Homeward Bound

I woke slowly and stretched, digging my claws into the branch beneath me and lashing my tail backwards and forwards to keep my balance. The rucksack on my back shifted and I slipped, yelling in surprise and driving my claws into the branch in an attempt to stay in the tree and failed miserably. I slid off my branch just managing to cling on by the tips of my fingers and ended up dangling far too high above the ground. Now that was a promising way start to the day.

I looked down at the ground thirty feet and some nasty looking branches below. It had seamed a good idea to sleep in a tree at the time; less chance of being found by the Erasers, but now it seemed far less sensible and much, much higher. The branch above me groaned as my claws scored deep gouges in the wood and I dropped lower.

I started swinging, trying to build up the momentum to reach the trunk; at least I knew that would take my weight. My claws slipped, I lost my grip and threw myself at the trunk crashing into the tree, knocking the wind out of me and clinging on to the bark for dear life. I hung there for a stunned second and confirmed that I wasn't plummeting to my death, and then took a shaky breath. Well, so much for the grace of cats; I drove my hind claws into the bark and unwrapped my arms from the trunk before hooking my claws into the wood. Finally I felt secure. Boy I was glad no one had seen that.

I climbed down slowly, paw over paw, I would have rather not plummeted to the ground and broken every bone in my body, or worse alert the Erasers as to where I was. I planted both feet firmly on the ground and looked around, okay so it wasn't really the start of the day, more late afternoon but then I had been dodging Eraser search parties until dawn.

I couldn't hear anything, there was a squirrel chitterling high above me, but nothing relevant, and I'll just assume the squirrel wasn't laughing at me. I did a slow sweep of the area, checking more for movement than anything else but nothing unusual there either. They could always be wearing camouflage but if they moved I'd see them. Besides, Erasers and stealth don't really mesh.

After a minute I let myself relax, I'd had too many close shaves recently to relax completely but my claws slid back into their sheaths which for me is pretty relaxed. I suddenly realised that I didn't have a clue what to do; Sophie wasn't in the lab, I suppose I could look for her but if she really could fly she could be anywhere by now, maybe she'd even gone home.

That was probably the best place to look, that was where she'd been saying she'd wanted to go for that first week, then of course they gave her wings and then she didn't say anything at all. I found that I was growling. How could they do something like that? He'd called it a gift. Ha! If it was such gift why didn't he ask for volunteers or just do it to himself. I lashed out at the tree and left deep gouges in the bark, letting the rumble in my throat fade to nothing. That made me feel a little better, I'd been so close to killing him too. Just a fraction of an inch deeper and he'd have been done for.

So it was a choice; go home and try and find Soph or go back to the lab and kill White Coats. Considering that going back to the lab would probably get me killed or worse captured, it was really a no brainier. I picked the direction the opposite way to the lab and started walking. So, a review of the situation. I didn't know which way home was or even where I was and for all I knew I could be in China. Oh, and I was still a tiger-human hybrid and showing my face in any towns would probably get me put in a zoo. Not exactly the best set of circumstances but none of those things were bothering me just now and I wasn't in the lab so I have, quite literally known worse.

My more immediate problem was walking; in case you didn't know tigers walk on their toes so trying to walk upright is like trying to constantly walk on tiptoes; which is definitely an acquired skill and doesn't exactly make you graceful. I tripped over a tree root and landed in the dirt, and yeah that kind of thing happens a lot.

I growled to myself and kept on walking on all fours, it was just easier, I think I'm more set up for that kind of thing now anyway. My stomach grumbled loudly, reminding me that my last meal was three days ago when I'd raided those Erasers' packs, that wasn't really something I wanted to risk again so I kept my eyes out for anything edible, though without much luck beyond the occasional squirrel high above my head.

I reached a road running through the forest around nightfall and followed it, sticking to the shadows. A few cars thundered past but there was no way I'd be hitchhiking, for a start I'd get a monster movie done about me. As it got darker I drifted away from the road, the car headlights were hurting my eyes and destroying my night vision.

