Lionized part 4
"He's young, maybe too young
to be in a world like this.
But it's possible that he could
undo our past errors..."
Deathly silence crept between them while dark amber eyes glared deeply into blood-shot golden ones. Rage, regret and sadness bounced off both tigers' faces. Claws worn down to the nimble while blood filled the deep claw marks. There was no way to hide the fact that a fight had broken out as one of the tigers held his dislodged arm while the bared his sharp teeth in dominance, and let droplets of blood run down his brow.
"W-why?"
"You refused."
"That's no reason to attack your own."
"You left me for dead."
"What else did you want me to do? I had to find her-"
"She's dead!" Tygra snarled. "The guards killed every woman in the tribe, since many were pregnant!"
The brother winced when the younger tiger spat out his worst fears. "E-egybtio, h-how do you know?" his voice came out a whimper instead of the stern, accusing question intended.
"I wasn't causing death-"
"No you just caused the death of your own." the brother interrupted staring into the golden eyes that held no emotion yet glowed intensely.
Tygra's lips parted as he let a sigh escape , "Please, just go, fo be free with the rest you have no place here anymore." He approached the brother, grabbed his limp arm, "1, 2, 3-" the brother grunted in pain, when it was forced it back into place. Tygra looked down at the 16 year old, who became an older brother to him in the short time he knew him.
The brother panted slightly turning towards Tygra, "Egybtio-"
"Go, or I'll have to kill you to show a struggle." When the older tiger still didn't move, Tygra pushed him onward. "Go." he motioned to the towering gates.
"Egybtio, I -"
"My name is Tygra not Egybtio." the brother's eyes widened in sudden realization on who actually stood before him; the once Thunderan prince.
Tygra whisked off in the opposite direction leaving the brother alone. "He has to run, he has no place here."
"Egybtio!" the brother called to the sky, "You have no place here! You shamed our kind!" The brother ran and scaled the walls, never wanting to see the once called prince.
...Next Dawn...
His eyes shifted from left to right, "What are you telling me, panther?"
"They escaped, sir."
"How?"
"They ambushed one of the nearing guards taking his blade and slicing open the lock."
"Who's blade?"
"You had already dismissed him this morning, sir."
"Hmmm, panther somehow I don't believe a single word you're telling me."
He stood there locking gazes with Grune, "I'm telling you the truth, Grune."
The general began to pace around him, "It's really odd how I saw you last night outside your post..."
"I-"
"Don't finish, I know you freed the tigers" he paused then continued, "And you even had a fight with one of them..."
Golden eyes widened had Grune heard everything? His mind raced with many excuses he could come up with.
"I'm not saying I'm pleased with this or anything else you've done but I'm not going to report."
Tygra stood speechless but nodded in gratitude.
"Go back to your post and at noon go and find me."
"For-" He was cut off when the massive General turned and left, his dark mane like hair rolling. The tiger did as he was told and headed back to his post, and watched to see if any riots or any fights broke out. Sometime passed before Tygra stretched is stiff limbs out and yawned.
"Gods, this is boring." He whispered, letting out another yawn before looking up and seeing the sun directly above him. 'It's noon', he thought before whisking off to find the saber tooth. He walked through busy streets all over the city, with everyone's gaze on him, and unknowingly, he puffed his chest out in pride.
The narrow pathways seemed to be even more crowded than the market as he continued his already too long search for the general. "Damn, where is that overgrown lion?" he cursed under his breath before hearing snickers and giggles. He turned and narrowed his brows in confusion, there was nobody there. "These people.." he concluded.
Soon the young tiger caught sight of Grune and ran towards him, not noticing the lanterns, clay pots, matches and vending table in front of him. Loud thuds were heard as the pots fell to the ground before ear splitting ripping noises followed. If Tygra's fur could be seen under the black; it would be a deep crimson as he realized he was tanngled in the lantern's strings. He grew redder when he tried to untangle himself and couldn't, instead two young boys came and helped. Once they finished he gave a toothy smile to the gathering crowd, apoligized to the angry vendor and was even rewarded with gazes and giggles from young women which made the crimson reappear.
