CHAPTER THIRTEEN: THE MERMAN AND THE TIGER

A crease appeared on Lyle’s forehead as he glanced towards the table where his mate was discussing with her friends.

Penny was saying something while the other bears had grim expressions. The short girl with flaming red hair and a very loud personality was so focused on her food, one would think she was regularly starved. Saber looked torn apart, then he suddenly stood and walked away.

He dropped the sardine he was about to eat and watched as his mate looked worried for her friend. After some consideration, she also stood and
started to walk away, most likely in search for her friend. He tilted his head as he watched her. Their eyes met and he quirked a brow up to which she shrugged. He nodded, silently offering her support. Saber was most definitely upset and she had to be there for him.

“You know he’s like in love with her, right?” His friend Fuego leaned in to tease him. Lyle turned to the lean and shorter boy with bright blue hair that fell over his forehead and shoulders. With a lopsided grin, Fuego reached out for the sardine Lyle dropped, causing Lyle to breathe out deeply through his mouth.

Despite the fact that Fuego annoyed everyone and didn’t seem to know when to shut up, he was the closest thing Lyle had to a best friend. They
grew up together as Fuego was somewhat of his aid. He was older than Lyle with a few years, and while Lyle didn’t need anyone dressing him up anymore, the boy stuck around.

“I know that.” Lyle bit the inside of his cheeks as he picked up an apple and toyed around with it. “Also, he hates me.”

“Now, that’s wicked!” Fuego grinned widely, revealing his crooked teeth. He had friendly and mischievous orange eyes and a birthmark the shape of a flame on his fair cheek. Lyle’s mom said he was probably kissed by a dragon on his way to earth. “You think he’s going to make her choose between you?”

Lyle hummed and dropped the apple, only to pick it up again. He could feel anxiety rising, but it wasn’t his. He wanted to go after them. He wanted
to make sure she was alright, but his mother had previously spoken to him. She had told him he needed to allow Snow some breathing space. He
needed to allow her be strong.

“I hope not.”

“Why? Worried?” Fuego finished up the fish and licked his fingers clean, then he reached for a banana from the centre of the table.

“She doesn’t remember me, whereas she’s known him for years. He’s her family. She shouldn’t have to choose.” Lyle tugged at the collar of his
clothing as he felt Fauna’s anger. Saber was upsetting her. They were probably having an argument.

He kept reminding himself to stay put. It was most likely personal and she wouldn’t want him to interrupt. Saber wouldn’t hurt her, so he had nothing to worry about.

“I don’t know nothing about mates, seeing as I got none, but if I did, I would want to best my competition.” He peeled the banana, then shoved
everything into his mouth, causing Lyle to grimace and shake his head.

“It’s up to her to choose one of us. Knowing she’s alive and well is more than enough for me.” It wasn’t, but Lyle wanted to be a good person. He had to be. As one of the leaders, he had to set a good example for his people, and fighting over a girl just wasn’t it.

Moreover, he didn’t believe in competing for her affection. She wasn’t a trophy to be won. She knew how he felt about her and if she decided she wanted to be with Saber, what could he do about it? He however had faith in the dragons. They thought the duo were compatible, and they were
very seldom wrong.

“Admirable.” The word came out muffled as Fuego was still chewing. It made Lyle crack a smile though. “Remember how you taught her to swim after she almost drowned?” He asked after he had swallowed. “She adored you and was willing to drown just to spend time with you. I have faith in you both.”

Lyle smiled at his friend. Yes, Fuego was mostly a goof who was up to no good, but he took care of Lyle as a child and still looked after him. He was more than a friend or a best friend. Fuego was the big brother Lyle never had.

“How about Allie? Still trying to impress her?” Lyle decided to change topics. Fuego’s eyes lit up and he grinned even wider. He placed a palm on Lyle’s shoulder and pulled him towards him.

“I’m way past that now. Just before she and her parents left to explore the sea, we had the most mind-blowing s-”

“What have I said about too much details, Ego?” Lyle raised a brow and the other merman let out a loud and obnoxious laugh.

Allie was the mermaid that Fuego was obsessed with. Unfortunately, she was rarely around and that was because her parents liked to move between
seas. There were very few merfolks out in the sea and Allie and her family liked to mingle.

“Your loss, dude. Well, she says they’ll be back after the full moon. Oh! She says her mother heard a rumour from one of the travellers. They say the
little girl is dead. You know, the mermaid we’ve been searching for, and I don’t know, man, but where could she be? On land?”

Lyle hummed but said nothing. He looked down the table at her father. She was all he had and while he knew for a while that they had to consider
the fact that she was dead, he didn’t want to have to tell the poor merman that his only family is gone.

He had to find out first. Who took her, and why? Who killed her? She was only a child.

“We’ll find her,” was all Lyle could say. He was deeply distracted. Something was definitely wrong with his mate. She was very distraught and he wanted nothing more than to go to her.

He squirmed in his seat and his mother cast her gaze on him. He knew very well what that look meant. She wanted him to stay put. She didn’t want him shadowing the girl all the time, but she was sad and he could feel it.

He sat in silence for a while. Fuego was telling him about his latest expedition, but he wasn’t paying attention. He fiddled with his food, but he couldn’t build up an appetite. He kept biting his inner cheeks as his eyes darted around in search for anything that could calm him.

Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. He pushed his chair backwards and stood up. His mom passed him a look which he ignored. He turned to leave, but stopped just before Saber who was glaring at him. He frowned in thought as he wondered why the tiger was upset. He couldn’t recall doing
anything to annoy him.

“Are you doing okay? And where’s Fauna?”

“Why? You’re upset she isn’t spending every second with you?” His tone was cold and his violet eyes were narrowed and intense.

The tiger was a head taller than him, and broader too. It probably should have been intimidating, but Lyle was a leader and just wasn’t allowed the
luxury of fear. Moreover, he didn’t think Saber would be irrational enough to hurt him.

Lyle looked around. There were bears and merfolks looking at them and he couldn’t have that. He couldn’t be having an argument in public. “Not
here,” he whispered harshly to Saber who was about to explain, but Lyle grabbed his wrist and forcefully pulled him away, a huge smile on his face as though all was well with the world.

Saber was taken aback. He knew Lyle was strong, but he certainly couldn’t believe the smaller merman had the power to drag him like he weighed
nothing. With a low growl, he yanked his hand away but followed Lyle. He didn’t know what he wanted to tell him. He didn’t even know why he was there. All he knew was he was angry and he needed to blow off steam.

Lyle led them towards the entrance of their territory. His smile didn’t waver until he was out of sight. When he was sure no one could see him
anymore, he turned a scowl to Saber.

“What exactly is your deal with me?”

“You know what!” Saber snapped and Lyle shook his head.

“So, are you hoping to win Fauna’s affection by picking a fight with me? I heard the tigers aren’t one for love so I’m going to tell you that isn’t the
way to win the heart of a lady.”

Saber gritted his teeth. Being around Lyle made him so angry. Ever since they came here, he’s barely been able to hang out with Fauna and it was all because of Lyle. What was so special about him anyway?

“I don’t trust you.” Saber crossed his arms and Lyle shrugged.

“I can’t really say I care, but I’m curious as to why.”

“No one is perfect, which leads me to believe you’re faking. I don’t want a faker around Fauna. I don’t want you hurting –”

“Do you think I am even capable of hurting Fauna’s feelings?” Lyle snapped. “I find it wholesome that you care about her so much, but you’re acting like a very selfish person.” The merman ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up. “You just walk in here and decide to hate me without even getting to know me.”

“What is to know about you? You put up a smile all the time and seem to always look flawless. You’re not real."

“That’s because I don’t have a choice!” Lyle yelled. It was the first time in forever that he raised his voice. His nostrils flared and his chest heaved as he took heavy breaths. “I don’t have a damn choice.” This time, his voice was lower and he looked away.
Saber frowned as he watched the merman. Lyle’s shoulders slumped and he looked defeated. He wasn’t the perky and totally unrealistic young man he always seemed to be.

“Fauna doesn’t appreciate being lied to.”

“I’ve never lied to her.” Lyle shook his head. “You don’t know me.”

Saber sat down on the cold earth. He wasn’t angry anymore. Perhaps he still was, but he was more intrigued. There was more to Lyle, and he wanted to know. If Fauna was going to keep hanging out with him, the least he could do was keep her safe.

“Why don’t you have a choice?” He gently asked.

Lyle took a deep breath as he laced and unlaced his fingers together. He looked up to the sky, then let a sigh of defeat before he joined Saber on the
ground.

“I’m a leader, I have to be perfect.” He let out a humourless laugh. “One wrong move, and my people could go extinct. One wrong move and the
whole forest and sea could be destroyed. As a merman, especially a leader, anything less than perfect is unacceptable.”

“That sounds rough,” Saber admitted. He was also a leader, so he understood the pressure. He just assumed the merfolks had it easier. They had magic and seemed to love group activities. Tigers? Not so much.

“A child is probably dead, and I have to figure out how and why. Human activities cause unrest in the waters, we’re trying to merge with a merfolk clan and that’s not going very well. However, Fauna just makes me feel better. When she smiles, it’s like all my worries just fade away.” Lyle had a dreamy smile on his face as he talked about his mate. It annoyed Saber, but also made him feel like a huge jerk.

How could he have accused her of forgetting their people? Fauna would never do that. They were the founders of the clan and she cared about
everyone. Even the ones that wanted to turn her over to Ari to save their own skin. That was how caring she was.

“Yeah, I understand.” Saber pulled up his knees and hugged them as he let out a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?” Lyle sounded genuinely confused and that caused Saber to let out a brie chuckle.

“I’ve been nothing but a jerk to you, and you’re wondering why I’m apologizing?” He quirked a brow at the merman who playfully waved off his concerns.

“That? Totally forgiven and forgotten. I’ve seen worse. Did you know one of the bears tried to poison his brother over a girl? True story.”

Saber widened his eyes in disbelief and the merman dived into the sad yet somewhat amusing tale. As he listened, he was marvelled, not by the tale, but by the merman. As a tiger, he was used to fighting. They had to fight for everything, especially getting the girl.

He had seen Lyle fight so he knew that the merman wasn’t just being a coward. He was physically strong, but he was also as kind as Fauna said.

Saber let on a little smile because for the first time in a long time, and in the oddest place and situation, it appeared that he had made a friend.

~~~

A short chapter. I just wanted a Saber and Lyle moment. You like it or what?

Remember to vote and comment. Luv you furballs ❤