Author's Note: I'm glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter! Sadly, we have drop down from like, six or seven reviews per chapter to three or four. But that's okay. I'm glad that I can make my readers happy anyways!
To all of you with the same question, yes. As a matter of fact, I will have to rewrite Proud2beMexican's chapter, but it will be done and put up soon.
Gah. Hate to do this to you guys, but this chapter does contain a large Time Skip. :/
-It's a Secret-
I'm no one but
the inner you.
All you need
to do
is
Release me.
You'll be free. I promise.
-Tigress' POV-
"What do we do?" I ask. I look back and see Seytu look at me, his expression unreadable.
"What is there to do? He's amazing. He could really be in charge of this place when the time comes." Blain says with satisfaction in his eyes. I know Blain has been helping him, but that's not Blain's doing. I don't believe I even had this type of talent at that age.
"Isn't he amazing?" He asks.
"He… he is."
-Seytu: 15-
"It's your birthday, Sparky! Get the hell up!" Raynor shouts. Banging on my door. I keep still. Maybe they will go away.
"Seytu, we know you hear us." Frina chimes. Yes. I do. I really do. I don't want to. But I do.
"That's it we're coming in!" He says and slams open the door. Still lying there, I reach over to my nightstand and pick up one of my stars, throwing it past him and into the wall behind him. He jumps in surprise and smirks. "Ya missed. Wake up on the wrong side of the bed, child?" He chuckles. I groan and turn over, burying my face in my sheets.
"Hey, don't play dead kitty cat, we got you a gift." Frina says, hitting my leg. Raynor roams around my room.
"Eh, nope. Not before you take a damn shower princess, you stink." He says wrinkling his nose in disgust. I give up and push myself off of the bed, looking at Frina for a second opinion. She almost protests, for my sake. But gives up too. "You trained for fourteen hours yesterday, Seytu," She points out sternly. "What do you expect?"
I sigh but obey.
After I'm clean and smelling better, I head to the kitchen. Millay and Nulen are waiting there. I give them a smile.
"Happy birthday, darling!" Millay squeals and envelopes me in a hug. I smile again. "Heh, Thanks."
"Happy birthday, little one." Nulen says punching my shoulder playfully. I laugh a little. "Thanks guys. Hey, do you know where D and my mother went?" I ask. Millay looks at something, away from me. Nulen shrugs, pushing up his glasses. "They went into town to do something real quick. They'll return soon enough." I nod. Nulen's been training me mentally. He's outsmarted me for the past two weeks. Until yesterday, that is.
"Seytu you need to cut back on the working out or training. You almost crushed me in that hug." Millay laughs rubbing her shoulder. "Ch, me crush you? You almost killed me!" I say in disbelief, Millay grins.
My mother walks in through the front door. She wears her usual long-sleeved black hoodie that resembles her academy hoodie from years ago. Red thread forms an outline of a lily on her back. Millay scurries to my mother's side.
"Good?" I hear Millay whisper into her ear. She nods.
"What's good?" I ask loudly.
"None of your business, boy." My mother says with a smirk. "Well hello mother, looking young and beautiful as always. What did you get me for my birthday?" I say with my head held up in mock confidence. She shakes her own and holds up her paws in a shrug. "Birthday? What birthday?" She kids, folding her arms again. I smile and peck her on the cheek.
"I'm going to go find Raynor and Frina." I tell her. And on cue, Dai Lin walks through the door.
"Hey, little man. Happy birthday." Slapping the back of my back. I wince and laugh. "Rude." I say. "And thanks. I'll be back later." I turn to wave at them all and exit the room.
They weren't far, it only took me a few minutes to find them through the clear fields. The wind had the same upbeat feeling it had on good days, and I was confident it was.
Raynor lied across the tall grass and Frina leaned against a tree. My arrival didn't change this. I noticed their cherry cakes in their paws when I got closer. Frina looked up.
"None for me?" I pout, and she throws a small bag my way. She stares down for a moment and looks up at me with a curious hint in her eyes.
