tigress;chapter four

ember

The past three weeks were proving to be an uphill battle for Ember. Everything just continued to get worse, from the flashbacks to her broken family to the encounter with the royals near the forest of the lagoon. It was beginning to become all too much for her to handle. If Ember believed she was in a declining mental state before, she had yet to meet the worst of her demons.

She had so many questions and none of which had reasonable answers. Ember felt more secluded than ever and strongly desired the loving attention of her family. Everywhere she looked Ember swore she could see the figures of her family. She could hear her mother's laugh, and her father's amusing irritation, and see her little sister Aisla sketching on rugged pieces of paper on the floor.

The only way Ember could shield herself from her past was to curl up into a fetal position on her cot and let her subconscious drift away. This seemingly never ending depressive episode had started to affect Axel, who often found himself attempting to comfort Ember and bring her tranquility. It was more frequent that he would lay by her side on the bed and let her run her hands through his soft snowy fur.

To make matters worse Ember's menstrual cycle decided to sneak up on her and immobilize her further. Besides the frequent changes of her menstrual rag and chewing on pain reliever herbs, Ember has remained in a stationary state for the past two days.

Feeling the weight of the cot shift Ember opened her eyes to see Axel adjusting himself on the bed and making himself comfortable towards her lower abdomen. He could tell she was in pain and the warmth of his body temperature keeps the aches and cramps at bay. Despite her weakness, Ember reaches down and rubs Axel's favorite spot behind his ears. The sound of his chuffing pleases Ember and she starts to feel hints of guilt for her dreary mood. It hasn't been easy on him either since he is reluctant to go outside and hunt as he feels the need to protect and support Ember.

Tears start to build in the duct of Ember's eyes. Her menstrual cycle amplified the emotions even more as the tears stained her chestnut skin. There wasn't much else she could sulk about, but the anger and frustration felt good to come out. It was the one part of time where Ember embraced the vulnerability she was uncertain to expose. And after a while, her consciousness started to drift and carry her away to a place where reality could not punish her anymore.

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Ember abruptly awoke to a sharp pain in her hip and groin. It had her twisting out of her fetal position and sprawling into a spread-out position. Feeling defeated, Ember sat up in her cot and attempted to stand up. Just as she did so an intense ache moved from her lower back to her abdomen sending her falling backward on the bed. A now-alerted Axel rose and rushed to Ember's side to assist her. A weary sigh left Ember's mouth as she slightly smiled at her feline companion.

"I am okay Axel, I promise." She assures as she attempts to get on her feet again.

Her words do little to persuade Axel as she struggles to get up again. He offers her support by applying pressure against the back of her legs as she holds onto the side table of her cot. The abruptness of her movements sent her vision into a frenzy as she struggled to remain upright. As Ember made her way to the kitchen she debated crawling back to her cot and letting her depression offer the warmth she so much needed. But the need for energy only food can satisfy keeps her body moving toward the kitchen.

Axel starts to perk up when he notices where the two of them are going. It's been entirely too long since he's had a decent meal prepared by Ember. The spoiled feline has had to hunt and eat his own meals. Ember is against making a hefty meal but her body demands it for being denied proper energy for so long.

She begins searching through the kitchen and Axel's recent huntings in search of an adequate meal. Axel recently brought in a spacious deer in hopes of Ember preparing it. His scheme seemingly worked as Ember walks outside with a portion of the deer and a few sweet potatoes. She begins making her meal by cutting the dear into smaller pieces for herself. Axel would be fine eating the areas that are typically undesirable, so she left those parts for him.

Ember begins sparking a piece of wood and flint together to spark flames in the fire pit. Her hands were moving at such a distressing rate due to built-up frustration, she did not realize when the sparks erupted into spacious flames. It wasn't until she felt a burning sensation in her hands that she dropped the wood and flint altogether. Ember clutched her hands to assess the damage and her sensation to feel. She couldn't feel the tips of her fingers and the palm of her hands were showing slight signs of second-degree burns.

Ember felt so numb and trapped in her mind she had not realized that Axel was by her side trying to comfort her. A heavy roar brought her attention to the sizable feline. Evidence of his piece of deer was long gone as he lay beside her. Ember's hunger subsided as her body was blinded by pain and confusion. Heavy smoke began to fill her lungs and her breathing became labored. Ember immediately rushed herself back inside the cottage to tend to her wounds, leaving the smoke and burnt dear behind.

