A/N: First off I want to apologize for taking so long to get this out.
School got really busy, and then I got a new puppy! So, yeah; sorry.
Second, *Cries* Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I feel so special!
*hugs all reviewers* Thank you so much for reviewing, that really means a
lot to me! As a thank you, I want to dedicate this to everyone who
reviewed, you have been so sweet!! (Not to mention very helpful!) Thanks!!
This chapter is for you guys! Deana: Thank you so much! You really have no
idea what that means to me! Satiana: I know! What is her problem? If were
her. *giggles* He'd WANT to get rid of me!! Mommints: Thank you for all of
your help. I will try to keep those things in mind. ^_^. Stephanie: Thank
you for that! I was hoping it wasn't too cliché. Ruse: Yeah, I would too!!
Sydney: No, I didn't get your other one, but thank you for doing that!!
**All standard disclaimers apply**
Tiger Lily part 3 By: Venus
Ardeth reined his horse to horse to a stop. Lily, who was still facing him, looked very uncomfortable and hot; a very bad combination. Now might be a good time to remedy that seeing as they were far enough away from her village that even if she did manage to get away, she would not get far before Ardeth found her again. The whole journey thus far had been made in silence. She seemed very upset and unwilling to look at him much less speak to him. She had hung her head and not even looked at him. He was sure she didn't even know what color hair he had. It was a bit discouraging to say the least. The black of his outfit was hot on him, and her added body heat didn't help him to feel all that great either.
Ardeth took great care not to touch her too much as he shifted to get off of his horse. As he swung himself off, she slid to where he had been and he almost chuckled when he heard her let out a sigh of relief. He landed in the sand and reached up to help her down. She stared at his hand a moment as if thinking it might bite her then reluctantly took it. Ardeth couldn't help but marvel at her long legs as she swung over the saddle and he supporting much of her weight helped her down. It was then that he saw her steal a glance at him. As she landed next to him, her legs wobbling ever so slightly she stared hard at him. Unsure of what to do Ardeth just stared back at her. She looked as though she was almost going to cry again and she was swallowing deeply, making it look like she was trying to swallow her tears. Ardeth cleared his throat. He wanted to say something to her. Wanted to make her know he wasn't going to hurt her; that he just wanted to be with her. He wanted to comfort her in any way that he could. He knew that she probably wouldn't understand him, but he had to try, right? As soon as he opened his mouth however, she was staring at him even harder, her attention focused on the markings on his face. Disbelief lacing her words and showing on her face she said something to him. Ardeth felt foolish suddenly. He couldn't even pick out key words -or even root words- in whatever she had said. She knew this, seeing his bewildered face, and pointing hesitantly to his markings said softly a word Ardeth definitely knew.
"Medjai?" She asked, her voice quivering. Her dark eyes held in them something Ardeth failed to even begin to describe. It was fear, but underneath it was something different, something he could not quite put his finger on. She stared hard at him and he felt his heart start to thump harder in his chest. She was so beautiful; what made him think he was worthy enough to deserve her? Realizing that he was leaving her hanging he curtly nodded. She swallowed and nodded slowly, a pained look on her delicate face. Turning around as if in a daze she stepped away from him and wandered a couple of yards away. He didn't dare run after her and risk frightening her when she didn't appear to be going anywhere in a big hurry.
Ardeth watched her stop and look to the sky and move her arms out to her sides as if asking 'why me?' He let out a startled cry when she suddenly dropped like a sack of rocks into the sand, landing on her knees. No sooner than he registered that she was okay she dropped backward onto her back with her knees still beneath her. She let out a long, but barely audible groan. Had Ardeth not been worried that something was wrong; it would have been a very amusing sight to see. It looked like she had bent over backwards. Ardeth heard her mumbling slightly under her breath and then she let out a soft snort of laughter. She shook her head and brought her hands to her face. Something seemed terribly amusing to her. Ardeth could only make out one word that she was muttering again and again. "Medjai." She snorted with a contemptuous sounding laugh again. "Medjai!" She sighed and shook her head again, muttering what would sound like a sarcastic prayer. Ardeth slowly made his way over to her. As he approached he could see her staring unblinkingly at the sky above her, a pained looking smile paying upon her lips. Ardeth came to stand by her prone form lying undisturbed in the sand. Without a word, he unhooked his water gourd and offered it to her. She ignored the gourd and stared at him. Instantaneously she burst into a fit of tears. Still in all of her wailing he could only make out his clan name as she bawled unrestrained into her hands.
Ardeth, unprepared for her outburst and unsure of what to do looked around wildly, unsure if he wanted help, or whether he wanted to make sure anyone saw or not. Anxiously he dropped to his knees and patted her shoulder awkwardly -anything to get her to quiet down. She paused in her tears and risked a glance at him. As soon as her eyes came to rest upon the tattoos on his face she turned onto her side and wept into the sand. Ardeth was worried perhaps she was trying to suffocate herself in the hot sand, but when he did not hear her howls being muffled, he knew she did not bury her face. "It's alright! I'm not going to hurt you!" He whispered urgently, feeling grossly inadequate to this arduous task that had been presented to him. Slowly she reached up a trembling hand and made a waving motion as if to shoo him away. Confused, Ardeth complied with her unspoken request and retreated back to his horse; his watchful eyes never leaving her for fear she might collapse or something.
