Tiger, Tiger

Tiger, Tiger: Chapter 5

Here we go... 

Enjoy it ;) x

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It felt as if the colour was being sucked from the world, slowly draining away into grey. Everything slowed around me: the earth coming towards my face, the claws tearing into my back, my racing heartbeat. But as my face hit the ground everything exploded with light and life and I was blinded by the brightness.

Pain flared on my neck as I was bitten and pinned, snapping me from my odd disorientation. A guttural roar tearing from my throat, I shifted into a tortoise to stop their claws and teeth sinking in any further. As soon as I dropped to the floor I shifted again, back up into my tiger. Rolling onto my back I smacked my attacker across the face with both paws, making them stumble sideways.

I instantly took advantage of their distraction and leapt to my feet. Grabbing my satchel in my jaws, I jumped backwards. To my annoyance I heard the leather of my satchel groan and split as it failed to cope with the weight around my sharp teeth. A growl rumbled deep within my chest. My angry eyes flickered up, the cuts on my back tingling as they knitted closed.

The sight that met my eyes stunned me. The growl in my throat silenced and I stared. My tensed muscles slacked in awe. Something flared inside my chest, burning away my anger. A lion stood on a moss-covered rock several meters before me. He was undeniably gorgeous, and I hated that I felt that way.

The sparkling, emerald moss was no competition against the warm sunset shades of the lions fur. My attackers mane was thick and contained a myriad of browns, spreading right across his stomach. However it only framedthe most beautiful sapphire eyes I had ever seen. This shifter was not one I had met before; I would have remembered those eyes. They were mesmerising.

I narrowly snapped out of a trance again as his paw swung towards my face. I ducked and jumped back several paces. He didn’t want to hurt me, only pin me down. However, I wasn’t up for that. For someone who I knew was in a higher position than me I would have submitted, but not someone I didn’t even know.

'Back down,' I snarled, ‘I will not submit to you.’

His eyes flashed with anger and indignation. Seemed nobody had ever told him ‘no’ before. 'No? You’re trespassing on my property. Private property,' he growled back.

'There’s no such thing as private property on pack territory, you should know that,’ I growled back in the same tone.

He snarled. ‘There is for me and you’re on it.’ I watched his claws flexing on the mossy rock and the agitated flick of his tail. I wondered how much damage this angry stranger might do to me if I pushed him too far. I decided to change my tactics.

'Well,’ I said, slowly backing away, dragging my bag with me, ‘I apologise for that, but there was no reason to attack me. It was just a mistake and I’ll know not to do it again.’

‘No, wait… there’s something about you. Who are you?’ he growled, steeping towards me. The words sent a shiver of worry up my spine and I set myself on getting away from this stranger. I tensed my muscles, biting down hard on my satchel. Then, as he took a step towards me, I pushed off my rock and flew into the trees.

As I slipped and slid on the mossy rocks, I prayed that I was faster than the blue-eyed boy. My ripping satchel was weighing me down, even losing some papers along the way, but I had a head start on him. Sure, I had accidentally travelled onto his ‘property’, but all land was pack land anyway. Who was he to think that special rules applied to him only?