Cold fury took over Taren's consciousness, burying the human part of his mind in its murky depths. Through a red haze of rage, he watched as the slight figure sped toward the end of the alley.

The poison from the Hunter's blade slowly worked its way from the cut on his arm, while every cell and fiber of his body fought to contain it. He knew exactly when its paralyzing effects would take him down, but before that happened he would make sure not a single one of them escaped.

Taren stretched out his hand toward the retreating form, gathering his power to summon a deadly, pulsing wave of wind and ice. As he did so, pain stabbed through his arm and he gasped, stumbling forward. The feral consciousness that clouded his mind lifted and his vision cleared.

Kari?

He took a step toward the girl, clutching his arm, his brow furrowed in confusion. It did not take long for the realization to set in, his blood turning cold at what he had almost done.

Did I just--? Damn it! I could've killed her!

Filled with remorse, he could only watch as she reached the far end of the alley until she was out of sight, the distance between them a growing chasm.

As if she had taken his remaining strength with her, he sank to the ground. He knew he had to use everything he had to fight the spreading poison in his veins. Even now, he felt the early signs of paralysis seep in, snuffing out the cores of his power, one by one.

No! I can't leave her alone out there!

The boy slowly got up, his muscles protesting against the fiery pain, but after taking a few steps, he faltered to a stop. Images of the raw, harrowing fear in Kari's eyes, just before she had turned her face away, flashed in his mind.

She's terrified of me, and with good reason.

A heavy weight pressed at his heart, a different kind of pain that made him catch his breath just the same.

She's better off without me. I'm a danger to everyone else, and to her most of all. Is that why she left? Did she finally see through the monster that I am?

There are those far more monstrous than you are...and, while you sit here moping, they may be closing in on her.

'Ah— f-ck it!' Taren muttered angrily, cursing his inner demons.

* * * * * * * * * *

Blinded by the surge of memories that flooded her mind, Kari stumbled into the town's main street. Vague impressions of pedestrians flitted across her vision. She ignored their curious stares, lost in the icy, starkly white terrain around her.

Numb from the cold, her eyes widened in terror as the black jaguar's emerald gaze transfixed her. Staggering back, her feet slipped on the ice. She glanced desperately at Ryu, trapped under the beast's merciless claws, and his mother. The white tigress lay motionless, her blood staining the ground.

With a low growl, the jaguar released its hold on the tiger cub and bounded towards her. Flexing its powerful hind legs, it leaped with terrifying speed; she didn't even have a chance to scream.

A large white shape flew across her line of sight, hurling itself at the jaguar's flank, throwing the beast several feet away. It rolled on its haunches, snarling at the white tiger that stood protectively before her.

She stared at the male tiger's sleek form, her eyes wide with wonder. Its stripes were silver instead of black, reflecting the moonlight, and its coat was dazzling white. The tiger turned its great head; one bright, fiery-blue eye regarded her steadily while a scar ran across its other eye, its light forever extinguished.

': Run, child, and don't look back. :'

She almost jumped, startled at the clear deep voice in her mind, like rolling thunder. She realized the voice belonged to Ryu's sire.

Without another word, the white tiger turned, bounding away to face the black beast.

Kari hastily got up, but concern over her friend and his mother, along with her innate stubbornness, won over thoughts of flight. She darted across the upturned snow toward them, skirting the dark smears on the ground.

The sparse trees and vegetation that littered the battleground were either blasted frozen or burnt black. She shuddered at the soot-stained smudges, the outlines still retaining their human shapes, strewn around the area where the tigress and her cub lay.

'If I knew this would happen, I shouldn't have let him go!'

Tears welled in her eyes as she knelt beside Ryu's still form. Blood stained the cub's white coat where the black beast's claws had pierced him.

"I'm so sorry, I'm too late," she whispered with a sob.

': He'll be all right. :'

A soft voice filled her mind.

Ryu's mother dragged her torn body toward her cub, nuzzling him and licking at his wounds.

': It is no more than a flesh wound, and he is more stunned than anything, :' his mother assured Kari as her remarkable azure eyes gazed at her with affection.

The tigress inclined her head with an expression of deep gratitude. ': Once again, you have saved his life; a moment more and he would have been devoured by that monster. Our debt to you knows no bounds. :'

With tears of relief welling in her eyes, Kari hugged the cub tenderly. "I'm just-- really glad he's okay."

Ryu unconsciously snuggled close to her with a contented purr.

"Everything will be alright," she whispered at him. Deep down, she knew the danger they were in. Somehow, she had to get Ryu and his mother to a safe place. But how? She was just a frightened and helpless, eight-year-old child.

'Dad— he can help them!' She turned to look back at their house, but all she could see was the endless, white desolation of the Himalayan moors. Surely, she didn't wander all that far?

She had rushed out of the house in the middle of the night when she heard Ryu's desperate cry. In her haste, she didn't think to get her bearings. She quickly glanced at the female tiger, her heart racing as she realized their predicament.

The tigress regarded her with a strange, thoughtful expression on her face, quickly changing to surprise and wonder.

': There's something else—:' her eyes narrowed ': something I have not seen in— a very long time. Impossible as it may seem, my son has unknowingly formed a bond with you—a life-bond—unbreakable save only by death. :'  Her luminous blue eyes clouded with deep concern. ': But this bond will be sought by friend and foe alike, using it to further their own ends. It is a great weakness, but also a source of greatest strength. :'

Kari's brows knitted, her young mind unable to fully grasp the female tiger's words.

The tigress' eyes wavered with uncertainty as the sounds of the battle between her mate and the dark beast drew closer. The thunderous roar of a whirlwind can be heard on the horizon, and flashes of ice-blue light and black lightning filled the sky above them. Kari held the cub in her arms protectively, though her small body quivered in fear.