It seemed like hours before she even sat up off of the ground. Her hair was a mess and sand was sticking to the side of her exposed torso and arm. She was still making soft sniffling sounds and Ardeth thought it best to leave her alone for the time being. His men had badgered him on continuing onward, but stopped doing so when they always got the same reply of 'no.' Ardeth wanted her to finish her crying and get rid of whatever demon had possessed her before putting her on the same horse as himself again. It didn't seem like all that much time as passed as he sat there watching her, but soon his senses told him night was almost upon them.
"We'll camp here for the night. Tomorrow we will finish the journey." Ardeth stated absently, unsure if anyone had even heard him. Some must have however, because his command was met with a few moans and groans of disapproval. Still, no one dared to oppose him. Lily still sat on the ground, but had now drawn her knees up to her chest. The daytime in the desert was excruciatingly hot while the nights proved to be very cold. Ardeth had not even thought of this until he saw her shiver and cross her arms in front of her. Getting up he brushed the dirt from his body and made his way over to her, unwrapping his head dressing and shoulder covering on the way. So silently he approached that she did not hear him, and he was rewarded with a jump from her as he lay his covering upon her shoulders. It was far too big for her, but it would do for now. She looked at him briefly then looked away, almost looking ashamed. She muttered what could only be a thank you, and scooted over; a subtle hint that did not go unnoticed by Ardeth. Slowly he sat, being sure to leave her enough personal space that she would not feel intimidated. She eyed him nervously, but did not move away.
Behind them Ardeth's companions smiled and nudged at each other, each watching the scene unfold in front of them. It appeared the tigress had finally given in to what had happened. The sun was just beginning its decent into the horizon and it illuminated their forms against dazzling colors.
Ardeth was about to get up and leave when she started to say something. He hadn't heard her voice except for screaming and crying and it was a nice change. It was soft, and her voice sounded like small twinkling bells. He didn't understand a word of it but he still considered it important that he stay and listen. It sounded like it was something she wanted to say, and something she wanted to say to him. He knew she knew that he couldn't understand, but she still said it, so he still listened. He didn't interrupt and only looked out into the sky. When she looked at him, he returned the gaze. When she was finished, he felt strangely uplifted, as though her voice had carried away his worry. He didn't understand her, but he knew that by just sitting and listening, he showed her respect that she would return to him.
To be continued.
A/N: Yeah, took long enough, didn't it? Sorry about that! I really am. I just got really busy for a moment there. I hope you guys liked it and won't be too mad that I took so long. I'd like to thank others, who reviewed while I was writing this, I'm really grateful for your input. I really can't tell you how much I appreciate it. I promise the next chapter will be longer, but I figured I would get this out so I wouldn't get death threats or anything. ^_~ Thanks again, and I hope you like it!!!
**All standard disclaimers apply**
Tiger Lily part 3 By: Venus
Ardeth reined his horse to horse to a stop. Lily, who was still facing him, looked very uncomfortable and hot; a very bad combination. Now might be a good time to remedy that seeing as they were far enough away from her village that even if she did manage to get away, she would not get far before Ardeth found her again. The whole journey thus far had been made in silence. She seemed very upset and unwilling to look at him much less speak to him. She had hung her head and not even looked at him. He was sure she didn't even know what color hair he had. It was a bit discouraging to say the least. The black of his outfit was hot on him, and her added body heat didn't help him to feel all that great either.
Ardeth took great care not to touch her too much as he shifted to get off of his horse. As he swung himself off, she slid to where he had been and he almost chuckled when he heard her let out a sigh of relief. He landed in the sand and reached up to help her down. She stared at his hand a moment as if thinking it might bite her then reluctantly took it. Ardeth couldn't help but marvel at her long legs as she swung over the saddle and he supporting much of her weight helped her down. It was then that he saw her steal a glance at him. As she landed next to him, her legs wobbling ever so slightly she stared hard at him. Unsure of what to do Ardeth just stared back at her. She looked as though she was almost going to cry again and she was swallowing deeply, making it look like she was trying to swallow her tears. Ardeth cleared his throat. He wanted to say something to her. Wanted to make her know he wasn't going to hurt her; that he just wanted to be with her. He wanted to comfort her in any way that he could. He knew that she probably wouldn't understand him, but he had to try, right? As soon as he opened his mouth however, she was staring at him even harder, her attention focused on the markings on his face. Disbelief lacing her words and showing on her face she said something to him. Ardeth felt foolish suddenly. He couldn't even pick out key words -or even root words- in whatever she had said. She knew this, seeing his bewildered face, and pointing hesitantly to his markings said softly a word Ardeth definitely knew.
