I awoke to the gentle beams of sunlight streaming onto my face and the many warbling calls of birds pouring into my ears. I blinked and slapped my tongue against the roof of my mouth as I forced my hind legs to push me up and keep a hold on the branch. I stretched out my forepaws and yawned, letting out a roar as I did so. As I stood, my head brushed against some leaves. My lips pulled back, showing my teeth, and a snarl rose in my throat. I'd just about had enough of the whole world and was already angry enough, but for stripe's sake! Did every leaf and twig have to hate me too? I sighed and leaped down from the tree, my heavy paws crushing the vegetation and insects they landed on. But why should I care?
"When has the world not been cruel to me?" I roared to the sun, demanding an answer. "When?" My thoughts flowed with memories of my past. The first of which, was my first encounter with Them, the twolegs…
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
"Mother?" A young tiger cub called out. He was surrounded by flames and smoke and was having difficultly breathing. "Mother!" A tigress leaped through the flames and rushed toward the cub.
"Shh! I'm here, my son. Quiet now." The tigress took the cub in her mouth and glanced behind her warily before running once again through the fire and leaping up into a tree. She scrabbled for a foothold and set her son on a branch.
"Son, listen to me," she said. "They are coming for me soon. Do not come down for me. No matter what. I don't want any son of mine to be Taken by Them. Please, son. Promise me you won't come down until the next moon rises. It's too soon for you to be Taken."
The little wide-eyed cub nodded and put a paw on his mother's chest. His mother gently licked his face and jumped down, hearing Them crashing through the undergrowth. She rushed into a ring of fire, surrounded by Them. Her claws dug into the earth beneath her paws and she roared, flicking her lowered tail. Then They advanced upon her, jabbing her with long sharp sticks. She swatted at them, not wanting to go down without a fight.
Whilst she battled with a wounded one of Them, another came behind her with a short, sharp metal object, a knife. The tigress sensed danger and turned around… only to have the knife sliced through her throat. Her eyes grew wide as she froze in midair and fell to the ground. The cub watched in horror as They surrounded his mother. The mother and son locked eyes. The tigress took one last labored breath and her eyes fell closed. Realizing she was dead, the little cub couldn't help but cry out. One of Them heard the cub and pointed at him. The rest of Them turned to see the little cub in the tree and moved to surround him…