The air in the hallway had grown stale in the last few hours. Father and I had taken to sitting on the carpet with our backs to the wall so we could keep a constant vigil over the door that pervaded our thoughts. We had made conversation several times, although they were short and usually only about whether or not either of us thought Jaga could do anything. I didn't like thinking about the negatives, so I always responded that I thought Jaga was doing something, anything he could. I felt in my heart that he could help. Who would have ever guessed that a few bad candy fruit could make someone so sick? Needless to say I don't think you'll find any more of those flamboyant edibles in the palace any time soon.
We only had to sit for a few more minutes until we heard the tell-tale thumping on the floor behind the door, and as we stood, Jaga came out of the room, a layer of sweat covering his brow, the traces of exhaustion littered across the elder's seemingly impenetrable façade. My father was the first to speak up, asking the obvious questions, such as whether he'd be alright and if Jaga could do anything for him. Through his wrinkled visage, Jaga smiled slightly, and said Tygra would be fine, although he has come down with a disease that will pass, and will need time to recover.
"you don't know what's wrong with him?" I spoke before I had time to think, Jaga said he had come down with a disease, if he knew what was truly wrong he'd have named the condition and told us what we could do to speed Tygra's recovery.
"the list of conditions that can be caused by candy fruit is quite numerous, any attempt on my part to diagnose which has befallen our beloved Tiger would be futile. With my powers I can tell that the ailment is there, and whether or not it will pass. Beyond that, things become unclear."
"How long, how long will it take?"
"With proper rest, it should work its way out of his system in three days, in that time though, I would advise against sweet foods, they could upset his body."
Shooting each other a look, Father and I nodded to Jaga, and while Father led him to his office to talk, I stood facing the same door I had been staring at for the last hour or so. The two pairs of feet faded not minutes after they started, and putting my hand to the door, I did what I had wanted to do since Tygra had been closed inside.
There was a darkness that seeped into every corner of the room, shrouding all save for the glow that illuminated the bed across the room, and the single occupant it cradled. My feet crept along the floor silently as I edged closer and closer. As I came upon the bed, stepping inside the light of the candle, I found myself lowering my body down onto the sheets so I could better look at my brother. The cerise veil that covered his face made me uneasy, and the pain that visibly broke the features of his face made my muscles tense. The heat from his body radiated from his fur in waves, his body shaking as it struggled against its invader. I felt pity, in places I never thought I'd ever feel pity. It started in my head, and misted down through my neck, and pooled in my heart. Where I expected it to stop there, instead it flowed down my arms, danced across my chest and rushed down my torso, through my legs, and then bounced back up to gather in my heart once more.
Jaga said that he would be well in three days. Three days I would have to go without his cocky attitude, his arrogant jaunts. I would miss them. With Father preoccupied by the weight of his crown, Jaga with training new Clerics, and no friends inside the walls of the palace, Tygra was all I had to talk to. Sure, he was busy most of the time with his own endeavors, his own training, but he was still there. It's going to get lonely. I will have to find something to occupy myself until he's back on his feet, breathing down my neck again. I laughed in my throat at my own statement, knowing that was a literal observation of how he acted when I was around him. Always feeling the need to keep an eye on me lest I get myself into trouble.
I wouldn't stay much longer. I had just wanted to see him myself, satisfying my grim curiosity that he was still among us. Before I allowed myself to depart, I found my hand drawn to lay over his for an instant, as if letting him know that I was here. When my lessons are done tomorrow, I might come and sit with him, if to give him someone to vent his frustrations at being kept in bed to. He would hate it, I'm sure he would, his need to do something all the time would drive him mad knowing he couldn't leave this room. I smiled as thoughts of him and Father yelling at each other over the issue came into my head and grew. He would be back to himself in no time, I was sure of it.
I finally felt ready to go, and drew my hand back as I got to my feet and made for the door. His room smelled nice, I just noticed. He must have incense somewhere in here, it reminds me of the harvest festival, the earthy scents my favorite kinds. My hand found the knob in the darkness, and I drew the door open so it cracked slightly, letting the light from the hall spill inside as I turned my head back to give Tygra one last look before I left.
What I saw startled me. Tygra was on his feet directly behind me, a thin glaze over his eyes and a frown on his face. He brought up an arm and pushed the door closed again, leaning against it and forcing me to back against the wood as he drew closer to me, so that his face was mere inches from my own.