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It had been several hours since Ember burned the fingers and palms of her hands. She had wrapped them in small absorbent cloths to lessen the blood loss and tension. A reddish brown tint stained the pale cloths, but Ember was grateful that she had stopped bleeding. Now all that was left was the aching feeling in her palms and the lack of responsiveness from her fingers. The residue of smoke from outside still lingered in the air and gave Ember the occasional cough. She tried opening up a window on the eastern side of her cot that was away from the smoke, but it did little to help.

Ember forced herself to eat a couple of potatoes and berries she recently harvested to get herself through the rest of the day. After a few hours of watching her, Axel left to go about his ambitions and she had not seen him since. It was now well into the evening and there was still no trace of Axel. She started to feel more lonesome than ever but she knew her feline companion would return soon.

To keep herself occupied, Ember continued reading the classic forms of literature that were left in the entrance atrium of the cot. They helped her escape reality and she found herself immersed in so many of the tales that she read. No matter how often she read them it still felt like the first time.

Half an hour had passed and Ember appeared as though she was in a trance by how absorbed she was in her story. She was unaware of how much time had passed and was none the wiser when she heard the trickling of leaves. She paused briefly before returning to the story. The sound of the leaves again brought her full attention to the outdoors.

"Axel is that you?!" Ember let out a dry raspy cough as there was still smoke left in her lungs that made it difficult for her to speak properly.

She immediately felt suspicious when she did not hear or see the white tiger. Waves of paranoia flooded her body as Ember quickly thought about the encounter she faced with the royal men by the lagoon. It had been almost a month since then and Ember almost convinced herself that they were long gone by now.

Her heart rate increased so rapidly she could feel her ears pound with every heartbeat. She quietly closed the book and placed it on the nightstand. Her rational side was telling her to stay in bed and remain quiet as whatever is outside would pass soon, but Ember knew better than that. The faster she could investigate the noise, the faster she could return to her bed.

Minimal light was passing through the windows as Ember slowly walked through the corridors. She felt weakened and her vision was blurry, her legs felt like they would give up on her at any moment but she prevailed through. She gripped the sides of the walls to give her some balance. The hallways of her cottage were dim and it was difficult for her to see past the first foot in front of her.

Her vision started to get blurry and she felt a shock go through her body that sent her tumbling to the floor. Ember's breathing started to become impaired and she sat with her back against the wall to calm herself. Her eyes closed as she attempted to clear her mind and stay quiet. Her breathing was beginning to level out and become normal, but an insistent noise had her eyes bulging from their sockets. Suddenly Ember realized that investigating whatever was outside, was not the brightest idea if she was placing her survival first.

A series of swear words went through Ember's mind as her body was going against her wishes and was not moving at the speed she desired. She felt so unsteady. She could barely stand as her wobbly legs brought her up to a hunched position where her hands on the walls acted as a guide. Remnants of smoke began to escape through her trachea and much to Ember's dismay, she let out a heavy dry cough that echoed through the hallway.

She slapped her left hand over her mouth in an attempt to muffle the noise, but the action was already done and Ember was sure whatever was outside heard it as well. She believed she was experiencing more delusions when she heard several voices from the outside of her cottage.

"No, no, no, no, no." She whispered to herself as her hysteria continued to grow.

The voices started getting clearer as they moved closer.

"...There was a sound coming from this cottage earlier, Sir." One spoke in a posh royal accent.

'Why would they come back?' She thought to herself.

Their conversation became muffled as they moved farther away from the cottage. Ember looked behind her and let out a sigh of relief but she knew they would not let it go so easily. She could see the door outline her room, it appeared to be close yet far. She just needed to prevail and make it back to her room where the rest of her plan would come into action. Playing dead seemed easier than ever as more strength and willpower left Ember's body with every step she took.

She placed more of her body weight on the wall when she saw the open door to her room. A sense of relief flooded her body but the sensation did not last as the backdoor to her cottage busted open. The noise and shock sent Ember to the floor yet again as she struggled to crawl to her room. Her legs gave up on her for sure this time.

A series of heavy footsteps on the hardwood floors made their way down the corridor. They grew louder the closer they got. Ember could no longer keep her pleas and cries silently as she realized her fate. She most likely was going to die here at their hands. And the fact that her companion Axel was still nowhere to be found brought her more discomfort. If she was going to die she wanted him with her.

Suddenly, the footsteps halted a few feet behind Ember's body. The royals were stunned at the scene before them, a young petite woman with chestnut-colored skin and auburn curly hair was sprawled out on the floor, trying her best to move away from the group but failing immensely.