"Grune what exactly did you want to talk to me about?" Claudus asked wanting to know why Grune had stopped him.
"Be patient my king, it should be here soon.." The saber tooth said turning towards the path. Blue eyes rolled at Grune until the saber grabbed his forearm, "My king he's here."
"He?" Claudus saw a figure approaching. "Grune tell me now-"
"I wanted to show you the one below the rest."
"What? 'Below'? You took time away from me to see the underachiever?"
Then the figure stood before the king; a fit, black furred panther. Scars decorated his shoulders and neck and even a three black clawed necklace. Claudus inspected the supposed 'one below the rest' and didn't see anything that would claim him to be a failure.
"This is what you wanted to show me? A boy?"
"Claudus even I know appearances are deceitful."Grune walked to stand beside the panther, "He is one of the worst and yet he became the head of his group in three months." This made Claudus take back his first opinion of the boy.
"What's your name?"
"The overgrown lion calls me Panther."
...At the Palace...
The head guard walked down the halls until he reached the servant's quarters.
"You, where is Tamara?" he asked a female lizard.
"Head Deitous, she's in her quarters."
"Has she eaten?"
"No, she always stays locked up in quarters." she finished before heading off to her chores. Once alone the snow leopard smirked, 'Good girl.' and headed to her room. He pushed open the squeaking door and entered to see Tamara sitting on her bedside.
"You don't even knock?" she growled.
"I never do, tigress. I came to see how you were doing."
"Really? Well I'm doing so fine, head Deitous." she mocked giving a fake bow.
"Don't get smart with me, girl." Deitous growled.
"This place is worse than the cages you forced my people into and you expect me to tell you that I love it here?" Tamara stood glaring up at Deitous, "I also know that you're stupid men were outsmarted by my people which led to them being free." Deitous didn't answer only glared more before turning away and walking throughout her small room.
"If you want a bigger cage all you have to do is ask." he said bluntly wiping two fingers across the dust covered shelf.
"Didn't you hear me? I don't want anything from you or your cruel people."
"Hmm, you keep saying people, so you think there are more people like me?"
"YES."
"Same fur, same skin, same eyes, same weight?"
"Y-No?"
"And you think all tigers are like you? All female, short, tired, desperate, boor-"
"I-I don't know." she said broken.
He walked to her and lifted her chin, "If you want something just ask, after all you are my wife to-be or at least playing the role."
She looked up at him defeated then spoke, "Yo no necesito tu mierda."
He growled and spit in her face, "I know that tongue, whore. Stay here and rot like the shit that you are." Tamara winced when the guard shut the door loudly behind him, leaving her to wipe away the spit. She grabbed a rag and viciously wiped away the spit, why had she thought about accepting his offer? She knew that the 'bigger cage' would be his quarters where he would most likely treat her like (or even worse) than a lizard.
Claudus stood holding tightly onto the stone railing as the cold shivers ran down his back all the way to his feet. He bit down hard onto his lower lip hating everything he felt at the very moment. 'Gods.' he grunted trying to hold back the wails of pain that would surely be heard throughout Thundera.
"Claudus-"
"Leave me, Leira!" he growled viciously. He felt something warm on his shoulder and looked over to see her thin hand, "Lioness I'm not asking.."
"And I'm not moving" She said placing small kisses down along his spine.
"Leira...don't..."
"Every man goes through the same thing Claudus, it's not a weakness, it's what causes us to be strong and plentiful."
"Leira I don't and I won't" he turned around clasping her wrists, "It's gone, I don't feel it anymore."
"What's wrong Claudus? Why can't you?"
"I don't want to."
"That's not it, tell me the truth!"
The lion stayed silent.
"Claudus I swear to the Gods, if you don't tell me I will walk out and leave you here."
"That's what you would want, to run back into his arms and have him hold you throughout the night."
"What-what are you saying?" Leira's green eyes widened when he looked at her with pleading eyes.