"Are you… okay?" She says in a quiet manner. Raynor takes a break from being mesmerized by the cakes and looks up at me, awaiting my answer.
I sigh. I sort of wish they didn't have to ask that every time we hang out. But for the time being, I guess I'd have to understand. "Yep. All good." I say in slight annoyance. A smile grows on her lips. "Good. This day will be perfect then." I lie down beside them both and eat my cherry cake first. We spend two hours just sitting there talking and we don't realize the time that's passed. It only seems like a few moments before Frina asks something bizarre.
"You guys think we should ask Kunedda?" The words make me snap my eyes to her.
"Why? He's, what, nineteen? He's a big boy. He's pretty much an adult now." Raynor says before I could even speak. "You just want to flirt with him, don't you?" He adds in a devious tone.
"What the hell! No! I don't! He's just alone most of the time. Except for that bird that hangs around him. But besides him, he's pretty much alone. He arrived here years ago, yet, he doesn't even feel like part of the place. He's still a stranger…" She says with a bit sorrow.
"He hides himself. It's his own fault."
And I guess what I said surprised them both. I avoid their gazes.
"If he wants to be alone, who are we to stop him?"
They say nothing. They just keep staring at me with gaping mouths.
"I sure as hell don't want to."
"S-Seytu!" Frina scolds. I don't take back what I say and I look in the opposite direction. No matter how judgmental either of us look. "Did he say something to you, Sparky?" Raynor pitches. I shake my head. "No."
"Then why is it so easy for you to judge?!" Frina snaps. But I'm completely calm. She sticks up for others so it shouldn't surprise me why she would get frustrated so easily. "He just… reminds me of someone is all. But there just seems to be something off about him. Calm down." Frina's fists ball. I'm actually surprised she would take it this personally.
"Frina, calm down. Don't get him mad." Raynor says and pats her back. Just those words get me to avert my eyes. They don't have to go this far. "No she's okay. You don't have to say that." I mutter. I claw at the ground. I suddenly realize I didn't eat all of my cherry cake and I realize I don't want the rest anyway.
"I'm just letting her know. Don't want you, you know, getting out of hand and everything." My eyes narrow.
You know he's right though.
Shut the hell up.
I pick at the crumbs in my fur. And I fold my arms across my chest. "You don't have to say anything like that though. I've been okay. I haven't been stressed. I've been drinking the nastiest of medicines. I think I'll be okay."
You know
that medicine's not
going to cure you, boy.
Damn it, shut up. The only one pissing me off is you.
I have to let them know I won't have an episode. But they won't trust me enough. And I would ask for forever about what I said or what I had done. They only tell me I had flipped out, and let me know no details.
"Seytu, you know what I mean princess. I don't want you to get her scared."
"I won't scare her." I mutter.
"N-no I'm okay, Seytu, really. You don't have to get angry" I twist to face her, her eyes growing and watching my every move. I scoff.
"I'm not getting angry!"
Let me loose.
"Seytu, calm down. Don't get too pissed!" Raynor scolds, pushing Frina away. To a safer place, no doubt.
My claws dig into my palms.
"What the hell!?" I roar, they cringe back. I went too far. This is why they are scared.
That was definitely
you this time.
I'm
proud.
Leave me alone.
"There's nothing wrong with me! Quit saying there is, because there's not!" I shout, and I throw the bag down to their feet. Raynor eyes me, he isn't afraid. He's just protecting Frina. But Frina, no, she's scared of me. My heart is beating out of my chest. "Damn, some friends you are." I spit and turn away so I can't see them
judge
me.
I roam around aimlessly.
Thank the heavens, you're gone.
And I'm blowing off steam in the best possible way I know. Pace and pace some more. But I have a good excuse.
We've been friends for years now. But apparently that came with a price. Guess I just wasn't ready for it really.
I'm heading to the town I suppose. Kicking a rock as far as I can for as long as I can. But I stop when I reach the outskirts and I see brown-hooded cloaked woman, crouching down by the side of the dirt road. And I recognize the place. Because that's the place I collect stones.
