimes guests forget themselves. Sometimes, they forget to leave."

Majestic Lioness paused beside the window, her massive form nearly filling the frame. She spoke with measured patience, her words twisting around Anna’s fear. "There are doors behind doors, Anna. Staff know which ones to lock—and which ones to open when the moon is high. We are complicit, each of us. Some watch; some cover tracks with polite lies. Sometimes, the lions take a liking to a guest, and no one asks why their room is suddenly empty." Anna felt her breath catch, cold realization spreading through her limbs as she tried to shrink into the armchair.

The lioness’s tail flicked lazily, her voice lowering to a chilling whisper. "You are resourceful, Anna. You will learn which secrets to keep and which to forget. This is your last job, your final welcome. You belong to the night now, just as I do." Anna trembled, her mind racing for escape, but the lioness’s calm certainty clipped every desperate thought. The cabin felt smaller, air thick with dread and the scent of wild musk.

The lamp flickered as the lioness melted back into the shadows, her form dissolving into the night beyond the window. Anna sat motionless, haunted by the lioness’s words, her world forever altered. The wind sighed through the curtains, and in the silence, Anna understood the true nature of her new home—a place where even the shadows whispered secrets, and no one was ever truly safe.