"You don't want to know, my beautiful, faithful wife." he said sadly before entering their room and lying on the bed. Leira stood alone, confused and surprised, did he know? Did he know what she had done years ago and what she had done the past nights? She swallowed before following and laying next to him, only to have him scoot further away from her.
The sky, clouded with gray was still and brought Northern winds that swayed throughout the Thundera. Tygra sat on a building rooftop with knees hugged loosely to his chest as he sniffed the cold tried to focus on the horizon or sky but his eyes kept wadering to his black soaked fur. It was already beginning to fade, 'It lasted only 3 months.' He sighed knowing he would have to go back before anyone awoke.
'Are you ashamed of having to steep so low as to cover your stripes?' the voice hissed in his mind. The lone voice had survived their last fight.
"Do you think I'm afraid of you?"
'It's only because I'm the lone survivor of your stupidity, that you are not afraid of me.'
"I don't have time for this." Tygra leaped off the rooftop and ran to scale the gates. His claws dug in trouble less as they filled into the claw marks left from the caged tigers. A wave of relief washed over the tiger, he had freed and paid his due to the brother, even though he now hated him.
He ran faster and faster, disappearing one minute then re-appearing feet ahead until he was at the brink of the black pond.
'Tiger one last piece of advice before you swim to the depths of the river; the nothing can't be destroyed and your swimming to the very depths of it.' the voice receded but echoed through Tygra's mind. He shook his head, it was just trying to get to him, nothing else.
He stripped his armor, under armor and body suit and stood shivering as cold blew directly towards southern parts. 'It's too cold, but still..." he dove head first into the blackness, holding his breath. He didn't thrash, just silently floated then sinking slowly further down. He wasn't afraid or ashamed of what he was doing instead he was just there like a tiger painted on the wall...
..He threw his head out of the water gasping for air with sharp teeth baring. He swam onto the grassy shore coughing and spitting out water from his lungs. Fur clung to his sides as it dripped the black water. He fell to his side, panting and turned his golden eyes back to the black, where a black mass hanged over.
"We've been far apart for much too long, boy" the deep voice said shooting towards Tygra...
"Where is he?" The saber tooth roared.
"Quiet down, Lord of the nothing." Panthro said rolling his eyes. "He's a kid still, maybe he's out there with a girl or something."
"Panthro, that kid has no room for something as stupid as that, even his eyes shows it."
"Grune, he may be the best but remember don't-"
"Yeah, I know it's the first rule in the world of combat and to spill as much blood as possible."
The panther nodded then left and the massive saber tooth began to yell orders, knowing at some point or another the kid would show up. Soon the sun fell onto the horizon and Grune told all the young soldiers to go home and return at dawn the next morning. Once alone he retreated to his own home and grabbed the nearest goblet of wine and mixed it in with strong whisky.
"This time tomorrow, I'm not going to remember squat." he cheered to himself before chugging the entire goblet and serving another.
~~~FAST FOWARD~~~
Tygra sat on the steps of the Palace with hands dangling off of knees, watching the town's people walk this way and that.
"Tygra." He looked up and saw the now one-toothed Grune then turned back to watching the people. "The silent treatment, pathetic I know Claudus raised you better than that."
"You don't know that, old man."
"Maybe not but I don't have to since I'm not the one who yells at his father, almost hits his mother and even treats his brother like trash."
"Shut up." Tygra warned.
Suddenly Tygra was pulled up to his feet to face the angry Grune, "Listen here, boy I taught you how to be tough, how to fight, how to WIN and you're here like you don't give a damn."
"Maybe I don't."
A large hand raked across Tygra's face making him stumble back, "I found this in your quarters." He opened his other hand to show the all too familiar plant, and softened his eyes, "It ain't the answer, believe me..."
~~~PRESENT~~~
It was anything but pleasant as he heard himself breaking, bit by bit. The blood oozed out of his eyes like rain.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The sound of repeated lashings which would turn into scars.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The amount of shards pinning him to the wall.