"Medjai?" She asked, her voice quivering. Her dark eyes held in them something Ardeth failed to even begin to describe. It was fear, but underneath it was something different, something he could not quite put his finger on. She stared hard at him and he felt his heart start to thump harder in his chest. She was so beautiful; what made him think he was worthy enough to deserve her? Realizing that he was leaving her hanging he curtly nodded. She swallowed and nodded slowly, a pained look on her delicate face. Turning around as if in a daze she stepped away from him and wandered a couple of yards away. He didn't dare run after her and risk frightening her when she didn't appear to be going anywhere in a big hurry.
Ardeth watched her stop and look to the sky and move her arms out to her sides as if asking 'why me?' He let out a startled cry when she suddenly dropped like a sack of rocks into the sand, landing on her knees. No sooner than he registered that she was okay she dropped backward onto her back with her knees still beneath her. She let out a long, but barely audible groan. Had Ardeth not been worried that something was wrong; it would have been a very amusing sight to see. It looked like she had bent over backwards. Ardeth heard her mumbling slightly under her breath and then she let out a soft snort of laughter. She shook her head and brought her hands to her face. Something seemed terribly amusing to her. Ardeth could only make out one word that she was muttering again and again. "Medjai." She snorted with a contemptuous sounding laugh again. "Medjai!" She sighed and shook her head again, muttering what would sound like a sarcastic prayer. Ardeth slowly made his way over to her. As he approached he could see her staring unblinkingly at the sky above her, a pained looking smile paying upon her lips. Ardeth came to stand by her prone form lying undisturbed in the sand. Without a word, he unhooked his water gourd and offered it to her. She ignored the gourd and stared at him. Instantaneously she burst into a fit of tears. Still in all of her wailing he could only make out his clan name as she bawled unrestrained into her hands.
Ardeth, unprepared for her outburst and unsure of what to do looked around wildly, unsure if he wanted help, or whether he wanted to make sure anyone saw or not. Anxiously he dropped to his knees and patted her shoulder awkwardly -anything to get her to quiet down. She paused in her tears and risked a glance at him. As soon as her eyes came to rest upon the tattoos on his face she turned onto her side and wept into the sand. Ardeth was worried perhaps she was trying to suffocate herself in the hot sand, but when he did not hear her howls being muffled, he knew she did not bury her face. "It's alright! I'm not going to hurt you!" He whispered urgently, feeling grossly inadequate to this arduous task that had been presented to him. Slowly she reached up a trembling hand and made a waving motion as if to shoo him away. Confused, Ardeth complied with her unspoken request and retreated back to his horse; his watchful eyes never leaving her for fear she might collapse or something.
It seemed like hours before she even sat up off of the ground. Her hair was a mess and sand was sticking to the side of her exposed torso and arm. She was still making soft sniffling sounds and Ardeth thought it best to leave her alone for the time being. His men had badgered him on continuing onward, but stopped doing so when they always got the same reply of 'no.' Ardeth wanted her to finish her crying and get rid of whatever demon had possessed her before putting her on the same horse as himself again. It didn't seem like all that much time as passed as he sat there watching her, but soon his senses told him night was almost upon them.
"We'll camp here for the night. Tomorrow we will finish the journey." Ardeth stated absently, unsure if anyone had even heard him. Some must have however, because his command was met with a few moans and groans of disapproval. Still, no one dared to oppose him. Lily still sat on the ground, but had now drawn her knees up to her chest. The daytime in the desert was excruciatingly hot while the nights proved to be very cold. Ardeth had not even thought of this until he saw her shiver and cross her arms in front of her. Getting up he brushed the dirt from his body and made his way over to her, unwrapping his head dressing and shoulder covering on the way. So silently he approached that she did not hear him, and he was rewarded with a jump from her as he lay his covering upon her shoulders. It was far too big for her, but it would do for now. She looked at him briefly then looked away, almost looking ashamed. She muttered what could only be a thank you, and scooted over; a subtle hint that did not go unnoticed by Ardeth. Slowly he sat, being sure to leave her enough personal space that she would not feel intimidated. She eyed him nervously, but did not move away.
Behind them Ardeth's companions smiled and nudged at each other, each watching the scene unfold in front of them. It appeared the tigress had finally given in to what had happened. The sun was just beginning its decent into the horizon and it illuminated their forms against dazzling colors.
Ardeth was about to get up and leave when she started to say something. He hadn't heard her voice except for screaming and crying and it was a nice change. It was soft, and her voice sounded like small twinkling bells. He didn't understand a word of it but he still considered it important that he stay and listen. It sounded like it was something she wanted to say, and something she wanted to say to him. He knew she knew that he couldn't understand, but she still said it, so he still listened. He didn't interrupt and only looked out into the sky. When she looked at him, he returned the gaze. When she was finished, he felt strangely uplifted, as though her voice had carried away his worry. He didn't understand her, but he knew that by just sitting and listening, he showed her respect that she would return to him.
To be continued.
A/N: Yeah, took long enough, didn't it? Sorry about that! I really am. I just got really busy for a moment there. I hope you guys liked it and won't be too mad that I took so long. I'd like to thank others, who reviewed while I was writing this, I'm really grateful for your input. I really can't tell you how much I appreciate it. I promise the next chapter will be longer, but I figured I would get this out so I wouldn't get death threats or anything. ^_~ Thanks again, and I hope you like it!!!