The white tigress' countenance hardened, as if she had made up her mind.

': There is not much time. Come closer, my child. :'

Kari inched towards her, mesmerized by the tiger's shimmering eyes, while Ryu snuggled in between them. She glanced down at his sleeping form with a slight smile.

'This brat! Why do I get the feeling that he's enjoying himself?'

As she ruffled Ryu's soft fur, his white coat began to glow with a scarlet color. Likewise, the snow around them glimmered like red jewels. When she looked up, her mouth opened in awe as a large, crimson orb of light arose from the tigress' body and hung in mid-air, so bright that Kari had to squint to see it. Within the orb, Kari saw what appeared to be a million stars, each aflame with red, gold, white, and azure fire. It hovered in the air above them, its alien beauty and radiance transfixed her as fear and awe warred within her.

Her eyelids felt heavy all of a sudden, and an overwhelming fatigue seeped into her bones. She fought against it, but the soothing darkness was stronger. Before she succumbed to its spell, a beautiful woman, with eyes that reflected the fire of the stars above her, materialized before her fading vision. There was a gaping wound on her side, and from it spilled forth a blinding, crimson light. The woman's lips moved, but Kari could barely hear her voice against the thunderous storm that fell upon them. All she could hear was one word—

"—Remember."

As her head drooped and her body touched the ground, she caught a glimpse of a silver-haired boy lying still beside her, before the welcoming darkness took her in.

Kari let out a gasping breath, the memories that were like a waking dream replaced by the sounds of a busy street and the blaring horns of vehicles.

She raised a shaking hand to her throbbing head. It felt like her skull was being split open.

What happened? Why am I here? 

Where is—

Images of the recent events flashed in her mind.

The near-fatal accident on the bridge...

Hunters...

A boy holding a sword of ice—

"Taren!" she drew in a sharp breath, horrified at herself. What was I thinking? I— how could I leave him behind—alone with those Hunters! 

She turned around frantically, blindly stepping into the busy intersection.

A truck's horn trumpeted, its deafening sound filling her ears. Startled, Kari whirled to see a semi-trailer hurtling toward her like a behemoth, and the driver behind the wheel, his eyes wide with surprise and shock.

* * * * * * * * * *

Taren emerged from the alley, shaking the feeling of disorientation as he fought his way past the rush-hour crowd onto the sidewalk. Not finding Kari anywhere, he launched his senses into the air. For a second, the pain took his breath away as he forced his power out from cores that felt like they had been burnt to a crisp.

"Where are you?" he panted, his vision covering a wide perimeter of the area as he searched for the girl.

He finally spotted her, standing on the other side of a wide intersection. He pushed past the crowd of pedestrians on the crosswalk waiting for the traffic to stop, earning a few angry glares.

Why is she just standing there?  There was something odd about her movements, as if she was in some kind of a trance.

His heart stopped when she suddenly turned, her mouth calling out his name.

She stepped onto the intersection.

Taren saw the speeding truck seconds before its horn blared.

"Kari! No—!"

He sprinted toward her across the street, amidst the shouts and gasps of onlookers. Without thought, he called on the winds, intending to push her back into the sidewalk, but nothing happened. Instead, a burning, intense pain coursed through his body, and he stumbled, gritting his teeth. The Hunter's venom had finally sunk its teeth and claws, shutting down the cores of his power.

Cursing, he dodged a car that nearly ran him through. A second vehicle hurtled toward him as its frantic driver hit the brakes, tires screeching. Taren leaped, his palm slamming over the car's hood as his legs swung over, landing catlike on the blacktop.

He was still several feet away from Kari.

He gauged the distance between the girl and the truck as the driver pounded on the horn and stepped on the brakes, a little too late.

A friggin' eight-ton, semi-trailer truck!

Luck was definitely not on their side.

Even if, by some miracle, he managed to stop the rushing behemoth, he knew how this was going to end--in deep shit.

* * * * * * * * * *

Kari opened her mouth to scream as the hulking 18-wheeler loomed over her.

Something—a strong hand—pushed her violently down on the blacktop. The force knocked the breath out of her. She heard a loud screech and the deafening sound of tearing metal. She clapped her hands over her ears and shut her eyes as the terrible sound seemed to go on and on--

Then silence.

Her ears still ringing, Kari raised her head and looked up. The truck hovered above her, as still as a statue. Its entire hood and metal grille were folded inward. A bloodied, mangled arm held on to the bumper, which was crushed almost beyond recognition.

Taren's left arm fell limp at his side as he slid to the ground. He looked at her dazedly with undisguised relief in his eyes, as if he couldn't believe they were both alive. Blood poured down from a gash on the side of his head, staining half his face in crimson.

Aghast at his many wounds, Kari could only stare in shock at the boy, who had stopped a moving trailer truck singlehandedly.

"I'm sorry," he muttered weakly, looking away. "If not for that bastard son of a bitch's--" he paused, at a loss for words and avoiding her gaze.

Kari bit her lip, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. Why is he apologizing? That should've been me. He wouldn't have gotten hurt if I had stayed put. Why--why did I run away?

"That was—really—close—" He managed a tight smile, before falling sideways, unconscious, on the hard concrete.

She couldn't stop her shaking, but she managed to crawl toward the boy, lifting his head and shoulder up into her arms. A sudden wave of dizziness hit her as she glanced at the amount of blood on the pavement. Her vision tunneled and she blinked, hard, trying to rouse herself.

From far away, she heard the clamor of sirens.

The sound of cars screeching to a halt made her look up. Four, black SUV's surrounded them from each side of the intersection. Doors opened and slammed shut. Through her blurred vision, she could make out several dark figures heading toward them. Heart pounding, her arms tightened around Taren.