Chapter 7
The moon was not shining tonight. It was hidden behind a seal of black. Father's books had once called it a "New Moon" that happened each month. Regardless, the added darkness made tonight the best time to hunt, especially with the armored men rummaging about the jungle. He wasn't sure how long they would continue to search for them. Perhaps their losses would break their resolve.
Tygrus' mind turned to his new companions, who were waiting for him to return with a meal of meat. Their new power and instincts were serving them well. It seemed that the mated pair had some skill in fending for themselves, and the other's ability to mend wounds was useful, but they were raw. In the forest, fending for their own food while hunted by the men with guns and armor, instinct and strength could not replace experience. They would have to learn fast. Perhaps if he did not see any enemies tonight he would take them on his next venture and see what he could teach them.
The scent of a familiar creature interrupted his thoughts. It had just moved downwind, and he quickly calculated it was about twelve feet away. Lying low to the ground in the thick foliage, he couldn't actually see anything more than half a foot away, but its smell was unmistakable. It was a creature that Father had once called a sphinx. There was also blood in the air, but not the creature's. It had recently made a kill of its own. Regardless, if it was a typical adult, it would be big enough to feed them for the night.
Tygrus moved softly through the leaves, step over step; his breath slowed, as did his heartbeat. He could hear his prey clearly now, devouring what was left of a bird of some kind. As he grew closer, his movements grew slower, till he almost came to a stop. Ten minutes passed till he was a mere half foot from his prey, still obstructed from view by the plants. A quick lunge forward and he had the creature in his claws, its neck broken. It made no sound; only a brief rustle of the leaves accompanied its death.
He stood up, emerging out of the ground foliage amidst the tightly packed trees. All of his seven feet bore an immense frame of muscles that seemed to rope around his body. Several birds in the trees, previously unaware of his presence, flew in terror. The feeling of a kill, as it always did, sent a rush through his system, but knowing he now had enemies listening for him, he resisted the urge to roar, burying the lust and satisfaction of victory deep in his massive chest. Instead he gripped his prize tightly, raising it in triumph over his head toward the blackness that just creeped through the branches above. He lowered his arms, his adrenalin subsiding slightly.
Tygrus looked at his kill. It was a three foot feline with jet black stripes against a sandy orange background of fur that covered its body. A pair of large black-tipped light yellow-feathered wings grew from its back, stretching over six and a half feet spread out. It was a lovely creature, Tygrus thought, and a fortunate find. These sphinxes are rarely caught, especially such a strong one, clearly in his prime. The added muscles needed for its wings would provide extra flesh. They would eat well tonight.
Selina completed her one hundredth "male" pull up and lowered herself to the ground. She was only barely winded. This new body's limits would be hard to measure. Suddenly, without turning around, she spoke to the man who had just entered the training room.
"Hello Bats, punch any thugs tonight?"
"Slow crime night."
Selina turned, flashing smile full of fangs, "You seem taken aback, not being able to sneak up on me anymore is bugging you isn't it?"
Batman remained stoic, "Selina, I need to inform you of a few things. First off, Batgirl got Cheetah, they're on their way. But I've also been monitoring your situation. The changes to you haven't stopped."
Selina's faced grew sober, her ears turned down. "What do you mean?"
Batman continued, "As you know, Dorian intended to give you three shots, we administered the antigen after only the second. I never figured out exactly what the third shot was supposed to do."
Batman sighed and continued, "As you know, when you first came in, we tried to give you some of the cure that I'd saved. It didn't work; it was a rash act, one that I now regret. I'm hoping Dr. Minerva can confirm or deny my finings, but it seems that the serum Dorian put into your body was almost…viral. It stayed in your system, repressed but not killed by the cure for all this time, then somehow mutated to not only resist it, but actually feed on it. When I injected you with my own supply; it made you worse."
Batman's voice was steady, his demeanor didn't budge, but somehow, Selina could smell the heartache coming from him. She asked, "What's going to happen to me?"
"I don't know for sure, but…from your scans, it seems much of 'activity' that this thing is still doing to you is focused on the brain."
There was a long pause. "I see," Selina spoke at last, "Thank you for telling me this." She tried to force a smile, "Of course, we won't know for sure until the girl wonder comes back right? It's possible that you're just misinterpreting the data?"
"It's possible, but I'm pretty confident Cheetah will confirm my findings, I don't like to give false hope."
"That's why I like you Batman, an endless spring of optimism in this messed up world."
