Exploring his damp matted hair, Derrick was in too much of a state of dazed disbelief to note that his ears were a little more rounded than normal. In a desperate attempt to deal with the gore that had just been forced upon him, his mind began to interject mundane noise. A soundtrack to convince itself it was still normal. No open wounds. No broken bones. Not safe yet, but things will be normal again soon. Derrick tugged his hair, and mentally paused... his hair had been short almost fuzzy barely an inch long. The strand of hair he tugged away from his scalp reminded him more of his edgy shaggy-haired teen phase he had attempted a few months back.
That was new... but more important things to worry about now... the pride ripped their prey apart next to them where he encountered them. He quickly picked himself up and scrambled a distance away. He scrambled into the nearby grass, tripping and falling out of sight of the lions. He got up and looked back at the pride. They still ripped and pulled the now dead wildebeest carcass apart, muzzles reddened with blood. They seemed little interested in him. Taking his opportunity Derrick turned and ran away from the lions back toward the direction where he had come from.
He ran for maybe 100 yards deeper into the grasses, but still making his way back toward the hotel. Then doubling over, gasping for air, he breathed in the overpowering reek the slimy gore that covered his face and head. His mouth was still full of blood (both lion and wildebeest) and saliva (both his and the lions). The bloody mess still covered his face. It smelled weird (more disgusted that he wasn't more disgusted), and it seemed like the smell was getting stronger. He dropped onto his knees and pulled his shirt off, using it to wipe his face, and spit out the contents of his mouth.
Wiping his hair he pondered again at its length. Longer again it almost covered his eyes when he pulled it forward. The thought barely registered in his subconscious; just the grocery list of the mundane he would need to tend to once back at the hotel. He wondered how long he had until the lions finished their meal, and looked to finish off their dessert. Derrick rose and turned to run. That is when he heard the roar.
It hit him like a wave; though it didn't move him. It seemed to reach him from all directions at once. Then clapping together it felt like his entire being vibrated with the collision. The next moment is when the pain hit.