And there she is. Picking up stones and observing, putting few in her pocket. Is the hobby really that famous?
"Hey," I try to call out, to get the strangers attention. But my voice is too low. I notice her knees legs get tired when she gives up crouching and actually sits down. She picks up another stone and it shines silver. She blows off the dirt and it shines a little brighter. She seems very concentrated and tired. She rubs her eyes with her arm and I notice several braided leather bands around her wrist and one bracelet that seems to be made of pure gold. It twists around her wrist with elegance. But somehow, she seems to wear the leather bracelets more proudly.
But her cloak is hiding her face so I can't make out if I know her or not. But I see something glimmer from the corner of her eye.
"Hey, miss?" I call out with more confidence. Maybe I'm not good with meeting new people.
She snaps her attention my way. A certain pair of eyes ring a certain color of purple.
And I meet her gaze to see a very broken Valia. In all of her beauty.
There she is.
Any six year old would
forget meeting someone
from so long
ago.
But not you.
"S-Seytu,"
Because those memories
"Valia,"
Are stuck with you forever.
No
But she's right there, boy.
She is. But so different. She pulls off her hood and I see her white muzzle and brown fur a little better.
But those
midnight purple eyes
that haunt you so.
They never haunted me. They tormented me.
"You. I mean. You're here." She says with her little bell voice.
The
time you felt true acceptance
from anyone.
Because she never
gave you
sorrowful looks you couldn't
read.
"Yes,"
Wanna know why?
Why they did that?
Even
your
mother?
I feel warm.
"What are you… I mean… here? Why are you… here?"
I've never felt this.
"I'm staying… a few weeks." My eyes burn because I just forgot to blink. "Are you…"
Don't say it.
"Are you here with your parents?" I ask. But it's a stupid question when I realize it. And I'm slowly stepping her way because my legs gained a mind of their own. But I'm not looking in her eyes anymore. I'm looking at the blue and purple in that is bright through the white markings surrounding her eye. A bruise. And the cut that is just above her nose.
So I had to ask.
But it's the most pitiful thing, the way her lips pulled into a small smile that doesn't reach her eyes.
Because they can't and she's
fighting fighting fighting
"No. Someone is escorting me for this trip." She says pitifully. And she motions to a built rhino on the other side of the road with a scar across his eye. His eyes are kept on me, and me only.
"Binku, it's fine. I know him." She says with another smile. This one more friendly and directed to the still rhino. His shoulders relax. He's almost twice my size. I probably don't even seem to care when I look away and back to Valia.
Because if you wanted him dead-
She finally lets out a laugh and walks my way. She's only a few feet away now, and she crosses her arms behind her and a grin spreads across her face.
You remind me of the moon.
"My my, Seytu, how you've grown so admirable." She says. I smile. "Speak for yourself." I allow. She has grown so womanly. I hear the Rhino step closer my way behind me, but I don't care enough to turn away from her. She shakes her head in his direction and I hear him step back.
"I'm… I'm happy to see you." I say. I grinning like a fool and I could very possibly scare her off. "You… have no idea." She says to me and I can't help but feel pure happiness plague my body.
Ruthless
I can just feel a sweet glow that reigns the depths of her soul.
So can I.
But I'm still so curious of those injuries that blemish her skin, and it clouds my mind and my smile falters.
"How…"
I get another broken smile.
"It's just me. Being put in my place in this world."
You can't channel me inside of you.
But as you look
into her battered soul and her heart
poised in a showcase
titled 'Perfection',
you almost feel it.
The tranquility fill yours
almost
to the top.
Don't
you?
Author's Note: Oh dear that took a lot of nerve. I know some people don't like large time skips. Don't worry, most likely how it'll work is I'll put up flashbacks about periods of times in those years. But it feels weird. Tigress Tides #1 was over 40 chapters. But I feel if this continues in this pace, it'll be maybe 30 something or maybe even 20 something. I don't know. But I hope for the better. I'll try to make the experience as long as I can. Peace.