Chapter 2
Beware the sharp edged weapon called human being.
(One Day Prior)
Paws treaded through the glacier crevasse as the small pack of sabers tiredly traveled onward. The night was late and cold with some sabers unable to walk any farther due to the deadly temperatures only worsening.
He watched as families, including cubs, had to be left behind, freezing to death. What he saw in every saber's eyes was something he'd never seen before. It killed him. Everything that day had killed him.
He kept his head down, seeing the frost and ice growing over his golden paws. His body shivered non stop. His face burned of frostbite at the powerful winds that blew down the crevasse. It irritated him that they could've been heading the other way, making the cold less sufferable as the wind would've stayed out of their faces.
That'd be too easy.
And he understood that nothing could ever be that way. Not for him, at least. It felt like a burden. And now he only contemplated whether this whole mess was him to blame.
He tried his best to shut off the suffering around him. That was all he could ever do. It was all that worked. And instead, his mind focused on what happened that hour before, though it still didn't make sense.
Looking back at it all, the burning forest. The explosions throughout the dens. The dead of night. It was only luck that his den along with a few others were chosen last, giving them time to wake up and escape, but not without being chased for miles, before they were forced into the trench they now found themselves in.
They even had a full perimeter set up. An ambush. If it hadn't been for that last explosive…
He recalled looking behind him as he got into the crevasse, seeing one of them chuck the object at the entrance, the explosive burst of yellow and orange being enough to collapse the walls, sealing the ones who made it inside.
Not everyone made it, though…
Just thinking about the sabers close behind him, the fearful whimpering and cries of agony, it was like a war zone. And his family, he could only presume, was dead as well.
It was strange to him since he always figured something like losing those close to him would've been beyond his pain level. Oddly, that wasn't the case. Not that it wasn't any less painful, but more like it was a sign of something new to come. Like he was being set free.
Rather than dwell on the regret of his last moments with them being harsh, he took it as a chance to grow. To learn. To move on.
I got into an argument with my dad the night before. Nothing serious… especially now. Me and the "admiral" just… never got along.
He was always a bit rebellious at heart. He always followed that heart as best he could. That was why he didn't exactly excel at training. The time commitment wasn't for him. He knew he had the ability, but nothing else, really.
Seemed like a lot of work. More than I was willing to put into it.
A growing light brought him back into his current reality. Looking ahead, there was a clear exit to the crevasse.
"The way out… I knew we'd make it!" A saber in front of him exclaimed in optimism, a few others expressing relief at the fact that they'd survive. Though, what lied beyond it, the future, was yet to be determined. And the golden saber kept weary of that.
"Wait!" He quietly spoke as he went ahead, "How do we know they're not just waiting for us up ahead?"
At the mention of this, the other sabers eyed each other, silence spreading at the realization that one of them would have to take a look.
Seeing as he was now in front, he figured he'd be the one to check. After telling the rest to stay put, he swallowed as much fear as he could and slowly inched his way towards the exit, being ever so carful of making a sound.
His heart raced and sweat pooled around his temple at the thought that this could be the end. If, in fact, the humans were waiting right outside, the sabers would have nowhere else to go.
That would be it. Game over, man.
At the same time, there was a feeling of adrenaline rushing through him, asking him what else he had to lose. The truth was, not very much. It purely came down to either kill or be killed.
Without much more reason otherwise, he slowly inched out of the darkness and into the dawning light, happy to be out of the limiting space he had to endure for the past couple hours.
Even more gratifying was the lack of threat his senses picked up. After a handful of seconds, he signaled for the rest of the group. As they all emerged one by one, many of them covered in blood, something upset the golden cat even more than the crimson color.
There were just over forty sabers in our pack. Now there's only… fourteen of us.
As they sought for shelter, the golden tiger felt the distraught looming over them all. Families were lost. The young were killed.
It doesn't make any sense why they attacked. Why now?
He figured the answer to that may never present itself. So he had no choice but to let it go for now. What mattered then was finding shelter before the storm could take the last of them. Gruesome hours went by as day turned to night. The group managed to find a valley where they set up camp just before the darkness had fully taken over. The fire was made within minutes and the crackling warmth was truthfully the best thing about that day as the golden saber drifted off to sleep from it.
The following morning consisted of strong winds and deadly temperatures. But with everything else that had been going on in recent months, the weather was tame in comparison.
His lips lapped of thirst as he rolled over to the extinguished campfire, seeing the powdered dust whistle by, tracing over the ground like a blanket. It just showed how cold it was, giving him very little reason to officially get up that day.
But he had to get up eventually, if only to show the start of fixing the rest of his life. And it wasn't just about the situation his whole pack was in. It was his whole mentality. He couldn't understand. He couldn't talk to anyone. He couldn't defend his feelings nor could he explain them. He couldn't be free. His energy seemed to weaken as he got older. All in all, he didn't feel like a saber-toothed tiger anymore.
There was enough going on before… all of this. Why… why did it have to happen?