"You aren't going to leave me are you?" he spoke as if he was tired, but also disappointed. I managed to tell him that I was going so he could get some rest, but he shook his head at me.
"Don't leave yet Liono." He started to nod off, his eyes half-closed as he started to struggle just to remain standing. Instinctively, I brought my hands up to his sides to help steady him, and his head fell into my neck, his breathing heavy and hot against my fur. I tried moving out of the position he backed me into so I could walk him to the bed, but when I started moving, he brought his arms down to my own, holding me there. He pulled his head away, and looked at me again, his face dark in the dim light, but still illuminated enough to see that his face had turned from cerise to a burning red.
"Tygra, you need to lay down again, you aren't well, let me help you…" I struggled against him, getting his arms to move so I could finally get around to his side and start pulling him back to his bed. He resisted me at first, but I kept going, dragging him at one point until I finally had him sitting down on the sheets, his face redder than I thought it was now that I was seeing it in the light. He just sat there, holding his head in his hands and mumbling under his breath. I had tried asking him what he said, but he didn't respond. I nudged him slightly, then harder, trying to get him to lay down, but he still wouldn't move.
"Tygra, lay down you need to get some rest, you need-"
"I need you…" my eyes narrowed as my mind told me I hadn't heard him right. Hesitantly, I asked him to repeat what he had said, that I hadn't heard him clearly. His arms moved, and he turned his face up to look me in the eye, and he repeated himself. I told him I couldn't do anything, that I wasn't a doctor, and went o nudge him to lay down again, but he caught my hand this time. He held it within his own, and squeezed it. I was starting to understand that he wanted me to stay; what exactly does he want from me though?
I obliged him, and brought myself to sit beside him, letting our hands fall into his lap, where he put his other hand underneath ours, and laced his fingers through mine, interlocking us together. I felt like I was misinterpreting his intentions, I could feel his heartbeat through his palm, it was uneasy, nervous. Whatever would make him nervous would have to be good; it had to be the sickness, I've never seen him like this.
I started to speak, I was going to ask him if he was ready to go to bed now, but before I even finished my second word, he had taken a hold of my jaw, and he looked into my eyes for a split second before my brought his lips closer to mine. My thoughts raced, my heart sped up as I tried to come up with something to prevent this from happening; he was going to kiss me! I tried to pull away, but he took his arm away from my jaw and wrapped it around my back, pulling me the rest of the way to meet him. As our flesh touched, all I could describe the sensation as was an explosion. His lips were hot from his fever, and his face radiated the same heat. It seeped into me as well, and I thought I was going to catch whatever he had. Those thoughts slipped away with his lips when he broke us apart. Like a fire fizzled by the rain, that's how I felt, like I was the smoldering embers of a fire, ready to be reignited by the slightest provocation.
To say this moment was awkward would be an understatement. I thought I understood what Tygra wanted me to stay with him for; I thought wrong. If he meant what I think he did by all of this, then what would I do? I didn't have any kind of attraction to Tygra, I didn't even think he felt any of this for me. I can't blame everything on his illness, there's a line where he has to be in control of himself, and I think he's already crossed it. What was I going to do now?
Tygra made that decision for me, the tug on my arm brought me on top of him as he fell with his back to the mattress. This odd position made me uncomfortable, what did he expect to do with me now, I wasn't sure but I felt the need to leave, everything was going so fast, I didn't have enough time to realize what was happening. The expression his face lightened as he looked at me again, letting go of my hand but bringing both of his arms around my back to hold me against him. His head came closer, but fell into my neck this time, and I could hear his deep breaths; he was smelling me, and then something wet and rough started running over my fur. My body tensed as he licked me, I couldn't prevent the tickles he sparked from escaping out of my mouth in the form of light gasps. My face was growing red too, not as intense as his, but this treatment was embarrassing me, and I had no idea how to respond to him.
On an upward stroke, he ran the appendage all the way up, licked across my jaw line, and then brought it over my lips, splitting them apart with it, and sealing us together once again while his tongue thrashed about inside me. I had to do something at this point. He had the wrong idea and I should have ended this sooner. I pushed against his with my arms and shook my head, trying to force him away, but my desperate struggles seemed to only make him more enthusiastic. I finally managed to rip my head away so I could ask him what he thought he was doing. His face showed his confusion, but something else too, something I couldn't place. I could hear him sigh, and his grip on me weaken. He let me go, and I got up, trying to keep my composure as I walked to the door.
