Note: I warn you now that I have very bad punctuation and too lazy to fix it. I also replace a lot of words that use i's with y's and if anyone's read an original version of "The Tyger" William Blake does it to so it's an acceptable replacement. I don't own Aubrey or Risika. Ahem though I'm rather protective of my creations so please humor me and DON'T YOU STEAL now wasn't that as clear as mud oh well…
Nothing Gold Can Stay
(Nothing Gold Can Stay)
Nature's first green is gold
Her hardest hue to hold
Her early leaf's a flower
But only so an hour
Then leaf subsides to leaf
So Eden sank to grief
So dawn goes down to day
Nothing gold can stay
(By Robert Frost)
Chapter 1
Tonight just seems lonelier than usual. I keep finding myself wondering in the memories of my past. I can't seem to shake off the thoughts of what has happened before and how I became the hunter that I currently am. Even on this hallowed rooftop with the buzz of the crowded city below I still feel alone but that's as it is and probably always will be. As far as I know I'm the only one of my kind. Oh, yes there are other lycanthropes but they're not like me at all and they will never accept me. I long for some one to understand me. I still am half-human and I like most humans I would like to at least have one friend. Someone to share my hopes and fears with besides though I'm half tiger. Tigers like to have a little company every now and then too.
For those of you who don't know my real name is Sonia Dumah but I dare not speak it for the fact that they might come to close to finding out more than I want them to know about me. Who are they you ask? They are the vampires. So I go by the name they gave me, Acerbus Tigris, and it fits since I am a weretyger. Plus I hunt their kind you see I am an infamous assassin of the vampires. Some believe me to be nothing more than a myth. A fairy tale to scare new fledglings with because I have killed a few of the most powerful bloodline among them, the Silver line. Though those who have seen my work respect me for who and what I am and named me Acerbus Tigris. It's Latin for Dark Tiger. Why do I hunt them you ask? Well partly because I am paid very well to bring my employer or employers the targeted vampire's ashes to them in a pouch. The rest though is not quit as simple as the explanation most give so hear me out if you wish or leave now. Though, be warned, if you ever tell a soul I will personally hunt you down. Remember you have been warned.
It started ten years ago I was only nine at that time my family and I were camping in the more remote areas of the Shenandoha Mountains like we did every summer. It was the typical family vacation with my parents and my brother. My father was a tall strong man that had very defined Germanic features he had deep sapphire blue eyes and brown hair streaked with copper highlights. My mother was of Navajo decent and looked like it with her Jet colored hair and eyes so dark brown they were nearly black. My brother Keith had my mother's eyes but mostly took after my father as far as hair and body build went. I had long ebony hair and fiery amber eyes; my counter part was showing. I also carried a lot of my fathers Germanic features but the black hair was definitely Navajo like my mother but I had very fair skin like my father. It wasn't because I avoided sunlight it was hereditary. I just happened to sunburn so nicely if I forgot to wear sunscreen.
One evening we were out hiking later than usual and it was already dark by the time we got back to camp. I was hoping to make a warm fire but what I got instead was hardly wanted. When we arrived back at our campsite all of our equipment was either scattered or ruined. A figure crept out of the shadows and approached us. He had long dark brown hair tied back in a loose ponytail his unnaturally pale skin looked ethereal in the moonlight and he had black eyes as cold as ice. Those eyes made me shiver involuntarily.
"Who are you?" demanded my father but he received no answer. The stranger threw something and I heard the distinct hum of a thrown knife. The blade imbedded itself in my father's chest he screamed once and fell to the ground lying to still for my liking.
"Dad, Dad get up please." I pleaded franticly, trying to ignore the more rational side of my mind that knew the worst had happened. Another one of them jumped from a nearby tree and took my brother Keith by surprise shoving what looked like a short sword through his throat. This one had auburn hair that fell to her waist but she had the same fair skin that looked like polished alabaster and similar icy black eyes. Keith tried to say something but couldn't and fell to the ground clutching his heavily bleeding neck. I was paralyzed with fear it was all happening so fast, what did these people want?
"Run!" my mother yelled but I didn't listen I couldn't just leave my family even though I was helpless to stop my attackers. The brown haired man shot my a mother one of those glares that said if looks could kill but in this case they could and she to was struck down but it was by some invisible force. I couldn't see it but strangely enough I could sense it. A twisted look of wicked glee spread on my attackers' faces. They flashed their fangs very intentionally. I couldn't believe they were enjoying this. I was so shocked. They were doing this for fun.
