Silent Intent

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Chapter Nine

We reached the village with in minutes of our deadline, our body’s ached, our stomachs growled with hunger. We were fed and shown to our rooms, first thing I did was shower, letting the hot water wash the mud and grime off my body, two weeks solid we rode for, our breaks were few and far between riding through out the night some times. We’d hardly slept. My body truly felt the burn of our labour. I stepped out of the shower and dried myself then slipping into a clean night shirt. I climbed into bed and exhaustion took me, body, mind and soul into the land of sleep.
For the first three days at the village we rested, the forth we were given a tour of the village and the surrounding forest.
On the sixth day the elder warriors split in three one group going into the forest on a scouting mission, one group remaining in the village as guards and the other group returning to their homes for a month long rest. That night I was sleeping in Jimonbell’s arms, her nimble and delicate fingers toying with my hair as she slept. I hadn’t spent a night alone since that dreaded night with Master Hazelton. If Jimonbell couldn’t stay the night one of the other team members would, Though I preferred James or Luken, feeling safely enveloped in their powerful arms, hidden from the world, safe and loved.
This night however, I was startled from sleep. I didn’t know what was wrong exactly but my guts clenched with unease and I knew some thing was. Pulling on my armour and boots I stepped outside, the night was warm but a cool breeze blew through the trees. I tilted my head back and reached out to my teams minds, I located them in bed and sleeping apart from Blaise and Rainroe who were doing the night watch. Both were on the north border stood like statues staring out into the dense forest. I walked to the border and nodded to them both they returned the nod politely before going back to their duties.
The longer we stood there the more uneasy I felt.
“Rain, go wake up James” I ordered, I wanted his view on my feelings. She shot me a confused look but turned and sprinted to James’ room.
”You feel it to?” Blaise asked her voice soft and trembling. “I fear some thing is terribly wrong”
I turned to glance at her, she was a mountain Elf, the shortest of our group but as the gift of her kind she was very in tune with nature. Her deep brown skin made it difficult for me to see her expression in the darkness.
“It woke me up” I admitted. We waited in silence until James arrived.
“Problem?” he asked, glancing side ways at me, we had not spoke about that kiss or my feelings towards it there were more important things at hand that we had to deal with first, like the Tigras for example. I opened my mouth to answer but a piercing scream tore the air.
“James, go wake the others, Blaise stay here and keep watch. Rain, come with me, lets go check it out” I swiftly ran in the direction which the scream had come from, we reached the lake to see an Elf-man battling a Tigra who’s cubs coward behind her. There was an elf woman cowering up a tree, un-hurt but fear marred her features. Rainroe jumped in between the elf and the Tigra taking up the fight. “run back to the village” I ordered the man pulling the whip from around my waist. The Elf man called to the woman and hand in hand they fled.
“Rain” I called, I could see the mother was defending her cubs, they had probably come to drink and startled the elf maiden. But Rain’s focus was fixed on the beast before her. One powerful swipe of a claw sent Rain sprawling but she got back up. I made another attempt to stop the fight when one of the cubs attacked me, I cracked my whip on he ground, determined I would not hurt the cubs, Frightening them back.
“Stop fighting” I shouted “Be at peace, she’s just protecting her babies Rain stop!”
The Mother Tigra hesitated at my words but whether rain heard me or not I will never know for she thrust the blade into the tigra woman’s chest. A horrid half roar half scream tore the air as the female crashed to the floor, one of the cubs jumped at Rain and she swung her sword at it but before the blow could connect a large light grey furred with dark grey stripped tiger jumped and landed on rain, I heard his teeth tearing through her flesh and her final scream echoed through my mind.
I charged forward and the tiger changed into his anthro form, no tears welled up in my eyes but I saw that tears filled his eyes too as he looked at his fallen mate and sobbing cubs. I threw myself over Rain’s body and drew my swords afraid he may devour her flesh. He gathered the cubs up and pushed them behind him.
I rose to my full height, Rains blood on my hands. He readied to fight too but his cubs- his children clung to his leg, one hugged the dead female sobbing.
”Daddy why wont momma wake up?” it asked its eyes looking accusingly at me. I could hear feet approaching.
“take your cubs and go” I hissed “But know, that when I see you next, your death will be ten times more painful than either of theirs ever was”
”She killed my mate” He hissed but some thing in my eyes must have deterred him spoke of my pain.
“and she Was mine” I answered, Rain was my responsibility.
“As you wish, my name is Kiterga, so you know it when you seek your vengeance” the eldest cubs took the youngest cubs hands and Kiterga scooped up the body of his fallen mate and they returned to the forest. I stared at the blood on my hands but I knew if Rain had listened to my orders, she’d still be alive. I sheathed my weapons and rolled my shoulders, knelt beside Rain. I felt hollow as I stared at her wrecked corpse, but deep inside my mind I pictured his face and his name was written in blood at the back of my head with Rain’s blood.