Despite the situation his whole pack was in, so much time had zipped by, preventing him from keeping up with everything. Finding a mate. Starting a family. Things that were labeled so simply by anyone else. Things that were typical. Things that were anticipated. Where nothing felt like a privilege. He only wondered what the secret was. Or at the very least, what it was like. What did it feel like?
Others just… talk to each other. They form connections. Relations. Why does everyone else just… get it?
The golden cat mentally shrugged, not wanting those worries to control his mood that day as he gave a much needed stretch, sighing at the thought of starting his day.
Okay. Time to get up.
Tried as he did, his half state of sleep insisted he remained where he was.
Come on, just get up. Before everyone else does.
As much as he liked the idea of getting a head start on the day, the icy breeze didn't allow that goal any more reachable. Instead, the tiger just stretched a yawn as he lay on his back.
Just… a few more minutes.
The early morning and tired state he was in brought back memories of his cub days with his training. He was taught how to hunt. How to find or build shelter. How to track. How to defend himself. Anything that was considered a necessity to survival. Anything that had to be done, he was competent enough in.
Eventually, the snoring from his pack mates forced him to get up and head out somewhere more quiet. As he left the camp, wind speeds peaking at their highest as the sound whistled down the hilltops that night, his mind thought more on days of old.
Things were so simple.
Truthfully, he missed those days in training. Where he didn't have to worry about much. Where he was a bit more naive. Where he didn't have to wake up and realize just how fast his life went by.
No matter what I do, I'm always behind. Everyone just… lives. They just do things that I can't.
The tiger understood that everyone struggled. Especially with the way things were this day and age. As a result he'd often feel guilty for complaining about the problems he consisted of.
At least I keep it all to myself. No one needs to know. No one would want to know.
With how long he'd been out of training, the sadness crept in stronger every passing day. He just wished those days would come back when sabers were considered dangerous and fearsome.
But ever since… that day, nothing's been the same.
As he walked further from his pack that morning, he felt scared. Every passing moment through the dark forest felt like his last.
The only sound his ears perked to was the occasional snow dropping from the trees above. Each sound startled him in paranoia.
I should really stop doing this every morning.
That idea became more convincing as he struggled to find food of any sort. It didn't pain him as much as it did others. His pack was starving. Food was scarce. His mind focused on that problem as he passed a bush of juniper berries. As hungry as he and the rest of his pack were, the idea of living without any meat in his stomach didn't appeal to him or anyone else in the slightest.
We shouldn't have to live this way. It's just… what did we do? What did I-
His thoughts were halted to the whistling sound beside his ear. His heart nearly stopped as he looked over to see the arrow indulged through the tree beside him.
He only caught a glance of the dozen figures that had risen from the darkness before he yanked himself around and took off.
His mind was frozen in fear as he desperately tried to remember what direction he came from. The worry only grew larger as the distant screams drew closer and the footsteps grew louder.
God, this isn't happening…
He kept his focus on the powdered ground below him, refusing to look behind him as he followed his trail back home.
His breath exhausted from fatigue as he was nearing the forest exit. When it seemed as though he would make it out, he stepped on something that caused him to plow into the snow.
He didn't so much as grunt at the pain that followed as his primal instincts purely shifted focus on survival. Seconds later, he jolted back up and continued, refusing to let the unbearable pain and loss of blood in his leg slow him down.
If I can just make it back to camp.
Once he felt he gained enough distance, he hid behind a boulder as the thought entered his head, out of breath as he realized how long it had been since he ran that fast. He knew it hadn't been since training… and that was almost eight years ago.
The more he thought on it, the more hesitant he felt returning to the camp. The last thing he wanted was to put his own pack in danger considering they'd be even more outnumbered than the previous night.
No, the way he saw it, his best and only option was to run as far away as possible. To hopefully lose them as well as lure them away from where the pack resided. And as he heard the human's footsteps from just behind the boulder and growling of their hunting wolves, he did exactly that, pouncing one of them to the ground as it appeared from the corner before taking off, barely missing the swings from their weapons and shots from their bows. Minutes later, he reached the end of the forest where a monumental valley rested.
He kept running across the powdered valley, stumbling his way down and up the other side, exhaustion truthfully doing a better job at killing him compared to the humans.
As he got to the top, he tried kicking the contraption that was clamped around his ankle off, only to get blood spraying out as a result. He whimpered in pain as he wiped his face of fatigue before continuing on, only now looking behind him to see the humans on the other side of the valley, watching with their weapons holstered.
At that point, he figured he was safe for the time being, but that didn't mean he could take it easy.
I still need to lose them. Somehow.
As if it were all he knew anymore, he continued to sprint further across the land of no return, over the hills and through the trees.
A dim sound kept repeating as he traversed the hilltops, unsure of where exactly he was going. He stopped at the top and scanned the surroundings, noticing the frozen river at the bottom just before the horizon.
I'll probably just follow that.