Everything was too steady to be real, every piece of him that fell was the rain and it poured onto the grasses below, staining them with crimson drops. Even the cut of the scythe was too perfect, too dangerous. He could beg but the scythe would lick his skin. He could yell but the crimson rain would fill his lungs. The only true thing he could do was curse the gods, curse the king, curse everyone and be rewarded with salted wounds.
Then the steady torture became clever and cut the right places, tore the right pieces and lashed at the flimsy skin. He wanted to scream and howl in pain but the thread the tied his mouth would cut in and eventually tear off his lips. So he stayed there bearing the torture. He wanted someone to find him, help him, save him. 'Please' he pleaded mentally as the smell of his own carnage filled his nostrils.
The more it continued, the more his body and soul became numb to the point that he only felt the crimson run down his body. 'Please' he pleaded again, wanting someone to at least hear him or know he's gone. More lacerations covered his body and as if more cruelty was needed, the open wounds were burned closed and then opened, salted then burned again, like a never ending cycle.
He didn't know how to stop it or how to appease it. 'What do you want? I'll give you anything, just...please...stop this' he whimpered then swallowed the last of his saliva.
"The after burn of being apart from me for too long; weakness."
After it spoke more crimson rained down his cheeks, the more he tried to stop them his vision began to redden. 'There's too much blood.'
"You're weak without me; you could fight me off but you can't because you're weak."
'What can make this end?' he tried to look up but his head was too heavy for his bleeding neck.
"Let me back in-that's all I need."
His chest heaved allowing more blood spill, "That's- out of the q-question." he stuttered.
"It'll all stop if you just give me invitation... You're too weak boy to refuse such an offer."
"No..." He felt shards of glass cut deep into his chest and more skin being torn open. Something caught Tygra's bloody cheeks and pulled his face up; a thinly older version of him with sharp talons for fingers and golden eyes blazing with anger.
"I've been starving and so have you, but you just ignore it."
The red began to bleed from his vision and then finally see everything clear, and the real tears began to fall. "I'm pathetic, I'm no man, I'm just a stupid boy who just dreams that it could get better but never does anything. I cause more harm than good." he whispered before looking back to his void, emptiness, starvation-whatever you wanna call it, and parted his lips, "I'm not starving and I'm not dying."
"Weak stubbornness solves nothing."
"You'll never die will you?"
"You can't destroy something you DON'T have; you can't rid yourself of your nothings."
The same thing he had been told before when he had beaten himself to hurt them. More blood ran down his body and he became lightheaded from so much blood loss.
"Make your choice boy..." it echoed before it shot at him. Tygra closed his eyes and prepared himself for impact, he knew what ever choice he made it would end in more pain, abuse, judgment and everything he had faced before. That was the painful, bloody truth.
"But there are many things
in his way.
Judgment
Addiction
Self loathing and disgust
And above all, what they call 'Sinful streaks'"
~~~Truth~~~
By: Seether
If I gave you the truth
Would it keep you alive
Though I'm closer to wrong
I'm no further from right
And now I'm convinced on the inside that something's wrong with me
Convinced on the inside, you're so much more than me
yeah
No there's nothing you say that can salvage the lie
But I'm trying to keep my intentions disguised
And now I'm deprived of my conscience and something's got to give
Deprived of my conscience
This all belongs to me, yeah
I'm beaten down again, I belong to them
Beaten down again, I've failed you
I'm weaker now my friend, I belong to them
Beaten down again, I've failed you
The deception you show is your own parasite
Just a word of advice you can heed if you like
And now I'm convinced on the inside that something's wrong with me
Convinced on the inside you're so much more than me
Yeah
I'm beaten down again, I belong to them
Beaten down again, I've failed you
I'm weaker now my friend, I belong to them
Beaten down again, I've failed you
I'm beaten down again, I belong to them
Beaten down again, I've failed you
I'm weaker now my friend, I belong to them
Beaten down again, I've failed you
I'm beaten down
I'm beaten down
I'm beaten down
I'm beaten down
Yeah
A/N: Yea, sorry for short chapter and boring talking parts:) But everything has it's boring parts! Oh and hopefully Part 5 is the last part of this "Lionized" chapter.
Will Tygra give in?