Chapter Eleven – Pressure

~Kierra~

Okuro nodded in anticipation. I smiled to myself. The training would be rigorous. I didn't know if his eagerness was beneficial or just stupid. But only time would tell. "Alright then, to sta-"

I froze. I heard the snow shifting behind me. And it didn't sound natural. Nothing was around this early.

GRRRRRRRRRR...

I went rigid. I knew that snarl anywhere. It would never leave my range of familiarity. Without thinking, I charged my energies. As I was doing so, the source charged me.

I whirled around with a roar, swinging as I transformed into the massive tigress form that seemed more familiar to me than my human self. Rokua flew back, hit full force in the head by my paw. His blue-gray body tumbled back, sliding in the snow. "That human blinded me in one eye..." He snarled as he got up."I'll kill 'im for that."

"You know I won't let you do that." I snapped, positioned solidly between Rokua and Okuro.

"Oh I know." He flashed a feral smile. "That's why I didn't come alone this time."

He howled, and from the shadowy snowfall two wolves, both larger than Rokua in both size and muscle, prowled towards him. A black wolf stood on his left, his hackles raised at the sight of me. The other wolf surprised me. A tawny female. Her eyes were cold on me, and I knew why. I didn't expect her to ever forgive me; I never did. She bared her teeth, growling with the same anger I showed my father. "Rokua... I get to kill her, right?"

Rokua huffed out a laugh. "Of course you do, Savaren. It would be wrong to deny you."

Savaren grinned behind her snarl. "Excellent. Kordos, shall we...?"

The black wolf nodded. Rokua barked, and the other two wolves charged right at me. I stood poised, ready for them. I swung out, knocking Kordos off of his feet, but was taken by Savaren at the same time. She ripped into my shoulder, missing my throat as Rokua had before her. Blood spurted out as I was pulled down. Savaren stood over me pinning me down with one paw on my chest

"Kierra!" Kasu yelled. "Stop suppressing yourself!"

I put my forepaws against Savaren's ribcage, pushing her as far up as the pain would allow. Her jaws snapped towards me, inches from my throat. I looked over, seeing Kordos and Rokua together prowling towards Okuro. He backed away from them, in the same trap as me. If he attacked one, he would be taken down easily by the other. He could send a wave at both of them, but he knew they could evade it easily, and he'd be dead before he knew what was happening. We were doomed, and all Kasu and Mo could do was yell at me.

"Use that power! It's the only way you two will survive!" Mo screamed. He sounded like he was trying to help, but was being restrained by Kasu.

I knew they were right. I knew it too well, but I couldn't. I just couldn't. That power is why I had to struggle to keep Savaren from my throat. She didn't forgive me for it, and neither did I. "Where's that precious power of yours hairball?" Savaren snarled, trying to bite me somewhere, anywhere. Just so she could get an opening to kill me. Maybe I deserved it. I pushed Savaren off of me, rolling onto my paws. If I could just get up...

But she got up faster, and again, aimed for my throat. Kordos and Rokua howled in pain, and the stench of singed fur filtered into the air. Around the same time, Savaren suddenly seemed much slower. I continued to struggle to stand. Savaren had managed to bite my foreleg, and now I couldn't get myself to stand up. Kasu moved swiftly to Savaren, and before she knew what was going on, she went down. Everything around me seemed so slow, as it always did when Kasu used her abilities. That fog slowed down everything outside of it. I fell over again, collapsing on my injured foreleg. The wolves fled as time returned to normal. They knew better than to pick on Kasugami and Moegami.

The two converged on me, and I knew what was coming. It happened every time.

"We shouldn't have to step in for you whenever those wolves decide to attack. You used to be able to take on their entire pack! What happened to that? Your training regiment never changed. In fact, it got harder!" Kasu scolded.

"What happened?" Mo started, and as I shifted out of form, he covered my mouth and continued. "Don't say nothing, because that obviously is not the case. People don't just randomly decide to suppress themselves." He lifted me up.

I stared at my hands as they carried me inside. Deciding it was better to let me heal naturally this time, they bandaged my shoulder and my arm and left me on my bed after a harsh and unsuccessful interrogation. I leaned against the wall, pinning my arm against the cool stone. The cold was relieving, comforting. The firelight in my room flickered on the walls, causing the shadows to dance across the golden stage. I watched, feeling like I had when I was younger.

"Chewing on your hand again?" Okuro sighed as he rounded the corner. "I thought you stopped that."

I jumped. Indeed I was. I pulled my hand from my mouth as Okuro sat on the bed beside me. "I.. I'm sorry." I mumbled, not even looking at him.

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

I turned to look at him, eyes wide in shock. "Nothing to be sorry for?" I shrieked. "You could have been killed! And all because I was too weak to use my full potential. Because I couldn't bring myself to protect you to the best of my ability."

Okuro laughed, smiling at my reassuringly. "Kierra, I don't need you to protect me."

"You did today." I looked away. "And you will until you're better trained. If Kasu and Mo didn't step in, you'd be dead..."

"You would be too."

"And?"

"It would matter if you die, you know."

I sighed, eyes attracted the the onyx colored blanket covering my legs. "It... I guess it's time I told you."