Ember could barely make out what they were saying, her body was in total fight-or-flight mode and at this moment fighting was completely out of the question. Her mind could not register when one of the royal soldiers picked up her fragile form and carried out the backyard of the cottage. It was not until she was outside that realized her predicament. Adrenaline started to rush through her body and Ember discovered a newfound strength that otherwise would not have been possible.

She dragged her nails across the royal's face and dug her fingers into his eyes until he abruptly dropped her with a painful grunt. Ember took the opportunity to scurry away but he grabbed her hair and yanked her back to him. His eyes were bleeding a deep crimson that ran down the sides of his face.

"Fucking bitch!" He hollered before stomping on her left leg to prevent her from moving.

A loud shriek came from Ember as the pain started to register. She could barely feel below her patella and she was sure she fractured a bone. Her nightgown was soiled by the dirt and gravel from the ground. More of the royals surrounded Ember's stationary position on the dirt. A high-ranking royal that resembled a knight kneeled so that he was at eye level with the young girl. His dark umber skin and buzz-cut hair were a beautiful contrast to his snarky malevolent expression. It made Ember shiver uncomfortably under his gaze.

"You're a pretty little thing aren't you doll?" He noted as he picked up a strand of her hair and twirled it around his finger.

All Ember could offer in response is a threatening glare. Her body could not even flinch away from his touch. The look of fascination on his face as he continued to study her features. A thundering roar brought the group's attention to the surrounding forestry. A glimmer of hope shone through Ember's eyes as the sound brought her comforting familiarity. Shortly after a large ivory feline emerged from the greenery. She could only see him for a few seconds before the group blocked her view and focused their attention on the impending threat.

A second powerful roar traveled through the air and Ember swore she could feel it rumble in her chest.

"Axel!" She breathed out in an attempt to get his attention, but it barely came out above a whisper.

The towering dark skin man looked back at her with a questioning gaze, it took him some time to realize that the tiger and the woman were connected. This agitated him further as the decently sized feline paced around the group in a territorial demeanor. Ember attempted to move her upper body to get closer to Axel, but the guard from earlier stepped on her hand which was just recently burned.

An excruciating shriek left Ember as hot tears cascaded down her face. She could feel the sweltering blood trickle down to her wrists and the rest of her arm. Axel stopped in his tracks when he heard her cries. Putting forth all his energy into a soaring leap onto the royal that attacked Ember. The royal had no time to react and pull the gun out of his holster before Axel took a substantial bite of his leg that threw off his balance entirely. A deafening scream erupted from the soldier as Axel closed his jaw and bit deeper into his leg. The rest of his leg below his femur was no more as Axel had the limb dangling in his mouth with blood leaking from every orifice.

Axel spit out the leg and ran to attack another one of the royals, but a spine-chilling gunshot put a stop to his actions. The feline unexpectedly dropped and was spazzing on the ground. An intense shriek left Ember as she realized what they had done. The high-ranking knight lowered the gun and placed it back in his holster. He dropped back down next to Ember whose eyes were seemingly permanently widened in shock.

A vile grin became plastered on his face. "My, my, my doll, you're causing more problems than I expected."

He harshly grabbed Ember's hair and forced her to look at his mutilated subordinate.

"Look at him doll, he won't ever walk properly again thanks to your little fucking cat." Ember tried to look away but he tightened his grip on her hair and involuntarily made her keep her eyes open.

"He's not even useful anymore, just a disfigured soldier who will die before he makes it back to the capital." At this comment, the soldier started blabbering and begging the knight to not leave him for dead.

He ignored his sobs and stepped over his body to address the rest of the group. If they were shocked they didn't show it and chose to remain motionless.

The knight kept a disgusted look on his face, as he commanded them.

"Go and retrieve the carriage, make sure Lord Angus is aware." He affirmed.

"Oh and bring the girl and cat." He continued.

All but one of the soldiers followed his command. He raised one eyebrow at the soldier, surprised at his defiance. The soldier gulped before timidly speaking,

"Excuse me Sir, is it wise to bring the girl and the... cat to the capital?" He questioned. The knight sighed in annoyance before he responded.

"Don't concern yourself with the likes of this squire, do what you are asked and nothing more." The young soldier wanted to object but he sealed his mouth closed and followed the other three soldiers to the carriage.

As if on cue a protruding presence lurked behind the umber-skinned man. It didn't alarm him as he knew very well who it was.