"Liono…I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me…" my feet came to a stop, I'm not sure why, I was still determined to leave, but..
"you aren't feeling well Tygra, it's alright, no harm done." That was a lie, I was scared, scared that he had taken it that far; if I hadn't stopped him…how far would he have gone?
"No, I'm not feeling alright at the moment, but my heart is fine…"
"What are you talking about?"
"Liono, I… I feel drawn to you right now, I feel this hunger deep down inside my core, it calls out for you."
My eyes widened, and my determination turned into desperation. His tone dropped as he finished. He wasn't done yet, he was going to come after me now, I needed to get away. I kept myself still, hoping he would keep calm until I could work up the courage to dash to the door and make a break for my room. We both stayed motionless for several minutes, waiting for the other to make their move. Tygra made his first, he slowly started to rise from the bed, and that was my cue. My legs burned with adrenaline as I bolted for the knob and turned it, throwing it open as the rapid thumps on the carpet told me Tygra was coming.
As I dashed into the hall, I could hear something slam into the wall directly behind me; I dare not look back. My room was just down the hall, I could see my own door coming up fast on my right, and held my arm out to connect with the handle as soon as I got there. I barely made it inside and threw myself against the door as I felt Tygra throttle it. He charged it over and over, driven mad by whatever was wrong with him. I didn't even think I had time to barricade myself inside, only throw the lock and deadbolt and hope it held. I had my answer when the wood started splintering and hinges visibly strained to hold.
He was going to make it inside, I had to either find a way out or prepare to defend myself from my own brother. In regards to the former, I was looking at the only means of escape from here. My room had one large window on the opposite wall, but I was several stories up, I didn't have time to fix something I could use to grapple down the wall and if I jumped then I would surely break something. On that same note, I don't have any weapons in here, they are all out at the training grounds.
My chances were looking slim. I could always hide, but Tygra knew I was in here, and he knew my scent. The outcome was looking progressively negative for me, the only other thought I had was to find something heavy enough to knock Tygra out with and run for help. As I looked around, I heard my door send out another painful splintering sound, I didn't have long.
Within reaching distance, all I had that would work was a tome from the library. It would have to do, and I picked it up as I made my way to stand along the wall beside the door. When Tygra burst in here, ill smash the book against his head and run for help. I ran that through my head several time as my door reached its last leg, the wood nearly broken through completely as wood shot away from the break in the middle. Raising my book high, the final crash came, and my door shot off the hinges to fall to the ground.
He didn't run in though, the door was destroyed, but Tygra remained just beyond, his heavy breathing all that told me he was still there. I felt my arms twitch, the weight of the book taking its toll on them as I waited for my chance. It hadn't come yet… Tygra was still out there, but what was he waiting for? I had a mind to swing my book and hope I hit him in the face, but I wasn't stupid, he was probably waiting for me to move, no doubt he could smell where I was by now.
I couldn't hold the book up much longer, my arms had started to fall already, if he didn't come soon, I'd lose my chance. He still didn't come. I had already been forced to lower the book, and before long, I needed to put it down. I could still smell his scent, but his breathing had died off. I started to wonder if he'd come to his sense and went back to his room, but as I kneeled to set the book down, an arm came around the corner and slammed me back against the wall.
Dazed, I didn't even see the rest of him shoot around the corner and toss me off the wall into the middle of my floor. He was on top of me now. I struggled as I tried to regain myself after being thrown twice, pushing against him with all my might as he tried to grab at me. He had pinned an arm before I managed to hit him across the head with my free arm, stunning him long enough for me to break away and run out of the door.
He recovered faster than I thought, his feet were loud against the carpet behind me and from the sound he was closing in fast. I was going to lose this fight. I had passed the last room some seconds ago and the hallway wouldn't open up to the foyer in time. I was out of options, and spun myself in a final desperate attempt to save myself from whatever he had planned. As my eyes met his, he leapt, not even a foot from me, and tackled me head first onto the floor. I only knew that he laid there on top of me for several seconds before I lost consciousness.