Aleia
By Silvertail
Chapter 1- The Banishment
It was a hot, slow day in the man village. Yet it was also busy. Men fished and prepared for hunting, women cooked and collected water. In the heart of the jungles of India, this village showed an average day.
Aleia lay in her little hut, feeling lazy. She had lived in this village for as long as she could remember, a pet of a small girl. Although she and the girl had once been very close, the girl was older now and more interested in other things.
Aleia finally got up and walked over to her little water dish and had a drink, watching the activity in the village. No one paid her any mind; she had been tamed long ago and would no longer attack people, knowing men were all her friends. She lay down in the sun and relaxed. Even if she did not have much company, she was perfectly happy.
Suddenly there was a commotion near the east side of the village. Aleia, alert to her panther instinct, sensed danger. She looked up and spotted something very strange. A large tiger was prowling around the village, sniffing and exploring. The villagers were beginning to panic; they had never seen a tiger in the village.
Aleia's owner's father grabbed his gun and followed the tiger. Aleia watched curiously. The tiger growled threateningly at him and started toward him. The man was elderly and frightened, and in his nervousness he dropped the gun. The tiger pounced.
Under the animal's teeth and claws, the man was screaming. Aleia was in a panic. Nothing like this had ever happened. It seemed as if time had stood still. She just could not believe this was happening in the sleepy village!
Aleia's thoughts were interrupted with a bang. Another hunter had shot at the tiger. It didn't hit its mark, but it scared the beast, and he ran out of the village. With the danger gone, villagers crowded around the man, trying to help.
"Out of the way," The other hunter proclaimed. He was handsome with dark eyes. He also had a temper. "This man is gravely injured. He may be near death. You are not helping by crowding." The crowd, a bit embarrassed, moved back.
"And you," The hunter addressed Aleia, "Standing there while your master is attacked! Shameful! You are a worthless creature. Have this panther killed." He commanded a young boy. The words shot through Aleia like one of the hunter's bullets.
"No..." Aleia's owner whispered through the pain. "I may be almost gone, but I will say this. Aleia is my beloved daughter's panther. She will not be killed." Suddenly he fell limp. A shocked silence followed the man's death and Aleia was almost unable to contain her shock. She felt weak; her legs seemed unable to hold her up.
"It is because of her that he is dead!" The man's grief-stricken daughter proclaimed. "If she were a good animal my father would be alive! I want her killed!" The young hunter responded, "No, miss, we must follow his last wishes." Crying, the daughter exclaimed, "I am not having her in this village! If she will not be killed, than she must leave!"
The next two hours were the worst in Aleia's life. While funeral arrangements were prepared, all Aleia could do was listen to the tears of family and friends and think, "It's because of me. Why didn't I do something? It's all my fault!" She could not help weeping out of grief for the man who always treated her well and out of remorse for what she felt she had done.
Soon a young man walked to her hut and tied a rope to her neck. He led her out of the village while the villager's watched, some angrily. Aleia felt like a spectacle. She was led out of the village's gates and into the dense jungle. As she walked through the trees, the man often jerked her with the rope. It seemed like it took forever to get to the isolated location of the jungle she was being led to, but they got there. As the young man untied the rope he said to her, "You must stay here in the jungle. If you ever come back to the village you will be killed."
As he left, Aleia was overcome with grief and remorse, and a new emotion: hatred. Sitting in the clearing, Aleia made a vow. Somehow, she would find that tiger and kill him. She had no fighting experience at all, but she did not care. That tiger would pay.
**
Please look for Chapter 2. It will be longer and with more dialogue, and will be more upbeat. This chapter was more like a prologue. Please review and tell me if you like it, and if you don't like it, tell me what you don't like to help me write in the future. Thank you for reading!
By Silvertail
Chapter 1- The Banishment
It was a hot, slow day in the man village. Yet it was also busy. Men fished and prepared for hunting, women cooked and collected water. In the heart of the jungles of India, this village showed an average day.
Aleia lay in her little hut, feeling lazy. She had lived in this village for as long as she could remember, a pet of a small girl. Although she and the girl had once been very close, the girl was older now and more interested in other things.
Aleia finally got up and walked over to her little water dish and had a drink, watching the activity in the village. No one paid her any mind; she had been tamed long ago and would no longer attack people, knowing men were all her friends. She lay down in the sun and relaxed. Even if she did not have much company, she was perfectly happy.
Suddenly there was a commotion near the east side of the village. Aleia, alert to her panther instinct, sensed danger. She looked up and spotted something very strange. A large tiger was prowling around the village, sniffing and exploring. The villagers were beginning to panic; they had never seen a tiger in the village.
Aleia's owner's father grabbed his gun and followed the tiger. Aleia watched curiously. The tiger growled threateningly at him and started toward him. The man was elderly and frightened, and in his nervousness he dropped the gun. The tiger pounced.
Under the animal's teeth and claws, the man was screaming. Aleia was in a panic. Nothing like this had ever happened. It seemed as if time had stood still. She just could not believe this was happening in the sleepy village!
Aleia's thoughts were interrupted with a bang. Another hunter had shot at the tiger. It didn't hit its mark, but it scared the beast, and he ran out of the village. With the danger gone, villagers crowded around the man, trying to help.
"Out of the way," The other hunter proclaimed. He was handsome with dark eyes. He also had a temper. "This man is gravely injured. He may be near death. You are not helping by crowding." The crowd, a bit embarrassed, moved back.
"And you," The hunter addressed Aleia, "Standing there while your master is attacked! Shameful! You are a worthless creature. Have this panther killed." He commanded a young boy. The words shot through Aleia like one of the hunter's bullets.
"No..." Aleia's owner whispered through the pain. "I may be almost gone, but I will say this. Aleia is my beloved daughter's panther. She will not be killed." Suddenly he fell limp. A shocked silence followed the man's death and Aleia was almost unable to contain her shock. She felt weak; her legs seemed unable to hold her up.
"It is because of her that he is dead!" The man's grief-stricken daughter proclaimed. "If she were a good animal my father would be alive! I want her killed!" The young hunter responded, "No, miss, we must follow his last wishes." Crying, the daughter exclaimed, "I am not having her in this village! If she will not be killed, than she must leave!"
The next two hours were the worst in Aleia's life. While funeral arrangements were prepared, all Aleia could do was listen to the tears of family and friends and think, "It's because of me. Why didn't I do something? It's all my fault!" She could not help weeping out of grief for the man who always treated her well and out of remorse for what she felt she had done.
Soon a young man walked to her hut and tied a rope to her neck. He led her out of the village while the villager's watched, some angrily. Aleia felt like a spectacle. She was led out of the village's gates and into the dense jungle. As she walked through the trees, the man often jerked her with the rope. It seemed like it took forever to get to the isolated location of the jungle she was being led to, but they got there. As the young man untied the rope he said to her, "You must stay here in the jungle. If you ever come back to the village you will be killed."
As he left, Aleia was overcome with grief and remorse, and a new emotion: hatred. Sitting in the clearing, Aleia made a vow. Somehow, she would find that tiger and kill him. She had no fighting experience at all, but she did not care. That tiger would pay.
**
Please look for Chapter 2. It will be longer and with more dialogue, and will be more upbeat. This chapter was more like a prologue. Please review and tell me if you like it, and if you don't like it, tell me what you don't like to help me write in the future. Thank you for reading!