The sound he had been hearing grew louder and clearer. That's when he heard the barking and howling as he turned back to see the platoon of hunting wolves appear over the hilltop, causing him to take off to the rushing, icy rapids ahead.
He knew he couldn't outrun them with his back leg as damaged as it was. And before he was able to think of a way out, one of the wolves pounced on him, plowing him into the snow as they tumbled down the hill. At the bottom, the rest of wolves piled on, tearing his fur and ripping his skin. It would've been agonizing had it not been for the cold numbing his body miles ago. And with that advantage, he'd realize the flesh and the power it held.
He bit the neck, ears pierced at the howling cries. He took his claws and slashed another through the chest before kicking himself off the snow, tearing away a piece of the wolf around his jaws. The blood that followed was traumatizing. He could've done without the imagery, but survival was all that mattered then.
A few were still clamping down on his limbs, trying to pull him away from the river while the cat kept crawling towards it. He screamed through his bones as he clawed each grip closer to the only thing that could save him.
With every strand of fiber ignoring the hesitation, he yanked his back leg, freeing it from the jaw. He repeated with the other leg, knowing that red was pouring out from the ankles.
Before the wolves could react, the saber picked up a nearby ice chunk and threw it into the air, the rest of the wolves only watching as it came back down, smashing into the ice.
He felt the sub zero water slam into his back as he crashed through it, now submerged underneath the sheet of ice as the water dragged him further. The numbness came almost instantly from the polar temperature he had to endure.
He tried reaching with his paws and began hitting the ice above in hopes to break through it, but his remaining energy had just ran out, let alone the numbing pain preventing him from moving much.
His claws scraped in desperation of gripping on, his lungs pleading for oxygen. It felt strange to him that it would end this way. So suddenly. Like it was a dream.
He banged his head against the ice hard enough to bleed, watching the red wave across his dying sight. Everything hurt. Internally. Externally.
I just wanted a chance. Just once.
Almost the instant he thought it, he suddenly dropped, plummeting over the falls where the iced prison luckily ended.
He savored the gasp of air, coughing up water as he hit the bottom, barely missing the frozen surface just beyond where the falls ended as he climbed out.
He rested on the ice, panting, contemplating and quietly crying as the rain poured down over his already iced pelt. All he could do was crawl his way off the sheet of ice and out of the lake, collapsing onto the flora and letting the blood pour out.
(POV Switch)
Her ears perked up to the sound of something splashing. The earring clanked as she whipped her head around, oddly keen on what had made that sound.
After taking one last drink from the river, and figuring she had nothing better to do, she stretched before padding her way further up until she reached the lake and the falls that accompanied it.
It sounded like a huge rock came down from the falls. I guess it wouldn't hurt to inform the pack.
She knew the lake was a popular hot spot for the younger sabers and truthfully, she'd feel guilty if someone were to get hurt due to her silence.
She kept eyeing around, watching the falls above to see if other objects were hurdling down. After seeing no such possibility, she sighed before turning to head for home, depression so quickly looming over her at the thought of doing such.
The smallest form of happiness entered her veins as her ears perked up once again, finding another excuse not to head back to her den just yet.
Someone's… crying?
At first she thought of leaving, not necessarily fond of wandering into other saber's problems. Not when she herself had plenty to begin with.
I just don't need it right now.
Fortunately, as she was about to leave, she caught the golden glimmer beside the falls and as her eyes narrowed to it, she could see something else.
Is that… there's no way.
The silver cat padded ever closer, only speeding up once the red caught her attention. Her heart raced at the sight of his pelt. All the cuts. All the ice.
His whimpering cries were brought to an end as she approached him. He was faced the other way, lifting his head to see her.
She expected him to say something. She wasn't sure what. Anything, really. But instead, all she got was his silence as he gazed up at her shocked, standing presence.
She slowly and softly lay down in front of him, trying to understand exactly what happened to him.
"You okay?" She quietly asked with more concern in her words than anything she'd spoken before.
He shook his head.
"What happened?"
Those were the only two logical questions she could think of, as his eyes began to dim in focus. He looked exhausted. He looked defeated. He looked a way she had never seen from another saber before.
She continued to eye the wounds around his body, faintly remembering her brothers the night they were killed.
No… the humans… did they…
Blood dripped from his lips as he opened his mouth to speak, but fatigue had just then reached it's limit as he collapsed.
She felt his pulse and lowered an ear to his chest before sighing of relief.
Poor thing… I can't just leave him out here.
She looked around to see if anyone else was nearby who could help. After seeing no such possibility, she jawed him by the scruff and dragged him away from the falls.
AN: Four months later and this chapter finally gets done. I've really tried to build some form of "backstory" for each saber. Just enough for ideas to bounce off each other. It's something I'm not used to which is why this took so long.
Originally, this was going to be purely in Shira's POV, but I think switching between them will bring out a lot more. I guess only time will tell. Excited for the next chapter now that the two sabers have crossed paths.