"Your next little one." cooed the auburn haired woman her smile widened as my terror grew.
Its hard to describe what happened next but something broke loose and welled up within me something inhuman something beastly. I growl escaped my lips, more animal than human. I felt a set of fangs begins to extend in my mouth and claws grow from my fingertips. A new tendril of fear shot through me and I tried to hold back the change. What was happening to me? My fear was quickly replaced by an animalistic rage. This had been a totally unprovoked attack and those two had killed the ones I loved just for pleasure. Now they had to pay for what they had done.
Never had I felt an urge to kill but it was present now. My beast raged within me a wild thing waiting to be set loose. Now I no longer cared about restraining the animal inside of me. I let it flow through me, taking control. The transformation began instantly. I glowed with a strange red light and felt my body begin to shift forms. Like I said before I am not like other lycanthropes my shapeshifted form is crystalline and harder than diamond unless I will myself to change to the form like what a normal lycanthrope would. My skin hardened and formed crystal it was not painful but it was an eerie feeling when I began to take on a tiger-like shape. I grew in size now standing nearly seven feet tall over slightly bent legs. My mouth extended to accommodate the new set of teeth that had replaced the more discrete fangs I had earlier. My claws grew longer, to about ten inches in length, and were like razor sharp daggers but now they were retractable instead of fixed. I tried to voice a threat but it came out as a series of grows that if you listened closely might be able to translate into something understandable. The rest of my body finished up more minor changes so I was not longer fully capable of human speech. Tiger lips are not designed for speaking. The change was now complete and in place of the defenseless little girl now stood a black and red stripped weretyger. A predator just as or maybe more dangerous than vampires that stood before me.
I charged my attackers, eyes glowing crimson with fury. They ran off into the forest and I followed with phenomenal speed. We raced through the forest gliding through the trees at inhuman speeds covering miles in mere minutes. They were fast but I was faster and I gained on them quickly, lunging at the one closest to me I took him down and raised a clawed paw for a fatal blow. He disappeared into thin air below me. My rage increased, I was furious that he had escaped me. The other vampire did the same as I turned to attack her. How had they done that? People couldn't just disappear into thin air right?
With my attackers gone and my anger receding I shifted back into my human form thankfully enough my cloths had changed with me so at least I had that much.
The change to tiger form hadn't been painful but I had shifted back to soon and as new to this as I was my body couldn't handle the rough transitions. I shrieked in pain falling to the ground. I started to have uncontrollable muscle spasms, I bit my lip to hold back another scream. The pain was excruciating all I could think of was "It hurts!" as I writhed in agony trying to ride out the horrible pain. Eventually the blinding torture ceased and I lie there for a few moments gasping for breath as I recovered. The chase had taken me miles away from camp. I was lost and alone in an unfamiliar forest.
I must have wandered for days only sleeping when exhaustion forced me to. I could only tell if was either day or night. I had lost track of the date and I had no way to tell the time. I was to afraid to do anything else but keep going and hope someone would find me. During that time I tried to contemplate what had happened to me and what I could do about it. I obviously couldn't tell anyone but I needed help. Unlike other wereanimals the mind of my animal had a much stronger presence with my human mind at all times not just when I was shapeshifted. It laced human thoughts with raw animal instinct. This gave me a few animalistic tendencies and mannerisms that normal people might find odd or disturbing. That I personally found very disturbing. There were a few pluses of always having the animal mind present. I retained most of my human mind even in animal form this allowed me greater control over some of my more primal urges. I also had a greater awareness then any normal person would, paricularly without the new preternatural senses I had. Even in human form so I guess it was both a blessing and a curse.
Eventually the authorities did find me half-starved and ragged from trekking in the harsh conditions of the Appalachian wilderness. They had recognized me immediately from the report that a camping family had been slaughtered in the vicinity of where they found me. After a little bit of questioning on the event they took me to the local police station to get fed and cleaned up. The officers were somewhat surprised that I wasn't a hysterical wreck after what had happened but they didn't make to big of a deal about it and that night they left me alone for the most part. I was thankful it was the first time in days where I could sleep soundly and not worry about someone hurting me or more accurately me hurting someone else. Before I let myself rest I swore that I would avenge my family no matter how long it took. That night with my vow of vengeance made young innocent Sonia died and Acerbus Tigris the assassin was born.