INeedAUsername8: It'll be…interesting…
Chapter 21: Mistakes of the Past
(The Wakadan Jungle, present, a few days after the tag team battle)
Ava had continued her training over the past few days, but she had been distracted. After the match, somehow Peter had fell into a state of unconsciousness worse than the previous one. The girl didn't know what to think of the situation. She was ecstatic her and the king had won the match, but guilt ridden at the wall crawler's predicament. Tony had just been knocked out briefly. Even though his armor's power had been shut off, its physical defense kept Tony from taking any actual damage. But Peter wasn't so lucky. Tiger's punch had hit him harder than they realized. She was growing concerned, but she actually threatened to choke Peter in his sleep if he didn't wake up. The doctors assured her that his healing factor was working its magic and that he'd soon be awake. T'Challa had instructed her to put on her suit and use the amulet for this day's training session. He told her it held one of the most vital lessons she'd learn. They had entered the jungle and are not far from the city. Both leapt through the trees.
"Today's lesson will be different, Ms. Ayala." The king said, as he landed on a tree and stayed there. "Ok…" Tiger replied, as she sat on the branch she landed on.
T'Challa contemplated on what he should say next, not sure of how his words would affect her.
"What did your father teach you of the amulet?" T'Challa sked. "Everything, he told me of its powers, and its meaning to our family." She answered.
The Black Panther tapped his vibranium claws on the tree branch. White Tiger noticed this and gave the king a confused expression.
"Is something wrong your majesty?" She asked. "How did Hector tell you to use it?" The king answered.
Tiger was unsure of the king's motives for asking these questions. Also, she is still confused to how this conversation is training.
"He told me to take control, to take dominion over the tiger side." She answered, her voice filled with a mix of 'expressions'.
The king sighed and shook his head. Tiger was confused by the king's reaction.
"While everyone has a right to their opinion…it doesn't make their view right…" The king sighed. "What do you mean?" She replied, her voice filled with confusion. "Your father was a good man, and a capable warrior…but he didn't share my people's view of our animal spirits." Black Panther grunted. "What do you mean?" She replied.
The king slowly raked the claws along the wooden branch, leaving lines behind as the claws trailed away.
"The Wakandan people are strong; Ms. Ayala…the main reason is because we don't cage the beast within." The king replied.
Ava's eyes widened in surprise.
"But…the panther…it would take control of your body!" She gasped. "It hasn't." The king calmly replied. "B-But when Kraven first arrived in New York…he used the drum and the tiger continually took over my body." Tiger replied. "Perhaps because since you had denied it for so long that, the animal inside was so scared it acted frantically." T'Challa answered.
Tiger didn't reply; she just rubbed the back of her head. It was true. Like Hector, Ava had denied the tiger spirit with all of her will. She had caged the beast within.
"But why? Why take such a risk?! The panther could hurt anyone at any moment! When the tiger was taking over, I almost…" Tiger stopped talking before she could finish her sentence. "You almost hurt Spider-Man." T'Challa finished. "How did you know?" She gasped. "It isn't hard to tell. You two have been acting strange around each other since he arrived and whenever one of you mentions the other; your voices personify a variety of meanings." The king answered.
Tiger's eyes opened wide in surprise. T'Challa's words ring true. Things had become more complicated after Spider-Man's entrance into the country.
"But you two can work that out after he's awakened. For now, let us return to the lesson. The animal inside is something not meant to be controlled. This only angers the beast and makes the reality co-existence into an unnecessary battle." The king continued. "What are you talking about? I can't let the beast take control." Tiger gasped.
Panther shook his head and rubbed the back of his covered head.
'She still doesn't understand. Her father said the same thing…and it cost him his life…' T'Challa sighed in his mind.
The Black Panther was unsure of how to convince her, his father had tried his best to explain the consequences of denying his animal spirit, his animal nature. But the young Hector refused the explanations, he argued that man's power is overcoming nature and the amulet only personified man's strength.
"Your father said the same thing…Hector was the second most stubborn person I've ever met, you being the first. He, while a good man and combatant, didn't understand the balance between man and nature." The king continued. "Ok…" Tiger grunted, confusion thick in her voice. "The night your father died at Kraven's hands…I arrived too late to save him…I knew he didn't free the beast within…his unwillingness to accept his animal spirit caused him to lose his life." The king grunted, his voice thick with sadness. "N-No…I-It can't be…" She gasped. "Yes he was poisoned by Kraven, but the hunt started much earlier than that. If Hector had allowed the tiger to emerge, Kraven would've been the one to have died that night…and not you father…the closest friend I ever had." The king sobbed.
Tiger's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't seen the king like this before. His usual strong and poised demeanor had changed into one of despair.
"B-But…" Tiger started to say, but was interrupted, "Have you ever been put into a cage before, Ms. Ayala?" "Yes…" She sighed. "Then you know what the tiger within you feels everyday: trapped, sad, angry, and scared. Neither man nor beast is meant to be caged." The king replied, his sadness gone.
Tiger could feel it. The amulet was simmering with energy. She thought she could actually hear the pained cries of the tiger spirit. It had been caged for generations by those who'd worn the amulet. In essence…it was a slave to the wearer of the amulet.
"What have I done?" She gasped, her voice full of shock.
To be continued…