I stalked through the forest; I knew there weren't any Erasers about; there were just the sounds of the forest and the wind whistling in the trees high above. My paws crunched on the dry earth, and I skirted my way round a dense patch of thicket, I could still hear the roar of the cars in the distance but they hardly mattered anymore it was just me and the forest.

There was the faintest sound of a hoof-fall to my left in the distance and my head whipped round. I hunkered down slightly and scanned the forest, one, twice, three times. Nothing. There was a tiny flicker of movement and I latched onto it, something hidden in the shadows of a tree. I dropped lowed, almost on my stomach and breathed deeply.

I didn't recognise the scent but I did recognise the shape, a deer, a stag even as I realised when it shook its antlers and looked right at me. I backed off slowly. Could it see me? I knew deer were active at dusk but how good was their eyesight, maybe it could smell me? The stag began to walk away and out of the shadows a female followed it. I guess they must have missed me, stripes aren't exactly best in a forest but they work, of course I did have a big black rucksack on my back and that can't have helped.

I watched silently as five more does followed the first and then when I judged they were out of earshot I took off my backpack and placed it quietly against a tree, then slipped off after the deer. I didn't follow their trail exactly but always kept them in view, never too close, never too far and I knew enough about how animals tracked to keep down wind.

I didn't have to follow them for long; soon they stopped at a small stream and started to drink. I crept closer and hunkered down in a bush. Tigers are really meant to hunt in grass but bushes work okay too. I crouched lower, just watching, waiting, waiting for some cue to tell me it was time to pounce. I picked out one of the does standing a little way away from the others, perfect target, my ears pricked forwards and I dropped down readying myself to pounce.

The doe looked up suddenly and I sprinted out of the bushes, took three silent steps and leapt at the doe paws and jaws wide. The wind shifted, I could literally feel it change, the doe caught my scent and leapt backwards, eyes wide and I sailed past it and splashed into the stream, snarling in frustration.

I spun around, the does were bolting but the stag stood its ground, lowering its antlers and snorting defensively. I leapt without a thought and the stag caught me on its antlers and tossed me to one side. I rolled over and over and finally came to rest against a tree. Okay, now that was really dumb. I got slowly to my feet and looked daggers at the stag. The does were long gone so if I was going to have a meal tonight it had to be him.

I sided stepped, showing my fangs, my instincts were yelling at me to get out of there and reminding me just how much getting thrown against a tree hurts. I ignored them, I was hungry, tired and I'd been the hunted for far too long. I crouched low and mimed pouncing. The stag flinched, snorting, rolling its eyes wildly and shifting its weight from hoof to hoof. It looked very scared and completely unsure of itself but when had it ever been up against a large bipedal tiger before?

Now that was an idea.

I got slowly to my feet, never taking my eyes from the stag which was looking even more wide eyed at me, it went to bolt and I jerked forward. It froze, keeping its antlers pointed at my head. I smiled, that was its fatal mistake. I leapt forward and landed on all fours just in front of it, the stag tried to smash its antlers into me but I darted between its legs, took its hind leg in my jaws and bit down hard. I felt something go crunch, the stag screamed in pain and tried to lash out at me but I scurried away from it.

I stood a little way off and watched the stag try to turn to face me while keeping its weight of its bloody leg. I waited until it was halfway round and then pounced, digging my claws into its flank and bearing it to the ground. We crashed to earth with a thud and I immediately went for the throat, feeling the vertebrae beneath my teeth and squeezed. The stag kicked desperately and tried to shake me off, I bit down harder, I wasn't letting it go. It made a choking sound and thrashed one last time then was still.

I let go and breathed deeply. My ribs ached and the blood was pounding in my ears but I'd made my kill, my first kill if you didn't count that rabbit. What the heck, that hadn't just been exciting, that had been fun.

I took the stag in my jaws and began to drag it away.