Chapter 18

"Tigress!" The cry escaped the snake, as Tigress leapt back down from the tree she was in, although still keeping her knife to hand for safety. After all, Viper could still kill her and there would be nobody blaming her.

Survival of the fittest, smartest, and best-equipped.

"Viper? Are you alright?"

"Partly..."

"What?" Coming up to her friend, Tigress began to inspect her.

"I got caught by a poisoned dart when getting away. I tied up around that area with a stick to stop the poison spreading, but it makes movement an awful lot harder." Using her head, Viper indicated to the purpley-yellow area wrapped in green, newly-sprouted branches.

"Hasn't anyone sent you medical supplies for that?"

"Sending stuff?" Viper looked suprised, "Have you got anything?"

"No. I haven't needed anything." Kneeling down to Viper's height, she picked her up safely, and in a way that it wouldn't hurt her through her poisoned area. "Let's get you up somewhere safer. The poison, now it's flow has been prevented, won't kill you, but someone finding you probably will. I won't, though. I can swear an oath that I won't hurt you now." Nodding, Viper relaxed from the tense state she was in a few seconds earlier, as Tigress found a different tree and began climbing up. Silently, she thanked her prep team for having a lot of her fur removed - though it might make her slightly colder, it made her light enough to climb up trees and not make it crack from her weight. Her and Viper together were just about the limit, but a sturdy enough branch which was high up was eventually found by the South China Tiger. Viper, being a snake adapted to living in trees through evolution, wrapped herself around a branch and waited for Tigress, who had gone back down to find anything to treat Viper's poisioning with. After a while, she arrived at the conclusion they'd just have to keep it tied up to keep it from infecting anything, and Viper would have to live with it until the games ended.

The psycho games, where any previous bonds made, however strong, break instantly as everyone vies for last one standing. The only thought that kept Tigress hanging onto sanity, was the possibility of keeping Po alive... and Viper... and the rest of the Five who still lived (R.I.P. Crane, who died because he had no choice and, Tigress knew in her heart, better than the most of us). Her life wasn't as important as the others, she would easily sacrifice herself for them.

Whilst caught up in her mind raging session, she almost missed the black animal rush by about 10 metres away from where she stood. He wore a darkly coloured hoodie, and almost camoflauged in. But, with her sharp tiger vision, Tigress spotted it. Silently, she followed him like prey - he wasn't recognizable as a Master, and Tigress knew all of the Masters through neverending study. They mentioned villians...

Stalking him wasn't an easy task - he was completely unpredicatble, and walked off in random directions, occasionally muttering. Paying more attention, Tigress was able to work out some words:

"That big knife is pretty - no it isn't - why did I grab that pack of small knives instead - because then you have more supply, especially if you lost that one knife - but... - shut up and move..."

He was... having a conversation with himself. About knives.

And Tigress had thought Po was mad.

"Oh, honey, I know you're there!" Flipping round to face Tigress, a black panther, around her age, looked at her, 3 knives in hand and aimed at her brain, throat and heart.

Nice.

"What do you want?" Hissing, Tigress gave the most terrfying glare she could muster - which really was quite frightening.

"Oh, I want you dead, but I want to make you suffer -I want her dead quick, one eliminated - no, she would be fun to play with - oh, shut up - you shut up - I'm the intelligent one here - and I'm me!..." Tigress really wasn't sure how to react, at all.

"Tell me your name." She growled out, interrupting his argument with himself.

"Pain." Leaving a beat for empasis (Tigress couldn't fathom why anyone would call their child such an evil name), he continued "Look, I'm not going to kill you now, so skip off, run home little Tiger," Louder she growled, but did not attempt to make a move, "But be prepared, 'cause big boy Pain will be back to hurt you soon!" The lighthearted phrase contrasted with his deeply dark look, before he went all high and happy again, waving at her, adding a "Toodles!" on the end, and racing off merrily. Suddenly, Tigress realised her timing, and how Viper would be worried if she stayed out for any longer, so, with one last menacing gaze in Pain's direction, she ran off back to their tree.

a/n: PLEASE REVIEW! Thank you, off on holiday tommorow, so won't be updated for a while. Pain has been introduced, the other OC will come in a later. Probably a bit rubbish, writing quite late, so... Review, and TOODLES!