"It seems as though things have been taken care of, which makes me question why I was asked to come out here."

He turned around to face his sovereign leader better.

"I thought perhaps you would want to see what took so long." He simply inquired as he directed Angus to the young woman who was now roughly being carried bridal style into the carriage. Her eyes were shut closed and to anyone else, it looked as though she was resting eternally. The sizable tiger was a bloody panting mess as the squire picked him up and locked him behind the carriage bars.

Angus could not hide the look of bewilderment as he studied the girl. His hazel eyes scanned her figure and her sullied dress. And he certainly could not hide the look of familiarity when he saw the striking auburn color of her hair.

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The fluttering of Ember's eyes brought her discomfort as her consciousness made her aware of her substantial injuries. She felt a deep penetrating feeling in both of her hands, she lost sensation in her left leg past her patella. Her hands and legs were tightly tied together with rope that dug into her skin and would surely leave scars. It only added to her discomfort and pain.

Ember looked up to observe her surroundings. She was in a carriage, a moving carriage. Four men were encircling her with two in the front directing the carriage. She was sandwiched between two of them and the other two were sitting across from her. No one else appeared awake but her as they were all facing away from her. Based on the lighting outside, the sun had just risen.

How long was I out for? She speculated.

The memories of what happened hours previously started flooding and coming back to her. She couldn't stop the uneasiness from growing in her body when she looked out the window. Her expression changed from confusion to curiosity. Ember started to notice that they were traveling further inland, away from the countryside.

"Is this your first time in the capital?" A deep voice brought her out of her thoughts. Ember jumped startled as she turned her attention to him.

They were in the capital? She pondered. 

The first thing she noticed was his dim hazel eyes. She would recognize those eyes anywhere and she could not believe he was speaking so casually to her. His dark medium-length hair fell over his face and framed his chiseled face shape. It all started to make sense when she pieced it all together. When she saw him and his entourage almost a month ago, they must have tracked her down and followed her. Her anxiety was more than well-placed as she thought about how they waited for her to let her guard down. This ambush was anticipated and planned and that disturbed Ember.

But he did not share this recognition as he studied her facial expression. Ember chose not to respond and turned around to continue studying the exterior. Angus was slightly irritated by her silence and defiance, but he would deal with it later when she had no choice but to answer to him. She did not want to let him know she remembered him, the less he knew about her the better.

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Ember was startled by the state of the capital. The one previous time that she had been to the capital with her family, it was nothing like this. It was lively and full of culture that made those who did not live within the capital envious. The capital was always labeled as the successful area where people went to fulfill the rest of their goals. Ember remembered her little sister dreaming of going to the capital and selling her art. Ember always preferred the simpler and quieter aspects of life. But seeing the capital in this state was disheartening. It was well into spring and historically it is the most entertaining and festive season within Scieca. It was also the one time that Ember got to visit the capital with her family.

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A youthful Aisla and Ember ran through the streets and boroughs of the capital. With their parents Lucas and Marielle attempting to follow closely behind.

"Ember, Aisla! COME BACK RIGHT NOW!" Their father's voice boomed through the street market.

The two young girls turned around to see the frustration plastered on their faces before giggling and continuing off.

"AHH!" Aisla squealed when her father picked her up and started shaking her around. He attempted to act serious and upset with the girls, but he knew that they were excited to be in the capital as they never had before. Financially it proved to be a struggle to get to the capital but it was worth it to feed the girls' excitement. Especially since it was Ember's birthday and they wanted to do something special for the girls.

An enthusiastic Ember grabbed onto her father's leg and forced him to look down at her. "Dad, can we go to the pastry shop? They have bread, cake, and-"

"Hold on now little spitfire, you cannot fill yourself up with sweets before you've had a good warm meal to eat." Her mother replies, raking her fingers through Ember's hair.

Ember pouted and started pulling on his pant leg to drag him towards a mom-and-pop shop that served authentic seafood Sciecan style. Neither parent objected as they allowed the little girls to drag them to the restaurant.

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Ember smiled softly with her eyes closed as she reminisced on the positive aspects of her life. She was unaware of who was watching her intensively. They were paying close attention to the color of her hair and youthful features. Unsure of where he had seen the unique combination of skin and hair before, Angus was sure he would get to the bottom of it eventually.

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Y'all I apologize for the lack of updates. I just started college in august and I'm still adjusting to everything. Thank you so much for all the reads, votes, comments, and adds to reading lists. It means so much to me!