The wind whistled a lonely tune through bare-branched trees, and Diego pricked up his ears, listening. "Storm's coming in." He muttered, short tail swishing in agitation. He stretched, extending his forelegs out in front of him and grunting at the still-raw tear over one shoulder. At least it had stopped bleeding, but it was still messy. And it hurt. Not that he was actually showing that, naturally. He had his reputation to think about, after all.
Shira had cradled Sasha, the tiger cub Diego had pulled from the river, to sleep between her forepaws, occasionally shooting a warning glower at the male sabre as if daring him to comment. Wisely, he didn't. Shira sniffed the bitter cold air and nodded once in agreement. "Mm, I can smell it." She cast a doubtful look at the sleeping Sasha, then got up carefully, so she wouldn't disturb her. The cub whimpered and curled herself into a ball. Shira padded over to Diego, who eyed her uneasily, not sure of what she wanted and not entirely comfortable with the idea of having her so close. Shira, ignoring his bristling neck fur, leaned over him and examined his shoulder. "That looks nasty." She murmured, while Diego made an attempt to shrug nonchalantly, which, because it moved his shoulder, wound up as a wince. "Ah, well, I've had worse." He bluffed as cover.
"I'm sure." Shira replied dryly, then to Diego's surprise, she gave the shoulder a few quick licks, cleaning the injury as best she could. Diego held still and didn't let himself flinch. He had to admit, his shoulder felt better once she'd finished.
"Thanks." He muttered, and Shira nodded before pacing over to the entrance of their little hollow and looking outside. She stood with her head lifted, watching the low-lying clouds scurry across the sky. How many hours had she spent on her own, watching the skies? But the solitude of her early life meant she had some experience in predicting the weather, and the storms of the Ice Age did not tend to be forgiving. "This storm's going to be a big one, I think. We should be fine in here, but I want to go hunting first - Sasha's had a shock, and she'll need food when she wakes up. That'll be easier before the snow starts." She spoke decisively - not with the voice of somebody used to giving orders, but in the self-sufficient tones of someone used to making her own decisions.
"Wait!" Diego called as Shira made to head outside. She paused and looked back over her shoulder. "I can come with you-" He began to offer, this thoughts turning briefly to the herd. Surely, they must have noticed his absence by now.
Shira raised a paw and cut him off. "No thanks, I hunt alone. Besides-" Her icy blue gaze softened just slightly. "Somebody needs to stay with the cub. Your shoulder just nominated you." She flashed a teasing grin that left Diego utterly speechless, then left with a single leap that carried her out of sight.
Diego stared after her for several moments, still feeling a bit stunned. What on earth was wrong with him? Grunting, he heaved himself up and shifted to lie down by Sasha, so he could keep the youngster warm with his body heat. He felt uncomfortably warm himself, but he put it down to his injured shoulder. What other reason could there be?
Shira tracked carefully through the snowy landscape, trying to keep her mind focused. It kept straying back to the hollow by the river, to Sasha and Diego. Concern for the cub, nothing more, Shira told herself firmly. She certainly didn't care about him. They would find Sasha's parents, deliver her to safety, then he would get back to attempting to drown himself, or however he passed his time, and she would carry on in search of her destiny.
The white tiger did not realize, as she tracked down and dispatched a deer, that her destiny was already upon her.
A/N - Short one, I know! I ran out of time to write for now and decided to post this as it stands quite well as a chapter of its own - and because I know you guys want fast updates! The more reviews, even to just say you've read it, the faster you get your updates!
Glad you guys are liking it! And what a great compliment isanimes, I'm humbled you think my writing good enough to reread that many times :D